Google Adds New Hands-Free Features to Android Wear
Google
has announced this week that they have added several new functions to
the Android Wear operating system in an update that is now being rolled
out. The latest update takes an eye towards delivering some improvements
to hands-free input options - and a bit more smartphone functionality
to the wrist as a result - as Google looks to cut down on the number of
finger gestures required to use reminders, messages, and handle calls.
The new features will work on existing and upcoming mobile devices
running the OS and will be compatible with first-party and select
third-party apps.
Starting things off is a set of new
navigation options for wrist gestures. At present, Android Wear
smartwatches can do simple navigation by flicking your wrist. With the
new update, Google is adding the ability to expand a card, bring up
apps, or return to watch face with a push, lift or shake of the wrist.
Also
present in the latest update are improved voice control functions for
third party apps. Smartwatches running Google Android Wear already
support voice commands to control music playback, make notes/reminders,
search the Internet, etc, while the latest update will all voice
commands to send messages from applications like Google Hangouts,
Nextplus, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp.
Finally,
all Android Wear watches can monitor incoming calls. However, there is a
new breed of Android Wear-based watches (the Huawei Watch and the ASUS
ZenWatch 2), which feature built-in speakers and with this update will
be able to make calls outright in this fashion when paired with a
smartphone.
The
new Google Android Wear update does not seem to be too significant or
game changing. However, it shows certain trends. Smartwatches are
gaining functionality and bring some of smartphone capabilities to the
wrist, which increases importance of such devices in general. Added
convenience is what made mechanical wristwatches popular a century ago.
Perhaps, improved feature-set of smartwatches will make them more
widespread in the coming years.
The new update will be
rolling out to all Android Wear watches over the next few weeks, but
actual manufacturers will have to adopt them to their products and,
perhaps, add their own features or even applications. Availability of
the update depends on makers of actual devices.
Read More ...
VAIO to Start Selling Smartphones in Japan
VAIO,
the former PC division of Sony and now an independent supplier of PCs,
this week announced plans to introduce its first smartphone in Japan
this spring. The company will use Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile operating
system and will target business users with its VAIO Phone Biz handsets.
VAIO intends to capitalize on Microsoft’s eco-system in order to offer
products that will not directly compete against smartphones running
Apple iOS or Google Android.
VAIO will promote its
smartphones together with Microsoft and local operators in Japan. One of
the selling points of the VAIO Phone Biz will be its support for the
Continuum technology, which lets users to connect their smartphones to
large displays or televisions using Miracast technology,
HDMI/DisplayPort outputs, USB type-C ports or special accessories in
order to use their phones like PCs (e.g., create/edit Office docs, send
email, browse Internet, etc.). Since the VAIO Phone Biz smartphones will
run Windows 10 Mobile, they will be fully compatible with Office 365,
OneDrive, Azure Active Directory, Intune mobile app manager as well as
Skype for business out-of-box. Microsoft will also help VAIO to promote
its smartphones, just like it helps to sell notebooks and tablets
designed by the company.
With
its handsets, VAIO intends to address business users, the target
audience of its PCs. Such positioning will, perhaps, help VAIO to avoid
direct competition with Sony, Samsung and other companies selling Google
Android-based handsets to the masses. However, since Microsoft
considers itself a cloud company, it wants its apps and services to work
on all mobile platforms, even a close collaboration between VAIO and
Microsoft will hardly create a lot of unique advantages for the hardware
company.
The VAIO VPB 051 smartphone will feature a
5.5-inch display with 1920x1080 resolution. The handset will be based on
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 system-on-chip (eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores
clocked at 1.50 GHz, Adreno 405 graphics core) and will be equipped with
3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 16 GB of NAND flash storage as well as a microSD
card slot. The handset from VAIO will also feature 13 MP rear and 5 MP
front cameras, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a micro USB 2.0
connector, various sensors, a 2800 mAh battery and so on. The smartphone
is compatible with 3G/LTE bands 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 19 and 21 with carrier
aggregation (so, this particular model is not suitable for the U.S.).
The smartphone will be 8.3 mm thick and will weigh 167 grams.
The
VAIO Phone Biz model 051 will use a unibody carved out of solid
aluminum (VAIO does not reveal exact type of alloy), which means that it
should be rigid. Keeping in mind that many premium smartphones nowadays
are made of polycarbonate, aluminum body could become a tangible
advantage of the VAIO smartphone.
The smartphone will
be manufactured by a contract manufacturer, its quality will be checked
and tested at the Nagano Technology Site (Azumino City, Nagano
Prefecture), the former hub of Sony’s PC operations, where VAIO already
performs final checks and assembly of its PCs.
The VAIO
VPB 051 will hit the Japanese market this April at the price of ¥50,000
($428). The smartphone will not be sold with contracts, the owners will
be able to choose their operator. For this reason, the handset’s bundle
will include an adapter for nanoSIM cards.
The
addition of a smartphone into the VAIO lineup is a clear sign that the
company is planning to expand and address new markets. Moreover, with
tablets, notebooks and smartphones in the family, the VAIO product line
will be one of the most comprehensive Windows product lines in the
world. The example of Apple shows that a vertically-integrated product
stack helps to sell more products to loyal customers.
What
remains to be seen is when VAIO plans to bring its smartphones to the
U.S. The first-gen model is not suitable for the U.S. because of LTE
compatibility issues (in fact, a business phone that cannot really
support LTE in the U.S. is a strange business phone), if VAIO wants to
sell it in North America, it will have to redesign its LTE module.
Read More ...
OCZ Releases Trion 150 SSD
As
previewed at CES, OCZ has released an update to their budget-oriented
Trion 100 SATA SSD. The Trion 150 switches from parent company Toshiba's
A19nm TLC to their 15nm TLC, the densest planar NAND on the market. The
transition to 15nm NAND has been slow for Toshiba and SanDisk, and the
release of the Trion 150 signals that the 15nm TLC is finally ready to
compete in the most cost-sensitive market segment. This is also probably
the end of the road for Toshiba's planar NAND and the Trion 150 will
probably be the cheapest drive from Toshiba or OCZ until their 3D NAND
ships, unless they introduce a drive with a DRAM-less controller.
The
specifications for the Trion 150 are otherwise unchanged from the Trion
100, but the press releases have mentioned some improvements in
sustained performance. Supporting the 15nm NAND required at least some
firmware tweaks and it's possible that some performance optimizations
were introduced as well. It's also possible that the Trion 150 adopts
more overprovisioning or larger SLC-mode caches.
| OCZ Trion 150 Specifications |
| Capacity |
120GB |
240GB |
480GB |
960GB |
| Controller |
Toshiba TC58 |
| NAND |
Toshiba 15nm TLC |
| Sequential Read |
550MB/s |
550MB/s |
550MB/s |
550MB/s |
| Sequential Write |
450MB/s |
520MB/s |
530MB/s |
530MB/s |
| 4KB Random Read |
79K IOPS |
90K IOPS |
90K IOPS |
90K IOPS |
| 4KB Random Write |
25K IOPS |
43K IOPS |
54K IOPS |
64K IOPS |
| Endurance |
30TB |
60TB |
120TB |
240TB |
| DevSleep Power |
6mW |
| Idle Power |
830mW |
| Max Power |
4.8W |
| Warranty |
Three years |
| Price (Amazon) |
$45.99 |
$69.99 |
$139.99 |
$269.99 |
We initially found the Trion 100 to be a fairly
poor performer compared to other modern SSDs, but its pricing of late
has been very low and more recent TLC drives like Crucial's BX200 have
sacrificed even more performance for the goal of affordability. The
allure of the cheapest TLC SSDs has been reduced by the availability of
some decent MLC drives for only slightly higher prices, such as
Mushkin's Reactor. With the switch to denser NAND, the Trion 150 may be
able to widen the gap and take a clear lead in affordability over MLC
drives. Even if the Trion 150 turns out to be another step in the race
to the bottom among value SSDs, it will still vastly outperform hard
drives, and that's all that value SSDs are really aiming for at the
moment. On the other hand, if it does offer significant real-world
performance improvements without any price increase, it can probably be
competitive against other value SSDs at some capacities.
OCZ hasn't announced pricing for the Trion 150, but Newegg is
currently listing the Trion 150 at around $0.29/GB for the 240GB and larger capacities and
Amazon's listing (not in stock yet) has the 120GB drive slightly cheaper.
Read More ...
ARM Announces New 28nm POP IP For UMC Foundry
Today ARM announces a new POP IP offering directed at UMC's new 28HPC
U manufacturing
process. To date we haven't had the opportunity to properly explain
what ARM's POP IP actually is and how it enables vendors to achieve
better implementation of ARM's IP offerings. While for today's pipeline
announcement we'll be just explaining the basics, we're looking forward
to a more in-depth article in the following months as to how vendors
take various IPs through the different stages of development.
When
we talk about a vendor licensing an ARM IP (CPU for example), this
generally means that they are taking the RTL (Register Transfer Level)
design of an IP. The RTL is just a logical representation of the
functioning of a block, and to get to from this form to one that can be
implemented into actual silicon requires different development phases
which is generally referred to as the physical implementation part of
semiconductor development.
It's
here where ARM's POP IP (Which by the way is not an acronym) comes into
play: Roughly speaking, POP IP is a set of tools and resources that are
created by ARM to accelerate and facilitate the implementation part of
SoC development. This includes standard cell libraries, memory
compilers, timing benchmarks, process optimized design changes and in
general implementation knowledge that ARM is able to amass during the IP
block development phase.
The
main goal is to relieve the vendor from re-doing work that ARM has
already done and thus enable a much better time-to-market compared to
vendors which have their in-house implementation methodology (Samsung
and Qualcomm, among others, for example). ARM explains this can give an
up to 5-8 month time to market advantage which is critical in the
fast-moving mobile SoC space.
One aspect that seemed to
be misunderstood, and even myself had some unclear notions about, is
that POP IP is not a hard-macro offering but rather all the resources
that enable a vendor to achieve that hard-macro (GDSII implementation).
This is where we come back to today's announcement. ARM's new POP IP targets UMC's new 28nm process called
28HPCU for ARM's Cortex A7 and Cortex A53 cores. The acronym has a dual meaning standing for 28nm High Performance Compact "UMC" or "Ultra-Low IDDQ" with IDDQ being
the leakage current which is being describes as being considerably
lower than UMC's first-generation 28nm HKMG process and able to give
significant battery life improvements to devices.
While
ARM isn't able to disclose which vendors use POP IP, they state that
the main target is low-cost Asian market, which most likely means
various Chinese vendors. According to S.C. Chien, vice president, corporate marketing, UMC:
"Multiple customers from a variety of applications have engaged with UMC to design their products on 28HPCU.
Our collaboration with long-time partner ARM enables UMC to offer a
comprehensive design platform with POP IP for two of the most efficient
ARM processor cores."
Read More ...
Alpenföhn Unveils Olymp: A Giant Air Cooler Rated for 340W TDP
As
the market for PC CPU coolers has matured over the last half-decade or
so and closed loop liquid coolers have encroached in the space, we
haven't seen very many announcements of high-end CPU air coolers.
However when we do see new coolers announced, they tend to aim for the
stars, and now cooler manufacturer Alpenföhn is doing just that. This
week the company is announcing their new Olymp cooler, a rather large
tower CPU cooler rated to dissipate up to 340W of heat.
The
Alpenföhn Olymp is an oversized asymmetric twin-tower cooler made of
aluminum with a nickel-plated copper base as well as six U-shaped 6-mm
nickel-plated heat-pipes. The heatsink is 165x151x150mm in size and
weighs 1.2 kilograms (without fans); it requires a special mounting
mechanism with custom retention plates and will not fit into many small
form-factor PC cases (especially with fans installed). The sides of the
fins of the heatsink are slightly bent in order to make the most of
their surface area and to optimize airflow.
Alpenföhn
does not disclose exact cooling fin surface area of the Olymp, but it
is pretty clear that it is huge. While heatsinks of such weight and
dimensions can cool-down even higher-end CPUs passively (for example,
Thermalright positions its
HR22 and
Macho Zero
as passive cooling solutions), the Alpenföhn Olymp can be equipped with
140-mm fans to maximize its potential. Since the cooler is gargantuan,
to ensure maximum compatibility with memory modules Alpenföhn proposes
installing one fan between the towers and another on the backside of the
cooler. Such configuration is common for oversized coolers and it's a
rather straightforward solution for dual-channel memory platforms (i.e.,
LGA115x, FM2/AM3, etc.). However users of quad-channel memory platforms
(i.e., LGA2011, where modules are installed on both sides of the CPU
socket) will have to adjust height of front and/or back fans so not
restrict the installation of memory modules in slots that need to be
used.
The
Alpenfoehn Olymp is shipped with two WingBoost 140-mm fans with PWM
control that have 300 – 1400 RPM speed and can push up to 123.38 m
3 of air per hour. The airflow pressure of Olymp’s fans is slightly lower than that of the competing
Noctua NH-D15 (140.2 m
3/h),
but with a heatsink that large, it shouldn't matter much for the vast
majority of real-world use cases. The fans are rated to produce from 8
to 26.8 dbA of noise — just slightly louder than the maximum amount
noise declared for the NH-D15. Alpenföhn rates its fans for 280 thousand
hours MTTF (mean time till failure), or about 32 years of 24/7
operation.
The manufacturer believes that its Olymp
cooler can effectively dissipate up to 340 W of heat, an extreme amount
that greatly exceeds any reasonable TDP of a commercial chip. The
Alpenfoehn Olymp will compete against other super-coolers, including
Thermalright SilverArrow Extreme (officially rated for 320 W TDP), as well as advanced liquid cooling solutions.
The
Alpenföhn Olymp is compatible with virtually all modern CPU platforms,
including Intel’s LGA115x, LGA2011 and LGA775 as well as AMD’s AM2/AM3
and FM1. Keeping in mind its huge dimensions and weight, it makes a lot
of sense to check thoroughly whether the cooler is compatible with a
particular setup before purchase. The cooler is available for €79.9 in
various stores across Europe.
Read More ...
Dell To Add Off-Host BIOS Verification To Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise
At
CES this year, Dell kind of broke from tradition and focused more on
their business products. When I had a chance to talk to them, they were
very enthusiastic about the fact that Dell is one of the few companies
that does complete end to end solutions for the enterprise. Part of that
end to end solution is Dell’s Endpoint Security Suite Enterprise, which
includes data protection, authentication, and malware prevention.
A
new feature coming to this suite is going to be BIOS verification. Dell
found that there was a gap in the market with regards to securing the
boot process. BIOS attacks are especially nasty, because they load up
before the operating system and can more easily avoid detection. Most
malware protection products focus on heuristics and virus signatures,
but that landscape is changing with less mass targeting of malware and
more directed attacks at specific companies, or even people. Dell’s
Endpoint suite was recently updated to use Cylance as their anti-virus
engine, and it uses machine learning which, according to Dell, can stop
99% of malware, even if it’s a zero-day or unknown exploit. Signature
based detection is accurate 50% or less of the time, according to the
same tests.
But all of that is to protect the operating
system. If malware gets into the BIOS, it can be very difficult to
detect. There are already methods to help deal with this – Microsoft
Windows offers protection called Measured Boot which verifies the BIOS
with help of the Trusted Platform Module. Dell wants to take this one
step further, and remove the local host from the equation at all.
Instead, Dell computers with the Endpoint Suite will be able to compare a
SHA256 hash of the BIOS against a known good version kept on Dell’s
servers. Since Dell is the one that originally creates the BIOS, they
would be the authority to ensure that it has not been compromised.
Dell’s
suite will perform a hash function on the BIOS, and send it to Dell. If
the BIOS is found to have a non-matching return value, Dell’s servers
will send an alert to the designated IT admins for the organization.
Dell's Latitude 13 7000 will be available with BIOS Verification
Unlike
Secure Boot, Dell’s solution does not actually stop the device from
booting, or even alert the end user. The hashing and comparison is not
done in real-time, but rather after the machine finishes booting, the
Endpoint Suite will send it to Dell. Dell made it very clear that their
intention was not to interfere with the device itself, but rather to
give the IT admins notification of an issue so that they can deal with
it through their own response and policy.
One obvious
question I had to ask was if this same hashing could be done on a
continuous basis, rather than just at boot, because the Endpoint Suite
is what gathers the information and sends it to Dell. They were happy to
let me know that a policy based scan of the BIOS is something they are
working on, and they are hoping for it to be available in Q2 of this
year. Scanning the BIOS every hour, or whatever is deemed a good time by
the IT admins, would give them a leg up to catch the software before it
even gets to go through a boot process and get itself into the system.
Dell
has focused very much on being a one-stop shop for all of a companies
computing needs, from servers, to desktops, to displays, and even
services. This addition to their Enterprise Security Suite Enterprise
will initially be available for Dell’s lineup of commercial PCs based on
6
th generation Intel
processors. They were keen to point out that BIOS attacks are not
anywhere near as commonplace as traditional malware, but it is important
to be out in front of these types of attacks.
Source: Dell
Read More ...
Who Controls the User Experience? AMD’s Carrizo Thoroughly Tested
In
Q2 of 2015, AMD officially launched Carrizo, their new APU aimed at
mobile devices such as laptops and portable all-in-ones that normally
accommodate 15W-35W processors. Quoted in the media as 'the biggest
change to Bulldozer since Bulldozer itself', the marketing arm of AMD
released information regarding the architecture of the new processor
which contained a long list of fluid and dynamic implementations on
improving the Bulldozer based architecture over the previous iteration
of Steamroller. Despite this, AMDs target market for the Carrizo
platform has not been receptive to AMDs product stack in recent
generations due to issues surrounding performance, battery life and
designs. AMD believes to have solved the first two of those with
Carrizo, whereas the third is out of their hands and up to the OEMs to
embrace AMDs platform. We wondered if the OEM’s concerns were well
placed, and organized some special testing to confirm AMD’s claims about
Carrizo.
Read More ...
ioSafe Launches BDR 515 Backup and Disaster Recovery Appliance
ioSafe's
disaster-resistant storage devices are unique in the market. Yesterday,
they introduced the latest member of their backup and data recovery
(BDR) server lineup - the BDR 515. It is a 5-bay x86 NAS running Windows
Server 2012 R2. Earlier NAS appliances from ioSafe such as the 1513+
and 1515+ were based on Synology's DSM OS. With the BDR 515, the focus
has shifted to consumers who want the familiarity and capabilities of
Microsoft's server platform.
Before going into the
details of the BDR 515, it might be useful to see the conditions under
which a BDR NAS unit might make sense. These appliances are usually
installed in server rooms and automatically back up all the data stored
on servers both locally and to the cloud. If the servers are damaged
because of a major hardware outage, a natural disaster, or other
emergency, BDRs can help to quickly restore the data. Thanks to the fact
that BDRs store data both locally and in the cloud, they can restore
data even if they are physically damaged as well. Moreover, the BDR can
act as a replica of the server it is attached to and work as a backup
machine.
ioSafe’s BDR 515, like their complementary NAS
offerings (1515+, 1513+ and the 214), is resistant to both fire and
water damage. The protection specifications are the same as before -
fire with temperatures up to 1550°F for 30 minutes (in accordance with
the ASTM E-119 testing standard) and submergence in 10-feet deep water
for three days without any harm to data. Unlike other BDR servers, the
model 515 from ioSafe protects data immediately after it is recorded on
its HDDs thanks to its ability to protect data in the harshest
environments. Even if the Internet connection is absent after a fire or
flooding, the protection for the hard disks in the BDR 515 allows data
to be restored from the device after retrieval of the appliance from the
disaster site.
The ioSafe BDR 515 is based on the
dual-core Intel Core i5-4570T (2.90 GHz) and is equipped with 16 GB DDR3
memory. It uses the Areca ARC-1225-8i hardware RAID controller and two
Intel i210 Gigabit Ethernet controllers. The BDR 515 can be equipped
with up to five 6 TB WD Red hard disk drives and store up to 30 TB of
data. ioSafe's previous flagship BDR - the 1515+ running Synology's DSM -
utilized a low power Intel Atom processor. The 515's Core i5-4570T
should help ioSafe to significantly improve performance of the solution,
but, at the cost of higher power consumption.
To
ensure that the BDR 515 can handle the CPU with higher TDP, ioSafe had
to install a dedicated air duct to pull fresh outside air directly
across the processor heat sink. In addition, the company increased the
quantity of FloSafe vents for greater airflow over HDDs. The fans are
also larger compared to the ones in the 1515+.
The device will only be available via ioSafe's channel partners and its price depends on actual configuration.
Read More ...
The Zalman ZM-K700M Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
Zalman
joins the market of mechanical gaming keyboards with the ZM-K700M, a
keyboard based on Cherry MX switches and with white backlighting. The
primary difference between this keyboard and most other gaming keyboards
is that Zalman has designed it to perform the majority of its extra
functions directly through hardware, independently from the OS.
Read More ...
Giveaway: Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC)
After a bit of a break we’re back with another giveaway for everyone to enjoy.
This time the folks over at Square Enix sent over a rather sizable cache of game keys for
Rise of the Tomb Raider to promote the recent PC release of the game and its availability on the Windows 10 Store.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is the latest game in the long-running action-adventure series, and is the direct sequel to the 2013 reboot,
Tomb Raider.
Originally released on the Xbox One last November,
Rise of the Tomb Raider
was released on the PC last week. Of note, the PC version contains
several graphical effects not present in the Xbox One version, including
HBAO+ ambient occlusion, more wisely used tessellation, a more
impressive sun soft shadow rendering system, and generally higher image
quality at the high-end thanks to the greater rendering power of PCs.
Meanwhile the fine folks at Eurogamer's
Digital Foundry have put together a video showing off the enhancements, which you can see below.
For this giveaway Square Enix has sent over 200 keys for the
Windows 10 Store version of the game,
and on that note I believe this is the first AAA game to get a
simultaneous release through the Windows Store. Please note that Square
Enix has confirmed that these keys don’t work on Steam, so you’ll need
to be on Windows 10 in order to redeem and play the game.
Finally,
so that we can give out the keys and let the winners start playing
ASAP, we’ll be running a shorter than usual entry period on this
contest. Our
Rise of the Tomb Raider giveaway will only be open for 24 hours, from 8am ET today (February 3
rd) to 8am ET on February 4
th.
Please note that standard AnandTech rules apply, so we’re only able to
open up this contest to legal residents of the United States who are 18
years or older. You can read the full terms and conditions below.
Good luck to everyone, and an extra thank you to Square Enix for sending over so many keys.
Update 02/04: All of the winners have been contacted and keys distributed. Congrats to our winners, and thanks again everyone for entering.
Read More ...
ASUS Launches 970 Pro Gaming/Aura Motherboard: USB 3.1 and M.2 to AMD FX Platform
ASUS
has introduced its latest motherboard for AMD FX microprocessors that
brings up-to-date features to the platform. The ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura
belongs to a new class of AMD FX (socket AM3+) mainboards that support
USB 3.1 peripherals as well as M.2 solid-state drives. In addition, the
platform is also equipped with various gaming-oriented features
available on the latest platforms from the company.
The
ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura is based on the AMD 970 + SB950 chipset, which
is not AMD’s top-of-the-range core-logic for the FX processors, but
which is pretty affordable for mainstream motherboards. The AMD 970 did
not officially support any multi-GPU technology when it was released
five years ago. AMD has removed this limitation since then and modern
AMD 970-based mainboards, such as the 970 Pro Gaming/Aura, can run more
than one video card. The motherboard has two PCI Express slots for
graphics cards operating in PCIe 2.0 x8 mode and officially supporting
both AMD CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI. In addition, the new mainboard
features two PCIe 2.0 x1 and two PCI slots for add-in cards.
| AMD 900 Series Chipsets |
|
990FX + SB950 |
990X + SB950 |
970 + SB950 |
| Code Name |
RD990 |
RD980 |
RX980 |
| Released |
Q2 2011 |
Q2 2011 |
Q2 2011 |
| PCIe Lanes |
42 PCIe 2.0 lanes |
26 PCIe 2.0 lanes |
26 PCIe 2.0 lanes |
| CrossFire |
x16 + x16
x8 + x8 + x8 + x8 |
x8 + x8 |
x16 + x4
x8 + x8 + x4 |
| SLI |
x16 + x16
x16 + x8 + x8
x8 + x8 + x8 + x8 |
x8 + x8 |
x8 + x8 |
| NB TDP |
19.6W |
14W |
13.6W |
| HyperTransport (MHz) |
2600 |
2600 |
2400 |
| SATA 6 Gb/s |
6 |
6 |
6 |
| RAID |
0, 1, 5, 10 |
0, 1, 5, 10 |
0, 1, 5, 10 |
| USB 2.0 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
| PCI |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| SB950 TDP |
6W |
6W |
6W |
The ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura supports all AMD FX
processors in AM3+ form-factor with up to 125W TDP as well as their
predecessors, such as the Phenom II, the Athlon II and the Sempron
100-series chips (but advised against using the 220W FX-9000 series).
The new motherboard has upgraded 8-phase power delivery and similar to
other ASUS designs the 970 Pro Gaming/Aura uses the company’s Digi+
custom power controller. The motherboard features four memory slots and
supports up to 32 GB of DDR3-2133 memory.
The
970 Pro Gaming/Aura comes with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5
and 10 support as well as an M.2 slot for SSDs (2242/2260/2280
form-factors are supported) that operates in PCIe 2.0 x4 mode and
supports data-rates of up to 20 GT/s, making it suitable for drives such
as the
Samsung XP941.
The UEFI/BIOS of the motherboard fully supports NVMe protocol and
therefore the platform can take advantage of modern SSDs, such as
Samsung 950 Pro.
However it is unclear whether the M.2 slot uses PCIe lanes from the
AMD970 or the SB950 controller. The platform also comes bundled with
RAMcache software to speed up launches of frequently used applications.
Meanwhile
for USB functionality the motherboard is equipped with ASMedia’s
ASM1142 USB 3.1 controller that enables two USB 3.1 type-A connectors on
the rear panel. In addition, the mainboard supports two USB 3.0 ports
(also using an ASMedia controller) and 14 USB 2.0 ports.
For
other functionality we get Intel's I211-AT Gigabit Ethernet controller
with the GameFirst software for network traffic prioritization as well
as LANGuard ESD and power surge protection. Audio comes through ASUS'
SupremeFX, their upgraded Realtek ALC1150 codec solution, with EM
shielding, PCB separation of analog/digital signal and support for up to
300 ohms headphones.
The motherboard is designed for
low-cost gaming systems, though that hasn't stopped ASUS from adding a
set of overclocking features into its BIOS and the components necessary
to drive it. The aim is to get a full system price that is competitive.
For example, the
AMD FX-8320
featuring four Piledriver modules and unlocked multiplier can be
purchased for $145, which is comparable to the price of Intel’s
dual-core Core i3 processors. Once overclocked, the FX-8320 chip can
offer rather decent performance for its price (
see our results of the FX-8370E overclocked to 4.8 GHz here).
The mainboard also supports AMD CrossFireX, NVIDIA SLI, as well as USB
3.1 and M.2/NVMe, which should attract attention of people seeking for
the latest technologies and an easy upgrade path (at least, for
graphics).
As an added flair for users that are
interested, the ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura also features Aura RGB LED on
the south bridge, which can produce various lighting effects, such as
pulsating, strobing, fading and so on. The motherboard is clearly not
the first affordable platform to offer LED lighting, but ASUS just had
to include the technology into the package simply because a number of
competing offerings come with LEDs. They can also be switched off if
needed.
The ASUS 970 Pro Gaming/Aura has not yet reached retailers, however
Newegg already has a listing up for $119.99.
Read More ...
AMD Launches Excavator on Desktop: The 65W Athlon X4 845 for $70
As part of today’s launch AMD released
two new Kaveri based APUs as part of the FM2+ platform, the A10-7860K and the A6-7470K,
as well as clarifying the way the new 125W Wraith stock cooler would be
distributed at this time. What went under the radar almost was the
release of a third part, the Athlon X4 845 CPU, featuring no integrated
graphics but AMD’s newest architecture instead.
This
makes good timing, because our review of AMD’s Carrizo, the mobile
platform using the latest AMD architecture is set to go up in the next
couple of days. AMD’s Excavator cores were the poignant part of AMD’s
Tech Day in mid-2015, where the new Excavator architecture was discussed
and especially in relation to the previous generation Steamroller
cores.
The
goal of Excavator, as we were told at the time, was to develop a series
of big steps into improving the efficiency of the base Bulldozer
microarchitecture through high density libraries, better metal stacks in
production, more on-chip analysis to save power, more power planes to
regulate those chances and everything in-between. We were told we
wouldn’t see the Excavator core on the desktop in its desktop form
because the design focused on the 15W-35W power window, rather than the
45W+ on the desktop.
Fast forward to today and there
seems to be a slight reversal here. The new AMD Athlon X4 845 is a pair
of Excavator modules in a desktop package, designed to slot right in
where the Steamroller design through Kaveri has been sitting for a
couple of years. Why the change? And why a single SKU at 65W, way off
the 15W-35W range quoted as 'ideal' back at the Tech Day?
| AMD Excavator Based Lineup |
|
A12 PRO-
8800B |
FX-
8800P |
A10-
8700P |
A8-
8600P |
A6-PRO
8500B |
Athlon X4
845 |
| Platform |
Mobile |
Mobile |
Mobile |
Mobile |
Mobile |
Desktop |
| Modules |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
| Threads |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
| Core Freq. (GHz) |
2.1-3.4 |
2.1-3.4 |
1.8-3.2 |
1.6-3.0 |
1.6-3.0 |
3.5-3.8 |
| Compute Units |
4+8 |
4+8 |
4+6 |
4+6 |
2+4 |
4+0 |
Streaming
Processors |
512 |
512 |
384 |
384 |
256 |
N/A |
| IGP Freq. (MHz) |
800 |
800 |
800 |
720 |
800 |
N/A |
| TDP |
15-35W |
15-35W |
15W |
15W |
15W |
65W |
DRAM
Frequency |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
1600 |
2133 |
| L2 Cache |
2x1MB |
2x1MB |
2x1MB |
2x2MB |
2x1MB |
2x1MB |
One thing that was made perfectly clear in AMD’s
briefing on the new Athlon was that this is not a performance part – due
to the nature of Excavator the new CPU would be purely an efficiency
play, allowing customers to take advantage of the latest architecture in
the desktop if they didn’t need the full-fat performance. Arguably you
could already find Excavator in the desktop, through Dell’s Inspiron
3656 range which uses a mobile part in a desktop case with a discrete
graphics card.
With
the new Athlon, the fact that there is no graphics part to the FM2+
processor does raise several questions. Is this a new die specifically
for the Excavator on desktop, which might run into the tens of millions
of dollars to produce, or is it repurposed mobile silicon put into a
desktop package. Instinct tells us it’s the latter, perhaps better
binned parts to show that the core can do 3.8 GHz at 65W, but at the
expense of the integrated graphics, or due to production issues the
integrated graphics on die are unusable. One of the interesting things
is also the L2 cache situation, because the Excavator modules in Carrizo
were designed with 1MB of L2 per module, rather than the 2MB of L2
cache per module in desktop Kaveri. This is somewhat balanced by the
larger L1 data cache in Excavator, but because there is no L3 cache
either, it has to rely on other Excavator enhancements (better prefetch,
wider prefetch windows) in order to bring it up to speed.
The
PCIe 3.0 lanes are also at x8, which is another mobile limitation
rather than the result of the PCIe root complex being half-disabled.
AMD
has already stated that the next generation of AMD APUs will be on the
AM4 platform, code named Bristol Ridge and Summit Ridge. We assume
Bristol Ridge to be Excavator based, because there has to be something
between now and Zen, but it would seem to suggest that the Excavator
memory controller has support for DDR3 and DDR4, similar to what was
suggested when
AMD announced their DDR4-capable R-series APUs for embedded
late last year. This may mean that AM4 supports both DDR3 and DDR4 as a
result, which would not be unsurprising given how most DRAM transitions
go.
We have asked for samples when they start to circulate. The Athlon X4 845 will have a MSRP of $70.
Source: AMD
Additional, 3rd Feb:
We have been told by AMD that 'The Athlon X4 845 is based on the
"Carrizo" die with the GPU and FCH disabled. [T]he Athlon X4 845
supports DDR3 memory at speeds up to 2133MHz.'. Also, despite the focus
on efficiency, the X4 845 will not have a configurable TDP.
Read More ...
AMD Launches new Coolers and 65W Kaveri APUs: the A10-7860K and A6-7470K
Over the past two years we’ve reviewed almost every AMD Kaveri desktop processor to have been released – the
A10-7850K, the
A8-7600, the
A10-7800, the
A8-7650K, the
A4-7400K, the
A10-7700K, the
A10-7870K and the
A8-7670K.
If there’s one thing that is clear, it is that AMD’s strategy in this
space is to have a trickle effect - start with a few models and slowly
fill out the product line. Some of those later models are part of the
‘Kaveri Refresh’ line, or ‘Godavari’, which are meant to be better
binned and more robust parts. As part of this line, AMD is releasing two
more APUs and another CPU into the mix. We’ll address the CPU in a
separate piece because it implements something a little different, but
the two APUs are 65W parts and include the first 65W part with a 4.0 GHz
turbo frequency and a full set of eight compute cores. The new parts
are:
- The A10-7860K, four threads, 3.6 GHz / 4.0 GHz turbo, R7 graphics (512 SPs) at 757 MHz
- The A6-7470K, two threads, 3.7 GHz / 4.0 GHz turbo, R5 graphics (256 SPs) at 800 MHz
The A10-7860K aims to replace three processors currently on the market, giving an upgrade to all of them:
In
this case the Kaveri A10 parts all gain some GPU frequency, the new AMD
95W cooling solution, and at least one or two getting better TDP or two
more GPU cores. The A10-7860K is set to retail for $118 MSRP. The other
part, the A6-7470K, brings the improved Kaveri process down to a single
module version, while still having up to 4.0 GHz and half the GPU of
the A10 in the 65W TDP. The MSRP for the A6-7470K has not been
officially set.
| New AMD Kaveri Lineup |
|
A10-
7890K |
A10-
7870K |
A10-
7860K |
A8-
7670K |
A8-
7650K |
A8-
7600 |
A6-
7470K |
X4
860K |
X4
845 |
| Modules |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Threads |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
| Core Freq. (GHz) |
up to 4.3 |
3.9-4.1 |
3.6-4.0 |
3.6-3.9 |
3.3-3.8 |
3.1-3.8 |
3.7-4.0 |
3.7-4.0 |
3.5-3.8 |
| Compute Units |
4+8 |
4+8 |
4+8 |
4+6 |
4+6 |
4+6 |
2+4 |
4+0 |
4+0 |
Streaming
Processors |
512 |
512 |
512 |
384 |
384 |
384 |
256 |
N/A |
N/A |
| IGP Freq. (MHz) |
unknown |
866 |
754 |
754 |
720 |
720 |
800 |
N/A |
N/A |
| TDP |
95W |
95W |
65W |
95W |
95W |
65W |
65W |
95W |
65W |
DRAM
Frequency |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
2133 |
2133? |
1866 |
2133? |
| L2 Cache |
2x2MB |
2x2MB |
2x2MB |
2x2MB |
2x2MB |
2x2MB |
1MB |
2x2MB |
2x1MB |
The next part of the announcement today is surrounding
the new Wraith Cooler
which was previewed at CES. This cooler is part of a family of new
stock cooler solutions from AMD – one set at 95W and the other at 65W:
These
are designed to have a similar sound profile than the Wraith (within
1-3 dB) but look to be aimed more at the APU market. These will be part
of an all new ‘product-in-box’ (PIB) sales strategy, although it is
worth checking with retailers to see which one is part of the bundle. As
noted above, the new A10-7860K will get the 95W version and the
A6-7470K will get the 65W model.
The Wraith cooler,
designed for 125W, is going to be bundled with the FX-8370 only at this
point. The cooler is a straight swap in for the old cooler with no extra
cost, with the older solution now cheaper than before.
AMD
understands that there are a number of users who may want the Wraith
separately, or with other models (such as the APUs) to offer more
headroom, although the plans to do this are currently in the works.
Chances are that these coolers will play more in the market when the
next platforms, Summit Ridge and Bristol Ridge, come into play.
The updated price list for the processors with the new coolers is as follows:
- AMD FX-8370 Wraith - $199.99
- AMD FX-8370 - $189.99
- AMD A10-7860K - $117.99
- AMD A8-7670K - $105.99
- AMD A8-7650K - $95.99
- AMD Athlon X4 870K - $89.99
- AMD Athlon X4 860K - $79.99
- AMD Athlon X4 845 - $69.99
As
noted before, AMD will soon be consolidating their three CPU/APU
platforms into one. So AM3+, FM2+ and AM1 will all be under the AM4
socket in the future. The timetable for this is unknown at this point,
however part of the reason for the new cooler announcement at this time
might be so it does not get overshadowed by the next generation.
We’ll be covering the new Excavator based CPU,
the Athlon X4 845 in another news post.
Source: AMD
Read More ...
ECS LIVA One Skylake mini-PC Review
The
desktop PC market has been subject to many challenges over the last few
years. However, the miniaturization trend (including the introduction
of the ultra-compact form factor - UCFF - NUCs) has provided some bright
spots. The recent introduction of the mSTX (5x5) form factor has
provided yet another option between the NUC and the mITX form factor for
PC builders. Companies like ASRock and Zotac have been marketing
mini-PCs based on mSTX-like custom boards for a few years now. ECS
joined the fray in early 2016 with the launch of the LIVA One based on a
Skylake platform. Read on for our review of the pre-configured version
of the ECS LIVA One.
Read More ...
VAIO to Start Selling Laptops in the U.S. This Spring
Due
to intense competition in the market of personal computers and
miniscule margins, Sony decided to spin off its PC division into a
separate company called VAIO back in 2014. VAIO, which is now owned by
Japan Industrial Partners, a private equity fund, at first focused only
on its domestic market, where VAIO PCs are traditionally popular. In an
attempt to bolster sales, VAIO started its comeback to the U.S. last
October with its VAIO Z Canvas high-end 2-in-1. This spring the company
plans to bring its laptops back to America.
VAIO Is Back
For
Sony, which spends billions of U.S. dollars on research and development
every year, its VAIO PC business was always a way to capitalize on its
technologies. The VAIO notebooks were the first to get a webcam, a LED
backlight, a Blu-ray disc drive, switchable graphics processors and a
number of other inventions that are common and widely used nowadays.
Innovating, maintaining premium quality, improving sales and earning
money at the same time is not easy, which is why Sony’s PC division lost
hundreds of millions.
For VAIO, which does not invest
anything in fundamental research (i.e., new types of displays, storage
technologies, new materials, etc.), PC business is a completely
different thing. VAIO needs to design high-end PCs, preserve Sony’s
heritage, earn profit and grow. The company evaluates technologies
developed elsewhere and may decide to adopt them to make its products
more competitive. VAIO’s staff count is around 240, these people are
involved into planning, design, development, manufacturing and sales.
The main goal for the company is not to create industry-first products,
but to thoughtfully target lucrative niche market segments with high-end
offerings.
The first product that VAIO started to sell
in the U.S. last year was its VAIO Z Canvas high-end 2-in-1 hybrid PC
for creative professionals that starts at $2199 and is clearly not
designed for the masses. This spring, the company plans to bring its
VAIO S and VAIO Z business notebooks based on Intel’s latest Skylake
CPUs to the market. The new laptops and convertibles will be available
through
http://us.VAIO.com/, Microsoft Stores (both online and retail), authorized resellers and select retailers.
VAIO S: The New Classic
The
all-black VAIO S is a laptop designed to appeal to anyone looking for a
portable and durable system. The notebook is made of molded magnesium
alloy and its case is further reinforced by adding ribs to the
designated points, which also prevents bending. Magnesium alloys are
usually very light as well as rather strong, hence, the laptop should be
good for road warriors.
The
VAIO S notebooks are based on the dual-core Intel Core i7-6200U/6500U
processors with Intel HD Graphics 520 and 15W thermal design power. The
laptops are equipped with 8GB of DDR3L-1600 memory (not upgradeable), a
128 GB SATA or a 256 GB PCIe SSD (depending on the model),
802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, Gigabit Ethernet, a 0.92 MP webcam,
an SD card reader and so on. Despite being very thin, the VAIO S sports
three USB 3.0 ports (including one always-on USB 3.0 for charging), a
TRRS connector, an HDMI and a D-Sub output.
The
VAIO S features a 13.3” display with 1920×1080 resolution, it weighs
just about a kilogram (2.34 lbs) and is only 13.2 – 18 mm thick.
According to VAIO, the model S can work for about nine hours on one
charge, depending on the model and usage.
Although
the manufacturer positions the VAIO S notebooks for business
executives, the PCs clearly lack such essentials as Intel’s vPro
technology, SSD encryption, sophisticated methods of authentication
(e.g., a fingerprint reader) as well as trusted platform module (TPM).
Moreover, some models actually run Microsoft Windows 10 Home operating
system. Perhaps, VAIO wants to address the higher-end mobile PC market
in general with its VAIO S systems because their configurations point to
the fact that these are actually stylish consumer laptops without a lot
of multimedia functionality.
The VAIO S notebooks will cost $1099 – $1399 when they are available in early March.
VAIO Z Clam and VAIO Z Flip: Performance Meets Style and Long Battery Life
The
VAIO Z systems will offer superior performance, feature-set and battery
life compared to the VAIO S laptops, but at the cost of higher price
and portability. Sony will offer two types of VAIO Z models: the VAIO Z
Clamshell and the VAIO Z Flip. Both types are made of aluminum and UD
carbon, which are strong and lightweight materials.
The
VAIO Z notebooks are powered by the dual-core Intel Core i7-6267U/6567U
processors with Intel Iris Graphics 550 and 28W thermal design power.
The laptops feature 8 GB or 16 GB of DDR3L-1866 memory (not
upgradeable), a 256 GB or a 512 GB PCIe SSD (depending on the SKU),
802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, Gigabit Ethernet, a 0.92 MP webcam,
an SD card reader, a TCG 2.0-compliant trusted platform module and so
on and so on. The VAIO Z systems sport two USB 3.0 ports (including one
always-on USB 3.0 for charging), a TRRS connector and an HDMI output.
VAIO
claims that for the Z-series notebooks it used its new motherboard
architecture (the company calls it “Z Engine technology”), which has
smaller footprint and leaves more space for batteries and fans. Usage of
larger fans generally means less noise, whereas larger battery packs
enable longer battery life.
The
VAIO Z Clam can be equipped with a 13.3” display with either 1920×1080
or 2560×1440 resolution, its weight is approximately 1.17 kg (2.58 lbs)
and it is 16.76 mm thick. Depending on the display panel, the VAIO Z
Clam can work for up to 15 hours and 30 minutes (full HD panel) or up to
13 hours and 45 minutes (WQHD panel) on one battery charge. The VAIO Z
Claim notebooks will cost $1499 or $1799, depending on SKU.
The
VAIO Flip model, which can flip the display like Lenovo’s Yoga and
other convertible notebooks (yet, using a different rotational
mechanism), will appeal to those, who need performance of a powerful
laptop as well as tablet-like input. The VAIO Z flip has an additional 8
MP camera and CamScanner software, which allow users to capture, store,
edit and share documents and images. In addition, the model Z flip
comes with a pressure sensitive digitizer stylus, which could be useful
not only for business users, but also for creative professionals.
The
VAIO Z Flip convertibles are equipped with touch-sensitive display
panels featuring 2560×1440 resolution, they weigh 1.34 kg (2.96 lbs) and
are 16.76 mm thick. The VAIO flip Z will be priced at $1799 – $2399
depending on the SKU and will be available later this year.
Just
like the VAIO S, the VAIO Z lacks numerous business- and
security-oriented features, including the vPro technology, storage
encryption, fingerprint reader and so on. While it is clear that VAIO
has no plans to target government or corporate sectors with its laptops
and it does not have to be compliant with certain requirements, certain
technologies will be missed.
Welcome Back
While
the VAIO Z Canvas is an extremely interesting product, it is designed
for a niche market and it is very expensive. It is impossible to sell a
lot of such parts. Hence, it was a matter of time before VAIO decides to
bring its other PCs to the U.S. market.
One of the
keys to success in the PC market is a product lineup that can appeal to
the masses, but which does not confuse customers with a huge amount of
models. Responsible approach to expansion of the VAIO product lineup is a
good thing to note about the new company. With the addition of the S-
and Z-series notebooks to its U.S. product family, VAIO will cover a
number of important high-end PC segments. However, it will have to face
Apple, Lenovo and other suppliers of high-end PCs, the companies, which
made Sony to drop its PC business.
Without any doubts,
VAIO has no intentions to offer mainstream models right now and its main
goal now is probably to offer good quality and excellent user
experience, but not lower prices. What remains to be seen is what
advantages VAIO products offer at their price-points and whether the
latter are justified. It has been a while since we reviewed a VAIO
laptop here at AnandTech and it will be extremely interesting to try a
new VAIO that is no longer a Sony VAIO.
Read More ...
Apple Recalls "Duckhead" Power Adapters for Select Mac Laptops and iPads
Apple
has announced today that they are recalling AC wall plug adapters for
its MacBook laptops and iPads in select countries. The issue stems from a
design flaw that, if broken, causes the AC plug to pose a risk of
electrical shock if touched. The adapters were shipped outside the U.S.
from 2003 to 2015 and their total number should be rather huge.
Nonetheless, the number of failures known to Apple is limited to 12
cases.
Apple has found that its AC wall plug adapters
(AKA "duckheads") designed for use in Continental Europe, Australia, New
Zealand, Korea, Argentina and Brazil may malfunction and create a risk
of electrical shock if touched. These wall plug adapters were bundled
from 2003 to 2015 with Mac PCs as well as iPads. In addition, they were
also included in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit. The company will
voluntarily exchange affected wall plug adapters with a new, redesigned
model, free of charge.
The affected wall plug adapters
have four or five characters or no characters on the inside slot where
it attaches to an Apple power adapter. The new wall plug adapters
feature a 3-letter regional code in the slot (EUR, KOR, AUS, ARG or
BRA). To exchange your device, you should visit a
special page at Apple’s web-site.
The Verge
reports that Apple is aware of 12 incidents that have occurred around
broken adapters in the past 12 years. Details of the incidents are
unknown; their exact circumstances are unclear too. From 2003 to 2015,
Apple shipped over 120 million Macs and over 230 million iPad. The exact
number of devices sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea,
Argentina and Brazil is uncertain, but it is likely that many tens of
millions of AC plug adapters are potentially dangerous. On the other
hand, 12 incidents that occurred over 12 years is a miniscule number.
Moreover, the vast majority of laptops, smartphones, tablets, phones and
players that are more than five years old are no longer in use.
Nonetheless, the recall will cost Apple millions of U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile
the AC wall plug adapters for the U.S., the U.K., Canada, China, Hong
Kong and not part of the recall, which likely indicates that they aren't
affected by the underlying issue.
Finally, it should
be noted that Apple's AC wall plug adapters are made by contract
manufacturers, such as Volex. The same producers make similar devices to
other suppliers of consumer electronics.
Read More ...
Microsoft Releases Q2 FY 2016 Results: Lower Results Despite Cloud Growth
Today
Microsoft released their earnings for quarter two of fiscal year 2016,
which ended on December 31. Despite solid growth in their cloud
platforms, the PC slowdown and world currencies have impacted
Microsoft’s numbers. Revenue for the quarter was $23.8 billion, down
from $26.5 billion a year ago. Gross margin was 58.5%, down from 61.7% a
year ago, and net income was down 14.7% to $4.998 billion. Basic
earnings per share was $0.63, down from $0.71 at the same time last
year.
| Microsoft Q2 2016 Financial Results (GAAP) |
|
Q2'2016 |
Q1'2016 |
Q2'2015 |
| Revenue (in Billions USD) |
$23.796 |
$20.379 |
$26.470 |
| Operating Income (in Billions USD) |
$6.026 |
$5.793 |
$7.776 |
| Gross Margin (in Billions USD) |
$13.924 |
$14.712 |
$16.334 |
| Margins |
58.5% |
64.6% |
61.7% |
| Net Income (in Billions USD) |
$4.998 |
$4.620 |
$5.863 |
| Basic Earnings per Share (in USD) |
$0.63 |
$0.57 |
$0.71 |
A big chunk of the difference this year has to do
with currency rates, and Microsoft has released Non-GAAP measures as
well to exclude these factors, along with restructuring charges. $1.2
billion of revenue was affected by currency rates. On a Non-GAAP basis,
revenue was down only 2% to $25.693 billion, with gross margin of 61.6%.
Non-GAAP operating income was up 3% to $7.9 billion, net income was up
8% to $6.3 billion, and earnings per share were up 11% to $0.78.
| Microsoft Q2 2016 Financial Results (Non-GAAP) |
|
Q2'2016 |
Q1'2016 |
Q2'2015 |
| Revenue (in Billions USD) |
$25.693 |
$21.660 |
$24.994 |
| Operating Income (in Billions USD) |
$7.923 |
$7.074 |
$7.011 |
| Net Income (in Billions USD) |
$6.275 |
$5.380 |
$5.229 |
| Basic Earnings per Share (in USD) |
$0.78 |
$0.67 |
$0.63 |
Microsoft’s largest segment is the More Personal
Computing group, which includes Windows, Surface, Xbox, Search, and
Phone. Revenue for this group was down 5% to $12.66 billion, however
operating income was up 35% to $2.04 billion. Operating expenses were
down 14%, in part due to the change in phone strategy that was announced
in July of last year, so clearly the phone business was a major burden
on the company. Windows OEM Pro revenue declined 6% for the quarter
compared to Q2 2015, and non-Pro declined 3%, which is actually fairly
strong considering the decline in PC sales. Microsoft attributes this to
higher premium and mid-range devices, which means that they are having
to give away discount or free versions of Windows 10 on fewer devices.
Once again the major cuts to Lumia have driven device revenue down 22%
(CC) and this was mostly driven by phone revenue which was down 49%
(CC). Lumia sales were 4.5 million for the quarter. Surface, on the
other hand, has grown 29% (CC) thanks in no small part to the launch of
the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Gaming revenue was up 9% (CC) but
Microsoft no longer breaks out Xbox sales numbers. They did state that
Xbox Live now has 48 million monthly active users, which is a 30% gain
year-over-year. Game revenue was up 57% (CC) with the launch of Halo 5,
as well as Minecraft. Xbox hardware revenue was down due to lower Xbox
360 console sales. The final part of More Personal Computing is search,
and search revenue grew 21% (CC) year-over-year, with gains in both
search volume, and higher revenue per search.
Productivity
and Business Processes, which is the financial group responsible for
Office, Office 365, and Dynamics CRM had revenues of $6.69 billion for
the quarter, down 2% compared to the same point last year. Operating
income was down 8% year-over-year to $3.31 billion. Office commercial
and cloud services revenue was up 5% (CC), with big gains in Office 365
commercial, which had its revenue grow 70% (CC) since last year.
Standalone Office commercial products revenue fell 8% (CC). Office 365
commercial seats grew 59%. On the consumer side of Office, Office
consumer revenue fell 8% (CC) which Microsoft states outperformed the PC
market. Office 365 consumer continues to do well though, and Microsoft
now has 20.6 million users of Office 365 consumer. A stat in their
notes, although not directly relevant to their earnings, is that Outlook
has been installed on over 30 million active iOS and Android devices.
Finally,
the Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes Server, Azure, and
Enterprise services, continued outperforming the rest of the company,
with revenue up 5% (11% CC) to $6.34 billion, although operating income
was down 1% to $2.58 billion. Server products and cloud services revenue
grew 10% (CC), but Azure revenue grew 140% (CC). Azure compute usage is
up almost 100% year-over-year, and Azure SQL database usage has
increased more than 500% since Q2 2015. The move to the cloud was slow
to get started, but certainly appears to be ramping up. Enterprise
Services revenue was up 16% (CC) for the quarter.
| Microsoft Q2 2016 Financial Results (GAAP) |
|
Productivity and Business Processes |
Intelligent Cloud |
More Personal Computing |
| Revenue (in Billions USD) |
$6.69 |
$6.34 |
$12.66 |
| Operating Income (in Billions USD) |
$3.31 |
$2.58 |
$2.04 |
| Revenue Change YoY |
-2%, +5% CC |
+5%, +11% CC |
-5%, -2% CC |
| Operating Income Change YoY |
-8% |
-1% |
+35% |
Overall, the quarter was pretty steady for the
Redmond company. The decline in the PC market has certainly hit them,
like it has hit most PC companies, but despite this Windows revenue
outperformed the drop in PC sales. Microsoft’s phone strategy took a big
shift last July, with the layoff of most of the remaining Nokia people,
and that continues to affect their results, with a decline in revenue,
but also a decline in expenses. The cloud side has been growing at a
very sold rate though. It is a long way from overtaking the PC side of
Microsoft, but the diversification is helping them weather rough days in
the PC space. The free upgrade to Windows 10 will continue for the rest
of this fiscal year, and we’ll have to watch and see if that continues
to make an impact on revenues or not.
Source:
Microsoft Investor Relations
Read More ...
Das Keyboard Unveils Its First Gaming Peripherals
The
Das Keyboard trademark is best known for mechanical keyboards designed
for the combination enthusiast and professional. For many years Metadot,
the owner of the brand, has been going through the process of improving
its keyboard design in a bid to bolster comfort for those who type a
lot. However, the rising popularity of PC gaming and growing popularity
of high-end gaming peripherals means that companies are developing
solutions for this market segment. This week Metadot introduced Division
Zero by Das Keyboard, the family of products designed for gamers.
From Pro to Gaming
The
history of Das Keyboard began in 2005 when Daniel Guermeur, the owner
of Metadot, decided to create a keyboard with blank keycaps in order to
speed up his typing and remove the imbalance of printed or embossed
keys. The first version of Das Keyboard resembled IBM model M keyboard
and did not feature mechanical switches. Nonetheless, it became
relatively popular among enthusiasts. In 2006, the second iteration of
Das Keyboard emerged: it featured similar design with blank keycaps, but
mechanical switches with tactile feedback. At the time, mechanical
keyboards were rare, so the second-gen Das Keyboard turned out to be
more popular than the first. The third version of the Das Keyboard was
launched in 2008 and it was vastly different from its predecessors. The
new keyboard sported a minimalistic X40 design, a built-in USB hub,
blank or marked keycaps as well as Cherry MX switches (originally
introduced in 1984) with improved tactile feedback. The third iteration
of Das Keyboard appealed to gadget gurus, gizmo elitists, touch-typers
as well as average professionals searching for quality hardware (i.e.,
the higher-end of the mass market). The keyboard is still commercially
available, which is a testament of its commercial success.
The
Das Keyboard III gave the brand a voice among broader audiences, but
also popularized Cherry MX switches among gamers and professionals by
showing advantages of such switches over then popular dome and buckling
spring switches. One could argue that the Das Keyboard III largely
rejuvenated mechanical keyboards on the mass market. Since 2010, many
makers of accessories for gamers have released their keyboards with
Cherry MX switches. Moreover, both Razer and
Logitech
have even developed their own mechanical switches for keyboards.
However, even in its fourth generation released in early 2014, the Das
Keyboard itself remained an item for professionals. With the
introduction of Division Zero by Das Keyboard, Metadot enters a new
territory.
The initial product lineup of Division Zero
consists of the X40 keyboard, the M50 mouse, a gaming mouse bungee (cord
management), mousepads, top panels for keyboards as well as a bag. The
inclusion of a mouse bungee as well as mousepads into the family implies
that the lineup is designed for users who want not only advanced
functionality, but 'stylish design' too.
The Division Zero X40 Keyboard
The Division Zero X40 keyboard uses Metadot’s own Alpha-Zulu switches developed,
according to the company, specifically for gaming keyboards. The AZ switches have different specifications than the Cherry MX as well as the
Razer Green:
they have higher actuation point (1.7 mm) and slightly longer
advertised lifespan (60 million switches compared to the 50m of Cherry
MX linear ones), which, makes them slightly faster and more durable
compared to rivals on paper. The differences may seem noticeable (23%
shorter actuation distance in theory means 23% higher typing/striking
speed), but the real-world benefits of the Alpha-Zulu switches compared
to competing switches are yet to be found (which is not an easy thing to
do given how fast gamers press keys).
| Comparison of Mechanical Keyboard Switches |
|
AZ Linear |
AZ Tactile |
Razer Green |
Cherry MX |
| Actuation Point |
1.7 mm |
1.7 mm |
1.9 mm ± 0.4 mm |
2 mm/2.2 mm ± 0.6 mm |
| Actuation vs Reset Point |
no data |
no data |
0.4 mm |
no data |
| Total Travel |
4 mm |
4 mm |
4 mm |
4 mm |
| Actuation Force |
45 g |
45 g |
50 g |
45-55 g |
| Actuation Feel |
linear |
soft tactile |
soft tactile |
linear/tactile |
| Switch Lifecycle |
60 million |
60 million |
60 million |
50 million |
| Switch Color |
olive |
mustard |
green |
red/brown/
black/blue |
Since there are two different types of Alpha-Zulu
switches, and gamers will be able to choose their keyboards based on
their preferences.
Just
like competing keyboards for gamers, the Division Zero X40 is also
equipped with adjustable red LED backlighting, five programmable macro
gaming keys, a special 2 meter long braided fiber USB cable combined
with audio and mic cables, a USB port (with pass through support) as
well as audio-out/mic-in jacks. The keyboard also supports full n-key
rollover, features media controls via Fn keys, as well as
interchangeable aluminum top panels.
The X40 keyboards are
available for $149, a custom cover
costs another $39.
The Division Zero M50 Mouse
Metadot
is not known for mice, but if you want to compete for gamers, you have
to offer a complete product stack, not just one keyboard. Specifications
of the M50 are comparable to those of other mainstream gaming mice and
the company does not reveal whether the part utilizes any
specially-developed hardware.
The
Division Zero M50 is an ambidextrous mouse with an adjustable 6400 dpi
4G laser sensor, a metal tilt wheel, 1000 Hz polling rate, nine
programmable buttons and red LED lighting. The pointing device has its
own microcontroller and memory that can store presets. The M50 Pro can
handle up to 300 clicks per minute and has a 20-million primary buttons
click life cycle. The mouse comes with a 2.1-meter long cable, which can
be managed with Division Zero’s bungee cable management.
| Comparison of Mainstream Gaming Mice |
|
Division Zero M50 |
Razer Taipan |
Corsair M65 |
ROCCAT Kova |
| Sensitivity with Overdrive |
6400 dpi |
8200 dpi |
8200 dpi |
7000 dpi |
| Polling rate |
1000 Hz |
1000 Hz |
120 - 1000 Hz |
1000 Hz |
| Acceleration |
unknown |
50 g |
unknown |
20 g |
| Programmable Buttons |
9 |
9 |
8 |
12 |
| Number of Profiles |
6 |
unknown |
unknown |
unknown |
| Dimensions (L*W*H) |
129.8*70*34.8mm |
124*63*36mm |
118*72*39mm |
131*66*38mm |
| Weight |
132 grams |
95 grams |
135 ± 20.5 grams |
99 g |
| Adjustable Weight |
no |
no |
yes |
no |
| Click Lifecycle |
20 million |
unknown |
unknown |
unknown |
| Cable Length |
2.1 m |
2.1 m |
1.8 m |
1.8 m |
| LED Lighting |
three red LEDs |
two green LEDs |
three RGB LEDs |
two RGB LEDs |
| Price |
$79 |
$79.99 |
$74.99 |
€69 |
The M50 is made of plastic with a hydrophobic
coating and a fingerprint resistant coating of primary buttons and a
metal bottom. The mouse has low-friction metal Teflon feet, similar to
competing products from other manufacturers. The mouse weighs 0.38
lbs/172 grams. The weight of the mouse cannot be adjusted.
The design of the M50 resembles that of
Razer’s Taipan,
but since Metadot’s product has dissimilar dimensions and weight as
well as a different sensor, the M50 does not seem to be a rebadged mouse
developed and made by another manufacturer, but a product designed
in-house.
The bungee for cable management
The Division Zero M50 costs $79, the bungee is available for $19 and mouse pads are priced at $19 or $29.
Only The Beginning
The
market of gaming peripherals is highly competitive, making it very
diverse in order for individual firms to find a niche. Companies like
Razer and Logitech offer a lot of different products to meet
requirements of different users as a result. Metadot recognizes this and
has been offering various versions of Das Keyboard with different types
of switches and with different designs for some time now. The Division
Zero product lineup consists of essentially three products: one keyboard
with two types of switches, and a mouse. It will be interesting to see
whether the Division Zero family will expand. It remains to be seen
whether the Division Zero by Das Keyboard family will actually make
Metadot a viable competitor to Corsair, Razer, Logitech and other on the
market of gaming peripherals. Nonetheless, I find it nice to see a
well-respected producer of professional keyboards entering the market of
gaming devices.
The new models will filter through distribution to etailers such as Amazon over the coming weeks, or can be found on the
daskeyboard.com website directly.
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