Is the end of HTC near? Troubled phone maker has Taiwan Central Bank propose a bailout
We know HTC are struggling, as the competition from Samsung and Apple not slowing down, it seems that HTC can't release a product that really sticks with consumers. My first Android-based product was a HTC Desire, so I'm fond of the company.
But, we've seen the phone maker go from one bad report to another, with recent financial reports showing extremely low profit margins across more than one sector, where they were forced to sell off 50% of their share in Beats Audio just so they could meet some financial obligations. The company also took a $40 million arrow to the knee from the OnLive restructuring, where they invested the money in February of last year.
The big news here is that Taiwan Central Bank have proposed a bailout in an effort to save the struggling company, and we know that when the word "bank" and "bailout" are used, there's trouble brewing. HTC is still profitable, but we're not seeing anywhere near the numbers that rival Samsung are making, and I think right now HTC could all but dream of the numbers Apple are pulling off. What do you think? Are we looking at the beginning of the end of HTC?
RumorTT: Intel's Haswell package options for desktop and mobile
CPU World is reporting the different configurations that Intel's upcoming Haswell processors will come in, with respect to graphics core, memory channels, and processing cores. Some of the configurations break from the current Ivy Bridge in that the highest performance CPUs don't have the highest performing GPUs.
This actually makes sense in that a user who buys a top CPU will likely be running a discrete GPU. Intel is offering at least two different graphics configurations which will be joined to dual- and quad-core parts. The dual-core parts will also have a variation in that they may only come with one memory channel.
The graphic above summarizes the different configurations we are reportedly going to see with Haswell. Each memory channel will support either one or two DIMMs, with the ULT (low power) chips seeing the one DIMM per channel memory controller. Each DIMM will have a maximum capacity of 8GB, so the lowest amount of memory (or highest, depending on point of view) will be 8GB on the ULTs.
Continue reading: RumorTT: Intel's Haswell package options for desktop and mobile (full post)
Instacube: a digital photo-frame for your Instagram pictures
Those digital picture frames were all the rage a few years ago. Instead of having just one picture displayed 24 hours a day, you could insert a memory card and it would automatically cycle through the pictures. D2M has taken that idea just a bit further with a new product they are pitching on Kickstarter called Instacube.
It's an Android-powered picture frame that shows Instagram pictures at their full 600x600 native resolution. It's operated by a touchscreen and three buttons along the top. Measuring in at 7.5-inches, with a 6.5-inch screen, it will fit most places. Better yet, the cube is themed as the Instagram app icon.
While you will usually have it hooked up to an A/C adapter and located on a shelf, the company is packing in a battery so that it can be taken on the move with you. Only problem is that it needs your help to get into production. As it sits, we only have a proposed spec list and some renders of what it would look like.
Continue reading: Instacube: a digital photo-frame for your Instagram pictures (full post)
Researchers want to turn your WiFi into an emergency network for emergency crews
In an emergency, everyone seems to pull out a cellphone to try and contact both emergency personnel and family members. This causes problems for emergency crews who are trying to communicate. This is why researchers in Germany have suggested using personal wireless routers as a backup network.
The idea is that emergency crews could flip a switch that would open up a network, similar to guest networks present on some routers, that could be used for voice and data services. The whole premise of this idea hinges on having near 100 percent coverage, which wouldn't be a problem in most medium-to-large cities.
"With a communication range of 30 meters, a mesh network could be easily constructed in urban areas like our hometown," said the research team. An "emergency switch would enable an open guest mode that on the one hand protects people's privacy, and on the other hand makes the existing communications resources available to first responders," says the paper.
CyberpowerPC announces Pro Gamer FTW desktop PC series, powered by AMD or Intel
CyberpowerPC has announced a new desktop PC called the Pro Gamer FTW. This new line of systems is "tailored for the seamless integration of gaming and live HD broadcasting." The new line features six different base models, the cheapest of which starts at a mere $1085. The systems also feature the option of NVIDIA or AMD graphics.
"They are powered by a choice of Intel's X79 Sandy Bridge-E platform, Z77 Ivy Bridge or AMD's FX Bulldozer processors; equipped with NVIDIA's overwhelming Kepler-powered GTX or AMD's astounding Tahiti series, and feature AVerMedia's innovative Live Gamer HD." This way, if you're in the Red, Green, or Blue camp, Cyberpower has you covered.
Cyberpower brags that "every system is meticulously built with precise cable routing to ensure optimal airflow and a clean aesthetic appearance" and this one should be no different. Housed in the massive Azza Genesis 9000, there's plenty of rooming for cooling and high-end components. The machines are also highly configurable:
Nokia holds 59% of global Windows Phone market, 32% in US
Nokia is doing its best to hang in the smartphone market and has placed a large bet on Windows Phone. Instead of investing in Android like many of Nokia's competitor's did, they opted to stick with Microsoft's Windows Phone. And while they have the largest market share of Windows Phone phones, their overall market share is still really low.
As you can see in the graph above, total Windows Phone sales increased for nearly every manufacturer as the market grew, but Nokia managed to pull way away from the competition with their Nokia Lumia line of Windows Phone. This resulted in lower market shares for the other companies, such as Samsung dropping from 23 to 13 percent or HTC dropping from 44 to 21 percent.
However, in the US market, HTC is still the leader with 36 percent of the market. Nokia holds a close second at 32 percent and Samsung is in third with 26 percent. Nokia didn't launch a phone in the United States until January and you can see how much their sales took off between then and July. Localytics explains how Microsoft has a partner in Nokia:
Continue reading: Nokia holds 59% of global Windows Phone market, 32% in US (full post)
Skype updates iPhone and iPad app with performance increases and Photo Sharing feature
Skype is a popular platform for communication among all walks of life. According to the post, "millions of people use Skype for iPhone or Skype for iPad each month." These users have requested features, and Microsoft has obliged with one of the most requested feature: Photo Sharing. They've also updated the apps for speed.
"In addition, we've made some improvements to the performance of the app, as we know many of you want to keep Skype running on your mobile devices all the time." The new feature allows users to send photos that were taken with a user's iPad or iPhone directly to friends and family via Skype. There is no file-size limit.
This means the feature can be used to avoid MMS fees or e-mail attachment size limits. Regarding the performance tweaks:
FMS 2012 - 30% of flash output reduction to have little impact on consumer SSDs
Yesterday we spoke with Toshiba on several topics but for consumers looking to buy a new high performance, premium solid-state drive this nugget of information made it to the top of our list.
According to Jason Baker, Director of Marketing, Storage Product Business Unit, "The 30% reduction in Toshiba flash output will have little effect on the consumer SSD Market." Jason went on to say, "The only market we should see affected is the low cost personal carry products like USB thumb drives and other extremely low cost, commodity items."
This is important news for enthusiasts, power users and for that matter anyone looking to purchase some of the highest performing and lowest power consuming SSDs on the market today like the Plextor M5 Pro that uses Toshiba 19nm Toggle Mode flash, Corsair Neutron GTX and Corsair Force GS, both of which use Toshiba 24nm Toggle Mode flash.
Octane: a new JavaScript browser benchmark by Google
"The web is evolving and so should the JavaScript benchmarks that measure its performance," says the Google blog announcing Octane, a new JavaScript benchmark. Due to this, Google has ditched the traditional method of making a benchmark--artificial tests designed to test one feature at a time--and opted to use common web apps and JavaScript libraries.
Since they are based on web apps that are used everyday, this real world scenario allows the benchmark's numbers to be better. Google claims that "a high score in the new benchmarks directly translates to better and smoother performance in similar web applications" since it is based off of real applications.
Google has provided us with an overview of the tests:
Continue reading: Octane: a new JavaScript browser benchmark by Google (full post)
Toshiba increases enterprise SSD offerings with three new lines
Here's a mouthful for a business name: The Storage Products Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. Anyway, these folks have announced an expansion to their enterprise SSD offerings in the form of three new lines of varying capacity and specifications. They bill the three lines as "High Performance," "Value," and "Read-Intensive/Boot Server."
"As SSDs continue to broaden their reach into enterprise applications, from web servers to data centers, our customers are looking for a broad set of SSD solutions," said Joel Hagberg, vice president of marketing at Toshiba's Storage Products Business Unit. "Today's announcement further demonstrates how Toshiba is providing our partners with the ability to deliver the best storage solutions for every enterprise need."
All of the drives announced today will begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012. If you're a business looking to upgrade your servers with SSDs, these new drives by Toshiba may be just the thing.
Continue reading: Toshiba increases enterprise SSD offerings with three new lines (full post)