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Nvidia chipset rumor a Sandy Bridge too far
by Scott Wasson — 1:35 PM on September 2, 2010

Yesterday, the rumor mill over at DigiTimes kicked out an intriguing item: a story claiming Nvidia is preparing a new chipset, one that combines a GPU with a south bridge, intended for use with Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge processors. That's a little bit surprising, since Nvidia has admitted essentially to dismantling its chipset development team after being locked out of that business by Intel. In the wake of Intel's settlement with the FTC, could it be "game on" for Nvidia's chipset business once again?

After chatting with a source familiar with the matter, we think not. Our informant says bluntly:

It is complete horse cakes. We’ve already announced that we have withdrawn from the Intel chipset marketplace. We have no plans to return to it and aren’t developing new Intel chipset products.

That would seem to settle that, at least for now.

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A few hours remain in our Metro 2033 and Big Bang Xpower giveaway
by Cyril Kowaliski — 11:10 AM on September 2, 2010

Almost a week has passed since we kicked off our latest contest, in which we're giving our loyal readers a chance to win one of six Metro 2033 licenses or the grand prize, an MSI Big Bang Xpower motherboard worth about $300. We'll stop taking entries at 2:00 PM Central Time today. As of right now, if you haven't already entered, there's still time to do so!

For detailed instructions and rules, you should see last week's news post. In a nutshell, participating involves "liking" us on Facebook and then either linking your Facebook profile in a forum thread we've created for that purpose or sending the link to our biz guy, Adam "Inkling" Eiberger, via a PM in the forums. Again, we'd like to thank MSI for making this giveaway possible.

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Last by dmjifn at 12:33 PM on 09/02/10

Amazon now sells TV episodes for 99 cents each
by Cyril Kowaliski — 9:35 AM on September 2, 2010

We wrote yesterday about the new Apple TV, which lets users rent TV episodes for 99 cents a pop. That might sound like a pretty sweet deal, but it appears Amazon already has Apple beaten there. As Engadget reports, the online retailer now lets users buy TV episodes for the same 99-cent price.

Amazon's 99-cent TV episodes, which are all from ABC and Fox, are already available as on-demand streams in either standard or high definition. Like with the Apple offer, SD and HD shows cost the same. Right now, offerings include Futurama, Doctor Who, Glee, Lost, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, 24, Arrested Development, The Simpsons, and more.

As Engadget points out, Roku has cut the prices of its Apple TV-esque Netflix and Amazon streaming box. The SD machine now has a $59 price tag, and the HD version sells for $99.99 at Amazon, or about the same price as the Apple TV. Apparently, Apple already has rather stiff competition.

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Last by Sargent Duck at 1:12 PM on 09/02/10

GlobalFoundries preps 22-, 20-nm processes for 2013
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on September 2, 2010

Backed by a steady stream of cash from Abu Dhabi, GlobalFoundries is quickly establishing itself as a leader in the independent foundry business. Yesterday, the company revealed its roadmap for 22- and 20-nm fabrication processes, and it also announced plans for a "High Performance Plus" version of its 28-nm process.

GlobalFoundries says it intends to run "test chip shuttles" at 22 and 20 nm in the second half of next year, with "risk production" to follow in the second half of 2012. Actual product production is expected to begin some time in 2013. The 20-nm process will be available in high-performance and super-low-power variants; GlobalFoundries also intends to offer a 22-nm super-high-performance process for "devices requiring the utmost in performance." (Sadly, the announcement doesn't get into more detail.) All three processes will be based on next-gen high-k metal gate technology.

Speaking of super-high performance, this announcement also foretells the arrival of a 28-nm "High Performance Plus" technology, which will purportedly enable up to 10% greater performance than the regular 28-nm high-performance process. GlobalFoundries will begin risk production for the 28-nm HPP tech in the fourth quarter of 2011. This time, the firm does name concrete applications: "smart mobile devices and high-performance processors requiring more than 2GHz of processing power."

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Last by sweatshopking at 1:16 PM on 09/02/10

Calendar Adjustment Day Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 2:33 AM on September 2, 2010

Eight is Enough

1. C|Net reports IBM ships 5.2GHz chip, its fastest yet
2. How GlobalFoundries' "major announcements" today impact AMD
3. PC Perspective: AMD Llano APU displayed at GlobalFoundries Technology Conference
4. X-bit labs: AMD displays die-shot of upcoming 8-core "Orochi" processor for the first time
   and graphics chips to gain horsepower and programmability - Chief Scientist of Nvidia
5. AnandTech posts Sandy Bridge graphics update
6. VR-Zone shares rumor: AMD to release Radeon HD 6800
   in early 2011; mainstream HD 6000 in Q4 2010
7. PNY offering RMA graphics card promotion for BFG Tech customers
8. Engadget reports FCC tears apart the new iPod touch, while iFixit wishfully looks on

Read more...

10 comments —
Last by sweatshopking at 1:17 PM on 09/02/10

New Apple TV heads for the cloud
by Geoff Gasior — 4:03 PM on September 1, 2010

As has become tradition, Apple guru Steve Jobs had one more thing to announce at today's iPod event. This time, it was a new version of Apple TV that has its head decidedly in the clouds. The new home-theater accessory lacks local storage and is clearly optimized for streaming content. TV shows will be available to rent for 99 cents each in either standard- or high-definition formats, and HD movies will cost $5 a pop for new releases and $4 each for "library titles." SD movie rentals will run a dollar less than their HD counterparts, although I don't imagine too many people will opt for the standard-def rentals given that the Apple TV's only video output is an HDMI port.

Before you get too excited about the prospect of streaming HD content, Engadget has confirmed that the device can only handle video at 720p resolution. It looks like that limitation applies not only to content streaming from the Internet, but also media accessed via a local network.

Although the new Apple TV has a USB port, the system's spec sheet says the port is for "service and support." Odds are you won't be able to plug in a USB storage device to loaded with content. The Apple TV does, however, have a 10/100 Ethernet jack and built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi. Apple throws in a simple remote, too.

The new Apple TV is tiny, of course, and it's quite a bit cheaper than the original at just $99. Units are expected to start shipping in four weeks, and you can already place your order online.

59 comments —
Last by Skrying at 10:41 AM on 09/02/10

Sailing up the Nile is now $100 cheaper
by Matt Trinca — 3:07 PM on September 1, 2010

Toshiba's Satellite T235D notebook has received a healthy price cut at Newegg, dropping from $599.99 to $499.99. The system is based on AMD's new Nile ultra-thin platform, and we published our review of it just yesterday.

Cyril found a lot to like in his review, although he didn't think the display was overly impressive. Today's price cut is especially intriguing in light of the new HP Pavilion dm3 that was announced this morning. The Pavilion dm3 offers a similar form factor and a Nehalem-derived processor, crafted on Intel's 32-nm process, for $549.99. (Thanks to TR reader Spencer for the tip.)

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Last by dpaus at 9:50 AM on 09/02/10

Apple brings buttons back to Shuffle, revamps Nano
by Geoff Gasior — 3:05 PM on September 1, 2010

Forgive today's deluge of Apple posts, but the company introduced quite a lot of interesting new products in the span of a couple of hours. I've been refreshing Engadget's live coverage all morning, and new additions to the iPod line immediately caught my eye. In addition to the updated Touch, Apple has also revamped the iPod Nano and Shuffle.

Perhaps the biggest surprise with these new iPods is the return of buttons to the diminutive Shuffle. Apple removed traditional playback controls from last the Shuffle in favor of an in-line headphone remote that offered fewer buttons and relied on Morse-code-like combos to perform even basic functions. This misguided attempt at oversimplification didn't sit well with me and apparently quite a lot of Shuffle users. According to Jobs "people clearly missed the buttons," so Apple brought them back. The new model has a button layout similar to the second-generation Shuffle's, and it's a little bit smaller, too.

Of course, the Shuffle still lacks a screen, making navigating the 2GB of music you can load onto the player somewhat difficult. For those who would rather not rely on VoiceOver dictation, Apple has a new iPod Nano.

Billed as a tiny iPod Touch, the new Nano has a 1.5" multi-touch display with an 240x240 resolution. It's really more of an overgrown Shuffle than a smaller Touch, though. The old Nano's camera is gone, and support for video playback has also been left on the cutting room floor. This crash diet allows the Nano to squeeze into a tiny aluminum casing that's barely larger than the screen and less than 9 mm thick, including the attached clip. Total weight? Just 21 grams.

The new Nano's multi-touch interface looks interesting, and I certainly don't mind the device becoming a smaller and more focused music player. Miniaturization doesn't come cheap, though, with 8GB flavors of the new Nano selling for $149 and 16GB units costing $179. That's actually not a bad deal considering the cost of the Shuffle, which runs $49 but only has 2GB of storage capacity. Both of these new iPods are available in a rainbow of colors and are slated to start shipping next week.

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Last by xtalentx at 1:16 PM on 09/02/10

Epic's iPhone demo hits App Store, looks gorgeous
by Cyril Kowaliski — 2:19 PM on September 1, 2010

That Unreal Engine tech demo for the iPhone wasn't just a showpiece for His Steveness' latest keynote. It's available now on the App Store as a free, 82MB download... and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Check out these screenshots freshly gathered from my iPhone 4:

You'll find the full-sized, 960x640 shots in the image gallery below.

The demo runs surprisingly smoothly overall, although that wide, open area in the second shot brings the frame rate down to what feels like the 10-20 FPS range. Still, those sharp real-time graphics are a sight to behold on a 3.5" display.

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Last by Chrispy_ at 1:17 PM on 09/02/10

iOS 4.1 promises to fix iPhone issues, expand gaming for new Touch
by Geoff Gasior — 2:00 PM on September 1, 2010

Many were expecting Apple to announce a revamped iPod lineup at its "music event" this morning. However, before tending to the MP3 players that arguably propelled the company to greatness, Apple decided to address its current cash cow, the iPhone 4. Engadget was at the event, and it has a full account of supreme overlord CEO Steven Jobs' keynote address.

Next week, iOS 4.1 will be released with purported fixes for problems with the new iPhone's Bluetooth compatibility and its proximity sensor. This OS update is also said to resolve bugs with the old iPhone 3G, which struggles mightily to run iOS 4.0 with acceptable performance. Our very own Editor in Chief has experience with all three issues, and I'm sure he'll update us on whether the new release is an improvement.

On the features front, iOS 4.1 brings support for TV rentals, HDR photography, and a new Game Center app designed specifically for multiplayer gaming. Game Center will allow users to easily invite friends to join them in multiplayer matches, and it will offer automatic matchmaking if you'd rather link up with strangers. Epic was also on hand to show off Project Sword, an "action-packed RPG adventure" that uses a version of the Unreal engine and looks very nice indeed.

Mobile gaming is becoming a big focus for Apple, particularly with the iPod Touch. According to Jobs, the Touch is Apple's best-selling iPod, and its sales eclipse those of handheld gaming systems from Nintendo and Sony combined. As one might expect, there's a new Touch based on the iPhone 4. Like the original, this fresh addition is essentially an iPhone without the phone. You get the same Retina display, A4 CPU, 3-axis gyro, and dual cameras as Apple's latest handset. The cost? $229 for an 8GB model, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Those prices might seem a little high considering that the 32GB iPhone 4 costs $299 and includes phone functionality. However, getting it at that price also involves signing a two-year cellular contract. The Touch requires no such commitment.

Apple's online store is already taking pre-orders for the new Touch. Shipping is free, and units are expected to start shipping next week.

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Last by d0g_p00p at 12:06 PM on 09/02/10

HP, Hynix team up to mass-produce memristors
by Matt Trinca — 12:03 PM on September 1, 2010

Most people know HP best for its well-established printers and consumer PCs, but the firm has some intriguing memory technology coming down the pike, as well—technology that's finally on the verge of entering the mass market.

HP has teamed up with Hynix to manufacture memory resistors, or memristors for short, a potential replacement for flash memory. HP's announcement details some of the technology's advantages over current flash memory: "Memristors require less energy to operate, are faster than present solid-state storage technologies and can retain information even when power is off." The memristor has been a long time coming, and this image, provided by HP, chronicles a few important points along the way:

Memristor tech has some wide-ranging implications. The ability of memristors to retain information when powered off could lead not just to much faster boot times, but also the ability to shut down a system completely while maintaining the state of your work, as opposed to entering a sleep mode that continually feeds power to the memory. With the current focus on energy conservation and efficiency, this would be a pretty significant achievement. Furthermore, memristors could allow for formidable capacities. Maximum PC reported last year that a 1-cm² memristor device could pack 100 gigabits of data, compared to 16 gigabits for a similar-sized flash chip. No wonder HP envisions memristor-based ReRAM as a "universal storage medium" that could function as both mass storage and system memory.

More specifics can be found within HP's press release, and a more detailed primer on the development of this technology can be found here at the HP Labs site.

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Last by Anubhav at 11:35 AM on 09/02/10

New Android-powered smart phone is durable, submersible
by Geoff Gasior — 11:26 AM on September 1, 2010

Today's latest smart phones can surf the web, run a multitude of applications, take surprisingly good pictures and video, and even play games with real 3D graphics. Unfortunately, these portable pieces of high technology are also quite fragile. Few will survive more than a couple of falls to the pavement, and I wouldn't want to pull out any of them in a downpour.

Ruggedized smart phones have existed for some time, but the Motorola Defy is the first model I've seen that doesn't sacrifice functionality or portability. The Android-powered device is roughly the same size and weight as the average smart phone, and it sports an 800MHz processor, a 3.7" screen with an 854x480 display resolution, a five-megapixel digital camera, and a MicroSD slot. To help protect the device from damage, Motorola employs a scratch- and impact-resistant Gorilla Glass display from Corning. According to Engadget, the handset also meets the IP67 durability spec, which means it should be impervious to dust and capable of surviving under water for 30 minutes at a depth of one meter. Impressive.

Neither Engadget nor Motorola say much about the Defy's shock resistance, so it's unclear just how many times it'll tolerate being dropped from a reasonable height. You'll probably still want a bumper. As a resident of rain-soaked Vancouver, though, I'd consider this phone on the strength of its water-proofing alone. The more technology becomes integrated into our day-to-day lives, the more it really needs to be able to survive the elements. At the very least, the Defy looks to be a step in the right direction.

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Last by StuG at 4:11 PM on 09/01/10

Rumor: 6700-series Radeons to have 256-bit memory interfaces
by Cyril Kowaliski — 9:32 AM on September 1, 2010

If those recent leaked numbers we saw on Monday are any indication, AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 6800 graphics cards will perform quite impressively. Now, a fresh report by Turkish site DonanimHaber hints that the Radeon HD 6700 series could also leap past cards in the same price range when they arrive in October. Word is that AMD will outfit those mid-range products with 256-bit memory interfaces.

The Juniper chip in existing Radeon HD 5700-series products, of course, has a 128-bit path to memory. Coupled with the high transfer rates of GDDR5 RAM, that interface width translates into a not-too-shabby 76.8GB/s of bandwidth for the 5770—but the figure pales in comparison to the Radeon HD 5870's 153.6GB/s. Memory isn't solely to blame for Juniper's relatively tame performance, though. Juniper also has about half the pixel-pushing resources of its big brother Cypress.

DonanimHaber's story doesn't seem to be all about memory, either. It says AMD wants to "raise the bar" in the mid-range market to make up for the beefier integrated graphics that will show up in next year's CPUs. As we saw last week, the IGP inside Intel's Sandy Bridge keeps up with a Radeon HD 5450. AMD's own Llano quad-core processor, due next year, should also have a relatively large DirectX 11 GPU onboard.

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Last by clone at 11:32 AM on 09/02/10

Wednesday Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 7:25 AM on September 1, 2010

Eight is Enough

1. TUAW reports Apple to stream video of today's event (Event livestream is Mac and iOS only)
2. Obama administration: "Piracy is flat, unadulterated theft"
3. StatCounter: Windows 7 jumps ahead of Vista globally for first time
4. Gartner says worldwide semiconductor revenue to grow 31.5% in 2010
5. DigiTimes: Nvidia said to be planning chipset that combies GPU and southbridge
6. VR-Zone: Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 benchmarked and
   rumors: AMD Radeon HD 6700 series to feature 256-bit memory
   and Nvidia GeForce GTS 430 releasing October 12th
7. ATi-Forum on Radeon HD 6000 - first AMD card with digital PWM (in German)
8. Ars Technica: Apple may release iPhone 4 with revised antenna after 9/30

Read more...

15 comments —
Last by dpaus at 9:53 AM on 09/02/10

HP unveils CULV 2010 notebook, preps 3D-enabled Envy 17
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on September 1, 2010

Systems based on Intel's 2010 Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage platform are beginning to trickle out, and at least in the case of HP's new dm3, they look positively tempting. Announced just after the stroke of midnight today, the 13.3-inch Pavilion dm3 boasts a magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis and a Nehalem-based Pentium processor—all for a starting price of just $549.99.

The included Pentium U5400 lacks the spoils of full-featured mobile Core i7s, like Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading, but it does have two 1.2GHz cores, integrated Intel HD graphics, and a reasonably tight 18W power envelope. Platform power consumption must be pretty reasonable, because HP claims a whopping 7.5 hours of battery life, even with the dm3's 7,200-RPM mechanical hard drive. Considering the machine weighs four pounds and has a minimum thickness of 0.88", that all sounds like a sweet deal for the money. We've gotta get one of these in our labs; if you'd like one too, HP says the system should be available today.

Also featured in today's HP announcement: an upcoming Envy 17 variant with stereoscopic 3D functionality. That notebook, if you could call it that, will arrive this holiday season at an as-of-yet-undetermined price. It will ship with active-shutter 3D goggles and a Blu-ray drive. The interesting part? HP shunned Nvidia's stereoscopic 3D fanfare and went with Mobility Radeon HD graphics from AMD. (The new Envy 17 will also pack a quad-core Intel CPU.)

We should probably mention the new HP Mini 5103, as well. The 5103 will be HP's first netbook with the new, dual-core Atom N550 processor. Look for that 10.1" hot rod on September 17 with a starting price tag of $399.

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Last by UberGerbil at 7:26 PM on 09/01/10

New Xbox controller promises improved directional pad
by Geoff Gasior — 1:47 PM on August 31, 2010

While the PC's keyboard and mouse are an ideal combo for first-person shooters, gamepads are much better for some other genres. Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller has arguably been the best gamepad on the market for some time, which is an impressive feat considering its directional pad is universally reviled. The folks at Redmond have been paying attention to that particular complaint, and they've come up with a new controller with a revised D-pad. With little more than a twist, the new D-pad can be toggled between a raised profile optimized for precise directional movement and a flat profile that's purportedly better for sweeping motions. Microsoft's Major Nelson shows off the new controller in the video embedded below:

In addition to the transforming D-pad, the new controller has deeper contours on the analog sticks and a fresh monochrome aesthetic. Microsoft has ditched the usual red, green, blue, and yellow buttons in favor of white, black, and two shades of grey, which strikes me as a bit of a step backwards on the usability front.

Gamers itching to get their thumbs on the new D-pad will have to wait until November 9. The new controller won't be cheap, either; it's only going to be available in wireless form as part of a Play & Charge kit that will sell for $65.

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Last by EsotericLord at 7:40 AM on 09/02/10

Mass production of 24-nm flash memory begins at Toshiba
by Geoff Gasior — 11:43 AM on August 31, 2010

Add Toshiba to the growing list of flash memory providers who have upgraded to the next generation of fabrication technologies. The company has kicked off mass production of 24-nm MLC NAND. According to the official press release, the first chips rolling off the production line have two bits per cell and 64Gb of total capacity. Lower-density 32Gb chips are on the way, as well, and Toshiba will also produce three-bit-per-cell NAND using its 24-nano process.

Toshiba's new flash chips support Toggle DDR, a relatively new standard developed in cooperation with Samsung. First-gen Toggle DDR devices can push up to 133Mbps per pin—a substantial increase over "SDR" NAND, which Samsung says is limited to 40Mbps. Toggle DDR is an alternative to the ONFI specification backed by Intel, Micron, and Hynix, among others. ONFI is already into its second generation, which allows for "interface speeds" of 133-200MB/s. Unfortunately, the ONFI website doesn't provide per-pin data rates, and Toshiba doesn't quote an interface speed for its new Toggle DDR chips.

Of course, the solid-state disks that play host to this new NAND will be more interesting than the chips themselves. Drive partners aren't detailed in the press release, but we've seen Toshiba flash paired with one of the company's own controller chips in Kingston's SSDNow V+. That particular drive taps 128Gb flash chips built using 43-nano fabrication tech.

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Last by mattthemuppet at 4:13 PM on 09/01/10

Gmail can now prioritize your inbox
by Matt Trinca — 9:58 AM on August 31, 2010

According to the official Gmail blog, Google is in the process of introducing a powerful new tool to deal with the deluge of e-mail users face on a daily basis. The feature, called Priority Inbox, goes beyond filtering out spam (which is a real shame, since I now make $10,000 a week working from home and so can you!), and helps automatically prioritize e-mails based on their importance.

Priority Inbox acknowledges that people may receive a lot of e-mail that is not spam per se, but does not need to dealt with immediately, like mailing lists, daily newsletters, etc. The new feature therefore sorts e-mail into three main categories: "important and unread," starred, and "everything else." Factors like how often you correspond with the sender in question affect how e-mail is sorted. Google promises the system will automatically improve its accuracy over time. Manual controls are available, too.

Gmail already offered some sorting tools before this one, but Priority Inbox may become popular with users who don't want to spend time manually setting up an elaborate system of filters and labels.

This feature is slated to roll out throughout this week, so we'll soon get to see just how effective it is. With the recent rollout of phone calling functionality, that's two major features for Gmail in as many weeks. Clearly, Google has no intention to give competitors an easy time.

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Last by Buzzard44 at 10:55 AM on 09/01/10

Kanter dissects Bulldozer microarchitecture
by Scott Wasson — 9:41 AM on August 31, 2010

David Kanter over at RealWorldTech has cooked up another of his exquisitely detailed expositions of a CPU microarchitecture, this time focusing on AMD's upcoming Bulldozer architecture. Kanter offers an introduction to the philosophy behind Bulldozer, and then he dives right into the nuts and bolts. There's information here not disclosed by AMD at the Hot Chips conference last week, and this is the most explicit look at Bulldozer's internals we've seen yet.

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Last by Hattig at 5:07 AM on 09/01/10

Intel cuts Core i7-950 to $294, adds new Core i3
by Cyril Kowaliski — 9:26 AM on August 31, 2010

Without fanfare or press announcements this weekend, Intel quietly updated its price list with two notable changes: a sizable price cut for the Core i7-950, which is now down to $294, and the addition of a quicker-than-ever Core i3 processor, the 3.33GHz Core i3-560.

The i7-950 was previously selling for $562 in 1,000-unit quantities, but Intel also offered the Core i7-960 for that exact same price. I'm a little surprised to see Intel cut the i7-950's price instead of discontinuing it, though. This latest cut essentially renders both the Core i7-920 and the Core i7-930 obsolete, since those two chips are also selling for just under 300 bucks. (I'd probably pick the unlocked Core i7-875K over any chip in this price range, though.)

In the Core i3 family, the arrival of the 3.33GHz i3-560 hasn't displaced other family members—the quicker CPU has the same $138 volume price tag as the i3-550. That's kind of a shame. Pushing the slowest Core i3 under $100 would definitely provide an interesting alternative to those $99 Athlon II X4 processors from AMD. Intel has also added a couple of new sub-$100 Pentiums and a Celeron, if you're into bargain-basement dual-cores. The quickest new Pentium, the E6800, runs at 3.33GHz with two cores, 2MB of L2 cache, and a $86 asking price.

16 comments —
Last by Vaughn at 10:59 AM on 09/01/10

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