IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/23/2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 10/23/2013

TweakTown

LeakedTT: Nokia's Lumia 1520 phablet leaks ahead of tomorrow's launch
In just a few hours, Nokia will open its doors to media, investors and invited guest from all over the world to its Nokia World 2013 event. At this event Nokia will launch a myriad of new products, one of which is the new Lumia 1520 phablet. The 6-inch screened smartphone is the first "phablet" offering that features Windows Phone with the GDR3 update.

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Over the last few weeks, much speculation has been given on what hardware the device might feature, and one of the biggest rumors was that it might feature a 20-megapixel PureView technology-based camera. Today a leak from a Chinese online retailer has leaked specifications and confirmed that the device will feature the rumored imaging sensor. Additionally, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor will power the device. If the Chinese site is correct, the Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet will retail for about $819 US.

Microsoft releases recovery image to fix Windows 8.1 RT blunder
Over the weekend, Microsoft pulled its Windows 8.1 RT update from the Windows Store due to many reports coming in about devices failing to boot after installation. Today Microsoft has released a recovery image that will restore bricked devices to the original state it shipped in.

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Installing the recovery image is quite simple and all that is needed is a USB drive with a capacity of 4GB or larger, and a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1. Instructions are included with the recovery image on how to install it on your device an the complete package can be found below.

Logitech launches new Mobile Speakerphone P710e
Many business men and women have moved over to using their personal or company-supplied smartphone during conference calls because it does not tether them to their desk or a landline. Logitech has just released a new device that will enhance the speakerphone experience for those users.

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The all new Mobile Speakerphone P710e is described as a peripheral for phones, tablets, and computers that connects via USB or Bluetooth. A built in slot on the top allows users to "prop up" tablets and phones that gives them a proper angle for viewing during video calls. The device can pair with up to eight bluetooth devices, and if the phone or tablet is NFC equipped, pairing is as simple as a quick bump.

Answering calls is easy as well, and is as simple as using the devices on-screen controls or touching the dedicated buttons on the top of the speakerphone unit. Noise cancellation, and a dynamic audio equalizer are present as well. The Mobile SPeakerphone P710e can be powered by and AC Adapter, USB cable, or through a built in battery for those times when the conference call must take place pool side. The P701e will begin shipping in November and will cost $170.

Xilence unveils new SSD docks for 5.25-inch drive bays
Today, Xilence announced the return of their prized SSD/HHD docking chassis for 5.25-inch drive bays. The docks have been designed to fit two 2.5-inch SSDs into a single 5.25-inch drive bay and provide hot swap connectivity. Additionally, the SSD Dock provides an additional two USB 3.0 front ports when the 19-pin plug is connected to a motherboard-based USB 3.0 headers.

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"We had a very good feedback in the past regarding the internal removable storage media device and decided to sale it also in new portfolio because of the customer feedback," said Michael Albes, chairman of Xilence. The SSD docks are ideal for those who are running older systems that lack 2.5-inch drive housing, or for those who might need extra storage space.
Features

Hot-Swapping for easiest HDD/SSD switching
Suited for two 6,35cm (2,5") HDD or SSD
Extends the case by two USB 3.0 ports
Easy installation in a 13,34cm (5,25") drive bay

Technical Specs

Material: SECC Steel
Material front panel: ABS synthetical
Installation: Installation in 13,34cm (5,25") drive bay
HDD support: 2x 6,35cm (2,5") HDD or SSD
LED: 2x HDD status display
Number of USB-Ports: 2x USB 3.0
USB connector: 19pin USB 3.0 connector (internal)

LeakedTT: Nokia's Lumia 1320 spotted in official PR renderings
This morning, @evleaks uploaded what appears to be an official press rendering of the Lumia 1320 "Batman" smartphone from Nokia. Not much is known about the so-called Batman phone, but the leaked image does show it using the GDR3 update with extra room for more live tiles.

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We do know that the 1320 is a more budget friendly smartphone, and that its screen will be in the 5-inch class. Processor, RAM, and connectivity hardware specs have not been release, but we will not have to wait long to find out. Nokia is expected to launch the Lumia 1320 alongside a Lumia-branded Tablet, and the Guru MP3 / Music player tomorrow.

Infinity Ward exec says Call of Duty players are not Gamers
Call of Duty players generally get a bad rap and are often called out for their fanboy-like behavior anytime anyone writes an article about Call of Duty. It appears that Infinity Ward, the developers of Call of Duty: Ghosts are taking a stab at their franchise's fans as well.

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During a recent interview, Infinity Ward executive producer Mark Rubin basically said that he does not look at Call of Duty players as hardcore gamers at all. "It's kind of a weird, ironic thing to say; They aren't hardcore gamers, or even gamers, but they play Call of Duty every night. And those guys are going to continue to play regardless of platform," Rubin said. "So I think not only will we continue to engage with that existing player base, but we'll take next gen and see how far we can go with it."
Rubin also thinks that the upcoming next-gen consoles will not do much in the way of strengthening the Call of Duty franchise, and says that the consoles will not have much of an impact on the games players either. "Regardless of platform - people's gaming habits aren't going to change just because there's a new platform," he said. "We have an enormous amount of players who are more in the casual game space, but they play a lot.

Preorders open for the Pirate3D Buccaneer 3D Printer on November 1st
This morning Pirate 3D announced that it would be opening pre-orders for its Buccaneer 3D printer beginning on November 1st 2013. This pre-order campaign launches a few months after the company successfully raised $1.4 million during a Kickstarter campaign that ran from late May and ended on June 29th.

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"This is the last chance to get your hands on the Buccaneer for US$497 before it hits the shelves. Our manufacturing capacity is limited, and we encourage people to subscribe to the waiting list on pirate3d.com to get their units faster," said Chief Executive Pirate (a.k.a. CEO) Roger Chang. "We were amazed by the enthusiastic support when we debuted the Buccaneer on Kickstarter. Our goal of US$100,000 was reached in less than 10 minutes. Our team has put a lot of engineering prowess into the Buccaneer to ensure its reliability and ease of use. Precision of all its mechanisms is simply impeccable. We couldn't be more excited about bringing The Buccaneer to the market,"
Pricing for the pre-ordered units will be set at $697 with discounts being offered for educational institutions, and large volume orders. The Buccaneer 3D printer is a fused filament, additive deposition style printer that can be operated wirelessly via a PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. We should be receiving a unit in for review in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to TweakTown for all of your 3D Printing news!

Mellanox opens its Messaging Accelerator Source Code to developers
This morning Mellanox announced that it has released its Messaging Accelerator software's source code into the open source arena. Known as VMA, this software serves as a platform for message-based and streaming network socket applications. By open sourcing this software, Mellanox opens up a new avenue for app developers to work within the VMA community to customize their software to run on VMA.

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"By opening VMA source code we enable our customers with the freedom to implement the acceleration product and more easily tailor it to their specific application needs," said Tom Thirer, director of product management at Mellanox Technologies. "We encourage our customers to use the free and open VMA source package and to contribute back to the community."
VMA Open Source is released under the GPLv2 licence as well as a commercial version. The entirety of the source code can be downloaded at the Google Code link below. Mellanox says that they will take an active role in the VMA Open Source community and will provide further enhancements that will better facilitate the development and deployment of the project.

Dell says that Microsoft will let Xbox One run Windows 8 apps
According to Dell, Microsoft will allow the Xbox One to run Windows 8 apps shortly after launch. The announcement comes in the form of a listing on Dell's website that states that the next-gen console will be able to run apps created from the desktop OS without any issue.

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The official text on Dell's website reads, "With all your favorite Windows 8 apps able to be run on and synced to your Xbox One, now your phone, desktop, tablet and TV can all give you a unified web and entertainment experience." Since the Xbox One runs a heavily skinned version of Windows 8, this revelation makes perfect sense. This allows Microsoft to cash in on existing, and upcoming apps from thousands of app makers like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Hulu, LinkedIN and more. Now developers will only have to create a single app for Windows and Xbox users will be able to use that app as well.

Top 10 TweakTown News Stories from the past week [21 October 2013]
Here are our top 10 news posts from the past week!

LeakedTT: Nokia's NFC supported Guru music player surfaces in photo
Tomorrow during Nokia World, the company is expected to unveil several new mobile devices including the all new Lumia 1520 phablet, Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet, and several budget friendly Asha devices. What was not expected however, was the Nokia Guru, a iPod Shuffle-like music player with NFC capabilities.

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TweakTown's favorite leakster @evleaks posted a photo this morning via his Twitter account which shows off the new Guru music player in a very Lumia blue color. At the moment, the only solid piece of information we have on the Guru is that it will feature NFC connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume buttons and a microUSB port for charging and possible data syncing.
What is unclear is whether this device stores MP3 files, or if it is just a streaming device for the Lumia line of phones. My bet is on the latter if you are wondering. A streaming device such as this only makes sense as the MP3 player as we know it is dieing and is being replaced by bulky smartphones which always have an issue with cord length when placed in a pocket. This device could pair with your phone, and mount easily on your arm or shirt for a workout experience where one does not fight headphone cords constantly.

SanDisk X210 256GB Business Class SSD - Exploring Overprovisioning

Introduction

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The SanDisk X210 SSD is a SATA 6Gb/s SSD that comes in a 2.5" form factor with a slim 7mm z-height. The X210 is powered by the 8-channel Marvell 9187 controller, in conjunction with SanDisk 19nm ABL NAND. The X210 is available in capacities of 128, 256 and 512GB, and features sequential speeds of 505/470 MB/s and 89,000/60,000 random read/write IOPS.
The emergence of the 'business class' of SSDs signifies the continuing evolution of the SSD market. As the SSD market matures, a drive for nearly every use-case has come forward. The X210 SSDs are designed for read intensive applications that run the gamut from business notebooks and client computing to server operating system loads in datacenter and server markets.
By addressing micro and entry-level servers in data centers, SanDisk is tapping into the burgeoning mainstream enterprise market. As a foundry owner, SanDisk can provide lower costs than many of their competitors.
Balancing the performance requirements for server use with the demands of business laptop and mobile applications is a tricky endeavor. Adding the DevSleep feature addresses the mobile sector, while nCache addresses latency and endurance concerns. nCache creates a layer of SLC flash inside each NAND die that is utilized as a fast non-volatile write cache, thus reducing wear on the underlying MLC.
Like many enterprise SSD manufacturers, SanDisk has chosen to stick with conservative endurance specifications. With a blanket 80 TBW (TeraBytes Written) rating for all capacities of the SSD, one could assume that the larger 256 and 512GB X210's can easily provide more resilience due to the typical scaling of endurance with capacity.
The new read-centric class of SSD's provides a cheaper alternative to the more robust high-endurance SSDs geared for heavy write workloads. However, the lower price point provides an opportunity for users to tailor the SSD to their workload by adjusting the amount of performance and endurance through the simple addition of extra spare area. This extra spare area, referred to as overprovisioning (OP), sacrifices a portion of the addressable disk space in exchange for increased performance.
One of the positive aspects of leveraging extra overprovisioning is also the increase in IOPS per Watt. While the massive gains in power efficiency and performance are the driving force behind the SSD explosion in the datacenter, the endurance concerns are one of the factors holding them back. With the addition of extra overprovisioning users can address the endurance concerns, and add to the performance and efficiency of the SSD in one simple move.
Many considerations factor in to just how much extra overprovisioning to add to the SSD to attain the correct performance and endurance profile. Today we are keeping it simple, testing with the base settings for the SSD and with an extra 20% of overprovisioning, but users can utilize many varying levels to address their performance challenges.
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MSI GeForce GTX 780 Lightning 3GB Overclocked Video Card Review

Introduction

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While most of our coverage regarding video cards lately has been focused around the release of the new R series from AMD, we wanted to take a step back and test a video card that popped up recently from MSI. The GTX 780 Lightning 3GB was a model that we were excited to look at, and today we're finally getting the chance to see just what it's capable of.
Before we start to see the new AMD R9 290 and 290X video cards arrive, it seemed like now was the perfect time to test the card out. The GTX 780 is really going to have to prove itself in the coming weeks, as not only do we see companies send reference versions of the new R9 290 and R9 290X, but also custom non-reference designs that are bound to follow in the weeks and months after.
With the model being part of the Lightning series, it means one of the main things we want to focus on today is the overclocking side of things. Before we do that, though, we need to check out what's going on with the package and then move onto a closer look at the card.
Let's not delay any longer and just get into it and see how NVIDIA's top GTX 700 series based card is performing today as we prepare for an onslaught of models from AMD.

Package

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Normally when it comes to the Lightning boxes, we expect something that opens up and gives us an absolute wealth of information. Looking above, though, you can see we have just a standard box setup here. The front gives us the model and mention that it's part of the Lightning series. Turning the box over, you can see some of the main features that are offered.
Those main features include the Tri Frozr cooling solution, Pure Digital PWM Control, SuperPipe Technology, Dust Removal Technology, along with Military Class 4 Components which include DrMOS 4, Copper Mosfet, Hi-C CAP, New Super Ferrite Choke and Dark Solid Capacitors.

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Opening the box up, you can see the packaging is a little fancier than usual. We've got the inside box that opens up giving us a look at the card and below that you can see we have a draw that holds the accessories. This reminds us of one of the very first HAWK cards we saw many years ago, which had a box with this kind of design.

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Moving into the package, you can see all the usual suspects including the Military Class 4 Certificate, Quick user Guide, extra-long SLI bridge, two 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power connectors, DVI to VGA connector and three V-Check point cables. We'll talk about using these when we take a closer look at the card.

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Outside of that, you can see we've got an extra bracket. If you're going to be using LN2 cooling on the card, you'll have to remove the cooler and the bracket for the card that cools the memory and PWM.
Because of that, MSI has included another bracket that can be installed with your LN2 pots that will help cool those two areas. On the back we have thermal tape installed to help transfer the heat off both the memory and PWM area.
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Available Tags:Windows 8 , Microsoft , Windows , Logitech , SSD , Gamers , 3D , Windows 8 , Dell , Xbox , TweakTown , MSI , GeForce , GTX ,

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