IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 12/25/2014

Valve updates Team Fortress 2 with a grappling hook for Christmas
Valve's new End of the Line update for Team Fortress 2 has just evolved, with the latest Smissmas update. The Smissmas update includes a new mode called Mannpower, with some awesome new features in the form of nine power-up items that any class can use.The new update provides users with a grappling hook, which looks like it can be some serious fun. Check out the video below.

How does Mannpower work? Here's an explanation "It's an in-beta CTF-like game mode with grappling hooks and nine different types of powerups. Mannpower alters a few game rules. For one, random critical hits have been disabled. Additionally, teams won't be able to capture the enemy flag unless your flag is at your base. (When your flag is away from your base, you can touch it to instantly return it to base.) Mannpowers exist in the world and can be picked up by all classes. When picked up they add abilities and enhancements to the player carrying it. Mannpowers can be dropped at any time by hitting your dropitem key, and will drop automatically when the player carrying it is killed. Note that you can only carry one at a time, and that you can't take powerups into respawn rooms."

The video above shows off all of the new weapons that you have to choose from. Let us know what you think! It makes me want to get back into TF2.

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Companies should learn from Sony hack, work to improve cybersecurity
If companies needed another reminder on the importance of improving cybersecurity, they can learn from the current predicament tormenting Sony Pictures. C-level executives need to be more involved when it comes to being proactive ensuring cybersecurity strategies at their companies are being implemented properly.

It has been a brutal year for data breaches in the United States, with Sony Pictures joining the unfortunate list of Home Depot, Target, JPMorgan Chase, and multiple other companies that suffered high-profile, very public cybersecurity incidents. Trying to prevent these data breaches is much easier said than done, but many companies have either ignored security recommendations - or overlooked potential fallout - related to security.

"I think the scale of this impact on Sony is what's going to make a lot of C-suites sit up and say 'Wow, we really do need to take this seriously,'" said Rob Sloan, cyber data and content head at Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, in a statement published by Fortune. "They can see the damage being done and it's potentially career-threatening for them and business-ending if they don't have the funds to support them through their troubles."


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EA is selling Battlefield 3 for 99c in its massive sale on Origin
EA is hosting its massive holiday sale on Origin, something that includes deals on some of EA's hottest games of 2014. We have Dragon Age: Inquisition, Titanfall, Battlefield 4, FIFA 15 and so many on sale. Here's the breakdown:

• Dragon Age: Inquisition - $39.99
• The Sims 4 - $29.99
• FIFA 15 - $39.99
• Battlefield 4 - $14.99
• Battlefield 4 Premium Edition - $29.99
• Battlefield 3 - $0.99
• Titanfall - $9.99
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare - $7.49
• SimCity - $9.99
• Crysis 3 - $9.99
• Dead Space 3 - $9.99
• Mass Effect Trilogy - $14.99

There's also many more games on sale, including deluxe editions, season passes, and DLC packs. Check it all out on Origin.


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Resident Evil remaster is cross-buy on PS3, PS4 if you pre-order
The remaster of one of the best, if not the best Resident Evil game is coming out next year, a game that will have support for Sony's cross-buy platform. This means that if you purchase the game on your PS3, you can play it on your PS4 without having to buy another version.

The listing of Resident Evil on Sony's PlayStation Store says that if you pre-order the game, it "entitles you to both the PS4 and PS3 versions." Pre-orders also gain an exclusive PS3 theme, too. This cross-buy platform is only available as an incentive to those who pre-order it, but I don't know why Sony would lock it to pre-orders only.

The Resident Evil remaster comes out on January 20, 2015 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.


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Driveclub developer releases new trailer, also thanks its consumers
Evolution Studios has taken to Facebook to thank its consumers for the "overwhelming" support for Driveclub's initial launch, and in the months of the game being broken in various parts. Even after the boss of Sony UK came out and said he was embarrassed by the launch of Driveclub on the PS4.

The studio has said that there are some new updates coming next month that should have gamers excited. Evolution Studios wrote "Everyone here at Evolution Studios wants to say thank you for the truly overwhelming level of support from you this year, especially in the time since DRIVECLUB launched in October. Your messages, your feedback, your hot lap videos on YouTube and all of the absolutely amazing screenshots you've shared have all been a huge source of inspiration for the team." The team added "You've all been amazing and we're extremely thankful for your continued support."

"We have many more updates in the works, for the servers and for the game, which we're looking forward to sharing with you in the new year. In the mean time, please don't forget to claim all of the free DRIVECLUB downloads from PlayStation Store if you haven't already and please keep sharing your thoughts and feedback with us, so that DRIVECLUB can continue to evolve around you in 2015," they continued. Evolution Studios finished their pledge to fans with "Thank you all again - we really are uplifted by you on a daily basis. We hope that you all have a great holiday season and we wish you a very Happy New Year!"


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Samsung to cram 4GB of RAM into the upcoming Galaxy S6 smartphone
Samsung has confirmed that its upcoming Galaxy S6 will have 4GB of RAM, which should make it the first Android smartphone released to feature as much RAM as some PCs come with.

It makes sense, as the company only just announced that it is working on 8Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM, which is perfect for flagship handsets like the Galaxy S6. The upcoming RAM in the Galaxy S6 will be capable of supporting continuous shooting of 20-megapixel or higher images, as well as 4K video recording and playback. The new RAM is expected to have twice the bandwidth than its predecessor did.

LPDDR4 is also incredibly power efficient, as it only draws 1.1V which is considerably lower than current low-power memory in smartphones and tablets. We should expect battery life to go up with LPDDR4-powered devices.


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SAPPHIRE teases 'Project NFC' for January, is this the Radeon R9 380X?
It looks like we're seeing the beginnings of SAPPHIRE's new GPU, which is going under the guise of 'Project NFC.' What is Project NFC? Well, NFC stands for Not From Concentrate, which is a term used in the food industry for when water hasn't been extracted from the juice of a fruit. In SAPPHIRE's tease, it is more of a pure and unaltered version, which could be a liquid cooled video card - exciting.

The company hasn't coming out and said that Project NFC is an actual liquid cooled AMD card, but SAPPHIRE did hint at it on its video on YouTube. We have possible drawings of a GPU block, and water vapor as you can see below.

The next question is, is this the Radeon R9 380X? Or would SAPPHIRE liquid cool one of its existing cards? Whatever happens, it's SAPPHIRE: which means we know it's going to be good, very good.


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Apple releases automated Mac update to take care of OS X security bugs
Apple has issued a critical security update for Mac OS X users, plugging a Network Time Protocol (NTP) security hole that left users open to cyberattacks. The automated security update had a quick turnaround because cybercriminals could have gained remote access of machines through by exploiting the bug, according to researchers.

The US Department of Homeland Security and Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute recently flagged the bugs, and Apple scrambled to create a fix ahead of the holidays. Carnegie Mellon also found that dozens of companies are vulnerable to the same type of security bug, which should be fixed sooner rather than later.

Here is what Apple's support page notes: "The update addresses a critical security issue with the software that provides the Network Time Protocol service on OS X, and is recommended for all users. For more information on the security content of this update see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222."


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Top congressional Democrat Elijah Cummings calls out Sony
Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton has received a letter from Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat of the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asking the besieged company to turn over information regarding its catastrophic data breach. There has been an increased number of cyberattacks targeting US government infrastructure, and it has been difficult to collectively learn from these incidents.

The US government, which is learning valuable lessons regarding proper cybersecurity efforts, wants to use Sony's "knowledge, information and experience" to determine what types of new cybersecurity laws - and general practice steps - that can be used to help better defend consumer and government data.

"The increasing number and sophistication of cyberattacks on both public and private entities pose a clear and present danger to our national security and highlight the urgent need for greater collaboration to improve data security," Cummins wrote in his letter.


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Sony threatens Twitter with legal action over published hack details
Sony wants social networking service Twitter to help clean up its data breach mess, threatening to drag the company into court - unless Twitter begins suspending accounts found to be linking to stolen data. Twitter reportedly received a letter from Sony attorney David Boises, warning that "stolen information continues to be disseminated by Twitter in any manner," legal action could be warranted.

Specifically, Sony listed the account of Val Broeksmit, @bikinirobotarmy, a Twitter user and musician who has posted screenshots of Sony emails. If Twitter doesn't comply - and it seems unlikely that it will bow down to Sony's demands - the company will be "responsible for any damage or loss arising from such use or dissemination by Twitter."


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DARPA wants to develop agile UAV for use in urban environments
DARPA wants companies to submit plans for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be used as part of the Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program. The FLA program wants to make it possible for small UAVs to be agile and navigate urban warfare environments, such as rooms, corridors, stairways, and other tight areas before ground troops begin their operation.

The drones should be able to travel up to 45 m.p.h., and be nimble enough to fit through an open window, without the need of GPS waypoints. DARPA hopes the algorithms will allow for UAV enhancements so troops can conduct unmanned surveillance to identify ambush points, traps, and other potential threats while out in the field.

"Birds of prey and flying insects exhibit the kinds of capabilities we want for small UAVs," said Mark Micire, DARPA program manager, in a statement published by Phys.org. "Goshawks, for example, can fly very fast through a dense forest without smacking into a tree. Many insects, too, can dart and hover with incredible speed and precision. The goal of the FLA program is to explore non-traditional perception and autonomy methods that would give small UAVs the capacity to perform in a similar way, including an ability to easily navigate tight spaces at high speed and quickly recognize if it had already been in a room before."


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Sony Pictures announces 'The Interview' will have limited release
Sony Pictures will release "The Interview" in any theater willing to show it, starting on Christmas Day, reversing its decision to pull the movie. The company also plans to release the movie digitally, but Sony hasn't offered additional details on how interested viewers will be able to watch the film.

"We have never given up on releasing 'The Interview' and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day," said Michael Lynton, Sony Pictures CEO, in a press statement. "At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience."

Here is what Seth Rogen said (via Twitter): "The people have spoken! Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn't give up! The Interview will be shown at theaters willing to play it on Xmas day!"

If nothing else, Sony's decision to originally pull the plug on "The Interview" - which drew immediate criticism from Hollywood actors and Pres. Obama - generated even higher interest for the controversial film.


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Taser betting big on becoming body camera industry leader
The market for wearable police body cameras is rising because of national interest, and investors expect Taser International to benefit from an "outperform" rating - as the company known for nonlethal weapons will benefit from interest in body cameras. Half of the US domestic police force currently use Taser's stun guns, and analysts believe wearable body cameras could outperform that number in the next few years.

"In a time where even the most minute news stories of excessive police force have the ability to instantly go viral, pressure will mount on police departments to provide video evidence that qualifies actions," noted an Oppenheimer report. "TASR shares surged 30 percent following the shooting in August of unarmed teen Michael Brown, and the lack of crime scene documentation."

The company's shares closed at $23.98 on Friday, and are currently trading at $25.96 - closing in on the Oppenheimer target price of $28.


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North Korea internet consists of only 1,024 IP addresses
The North Korean internet failures have generated a massive amount of international press coverage. One would expect this to be the work of a sophisticated group of hackers, possibly even with the funding of the United States, or other governments wishing to stem the tide of North Korean hackers. Turns out, a 12 year old kid can likely do it. North Korea only has 1,024 IP addresses for the entire country, compared to the 1.5 Billion IP addresses in the United States.

There are potentially thousands of computers behind each IP address, but the odds of that are very unlikely. Sanctions and embargoes have severely limited access to computers. Researchers monitoring the North Korean internet have detected a few PlayStations and Xboxes on the network, and one solitary MacBook has been detected....in the entire country. The North Korean agency responsible for hacking is likely contained behind only a few IP addresses, so isolating and monitoring them shouldn't be too taxing for a heavyweight like the NSA. North Korean citizens have very limited access to the internet, which is reserved for government officials, foreign ambassadors, and relief agencies.

North Korean internet connections are routed through China and have the bandwidth equivalent of roughly 1,000 U.S. households with high-speed internet. There is access to a heavily censored and government controlled public internet called the Kwangmyong, but considering the economic malaise there can't be many accessing it, and censoring can't be a very big task. North Korea has one of the smallest internet presences in the world, and there are only roughly 5,500 websites with virtually no outside access for the general public. The recent blackouts could have even been the work of the North Korean government to block retaliatory attacks, but like just about anything that happens in the shadowy regime, we will never know.


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Apple rumored to launch an even thinner 12-inch MacBook Air next year
Back in March we heard about a fanless, thinner MacBook Air and then again in September we heard about a new Retina MacBook Air that would be fanless, and thinner.

Now, we're hearing about a new 12-inch MacBook Air that is expected to shift into mass production in 2015, and should launch toward the middle of the year. According to DigiTimes' supply chain sources, the new 12-inch MBA will feature Intel's new Broadwell processor, with units of the new MacBook Air to be in extremely limited supply with yield issues being a problem.

Apple has been rumored to adopt a new form factor that would sport a buttonless trackpad, and passively cooled internals. Intel's new Core M processor will help that along, as they just launched last month. We should see Apple launch a new Silver, Gold and Space Gray MacBook Air in the New Year.


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Patriot Supersonic Bolt XT 64GB Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review

As we all know, there is certainly no shortage of USB 3.0 flash drives on the market. While most of what you will find on the market are your standard solutions, we do have a few from time to time come through the lab that offer extra features.

The Supersonic Bolt XT is the latest solution from Patriot Memory in the flash drive market. This solution offers several capacity options including 16, 32 and 64GB. Setting this drive apart from many solutions on the market today is the security, where we have 256-bit AES hardware based encryption that has this drive FIPS 197 compliant.

Marketing has this drive capable of 150 MB/s reads and 30 MB/s writes, while compatibility is listed with modern Windows operating systems, along with OS X and Linux Kernel 2.4+. MSRP of the Patriot Supersonic Bolt XT in the 64GB flavour is listed at $129.99 with a five-year warranty.

The Bolt XT is an aesthetically pleasing solution. On the front of the drive, we have the Bolt XT raised up in sort of 3D design, while capacity is listed to the right in small print.

The port of the Patriot Bolt XT is USB 3.0 and appropriately colored blue.

To enable to hardware-based encryption, we first must load up the Patriot Vault software. After it's loaded and a password is set, you have the option to unlock or lock the drive.

Here we have the password entry for unlocking our drive.

Above, we have the results of our sequential testing. As you can see, the Bolt XT was able to reach 150 MB/s read and 50.1 MB/s write.

Over to our new DiskBench testing, the Bolt XT was able to reach 47 MB/s with MKV and 36 MB/s with JPG.

Price/Performance for the Patriot SS Phoenix came in at 83%, just behind the JetFlash 760 from Transcend.

The Bolt XT from Patriot is a great little drive for those wanting a secure solution. Adding to that, the build quality of this solution is quite good, and the rubberized exterior adds to that with a bit more durability than our standard solutions. While capacity options for this line-up are quite slim and limited to 64GB, this should be enough for those with small documents they want to transport securely.

Performance of this drive was decent, of course not what we are used to with USB 3.0 drives, and by no means did we expect this solution to be the highest performing solution. In our testing, we were able to reach 150 MB/s read, on par with marketing, while write speed came in above marketing at 50 MB/s.

PRICING: You can find the Supersonic Bolt XT 64GB High Performance USB 3.0 Flash Drive with Built-in Hardware-Based 256-Bit AES Data Security for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Supersonic Bolt XT 64GB High Performance USB 3.0 Flash Drive with Built-in Hardware-Based 256-Bit AES Data Security retails for $89.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The Supersonic Bolt XT 64GB High Performance USB 3.0 Flash Drive with Built-in Hardware-Based 256-Bit AES Data Security retails for CDN$177.07 at Amazon Canada.

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BURG to Launch First All Stainless Steel Smartwatch at CES
BURG, the industry leader in smartwatch technology, announced today the new BURG 27, the first all stainless steel smartwatch. Available in Stainless Steel, Rose Gold Stainless Steel IP, and Black Stainless Steel IP, the round-shaped BURG 27 marries an over 20 year history of BURG lifestyle fashion experience with the most advanced wearable technology in the industry. Part of the 2015 BURG Wearables Collection, the BURG 27 is the first smartwatch to offer the new advanced Media Tek Chip; newest Android 4.4 OS with voice activation; Health/Sleep Apps; full Internet browsing; streaming music and video; GPS, Twitter, Facebook, Skype and much more - all with 30% more energy efficiency for a longer battery life.

Stainless Steel -- Today's Preferred Watch Style Choice

The fashion forward BURG 27 smartwatch functions as a standalone phone, with the ability to make and receive calls and texts without linking to a smartphone. It also includes the new Android 4.4 OS to connect to all Android phones, as well as iOS and other smartphones through Bluetooth. It offers all the functions of a smartphone - phone calls, text, music content, streaming music and video, 2 MP camera, calendar, 1,500 contact list, voice recording, social media, etc. -- in a fashionable round, stainless steel 48mm size with a 240 x 240 resolution scratch and water resistant touchscreen -- today's preferred watch style choice.

Over 20 years of Life Style History

To be debuted at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 6-9, 2015 Booth #70854, Sands, the BURG 27 is created by world-renowned Dutch lifestyle designer and trendsetter, Hermen van den Burg, CEO of BURG. BURG is well known for their over 20 years of design work with Ikea and retail giant Target, providing an edge in designing that other "tech-style" smartwatch manufacturers cannot match. In keeping with the clean, minimalistic, but powerful elements that define Dutch design, the BURG 27 integrates seamlessly with consumer's lifestyles.

New BURG Swarovski Crystal Smartwatch & Wearables Franchise Shop Also Launch at CES

In keeping with its tradition of innovation, BURG will also launch a new glamorous Swarovski crystal BURG smartwatch/bracelet as well as the world's first Wearables Franchise Shop at CES. The Wearables Shop will reflect the trendsetting design philosophy that is at the foundation of every BURG product. Colorful, fun, informative as well as architecturally advanced, these shops will immerse consumers in the BURG experience.

"I am proud to say that the 2015 BURG Smartwatch Collection is nothing short of spectacular! Where our competitors continue to create unfashionable 'tech style' smartwatches with rubber straps, BURG is blazing new trails in creating Smartwatches that are technologically advanced and highly fashionable as well. The 2015 Collection is comprised of unique case designs, materials and colors which will allow BURG owners the ability to completely customize their devices," said Hermen van den Burg, CEO and Founder, BURG.

The BURG 27 stainless steel smartwatch features:

• First stainless steel smartwatch and first to include the advanced new Media Tek Chip.
• Voice Activated.
• Full phone functionality: makes and receives calls with its speakerphone using the included SIM card or paired with your Android, iPhone or other smartphone.
• Features Android 4.4 OS.
• Health Applications: tracks steps taken, calorie counter, sleep, and sports schedule.
• GPS, weather & temperature.
• 3G and Wi-Fi compatible.
• Connects to social media sites: Facebook, Twitter and Skype.
• Sends text messages.
• Smart Keyboard.
• Music & video: MP4/MP3 Player, FM Radio, and voice recorder with headphones included.
• Screen-on when swing.
• 2 Megapixel camera.
• 1,500 Contact List, Calendar, and Calculator.
• Color Display: 1.22" 208 x 240 pixel scratch and splash resistant touchscreen.
• Alarm Clock with automatic time zone and seasonal updates.
• 30% longer battery life with built-in rechargeable li-ion battery. Charges with included USB to Micro USB cable.
• Bluetooth 4.4 technology.
• 8GB built-in memory. Includes 4GB Micro SD card (up to 16GB of storage) and Micro USB port for syncing and charging.
• Available in silver or rose gold stainless steel.

The BURG 27 smartwatch will debut at CES 2015 with availability in March 2015. Suggested Retail Price will be announced at CES. The BURG 27 includes a free SIM card, USB to Micro USB cable, 4GB Micro SD card that can be upgraded to 16GB, headphones, watch battery, Quick Start Guide, band tool, and language selector. Additional BURG Smartwatch models are also available in a variety of colors and designs through Amazon and Shop HQ.


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AMD Continues Its Legacy of Software Development Innovation with New CodeXL Tool Suite
AMD announced a significant update to its CodeXL unified tool suite for developers designed to accelerate applications running on AMD processors. CodeXL is AMD's primary developer tool for generating detailed information about the real-world performance of AMD Central Processing Units (CPUs), Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). AMD CodeXL version 1.6 provides GPU profiling capabilities and API-level debugging for OpenCL� 2.0 applications. CodeXL 1.6 also introduces a new advanced tool for profiling APU power consumption, which enables developers to reduce the power requirements of their application. These features significantly bolster the tools available to developers for creating applications on either Windows or Linux that take advantage of the inherent processing capability of heterogeneous system architecture (HSA).

The CodeXL tool suite assists software developers and ISVs to utilize parallel programming by harnessing the compute power of AMD's high-performance CPUs, GPUs and APUs. CodeXL 1.6 includes advanced GPU debugging, GPU and CPU profiling and static OpenCL kernel analysis. With AMD CodeXL 1.6, developers can bring to life applications with tremendous performance, long battery life, and smooth playback. AMD has also released a beta version of the AMD APP SDK 3.0 with comprehensive OpenCL 2.0 support. AMD APP SDK 3.0 contains a complete set of sample code illustrating how to use each of the major new features of OpenCL 2.0.

"With the release of the CodeXL 1.6 tool suite and AMD APP SDK 3.0, developers gain greater capability to unlock the power of HSA hardware features such as shared memory through heterogeneous Unified Memory Architecture," said Manju Hegde, AMD corporate vice president, Heterogeneous Applications and Solutions. "OpenCL 2.0 is a state-of-the-art parallel programming platform and CodeXL1.6 provides extensive debugging and performance profiling capabilities to enable software developers to more readily take advantage of heterogeneous systems."

The new power profiler samples a variety of counters that capture individual APU sub-components, including their power consumption, effective frequency and temperature. The profile data is displayed in real-time using a rich and intuitive graphic representation, while the application session is in progress. A command line option is also available.


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Samsung Starts Mass-producing First 8 Gigabit LPDDR4 Mobile DRAM
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has started mass producing the industry's first 8 gigabit (Gb), low power double data rate 4 (LPDDR4) mobile DRAM based on the company's leading-edge 20-nanometer (nm) process technology. LPDDR memories are the most widely used "working memory" for mobile devices worldwide.

"By initiating production of 20nm 8Gb LPDDR4, which is even faster than the DRAM for PCs and servers and consumes much less energy, we are contributing to the timely launch of UHD, large-screen flagship mobile devices," said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice President of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. "As this major advancement in mobile memory demonstrates, we will continue to closely collaborate with global mobile device manufacturers to optimize DRAM solutions, making them suitable for next-generation mobile OS environments."

The new 20nm 8Gb LPDDR4 offers twice the performance and density compared to 4Gb LPDDR3 which was based on 20nm-class* process technology. The new 8Gb LPDDR4 chip allows a 4 gigabyte (GB) LPDDR4 package to be created.

Samsung's 4GB LPDDR4 package was chosen as an Honoree of the 2015 CES Innovation Awards in the Embedded Technologies category. In winning this award, Samsung became the only company that has won CES Innovation Awards for three consecutive years with its mobile DRAM solutions, as the company's 2GB LPDDR3 and 3GB LPDDR3 were honored in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Due to an I/O data rate of up to 3,200 megabits per second (Mbps), which is two times faster than a typical DDR3 DRAM used in PCs, the new 8Gb LPDDR4 can support UHD video recording and playback and continuous shooting of high-resolution images with over 20 megapixels.

The LPDDR4 mobile memory chip's operating voltage was reduced to 1.1V from that of LPDDR3 memory chips, which makes the new Samsung chip the lowest power memory solution available for large-screen smartphones and tablets, and high-performance network systems. For example, in case of a 2GB package, an 8Gb LPDDR4-based 2GB package can save up to 40 percent of power compared to a 4Gb LPDDR3-based 2GB package, due to low operating voltages and faster processing.

By adopting new proprietary low-voltage swing-terminated logic (LVSTL) for its I/O signaling, Samsung has also further reduced the new LPDDR4 chip's power consumption while enabling high-frequency operations at low voltages for optimal power efficiency.

Samsung started providing 2GB LPDDR4 and 3GB LPDDR4 DRAM packages this month based on 8Gb and 6Gb LPDDR4 dies, respectively, in support of global application processor vendors and mobile device manufacturers, and will provide 4GB LPDDR4 packages in early 2015.

Samsung expects to rapidly increase the production volume of its 20nm DRAM line-ups, including the new 8Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM and the recently introduced 8Gb DDR4 DRAM for servers, in order to better meet customer needs, while accelerating the growth rate of the high density DRAM market.


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LG Announces Music Flow Wi-Fi Series Speakers
LG Electronics (LG) today announced plans to introduce its new 2015 Music Flow Wi-Fi Series lineup for music and movie lovers worldwide. Demonstrated for the first time at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas next month, the U.S. LG audio lineup includes the company's first battery-powered Portable Wi-Fi Speaker, three additional Wi-Fi Speakers as well as three new upgraded Wi-Fi Sound Bars. These speakers are designed to be compatible with Android and iOS devices and allow consumers to build a custom home audio system that can be controlled using LG's Music Flow mobile app.

Each LG Music Flow Wi-Fi device can be used independently or connected to one another device wirelessly, using Advanced Wireless Network and Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4/5GHz) technology to deliver a seamless audio experience. Unlike other Bluetooth speakers, streaming to a Music Flow Wi-Fi Series speaker from a smartphone continues uninterrupted when receiving a call. If home libraries aren't enough, users can stream music from service providers such as Spotify Connect, Rhapsody, TuneIn, and more.

LG's new Music Flow Smart Wi-Fi audio lineup includes three different speakers of varying size and power output as well as the LG NP8350, the company's first wireless speaker with a built-in battery for easy portability from one room to another in the home.

LG Music Flow makes creating a personalized wireless home entertainment center easier than ever. In Home Cinema Mode, users can wirelessly connect two Music Flow speakers to the Wi-Fi Sound Bar as rear left and right channels to completely immerse the viewer in a true surround sound experience. Each speaker can be individually set to match the desired environment based on the speaker's position. Additionally, LG's BP550 Streaming 3D Blu-ray Player or LAB550W SoundPlate can be connected to Music Flow speakers to stream sound from any CD or a connected USB drive.

What's more, the Auto Music Play feature gives LG Music Flow the ability to deliver a user experience that maximizes convenience for listeners on the go. Music on a smartphone will automatically begin playing on a Music Flow Wi-Fi speaker when the phone comes within one foot. So a user could be listening to music on headphones on the subway ride home but the music will begin playing automatically from the living room Wi-Fi Sound Bar when the user enters living room.

The collection also comes with LG HomeChatTM capability that allows users to control the LG devices using the popular LINE free-text messaging app on any smartphone or tablet. With this feature, users can send a text to the audio system using simple commands such as "play songs for party" or "turn off music after one hour." With HomeChat, LG Music Flow Wi-Fi Series can also act as a personal assistant, setting alarms and alerting users of upcoming events on command.

"The flexibility and quality of the LG Music Flow Wi-Fi Series delivers a listening experience that goes beyond what conventional audio systems have been able to offer until now," said Byung-hoon Min, senior vice president and head of the CAV division at the LG Home Entertainment Company. "With Wi-Fi capability and high-fidelity audio output, our Music Flow Wi-Fi Series is the epitome of what a smart audio system should be capable of in the 21st century."


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