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Tag: Intel

  • Google Announces New Chromebooks For The Holidays

    The Chromebook has had a successful year thanks in part to how affordable Google’s notebooks are. It’s hard to argue against a $199 notebook that can do almost everything you would normally do on the Web. Now Google and its partners are ready to continue that momentum with all new Chromebooks.

    Google and Intel announced on Wednesday that its manufacturing partners are releasing a number of Chromebooks this holiday season. These new Chromebooks will be equipped with Intel’s new Haswell processors that promise at least twice the battery life over previous Intel CPUs.

    Starting with Acer and HP, these preexisting Chromebook partners will be shipping out all new Chromebooks this holiday season. The HP Chromebook 14 is a lot like HP’s previous Chromebook, but it has a little over twice the battery life thanks to the new Haswell CPU.

    As for Acer, it’s new Chromebook is also a lot like its previous one. The difference is that it also sports twice the battery life of its previous generation Chromebook while being thinner and weighing less.

    Aside from the Acer and HP Chromebooks, Google has also partnered up with Toshiba and Asus to make Chromebooks. We don’t know much about these devices just yet, but Google says that the Toshiba Chromebook is versatile and portable. As for Asus, it’s making a Chromebox – a small computer that can plug and play into any monitor.

    Google says it now offers Chromebooks from six of the top notebook manufacturers. That’s something to be proud of as Chromebooks are still relatively new, but have already become one of the best selling computers in the low-price market. It shows that OEMs are increasingly putting more faith in Chromebooks as the traditional notebook market continues to decline.

    [Image: Google Chrome Blog]

  • Intel, Toshiba to Release “Social” Alien Moustache Movie

    Intel and Toshiba today announced that they will release a “social” movie titled The Power Inside. The movie is an intensely silly horror spoof starring Harvey Keitel, Reid Ewing, and Zack Pearlman. Will Speck and Josh Gordon are directing the project.

    The story involves an extraterrestrial invasion by aliens called Uricks. The Uricks are insect-like, but look like moustaches and just happen to attach themselves to human upper lips or brows to mentally control them. It’s a body-snatchers spoof with moustaches and unibrows.

    The main character is Neil, who, with the help of friends and technology, “discovers his inner strength” to repel the Uricks. The movie will also prominently feature Toshiba ultrabook product placement.

    The Power Inside is being described as social because people can “audition” for a role in the movie through Facebook. The movie’s Facebook app invites people to join either the Uricks or the “Guardians.” Those joining the Uricks are encouraged to upload a photo of themselves, which will have an Urick (moustache or unibrow) placed on it by facial recognition software. Those joining the Guardians are encouraged to upload videos of themselves removing Uricks from their faces.

    “The way that we make films and how viewers interact with entertainment content is evolving,” said Speck. “Social films give us the opportunity to tell stories in a new way by creating an immersive, participatory experience for the audience.”

    The Power Inside will be released in episodes, the first of which will be released on August 15. The silly trailer for the project was released along with the announcement:

  • Intel Could be Ditching Atom Branding [RUMOR]

    A new report from Taiwanese news outlet DigiTimes states that Intel is “considering” ditching the Atom brand name. The publication’s unnamed sources “from the upstream supply chain” stated that the decision may be based on the growing impression of Atom processors as low-end, having become associated with the sometimes low-quality products they can be found in.

    The report goes on to say that Intel actually believes that shipments of Atom-powered smartphones and tablets may have been negatively affected due to the Atom brand’s “negative image.” The low-power Atom processors can be found in smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and a variety of other portable devices. Last last year Intel even introduced a server-class Atom processor aimed at datacenter clients.

    The change in branding from Atom could begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2013, according to DigiTimes. This will be around the same time Intel is releasing its new Haswell-branded Pentium processors for the PC market.

    These rumors come just as Intel CEO Brian Krzanich called Atom processors “Intel’s future” in a statement accompanying the company’s second quarter earnings report.

    “Looking ahead, the market will continue buying a wide range of computing products,” said Krzanich. “Intel Atom and Core processors and increased SOC integration will be Intel’s future. We will leave no computing opportunity untapped. To embrace these opportunities, I’ve made it Intel’s highest priority to create the best products for the fast growing ultra-mobile market segment.”

    (via DigiTimes)

  • Intel Is Getting Out Of The Motherboard Business

    According to multiple reports, Intel is exiting its desktop motherboards business after about two decades of making them. According to PCWorld, who spoke with the company, Intel will pull out as soon as its next-generation Haswell CPU ships, and will dissolve the business over the course of the next three years.

    Forbes, who received an email from Intel, reports:

    It’s an announcement with layers of ramifications, but it’s certainly not a death bell. The tried-and-true tower PC is a fixture among business and home users alike. While companies like Dell and HP have traditionally relied on Intel for motherboards in their low-to-mid-range desktops, there are several other companies happy to carry the torch. Just ask any power user or gaming enthusiast if they think ASUS or MSI will be elated to hear this news.

    This is a forward-thinking move for Intel, who also said “The internal talent and experience of twenty years in the boards business…is being redistributed to address emerging new form factors.” Those form factors are springing up from all corners, inspired by Windows 8 and consumers shifting their needs to devices that serve multiple purposes in multiple environments. Microsoft‘s Surface Pro and the TAICHI from ASUS are perfect examples of where the post-PC market is heading.

    In other news, Intel has declared d a 22.5 cents-per-share (90 cents-per-share on an annual basis) quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock. It will be payable on March 1 to stockholders of record on February 7.

    CEO Paul Otellini said, “With the payout of this quarterly dividend, Intel’s dividend and stock buyback program will have returned approximately $119 billion to stockholders since the program’s inception. This is a testament to our commitment to return cash to our stockholders as we continue to generate strong cash flow driven by the combination of new products and design wins from the lowest power portable devices to the most powerful data center servers.”

  • Intel TV Service Delayed by Cable Companies

    Intel‘s new push into the cable TV arena could be delayed significantly, if cable companies have their way. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Intel’s plan to offer cable TV over the internet is on hold until content-licensing agreements can be ironed out with cable companies.

    Citing unnamed “people familiar with [Intel’s] plans,” the journal reports that the new cable service might be available by mid or late 2013.

    Content negotiations with cable companies are rumored to have been a stumbling block for Apple’s HDTV device as well. In September 2012 it became clear that a fall launch of the Apple TV set would not pan out. Cable companies were rumored to be insisting that Apple devices be rented to consumers through cable companies, and that they have a hand in the development of the software running on the device – a point on which Apple almost certainly won’t budge.

    For Intel, the holdup could be the company’s plans to offer TV channel subscriptions a la carte, rather than exclusively in bundles. Cable companies have enjoyed content monopolies for years, shoring up less-viewed channels and niche programming with the package deals. By once again preventing cable TV from catching up to technology, the companies risk losing out to a burgeoning world of content networks and studios popping up online.

  • Intel Introduces Low-Power Server-Class Atom Processor

    The Intel Atom processor is the company’s ticket into the lucrative tablet and smartphone market. It’s slowly working its way into more mobile devices, but Intel will now offer its low-power processing solution to servers as well.

    Intel announced today that its Atom S1200 is the world’s first 6-watt server-class processor. It’s a system on-chip processor that features lower-power levels, error code correction, 64-bit support and virtualization technologies.

    “The data center continues to evolve into unique segments and Intel continues to be a leader in these transitions,” said Diane Bryant, vice president and general manager of the Datacenter and Connected Systems Group at Intel. “We recognized several years ago the need for a new breed of high-density, energy-efficient servers and other datacenter equipment. Today, we are delivering the industry’s only 6-watt SoC that has key datacenter features, continuing our commitment to help lead these segments.”

    As for the processor itself, it will feature two physical cores and total of four threads enabled with Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology. It also supports up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and eight lanes of PCI Express 2.0 devices. As for x86 software, the new processors will continue to support legacy applications that are still used in datacenters today.

    The new Atom processors are just the start for low-power servers. Intel is now working on an Atom successor named Avoton that will be available next year. It will feature even further SoC capabilities and use Intel’s 3D Tri-Gate 22nm transistors.

    As for those who prefer Intel’s Xeon processors, the company will be out with a new version of its most popular server processor as well. The new Xeons will be based on the company’s Haswell architecture and feature new energy-saving options.

    Customers can start ordering the new Atom S1200 processor today starting at $54 in quantities of 1,000. Find more information here.

  • Intel President And CEO Paul Otellini To Retire In May

    Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini will retire from the company at its annual shareholders’ meeting in May, Intel announced today. He has been with the company for nearly 40 years.

    The board of directors will conduct a process of choosing the person or people to fill his roles. The board will look inside and outside of the company.

    “I’ve been privileged to lead one of the world’s greatest companies,” Otellini said. “After almost four decades with the company and eight years as CEO, it’s time to move on and transfer Intel’s helm to a new generation of leadership.”

    Under Otellini’s tenure as CEO, the company generated $107 billion in cash from operations, made $23.5 billion in dividend payments, and increased the quarterly dividend 181%. From the end of 2005 through the end of 2011, the company achieved record revenue and net income.

    “Paul Otellini has been a very strong leader, only the fifth CEO in the company’s great 45-year history, and one who has managed the company through challenging times and market transitions,” said Andy Bryant, chairman of the board. “The board is grateful for his innumerable contributions to the company and his distinguished tenure as CEO over the last eight years.”

    “I look forward to working with Andy, the board and the management team during the six-month transition period, and to being available as an advisor to management after retiring as CEO,” said Otellini.

    Intel also announced that its board has approved the promotion of three senior executives – Renee James, head of Intel’s software business; Brian Krzanich, chief operating officer and head of worldwide manufacturing; and Stacy Smith, chief financial officer and director of corporate strategy – to executive vice president.

  • Intel CEO Says Windows 8 Isn’t Ready For Release [Rumor]

    We’re a little over a month away from the launch of Windows 8 on October 26. It’s the biggest change for the Redmond-based company since the launch of Windows 95. A lot is riding on this launch and Microsof has been pushing the operating system as hard as they can. Intel has been pushing right alongside them, but the processor maker may not be as confident in Windows 8 as Microsoft is.

    Bloomberg reports that Intel CEO Paul Otellini recently spoke to employees in Taiwan about Windows 8. The CEO reportedly said that Windows 8 isn’t ready for release according to a person who was in attendance. If Windows 8 truly isn’t ready, the release could turn into a fiasco similar to the debacle that was Windows Vista.

    Still, Otellini was reportedly optimistic about the future of the company. He noted that processor sales were down due to lackluster demands for PCs, but he expected the market to grow in 2013. He also said that the company will not have to lay off workers.

    Intel has been pushing a little into the mobile market, but the company is still primarily dedicated to the desktop computing scene. Intel processors can be found in just about every pre-built Windows PC with enthusiast PC builders also turning to the company for their top-of-the-line i7 CPUs.

    The company may seem some success late this year and early next year as its processors will be used in a variety of Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft’s Surface tablet will launch with an ARM-based CPU this year, but next year’s Windows 8 Pro Surface will feature an Intel-based CPU. Other tablet manufacturers are also turning to Intel to power their mobile experience.

    It’s safe to say that Intel should be fine going into next year. They are moving into mobile, and Intel’s chips have been historically better than the competitions. The only problem they will have going forward is reducing the price of their CPUs. Otellini’s comments, however, add more anxiety to the already worrisome launch of Windows 8.

  • Ultrabooks: Intel Bets On The Future Of The Brand With Windows 8

    Intel’s Ultrabook line is doing pretty well for them, but the MacBook Air clone could do better. The launch of Windows 8 creates an exciting opportunity for the brand. The PC is back in the spotlight, and Intel aims to capitalize on that momentum in the coming year.

    Netbook News met with the VP of Intel’s Architecture Group, Navin Shenoy, before the Ultrabook Symposium started earlier this week. He revealed some interesting things about the Ultrabook brand that might get some people pretty excited including a touch-screen enabled Ultrabook built especially for Windows 8.

    The exciting news from Shenoy is that Intel is supporting Windows 8 in a big way. There will be 40 Ultrabooks that support Windows 8 and they will all be releasing in Q4. What’s even better is that these Ultrabooks will have touchscreens to fully take advantage of the touch-centric Windows 8 operating system.

    Including the 40 Windows 8 machines coming out this year, Shenoy says that there are now 140 Ultrabook designs. Amazingly enough, only 35 of those designs have reached the public so far. With 105 designs not out yet, Intel has a chance to push out more unique designs that appeal to every type of consumer. The launch of Windows 8 will unleash 40 more designs, but I’m interested in seeing what other secrets the Ultrabook line is hiding.

    Intel will finally be competitively pricing the Ultrabook. The first wave of Ultrabooks were in the $900 range and that’s ridiculous, even by MacBook Air standards. The next wave of Ultrabooks, hitting next month, will mostly be under the very affordable $700 price range.

    What may help contribute to that price drop is Intel’s next-generation processor, codenamed Haswell. Borrowing from the system-on-a-chip technology that powers smartphones and tablets, Haswell will be the first SoC processor for PCs. If everything goes according to plan, that means a more energy efficient, and hopefully cheaper, Ultrabook is on the horizon.

    New Ultrabooks coupled with the launch of Windows 8 has a lot of potential for Intel. They’re making a bet and it could pay off handsomely. On the other hand, Windows 8 could be a disaster and the Ultrabook line could take a massive hit for coming out too early on the unproven OS. It will be interesting to watch how the market reacts to Windows 8 and Ultrabooks come October and November.

  • Intel “Core VPro” Processors Powering the Next Wave of Ultrabooks

    Intel “Core VPro” Processors Powering the Next Wave of Ultrabooks

    Good news for Intel, they are providing all the processors for the next wave of Ultrabook computers. The latest version of their Core processor (Generation 3) offers the most advanced 22nm 3-D tri-gate transistors, making the new Ultrabook devices more responsive with the best enhanced security. Intel has signed agreements with several leading touch panel manufacturers in order to meet expected demand for the touch-enabled Ultrabooks.

    Here are the highlights from Intel regarding the new Ultrabook:

    * The next wave of Ultrabook devices powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors is more responsive and offers enhanced security in a choice of designs.

    * Intel announced agreements with Cando, HannsTouch, TPK and Wintek to ensure capacity of touch technology for the expected growth of touch-enabled Ultrabook convertible designs.

    * New Ultrabook systems offer enhanced security with Intel Anti-Theft technology built in and free, limited-time service subscriptions out of the box from Absolute Software, McAfee, Norton and Intel in select global markets.

    * Bringing the best of Intel technology to mobile devices with three Intel-based smartphones now available from Lava International, Lenovo and Orange; 20 tablet design wins based on the Intel Atom SoC, codenamed “Clover Trail,” designed for Microsoft Windows 8.

    Intel Corporation’s Senior Vice President Tom Kilroy introduced the new Ultrabooks at a keynote address in Taipei and here are a few things he had to say:

    “Our life experiences are defined by our senses — by what we see, hear and touch,”

    “These human senses are also at the foundation of Intel’s vision for the Ultrabook to deliver a no-compromise, must-have computing experience.”

    “Today, thanks to the work of the industry at-large, we are one step closer to meeting that vision with the arrival of the next wave of 3rd generation Intel Core processor-powered devices. The innovation must continue as we move to touch-based Ultrabook convertible designs, and in the future aim to give them and other devices senses, making our interaction with them natural and intuitive.”

    “Thank you to our partners here in Taiwan and the computing industry at-large for the unprecedented innovation to bring the Ultrabook to life in such a short time,”

    There was no mention of exactly when these new Ultrabooks will available in the United States, but I would bet we’ll be seeing them before the holidays. For more information about Intel’s new Core VPro processors follow this link.

  • Dell Seeks to Develop More ARM-Based Solutions

    Dell Seeks to Develop More ARM-Based Solutions

    Today Dell announced that they are starting a new program to enable the ARM-based server ecosystem and integrate more ARM-based application and solutions into their existing product line. The development will be made possible, in part, through a collaboration with Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), and will allow Dell to deliver ARM-based servers to hyper-scale customers.

    The new program is in response to ever increasing customer demand for denser more energy-efficient data solutions. Dell has been experimenting with ARM-based solution for over two years and sees utility for them in front-end and Hadoop environments. The program will develop ARM-based software and verify findings through strategic partnerships with a small number of customers.

    A key component of ARM-based solutions is that they allow individual manufacturers to personalize chip design. With the popularity of ARM will come the need for companies like Intel to adapt to stay relevant in their current position, supplying chips to manufacturers. The change obviously wont happen overnight, but it probably does cause chip manufacturers to take notice.

    Forrest Norrod, vice president and general manager of Server Solutions at Dell comments on the ARM-based initiative:

    “Dell has a long history of addressing customer needs by delivering relevant innovation across the server portfolio and within its Data Center Solutions business. Today Dell is delivering this same innovation focus to the ARM server market, working hand-in-hand with customers and the community to enable development and testing of workloads for leading-edge hyperscale environments. We recognize the market potential for ARM servers, and with our experience and understanding of the market, are enabling developers with the right systems and access for the current state of the ARM server market maturity.”

    We’ll have to see what comes out of these new partnerships. It sounds like ARM-based technology is in huge demand. As we require big data centers to manage more and more information, efficiency and cost become larger issues. Small reductions in manufacturing and development can lead to big savings overall.

  • Intel Windows 8 Tablets to Debut in November

    Acording to sources at CNet, the first Intel based Windows 8 tablets will be out in stores by November. There will be over a dozen different designs, ranging from tablets to hybrids (a design that combines laptops and tablets) showcased just in time for Christmas, as Microsoft tests the tablet/hybrid market in earnest.

    All of the devices will utilize the upcoming “Clover Trail” atom chip from Intel. Clover Trail is a dual-core Atom design based processor with 32-nanometer process technology. Hybrid designs are expected that utilize Intel’s “Ivy Bridge”, but this is more on the “just a rumor” side of speculation, as sources have not commented on the validity of these claims.

    Windows 8 will be powered by chips from Intel and AMD. Windows RT, a separate release with many of the same companents of Windows 8 will be powered by ARM, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. Windows 8 will run on older Windows “legacy” applications, RT will not.

    Intel is currently working on a chip called “Bay Trail”, a 22-nanometer of Clover Trail, but it will not be available in the upcoming line of tablets and hybrids. The new chip will come with security features built-in and will include Infineon [3G/4G] silicon. It will use Intel’s graphic technology, not borrowing from Imagination, as other chips have done.

    The November release will test the market for Windows tablets and hybrids in time for Christmas, and could point out consumer trends in the tablet vs. ultrabook vs. laptop markets. Once new high-tech chips and a new OS come into the picture to challenge Apple, we will really see the staying power of tablets and hybrids.

    If Microsoft is truly capable of combining the portability and touch screen functionality of a tablet, with the ability to run desktop software, it will be a real contender in this emerging market. Right now rumors are circulating that the Windows tablets will be larger and more expensive than the iPad. If they make that trade with advanced computing power, they could still see big sales. Otherwise we will continue to see lesser tablets struggling to compete with Apple.

    If you don’t own an iPad but are still intrigued by the tablet, I would wait until November to see this new line.

  • Dell Introduces Intel Xeon Processors into PowerEdge Servers

    Dell Introduces Intel Xeon Processors into PowerEdge Servers

    Dell announced today they are beginning to integrate the latest Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v2 product family into their enterprise PowerEdge microserver. The processors feature up to 1.95x more performance than previous versions.

    Forrest Norrod, vice president and general manager of Dell Server Solutions comments on their current enterprise server lineup:

    “We’re constantly inspired by the unique ways our customers are leveraging Dell microserver platforms to drive specialized web 2.0, HPC and cloud computing applications,”

    “As the microserver market and ecosystem have matured, customers like Vibrant Media have validated that microservers are a cost-effective, scalable platform in web 2.0 environments.”

    Dell reports on significant accomplishments from customers who are using their PowerEdge C5220 micro servers:

    * Morphlabs leverages the PowerEdge C5220 for its mCloud Rack Enterprise Edition to provide optimized levels of fault tolerance in extremely elastic configurations. This is a critical component for Morphlabs to deliver its private cloud, allowing service provider partners to offer dynamic infrastructure services characterized by atomic, highly elastic computes for predictable and fast quality of service.

    * An online media group deployed PowerEdge C5220 servers to help reduce cost and drive growth. Today, each server supports up to 50 percent more users than the group’s previous servers and the company has consolidated its server footprint by a ratio of up to 4:1, while supporting a classic Web 2.0 software infrastructure consisting of Linux, Apache, MySQL™ and PHP software.

    * A leading company in data processing and imaging services for the oil and gas industry uses the PowerEdge C5220 to run its software for advanced seismic data processing and imaging.

    Here’s what they have for recent Updates to the PowerEdge C5220 Server line:

    * New Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v2 product family including 17 Watt and 45 Watt TDPs designed to deliver up to 1.95x more performance within the same rack, compared to the previous generation of microservers based on Intel Xeon processors.
    Up to 50 percent increased density versus the previous generation of microservers.
    Fast data access with DDR3-1600 memory speeds to help improve performance for data bandwidth sensitive applications.

    * Key server features like ECC memory, 64-bit processing, Intel® VT-x, and full software compatibility.

    * Shared power and cooling resources that can use a fraction of the energy of traditional server offerings.

    Jason Waxman, General Manager of Cloud Computing at Intel comments on the addition of their processors in Dell’s enterprise server line:

    “We’ve been innovating with Dell on breakthrough microserver solutions based on Intel Xeon processors since establishing the category at Intel Developer Forum in 2009. Today we are excited to see new customers using Dell systems and taking advantage of the most power efficient Xeon processors ever delivered across a broader variety of workloads,”

    “The latest Dell microservers with 22nm Intel Xeon processors will enable customers to further reduce costs while processing workloads which benefit from high density configurations.”

  • Antivirus Founder John McAfee Arrested in Belize

    Antivirus Founder John McAfee Arrested in Belize

    John McAfee, computer programmer and founder of the antivirus software bearing his name, was recently arrested in Belize, when a task force known at the Gang Suppression Unit broke down his door, after being tipped off about a weapons cache. McAfee contends that the raid surrounded a bigger political cause, due to the fact that he didn’t contribute any money to a known UDP Orange Walk politician.

    During the raid, McAfee and 11 of his employees were arrested and detained, his research lab was ransacked, his dog was killed, and his passport was taken. He was charged with illegal weapons possession and unlicensed drug manufacturing. The drug manufacturing charge surrounds McAfee’s new biotech company called QuorumEx which is producing commercial, all-natural antibiotics based on anti-quorum sensing technology. Basically, drugs made from exotic plants.

    McAfee made a statement on the matter:

    “On Monday at six o’clock, I was awakened by the sound of a bullhorn, a megaphone. I went outside and saw about thirty GSU in full uniform, full dressed, automatic weapons, storming through the property and drive way. I went back inside, got some clothes on, I came out. I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound. We had about eleven people present at the time—five of them were women. I was told that they had a warrant to search property. They began, with sledge hammers, to break the doors of the buildings—none of them were locked, but they just went and broke them in any case. I was merely watching this. They confiscated my passport, all of the weapons we used for security on the compound, handcuffed me and everyone and for fourteen hours outside in the sun, I sat handcuffed without food or water. We got water around noon. At three o’clock we asked for food. We were told by the GSU, do we look like cooks to you. They murdered my dog in cold blood. That was the thing I think—it was a warning to us that this is serious; don’t mess with us. They threw things around, they stole things—it was unbelievable, unimaginable for a country that was supposedly a democratic country. I was arrested on a bogus charge of having an illegal firearm—a firearm without a license. At the very beginning of the day, one of the GSU soldiers, one of the GSU officers, took all of my firearm licenses and put them in his vest. When he took them out to check the firearms, this one was missing. They charged me for having a firearm without a license; took me to Belize City. Fortunately we had copies. We showed up later at the police station with the copies. Even then it was difficult to get out. I had to get the intervention of the American embassy to get released. By the time I got to Belize, it was sixteen hours. I slept until two a.m. on a concrete floor at the Queen’s Street Police Station until the embassy finally convinced someone to release me. They confiscated my passport and claimed they didn’t have it. The entire day was an incredible nightmare. This is clearly a military dictatorship where people are allowed to go and harass citizens based on rumor alone and treat them as if they are guilty before any evidence whatsoever is obtained. It is astonishing, it is beyond belief and I intended not to let this stand.”

    It’s a good thing that MaAfee had backups of his weapons licenses.

    Last year, Intel bought McAfee Antivirus for $7.68 billion. It’s not clear how much money McAfee actually has, and he is said to have been hit pretty hard by the recession. Though, it’s evident that it might be time to get out of Belize regardless.

  • Sony Announces Its First Ultrabook (Kinda)

    Sony Announces Its First Ultrabook (Kinda)

    Sony has had it’s Vaio line of computer out for years, and now they are finally getting into the Ultra Book game, kinda. Today Sony finally announced the Vaio VAIO T13 and T11, for the European market. The ultrabook will come in 2 sizes 11.6″ or 13.3″ and due to it being so small it is ultra portable. The new Vaio will feature a 1.4GHz Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3-2367M chip and 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM. Buyers will have a choice of a SSD drive or a 320GB 7200RPM hard disk drive with a 32GB SSD cache.

    One of the new features are the “Rapid Wake + Eco” system features the ability for the ultraboook to be put into a deep sleep when you shut it, and stay that way for up to 90 days with out the battery running out. Then when you are ready to start typing again, just open it up and it instantly fires back up. It is able to do this thanks to it’s use of the latest-generation Ultra Low Voltage Intel Core processors.

    One of the coolest things included is a 90 day trial of 90-day trial of Intel Anti-Theft Service3. This service will basically deactivate your ultrabook incase of theft or loss.

    At this time there is no price available, or a release date for when it will come out in the United States.

    Here are the specs for the ultrabook form Sony:

    Model: VAIO SVT1311M1E
    Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-2367M Processor
    OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit with Service Pack 1
    Memory: 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
    Drive: 320GB HDD 5400rpm
    Screen: 33.7cm (13.3″) VAIO Display (1366×768) with wide (16:9) aspect ratio
    Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 3000
    Optical drive

  • Wolfram|Alpha Brings its Mobile Apps to PC

    Wolfram|Alpha Brings its Mobile Apps to PC

    Wolfram|Alpha announced this week that their line of mobile apps will be made available on PC’s. The apps will be sold in Intel’s app marketplace, AppUp. The Wolfram|Alpha app is already available in AppUp for the price of $2.99. Other apps that will be made available this year include course assistant apps for subjects such as calculus, astronomy, and music theory; reference apps for U.S. states, gaming odds, and fractals; and professional assistant apps for network administrators and lawyers.

    “We’re delighted to bring the polished UI from our mobile and tablet devices to the PC, specifically laptops and Ultrabooks™,” said Luc Barthelet, executive director of Wolfram|Alpha. “We have a growing line of mobile apps and are looking forward to bringing all of them to the AppUp center by the end of the year.”

    Wolfram|Alpha’s apps are based on the Wolfram|Alpha “search” engine that isn’t really a search engine in the traditional sense. The engine takes queries, computations, and other information and uses it to do dynamic computations and provide a plethora of answers in an easily understandable format which often includes graphs and images. For example, a search for “2 + 2” will provide four variations on the representation of the number 4, as well as the average time it takes 6, 8, 10, and 18-year-olds to solve the equation. It is extremely useful for getting homework help, and even includes a “show steps” option for results.

    Wolfram|Alpha states that their goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. There are a wide variety of ways to use the engine, most recently to analyze your email.

    I must admit that I’m having difficulty understanding the usefulness of a PC app for Wolfram|Alpha. Mobile devices require a touch interface and location information could be used by the knowledge engine to better refine results. On a PC, however, Wolfram|Alpha on the web provides all of the functionality that an app would. What do you think? Does an “app” on PC provide any benefits that a website can’t? Is this just a symptom of the app craze that Apple started? Leave a comment below and let me know.

  • Tech Companies Make EPA’s ‘Green Power’ List

    Since 2004 the Environmental Protection Agency has released a list of top companies that use what it calls “Green Power”. This quarter, 7 tech giants have made the list

    Green Power Resources include clean and renewable energy sources like solar, geothermal, biomass, wind and hydro power. The EPA ranks them in order of the number of kilowatt hours of green power they consume, so the larger the company, the bigger chance they have of making the list.

    Larger companies also have more money to spend on partnerships with the EPA. These companies do not necessarily have to generate or buy electric power for themselves, but rather buy energy certificates from companies selling “Green Power”. According to ZDNet, many companies do this just for the sake of building their green energy portfolio.

    Intel has topped the list since 2008, using 2.5 billion kilwatt hours of biomass, geothermal, hydro, solar and wind power. The amount of green power they consume compared to the total number of power consumption is high at 88 percent.

    Other top green power tech companies include Cisco Systems, Sprint, Dell, Google, and Xerox. These companies consume a lot of green energy, but their percentages are nowhere near Intel’s 88 percent.

    • Microsoft – 1.12 billion kW – biomass, small-hydro, wind – 46%
    • Cisco Systems – 268.6 million kWh – wind – 27%
    • Sprint – 176 million kWh – solar, wind – 5%
    • Dell – 119.4 million kWh – biogas, solar, wind – 29%
    • Google – 103 million kWh – biogas, biomass, small-hydro, solar, wind – 5%
    • Xerox – 101.4 million kWh – wind – 18%

    The alarming thing is the amount of non-renewable energy being consumed by these large companies who make the list of top green power consumers, but only use green power as a small percentage of their total power consumption. Sprint, for instance, uses or sponsors 176 million kWh hours of green energy. But when you take into account their percentage, they are using 3.5 billion kWh hours of energy from other, non-environmentally friendly sources.

    Perhaps a more telling list is EPA’s list of companies using on-site generators. This shows the companies that are taking a direct risk in investing large amounts of money to back alternative energy. Of tech companies, only Google makes the list, for investing in on-site biogas and solar projects.

    [Sources: ZDNet, EPA]

  • Intel Q1, 2012 Earnings Welcome Another Growth Year

    Yesterday Intel published their 2012 Q1 earnings and revenue report, and things are looking pretty good for the technology giant going into Q2. Revenue came in at just under $13 billion, with an operating income of $3.8 billion, and a net income of $2.7 billion. Not too shabby!

    They generated approximately $3 billion from operation and used $1.5 billion to repurchase stock and paid out dividends around $1 billion to stockholders. These are good numbers for Intel but, they have more ambitious plans for Q2.

    Paul Otellini, president and CEO at Intel explains:

    “The first quarter was a solid start to what’s expected to be another growth year for Intel,”

    “In the second quarter we’ll see the first Intel-based smartphones in the market, ship products based on 22nm tri-gate technology in high volume, and accelerate the ramp of our best server product ever, providing a tremendous foundation for growth in 2012 and beyond.”

    Intel CEO talks earnings

    Let’s take a look at what Intel looks like for Q2 2012:

    * Revenue: $13.6 billion, plus or minus $500 million.

    * Gross margin percentage: 62 percent and 63 percent Non-GAAP (excluding amortization of acquisition-related intangibles), both plus or minus a couple of percentage points.

    * R&D plus MG&A spending: approximately $4.6 billion.

    * Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles: approximately $80 million.

    * Impact of equity investments and interest and other: loss of approximately $20 million.

    * Depreciation: approximately $1.6 billion.

    And for the rest of 2012:

    * Gross margin percentage: 64 percent and 65 percent Non-GAAP (excluding amortization of acquisition-related intangibles), both plus or minus a few percentage points, unchanged.

    * Spending (R&D plus MG&A): $18.3 billion, plus or minus $200 million, unchanged.

    * Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles: approximately $300 million, unchanged.

    * Depreciation: $6.4 billion, plus or minus $100 million, down $100 million from prior expectations.

    * Tax Rate: approximately 28 percent down from prior expectations of 29 percent.

    * Full-year capital spending: $12.5 billion, plus or minus $400 million, unchanged.

    With the new product lines expected to be delivered this quarter, and the unavailing of new collaborations on the way, it looks like Intel is set for more growth again this year. Investors can look forward to consistent returns and possibly new acquisitions which could bring even more value to the brand.

  • Corporations Supporting CISPA Include Facebook, Microsoft

    Is this how unwanted Internet regulation passes? When enough popular web-based/tech corporations support a bill that’s potentially as damaging as SOPA, causing their legion of followers to accept the inevitable? If so, there’s a really good chance the backlash SOPA experienced could be a thing of past, at least in regards to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

    The question is, which corporations are supporting the bill, making is such a viable option to its SOPA/PIPA predecessors? Thanks to the openness of the U.S. Government, we have a list of CISPA supporters, and after the SOPA backlash, some of names might surprise you:

    AT&T
    Boeing
    BSA
    Business Roundtable
    CSC
    COMPTEL
    CTIA – The Wireless Association
    Cyber, Space & Intelligence Association
    Edison Electric
    EMC
    Exelon
    Facebook
    The Financial Services Roundtable
    IBM
    Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance
    Information Technology Industry Council
    Intel
    Internet Security Alliance
    Lockheed Martin
    Microsoft
    National Cable & Telecommunications Association
    NDIA
    Oracle
    Symantec
    TechAmerica
    US Chamber of Commerce
    US Telecom – The Broadband Association
    Verizon

    The links go to the individual letters of support, and as you might’ve noticed, Facebook, a company that was outspoken against SOPA, is on the CISPA supporters list. Their letter of support includes the following:

    Effective security requires private and public sector cooperation, and successful cooperation necessitates information sharing. Your legislation removes burdensome rules that currently can inhibit protection of the cyber ecosystem, and helps provide a more established structure for sharing within the cyber community while still respecting the privacy rights and expectations of our users. Through timely sharing of threat information, both public and private entities will be able to more effectively combat malicious activity in cyberspace and protect consumers.

    As you can see, Facebook’s rationale for supporting CISPA is protecting consumers and combating malicious Internet activity. Furthermore, there letter of support does not mention intellectual property protection or protecting the entertainment industry from piracy. With that in mind, does this mean CISPA is nothing like SOPA and the reaction against it is misguided?

    Not exactly.

    On surface, CISPA focuses on the sharing of important cybersecurity information between government officials and companies the information could effect. But, the bill goes further, including portions about protecting intellectual property that remind some of SOPA and PIPA. An example from the actual bill (H.R. 3523):

    (2) CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE- The term `cyber threat intelligence’ means information in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from–

    `(A) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or

    `(B) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information.

    And this is far from the only mention of IP in the bill. If an IP thief is considered a threat to cyber security and intelligence, can anyone foresee a scenario where a website like The Pirate Bay would be viewed as a threat and blocked from U.S. web users, if not altogether taken down by a multinational task force?

    Or, as Andrew Couts described it in his “CISPA is not the new SOPA: Here’s why” article:

    CISPA is a terrible piece of legislation, one that very well could result in the government blocking access to websites on the basis of copyright infringement, or sites like Wikileaks under the guise of national security.

    With that in mind, perhaps CISPA is more like SOPA than we first thought. The big difference is, companies like Facebook and Microsoft are not opposed to CISPA like they were PIPA/SOPA. Does that kind of support change your view about these kinds of bills or are you against any kind of “cyberspace” regulation that gives more control to the U.S. government?

    I know what Julia O’Dwyer’s answer would be…

  • Google’s Chromebooks Getting An Ivy Bridge Upgrade?

    The source code for Coreboot, the software that handles the initial booting process in Google’s Chrome OS operating system, has recently been updated to allow it to interface with Intel’s Sandy Bridge and upcoming Ivy Bridge processors. The change suggests that future Chromebooks models will be getting a major speed boost.

    The update was first noticed by Michael Larabel of Phoronix, who says that update doesn’t come from Intel, but from Google. The use of Coreboot with Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors will allow Chromebooks computers to boot much faster. Though Chrome OS laptops have sold decently well in certain markets, they have not gained widespread popularity. One of the major complaints has been their speed. Making the computers faster could go a long way to increasing their popular appeal.

    This is not the first time we’ve heard about Chromebooks getting a boost lately. Last week there were reports that Sony had filed FCC paperwork for a new VAIO notebook that would run Chrome OS, making Sony the third computer manufacturer to produce computers running Google’s web-based operating system. While there was no information in those documents about what kind of processor such a computer would include, it’s a safe bet that it could feature Ivy Bridge processors, thanks to the Coreboot update.

    What do you think? Would you be interested in a faster Chrome OS notebook computer? Let us know in the comments.

  • Intel Helping To Bring Broadband To Appalachian Ohio

    Having grown up in the Appalachian region of the country, I know just how bad the Internet situation is. If you live up one of the “hollers,” you’re either stuck with dial-up or expensive satellite Internet. The problem comes from ISPs not wanting to foot the bill when it comes to laying line up all of the extensive backroads. The perception of people in Appalachia being ignorant backwards folk doesn’t help either. Thankfully, there are people out there changing that and Intel has joined the movement.

    The Connect Appalachia Broadband Initiative Task Force announced today that Intel has joined up with them to bring broadband to Ohio’s Appalachian region. The support is coming in the form of a large financial contribution as well as offering their expertise in the field to those working in the region. The latter will be provided by their appointment of Intel’s business development manager, Linda Kenworthy, as chair of CABI’s technology sub-committee.

    “Intel is pleased to support this critical initiative to help ensure that all citizens have an opportunity to participate in the innovation economy,” said Kenworthy. “This is an exciting project which will benefit Ohioans – knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation are core economic drivers.”

    Stu Johnson, co-chairperson for the Task Force and executive director of Connect Ohio, finds that having the backing of Intel helps them overcome hurdles like equipment adoption barriers. He also feels that Intel’s involvement will take their efforts in Appalachian Ohio to a “whole new level in terms of credibility and global exposure.”

    Global exposure is what the Task Force, which is made up of leaders from public, private and governmental organizations, needs. To make a real positive change in these regions, including better access to Internet, groups like CABI have to work extra hard so people realize that people from the region aren’t worthless. Access to Internet has done wonders for other regions of the world and it’s a shame that people in our own country are denied such access on account of where they live.

    If you live in the region and want to help CABI bring broadband to Appalachian Ohio, you are welcome to attend their next meeting on April 19 in Cambridge, Ohio. At the meeting, members will discuss how they can get Appalachian Ohio in line with state and national standards of broadband adoption before 2014.