Techo Rama

We usually have to upgrade our computers once much faster and better machines are made available. Companies are also releasing faster machines to further ease our work. But a research has revealed that microprocessors actually tend to go slower as they lose some of their computing capacity over years of use. A five year research conducted by the Illyria University Information Technology Department has revealed that processors tend to lose 10-15% clock speeds over use. Even more confusing is the research that the newer processors lose it much quickly as compared to older processors. AMD has claimed that they are aware of the problem and are working on new methods to solve the problem. Intel however was not available for comment.

The cable era is nearing its death as networks stream their biggest shows online and you can also buy many shows through iTunes and get movies from Amazon. Several documentaries can also be viewed free of cost even better is that sites like YouTube offers huge range of videos and podcasts. Now the question remains as how to move this content from your computer to your TV. You can pick up a streaming device like the Apple TV which can stream video over your home network, and if you don’t want to spend so much in the process then you can also use simple and cheap routes with one of these two basic but often overlooked media-moving methods. (1) Direct Connection Method: First of all check your computer for a video-out port. Then connect this port to the video-in port of your TV. You will also need an audio cable running from your computer’s headphone jack to your TV or a receiver. Change the TV’s settings to change source by clicking the ‘TV/VCR’ button on the remote control. That’s all now you will be seeing all that is on your computer screen on your TV. The limitations of this process are that the computer should be fairly close to your TV. (2) Media Hard Drive Method: For this method you will need to buy a hard drive case that has A/V ports and can play video. Such models are priced between $75 and $270. Put the hard-drive in your computer and fill it with videos. Next you can connect it to your TV and navigate the onscreen menus with included remote to play your flicks or photos. The problem with this approach is that the method is fairly expensive and after spending so much for the deal you will still not be able to play streamed data on your computer.

Not many of us are familiar with this new technology. It is a special type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive layer comprises a thin-film of certain organic compounds. The emissive electroluminescent layer can include a polymeric substance that allows the deposition of very suitable organic compounds, for example, in rows and columns on a flat carrier by using a simple "printing" method to create a matrix of pixels which can emit different colored light. The flexibility of this technology makes it very useful to be used in designing mobile phone displays and other electronic displays. GE Global Research is working on a prototype that could shape this technology into a cell phones, portable media players and even some upcoming computer monitors in most cost effective way. The project started from a small 1-inch square prototype and now the researchers have succeeded in calibrating a large 2-foot square panel generating a significant amount of white light.

Apple has released new hi-end Mac Pro Workstations that feature up to Eight CPU cores. The system can have two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3.0GHz processors, 8TB of HDD storage and 16GB RAM. The system has been designed by keeping graphics and video in mind as it offers serious graphic card options and supports Massive display configurations such as dual 30-inch monitors and more. The system still is not meant for the common customer as the starting price tag of $4,000 is set to push many customers to other offerings. The range goes to up to $11,000 if you are to take the highest end system. If that’s too much for you then you can also go for the low-end system with dual 2.0GHz Dual-Core Xeons that retails for $2,200.

Intel’s Xeon lineup has received some new entrants. The company has released new Quad-Core chips that are not made for PC use. These chips will not be used in any servers or PCs just like all other chips of the Xeon lineup. These new chips are dedicated to the embedded systems market and will be installed in telecommunication gear, cars, office equipment and other devices that require high computing power. These chips are the company’s first Quad-Core chips that will not be installed in any computers.

You must be aware of GPS-based sneakers or satellite location technology or a monitor for a kid’s room with an infrared light, enabling parents to make out in the dark, and even you must have noticed pill-sized digital cameras, boasting of enabling doctors to observe a patient’s insides. All of these devices are embedded with chips that claim to make their functions smooth and faster. With embedded chips and electronics in today’s state-of-the-art devices, a new generation of innovative product designs is coming aboard with best-of the-breed sports and specs and making these devices functions smooth and finer. A the recent Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, manufacturers demonstrated their novel best-of-breed and avant-garde chips and parts, which are expected to help change an industry long connected with industrial machinery, automobile circuitry and cell phones. James Gilman, an analyst at Cross Research, We’re on the cusp" of lots of new non-traditional uses for embedded chips and electronics. Embedded parts are developed deep inside electronic systems, generally to act upon particular functions, like completing a mobile phone call.

NEC Corporation has developed a corn based bioplastic, which will generate heat faster than stainless steel for use in mobile phones and other portable devices. Core based bioplastic will eliminate the need for heat releasing sheets or fans and make laptops and mobile phones thinner and lighter. Japan based company, NEC develops products from chips to defense systems. The company is expecting to make electronic products more environment-friendly and solve conventional heat release issues. The features of the new bioplastic are given below: 1.It creates cross-linked structure of carbon fibre through the use of unique binder in the polylactic acid (PLA) resin to achieve high heat diffusion. Thus it will enable good heat conductivity in the plane direction of the PLA board. 2. The composite of bioplastic is extremely environmentally friendly as it is mainly composed of biomass based components including binder. 3. The strength and moldability of the composite is verified for use in electronic products. The new bioplastic is cheaper than other fibre plastics as it requires less carbon fibre to conduct heat. The new NEC is still more expensive than stainless steel. The company is using polyactic acid bioplastic and mass to make bioplastic.

Google, aiming at expanding its existence in China, recently made an apology to Internet users and Sohu.com, one of the major Web portals of China for making use of third-party technology in its latest product rollout. Sohu.com complained recently that Google’s tool for inputting Chinese characters seemed to be copying material from Sohu’s Sogou search engine. Chinese Web surfers indicated resemblance soon after the launch of the Google tool. Responding to the complaint, Google was reported as saying that the product had in its preliminary R&D stage been brought about to leverage a few non-Google database resources however it had since upgraded the system. Google maintained further that they are ready to face this problem of theirs. Whilst they say sorry for the hassle caused by this to users and Sohu, besides they have also stumbled upon to prompt actions. China is the second-largest Internet users of the world after the US, with almost 137 million Web users.

Fujitsu is offering a new technology in their latest hard drive series MHW2xxxBH. This new technology called FFS or freefall sensor protects the drive when it is dropped. According to Fujitsu, the sensor uses the time between being dropped and hitting the surface below to realign the heads so that they don’t crash onto the medium. This new technology is obviously beneficial for notebook users. According to the company its ramp load technology moves the head from the medium onto its ramp while the drive is in freefall. Thus when the drive hits any surface after being dropped its head will not crash onto the medium hence the drive and its data will remain protected. This self activating sensor protects the drive for a fall of more than 20cm. Fujitsu will integrate the sensor in all SATA hard drives of the series which will be having a capacity between 40GB and 160GB.

Another hard drive to drive you crazy! Samsung has launched its 160GB hard drive using 2.5-inch disks. The test samples of the SpinPoint M5 series have already been shipped to OEMs and mass production is expected by April. Using the PMR technology this drive enables ultra-precision adjustment of the head parking ramp position for achieving high density recording. The finished products would now be even lighter as the weight of the drive has been reduced to 94.83 grams. It will also be offering a 250GB model which will increase the storage capacity of mobile products. The SpinPoint M5 series is aimed at portable consumer electronics segment and since it is quieter and consumes less energy it would be an attractive option for use in tablet PCs or notebook. Other features include 8MB cache memory, 1.5Gbps SATA interface and 5,400rpm spin rate. People using memory hungry applications would appreciate it.