Agam Shah

Author Archives: Agam Shah

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

Moore’s Law at 50: The past and future

When you’re strapping on the latest smart watch or ogling an iPhone, you probably aren’t thinking of Moore’s Law, which for 50 years has been used as a blueprint to make computers smaller, cheaper and faster.Without Moore’s Law it’s quite possible that new types of computers like Microsoft’s HoloLens, a holographic wearable with which users can interact with floating images, would not have been developed. For decades, Moore’s Law has been a guiding star for the development of modern electronics, though in recent years its relevance has been subject to debate.Moore’s Law isn’t a scientific theory, but a set of observations and predictions made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in an article [click here to download] first published in Electronics Magazine on April 19, 1965, which were subsequently modified. His core prediction states that the density of transistors, or the number of transistors on a given die area, would double every two years, which leads to double the performance. Loosely translated, that means in 18 to 24 months you could buy a computer that is significantly faster than what you have today with the same amount of money.To read this article in full or to Continue reading

For Microsoft, hardware and OS consistency key in Surface 3

With the upcoming Surface 3, Microsoft is ending experimentation and bringing back hardware and OS consistency across its line of tablets, hoping that consumers and businesses will find a lot to like.The Surface 3 is radically different than its predecessor, Surface 2, which had an ARM processor and the tablet-specific Windows RT OS. The Surface 3 sports a full Windows 8.1 OS and an Intel x86 processor, which is the combination available in most PCs and laptop-tablet hybrids today.The Surface 3, which has a 10.8-inch screen, is a thinner and lighter version of Surface Pro 3 and can offer longer battery life, said Brian Eskridge, senior manager for Microsoft’s Surface products.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Dell to ship Windows 10 tablet with USB Type-C port

Dell is looking ahead to Windows 10 and planning to release a tablet with the OS and other new technologies in September or October.A refreshed Venue 11 Pro will have the USB Type-C port, which first appeared in Apple’s 12-inch MacBook and in Google’s Chromebook Pixel last month, said Kelli Hodges, a manager at Dell.Although Microsoft hasn’t given a specific release date for Windows 10, Dell’s plans shed light on when PCs and tablets might start shipping with Windows 10 pre-installed. One thing is clear: PC makers are eager to move away from the unpopular Windows 8. Windows 10 will run in smartphones, tablets, PCs, wearables and other devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Dell’s Venue 10 7000 vs Microsoft Surface 3: Same price, different appeal

The Venue 10 7000 from Dell and the Surface 3 from Microsoft share a few things in common: they will ship in a few weeks, are marketed as tablets that can be used as laptops, and start at $499. But they offer different advantages.To determine which one provides better value, buyers must decide whether they’ll use the device mostly as a tablet or as a laptop. Here’s how the products stack up on features.Screen size and resolutionThe Dell Venue 10 7000 has a slight edge on resolution, while the Surface 3 provides more screen size. Dell’s tablet has a 10.5-inch screen that can display images at a 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution, while the Surface 3 has a 10.8-inch screen with a 1920 x 1280-pixel resolution. The Venue uses the emerging OLED technology, while the Surface 3’s more conventional screen is based on LCD technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Seven new hardware technologies for Windows 10 PCs

The arrival of Windows 10 later this year could usher in more convenient, fun and wire-free PC computing.Some new features that make for easier hardware handling are already available, but not yet in Windows PCs, which still make up the vast majority of desktop and laptop machines. For example, Apple's MacBook and Google's Chromebook Pixel have set the stage for USB Type C ports and its associated reversible cables to be used in Windows PCs later this year. Meanwhile, the new Windows Hello feature -- which will allow users to unlock a Windows 10 device by recognizing a face, iris or fingerprint -- could bring 3D cameras and more sensors to PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Chromebooks coming with Intel’s new Braswell chips

A new generation of low-cost Chromebooks are on the way, running the Intel Braswell chips that are expected to debut later this week.The new Braswell chips include new Celeron and Pentium processors, which will support both Chrome OS and Windows, said sources familiar with Intel’s product plans. More details on Braswell will be shared at the Intel Developer Forum in Shenzhen this week.New Chromebooks running Braswell are expected in the coming months from top PC makers, as well as from low-cost manufacturers China who might bring the price point down to less than US$200. Braswell will also appear in low-cost Windows laptops, desktops and tablets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Acer’s Revo One RL85 desktop comes to US with Broadwell chips

Acer isn’t as well known as Apple for product design, but its new Revo One RL85 compact desktop looks dapper—and with Intel’s latest Broadwell chip it also has muscles.The multifaceted desktop can be a PC, but it also can sit in a corner and serve as a media player or be used for backup storage. The desktop is now available in the U.S., and starts at US$249.99 with Intel’s entry-level Celeron processors, and at $479.99 with Intel’s Core i3 chips code-named Broadwell.With its unorthodox design, the Revo One RL85 stands out from today’s mundane beige boxes. Its sharp finish resembles a smaller version of a Kenmore bread maker, but it looks attractive nonetheless. It is just 15.5 centimeters tall.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows forecast to gradually grab tablet market share from iOS and Android

Once considered a lost cause in the tablet market, Microsoft's Windows will take market share from Apple's iOS and Google's Android in the coming years, according to IDC. Android and iOS are the top two OSes for tablets, with 67.3 percent and 27.6 percent share, respectively, of the 229.7 million units shipped in 2014. Windows had just a 5.1 percent market share, according to research released by IDC on Thursday. But by 2019, Windows will have 14.1 percent market share, and the share of Android and iOS will gradually fall to 62.9 percent and 23 percent respectively. Tablet shipments in 2019 will total 269.4 million, indicating slow growth over the coming years, IDC said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung starts shipping new 4K TVs with Tizen OS

Streaming movies from mobile devices onto TVs isn’t as easy as it seems. Samsung hopes to make that easier with its new line of 4K Smart TVs, which have the brand-new Tizen operating system.Samsung has started shipping some of its new curved and flat-panel Smart TVs, and announced prices for other models that will ship in the coming months. The TVs, which start $949.99, come in ultra-high definition [3840 by 2160] resolutions.The user interface in the new Smart TVs will look different from TVs released in previous years. Samsung’s entire Smart TV line-up in 2015 is based on Tizen, which brings TVs closer to mobile devices and Internet-based streaming content, the company said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Raspberry Pi 2 laptop coming with Pi-Top assembly kit

Do you want a Raspberry Pi 2 laptop? A new hardware kit coming from Pi-Top will help you build one at home in a matter of minutes.The popular US$35 Raspberry Pi 2 is an uncased computer that is already being used in drones, robots, gadgets, tablets and even desktops. The otherwise stationary computer can be transformed into a laptop even by beginners with no hardware assembly experience.The full Pi-Top kit includes a 13.3-inch screen, battery, trackpad, mousepad, laptop casings and Raspberry Pi 2, which would serve as the main motherboard. Users will be able to run a full Linux-based operating system and surf the Web, check email and run productivity software.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ARM fades from Windows PCs and tablets, but grows in Chromebooks

You win some, you lose some. Microsoft this week dropped support for ARM processors from its Surface tablets with the Surface 3, but adoption of the chip architecture in Chromebooks is growing.Chromebooks from little-known companies HiSense and Haier went on sale this week for US$149, and come with an ARM-based chip made by Rockchip. These are the least expensive Chromebooks, which usually cost $200 and up.Asus also announced a new ARM-based 10.1-inch Chromebook Flip hybrid, which can be a tablet and laptop and will ship in a few months starting at $249. Acer announced a Chromebase, a 21.5-inch all-in-one PC with Chrome OS and an ARM-based processor from Nvidia.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Seven things to know about Intel’s ‘Cherry Trail’ Atom chips

Microsoft’s Surface 3 is the first announced device to use Intel’s new Cherry Trail Atom chips, but you can expect therm to show up soon in other devices too. So what are the chips capable of and what should we expect?The Surface 3, which went on sale Tuesday, highlights some of the capabilities of Cherry Trail, officially called the Atom X5 and X7. The chips can run full Windows 8 and Windows 10 and are better at graphics than their ‘Bay Trail’ predecessors. But they also have limitations. They won’t do so well at compute intensive tasks such as video editing, which remain the domain of Intel’s faster Core processors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s Surface 3 starts at $499, eligible for free Windows 10 upgrade

Microsoft wants laptop diehards to switch over to its lightweight Surface 3 tablet, which will offer PC-like performance and be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 later this year.The Surface 3 tablet has a 10.8-inch screen with a 1920 x 1280-pixel resolution, and can double up as a laptop with a keyboard attachment. The tablet provides 10 hours of battery life when playing video.With prices starting at US$499, the tablet is positioned by Microsoft as a nimbler, less expensive version of the faster Surface Pro 3 tablet, which starts at $799. Surface 3 will ship in 26 countries starting in May, and an LTE version of the tablet will be available through carriers later this year, Microsoft said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Bit by bit, Intel looks to quadruple SSD storage

With all the photos, videos, apps and tunes you have, the storage on your smartphone may not be enough. With that in mind, Intel is researching new ways to up the storage capacity in mobile devices and PCs without hurting the size or price of devices.One effort underway at is to stuff more bits in a single cell, which could increase data storage capacity in mobile devices and PCs by as much as fourfold. Intel is trying to cram four bits in a storage cell, an improvement over the three bits that can be put in a single storage cell currently."This could enable denser devices in a broad range of mobile and compute applications," said Bill Leszinske, vice president of strategic planning and marketing for non-volatile memory solutions at Intel, in an email.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel could strengthen its server product stack with Altera

Intel’s chips dominate servers in data centers, but the possible acquisition of Altera could help the company provide a wider variety of custom chips designed to speed up specific applications, analysts said on Friday.Intel is in talks to acquire Altera, which has a market capitalization of $10.4 billion [B], according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Intel and Altera declined to comment on negotiations or any deal.Altera makes FPGAs, which are specialized chips that can reprogrammed to run specific tasks at much higher speeds than CPUs. Intel makes Altera’s FPGAs in its factories and has also mentioned plans to use FPGAs with its server chips.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

USB Type-C peripherals are on the way, and storage devices are first up

With Apple’s latest MacBook and Google’s newest Chromebook just out and featuring the new USB Type-C connector, we’re on the lookout for peripherals that use the interface, and storage devices appear to be first out of the gate.Because the Type-C connector can be used to recharge laptops, it may ultimately do away with the need to carry bulky power adapters. Like older USB technology, Type-C will also connect monitors, external storage drives, printers, cameras and other peripherals. One beauty of the system is that cables have the same connector on both ends, and can be inserted into ports without worries about which side is up or down.Storage devices will eventually benefit from Type-C’s USB 3.1 protocol, which can transfer data at 10Gbps (bits per second), double that of USB 3.0. But the first peripherals we’re seeing support only USB 3.0 speeds.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

USB 3.1 set to reach desktops

The emerging USB 3.1 standard is set to reach desktops as hardware companies release motherboards with ports that can transfer data two times faster than the previous USB technology.MSI on Wednesday announced a 970A SLI Krait motherboard that will support the AMD processors and the USB 3.1 protocol. Motherboards with USB 3.1 ports have also been released by Gigabyte, ASRock and Asus, but those boards support Intel chips.USB 3.1 can shuffle data between a host device and peripheral at 10Gbps (bits per second), which is two times faster than USB 3.0. USB 3.1 is also generating excitement for the reversible Type-C cable, which is the same on both ends so users don’t have to worry about plug orientation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Imagination floats sub-$100 MIPS tablet running Firefox OS

With Android and iOS dominating the tablet market, Mozilla’s Firefox OS hasn’t had much of a look in. It’s now getting a bit of help from ARM rival Imagination Technologies, which has ported a version of Firefox to a prototype tablet based on its MIPS chip architecture.The tablet is a reference design built by China’s Ingenic and it’s designed to be priced under $100. It can run either Android 4.4, known as KitKat, or an experimental version of the Firefox OS, Imagination said in a blog post.It’s designed to help Imagination and Mozilla target the market for very low cost tablets sold in emerging markets like Brazil and India.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Former AMD CEO Rory Read finds a home in Dell

Former AMD CEO Rory Read has seemingly stepped down the executive ladder by taking a job at Dell to lead global commercial sales, but some analysts think the move could give him a career boost.Read will be responsible for sales planning and execution as president of worldwide commercial sales and chief operating officer of the company’s Enterprise Solutions Group. He will report to Marius Haas, who is Dell’s Chief Commercial Officer and President of the Enterprise Solutions Group.Read was AMD’s CEO from August 2011 until October last year, when he stepped down and was replaced by Lisa Su. Read took aggressive steps to turn around AMD, replacing top management, revamping the product roadmap, cutting staff, and entering new markets outside PCs like custom chips. Under his leadership, AMD delivered a few quarters of profits, but remained financially unstable.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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