Friday, August 12, 2011

Samsung's speedy 6Gbps SSDs shreds bits, blows minds

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/samsungs-speedy-6gbps-ssds-shreds-bits-blows-minds/

For most of us, the decision to move to flash-based storage has been one wrought with compromise: suffer through a year of ramen to afford a capacious SSD, or splurge on steak and settle for a cramped one. While we await our platterless future, Samsung keeps on chuggin', having just begun volume production of a speedier line of solid state drives it calls the PM830. Available in 128, 256 or 512GB flavors, they tout 20nm-class MLC NAND flash and SATA 6Gb/s support -- which equates to 500MB/s reads and 350MB/s writes, or almost double last year's model. Before you reach for the plastic, know that the line is available only to OEMs -- you know, computer manufacturers -- with the firm promising consumer-friendly goodies for all you DIY types soon. Of course, no word on when that'll be or how much they'll cost, but at least the PR after the break's free, right?

Continue reading Samsung's speedy 6Gbps SSDs shreds bits, blows minds

Samsung's speedy 6Gbps SSDs shreds bits, blows minds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CompuLab introduces Trim Slice H mini Tegra 2 computer, keeps desks clear of PC clutter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/compulab-introduces-trim-slice-h-mini-tegra-2-computer-keeps-de/

If you were impressed by CompuLab's Trim Slice that was released a few months back, wait'll you get a load of the new model that's on its way. Available near the end of August, the new diminutive desktop will be powered by NVDIA's Tegra 2 SoC like its elder sibling. In order to differentiate itself from the previous release, this build incorporates an accessible SATA hard disk bay, so that "ARM users are no longer deprived of choice when it comes to storage." Sounds great, right? You'll also be able to choose between two models. The Trim Slice H Diskless will allow you to add your own HDD or SSD for $279, while the $319 H250 comes with Linux pre-installed on a 250GB HDD. Both of these beasts will showcase 1GHz chips, 1GB RAM, HDMI and DVI ports, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in 802.11n WiFi, 4 USB ports, 2 SD slots, an RS232 serial port and USB Bluetooth adapter. Whew... while we catch our breath, scope out the pics in the gallery, and check the full PR below.

[Thanks, Irad]

Continue reading CompuLab introduces Trim Slice H mini Tegra 2 computer, keeps desks clear of PC clutter

CompuLab introduces Trim Slice H mini Tegra 2 computer, keeps desks clear of PC clutter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG P220 ultraportable specs and shipping date revealed, still no price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/lg-p220-ultraportable-specs-and-shipping-date-revealed-still-no/

We didn't have a great deal of info about this ultraportable when we went hands-on at Computex 2011, but we knew we liked its thin bezel and Air-like (though plastic) design. LG has now revealed the final specs and also announced it'll launch the P220 in Korea this month and in Europe shortly afterwards. The Core i7 that powered the model we saw previously has been switched out for a Core i5, but unfortunately this doesn't seem to have done a great deal for battery life, which LG says is around the 5.5-hour mark. In terms of ports, there's nothing faster than USB 2.0, and the color range will put some people off too: white pearl, pink pearl or blue pearl, and definitely no lobster red. There is some good news though: that slimline bezel surrounds a full 12.5-inch IPS widescreen display despite the smaller chasis, with a claimed viewing arc of 178-degrees. Crucially, weight comes in at just under three pounds and the waistline is a mere 0.82-inches. LG hasn't revealed pricing yet, but the company will need to keep a close eye on the forthcoming Ultrabook range if it's to stand a fighting chance.

LG P220 ultraportable specs and shipping date revealed, still no price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quantum Phantom prototype lets you control your computer screen with a webcam (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/quantum-phantom-prototype-lets-you-control-your-computer-screen/


A guy named Ben Wu sent us this video recently and it sort of blew our minds. Wu, an engineer and self-described dreamer, has spent the past year developing a program he calls Quantum Phantom -- an Iron Man-inspired system that allows users to control a computer's cursor using only an ordinary webcam. With his Windows software onboard, Wu can draw, write and move onscreen icons or widgets, simply by waving his camera in front of a set of dual monitors. The prototype is even sophisticated enough to recognize his own webcam-produced handwriting and automatically convert it to rich text. In most cases, the sensor relies upon an ordinary cursor to navigate a screen, but Wu has also developed a pointer-free solution, as demonstrated toward the end of the above, three-part video. Be sure to check it out for yourself and get lost in the magic.

[Thanks, Ben]

Quantum Phantom prototype lets you control your computer screen with a webcam (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

New Spinning Heat Sink Design Could Trim Energy Use and Unleash Processing Power

Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-07/new-spinning-heat-sink-design-could-trim-energy-use-and-unleash-processing-power

The Air Bearing Heat Exchanger Jeff Koplow, Sandia National Labs via New Scientist

Heat exchanger technology--the cooling machinery that ferries internal heat away from your PC, your computer, your air conditioner, and other appliances--hasn't changed too terribly much for decades. That's led to some limiting problems: For instance, more powerful computer chips can't be run at their full potential because they might overheat. But a new kind of heat sink developed at Sandia National Labs could change all that--and potentially shave seven percent off US electricity consumption.

Conventional heat exchangers have a few primary components: a solid disk or plate that absorbs heat from the source (like a computer's processor), a bank of metal fins that help ferry the heat away from that disk (the heat sink), and a fan that stirs up the air around the fins to facilitate the outward movement of heat.

This design is pretty standard, and hasn't changed much in half a century. Moreover, it's fraught with inefficiencies, most glaring perhaps being the fact that only about five percent of the energy produced by the fan produces a cooling effect. A layer of stagnant air tends to cling to the fins of the heat sink, insulating them to the flow of air around them and retaining heat. Driving the fan at faster rates helps some, but it's also noisy--making our appliances and computers more obtrusive and annoying.

The Sandia design overcomes this problem by combining the heat sink (the finned surface) and the fan into a single component that sits atop the solid disk, separated from it by a thin cushion of air. This approach improves upon several shorcomings in the conventional design, but primarily it gets right at the problem of that insulating boundary layer of air. By rotating the Air Bearing Heat Exchanger (as it is known) at high RPM, the centrifugal forces reduce that boundary layer by something like a factor of ten.

That allows it to move much more heat more quickly and with less energy expended than a conventional cooler. Which in turn means a computer processor can generate more heat without overheating. Which means it can conduct more operations at higher speeds.

Extrapolate this to to refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. across the entire United States. Jeff Koplow, the Sandia researcher behind the redesigned heat sink, thinks it could cut the national electricity consumption by seven percent while allowing processing power to run free, unrestrained by heat limitations.

The grittier details are here (PDF).

[New Scientist]

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