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July 24
- Samsung Launches Galaxy Watch FE Smartwatch for 34,760 Yen1. The Galaxy Watch FE is an entry-level smartwatch model by Samsung Electronics Japan, set to be released on July 31st for 34,760 yen; 2. It offers over 100 workout measurements, body composition analysis, and insights into sleep habits and health to support lifestyle improvements; 3. The watch features an Exynos W920 processor, 1.5GB of memory, 16GB of storage, a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display, and runs on Wear OS powered by Samsung with One UI 5 Watch interface.
- Mouse Computer Launches Business PCs with 14th Generation Core Processors1. MousePro BP and MousePro LP series launched with 14th Gen Intel Core processors; 2. BP series offers mini-tower form factor, LP series offers slim desktop form factor; 3. Various configurations available with different CPUs, memory, storage, and graphics options.
- AI That Outputs Ukiyo-e Style Art1. Sanaka AI has released Evo-Ukiyoe, an image generation model inspired by Ukiyo-e, and Evo-Nishikie, a colorization model for Ukiyo-e. 2. These models are based on the Evo-SDXL-JP, a Japanese-language image generation model, and have been trained using 24,038 digital images of Ukiyo-e works from the Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center (ARC). 3. Evo-Ukiyoe can generate Ukiyo-e-style images from Japanese text prompts, while Evo-Nishikie can colorize monochrome Ukiyo-e prints, creating polychrome images in the style of Nishikie.
July 23
- Google Reverses Course on Third-Party Cookie Ban, Announces New Privacy Protection Features for Chrome1. Google has reversed its stance on banning third-party cookies and will instead introduce new privacy protection features in Chrome; 2. The company initially aimed to abolish third-party cookies by 2022 for user privacy protection but later postponed it to the second half of 2024; 3. Google will add a new privacy protection feature that allows users to make informed choices about their web browsing and change them at any time, as well as enhance IP protection in Chrome's Incognito mode.
- The Dolphin That Was Erased Back Then1. The capsule toy 'The Dolphin That Was Erased Back Then' is a nostalgic nod to the famous Office Assistant dolphin, 'Kai,' from Microsoft Office 97; 2. The toy comes in five different colors and is 8cm in size, with a matching ball chain; 3. Kai was discontinued in Office 2007/2008 but lives on in this cute plush form.
- Nijisanji's First Analog Record and CD Simultaneous Release1. ANYCOLOR Inc. announces the simultaneous release of an analog record and CD titled 'HE4RT BE4T!'; 2. The release features four new songs with a seasonal theme, produced by notable sound directors; 3. Various virtual YouTubers, including Tsukino Mito, Ichiro Manten Harusome, Kagami Hayato, and Kanade, are confirmed to participate in the recording, with more to be announced.
- AI-Pushed Copilot+ PCs Struggle with Less Than 1% Share in Domestic Market1. The domestic PC market in Japan showed a recovery trend with a 7.9% year-on-year increase in shipments for the first quarter of 2024. However, the month of June saw a significant decrease in shipments, indicating a mixed recovery. 2. Personal PC demand has been particularly weak, with sales consistently below the previous year's levels, except for a brief spike in March 2024. 3. The Copilot+ PC, featuring advanced AI capabilities, has struggled to gain traction, with a market share of less than 1% due to high prices and software compatibility issues.
- Mouse Computer Launches G-Tune P5 with White Chassis and GeForce RTX 40601. Mouse Computer introduces the G-Tune P5 series with a white chassis, the first of its kind for the G-Tune gaming notebooks; 2. The series features the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU and offers BTO customization options; 3. An example configuration, the G-Tune P5-I7G60WT-B, includes a Core i7-13620H CPU, 16GB of memory, a 500GB NVMe SSD, a 15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz display, and Windows 11 Home, priced at 199,800 yen.
- Japan HP Announces All-in-One PC with IMAX Enhanced 4K Display and HDMI Input1. HP OmniStudio X All-in-One PC series features Core Ultra H series processors and IMAX Enhanced certified 4K displays for immersive viewing experiences; 2. The series includes 27-inch and 31.5-inch models, with the larger model featuring a GeForce RTX 4050 for creative and gaming applications; 3. Both models come with factory-calibrated displays, dual speakers tuned by Poly, adaptive audio, HDMI input, and a pop-up 5MP webcam.
- iiyama Launches 31.5-inch WQHD Monitor1. iiyama introduces a new 31.5-inch monitor with WQHD resolution; 2. The monitor features an anti-glare IPS panel, 10-bit color depth, and a fast response time of 3ms; 3. It includes DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, a USB 3.0 hub, and a versatile stand.
- Intel Identifies Root Cause of Instability in 13th/14th Gen Core, Patch Coming in August1. Intel has identified the root cause of instability in 13th and 14th generation Core processors as a microcode algorithm issue leading to incorrect voltage requests; 2. The company has analyzed returned processors to uncover the problem and is working on a microcode patch to address the high voltage exposure; 3. Intel aims to release the patch to partners by mid-August after thorough validation and encourages affected users to contact customer support for assistance.
July 22
- Town Page Service Ends: 104 Number Directory Service Also Becomes Unavailable1. NTT East and West Japan announced the end of the 'Town Page' professional telephone directory and the '104' directory assistance service by March 31, 2026, marking the end of a 135-year history. 2. The final version of the Town Page will be published from January 2025 to March 2026, focusing on 177 essential professions, and will be available in both print and online formats. 3. The 'i Town Page' database service will continue, providing data for car navigation systems, emergency services, and other applications.
- Special Feature: Essential Tips for Beginners and Veterans to Avoid Pitfalls in Building a Custom PC1. The importance of imagining what you want to do with your custom PC; 2. Part selection for those who want to play games intensively; 3. Part selection for those who do not intend to play games on their PC; 4. Points to note during PC assembly; 5. Invitation to the world of custom PC building
- Master the Use of the 'Find My' App to Prepare for Lost or Stolen iPhones and Macs!1. Enable the 'Find My' feature on your devices to locate them if lost or stolen; 2. Use the 'Find My' app to track the real-time location of your devices and play a sound to help locate them; 3. Put your device in Lost Mode to protect your data and display a custom message with your contact information.
- Listening to Music with Rain or Ocean Sounds in the Background? How to Use iPhone's Background Sounds1. The iPhone's 'Background Sounds' feature allows users to set various ambient noises, including rain and ocean sounds. 2. This feature is useful for focusing on studies or work, as well as for relaxation. 3. Users can choose from six different sounds and can even play these sounds while listening to music.
July 19
- OpenAI Announces Cost-Effective LLM 'GPT-4o mini'1. OpenAI introduces 'GPT-4o mini', a cost-effective language model priced at $0.15 per 1 million input tokens and $0.60 per 1 million output tokens, significantly cheaper than previous models and 60% cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo; 2. The model is designed for applications requiring low cost and low latency, such as chaining or parallelizing model calls, handling large amounts of context, and real-time text responses for customer interactions; 3. The current API supports text and vision, with plans to include video and audio input/output in the future, offering a 128K token context window and up to 16K output tokens per request, and knowledge up to October 2023. The model demonstrates improved cost-efficiency for non-English text processing with a shared, upgraded tokenizer with GPT-4o. It achieves high scores on various benchmarks, outperforming competitors like 'Gemini Flash' and 'Claude Haiku'.
- Goo.gl Shortened URLs to Stop Responding After August 25, 20251. Google's URL shortening service, which generates shortened URLs starting with 'https://goo.gl/*', will cease to respond after August 25, 2025. 2. The company announced the discontinuation of the 'Google URL Shortner' service in 2018, but existing shortened URLs have remained functional until now. 3. Starting August 23, 2024, some existing links will display an interstitial page, notifying users that the service will no longer be available, with an option to suppress this page by adding 'si=1' to the query parameters.
- GPD's 8-inch 2-in-1 'GPD Pocket 3' with Pentium Gold 75051. GPD Pocket 3 W11(7505) features a Pentium Gold 7505 CPU; 2. It offers a detachable module for interface customization; 3. Specs include 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, 8-inch H-IPS display, and Windows 11 Home.
- MSI Hosts 20th Anniversary Event for Its Notebook PCs in Akihabara1. MSI celebrates 20 years of notebook PCs with an event in Akihabara; 2. Free admission at LIFORK Akihabara II from 1pm to 6pm on July 27; 3. Exhibition of past MSI notebooks, special giveaways, and talk shows.
- Dospara Kumamoto Hamasen Store Opening Sale and SNS Campaign1. Dospara will open a new store in Kumamoto, Japan on the 20th, with a sale offering discounted PC parts and a 10% point rebate; 2. The sale includes items such as the Palit GeForce RTX 4060 Infinity 2, ASUS VG249Q1A gaming monitor, and Western Digital WD Black SN770 SSD; 3. A social media campaign on X (formerly Twitter) offers a chance to win a gaming PC through a retweet campaign with entries accepted until the 30th.
- MSI Unveils Gaming Desktop PC with RTX 4080 SUPER and 14th Gen Core i71. MSI announces the Trident X2 14NUG7-440JP gaming desktop PC; 2. Features include a Core i7-14700KF CPU and GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER GPU; 3. The PC includes a touch panel for system monitoring and customization.
July 18
- News: DeepL Announces Next-Generation AI Specialized in Language with Performance Exceeding GPT-4 and Google1. DeepL has implemented a new language AI with a large language model (LLM) specialized in translation and text correction. 2. The AI is designed to reduce the risk of misinformation and provide more contextually accurate and human-like translations and text generation. 3. In blind tests with professional translators, DeepL's new AI outperformed ChatGPT-4, Google Translate, and Microsoft Translator, showing significant improvements over DeepL's previous models.
- Micron Announces MRDIMM Memory with Enhanced Bandwidth and Reduced Latency1. Micron Technology introduces the MRDIMM, a server memory designed to enhance bandwidth and reduce latency compared to existing RDIMMs; 2. The MRDIMM is compatible with Xeon 6 processors and is already available for shipping, with mass production planned for the second half of 2024; 3. It is designed for AI inference and HPC applications, offering improved thermal design and energy efficiency for memory-intensive workloads.
- Sunwa Supply Releases USB Type-C Dock with Cooling Fan for Portable Gaming PCs1. Introduces a USB Type-C dock designed for portable gaming PCs; 2. Features a built-in cooling fan to prevent overheating; 3. Offers a range of connectivity options including HDMI, USB 3.0 Type-C, and Gigabit Ethernet.
- Sunwa Supply Releases Type-C Dock with Media Controller1. Sunwa Supply introduces a USB Type-C dock with an integrated media controller; 2. The dock features a volume adjustment wheel and buttons for video control, playback, and audio muting; 3. It offers various interfaces such as HDMI, USB 3.0 Type-C, dedicated charging USB Type-C, and Gigabit Ethernet.
- Crucial Announces Industry's Fastest M.2 2230 SSD with Read Speeds of 7,100MB/s1. Crucial, a brand of Micron Technology, has unveiled the Crucial P310 2230 NVMe SSD, boasting read speeds of 7,100MB/s and write speeds of 6,000MB/s. 2. The SSD is designed to meet the demand for high-capacity and high-speed storage in portable gaming consoles, leveraging proprietary 3D NAND technology, innovative controller technology, and fine-tuning in collaboration with Phison. 3. The drive achieves up to 1 million IOPS for random reads and is available in 1TB or 2TB capacities, with an M.2 2280 version for PC gaming planned for release in the fall.
- Shure's Podcast Microphone Achieves OBS Certification1. Shure's MV7+ Podcast Microphone has achieved certification for use with OBS Studio, a popular live streaming software; 2. The MV7+ is a high-performance model featuring a customizable LED touch panel and advanced DSP technologies such as a real-time denoiser and digital pop filter; 3. It supports both XLR and USB Type-C connectivity, ensuring flexibility and compatibility for a wide range of applications.
- Beware of OneDrive's Pitfalls! How to Disable Forced Sync and Deal with Capacity Warnings1. OneDrive's backup feature automatically syncs certain folders to the cloud, causing issues for free plan users with limited storage; 2. Users can choose to purchase a paid plan, disable backup while keeping OneDrive active, or stop using OneDrive altogether; 3. Initial setup options and the complexities of managing local and cloud files are discussed.
- The Deep Art of Creating and Configuring Scenes and Sources in OBS1. Basic setup and management of scenes and sources in OBS; 2. Advanced techniques for using scenes as sources and grouping sources; 3. Recommended settings for capturing game screens.
July 17
- Sunko Launches Gas-Pressurized PC Stand with One-Handed Height Adjustment1. Sunko introduces a gas-pressurized PC stand that allows for easy height adjustment with one hand; 2. The stand features a lever under the tabletop for adjusting the height from 95mm to 310mm and tilting up to 45 degrees; 3. It is suitable for users who prefer to work on their PC while standing or with a straight posture.