Agam Shah
Author Archives: Agam Shah
- Home → Author's archive:
Agam Shah
0
HP’s PC group cranks up design, gaming efforts ahead of spin-off
HP’s PC group doesn’t want to be a “screwdriver” PC maker making look-alike laptops and desktops, and it is focusing heavily on design and new innovations as it prepares for a spin-off into a separate company.The company is focusing on cutting the plastic and adding metal and new colors to the chassis of its laptops and desktops. HP also is expanding its hardware options for consumers, businesses and gamers, and focusing on a future when virtual reality will be an important part of the computing experience.PC makers need to update the devices because customers are paying more attention to how devices look and function, said Mike Nash, vice president for consumer PC and solutions at HP’s Printing and Personal Systems Group.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Intel looking to boost horsepower on server chips with ASIC integration
Intel is expanding its custom server chip program by integrating a special processing unit that could speed up specific applications in cloud computing environments.The chip maker said it will integrate ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) in future Xeon chips, which will speed up cloud, security and big data applications. The ASIC designs will be provided by eASIC, a fabless semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California.Intel declined to comment on the type of ASICs being integrated, or when they will be integrated in Xeon chips. But the integrated ASICs will be reprogrammable, and customers will be able to add more flexibility to their servers to handle specific types of tasks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
IBM’s flexible Power servers can take on cloud, databases
IBM is building slimmer versions of its Power hardware—used by its Watson supercomputer—to run complex database applications as well as simpler Web-based ones.IBM has designed its latest Power servers for social networking, search engines and cloud storage, as computing moves from PCs to mobile devices. Beyond the cloud, the new servers with Power8 chips also have the horsepower to handle more complex applications like databases and analytics.The multipurpose servers include the four-socket Power E850, which can handle private, public and hybrid clouds, and in-memory database applications. The more powerful Power E880 is for large-scale database and cloud implementations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
The five coolest projects at AT&T Labs
These days, researchers at AT&T Labs are focusing on cars, smart homes, wearables and health apps, judging by projects showcased at the company’s Research Day. This year’s exhibit, held Friday in New York, was more practical than previous ones, with many projects being close to release.Here are five interesting projects shown at the event:Connected carsAs your car gets close to home, the garage door automatically opens and the living room lights and air-conditioning system switch on. Convenient, no? AT&T wants to make that a reality with its Drive initiative, which will track a car’s location, and when it’s within a certain distance of the house, trigger certain pre-configured actions. Alternatively, users could manually issue commands through a console in the car. AT&T already offers smart home and security services, and it’ll be up to car makers to implement this vehicle-based home automation service.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
The five coolest projects at AT&T Labs
These days, researchers at AT&T Labs are focusing on cars, smart homes, wearables and health apps, judging by projects showcased at the company’s Research Day. This year’s exhibit, held Friday in New York, was more practical than previous ones, with many projects being close to release. Here are five interesting projects shown at the event: Connected cars As your car gets close to home, the garage door automatically opens and the living room lights and air-conditioning system switch on. Convenient, no? AT&T wants to make that a reality with its Drive initiative, which will track a car’s location, and when it’s within a certain distance of the house, trigger certain pre-configured actions. Alternatively, users could manually issue commands through a console in the car. AT&T already offers smart home and security services, and it’ll be up to car makers to implement this vehicle-based home automation service.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
AMD puts faith back in x86, downgrading its ARM effort
Two years ago, AMD tried to cut its reliance on the plodding x86 design by building server chips around ARM, the hot architecture driving mobile devices. That hasn’t worked out, and the company is now putting its faith back in x86.At an investor meeting on Wednesday, AMD further delayed its ARM-based server chip code-named Seattle and cut a major project that could have bridged the gap between its x86 and ARM chips. AMD executives also took responsibility for misreading the fast-growing server market, which is dominated by Intel x86 chips.AMD is still developing ARM-based server chips, but instead of mainstream servers, those chips will now be aimed mainly at storage, networking and other infrastructure equipment. That’s a downgrade from AMD’s focus over the last two years to make ARM servers the centerpiece of server rooms.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
AMD developing mega-chip that combines CPUs and GPUs
AMD will battle Intel for computer performance supremacy with a new high-speed chip that could be the fastest when it ships.The chip will combine many CPUs and graphics processors in a single package. It will deliver multiple teraflops of performance, and will be targeted at high-end graphics, supercomputing and data modeling.The chip doesn’t have a name yet, and could be released in the next two years, said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president at AMD, during an investor meeting on Wednesday.There is no chip that mixes CPUs and GPUs, and AMD wants to introduce the concept to high-performance computing, Norrod said.For decades, AMD and Intel have been locked in a leapfrogging race, one-upping each other by increasing their chips’ clock speeds. At the height of the chip wars in 2011, AMD claimed a Guinness World Record for achieving the “highest frequency of a computer processor” with its eight-core FX chip, which ran at a clock speed of 8.4GHz. The silliness of the chip battles dissipated soon after, though chip makers still love to parade high-performance chips as a sign of technological progress.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
AMD’s Zen chips to square off against Intel’s Skylake next year
AMD’s recent chips haven’t rocked Intel’s PC market dominance, but new chips based on the company’s Zen architecture could change the narrative next year.The company on Wednesday shared initial details about the new FX and seventh-generation A-series chips, which will be in desktops and laptops next year. The chips are based on Zen, the brainchild of Jim Keller, a leading iPad and iPhone chip designer at Apple until AMD hired him on 2012.The new AMD chips will battle Intel’s highly anticipated chips code-named Skylake, which will start appearing in tablets, laptops and desktops starting later this year. Intel has called Skylake its most significant chip family of last decade, designed to bring many wireless charging and data transfer features to laptops.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
AMD slims PC chip lineup, hopes to return to profitability by year end
AMD hasn’t been competitive in the chip market over the last few years thanks to some poor decisions, but the company is simplifying its product lineup for PCs while getting into some newer, hotter product areas in hopes of reaching consistent profitability by the end of this year.On Tuesday, AMD CEO Lisa Su provided details on the company’s plan to reverse its sagging fortunes. The company will accelerate its move from PCs in an attempt to be a more diversified company that embraces graphics—where it already has a big presence—and other markets such as the Internet of Things, servers and custom chips.AMD still wants to make gains in the PC market, but is also hoping to increase market share in the graphics and custom chip market in 2016, Su said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Nvidia’s shift away from mobile devices cuts modem unit
Nvidia’s 3G and LTE modem business is up for sale as the company moves away from mobile devices.The company on Tuesday said it plans to wind down its Icera modem operations by the second quarter of fiscal 2016 and sell its assets. Nvidia will start licensing modems from third-party companies to pair LTE connectivity with its Tegra chips.Nvidia gained a modem unit when it acquired Icera in 2011 for US$367 million. At the time, Nvidia was growing fast in smartphone and tablets with its popular Tegra chips, and Icera provided the central 3G and LTE connectivity for mobile devices. The Tegra 4i chip, announced in 2013, packaged a Tegra processor with an integrated Icera LTE modem.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Speedy servers with Intel’s 18-core chips, DDR4 memory hit the market
Hardware makers are providing the building blocks for databases, ERP and analytics applications to run faster in data centers with new systems based on Intel’s latest Xeon E7 v3 chips.Seventeen hardware makers have announced 45 systems running on Intel’s new chips, which have up to 18 CPU cores. Servers from big names like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo have more memory capacity, internal bandwidth and storage capacity to speed up applications.The new Intel Xeon chips, announced on Tuesday, provide more throughput and power-saving features than the Xeon E7 v2 chips that shipped last year. As a result, a task could be executed on fewer servers while consuming less power, which could help cut electric bills. Alternatively, system administrators could extract more performance from the same number of servers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Intel’s 18-core Xeon chips tuned for machine learning, analytics
Smaller servers are taking over data centers, but Intel believes the future is also bright for powerful big-iron servers, thanks to companies’ embrace of machine learning, which requires a lot of horsepower to process complex algorithms and large data sets.With its new top-line Xeon E7 v3 server chips based on the Haswell microarchitecture, Intel hopes to capitalize on the demand for this type of server. With up to 18 CPU cores, the chips are Intel’s fastest, and designed for databases, ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems and analytics related to machine learning.Complex machine learning models can’t be distributed over the cloud or a set of smaller hyperscale servers in a data center. Instead, a more powerful cluster of servers is needed to run deep-learning systems, where the larger number of cores could power more precise analysis of oceans of data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
HP promises warranty on overclocked desktops popular with gamers
Gamers will be able to overclock and add more horsepower to HP’s signature gaming desktop without worrying about invalidating their warranties.The Envy Phoenix Desktop is among a number of newly redesigned desktops announced by HP on Monday. The towers have a premium look with an aluminum finish on the chassis, where HP had previously used plastic.For the first time, HP is offering Intel Core i5 and i7 chips that can be overclocked with its top-line Envy Phoenix desktop PC. That means gamers can increase computer performance by raising the CPU clock speed, which can be handy when running demanding games. These chips are often incorporated into home-built PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Microsoft buying company that made stylus for Surface Pro 3
Microsoft will soon own the company that provided the stylus and touch display interface technology for its Surface Pro 3, according to a media report.The company has agreed to acquire Israel-based N-Trig for $30 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.Microsoft already had a minority stake of 6 percent in N-trig, but apparently had been in negotiations to acquire the company for months. In February, Israel's Haaretz newspaper said N-Trig was valued at less than $10 million, while Calcalist -- which originally broke the story of Microsoft looking to acquire the company -- reported that Microsoft would pay at least $200 million.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Microsoft’s HoloLens adds virtual life to Raspberry Pi 2 gadgets, robots
Microsoft says its HoloLens head-mounted computer can bring robots and gadgets based on Raspberry Pi 2 to life as they are being developed. HoloLens is an augmented-reality headset that lets users interact with 3D objects that show up as floating images, much like holographic projections. By blending computer-generated images with a user's view of the real world, Microsoft wants to change the way we interact with the environment. Microsoft also believes HoloLens can bring a new level of interactivity to enthusiasts making gadgets, robots or appliances using developer boards like the US$35 Raspberry Pi 2. The HoloLens could help makers envision how a gadget would look or how a robot would behave.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
PC prices to go up later this year, Gartner warns
PC prices have enjoyed record lows for many years now, but buyers might have to shell out a few more bucks for their desired laptop or desktop later this year. Research firm Gartner is sounding the alarm that PC prices might go up later this year due to recent currency fluctuations. The effect may especially be felt in Europe and Japan, where local currencies are weakening against the U.S. dollar. The alternative to rising prices is fewer features. PC makers might opt for less memory, a cheaper webcam or a lower-capacity hard drive to avoid higher prices. PC makers do something similar every holiday shopping season when they sell computers at rock-bottom prices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Acer Aspire Switch 10 saved by the dock
Acer’s new Aspire Switch 10 seems like just another low-cost Windows tablet, but its detachable keyboard dock turns the device into a shape-shifter that can stand in multiple angles.The Switch 10 is first a tablet, and it can become a laptop when attached to a keyboard dock. Acer announced two Switch 10 models at a lavish press event in New York, with the entry-level Switch 10 E SW3-013 starting at US$279 and the higher-resolution Switch 10 SW5-015 starting at $399.A brief hands-on with the Switch 10 revealed what’s most interesting about the device. Its biggest attraction is the detachable keyboard dock, which comes alongside the tablet. The tablet can be securely snapped on the dock, which has a 360-degree hinge that allows the device to be placed in multiple positions.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
How Intel could prolong Moore’s Law with new materials, transistors
As questions persist about the longevity of Moore’s Law, an analyst has predicted some specific ways that Intel will keep it going for at least the next few years.Intel can continue to pack smaller transistors on its chips by using exotic materials and a new transistor design described by David Kanter, an analyst at Linley Group, in an article he published this week.Intel currently manufactures chips using a 14-nanometer process, and is preparing its move to 10-nm later this year or early next. The number refers approximately to the smallest circuit dimensions etched on each chip, and smaller circuits mean faster chips and less power use.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
HP leaves Apple Beats behind with new X360 hybrids
Hewlett-Packard has closed the door on its partnership with Beats Audio, now owned by Apple, by introducing its first hybrid PCs to feature Bang and Olufsen audio technology.The Envy X360 and Pavilion X360 are intended to be primarily laptops, but can be used as tablets with screens that rotate 360 degrees. The hybrids can also deliver booming sound.HP has relied on Beats for years for its PCs and tablets, but that was before Apple acquired it. HP’s new X360 hybrids are the first of many PCs, tablets and accessories that will carry audio from B&O, said Mike Nash, a vice president with HP’s Personal Systems Group.The hybrids don’t have striking designs or the thinness of Lenovo’s Yoga PC, but they are less expensive and come with the latest Intel Pentium Core M and Core i processors. Another selling point is their ability to fit up to 1TB of hard-drive storage, which is a rarity in hybrids.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
0
Qualcomm looking to fast-track Snapdragon 820 with help from Samsung
A plan by Qualcomm to get Samsung Electronics to make its Snapdragon 820 chip could lead to faster smartphones, offering longer battery life by early next year.The chip company will get its top-line device manufactured in factories belonging to Samsung, according to a news report by Re/code. The South Korean company will make the Snapdragon 820 chip using the 14-nanometer process, which will also be used to make Apple’s next A9 chip.The Snapdragon 820 chip was announced last month at Mobile World Congress and is expected to start shipping later this year. Qualcomm hasn’t shared information about where it will be manufactured, but Samsung’s 14-nm process will provide big performance and power advantages over current Snapdragon chips.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here