Researchers boost multi-core CPU performance with better prefetching

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/26/researchers-boost-multi-core-cpu-performance-with-better-prefetc/

Piling on cores is one way to boost performance, but it's not necessarily the most efficient way -- researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new prefetching technique for processors that could boost performance by up to 40-percent. As you may know, any data not stored in a CPU's cache must be pulled from RAM, but as more cores are added they can create a bottleneck by competing for memory access. To counter this designers use prefetching to predict what information will be needed and grab it ahead of time, but guessing wrong can hurt performance. Researchers tackled this problem from two fronts: first, by creating a better algorithm for divvying up bandwidth, and second, by selectively turning off prefetching when it might slow the CPU. Full PR and an abstract of the study being published June 9th are after the break.

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Researchers boost multi-core CPU performance with better prefetching originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PayPal swiftly slaps Google with mobile payment suit

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/27/paypal-swiftly-slaps-google-with-mobile-payment-suit/

Just this morning we reported on the rather jovial atmosphere at Google's big mobile payment announcement -- well, it looks like PayPal's prepared to bring an end to the celebration. According to Bloomberg, PayPal filed a suit against Google today in a California Superior Court, alleging that former PayPal executive, and one of this morning's MCs, Osama Bedier misappropriated the company's trade secrets. The suit further fingered Stephanie Tilenius, also formerly with PayPal, of violating the terms of her contract in recruiting Bedier. Though we've yet to get our hands on any clear details about which trade secrets PayPal's pointing to, we'd say the timing speaks volumes.

PayPal swiftly slaps Google with mobile payment suit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's iCloud music service will automatically mirror your iTunes library using 'high-quality' tracks?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/27/apples-icloud-music-service-will-automatically-mirror-your-itun/

There's been so much chatter about Apple iCloud that you'd think the streaming music service had already been announced and the deals inked. But it's still just a rumor until an Apple executive takes the stage and unleashes the Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music competitor in a spate of superlatives. That hasn't stopped Businessweek from stepping up with a good summary of all that is "known" thus far, while giving us some insight into the particulars of how the service will work and the motivations to make it happen. One revelation, sourced from three people in the know, claims that Apple will scan customers' iTunes libraries (hello, LaLa) and quickly mirror the contents on Apple's own servers -- no massive DSL-choking upload required. And Apple will do you the solid of "replacing" any low bitrate tracks with the "high-quality" versions it stores in its fully licensed music locker for streaming to your connected devices.

Of course, this value-add won't come free and will certainly require a subscription fee. The cost to the consumer, though, is still very much unclear as is the service's integration with Apple's $99 per year MobileMe sham. And you know those rumors about MobileMe being offered as a free service? We wouldn't be surprised if it stays at $99 with iCloud being announced as a "free" feature update; aka, an $8.25 per month music subscription that also provides web access to your synced bookmarks, contacts, email, and calendar. Regardless, it's this subscription model that has the major labels so enthusiastic as it will finally allow them to extort fees for all that pirated audio you may have stumbled upon since Napster was loosed on an unprepared music industry a decade ago. All signs point to WWDC for this to get official but we're sure to hear more -- much more -- before the event kicks off on June 6th.

Apple's iCloud music service will automatically mirror your iTunes library using 'high-quality' tracks? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 03:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Convergence - The Present Tsunami Hitting Advertising | ClickZ http://bit.ly/mj5aD2

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WebMD for iPhone and Android Is a Dynamic Mobile Health Compendium [App Of The Day]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5805317/webmd-for-iphone-and-android-is-a-dynamic-mobile-health-compendium

Whether you're trying to figure out what's wrong with you (health-wise), locate a pharmacy or hospital, learning about drugs and treatments, or track your health problems, WebMD is an extremely comprehensive solution for all of those tasks.

While probably an enormous time-waster for hypochondriacs, if you're trying to figure out what's ailing you, WebMD's mobile app for iPhone and Android is helpful. You can specify symptoms easily by tapping the part of the body where they exist, and then once you've finished adding them all the app will identify some possible problems. You can then save those conditions for later to keep track of what you've discovered—perhaps for when you're seeing a real doctor to verify.

The WebMD app also lets you check out drugs and treatments, so you can learn more about them, and provides photo and video content to help you learn about things like CPR. Additionally, if you're looking for a local pharmacy or healthcare provider, it'll help you search using your current location (or any other location you want).

The only potentially major downside is that the app is a little slow to launch, but that seems to be more of a problem on older hardware. On the iPhone 4, it loads in just a few seconds.

WebMD is available for free, right now, on iPhone and Android.

WebMD for iPhone (iTunes App Store) and Android (Android Marketplace)

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You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook.  If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so.

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