Q&A with Omate, and its Kickstarter-funded TrueSmart 'Smartwatch 2.0'

Anthony Garreffa | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Sep 12, 2013 6:43 PM CDT

Omate seems to be doing quite well on Kickstarter for its TrueSmart smartwatch, requiring $100,000 of funding. But, Omate has hit a home run with its 'Smartwatch 2.0' pulling in (at the time of writing) $744,499 of funding with 7 days left to go.

We thought we'd get in contact with them and ask them a few questions about its upcoming 3G-capable TrueSmart device.

Q: Who is Omate?

Continue reading: Q&A with Omate, and its Kickstarter-funded TrueSmart 'Smartwatch 2.0' (full post)

Cisco will acquire Whiptail to strengthen Unified Computing Systems

Charles Gantt | Business, Financial & Legal | Sep 12, 2013 6:19 PM CDT

Today Cisco announced that it intends to acquire the solid state memory manufacturer WHIPTAIL for $415 million. Cisco says that this acquisition will strengthen the company's Unified Computing System strategy and enhance application performance by introducing scalable solid state memory into the UCS's fabric computing architecture.

Our good friend, Jim Handy of Objective Analysis was kind enough to send over his take on the whole acquisition and I have posted the entire statement below. Jim says that he feels that this move by Cisco was a good decision and that the price seemed reasonable enough based on other recent acquisitions in the market.

Cisco announced on Tuesday its intent to acquire privately held Whiptail, which Cisco says will strengthen Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) fabric computing architecture by integrating high performance solid state memory systems. With UCS, Whiptail, and data center switches Cisco says it will: "accelerate Cisco innovation and momentum in the converged infrastructure."

Continue reading: Cisco will acquire Whiptail to strengthen Unified Computing Systems (full post)

Crucial unveils new 64GB DDR3L Load-Reduced DIMMs for servers

Charles Gantt | RAM | Sep 12, 2013 5:16 PM CDT

Today, Crucial announced the launch of its all-new 64GB DDR3L Load-Reduced DIMMs for use in enterprise servers. Crucial says that the new LRDIMMs enable more DIMMs per channel which is able to double the memory capacity per server, and saves companies money by not having to purchase additional machines.

These new 64GB Crucial DDR3L Load-Reduced DIMMs offer up to a 35-percent increase in memory bandwidth when compared to standard DIMMs, and are much more power efficient as they operate on 1.35V over the 1.5V standard found in other DIMMs. The company says that these new memory modules are also compatible with OEM servers and warranties which allows users to upgrade their existing infrastructures without having to shell out the cost for new systems.

"For memory-intensive server applications such as cloud computing, virtualization, and in-memory databases, optimizing the capabilities of new or existing hardware is by far a more cost-effective solution than purchasing additional servers," said Michael Moreland, worldwide DRAM product marketing manager, Crucial. "The new 64GB Crucial LRDIMMs allow servers to reach the maximum amount of installed memory possible, which can enable dramatic performance gains in memory bandwidth and overall server productivity, all while reducing power costs relative to adding additional servers."

Continue reading: Crucial unveils new 64GB DDR3L Load-Reduced DIMMs for servers (full post)

Corsair launches its new Ultra-Quiet RM Series Power Supplies

Charles Gantt | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Sep 12, 2013 4:16 PM CDT

Today Corsair announced that it has launched a new line of ultra-quiet power supplies. The new RM series is the direct replacement of Corsair's TX series and feature and 80 PLUS Gold efficiency rating. The new RM PSUs feature whisper-quiet operation and a fully modular design that is sure to appease enthusiast everywhere.

Corsair says that the RM series is built with low-noise capacitors and transformers, and that the PSU features a Zero RPM fan mode which only activates the cooling fan under the heaviest of loads. This allows for near silent operation during everyday use. However the custom-designed fan is also extremely quiet at all speeds and allows the PSU to remain exceptionally quiet even during heavy load times.

Optionally each of the new RM PSUs can be purchased with Corsair's Digital Bridge Cable (Standard on the 1000W model) which allows the power supply be connected to a PC motherboard or a Corsair Link hub to enable real-time monitoring of fan speeds and 12 V power delivery via the Corsair Link Software. The RM series begins at 450W and ranges up to 1000W in size and will retail from $89.99 up to $169.99. The RM series is available now for purchase at hardware retailers everywhere.

Continue reading: Corsair launches its new Ultra-Quiet RM Series Power Supplies (full post)

NSA has no issues sharing your personal data with Israel

Anthony Garreffa | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Sep 12, 2013 5:29 AM CDT

On September 11 of all days, a new leak from Edward Snowden has appeared online thanks to The Guardian, which reports that the NSA shares raw intelligence data with Israel without sifting through it first.

Snowden revealed the startling news, with an intelligence-sharing agreement detailed in a memorandum of understanding between the US spy agency and its Israel counterpart. This has unveiled that the NSA hands over intercepted communications that would contain American citizens' phone call records and e-mails (and most likely much, much more). The agreement between the spy agencies has no legally binding limits on the use of the data by the Israelis.

The deal was inked back in March 2009, with the agreement between the US and Israeli spy agencies "pertaining to the protection of US persons" repeatedly stressing the constitutional rights of Americans to privacy, as well as the need for Israeli intelligence staff to 'respect these rights.' The agreement saw the Israeli spy agency with "raw Sigint", which is signal intelligence.

Continue reading: NSA has no issues sharing your personal data with Israel (full post)

4K TVs to halve in price within twelve months claims UK retailer

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Sep 11, 2013 9:28 PM CDT

One thing that needs to happen to Ultra HD TVs is the price needs to come down to an affordable level so that they go more mainstream, and according to one UK retailer, this should happen within the next twelve months.

Jonathan Marsh Head Buyer at John Lewis spoke exclusively with TrustedReviews, where he said: "We are going to see big steps in 4K next year. At the moment there is a premium associated with 4K and we have seen that since launching the first 4K TVs a couple of months ago. However, as we've seen these technologies mature, they have come down in price and become much more affordable very quickly."

We have already seen numerous TV manufacturers unveil, and release a few 4K-capable TVs, but pricing is still quite high. Once we see some new screen sizes, with the average being 55-inch or so, come down, this will drag the price down with it. Marsh continues: "With more OLED next year, we will new sizes come to the market which will also bring the price point down to a more manageable level. At the moment all the 4K TVs are pretty big and around 55-inches. The natural step is that we will see 46-inch models developed for next year."

Continue reading: 4K TVs to halve in price within twelve months claims UK retailer (full post)

KFA2 unveils its new GeForce GTX 780 HOF edition GPU

Charles Gantt | Video Cards & GPUs | Sep 11, 2013 7:31 PM CDT

Today KFA2, Galaxy's premium brand of graphics cards, released its all new GeForce GTX 780 HOF Edition GPU. The company says that each of the new GTX 780 HOF GPUs are hand-picked and then given an incredible factory overclock of 1058MHz. This makes the card as much as 20-percent faster than a standard GTX 780.

The company has added a new Hybrid Vapor Chamber Heat Pipe Cooler that is said to transfer heat 30x more efficient than copper. Twin 90mm fans are specially designed with grooved blades to reduce noise while increasing cooling efficiency. In a press release, KFA2 said that the GTX 780 HOF edition has been completely redesigned and populated with the highest quality components possible.

Most notable of these are the CHiL CHL8318 top-of-the-line VR11.1 compliant digital PWM and IR3550 PowIRstage DrMOS 4.0 compliant chipset, which together create a powerful 8 + 2 phase circuit with 90-percent efficiency capable of delivering an awe inspiring 480 amps of current to the GPU. Other additions include high quality POSCAP capacitors with 2X longer lifespan and high current Coiltronics inductors. The PCB itself is a custom white substrate with 10 layers for optimum signal routing.

Continue reading: KFA2 unveils its new GeForce GTX 780 HOF edition GPU (full post)

Rockstar says GTA Online will feature over 500 mission at launch

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Sep 11, 2013 6:09 PM CDT

It's no doubt that GTA V is the most highly anticipated game of the year, maybe even the decade. With over $250 million in production, Rockstar has put a lot of effort into the games online mode. During an interview with website Game Informer, Rockstar Games CEO Leslie Benzies said that Grand Theft Auto Online would feature over 500 missions on launch day.

Benzies went on to say that Rockstar plans to utilize GTA Online to create an entire Grand Theft Auto universe that will incorporate everything Rockstar has done, and will do in the future with the series, and then let players freely move between the different worlds. This means that as time progresses we could see other GTA maps pop-up such as Liberty City, Vice City, and even London could make an appearance.

"We've always wanted to create a world with the complexity of a single-player Grand Theft Auto game with the addition of real players. We wanted a world where people could spend years without getting bored of playing the same content over and over," said Benzies. "I think we've managed to achieve something very close to our dream."

Continue reading: Rockstar says GTA Online will feature over 500 mission at launch (full post)

Motorola surpasses 100,000 Moto X per week milestone at US factory

Charles Gantt | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Sep 11, 2013 4:40 PM CDT

In and recent interview with Reuters, Motorola CEO, Dennis Woodside, confirmed that the company is now shipping 100,000 units of its new Moto X Android-based smartphone every week. This is quite a challenge as the company took a unique approach with the Moto X by allowing customers to configure customized color combinations, pre-installed wallpapers, and even a custom welcome message that is seen when you first wake up the phone.

"When you set up to ramp a factory you need a plan, and we have shipment targets we need to make with our carrier partners, and where we need to be right now is 100,000 units and that's where we are," Woodside said. What makes this number even more special is that Motorola produces the Moto X right here in America in a factory near Dallas Texas.

Companies like Samsung, HTC, and Apple may balk at shipments of less than 500,000 units a month, but with Motorola posting a $300 million loss last quarter, and the decision to manufacture the phones here in America, I feel that Motorola is off to a heck of a comeback. Hopefully we will see some truly innovative phones coming out Motorola now the Google appears to be fully steering the ship on its course.

Continue reading: Motorola surpasses 100,000 Moto X per week milestone at US factory (full post)

Acer unveils first Chromebook sporting an Intel Haswell processor

Charles Gantt | Laptops | Sep 11, 2013 2:01 PM CDT

IDF 2013 - Today Acer announced that it will be previewing its first Chromebook that features an Intel processor based on the Haswell microarchitecture platform at the 2013 Intel Developer Forum. Acer says that this third-generation Chromebook is the result from close collaboration between Acer, Intel and Google, and combines the best technology with exciting new innovation to usher in a new era for the Chromebook market.

"The value proposition of the Acer Chromebook line resonates with consumers, education and a growing number of businesses, as more work is done by teams that collaborate, create and connect using a wide and varied range of apps for learning, research, fun and work," said Arif Maskatia, chief technology officer, Acer America. "The new Acer Chromebook will inspire greater innovation for developers and in turn, for our customers in numerous markets."

"The latest Chromebooks with Intel processors based on the Haswell micro-architecture enable sleek new designs with amazing battery life and improved performance," said Navin Shenoy, Vice President, PC Client Group, General Manager, Mobile Client Platform Division, Intel.

Continue reading: Acer unveils first Chromebook sporting an Intel Haswell processor (full post)