The author using the ASUS Zenbook S 16Anshel SagThe ASUS Zenbook S 16 laptop, in my opinion, has been the flagship laptop using AMDs Ryzen AI 300-series processors going back to this past June at Computex in Taipei, where I first set eyes on a preview version. AMD formally launched these processors, along with its other Zen 5 laptop and desktop processors, in July. While this specific laptop wasnt launched until August, it did stir up quite a bit of excitement with its new CPU, GPU and NPU capabilities.While Microsoft is enabling this laptop with new Copilot+ capabilities in preview thanks to the Ryzen AI 370 processor inside it, I wanted to write a review of this laptop and evaluate how the Zen 5 CPU adds to the experience. ASUS is able to pack such a powerful chip into such a sleek design thanks to the laptops advanced thermal design and Ceraluminum (sleek high-tech ceramic) materials, which make the laptop lightweight, thermally conductive and sturdy.The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 ProcessorThe AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip (admittedly a mouthful) is the powerhouse behind this laptops capabilities and the fastest in AMDs lineup available today. That said, it is likely that a thicker, more thermally robust laptop design could squeeze even more performance out of this chip. This is important to note because every laptops implementation of this chip will likely vary on thermals and power delivery and could affect peak performance. Additionally, battery life can be affected by different implementations of the same chip as well.The HX 370 is a 12-core chip, featuring four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c low-power cores. This is clearly a configuration designed for power efficiency without compromising too much on performance. Thats why it should be no surprise that single-core performance fell within the middle range of my GeekBench 6 benchmark results of Copilot+ PCs powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon X Elite processor. Where it faltered was in multi-core performance, where it fell towards the bottom of the stack. Cinebench performance was also towards the lower end of the range, which I was a little surprised by. GPU performance was great, especially in Counter-Strike 2, where I got a very stable and playable 60 FPS on medium settings, something that Qualcomm couldnt claim.AI performance was one of the hardest things to measure because there arent any benchmarks that can test AMDs NPU, so all of them are forced to test the GPU. As such, AMDs AI performance at least from the NPU is a mystery compared to the competition. This is an area where I believe AMD has fallen behind and is playing a fast-follower role, trying to follow Qualcomms and Intels lead and capitalizing on their successes and failures. That said, this approach does not really fit AMDs current market-leader position, and I believe that the company should be investing more in developer access to its NPU.MORE FOR YOUBattery life is another difficult discussion to have for this laptop because, although its quite clear that the platform brings a significant improvement in battery life over the previous generation, thats hard to quantify with a 3K OLED display and a 78 Wh battery. OLEDs are inherently power hungry, and a 78 Wh battery is quite large and designed to account for that hunger, which may negate any chip-level power savings. Even so, weve seen similar configurations from Lenovo using Qualcomm processors that get much better battery life. In my experience, I could get about eight hours of work time on this laptop, which is an improvement over the preceding generation but not as good as what Ive seen from comparable platforms. In fact, I would assess that battery life was about on par with the Samsung Book4 Edge 16, which unsurprisingly has the same OLED panel which I believe affects battery life the most.The Zenbook S 16 stacked on top of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16Anshel SagThe Zenbook S 16 LaptopAs a complete laptop in terms of design and functionality, the Zenbook S 16 is a stunning machine. I remember first seeing it at Computex and being enamored with the design and weight. And I was excited when AMD sent me one for review because it was one of my most anticipated laptops of the year. System performance aside, this device does feel quite thin and light much like the Samsung Book4 I mentioned, although it has a very different design language.The Zenbook S 16 also benefits from having a more mature x86 processor inside, meaning that application compatibility isnt a problem. Additionally, most of ASUSs choices with this system are overwhelmingly good: 32GB of RAM, 40 Gbps USB-C ports, and full-size USB, HDMI and SD card slots. I also dont mind the OLED panel decision because OLEDs are simply superior to LCDs; still, there is a considerable battery-life penalty for OLEDs no matter what you do. The OLED also came in quite handy for movie watching and photo and video editing, which I did plenty of over the last few months.I did, however, run into a long-time Windows issue on this machine that I had all but forgotten about once I had reviewed a few Arm-based windows PCs over the past few months. The issue is that the Zenbook S 16 woke up in my laptop bag overnight and drained its battery while overheating inside my bag. I truly thought that the industry had moved away from this problem, but it seems that x86 systems are still plagued by it, while Arm systems are not. Another oddity I experienced with this laptop was that the display would go dark for a second when switching between battery and wall power. I cant say Ive experienced that before.Thinking of power issues, I also believe that ASUS should consider having USB-C ports on both sides of the laptop. Yes, there is a USB-A port on one side, but the reality is that people often need the option to charge from either side of the laptop. I hope that for the next generation ASUS considers this a necessity and puts at least a 10Gbps USB-C port on the right-hand side.Copilot+ Is Coming SoonWhile this laptop is not officially a Copilot+ PC yet (that update is available via Insider Preview Dev Channel), it will be mainstreamed to the broader public in 2025 once Windows Insider Preview users help work out any bugs. The entire situation with Windows Copilot+ updates and which features are available based on different silicon vendors is confusing. It also remains unclear how long itll be until x86 Copilot+ PCs reach true feature parity with their Qualcomm-based peers. Still, the Copilot+ capabilities, while limited and not fully ready, are a nice bit of futureproofing for added value.With all that said, and with special thanks to the powerful Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, I am extremely comfortable recommending this laptop to anyone who wants a great balance between performance, entertainment and productivity.

A hot potato: A recent Supreme Court decision has cemented a state's authority to regulate internet service providers since the FCC can't. The Supreme Court has denied certiorari in New York Telecommunications v. Attorney General Letitia James. The denial means that New York's hotly contested Affordable Broadband Act stands. More importantly, it sets a precedent for states to regulate broadband providers in the absence of FCC guidance. On Monday, the US Supreme Court shot down internet service providers' challenge to New York's Affordable Broadband Act (ABA). The contentious law requires ISPs to provide service plans for low-income households. It regulates the monthly rates at $15 for 25Mbps and $20 for 200Mbps for those who qualify.Lobbyists first challenged the law in 2021, saying that states cannot dictate rates to service providers. A US District judge agreed, effectively blocking the law. However, the Second Circuit US Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in April, upholding the law. The appeals panel said that the FCC stripped itself of regulatory authority when Chair Ajit Pai repealed Title II common carrier provisions for service providers. Therefore, it falls upon the state to make regulatory decisions over the industry within its jurisdiction.Of course, ISPs hated to hear that, so in August, six trade groups took the matter to the Supreme Court, arguing that the New York law forces service providers to charge "below-market rates" and that other states could follow suit, harming the industry. The petition also noted that the FCC has continually changed its mind regarding whether or not ISPs are common-carrier telecommunications services but has never dictated rates.The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, which leaves the Second Circuit's decision in place the law stands. While the SCOTUS did not comment on its denial, it generally only considers cases with an apparent Constitutional conflict. One can assume that the carriers did not present compelling evidence that the law infringed on their constitutional rights or that it conflicts with any existing law.Additionally, the ABA has exemptions to protect smaller ISPs and caps annual rate increases to two percent. Furthermore, many major carriers in New York already have similar low-income options available. So, the argument that the law hurts the industry falls flat when providers have already been offering plans similar to the ABA's provisions and the industry is in good shape. // Related Stories

In a nutshell: The 3dfx Interactive brand is long gone, but its legacy lives on through custom redesigns like the VoodooX, which pay homage to the legendary PC hardware product line. The creator of VoodooX was forced offline for a few months but is now nearly ready to resume work on the card's design and test whether the latest changes have improved performance. Oscar Barea has been working on the VoodooX card for a few years now. The 3dfx hardware enthusiast aims to design, develop, and build a fully functional Voodoo video card based on the VSA-100 chip the final 3D accelerator developed by 3dfx before the company was acquired by Nvidia. Barea is one of the few resourceful developers who never forgot 3dfx Interactive, the company that revolutionized PC gaming graphics with its groundbreaking 3D hardware acceleration technology.For almost a year, Barea had to put the project on hold as he remodeled his house, leaving him without access to his "lab room" for more than eight months. Recently, he resumed work on the VoodooX, building a new version of the card featuring HDMI, DVI, and VGA interface support. The updated design also boasts a sleek white PCB, which Barea describes as a fitting "Christmas design" in one of his latest tweets.With the latest build, Barea managed to fix minor bugs in the VoodooX design and rerouted the memory signal for improved performance. Barea now plans to test the updated 3D accelerator to ensure it works as intended and to evaluate its performance using demos and games.Barea began designing and testing his VoodooX card in 2022, using brand-new VSA-100 chips that had never been used in pre-existing graphics cards. Earlier this year, he mentioned testing a switch to toggle the memory configuration for each VSA-100 chip between 32MB and 64MB. Official VSA-100 specifications reportedly support up to 64MB per chip.The VSA-100 chip where VSA stands for Voodoo Scalable Architecture was the most powerful 3D accelerator ever developed by 3dfx. The company intended to compete with Nvidia's GeForce line of GPUs, but the few VSA-100 cards that made it to market (Voodoo4 and Voodoo5) failed to sell enough units to keep the company afloat. // Related StoriesNvidia completed its acquisition of 3dfx's assets and intellectual property in 2002, while the original company officially declared bankruptcy on October 15, 2002. Nvidia refused to provide technical support for 3dfx products, but the community stepped in after the 3dfx driver source code leaked in 2003.Now, decades later, 3dfx enthusiasts like Barea are still finding new ways to revive and innovate with this once-obsolete graphics technology. Meanwhile, PC emulators such as PCem, 86Box, and DOSBox-X offer a quick and "easy" way to run classic 3dfx-compatible games within properly emulated Windows or DOS environments.

Just when you thought the LastPass breach of 2022 was over, were still learning just how detrimental the hack was. According to blockchain expert ZachXBT and spotted by The Block, $5.36 million was stolen from 40 users in a string of attacks. This is on top of the $4.4 million stolen in October 2023 and $6.2 million earlier this year in February 2024.The original hack goes back to 2022 when hackers claimed to have accessed LastPass data, which contained API tokens, customer keys, multifactor authentication seeds (MFA), and encrypted password vaults. Although no official information explains how the breach happened, its possible that the hacker responsible gained access to information that aided the breach. Hackers forced their way in despite the password vaults being encrypted because users reused weak or previously leaked combinations. This access, combined with the users weak or reused passwords, led to the various accounts being compromised.Recommended VideosCannot stress this enough, if you believe you may have ever stored your seed phrase or keys in LastPass migrate your crypto assets immediately, ZachXBT wrote in an X post last year. Only time will tell if this string of attacks continues, which makes you wonder if LastPass is safe. But how did the original breach happen?LastPass revealed that the hackers stole the apps source code. In a subsequent attack, the hackers merged the stolen data with information discovered in another data breach. RelatedThe hackers then exploited a weakness in a remote-access app that LastPass employees used. This allowed the hacker to install a keylogger onto the PC of a senior engineer at LastPass, which registered all the key inputs.The breach highlights the importance of always having a strong password on all your accounts. Never reuse passwords or have easy-to-guess passwords that hackers will love you for. If creating long, strong passwords is not your thing, you can always use one of the best password generators.Editors Recommendations

While glamping, or glamourous camping, with electric vehicles has been a thing for a number of years, you can always count on Silicon Valley startups to take it to the next level.RollAway, one such startup, is now offering Airbnb-style luxury stays on wheels, where you can climb aboard a fully-equipped electric van built by GMs BrightDrop and take the whole experience on the road.Recommended VideosThe company actually began offering pre-bookings for its on-wheel stays in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2023. But RollAway has now officially unveiled its first-generation Suite on Wheels offerings, with reservations opened for 2025. The companys website, meanwhile, currently shows all vans already booked up through October of next year: This might be a good signal that a new trend is in the offing.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe main concept, as featured on RollAways website, is that the new rental experience is: Not a hotel. Not an AirBnb But the ultimate stay on wheels.An environmentally friendly, zero-emissions commitment also features prominently in RollAways marketing. And the companys commitment to sustainable traveling begins with the BrightDrop electric van promising 270 miles of range on a full charge.But it doesnt stop there: The Suite on Wheels offers expansive windows and a panoramic roof to see natural vistas of the surrounding environment while natural light floodsevery corner of the interior. And while in camping mode, an expansive rear rolling door promises to seamlessly connect the indoor with the outdoor.The inside of the recreation vehicle (RV) features a fully-equipped kitchen, a living room/sleeping area, as well as a bathroom and shower.The glamorous side includes five-star onboard services and amenities such as a virtual concierge, YETI amenities, Starlink Satellite Wi-Fi, Farm to Table breakfast, housekeeping, as well as Spa-Class toiletries.While RollAway is pioneering the rental aspect, it isnt the first company to turn GMs BrightDrop vans into RVs. Grounded, a Detroit-based startup launched its own version in 2020.Mercedes-Benz is also planning to release its own next-gen electric RVs in 2026.

With the iPhone 16 line, Apple made some big changes with the base models, while the iPhone 16 Pro versions looked identical to those from the past several years. But Apple appears to be making some very significant changes to the design of the iPhone 17 Pro Max especially if these mock-up renders from a Russian YouTube channel, Wylsacom, are accurate.The YouTube video shows that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will look nothing like its predecessors, according to the rumors that this mock-up is based on.Recommended VideosThe back panel features a new horizontal triple-lens camera module, similar to the camera bar island on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro/XL. There are also whispers of the possibility that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have aluminum taking up most of the back panel, with the remaining parts still using glass. - iPhone 17 Pro MaxAs you can see, this will be a very drastic redesign for the Pro models, which are due for a change the current design has been used since the iPhone 11 Pro. Of course, its important to view these mock-ups with skepticism because theyre just rumors, but typically, such renders this early on have ended up reasonably accurate.Please enable Javascript to view this contentHonestly, Im not sure what to think of this redesign. I was disappointed with the iPhone 16 Pro looking identical to the last five generations while the iPhone 16 got a fresh new look. I am all for a redesigned iPhone 17 Pro model. But this? Im a bit torn on whether I like it or not.Wylsacom / YouTubeFor one, it looks just like the Google Pixel 9/Pro/XL. Google redesigned the main Pixel series this year to have a sleeker new camera bar, and this iPhone 17 Pro Max render looks like Apple just stole the aesthetic. On the plus side, though, a horizontal camera bar means no more wobbling around if you use the phone on a flat surface.RelatedBut then again, it also feels like weve peaked in terms of smartphone design, so its hard to do a design that hasnt already been done. If Apple does a vertical triple-lens camera layout, it would likely look very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S24. A circular one would be like the OnePlus 12.Wylsacom / YouTubeI am pretty interested in the mostly aluminum rear, though. From the renders, it appears to have a two-tone look, which reminds me of the original iPhone. And though Ive always been a case user, having a mostly aluminum back instead of glass would mean better durability, which is always good. It might even persuade me not to depend on a case as much.Regardless, we wont know officially what the next generation of iPhones will look like until September 2025. But if the rumors are any indication, buckle up were in for some big changes with the iPhone 17 family.Editors Recommendations

Grubhub will be required to disclose the true cost of delivery and stop adding so-called junk fees to orders, among other terms in the proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and Illinois attorney general.

To meet the commitment, the CEO of SoftBank Group will need to embark on a combination of a massive fundraising effort, a huge amount of new debt or selling chunks of the companys holdings to raise cash.

The European Commission opened a formal investigation over concerns foreign actors used the hugely popular video platform to interfere in Romanian presidential elections.

The name may elicit giggles, but toad-in-the-hole is a breakfast with serious fortifying power.