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Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR review: Bigger and brighter content creation machine

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As usual for Aero laptops, the Aero 17 HDR has tons of ports, including an SD UHS II (but not UHS III) card reader, three USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A ports, ethernet, microphone, headphone, HDMI, USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, mini DP1.4 and HDMI 2.0. They’re all positioned toward the front of the laptop, unfortunately, so cables can get in the way of a mouse. 

The keyboard and trackpad are a bit of a mixed bag. The keyboard felt good during gaming and touch-typing, if a little on the spongy side. As you’d expect on a 17-inch laptop, though, the key spacing is excellent for touch typing and productivity work.

As with other Gigabyte Aero laptops I’ve tried, the Aero 17 HDR XB has is offset a bit right from center, so I occasionally mis-clicked or right-clicked instead of left-clicking. Otherwise, however, I found it to be smooth and accurate. It also has an integrated fingerprint reader that’s handy for logging in. 

As for other features? Sound-wise, the speakers lacked bass, which I really noticed after testing the ASUS Zephyrus 15 Duo’s excellent audio setup. Naturally, the Aero 17 HDR has a light-up keyboard and macro keys for gaming via Gigabyte’s control center. And finally, there is the webcam — a key component in this COVID-19 era — that is tucked onto the laptop chassis itself because of the tiny bezels. That means it’s pointed up at your face, which is not the most flattering view. It does have a slider that blocks the camera’s view, however, which is a nice touch.

The snappy feel is confirmed by objective tests, with the fastest Handbrake 4K transcoding speeds (eight seconds to encode a 1:02 4K movie trailer into 1080p) I’ve seen, and disk read/write speeds up to 2.93/2.59 GB/s. 

If you’re interested in getting the Aero 17 HDR, I’d upgrade the RAM to 32GB and add a second NVMe SSD, as 16GB of RAM and a single SSD won’t cut it for video editing. Luckily, there are free M.2 and RAM slots, so that’s relatively easy to do yourself if taking the back cover off doesn’t intimidate you. 

The HDR screen is ideal for entertainment, letting you watch Netflix HDR or Amazon Prime Video movies without the need for an external screen. As I’ve seen before, however, HDR is still extremely broken on Windows 10 — an issue that Microsoft, NVIDIA and Intel need to address if they’re serious about HDR adoption.

Netflix only works in HDR on the Windows universal app or Microsoft Edge, and not on Chrome, Opera or Firefox. I was only able to get Netflix to work properly using Intel’s integrated graphics driver, as HDR video refused to load on the Aero 17 HDR using NVIDIA graphics. Once again, I failed to get YouTube 4K HDR video to play on Chrome or Edge without skipping, no matter what I tried.

Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR review image gallery

Steve Dent/Engadget

Once I finally got Netflix to work, it did look a bit more colorful and brighter with HDR than without. As usual on a PC with HDR 10, however, there’s very little difference unless you’re really looking for it. In sum, while I appreciated the extra brightness of the display for gaming and creative work, the HDR feature isn’t very useful for entertainment as it stands now.

When it comes to gaming, the Aero 17 HDR XB offers very solid performance. Running at 4K, I got 36 fps out of Shadow of the Tomb Raider with everything cranked up, and 65 fps with the same settings at 1080p. Destiny 2 ran at 60 fps at 4K and over 150 fps at 1080p, all at ultra quality. Finally, I saw speeds of about 60 fps at 1080p and 28 fps in 4K on Metro Exodus. 

Those figures are obviously less than I saw with NVIDIA’s RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics on the ASUS Zephyrus Duo 15. However, the Aero 17 HDR XB is very competitive with other laptops at this cheaper price point — especially if you like gaming in 4K. Also, this is one of the few laptops you can game on in HDR without an external monitor. Unlike with movies, the HDR worked well for Shadow of the Tomb Raider and other games, making them notably brighter, clearer and more colorful.

You’ll never see incredibly long battery life on a 4K laptop, especially one with an 8-core CPU and high-end GPU. Next to other 4K laptops, however, this model does pretty well. In our 1080p movie rundown test, it lasted 6 hours and 30 minutes on a charge. That’s about half what Dell’s XPS 17 with a 4K touchscreen can do, though the Dell model we tested had a less capable NVIDIA RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU. The Aero 17 HDR does beat most pure 4K 17-inch gaming laptops in battery rundown tests because of the larger, 94 Wh battery.

The competition

Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR review image gallery

Steve Dent/Engadget

Gigabyte’s Aero 17 HDR XB costs $2,800 as tested, or $3,000 with a 1TB SSD. It’s tricky to compare other laptops, because it’s the rare hybrid that’s well-equipped for both gaming and content creation. For quite a bit more, you could get Razer’s $3,800 Blade Pro 17 with a 4K touch (but not HDR) display, NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics and all other specs about the same. Another option is the $3,300 Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701, which also has a higher-end RTX 2080 Super GPU but a 1080p, rather than a 4K screen.

Dell’s Alienware M17 R3 gaming laptop might be your best alternative bet, as it offers a faster 8-core i9-10980HK CPU, RTX 2070 Super GPU, 32GB of RAM, a 500 Nit display and a total of 1.5 TB of NVMe storage for $2,950. I’d also strongly consider Dell’s $2,850 XPS 17 laptop — though it has less graphics grunt, you get a brighter HDR touch display that’s potentially more useful for entertainment thanks to the Dolby Vision support. 

Wrap up

All told, Gigabyte’s Aero 17 HDR XB model has plenty of power for video and photo editing (and some gaming), along with a bright and accurate 4K HDR display. It has a decent keyboard and trackpad, and while it’s a bit heavier and thicker than other similar models, it has a bigger battery that lasts longer than most of them — a tradeoff I’ll take any day. The main drawbacks apart from the size are a poorly positioned webcam and below-average speaker quality. Still, it’s a unique laptop in this category and offers a price and performance combination that’s hard to top.

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CES will go ‘online only’ for 2021

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It didn’t help CES’ cause that, back in April, there was a news story suggesting that the 2020 event had helped supercharge the spread of the virus. Given that the event had 182,000 attendees from all over the world, all of whom were packed like sardines into trade show halls, it’s certainly plausible. It didn’t help that video footage emerging from Las Vegas casino floors showed a number of patrons not wearing masks, and all in close proximity to one another.

The CTA had said, for CES 2021, that it was expecting to take a number of extra precautions to enable the show to go ahead. That included wider aisles, more space in meeting and breakout areas as well as regular sanitation of booths and tables. Despite this, it’s likely that a number of companies would prefer to stay at home rather than spend a lot of money sending their employees to the event.

We’ll wait to learn more about how this digital-only event will take place, and how the CTA will encourage discovery of lesser-known startups in this new format.



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Google’s next undersea cable will connect the US with the UK and Spain

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Nestled inside the line is 32 fibers packing optical fiber switching that, Google says, will improve reliability and greater redundancy to prevent outages. The contract to lay the pipe was signed earlier this year, and Google is expecting it to come online at some point in 2022. 

If you’re unfamiliar, Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was an American computer scientist who worked on the Harvard Mark 1. After the war, Hopper worked on developing computers both for the Navy and the general public, and laid much of the groundwork for the programming language COBOL. She was posthumously  awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

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PowerA’s cute Nano Switch controller is great for small hands

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PowerA Nano controller

Kris Naudus / Engadget

Despite the Nano’s diminutive size, the D-pad, thumb sticks and buttons are all the same size as a standard controller, just pushed closer together. This is actually a huge advantage for those like myself with small hands, since a recurring issue I have with both Nintendo’s Pro Controller and PowerA’s Enhanced models is that the plus and minus buttons are just a little too far away from the sides of the gamepad, meaning I always have to stretch my thumbs to hit them. With the Nano, everything fits under the sweep of my thumb. It feels a lot better for me, certainly, and I’m sure kids will appreciate it as well.

Less likely to appreciate it are esports pros — I’m thinking Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players here — and anyone playing competitive games like Splatoon 2 or Tetris 99. Because unfortunately, the Nano can’t maintain a rock-solid connection. It syncs easily enough, but I found it often cut out while I was playing, with the D-pad or A button becoming unresponsive. It wasn’t a total disconnect, as neither the system nor controller registered an interruption. Signals simply weren’t getting through.

PowerA Nano controller

Kris Naudus / Engadget

I contacted PowerA and the company sent me another Nano to test and, while the problems became less frequent, they still occurred occasionally. It turns out the Nano is highly susceptible to electrical interference, perhaps even more so than its other controllers. I noticed that it tended to cut out when I did things like open my laptop next to me. PowerA even warns that it can happen if your Switch sits behind your television, which mine does since my TV stand isn’t much wider than my 4K set. I’ve pulled it out a bit to alleviate the problem but, unless I sit perfectly on my couch the way normal people do, it still acts up. I can’t sit still; I often relax by lying on my side, or with my legs crossed above me, or even with my feet resting on the back of my couch. It’s my living room, my rules.

But look, that’s just me. You might be just fine sitting on your own sofa, and your kid will probably love having something that fits perfectly in their small hands.

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Engadget The Morning After | Engadget

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Samsung’s big mobile event is just over a week away, and before all the details surface from random sources — like this Galaxy Watch 3 hands-on video — the company published its own teaser. You can clearly spot the silhouettes of five devices, which appear to be the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Watch 3, a new Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Note 20.

Samsung Unpacked teaser

Samsung

Is there even anything left to leak before Unpacked 2020 starts on August 5th? The only thing that would surprise me at this point is a sub-$1,000 price for that new foldable phone.

— Richard

Chernobyl mold could shield astronauts from deep-space radiation

Growing just a 9cm thick layer could help.

Researchers from Stanford and North Carolina universities discovered that fungus thriving in the nuclear fallout of Chernobyl blocked radiation on the International Space Station (ISS). They think that, in the future, it could be adapted for trips to the Moon and Mars.
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Garmin confirms a cyber attack took its systems offline

It’ll still be a few days before everything is back to normal.

Garmin outage status

Garmin

Garmin, the sports tech company, has confirmed earlier reports that it was the victim of an external cyber attack that encrypted some of the company’s systems. It took several systems offline late last week. The attack led to disruption to a host of Garmin’s systems, including “website functions, customer support, customer facing applications and company communications.” Crucially, Garmin says it has “no evidence” that the perpetrators accessed any customer data, including payment information stored in Garmin Pay. Garmin confirmed it’ll still be a few days before everything is back to normal.
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Sponsored by Yahoo

A quick read that you’ll finish before your first cup of coffee.

Yahoo

Intel swaps around execs as it chases 7nm CPUs

Its chief engineering officer will leave August 3rd.

Production and cleanroom facilities at work in Intel’s D1D/D1X plant in Hillsboro, Oregon, in April 2017. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation

Last week, Intel revealed that yields for CPUs manufactured on a 7nm process were running a year behind schedule, which will slow its transition to more efficient processors. Now the chipmaker has reshuffled executives in charge, with chief engineering officer Dr. Murthy Renduchintala leaving the company.

Now Dr. Ann Kelleher is leading the push for 7nm and 5nm processes. Intel’s press release credits Kelleher with directing the company’s ramp up of 10nm tech — something it needs to do again as Intel looks to rely on outside fabs instead of the vertically-integrated production processes of old.
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BMW will offer fully electric 5 Series, 7 Series and X1 vehicles

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BMW has a mixed electric history, as it pioneered the sector with pure EV models like the i3 and i8, then decided to focus on plug-in hybrids instead. Now, in a major revamp of its lineup, the automaker has announced that it will offer fully electric versions of its mainstream 5 Series, 7 Series and X1 vehicles. “In ten years, the goal is to have a total of more than seven million electrified BMW Group vehicles on the roads — around two thirds of them with a fully-electric drivetrain,” the company wrote in a press release (via Autoblog).

All vehicles in those classes will be offered with full electric, plug-in hybrid and gas-only (plus diesel in Europe) with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. BMW plans to have 25 electrified models by 2023 with half being fully electric. “The objective is to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles by 40 percent per kilometer driven,” BMW said, in line with EU rules requiring 37.5 percent lower emissions by 2030.

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YouTube will offer 100 kids movies and specials for free

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“[W]e want to help you with a library of high quality full-length movies and specials that will enrich as well as entertain your children, and that you can enjoy along with them.”

The new selection will include Tayo the Little Bus, Baby Shark and Pinkfong, The Wiggles, Masha And The Bear, Oggy & the Cockroaches and Paddington. Hair Love, which won Best Animated Short Film at the Oscars, will also be available along with a bunch of other shorts. There will also be educational specials, such as Sesame Street’s Elmo’s World News, and brand new movies and shows debuting on the platform. Parents can look forward to new content every week to keep their children entertained: YouTube Kids will surface all its After School content every Monday under the platform’s “Shows” category over the next five weeks.

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Trump administration petitions FCC to reinterpret Section 230 rules

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“Many early cases, understandably protective of a nascent industry, read section 230’s protections expansively. But, given the maturing internet economy and emergence of dominant social media platforms, the FCC should re-examine section 230, as well as other provisions of the Communications Act of 1934. The FCC should determine how section 230 can best serve its goals of promoting internet diversity and a free flow of ideas, as well as holding dominant platforms accountable for their editorial decisions, in new market conditions and technologies that have emerged since the 1990s.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr supported the petition. “[It] provides an opportunity to bring much-needed clarity to the statutory text,” he wrote. His fellow commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, however, said the FCC shouldn’t take the bait.

She said in a statement:

“While social media can be frustrating, turning the FCC into the President’s speech police is not the answer. The FCC needs to reject this effort to deploy the federal government against free expression online… In the United States we are a democratic, open society in which people can hold their government accountable, even if imperfectly. Whether we can keep it that way depends on the survival of a robust, independent digital space for activism and public discourse. These spaces only thrive if we say no to the President’s invitation to make our networks less open and more closed to civic debate.”



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What’s on TV: ‘Umbrella Academy,’ ‘Speed Cubers’ and sports

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While the MLB struggles to keep its season going, the NHL and NBA are ready to air real games later this week. In non-sports viewing options, Netflix is ready to release season two of The Umbrella Academy, as well as its Rubik’s Cube documentary The Speed Cubers.

For gamers, Skater XL, Destroy All Humans! and Grounded all look like interesting options. Last but not least, if you need something different then CW is ready to premiere Taskmaster, an imported version of a British comedy game show that Dan Cooper really likes. Look below to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

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Intel puts Dr. Ann Kelleher in charge of its delayed 7nm CPU project

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Last week Intel revealed that yields for CPUs manufactured on a 7nm process were running a year behind schedule, which will slow its transition to the technology that lets it build more efficient processors. Now the chipmaker has reshuffled executives in charge, with chief engineering officer Dr. Murthy Renduchintala, who had been leading its Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group (TSCG), leaving the company.

Now the push for 7nm and 5nm processes is lead by Dr. Ann Kelleher, as the group is being split up under different people who will all report directly to the CEO. Another key change is Keyvan Esfarjani taking over Kelleher’s former responsibility of manufacturing and operations, where he will “lead global manufacturing operations and continue Kelleher’s work driving product ramp and the build-out of new fab capacity.”

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