• Bose SoundTouch smart speakers, which  cost up to $1500 each, will reach the end of support next month and be dropped from the Bose app, becoming very expensive dumb speakers.  In a surprising turn of events, Bose has just announced that they won't be all that dumb either.  (Ars Technica)
  
  Cloud support well end as scheduled, but they will instead work with your own local wifi without need for a cloud app.  And Bose has released technical documentation for the SoundTouch APIs, allowing hackers to create open source solutions.

• Production of MLC flash will decline by 40% this quarter, with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron all moving away from the market.  (Hot Hardware)
  
  You don't need to worry about this, though.  All current consumer SSDs are built with TLC or QLC flash; the last MLC model was Samsung's 970 Pro introduced in 2018.
  
  
  
• Stop optimising for the wrong things.  (Ties Petersen)
  
  The main example is sweeping a supermarket floor, but the target of the essay is social media and recommendation algorithms - and AI generally.
  
  
  
• Minisforums AI X1 Pro is getting updated with the newly announced Ryzen 470 CPU.  (Liliputing)
  
  Making it nearly 2% faster than the previous model.
  
  
  
• The GMK Evo T2 is a mini PC with the also newly announced Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and up to 128GB of RAM.  (Liliputing)
  
  The memory is soldered in, whatever configuration you choose, because that is the only option with the 388H.  It used LPDDR5X-9600 RAM, so the bandwidth is 50% higher than you can get from conventional SODIMMs - and the graphics performance is 50% higher than previous Intel models.
  
  Expect this one to be expensive though.
  
  
  
• Nvidia has announced DLSS 4.5 with 6x MFG.  (WCCFTech)
  
  Meaning that it sticks five fake frames between each two rendered frames, rather than just three.  Making graphics buttery smooth, and game responsiveness a tar pit full of dead dinosaurs.
  
  Looks like a fish, moves like a fish, steers like a cow.
  
  

Musical Interlude

Posted by: Rick C at Friday, January 09 2026 06:52 AM (US/xE)

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