Although not a card anyone would consider a gamers paradise, Zotac's new G98 derived low profile 8400GS cards are quite interesting for the thin client or media center PC builder. Why you say? The cards feature a unique changable backplate allowing them to customize their offering for given scenarios. Need HDMI? Or S-Video? How about DVI and HDMI? Or VGA and S-Video? It's as simple as changing backplates.
It's a win-win scenario for Zotac and it's customers. They can offer the OEM and retail markets a specific set of outputs without having to manufacture a specific card. Things are finally heating up in the digital convergence space despite years of false starts and consumer apathy, and products like this one will go a long way towards placing that PC or thin client in your livingroom.
Though it was officially announced in a press release a few weeks ago, it looks like people will finally get to see the real thing tomorrow. Intel will be showcasing their new Z-P140 Solid State Drive platform at the Storage Visions Conference in Las Vegas, January 5th . We also expect Intel realizes CES is in town in a couple of days as well, so we'll expect to see Intel waxing philisophic on the merits of their new storage platform at CES 2008.
Initially available in configurations from 2GB to 8GB, Intel expects to have 4GB to 16GB versions of the hardware available by mid year. And though the existing platform currently rides on a PATA interface, adequate for the performance characteristics of the platform currently, Intel will also preview SATA interface versions of the platform. The current penny sized 2GB Drive module supports a burst rate of 40MB/sec, 30MB/sec write speeds and, naturally considering it's flash based, no mechanical latency along with extremely low power requirements (1.1mW idle, 300mW active). All while providing performance characteristics similar to, and in some areas quite superior to existing magnetic storage systems used in mobile devices.
This development could better establish Intel as a significant player in the embedded and ultra mobile flash storage market, one currently dominated by Sandisk.
Nick Ciarelli, publisher of ThinkSecret , the number one website that Apple seems to despise, has agreed to close it's doors as a condition for settlement in an agreement with Apple regarding the lawsuit filed against them. Nick gets to keep his sources a secret, and Apple gets to quiet ThinkSecret's expository reporting. Being a lone college student with a small staff, it is no wonder Nick caved in to the mounting legal pressure.
Apple and Think Secret have settled their
lawsuit, reaching an agreement that results in a positive solution for
both sides. As part of the confidential settlement, no sources were
revealed and Think Secret will no longer be published. Nick Ciarelli,
Think Secret's publisher, said "I'm pleased to have reached this
amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my
college studies and broader journalistic pursuits."
Although there are still a few websites left that cater to the Apple community in a way that the Jobs Mob does not particularly like, the loss of ThinkSecret will definitely be viewed as a bad thing by many in the Apple community. Another dissenting voice in the blogosphere dies, and the news becomes more bland and in lockstep with what a manufacturer wants you to hear.
New 68-Nanometer Process Technology Reduces DRAM Die Size, Imparting Lower Power Consumption and Increased Speeds
Boise, Idaho
,
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
–
Micron Technology, Inc., today announced production sampling of its new
1Gb DDR2 device fabricated on 68-nanometer (nm) DRAM process
technology. The new process, coupled with Micron’s 6F² technology, has
enabled the world’s smallest production 1Gb DDR2 memory with a die size
of just 56mm². Mass production of its new 68nm 1 Gb DDR2 products is
expected to begin early next year, with DDR3 and other low-power DRAM
products expected to follow in the second half of the year.
“Micron continues leading the world in development of advanced memory
technology,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s memory
group. “Our 68nm process technology offers our customers best-in-class
die sizes, power and speed benefits for their most demanding
applications.”
Japanese firm Toshiba announced today it would launch a series of 1.8" and 2.5" NAND-type Solid State Drives and will begin mass production in May of 2008. Drives will appear ranging in sizes from 32GB to 128GB. As the worlds second largest manufacturer of NAND flash memory, Toshiba Joins it's rival Samsung in what appears to be a market with considerable growth potential. Micron Technologies is expected to join in the SSD market with mass production of units sometime during the next quarter.
The increased competition along with improvements in NAND flash memory cell design should make 2008 a developing year for NAND based storage.
One year ago today we relaunched FastSilicon.com, powered by a new open CMS framework and a lot of desire. One year later, we are still growing and evolving with the technology world as it continues to accelerate at a phenomenal pace. This is, for us, truly our dream. We would just like to take a minute to say "Thank You" to those who have helped our site grow and prosper. Let's look forward to another great year!
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 13, 2007 – Intel and One Laptop per Child (OLPC) today announced they have agreed to work together to bring the benefits of technology to the developing world through synergy of their respective programs. Under the agreement, Intel and OLPC will explore collaborations involving technology and educational content. Intel will also join the board of OLPC.
OLPC is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring learning opportunities to the most remote and poorest children of the world by providing connected, low-cost and rugged laptops to each and every child in their daily lives.
Accelerates Transition to 7200 RPM 2.5-inch Hard Drives
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 10, 2007 -Hitachi Global
Storage Technologies (Hitachi) is today announcing volume shipment of
the industry's highest-capacity, highest-performing notebook hard
drive with new optional data encryption technology.
With double the capacity and a 22-percent1 performance
improvement over its predecessor, the 200-gigabyte (GB), 7200 RPM
TravelstarTM7K200 reigns supreme as the leader in this elite
notebook hard drive segment. Now, with optional hard-drive level
"Bulk Data Encryption" technology from Hitachi, the Travelstar
7K200 offers even greater cachet to notebook users by helping to
guard against data loss and piracy.
Added Performance Welcomed by 'Hardcore' PC Users and Developers
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Apr. 9, 2007 – Intel Corporation today advanced its enthusiast-level quad-core processor family with the introduction of the Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme processor QX6800, the company's twelfth quad-core processor offering. Running at 2.93 GHz -- the fastest native clock speed yet reached with the Intel® Core™ microarchitecture for the quad-core desktop -- this addition to Intel's innovative processor family sets new standards for desktop PC performance. The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX6800 is ideal for those gamers, digital design professionals and enthusiasts who crave the highest performing computers they can get their hands on.
Marking the next step in Intel's "tick-tock" product strategy and cadence to deliver a new process technology with an enhanced microarchitecture or entirely new microarchitecture every year, Intel Corporation will begin producing its next-generation Penryn family of processors in the second half of this year. These new processors benefit from enhancements to the Intel® Core™ microarchitecture and also Intel's industry-leading 45nm Hi-k process technology with its hafnium-based high-K + metal gate transistor design, which results in higher performance and more energy-efficient processors.
Intel has more than 15 45nm Hi-k product designs in various stages of development, and will have two 45nm manufacturing fabs in production by the end of the year, with a total of four in production by the second half of 2008 that will deliver tens of millions of these processors. Below are many of the details of the Penryn processor family and a glimpse into some of the key features of Intel's future generation of processors, codenamed Nehalem.
