Toshiba Unveils Internet Enabled UX600 Series LED TVs
Couch potatoes who suffer from Internet addiction may want to steer clear of this one, lest they overdose with awesomeness. We're talking about Toshiba's new UX600 series LED TVs, which the company says combines high picture quality with Internet capability.LED is the latest buzz in TV tech and helps these new sets deliver a 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio (dynamic, of course), along with a depth of less than 2 inches. Toshiba also slapped on a layer of its CrystalCoat high contrast screen coating so that contrast
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MSI Puts the Chill on Select ATI 5800 Series Graphics Cards
MSI today announced the launch of its R5870 and R5850 videocards in Twin Frozr II trim. What does that mean? Superior cooling performance, according to MSI, who claims that its specially cooled cards run up to 12C lower than ATI's reference cooling assembly.In order to lower temps by double digits, the Twin Frozr II cooler comes constructed with a pair of "super big" 8cm PWM fans. Combined with dual 8mm "SuperPipe Technology" and "super-dense" fins (do we detect a theme?), MSI says its Twin Frozr II cards remove
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Dell Alienware Area-51 Core i7-980 X Infused Gaming PC
When you think about the market for a pre-built, proverbial "Killer Gaming Rig," you have to consider the class of consumer that would have interest in this type of system. For the most part, the average do-it-yourselfer isn't going to take much interest here, save for perhaps the appreciation of all the bleeding-edge technology and design quality that is the hallmark of such a system. That said, there is obviously a significant market opportunity for consumers that want top-of-the line components and build
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Samsung Modus Bluetooth Headset Doubles As Wireless Stereo Earbud Setup
Why the sudden surge in Bluetooth headsets? Probably because America's largest cellphone trade show is going on in Las Vegas. CTIA has already delivered a snazzy new piece from BlueAnt, and Samsung Mobile is following that up with the introduction of the Modus. Also known as the HM3500, this "convertible-style" headset boasts dual microphone and noise cancelling technology that converts to a Stereo Bluetooth headset for an enhanced mobile experience. It's still not discrete enough for our liking, but if you
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Germany Issues Another Browser Warning, This Time Against Firefox
If there's one nation out there who really, really cares about the digital well-being of their citizens, it's Germany. Just a couple of months after the country warned the general public to avoid Internet Explorer due to a raft of security concerns, the government has now done likewise to an unexpected rival: Firefox. Once known as the runaway champion over IE and a browser that could actually be trusted against hacks, Firefox has grown so large that it's now considering one of the most targeted and slowest
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Nintendo Announces 3D Version Of DS Handheld: No Glasses Required
Oh, boy. 3D really might be taking over the world. In all honesty, we won't believe that until Google announces a 3D version of their search engine, but believe us, it's probably already in the works. Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another 3D announcement on the horizon, Nintendo (of all companies!) comes out and hits the world in the face with this one: a 3D version of the popular DS portable gaming handheld. As you may expect, Nintendo will be calling the system the 3DS, which just happens
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Motorola Combines Brain With Brawn: iDEN-Capable, Android-Powered Motorola i1
As a great song says, don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years. Motorola has become a fixture in the mobile phone industry, with the RAZR turning the industry into one that made the cellphone not just a tool, but a must-have accessory. The company slipped a bit over the past few years, but since the launch of the CLIQ, DROID and Backflip, it's safe to say that Moto is definitely BCK. With CTIA kicking off this week, it's no surprise to see yet another Motorola phone on deck. The company has teamed
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SanDisk Soars To New Heights With 32GB MicroSDHC Card
MicroSDHC. It's a card within the popular Secure Digital family, but it's one you don't hear about very often. It's extremely small, smaller than a thumbnail, and they're generally quite expensive and only useful for cellphone owners. You see, most MicroSDHC card slots are found on mobile phones, where a small card is needed to boost storage capacity on a small device. Up until now, 16GB was the maximum size, and even those cost well over $100 at launch. SanDisk is utilizing a newer 32nm X3 process technology
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Mobo To The Max: Asus Launches Its Rampage III Extreme
Asus has another addition for its Rampage line of high-end motherboards. This time around it's the Rampage III Extreme, otherwise known as the Rampage III "All That + Back Of Chips." It's not as if the company's Rampage II Extreme was exactly lacking in features, but here we have the Rampage III with a few goodies the Rampage II didn't carry. Specifically, the Rampage III carries four PCIe 2.0 slots (configurable in combinations of x16/x16 down to four x8 lanes), a total of nine SATA ports, two of which are
Read More ...
Imation Introduces New High-Capacity Magnetic Tape
Imation has become the first company to break the 1TB barrier in magnetic tape storage with a new LTO Ultrium Generation 5 tape cartridge capable of storing 1.5TB of uncompressed data or up to 3TB if compressed. Imation has been at the forefront of tape storage research for about a decade; the US National Institute of Standards and Technology gave the company $11.9 million back in 2002 to drive data capacity. "Imation is pleased to be one of the first to provide customers the advantages of next-generation LTO
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Safe Driving Systems Eliminates Danger Of Texting While Driving
We've all heard about the dangers of texting while driving. Study after study has shown the dangers and many organizations and states have responded with attempts to ban drivers from using their phones to send messages while behind the wheel. At the CTIA Wireless 2010 show, Safe Driving Systems plans to show off a new way to prevent texting while driving called Key2SafeDriving. Key2SafeDriving is a combination of handset software and a "plug-and-forget Activator" that is installed in your car. Key2SafeDriving
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Windows 7 Drops XP Hardware Virtualization Requirement
One of the tools Microsoft developed to aid companies in transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7 was a free virtualized copy of Windows XP. Once downloaded and installed, users with XP-specific applications could run them seamlessly alongside Windows 7. Inventing such a practical, useful tool apparently frightened someone at Microsoft and XP Mode was hamstrung with a requirement that crippled its usefulness. In order to use Microsoft's free virtual OS, the CPU in question had to support hardware virtualization.Windows
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True Multi-Core Optimization May Require Windows Rework
A key Microsoft kernel architect, David Probert, has come out with a surprising statement regarding Windows' ability to harness multiple cores. While Windows has taken advantage of multicore technology for over a decade, Probert notes that users rarely see the performance that they should. "Why should you ever, with all this parallel hardware, ever be waiting for your computer?" Probert asked in a presentation last week at the Universal Parallel Computing Research Center in Champaign-Urbana. Each successive
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Dell Alienware Area-51 Core i7-980X Infused Gaming PC
When you think about the market for a pre-built, proverbial "Killer Gaming Rig," you have to consider the class of consumer that would have interest in this type of system. For the most part, the average do-it-yourselfer isn't going to take much interest here, save for perhaps the appreciation of all the bleeding-edge technology and design quality that is the hallmark of such a system. That said, there is obviously a significant market opportunity for consumers that want top-of-the line components
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Germany Issues Another Browser Warning, This Time Against Firefox
If there's one nation out there who really, really cares about thedigital well-being of their citizens, it's Germany. Just a couple ofmonths after the country warned the general public to avoid InternetExplorer due to a raft of security concerns, the government has nowdone likewise to an unexpected rival: Firefox.Once known as the runaway champion over IE and a browser that couldactually be trusted against hacks, Firefox has grown so large that it'snow considering one of the most targeted and slowest browsersavailable. We already heard that growing too large, too fast can dothat too you, and we have definitely had our fair share of frustrationswith the software ever since it hit 3.0 and seemingly went mainstream.
Now, the Germany government is stepping in to warn Internet surfersagainst the potential security holes in Mozilla's alternative toMicrosoft's behemoth of a browser. The Federal Office for InformationSecurity cautioned that "a Firefox vulnerability, confirmed by Firefoxmakers, could allow hackers to run malicious programs on users'computers." Firefox developers are already working hard on the nextversion in order to patch the hole that Germany is referencing, with abeta (3.6.2) already available for those who don't mind taking the riskof installing untested software. The comical part? Experts aresuggested that switching to another browser might not be a great idea,either.
Graham Cluley, senior technologist at security firm Sophos, had this tosay: "Switching your web browser willy-nilly as each new unpatchedsecurityhole is revealed could cause more problems than it's worth. What areyou going to do when your replacement browser itself turns out tocontain a vulnerability? My advice is to only switch from Firefox ifyou really know what youare doing with the browser you're swapping to. If you stick withFirefox, apply the security update as soon as it's available."
In other words, it looks like Opera or Camino are your only optionsuntil this whole thing blows over. Or who know, maybe those aren't sosafe either. Feels like a horror movie...
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Nintendo Announces 3D Version Of DS Handheld: No Glasses Required
Oh, boy. 3D really might be taking over the world. In all honesty, wewon't believe that until Google announces a 3D version of their searchengine, but believe us, it's probably already in the works. Just whenyou thought there couldn't possibly be another 3D announcement on thehorizon, Nintendo (of all companies!) comes out and hits the world inthe face with this one: a 3D version of the popular DS portable gaminghandheld.As you may expect, Nintendo will be calling the system the 3DS, whichjust happens to work out really well for them. But what's interestingisn't that a company who broke new ground by introducing the world tomotion gaming (with the Wii remote), but how it'll be done. The new 3Dhandheld won't require the same 3D glasses that the vast majority ofconsumer 3D systems do today. According to reports, it will "allowusers to play three-dimensional (3D) games without using specialglasses."
Also wild is that the console will be able to "play titles created forprevious DS models and will belaunched in the financial year starting in April." This isn't the firstwe've heard of 3D in the gaming world; Sony already acknowledged that3D games would be coming to the PlayStation 3, but bringing 3D to ahandheld is definitely a first. Other third-party companies havecreated "skins" that give a faux 3D impression on existing devices, butthis marks the first time a major console maker has went out and donethings on their own.
Unfortunately, details about the 3DS are still scarce. We're hearingthat more details will be available in June at the annual E3 expo inCalifornia, but we suspect it will use the same larger screens that arefound in the recently release DSi XL. We also hope that whatevertechnology Nintendo will be using to deliver 3D without glasses canalso be used on HDTVs. We think 3D as a whole would take off far fasterif no one had to sit around donning those.
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MSI Puts the Chill on Select ATI 5800 Series Graphics Cards
MSI today announced the launch of its R5870 and R5850 videocards in Twin Frozr II trim. What does that mean? Superior cooling performance, according to MSI, who claims that its specially cooled cards run up to 12C lower than ATI's reference cooling assembly.In order to lower temps by double digits, the Twin Frozr II cooler comes constructed with a pair of "super big" 8cm PWM fans. Combined with dual 8mm "SuperPipe Technology" and "super-dense" fins (do we detect a theme?), MSI says its Twin Frozr II cards remove more heat while simultaneously running quieter than stock cooled cards.
It's not all about the cooling, either. MSI says its Twin Frozr II series come equipped with "military class components," which includes Hi-c capacitors the company says last 8 times longer than regular caps and reduces the high frequency noise that comes from overclocking or high loads. Dare we say that sounds (wait for it...) super?
No word yet on price or availability.
MSI Launches R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II Graphics Card[Taipei, Taiwan] MSI, the world-leading manufacturer of mainboards and graphics cards, today launched the R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II, the latest in the Twin Frozr series of graphics display adaptors designed for outstanding cooling performance that have won praise from the media. In addition to the latest technologies such as ATI Stream, Eyefinity and DX11, which are supported by the standard ATI Radeon HD5870 and HD5850 GPUs, the new models have also inherited MSI's technical excellence in thermal design. Not only are R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II equipped with military class components where it matters the most, the new models have also adopted a powerful cooling device designed for Twin Frozr II – dual 8-cm PWM fans and dual 8-mm SuperPipe technology for an even more outstanding thermal design, all the while maintaining low-noise performance during operation. These are products that should not be missed by consumers who value both performance and silence.
Super big 8-cm Dual Fans with PWM and Dual 8-mm SuperPipe Technology
Compared with ordinary single-fan designs, the all-new MSI R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II has adopted the huge 8-cm PWM fans to double the airflow during operation. It can also remove the generated heat more quickly while reducing the operational noise with its auto-load speed detection capability. In addition, Twin Frozr II's special super-dense fin and dual 8-mm SuperPipe technology are able to accelerate heat dispersion and to maintain the stability of the system. Therefore in an actual full-speed test, they can lower the temperature by up to 12°C more than reference products available on the market!
Military Class Components Super-long Lifetime Capacitor and Noiseless Inductors
In addition to the unique thermal design, the MSI R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II have adopted ultra-high quality military class components, including Hi-c CAP capacitors, and boasts an 8 times lifespan that of solid-state capacitors. It also effectively reduces the high-frequency noise due to overclocking or high-load operation. The Solid State Choke design that the models are equipped with and the Solid CAP capacitors with 10-year working life are able to effectively reduce crashes or delays due to overheating of the hardware in long-term operation, providing an excellent and stable system performance.
Exclusive Afterburner Overclocking Software Supports GPU Voltage Adjustment and Advanced Fan Speed Adjustment Design
As for software, the MSI R5870/R5850 Twin Frozr II also supports MSI Afterburner overclocking software, which is designed specifically for advanced power users. It supports the over voltage function of GPU and has a superior overclocking performance, bringing a more convenient overclocking experience to overclockers. The advanced fan speed control feature can be customized. The fan's speed can be adjusted in real time according to the core temperature, thus effectively reducing the heat and noise generated by high-frequency operation.
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Dell Alienware Area-51 Core i7-980 X Infused Gaming PC
When you think about the market for a pre-built, proverbial "Killer Gaming Rig," you have to consider the class of consumer that would have interest in this type of system. For the most part, the average do-it-yourselfer isn't going to take much interest here, save for perhaps the appreciation of all the bleeding-edge technology and design quality that is the hallmark of such a system. That said, there is obviously a significant market opportunity for consumers that want top-of-the line components and build quality for enthusiast-class gaming performance and head-turning aesthetics, without the hassle of going at it the home-grown way. Dell obviously saw this market opportunity when they snatched up the then not-so boutique system builder Alienware, back in March of 2006.
Dell recently afforded their Alienware division the inside track on Intel's benchmark crushing Core i7-980X Gulftown 6-core processor and the resources to get it validated for delivery to market quickly. We've had the new Dell Alienware Area-51 in for testing for a week now and have spent some quality time with the machine, helping it break its first sweat, globally we might add...
Dell Alienware Area-51 Core i7-980X Infused Gaming PC
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Imation Introduces New High-Capacity Magnetic Tape
Imation has become the first company to break the 1TB barrier in magnetic tape storage with a new LTO Ultrium Generation 5 tape cartridge capable of storing 1.5TB of uncompressed data or up to 3TB if compressed. Imation has been at the forefront of tape storage research for about a decade; the US National Institute of Standards and Technology gave the company $11.9 million back in 2002 to drive data capacity."Imation is pleased to be one of the first to provide customers the advantages of next-generation LTO 5 tape cartridges. Magnetic tape remains the most cost-efficient way for businesses to address storage and compliance requirements, whether for long-term data archive or regular backup of active data, given tape’s energy savings and cost-per-gigabyte advantages over other methods," said Subodh Kulkarni, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Imation’s global commercial business.
I'd really hate to see the Walkman.
We know what you're thinking. Tape, after all, isn't sexy or fun and the idea of storing data on it comes off as antiquated. It's a relic from old sci-fi and the film projector lessons we all had to sit through in science class. That collective perception is false; tape storage plays an important role in modern backup solutions.
There are several advantages of tape that hard drives can't match. Unlike hard drives, tapes can be pulled out of a system and stacked on a shelf or transferred off-site to a secure location. Since they don't need to be kept spinning in order to preserve data, they end up drawing much less power over time than even the greenest HDD. Hard drives are typically touted as cheaper than magnetic tape, but the cost difference here is smaller than you think once you figure in the need to preserve data via RAID array.
In short, the stuff works and it fills a unique niche in the market that neither HDDs nor SSDs can match. Plus, watching the giant reels spin around was always kind of cool.
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True Multi-Core Optimization May Require Windows Rework
A key Microsoft kernel architect, David Probert, has come out with a surprising statement regarding Windows' ability to harness multiple cores. While Windows has taken advantage of multicore technology for over a decade, Probert notes that users rarely see the performance that they should. "Why should you ever, with all this parallel hardware, ever be waiting for your computer?" Probert asked in a presentation last week at the Universal Parallel Computing Research Center in Champaign-Urbana.Each successive OS release from Microsoft has improved multicore scaling but bottlenecks regularly occur as multiple applications jockey for position. Priority scheduling helps a certain amount, but it's not transparent to the end user or guaranteed to improve performance. One of the reasons for poor multicore performance is that the operating system doesn't understand which programs the user wants prioritized (and which he doesn't). If the OS is busy running a virus scan while the user is busy opening documents or copying files, system responsiveness drops like a rock no matter how many cores you have.
Coming soon to a desktop near you!
We've known since Day 1 of the multicore era that parallel programming was much more difficult than conventional single-core coding. The general assumption back then was that new compilers and methodologies would appear and solve the problem in a few years. Five years later, the situation is generally better, but no one has discovered a magic key that unlocks parallel scalability. Part of the problem here is that while we may be five years into the multicore era, programmers are still searching for ways to extract greater parallelism from software with its roots in serial execution. Instead of continuing to hammer a square peg into a round hole, Probert suggests another sort of solution.
Probert argues that the best way to solve the problem is to build a new OS from the ground up using a different set of assumptions. If the OS 'knew' it had multiple cores at its disposal by default, programs could be assigned to specific processors and the OS would no longer have to juggle the various cores to ensure individual programs were being handled properly. This switching takes time; in some cases it's currently more efficient to keep code executing on a single CPU core rather than spin it off to another.
Unfortunately, we aren't going to see an OS built like this anytime soon. Probert views don't reflect any work going on at Microsoft and his ideas aren't universally accepted across the Windows architecture team. It's also difficult to model his theory; modern OS's by their very definition don't include the necessary capabilities to do so. Part of what makes Probert's ideas intriguing is that CPU core counts are growing much faster than consumer software that can take advantage of them. Quad-core desktops are available at Dell and HP for under $500; AMD has enthusiast six-core processors on the way. Intel does technically have a six-core chip of its own, but the price tag puts it out of reach for all but the most enthusiastic (and loaded) buyers. It may not happen for another few years, but sooner or later octal-core processors are going to show up in regular desktops. Based on what we've seen the past few years it may take a radically different approach to programming to effectively harness that much parallel hardware on a day-to-day basis.
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Mobo To The Max: Asus Launches Its Rampage III Extreme
Asus has another addition for its Rampage line of high-end motherboards. This time around it's the Rampage III Extreme, otherwise known as the Rampage III "All That + Back Of Chips." It's not as if the company's Rampage II Extreme was exactly lacking in features, but here we have the Rampage III with a few goodies the Rampage II didn't carry.Specifically, the Rampage III carries four PCIe 2.0 slots (configurable in combinations of x16/x16 down to four x8 lanes), a total of nine SATA ports, two of which are 6G-compatible, eight fan headers, two USB 3.0 ports, and it comes with full versions of 3DMark Vantage and Kaspersky antivirus. That's one more PCIe slot, two more SATA ports, and two USB 3.0 ports more than the Rampage II. Oddly, the Rampage III has just one ethernet port while the Rampage II has two. Personally I'd trade the rear FireWire for an additional RJ-45, but that's just me.
The Rampage II has been out for awhile, but it still sells for $349. Asus probably won't pull the Rampage II right away, at least not without taking a shot at positioning the Rampage III as a $399 ultra-super-premium-mega-board. That price is a guess, but version 3.0 packs enough new features over and above 'II that it might be worth a shot.
One thing to keep in mind is that the USB 3.0 and SATA 6G slots are powered by first-gen controllers from NEC and Marvell (D720200 and the 88SE9123 respectfully). In both cases, the two ports available for each interconnect share a host controller; attempting to use a pair of USB 3.0 devices (or dual SATA 6G drives) will result in a performance hit as the controller juggles both lanes. The other issue is bandwidth. Again, both controllers connect to the motherboard via a PCIe x1 Gen 2 electrical link that limits maximum theoretical bandwidth (discounting overhead) to 400MB/s.
These limitations are common in first-generation parts, and most users probably won't notice—50 percent of USB3 theoretical performance is still 5x faster than USB2. Still, if you're the type of reader who can drop $400 on a motherboard, you're probably also the type of person who could drop serious cash for high-end storage solutions.Â
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SanDisk Soars To New Heights With 32GB MicroSDHC Card
MicroSDHC. It's a card within the popular Secure Digital family, butit's one you don't hear about very often. It's extremely small, smallerthan a thumbnail, and they're generally quite expensive and only usefulfor cellphone owners. You see, most MicroSDHC card slots are found onmobile phones, where a small card is needed to boost storage capacityon a small device. Up until now, 16GB was the maximum size, and eventhose cost well over $100 at launch.SanDisk is utilizing a newer 32nm X3 process technology in order tocram more memory than ever into the same MicroSDHC card format. The newceiling sits at 32GB, a whopping amount that should satisfy all but themost avid of media collectors. This basically means that you can soonstore up to 32GB of music, videos and images onto phones that supportMicroSDHC (or any other MicroSDHC-supporting device, for that matter).
The card will be available starting today from SanDisk's website, withworldwide retail availability to follow next month. The new card comeswith a 5 year limited warranty and carries a retail price of $199.99.We never said getting such a crazy amount of storage onto a flash cardno bigger than your thumbnail would be inexpensive, but at least it's apossibility today. Couldn't say that with a straight face yesterday!
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Samsung Modus Bluetooth Headset Doubles As Wireless Stereo Earbud Setup
Why the sudden surge in Bluetooth headsets? Probably because America'slargest cellphone trade show is going on in Las Vegas. CTIA has alreadydelivered a snazzy new piece from BlueAnt, and Samsung Mobile isfollowing that up with the introduction of the Modus. Also known as theHM3500, this "convertible-style" headset boasts dual microphone andnoise cancelling technology that converts to a Stereo Bluetooth headsetfor an enhanced mobile experience.It's still not discrete enough for our liking, but if you don't careabout looks, the features here are actually pretty nice. Backgroundnoise is all but an afterthought, and it even offers multipointtechnology that allows seamless connectivity between twoBluetooth-enabled audio-streaming devices, including mobile phones,computers and MP3 players. If you happen to be listening wirelessly tomusic when a call comes in, the headset will automatically lower thevolume while alerting you to the incoming call; once you're donetalking, the music will resume.
Another nifty feature is the ability to be worn as-is, or it can beconverted into a Bluetooth stereo headset when connected to theincluded stereo ear bud headset. Since battery life on these is alwaysa make-it-or-break-it point, this one has 6 hours of talk time or 200hours on standby; plenty for all but the heaviest of users. It willcharge via micro-USB, and it will probably be out soon. We say"probably" because the company has yet to make the release date andprice official public knowledge.
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Anyone who actually has used, redesigned Wacom Cintiq21 2010?
"Serious replies only please?"
I have the Cintiqu21UX and I love it!
I was wondering if anyone has used the newly redesigned second generation Cintiq 21UX?
Does the new 2048 pressure levels make a big difference. Also, have you found that the new hot button/strip layout really necessary?
I find that I only use the touch strips and the top three buttons on either side, in painter and photoshop. Also does the low power aspect of it keep the bottom of the screen cooler than the current one?
Maybe HH can post a review on the forums for everyone?
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question to all about videocards
question to all about videocards your thoughts on nvidia, ati. i currently run AMD cpu but have always wondered about changing to a ati card. what do you guys think. i;m asking for help tech wise not here to start a war between companys. so please express your true thoughts and why!!!
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Windows 7 Drops XP Hardware Virtualization Requirement
One of the tools Microsoft developed to aid companies in transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 7 was a free virtualized copy of Windows XP. Once downloaded and installed, users with XP-specific applications could run them seamlessly alongside Windows 7. Inventing such a practical, useful tool apparently frightened someone at Microsoft and XP Mode was hamstrung with a requirement that crippled its usefulness. In order to use Microsoft's free virtual OS, the CPU in question had to support hardware virtualization.
Both AMD and Intel support hardware virtualization (AMD-V and VT-x respectively), but AMD restricted the technology much less than Intel did. Intel opted to use VT-x as a premium feature, which led to spotty coverage and occasional customer confusion. At one point, Intel had a line of 45nm quad-core processors that were running cheaper (and faster) than the older 65nm Core 2 Quad 6600. The difference between the two was VT-x, the Q6600 supported it, the other chips didn't.
Happily, this is no longer an issue. Microsoft has removed the hardware virtualization requirement for Windows XP, making it available to businesses and consumers who may have previously been unable to utilize it. The updated version is available here; there's no word yet on any performance differences between hardware and software virtualization.
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Safe Driving Systems Eliminates Danger Of Texting While Driving
We've all heard about the dangers of texting while driving. Study after study has shown the dangers and many organizations and states have responded with attempts to ban drivers from using their phones to send messages while behind the wheel. At the CTIA Wireless 2010 show, Safe Driving Systems plans to show off a new way to prevent texting while driving called Key2SafeDriving.Key2SafeDriving is a combination of handset software and a "plug-and-forget Activator" that is installed in your car. Key2SafeDriving activates when the car starts. It puts your phone into Safe Driving Mode and disables the phone's ability to send or receive calls or text messages. Incoming calls are sent directly to voicemail and an automatic reply is sent to all text messages that indicate the recipient is driving and will respond later. For safety purposes, emergency calling functionality is always enabled, even when the phone is in Safe Driving Mode. This allows a user to place emergency 911 and other predetermined phone calls.
“Our number one goal is to help save lives by empowering parents, business owners and fleet managers with tools to eliminate mobile phones as a driving distraction and giving them peace-of-mind when their teenagers and employees are behind the wheel,†said Mike Fahnert, Safe Driving Systems CEO.
Key2SafeDriving also monitors and reports mobile phone activity that occurs while driving. Should a person attempt to send a text message or make a call when in Safe Driving Mode, the administrator can receive a text message to let them know his son or employee is attempting to break the rules.
Key2SafeDriving is available for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian phones. The company plans to release versions for other operating systems in the future. Key2SafeDriving is available for $99.95 with no annual subscription fees directly from Safe Driving Systems at http://safedrivingsystems.com/purchase.
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Motorola Combines Brain With Brawn: iDEN-Capable, Android-Powered Motorola i1
As a great song says, don't call it a comeback, they've been here foryears. Motorola has become a fixture in the mobile phone industry, withthe RAZR turning the industry into one that made the cellphone not justa tool, but a must-have accessory. The company slipped a bit over thepast few years, but since the launch of the CLIQ, DROID and Backflip,it's safe to say that Moto is definitely BCK.With CTIA kicking off this week, it's no surprise to see yet anotherMotorola phone on deck. The company has teamed with Sprint, one of thefew carriers out there who still support "the chirp," in order toreveal the world's first push-to-talk Android-powered smartphone, thei1. This is one of the most, if not the most, unique Android phone wehave ever seen. It looks a lot like a standard touch screen-heavy phoneat first, but it's actually super rugged underneath. It combinesmilitary-grade toughness with Android's sleek and savvy UI, givingusers who need PTT an option outside of those silly looking clamshellsthat have long since gone out of style.
This iDEN smartphone has a 3.1" HVGA touch screen, Wi-Fi, Opera Mini 5browser, a 5MP camera, support for Nextel Direct Connect, a microSDcard slot, support for Flash 8 and Android OS. Sprint plans to startoffering the phone this summer, but pricing has not yet been announced.Brawn and brains? This is it.
Must-have Features and Nextel Direct Connect
With solid body construction that meets military specifications for protection against dust, shock, vibration and blowing rain1,Motorola i1 is designed for those who work and play hard. Itautomatically syncs and integrates office and personal information suchas emails, calendar appointments and contacts. Key features include:
- Popularbusiness tools such as Microsoft Document Viewer and corporate syncensure Word or PowerPoint files can be accessed on the go. Â
- Message entry is a breeze with both Android standard virtual keyboard and Swypeâ„¢ virtual keyboards being offered. Â
- A5 megapixel camera with flash, geo-tagging and panoramic capabilitiesprovides crisp photos and clearly displays them on the vibrant 3.1-inchHVGA screen. Video can also be recorded and stored on a providedmicroSD for sharing or future viewing straight from the device.
- Thelatest Opera Mini 5 browser enables quick browsing over the NextelNational Network and Wi-Fi. The Android browser allows you to see webpages and Flash 8-enabled sites in full view using Wi-Fi.
- Motorola i1 can be continuously customized with thousands of applications from Android Marketâ„¢.
Application development information for Motorola i1 is available on the Sprint Application Developer web site at www.sprint.com/developer.Sprint offers developers a free sandbox with iDEN capabilities to testtheir apps. Sprint is a charter member of the Open Handset Allianceâ„¢and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing toolsfor third-party developers since Sprint first launched the Wireless Webon its phones in 2001.
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USB 3.0 and SATA 6G Performance Preview
Just the other day, we gave you a sneak peek at a couple of motherboards Asus had coming down the pipeline that featured USB 3.0 and SATA 6G support, the P7P55D-E Premium and the P6X58D Premium. If you haven't seen the original post, be sure to check it out here. In it, we talk about the boards' PLX PCI Express Gen 2 switch implementation and how it connects to the NEC USB 3.0 and Marvell SATA 6G controller chips.
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P7P55D-E Premium and P6X58D Premium with USB 3.0 and SATA 6G
It turns out that one of the boards we showed you, the P55-Express based P7P55D-E Premium is very close to hitting the market. In fact, we already have on in house were able to run a few quick tests on it. In addition to the motherboard, we got our hands on an external USB 3.0 hard drive and one of Seagate's new 2TB SATA 6G hard drives.
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USB 2.0 vs. USB 3.0 Hard Drive Performance
First up, we thought we'd show you what kind of impact USB 3.0 has on performance. The two images above show ATTO Disk Benchmark runs with the USB 3.0 hard drive connected to the P7P55D-E Premium. The test on the left was run with the drive connected to a USB 2.0 port, the one of the right with it connected to a USB 3.0 port. Be sure to click on the images to pop larger versions because the graphs look to have a similar trends. You'll see that when connected to a USB 3.0 port, the drive was about 5 - 6x faster. Although these are just quick, preliminary tests, it appears that USB 3.0 will be an absolute must for users in need of fast, cheap external storage as it becomes more prevalent.
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SATA 3G vs. SATA 6G Hard Drive Performance
Next up, we have some benchmarks using the Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6G drive. The ATTO and HD Tach tests on the left were conducted with the drive connected to a common SATA 3G port, the tests on the right were conducted with it connected to the Marvell SATA 6G controller present on the P7P55D-E Premium. Save for one part of the HD Tach testing, there isn't much of a performance difference here. Due to an aggressive cache algorithm that utilizes a portion of system memory with the Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6G connected to the Marvell SATA 6G controller on the P7P55D-E Premium, it offers a burst rate that is off the charts in HD Tach. In the remaining portions of the HD Tach test though, performance remains largely unchanged. According to ATTO, there are some slight performance benefits to be had by connecting the drive to the SATA 6G controller, but the deltas were quite small--somewhere in the neighborhood of 5MB/s.
As it stands today, it's obvious that its going to take something much faster than a current-gen, spinning-platter hard disk to tax a SATA 6G connection. Perhaps next-gen products and future SSDs will show a larger benefit.
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