Tag Archives: blog

Motorsport

The New BMW M4 CS Reportedly Debuts in May

There’s a brand new BMW M4 CS on the best way, in keeping with a brand new report from BMW Blog, citing unnamed sources. The high-powered coupe that’ll be primarily based on the just lately up to date M4 will allegedly debut someday in May.

All the proof factors to BMW utilizing its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine within the coupe. It’ll supposedly produce the identical energy because the M4 CSL—543 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque—and pack the model’s eight-speed computerized transmission. Unlike its predecessor, the brand new CS may have xDrive all-wheel drive.

If the M4 CS follows the identical growth path as its M3 equivalent, we count on BMW to shave a number of kilos from the coupe’s curb weight. The firm used carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for the roof, hood, rear diffuser, and different bits to chop 75 kilos from the sedan. We hope the coupe sees an analogous weight discount.

Previous spy photographs captured the warmer coupe out testing in public, including at the Nürburgring. BMW has hidden the up to date fascias, which included a distinguished entrance splitter and a small trunk-lid spoiler. According to BMW Blog, it’ll be primarily based on the up to date M4 that the corporate revealed earlier this yr, gaining a bunch of mid-cycle updates resembling upgraded headlights, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and new screens.

The most costly new M4 coupe, the M4 Competition xDrive, begins at $89,295, whereas the M3 CS prices practically $120,000. We count on the M4 CS to be as costly as its four-door singling. BMW will kick off manufacturing of the brand new variant in July, limiting manufacturing of the automobile to only a few thousand items.

Technology

Why Everyone Thought Gmail Was An April Fools’ Day Joke

In the weblog publish asserting Gmail, Google claimed that the brand new electronic mail service got here with 1 GB of storage. While this would possibly sound ridiculously low by right now’s requirements, it was fairly unimaginable again in 2004. To put issues into perspective, Gmail provided greater than 100x the area accessible on alternative email services from Yahoo and Hotmail, which provided a paltry 4 MB and a couple of MB of area, respectively, on their free tiers on the time.

These unimaginable claims (for the time) cemented hypothesis about Gmail being simply one other April Fools’ joke. After the preliminary hullabaloo, individuals (and opponents) rapidly famous that Gmail was, certainly, the true factor and that Google meant enterprise when it mentioned each Gmail account would get 1 GB of free storage. This finally led to rivals responding by rising their storage capacities by respectable quantities. For instance, Yahoo went from 4 MB to 100 MB, whereas Hotmail went from 2 MB to 250 MB inside the span of some months.

Google would go on to additional add storage capability at common intervals, with free storage rising to 2 GB in 2005. Another unimaginable announcement made in 2005 was the promise that Google would preserve including more room to Gmail perpetually. Gmail’s internet interface even confirmed a ticking counter of the perpetually rising storage capability. Google would finally break that promise and, as of 2024, all free Google accounts get 15 GB of area, with this capability being shared throughout a number of Google providers. So, in the event you barely use your Gmail however find yourself storing 15 GB of photos in your Google Drive, you will not be left with any area on your emails.

Internet, Technology

YouTube Starts Global Crackdown on Ad Blockers

On October 13, the developers of AdBlock Plus were unable to provide a solution for YouTube’s new problem, according to a blog post on their website. As for uBlock Origin, users on Reddit have reported that the Firefox version of the extension still functions, but it is advised to regularly update the extension and its blocklist to ensure effectiveness. The Reddit post also mentions that YouTube updates their detection scripts twice a day, so users should be prepared for frequent filter updates.

Another post on Reddit suggests that uBlock Origin is also effective at blocking ads on the Brave browser, including the mobile version. The same post recommends using NewPipe for Android, a free and open-source app that provides an ad-free YouTube experience. However, it is important to download NewPipe from official sources such as their website or pages on GitHub or F-Droid, as versions on the Google Play Store may contain advertisements.

For desktop users, there is a workaround discovered by AI developer Shanaj Raj. By requesting the video’s embed code through the Share menu, users can access an ad-free version of the video on a per-video basis. It is important to note that these workarounds are unofficial and may cease to work at any moment. The most reliable way to enjoy an ad-free experience on YouTube is through a Premium subscription.

Smartphones

The Unpleasant Truth About iPhone Repairs

In a recent blog post, iFixit has revealed an important aspect of iPhone repairability that was previously overlooked. The repairability score, traditionally based on physical design, did not account for Apple’s software-based parts pairing.

In essence, when a part is replaced on an iPhone 14, it connects to Apple’s servers to verify whether the repair has been authorized. This verification is only granted if the replacement part was acquired directly from Apple. Even if the part is an authentic Apple component from a recycled phone, it will not be validated.

What happens when a part is not validated? The consequences vary depending on the specific component. As reported by iFixit in October 2022, a non-validated replacement screen would still function but with certain features disabled, such as True Tone and Auto-Brightness. Additionally, a warning message would notify the user about the possibility of the screen not being genuine. When it comes to the battery, a warning message would appear and access to battery health and statistics menus would be disabled. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, would cease to function entirely, while the rear cameras would continue operating normally but display a warning message about using non-genuine parts during phone startup. The logic board, due to its serial number not matching the other components, would trigger various “genuine parts” warnings.