Techo Rama

Nvidia has launched the latest mobile graphics processing units (GPUs), the Nvidia 8600M and 8400M . The company announced that its mobile DirectX 10 lineup consists of the GeForce 8600M GT, 8600M GS, 8400M GT, 8400M GS, 8400M G. Nvidia claims that the 8600M and 8400M GPUs are based on the world’s fastest, GeForce 8 series of graphics processors, which are targeted at the newly evolved notebook PC market segment. Nvidia’s 8600M and 8400M GPUs help new generation of notebook PCs, which deliver the ultimate visual experience for Windows Vista, DirectX 10 games, HD movies, and popular applications like Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Live Maps. The new GPUs are featured with unified architecture, which delivers up to twice the performance of previous generation GPUs for Windows Vista, DirectX 10 games, and mainstream applications; revolutionary PureVideo HD video processing engine for ultimate HD DVD/Blu-ray/HD playback. Nvidia PowerMizer technology intelligently balances the user’s need for longer battery life as well as performance. Nvidia’s GeForce 8600M GT is the only mobile DirectX 10 product , which has 32 stream processors clocked at 950 Mhz. NVIDIA clocks the GeForce 8600M GT clock at 475 MHz and pairs it with 1.4 GHz memory on a 128-bit memory interface. Notebook manufacturers are free to equip the GeForce 8600M GT with up to 512MB of video memory. While the GeForce 8600M GS has half the stream processors as its GT counterpart. NVIDIA clocks the stream processors at 1.2 GHz to make up for having less shader power. The GeForce 8400M GT has same features like the 8600M GS. The GeForce 8600M GS and the 8400M GT have up to 12MB of video memory on a 128-bit interface. Image Credit: Power Page & Techtree Via: Digit Times

One of the leading anti-virus companies from China have made public that during the weeklong celebrations of the “Labor day” more than 1.4 million computers caught viruses from the wide area networks, WANs, as well as the local area networks, LANs. “Kingsoft” stated through their statistics that somewhere around 1,421,198 computers were infected through viruses throughout those weeklong holidays, which is infact one-third more in number than last year. Anti-virus specialist Dai Guangjian added that – “Most of the computers were affected by Trojan viruses because more Internet users play online games or shop online during the holidays.” The “Trojan” is one of the notorious viruses on this planet as it holds a bad reputation of stealing pass-codes / passwords of the online users in different sectors like gaming and e-banking facilities. I am sure “Norton” has a lot in store to tackle such viral softwares! Via: Englishpeople

So are we ready for the mobile Firefox? Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker has made a statement regarding the fact that a mobile version of Mozilla firefox is in the making. His company proposes that the release is a “long term project”. They have already gathered enough fame through their Firefox and I am damn sure that the mobile version would definitely help them gather even more. Mr. Mitchell Baker stated that- “We have an experiment underway which is clearly a PC-centric experiment related to mobiles (so this is not a pure mobile strategy), but we are experimenting with the relationship between Firefox users and their mobile devices.” For Mozilla it is a need of the hour as Opera has been going great guns in mobile as well as in the gaming markets. Mozilla has nicknamed it the “Minimo” and seriously, the name suits the reputation it holds for the mobile devices. Via: Ministryoftech

Soon you would be able to carry your desktop with you. Software giant, Microsoft has partnered with flash memory maker, SanDisk Corp. to build new generation of USB drives and memory cards, which will allow users to carry their personal desktop and applications to any Windows PC. This joint venture will develop an alternative for SanDisk’s U3 Smart Technology, the existing platform securing USB and memory card data and running applications directly from a flash drive and customizing public computers with a user’s own settings. Microsoft would be responsible for the new software, while SanDisk will handle the hardware of the USB drive. Users would be able to carry ‘computer on stick’ device to any public or shared Windows XP or Vista machine. They can plug in and begin working with familiar tools and personalized setting. When they remove the drive or card, there would be no trace of the user’s work left on the PC. The new device will allow users to carry their personal computing environment, including their customized and familiar user interface, applications and data on a flash storage device. Both companies have targeted to launch the window in second half of the year 2008. According to Mike Langberg, SanDisk spokesman, the new device is taking U3 to the next level. The new platform will perform those applications, which are not possible with U3 like E-commerce or personal finance or corporate applications storing data securely, or premium content like movies, downloaded to the drive. Now users would be to play the movie on any machine of Internet cafe. Image: Zone Via: EE Times

An expert in conversion and switching technology, Transition Networks Inc. has introduced its new SNMP managed switches, which is especially designed for industrial Ethernet applications. The company has also added number of features and model enhancements to its unmanaged industrial switches and media converters. The company has designed both managed and unmanaged switch to operate all types of company’s environment. The features of managed switches are given below: 1) Delivery of high quality management: The 8 port managed industrial switch series delivers high-quality management features through SNMP management for secure configuration and monitoring, including SNMP and SMTP email trap support. 2) Optimization of network traffic: It optimizes and manages the network traffic through port based bandwidth allocation, port based VLAN, 802.1Q VLAN tagging, IGMP snooping with query mode, 802.1p 4-level priority queuing, port trunking, port mirroring and packet filtering. 3) Clients support: It also supports DHCP client support, synchronizes SNTP clock, TFTP firmware update with system configuration restore and backup functions. 4) Protection from redundant path communication: It protects from redundant path communication through redundant ring technology with switching times of less than 30mseconds and also supports spanning tree (STP) and rapid spanning tree (RSTP). Features of unmanaged Industrial Media Converters and Switches Product are given below: 1) It configures new port in new models for better alignment according to industry needs. 2) The new ruggedized enclosure and relocation of the power inputs to the bottom of each device for an improved ingress protection rating of IP31. 3) It has switch selectable converter mode or switch mode for the industrial media converter models offering increased installation flexibility for multiple applications. 4) It also includes DIN rail and wall mount brackets, so there is need for ordering additional line items. According to Bill Schultz, vice president of marketing at Transition Networks, the addition of SNMP-managed industrial-grade switches is helping company to offer increased in solving their end-to-end networking challenges to their customers. Image Credit: Net Care & Microsoft Via: Managing & Automation

Soon after the launch of its first US in-car navigation system, Panasonic is making it big once more across the seas with its highest-end F-Class lineup. This feature-crammed CN-HDS965TD characterizes a seven-inch VGA touchscreen, a PEAKS processor, an built-in TV tuner, boosted sensitivity likened to earlier models, an built-in graphics processor, hard drive, SD card slot, and the capability of navigating your route online using the Odekake Strada website and transfer the direction using SD. Besides, you will be provided with an SD Link function that adequately edges with your iPod, CD / DVD playback capabilities, and the flagship CN-HDS965TD is capable of even handling the luckless MD format. Users hooked on including the CN-HDS965TD which costs somewhere around $2800 to $3000 and an extra $175 for added bluetooth functionality. Image Read

Major accidents occurring due to undetected cracks and damages in aging infrastructures are increasingly becoming common in many countries. This is either due to authorities’ negligence or efficiency of engineers or the cumbersome onsite inspection units. What ever, the results are always devastating. To bring relief both to the traffic and the engineers, a team of MIT engineers have developed a new technique capable of detecting damage in concrete bridges and piers effectively. Interestingly, the new technology is a hand-held radar device that not only makes onsite inspections easier, but also can be done more frequently without interfering with traffic or service. Thus, it can make easier for engineers to help increase the safety of aging infrastructures. The ‘radar device’ can “see” through fiberglass-polymer wrappings, commonly used to strengthen aging concrete columns. Thus, detecting damage behind the wrappings, not visible to the naked eye, is made easy. To add to the convenience of the engineers, the device can do its job onsite, well from a distance of more than 10 meters! It does not even require dismantling or obstruction of the infrastructure, providing immediate, onsite feedbacks. Image

SiRF Technology and Openwave Systems recently announced to have signed a definitive agreement to slot in SiRF’s SiRFstudio location capabilities with Openwave MIDAS, a mobile AJAX-enabled application development platform. The objective is for wireless operators, content publishers and software designers to more simply install location context while generating mobile widgets, rich data services and online idle-screen UIs on mobile devices. Openwave’s location-based MIDAS application development platform has specifically been brought about to make available a consistent method for content publishers and designers to make access to a range of location features, from location determination to mapping and routing. The Openwave MIDAS application development environment is also integrated with tools to generate idle-screen widgets and a framework for widget finding, delivery, and lifecycle management. Openwave MIDAS has been developed to be operated on Windows Mobile, Symbian, BREW, QTopia, Linux and any feature phone platform. Openwave’s Nara Rajagopalan was quoted as saying, A key part of creating mobile services with a highly targeted and personalized experience is knowing where subscribers are, and the integration of the SiRFstudio APIs with MIDAS is designed to bring high-accuracy location technology within the reach of content publishers and developers. When combined with other existing content feeds and services in addition to other applications, location adds the geographic dimension and filtering needed to create compelling and highly relevant mobile data services that can drive Web content consumption on mobile devices. For its part, SiRF makes available a speedy location-enabled service app growth platform for software designers to implant location potentials into latest and current apps or services. SiRFstudio is part of the SiRFecosystem, a complete suite of tools and resources to accelerate growth, testing and marketing of LBS apps that bring about application diversification and make available a gripping locative experience for users. Image Read

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the US based chipmaker, has launched its energy efficient notebook chip, code named Griffin as well as platform based around Griffin called Puma, which will allow AMD to grow in notebook PC market. The company has developed Puma to deliver enhanced battery life, graphics and video processing and also improves overall system performance. AMD’s Puma will follow with Fusion, a chip which will integrate graphics into the processor core in 2009. The Puma platform would be build on the MD M690 mobile chipset and 65nm process-based Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology. The company has developed the Puma due to MD’s next-generation notebook processor codenamed ‘Griffin’, along with AMD’s next generation ‘RS780′ mobile chipset. Currently, AMD chips can drop to 800 megahertz. The cores in Griffin would be able to drop to one-eighth the chip’s stated speed. Thus, a 2.4GHz chip, would be able to drop to 300MHz to conserve power. Griffin has two processing cores and the integrated memory controller, which shuttles data back and forth between the processing cores and memory. Puma manages the power through its feature, PowerXpress, which shuts off the discreet graphics processor in notebooks when they are running on batteries. Notebook will run on the graphics capabilities in the chipset in the unplugged mode. The chipset, Puma has new features, which are given below: 1) DirectX 10 graphics processing 2) Energy efficient HD multimedia support with unified video decoder 3) Integrated multi-monitor support 4) Native southbridge support for Nand flash with HyperFlash 5) PowerXpress. Puma not only incorporates the ‘Griffin’ processor and the ‘RS780′ chipset, but also incorporates ATI Radeon graphics, Nvidia chipset and graphics technologies, and industry-leading wireless technologies. According to AMD officials, the Puma Platform is taking important steps in system level optimization by adding intelligence and increased coordination between the CPU, GPU, and chipset. Image Credit: Subversive Influence & Gadget Via: Tech Tree

The trailblazing people at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have managed to create an 8Gigabyte (GB) microSD (Secure Digital) memory card. This represents the highest storage capacity available for a microSD in the market. Never has the world seen a microSD card that can boast of such a humongous memory. Of course, the card is only big on memory. It is as small as your fingernail to look at. 8GB is enough to cater to most of your storage needs. Did I hear murmurs of dissent? Ok, so 2,000 mp3′s, 4,000 digital photos, or approximately 5 DVD quality movies aren’t enough. Come on people; get real. Not only is this card great on memory front, it performs better than all the microSD cards, currently available, in terms of its speed. It is capable of a read speed of 16 Mbps (Megabytes per second) and a write speed of 6 Mbps. These stats are far better than ‘SD Speed Class 2 designation carried by most competing microSD cards currently on the market.’ Here is an excerpt from the Samsung press release: This achievement is the latest in a string of record-breaking improvements in flash memory cards for Samsung as it continues to aggressively pursue its goal of being the development leader for the SD card market, as well as the competing MMC (multimedia card) market. Although SD cards dominate market, this Samsung creation will give a fillip to microSD usage. The microSDs are much smaller in size (1/4th of normal SD’s) and can replace them. The reason I say this is the fact that microSDs are backward compatible with most of the devices which use SD cards. All you need is a small extender. Unfortunately, this new card from Samsung won’t hit the market until mid-2008 (probably) and there is no word on price, yet. Nevertheless, bravo Samsung!