TechAltar

A federated internet is forming. It's built on open protocols like ActivityPub & connects services like Mastodon, Threads, Pixelfed, Tumblr, Wordpress and more into a connected network known as the fediverse. And everyone from tech enthusiasts to Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey seem to want in.

From the Apple Vision Pro to the Meta Quest 3 and the Meta Raybans, VR, AR and spatial computing is having a moment again. But how do smart see-through AR glasses actually work? And what will it take for them to become good?

From the Google Cardboard to the Apple Vision Pro & Meta Quest 3, VR displays, optics and headsets in general gone through a crazy evolution in 10 years. With fresnel lenses, pancake lenses, MicroOLED (a.k.a. OLEDoS, or OLED Microdisplays) and more, there is a lot of sci-fi tech to talk about.

I made my own quantum dots in a lab in Berlin to learn how they work, how they will revolutionize displays and why the scientists discovering them won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 2023.

Live tiles were the most iconic Microsoft design element, trying Windows Phone, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 8, Windows 10, Surface and other brands together. I loved them. But they were flawed from the start and doomed to fail.

Microsoft with Copilot+ PCs, Google on the Pixel, Apple with iPhone and Macs, Qualcomm with Snapdragon X, Intel and AMD, all the tech companies want you to care about the NPU, Neural Processing unit or Neural engine in their new machines to run AI workloads, neural networks, etc. But are these chips any good?

Waterproof electronics don't exist, but water resistance is more common than ever. From IP ratings in phones to nanocoatings, dive watches with helium valves and oil fillings, the technology for wate resistance has improved a lot.

There is a huge increase in the sales of flagship phones, premium models and ultra premium smartphones. This trend is called premiumization and in many countries, ultra premium devices completely dominate the market. What's driving this trend?

Tech companies are often seen as either big and evil or nice, but small. Proton proves there is another way.

I've been using an M1 Macbook Air for 4 years and a 15" MBP for a few years before that. But now with Intel Lunar Lake, AMD Zen 5 Strix Point and Snapdragon X Elite chips, it's time for me to switch back to Windows.

Mozilla has been on a decline for over a decade. Firefox marketshare dropped from 32% to just 3% and antitrust regulations mean Google might stop paying them for search engine placement. So now they are turning to online advertising. What gives?

In recent years Intel went through hell, trying to reinvent itself with a heavy focus on foundries and manufacturing under Pat Gelsigner. They entered the valley of death and might never come out of it alive.