If you want to play with an ARM-based server, you can now apply to gain access to one online through the Linaro Developer Cloud.The cloud service was announced in March but has finally gone live. It's mainly targeted at developers who want to evaluate ARM servers.The free service is one way to access ARM servers, which aren't widely available. Applications go through an approval process, and only those serious about programming for ARM servers will likely be approved.Developers will get remote access to bare-metal servers with ARM processors. Linaro has said servers will have ARM-based chips from Qualcomm, Cavium, and Huawei, and users will be able to select specific hardware.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Intel seems to be developing a pair of augmented reality smart glasses, and we may see them at the company's developer show next month.The Intel Remote EyeSight, a set of head-worn AR smart glasses, is built around the idea of remote collaboration. The company will offer details at a technical session during next month's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.Further information about the AR smart glasses wasn't immediately available, but they seem like a cross between Microsoft's HoloLens and Google Glass.The technical session page describes the AR smart glasses as a product that uses Intel's Collaboration Suite for WebRTC video capabilities to "transform Intel's enterprise collaboration experiences with secure, cost-effective, hands-free and augmented reality technologies."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
AMD emerged as a serious threat to Intel in servers more than a decade ago, but after a series of missteps and bad chips, the company's server business is hanging on by a thread.Now, AMD is rebooting its server chip business with the upcoming Zen CPU, which will also be used in PCs. AMD is getting creative with Zen and considering merging the CPU with a high-performance GPU to create a mega-chip for high-performance tasks."It's fair to say we do believe we can combine a high-performance CPU with the high-performance GPU," AMD CEO Lisa Su said during an earnings call on Thursday.Su's comment was in response to a question on whether AMD would ultimately combine its Zen CPU with a GPU based on the upcoming Vega architecture into one big chip for enterprise servers and supercomputing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you're expecting widespread availability of gaming desktops with AMD's Zen chips by year-end, don't hold your breath.It's been a long wait for Zen since it was first announced in mid-2015. It's shaping up to be the best CPU from the company in more than a decade, and the AMD faithful are hungry to get their hands on a desktop with the chip.High-end desktops with Zen will be available, but in "limited volume towards the end of the fourth quarter," said Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, during an earnings call Thursday. The number of available Zen-based desktops will depend on how testing of the chips goes and how ready PC makers are to ship the machines, Su noted.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Chromebook shipment growth will be in the double digits this year, but the devices are not being used as Windows PC replacements, which is what Google had hoped for.Chromebook shipments will jump by about 18 percent this year compared to 2015, according to Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner. It will be one of the few areas of growth in an otherwise slumping PC market.In 2015, Chromebook shipments totaled 6.5 million units, so shipments this year could be in the 7.5 million to 8 million range. About 1.65 million Chromebooks shipped in the first quarter of 2016; second quarter numbers weren't yet available.The devices, though, are still a small fragment of the overall PC market, in which unit shipments are expected to reach 290 million units this year. Outside of Chromebooks, the Windows-based 2-in-1 and gaming PC segments are also growing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Tablets and laptops with Intel's 7th Generation Core chips code-named Kaby Lake should become available in the coming months.Intel is shipping Kaby Lake chips to PC makers now, CEO Brian Krzanich during Intel's earnings call Wednesday. Systems with new processors usually become available a few months after Intel delivers the chips.Kaby Lake will succeed current Core processors named Skylake. The new chip has the underpinnings of Skylake and won't necessarily be smaller in size, but it'll provide speed improvements over its predecessor, Krzanich said.That raises a question: should you wait a few months for Kaby Lake instead of upgrading to a Skylake PC now? Experts generally say you should buy a PC as and when you need it rather than wait for the next improvement to come along.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
ZTE's US $99 ZMax Pro packs in some of the latest smartphone technologies, something you wouldn't expect in a low-priced handset.The smartphone has a 6-inch screen and is available only through MetroPCS in the U.S. It weighs about 175 grams and is 8.9 millimeters thick.It has some top-line features found in the latest smartphones, like a USB Type-C port. It also runs on the latest Android OS 6.0 code-named Marshmallow.The Gorilla Glass 3 screen shows images at a full HD resolution. The handset has 32GB of internal storage, and a micro-SD card for expandable storage. That's a lot of storage for a handset under $100.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Since the release of the iPhone, ARM's chip designs have driven a mobile revolution. The small chip company has brought giants like Intel to their knees in the realm of mobile phones and tablets, and now it's on the verge of being acquired by Softbank for a stunning US$32 billion.
You may not know it, but outside of PCs ARM is in almost every device we use, from smartphones to TVs to home appliances. It licenses chip designs to manufacturers, and over the last 25 years, over 90 billion ARM-designed chips have gone into devices. ARM will continue designing processors for various segments of the computing industry after the acquisition, but investments will go up and product development will be faster, said Simon Segars, CEO of ARM, in a video. Here are three immediate things you need to know about the deal.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Not many are using smartphones with Microsoft's Windows 10 Mobile, but HP's flagship Elite X3 -- which ships this month -- could boost the OS's sagging fortunes.
The premium smartphone will be priced starting at US$699 in the U.S. It feels more like a phablet, but HP believes it could also be a PC in a pinch with its top-line mobile processor, OS and innovative accessories.
HP first announced the Elite X3 at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February.
It has a 5.96-inch AMOLED screen that can display images at a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, matching top smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S7 and LG's G5. The rugged screen has Gorilla Glass 4 technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Raspberry Pi was originally aimed at students and hobbyists, and it can now function as a Linux computer.And if support for Microsoft's Windows 10 desktop OS is added to the latest Raspberry Pi 3, it could become a viable computer for millions of PC users who are not technically savvy.Support for Windows 10 desktop is on founder Eben Upton's wishlist for Raspberry Pi 3, which shipped in February. The mini computer already supports Windows 10 IoT Core, a stripped-down version of the OS for Internet of Things devices.But that decision is not in Upton's hands. It's feasible, but not now contemplated as part of Raspberry Pi's relationship with Microsoft, Upton said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A smaller version of the popular Raspberry Pi 3 will go on sale in a few months.Raspberry Pi is developing a new version of its Compute Module, a single-board computer that plugs into specific on-board memory slots. The new Pi will be more like a mini-computer inside a computer, and it won't come with a power supply.The Compute Module will have similar circuitry to that of Raspberry Pi 3, a wildly successful computer that can be a PC replacement. But it will be smaller, with the memory, CPU, and storage embedded tightly on a board. The differences between the Compute Module and the Raspberry Pi 3 will be subtle. While the Compute Module will have a 64-bit ARM processor like the Pi 3, it won't have Wi-Fi, Eben Upton, founder of Raspberry Pi, said in an interview with IDG News Service.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft is doing new things with its Surface tablets, and hoping that enterprises will find a lot to like.The company is taking steps to tailor the tablets to the needs of enterprises. The goal of customization is to differentiate the Surface from look-alike products, and to tie devices closely to a company's operations."We're going to meet the enterprise on their terms," said Hayete Gallot, general manager of Microsoft Devices, in an interview with the IDG News Service.Surface tablets have been successful with consumers and professionals, and Microsoft is giving it an additional enterprise twist. The effort comes as companies look to upgrade to Windows 10 PCs, with tablet-laptop hybrids like Surface being popular replacements.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft's supersize Surface Hub is often viewed as a computer for videoconferencing and digital whiteboarding, but it is emerging as more than just the centerpiece of a conference room.The Surface Hub is a one-of-a-kind, all-in-one PC with a 55- or 84-inch screen that started shipping a few months back. The device provides new ways for users to present, exchange, share and manipulate data from the Azure cloud, said Hayete Gallot, general manager at Microsoft Devices.Users are still exploring ways in which it can be used. The large screen and collaborative features can be powerful tools in visualizing data extracted from the cloud, Gallot suggests.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
China already has the world's fastest computer with its homegrown chip, but the country hasn't stopped loading up on technology to make more of its own chips.ARM announced Tuesday it has licensed the ARMv8-A architecture to Huaxintong Semiconductor Technology, a joint venture between China's Guizhou province and a subsidiary of Qualcomm.The Chinese company will make ARM-based chipsets for servers in data centers. The small Guizhou province is considered a big data hub, and the province hosts 2.5 million servers, including some used by China's top telecom companies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft says its Surface devices generate revenue of US$1 billion every quarter, and hopes to raise that number by putting the devices on more corporate desktops.The company is partnering with IBM, one of the world's largest software makers, to write applications specifically for Surface devices. The goal is to tailor Surface devices to meet the needs of financial, consumer goods and retail organizations.The deal is significant for Microsoft, which wants to make Surface devices more attractive to enterprises. IDC expects enterprise PC upgrades to pick up in the second half of this year, and Surface devices with tailored software could appeal to companies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft will end its free Windows 10 upgrade program on July 29, possibly giving an unexpected boost to PC shipments in the second half this year, according to IDC.Buyers may opt to buy a new Windows 10 PCs instead of upgrading existing PCs with a paid version of the OS. Many businesses are evaluating Windows 10 and could also upgrade.Windows 10 hasn't helped boost PC shipments so far. Instead of buying new PCs, people have been taking advantage of the free program and upgrading PCs from older Windows versions.The PC market is still in a slump, and that didn't change in the second quarter. But shipments were better than expected, and that sets the stage for a mini-recovery in the second half.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
As Intel drifts away from smartphones and tablets, users with Android devices are starting to feel the pinch.The hot Pokemon Go app won't work on Android devices with Intel Atom processors, and that's an issue for some users.A petition to make the popular augmented reality game compatible with Atom chips attracted close to 22,000 signers by Monday. The app isn't working on devices like Asus' Zenfone 2, which runs on an Atom CPU. Pokemon Go maker Niantic Labs didn't respond to questions about whether they would release an Atom-compatible version of the game.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A mobile chip faster than the one in flagship smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S7 and LG's G5 will start appearing in handsets this quarter.The Snapdragon 821, announced by Qualcomm on Monday, is an incremental upgrade to the Snapdragon 820. In addition to mobile phones, it's also aimed at tablets, drones, robots and virtual reality headsets.The Snapdragon 821 is about 10 percent faster than its predecessor. It is also more power-efficient, meaning batteries in smartphones and phablets will last longer.Smartphone buyers can look at smartphone specifications to see if a device has a Snapdragon 821 or 820.Qualcomm is now the top dog of mobile chip companies, with Intel exiting the race. The company routinely releases incremental upgrades to its top-line chips. It released the Snapdragon 801 chip in 2014, with performance and graphics improvements, as an upgrade to the Snapdragon 800.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Desktops with AMD's $199 Radeon RX 480 graphics card have started to go on sale a month after the GPU was announced.Some of the desktops are priced under $800, which is very affordable by gaming PC standards. That's largely because of the GPU's low price, but the RX 480 is no slouch: it's capable of 4K gaming and makes desktops VR-ready.It's the first GPU based on AMD's new Polaris architecture, but you can expect even faster, higher-priced Polaris cards later this year.Best Buy is selling the CyberPowerPC Desktop with an eight-core AMD FX 8320 CPU and RX 480 for $849.99. It has a 2TB hard drive, eight USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 16GB DDR3 RAM (not the speedier DDR4 in some gaming systems).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Displays that can be folded and rolled up have been shown in prototype smartphones, wearables and other devices -- but when will such products be available?Advances in technology suggest they aren't too far off in the future. Such devices could start showing up as early as next year or 2018, said Jerry Kang, senior principal analyst for emerging display technologies and OLED at IHS.Manufacturers are trying to launch them in devices like tablets that can fold into a smartphone-size device. It's possible to use these displays in wearable devices, but reliability, weight and battery life need to be considered, Kang said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Agam Shah