IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 30/04/2012

NVIDIA unveils the GEFORCE GTX 690, dual-GPU Kepler heaven is nearly here
We've all been salivating at the mouth for it, well, maybe not you, but I sure have. What are we salivating for? NVIDIA's answer to the question "who is your Daddy?" Well, their answer? The GEFORCE GTX 690.

Kepler has had an interesting launch, where NVIDIA just dumped the GTX 680 onto the market and pretty much said "have at it, everyone" and it was a great contender to the already fast Radeon HD 7970. But how good does the dual-Kepler GTX 690 need to be? Usually we get two decent cards with built-in SLI, but NVIDIA have opted for dual GTX 680s for the GTX 690.

This time round, we get two fully enabled GK104 cores bursting at the proverbial seams. NVIDIA are also setting some high targets on performance per watt, where NVIDIA are able to leverage the GK104's cores onto a single GPU without having to worry about it requiring super-cooling, or sucking down serious power. The GEFORCE GTX 690 also has something else high-end up its sleeve, it's price. It will launch at $999, but did you really expect this beast to be cheap? Didn't think so.

NVIDIA chose their GeForce LAN event in Shanghai, China to unveil their latest and greatest, and what a great event to do so.

Ok, enough GPU foreplay, lets get right down to business. Let's strip the card down and see what specs we can find inside, shall we? The GTX 690 houses two GK104 cores (found in the GTX 680) which sport 1536 CUDA cores each, as well as 128 Texture Units, 32 ROPs, which gives us a total of 3072 Cores, 256 TMUs and 64 ROPs.

Of course, with two GK104 GPUs on the GTX 690, there has to be some kind of drawback, right? Correct. This draw back comes in the form of clock speed drops. The GTX 680 sports 1006MHz Base Clock backed up by a 1058MHz Boost clock, but the GTX 690 features a drop of 915MHz Base, and 1019MHz Boost. Not bad, but a tiny bit of a drop.

This should give us performance pretty close to SLI GTX 680s, and that is pretty amazing in itself. Memory-wise, the GTX 690 is identical to its single-GPU brother where it sports 2GB of GDDR5 memory running at 6Gbps and uses a 256-bit interface. The GTX 690 also supports quad SLI which means you can slot in another GTX 690 if you've got the money and run 4 GPUs altogether. Hell. Yes.

Because of the slightly ramped down clock speeds, NVIDIA were able to reduce the overall power envelope of the GEFORCE GTX 690. Usually we see 375W-plus on dual-GPU cards, but the GTX 690 only requires 300W. This is a tribute to the kick ass Kepler architecture compared to the hot-as-hell, hungry-as-hell Fermi architecture.

The design of the GPU is also amazing, it's not just specs that NVIDIA gave the polish to. The heatsink shroud is fabricated from cast aluminum and injection molded magnesium alloy which is not only a great heat conductor, but asks as a noise insulator to reduce the fans noise. The fan itself is a high-end beating design and its airflow is directed specifically to optimize cooling efficiency, all while minimizing noise causing restrictions.

Speaking of power, the GTX 690 uses a decent 10-phase all-digital PWM design for the cores themselves whilst the memory will most likely use its own dedicated distribution grid. It all comes down to two 8-pin PCI-e connectors, which should give the GTX 690 a very nice overclocking ability. Not long until we get these cards in our hands, and you'll hear all about them when that happens.

How long until we have to wait for the real deal? Oh, well, just May 3. Ya know, a few days away from now!

Support Huntington's Disease research and enter a raffle for a custom computer
Today has been a 'Friday Feel Good Day.' As reported earlier, TigerDirect teamed up with a Corsair and EVGA to make that computer that is being auctioned off on eBay. It's not the only charity build that's currently going on. Custom Case Modder Will Lyon has built a cool "Arctic Cat" themed case that he is now selling raffle tickets for. The proceeds from the raffle ticket sales go to support Huntington's Disease.

As originally posted by Will Lyon:

Help support a great cause and get a chance to win this custom rig built buy me. This rig includes lots of time and parts graciously donated by many great people and great companies! Huntington's Disease is a (currently) incurable and debilitating genetic disorder. You can help the HDSA to further their research and try to find a treatment or cure for this horrible disease. I personally am also giving away myr Arctic Cat computer to one lucky person who donates! All donations received will go go to the Huntington's Disease Society of America. The funds will enable the HDSA to continue their ongoing efforts to find a treatment or even a cure for Huntington's Disease. Just like with any other disease-related research they need all the help they can get! Me wife's best friend's mother died from Huntington's so the donations will be made to the HDSA in her name.

The hardware is not quite as top notch as the TigerDirect build, but this only costs a minimum of $10 to get an entry to the raffle. Portions of the build were supported by donations from NZXT, Thermaltake, Crucial, PCBoard.ca, Primo Customs, Auto Air Colors, and Airbrushingtips.net. The hardware is as follows:

NZXT Phantom Case
NZXT White 24-Pin, 8-Pin and 6-Pin sleeved extensions
Thermaltake TR2 RX 1000W PSU
Crucial 4GB DDR3-1333 Ballistic Tracer Green
Intel Core i3-2100 3.1 GHz (1155)
MSI H61M-E33 (B3)
XFX HD-585x-ZAFC 1GB Radeon 5850
Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (installed and fully updated)
NEW! NZXT FZ fan setup. Set includes: 1x 140mm green LED in front intake, 1x 120mm non LED in rear exhaust and 2x 120mm green LED in side panel intake!

The rules are:

1. Limited to U.S. residents only due to shipping restrictions
2. Minimum donation amount is $10.00
3. Donators receive entries based on their donation amount, where $10 = 1 entry, $50 = 6 entries, $100 = 13 entries.
4. Donations will be collected until June 30th, 2012 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
5. Donations can only be made via the PayPal widget on the Computers And Circuits donations page (link)
6. Prize includes one (1) custom built and painted Arctic Cat themed computer built by me, one (1) Arctic Cat 50th Anniversary mouse pad and one (1) TBCS T-shirt.
7. No other peripherals are included (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc.)
8. A winner will be picked via random.org and announced on ComptuersAndCircuits.com, Computers And Circuits Facebook page and notified by email.
9. The winner will have 48 hours to respond with their shipping information.
If the chosen winner does not respond within 48 hours their winning will be forfeited and a new entry will be chosen.
10. Odds of winning depend on total number of entries received.

Questions can be directed to Will Lyon at will.lyon(at)computersandcircuits.com. Donations will be accepted until June 30, 2012 at 11:59PM Eastern Time. This raffle is not affiliated with TweakTown, but is for a good cause! More pictures are available in Will Lyon's original post here.

HP is working on x86 Windows 8 tablet, rough render exposed
There are a few sources where Windows 8 news comes from: Microsoft and the companies who make devices that run Windows. This time the news comes from a "trusted source" who told Neowin about an upcoming x86 Windows 8 tablet that HP is building. It will be thinner than the iPad and have 8-10 hours of battery life.

The new slate will have a 10.1-inch screen and be called the Slate 8. As far as the name, I think that it could catch due to it having a catchy rhyme. Since the device is targeted for businesses, it will not be ARM-based. This leaves one option: x86. The slide seen above is a bit rough around the edges, but the source is sure that this is a working spec list and the picture is an early mock-up.

With Windows 8 coming, many tablets are expected to hit the market around the launch, or shortly after. HP, after the TouchPad fiasco, will sure to be a front-runner in the market. If HP holds to the spec list above, then they should have a strong competitor to the iPad as long as they price it competitively.

IT engineers ponder fix to dangerous Internet routing problem
While it's great that the internet is an open, widely available network, this openness yields some security flaws. Most have been dealt with by encryption and other security measures, but one gaping hole remains unfixed. This major hole can cause massive, widespread outages or allow your data to be snooped on.

The problem resides in the routers used by every corporation or company who owns a block of IPs. These routers are constantly communicating with other routers in order to update internal information. This internal information, some 400,000 entries, contains the best routes to get to other networks using a protocol called Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

According to InfoWorld, "BGP enables routers to find the best path when, say, a network used to retrieve a web page from South Korea is not working properly. Changes in that routing information are distributed quickly to routers around the world in as few as five minutes."

The flaw resides in the fact that the routers do not verify the "announcements." So outages can occur because people accidentally put in incorrect information or typos or because someone maliciously enters the information. The latter can cause data to be routed through someone's network where it can be sniffed and snooped upon.

"The broader problem here is that much of this critical infrastructure simply relies on players behaving correctly," said Dan Massey, an associate computer science professor at Colorado State University. "In a truly global system like the internet, you must assume that organizations will occasionally make unintentional mistakes."

InfoWorld gives a great explanation of the solution:

RPKI is complex, and deployment has been slow. Experts recently came up with an alternate system, nicknamed Rover for Route Origin Verification, that may be easier.
Rover stores the legitimate route information within the DNS, the enormous distributed database that translates a domain name into an IP address that can be called into a browser. That route information can be signed with DNSSEC, the security protocol that allows DNS records to be cryptographically signed, which is being widely adopted.

The advantages with Rover are that no changes need to be made to existing routers, and it can work alongside RPKI. "The whole infrastructure of securing the answer [of whether the route is legitimate] already exists," said Gersch, who has authored two specifications for how to name a route and the type of record that could be inserted into the DNS.

The specifications are currently in "internet daft" status before the Internet Engineering Task Force. The next step to becoming a standard is for a working group to adopt the documents, Gersch said.

Corsair sets to raise $78 million with an IPO, wants shares at $13
A regulatory filing Thursday shows that Fremont-based Corsair Components looks to raise $78 million dollars with an initial public offering (IPO). The company is looking to sell shares at $13 a share, with a range of $12 to $14. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that the company intends to share 6 million shares during its IPO.

This SEC filing marks the first time that Corsair has specified a potential selling price for its shares. This has been a long time coming. Two years ago is when Corsair originally filed to become publicly traded. Its initial IPO filing in April 2010, Corsair estimated it would seek to raise $86 million.

According to the Mercury News:

During 2011, Corsair earned $19.4 million on sales of $455.2 million. In 2010, the company lost $10.2 million on sale. Compared to the year before, sales in 2011 jumped 20 percent. For the quarter that ended in March, Corsair earned $3.1 million on sales of $132.5 million. Compared to the year-ago quarter, profits fell 37 percent, while sales rose 23 percent, the company's SEC filing showed.

No date has been specified for when they would begin selling shares.

The Avengers (2012) Cinema Review

This is it. This is the film that comic book fans have been waiting to see for decades. Is it perfect? No. Is the franchise done justice? Yes. Will the fans go rabid? Hell yes - and rightly so. This is their moment. But it's accessible enough that we can share it with them.

The continued success of comic book adaptations post X-Men in 1999 led Marvel to plan a roadmap to slowly introduce their core characters through standalone films, leading up to the all star The Avengers fighting together (and sometimes against each other).

The plan started in 2008 with the surprise success of Iron Man, whose post credits coda gave fans the first tantalizing mention of 'The Avengers Initiative'. Flush with confidence (and importantly, cash) Marvel continued its plan with The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, last year's Thor and Captain America - each time ramping up a promise of The Avengers.

Following directly from the events of Thor, the villainous Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has found his way to Earth in order to capture the Tessaract - a small cube containing immense energy. In collusion with the alien race the Chitauri, Loki plans on enslaving the human race and ruling Earth. SHIELD director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles the world's pre-eminent superheroes to fight back - with some help from Loki's brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth). But a clash of egos and a distrust of SHIELDs motives threaten to derail the entire operation, just as the world needs them the most.

Despite the danger apparent with having so many main characters and villains, it is a true surprise that each of the main characters are given ample time to shine. Whilst some have criticized a lack of screen time given to the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and emphasis on Captain America (Chris Evans), I feel that the balance is just about as perfect as it can be.

Under the safe hands of the revered writer/director Joss Whedon, the action is kept flowing, but whilst retaining the interest of the audience in a manner that recent blockbusters such as Battleship just could not sustain. The film features numerous action set pieces, culminating in a prolonged and spectacular final battle which truly delivers. It goes without saying that the visual effects sequences are truly awesome.

The leads are all allowed time to explore their characters a little deeper and the interaction between the heroes is fascinating and at times hilarious. Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man character is given particular free reign and the film is stronger because of it.

It would be remiss if I didn't mention the 3D version, which I believe to be the ultimate way to experience The Avengers. The effect is almost always spectacular and truly helps envelop the viewer into the film. Unlike so many other 3D films where I removed the glasses temporarily to see how much stereo convergence there actually is, almost every frame has some great effects. Now, this is where it gets awkward. I've long bemoaned 3D post conversions, but The Avengers got it right. I almost can't believe it, but not one shot in the film was filmed in native 3D - I sure as hell had no idea.

The Avengers isn't perfect, and what it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in spectacle, but I have no shame in highly recommending the film as the most fun I've had in a cinema in a long while. Marvel has taken a huge gamble betting almost their entire stable of popular characters in a once in a generation cinema event, but it has paid off spectacularly. I dare say that the money rolling in would tend to agree.

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UEFA Euro 2012 PlayStation 3 Review

Every two years EA sports ships two football games in the one year (or in the case of the past twelve months, three if you include FIFA Street). It's either the World Cup Game or Euro game and it generally gives a sneak peek into what EA is working on for the next iteration of the formidable FIFA. So it seemed inevitable that EA would release a Euro game, but what has come as a surprise is the method of distribution. Rather than going down the retail path, EA has decided to release this as downloadable content for FIFA 12. It's something that many people have said EA should have done long ago with many of its sports franchises, to save costs and consumer angst. However this experiment hasn't completely gone to plan.

Once installed, Euro 2012 becomes a new option in the FIFA 12 main menu and when selected kicks off what looks to be an entirely different game. The game includes the modes you would expect such as the official tournament, an exhibition mode and playing multiplayer. However one of the more easy arguments against Euro and World Cup games in the past has been their limited replay value and longevity. EA has countered this with a brand new mode known as Expedition.

In one of the more intriguing additions to the FIFA world for quite some time, you begin with a custom team in Expedition mode made up of reserve players from numerous nations in the European zone. You do get to pick a captain who is generally a top player, but from there you need to beat the European teams to build your squad. As you beat teams, you can build 'roads' between nations to take new teams on and also you can take their players to better your team. There is 53 teams included to take on which obviously extends the games life significantly.

Aside from Expedition the main mode is obviously the tournament itself. The official squads and stadiums are included as well as imagery. The entire front end of the game has been overhauled for Euro 2012 with both positive and negative results. For some reason EA has made some quirky changes such as the fact you cannot see what injury a player has incurred when they get hurt. Instead just a band aid appears. And really aside from the trophy and tournament, you could build this tournament very easily in FIFA 12 and be happy with that. The only difference is the official teams and kits are included when licenced. The squads will be updated as the tournament approaches as well, with an English team update already available.

Being DLC has limited EA in what they can do to the game for example. As mentioned before, generally the World Cup game and Euro games have given an indication of what the focus is for the next FIFA. Not this time around, and it's a shame. Euro 2012 is more a total conversion of FIFA 12 rather than a brand new game and this leads us to wonder when playing, why we aren't just playing the sublime FIFA 12. We were strongly positive when EA announced it would be DLC, but we have to wonder if the limitations have been worth it.

There is a few other decisions made that seem puzzling. For example, not all 53 teams are officially licenced. The powerhouse teams are such as England and Germany, but other popular squads including Wales and the one of the co-hosts Ukraine are not and include fake names. It seems amazing that gaining the official licence didn't allow EA to access the official names and teams, but it appears not the case. This is in stark contrast to the World Cup game that arrives every four years. Also the game includes new commentators for the English audio and they sometimes mention leagues and points talking about long term ambitions. In the Euro finals there is no real league, it's a tournament and so this is very jarring to hear and obviously a carryover from previous games.

Aside from these changes the game feels a lot like FIFA 12. You have to have the FIFA 12 disc present to play the new DLC and we just can't help wondering when we play this DLC why we are not playing FIFA 12. There is not enough of a change this time around to leave FIFA 12 in the dust and focus on UEFA Euro 2012. It's a real shame that EA's first attempt of trying to provide updates via DLC instead of retail code has been a mixed success. Hopefully they keep attempting it, because this first one, is a failure. One for the true football fan only.

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Samsung's New Quad-Core Application Processor Drives Advanced Feature Sets in Smartphones and Tablets
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced the industry's first quad-core application processor built on the High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) low-power process technology. With unprecedented performance capabilities exceeding 1.4GHz based on the ARM® CORTEXTM A9 quad-core, the powerful, yet energy-efficient Exynos 4 Quad, allows system-level architects to integrate maximized power efficiencies into smartphones and tablets which enables double the processing power at a 20 percent lower power bill over its predecessor, the 45nm process-based Exynos 4 Dual.

"The quad-core processor offers phenomenal multitasking abilities surpassing any single or dual application processor. Since all the cores must share a single battery, the power management and efficiency in the limited battery capacity are indispensable for mobile computing devices," said Taehoon Kim, vice president of System LSI marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. "Given the diverse functionalities consumers are demanding from their mobile devices today, the Exynos 4 Quad meets those high-performance needs while keeping power consumption very low."

Multi-core processing delivers enhanced performance, enabling users to accomplish more tasks in a shorter period of time. For example, a task such as streaming video can run on one core while the other cores update applications in the background, connecting to the web and scanning virus-check simultaneously.

Benefitting from a use case where the parallel processing and workload sharing among the four cores is necessary, the Exynos 4 Quad is particularly well-suited for heavy-load applications such as 3D games, video editing, and calculation-intensive simulation.

Due to its 32nm HKMG low-power process and power-saving design, the Exynos 4 Quad has two times the processing capability over the 45nm process based Exynos 4 Dual while consuming 20-percent less power. To improve power efficiency, Samsung adopted hot-plug functionality to support on-off switching for each core as well as the per-core dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), which offers a dramatic reduction in power consumption by adapting different levels of voltage and frequency when changing workloads.

Having identical form factor measurements (12mm X 12mm X 1.37 mm), the Exynos 4 Quad is pin-to-pin compatible with the 32nm process based Exynos 4 Dual, allowing mobile device designers to immediately adopt the new solution without additional cost, engineering or design efforts.

In addition, the new processor incorporates a full HD 30 frame per second video hardware codec engine for high resolution 1080p video recording and play-back, an embedded image signal processor interface for high-quality camera functionality and an HDMI 1.4 interface for sharp and crisp multimedia content transmission.

Samsung developed a power management IC (PMIC), the S5M8767, as a companion chip to power the Exynos 4 Quad processor. By integrating various circuitry such as nine highly efficient and programmable buck converters and 28 low-dropout regulators (LDOs) into the small package of 5.0 mm x 5.0mm x 0.4mm, the S5M8767 is designed to scale up or down the dynamic voltage depending on the clock speed in 6.25mV step for managing power delivery and maximizing battery life at the system level.

Already in production, the Exynos 4 Quad is scheduled to be adopted first into Samsung's next Galaxy smartphone that will officially be announced in May. Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad is also sampling to other major handset makers.

"The application processor is a crucial element in providing our customers with a PC-like experience on mobile devices. Samsung's next Galaxy device, which will be officially announced soon, offers uncompromised performance and ground breaking multi-tasking features, thanks to Exynos 4 Quad's powerful performance and efficient energy management technology," said Hankil Yoon, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy Team, Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.

Last year, Samsung introduced a new online hub dedicated to its Exynos processor. Designed to facilitate easy communication with industry partners and end users, the new micro-site takes you a step closer to the ultimate experience Exynos delivers; product information, user experience and information on promotion events. More information can be found at http://www.samsung.com/exynos.

Seagate Technology Announces $2.5 Billion Share Repurchase
Seagate Technology plc today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to repurchase up to $2.5 billion of its outstanding ordinary shares (the "April 2012 Authorization"). Seagate, as a result of the April 2012 Authorization and other current repurchase authorizations, currently has a total authorized unutilized capacity for repurchases of approximately $3.5 billion under these authorizations.

"The repurchase authorization reflects the confidence that the Board and the executive management team have in Seagate's ability to generate cash, while still investing in innovation and growth opportunities," said Steve Luczo, CEO of Seagate. "Importantly, it supports and is consistent with our ongoing focus on returning value to our shareholders."

Seagate expects to fund the share repurchase through a combination of cash on hand, future cash flow from operations and potential alternative sources of financing. The shares will be redeemed in such amounts as management deems appropriate in light of prevailing market and economic conditions, alternative uses of capital, regulatory requirements and other factors. In implementing its repurchase program, the Company may utilize a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades, accelerated share repurchase transactions or by any combination of the foregoing. Purchases may be made on a case by case basis or on a non-discretionary basis in a manner designed to comply with the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All repurchases will be effected as redemptions in accordance with the Company's Articles of Association. The April 2012 Authorization does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of ordinary shares and may be suspended or discontinued at any time at the Company's discretion.

As the Company will effect repurchases under the April 2012 Authorization, as under the current authorizations, by way of redemption in accordance with its Articles of Association, the Company is not required to post such redemptions to the Company's website.

In connection with the April 2012 Authorization, the Company also announced that it has terminated its Anti-Dilution Share Repurchase Program, previously authorized by the Board on January 27, 2010 and publicly announced on February 1, 2010.

Announcing BitFenix Fans 4 Fans Contest
This week, BitFenix hit a new milestone, reaching the 5,000 fan count on Facebook! To celebrate this achievement and to say thank you to all our fans from around the world, BitFenix is pleased to announce the Fans 4 Fans Contest. From now until April 30th, users can go to the BitFenix Facebook page (http://facebook.bitfenix.com) and enter the contest by "liking" the page and filling out the sweepstakes entry form. At the end of the contest period, five lucky fans will win two high-performance Spectre Pro fans of their choice!

"We have the best fans in the world, and this contest is our way of showing our appreciation to all of their support. Best of luck to everyone!" says David Jarlestedt, BitFenix Product Manager.

Entering the contest is easy:

1. Go to the BitFenix Facebook Page (http://facebook.bitfenix.com) and click "Like"
2. Fill in the contest form (http://on.fb.me/IbKcVj)

Enter the sweepstakes by going to the BitFenix Facebook page: http://facebook.bitfenix.com

Full contest details can be found here: http://bit.ly/JpWIMc

For more information on BitFenix, visit: http://www.bitfenix.com.

ADATA Brings an Additional Player to Their NBA Flash Drive Line
ADATA Technology today announced the addition of New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin to its NBA Flash Drive line. Lin will join a line-up that includes products featuring Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant, Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire, Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant and Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard.

Officially licensed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), these NBA flash drives are a fusion of high-adrenaline sports and technological accessories. This new model utilizes a USB 2.0 interface and has increased the capacity to 8GB.

Waterproof up to a depth of one meter, the NBA Flash drives feature the team jersey which is easily removed to access the drive itself. The rugged rubber body is designed to take the knocks that come from mobile and athletic lifestyles and is also stain resistant allowing you to easily wipe off any dirt or marks.

ADATA's NBA Flash Drive Line comes with value-added software OstoGO and UFDtoGO, both available as a free download on ADATA's website.

Availability
The ADATA NBA Flash Drive Line is available now in the USA at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, NBAstore.com, Newegg.com and Walmart.com. It will be available in Canada soon.

Specifications

Capacity: 4/8GB
Dimensions: 2.2" x 1.4" x 0.4" (LxWxH)
Interface: USB 2.0, backward compatible with USB 1.1
System requirements:
Windows®: 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/VistaTM/ 7 or later
Mac®: OS 9.0 or later
LinuxTM: Kernal 2.4 or later
Texture: Waterproof and shock-resistant

For further product information, please check:
http://www.adata-group.com/index.php?action=product_feature&cid=1&piid=114

WD® Announces Fiscal Third Quarter Financial Results
Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today reported revenue of $3.0 billion, hard-drive unit shipments of 44.2 million and net income of $483 million, or $1.96 per share, on a GAAP basis for its third fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2012. On a non-GAAP basis, net income was $619 million, or $2.52 per share.(1) Both the GAAP and non-GAAP results include the results of the company's newly acquired HGST subsidiary from the acquisition date of March 8 through the end of March. In the year-ago quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.3 billion, net income of $146 million, or $0.62 per share, and shipped 49.8 million hard drives. Non-GAAP net income in the year-ago quarter was $156 million, or $0.66 per share.(2)

The company generated $1.2 billion in cash from operations during the March quarter, ending with total cash and cash equivalents of $3.4 billion.

"Our third quarter performance demonstrates the potential of the new Western Digital, with just three and a half weeks of HGST results combined with the standalone WD business," said John Coyne, chief executive officer of Western Digital. "Competing in the marketplace with our separate WD and HGST subsidiaries, we now have the product portfolio, technology resources and the people to fully serve the needs of a significantly expanded customer base and to better address the tremendous growth opportunities in the storage industry in the years ahead.

"I am also pleased to announce today that the recovery activities related to both WD operations and those of our supply chain partners impacted by the Thailand floods have reached a point where we now have the capability to adequately meet anticipated customer demand in the current quarter and beyond," Coyne said.

Conference Call

The investment community conference call to discuss these results will be broadcast live over the Internet today at 2 p.m. Pacific/5 p.m. Eastern. The live and archived conference call webcast can be accessed online at http://www.westerndigital.com/investor. The telephone replay number is 800-685-1820 in the U.S. or +1-203-369-3873 for international callers.

Investor/Analyst Day

As previously announced, the company will hold an investor/analyst day on September 13 in Orange County, California. Additional details will be provided at a later date.

Available Tags:NVIDIA , GEFORCE , GTX , dual-GPU , Windows 8 , HP , Windows , Seagate ,

Monday, April 30, 2012

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 30/04/2012

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