Tag: disguise
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Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card could be laptop GPU in disguise
Budget gaming PC enthusiasts are still waiting for desktop Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card models, but there’s a chance it’ll be a laptop GPU in disguise. Fresh leaks suggest the entry-level option uses the smallest Ada Lovelace chip, rather than a beefier version with scaled-up specs.
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Nvidia RTX 4080 review, Nvidia RTX 4070 rumours, Best graphics card in 2022
How Does a VPN Disguise Location in 2023?
VPNs are one of the easiest ways for users to disguise their location online in 2023 to prevent their activity…
The post How Does a VPN Disguise Location in 2023? appeared first on TechRound.
Sennheiser’s Conversation Clear Plus are hearing aids in disguise
It’s taken longer than we’d hope, but since October, the FDA finally established a framework for new category of hearing aids that don’t need a medical exam, prescription or a fitting by an audiologist. Unsurprisingly we’re seeing the first OTC products being announced at CES. Sennheiser, a mainstay of the consumer audio world, is tossing its proverbial hat into the ring with the Conversation Clear Plus.
As the name suggests, the focus appears to be on dialogue (rather than the holistic hearing experience). Sennheiser says the earbuds will make it easier to understand conversations in noisy environments. This, the company claims, is achieved in a number of ways. At the heart of the device is a Sonova chip. Sonova is behind some of the legacy names in hearing aids such as Phonak and Unitron and it also bought Sennheiser’s consumer audio business about 18 months ago.
The Conversation Clear Plus looks a lot like a pair of regular true wireless headphones which will go a long way to removing any stigma or association with conventional hearing aids. Unsurprisingly, they do share a lot of features with regular headphones too. That includes active noise cancellation, even if the application here is more focused on reducing background noise in relation to dialogue.
Like most wireless headphones you’ll have the option to adjust the amount of noise reduction and there’s a companion app for further tuning your hearing experience. Sennheiser says there are three main prestets: Relax, Communication and Streaming. Those are all fairly self explanatory, but the last one marks a key difference between this category and legacy hearing aids — the ability to stream music and audio from your phone. Some hearing aids can do this, but it’s often a sub-optimal experience given that it’s not what they were primarily designed for. Given Sennheiser’s credentials in the headphone world, it seems likely streaming will be comparable to its consumer headphones.
On a more practical note, the Conversation Clear Plus offers a nine hour battery life per charge, with an additional 27 hours/three charges available via the case.
One of the big promises with OTC hearing aids was a significant reduction in cost. Typically a set with a fitting from an audiologist would cost several thousand dollars, the Conversation Clear Plus will retail for $850. The experiences between the two different product categories will obviously be somewhat distinct, given the different form factor, but the modern, gadgety design will appeal to a lot of folks that might otherwise be turned off by the clinical design of classic hearing aids.
The Conversation Clear Plus will be available for pre-order starting Jan 5 and will go on general sale Jan 20.
With no investments at 30, a stock market correction could be a blessing in disguise!
Dr James Fox explores how he could benefit from the stock market correction in 2022 as he plans his investment strategy for the year ahead.
The post With no investments at 30, a stock market correction could be a blessing in disguise! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
Amazon’s new “Customers ask Alexa” feature feels a lot like advertising in disguise
Tired of sponsored content on every platform? Well, you’ll also be getting it from Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant soon. Well, kinda. We’ll explain.
During the annual Amazon Accelerate seller’s conference, the mega-retailer announced the launch of a new Alexa function called “Customers ask Alexa” that targets questions about products and brands. When users ask related questions, they’ll now get answers written by brands themselves, along with links to the brand’s Amazon storefront.
The new function will be available to select sellers in October 2022, but will remain invite-only at launch. All eligible brands will get access to the feature in 2023.
With this new function, customers asking their Echo (or other Alexa-enabled device) questions like “how do I clean up pet hair?” might be met with an answer from a vacuum company, urging them to buy their top-selling vacuum. Currently, Alexa uses information pulled from the internet to answer questions, but basic queries about household tasks, cooking, pet care, and more may soon include ads instead of just user-friendly answers.
According to a blog post, all answers provided by companies are filtered by “Alexa’s content moderation, and quality checks” and Alexa allegedly will only share the most relevant answers. In the same write-up, Amazon stated that any answers given through “Customers ask Alexa” will always be attributed to the brands they come from and “are not paid for or sponsored” — but it feels a lot like sponsored content to us.
Amazon launched this feature in an effort to acknowledge brands as the experts in their respective fields, but at the end of the day, brands are trying to sell their specific product, not offer consumers general advice and product options across multiple brands.
While sponsored content is typically paid for by brands — not to mention properly disclosed to consumers — as a way to advertise their products, Alexa’s new feature will essentially offer un-paid spon-con. By allowing brands to write their own Alexa answers, customers will essentially be getting advice in the form of an ad whenever they use “Customers ask Alexa.”
This roll-out might be a good thing for brands, as shoppable content on social media and other platforms has seen a huge boom over the last few years, but we worry that asking Alexa a question is now just another way for Amazon to get you to buy more things you don’t need.
Our advice? Take Alexa’s new branded answers with a bit of skepticism. Brands will likely be vying for the top spot in related answers to expand their brand-recognition and sell more products. We recommend doing your own independent research on products before buying something solely off of an Alexa answer — the Amazon-recommended product might not always be the best one to spend your money on.
Shoppers are shocked to discover 18 supermarkets are actually all just Kroger in disguise
MANY shoppers are surprised to learn that more than a dozen stores across the country are actually Kroger shops.
The Kroger Family of Stores lists a total of 18 markets on its website that are related to the company, and you may recognize a few of the names.
Kroger has at least 18 other stores tied to its brand[/caption]
Deals are applicable in other family of Kroger stores[/caption]
Kroger says its story started in 1883 when Barney Kroger invested his life savings of $372 to open a grocery store in downtown Cincinnati.
His motto was: “Be particular. Never sell anything you would not want yourself.”
More than a century later, Kroger dubs itself as the nation’s largest grocer with nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states.
“Our current practices are rooted in Barney Kroger’s early efforts to serve customers through food freshness, low prices and innovation—fundamentals that remain at the heart of our Kroger mission today,” the website says.
Another part of Kroger’s site lists the brands included as part of its Family of Stores:
- Baker’s
- City Market
- Dillons
- Food 4 Less
- Foods Co
- Fred Meyer
- Fry’s
- Gerbes
- Jay C Food Store
- King Soopers
- Mariano’s
- Metro Market
- Pay-Less Super Markets
- Pick’n Save
- QFC
- Ralphs
- Ruler
- Smith’s Food and Drug
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The company merged with Dillon Companies Inc. in Kansas in 1983 to bring Dillon’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, City Market, and Gerbes into the Kroger family.
The biggest merger in the company’s history was in 1999 when it merged with Fred Meyer, Inc., owner of Smith’s Ralphs, Food 4 Less, and QFC.
More recent mergers include Baker’s in 2001, Harris Teeter in 2014 and Roundy’s, Pick ‘N Save, Metro Markets, and Mariano’s in 2015.
Kroger said it rakes more than $132.5billion in annual sales.
The chain is popular throughout the US and offers deals like 10 percent off on Wednesday for military members.
The discount is available every Wednesday from August 31.
In addition, Kroger introduced a new device across its stores that could end of self-checkout.
Customers have the option of using a KroGo cart, which is a buggy that comes with a built-in camera.
Shoppers can put their reusable grocery bags inside before wandering the aisles.
This allows customers to pick up and scan items before putting them into the cart.
Shoppers pay for their items using their credit or debit card directly on the cart.