Valve founder Gabe Newell is worried more about Apple than he is about consoles
Valve founder and all-round awesome dude, Gabe Newell, recently had a talk at the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs, where he talked about Valve's biggest competitor. Newell talked about the upcoming battlefield, which is in our living rooms, where he said:
I think that there's a scenario where we see sort of a dumbed down living room platform emerging - I think Apple rolls the console guys really easily. The question is can we make enough progress in the PC space to establish ourselves there, and also figure out better ways of addressing mobile before Apple takes over the living room?
Newell also expects there to be products that will turn up shortly that will help bridge the gap between the living room and the PC, where Valve will be happy to join the club. Newell fears that Apple might beat them to it, which will hurt the PC to living room transition.
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South Korea builds their own rocket and satellite, successfully sends it into space
South Korea have just become the 11th country in the world to successfully build their own rocket and satellite and wave goodbye as it flies into space. South Korea have launched their self-developed, two-stage Naro rocket, as well as putting the vehicle's Science and Technology Satellite-2C into orbit.
South Korea's great achievement arrives after two unfortunate failures in 2009 and 2010, but the fun stops here as there's no short-term plans to send anything else into space. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is working with contractors to build their own in-house rocket stages in 2016, where they hope to reach 300 tons of thrust by 2018.
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Google+ app gets updated, adds new notification tray and more
Google have updated their social networking app, Google+, adding a little functionality as well as a new notifications system. The last update gave us a new post composition screen that gave you the ability to add a photo, or a mood to a post.
This new update throws in a "link" option between the two, where tapping on it lets you manually add a URL. In regards to the UI side of things, notifications have been given a fresh coating of paint, coming out from underneath the navigation controls in the left slide-in panel, and out to a separate notification tab between the refresh and settings buttons that when tapped displays a full notification-specific panel from the right.
You can download the latest Google+ app directly from the Google Play Store on your Android-based device, or
right here.
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iOS 6 iPhone 5 untethered jailbreak gets named, website
Users stuck on a jailed iPhone 5 or tethered jailbreak of iOS 6 can rejoice. News of an untethered jailbreak for iOS 6/6.1 and iPhone 5 possibly releasing Sunday has been supported by the release of a website and name for the jailbreak. Introducing
evasi0n, produced by Evad3rs team.
The website says that they are currently finishing up the GUI and that the next step is private beta testing. The jailbreak is said to be compatible with all iPhones, iPod touches, iPads, and the iPad mini running iOS 6-6.1. Here's to hoping that the jailbreak does release on Super Bowl Sunday!
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Google Maps, TiVo won't be coming to Wii U in January, have been delayed to early 2013
The Nintendo Wii U has just been struck another blow. Nintendo has had to delay both TiVo and Google Maps integration beyond their original January launch. Well, Google Maps was originally slated to launch in January 2013. TiVo, on the other hand, has already been delayed once before.
TiVo was originally supposed to launch with the TVii service, which was set to launch with the console. TVii didn't come until late December and, when it launched, it was missing Netflix and TiVo integration. TiVo integration has now been pushed back to "early 2013," which isn't a very solid time frame.
Google Maps integration was announced back in December with a January 2013 launch. It has also been pushed back, though it has the more solid time frame of "first quarter of 2013." The Wii U is already said to be having sales below expectations, and these delays are certainly not going to help sales, or Nintendo.
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Apple is looking for a Plastics Design Engineer, could signal plans for plastic iPhone
Apple has posted up a job listing for a Plastics Design Engineer, and that has, of course, sparked questions about whether or not Apple is planning to produce a budget iPhone using a plastic case. The job listing is looking for a Manufacturing Design Engineer with a focus in Advanced Plastic Tooling and Process.
Identify, develop and launch new tooling and process capabilities in support of new Apple product developments. Areas of focus will be "non-traditional" Apple plastic processing such as thermoforming, foam molding, blow molding, etc., and their application to new Apple products. The successful candidate will have demonstrated history of bringing new process and tooling technologies through a full development cycle and launch into high volume production.
Of course, an engineer hired at this late date would be unlikely to be working on a device rumored to launch later this year, though they could be working on future designs. Most of Apple's products have utilized aluminum, though plastic is still used in keyboards, Apple TV, Airport Extreme, and other accessories.
If you happen to be a Manufacturing Design Engineer, you can find the job listing on
Apple's website.
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Facebook reports Q4 financial earnings, revenue up, profit down
Facebook reported their fourth quarter financial results today. For the fourth quarter, Facebook saw increased revenues, yet experienced decreased profits. Part of the reason profits were down is the amount of investing that Facebook is doing to build an empire and plan for the long-run.
Revenue was up to $1.59 billion, a 40 percent increase from last year. Wall Street estimates had placed revenue at $1.52 billion, so Facebook performed better-than-expected. Revenue, however, was down 79 percent from last year as a result of increased investment spending.
"
2012 was a big year for us," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO on Wednesday's earnings call with analysts and journalists. "
There are now more people using Facebook on mobile every day than on desktop."
Facebook's monthly active users climbed to 1.06 billion by the end of 2012. Facebook drew in an average of 618 million daily active users in December 2012. Costs and expenses were up 82 percent from Q4 2011 to $1.06 billion.
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California sending out tax bills amounting to $120 million to startup investors
Since 1993, California has had a tax deduction that allowed startup investors who invested in small businesses to not pay taxes on the money made from selling stock, as long as they reinvested that money in more small businesses. This deduction was aimed at encouraging angel investors and others to invest in small businesses.
Well, the tax break has been ruled unconstitutional because it benefits companies based in California over other states. This ruling came about when Frank Cutler sued back in 1998. The Franchise Tax Board has agreed to honor the ruling, and removed the deduction this past December, applying it retroactively back to 2008.
This means investors who sold their stock in a small business after 2008 will have to pay up taxes that they never thought they would. It's a bit unfair to apply the change retroactively, at least in my opinion, and it should have some consequences and ramifications that extend beyond just this $120 million in back taxes.
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Some Samsung laptops can be bricked by booting Linux via UEFI
Anandtech is reporting that some Samsung laptops can be bricked by booting Linux via UEFI. UEFI is the successor to BIOS and Samsung's implementation on some laptops appears to cause the system to brick when trying to boot Linux. This problem likely stems from the systems not being fully tested and validated.
While only a small subset of users will likely be affected by this issue, it's important to pass along information that could keep you from bricking your laptop within seconds.
The problem appears to stem from compatibility issues in the kernel driver with Samsung laptops. The problem first popped up last year when a user tried booting Ubuntu 12.04 on a Samsung laptop. Samsung fixed the bricked system under warranty by replacing the motherboard, after which the user had the same problem again.
Ubuntu is working with Samsung to get these issues resolved, as they likely face every Linux distribution. Samsung is working on a firmware fix, while Ubuntu is putting protections in place to prevent damage from occurring to systems. If you're looking to install Linux on a Samsung laptop, I would hold off until a definite fix is provided.
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Dropbox launches file previews for photos and documents
Cloud storage provider, Dropbox, has updated their service to offer quick file previews of photos and documents. The service is interested in moving away from looking at these specific file types as just files and would rather have a visual emphasis on the actual content stored inside the files.
"
This is part of a shift we're seeing that is sort of under way at Dropbox," said Chris Beckmann, product manager for products at Dropbox.
Rolling out over the next few months at Dropbox.com, users will be able to click on many common file types and see a preview of what the file contains. Supported file types will include RTF, PDF, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and, eventually, Excel. Images will have their own way of being displayed.
Photos are laid out on a grid of thumbnails and will be listed chronologically, rather than by file name. A view similar to the one launching on the web is already available through the Android app, and the new view will eventually make its way to the desktop client and iOS client, as well as an updated Android app.
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Microsoft offering Windows 8 Pro discount for students
If you haven't picked up Windows 8 Pro quiet yet, you should really consider doing it before the end of January. The upgrade is currently available for $39.99 online, but that price will soon be going up. Students won't be left completely in the woods, though, as starting February 1, they will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $69.99.
While that price isn't quite as good as the current $39.99, it will be better than the regular price of $199.99. If you can afford to buy the upgrade now, you should, even if you qualify for the student price. You don't have to install the update before February 1, you just have to have purchased it.
Windows 8 offers the best for work and play and with the new Start screen that makes it super easy to organize, access and find what matters most to you. With Windows 8, students can download apps from the Windows Store like Microsoft OneNote or Evernote for taking notes in class or Skype to stay connected with friends and family.
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Windows Phone 7.8 now available for Lumia devices
Older Lumia devices can now be updated to Windows Phone 7.8. Nokia announced the available update alongside the video seen below and is encouraging users to update their Lumia devices to the latest Windows Phone 7. While it isn't Windows Phone 8, it will be the best thing available to these older Lumia devices.
Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7.8 to try and keep users happy, or at least that's what it would appear to be. Users with older Windows Phone 7 devices are unable to update to the latest Windows Phone 8, so Microsoft promised Windows Phone 7.8, which features a Start Screen similar to that of Windows Phone 8.
Nokia says to update your phone through the Zune for PC app. If you're an owner of one of these older Lumia devices, it should soon be prompting you to update it. If you already have Windows Phone 7.8, let us know what you think of it!
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Microsoft to support CalDAV, CardDAV sync, Google extends ActiveSync until July 31
Users of Microsoft products and Google's online calendar and contact services can breathe a sigh of relief. Google has agreed to Microsoft's six-month extension request, meaning the Exchange ActiveSync protocol will continue to function until July 31, rather than being phased out today.
During this time period, Microsoft will be working on a confirmed fix. In other words, Microsoft has decided to support CalDAV and CardDAV, Google's new method of syncing data from their online services. Microsoft has said they will "
enable Windows Phone users to continue to connect to Google services after July 31, 2013."
Microsoft had tried to move users to their Outlook.com product, saying that it would continue working without a hitch. It's good to see two tech giants working together for the better of the consumer.
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Apple updating Apple TV with minor 'component change,' makes appearance at FCC
Apple's Apple TV device has made an appearance at the FCC with a new version number. Some thought that this new device would be the fourth generation Apple TV, but it turns out that it is just a minor component change. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that the new version number was required to clear regulatory officials.
"
We sometimes make component changes which require an updated model number for regulatory approval," an Apple spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
The changes reportedly include an A5X processor, which is the same as the one used in the third-gen iPad, and a new single antenna setup. The new device doesn't have a definite launch time and there will not be a clear way to tell the devices apart without looking at the version number.
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Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX to get Apple Siri "Eyes Free" technology
Last summer Apple announced that it was working with car manufacturers on a new "Eyes Free" mode for Siri. The new feature would integrate with voice command buttons that are increasingly being found in new car models.
"Eyes Free" would allow users to interact with Siri without ever touching or looking at the device screen. At the time Apple said it was working with BMW, GM, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda on the initiative. Today it looks like Honda is the first to bring the new feature to market.
From Honda's press release:
American Honda today announced it will integrate support for Siri, the intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking, into its 2013 Honda Accord and Acura RDX and ILX models as a dealer installed option. Later this year, owners with a compatible iPhone running iOS 6 can direct Siri to perform a number of specific tasks while they safely keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. Using Eyes Free mode, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further and minimizes distractions even more by keeping your iOS device's screen from lighting up.
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BlackBerry Z10 to be released in March on all four major US carriers
BlackBerry, the company
formerly known as Research in Motion, wrapped up its launch event this morning in NYC by cluing journalist in on the release dates of the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.
The feature rich, touchscreen based Z10 will be available through all four major US carriers in March with an MSRP of $199 with a two-year contract or $599 off contract. The device goes live in the UK tomorrow and in Canada on February 5th with a price tag of $149.99 with a four year contract. It will reach the Middle East on February 10th with pricing and contract length undisclosed.
It seems like there was great fanfare for the QWERTY keyboard sporting Q10 and rightfully so as there is still a major user base of BlackBerry users who love their keyboard-based phones. Sadly they will have to wait until sometime in April before the device hits shelves. No pricing or carrier information has been released for the Q10 at this time.
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BlackBerry Z10 cases, backup battery charger, and Bluetooth speaker revealed at BB10 Launch Event
BlackBerry had a lot of announcements this morning at its BB10 launch event in NYC. What we didn't see in the live coverage was the booth's set up around the event showcasing the official accessories for the new BlackBerry Z10.
The Verge has just posted some images of a few of the official accessories geared for use with the new Z10. As expected there is a whole line-up of protective and stylish cases, but the big news accessories seem to be the optional Z10 charger that has a slot for charging a back-up battery.
Alongside the new charger is what appears to be a clip on Bluetooth 4.0 speaker that is big enough to clip onto the straps of even the largest messenger bag. The speaker doubles as a speaker phone and it has an auxiliary port so you can play music wirelessly on any device that lacks Bluetooth support.
Finally there are the cases. It seems like every shape and design is available, with models with features like kickstands, tablet like covers, and even some high quality looking leather units.
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BlackBerry announces Alicia Keys to fill newly created 'Global Creative Director' position
The final major announcement at the BlackBerry 10 launch took most of us by surprise. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that BlackBerry has been consulting with entrepreneurs and artist from around the globe in an effort to improve the company, and as a result BlackBerry has decided to create a new position called 'Global Creative Director'.
Hines said, "
We've created a new position at BlackBerry, Global Creative Director. We wanted someone at the top of her field, someone who could help guide us. I want to announce 40 time Grammy award singer song writer, one of the top 30 people on twitter, wife and mother, Alicia Keys as the new Global Creative Director at BlackBerry."
Keys said "
I'm so excited, thank you for reaching out to me. I love the new browser, the hub, the flow. I'm obsessed with the time shift, I love how you can switch from work to play mode through balance." Keys went on to say, "
I was in a long term relationship with BB, and I started to notice some new hotter, more attractive, sexier phones at the gym. So I broke up with you, but started to miss how you organized my life. Then one day you called, and told me how you hard to started to work out, and now, we're exclusively dating again!"
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BlackBerry 10 already has over 70,000 apps in the BlackBerry World app store
BlackBerry just announced that as of today the BlackBerry World store already contains 70,000+ apps. They have partnered with all of the major app developers to bring the most popular apps to the service.
VP of Global Alliances and Business Development Martyn Mallick said, "
Many people didn't believe we could create a BlackBerry that has incredible content and experiences. We are launching BB10 with more apps by far than any first-gen operating system - over 70,000 applications have already been added to the BlackBerry World Store."
Mallick continued, "
When people get BB10 devices, they're going to be looking for certain apps... We have Skype committed to BB10, Amazon Kindle, Whatsapp, SAP, Angry Birds... over 1,000 of top applications from around the world committed to BB10."
Mallick went on to list out some of the top developers who brought their wares to BlackBerry 10. He said, "
In social, we have Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Oovoo, LinkedIn. In games Angry Birds, Jetpack Joyride, Sega, Sonic, Gameloft. In media Rdio, NY Times, Tunein Radio. And in productivity we have apps from WSJ, Box, Economist, Cisco WebEX. We have apps to cover banking, travel, weather, healthcare, finance, government, and much more."
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BlackBerry shows off its new BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 smartphones via promo videos
BlackBerry the company formerly known as RIM has just uploaded promotion videos of its brand new Q10 (with physical keyboard) and Z10 (with touch keyboard) to its YouTube channel.
We've embedded them below for you to view.
Q10:
Z10:
What are your thoughts on the new smartphones? Let us know in the comments below.
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Here is the new Q10 keyboard and BBM features for BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins along with Vivek Bhardwaj, head of software portfolio, just announced several new and exciting keyboard and BlackBerry Messenger features. Heins said "
We have the experience to be best keyboard experience... Everything feels like a BlackBerry. I call this writing without typing. Imagine typing on one screen with a single thumb."
Bhardwaj pointed out that "
We wanted to do more than just building gestures. The new keyboard features predictive typing that can adapt by language. Sometimes I'm in a real rush and I start typing fast, make mistakes, miss spaces, the new BlackBerry 10 keyboard can fix that too on its own".
The presentation then moved on to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Bhardwaj said "
The new keyboard is a great innovation, but I know there's another feature you can't live without: Blackberry Messenger. I've always enjoyed the real time nature of it, I use it for work, family, friends", said Heins.
The new BBM features a Live Chat feature similar to Apple's Face Time, but where it differs is the ability to do real time screen sharing. You are able to take control of the phone that is sharing with you. Very cool indeed. Bhardwaj demonstrated that while talking to a friend on BBM it is easy to make a video call. He then asked his friend to share his screen and they showed off the ease of using the screen share feature. "
Pictures, websites, books, the enterprise, documents, spreadsheets... it's that easy", said Bhardwaj.
Below is a video from BlackBerry covering the BB10 keyboard on the BB Q10.
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Research in Motion (RIM) becomes known as BlackBerry
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins just announced that Research in Motion (RIM) from today forward will be known as BlackBerry.
"
Today RIM becomes BlackBerry... It's one brand, one promise. We are now more than ever a company that is united in our vision for mobile computing, we knew we had to maintain foundation of messaging and e-mail and give people what they want."
"
Our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world, it all begins with one consistent brand recognized around the world."
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RIM says it's been to every continent on the planet except Antarctica seeking BB10 developers
Research in Motion VP of developer relations Alec Saunders says RIM has been to every continent on the planet except Antarctica seeking developers.
"The response from the developer community has been pretty phenomenal. To all the developers out there: thank you for your commitment, your support, and your dedication", he said.
He went on to say that he even received an app pitch from a 12 year old and that it has the largest app catalog ever for a "first generation" device.
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Google Earth's Tour Guide feature gets 100,000 new tours
Do you aspire to be a world traveler and just simply lack the funds required to do so? Well, you are in luck, as Google has just released over 100,000 new Guided Tours for its Google Earth software, giving you the world without ever leaving your couch.
The Tour Guide update brings in over 100,000 new tours that span popular cities, places and things across 200 countries. In addition, existing tours have beefed up with extra features. The company has increased the number of 3D flyovers as well, adding a ton of landmarks and cities to the third dimension.
"Each tour ends with a selection of photo thumbnails which were selected from Panoramio as the best representation of a given place, clicking on one of the thumbnails enables a full screen photo experience."
The new content can be found in version 7 of the company's free Google Earth software.
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RIM adds Music and Videos to BlackBerry World ahead of launch event
In preparation for today's BlackBerry 10 launch event, Research in Motion has added music, TV shows and movies to its recently renamed online app store, BlackBerry World. Music and movies look to have a preview feature while TV shows do not.
Music albums seem to average about $10 in the new store while Movies vary between the $10 to $20 price range. TV shows are somewhat cheap coming in at $1.99 an episode. All of this new content is only available for people in supported regions, which at the moment consist of the US, Canada and the UK.
RIM's BlackBerry 10 launch event is set to take place at 10AM ET this morning, which concludes a year's long struggle to bring a new smartphone product to the market. Research in Motion will be live-streaming the event and I have linked the stream URL in the source #2 location if you are interested in viewing.
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SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB SSD Review
Introduction
Prior to CES 2013 we had an influx of new cutting edge SSDs hit the office. Ideally, all of these new products would have been published on January 7, the first day of the show. They weren't and it's my fault - sorry about the delay. The good news is we now have all of our testing finished and were able to spend some real time with all of these drives. Sometimes being first doesn't mean you win the race.
The SSD market is booming and the projected growth is the highest we've seen for any storage product in a very long time. This amount of growth doesn't have a lot to do with SSDs increasing in capacity or even being faster than the existing products on the market. It has to do with cost. The lower prices are driving the SSD market right now and into the future. For the next six months we won't see any large performance increases, SATA III is pretty much tapped out. We will see lower prices and higher capacities - the two roadblocks holding mainstream users back from adapting the technology.
The SanDisk Ultra Plus is a mainstream offering designed to decrease the cost of ownership. At the time of writing, the 256GB model we're looking at today costs $219.99 at Newegg, the same as the Extreme SSD 240GB. We feel the price is higher than it should be and aren't afraid to put that out in the open here on the first page of this review. I don't think the $219.99 price is going to stick for very long. I honestly think this drive will get down to around the $150 mark within the next three months.
The reason why is because the SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB uses a four-channel Marvell controller which is cheaper to use than a SandForce controller, it also uses SanDisk's own 19nm NAND flash. The flash is also cheaper to work with than the 24nm used on the SanDisk Extreme SSD. In our CES coverage we told you about Micron's coming price war that will heat up with the release of the M500 960GB for $600 with prices scaling proportionally through the other capacity sizes. The price war is coming, right now these companies are just tossing stones at each other, but soon the silos will heat up as full on nuclear war starts.
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Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX Chassis Review
Introduction
At this exact time last year I was still in email limbo with Fractal Design, as I was trying to obtain samples and see what all the hype surrounding their products were all about. In the short span of only a year I got to look at quite a few of their cases as well as a fan controller they released not too long ago. In that time I have come to not only like the white accented black chassis designs, but have come to revere them for their sturdy construction and solid build quality. Every chassis I have seen, whether small or large, have always delivered a chassis worth owning.
We all knew about the Arc series, and of course there was the Define series that covered a few of the more popular designs over the past couple of years, but we are introducing a whole new series today. With most of the chassis designs being a regular tower configuration, most of what I have seen has been almost a direct evolution from one design to the next. Delving into the SFF chassis world for the first time, Fractal Design had no real blueprint to work from, but from what I have seen in the past, it makes me eager to see what they have in store this time around.
The SFF chassis in question today is the Node 304, one of two cases currently offered in this series. There is a larger Node chassis that is more of an HTPC design and will allow for full ATX motherboards inside of it with the Node 604. While these two cases do share a few features, the chassis layout is completely different between the 604 and the Mini-ITX compatible Node 304. Things like front mounting a PSU and using a power extension cable, modular hard drive racks, and eliminating the ODD bays to give a very clean aesthetic appeal are just some of the features to be found.
If your interest is piqued and you want to see more, continue with us as I shed light on what the new Node 304 is all about.
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Toshiba THNSNF256GCSS 'Thin Sniff' 256GB SSD Preview
Introduction
Toshiba announced the THNSNF product line at Computex 2012, just over six months ago. The line consists of three form factors and each form factor divides further into capacity sizes. Each model has a unique ID since the capacity size is in each model number. Today we're looking at the THNSNF256GCSS, a 2.5"form factor drive with a 7mm z-height.
Since Toshiba almost exclusively sells SSDs directly to OEMs and system integrators, you may wonder why this drive is getting attention on TweakTown. There are a couple of answers to that. The first is to see what system builders are using - if I don't know, I can't tell you to buy an aftermarket SSD or to keep the one that shipped in your new shiny ultrabook. The second reason is this is a really cool drive with features we never expected to see on an OEM drive.
The THNSNF (you can call it
Thin Sniff, we do) was the first drive with 19nm Toggle 2 NAND, it beat Plextor's M5 Pro by several months. So, the flash is from Toshiba, the controller is also from Toshiba, but they had some help from Marvell along the way. We know this because the controller says so. This is where things start to get interesting. Unlike every other Marvell SSD controller we're seen to date, this design does not have a DRAM buffer. There is an open space on the PCB, but this is a DRAM-less design. Given the performance, we have to wonder just how fast THNSNF would be with DRAM.
Speaking of performance... as you know OCZ Technology went to Marvell for their Vertex 4, at least for the hardware portion. Vertex 4 was the first drive on the market that we know of to limit single queue depth read speeds. When you cap single queue depth read performance, you leave bandwidth open for other requests, and it makes multitasking smoother. THNSNF does the same thing and this is the first time we've seen the feature used outside of OCZ Vertex 4 and Vector.
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SGS Chooses Zerto Disaster Recovery Solution to Protect Applications Twice as Fast
Boston, US - January 29, 2013 - Zerto, the industry's first hypervisor-based replication solution provider, today announced that Swiss multi-national conglomerate SGS has chosen Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR) for its business continuity and disaster recovery services (BC/DR). SGS employs more than 70,000 people in more than 1,350 offices and laboratories around the world that help companies meet important health, safety and regulatory standards throughout the supply chain process. Through comprehensive inspections, certification and verification processes and a global network of testing facilities, SGS ensures companies are compliant with both local and global standards and regulations.
"ZVR is a straightforward product that is easy to implement and easy to use," says Baris Dogan, operations support team leader of SGS Turkey, the division of SGS that deployed Zerto Virtual Replication. "We were able to replicate the same amount of data with Zerto twice as fast when compared with the competition. We have full confidence in our BC/DR strategy because we are able to test and validate it whenever we want, which wasn't the case with other solutions."
Working with EMOBIL, SGS Turkey evaluated several solutions. To meet the joint criteria they developed, the solution needed multi-site support in order to replicate from their seven branches back to their main data center but also had to be simple to implement, test and use. With ZVR, SGS was able to begin regular disaster recovery testing for the very first time, thus minimizing the risk of their environment. EMOBIL guided SGS Turkey through the evaluation and installed ZVR to protect all of their seven branches without complexity.
"For DR needs, there are orchestration tools, which are too complex and only deliver half the solution, and backup products, which several of our customers have deemed unreliable for replication," says Erhan Cevik, strategic partner advising SGS and founding partner at EMOBIL. "At the end of the day, Zerto is the only complete, all-in-one solution on the market."
"We are always humbled when a large and respected enterprise like SGS Turkey chooses our solution, and are pleased to provide them with a more complete and easy-to-use BC/DR solution than they could find from any other vendor," said Ziv Kedem, CEO, Zerto, Inc. "Zerto is a proven solution for any company, particularly complex global operations who are virtualized and therefore in need of storage agnostic, multi-site BC/DR solutions."
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