IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 7/18/2013

AnandTech Mobile: Pinch to Zoom & Pipeline FP Now Supported

Yesterday, with the help of our friends over at Box, we launched the first responsive version of AnandTech. To recap, our single site design will now present you with one of four different views depending on your browser's reported resolution (not user agent string). You'll get a smartphone portrait, smartphone landscape, tablet or desktop view depending on what resolution your browser supports.
Based on your feedback from Monday our developer John has added a couple of additional frequently requested features:
1) Support for Pinch to Zoom is now enabled in the mobile view.
2) The most recent 8 Pipeline stories are now integrated on the front page (all other front pages had them integrated already).
Next on the list are higher res icons :)

Gallery: AnandTech Mobile: Pinch to Zoom & Pipeline FP Now Supported

Micron Announces 16nm 128Gb MLC NAND, SSDs in 2014

Earlier today Micron announced its first 16nm MLC NAND device. The 128Gbit device is architecturally identical to the current 20nm/128Gbit 2-bit-per-cell MLC device that's shipping today but smaller. That means we're talking about a 16K page size and 512 pages per block (two planes). Micron didn't share many details of the new device other than to say that it'd be available in the same package (152-ball BGA 14x18mm) and feature roughly the same performance as the current 20nm part. The performance claim is an interesting one since performance typically decreases with each NAND generation as we've seen in the past. Micron's exact wording was "similiar performance" to existing 20nm 128Gbit MLC parts, which doesn't necessarily mean identical.

Micron NAND Evolution

50nm

34nm

25nm

20nm

16nm

Single Die Max Capacity

16Gbit

32Gbit

64Gbit

128Gbit

Page Size

4KB

8KB

16KB

Pages per Block

128

256

512

Read Page (max)

75 µs

100 µs

115 µs

Program Page (typical)

900 µs

1200 µs

1300 µs

1600 µs

Erase Block (typical)

3 ms

3.8 ms

Die Size

172mm²

167mm²

118mm²

202mm²

Gbit per mm²

0.186

0.383

0.542

0.634

Rated Program/Erase Cycles

10000

5000

3000

~3000

The one bit of information that Micron is unfortunately not sharing is the actual size of its 16nm 128Gb NAND device. Citing competitive concerns, Micron is only saying that it's the industry's smallest 128Gb MLC NAND device.
Micron is targeting 3000 program/erase cycles for its 16nm NAND device. Micron's 16nm NAND is sampling now, and will be in production in the Q4 of this year. Micron expects to ship SSDs based on its 16nm NAND in 2014. If the 20nm ramp is any indication, we should expect 16nm NAND in drives in around a year from now.

Gallery: Micron Announces 16nm 128Gb MLC NAND, SSDs in 2014

Razer Hammerhead Pro Audio Impressions

Razer has been well known in the gaming space for making high end and relatively pricey peripherals. While their sweet spot has definitely been input devices (mouse and keyboard, primarily), they’ve launched their fair share of gaming audio products as well, mostly centered around over-ear headphones that typically look really cool. Between the in-your-face neon green of the Orca and Kraken, the aviator style of the Blackshark, and the futuristic Tiamat, all of Razer’s recent headsets have made a design statement. Unfortunately, none of them have sounded very good. And I really mean none of them, excepting the ambitious and expensive Tiamat 7.1. No matter which Razer headset you look at, you can get substantially better audio quality for the money elsewhere.
So when Razer told me they had come up with a pair of earbuds that emphasized audio quality, I scoffed. A couple of days later, a set of Hammerhead Pros showed up on my doorstep and I got to test them for myself. The Hammerhead is an in-ear-monitor (IEM) with 9mm Neodymium magnet dynamic drivers priced at $49.95, while the Pro adds an inline microphone for an extra $20. Design and build quality are pretty stellar, with all of the connected pieces being machined from aluminum. There’s some great detailing throughout the design, including knurled aluminum accents and the Razer motto “For gamers, by gamers” stamped into the back of each earbud. Between the black brushed finish of the aluminum and the neon green of the cable, you’re left with a pretty eye-catching set of IEMs.
Given Razer’s recent efforts in the mobile computing space, their motivation in creating a more portable audio solution is pretty clear. It’s a pretty interesting price point, at the intersection of the low end of the audiophile-grade IEMs and the “fashion” earbuds, popularized by the House That Dre Built amongst others. The Hammerheads are certainly styled well enough to compete with the latter, but my interest was looking at them relative to the best budget IEMs. This includes the Klipsch S4, the Etymotic MC5, and my personal pick for best $50 IEM at the moment, the Logitech Ultimate Ears 600, of which I just so happen to own a set.
The Hammerhead sound signature is definitely bass-heavy and tonally warm, though the mids are a bit muddled and instruments aren’t particularly well detailed at the top end. This isn’t really an issue if you’re listening to pop, as the bass-heavy nature of the tracks tends to suit the response of the dynamic driver, but for instrumentally-heavy songs, it certainly isn’t ideal. When compared to the UE 600, a very detailed and responsive set of IEMs, the mids and highs really lack a lot of clarity. The UE 600 is interesting because it’s one of the only balanced armature IEMs you can get at this price point, a feature typically reserved for premium IEMs. Balanced armature drivers tend to respond faster and thus have more accurate, if less bassy, sound profiles. In comparison, the Hammerhead’s overall sound signature ends up feeling not particularly refined, though the bass response is quite nice. It’s neither as crisp nor as balanced, though depending on your music selection it can certainly sound better than the at-times mid-heavy UE 600. Run through a Jay-Z/Kanye West playlist, and the UE 600 just sounds thin, while the warmth of the Hammerhead really shines through. Of course, it should go without saying that audio quality is very subjective, and personal preferences may vary when it comes to sound signature.
Comparing against the UE 600 is probably a bit unfair, because that’s legitimately one of the single best in-ear audio experiences you can get for a street price of $50, with an original MSRP of double that. It’s a legitimately premium set of monitors that’s available on the cheap. Relative to urBeats and most other fashion earbuds, the Hammerheads are a distinct step up, and of course, like any set of half-decent headphones, they’re a huge improvement from OEM-bundled headsets like Apple’s EarPod and the HTC One’s surprisingly not-awful earbuds. I come away pleasantly surprised, because I certainly wasn’t expecting Razer to deliver a competitive audio experience at this price point. For anyone whose primary usage will be music, I would still recommend a set of audio-centric IEMs in this price range, primarily the UE 600s or possibly Klipsch S4s, but the Hammerheads are worth a look. They’re visually impactful and well put together, sound decent (if a bit bass-heavy), and aren’t badly priced, either. For the style conscious, it’s an IEM that could certainly strike the right balance.

Read More ...

South Korean Researchers Turn Rice Husks Into Silicon Battery Anodes
Process could help to turn 80 million tons of trash into a valuable commodity

Microsoft Wants You to Let it Watch Your House in "Near-Real Time"
Is "Lab of Things" big science or big brother? The answer remains to be seen

7/16/2013 Daily Hardware Reviews
DailyTech's roundup of reviews from around the internet for Tuesday

Apple Looks to Scoop up Israeli Firm That Manufactures Xbox Kinect Sensor
Sensors could be put in a Smart TV offering

South Korea Installs Special Smartphone App to Help Prevent Military Leaks
All military personnel will eventually be forced to install the smartphone application

Nissan Struggles with Leaf EV Shortage as Sales Surge
Leaf EV sales market is expanding

Artificial Intelligence System "ConceptNet 4" Has IQ of 4-Year-Old
Enduring an IQ test for children showed that it lacked commonsense

AT&T Launching "Next" Phone Upgrade Plan Starting July 26, Verizon to Announce "VZ Edge" Plan
Both are similar to T-Mobile's new "Jump!" plan in that they allow customers to upgrade their devices sooner

Acer Ditches Thunderbolt for USB 3.0
Thunderbolt is too expensive for anything other than "premium" machines

Available Tags:AnandTech , Microsoft , Hardware , Apple , Xbox , Kinect , Smartphone , Nissan , USB 3.0 , Acer , Thunderbolt , USB ,

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 7/18/2013

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