Agam Shah, Author at NetworkingNexus.net

Agam Shah

Author Archives: Agam Shah

Intel puts mobile chip failures in its past with first speedy 5G modem

Intel has a disastrous history with smartphones. It fumbled a chance to be in Apple's first iPhone, and then quit making its Atom smartphone chip to focus on modems. But the company is now set to ship a groundbreaking modem that will deliver data transfer rates many times faster than most wired internet connections. The chipmaker will start shipping its first 5G modem for testing in the second half this year. Beyond mobile devices, the modem could also be used in autonomous cars, servers, base stations, networking equipment, drones, robots, and other internet-of-things devices. In name, 5G is the successor to 4G in today's mobile devices, but it's significantly faster and more versatile. It will combine multiple wireless high-speed and low-bandwidth technologies and enable communications across an array of spectrum bands. New 5G networks are expected to be deployed starting in 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel puts mobile chip failures in its past with first speedy 5G modem

Intel has a disastrous history with smartphones. It fumbled a chance to be in Apple's first iPhone, and then quit making its Atom smartphone chip to focus on modems.But the company is now set to ship a groundbreaking modem that will deliver data transfer rates many times faster than most wired internet connections.The chipmaker will start shipping its first 5G modem for testing in the second half this year. Beyond mobile devices, the modem could also be used in autonomous cars, servers, base stations, networking equipment, drones, robots, and other internet-of-things devices.In name, 5G is the successor to 4G in today's mobile devices, but it's significantly faster and more versatile. It will combine multiple wireless high-speed and low-bandwidth technologies and enable communications across an array of spectrum bands. New 5G networks are expected to be deployed starting in 2020.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

7 dazzling smartphone improvements with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip

Unparalleled improvements will come to smartphones with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, a tiny chip with powerhouse features. Super-thin handsets will be as fast as PCs, LTE data transfers could be faster than a wired internet connection, and virtual reality will be in the palm of your hand. Top handsets like Samsung's Galaxy S8 are likely to end up using the new eight-core Snapdragon 835 chip. Here are seven improvements coming to handsets.Smartphones will be thinnerPhones are already thin, but will get even thinner with the Snapdragon 835. The chip -- which is smaller than a U.S. penny -- is 35 percent smaller than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 820, which powers the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. If smartphone sizes remain the same, device makers could pack in larger batteries and battery life. The chip will also occupy less circuit board space, allowing device makers to add more memory or other components.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ARM PCs with Windows 10 get a new start with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

Take your pick: whether you choose an Android smartphone, Windows 10 laptop or hybrid PC device, you'll be able to run Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835. That sums up the versatility of the new chip: designed primarily for Android smartphones, it has the horsepower to run a PC. In fact, the Snapdragon 835 will bring never-before-seen features to Windows PCs. The chip, based on ARM architecture, will first arrive in smartphones later this quarter, with a good chance of appearing in new handsets from Samsung, HTC and LG. It will also appear in PCs running Windows 10 later this year. Microsoft and Qualcomm in December announced they were collaborating to bring the Snapdragon 835 to "cellular PCs," which are thin-and-light Windows 10 laptops with smartphone-like, always-on connectivity to the internet.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Acer’s Chromebook 11 N7 is tough as nails, but runs on old tech

Do you have the nasty habit of knocking your laptop around? Meet Acer's tough-as-nails Chromebook 11 N7, designed to withstand a serious beating.The Chromebook 11 N7 has an 11.6-inch screen and is fortified with layers of protection to withstand drops. Acer has been so meticulous in ruggedizing the laptop that it's even difficult to remove key caps from the keyboard -- whether by accident or on purpose.Why did Acer construct such a Chromebook? It's targeted at educational institutions that issue laptops to students, who may be clumsy with PCs. The Chromebook 11 N7 is certainly more durable than the iPad, which has been given to students and can crack easily if mishandled.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

LeEco’s smart bicycles with Android OS will be hard to steal

Conventional bicycles are undergoing a radical technological makeover that could change the way people ride and protect their bikes. LeEco isn't reinventing the wheel with its new Smart Road and Smart Mountain bikes, but infusing them with dazzling technology derived from smartphones and self-driving cars. The bicycles have navigation, fitness and communication features, and even technology to track a stolen bike. These new features are more than just bells and whistles -- they could be a blueprint of how future bikes could look. Transportation is the next big technology frontier, and LeEco's bikes are cool and smart. The LeEco smart bikes will be available in the U.S. in the second quarter. A company spokeswoman said prices will be announced at a later date.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

12 things you’ll get in PCs with Intel’s new Kaby Lake chips

Amazingly thin Windows 10 laptops and tablets will soon become available with Intel's new Kaby Lake chips, which were announced at CES. These chips, called 7th Generation Core, will extend laptop battery life to new highs, and bring new capabilities like 4K video. You'll also enjoy VR by connecting headsets to Kaby Lake laptops or tablets. There's a lot more to Kaby Lake, and here's what you can expect from PCs: Thinner and lighter laptops Laptops and tablets with Kaby Lake are so thin and light that their weight in a backpack is not noticeable, unless it's a fully loaded gaming PC. Samsung's new 13.3-inch Notebook 9 weighs an amazing 816 grams, but offers only seven hours of battery life. Low-power Kaby Lake chips will also be in laptops and 2-in-1 devices from Lenovo, HP, Acer and Dell that weigh 1 to 1.5 kilograms.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Dell protects Alienware, shoves low-end gaming into Inspiron 7000

Merging gaming PCs into low-end brands failed for PC makers like HP, but Dell is giving it a shot. Dell is moving budget gaming PCs into the consumer Inspiron brand as it positions the premium Alienware PCs for a leap into the 4K and virtual reality era. At CES, Dell introduced new Inspiron 7000 gaming laptops, which have the look and feel of Alienware PCs. With a starting price of US$799, the Inspiron 7000 models aren't as feature-packed as the new Alienware 13, 15, and 17 laptops, which were also announced at the show and will ship this month. The Inspiron 7000 models -- which comes with 14- or 15.6-inch screens -- have processing and graphics punch with high-end Intel Core i7 H-series Kaby Lake CPUs and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPUs. It's the first Inspiron gaming laptop and the fastest in that brand.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel’s new NUC mini-desktops get Kaby Lake, Optane and Thunderbolt 3

A lot of cool technologies are coming to Intel's latest NUCs, which are powerful mini-desktops that now boast the company's latest Kaby Lake chips. A NUC packs all components tightly in a small PC that is light enough to be held in one hand. These mini-PCs are easily customizable and considered desktop replacements. Some of the new NUCs have Thunderbolt 3 ports, Intel Iris Plus graphics for 4K video, and are ready for Intel's superfast Optane storage. Intel has announced three new "tall" NUCs with 7th Generation Core i3, i5 and i7 chips, and two "short" NUCs with Core i3 and i5 chips. The "tall NUCs" are slightly larger and more powerful than the short NUCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X1 devices get sexier designs, faster chips

The venerable ThinkPad brand will turn 25 this year, and Lenovo's new ThinkPad X1 devices will kick off celebrations with a slew of upgrades including sexier designs, faster processors, and screens with thinner borders.The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop (starting at US$1,349), ThinkPad X1 Tablet (starting at $949) and ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2-in-1 (starting at $1,499) are smaller, thinner and lighter than ever before. In addition, the devices have much longer battery life.Many of the advances come thanks to the upgrade to Intel's 7th Generation Core processors code-named Kaby Lake. The integrated GPUs are faster and provide the capability to support 4K video processing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo primes to take on Microsoft’s next Surface tablet with Miix 720

The world is waiting for Microsoft's next Surface tablet, but when it ships, it'll have to contend with Lenovo's new Miix 720, a 12-inch Windows tablet loaded with cutting-edge features. The Miix 720 will start at US$999 and will ship in April. That's about $100 more than the starting price of the Surface Pro 4, but the Miix 720 has superior features. But the Surface could catch up with the Miix 720 soon. A new Surface Pro 5 could be out as soon as early this year and have features like faster processors and a higher resolution screen that could on par or better than the Miix 720. That's when the competition will get interesting. But for now, it's Miix 720 versus the Surface Pro 4. The Lenovo tablet runs on an Intel Core processor based on the latest Kaby Lake architecture and has an integrated graphics processor capable of supporting 4K video. Surface Pro 4 is a generation behind with Skylake chips, but the next Surface tablet will likely get Kaby Lake.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo crashes gaming party with new Legion line of laptops

Gaming enthusiasts are particular. They like colorful chassis, bright keyboard lights, cool-sounding brand names and scintillating performance in PCs.Those are ideals Lenovo has embraced with its new Legion line of gaming laptops and PCs. Introduced on Tuesday, Legion will feature some of the most loaded PCs offered by Lenovo.In a way, Legion is to Lenovo what Alienware is to Dell -- a product family that will help Lenovo cash in on PC gaming and virtual reality. Beyond PCs, the Legion brand could also include gaming monitors and accessories.Lenovo isn't known as a game PC maker, but it isn't stretching outside its comfort zone with Legion. It already offers Y-series and IdeaPad gaming PCs, and has partnered with Razer to build not only desktops, but keyboards with lighting effects and other gaming accessories. Lenovo hopes Legion -- a name coined after the large units in the armies of the Roman empire -- will resonate with gamers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hands on: Dell twists the XPS 13 into a 2-in-1

Dell has just improved its already brilliant XPS 13 -- it will now be available as a 2-in-1, which means the device has the versatility to be a laptop or a tablet. I had the chance to play around with the device prior to CES. It has a clever design and wowed me with its sleek design and edge-to-edge screen, but it won't come cheap. The starting price of the XPS 13 2-in-1 is US$999, and it'll start shipping this month. That's about $200 more than the starting price of the XPS laptop. You are paying more for the versatility of the XPS 13 2-in-1. On the outside, the XPS 13 2-in-1 looks like the XPS 13 laptop, but Dell has changed the hinge connecting the keyboard base and screen. The screen can be rotated 360 degrees to turn the device into a tablet.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo’s popular ThinkPads speed up with Intel’s Kaby Lake chips

Lenovo is starting its CES party a bit early, announcing new and upgraded ThinkPad laptops and a 2-in-1 with Intel's new Kaby Lake chips and a slew of new features. The new ThinkPads are getting better screens, faster DDR4 memory and more storage capacity. Features like USB-C ports, optional LTE connectivity, precision touchpads and optional infrared cameras for Windows Hello are being offered across the ThinkPad X, L and T series. Lenovo also introduced the ThinkPad Yoga 370 2-in-1, which is the first model in the brand with a 13.3-inch HD screen and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The upgraded products are mainly workhorse ThinkPads, but Lenovo is also expected to separately announce flashier laptops and 2-in-1s at CES.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo’s ThinkPad T570 will have Intel’s superfast Optane storage

Lenovo's ThinkPad T570 is a loaded laptop that boasts a range of whiz-bang technologies, but the ability to run Intel's secretive Optane memory stands out.When it ships in March, the T570 will be ready to run Intel's Optane, a new class of memory and storage that promises to be significantly faster than today's SSDs and DRAM.The T570 is the first laptop announced with support for Optane. Intel has not said when it will ship Optane memory, but the T570 has the hooks to support the technology.The T570 also can be configured with a 4K touch display, Nvidia's GeForce 940MX discrete graphics and up to 32GB of DRAM. The laptop is targeted at business users, but it could be a dream machine for enthusiasts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

This Intel board computer can be a powerful Ubuntu 16.04 Linux PC

If you want a PC with Ubuntu Linux, you can turn to Intel's Joule single-board computer instead of buying an expensive machine.Support for Ubuntu 16.04 desktop OS has been added to the Joule board, according to developer notes for Intel IoT Developer Kit 5.0 released late last week.Intel has two Joule boards: the 570x, which sells for $219 on Mouser, and the 550x, which is priced at $179 on the same retail site. The 550x, which started shipping recently, was priced at $349 until Monday, but was cut in half after a story by the IDG News Service pointed out the unusually high price.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung upgrades Notebook 9 laptops with Kaby Lake chips

Samsung has upgraded laptops in its Notebook 9 series with Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips, jumping ahead of rivals expected to announce new PCs at CES.The Notebook 9 laptops, which have 13.3- and 15-inch screens, are lightweight laptops with full HD displays. Samsung didn't share specifics of chips in the laptops, which will be unveiled by Intel at January's CES.Nonetheless, there are some things you can expect. The new laptops will be faster than older models and also have better graphics. PC makers are measuring a performance improvement of about 5 percent to 15 percent improvement in Kaby Lake performance compared to the predecessor Skylake. Integrated graphics will be able to handle video beyond 1080p resolution.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel’s Joule 550x computer ships, but initial units heavily overpriced

Intel is now shipping a new single-board computer, the Joule 550x, that will challenge the dominance of Raspberry Pi.The board was announced in August but didn't ship right away. The Joule 550x is a full-fledged computer on a small circuit board, and it packs more horsepower and graphics capabilities than the Raspberry Pi 3.But at prices of up to US$349, the Joule 550x costs about 10 times more than Raspberry Pi 3. The board is now available from online retailer Mouser. It is available for $291 on Newegg.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ARM tackles server compatibility issues with Allinea acquisition

ARM has a big problem -- it rules in smartphones and tablets but hasn't broken into servers and supercomputers. ARM servers are devalued partly because many applications don't work with the chips.But ARM has acquired Allinea Software with the hope of partially resolving the compatibility issue. Allinea provides software development, debugging, and porting tools, which should make it easier for people to write applications for ARM-based servers and supercomputers.The acquisition will "provide a channel to thousands of developers using supercomputers and give us better first-hand knowledge of the issues being addressed as software is ported to new ARM-based systems," Javier Orensanz, general manager of the development solutions group at ARM, said in a blog entry.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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