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Crypto News

Starbucks Makes It Clear That They Won’t Accept Bitcoin (BTC) Payments

Contrary to what is reported by many crypto news portals, Starbucks will not accept payments in Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrencies.

Last week, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) unveiled its intention to create a new “global platform for digital assets” in collaboration with some prestigious companies, including Starbucks. Following the announcement, several information portals such as Bloomberg and CNBC published articles stating that Starbucks would soon allow the purchase of digital assets products.

However, in an interview published on Motherboard, a representative of the company stated that “customers will not be able to buy their milkshakes with Bitcoin (BTC).” However, the company has joined the ICE project to “convert digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) into US Dollars, which are instead accepted by Starbucks.”

At the moment, we are only announcing the launch of a system for trading and converting Bitcoin (BTC). However, we will continue to discuss with customers and regulators and will keep an eye on the evolution of the sector.

Starbucks’ representative

Starbucks won’t accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments, but Bitcoin (BTC) futures are just around the corner

In the official press release, published last Friday, is also explained that the project will also allow getting Bitcoin (BTC) futures in physical form:

Bakkt, the US-based platform for the futures exchange built by the Intercontinental Exchange, plans as an initial component of its offer the launch of Bitcoin futures contracts delivered physically and a physical deposit service by November 2018. This initiative will be subject to review and approval by the CFTC.

Already in May of this year, sources revealed to the New York Times that ICE intended to launch a service for the physical delivery of Bitcoin (BTC) futures contracts. These were, therefore, confirmed last week.

In July, Mike Novogratz, a former Wall Street executive, predicted that the mass adoption of cryptocurrency would take “another five or six years” to take place.

Think about how institutional investors operate. It’s hard to say to your boss, ‘I have money in places you’ve never heard of.’ You need a well-known custodian bank, such as a Japanese bank, HSBC, ICE or Goldman Sachs, to make institutional investors feel comfortable [with Bitcoin (BTC)].

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News Tech

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990 WX 32 Core is 53% faster than Intel’s Core i9-7980XE 18 Core

The new AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990 WX 32 Core’s performance has been mistakenly listed by Cinebench. The new AMD Ryzen Threadripper from its 2000 series is forecasted to go on sale in a week. Sale prices and specifications have been released, but not performance numbers.

On AMD France’s webpage it’s listed, of course, as the most powerful desktop processor in the world. There’s no doubt that this is the most solid CPU to hit HEDT market. Following are the performance numbers which are now removed from their webpage:

“Tests performed by AMD Performance laboratories on 26/06/2018 on the following system. The configurations may vary by PC manufacturer, and give different results. The results may vary depending on the driver versions used. Test setup: TR4 motherboard with AMD “Whitehaven” socket X399 + AMD Ryzen ™ Threadripper ™ 2990WX + Gigabyte X299 AORUS Gaming 9 + Intel Core i9-7980XE.

Both systems feature a GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card (driver 24.21.13.9793), 4 x 8 GB DDR4-3200, Windows 10 x64 Pro (RS3), Samsung 850 Pro SSD. “Power” is defined as computing power as represented by the Cinebench R15 processor benchmark.

The Intel Core i9-7980XE earned 3,335.2 points on average in the benchmark, while the AMD Ryzen ™ Threadripper ™ 2990WX achieved 5,099.3 on average, or 5,099.3 / 3,335.2 = 153%) 53% faster than the Intel Core i9-7980XE. RP2-1.”

Test results from June show that AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990 WX 32 Core scored 5009.3 points while it’s direct competitor Intel’s Core i9-7980XE 18 Core scored 3335.2. This is a very early test, we can now only wait to go on sale and expect that the final retail chips to perform even better.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990 WX 32 will have 32 cores and 64 threads in comparison to Intel’s only 28 cores and 56 threads. It is expected to feature a 3.0 GHz with a maximum boost clock of 4.0 GHz.

Other details show 16MB of L2 and 64MB of L3 cache, which is a total of 80MB of available cache on only one chip.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990 WX 32 will sell at $1799 US compared to a $2000 US the final cost for the Intel’s chip, which in terms of specification is weaker than the AMD. Given these results and prices we have another great product for high-end market, in the same time putting Intel’s HEDT through a lot of trouble.

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News Tech

Surface Go – Microsoft’s Secret Tablet of 2018

Microsoft has released its new piece of hardware, working with cloud-based services. Surface Go may yet be only a tablet posing as a PC. The iFixit team decided to crack it open and find out if it’s true or not.

From the exterior, the Surface Go looks closer to a tablet. The system used to route the heat away from the CPU is still a thermal paste and a copper heatsink; there’s no fan nor any heat pipes. This system is closer to a tablet than to a Surface Pro machine.

In terms of battery Surface Go is nearest to a Windows 10 tablet rather than a Windows 10 ultraportable. Even the iPad 5 and 6 have larger batteries at 32.9 Wh, offering more power.

In terms of connectivity, the Surface Go is a top-notch; offering the latest updates for connectivity, even the MacBook Pro would be outdated. It comes with a microSDXC support, a USB-C port, a classic 3.5 stereo jack and a Surface Connect port.

Opening the Surface Go points out clearly that this is a Microsoft tablet; carrying the same characteristics as it predecessors that makes them impossible to repair.

At first glance the unit is heavily glued; the battery seems to be able to disconnect, but the battery cells are still glued tightly together.

Indications that the Surface Go is not fashioned to be easily refurbished. For e.g. the glass that hold the display is glued with the Wi-Fi antenna, circuits board are buried under tape and shields with an excess of sticky fibric.

The problem is that end-users will not able to repair their tablets nor to make any upgrades.

The new Surface Go tablet is trying to find a new place for the Windows 10 in the mobile environment. What remains the same is the reckless nature of their current design practices.

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News Tech

Nitro Pro 12 PDF Converter To Enhance Your Workflow

Regardless of the type of business you’re conducting, everyone is in need of a tool as helpful as a PDF converter. Among the myriad available, the Nitro Pro 12 is making a stand. There are over 10 million people who are using its benefits and trust us, there are some which might interest you too.

What makes a good PDF converter?

Nitro Pro 12 can not only convert files to PDF but also create them from scratch. Besides this, good PDF software has to provide security and the Pro 12 offers plenty by asking you for a password. Then, you have to be able to store the files somewhere right? This product allows you to store as much as you’d like into the cloud.

Last but not least, speed is another characteristic of this PDF software. Being one of the fastest products available, you will be able to increase your workflow without waiting unnecessarily.

How much does it cost?

Of course, all these features come at a price. Not all best things come free. Nitro Pro 12 can be acquired for $159. However, if you desire to purchase in bulk, you will get a 15% discount.

What are the biggest features?

In terms of changing a certain file, the Pro 12 allows you to convert to and from the PDF format accurately, fast and without sacrificing the quality of the images or the color. You will be able to choose between plain and rich text, while even being able to convert image files to PDF.

When you are done, save the file in the cloud storage quickly using One drive which will also enable you to share files fast. If you wish, you can even add a signature to your files. You won’t have troubles in using it, as it is incredibly intuitive and easy to use.

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News Tech

Check Out The New Google Earth Features Available for 64-bit

Google Earth is a popular software from Google and it allows users to travel all around the globe from the comfort of their own home. There are features such as sightseeing, satellite view, 3D buildings and many other.

The program has recently received a new update and this one comes with support for 64-bit. This new version gets rid of all the bugs that existed in the previous version and it also brings some improvements that should increase the performance and the stability of the program.

The Google Earth Pro 7.3.1 version is now available and it brought some new features. The most important one is the 64-it support. Additionally, there is CSV support and a GPS mode. This version also comes with printing support on Linux, SSL clients authentication support, DirectX mode stability and security updates.

We should also add that this new version does have to minor issues. One of them is the instability of the “Tables” instruments. The other issue is that users lose their cache data when they update from the 32-bit version to the 64-bit version. Nonetheless, Google has promised to fix these errors in an upcoming update.

Business tools receive improvements and new additions

The latest Google Earth update also comes with some enhancements for the business tools. Google Earth Pro 7.3.1 brings a Movie Make tool for 1080p videos production. There are also measurements tools, high-resolution printing and CSV and ESRI GIS files support.

These new features and improvements make the program even more valuable for businesses. Google Earth can be used for any creative projects and it can generate resources for a business. Make sure you update to Google Earth Pro 7.3.1 and let us know what you think about the latest additions.

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