A new update to the Linux kernel adds a raft of security features, driver support, and other enhancements without increasing the overall size of the kernel at all.
That's a rarity, given that enhancements in each update have tended over the years to increase the kernel's size. This time around, though, there are a number of improvements that will be visible to users, but without any extra mass.
It won't be long before this new kernel is integrated into most popular Linux distributions. Here are some of the highlights of what users can expect.
Beefed Up Security
Perhaps most notable in Linux 2.6.36, which was announced by creator Linus Torvalds on Wednesday, is the inclusion of the AppArmor security system, a Mandatory Access Control (MAC) system that has been part of Linux distributions including Ubuntu for some time. The new security extension effectively contains the potential damage that can be done by attackers who find a way to gain root access.
Tilera Support
Known also as "Flesh-Eating Bats with Fangs," the new kernel release also adds support for the Tilera chip architecture, a multicore design capable of scaling to hundreds of cores on a single chip. Linux is fully supported in the Tile-GX line of chips, and now the open source operating system offers native support in return.
In Video: How to Install Ubuntu on Any PC
An ‘Out of Memory' Rewrite
The Virtual Machine "Out of Memory (OOM) Killer" terminates a process when there's no memory left so as to keep the system from crashing. In this new release, the algorithm that decides which process to kill has reportedly been rewritten to make better decisions.
Intelligent Power Sharing
For Intel Core i3 and i5 systems with integrated graphics support, an intelligent power sharing (IPS) driver now offers dynamic power sharing between the CPU and GPU for better performance.
Better Responsiveness
Linux 2.6.36 is said to fix responsiveness issues when it comes to Virtual Machine heuristics and latency when parallel processes are claiming CPU time.
Graphics Driver Support
Version 2.6.36 includes better support for Radeon cards and Fermi graphics chips, according to a report on The H.
Despite all the visible improvements, developers have reportedly contained the kernel's size by trimming down the default configuration files. Coming up in Linux version 2.6.37 will be a raft of further improvements to look forward to, according to reports.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Google plans to launch online music service in India: report
BANGALORE (Reuters) – Google Inc plans to launch an online music service in India that would enable users to search for legal music streams and downloads, the Wall Street Journal said.
Google would soon add a music feature in its search service, which will allow users in India to search for songs. The top search results would be from Google's partners, according to the Journal.
The U.S. web search giant will partner with three digital music providers, who hold rights to hundreds of thousands of Indian tracks -- ranging from Bollywood hits to Indian classical music -- the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Google could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Google would soon add a music feature in its search service, which will allow users in India to search for songs. The top search results would be from Google's partners, according to the Journal.
The U.S. web search giant will partner with three digital music providers, who hold rights to hundreds of thousands of Indian tracks -- ranging from Bollywood hits to Indian classical music -- the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Google could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside regular U.S. business hours.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Nokia to cut 1,800 jobs as net profit euro529 million
HELSINKI – Nokia Corp. is moving quickly to restructure its lagging smart phone business under new CEO Stephen Elop, announcing Thursday it will lay off 1,800 people even as third-quarter earnings bounced back from a year-ago loss.
The world's largest mobile phone maker reported third-quarter net profit of euro529 million ($733 million). The profit compares to a net loss of euro559 million in the third quarter last year.
Net sales in the quarter grew 5 percent to euro10.2 billion.
Nokia's profits were stronger than expected and its stock jumped 7 percent to euro8.25 ($11.44) in Helsinki.
The company said it was cutting jobs as it shakes up product development in its Symbian smart phone business as it struggles to cope with competition from Apple's iPhone, Research In Motion's Blackberry and Google' Inc.'s Android software. Nokia employs about 131,500 people, with 66,000 of those at its Nokia Siemens Networks joint venture.
Nokia said it will "accelerate its transformation and increase effectiveness ... including simplifying operations in product creation in Nokia's Symbian smart phones organization" as it struggles against rivals.
The iPhone has set the standard for smart phones for many design-conscious consumers, while Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys have been the favorite of the corporate set. More recently, Google Inc.'s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.
Nokia's Symbian operating system is older than Apple's software and wasn't designed from the ground up for touch screen phones. Other manufacturers that used Symbian have mainly jumped ship to Android.
Elop, a Canadian who took Sept. 10 after veteran Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo left, is the first non-Finn to run the company.
The choice of a North American executive was largely seen as reflecting the increasing dominance of U.S. and Canadian companies in the evolution of the top end mobile phone business.
Nokia, once the bellwether of the device business, has disappointed markets that had expected something fresh and new from a company that once had the innovative edge.
Although Nokia last month unveiled its new flagship touch-screen N8 model, which has been generally well received, it was too late for the third quarter and the company has pinned its hopes on the last quarter for a pickup.
But it warned that it expects lower device sales in the fourth quarter, of between euro8.2 billion and euro8.7 billion.
Nokia also slightly revised up previous estimates saying that it now expects the global device market to grow more than 10 percent this year but cautioned that it will lose market share in the full year.
"Some of our most recent product launches illustrate that we have the talent, the capacity to innovate, and the resources necessary to lead through this period of disruption," Elop said.
"We will make both the strategic and operational improvements necessary to ensure that we continue to delight our customers and deliver superior financial results to our shareholders."
Nokia sold 110.4 million devices in the period, up 2 percent on the same period in 2009.
The world's largest mobile phone maker reported third-quarter net profit of euro529 million ($733 million). The profit compares to a net loss of euro559 million in the third quarter last year.
Net sales in the quarter grew 5 percent to euro10.2 billion.
Nokia's profits were stronger than expected and its stock jumped 7 percent to euro8.25 ($11.44) in Helsinki.
The company said it was cutting jobs as it shakes up product development in its Symbian smart phone business as it struggles to cope with competition from Apple's iPhone, Research In Motion's Blackberry and Google' Inc.'s Android software. Nokia employs about 131,500 people, with 66,000 of those at its Nokia Siemens Networks joint venture.
Nokia said it will "accelerate its transformation and increase effectiveness ... including simplifying operations in product creation in Nokia's Symbian smart phones organization" as it struggles against rivals.
The iPhone has set the standard for smart phones for many design-conscious consumers, while Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys have been the favorite of the corporate set. More recently, Google Inc.'s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.
Nokia's Symbian operating system is older than Apple's software and wasn't designed from the ground up for touch screen phones. Other manufacturers that used Symbian have mainly jumped ship to Android.
Elop, a Canadian who took Sept. 10 after veteran Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo left, is the first non-Finn to run the company.
The choice of a North American executive was largely seen as reflecting the increasing dominance of U.S. and Canadian companies in the evolution of the top end mobile phone business.
Nokia, once the bellwether of the device business, has disappointed markets that had expected something fresh and new from a company that once had the innovative edge.
Although Nokia last month unveiled its new flagship touch-screen N8 model, which has been generally well received, it was too late for the third quarter and the company has pinned its hopes on the last quarter for a pickup.
But it warned that it expects lower device sales in the fourth quarter, of between euro8.2 billion and euro8.7 billion.
Nokia also slightly revised up previous estimates saying that it now expects the global device market to grow more than 10 percent this year but cautioned that it will lose market share in the full year.
"Some of our most recent product launches illustrate that we have the talent, the capacity to innovate, and the resources necessary to lead through this period of disruption," Elop said.
"We will make both the strategic and operational improvements necessary to ensure that we continue to delight our customers and deliver superior financial results to our shareholders."
Nokia sold 110.4 million devices in the period, up 2 percent on the same period in 2009.
Apple snubs Adobe again with Flash-less MacBook Air
Call me crazy, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Apple has something against Flash.
Early reviewers of the revamped MacBook Air, which Apple unveiled Wednesday at a press event in San Francisco, started noticing something funny when they tried to test the ultra-slim laptop's performance on streaming-video sites like Hulu and YouTube: a little error message, reading "missing plug-in," where the video player should have been.
That's the telltale error you get when your browser, for whatever reason, doesn't have Adobe's Flash Player plug-in installed when you visit a site with Flash-embedded videos.
Fixing the problem is a simple matter of installing the free Flash Player, a process that takes less than a minute. What makes the error notable, however, is that it marks the first time in recent memory that an Apple desktop or laptop shipped without the Flash Player plug-in installed.
So ... did someone at Apple HQ simply forget to make sure that Safari on the Air was Flash-ready? Nope, says an Engadget editor, who tweets that he's "confirmed" that "this is how they ship."
Of course, it's hard not to view the omission in light of Steve Jobs' public spat with Adobe over Flash technology, which he slammed in an open letter back in April as the "number-one reason that Macs crash," a "closed system" that "uses too much power," and a "100% proprietary" technology that generally "falls short."
Adobe didn't take Jobs' criticisms lying down. The co-founders of Adobe penned their own open letter accusing Apple of trying to "put content and applications behind walls" rather than allowing users to "freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs."
Apple's no-Flash policy on the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad is a matter of record, and Apple even tried to prevent Flash developers from porting their apps to iOS before backing down in the face of possible action by the Federal Trade Commission.
Up until now, though, Apple hasn't made any overt move to block Flash on the Mac—and strictly speaking, it still hasn't, even in light of the Flash-less MacBook Air. Indeed, Engadget points out that Internet Explorer for Windows doesn't ship with the Flash Player plug-in installed, either.
That said, it's safe to assume that the days of Steve Jobs inviting anyone at Adobe over for his birthday party—or vice versa—are long gone.
Early reviewers of the revamped MacBook Air, which Apple unveiled Wednesday at a press event in San Francisco, started noticing something funny when they tried to test the ultra-slim laptop's performance on streaming-video sites like Hulu and YouTube: a little error message, reading "missing plug-in," where the video player should have been.
That's the telltale error you get when your browser, for whatever reason, doesn't have Adobe's Flash Player plug-in installed when you visit a site with Flash-embedded videos.
Fixing the problem is a simple matter of installing the free Flash Player, a process that takes less than a minute. What makes the error notable, however, is that it marks the first time in recent memory that an Apple desktop or laptop shipped without the Flash Player plug-in installed.
So ... did someone at Apple HQ simply forget to make sure that Safari on the Air was Flash-ready? Nope, says an Engadget editor, who tweets that he's "confirmed" that "this is how they ship."
Of course, it's hard not to view the omission in light of Steve Jobs' public spat with Adobe over Flash technology, which he slammed in an open letter back in April as the "number-one reason that Macs crash," a "closed system" that "uses too much power," and a "100% proprietary" technology that generally "falls short."
Adobe didn't take Jobs' criticisms lying down. The co-founders of Adobe penned their own open letter accusing Apple of trying to "put content and applications behind walls" rather than allowing users to "freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs."
Apple's no-Flash policy on the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad is a matter of record, and Apple even tried to prevent Flash developers from porting their apps to iOS before backing down in the face of possible action by the Federal Trade Commission.
Up until now, though, Apple hasn't made any overt move to block Flash on the Mac—and strictly speaking, it still hasn't, even in light of the Flash-less MacBook Air. Indeed, Engadget points out that Internet Explorer for Windows doesn't ship with the Flash Player plug-in installed, either.
That said, it's safe to assume that the days of Steve Jobs inviting anyone at Adobe over for his birthday party—or vice versa—are long gone.
Baidu's 3Q profit more than doubles, shares rise
BEIJING – Baidu Inc., which operates China's leading search engine, said Friday its third-quarter net profit more than doubled and revenue jumped 76 percent as online advertising surged.
The Beijing-based company said it earned 1.05 billion yuan ($156.4 million), or 3.01 yuan (45 cents), per American Depositary share, versus 492.9 million yuan, or 1.41 yuan per share, in the same period a year earlier.
Revenue rose to 2.26 billion yuan ($337.2 million). Analysts expected $333.6 million.
Baidu has gained market share following Google Inc.'s decision to close its China-based search engine in March but most of its revenue gain appeared to come from the market's rapid growth rather than expanded share.
Excluding expenses for employees' stock-based compensation, the company earned 46 cents per share. Analysts had expected 42 cents per share.
"Strong execution on our initiatives to expand our customer base and enhance customer service drove another quarter of strong results," Baidu CEO Robin Li said in a statement.
Baidu's market share rose to 73 percent in the quarter ending in September, up from 64 percent in the first three months of the year, according to Analysys International, a Beijing research firm.
Google, which still attracts Chinese users to its Hong Kong-based Chinese-language search engine, saw its share fall to 21.6 percent from 30.9 percent.
China's search market grew 57 percent over a year earlier to 3.15 billion yuan ($460 million) in the third quarter, according to Analysys. China's population of Internet users is the world's biggest and is still growing fast, rising by 36 million over the first half of the year to 420 million as of June 30.
For the fourth quarter, Baidu said it expects revenue to increase 88 percent to 93.5 percent over last year to 2.37 billion yuan ($354.2 million) to 2.44 billion ($364.7 million).
Analysts were expecting $349 million.
Baidu's U.S.-traded shares rose 54 cents to $103.02 in extended trading Thursday, after the results were reported. The shares had risen $2.47, or 2.5 percent, to finish the regular trading session at $102.48.
The Beijing-based company said it earned 1.05 billion yuan ($156.4 million), or 3.01 yuan (45 cents), per American Depositary share, versus 492.9 million yuan, or 1.41 yuan per share, in the same period a year earlier.
Revenue rose to 2.26 billion yuan ($337.2 million). Analysts expected $333.6 million.
Baidu has gained market share following Google Inc.'s decision to close its China-based search engine in March but most of its revenue gain appeared to come from the market's rapid growth rather than expanded share.
Excluding expenses for employees' stock-based compensation, the company earned 46 cents per share. Analysts had expected 42 cents per share.
"Strong execution on our initiatives to expand our customer base and enhance customer service drove another quarter of strong results," Baidu CEO Robin Li said in a statement.
Baidu's market share rose to 73 percent in the quarter ending in September, up from 64 percent in the first three months of the year, according to Analysys International, a Beijing research firm.
Google, which still attracts Chinese users to its Hong Kong-based Chinese-language search engine, saw its share fall to 21.6 percent from 30.9 percent.
China's search market grew 57 percent over a year earlier to 3.15 billion yuan ($460 million) in the third quarter, according to Analysys. China's population of Internet users is the world's biggest and is still growing fast, rising by 36 million over the first half of the year to 420 million as of June 30.
For the fourth quarter, Baidu said it expects revenue to increase 88 percent to 93.5 percent over last year to 2.37 billion yuan ($354.2 million) to 2.44 billion ($364.7 million).
Analysts were expecting $349 million.
Baidu's U.S.-traded shares rose 54 cents to $103.02 in extended trading Thursday, after the results were reported. The shares had risen $2.47, or 2.5 percent, to finish the regular trading session at $102.48.
US networks block shows from Google TV
Some US networks have blocked their content from the Google TV service, in what is widely viewed by industry insiders as an attempt to assert their authority and protect existing business models
It means that hit television shows, such as The Office and CSI cannot be viewed through Google TV, a new service from the search giant that makes it easier for people to access on-demand content, scheduled television and the best of the internet through special set-top boxes or enabled TVs.
The reasons for the action remain unclear, but it is thought that some broadcasters are concerned Google TV will cannibalise existing revenue streams, and could tip the balance of power away from broadcasters and the networks in favour of Google.
“Everybody knows the lock that Google has on internet traffic in terms of advertising,” Van Baker, an analyst with Gartner, told Reuters.
“If you take that model and extend it to television, suddenly Google’s power becomes enormous in the advertising space and the broadcasters don’t like that idea.”
All three networks confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that they were blocking content from the platform. None gave a reason for the action. ABC and NBC are still allowing programme trailers to appear on Google TV.
Google said the decision about what programming to license to the platform lay solely with content owners.
“Google TV enables access to all the web content you already get today on your phone and PC, but it is ultimately the content owners’ choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform,” said Google in a statement.
“If you take that model and extend it to television, suddenly Google’s power becomes enormous in the advertising space and the broadcasters don’t like that idea.”
All three networks confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that they were blocking content from the platform. None gave a reason for the action. ABC and NBC are still allowing programme trailers to appear on Google TV.
Google said the decision about what programming to license to the platform lay solely with content owners.
“Google TV enables access to all the web content you already get today on your phone and PC, but it is ultimately the content owners’ choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform,” said Google in a statement.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Microsoft: 240 million licenses of Windows 7 sold in its first year
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the launch of Windows 7. To celebrate, Microsoft is releasing new numbers, claiming that the company has sold 240 million licenses of the product to date.
From an October 21 blog post to the Windows Team Blog:
I bought a Windows 7 PC last October and it has treated me well. (Like Microsoft PC evangelist Ben Rudolph, I love my super-long-battery-life ASUS UL30 (I have the UL30A).
For all the uptake of Windows 7, it’s worth remembering there is still a lot of Windows XP out there. The latest Net Applications data showed XP’s market share at 60.03%, which was down from 60.89% in the month before.
No updated word today from Microsoft on Windows 7 Service Pack (SP) 1. Last we heard, it will be out before mid-2011. Should be about time for another beta refresh of it, I’d think. And also no word (new or otherwise) on Windows 8, Windows v.Next or any other version of Windows which may be coming to PCs and slates by 2012 or so….
From an October 21 blog post to the Windows Team Blog:
“Windows 7 is the fastest selling operating system in history. As of September, Windows 7 was running on 93% of new consumer PCs and has over 17% global OS market share (according to Net Applications as of October 1st). There is an amazing array of great PCs out on the market today. Six months after launch, 100% (over 18,000) of our OEM partners were selling Windows 7 PCs versus 70% for Windows Vista PCs at a comparable time period.”Earlier this year, analysts were estimating that Microsoft might hit the 300-million-sold number with Windows 7 licenses by the end of this calendar year. It’s looking possible….
I bought a Windows 7 PC last October and it has treated me well. (Like Microsoft PC evangelist Ben Rudolph, I love my super-long-battery-life ASUS UL30 (I have the UL30A).
For all the uptake of Windows 7, it’s worth remembering there is still a lot of Windows XP out there. The latest Net Applications data showed XP’s market share at 60.03%, which was down from 60.89% in the month before.
No updated word today from Microsoft on Windows 7 Service Pack (SP) 1. Last we heard, it will be out before mid-2011. Should be about time for another beta refresh of it, I’d think. And also no word (new or otherwise) on Windows 8, Windows v.Next or any other version of Windows which may be coming to PCs and slates by 2012 or so….
Apple patches Summerc0n Java for Mac security hole
Apple has rushed out a Java for Mac update to fix multiple security vulnerabilities, including a critical flaw discussed three months ago at Summerc0n by researcher Dino Dai Zovi.
The Java for Mac update rolls up fixes for extremely critical security holes in Java 1.6.0_20. The most serious flaws allows an untrusted Java applet to execute arbitrary code outside the Java sandbox. These could be exploited to launch drive-by download attacks.
Apple also fixed two additional remote code exection issues, including one that was publicly released by Dai Zovi in June (see slides - PDF).
Here’s Apple’s description of the issue:
The Java for Mac updates are available for Mac OS X 10.5 and Mac OS X 10.6.
The Java for Mac update rolls up fixes for extremely critical security holes in Java 1.6.0_20. The most serious flaws allows an untrusted Java applet to execute arbitrary code outside the Java sandbox. These could be exploited to launch drive-by download attacks.
Apple also fixed two additional remote code exection issues, including one that was publicly released by Dai Zovi in June (see slides - PDF).
Here’s Apple’s description of the issue:
CVE-2010-1826 – A command injection issue exists in updateSharingD’s handling of Mach RPC messages. A local user may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of another user who runs a Java application. This issue is addressed by implementing a per-user Java shared archive. It only affects the Mac OS X implementation.
A separate memory corruption in Java’s handling of applet window bounds could also be exploited via web pages containing a maliciously crafted Java applet tags. This may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user, Apple warned.The Java for Mac updates are available for Mac OS X 10.5 and Mac OS X 10.6.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Online Games Tournament Yearning
Many people around the world patronize the gaming industry. And like in Olympics, there are several events where in they compete in an array of games based on the what games are being participated. The essence of sportsmanship and unity are the common themes organizers would always promote. Aside from exhibits and product launchings, game developers can go hand and hand with organizers to further put up meaningful tournaments. It’s something the game developers and publishers way of giving back to the players. Recognizing the biggest contribution to a success of game development. How can a game would be a game without players involved. I know that sounds stupid but I’m having a point here. Appealing to the game developers that online game tournaments should be propagated further with it and publishers have the first initiative. Just in the case of all budding events, procedures should be taken into consideration.
The following initiatives and suggestions maybe followed:
Put up a governing body that would regulate, institute and enhance the online gaming sports. A committee consists of organizers and representatives from the game developers. One can adapt the way WCG (World Cyber Games) is handling the gaming tournament. These events are sponsored by electronic giant Samsung from South Korea. Every year the company organizes the event that is usually being participated through regional eliminations. So each country has their own participants. Its a very tough task to do and WCG should have a helping hand. Drafting rules and regulations to maintain the integrity of events may also be made by the committee.
An Event Calendar will be imposed so that players have time to prepare. It may be patterned to every year. Different tournaments will be at stake. The whole committee must draft a tournament guidelines and procedures also for qualifying events . A sample case can be that WCG can act as a major circuit and other tournaments may be qualifying event for the, shall we say like, CYBER OLYMPICS. It will be held every 4 years There are lots of beautiful cities in the world that can host such an event. Qualifying tournaments for the cyber Olympics can be held in each continent every 2 years. It will be the World Cup of Online Games. Where teams that finished from first to third place after the one round elimination will be qualifying to the cyber Olympics The game event can happen maybe in a summer season of the hosted country preferably Jul. and Aug.. Academics will not be affected for the younger participants.
Windows 7 is being spared by Microsoft’s monthly security fixes
SEATTLE -
Latest Microsoft computer OS has survived for the initial few weeks on the market with no need for security fixes.
Several security holes has been plugged by Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday, but none of them are aimed at Windows 7, which was released at 22 Oct.
That’s to be expected, said Ben Greenbaum, a researcher at the Symantec Corp. the famous antivirus software company. “It will require more time from the attackers to find ways of breaking into Windows 7,” he said.
Users can get the patches through Microsoft’s automatic-update service, or by visiting Microsoft.com/security.
One of the fixes Microsoft marked “critical,” its highest severity rating, would thwart an attacker from infecting all the PCs on a local network after gaining access to just one. In other words, even if most people in the office are good at avoiding clicking on unknown links or opening mysterious documents, if one person’s computer is compromised the attacker he could take over the rest.
The software maker also fixed flaws in its software’s of Excel and Word that would give an attacker control of a PC if its owner opened a tainted spreadsheet or document.
It also patched problems in several older versions of Windows, including XP and Vista, that would give an attacker who already has control of a computer access to a lot of its functions.
Lightweight windows 7
Forget netbooks – feel the full power of the new Operating system
Netbooks have had all the limelight for too long. They’re great if you like restricted low-resolution screens, low-powered processing and a small amount of storage and memory – but hardware that inspires words such as ‘fine’ and ‘adequate’ is hardly exciting.
Raise your sights a little, however, and devastatingly powerful laptops with desktop levels of power leap into view.
It’s not even the case that you are forced to choose between the brick-shaped laptop on the left and the block-shaped laptop on the right.
Designs that boast razor-thin edges and weights that push the 1kg mark are now becoming the norm.
Characteristics
This low weight is partly due to new lithium-ion batteries that are lighter and can be made into almost any shape, compared to old technologies.
Many of these laptops also omit an optical drive, taking advantage of the additional weight savings and reduced chassis thickness gained by dropping these rarely used devices.
If the lack of one worries you, keep an eye out for laptops that come with bundled external options.
Another slimming technology is displays that take advantage of LED backlights. Not only lighter and thinner than the older cathode-lit displays, they also consume far less power.
As you’ll see, Intel still rules the roost with mobile technology. While AMD offers perfectly capable processors, it’s the sheer efficiency of Intel’s Centrino architecture that AMD finds hard to match.
Its ultra-low power processors tend to deliver the best battery life but, of course, this costs you more, and AMD systems are usually the best value options.
To help choose between the systems, we test for high definition media handling capabilities, 3D gaming speed and overall battery life.
All the systems are more than capable of day-to-day productivity tasks, so it’s more a case of whether you want good battery life, high-definition handling or decent gaming features that can really sway your buying decision.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Energy hub is fascinating – but the thrill of your changing energy usage will soon wear off
Energy Hub
It’s well known that putting an instant digital readout of your miles per gallon on a car dashboard makes people drive more economically, even if only unconsciously.
Now something like that idea has come to watching how much energy we use, and British Gas is now offering customers who sign up to its (free) EnergySmart service a dynamic electricity usage monitor worth £35 for free, plus a consumption history and loyalty bonus.
But more relevant is that it says trials have shown that customers can save £110 annually by seeing the real-time information on their monitor, and changing their behaviour.
You don’t have to be a British Gas customer to try it out – the meter is available from Green Energy Options, where it’s the cheapest in its range, at £39. Installation is fabulously simple: find your meter, clip the supplied magnetic loop around an input wire, pair with your readout meter, take the meter somewhere and start fretting about how much energy you’re using. (The device itself, by the way, uses about 0.25kWh annually.)
The meter offers lots of different settings. The standard one is an immediate readout of how much energy you’re using at the moment, with a total for the day below it. You can also see how much carbon dioxide you’re producing to power that TV.
You can set yourself a daily consumption target. Or, more attention-grabbingly, how much money you’ve burned today, or this month, or in this billing cycle, or against a target.
To figure out your monetary consumption, you have to enter your tariffs, which is easy enough – except if, like me (with E.ON) you have tariffs that don’t begin and end at times of day, but after you’ve used a certain number of kilowatt hours. Simple enough, though: take your last bill, put in the average price per kilowatt, you’re away.
So now you now much how energy you’re using, and how much it costs. And this will obsess you. The numbers will harass you. Put the kettle on? Are you mad? That’s 3 kilowatts in a burst!
The most dangerous time is when you are left alone in the house, just you and the monitor. You will watch its ebb and flow and wonder: what the hell is using all that energy? It will certainly get you leaping to replace your incandescent bulbs with low-energy ones (and in time those with LEDs). Then you’ll be wandering around turning off things to see how much energy they’re using. (Sky+ boxes use more than 100W while on standby, I found to my surprise.)
Will this change your behaviour? It may, but unlike the car dashboard readout, you have surprisingly little control over a lot of your energy use beyond a certain point. The fridge, the lights, some TV … sure, it adds up, but you can’t do it more efficiently per se, unlike driving. Over time, you’ll probably ignore it for the most part, and only notice it if something jumps in the consumption.
In short: wonderful at first, and then part of the wallpaper. Which isn’t to say that it’s not useful.
Energy Hub
It’s well known that putting an instant digital readout of your miles per gallon on a car dashboard makes people drive more economically, even if only unconsciously.
Now something like that idea has come to watching how much energy we use, and British Gas is now offering customers who sign up to its (free) EnergySmart service a dynamic electricity usage monitor worth £35 for free, plus a consumption history and loyalty bonus.
But more relevant is that it says trials have shown that customers can save £110 annually by seeing the real-time information on their monitor, and changing their behaviour.
You don’t have to be a British Gas customer to try it out – the meter is available from Green Energy Options, where it’s the cheapest in its range, at £39. Installation is fabulously simple: find your meter, clip the supplied magnetic loop around an input wire, pair with your readout meter, take the meter somewhere and start fretting about how much energy you’re using. (The device itself, by the way, uses about 0.25kWh annually.)
The meter offers lots of different settings. The standard one is an immediate readout of how much energy you’re using at the moment, with a total for the day below it. You can also see how much carbon dioxide you’re producing to power that TV.
You can set yourself a daily consumption target. Or, more attention-grabbingly, how much money you’ve burned today, or this month, or in this billing cycle, or against a target.
To figure out your monetary consumption, you have to enter your tariffs, which is easy enough – except if, like me (with E.ON) you have tariffs that don’t begin and end at times of day, but after you’ve used a certain number of kilowatt hours. Simple enough, though: take your last bill, put in the average price per kilowatt, you’re away.
So now you now much how energy you’re using, and how much it costs. And this will obsess you. The numbers will harass you. Put the kettle on? Are you mad? That’s 3 kilowatts in a burst!
The most dangerous time is when you are left alone in the house, just you and the monitor. You will watch its ebb and flow and wonder: what the hell is using all that energy? It will certainly get you leaping to replace your incandescent bulbs with low-energy ones (and in time those with LEDs). Then you’ll be wandering around turning off things to see how much energy they’re using. (Sky+ boxes use more than 100W while on standby, I found to my surprise.)
Will this change your behaviour? It may, but unlike the car dashboard readout, you have surprisingly little control over a lot of your energy use beyond a certain point. The fridge, the lights, some TV … sure, it adds up, but you can’t do it more efficiently per se, unlike driving. Over time, you’ll probably ignore it for the most part, and only notice it if something jumps in the consumption.
In short: wonderful at first, and then part of the wallpaper. Which isn’t to say that it’s not useful.
Many people around the world patronize the gaming industry. And like in Olympics, there are several events where in they compete in an array of games based on the what games are being participated. The essence of sportsmanship and unity are the common themes organizers would always promote. Aside from exhibits and product launchings, game developers can go hand and hand with organizers to further put up meaningful tournaments. It’s something the game developers and publishers way of giving back to the players. Recognizing the biggest contribution to a success of game development. How can a game would be a game without players involved. I know that sounds stupid but I’m having a point here. Appealing to the game developers that online game tournaments should be propagated further with it and publishers have the first initiative. Just in the case of all budding events, procedures should be taken into consideration.
The following initiatives and suggestions maybe followed:
Put up a governing body that would regulate, institute and enhance the online gaming sports. A committee consists of organizers and representatives from the game developers. One can adapt the way WCG (World Cyber Games) is handling the gaming tournament. These events are sponsored by electronic giant Samsung from South Korea. Every year the company organizes the event that is usually being participated through regional eliminations. So each country has their own participants. Its a very tough task to do and WCG should have a helping hand. Drafting rules and regulations to maintain the integrity of events may also be made by the committee.
An Event Calendar will be imposed so that players have time to prepare. It may be patterned to every year. Different tournaments will be at stake. The whole committee must draft a tournament guidelines and procedures also for qualifying events . A sample case can be that WCG can act as a major circuit and other tournaments may be qualifying event for the, shall we say like, CYBER OLYMPICS. It will be held every 4 years There are lots of beautiful cities in the world that can host such an event. Qualifying tournaments for the cyber Olympics can be held in each continent every 2 years. It will be the World Cup of Online Games. Where teams that finished from first to third place after the one round elimination will be qualifying to the cyber Olympics The game event can happen maybe in a summer season of the hosted country preferably Jul. and Aug.. Academics will not be affected for the younger participants.
The following initiatives and suggestions maybe followed:
Put up a governing body that would regulate, institute and enhance the online gaming sports. A committee consists of organizers and representatives from the game developers. One can adapt the way WCG (World Cyber Games) is handling the gaming tournament. These events are sponsored by electronic giant Samsung from South Korea. Every year the company organizes the event that is usually being participated through regional eliminations. So each country has their own participants. Its a very tough task to do and WCG should have a helping hand. Drafting rules and regulations to maintain the integrity of events may also be made by the committee.
An Event Calendar will be imposed so that players have time to prepare. It may be patterned to every year. Different tournaments will be at stake. The whole committee must draft a tournament guidelines and procedures also for qualifying events . A sample case can be that WCG can act as a major circuit and other tournaments may be qualifying event for the, shall we say like, CYBER OLYMPICS. It will be held every 4 years There are lots of beautiful cities in the world that can host such an event. Qualifying tournaments for the cyber Olympics can be held in each continent every 2 years. It will be the World Cup of Online Games. Where teams that finished from first to third place after the one round elimination will be qualifying to the cyber Olympics The game event can happen maybe in a summer season of the hosted country preferably Jul. and Aug.. Academics will not be affected for the younger participants.
iSlate.com now Owned by Apple – the mystery deepens
He widely rumored Apple tablet, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, has just gotten a little more interesting.
Thanks to some crack reporting, MacRumors.com discovered that the domain “islate.com” was bought by Apple back in 2007.
What we know that: islate.com was registered to Apple in 2007, through an intermediary (to disguise its true owner). At the moment, that domain doesn’t seem to lead anywhere–and there are a few possible explanations. First, Apple bought it as a protective measure, to stop anyone else from using that “i” prefix with that particular word. Second, Apple had or has plans for either a product or a project by that name. Third, it’s the tablet. Or fourth, it’s Apple’s take on Slate.com.
Maybe we’ll find out just what that means in January, when the tablet is rumored to be announced.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
iPhone appears in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea -
Tech-savvy South Koreans began getting their coveted iPhones on Saturday amid fanfare and expectations the communication and entertainment device will shake up a local mobile market dominated by domestic giants Samsung and LG.
Hundreds of customers lined up to get their pre-ordered iPhones at an official launch event in Seoul, some waiting overnight. A twnety five-year-old university student was the first to get one, as music blared and strobe lights flashed.
“I’m so happy” said Huh Jin-seok, tsaid he first recipientline more than 26 hours and admitted to being “a little bit tired.”
A band played loud rockabilly music outside the venue near a clock that counted down the time until the launch. Those receiving their phones were among about 65,000 people who placed orders since November. 22.
South Korean mobile carrier KT Corp., Apple Inc.’s local partner, said about 850 people picked up iPhones at the event. Others were receiving them via delivery at their homes or offices.
“We’re hoping that this iPhone will be a trigger point for the smartphone market in Korea,” said Yang Hyun-mi, KT’s chief strategy officer, who said smartphones make up just 1 percent of all cell phones in the country. Smartphones are advanced cell phones with computer-like capabilities.
She declined to offer a sales forecast, but said the company was optimistic given higher-than-expected advance orders.
“We just think it will be really huge,” she said.
Lee Bo-ra, who designs beauty tools such as nail clippers and trimmers, said she plans to use her iPhone mostly to access maps and play “Guitar Hero,” the popular game in which users simulate playing rock and roll hits.
“Very,” she said when asked if she was satisfied with her iPhone so far.
The iPhone’s arrival after a long delay has generated excitement among South Korean consumers and industry analysts, who say it is likely to expand the domestic smartphone market and pose a challenge to local manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc.
The sleek smartphone, which has grabbed headlines around the world and solidified Apple’s status as a purveyor of cutting-edge consumer electronics, was already available in many other Asian countries including Japan, where it launched last year. It made its official debut in China last month.
Regulatory hurdles had delayed its arrival in South Korea. Final approval by the Korea Communications Commission came earlier this month with the granting of a license to Apple to offer so-called location-based services, which include functions such as maps and direction finders that are available on the iPhone. South Korean law requires companies that provide such applications to obtain government permission.
The commission earlier this year also abolished a rule that required all mobile devices to carry special software adapted to South Korea’s wireless Internet platform, which was an added cost for foreign manufacturers and viewed as a trade barrier.
KT’s Yang said another factor contributing to the delay was a complicated negotiating process with Apple over what she described as the Cupertino, California-based company’s strict standards and policies. “There was a lot of negotiations back and forth,” she said.
Samsung and LG dominate the local market for cell phones. They are also major players globally, ranking No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, behind Finland’s Nokia corporation.
KT also offers serCorp.or smartphones made by Samsung, LG, Nokia and a Taiwanese manufacturer, said KT spokeswoman Alice Park.
Moon Chang-soo, a computer programmer, said he plans to mostly use the iPhone to keep his life organized.
“It’s amazing,” he said after finally getting one. But despite its fame as a smartphone, Moon used it for the time in a more basic way.
“I just made a call to my wife,” he said with a laugh.
New Safety Panasonic’s Battery
Numerous companies, including Packard Bell , HP, Dell , and others, have recalled laptop batteries due to them posing a fire hazard. Panasonic’s new battery design hopes to reduce the risk of batteries short-circuiting and leading to a fire.
The new standard-size battery design (pictured) makes use of a new metal oxide layer placed in between the battery’s cathode and anode. Acting as an insulator, the new metal layer keeps the battery from overheating should it short-circuit.
only safer, but it also has a longer run time. Battery cells found in laptops currently store an average of 2.9Ah per cell, whereas the improved cells can now store 3.1Ah of power.
Have you experienced troubles with your laptop battery? Share your story in the comments.
Googlers Gift: $2.3 billion
Like many companies, Google has a tradition of giving holiday presents to its employees–an Android phone last year, $1,000 net of taxes the year before. This year, they got Google’s soon-to-be-released phone.
The phone is not yet available to the public, so the gift could make some gadget aficionados jealous. But most Googlers got another holiday gift far more worthy of envy.
In March, Google allowed nearly all employees to swap their stock options for new ones. Since Google shares had plummeted from more than $740 in late 2007 to around $300 by early this year, about 85 percent of employees held options that were under water, and Google executives said they needed to do something nice to retain employees.
To say the company has thrived since is an understatement. Google’s shares have been on a tear for most of the year. They crossed $600 earlier this week for the first time in nearly two years. On Thursday, they were trading at around $617. That’s more than twice the value of early March, when the old options were swapped for new ones with a strike price of $308.57. March was also the low point for the broader stock market.
Since employees exchanged 7.6 million shares, the potential windfall to Google’s work force is more than $2.3 billion, assuming stock prices stay at these levels as the options vest. That’s more than $117,000 on average for each of Google’s roughly 20,000 employees. (Not all employees participated in the exchange, so the windfall for those that did is actually higher, on average.)
The timing of the option exchange was nearly perfect. After dipping slightly below the exchange price, Google’s shares have been on a steady climb for the remainder of the year.
Google initially estimated the cost of the exchange to shareholders would be about $460 million. In later filings, it said the charge was approximately $360 million.
Many shareholder advocates frown on this kind of option exchange, arguing, among other things, that it is not available to average shareholders. In this case, they might also say that with the sharp climb in Google shares, the exchange was not necessary in the first place. Employees, no doubt, will beg to differ.
DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates will not suspend BlackBerry services on October 11 after resolving a dispute with its Canadian maker Research in Motion over access to email and other data, state news WAM agency said on Friday.
The UAE had said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and web browser services to about 500,000 subscribers from October 11 unless Canadian BlackBerry maker RIM works out a way to locate encrypted servers in the country, so that the government can seek access to messages.
"The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has confirmed that Blackberry services are now compliant with the UAE's telecommunications regulatory framework," a statement on WAM said.
"Therefore all Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010," it said.
Saudi Arabia and India also threatened to cut off services but have reached an agreement with RIM, and an UAE official said in September the country was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal before the October 11 deadline.
Before the dispute, Information sent to and from BlackBerries had been encrypted and handled by servers outside the UAE.
The UAE had voiced concerns over its inability to access the information through legal means, citing security and sovereignty issues, and had emphasized it was not able to reach a deal since new telecoms regulations took effect three years ago.
The UAE had said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and web browser services to about 500,000 subscribers from October 11 unless Canadian BlackBerry maker RIM works out a way to locate encrypted servers in the country, so that the government can seek access to messages.
"The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has confirmed that Blackberry services are now compliant with the UAE's telecommunications regulatory framework," a statement on WAM said.
"Therefore all Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11, 2010," it said.
Saudi Arabia and India also threatened to cut off services but have reached an agreement with RIM, and an UAE official said in September the country was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal before the October 11 deadline.
Before the dispute, Information sent to and from BlackBerries had been encrypted and handled by servers outside the UAE.
The UAE had voiced concerns over its inability to access the information through legal means, citing security and sovereignty issues, and had emphasized it was not able to reach a deal since new telecoms regulations took effect three years ago.
Monday, October 4, 2010
10/4 Technology: Technology blog | guardian.co.uk
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Saturday, October 2, 2010
10/2 Technology: Technology blog | guardian.co.uk
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