Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Intel Unveils New Core Processors at CES

At the International Consumer Electronics Show today, Intel rolled out its much anticipated 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor family, which combines visual and 3D graphics technology with performance-leading microprocessors on a single chip. In all, more than 20 new processors, new chipset and new wireless chips represent Intel’s biggest advance in computing performance and capabilities over any other previous technology generation. New advancements include Intel® Quick Sync Video, Intel® HD Graphics, Intel® Wireless Display 2.0 and Intel® Insider™. The new processors will be featured in more than 500 desktop and laptop PCs from all major OEMs worldwide throughout the next year. For more information, visit Intel’s CES press kit.

Firefox ahead of IE in Europe, boosted by Chrome effect


Mozilla’s Firefox just pipped Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to the European post in December, with the open source browser grabbing slightly more market share in Europe than Redmond’s own surfing tool.

According to StatCounter, which monitors browser usage, Firefox scored 38.11 per cent, while Internet Explorer pulled in 37.52 per cent.

In effect, all versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer were neck-and-neck in the final month of 2010, courtesy of Google’s increasingly popular Chrome.

"This is the first time that IE has been dethroned from the number one spot in a major territory," said StatCounter boss Aodhan Cullen.

"This appears to be happening because Google's Chrome is stealing share from Internet Explorer while Firefox is mainly maintaining its existing share," he explained.

Indeed, Chrome’s European market share has seen impressive growth in the past year, from 5.06 per cent in December 2009 to 14.58 per cent last month.

"We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last," commented Cullen.

Of course, Google’s recent splashy Chrome advertising campaign won’t have hurt the Mountain View Chocolate Factory's effort to get more people to use its browser either.

But over in North America, Internet Explorer still reigns supreme with a 48.92 per cent share of the browser market recorded last month. Firefox followed it on 26.7 per cent and Chrome grabbed 12.82 per cent. Apple’s Safari, meanwhile, carved into 10.16 per cent of that market.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/

iPhone ECG App

Micron Introduces Faster, Higher Capacity Solid-State Drives for NAND Flash-Based Notebooks


Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:MU) today unveiled a new portfolio of the industry's most advanced RealSSDTM solid-state drives (SSDs) for the fast growing flash-based notebook market. A new breed of notebooks are entering the market that have lightweight construction, snappier system responsiveness and a longer lasting battery—all made possible because of the innovations in flash-based storage products.

"SSDs are bringing excitement back into personal computing," said Dean Klein, vice president of memory system development at Micron. "Micron is accelerating this enthusiasm with our new RealSSD portfolio, providing even greater performance and higher capacities than our previous generation SSDs."

Packard Bell announces new line-up for 2011


On the occasion of the International CES in Las Vegas, Packard Bell, one of the leading technology brands in Europe, announces a 2011 rich in new launches and stylish products, further reflecting the brand positioning in the trendy and lifestyle segment.

“Packard Bell has made several steps towards its distinct value proposition, synonymous with “In Style and Trendy, Well Designed and Easy-to-use products.” says Gianpiero Morbello, Acer Group Vice President of Marketing & Brand. “Our 2011 line-up will consistently confirm these values, addressing style-conscious users who want a unique and distinctive product sporting quality while easily enabling their digital lives.” Among the earliest announcements foreseen by Packard Bell in the first weeks of 2011: the brand new notebooks Packard Bell EasyNote S series, the refresh of the successful desktop Packard Bell ixtreme, a new colour scheme and a new stunning asymmetric model for the Packard Bell Maestro series, and new PB Go storage devices.

NVIDIA Unveils First Online 3D Vision Community


3DVisionLive.com is an online community where NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ technology users can enjoy and share a broad range of 3D content on their PCs. It allows them to stream 3D movie trailers, music videos, sport clips, and video shorts, as well as post and view high-quality, high-resolution 3D photos.

Consumers and photo enthusiasts alike can use 3DVisionLive.com to create their own custom 3D photo galleries on the Web, where they can upload and share high-resolution 3D images with family and friends, or with the 3DVisionLive.com community. In addition, they will be able to view and rate thousands of photos taken by professional photographers, photo enthusiasts and other 3DVisionLive.com users. The site features an intuitive user interface, and high-performance photo and video management engines powered by Phereo and Fordela.

AMD introduces the AMD Radeon HD 6000M


AMD introduced its next generation mobile graphics technology, the AMD Radeon™ HD 6000M series, delivering AMD’s highest performing notebook graphics for those who want to experience games, entertainment, and productivity on the go. Harnessing AMD’s second-generation of Microsoft DirectX® 11-capable mobile graphics architecture, the AMD Radeon™ HD 6000M series provides users with:

  1. Models offering up to 1.3 teraFLOPS of compute power for an unrivaled gaming experience on up to six displays using AMD Eyefinity technology.
  2. AMD HD3D technology for the ultimate in stereo 3D entertainment.
  3. AMD EyeSpeed technology for improved video and application performance.