GazoPa similar image search engine goes public
Hitachi has today launched its similar image search engine known as GazoPa in public beta form so everyone can try it. Accessible at gazopa.com, the engine uses characteristics such as a color or a shape extracted from the image you enter to find other pictures around the web similar to it. GaZoPa enables users to do searches by uploading a picture from their PC/Mac, entering the URL of an image, drawing something within the front page, or using keywords.
Based on the info gathered from the invitation-only beta test which started back in September 2008, for this public beta version of GazoPa, Hitachi has added two new features - filtering for latest images and reusable images. These basically enable the latest images to be displayed by a filtering option, and users to be filter pictures that are for commercial and remix use.
Also available are the 'GazoPa book' and 'GazoPa Drawing' Facebook apps and GazoPa for the iPhone.
According to Hitachi, this public beta test is set to provide feedback which will let it evaluate the broad scale market potential of GazoPa. To help out Hitachi and have a little fun be sure to test out GazoPa @ gazopa.com.
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Asus debuts its first USB 3.0/SATA 6.0 Gbps motherboard
Asus has today officially introduced the P7P55D-E Premium, its first motherboard to integrate features like USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 Gbps. The new P55 product comes equipped with a PLX bridge chip to supply the USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 Gbps controllers with double the bandwidth that would be available if the connection to the chipset would be 'direct'. According to Asus, this approach eliminates transmission bottlenecks and enables higher read and write speeds from/to new storage devices.
The P7P55D-E Premium has support for LGA 1156 Core i5/i7 processors and packs four DDR3-2200 slots, two PCI-Express x16 slots for SLI/CrossFireX setups, six SATA 3.0 Gbps and two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, the TurboV overclocking technology, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 connectors, one eSATA port, and 7.1 channel audio.
In addition to the P7P55D-E Premium, Asus has presented the U3S6, a PCIe x4 expansion card that works with the Maximus III Formula, P7P55D Deluxe, P7P55D EVO, P7P55D PRO, P7P55D, P7P55D LE and P7P55D LX motherboards (and likely a lot of other models), and provides two USB 3.0 and two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, all hooked up to a PLX chip.
Expect both the new P55 board and PCIe expansion card to become available in time for the holidays.
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takeMS unveils two diamond-embedded flash drives
takeMS has just announced some geekish bling bling in the form of two flash drives that come embedded with real diamonds. Called MEM-Drive DeLuxe and Superb, the drives measure 60 x 80 x 33 mm and 90 x 90 x 42 mm, respectively, have a USB 2.0 connection interface, and chromed zinc alloy enclosures that can be engraved (on demand).
The MEM-Drive DeLuxe features a Sterling Rhodium-alloyed silver necklace and three Top Wesselton 0.01 ct (rare white) diamonds, while the Superb model has just a key ring but packs a Top Wesselton 0.03 ct 'rock'. Unfortunately for those interested, takeMS has not mentioned the drives' price tags.
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Gigabyte announces its USB 3.0/SATA 6.0 Gbps P55 board line-up
Aiming to impress, Gigabyte has today exposed no less than seven (7) Intel P55 motherboards that feature both USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 Gbps. Detailed below, the GA-P55A-UD6, GA-P55A-UD5, GA-P55A-UD4P, GA-P55A-UD4, GA-P55A-UD3P, GA-P55A-UD3R and GA-P55A-UD3 feature an Ultra Durable 3 design, include the Dynamic Energy Saver 2, support LGA 1156 Core i5 and i7 processors, DDR3 memory, and boast two USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 Gbps connectors.
USB 3.0 supports speeds ten times higher than USB 2.0 (5 Gbits/s as opposed to 480 Mbits/s) while SATA 6.0 Gbps can top speeds two times higher than its predecessor (SATA 3.0 Gbps). To add USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 Gbps to its boards Gigabyte made use of the NEC uPD720200 and Marvell 88SE9128 controllers, respectively.
Gigabyte's updated P55 offer is likely to start shipping in the coming weeks so be sure to keep an eye on IT stores. Just be sure not mistake the new boards to the slightly older P55 models (which don't have the 'A' after P55 in their name).
GA-P55A-UD6
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Google Voice works with your current number, more or less
People (in the US) participating in the closed beta of Google Voice are as of this week able to use their current phone numbers and still take advantage of certain features provided by the G-service.
Since a lot of individuals don't like the idea of getting a new number for Google Voice, its maker has made it so that they can sign up using their existing number and get things like Google voicemail, custom greetings, voicemail transcription, notifications, international calling and more. Please note that features like call screening and conference calling are only available with the unique Google number, at least for now.
For more info about Google Voice see this page.
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Toshiba and Hitachi receive subpoenas from US DOJ too
Today Toshiba and Hitachi's US optical drive businesses have confirmed having been subpoenaed by the US Department of Justice as part of an investigation regarding possible antitrust violations. This news comes just one day after Sony Optiarc America said it received a similar notice from the US body.
The DOJ is reported to be looking into the actions of optical drive makers to determine whether they have engaged in price-fixing or bid-rigging schemes. Since both Toshiba and Hitachi are running their optical drive businesses as joint ventures with Samsung and LG Electronics, respectively, it's likely that the two South Korean companies will also get a subpoenas from the DOJ.
Not only the US is checking the actions of optical drive players as Sony revealed that other countries are also doing investigations of their own. It's yet unclear who else is probing around.
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Hitachi delivering new external hard drives to EMEA markets
Hitachi Global Storage has recently revealed a trio of external hard drives for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) which are targeted at road warriors, prosumers and small office/home office (SOHO) users. First up we have the SimpleDrive desktop solution which boasts a USB 2.0 interface, comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities, and features an anodized aluminum enclosure, just like the SimpleDrive from SimpleTech, the company bought by Hitachi earlier this year (as part of the Fabrik acquisition).
Next, the Portable Rugged Drive also has USB 2.0 connectivity, but can brag with being water- and shock-resistant thanks to the use of a tough, rugged shell. This model also packs the TrueTrack technology for data protection in case of rough handling, has a foldaway USB cable, and is based on either a 320GB or 500GB Travelstar hard drive.
Last but not least, the Simple and Stylish Portable Drive has a USB 2.0 interface, a "contemporary design" and is available in two flavors - the 320GB blue dusk model and 500GB carbon fiber.
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Large-area LCD panel shipments reached new high in September
According to research and consulting firm DisplaySearch, the large-area LCD panel market has had a great September, with shipments going up 2% sequentially and 25% on-year, and topping a record-breaking 52 million units. The increase in sales has also sparked a rise in revenue, the sum reported for September being of $6.8 billion, up 6% on-quarter, and 15% on-year.
"September was a record-breaking month for large-area TFT LCD panels in several segments, including total shipments, shipment area, notebook PC, TV and mini-note panel shipments," David Hsieh, Vice President of DisplaySearch. "However, inventory adjustment and seasonal slowdown obviously influenced monitor panel demand, so for the first time since February, monitor panel shipments were down from the previous month."
Despite the sequential slip, monitors still held the top spot in the panel market with 16.6 million units, and were followed by notebooks with 13.5 million units and TVs with 10.4 million.
On the manufacturer side Samsung managed to be in front thanks to a 24.3% market share, with LG Display breathing down its neck with 24%. The third-largest LCD panel maker was AUO with 17.9%, while the fourth was CMO with 14.1%.
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Asus presents Xeon, Tesla-powered desktop supercomputer
Collaborating with Nvidia and Taiwan's National Chao Tung University, Asus has constructed and now unveiled the ESC 1000 desktop-sized supercomputer. Asus' machine is enclosed in a 445 x 217.5 x 545 mm chassis and features a 3.33 GHz Intel Xeon W3580 CPU, 24GB of RAM, plus a Quadro FX 5800 graphics card and no less than three Tesla c1060 cards for a total of 960 Processing Cores and 1.1 TeraFlops of computing power.
Also boasting a 500GB hard drive and a 1100W power supply, the ESC 1000 is expected to be used for things like scientific research, image manipulation and engineering modeling.
Asus said that the compact supercomputer is ready to be released but it has yet to give a date for when that will happen. The ESC 1000's final pricing s also unknown.
Image courtesy of PC Advisor.
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Google Docs added convert, zip and download features
This week started off pretty good for Google Docs and its users as the web-based service has received a new feature update, enhancing it with the "Convert, Zip and Download" function.
Developed by the Docs and the Data Liberation Front teams, the fresh feature enables people to bundle their G-docs in a format of their choice (MS Office, Open Office, PDF or others) and download them as a zip file. This option makes it easier and faster to download multiple documents, a must for users who rely a lot on Google Docs.
For more info about Google's product liberation movement see dataliberation.org.
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