Technologies

We Found An SSD With A Teeny Tiny Fan To Keep It From Getting Super Hot

Adata says keeping these SSDs cool will allow them to perform at top speed.

There have been plenty of iterative upgrades at CES 2023, from superslim laptops to big, bright-screen TVs and other whizbang products, but for me, this ridiculous SSD makes the show worth attending.

Adata, a Taiwanese maker of computer accessories, hardware and memory, showed off a PCIe Gen 5 SSD with a tiny fan built in to the heat sink. Because Gen 5 SSDs are two times faster than the previous generation, pushing read and write speeds of 14,000 and 12,000 MBps, they can get so hot that performance throttles.

Adata’s solution for an overheating SSD is to attach a small fan to the unit. Adata marketing specialist Thomas Lombardi said the fan is small and spins fast, meaning there’s no discernable fan noise. He said the case and other fans inside a PC should drown out whatever minimal sound the SSD fan might make. To Lombardi’s knowledge, no other company has created a PCIe SSD with a built-in fan.

Fast memory remains critical to computing and gaming as tasks grow in size and get more complex. The PlayStation 5 launched with an incredibly fast SSD, allowing transfers of 5 GBps. This meant games and game worlds could load nearly instantaneously, allowing designers more freedom because of fewer limits due to drive speed.

It’s taken time for the consumer PC industry to catch up, but now people can buy drives that match PS5 performance. Faster solid-state media means people can load things like large video files and games in seconds rather than minutes.

There isn’t a set release date or price for Adata’s Gen 5 PCIe SSD. But Lombardi did say it would likely launch in July around Computex, a tech convention in Taipei, Taiwan.

Technologies

Waymo Expands Its Robotaxi Fleet to Las Vegas, San Diego and Detroit. Everything to Know

Here’s everywhere the self-driving company operates now and where it’s heading soon.

Technologies

Apple Plans to Use a Custom Model of Google’s Gemini AI to Power Siri, Report Says

Apple reportedly chose Google over Anthropic for financial reasons.

Apple is turning to Google to make a custom Gemini AI model to power the next version of its virtual assistant Siri for spring 2026, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Sunday.

According to the report, Apple was evaluating whether to use Google or AI competitor Anthropic for the next version of Siri. Gurman says Google offered a better financial deal. In an earlier Bloomberg report, he says Anthropic would have cost Apple $1.5 billion per year. The report doesn’t reveal Apple’s own financial offer.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

This custom Gemini model will run on Apple’s private cloud compute servers. Apple’s own models will continue to run on devices for personal data, while Gemini would operate on servers for more complex tasks. Gurman also says that Apple won’t highlight Google’s involvement in the company’s marketing.

Representatives for Google, Apple and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

With major tech companies pivoting toward AI, Apple has largely been left behind. The tech company was slow to adopt AI and hasn’t developed AI models that are competitive. It instead turned to companies like OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to help add generative capabilities on top of existing Apple systems.

Even then, the promise of a truly agentic Apple Intelligence has failed to materialize, although it has improved. Apple CEO Tim Cook also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of acquiring an AI company.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Apple also has a close relationship with Google. The search giant pays Apple $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on Apple devices. It’s a relationship that nets Apple money and prevents it from building a competitor to Google Search, a claim Apple denies. This arrangement was an important factor in the Department of Justice’s case against Google, where a judge ruled that the company was operating an illegal monopoly.

Despite falling behind on AI, Apple is doing well financially. Last month, it surpassed a $4 trillion market cap.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 4, #877

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 4, #877.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a diverse mix of topics. They’re not too tough, but let’s hope you recognize your computer-related phrases. If you need help, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Point in the right direction.

Green group hint: Like a veneer, or veil.

Blue group hint: Like JPG.

Purple group hint: Musical instrument.