Softpedia News - Technology

Aptina Wants Micron's Fab as a CIS Production Site

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:21:00 GMT

Currently unable to quickly respond to short lead-time orders from customers, Aptina imaging seems to be interested in transforming Micron's Japanese semiconductor manufacturing plant into a producer of CMOS image sensors. Aptina CEO David Orton stressed the fact that the cause for this current inability was in no way due to insufficient capacity on Aptina's side, instead saying that its clients were the ones placing too many short lead-time orders.

Just like the Italy-based fab owned by the same company, the Japan-based semiconductor manufacturer is capable of producing 40,000 wafers per month. While trying to preserve and, perhaps even improve, yields, the plans are intended to cross from the current 8-inch process manufacturing to putting together 90nm process, according to Orton.

As the president and managing director of Aptina, Greg Helton, reveals, there is another reason why the Japanese fab is the intended setup. Thus, it would be in the company's best interest to build closer relationships with the many Japan-based DSC (digital still camera) makers, namely Canon, Nikon, Sony and Panasonic.

Aptina imaging is an independent CMOS imaging leader, which serves all of the major mobile handset OEMs and module integrators. It is has design wins with virtually every PC camera manufacturer a... (read more)

Blu-ray Demand Set to Grow over the Next Three Years

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:42:00 GMT

In tune with making the top 10 CEA Christmas wish list, where they got eighth place, Blu-ray players, along with Blu-ray disks, are expected to see a surge in popularity over the next three years, after the volume sales of BD movie disks rose during this year's first three quarters by 183%, 200% and 180%, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2008. This phenomenon is directly tied to the popularity surge of High-Definition media and home theater PCs.

Taiwanese Blu-ray player manufacturers recently held a forum in Taipei regarding the sales of such products. After they recognized the significant sales surge, the participating companies reached the conclusion that, in tune with the growing demand, prices would drop accordingly until a 25GB Blu-ray ROM disk cost a mere $1.50 per piece, compared to the current price of $5 in the US market. Similar price drops are expected to occur on the European and Japanese markets.

HD media files can only be stored in their true quality on Blu-ray disks, and such drives are also the only ones capable of HD media playback (unless the files are copied on a high-end system). HD quality is also the only one suitable for viewing on home theater personal computers, since normal-quality video will suffer a significant drop in detail when played on large displays. By... (read more)

ATI Radeon HD 5700 and 5800 Series Won't Be in Short Supply Much Longer

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:57:00 GMT

Not much time after being released, the ATI Radeon HD 5700 and ATI Radeon HD 5800 series was revealed to be in relative short supply, due to, said AMD representative Chris Hook, Advanced Micro Devices' relative short supply of high-end and mainstream DirectX 11 products. This shortage of components is mostly generated by the yield issues the Taiwan Semiconductor manufacturing Company (TSMC) is currently faced with. The AMD spokesman reinforced the fact that the problem would soon be alleviated.

“What is important is that we have shipped hundreds of thousands of ATI Radeon 5000-series so far. The supply is going to open up quite a bit further in December. We are a couple weeks away from an improvement in supply. It has been a little bit slow in November, but you are going to see an improvement in supply in December,” said Chris Hook, a spokesperson for AMD.

Not surprisingly, AMD's series of graphics adapters are very popular thanks to their high-end capabilities. The processor developer is finally starting to come out of the insecure financial situation it has been in for the past 18 months. The $1.25 billion received from Intel, after the antitrust settlement, aided in the settling of various debts that had been restricting the company's freedom of action. With its curre... (read more)

Lenovo ThinkPad Laptops Get 3G Connectivity from Qualcomm

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:27:00 GMT

Qualcomm's Gobi2000 solutions for laptops and netbooks provide such systems with support for the world's leading 3G technologies and integrated GPS services. There is a wide availability of both EV-DO and HSPA wireless networks around the world and Qualcomm's Gobi2000 technology allows for easy switching between each of these networks' 3G carriers. This is especially convenient for those who travel and often leave the home coverage area. Qualcomm's solution removes the need for additional data cards or new laptops by providing multiple broadband access worldwide, automatically switching between carriers to provide true, high-speed, worldwide Internet access.

“Gobi mobile Internet connectivity will give our business PC users the convenience of using one simple, built-in device to provide mobile broadband access around the world,” said Sam Dusi, vice president, worldwide ThinkPad product marketing, Lenovo. “This flexible, multi-carrier solution allows mobile workers to seamlessly connect to new broadband networks as they change locations, while simplifying the work of IT managers, to support users around the globe with a single laptop model.”

Through the Gobi2000, customers will have worldwide access to extensive wireless broadband networks and, by removing the need for extr... (read more)

World's Most Efficient HPC, QPACE Stands at the Top of the Green500 list

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:59:00 GMT

The Quantum Chromodynamics Parallel Computing on the Cell (QPACE) is a German research supercomputer used in elementary particle physics simulations, mostly aimed at research in the area of quantum chromodynamics (QCD, which describes, for instance, how protons are composed of quarks and gluons). The system is a four-rack conglomerate capable of 100 trillion floating point operations per second (in other words, 100 TeraFlops) based in Research Center Julich and at the University of Wuppertal. Yesterday, at the 2009 Supercomputing Conference in Portland, Oregon (USA), the Top500 list placed it at the very top of energy-efficient HPCs.

Each installation of the QPACE is capable of a maximum performance of 100TeraFlops. The system is powered by an IBM PowerXCell 8i processor, which is an enhanced version of the Cell/B.E. Unit originally developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM for the Sony PlayStation 3. It has nine cores and can run a very large amount of simultaneous high-speed calculations. QPACE uses FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) to connect processors through a network of programmable units, creating a scalable and efficient computing environment. This scalability hypothetically allows for increasing performance up to one quadrillion operations per second (the PetaFlop scale).

"... (read more)

Fusion-io Built a Breakthrough 1TB/s-Capable SSD Setup

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:17:00 GMT

Based on its ioMemory technology, Fusion-io developed a custom-designed PCI Express card called the ioDrive Octal card. What this product is capable of doing is simultaneously hold eight ioMemory Modules, becoming a card with the combined capacity and performance of eight ioDrives in one. In using this invention, the company was able to achieve the 1TB/s sustained bandwidth with just 220 ioDrive Octal cards, through I/O servers attached to Infinband and running the Lustre parallel file system.

This is a major improvement compared to the alternative for reaching such a bandwidth. With normal technology, 1TB/s would barely be achievable by using close to 55,440 disk drives, 396 SAN controllers, 792 I/O servers and 132 racks of equipment. Fussion-io's method uses less than 1/20th of the rack space required by such an aggregate.

“We were eager to take on the challenge of creating a device that meets the intense demands of high performance computing. With this architecture, IOPS are easy. We achieved over a hundred million IOPS, more than enough performance to meet our customer’s requirements. The real power in our architecture was the ability to also scale bandwidth. We look forward to productizing the ioDrive Octal in the future, and bringing the power of this s... (read more)

Notebooks Are on Top of This Year's Christmas Wish List

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:37:00 GMT

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry, and has over 2,000 companies as members. The electronics holiday wish list this year seems to be almost exclusively focused on mobile systems and gadgets, with only three exceptions, namely the Flat panel TV (which holds third place), the video game console (ranked 4) and the desktop PC (which is ranked 9).

Notebook and laptop PCs are on top of the list this time. This is not surprising considering the growing popularity of such products during the past year. Mobile platforms have become the favorite device because of their ability to combine portability with high-end performance. This means that such devices can meet the needs of multimedia enthusiasts, businessmen, office workers, travelers, gamers and so on. In addition, laptops have started featuring multitouch technology, which further increases their appeal.

Still, when looking at the top 10 list from CEA, one can assume that mobility is the main concern of hopefuls. Except for the already mentioned three exceptions, all the other devices are mobile and ultra-mobile gadgets. Naturally, one would like to have as high enough an opportunity to enjoy their Christmas present, and such enjoyment is ... (read more)

Dell's Studio 17 Laptop Gets Multitouch Upgrade

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:53:00 GMT

The Studio 17 laptop is a certain product made by Dell that has made a name for itself through the fact that it packs true high-end performance and virtually all desirable features into its small frame. With the only missing element having been the multitouch capability, the company removed this inability through upgrading the configuration. Now, Dell's Studio 17 laptop can consider itself complete.

Interestingly enough, no rumors seemed to indicate Dell was even working on this modification. Nevertheless, here we are with the new Studio 17 laptop, complete with multitouch display and more than enough performance capabilities to offer a myriad of uses to this addition.

The system comes with either an Intel Pentium or Core 2 Duo central processing unit (2.1GHz Pentium dual-core T4300 with possibilities of supporting Core i7 processors), up to 8 Gigabytes of random access memory (RAM) and as much as an entire terabyte of storage space, with the storage drive spinning at 7,200 RPM (that's server-level storage capacity). The high-end graphics performance is provided by either an integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics controller or a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570/HD 4650 video card.

The 17.3-inch display capable of a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels now has touchscreen capabilities, multitouch,... (read more)

Powerful and Silent at the Same Time, Blacknoise's BlackSilentPro

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:00 GMT

German developer of advanced cooling solutions Blacknoise has finally presented the result of its so-called 'collaboration' with the members of the HardwareLuxx forum, who focused on discussing the product's detailed characteristics, such as the autorestart function, controllability, cable length or optics. The company used the recent weeks to collect suggestions from the forum's members, a feedback that it then used to put together a gentle but strong, all-black casing fan. The product goes by the name of Noiseblocker BlackSilentPro and comes in five distinct models, distinguished through their size, rotary speed, airflow and minor estimated time before failure.

The series features two 120mm and three 140mm fans, all boasting a low-noise NB-NanoSLI bearing. All come with two sets of cables (20cm and 50cm) and an anti-vibration frame made of rubber. The 120mm fans are the NB-BlackSilentPro PL-1 (11 dBA (noise), an airflow of 68 m3/h, and an MTBF of 180,000 hours) and the NB-BlackSilentPro PL-2 (1,400 RPM, 20 dBA, 96 m3/h and a 160,000-hour MTBF).

The series includes three 140 mm fans. The NB-BlackSilentPro PK-1 spins at 700 RPM, produces 9 dBA, has an airflow of 49 m3/h and is guaranteed to run at least 180,000 hours before failing. The PK-2 will run for at least 140,000 hours at 1,... (read more)

1-Gigabit GDDR5 Finally Completed by Elpida

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:36:00 GMT

Leading Japanese global distributor of DRAM Elpida Memory has been working on its first graphics double data rate random access memory module (GDDR DRAM) ever since it acquired GDDR design rights from the German company Qimonda AG in August 2009. Scheduled to enter the mass production stage in the second half of 2010, Elpida's 1-Gigabit GDDR5 memory unit, the EDW1032BABG, is the first step of this company on the GDDR market.

[Admark=1]It could be said that such a step was only natural for a developer that already mass-produced high-speed RDRAM and XDR DRAM through Rambus and that had much experience in manufacturing high-speed and high-frequency complex memory. This latest development is very convenient for the Japanese enterprise because GDDR memory is employed in multiple types of products, such as add-in graphics cards and video-game consoles, thus, a rather large market segment.

The EDW1032BABG has a 1Gb memory density and comes in two I/O configurations, namely 32Mb x32 and 64Mb x16. As Elpida's very first true success in the GDDR field, the memory module operates at the impressive clock speed of 6GHz. The GDDR production completes Elpida's range of memory types, making the developer one of the few full-range memory suppliers in the world. The company expects this “to... (read more)

NVIDIA ION and Adobe Flash 10.1 Performance Review

Softpedia News (Traian Teglet) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:05:00 GMT

A couple of interesting announcements were made this week, starting off with the release of AMD's much-anticipated Radeon HD 5970 graphics card, a dual-GPU monster that can barely fit your ATX chassis and delivers the highest level of performance currently available on the market. However, in case you have missed it, there was also an announcement made about Adobe's Flash Player 10.1, a Beta solution that is scheduled for commercial release sometime in the first half of next year, providing users with some new features for Flash video playback.

On that note, both NVIDA and AMD have been quick to announce their support for the new Flash release, by offering new graphics drivers for their lines. These drivers should enable users of some Radeon and GeForce products to support the Beta release of Adobe's Flash Player 10.1, which is said to improve memory utilization and management, start-up time, CPU usage and rendering/scripting performance.

Following the release of the new drivers from both NVIDIA and AMD, there were a series of reports on the performance of the Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 on existing hardware. Curios by nature, we were also interested in finding out how the new Flash will improve everyday computing, especially since Flash is becoming an increasingly important component of the today's ... (read more)

USB Micro Mate Flash Drive from Dane-Elec

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:48:00 GMT

The USB 3.0 technology has already caused somewhat of an uproar, both through its high-speed capabilities and its continued scarcity. While Dane-Elec has already released USB 3.0-compatible products, such as its SuperSpeed series of external hard and solid-state drives, it seems that the flash-drive market won't be seeing any flash drives from this company just yet, with Dane-Elec only bringing out a flash drive for the USB 2.0 interface.

Despite not supporting 3.0, the device, called Micro Mate, can still reach data-transfer speeds of up to 35MB/s when reading and of 6.5 MB/s when writing (the drive is High-Speed USB-certified). The product is very small, in tune with its name. It measures a mere 1.7cm x 3cm x 0.3cm and is packed inside a shiny, metal casing. The casing is equipped with a flipping mechanism, which protects its connection port.

The drive is not all that impressive when it comes to the storage capacity, though. The three models have 2, 4 or 8GB of memory, which, although little compared with other flash drives capable of even 64GB, make it suitable for the low-end market segment. Nevertheless, it is small, virtually unnoticeable and can still carry 800 pictures or up to three hours of video, making sure that low-end users would not regret their purchase.

Dane-Elec's Micro Mate ha... (read more)

Munich DRAM Test Laboratory Formally Opened by Elpida Memory

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:04:00 GMT

Munich Design Center has been designing GDDR memory modules for the past few months, since it was first allowed to start operating earlier this year, in May to be exact. After months of continued work, the laboratory can finally be said to have reached full-scale operation, having been officially inaugurated. The Munich-based laboratory is all set to begin operations of memory evaluation, design and development of next-generation products, among which are GDDR3 and, soon enough, GDDR5 memory modules.

According to Elpida, the lab has the full set of equipment needed for all the intended research and development operations, including resources for the creation of GDDR5 memory modules, which Elpida will soon get permission to produce. The company has already set the course for the development of a 2-gigabit GDDR5 aimed for mass-production beginning with third quarter 2010.

GDDR 5 has two parallel DQ links, which provide a doubled I/O throughput compared with GDDR4. Elpida has already started deliberations with GPU vendors aimed at establishing business partnerships focused on the post-GDDR5 graphics memory products, which will become the next-generation graphics solutions. Nevertheless, the company intends to use the highly advanced technological capabilities for de... (read more)

Hynix Semiconductor Has Had Its 40nm Validated by Intel

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:05:00 GMT

The actual products validated by the Santa Clara-based enterprise are the 2GB DRAM, a 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM and a 2GB DDR3 UDIMM, both running at 1333MHz and on 1.5V. Having already started mass-producing these products, the Korean memory maker hopes to secure a larger part of the high-performance server market.

"The current mainstream density has been rapidly transferring from 1Gb to 2Gb for the higher performance servers market. We expect to secure the industry's best features of both 1Gb and 2Gb DDR3 products," Mr. J.B. Kim, chief marketing officer of Hynix, said.

Compared with the 50nm, the 40nm 2GB DRAMs not only boast a 40% increase in energy efficiency, but also allow for a higher production rate, namely a 60% improvement. This power-consumption reduction is about twice the industry average. While operating at the aforementioned speed of 1333MHz with a 1.5V power supply, the chips are capable of maximum transfer speeds of no less than 1867MHz with a bandwidth of 3.7Gbps and a 16-bit I/O.

With its portfolio expanding, Hynix is set on growing as a whole. The company also made public the fact that it expected Intel to validate its RDIMMs before the end of the year. With this, the Korean manufacturer of memory units will be able to more aptly respond to the... (read more)

Direct Link Between the Brain and Computers Coming in 2020

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:16:00 GMT

"I think human beings are remarkable adaptive," Andrew Chien, vice president of research and director of future technologies research at Intel Labs, said. "If you told people 20 years ago that they would be carrying computers all the time, they would have said, 'I don't want that. I don't need that.' Now you can't get them to stop [carrying devices]. There are a lot of things that have to be done first but I think [implanting chips into human brains] is well within the scope of possibility."

It is a well known fact that man and machine have been moving closer to each other, with technologies such as voice recognition and (multi) touch interfacing giving humans direct control over the computers' primary functions. Intel's research scientist Dean Pomerleau is convinced that people will want to give up the need for an interface in favor of a more direct and quick way to command the actions of their machines.

Pomerleau says that researchers are close to gaining the ability to create brain-sensing technology based on functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Machines using this feature supposedly have the ability to determine the words and pictures imagined by someone based on the changes in the cerebral blood flow. Theoretically, the brains of two distinct individ... (read more)

AMD Gets Back on Its Feet with Its $1.25-Billion Prize

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:27:00 GMT

Advanced Micro Devices finally has the means to stabilize its foothold in the IT industry by reducing its debts and making certain investments meant to improve its overall budget. It seems that the CPU maker is in quite a rush to settle its most dire financial difficulties, seeing how it won't be wasting any time before spending most of the $1.25 billion it received through the antitrust settlement between it and Intel Corp.

AMD seems relieved to have settled this antitrust lawsuit this year, as its cross-license for manufacturing x86 processors would have expired in 2010. Coupled with the fact that it had debts due to be paid in 2012, debts worth about two billion dollars, the company could not risk initiating another lawsuit with Intel.

If it had begun to litigate over the x86 license, the case, despite the fact that it would have probably ended in its favor, would have settled too late for the $3.5-4 billion compensation from Intel to aid in the debt's repayment. Not only that, but Advanced Micro Devices would have had to spend an additional $1.5-$2 billion for manufacturing CPUs without a license during 2011 and 2012 (Bright Side of News says).

The company will use the $1.25-billion victory money to cut its total outstanding debts by $890 million. In addition, $390 million wil... (read more)

AOpen XC Mini GP7A-D Combines Core 2 Duo Processor with NVIDIA ION

Softpedia News (Traian Teglet) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:04:00 GMT

Since full-sized desktop PC aren't selling that well, most PC vendors are focusing their attention on smaller form factors, such as nettops and HTPCs, which pack low-power components, but deliver the performance of entry-level to mainstream PCs. Such is the case with one of the latest product from AOpen Japan, which has just announced the debut of a new nettop dubbed XC Mini GP7A-HD. Unlike some of the other nettops on the market, this small-sized PC combines a Core 2 Duo processor with the NVIDIA ION graphics chipset.

While NVIDIA has been promoting its ION chip as an alternative to Intel Atom-based system, the integrated GPU can also be coupled with other Intel processors, which provides system builders with more flexibility, giving consumers the advantage of a wider range of products. Inside the XC Mini GP7A-HD is a Core 2 Duo processor that has been coupled with the aforementioned ION graphics, according to the details that have recently surfaced on netbooked. The internal configuration requires a fan-based cooling solution, but the company claims that the system works at a noise level of just 26dB.

Aside from that, you'll also get a DVD burner, card reader, two DDR3 memory slots with support for up to 4GB of RAM, support for a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive or Solid State Drive, two Mini... (read more)

UK-Stationed HP Engineers Voted to Go on Strike

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:43:00 GMT

It seems Intel isn't the only one being accused of unsavory practices. Hewlett-Packard, however, is implied to be using foul play against its own employees, or at least that's what the HP United Kingdom Unite union members claim.

"Unite members have been angered by the company treating them with contempt over a business transfer on 1 November to another HP company [HP CDS], and taking the opportunity of weaknesses in current employment legislation to remove pay and pension benefits, including a performance bonus scheme worth up to £2,000 and a final salary pension scheme," Unite said in a statement.

The workers are unwilling to accept being transferred to the HP subsidiary HP CDS, a move that, according to them, will spare the company the necessity to pay the owed final salary pension and the performance bonus scheme of up to £2,000. The pro strike vote was quite overwhelming, with no less than 77% going for an all-out strike, while 85% suggested a form of industrial manifest.

Naturally, this strike might lead to certain disruptions in the areas of maintenance, although the enterprise claimed no such situation would occur. Nevertheless, the company will try to resolve the issue without any form of action, although, at this point, that seems unlikely.

"In the event... (read more)

Intel Wants Exaflops and Supercomputers 1,000 Times Better than Today

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:12:00 GMT

Intel must really be trying to prove its supremacy in computing, because, lately, it has been starting more and more ventures bent on building unparalleled supercomputers. After the very recent announcement that it had teamed up with NEC for the same supercomputing-advancement purpose, the Santa Clara-based enterprise now moves into Europe, specifically France, where it will set the basis for the exaflop.

Currently, the world leading supercomputer is an AMD-powered Cray XT5 conglomerate dubbed Jaguar. At its peak, the most it can produce is something around 1.75 teraflops. Although beyond anything achieved before, Intel wants to completely humble the configuration (and, naturally, Advanced Micro Devices) by creating a monster, aptly named hyper computer, capable of at least an exaflop (1,000,000,000,000,000,000 of floating point operations per second).

Many zeros, indeed. Intel plans to put together the embodiment of this fantasy through the Exascale Computing Research Center. The center will be part of the Intel Labs organization in Europe and will focus on integrating multiple petaflop-capable systems into one, developing advanced computing-optimization methods. The center will also work with end users on how to employ these methods for better results in energy, seismology, comp... (read more)

IBM and Infineon Want Altis as an Independent Semiconductor Manufacturer

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:34:00 GMT

Altis Semiconductor is a joint venture between IBM and Infineon, which manufactures semiconductors based solely on the less advanced 130nm process. The company currently doesn't have many clients, nor the manufacturing rights or equipment needed to produce better tech. Nevertheless, its two owners are negotiating a deal with a low-profile entrepreneur to start transforming the infant manufacturer of semiconductors into something that will eventually rival the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corp. and Globalfoundries.

“The plan is to turn Altis into a foundry. We will guarantee for a certain production volume but additional volume will be generated through Altis' own foundry activities. [IBM and Infineon] will fit Altis with a set of good technologies, e.g., embedded flash as well as to future technologies. They will be equipped very well,” Infineon Chief Executive Officer Peter Bauer said in an interview with EE Times.

After two years of similar but failed attempts to sell Altis to Russian investors, no less, things may finally be looking up for the venture. This time, the potential investor is French entrepreneur Germain Djouhri, who already expressed his intent to invest €79 million (about $118 million) into the pla... (read more)

MSI Creating Motherboard Based on Intel's H57 Express Chipset

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:58:00 GMT

Following ASUS's announcement of its own H57-based motherboard, the P7H57D-V EVO, MSI revealed plans to release its own micro-ATX form-factor H57M-ED65 motherboard. The H57 Express chipset from Intel is what the board will be built upon and the product will include most legacy and new features, including various possibilities for expansion.

Interesting is the fact that the product doesn't have any regular PCI slots, being equipped exclusively with PCI Express, namely two PCI-Express x16 slots and two PCI-Express x1 ones. For storage, the board has only one IDE connector, but has six built-in SATA 3GB/s ports plus two others, which come as part of the additional storage controller.

Already notable for its large storage possibilities, the board will support even the most advanced processors currently selling (and even some upcoming ones) and the CPUs will be fueled by a 10-phase voltage regulator module (VRM) that has sophisticated heatsinks mounted on top of its DrMOS chips. This will allow for effective passive cooling, reducing power consumption by removing the need for additional fans.

A very interesting feature of the motherboard, however, is its integration of the Flexible Display technology. As such, the H57M-ED65 comes with all the required di... (read more)

Imation Offers Easy Way To Upgrade From HDD to SSD

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Aware of the end users' progressive adoption of solid state drives over hard drives, Imation took the chance to provide its customers with a quick and easy way to switch from the old hard disk(s) to new SSDs, which are superior in every way to the outdated HDDs. Imation's 2.5” M-Class SSD Upgrade Kit removes most worries concerning data loss and other complications that may arise when trying to make such a change.

The first step implies connecting the SSD to the computer and transferring all the files from the old hard drive on the new solid-state drive. Then the second phase comes, namely the placement of the SSD inside the casing, instead of the hard drive. The third step is possible through a SATA-USB bonus case, which actually allows the old hard disk to play the part of an external hard drive, portable and connected via USB for extra storage options.

As one can easily notice, there is hardly anything complicated about the installment. All it takes is for the interested end-users to know what a hard disk and SSD are what they look like and how to remove a screw or two. This fully explains the award-winning status of this kit's predecessor: it offered even those unschooled in hardware an approachable method for upgrading their systems.

“With our improved M-Class SSD Up... (read more)

MSI Releases New Flagship All-In-One Multi-Touch Desktop PC, the 21.5-Inch Wind Top

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Leading manufacturer of computers and computer components MSI debuted its latest in the line of all-in-one PCs, the Wind Top AE2220. This new desktop PC is an addition to the award-winning line of Wind Top systems and combines low power usage and eco-friendliness with top-of-the-line performance capabilities, affordability, functionality and style.

The Wind Top AE2220 is powered by the NVIDIA Ion chipset and, combined with the latest in the line of Intel Core 2 Duo or Dual Core CPUS (Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 (2.2GHz) / Pentium dual-core T4300 (2.1GHz)), it exists for the purpose of allowing full-HD theater-level multimedia experiences.

The system employs no less than 4GB of DDR2 clocked at 800MHz, an integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9300 graphics card with 256 VRAM and a 500GB SATA II hard drive. With this abundance of resources, this flagship product can effortlessly render even the latest, most complex games, and the full-HD, 21.5-inch display (which can come with a standard VESA wall mount) gives human eyes more than enough graphical wonders to feast on.

"The MSI Wind Top is an awesome all-purpose family PC. Share photos, edit videos, play games, watch HD video – our ION graphics processor means you can have it all," Drew Henr... (read more)

Galaxy Starts Working on a Dual-GPU Graphics Card

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:51:00 GMT

Although known for its restrictive policies concerning just how much its partners can use from its portfolio, NVIDIA seems to have had a change of heart and may have started allowing them to craft dual-GPU adapters. This is probably due to just how well AMD has been doing lately, with its many recent DirectX-compatible releases of mid and high-end market products, not the least of which is the Radeon HD 5970. Probably as a precaution, NVIDIA may be trying to stabilize its position on the market in advance, in case more issues arise with the technologies still in development (production snags have already plagued TSMC, affecting the progress of NVIDIA's Fermi and AMD's Cypress alike).

The card seemingly being developed by Galaxy still hasn't left the drawing board, but its 3D-model already has hardware specialists speculating. The card looks like a single-PCB dual-GPU graphics accelerator model, which the company supposedly intends to release before Christmas.

Each GPU seems to be outfitted with its own cooler built with radially projecting fins, including a baseplate to cool the rest of the components. Studying the layout of the PCB seems to show a certain similarity with that of the single-PCB GeForce GTX 295, but the space for 16 memory chips instead indicates that the card might turn out to be mo... (read more)

Asus Eee PC 1201N Is Based on Ion

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:00 GMT

This product from Asus is a 12.1-inch mobile platform, which, because of its combination of features and despite it being, officially, considered a netbook, is really something in-between a netbook and a notebook. Packing performance in both the area of application running and that of connectivity, the Asus Eee PC 1201N will satisfy the taste of any mobile PC enthusiast.

The Eee PC 1201N is based on the NVIDIA Ion graphics platform and runs on the Intel Atom 330 Dual Core processor, boasts 2GB or 3GB of DDR2 and uses a hard drive capable of either 250GB or 320GB. The screen is an LCD-backlit display capable of a 1366 x 768 resolution.

The product also comes with a variety of accessories, such as a high quality microphone, a 0.3-pixel webcam capable of digital zoom, stereo speakers and a six-cell 63Wh Li-ion. According to tests, the netbook can supposedly run for five full hours on battery power.

Since netbooks are mainly aimed at Internet access (as their name suggests), the device is outfitted with Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity. Asus even offers an online storage service to its customers.

For 12 whole months, the company will provide no less than 500GB of free storage space, to complement the 250.320GB included in the configuration. The Eee PC ... (read more)

SSD SecureExpress Card from Verbatim Has AES 256-Bit Encryption

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:16:00 GMT

"We have seen significant growth in the SSD market in recent months. Verbatim is seizing this opportunity and has expanded its SSD ExpressCard range to include a hardware encrypted version: The SSD Secure ExpressCard. Our aim is to address the rapidly growing demand for secure portable storage solutions head-on with innovative products that come with the security aspect already integrated," Hans-Christoph Kaiser, business development manager, Verbatim EUMEA, explained.

It is not all that surprising that the renowned storage-solution developer would expand its product range. The popularity and demand of safe portable storage units has been on a steady rise, with consumers wishing for not only faster but safer such products. Verbatim's new SSD SecureExpress Card offers those consumers who carry their work with them, wherever they go, a high-storage capacity, while automatically protecting the stored data.

This is done through the built-in AES 256-bit hardware encryption. This hardware-based encryption not only has mandatory complex password input, but it also enables the setup of custom guest passwords, each being able to allow or restrict access to certain stored data, according to settings. The drive is automatically formatted if an incorrect password is intr... (read more)

External DVD Writer eHAU424 from Lite-On Goes on Sale

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:51:00 GMT

Global leader in the field of optical storage, Lite-On introduced its new external DVD burner, the eHAU424. Featuring a high write speed of 24x for DVD, this optical storage unit combines the regular capabilities of everyday optical drives with a couple of supplementary technologies aimed at increasing usability.

Lite-On's product can attain speeds of 24x for DVD+R/-R, 12x for DVD-RAM and DVD+R/-R DL, 8x for DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW,48x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW. This compatibility with multiple disk formats is combined with the LightScribe and SmartErase technologies, excellent for power users interested in personalizing their disk collection.

“PLDS is excited to bring the extremely fast 24X writing speeds to an external unit,” Christine Hsing, marketing manager at PLDS (Philips and Lite-On Digital Solutions Corp.), said. “With features like LightScribe and SmartErase included, the drive is both high-quality and convenient to meet any user’s needs.”

The LightScribe feature is a labeling technology that enables users to burn their own label on their DVDs. All one must do is finish burning the preferred data, take the disk out of the drive, flip it over and reinsert it into the drive, which will proceed to burning the selected label. On the other hand, Sma... (read more)

Introducing the 13-inch Ultraportable for the Suits, the ThinkPad Edge

Softpedia News (Traian Teglet) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:51:00 GMT

Taking a look at the impressive number of leaked details that have recently surfaced on the Internet, in regard to the upcoming products from Lenovo, we should expect a complete new lineup from the PC vendor. While we have previously covered rumors of the company new ThinkPad x100e and an updated version of the company's large ThinkPad W700 workstation, we can now talk about a new ThinkPad Edge, which will reportedly combine elements from both the company's ThinkPad and IdeaPad series.

According to available details, the ThinkPad Edge will be available as a 13-inch ultraportable that will provide users with a choice for an AMD or an Intel-powered system. The laptop will feature a screen resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels and will offer up to 500GB of storage (or 320GB on a 7200RPM drive) on a 5400RPM hard drive, an integrated 0.3MP webcam, a choice for a 4-cell or a 6-cell battery pack, built-in multi-touch trackpad with two touchpad buttons and trackpoint, HD stereo speakers, and a wide range of connectivity options.

The AMD version will be based on the M780G chipset, which will combine the RS780 northbridge with the SB710 southbridge. The processing power will come from the AMD Turion X2 L625 or the Athlon Neo L325 that can be coupled with up to 4GB of DDR2 memory and the Realtek 802... (read more)

iBUYPOWER Unleashes the Chimera 2 Gaming Rig

Softpedia News (Traian Teglet) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:07:00 GMT

Desktop computers might not share the same popularity as they once had, but they still hold a significant part of the computer market. With all the latest hardware components that have been released recently, users will be looking to upgrade their rigs to deliver an enhanced performance. On that note, iBUYPOWER comes with a new solution for gaming enthusiasts by introducing the Chimera 2 Gaming system, featuring the company's redesigned Chimera Inferno II Chassis.

“We are excited to be celebrating our tenth anniversary and wanted to thank all our customers that helped make it happen with a giveaway and hot new system,” said Darren Su, vice president of iBUYPOWER. “The Chimera 2 gaming systems are fully loaded and feature a new aggressive design sure to impress.”

iBUYPOWER's Chimera 2 Gaming PC will be available in a range of configurations, allowing users to choose from either an Intel or an AMD-powered rig, featuring the latest processors from both CPU makers. In addition, the rig can be configured with a choice for an NVIDIA or an ATI Radeon graphics card, including the latest Radeon HD 5770 model from AMD, featuring the company's latest GPU architecture and support for DirectX 11 applications. Other features include a maximum storage space of 750GB on a hard disk drive, a large 850... (read more)

IBM Supercomputer Simulates Cat-Cortex Activity

Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:06:00 GMT

Despite the many apocalyptic ideas and films that arose from the idea of machines capable of human-like reasoning, humanity is still doing its best to create a computer capable of thinking for itself. Despite the fact that a self-conscious machinery is not even remotely feasible (yet) with our current level of technology, IBM, determined to at least make an ant-sized step forward, decided to go with something far less complicated than the human brain: a cat's brain.

"We've made tremendous advances in collecting data, but we don't have a collective theory yet for how this complex organ called the brain produces things like Shakespeare's sonnets and Mozart's symphonies," Jim Olds, a neuroscientist and director of the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason University, said. "The holy grail for neuroscientists is to map activity from single nerve cells, which they know about, into how billions of nerve cells act in concert."

The simulation only included the cerebral activity of the feline cortex, so not really the whole brain, only the part that scientists considered to be responsible for the act of thinking itself. The program that the interdisciplinary researchers used to enact the simulation, their massively parallel cortical simulator, was revealed at the Superc... (read more)