Latest News - Page 2885

Intel may dominate the CPU industry, but it doesn't do too well in the system on a chip (SoC) market, especially against the likes of companies like Qualcomm. Well, it looks like Intel is not just going to roll over and give up, if its new Atom SoC roadmap is anything to go by.

Intel is hoping to increase CPU performance by 5x, and GPU performance by a whopping 15x, all before 2016. The current Bay Trail-based Atom SoC will be replaced in late 2014 by the 14-nm based "Cherry Trail" silicon which will feature "Airmont" GPU and next-gen Intel graphics. At the start of next year, we should begin to see smartphone-bound, dual-core "Merrifield" Atom chips, with a quad-core version arriving in 2H 2014.

In late 2014, Intel will unleash its new Atom SoC, codenamed "Sofia", which is made for entry-level devices. There will be two variants, one released in 2014 which will feature an integrated HSPA+ communications chip, while the second model, to be released in 2015, will feature LTE capabilities. Funnily enough, at first, these communications chips will be ARM-based, but will eventually be converted to x86 architecture.

It's no secret that I love development boards, and that I also love backing awesome projects I find on Kickstarter. Today I had the pleasure of being introduced to something that combines both of those things along side my philosophy of empowering everyone to become a maker.

Early this morning a friend reminded me of a project I have briefly heard of a few weeks back. The 1Sheeld project was now on Kickstarter and it was already past its funding goal of $10,000 in just a few hours. The 1Sheeld is an ad-on board (or shield) for Arduino that allows you to connect your Android smartphone and access many different shields that have been recreated in digital form.

Not only that, but 1Sheeld is able access your phones hardware and sensors such as the LCD Screen, Gyroscope, Switches, LEDs, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, GSM, Wi-Fi, GPS. This allows anyone with an Android phone, an Arduino, and a $50 1Sheeld to prototype and develop with a full range of hardware, without investing hundreds into physical shields.

Today reports have surfaced that indicate that the industry's largest mobile music streaming service, Spotify, has managed to secure $250 million in financing which raises the company's valuation to the $4 billion mark. That is up more than $1 billion in just one year.

Unfortunately, even with a valuation of $4 billion, Spotify can not seem to make money. The cause of its negative cash flow stems from what many consider an antiquated business model that many big-name record labels are holding onto quite tightly. Spotify has managed to increase its revenue in just one year to more than $600 million, but its losses also increased to $77 million. Unless Spotify figures things out in the next few years, we may have to bid adieu to the streaming service we so dearly love.

Over the past few months Acer has been in a bit of a downward slide and in recent weeks we have seen both the company CEO and Chairman of the Board, J.T. Wang, and its President, Jim Wong resign their positions. This is the direct result of the $20 million operational loss and 20-percent slump in sales the company reported for Q3 2013.

Now it appears that the company's founder will be returning to its helm after more than eight years of retirement. Stan Shih retired from Acer in 2004 just as it was beginning to grow into a netbook monster with its line of eeePC line. Shih will take on the role of chairman and acting corporate president based on a press released issued by Acer today.

"Due to the situation that now faces Acer and my personal social responsibilities, I must stand up and take the rein without salary," Shih said in a statement. "I will honor and complete all the public affairs and event engagements that I have committed to, but I will also fully support Acer's ICT device business and carry out the company transformation. In addition, George Huang who is one of my co-founding partners of Acer will join with me and the management team to lead our company at this time."

With the Xbox One officially launching in New Zealand today, it was only a matter of time before the guys and gals over at iFixit got their hands on the next-gen console. The team from iFixit were on hand at the official Xbox launch party in New Zealand and managed to obtain an official Day One special edition console to tear down.

Unfortunately Microsoft chose not to hide any screws under the rubber feet and the team had to look elsewhere on how to begin the disassembly process. The Xbox One is disassembled by first removing the plastic grill much in the way one has to disassemble the Xbox 360. Once the Grill is removed, only a few plastic clips remain to hold things together.

Inside the Xbox One, the PCB and other internals are shielded inside a metal cover which is easily removed by extracting a few screws. Once the cover is removed the Blu-ray drive, cooling fan, and cooler are all prominently visible. The hard drive is also unveiled at this point and it appears to be a Samsung Spinpoint M8 ST500LM012 500 GB 5400 RPM with 8MB Cache SATA II 3.0Gb/s hard drive. With a form factor of 2.5-inches, this could easily be replaced with a large capacity SSD. You would void your warranty, so keep that in mind if you decide to tear down your Xbox One.

Yeah, science, b****. You all know the show, but science really is a magical thing, isn't it? Well, three Chinese scientists have found a new way to create metal, from liquid at room temperatures.

This metal can then be printed onto pretty much anything, as would ordinary ink. It will stick to surfaces such as rubber, paper, t-shirts, or even a leaf. Yes, a leaf, from an actual tree. The biggest thing to take away from this, according to the MIT Technology Review,e is that the alloy of gallium and indium that the scientists discovered.

It's printable at room temperature, compared to other circuit inks that require massive temperatures, upwards of 400C/752F. This is an issue when you want to print onto something that much catch fire, or perish, such as paper. The three scientists explain: "Different from the former direct writing technology where large surface tension and poor adhesion between the liquid metal and the substrate often impede the flexible printing process, the liquid metal here no longer needs to be pre-oxidized to guarantee its applicability on target substrates."

Tesla Motors' founder and CEO, Elon Musk, believes that his company will be able to produce autonomous, self-driving cars within 3 years. This is not speculation, this is something that he has said is currently in development.

Musk, when talking to the Financial Times, said: "We should be able to do 90 per cent of miles driven within three years. My opinion is it's a bridge too far to go to fully autonomous cars. It's incredibly hard to get the last few per cent." If Tesla Motors can do this, they will beat Volvo and Google to the self-driving car punch, with the Mountain View-based search giant finding it hard to secure a partner for its driverless technology.

Tesla will be offering a vehicle that would allow drivers to flick an "auto-pilot" switch, which would let the car drive itself. I think that this is a great idea, and it would stop a lot of the unnecessary deaths on roads around the world. I'm sure we would see breathalyzers installed, so you could drive to the pub, or to a friends place, enjoy your drinks, and be driven home in complete safety. The taxi industry on the other hand? Well, Johnny Cab's seemed to be popular in Total Recall...

Google has updated its Google translate app for Android. The update brings more supported languages, gesture, and better speech translation. The app has a "new sleek look" according to Google. Google says the app can now have good "fully translated back-and-forth conversations." The update's conversation translator has been improved greatly.

One of the new features the update brings is gesture support, you can turn your phone and it will switch between languages. Google has added Malay and Ukrainian to the apps camera translation, and Javanese, Hebrew, and Esperanto to the handwriting feature. The update is available to download through the Google Play Store, Google mentions the update is coming out today and tomorrow.

Google has released a credit/debit style card for Google Wallet. It does not include NFC, but you will be able to use your Google Wallet card at an ATM. It will also come in handy when you want to use your Google Wallet, but the retailer you're at doesn't have a NFC enabled paying system. Google Wallets can now allow users to transfer money to other users and access it quickly. The app will also notify you of your card activity.

Google has spent $300 million on making Google Wallets and it hasn't been extremely popular, maybe the ability to use an actual card might bring more users in. The card will have a $5,000 24-hour limit. The Google Wallet card is free to account holders and can be ordered through their Wallet account or on the release of the updated app. It is available to order now and should take 10-12 business days to ship. The Android app update will be available this week.

Google spokesperson speaking with Mashable: "The app will be rolling out to Android users this week, which has the option to order the card or users can order the card directly in their Wallet account now."

LSI has gained significant traction with their Nytro line of products, becoming one of the world's largest suppliers of PCIe flash cards in a very short time. In fact, they are already shipping into 6 of the top 10 Hyperscale companies. This success has given LSI a deep understanding of the market and the needs of their customers.

One of the fastest growing segments of the flash market are the value-oriented mainstream users. These users aren't in need of solutions with extreme performance specifications or ultimate endurance; they require a solution friendly to the bottom line.

Hyperscale deployments require the most value per dollar, low power usage, scalability and the ability to extract value from their data as quickly as possible. The Nytro XP 6209 and 6210 are designed to meet the needs of the mainstream user. These cards both feature proven LSI SandForce controllers in tandem with the LSI 2308 Falcon SAS I/O controller.

Tested has some interesting results for the world, where it has tested the PS4s internal HDD against a Samsung-built SSD, and a hybrid 1TB drive. Check out the video below.

As you can see, the SSD isn't that much faster than the hybrid drive - which is much cheaper, and much bigger - but the stock drive is slow as hell. Something I noticed is that loading games on the PS4 seems to take forever, but I'm comparing this to my all-SSD PC. Maybe it's the PS4 OS that needs some work.

So, as you can see, it looks like a hybrid HDD is the way to go.

LSI has announced the release of their new 12Gb/s SAS MegaRAID controllers and their revolutionary new DataBolt expanders at their annual AIS summit. AIS (Accelerating Innovation Summit) is LSI's yearly meeting that plays host to the brightest minds in storage technology.

The needs of the datacenter are constantly expanding, and the move to the 12Gb/s SAS specification is required to keep up with the ongoing flood of data. The ability to use faster interconnects, along with lower latency, helps to allow the acceleration of big data and cloud computing.

In a recent TPC-H test, LSI found they were able to sustain a 60% increase in performance and userload during the test. The speed hike also enabled a big reduction in job completion time and better resource utilization. This is just one of many applications the new 12Gb/s SAS controllers will excel in.

The 4.3 update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE is finally here. The update is available for download right now on the LTE version of the Note 2 with the GT-N7105 model number. The Galaxy Note 2 has been running Android 4.1.2 since its launch. They have skipped Android 4.2.2 and went directly to 4.3. So far the update seems to be working pretty smoothly, unlike the Galaxy SIII update that got pulled back. This update is a big change; it completely changes the user interface to the one found on the Galaxy S4 and the Note 3. Samsung hasn't announced the official update's details but the people at Sammobile have listed the differences and improvements they have found and are listed below.

Changes and improvements found by Sammobile in 4.3 on the Note 2:

Today, Cooler Master announced the launch of an all new All-In-One water cooling unit series to their lineup. The new Nepton Series features a the 140XL and 280L models that each feature a new pump design that increases performance as well as liquid flow rate for improved cooling efficiency and capacity.

The new Nepton 140XL features a large radiator sixed perfectly to fit Cooler Master's Jetflow 140mm Fans and comes sealed from the factory with specially formulated liquid coolant inside to ensure a leak-proof experience. Likewise, the Nepton 280L features dual Jetflow 140mm fans, and is also sealed from the factory with the same coolant. Cooler Master has included a unique thumbscrew mounting design that will allow for a quick and easy installation, to get you back to gaming as fast as possible.

Even in a time of financial crisis BlackBerry is continuing to release smartphone after smartphone in an effort to somehow convince the public that it is still a major player in the industry. Today we learned that the company plans on releasing the Premium Porsche Design P'9982 despite is astronomically high price tag.

For what basically amounts to a re-skinned BlackBerry Z10, the Porsche P'9982 features Italian leather, and stainless steel in its "ultra-modern" design. Internally it features the same 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and 4.2-inch 720p display that the normal Z10 comes with. The only thing outside of a new sleek exterior is a certificate of authentication and a "2AA" lapel pin that signifies you as a member of the Porsche Design Club.

The new BlackBerry Z10 Porsche Design P'9982 will set you back by more than $2400, and will still run the stock version of BlackBerry 10. At that price, you could buy A Google Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, and still have money left over for a very high-end Google Chromebook. Call me crazy, but a company who is continuing on a downward slope should be introducing products that change the market, and gain them massive amounts of market share, not releasing something that is more expensive than any phone Apple has ever offered. BlackBerry says that the new Porsche Design P'9982 will arrive on November 21st, and then we will see if the demand for the device outpaces the much cheaper Z10.

Just two weeks ago we were reporting on OCZ's stock taking a nosedive to below $0.18 per share before rebounding back to the $0.70 level. The stock seemed to level off there, and some of us thought that the company may be able to pull itself out of the hole it fell into months ago. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case.

A new rumor has just came across my news desk unveiling that OCZ laid off 15-percent of its workforce last week. The rumor was not clear as to which divisions were the hardest hit, or if any high-salary employees were caught up in the layoffs. OCZ's stock is down more than $0.10 today since Friday when it closed at about $0.70 per share. Unlike the last nosedive, there are not rebounding spikes and if the pattern continues, OCZ could be back in the sub $0.20 per share range by Friday.

At some point in our lives, almost every American has owned a Nokia branded phone, and it was not that long ago that Nokia was considered king of the handset. Today that long standing legacy has finally come to an end as 99.7-percent of Nokia's shareholders voted to approve Microsoft acquiring Nokia's Devices and Services business for $7.2 billion.

Not all shareholders were so eager to sell, with reports of some being quite upset that an American company would be allowed to purchase a Finnish brand with such a long history. None-the-less, Microsoft is the new owner of Nokia's Devices and services division and we have most likely seen the last Nokia-branded mobile devices to be released. Todays conformation also gives Stephen Elop yet more momentum in his drive to replace Steve Ballmer as Microsoft's next CEO.

Personally I am still sticking to my theory that Ballmer, Elop and Gates all planned this entire chain of events out back in 2009 or 2010. I think that everyone knew Ballmer wanted to retire, and that Microsoft needed its own handset to compete with Apple. A plan was hatched that would see Elop being ushered in as CEO of Nokia, who would then closely collaborate with Microsoft to develop the next-generation of Nokia Windows Phones. At the same time, Elop would help Nokia's stock tank and earn himself a big bonus for selling Nokia to Microsoft when things looked really bad. The buyout would be confirmed and Elop would be given Ballmer's seat at the helm as a thank you for his efforts. Call me crazy, but much more shady plots have been hatched in the big business world.

Are video games causing the youth of today, and tomorrow, with behavioral or emotional problems in the future? Well, according to a huge new study of 11,000 kids, no, no it does not.

The University of Glasgow used surveys from mothers in a massive millennial survey to track behavior over time. The goal of this study was to see if there was any connection between screen time, and behavioral or emotional troubles in the future. The authors dived into the study wanting to use both TV and video games, arguing the point that there is a connection with attention disorders, anger and other problems that might be connected to both.

The researchers wanted to know if "games may have more powerful effects due to active user engagement, identification with characters and repeated rehearsal and reinforcement." Then, we have some key findings, where "exposure to video games had no effect on behavior, attention or emotional issues." The study also found that "neither television nor video games lead to attentional or emotional problems."

Last week Android 4.3 Jelly Bean was pushed out to the Galaxy S3 but Samsung has pulled the update due to all the problems it was causing. Users were reporting Wi-Fi issues, massive battery drains, random freezes, freezing for incoming calls, as well as Bluetooth problems. Sammobile spoke to the people at Samsung and were given a statement telling them they were working on the problem. Samsung has not announced when the update will be available again, but are making certain it will be as early as possible.

Statement to Sammobile from Samsung Mobile UK: "As we are currently investigating the reported issues with Galaxy S3 4.3 Jelly Bean update, the upgrading service has been temporarily suspended. We are committed to providing customers with the best possible mobile experience, and will ensure to resume the upgrading service at the earliest possibility."

Although the screen still looks great, the color gamut in the iPad mini with Retina colors are not up to par with other tablets in its league, for example the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX. The color gamut on the iPad mini Retina is essentially the same as the original one-year old iPad mini. Some users are disappointed with this.

AnandTech were very impressed with the iPad mini with Retina but were disappointed in its color gamut: "Although display resolution is no longer a concern on the mini, color gamut hasn't changed between the old and new minis. The iPad mini with Retina Display has the same color gamut as the standard iPad mini, which is narrower than the iPad Air and less than the sRGB coverage we normally look for. The biggest issue here is that there are other smaller tablets in this price range that do offer sRGB coverage" (e.g. Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9)

Ray Soneira from DisplayMate did a comparison with the HDX 7 and Google Nexus 7 and puts the iPad mini Retina in 3rd place: "The iPad mini with Retina Display unfortunately comes in with a distant 3rd place finish behind the innovative displays on the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and new Nexus 7 because it still has the same small 63 percent Color Gamut as the original iPad mini and even older iPad 2. That is inexcusable for a current generation premium Tablet. The big differences in Color Gamut between the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Nexus 7 and the much smaller 63 percent Gamut in the iPad mini Retina Display were quite obvious and easy to see in the side-by-side Viewing Tests. This all appears to be due to incredibly poor planning. Instead of moving up to the higher performance (and cost) Low Temperature Poly Silicon LCDs, Apple chose to continue gambling on IGZO, which has resulted in both production shortages and inferior products."