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Alienware Packs Big Gaming Power Into Little Box

ITN News — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:11:22 +0000

Dell's gaming computer brand, Alienware, has released a new desktop computer that -- while not quite in keeping with the trend toward mobile gaming -- is compact, powerful and sleek. The X51, which weighs about 12 pounds and measures roughly 13 inches tall by 12.5 inches deep by 4 inches wide, is unobtrusive enough to be placed near a television. It is powered by a range of graphics cards and several Intel Core processors. Pricing starts at US$699 and goes to $1,149, depending on how the device is configured. Options in the low-end version include a second-generation Intel Core i processor, 8 GB of 1333 Mhz dual-channel memory, a 1-GB GDDR5 Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) GeForce GTX 555 video card with 330W PSU, a slot-loading dual layer Blu-ray reader, and a standard integrated wireless LAN card. The $1,149 model is equipped with the Intel Core i7 processor, a 1 GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GT 555 graphics card, and 8 GB of RAM. Alienware did not respond to our request for further details.

The Mobile Trend

With the X51's diminutive size, it is easy to miss the fact that it is not designed to be mobile -- a major driving force in the gaming market now. Gaming captured the largest proportion of a mobile user's time spent with mobile applications -- a whopping 49 percent -- according to Flurry. Social networking came next, but at a distant 30 percent. A majority of tablet owners who play video games use a console or a handheld gaming device less often as a result of owning their tablet, according to research from GfK MRI's iPanel.

Gaming Laptops

Alienware isn't ignoring that trend -- last year, it released three powerful laptops including the M18x -- which it called the most powerful 18-inch gaming laptop in the universe and "a true desktop replacement." The other laptops are the M14x -- with enhanced performance and a focus on portability -- and an upgraded M11x. They also sport second-generation Intel Core i processors. That said, there is still a place for the little X51 desktop unit in the current gaming environment, J. Gerry Purdy, principal analyst of mobile and wireless at MobileTrax, told TechNewsWorld. "There are really two mobile stories unfolding with gaming," he said. One is that more people are using smartphones or tablets, and providers are extending the availability of some games on these platforms. The second one are the wireless initiatives, where you are seeing controllers become de facto smartphones or computers." College student dorm rooms, for instance, are typical venues for these devices, noted Purdy. "The gaming market is huge enough, especially among the 18-24 age group, to accommodate a number of different form factors."

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Running Android on PC, are you ready?

ITN News — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:58:46 +0000

Well, the bells of inevitability are ringing far and wide across the electronic realm. And, this time the sonorous sound is that of net giant Google slowly but surely taking over the computing domain. In this respect, we should not actually limit Google as just a internet giant. Because it started out with its search engine, then made an efficient web browser (in the form of Chrome), and finally proceeded onto to create a slew of mobile OS versions in the form of Android. And if you thought, all of this was impressive, hear this out. Two years ago, the founding members of the start-up Mobile Facts already found out that one could actually utilize Android as a full fledged operating system in PCs. Why are we talking about this? This is indeed a crucial question, and in answer we are moving onto the seemingly 'impenetrable' fortress of Windows. It was just in 2010 that many of us got access to the BlueStacks App Player. In short, this free software nigh did the unbelievable; it allowed Android users to run their favorite apps on any Windows PC. The complete visualization lets us run a total of 10 pre-loaded applications in the Windows platform, including the more graphically demanding ones like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. The app player also connected to the company's Cloud Connect software for Android, which in turn allowed for the apps to be loaded onto the PCs (from their phones) through the cloud. Now, the app we were harping about belongs to the annals of the previous year. But it was only in this year that many sources and analysts found out that the new version of Google's software (supposedly Ice Cream Sandwich) is compatible with a plethora of our very own personal computers. According to a nigh momentous announcement by Google in September, ICS should be compatible with x86 chips (thus including both Intel and AMD). In terms of features, the ICS is touted to have a multitude of fascinating attributes like three dimensional control and face tracking. Now, envisage such convenient security features along with a wealth of apps in your very own desktop.

The impact The clever folk from Mobile Facts took only about four hours to have the OS fully running (with all the basic hardware required) in their netbook (Asus Eee PC 1000H, in desktop Linux mode). Now, from an unbiased perspective these sudden spurts of coding exploits allude two major points. Firstly, the Android has always been an OS that would work with PCs. As a matter of fact, many among us tech enthusiasts can actually get it to work with a bit of time (and coding skill) in our hands. Secondly, and most importantly, with Google's announcement this year, many of us consumers can look forth to a complete Android based OS on personal computers, along with Ice Cream Sandwich's throng of apps. This becomes even more important in view of Google not so successful Chrome OS (which is based largely on an internet browser with access to apps), as opposed to the more 'mass accepted' Android platform. Is the idea insane? Most of us perceive the Android as an OS catering to smartphones (with already over 200 million Android devices being sold world wide). Now in relation to this, at the surface, the myriad of innovative coding and visualization exploits may all seem to a tad bit on the fantastic (or even insane) side. But, logically speaking, Android has always been a Linux component, and by generalization: a Linux can be shifted from one platform to the other. On the other hand, the Android code has some pretty interesting features in the form of its product policy. One of these features stand for specific usage regarding MIDs (or mobile internet devices). In relation to this revelation, a slew of devices like our aforementioned Asus Eee PC actually fall in this category. Moreover, Microsoft has also talked about launching their Windows 8 in two versions - one for PCs and the other for tablets. So, at the end of the day, the Android running PC is not an utterly insane idea after all. User perspective There was a time when people looked up to iOS, not Android for their tablet OS woes. But now, with the more 'collectively' advanced ICS making its presence felt both in smartphones and tablets, Google has certainly tickled the fancies of many a user. With this wide acceptance comes consumer trust. So, I daresay, many of us would actually look forward to an Android PC, not as a complete replacement for Windows, but as an additional source of good UI with a wealth of apps.

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Samsung Galaxy S III Could Come Powered by Quad Core Exynos 4412 Processor

ITN News — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:21:32 +0000

Samsung seems to have done all the right things with their Galaxy S line of smartphones. The Galaxy S II, which, in fact, is the fastest selling Samsung smartphone, is powered by a dual core Exynos 4210 processor, which clocks at 1.2 GHz. Now, rumor has it that the Galaxy S III will pack double the core action, with a quad-core System-on-Chip (SoC) – the Exynos 4412. Exynos 4412 is a 32nm quad-core design and based on ARM Cortex-A9 architecture, running at speeds up to 1.5 GHz. Things will get hotter if it is combined with the Mali-T604 GPU, which comes with up to 5x performance improvement over previousMaligraphics processors. Folks at Android and Me say that Samsung has a few devices coming in early 2012 that will blow minds and they were a big step past the Galaxy Nexus class, in every way. So there is the possibility that the Galaxy S III packs a beast of a processor. Well, until the Mobile World Conference in February next year, all of this will be just rumors. So keep your fingers crossed and get all the latest info until then, from our updates.

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Intel Core i7-3960X Review Roundup: It’s Full of Expensive

ITN News — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:21:37 +0000

Sandy Bridge, make way for Sandy Bridge-E, Intel’s ramp-up to its LGA 2011 socket CPU architecture designed to woo enthusiasts with deep pockets. SBE is Intel’s platform for a trio of just-announced powerhouse CPUs, each packing over two billion transistors and weighing in at just 32 nanometers. And with the shift to LGA 2011 pinouts comes the inevitable mainboard transition, including a move to Intel’s X79 chipset and a four-channel memory controller, all of which means: Guard your wallets, this could get extortionate. Of the three CPUs, two are available today: the six-core i7-3960X and i7-3930K. A third, the four-core i7-3820, should arrive sometime during the first quarter next year. Let’s talk about today’s two: The $990 3960X has a base clock of 3.3GHz, turbos up to 3.9GHz and has 15MB of L3 cache, while the $555 3930K has a base clock of 3.2GHz, turbos up to 3.8GHz and has 12MB of L3 cache. Two billion transistors means we’re talking about a very big chip: 435 square millimeters. Contrast with Intel’s early 2010 Gulftown lineup at 1.1 billion transistors and a 248 square millimeter die. So bigger, more expensive, and with a slew of upgrade costs to boot. Say you’re in the market for a high-end PC—is it worth it? Tom’s Hardware says no, that it “can’t see any reason to recommend paying $990, plus the price of a cooling solution, plus a new motherboard, plus a quad-channel memory kit for Intel’s Core i7-3960X.” But if you drop down to the $555 Core i7-3930K and you’re willing to trade out 3MB of cache, “that’s the processor enthusiasts with money…should be lusting over.” Anandtech feels about the same, concluding “The vast majority of desktop users, even enthusiast-class users, will likely have no need for Sandy Bridge E. The Core i7 3960X may be the world’s fastest desktop CPU, but it really requires a heavily threaded workload to prove it,” and—listen up gamers—noting that “What the 3960X doesn’t do is make your gaming experience any better or speed up the majority of desktop applications.” The benchmarking site adds that “the 3930K will be a good balance of price/performance despite having a smaller L3 cache.” Extreme Tech’s a bit more positive, but warns the benefits of Intel’s X79 will only exist for insanely high-end users: “If you’re jonesing to build a high-end workstation, are using software that can reasonably demand up to 64GB of RAM, or are planning to build your own 3 to 4-way multi-GPU system, than the 3960X is a great chip on a solid platform.” PCWorld‘s also modestly upbeat, but says “You’ll see the greatest benefit in programs that are heavily threaded–computation-heavy spreadsheets, video encoding applications like Sony Vegas Pro, and 3D rendering applications like Maxon Cinema 4D, for example.” And if you’re a gamer with serious cash to burn, the site says “you can’t go wrong,” but adds that “if you aren’t overclocking–or looking to get some gaming done–you don’t need this much power.”

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Asus 20″ ET2011AUKB-B006E All-In-One PC Review

ITN News — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:53:17 +0000

Technology moves at a breakneck pace. No one is disputing that. And it feels like just yesterday that we evaluated the Asus 2400ET, a touch-enabled All-In-One desktop that had high-end specifications and a $1,250 price tag to match. Turns out, that was nearly four months ago, and if you aren't interested in a touch panel, a Core i5 processor, and don't have deep pockets, perhaps the scaled-back ET2011 we'll be showing you here is worth consideration. This is a somewhat unique product in the Asus Eee Top ET2011 AIO line up, relying on AMD's Fusion Brazos E-350 APU in lieu of a more traditional desktop processor. In the notebook world, we've been duly impressed with AMD's Fusion line up. In fact, Brazos mostly trumped Intel's Atom platform in the mobile space. In most cases, we actually prefer E-Series Fusion APUs over Atom; it falls in a similar power envelope, benchmarks tend to be higher, heat output is minimal, and machines with AMD inside tend to cost a bit less. This particular all-in-one machine is clearly aimed at people who don't want to spend a wad of money on a desktop, and just need something to handle basic tasks while taking up a small amount of space. In terms of its specifications, this machine hits all of the high points. It's plenty for most "average" users, and it's one of the sleeker, lighter AIO form factors that we've seen. It's easy to transport, ships with both a (basic) mouse and keyboard, and even includes a Super Multi DVD drive. An interesting omission (likely in the effort of cost-cutting) is the touch panel. We'll turn our attention to that in the pages to come, but for now, here's a breakdown of what exactly Asus is providing for a palatable $499.99. Specifications and Features (as tested)

AMD 1.6GHz Brazos (Fusion) E-350 dual-core APU
4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM
20" LCD (1600x900); LED backlight
AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Super Multi DVD Burner
0.3MP webcam
HDMI input
VGA output
USB 2.0 x 6
RJ-45 (Ethernet 10/100/1000)
Headphone / Mic Input Jacks
3-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader
Non-Backlit Keyboard
Bundled Wired USB Mouse
Stereo Speakers
11 Pounds
19.5" (L) x 14.6" (W) x 0.8" (H) - (Dimensions)
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Price (as tested): $499.99
1-Year Warranty

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Quantum Processor Hooks Up with Quantum Memory

ITN News — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:54:55 +0000

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have become the first to combine a quantum processor with memory that can be used to store instructions and data. This achievement in quantum computing replicates a similar milestone in conventional computer design from the 1940s. Although quantum computing is now mostly a research subject, it holds out the promise of computers far more capable than those we use today. The power of quantum computers comes from their version of the most basic unit of computing, the bit. In a conventional computer, a bit can represent either 1 or 0 at any time. Thanks to the quirks of quantum mechanics, the equivalent in a quantum computer, a qubit, can represent both values at once. When qubits in such a "superposition" state work together, they can operate on exponentially more data than the same number of regular bits. As a result, quantum computers should be able to defeat encryption that is unbreakable in practice today and perform highly complex simulations. Linking a processor and memory elements brings such applications closer, because it should make it more practical to control and program a quantum computer can perform, says Matteo Mariantoni, who led the project, which is part of a wider program at UCSB headed by John Martinis and Andrew Cleland. The design the researchers adopted is known as the von Neumann architecture—named after John von Neumann, who pioneered the idea of making computers that combine processor and memory. Before the first von Neumann designs were built in the late 1940s, computers could be reprogrammed only by physically reconfiguring them. "Every single computer we use in our everyday lives is based on the von Neumann architecture, and we have created the quantum mechanical equivalent," says Mariantoni. The only quantum computing system available to buy—priced at $10 million—lacks memory and works like a pre-von Neumann computer. Qubits can be made in a variety of ways, such as suspending ions or atoms in magnetic fields. The UCSB group used more conventional electrical circuits, albeit ones that must be cooled almost to absolute zero to make them superconducting and activate their quantum behavior. They can be fabricated by chip-making techniques used for conventional computers. Mariantoni says that using superconducting circuits allowed the team to place the qubits and memory elements close together on a single chip, which made possible the new von Neumann-inspired design. The processor consists of two qubits linked by a quantum bus that enables them to communicate. Each is also connected to a memory element into which the qubit can save its current value for later use, serving the function of the RAM - for random access memory - of a conventional computer. The links between the qubits and the memory contain devices known as resonators, zigzagging circuits inside which a qubit's value can live on for a short time. Mariantoni's group has used the new system to run an algorithm that is a kind of computational building block, called a Toffoli gate, which can be used to implement any conventional computer program. The team also used its design to perform a mathematical operation that underlies to the algorithm with which a quantum computer might crack complex data encryption. David Schuster leads a group at the University of Chicago that also works on quantum computing, including superconducting circuits. He says that superconducting circuits have recently proved to be comparatively reliable. "One of the next big frontiers for these techniques now is scale," he says. By replicating the Von Neumann architecture the UCSB team have expanded that frontier. That's not to say that quantum computers must all adopt that design, though, as conventional computers have. "You could make a computer completely out of qubits and it could do every kind of calculation," says Schuster. However there are advantages to making use of resonators like those that make up the new design's memory, he says. "Resonators are easier and more reliable to make than qubits and easier to control," says Schuster. Mariantoni agrees. "We can easily scale the number of these unit cells," he says. "I believe that arrays of resonators will represent the future of quantum computing with integrated circuits."

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Watch a Young Steve Jobs Introduce the Original Macintosh

ITN News — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:25:07 +0000

He had hair. Hear the music. The crowd's going positively nuts. This is the moment that Steve Jobs unleashed the Macintosh out into the world, and sealed his fate as one of the most well-known CEOs to date. Larry who? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-XwPjn9YY

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Federal case will decide if the government can make you decrypt your laptop

ITN News — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:54:36 +0000

Ramona Fricosu is a Colorado woman being taken to court on 22 counts of bank fraud, four counts ofwire fraud, five counts of false statements to a financial institution, and seven counts of money laundering charges after being accused of trying to take title to foreclosed homes. While the verdict in this mortgage scam won’t set any precedents, the means to that end might. Fricosu is being asked by the federal court to decrypt her laptop and offer up the information found there.

The encrypted laptop was found in a raid of her home, and while courts have requested decryption for laptops before, the motion usually goes unopposed by the defendant. But Fricosu has denied the proposal, and no US appeals court has ever ruled on whether or not encrypted information falls under a citizen’s right to remain silence.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has rushed to Fricosu’s side, arguing that asking her to decrypt her laptop is unconstitutional, and that encryption is a method that protects individuals’ privacy and security. “The government makes an aggressive argument here that may have far-reaching consequences for all encryption users. Fricosu will be made witness against herself if she is forced to supply information that will give prosecutors access to files they speculate will be helpful to their case but cannot identify without specificity.” The Fifth Amendment keeps plaintiffs from providing self-incriminating information in court, and the EFF as well as Fricosu’s lawyer says this is exactly what the court is asking her to do by decrypting her laptop.

The Department of Justine doesn’t quite see it that way. Prosecutors maintain that they are not demanding Fricosu’s password: She can type it in herself without providing it to anyone. They just want access to what’s behind it. They say it’s like asking for a key to a room full of data necessary to reach a verdict – while the defense team says it’s like asking someone to decipher a diary they’ve purposefully written in code.

How the court decides will affect how personal computer security works. If it’s ruled that Fricosu doesn’t have to decrypt her laptop, it will set the precedent in these types of cases and the accused will be able to stand behind this decision. The DOJ has expressed worry that allowing Fricosu to cite the right to remain silent means future criminals can use her as an example and safely hide behind a password.

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Opera Hits 200 Million Users; Debuts A New Featherweight Look And More In Version 11.5

ITN News — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:06:44 +0000

When you’re in fifth place in the browser races, there’s room to be a little goofy. That’s why it can be a pleasure to read the releases coming from Opera Software, the quirky Oslo-based company responsible for the eponymous Opera browser — the underdog currently enjoying a 2.4 percent share of the browser market behind IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Which is clearly why Opera is proud to announce that eye-catching (even if slightly irrelevant) statistics like the 1.2 million “stormtroopers, droids, and janitors” that can fit into an operational Death Star or the 11 million followers Lady Gaga has on Twitter, now have to take a backseat to Opera’s own numbers, as the browser officially acknowledged that it has accumulated over 200 million users across its platforms — a number that will now be tracked on Opera’s homepage. (Along with other humorous stats.) Not only that, but Opera is announcing today that it is releasing a new version of its browser, 11.50 to be exact. It’s been six months since Opera 11 hit the streets, and, as the Norwegian company says in its latest press release, “Our mothers are so proud of us. We worked long and hard to bring you the best Opera browser yet. We even took pictures to prove it“. But what is it, exactly, that makes Opera mothers so proud? In part, this pride is due to Opera offering a new, streamlined “featherweight” UI, which updates the browser’s visual appearance to look much like the new versions its competitorshave been pumping out of late. This new featherweight design sees Opera shedding buttons and expanding its display space, among other things. According to Jan Standal, VP of Desktop Products, this was because users were reporting that Opera was slower than other browsers, but now with this lightweight iteration, Standal hopes that becomes a thing of the past. Thanks to an overhaul of its core code and software graphics engine, Opera is now touting a 10 to 15 percent upgrade in speed on SVG rendering. What’s more, Opera 11.50 touts updates to the browser’s unique shortcut, called “Speed Dial”. Speed Dial, for those unfamiliar, is designed to make it easier to access your favorite and most-visited sites. Instead of thumbnails and links to these top sites, users can now embed and incorporate extensions into Speed Dial shortcuts to get weather at a glance, for example, just by opening a tab. (A seemingly suped-up version of what it’s like opening a new tab in Chrome.) Users now have unlimited dials and the extension automatically adjusts its layout to fit the browser display screen, but users have the benefit of layout adjusting and a configuration menu with an updated zoom slider. And, interestingly, Read It Later, Webdoc, The Hype Machine, and StockTwits are among the companies and apps whose built-in extensions Opera is touting as part of its newest release. Extension Product Manager Arnstein Teigene explains Speed Dial’s added functionality by way of example: “Take for example StockTwits.com, which now serve their users updates on trending stocks, live as they happen, directly into speed dial. Or the Reddit extension a fan made. It gives you instant notifications from your Reddit account on speed dial. As if Reddit wasn’t addictive enough.” Amen. Most of us are already in Reddit Rehab. Other updates featured in the 10.50 release are new password synchronization, in which users can use Opera Link to synchronize your website passwords with other Opera browsers. As Opera says, “it’s perfect for checking Facebook quickly when you’re supposed to be working”. Opera’s release also claims that its team has “fixed thousands of bugs and upgraded to our newest core rendering engine”, including tweaks to software graphics engine, like faster CSS and SVG rendering. And for developers intrigued by all this new HTML5 watchamacallit, Opera’s new version “adds Session History and Navigation, the W3C File API, classlist and the element” to its HTML5 support. So, I guess that’s why Opera’s mothers are proud. Clearly, there are some much-needed updates to the underdog browser herein, but the question remains: Will you be proud of the new Opera? Let us know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYQRru46-I

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Samsung accused of installing keyloggers on laptops

ITN News — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:42:20 +0000

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Samsung is being accused of manufacturing laptops that come pre-installed with keylogger software. The software in question is called StarLogger. StarLogger remembers everything that is typed on the computer it’s installed on. At the same time, StarLogger takes pictures of the computer’s screen. This software was uncovered by Mohamed Hassan, an IT consultant and founder of NetSec Consulting Corp. Hassan found the software after purchasing a Samsung laptop (model number R525) in February. After scanning the computer, Hassan found the StarLogger software. This keylogger can be a huge invasion of privacy. It records everything that is typed in emails, word documents and even password boxes. It can also transmit that data in the background without the user knowing it. Here is a description of the StarLogger software:

This key logger is completely undetectable and starts up whenever your computer starts up. See everything being typed: emails, messages, documents, web pages, usernames, passwords, and more. StarLogger can email its results at specified intervals to any email address undetected so you don’t even have to be at the computer your are monitoring to get the information. The screen capture images can also be attached automatically to the emails as well as automatically deleted.

Keylogger software in and of itself isn’t illegal, but if it’s installed on a brand new computer by the manufacturer, that manufacture could be on the hook. Hassan’s findings suggested to him that Samsung did install StarLogger. Following some issues with the laptop’s video display driver, Hassan bought another Samsung laptop (model number R540) from a different store and found StarLogger software in the same place as before. Hassan then contacted Samsung on March 1 to report the software. Samsung directed Hassan to Microsoft since Samsung apparently didn’t have anything to do with the computer’s software. A talk with a support supervisor revealed that Samsung did install StarLogger on those laptops. The supervisor said Samsung did this so it could “monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used.” Samsung responded to Engadget about this matter.

“Samsung takes Mr. Hassan’s claims very seriously. After learning of the original post this morning on NetworkWorld.com, we launched an internal investigation into this issue. We will provide further information as soon as it is available.”

samsung-electronics

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