The Tech Weekender: Top news from the world of technology this week
This week we tell you if the new Intel 13th Gen processors are worth your time, and take the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED out for a spin. Then we show you an AI bot that can play Minecraft better than you do, teach you what Bluebugging is and how to be safe, take a look at Google Play's best apps of 2022, and Disney's new AI that can re-age faces in five seconds. Finally, Meta gets in trouble with the EU again
Depending on your budget, both Intel Core i9-13900K and Intel Core i5-13600K offer a lot of bang for your buck. There are a few caveats to keep in mind. The Core i9 runs hot and draws a lot of power but offers the fastest CPU money can buy. The Core i5, on the other hand, runs a lot cooler at the cost of the premium performance that the Core i9 brings to the table. The Core i9 is the enthusiast chip recommended for high-end premium rigs where compromise is not an option. You are also going to need a beefy cooler. The Core i5 is for mid-tier rigs, which play well with a balance of power and efficiency. Regardless, you cannot go wrong with either option. Intel has started the 13th Generation party off with a bang, and with the promise of more SKUs due to arrive, we cannot wait to see what else the Blue Team has up its sleeves.
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OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research and deployment company, has managed to successfully train a bot to play Minecraft using 70,000 hours of gameplay footage. It is the first bot that can create the much coveted Diamond Tools within the game and while that is impressive, this marks an important advancement in the tools used to train AI. Researchers are calling this a breakthrough in Imitation Learning, a method of teaching AI by showing them how humans do tasks. The AI then learns by mimicking those tasks, and doing it as efficiently as possible.
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If you are looking for a mobile workstation for professional content creation, then the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is very easy to recommend. The notebook offers excellent performance with that powerful CPU and GPU complemented by reliable cooling.
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In the latest penalty against Meta for violating European privacy rules, the tech giant was fined roughly $275 million Monday for a data breach discovered last year that led to the personal information of more than 500 million Facebook users being leaked online. The penalty, imposed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, brings to more than $900 million the regulator has fined Meta since last year.
Bluebugging is a slang for a form of Bluetooth based attack that allows hackers to access all the features of your phone. If you leave your Bluetooth on, and the phone is discoverable, it could potentially act as a gateway to your personal information for anyone who is within the range of ten meters from you.
