News Archive for 09/09/21
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AMD has confirmed that it is readying a six-core processor, codenamed Thuban, that is geared for consumer desktops. The component is based on the company's six-core Opteron series that was recently announced for server configurations.
Microsoft has allegedly confirmed the existence of an 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360, according to Joystiq. The accessory was recently spotted in FCC documents, leading to speculation that the company is ready to replace the current 802.11a/b/g model. Microsoft did not provide many details, although it referenced the accessory as "another choice to consumers." The choice of words suggests that the 802.11n adapter may be sold alongside the older model instead of serving as a replacement.
Several alleged screenshots from a Norwegian GameStop inventory system show what appears to be several 250GB PS3 bundles, according to Joystiq. The gaming systems have been paired with titles such as Need for Speed: Shift, FIFA 10, Uncharted 2, and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time.
Google's Android platform reached its first smaller US carrier on Monday night with adding the HTC Hero to its lineup. The smartphone is very close close to the Sprint version with the same "chinless" design, CDMA/EVDO support and Sense UI but will make Sprxmobile's Layar augmented reality point-of-interest app a highlighted download. In hardware, the 5-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and 3.5mm headphone jack carry over.
Microsoft is actively trying to lure away Apple's retail workers for its first chain stores, according to a new leak. Sources for The Loop claim the Windows developer is not only soliciting Apple's store managers but in many cases is promising large raises and even offering to cover relocation costs for some of them. Some high-performing sales staff are also purportedly being encouraged to switch over.
Toshiba and SanDisk will produce 20nm-class NAND flash memory at their joint-venture facility in Yokkaichi, Japan in the second half of 2010, DigiTimes reported on Monday, citing industry sources. The facility will scale up production to about 200,000 wafers per month as a result. Toshiba used the factory to build 3-bit per cell (3bpc) 32nm memory, which were expected to account for 50 percent of capacity by the end of 2009, but the schedule was delayed.
A recent BGR leak reveals approximate release dates of upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 phones coming to the AT&T network. The AT&T Tilt 2, otherwise known as the Touch Pro2, is due at the provider in October, complete with a 3.6-inch touchscreen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and Windows Mobile 6.5. It will also be the first variation of the handset to ship with the latest Windows Mobile OS. Also, AT&T will get the HP Obsidian and LG Monaco business-oriented smartphones sometime in November, though they will initially only be offered to corporate subscribers.
LG's upcoming VX8575 handset, the Chocolate Touch, has been spotted again, this time with more detailed images, which were posted in a recent PhoneArena report. The new batch all but confirms that the Chocolate Touch will not look like the similarly named Chocolate Touch BL40 due for Europe. The new photos show off the interface, revealing a lack of LG's S-Class UI.
MSI this afternoon grew its American roster of Wind netbooks by importing the U110 Eco. The new model is the only one based on Intel's newer Z500-series Atom chips and uses a 1.6GHz example that gives it a much longer claimed runtime of up to about 15 hours with its standard nine-cell battery pack. Unlike the version announced earlier in the year, though, the US version uses the GMA 500 graphics inherent to the Z500 line than a much faster dedicated chipset.
ASUS' upcoming NVIDIA Ion-based Eee PC notebook, the 1201N, has appeared on Asian retailer PCpop's webstore recently. The PC is due for an October release, according to a recent roadmap leak and the listing confirms some of the device's specs, including its 1.6GHz Atom CPU.
AMD started the week today with a new whole platform for Opterons targeted at servers and the very high end of the computer market. Previously nicknamed Fiorano, the six-core Opteron with AMD chipset takes the company's existing server and workstation chips but adds a new chipset, the S5650, designed to scale for very heavy workloads. The technology now supports virtualization in hardware down to the very basic I/O interfaces and also brings the much faster PCI Express 2.0 interface and AMD's latest HyperTransport point-to-point interface between the processor and the rest of the system.
Speaking in an FT interview, software developer Square Enix's chief Yoichi Wada implied the second-generation Nintendo Wii console will be launched sometime in 2011. When it does arrive, Wada believes the so called Wii HD will be capable of many of the same features of competing gaming systems, namely Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. This likely means it will be capable of HD video playback and other multimedia capabilities already offered by its more expensive competition.
The CTIA industry advocacy group today reacted harshly to the FCC's suggested net neutrality rules. A statement from the carrier-backed group attempted to foster worries that there might be "unintended consequences" to forcing carriers not to discriminate against certain app types. The claim also suggested that all cellular devices might "be the same" if the rules took effect, as it would theoretically force device makers to allow a level playing field.
Amazon on Sunday announced the launch of its own brand of products, called AmazonBasics, which thus far includes AV cables and blank DVD media, but will expand soon with more basic consumer electronics with budget pricing. There is no word on what upcoming accessories AmazonBasics will offer, but the company is listening to customer feedback to help it make its decisions.
Toshiba took advantage of Intel's upcoming Developer Forum to launch some of the smallest full-speed solid-state drives in the industry. Both 30GB and 62GB drives are made using 32 nanometer memory and come in the new low-profile mini SATA (mSATA) format and promise the better traits of SSDs in a smaller space. The new storage is a seventh the size of a 2.5-inch notebook SSD but still reads data at up to 180MB per second and writes at 70MB per second, both figures that put it on par with larger drives.
A version of the upcoming Windows 7 operating system for netbooks, or "low cost small notebook PCs" as Microsoft calls them, will not have a very limited feature-set after all. According to a Sunday TGDaily report, there will be a version of the netbook-oriented OS with most of the "regular" functions of the OS retained, though what these would be isn't known.
Two upcoming smartphones from Acer and HTC have been identified as using Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon processor, according to industry sources. The first, the Acer F1, is expected to launch on October 6th in tandem with the release of Windows Mobile 6.5. It is believed to use a 3.8-inch touchscreen, and incorporate features like GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a five-megapixel camera. Unlocked pricing is said to be $555.
AT&T today confirmed that it's starting a public trial of its 3G MicroCell home router. Company spokesman Seth Bloom acknowledged that the carrier is already offering service in Charlotte, North Carolina that gives users unlimited calling on the in-home device and lets devices without Wi-Fi use their already unlimited data plans on a more reliable cellular link. As with other femtocells, it works by creating a local, secure cellular hotspot that uses an existing home Internet connection to bridge to the phone network.
MSI on Monday announced the upcoming release of the X-Slim X610 ultrathin notebook, an AMD-powered version of its currently available X600. The same 15.6-inch, 1366x768 resolution screen is used, though the Intel Core 2 CPU and related mainboard are replaced with AMD's Congo platform with an Athlon Neo processor. Other specs are shared, including the 1-inch thickness, 4.6lb weight and standard six-cell battery.
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski today matched expectations with a formal proposal of net neutrality rules. The official's presentation at Washington's Brooklings Institute detailed a first rule that would bar Internet providers from trying to block apps, content and websites that compete with the company or use a high amount of bandwidth. Traffic regulation would be allowed, but a second rule would force providers to be transparent regarding the methods used.
Netgear branched out from pure network hardware to network-attached storage (NAS) this morning with the unveiling of the Stora. Like most drives, it shares a hard drive over the local network using Ethernet and can act as a server for iTunes music as well as DLNA and UPnP devices like the PS3 and Xbox 360. The new approach tries to simplify access through an optional web-based media viewer that shows photo and video thumbnails as well as automatic pushing of certain content to Facebook and Flickr.
The European Union on Monday shared some e-mail contents that contributed to its decision to fine chipmaker Intel the equivalent of $1.45 billion in May. The e-mails between the chipmaker and its clients allegedly show that Intel pressured buyers into choosing Intel over competitor AMD, via illegal incentives that would delay or keep them from buying AMD products. Intel is still fighting the EU decision, calling the e-mails speculative and originating from lower-level employees that were not involved in the negotiation of the deals in question.
Microsoft's Pink project for its own, self-branded smartphones has gained credibility through a series of leaks in recent hours. Veteran observer Mary Jo Foley maintains the project is real and will provide a software overlay for Windows Mobile 7 with a strong focus on services, most likely involving the Zune Video Marketplace as well as a possible Zune Pass music subscription. One or more stand a chance of being previewed at CES in January, but the OS itself isn't due until the second half of 2010.
Sony Ericsson this morning claimed a minor industry first through the MH907. The in-ear buds have built-in capacitive motion sensing that automatically start or stop audio on a phone based on their contact with the wearer's ears. Putting both earbuds in place will either start music or answer an incoming call; taking one earbud out will pause music or end a call.
Seagate today updated the Barracuda line to include the industry's first drive to use an 6Gbps SATA interface. The 2TB Barracuda XT has twice as much theoretical bandwidth as existing SATA II drives and gives the disk up to 600MBps in burst transfers. In actual speed, the drive is still fast with a 140MBps sustained transfer rate and is helped by Seagate's first use of 64MB of onboard cache for a mainstream drive.
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