Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tilera's new 100-core CPU elbows its way to the cloud, face-melt still included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/21/tileras-new-100-core-cpu-elbows-its-way-to-the-cloud-face-melt/

Hundred core chips might not be breaking news -- especially if the company announcing it is Tilera -- but what if that new multi-core CPU drew an insanely lower wattage and set its sights on powering a few cloud server farms? Well, that's exactly what chip maker Tilera has up its silicon sleeve. "Co-developed with the world's leading cloud computing companies" -- take a guess who that might include -- the new 64-bit TileGx-3100 clocks in at up to 1.5GHz while sucking down a lighter 48W. Line that up next to the current cloud favorite, Intel's Xeon, and your power consumption is slashed nearly in half. Of course, the barrier to entry is high for the nascent chip developer since most code written is for the x86 -- requiring a whole new set of instructions for data centers to play nice. Expect to see this face-melting monster sometime early 2012, by which time, you'll probably have your 50,000 strong music library synced to the cloud.

Tilera's new 100-core CPU elbows its way to the cloud, face-melt still included originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PCWorld | source

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DisplayPort 1.2 adds active cable support: brings longer cords, more logos

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/displayport-1-2-adds-active-cable-support-brings-longer-cords/

It's been a while since we've heard anything from the VESA folks, so it was a pleasant surprise when the organization hit our inbox with a bit of PR announcing an update to the DisplayPort 1.2 standard. New active cables being introduced will allow video connections to stretch up 100 feet -- five times that of the old-school, passive variety -- and use thinner gauge wire for more flexible cords. The one kink is that the cables are directional, though, a new logo (above) should help minimize confusion over which end gets jacked into the source and which feeds your TV. Not that we're complaining about longer, thinner cables but, it sure would be nice if we could cover those 33 meters without making our apartment look like a data center - how's that wireless DisplayPort coming along?

Continue reading DisplayPort 1.2 adds active cable support: brings longer cords, more logos

DisplayPort 1.2 adds active cable support: brings longer cords, more logos originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/zipcar-android-app-sheds-the-beta-late-night-driverless-honking/

It may have happened to you before -- you're walking down the street somewhere on a balmy summer night when, out of nowhere, the empty car next to you honks its horn and you spit your skeleton right outta that purty mouth. Yeah, you have Zipcar to blame for that. Ever since the introduction of its iOS app back in 2009, users have been able to reserve a car on-the-go, and freak out unwitting pedestrians. Now Android users get to join the party -- officially. While the apps' market availability is nothing new, the recent shucking of its beta tag and some UI enhancements make this coming out party noteworthy. There's a good reason Time Magazine named it one of the "50 best iPhone Apps in 2011." Also, wireless honking -- in case you forgot.

Continue reading Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase

Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Central | source

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Best Buy puts your music in the cloud, goes where others have gone before

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/best-buy-puts-your-music-in-the-cloud-goes-where-others-have-go/

Google, Amazon, and Apple have been hogging the headlines when it comes to storing your tunes in the internet ether. That doesn't mean there isn't room for another musically inclined cloud contender -- or at least, that's how Best Buy sees things. The big blue box has rolled out its aptly (if uncreatively) named Music Cloud service that lets you upload your audio to its servers and stream it wherever you go. You can also save songs locally, plus there are apps for Androids, Blackberrys, and iPhones to manage and play your music. There are two flavors of Music Cloud, Lite and Premium. The former is free, while the latter costs $3.99 a month, though Best Buy hasn't said what the difference is (other than price) between the two. The catch? It's currently only capable of grabbing songs from iTunes, so no uploading from file folders. Let's hope that's only a temporary problem.

Best Buy puts your music in the cloud, goes where others have gone before originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yahoo News | ! ; source

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Amazon tablet with TI processor shipping as early as August?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/22/amazon-tablet-with-ti-processor-shipping-as-early-as-august/

For months now, DigiTimes has been fueling rumors of Amazon's first foray into the LCD tablet market. Today it ratchets up the specificity with sometimes contradictory claims that Quanta Computer will be responsible for assembling the tablet with a supposed TI (not NVIDIA) processor and Wintek (not EIH) touch panel among its components. According to DigiTimes, Amazon hopes to move some four million units in 2011 alone with plans to launch the new tablet as soon as August. Possible? Sure, likely even. But we'll wait for Bezos to sing before updating our holiday shopping lists.

Amazon tablet with TI processor shipping as early as August? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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