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Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Batwoman Casts Another Victor Zsasz for the CW's Gotham

The CW’s Batwoman is getting a new baddie for season two, and it’s played by someone who’s already familiar with the city of Gotham.

Wednesday's Best Deals: LG 8K NanoCell TV, AuraGlow Teeth Whitening Kit, Nintendo Switch Cases, Purea Forehead Thermometer, and More

An LG 8K TV and AuraGlow Teeth Whitening Kit lead Wednesday’s best deals.

So Begins the Unhappy Matrimony of Instagram and Facebook Messenger

In yet another attempt to unify its various properties into some writhing Akira-esque mass, Facebook announced today that Messenger and Instagram are, for all intents and purposes, merging. Chat features from Messenger will become available to Instagram users, and folks on either service will be able to reach out to…

Corning's Optical Thunderbolt 3 Cables Now Available in Lengths From 5 to 50 Meters

Back in March, we noted that optical Thunderbolt 3 cables were starting to become available some four years after the standard's debut. Availability of these high-end optical cables has taken another step forward recently, as Corning has begun shipping out its cables in lengths ranging from 5 meters to 50 meters.

Corning's 10-meter optical Thunderbolt 3 cable
Compared to passive and active copper Thunderbolt 3 cables that support relatively short lengths most appropriate for a desktop setting, optical cables allow for much longer cable lengths needed by certain professional and corporate users. But for anyone who wants to be able to put their computer and/or accessories like external storage some distance away from their workspace, such as for heat, noise, or aesthetic reasons, these cables are certainly an option.

While optical Thunderbolt 3 cables allow for long cable runs, they do have some limitations compared to traditional copper cables, with one of the most significant being a lack of power capabilities. That means small accessories like external SSDs that need to draw bus power from the host devices they're attached to won't work with optical cables.

Optical Thunderbolt 3 cables also only support Thunderbolt 3 connections and can not fall back to USB modes running at slower speeds, so you won't be able to use one of these optical Thunderbolt 3 cables to directly connect USB-C devices that don't support Thunderbolt 3, for example.

They can, however, be used with Thunderbolt 3 docks that can in turn support a variety of other types of connections such as USB, displays, audio, and more, as the Thunderbolt controller in the dock handles converting everything to run over Thunderbolt. Daisy-chaining of multiple Thunderbolt 3 accessories is also supported with optical cables.

Connectors on optical Thunderbolt 3 cables are a little on the bulky side given the components needed to convert the electrical Thunderbolt 3 signal to an optical one and back. They are, however, only a bit larger than typical passive copper cable connectors and similar in size to active copper cable ones, so they shouldn't block adjacent ports. With only the fiber optic strands inside, the cable itself is also significantly thinner than most traditional USB and Thunderbolt cables.

Unsurprisingly, all of this optical technology comes at a cost that may put these cables out of reach for many consumers. The shortest Corning optical Thunderbolt 3 cable, the 5-meter version, is priced at $360 at vendors like B&H Photo. The price does not, however, rise significantly with cable length as the expensive parts are in the connectors, with 10-meter cables priced at $370, 15-meter cables at $390, 25-meter cables at $410, and, 50-meter cables at $480.

B&H is currently quoting special order status with availability in 7-14 business days for all but the 50-meter version, which is listed as in stock. Corning says significantly improved supplies will be available in just a couple of weeks.

Tags: Corning, Thunderbolt 3

This article, "Corning's Optical Thunderbolt 3 Cables Now Available in Lengths From 5 to 50 Meters" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Card Gains Yearly Spending Activity Option in Latest iOS 14.2 Beta

As noted on Reddit, the second developer beta of iOS 14.2 introduces a new yearly spending history option for the Apple Card, allowing cardholders to see how much they have spent with the card within the current calendar year.

Apple Card spending activity was previously limited to weekly or monthly summaries. The new yearly option can be accessed by opening the Wallet app, tapping on the Apple Card, and tapping on the Activity bars below Card Balance. As of the second developer beta of iOS 14.2, there are now three tabs at the top for Week, Month, and Year overviews.

The yearly summary also shows how much Daily Cash a user has earned with the Apple Card within the current calendar year.

To apply for an ‌Apple Card‌, open the Wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later, tap the plus button in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen steps. The process takes just a few minutes, and if approved, a virtual ‌Apple Card‌ will be ready for purchases immediately. A physical, titanium Apple Card can also be requested through the Wallet app for use at retail stores that do not accept contactless payments.

Apple Card's key features include color-coded spending summaries, no fees, and up to three percent cashback on purchases, paid out daily. The card remains limited to the United States, but an international expansion may be on the horizon.

Tag: Apple Card

This article, "Apple Card Gains Yearly Spending Activity Option in Latest iOS 14.2 Beta" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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