Buffalo BSCR16UD2, Small Card Reader Whose USB Port Doesn't Need Direction

USB 3.0 ports, like more or less all USB ports really, have one side that always needs to be facing up. It's all because of the way the pins need to be aligned, so the port is designed in a way that prevents accidental mis-plugging.

Buffalo decided its BSCR16UD2 card reader should be above such pedestrian concerns though. To that end, the card reader has a USB port that works just fine whether it is upside-down or not. In the grand scheme of things, this is a minor advantage really. But every little bit helps.

The price of the BSCR16UD2 card reader is $13, which corresponds to €9.79 – 13. The best part is that the little item can read 45 different card formats. You just need to plug whatever cards you have in either of the three small compartments, like you would a card in an ATM.

Buffalo USB card reader
Image credits to Buffalo

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This is Windows 8.1's Boot to Desktop Option Alongside Other Settings

We all know that Windows 8.1 will allow users to boot to desktop and thus skip the Start screen completely, but here’s a new screenshot that reveals all settings included in the navigation tab.

As you can see, Windows 8.1 will allow users to disable the Charms and the app switcher, while also enabling the desktop wallpaper to be configured as Start screen background. What’s more, the new operating system can display the Apps view automatically when users launch the Start screen, while a dedicated option can list desktop software first in this particular mode.

All these settings will clearly come in handy to many Windows 8.1 adopters, but full details are likely to be unveiled in just a couple of weeks at the BUILD developer conference when the preview version of the OS is set to go live.

Windows 8.1 will allow users to skip Metro
Image credits to windowsbleu.com

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AMD Quad-Core Athlon X4 760 CPU Up for Pre-Order

The whole point of the Richland series of accelerated processing units was to provide the world with better hybrid processors, which had good integrated graphics processing units.

Some chips come out of the factory defective, but that doesn't mean they need to be thrown away. AMD can just disable the defective parts and sell them as lower-cost processors. The Athlon-branded Richland chips are what happens when the APUs come out with faulty graphics. They end up with the GPU disabled, which means they don't qualify as APUs at all.

Athlon X4 760K is an example of this, with four cores working at 3.8 GHz (400 MHz better than Trinity-based 750K). Turbo Core 3.0 takes things to 4.1 GHz in a pinch. The cache memory is of 4 MB (L2) and the memory controller can handle DDR3-1866 RAM. Online retailers should have the chip selling for $129.75 / £82.95 / €97.58.

AMD reveals quad-core Athlon CPU
Image credits to AMD

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BBM 10.2.0.12 Leaks with BBM Channels Inside

More and more info on what the next flavor of the BlackBerry 10 OS will bring along can be found online, with the latest details on the matter coming via a leaked BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12, supposedly set to make an official appearance as part of said BlackBerry 10.2 update.

The upcoming platform release will bring along enhancements to BlackBerry Maps, Camera, and Facebook, and it seems that BBM is also set to taste improvements and new features as part of the upcoming release, CrackBerry notes. The leaked BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12 is already available for download for those interested in taking a closer look at it, featuring the recently announced BBM Channels inside.

Those who would like to download and install the software should keep in mind that it is an unofficial release, and that it might also cause issues on their devices.

BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12 leaks online
Image credits to RIM

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