It's giveaway time! And once again the fabulous Fluance folks are offering Cheapskate readers a shot at some fantastic audio gear. Welcome to the Fluance Sound Sweeps! Here's what the grand prize winner will bring home: A limited-edition RT81 record player (white)A pair of limited-edition Ai40 powered bookshelf speakers (white)An Fi20 Bluetooth speaker (bamboo)Total value of that package: a cool $500. And two runners-up will each receive a Fluance Fi20 speaker (one in walnut, one in black ash) worth $150. The turntable and speakers, by the way, are indeed limited-edition items, announced just yesterday to help celebrate Fluance's 20th anniversary. Only a small quantity will be produced, so this is your chance to own a little bit of Fluance history. What's more, with promo code CNET10FLU, anyone can get 10% off any order of $100 or more between now and Aug. 27.Ready to enter? You've got until Sept. 6 to get it done. Hit up the form below for all the details, including the rules and … [Read more...] about Enter for your chance to win* a Fluance audio system
Huawei sheds 100 Australian jobs in the face of 5G ban
Huawei has cut 100 of its Australian employees since its telco equipment was banned from participating in the country's 5G network rollout. In a letter to the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), the company said the number of redundancies could grow to over 400 in the next two to five years if the company continues to be banned from Australian 5G activities. "These jobs are highly skilled, technology-based jobs that unfortunately don't seem to be being picked up by our competitors, again another major impact to the whole industry," said Jeremy Mitchell, Huawei's director of corporate and public affairs, in the letter. Along with the announcement that Huawei has been hurting from the 5G ban, it added that it would no longer be a member of AMTA, saying the organisation had not publicly highlighted the "real effects" of the government's 5G decision. See also: Huawei pushes past 400 billion yuan in half-year revenue "AMTA has an important voice to ensure that … [Read more...] about Huawei sheds 100 Australian jobs in the face of 5G ban
Mars microbes could spread across the planet via dust particles
Let's begin with a hard truth: Mars is a long, long way away, and it's still a few decades until we set up there, no matter what Elon Musk's plans may be. Fortunately we can, sort of, visit Mars here on Earth -- as long as we can get to northern Chile. In that part of the planet, the very Mars-like Atacama Desert resides. As one of the driest, dustiest places in the world, it provides a close analog to test what happens on Mars without ever leaving the comfort of our gravity and atmosphere.A team of international scientists, led by Armando Azua-Bustos, have taken to the Atacama to test how microscopic organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, may have been able to use dust to move across vast distances in the desert. Their research, published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday, describes the "very simple experiment" they devised to test how these microbes could survive the harsh conditions, like high levels of ultraviolet radiation and extreme aridity, found in the Atacama. … [Read more...] about Mars microbes could spread across the planet via dust particles
NASA Moon Diver explores ancient Hawaiian lava pits
A long time ago, billions of years in fact, in a galaxy we're all quite familiar with, the molten core of our moon began bursting with violent flows of basaltic lava that coursed beneath the gentle gradients of the lunar mare to form winding underground tunnels. And ever since humans first glimpsed one in 2009, we've been eager to do what all warm-blooded mammals do: burrow. That's why a NASA robot has gone spelunking in Hawaii. A little robot called Moon Diver is exploring ancient Hawaiian lava tubes with NASA scientists who hope to understand similar celestial structures. "We have three science teams here all week, testing different types of instruments and gathering data on the size and shape of the lava tube, the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks, and the gases present," NASA tweeted Tuesday.The similarity between Hawaiian lava tubes and caves on the moon is also why the European Space Agency (ESA) needs cartographers."They could also be an interesting option as … [Read more...] about NASA Moon Diver explores ancient Hawaiian lava pits
iPhone 11: 8 features I need right now
The iPhone 11 doesn't need a radical redesign to do well financially, critically or culturally, but it will take several significant improvements and upgrades for it to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded phone industry. Despite the fact that iPhone sales were down 12% in the last quarter, Apple still made $26 billion dollars. It's as if Steph Curry didn't make 300 three-pointers in a single season and somehow the Golden State Warriors still got to the playoffs.There will most likely be an Apple event in the second week of September and it doesn't take a mind reader to know that it's to launch the next iPhone. And as I sift through last-minute rumors and ponder the possibilities, I realize that there is a lot I want Apple to add to the iPhone 11 to make it more convenient and give it better value and utility. All the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11R and 11 Max rumors 12 Photos Apple Pencil Mini for iPhoneOn Aug. 7, Samsung launched the absolutely stunning Galaxy Note 10 and 10 … [Read more...] about iPhone 11: 8 features I need right now