OCZ Technology announced today that it is the first manufacturer of solid state drives to complete the transition to solutions of NAND flash-based storage of 2Xnm. In particular, the company is using 25nm NAND flash chips to Micron, occupying less space and allows (possibly) great current capacity SSDs more 34nm chip, while also cost about 10-15% less.
The smallest chip began to appear in the vertex 2 and agility 2 drives last week, but so far there has been no significant price cuts from retailers who know neither OCZ is making a clear distinction between 25nm and 34nm SSDs. What some unsuspecting buyers indicated, however, is that the usable capacity on the newer units actually fell.
Storage reviews explains the reason behind this in a recent article and basically all comes down to the duration of the chip 25nm. You see, 25nm NAND is "good" for 3000 cycles of writing, while the old 34nm NAND reaches 5,000 cycles, so as to take account of this decline of OCZ needs to increase the amount of spare capacity which replaces the worn sections as a unit of living single cell degrades. As a result, newer units are always around 4-5 GB of usable storage space than the models themselves with 34nm--which is pretty critical when you are getting a bootable disc 40 GB in less.
In addition to the reduction of usable storage space, the problem would get even more frustrating for customers looking for a RAID 0, 1 or 5 installation only to discover that have units with capacity mismatch.
We note that this question is not exclusive to OCZ and how other top manufacturers releasing 2Xnm unit we will see probably a similar drop of usable storage space to allow guarantees and expected life spans remain the same. However, there is something to be said about the lack of transparency when it comes to usable capacity and failure of OCZ to label clearly what version you are buying--after all, customers are becoming less and less space for the same price and performance, while OCZ networks presumably higher profits with the reduced cost of small 25nm flash.
We hope that OCZ takes the major problem with this, but so far the only solution offered is for buyers of disgruntled send back their 25nm unit and receive a credit towards the more expensive 32 Gb die-based units. " Read the full article here.
The first day of the IBM supercomputer game of jeopardy! It's over. Watson has reasonably well, but his game was far from perfect. Stay tuned for another two days. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers wonder, "what is Watson?"
Your humble blogwatcher curated by these bits bloggy for your entertainment. Not to mention the shortest path between two Wikipedia articles ...
(IBM)
Dean Takahashi reports:
Competitor Ruttner linked with human Brad Watson, a supercomputer built by IBM. Another rival, Ken Jennings, is not far behind. ... The match has demonstrated that artificial intelligence technology of IBM is a force to be reckoned with, and in the future is only going to get better. ... Some scientists from IBM Research 25 worldwide struggled for four years on Watson, who is spiritual successor of IBM's Deep Blue, the supercomputer that chess master Gary Kasparov in 1997 defeated.
...
At the beginning of the second half, Watson had $ 5200, Rutter had $ 1000 and Jennings was only $ 200. Then, the man made their comeback, beating the buzzer Watson a couple of times. And Watson wrong answers in the second half.
Timothy Prickett-Morgan adds:
Jennings, who once had a winning streak of 74-game Jeopardy, is known to be one with the beep, but Watson cleaned his clock before the first commercial break. ... As a few more incorrect assumptions Watson, Brad Rutter – which has won more dough than anyone else playing Jeopardy – came alive and started transferring money.
Elizabeth a. Harrisspeaks of errors Watson:
"Elegance, elegant, or students who all graduates in the same year," read the question. "What is chic?" Watson replied.
...
"What is the class?" Mr. Rutter said.
...
At the end of the turn on Monday, Mr. Rutter and Watson were tied to 5000 dollars each. Mr. Jennings ... slunk off in time slot Wheel of Fortune with only $ 2,000. The winner of this contest three days will be awarded $ 1 million.
Gordon Haffcomments on the avian influenza situation:
Speech understanding proved to be really difficult. ... In fact, when IBM Watson takes on past samples of "danger" in a televised contest beginning tonight, the questions presented to it as text rather than speech. But answering questions often twisted used on "danger" is hard enough without spoken word processing.
...
Watson is in no real sense of thinking and the use of the term "agreement" in the context of Watson should be taken as anthropomorphism, rather than a literal description. ... Watson is part of the project DeepQA of IBM. The QA stands for question answering. ... In association with Carnegie Mellon University, IBM created the Open progress of question answering (OAQA). ... Among other things, this initiative aims to enable the software to adapt Watson of new domains of data and the types of problem.
Michael cooneycalls "The ultimate in man v. machine moments":
If the preliminary test sessions are any indication, you give the supercomputers of natural language known as Watson of IBM ... Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter a serious run for their money this week. ... Watson software runs on IBM POWER7 servers are optimized to handle the huge number of tasks that must run fast speed to analyze the complex language and provide correct answers to jeopardy! clues. ... Jeopardy! requires forms of reasoning are very sophisticated, using metaphors, puns, and puzzles that go beyond the basic understanding of the language. As a matter of challenge, Jeopardy! stretch the State of the art.
And finally ...
Find the shortest path between two Wikipedia articles
Don't miss out on IT Blogwatch:
You can also read Richi full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Intel has launched a new range of topping the 6-core processor, twelve threads today in the form of Core i7 Extreme Edition 990 X. Silicon 32nm Westmere-based, the 990 X expels the existing i7 980 X Extreme Edition from its $999 price-point (in bulk quantities of 1,000 units) while also offering an unlocked multiplier and bringing slightly higher clock speed: 3.4 GHz and a maximum of 73 GHz when Turbo Boost kicks, up to 3.33 GHz and 3.6 GHz for 980 X.
Like his brothers hexacore 990 X has 12 MB of L3 cache, 130W TDP and a sport requires a motherboard socket LGA1366. This should be Intel's Last chip in its codenamed Gulftown range, which will be replaced by the platform "and" Sandy Bridge (codename Patsburg) and when released in late 2011, will use the new socket LGA2011.
PC enthusiasts not affected the bragging rights that come with higher Intel processor line might be happy to know that the non-Extreme Core i7 970 Edition has received a welcome low price to a more palatable $ 583, down from its previous $ 880, making it cheaper 6-core Intel processor. And, last but not least, the quad core i7 960, that is synchronized to 3.2 GHz, fell from $ 562 $ 294.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled two new Android devices: Samsung Galaxy card 10.1, running Android 2.0 (codenamed honeycomb) and the Samsung Galaxy S II, running Android 2.1 (codenamed Gingerbread). The two have been leaked for days, but now there is finally the official details.
As the name suggests, the Galaxy card 10.1 has a 10.1 "LCD TFT WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution), powered by a processor 1 GHz dual core application. The device weighs only 1,23 lbs (598 grams), and even if he has a SIM slot, a 3.5 mm jack, 2.1 BlueTooth and Wi-Fi 802.11, uses proprietary Samsung charging cable and USB ports or HDMI. It also includes dual surround sound speakers, a rear-facing to 8MP camera with auto focus that can capture 1080p video, a 2MP camera head-on and will be available in 16 GB or 32 GB flavors. Like its predecessor, it comes with Flash 10.1.
10.1 will be launching in March in Asia and Europe, with Vodafone, being the first carrier to have it, but Samsung has yet to reveal the times for a North American launch. The price is a similar story, even if it is supposedly "competitive".
The Galaxy S II (model: GT-9100) is the world's thinnest phone to + 0.23 mm, taking the title from 9,2 mm LG Optimus black. The device has a 4 inch Super AMOLED. 27 Plus display (resolution 800 x 480), a main camera 8MP with 1080p video capture and a 2MP camera front in NFC, as well as integrated support for some versions. It is equipped with BlueTooth 3.0 + HS, HSPA + and connectivity will be available with four new content and entertainment hubs: music, games, and reading and social networking. Samsung has yet to announce the release date or pricing details.
"As a market leader in Android-powered Tablet PC, is committed to providing a variety of feature-rich, always on devices, Samsung" DJ Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Sales & Marketing, said in a statement. "The Samsung GALAXY card 10.1 is a valuable addition to our growing portfolio of smart media. Sporting a big screen 10.1 and dual speakers surround sound, allows users to enjoy multimedia to the fullest extent without having to give up mobility. "
"In 2011, it will take leadership in speed, Samsung screen and content to a whole new level," JK Shin, President and head of Samsung Mobile Communications Business, said in a statement. "With the Samsung Galaxy S II, wants to set the new standard of quality for viewing on mobile, powerful performance and slim and modern design. GALAXY S II is a natural evolution and potent GALAXY s. building on the phenomenal success of the original Samsung GALAXY S, we are proud to unveil the ultimate smartphone. Consumers no longer have to contain the same Samsung GALAXY S II allows them to design their own intelligent life. "
Asus is expected to ship between 1.5 million and 2 million tablet PCs in 2011, a spokesman said on February 11, the company's Investors Conference, according to DigiTimes. In fact, fourth quarter 2010 Investor Conference slides OEM reveal that it is aiming to achieve double digit share the platform Apple Tablet PC market this year.
ASUS already offers an Intel based 12.1-inch Eee EP121 slate running Windows 7 as of last month. The company still plans on launching three tablets of Android 3.0 (codenamed Honeycomb): a 10.1-inch Eee Pad EP101 transformer equipped with Nvidia Tegra 2 April 2011 (a netbook-tablet hybrid), a 10.1-inch Eee Pad Slider EP102 equipped with Nvidia Tegra 2 in May 2011 (the slider's name implies is a tablet with a slide-out keyboard), and 7-inch 3 G enabled Eee Pad MeMo EP71 equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon in June 2011 (a hybrid between an e-book reader and Tablet).
Asus is going to have a hard time, fighting against the many different offers of Tablet PC from this year, including the Touchpad of HP, RIM BlackBerry, Apple iPad Playbook 2, Motorola Xoom and the Flyer HTC just announced, among many others. Our recommendation is to wait until the dust settles.
Portal 2 pre-orders have launched the steam, Amazon and GameStop. Of course, steam only offers the PC version, while eager fans can purchase the title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 elsewhere. To pre-order, you'll save $ 5 on full retail price of $ 49.99 or $ 59.99 plus receive bonus goodies depending on where to order.
Together with a discount of 10%, steam provides customers of pre-launch a free copy of the original portal (you can give the game to a friend if you already have it). Instead of the free copy of portal, GameStop shoppers receive exclusive custom skins for the bot co-op Atlas and P-body. Meanwhile, Amazon is offering simply $ 5 in store credit.
Portal 2 is slated for a North American debut on April 18th, while the Australians and Europeans will have to wait until April 21 and 22. In case you missed the news, the valve and Sony have teamed up to implement multi-platform multiplayer game on PlayStation 3 and PC, PS3 users will receive a free copy of SteamPlay to play on PC and Mac.
Valve believes that Portal 2 is the best game ever developed, and has several new features, including a story co-op, polished graphics, as well as new puzzle elements and characters. The sequel is three hundred years after the original but features the same main character, Chell and the same dark-assecondarono to your computer system, GLaDOS.
It seems that the PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George Hotz, also known as GeoHot, isn't too happy that Sony has brought forth its hardware. Apparently decided to vent his anger in a rap song (video embedded below, MP3 available from MultiUpload) as part of The Light It Up Contest.
Sony legal attacks against hackers who issued the PS3 root key and custom firmware began last month. Group known as fail0verflow is accused of posting a crude hack in December 2010 after finding the codes for the PS3. It was perfected by GeoHot weeks later when he independently and published the main key of PS3. The resulting hack allow homebrew apps and pirated software to run unmodified on consoles. Sony is still threatening to sue anybodyposting or distributing code jailbreak PS3 and that a federal judge for Google and Twitter to surrender details of who watch illegal content. This is despite the fact that Sony accidentally tweeted the security key for PlayStation 3 earlier this week.
We are wondering if you could have more sense for Sony Computer Entertainment to withdraw its lawsuit and Sony BMG Music Entertainment sign instead of the guy. What do you think? If you do not catch all that said, check out the texts below, taken from the description of the video, in which Sony's Apps also says "you got some rappers signed, right? Come to me bro "and" Cries a heretic for light beat East, road to the contest, Karmaloop codes for sponsoring the contest and SCEA to quote me ":
Yo is geohot
And for those who do not know
I'm always quoted by Sony
We take this out of the courtroom and in the streets
I am a beast, at least, it is necessary to deal with me in the Northeast
Get my ire up, light my fire
I'll go more difficult than Eminem went to Mariah
Call me a liar
Pound me in the ass with no Lube, rubbing
You're fucking with the guy who got the keys to your safe and
Those who cannot bring clothes
Cry of your Uncle Sam for the settlement of disputes
Thought that you should address this problem with a little more tact
But then again fudgepackers, I dont know Jack
I shed a tear that I think everytime Lik Sang
But shit man, they're a corporation
And I am a personification of liberty for all
Fills with dockets, as this is a concept foreign to y'all
While the water muddy lawyers and stall Troo
Out of business for me is the prison
And you're quoting civilly
NVIDIA has abandoned some news impressive during Mobile World Congress this year, revealing a Tegra quad-core and a roadmap for three years for its rapid andà Codenamed "Kal-El," the new chip Tegra is already sampling and could land already in products like August. NVIDIA hasn't shared the official name of the chip, but the company allegedly sees itself as the third-generation Tegra and refer to it as 3 Tegra.
Kal-El Pack four processing cores and 12-core that promise to double the graphics performance of the CPU the Tegra 2 and tripling its graphics performance. These increases are partially supported by the results Coremark 1.0 that NVIDIA shared. Kal-El scored 11,327 in benchmark, which is almost double the 2 Tegra 5840 points. The new Tegra outscored even Core 2 Duo T7200 mobile dual-core processors of Intel.
To demonstrate the power of the chip, Nvidia fired a 1440p (2560 x 1600) video and streamed from an unreleased tablet to a 30-inch displays. "[Kal-El is] capable of making extreme high-definition video, the likes of which has not ever seen on a mobile device, or for that matter, on any consume the product," said Phil Carmack Nvidia. This speed comes without lifting the TDP as Kal-El is more efficient the Tegra 2.
As the Tegra processor Next-Gen is impressive, is just the beginning of what is to come. According to the roadmap for Nvidia, the company plans to launch an architecture Tegra updated each year through 2014. "Wayne" Kal-El will follow in 2012, "Logan" is scheduled for 2013 and 2014 plans to release his "Stark" processor, which will take almost a 100-fold increase in computational power by Nvidia's Tegra 2 9.
Add yet another report on the iPhone bandwagon, suggesting that Apple is developing a version that is less costly, smaller than its signature smartphones.
Most recent entries are courtesy of The WSJ to Wall Street, who says the new phone--codenamed N97 (no, not that N97)--will be sold to retailers at half the price of iPhone 4. This means that users of potential iPhone Nano/iPhone Mini could get the device free or nearly free, with a two-year contract. The WSJ also illuminates the fire under some elderly rumors about Mobile Me, iTunes online and a new social networking venture from Apple.
With all the rumors circulating about the next round of iPhone that you can get a little confusing to track who is saying what. So here's a handy FAQ as the rumor iPhone yearly guessing game continues.
What could be a mini-iPhone look like?
Now there are two entries about the appearance of the hypothetical mini-iPhone.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the mini-iPhone is half the size of the iPhone 4, have a screen from edge to edge and make a budget price. The WSJ reports that the mini-iPhone uses what it calls "based on the navigation entry" to enter commands--in other words, it reacts to the voice instructions. The current iPhone has limited the functionality of the voice commands, but it pales in comparison to voice commands available for Google Android devices.
Bloomberg said earlier, the mini-iPhone will be a third smaller (not half) than the current version, have no home button and it will have a price.
The mini-iPhone will have a camera FaceTime?
It is not yet clear whether a mini-iPhone, whether it is a third or half the size of the iPhone 4, could run the same applications that the iPhone doesn't. As for FaceTime, who knows? But if I had to guess, I'd say that an iPhone smaller, cheaper is not likely to have a camera FaceTime.
When will the iPhone-mini debut?
Current reports suggest a summer launch, possibly in June. This entry is not surprising because Apple introduces a new iPhone in June at its annual Developers Conference in the world.
Where would debut?
It is not clear whether Apple would launch says mini-iPhone in the United States and other Western countries, or if this phone is intended for the other regions of the globe. Apple might aim a mini-iPhone to consumers in economically less developed countries that can't afford the iPhone at higher price.
Dell has done something similar at the end of 2009 with his Mini 3 smartphone launched in China and Brazil.
Any other rumors about the mini-iPhone?
It is not clear that if this would affect mini-iPhone as well, but Bloomberg reported the next iPhone (the so-called iPhone 5) will have a dual-mode chips for GSM and CDMA networks. The News says the next iPhone may have a built-in SIM card instead of a removable--something that had previously been said.
What are the entries to MobileMe?
The WSJ says that Apple might announce that MobileMe--the company's online calendar, contacts, sync and file storage service--will be free for users. Apple currently charges $ 99 per year for the service. The entry "MobileMe will be free" popped up in February and in November, so that it is not surprising to see it again.
Transform a free MobileMe makes a lot of sense, since it is already possible to get similar functionality by combining a variety of free services, including Google, Dropbox Sync and Flickr.
iTunes in the clouds?
Another old rumor is the notion that iTunes could become an online storage service of music that you would use to stream music to your Tablet PC or a mobile device. These rumors started before circulating in December 2009 after Apple bought the online streaming service Lala.
The WSJ says, actually, this feature was designed for more than a year, but Apple has been hampered by launching in 2010 due to licensing issues. The newspaper also hints that Apple could make this feature available only for current devices like the iPhone 4 and leave the elderly out of iOS gadget mix. Apple did something similar, when it is issued free of charge its characteristic "find my iPhone" iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices capable of running iOS 4.2.
M-iSpace--are you serious?
I wasn't, but Apple may be getting ready to build some social networking features into its cloud offerings. It is not clear what this will look like or what would you do.
In March 2010, rumors circulated about a new location-based social network from Apple called iGroups. The idea appeared to be a social network that would allow people who attend the same event like a wedding, party or Conference for sharing files and data. It is not clear whether the rumors of new social networking, reported by WSJ, would be similar to previous entries.
So far, the only social network that produced Apple is Ping, a social network based on music, inspired by yawn tied to iTunes.
Apple WWDC does not take place for at least another four months, but if iPhone and related cloud keep coming out at this rate, the company's intention to have a lot of talk about come June.
Connect with Ian Paul (@ ianpaul) and Today @ PCWorld on Twitter for the latest technology news and analysis.
Artwork: Chip Taylor
Reprinted with permission PCWorld.com from. Story copyright 2011 PC World Communications. All rights reserved.
Two of the most important players in the mobile industry, Verizon and Motorola, have essentially called Windows Phone 7 a failure with a Verizon exec going as far as saying that the deal Nokia won't help the struggling smartphone platform. This is clearly not what Microsoft hoped when Windows Phone 7 launched to great fanfare late last year.
Instructions to both managers were surprisingly smooth. Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Tony Melone told CNet during an interview at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which in addition to Android and iPhone:
"I want a strong third OS out there. It gives carriers more flexibility and balances the interests of all parties. But I still have doubts whether Microsoft will gain traction, as they are for the hope with Windows Phone 7. "
Melon was equally unimpressed with the Nokia-Microsoft deal, explaining:
"If you look at our device pipeline for 2011, we have very strong relationships with LG, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, and now Apple. So I think it would take a really interesting device from Nokia or any new vendor to break in. This does not mean that it can't happen, but that would be really good. "
So give one last twist the knife, he added:
"I don't think Verizon needs the relationship of Nokia and Microsoft. OS right now the three players we see on our network are Android, Apple and RIM.
Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of product management for Motorola software and services, also weighed in on Windows 7 phone at Mobile World Congress and had only bad things to say. Wyatt, Motorola said that initially was considering Windows Phone 7 as a platform for its mobile phones, and Android. But Motorola chose not to do so. Here's what he said, according to the IDG News Service:
"There were a lot of things that we believed on Microsoft that ended up not being true, especially on what functionality would have in what period of time."
In addition, Windows Phone 7 was delayed for so long that Motorola has decided to use Android only and Windows Phone 7 bypass. Wyatt also said that Motorola favorite Android on Windows Phone 7 because Android is open source, while producers can customize Windows Phone 7:
"We would like the opportunity to create unique value and we feel that we could with a closed platform."
Clearly, Microsoft still has a climb with Windows Phone 7. And Verizon is underwhelmed by the arrangement of Nokia doesn't help. Still, the deal with Nokia is the best attempt by Microsoft to help his struggling smartphone platform. If Verizon is to be believed, will not be enough, but only time will tell.
SAN FRANCISCO--Cisco has unveiled a security architecture "complicated" self-describing on FutureX & equip dubbed says provides a context-aware to safeguard networks increasingly overrun with Smartphones, tablets, and virtualization.
On FutureX & equip, outlined the RSA Conference in San Francisco, initially give Cisco firewalls--and, finally, his switches, routers and other products--the ability to dynamically scan and label data concerning the identity of a user and using application/device in order to have a real time basis for the application of a security policy based on identity.
Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager of Cisco security technology business unit, recognized on FutureX & equip architecture is complex and novel, and its evolution in terms of product implementation only slowly starts to roll out this year.
ANALYSIS: is a next-generation firewall in your future? | HP accuses Cisco data center standard deflect
The ability to be evident on FutureX & equip should first in the line of multi-use Cisco Adaptive firewall Security Appliance (ASA), which will be equipped with Cisco TrustSec tagging technology to identify a wide range of information about using the network to a user, such as applications, devices, location and time of day, so that security decisions can be made in a context-aware fashion.
"What context will reveal? That someone is, they are part of an organization, what applications are trying to use, they use an iPhone and iPad and is managed by it, "and are inside or outside the corporate network, says Ambika Gadre, senior director of Cisco security technology business unit.
The idea is to flag policy violations, block access or warn of security threats. On FutureX & equip is seen as increasing borderless Cisco networks strategy cycles, which is intended to support applications, processes and services that are increasingly distributed and virtualized, such as those in it environments and software-as-a-service cloud.
"Owns," Gillis recognized when asked if the architecture on FutureX & equip never stretches to embed gear safety or third-party network. But Cisco executives said they are weighing how to create a shared global ecosphere for it, probably by making available APIS or approaching a standards body with some related fundamental technology on FutureX & equip.
Cisco is a great player in the network security market, with approximately 2 billion dollars in sales last year. But the consumerization of endpoint devices such as Apple's iPad and iPhone, as well as mobile devices running Google Android and other software is required in your organization, "is causing us to rethink how security," says Gillis. The spread of virtualized systems is also a big part of that mix, he says.
Cisco provides on FutureX & equip as a way to not only give our customers a broad view of what they are doing on your network computers and users of mobile devices, but to enforce granular policies, such as access to applications on Facebook. There is also the idea that the fusion of some tag identity and device information data with the data accumulated by Security threat Intelligence operations, Cisco, a cloud-based service to analyze information about ongoing threats globally, would advance enabled the security context. Cisco will also accumulate telemetry data culled from actions of situational AnyConnect VPN client and legacy, that its customers use to apply this context-aware security more than 150 million.
Deciphering On Futurex & Equip
In trying to absorb what the heck is talking with Cisco on FutureX & equip--especially with no demonstrable product for show--analysts were somewhat divided.
Gartner analyst Neil MacDonald called on FutureX & equip and the transition to the knowledge based on context "very interesting" and applauded "the wealth of ideas".
But other analysts were skeptical about it, above all its complexity and intimidation Cisco was going on a tangent that was unlikely to benefit the rest of the security industry.
"I wish that Cisco would stop misrepresentation in the areas of security, taking the jumble of some products and mix them into a General over-branded architecture," said Richard Stiennon, analyst at IT-harvest. "Have nothing to show us," he said, adding that if the concept has some chance, the company shall give proof of something important in the next 12 months.
In the next 12 months, Cisco promises to get on FutureX & equip in his line of appliances of ASA. But when asked if this will be a software upgrade or require new hardware, Cisco executives say that they are not safe. "This is to be determined," said Fred Kost, marketing director of security solutions.
Read more about wide area network in Wide Area Network network in the world.
For more information on the corporate network, go to NetworkWorld. Story copyright 2010 Network World Inc. All rights reserved.
As expected, HTC has officially joined the fray Tablet PC at Mobile World Congress 2011 with its 7-inch device. The flyer of HTC touts a 1.5 GHz single core CPU, 1 GB of RAM plus 32 GB flash memory, an aluminum unibody construction and 1024 x 600 resolution. Will ship with Android 2.2 on board rather than the newer 3.0 build honeycomb, but an updated version of the user interface in the sense of the company will run on top to optimize the software for use on Tablet PCs.
Other features include a 5MP camera on the back, 1 .3MP front camera for video conferencing, HSPA + support, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. None of this makes Flyer HTC badge, but rather the user experience and the services offered.
First, it includes a capacitive pressure sensitive stylus and a companion app called sketch, notes that supports handwritten text and annotation of imported photos and cutouts. The pen comes with built-in synchronization to populate Clipboard app Evernote, and a feature called Timemark that lets you record audio in a meeting or event, and syncs up with notes written-Livescribe Pen-like Echo, but for a tablet. The Flyer will still finger multi-touch input as is common in tablets, however, with the stylus is not intended to be used for navigation.
For United States buyers will offer the HTC Flyer with gaming service OnLive cloud-based preloaded on it. You will be able to access a library of OnLive games and play right on the tablet or on your TV on a wireless broadband with the same options as pay-per-use or subscription. HTC says that the service is likely to spread its phones in the future, it only makes sense given his recent investment of 40 million in the company.
Last but not least, the Flyer will also see the debut of the new HTC's video download service, dubbed the HTC Watch, which will allow users to download HD movies on demand directly to the device. HTC will begin shipments during the second quarter, the prices are still to be confirmed, but the company says it's aiming for the "high end" iPad rival.
According to a thread on the forum Facepunch, titled "Crysis 2, leaked 49 days in advance," has been leaked Crysis 2. The download contains the full game (playable reported your campaign from beginning to end) and multiplayer support (the master key to authenticate online is presumably included).
The game will still a multi-platform release on March 22, 2011 in the United States and 25 March 2011 in Europe. Since there are as close to the release of the game, build leaked may be almost over. Crytek has said that the game has the best graphics you've ever seen, but that will graphically superior on PC. The company will undoubtedly be less inclined to support the platform PC after a fiasco like this. Game developers are trying to save face by saying that the loss is still a generation of development.
"Crytek was warned that an incomplete, unfinished early build of Crysis 2 has appeared on Torrent Sites," said a spokesman for EA in a statement. "Crytek and EA are deeply disappointed by the news. We encourage fans to support the game and the development team in waiting and buying the final, polished game on 22 March. Crysis 2 is still in development and promises to be the end action blockbusters like signature series Nanosuit allows you to be the weapon as she defends NYC from an alien invasion. Piracy continues to harm the market for packaged goods of PC and PC development community. "
Crysis 2 has been announced for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 this way back in June 2009. Since then, we have seen the teaser trailer, screenshots, gameplay footage and delays. This, however, takes the cake. The news is a Crysis 2 demo for PC are now almost redundant.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, a former head of Microsoft, is to defend the company has decided to move to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform and cut thousands of jobs. He told analysts and practitioners that, apart from the benefits of the Alliance that have already been explained, Microsoft is paying Nokia billion as part of the transaction.
"For all unique items that Nokia is contributing, including swing factor, including the decision to make Windows Phone challenger, Microsoft is contributing to substantial monetary value to Nokia Nokia, because we are helping all these unique things," said Elop at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "During our investor briefing upon a slide where we had only one row with little green checkmarks saying ' marketing ' and other investments from Microsoft to Nokia. I think some people interpreted as something that should be measured in millions or tens of millions of people, as are most of the transfers of marketing value. In fact, when you look at all the value that we are helping and the uniqueness of what we bring to the table as part of this transaction, the value transferred to Nokia is measured in Bs, not Ms. "
At the event in Barcelona, Elop was also asked if he was a "Trojan horse". Since Elop has worked for Microsoft since January 2008 through September 2010 as head of Business software giants, the obvious implication is that Microsoft he planted to Nokia to steer the company in a direction favorable to the software giant. Nokia has also recently appointed Chris Weber, former Corporate Vice President, us Enterprise leader of Microsoft and Partner Group, as Chairman of Nokia (United States) and head of the markets in North America.
Of course, Elop denied insinuation. "The obvious answer is no," he said. "We made sure that the entire management team has been involved in the process, and of course the Nokia Board of Directors is the only ones who can make this important decision on Nokia. Made the final decision on Thursday night. "
Elop responded also confirmed that Microsoft had quotas, saying that it has stopped selling its shares before the announcement of the deal last week, as required by law. "To me, being the seventh largest shareholder of Microsoft: this is not true," he said. "It would be a significant amount of money that I didn't. When I moved from Microsoft to Nokia, I was legally forbidden to sell my shares. Just that lifted, I started to sell. But when he started our discussions, I had to stop selling yet; the laws are very clear. As soon as the legal restrictions, of course you can sell Lift those quotas. " Elop holds shares of approximately 130,000 worth 3.18 million.
Nokia fans should not see this as a kind of betrayal. As Elop scored his position, it does not matter: the fact is that all Nokia management chosen unanimously Windows phone. What can we say, however, is that since Elop has a close relationship with Microsoft, he will work twice as hard to make sure that the deal completes.
The rise and many cyber-crime and cyber-espionage, I agree that we need a clamp down, but how we balance that with the freedom of the Internet provides and that most of us cherish? United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague has appealed to Governments meet to agree on a set of rules amid growing fears of "cyber war" between States. Addressing the Security Conference in Munich, Mr Hague disclosed that just last month the United Kingdom had come under attack from an "intelligence agency hostile State" trying to penetrate the Foreign Office IT system.
Mr. Hague said the reports of intelligence, he sees as Foreign Minister showing that a single criminal computer program can collect over thirty gigabytes of stolen passwords and credit card details from over 100 countries in a matter of days, causing millions of pounds worth of fraud. More than 40,000 pieces of sensitive information and financial data are quoted on the black market online every day, equal to 13.2 million criminal transactions every year.
Systems of Government are too focused. ZEUS is a famous piece of malware that attempts to steal banking information and other personal information. At the end of December was sent an email forgery as by affixing from the White House to a large number of recipients that were directed to international click on a link and then downloaded a variant of ZEUS. The British Government was targeted in this type of attack and a large number of email surrounded some of our filters. He said Government experts were able to clear the infection, but more sophisticated attacks like these are becoming more common.
He continued saying that last year the interests of national security of the United Kingdom have been targeted in a deliberate attack our defence industry. A malicious file which pretended a report on a Trident nuclear missile was sent a defense contractor from someone masquerading as an employee of another defense contractor. Good protection meant that the email was detected and blocked, but its purpose was to steal information about our projects more sensitive.
Mr Hague said that last month three of his colleagues were sent an email, supposedly from a British colleague outside the FCO, working in their region. The email claimed to be on an upcoming visit to the region and looked innocent enough. In reality it was from an intelligence agency hostile State and contained computer code embedded in the document attachment that he wanted to attack their machine. Fortunately, it was caught in a way that has not reached his staff.
Mr. Hague offered to host an international conference this year to discuss the rules of acceptable behavior in cyberspace, bringing countries together to explore mechanisms for the grant of such standards real political and diplomatic influence.
He said that, in view of Britain, seven principles should underpin the future international rules on the use of cyberspace:
The need for Governments to act accordingly in cyberspace and in accordance with national and international law;The requirement that all have the chance-in terms of skills, technology, trust and opportunity-to access cyberspace;The need for users of cyberspace to show tolerance and respect for the diversity of language, culture and ideas;Ensure that cyberspace is open to innovation and the free circulation of ideas, information and expression;The need to respect individual rights to privacy and to provide adequate protection to intellectual property;The need for us all to work together to address the threat from criminals who act in line;And the promotion of a competitive environment that ensures a fair return on investment in the network, services and content.
As we have to balance the need for controls with the desire for freedom? We can reasonably expect agreement on the fight against cybercrime and cyber-espionage when threats are difficult to source change fast and intertwined with Counterintelligence operations of many of the world's top economies?
The United Kingdom has set up a group of cyber operations, the United States has established a Cyber command. This is enough? We support efforts to develop more stringent guidelines or should we just leave everything as it is?
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Since his appointment as Yahoo's CTO last June, by Raymie Stata has been on an intense ride. He is part of the executive team charged with building Yahoo's technology strategy and spurring innovation to drive growth and attract more users to the site. Been has been with Yahoo since 2004 and was previously its chief architect. Other members of the team includes Chief Scientist Prabhakar Raghavan and Been's boss, Chief Product Officer Blake Irving, both of whom report to CEO Carol Bartz.
At the same time, Been is learning the ropes as CTO, a role Yahoo redrew after last year's departure of Ari Balogh, who was also CTO and chief product officer. IDG News Service talked with Was recently about his challenges and accomplishments as CTO, and about what Yahoo is doing to jumpstart innovation in 2011, a pivotal year for the company. An edited version of the interview follows:
IDG News Service: What do you focus on as CTO?
By Raymie Stata: The CTO role has changed quite a bit recently at Yahoo. Historically, it had been an operations CTO, head of all engineering. Now we have a [separate] CPO and CTO and shifted into a functional model for the CTO. Sets the technology direction but don't actually manage all the engineers. That's a big shift for the company. We're still working that out.
An important focus area for me is technology exploration and advancement, which involves looking at new ideas and doing early R&D work to get [projects] off the ground.
Within technology, exploration, mobile applications is one area of focus. We're looking at tablets as a proving ground for Web experiences of the future. We're pushing our advance innovation thought and development in that direction, versus on the PC side.
I also focus on our content platform. It's an extensive back-end content management, personalization and optimization system that we've been building over the past 18 months. It will power everything we do, on PCs, mobile [devices], tablets, across the board, and also all types of content. Bringing all our content together in a very powerful platform is a huge area of focus for us. This year you'll start to see a lot of innovation coming to market because we have that underneath us.
Another area of focus is the cloud. We're on our second generation of cloud infrastructure here. Hadoop is part of the story but it's not all. There's a lot going on under the covers.
IDGNS: You've been on the job for about eight months. What's been your biggest challenge and your biggest accomplishment so far?
Was: The last eight months haven't been business as usual in terms of my new role as CTO. With Blake and a lot of new talent coming on board at the executive level, we've spent a lot of time looking at the market, looking at our assets and strategizing.
When you do strategy, it's easy to get wrapped up in the grand and glorious three-year view. While we have a [long-term] view, we're also focused on how to connect that back to this quarter and next quarter so that we can advance user engagement. The number of users and top line [revenue] are critical focus points for the company in 2011, so that we can deliver against those important [goals] in the context of where we want to go as a company versus where we've been. The leadership team has not only articulated a strategy that makes a lot of sense for Yahoo but also thought really hard about how to execute against that strategy.
We're getting into a regular execution rhythm which is nice, and for me it's an opportunity to stick out my head and say, now that we have some direction, what is this CTO job? I've been operating more as a member of the leadership team than as CTO for if.
The biggest challenge for me is getting a bit out of the weeds. As chief architect, I was pretty deep down into the code of what we do around here. That's always been my approach: to dive in where there's a critical strategic issue that's stuck, survey "what we're doing and unstick it.
That's a great thing for a chief architect to do but a CTO needs to provide a lot more in terms of visibility, what's the road map of the company, what's the technology direction and strategy. It needs to provide that, first and foremost, inside the company, because we have a lot of people who need to align to that, and also outside.
For the leadership team and myself, top-line growth broadly defined in terms of dollars and users and user engagement is a focus this year, but as CTO, it's important for me to not hit the end of 2011 and not be on a ramp for the future. As CTO, I need to make sure we have a pipeline of technologies that mature at just the right time and to be looking one, two and three years ahead to make sure we're anticipating changes and building the right capabilities.
IDGNS: Yahoo has been criticized in recent years for lacking technology innovation and vision, and letting competitors capitalize on hot trends like social networking, video sharing and microblogging. Do you agree with that criticism?
Was: There are important elements of truth in that criticism. As part of that strategic process that I mentioned earlier, that was a first-order question for us. But that criticism doesn't account for everything we've done and is therefore a bit unfair.
Something that's visible is what we've done in the advertising side. We saw [at] exchanges and their many variances in terms of demand-side and supply-side platforms. We saw those trends early and made huge investments, including acquisitions of market-leading companies, which were integrated very well [into Yahoo]. We've done tremendous scientific and technology achievements that we've poured into that platform. I don't think we get recognition for being out ahead and for the innovation that we brought to that market.
Internally, we're on our second generation of cloud computing that is very innovative. One bit that we made external, Hadoop, has taken off and is fundamentally changing the large-date space as an industry.
On top of that cloud, we're building a platform for content ingestion, enrichment, relevance and personalization, that is second to none in the industry. We bought Associated Content so we can fuel that, in addition to having enormous content relationships ourselves and great original programming. On top of that platform, you'll see much more consumer-facing innovation coming in 2011.
Those are some things we've been doing that either people haven't seen because we haven't told them about it or maybe they haven't given us as much recognition as we deserve.
Having said that, when it comes to new product categories and deeply innovative features in existing product categories, Yahoo hasn't delivered and the first step in getting better is to acknowledge that. In strategy conversations late last year, we did acknowledge that, and we've put in place innovation programs inside the company to support the development of new product categories and of very innovative features.
I don't think we'll be turning out two "home runs" a year, if a "home run" is Facebook, but you'll see us: a) putting out innovative stuff and b) fostering that over time, which is very important. A struggle companies face with innovative new product categories is that you get that early hit, and it's the coolest thing ever, but then you get to year two or year three and then it's not [as cool] anymore, yet you have to continue to invest in it. We recognize that as another pitfall to innovation and are prepared to create a structure that makes sure we see it through.
Management pushes for a new type of printer in the Office of this pilot fish. "One of the keys to get the new printers is a secure print functionality," says. "In this way sensitive documents being sent to a printer, but not actually print until the user enters a PIN code to release the print job.
"This manager talks about how great this feature safe printing will anyone listen to you. After weeks of persuade, we get the new printers.
"Just two weeks after the new printers, we find a review of benefits for an employee that someone has printed and neglected withdraw out of the printer. Obviously someone doesn't understand how print works.
"Who did this? Why, the same handler who wanted to printers because of their print secure! "
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LG apparently wants to play an important role in getting consumers to adopt 3D technologies. The Korean company is pushing 3D in at least two major markets: TVs, and Smartphones.
LG said it intends to sell 3D TV sets 5 million in 2011 as part of its overall objective of sales of 40 million TVs, according to Reuters. Second largest TV producer in the world, which competes with Samsung and Sony said that he was trying to control 20% of the world market for smart TVs.
Separately, LG has unveiled the first phone to mass market 3D at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The lenticular screen technology LG Optimus 3D capabilities, which means you can view images in 3D without special glasses. The phone must be held at a distance and angle in order to obtain the correct viewer experience, much like with the Nintendo 3DS, which uses a similar screen technology.
Users can play and record 3D content through the use of two cameras 5MP and also send the content to any 3D TV. The phone will ship with four 3D stereoscopic games. The electronics giant has yet to reveal details on pricing or release date for the Android-based device.
Skype knows that not everyone has access to 3 G or 4 G everywhere, all the time. Consequently, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company announced that it is expanding its service of Wi-Fi hotspot, Skype Access.
In particular, of Skype Access partnerships now include more than 500,000 trouble spots, including 30,000 500 airports, hotels and many other locations. The business VoIP has partnered with eight international suppliers of Wi-Fi, according to Mashable:
BT Openzone's largest Wi-Fi hotspot provider in the United Kingdom this is billed *.FON as the "world's largest Wi-Fi network."M3 connect Major German provider Wi-Fi Row 44 a broadband platform in flight that serves many international flights.Skyrove to hotspot provider in South Africa. Spectrum Interactive Wi-Fi provider in the United Kingdom with a focus on the travel industry and media.Tomizone Wi-Fi provider in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific z.vex to South African Wi-Fi provider.
The service allows Skype users to pay for access to Wi-Fi hotspot using Skype credit on a minute (prices range from $ 0.05 to $ 0.19). Skype introduced the program in January 2009 and has expanded slowly over time, even if this ad is probably the biggest. Skype Access, you must use the latest version of Skype for Windows or Mac.
During a keynote at the Mobile World Congress, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said that a number of models of smartphone was launched this year by using the company's processors. The company seems to be very optimistic about his upcoming smartphone, dubbed core Medfield, but so far it remains resorted to potential partners or any additional information beyond saying that time is a "pretty exciting" for them.
Otellini sees the emergence of Tablet device and smartphone as an opportunity for Intel and not a challenge to his commanding lead in the CPU market. According to the CEO, tablets and smartphones will live alongside the PC, and this will allow them to send even more processors than the hundreds of millions that currently ships. "We don't see an environment where one machine meets all requirements. At least for the next four or five years, we are likely to see more devices and form factors more simply because people want to do things better, "he said.
Intel has been virtually absent from the fast growing smartphone market so far, but the company hopes to change that with its impending Medfield chips, which are allegedly ordered to outclass ARM in processing and saving. The company shall prove his bold claims with real products, and with the arm that currently holds close to 90% of the mobile market through licensing agreements, convince hardware vendors to embrace Medfield will not be easy.
Glenn Edward Lee Beck, an American conservative radio and television host, author and political commentator, said its viewers not to use Google when doing research. He points to the fact that Google is having some problems abroad and that some of its employees have played active roles in revolutions in the Middle East.
Here's the relevant part of his rant: "I would highly recommend if you're doing your homework, do a search on Google. It seems to me that Google is pretty deeply embed with the Government. Remember ... maybe that explains why Google is being kicked out of all other countries. I'm just a shill for the Government of the United States? About Jared Cohen? He is a private citizen or Government operations? And this is not the second guy to Google we found ... This is the second Executive of Google now is exposed as an instigator of a revolution. Familiar with the Government secretly partnering with organizations to media, search engines, social networking, so that can bring change we have designed the elites in Washington? "You can watch the Beck do its thing below (found via Slashdot):
With Microsoft Zune conspicuously absent from the Redmond company lovefest with Nokia last week, the Microsofties are abuzz that can be resolved by the company Apple iPod on its way out. Paul Thurrott noticed that the company has talked about virtually every service but Microsoft Zune at the Nokia Press Conference; Mary Jo Foley was later with a declaration of a spokesperson for Microsoft, which seemed to only raise even more questions.
"We are not ' killing ' any of the services/Zune functionality in any way. Microsoft remains committed to providing a great music and video experience by Zune on platforms such as Xbox LIVE, Windows-based PC, Zune devices and Windows phone 7, and integration with Bing and MSN. "
The emphasis of this statement seems to be the platform, not necessarily the device--and ultimately, can we really blame Microsoft? After all, the device is unable to generate a lot of buzz out of users of Microsoft-based computer. While "social" has had good intentions, it was useless to everyone, but because without sharing with users, what is the signature feature of the Zune?
I said for awhile (and here, too) that its a waste of money for Microsoft continue to take on Apple's iPod ecosystem with a reader on its own initiative. Having said this, embed Zune platform further offers of success (Windows Live, Xbox, etc.) is a good thing. Perhaps this is what the future holds for the brand.
Microsofties also need to be honest with yourself: writing was on the wall on Zune for years. No amount of advertising budgets whizbang feature, Sophistic or reorganizations are going to save the player itself. There is a House for Zune, but not in its current form.
Voice communications and the Internet while traveling are beset by "gotchas" road warriors looking to wade through the minefield of pricing structures for cellular carriers and service providers, Wi-Fi hotspot.
Roaming charges can be ridiculously expensive, especially when traveling abroad, and prices for the Wi-Fi at hotels, airports and other public places around the world are often very high. The fees that I ended up paying ranged from inexpensive (after spending over $ 20 for Wi-Fi access at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport) to the absurd (when Vodaphone pay me hundreds of dollars to use my Blackberry in Ireland to check email and surf the Internet intermittingly for a week).
To make matters worse, the poor customer service that you get when you call a mobile phone provider for details about roaming rates for voice and data communications are far from clear whether Verizon in the United States or Vodaphone in Europe.
A good practice is to turn off your smartphone when travelling abroad and are based on your PC for all communications, including voice connections. You can do with Skype (in France, at least, you must use your PC for Skype because mobile phones against carriers blocking Skype).
After providing cost-effective voice communications for international calls, chat and free voice and video over Internet connections between PCs for years without much hiccups, Skype has formed an agreement with the provider of Wi-Fi so you can pay with Skype credit for Internet access while on the road.
The ad may not mean much if Skype charged gouge prices for Wi-Fi hotspots, but it seems that Skype is attempting to offer an affordable alternative. Skype says prices will start at 6 cents per minute, which is very reasonable, especially in Asia and Europe. Skype has offered the service in beta form through Boingo from 2009, but now should also be able to benefit from prices more reasonable Wi-Fi connection abroad, where connectivity can command some heavy taxes (in particular taking into account the deflated dollar).
Another promising proposal that you will be able to pay for the service to Skype by the minute. This will serve as a welcome alternative to the high prices often ridiculously that commands Wi-Fi hotspots in places such as airports and hotels, where you often have to buy in increments of 30 minutes or an hour. Have a 45 minute wait at the airport of Paris? Then you have to pay for 60 minutes worth of Wi-Fi to stay connected all the time. If you pay for 30 minutes, the service off at short notice when the time has expired. Aggravating is a kind way to describe the experience.
Skype says it will offer its distribution service via Wi-Fi service providers around the world. The provider include BT Openzone, Fon, connect M3, line 44, Skyrove interactive, Tomizone, spectrum and Vex.
All told, Skype says users can access the Internet with the purchase of Skype credit to 500,000 trouble spots, including 500 000 hotels and airports, "many cafes, trains, aircraft, buildings, offices, and Convention Centers." While Skype does not listed the places where its Wi-Fi service is available, it referred to the United Kingdom and Germany in Europe, as well as South Africa and South America--in addition to United States, where Skype says that will bring her service out of beta testing.
It is not clear how ubiquitous it becomes the service Skype, but I look forward to using it is as an alternative cost-effective smartphone and roaming charges for Wi-Fi access when travelling abroad.
Bruce covers technology trends in the United States and Europe and tweets at @ brucegain.
Reprinted with permission PCWorld.com from. Story copyright 2011 PC World Communications. All rights reserved.
After more losses, benchmark, voices and previews, Sony Ericsson has finally announced the Xperia, a mobile phone for the players, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. In portrait mode, the device to Android 2.3 (codenamed Gingerbread) is typical smartphone with a 5MP camera, a 4 capacitive multitouch screen "(resolution of 480 x 854) and social networking features. In landscape mode, the slide keyboard reveals a digital d pad, two analog touch pad, two shoulder buttons and four PlayStation icons (circle, Cross, square and triangle). The first certified device like PlayStation Sony Ericsson is calling, is powered by a 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor, a Adreno 205 GPU and 512 MB of RAM.
Sony Ericsson has collaborated with publishers to bring the game Xperia titles like Need For Speed, Sims 3, Guitar Hero, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and a multiplayer version of the world, before FIFA 10 by EA Mobile. The company has also struck a deal with unity technologies to ensure a continuous stream of high quality 3D game. Pre-loaded application will enable users to download titles that have been optimized for PLAY Xperia recently played games, access, see information about the games you have downloaded.
The game Xperia measures 119 mm x 62 mm x 16 mm, weighs 175 grams and is available in black or white. It has 400 MB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB via microSD slot (an 8 GB memory card is included). Sony Ericsson has yet to announce pricing and details on the release date (although we know that it will launch on Verizon in the United States next month).
"Today is a very proud moment for Sony Ericsson as something truly revolutionary we bring to the market," Rikko Sakaguchi, Executive Vice President and Chief creation Officer of Sony Ericsson, said in a statement. "Live to our vision of communication, Xperia entertainment play always will change the way people think about smartphones and mobile gaming. The launch of the Xperia play would not have been possible without the close collaboration of Google and Sony Computer Entertainment. The commitment of so many industry leading game publishers further demonstrates that Xperia will deliver on the expectations play long-held by consumers the world over ".
Reportedly, Apple is working on new versions of the iPhone in an attempt to slow the growth of mobile competitors based on Google's Android platform. According to an entry, as reported by Bloomberg, the company effectively is developing an alternative smaller and cheaper to its existing model that would sell for about $ 200 without constrain users to a contract.
The new model is described as a third less than current models but Bloomberg notes that it is its market launch, but a certainty, as the company often works on products that eventually get scrapped. Meanwhile, a similar report in the Wall Street Journal suggests Apple may cut or ditch entirely internal storage and rely exclusively on a renewed free MobileMe service, which could serve as a base Cabinet for cloud apps, photos, music and video.
Doing away with internal flash memory would certainly cost but also Ignores the reality of wireless networks--limited signal poor coverage in many areas and restrictions on carriers ' bandwidth. Although Wi-Fi could mitigate some of these issues would be too unwieldy for iPhone users. It is not of character for Apple to take a popular yet pricey product and make smaller versions that are more accessible price-conscious customers-the iPod is a great example of this--but we still have reservations on this entry.
Another newer escape, courtesy of DigiTimes says that fifth generation smartphone actually will feature a large 4-inch display to take on Android devices like the Galaxy S 2 and the desire for HTC HD. Once again, you should take all this with a grain of salt, even more if you consider the timing of entries (during MWC), leaves only the fact that having multiple devices with different screen size would make it more difficult for developers who feed the iOS platform.
This veteran was on his company for decades, and practically everyone appreciates. "Everyone calls him from time to time," says a pilot fish who work there. "While he is a specialist in one area, his experience makes him an invaluable troubleshooter.
"A few years ago, has written a small Visual Basic application for one of our production lines that tracked some scanners and would enable legacy conveyors and automated weapons to forward packets to the right place. He wrote the app pretty quickly and worked well enough that the Manager of the Group wanted to make improvements to the app to communicate with other systems.
Enter a new guy in the IT Department. For some reason he doesn't look like the old generalist and he doesn't like the application scan-and-forward, which he called "amateurish".
He wants to investigate the construction of a real system that successfully automate the process, and he convinces his boss to let him take on the project.
Then he goes to work. He brings in suppliers. He extracts products. He flies out to Florida and Colorado to visit companies with similar systems to see what they did.
Finally, after a year of investigation, he presents his proposal.
"To have the system works well, he would rip off all the legacy (translation: get paid for) equipment and replace it with the new equipment that connect to the network," says fish. "And write a new system that would require a full-time staff of three to run it.
"Everything at a cost of $ 1 million, not counting the new staff.
"Three weeks later, the new guy was no longer with the company and the manager once again came to our contributor and asked him to make changes to its little VB app to communicate with other systems--which he did."
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SAN FRANCISCO--virtualization technologies allow you to better control and security in cloud computing environments, said Art Coviello, RSA Chief today.
In a keynote address at the RSA Security Conference here, Coviello has hit an optimistic tone about cloud security issues. While he recognized some of the concerns enterprises might have about how to move data and applications to the cloud, said that approaches to address possible issues are closer than many think.
"Trust in the cloud is feasible today," Ivanov said, adding that the key is to stop depending on the security controls designed for physical infrastructure. Instead, companies should consider leveraging virtualization technologies to enable advanced security, visibility and control they want in cloud environments.
Coviello argued that security needs to be approached to information or transactions which is protecting. In virtual environments, static damage perimeter way logical boundaries defined by information and transactions. Therefore safety must become logical as well.
"The stack IT is changing. Our borders are logical, rather than physical. We can not depend on the physical infrastructure for security, "he said.
Virtual machines are designed by nature to adjust dynamically loads of work, he said. As a security really work in these types of environments, the controls must be just as dynamic. "That means building security in virtualized components and, by extension, distribution of safety throughout the cloud," he said.
Security policies and best practices must be encoded and enforced by systems of automated security management for the cloud, Coviello said. The focus should be on enabling protection that is more risk-based and adaptable to changing conditions--and less static.
The economy and agility enabled by cloud computing are pushing more and more companies to adopt it, regardless of security and control concerns they may have, he said.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, "if properly exploited, virtualisation can be a path toward overcoming the level of control and visibility that exists today in physical environments," he said.
As part of its effort to enable RSA Security, the company launched a service called RSA cloud Trust Authority, Coviello said. The service will leverage VMware virtualization tools to provide a set of compliance monitoring in cloud services and identity management.
Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, security, financial services and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @ jaivijayan or Subscribe to the RSS feed of Jaikumar. His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com.
To learn more about security in Computerworld Security Center topic.
Market segments netbooks and nettops have greatly increased in recent years and with it a whole new wave of computing platforms compact and energy efficient. Although this may seem like a relatively new idea, it really isn't.
VIA Technologies that you will remember as one of the leading producers of motherboard chipset from yesteryear started pushing the concept long ago, the development of Mini-ITX standard in the process. It has now been a decade since they have released the first draft for a motherboard ITX promote C3 processor low power purchased from Centaur Technology.
The first VIA EPIA boards were sold in 2002 with the Eden processor. Although the VIA EPIA boards were very efficient in terms of space, many have claimed that they were too expensive for the computing power that have provided.
VIA has struggled with the technology for six years, until June 2008, when Intel started to notice the emerging market of low power. The chip giant has introduced a line of Mini-ITX motherboards using their Atom processor, taking a huge leap forward from VIA C3 and C7 offers. In addition, the atom was the key to making the form factor that is valid for use in personal computers.
It is true that the Atom processors were still rather slow from desktop standard controlled by quad-core CPU time, but have allowed manufacturers like Asus to build highly successful line of Eee netbooks and dozens if not hundreds of systems of low power, low cost which followed behind. The initial "diamondville, Wyoming" atom architecture suffered from some shortcomings, as it was based on 945 G elderly for most of its features, including the graphics engine.
Intel released at the end of the architecture "pineview" late last year, which has moved the memory controller and the GMA 3150 graphics engine on the processor. Still, both the Atom CPU and GMA 3150 lacked power and consequently producers like Asrock who wanted to build more powerful HTPC dedicated systems rely on Nvidia Ion add-on for graphics.
Historically, AMD has been known to offer the best integrated graphics in the business, yet they've just dabbled in low-power netbook and nettop arenas. Now about three years after the release of the Intel Atom, AMD is taking the shot in this exciting market segment.
AMD Fusion is the marketing name for a series of APUs (accelerated processing unit) that are supposedly in development since 2006. The final design is the result of the merger of AMD with ATI, combining General processor execution and processing of 3D geometry and other features of modern GPUS in a single chips.
Ultrathin AMD platform, code-named "Brazos" was introduced on January 5, 2011 as the company's fourth mobile platform, targeting the ultraportable notebook market. Features of 40nm AMD Ontario APU, a 9-watt chips for netbooks and small form factor desktop and Zacate, APU 18-watt for ultrathin, mainstream and value notebook and desktop.
Both versions of low power APU carry two Bobcat x 86 Core System-on-chip, support for DirectX, DirectCompute 11 (Microsoft programming interface for GPU computing) and OpenCL (cross-platform programming interface standard for multi-core x 86 and GPU-accelerated computing). Both also include dedicated UVD hardware acceleration for HD video, including 1080p resolutions.
Motherboard Asus E35M1-M Pro that we're testing today is, of course, an implementation of the platform AMD Fusion/Brazos that packs a processor AMD dual core Zacate 18W (formally known as the APU and-350), graphical support for these standards along with SATA and USB 3.0 6 Gb/s, making for a relatively inexpensive at $ 140. Read on ...
Other than a few plants illegal narcotics obvious, hadn't occurred to me that the genetics of what is growing in the garden of a person could become a police matter. Even more intriguing/trippy was the possibility of police that bees are back with using the APIs for monitoring and for the accurate identification of pollen. If that GM pollen is outside the law, the police may use the API to track a person's right to he or she lives in the House.
Crimes and clues has conducted a survey of U.S. police departments and forensic laboratories, FBI and U.S. Customs, also revealed that only 6% knew that pollen can be used as forensic tool. Apparently, I'm not the only one who knows no forensic Palynology (pollen forensics).
Thomas Thwaites, however, has put a great deal of thought into genetic engineering and the police of these genes. Thwaites has emphasised that the possibility of inserting genes into plants is now DIY available technology is recreation that the criminal. "Police genes suggests that, like other technologies, genetic engineering will also find work outside the law, with garden plants innocent-looking to be modified to produce drugs and pharmaceutical products without a license".
Can you imagine a future where bees London police conduct genetic surveillance officers conducting forensic analysis of pollen and their BEES buzzing with little help police track down offenders Back to the place of crime? Buzzzzsted. Pharming, surveillance, sampling, analysis and charge ... You may need to see to believe:
Project of Thwaites was commissioned by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council as part of the project impact, with the Department of Homeland Security and Crime Science (DSCS) in London. DSCS is the first Department of universities worldwide dedicated specifically to reducing crime and other risks for the individual and national security. This is done through teaching, research, analysis of public policies and by dissemination of evidence-based information on crime reduction and enhancement of safety. "
Thwaites has an impressive diagram explaining how police and police API genes are proposed to work. It is set like this:
Pharming: big pharmaceutical companies have plant-made pharmaceutical. Even if you want to protect their intellectual property and genetic modification unlicensed investment from cultivation, their seeds, cuttings and genes can be found on the black market. As more amateurs get into it, "the GM plants can produce unwanted effects, or can be done with malicious intent. These problems are aggravated by the unintentional cross-pollination of GM plants with those grown in the nearby gardens and farm crops. "
Surveillance: The police response is to co-opt the natural behavior of the API to monitor the genetic patrimony of pollen in the area. Have established genetic surveillance Hives. BEES forage will be up to three miles from their hives, bringing back the pollen samples from farms and private gardens.
Sampling is done using a "trap pollen at the entrance to the hive of surveillance". A camera surveillance hive records internal APIs doing a swaying dance, "describing their hive mates where I collected the pollen.
Analysis: The pollen collected is analyzed at the forensic laboratory of pollen. "If the pollen is found to contain genes unlawful or unlicensed use of intellectual property, then the video dance sway tied to the sample is extracted and decoded."
Accusation: the dance of swaying reveals the distance and direction from the hive to the origin of pollen genetically. Further comment is taken and warrants to search for the properties are obtained.
Although the police in the United Kingdom is using forensics of pollen, the police of Thwaites API are currently an artistic project that seems almost believable. In the near future, could be a reality. We Make Money Not Art interviewed Thwaites, they learned that pollen can determine whether a person was in the Woods where it was found a corpse; the lack of pollen can also prove/disprove an alibi. Pollen can get on clothes, furniture, car-the amount of pollen can be applied neat to determine how many days ago a body has been moved.
I asked Thomas Thwaites: How do you feel about using APIs for monitoring and tracking biohackers?
Thwaites replied, "I like the mixture of old and new on it, a blending of traditional and futuristic views of nature ...Bees and beekeeping associations, with their traditionally used in this way very high technology.
Think of the police, as the Department of Homeland Security and crime science will use the project as an incentive to develop such a project?
Thwaites replied: "I don't think the Science Department for crime and security would be to use the project as the basis for a real-world system-biotechnology is not so widespread as to require the police genetics as yet, after all is a project of futures. However, there are an increasing number of police using animals/insects for many types of (some very strange!) of surveillance ".
"This job is not currently in the middle of a research project in our Department," confirmed the Department for security and crime science in an email.
The concept of using the API as small flying animal is pretty trippy, but who knows? The day may come when pollen forensic and police genes are more common. Provides for the application of the law by using APIs of police surveillance and to track pirated clone plants by big pharmaceutical companies?
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We've been watching Apple [AAPL] innovate for 35-years. Most recently we've seen it transform the music industry, change the phone industry and reinvent the PC industry with the iPad. This year we're looking at iPhone 5 as wallets, iTunes music streaming, the iPad 2.0 and much, much more. Has Apple moved so far ahead of the pack that innovation isn't necessary anymore? Is it the end of invention?
Think about it, within the next few weeks and months, Apple's much-improved camera-toting iPad 2.0 will be available, as will the four-inch screen iPhone 5 with its payment-making features. In the US, Apple folk will be using cloud-based iTunes services. There will be an iPhone nano and there'll be a whole new world of integration for iOS and OS X users worldwide. Where can Apple innovate next?
Change agents
Think about cellphones. Cast your mind back to the cellphone you used in 2007 and take a look at the one you're using now: Android, iOS, Windows, RIM or webOS, whatever device you carry in your pocket now is probably a quantum leap away from what you used then. Even the most ordinary phones are looking a little smarter -- though the ill-fated Nokia capitulation to Microsoft should put paid to that.
[This story is from Computerworld's Apple Holic blog. Follow on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]
Compare what we have today to what we had in the 1990's. Then we had the Internet, culminating in the iMac. Today we carry a single device (our phone) which can: Access all the Internet's knowledgeKeep us connected via SMS, email, Facebook, Twitter and that horribly invasive Instant MessagingHelp us with tasks using any one of thousands of different 'apps for that'Listen to music, watch video and live TVCreate and edit music, video and film (clips below).Talk to friends, check maps, get reminders, and much more
How does Apple follow that?
Above: Damon Albarn/Gorillaz recorded the track above on an iPad
Me dot com
Back in 2006 I wrote, "The idea of a user's Home identity being carried on a future iPod is gaining some currency, but I don't believe that goes far enough. I want [.Mac, now MobileMe] to be an online home for my entire user identity. I want to see all my documents, emails, applications, images, movies - all of it - securely hosted online." (There's still work to do on that service).
This was in the days before the iPhone -- well, technically there had been two Apple phones at this point, one the ill-fated Motorola iTunes ROKR phone, the other a super-secret Apple project that was shelved at the eleventh hour -- in any case, notions of a thin platform connected device are moving from dreamtime to reality.
iPhone 5 is coming. With it we'll begin using our phones to pay for things at shops. we'll be using it as a tickets for live events, as a boarding pass, a travelcard, wallet and, eventually, as proof of identity.
Coming soon
iTunes music streaming will launch in mid-summer (ie. It will help boost interest in the iPhone). Given Apple has only one data center (albeit a huge one in North Carolina) I predict the company will launch iTunes music streaming in the US first, rolling it out to other territories as it secures clearances from copyright holders and invests in infrastructure to support its services.
We imagine the iPhone nano will land as part of the iPod refresh in September. Will there be an iPod left after that launch? Will Apple abandon the iPod classic, which remains the fifth most popular personal media player? The iPhone nano will not be called the iPhone nano, of course, it's an iPod "with the best of iOS added to it, so of course, it's also a phone," the company will trill.
Above: Trailer for acclaimed director Park Chan-Wook's iPhone-filmed 'Night Fishing' short movie.
Underpinning all of this is Mac OS X. This will see elements of iOS added to it this year. These will likely include the obvious, notifications, iTunes streaming support, and the not so obvious, more touch-enhanced gesture controls, voice calls via Mac (FaceTime, anyone) and so on.
MobileMe will see improvement. We learned this weekend that Apple will offer the service for free and offer more storage and a host of useful Mac/MobileMe integration options. It is no major speculative leap to predict that MobileMe/iOS integration will also see significant improvement. The stage is set for that very same thin client Mac on any device experience I asked for in 2006.
The Apple planet
So where next? What's missing? Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously rejects focus group discussions. "It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them," he told BusinessWeek in 1998.
This year Apple will be offering an always-connected, completely integrated personal ecosystem which combines all the best elements of desktop and mobile computing through the aegis of the Cupertino cloud.
From 2011 every being on this planet (at least, each and every one in a position to purchase the requisite Apple-branded products) will be in position to carry all their data, productivity projects and more with them anywhere, access them from anywhere, and edit and make changes to their own data using any chosen Apple device.
In future I can imagine we'll see Back to My Mac improve to the point that an iPhone or iPad user will be able to remotely access their home computer, launch applications and make changes remotely, with a full-screen view (like iChat desktop sharing). It will be a step toward software-as service. None of this is new, of course, but this will be the first fully consumer-friendly implementation.
At the center of that statement is a world of work. It has taken Apple 35 long years to get to the point at which it can offer such stunningly complex solutions with such stunning simplicity.
Artists of digital design
Apple chief designer Jonathan Ive said a long time ago, "Simplicity speaks of the care of how our products are developed. It's not obvious how hard it was.
"We try to solve very complicated problems without letting people know how complicated the problem was."
Innovation is a love that dare not speak its own name. It isn't just about the features you see up-front -- that is 'just' the user interface -- it is also about the insanely complex technologies underlying those features. And their simple expression.
Above: Apple's iPhone 4 ad. It has Jony Ive at the beginning.
Consider the complexity that went into the myriad decisions that drove development of the A4 (and soon A5) processor. Or the equally complex issues of supply chain management, or the frustrating yet challenging complexities of reaching deals to enable cloud-based music services, or the many, many decisions that stand behind even one line of code within iOS, or OS X.
These matters are all dealt with by different teams at Apple, usually working in isolation from the big idea, but each team contributes an element to the grand design. In its way, each team are artists, contributing finesse and style to their own piece of the jigsaw.
Imagining a future
Design is everything -- it isn't just the look of the device, it is the feel of the device, the build quality, the inherent capabilities of the gadget, everything. Apple does this. You can expect it. You can't expect this from the fragmented Android market. You don't expect it from Microsoft, or Nokia.
Take the MacBook Air. We already know this will eventually become Apple's de facto standard notebook offering. We also understand that desktop computers will become ever-more ambient, objects whose inherent beauty gives them an aesthetic as well as a practical function for your office or home.
We know the OS will be ever-simplified and ever more powerful. We know processors will improve and code will be streamlined for the mobile age. Perhaps one day code will go backwards, and we'll see more calls on system and component functions, leading to further trimming of the need for extensive application code.
Under acting CEO Tim Cook's watch, we can expect Apple's focus to change a little. Apple will focus on protecting its existing markets, aggressively using every last iota of its power and supply chain management experience to defeat competitors. Cook will consolidate everything that Apple has gained so far.
What will be the next great idea?
Life after Macintosh
I think the next step will be to remove the Mac.
Hear me out. I'm not saying the Mac is dead. Macs will still be there for those who want them. Macs are selling in bigger numbers than ever before. But just think on this, with all our data held in the cloud for ease of access from a multitude of devices and all our Apps increasingly moving to a model in which they run on all our devices the notion that we'll eventually access Apps on a service model is no big stretch. And the next step after that is to lose the computer completely...
We'll be accessing our data in the cloud and accessing our applications remotely. We're already accustomed to one computer with several user accounts servicing different people in our homes.
We'll find ourselves making ever less use of our Macs. We'll end up asking, "Why do I need a computer at all"?
That's when Apple or some other enterprising firm will offer up a computing on-demand service. You'll pay for the time and processing cycles you need, you'll pay for use of powerful applications. You won't own a computer, you'll own your Apple-hosted Home folder, and your iDevice will run all the Apps you need. (Larry Ellison must be pleased).
What's in the way?
As with NFC-based payment systems, the challenge now will be security. Without huge innovations in security, no one is going to trust Apple with all their data, all their user identification details, all their music, movies and projects, all their digital everything. Security is essential.
This is why security firms are warning Mac users to take steps to be a little more security conscious.
Security has never been sexy. It just isn't. Unless you are fond of men in uniforms. Some people are. Most are not. Security is a shadowy world of white hats and black hats and Anonymous and known. Security is a fact of life that no one likes. Security, like back-up, is a problem everyone has and no one wants to understand.
Security must be sexy
Apple's next step will be to make security sexy. It must. Because the future connected-planet needs security to be over 100 percent before it is born. The company has already begun. Last month it appointed former National Security Agency analyst and author David Rice as its global director of security. Security is the biggest challenge Apple faces as it moves to define the future of technology in modern living. Security is the new frontier.
What do you think? Where can Apple make security sexy? Can the company continue to lead the industry, or will it take time to consolidate what it has gained so far? Let me know your thoughts on this in comments below and if you'd like please follow me on Twitter so I can ping you as I post new articles here first on Computerworld.
