Next week is set to be one of the biggest tech news weeks of the entire year. As an appetizer, a handful of new stories have been released over the past week. NVIDIA’s new RTX 4090 has been mocked for its massive size, Microsoft has posted a website about its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and we exclusively announced that Microsoft will be bringing Windows 11 design elements to the update. Android 12L for Surface Duo.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is great
When people said the NVIDIA RTX 4090 would be one of the biggest tech items this year, they had to mean it literally. NVIDIA’s latest and greatest graphics card has made headlines this week due to the fact that it’s bigger than an Xbox Series S.
Sure, the RTX 4090 is significantly more powerful than the Xbox Series S, but that hasn’t stopped people from choosing the big GPU.
The large form factor of the RTX 4090 may force some people to choose different PC cases. Those who integrate the GPU into a system will have one of the best graphics cards around, easily capable of handling 4K resolution at 100 FPS.
The only thing about the RTX 4090 bigger than its size is its price. The graphics card departures at $1,600.
The 4090 is bigger than an Xbox Series S. pic.twitter.com/U0AtgyZapfOctober 5, 2022
Microsoft launches a site on Activision Blizzard
Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizard has faced some setback since the deal was announced. The European Commission is currently examining the agreement and has a deadline of November 8, 2022 to make a decision. Microsoft has launched a dedicated website (opens in a new tab) last week to explain why tech giant buying Activision Blizzard is good for the gaming industry.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a deal to buy Activision Blizard for $68.7 billion. Several major franchises will become part of Microsoft if the deal is approved, including World of Warcraft, Candy Crush and Call of Duty. Unsurprisingly, Sony was one of the deal’s biggest opponents.
We will have to wait until next month to see which side regulators fall on.
Android 12L will showcase Windows 11 design
Android 12L is a version of Android optimized for devices with large screens or multiple screens. This includes the Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2, which are expected to receive the Android 12L update in the near future. Last week, our editor Zac Bowden exclusively announced that design elements inspired by Windows 11 will be making their way to the Surface Duo product line.
Blur effects, smooth animations, and notification boxes will all make the Surface Duo look like an extension of a PC running Microsoft’s latest operating system. The Surface Duo will also have a new pen menu similar to Windows 11.
Enterprise customers will be able to extend their Duo to a monitor through a feature called “Duo Connect”. The tool is somewhat similar to Continuum, which was seen on Windows 10 Mobile, although Duo Connect is powered by Windows 365. It should be noted that Duo Connect may not ship the same day as Android 12L.
Overwatch 2 is coming
Overwatch 2 released this week to critical acclaim from multiple outlets. Our Overwatch 2 review gave the shooter a 4.5 out of 5 for its progression system, smooth gameplay, and move to free play.
Although the game received strong reviews, Overwatch 2’s launch was not smooth. Blizzard had to shut down the game’s servers for maintenance multiple times this week.
We have a guide to known Overwatch 2 bugs, launch issues, and how to fix them, which includes bug fixes and a server maintenance schedule.
Former Windows chief gives insight into Windows 8 debut
Windows 11 may be all the rage these days, but we’ve recently seen a throwback to the early days of Windows 8. Former Windows executive Steven Sinofsky has shared a video of the debut of the controversial operating system from Microsoft. The presentation was shown to Microsoft employees in 2010 to demonstrate the concept of Windows 8, which was later shipped in 2012.
There is nothing shocking shown in the video, especially for those who followed the development of Windows 8 back then. A small tidbit was the fact that the first concept of Windows 8 had a side panel that somewhat resembled the Widgets panel in Windows 11.
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Every week, our team of experts digs into the latest technology. Over the past week, we’ve reviewed Overwatch 2, the ASUS Vivobook S14X laptop, and several accessories.
