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Samsung has 'overwhelming demand' for its $1 smartphone trial

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Aug 24, 2015 2:51 AM CDT

It was only two days ago that we reported that Samsung was offering iPhone users a 30-day trial of its new Galaxy smartphones for just $1, but the South Korean giant has received "overwhelming demand" and has, for the time being, stopped the test drive.

Samsung was offering iPhone users the chance to test drive one of their new Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ or Galaxy Note 5 smartphones for just $1. The company has now put up a note on their promotional page, thanking people for the huge demand. Samsung said: "Due to the overwhelming demand, we are temporarily out of test drive phones. Please keep checking back for available phones".

I think Samsung needs to pull out as many phones as it can to bring the offer back, as it was obviously quite the lure for iPhone users bored or looking to change over from their Apple smartphone.

Continue reading: Samsung has 'overwhelming demand' for its $1 smartphone trial (full post)

What you need to know about Optane and 3D XPoint technology

Steven Bassiri | Storage | Aug 24, 2015 2:00 AM CDT

What we already know about Optane and 3D XPoint: We know that Optane is Intel's brand name for storage using 3D XPoint, and we know that XPoint consists of layers (known as stacks). Each stack has wires that run perpendicular to each other (they are silver/gray in the image).

Between each set of perpendicular wires are a selector (yellow) and a cell (green). By providing varying amounts of voltage to the selector it can write or read to the cell. The benefit here is that the cells don't use transistors, and theoretically (depending on the size of the cell) you could squeeze much more of this into a given space than you could with the traditional transistor.

Cells can be written and read to at the same speed since you can find any point in space with only three points of reference. Now 3D X-Point fills a spot in the current memory market, right in between DRAM and NAND based SSDs. Its latency is 10x slower than DRAM but 1000x faster than NAND. It has similar density compared to NAND SSDs, which means its 10x denser than DRAM. All the speeds and density aside, 3D XPoint also offers non-volatility, which means it can store data even when it is powered off.

Continue reading: What you need to know about Optane and 3D XPoint technology (full post)

The Division could see a post-release graphics upgrade

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 24, 2015 12:45 AM CDT

The graphics in The Division have been watered down over the years since it was first revealed, almost to the point where anyone can tell that it has been downgraded. But now there's news that there will be post-release patches that will make the visuals better, but is that good enough?

The Division could see a post-release graphics upgrade

YouTube channel 'Open World Games' has talked about this exact topic, as you can see in the above video. The graphics in The Crew were downgraded as well, yet another Ubisoft title by the way, with the graphics improving with patches. The Division on the other hand, is already capped at 30FPS because of the lackluster hardware in the Xbox One and PS4, but now we're having to wait for years before the graphics get to as good as they were in 2013.

The video above is the best example of this, which compares The Division from 2013, to 2014 and then into 2015. As time goes by, you can see that the visuals have been severely watered down. This shouldn't be new for anyone familiar with Ubisoft titles, as it has happened to the biggest games under their umbrella for years - including Watch Dogs, The Crew, Assassin's Creed, and many more titles.

Continue reading: The Division could see a post-release graphics upgrade (full post)

The future of Intel's RealSense technology is exciting

Steven Bassiri | Cameras, Printers & Scanners | Aug 23, 2015 11:25 PM CDT

Some of you may have seen this robot from IDF on our front page, a robot which not only looks like it's smart, but which can image the world around it in real-time in 3D. This ability comes from the RealSense camera, whose output is on the screen in the background. Intel's RealSense Technology offers 3D scanning and imaging with a wide variety of uses.

The technology is already present in many high-end products from manufacturers ranging from Creative to Dell. It uses a 2D camera and an infrared camera and wide range infrared emitter. It uses a specially designed Intel chip to capture and process the 2D image and infrared data about the image to provide depth to images. There are two main versions, the first is a front facing camera used in video conferencing which can omit anything past a certain depth, and the second is a "world-facing" camera which is capable of things such as producing 3D images. You can even have your picture taken and then printed in 3D, but there is even more the camera can do such as real-time tracking of objects and even things as small as fingers. It allows for effective tracking, even enough for proper gaming as was demonstrated.

Here an Intel employee uses a hacked nerf gun and puts himself in the gameplay with RealSense technology. He is able to move through the game and shoot using this custom rigged apparatus. There are many possibilities that 3D depth sensors can give to a game, just look at the X Box Kinect, but pairing one with a high-quality camera can produce many more possibilities. RealSense is not only excellent for putting yourself in the game, but it is also capable of adding objects into the game.

Continue reading: The future of Intel's RealSense technology is exciting (full post)

PS4 exclusive Until Dawn begins pre-loading, requiring 46GB HDD space

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 23, 2015 10:25 PM CDT

Save the cheerleader, save your HDD space: PS4 exclusive 'Until Dawn' is now pre-loading, requiring some 46GB of the HDD space on your PlayStation 4 console.

PS4 exclusive Until Dawn begins pre-loading, requiring 46GB HDD space

Until Dawn is one of the few PS4 exclusives launching this year, especailly now that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End has been delayed into 2016. Until Dawn stars Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame, as well as Peter Stormare who kicked some ass in Prison Break, and many other TV shows and movies. Where Until Dawn is new, is that it features an unpredictable and dynamically adaptive story, where gamers' actions within the game can have a huge impact on how Until Dawn pans out.

The developers explain: "Featuring innovative choice mechanics and the Butterfly-Effect Interface, gives players the chance to see the path of their story amid the thousands that are possible. Seemingly insignificant choices as well as huge moral dilemmas that will question your sense of fairness, good and evil, can have major unforeseen consequences. Using the power of the superior rendering capability of the Killzone Shadowfall Engine, and the power of the PlayStation 4 together with proprietary major enhancements in lighting, camera, and animation systems, Until Dawn brings emotional and credible performances of a talented Hollywood cast to life in its realistically terrifying environments".

Continue reading: PS4 exclusive Until Dawn begins pre-loading, requiring 46GB HDD space (full post)

Swiss newspaper: Swatch planning bigger effort in smartwatch market

Michael Hatamoto | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Aug 23, 2015 6:12 PM CDT

Swatch is taking a relatively cautious approach to the smartwatch market, in an effort to avoid directly competing against the Apple Watch, Motorola Moto 360, and other smartwatches. However, the Swiss watch company has plenty of growth for its smartwatch product portfolio - while providing individual smartwatch features in its devices.

"Our product is called Touch Zero One and that gives enough room for Zero Five, Zero Nine," said Nick Hayek, CEO of the Swatch Group, according to the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in Switzerland. "The Touch Zero One is not the end of the progression."

The Swatch Touch Zero Two will launch during the Rio Olympic Games 2016 next summer in Brazil.

Continue reading: Swiss newspaper: Swatch planning bigger effort in smartwatch market (full post)

Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton apologizes for using Ashley Madison

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Aug 23, 2015 5:49 PM CDT

After the Ashley Madison data dump, which featured more than 33 million accounts, it was no surprise that the fallout would ensnare plenty of people that would need to explain themselves. One political leader already claimed he used the site for "opposition research," and now Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton publicly apologized after his name was discovered on Ashley Madison.

Ashton described his decision to sign up for Ashley Madison as a "bad, childish, stupid error" and he "did not commit a crime" by using the site. Ashton claims he typically logged in using a personal laptop and through public Wi-Fi networks. He reportedly didn't meet anyone via the site, and didn't have an affair.

"While I indulged my curiosity about the site it never went beyond that," Ashton said during a press conference. "These were incredibly stupid choices." In addition, Ashton won't step down and plans to return back to work: "I think I've humiliated myself enough for one weekend. Tomorrow morning I go back to work."

Continue reading: Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton apologizes for using Ashley Madison (full post)

The United States gearing up for battle in space against China

Michael Hatamoto | Science, Space, & Robotics | Aug 23, 2015 5:36 PM CDT

As China develops new space technologies, including anti-satellite capabilities, it's up to the United States to prepare for a possible space race against China and other rivals, political leaders believe.

"We must treat space for what it is, it is a domain in which we must be prepared to fight and win," said Henry Obering, EVP at Booz Allen Hamilton, in a statement during the Hudson Institute conference. "We should dramatically expand our investment in the battle space [that] is growing into space."

China, which became the third country after the United States and former Soviet Union to send men into space, has dramatically ramped up space technology research. The country developed an anti-satellite interceptor missile capable of hitting targets in low-Earth orbit, and missiles reportedly able to hit high-Earth orbit targets.

Continue reading: The United States gearing up for battle in space against China (full post)

Researchers working on exoskeleton controllable by brainwaves

Michael Hatamoto | Science, Space, & Robotics | Aug 23, 2015 3:50 PM CDT

Researchers from Germany and Korea are developing a new exoskeleton able to be controlled by the wearer's brain waves.

Using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, wearers are able to move forward, turn left and right, or sit and stand while looking at a computer screen. The five flickering LEDs operate at different frequencies, which are identified in an EEG readout - once the signal is accurately identified, the exoskeleton is able to operate normally.

"Exoskeletons create lots of electrical 'noise,'" said Klaus Muller, a researcher and author of a paper published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, in a statement published by Phys.org. "The EEG signal gets buried under all this noise - but our system is able to separate not only the EEG signal, but the frequency of the flickering LED within this signal."

Continue reading: Researchers working on exoskeleton controllable by brainwaves (full post)

Looks like Ashley Madison site operator should prepare for lawsuits

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Aug 23, 2015 3:26 PM CDT

Avid Life Media and Avid Dating Life are not going to have a fun time following the fallout of Ashley Madison's data being publicly dumped to the Internet. Thousands of Canadians had their privacy violated following the breach, which included personal names, email addresses, home addresses, and message history - and the lawsuits are going to roll in.

Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP filed a $578 million class-action lawsuit on behalf of Ashley Madison members located in Canada. The lawyers won't try to include the Impact Team in the class-action lawsuit, as seeking damages from a foreign-based hacker group would be difficult.

"Numerous former users of AshleyMadison.com have approached the law firms to inquire about their privacy rights under Canadian law," the law firms said. "They are outraged that AshleyMadison.com failed to protect its users' information. In many cases, the users paid an additional fee for the website to remove all of their user data, only to discover that the information was left intact and exposed."

Continue reading: Looks like Ashley Madison site operator should prepare for lawsuits (full post)

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