Technology - Google News

Dell's new-look XPS 13 Plus is now available, starting at $1299 - The Verge
Twitch Drops Aren’t Your Last Chance For Overwatch 2 Beta Access, Thanks To The Overwatch League - Forbes
Here's What's Inside Apple's Hefty DIY iPhone Repair Kit Rentals - Gizmodo

Dell's new-look XPS 13 Plus is now available, starting at $1299 - The Verge

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 09:01 PM PDT

Dell announced that the bold XPS 13 Plus it debuted back at CES 2022 is now available for purchase. It starts at $1,299, and while Dell didn't detail the exact specifications for this configuration, it'll likely get the lowest specs listed in a spec sheet shared by the company. Those include a 13.4-inch 1920 x 1200 16:10 aspect ratio display with 500 nits of peak brightness, Intel's 12th Gen Core i5-1240P processor (28W, 12-core, 4.4GHz boost clock), 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM clocked at 5,200MHz, and a 256GB SSD.

Each model includes a 60W USB-C AC adapter and features two Thunderbolt 4 ports (but no headphone jack), a Windows Hello 720p webcam, as well as a fingerprint reader embedded in the power button.

As we noted back at CES, this new version of the XPS 13 has a more futuristic-looking design than Dell's standard model. The most notable differences include the Plus' Touch Bar-like row of backlit function keys, as well as the keyboard, which sits flush with the chassis. Finally, there's the new trackpad that's invisible to the eye but takes up a similar (if not slightly larger) amount of real estate within the middle of the glass-covered wrist rest. And instead of physically clicking in, the trackpad hardware emulates the click with haptic feedback, like Apple's recent laptops.

While Dell didn't share pricing information for other configurations, you'll be able to upgrade the XPS 13 Plus at the time of purchase with a 1080p touchscreen (it's non-touch by default) or a 4K touchscreen. The highest-end display option is a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) Gorilla Glass 7-covered OLED touchscreen with 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

In terms of processing power, Dell can go up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1280P with 14 cores, as well as up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Oh, and last thing: there will be a Developer Edition of the XPS 13 Plus that will ship with Ubuntu 20.04, and it will cost $1,249.99.

We look forward to testing out the XPS 13 Plus soon. As my colleague Monica Chin wrote in her hands-on back in January, we're cautiously optimistic that all of these aesthetic changes won't get in the way of it being a good machine. But stay tuned for the full review to find out.

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Twitch Drops Aren’t Your Last Chance For Overwatch 2 Beta Access, Thanks To The Overwatch League - Forbes

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 03:31 PM PDT

If you missed out on claiming Overwatch 2 beta access through today's mega Twitch Drops campaign, all is not lost. The Overwatch League will give away thousands of beta keys during its opening weekend.

OWL postponed the first two weeks of matches in the East due to COVID-19 protocols, so all of the opening weekend games take place during the afternoon and evening in the Americas. They start at 3PM Eastern time ach day between May 5 and May 8. You can see the full week 1 schedule here:

1,500 keys will be given away each hour during opening weekend of season 5. According to the rad announcement trailer, codes will be given away during other select matches.

Overwatch League matches are broadcast on YouTube, rather than Twitch. To be eligible for an Overwatch 2 beta key through this campaign, you'll need to connect your YouTube account to Battle.net. You can do that by clicking or tapping the Rewards icon below the OWL YouTube stream.

You need to watch at least one hour of OWL broadcasts to be eligible. The English, French and Korean broadcasts will all offer drops. The rules for OWL's Overwatch 2 beta key giveaway are here.

What's more, you'll be able to watch how the pros play Overwatch 2 and you'll receive Overwatch League tokens. You can spend those on in-game OWL skins. Five tokens will drop into your account for each hour watched, and you'll get double tokens during the following matches:

Los Angeles Gladiators vs. New York Excelsior (May 5, 3PM ET)
Vancouver Titans vs. Boston Uprising (4:40PM ET, May 6)
Washington Justice vs. Toronto Defiant (3PM ET, May 7)
Florida Mayhem vs. Paris Eternal (4:30PM ET, May 8)

For everything you need to know about the Overwatch 2 beta, read up on my impressions, the system requirements and the patch notes with all the changes from the live game:

The first Overwatch 2 beta will run until May 17. There will be more betas in the future, including ones for console players.

Have more questions about the beta? Hit me up on Twitter and I'll help as best I can.

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Here's What's Inside Apple's Hefty DIY iPhone Repair Kit Rentals - Gizmodo

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 10:00 AM PDT

Apple rental tool kit — Image: Self Service Repair Store

Apple's self-service repair program went live today, giving iPhone (and eventually Mac) customers the tools and instructions need to repair their devices at a lower cost and from the comfort of their own homes.

To do so, however, you need tools—some of which are proprietary. With the "Self Service Repair Store" opening today, you can now purchase those parts individually. However, doing so might not be the most cost-effective method. Spending $85 on a Torque Driver or $13 on a single Torx Security Bit adds significant cost to your repair, and you might only need these tools once or twice.

Fortunately, Apple offers a $49 (including shipping) rental kit that contains all the tools and parts needed to make repairs on specific devices. Maybe too many parts, depending on which repair you're making, but there's no way to rent individual tools a la carte. The rental lasts for 7 days once you've received the tool kit, after which you are charged "a fee and a tax" via a hold on your credit card.

Just be sure to stretch before you try hauling these kits to your workbench, because they are hefty. As MacRumors notes, the two cases you receive with the rental kits weigh 43 pounds and 36 pounds, individually. When stacked, the cases measure 20 inches wide and 47 inches tall. It's safe to say that you can skip the gym on iPhone repair day. Unless you want to cheat and use the cases' wheels, which I'm thrilled to report don't cost $700 extra.

What's inside these beefy kits? The first case for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 repairs includes a "Heated Display Removal Fixture" and a "Heated Display Pocket," a pair of technical devices that would cost roughly $350 to buy separately. In the other case are various parts, including battery and display presses, a repair tray, torque drivers, screw bits, and adhesive covers. You can find a full list in the Q&A section of the Tool Kit Rental page.

But what if I just need one torque driver, and I don't want to buy it to keep? I guess I'll have to hit the gym so I can carry all of that extra gear.

In all seriousness, I'm eager to see what's included in the rental kits for Mac repairs once Apple adds laptops and desktops to its self-service repair program later this year. Heft aside, the rental service seems like a legitimately great way to save money on genuine components most people don't have in their toolbox. If only you could rent just the specific tools you need individually, too. And if only Apple's new right-to-repair initiative supported older iPhone models—you know, the ones most in need of repairs or replacement parts.

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