Over at Engadget, Josh Topolosky has written about a tip his site received about the next Apple TV–which supposedly is essentially a $99 screenless, diskless iPhone which streams 1080p content from the Internet or a Time Capsule network drive. It would presumably tie into a service along the lines of the one described in a musty old rumor known as iTunes Replay. And it would clearly compete with existing boxes such as Roku and future ones based on Google TV.
(One major Google TV selling point which Apple TV definitely won’t match, at least in our lifetime: Google’s gizmo will play all the Flash-based video on the Web.)
Josh’s tipster didn’t say anything about whether the next-generation Apple TV would run apps. But if it runs iPhone OS, it feels kind of inevitable that it would–if not at first, at least eventually. Stock iPhone and iPad apps would make no sense at all on an HDTV screen, but ones scaled to the right size and aspect ratio might. Netflix, for instance, could create something akin to the Netflix interface on Roku. And games would be a no-brainer.
It’s still not obvious that many folks want to run apps other than games on a TV set. Yahoo’s Connected TV platform has let you do that for awhile now on sets from multiple manufacturers, and although it’s well-done it doesn’t seem to have set off a living-room revolution just yet. But I’m even more cautious about one of the big ideas behind last week’s Google TV announcement: that consumers hunger for full-blown access to the Web on their TVs. I’ve sat through innumerable press events over the past fifteen years or so listening to tech execs who were confident that real people wanted to browse on a TV. Those real people, however, have always seemed to be in short supply.
Given how long we’ve all been online, most living rooms remain surprisingly short on Internet technology. I’m still not sure if there’s an iPod-like transformative device out there waiting to be invented by Apple or anybody else, but if both Google and Apple give it all they’ve got it’ll be fun to watch, if nothing else.
luni, 31 mai 2010
Asus' New 10- and 12-inch Eee Pad Tablets: First Pics
Asustek Computer on Monday unveiled two Eee Pad tablets running Windows software and an e-reader, the Eee Tablet, with a note-taking function.
The Eee Pad EP121 sports a 12-inch touchscreen and has Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor inside. The device is meant for Internet access, watching videos and other multimedia uses, computing and as an e-reader, the company said in a news release.
People can input data on the device using the on-screen keyboard or by typing on a keyboard that the Eee Pad docks onto. Asustek says the device can run for 10-hours before needing a recharge.
The other iPad-style device on show by Asustek has a 10-inch touchscreen and uses Microsoft's Windows Embedded Compact 7 software. The device is 12.2-millimeters thick and weighs 675 grams, designed thin and light for easy mobility.
The company's e-reader, named the Eee Tablet, is designed for digital note-taking in addition to reading e-books.
Asustek has sought to make the device a more educational tool by putting a 2-megapixel camera on board so students can take pictures of lecture slides as well, and sync the device to a laptop or desktop via a USB port or by using Micro SD cards.
Students can use the stylus for digital note-taking on the device's touchscreen. Asustek says the screen was designed so a user feels like they're writing on paper.
The Eee Pad EP121 sports a 12-inch touchscreen and has Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor inside. The device is meant for Internet access, watching videos and other multimedia uses, computing and as an e-reader, the company said in a news release.
People can input data on the device using the on-screen keyboard or by typing on a keyboard that the Eee Pad docks onto. Asustek says the device can run for 10-hours before needing a recharge.
The other iPad-style device on show by Asustek has a 10-inch touchscreen and uses Microsoft's Windows Embedded Compact 7 software. The device is 12.2-millimeters thick and weighs 675 grams, designed thin and light for easy mobility.
The company's e-reader, named the Eee Tablet, is designed for digital note-taking in addition to reading e-books.
Asustek has sought to make the device a more educational tool by putting a 2-megapixel camera on board so students can take pictures of lecture slides as well, and sync the device to a laptop or desktop via a USB port or by using Micro SD cards.
Students can use the stylus for digital note-taking on the device's touchscreen. Asustek says the screen was designed so a user feels like they're writing on paper.
China Flexes Supercomputing Muscle in Top 500 Rankings
China flexed its computing muscle with a supercomputer called Nebulae, rocketing to second place on the biannual Top500 list, which ranks the most powerful computers in the world.
The new supercomputer, which was made by Dawning and installed at China's National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, combines Nvidia graphics processors and Intel Xeon CPUs to provide 1.27 petaflops of performance. However, it could not top the Jaguar supercomputer at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which held on to the top spot in the Top500 list with 1.76 petaflops of performance
The list was published on Monday at the International Supercomputing Conference 2010 conference in Hamburg, Germany. The list is published twice a year by Top500.org.
Nebulae is only the third supercomputer to break the petaflop performance barrier. It combines Nvidia's Tesla C2050 graphics processors with Intel's Xeon X5650 quad-core processor, which runs at 2.66GHz. Nebulae has a theoretical peak capability of almost 3 petaflops, which would be the highest ever for a supercomputer, according to Top500.org. That performance would beat Jaguar, which has a theoretical peak speed of 2.3 petaflops. The Jaguar is a Cray XT5-HE system and includes Advanced Micro Devices' six-core Opteron processors running at 2.6GHz.
There is growing interest in servers that use graphics processors along with CPUs. GPUs are specialized co-processors that are faster than traditional CPUs at executing certain tasks, such as those used in scientific and computing applications. Some institutions have already announced plans to deploy more GPUs in an effort to get more performance out of servers.
The Tokyo Institute of Technology last week said it was building a supercomputer designed by Hewlett-Packard and NEC called Tsubame 2.0 that will combine Intel's latest server chips with Nvidia's GPUs to deliver 2.4 petaflops of performance.
IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer at the Los Alamos National Laboratory was a casualty of Nebulae's rise, dropping from second to third on the list. Roadrunner combines dual-core AMD Opteron CPUs and IBM's Cell processors, and provides more than a petaflop of performance.
Another Cray XT5-HE system at the National Institute for Computational Sciences at the University of Tennessee is in the latest fourth spot, followed by IBM's Jugene - Blue Gene/P Solution in Germany.
Twenty-four supercomputers on the list are now in China, tying the country with Germany at fourth place behind the U.S., the U.K. and France. The U.S. maintained its dominance with 282 out of 500 supercomputers. China secured second in total system performance, ahead of European countries, but still behind the U.S.
Another top 10 system in China is the Tianhe-1 supercomputer at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin, in the seventh spot. It combines Intel's Xeon with AMD's ATI Radeon graphics processors.
IBM had four systems in the top 10 and a total of 198 systems on the list, gaining ground at the expense of HP, which led the list six months ago. HP had 185 systems, dropping from 210 systems in the previous list. IBM also led HP in total supercomputer system performance by a substantial margin.
However, IBM's Power microprocessors lost ground to Intel and AMD. Systems based on Power fell to 42, compared to 52 six months ago. A total of 408 systems -- about 81.6 percent -- used Intel processors, while AMD's Opteron processors were in 47 systems, up from 42 in the previous list. Quad-core processors were used in 425 systems, and six-core processors were used in 25 systems.
The new supercomputer, which was made by Dawning and installed at China's National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, combines Nvidia graphics processors and Intel Xeon CPUs to provide 1.27 petaflops of performance. However, it could not top the Jaguar supercomputer at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which held on to the top spot in the Top500 list with 1.76 petaflops of performance
The list was published on Monday at the International Supercomputing Conference 2010 conference in Hamburg, Germany. The list is published twice a year by Top500.org.
Nebulae is only the third supercomputer to break the petaflop performance barrier. It combines Nvidia's Tesla C2050 graphics processors with Intel's Xeon X5650 quad-core processor, which runs at 2.66GHz. Nebulae has a theoretical peak capability of almost 3 petaflops, which would be the highest ever for a supercomputer, according to Top500.org. That performance would beat Jaguar, which has a theoretical peak speed of 2.3 petaflops. The Jaguar is a Cray XT5-HE system and includes Advanced Micro Devices' six-core Opteron processors running at 2.6GHz.
There is growing interest in servers that use graphics processors along with CPUs. GPUs are specialized co-processors that are faster than traditional CPUs at executing certain tasks, such as those used in scientific and computing applications. Some institutions have already announced plans to deploy more GPUs in an effort to get more performance out of servers.
The Tokyo Institute of Technology last week said it was building a supercomputer designed by Hewlett-Packard and NEC called Tsubame 2.0 that will combine Intel's latest server chips with Nvidia's GPUs to deliver 2.4 petaflops of performance.
IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer at the Los Alamos National Laboratory was a casualty of Nebulae's rise, dropping from second to third on the list. Roadrunner combines dual-core AMD Opteron CPUs and IBM's Cell processors, and provides more than a petaflop of performance.
Another Cray XT5-HE system at the National Institute for Computational Sciences at the University of Tennessee is in the latest fourth spot, followed by IBM's Jugene - Blue Gene/P Solution in Germany.
Twenty-four supercomputers on the list are now in China, tying the country with Germany at fourth place behind the U.S., the U.K. and France. The U.S. maintained its dominance with 282 out of 500 supercomputers. China secured second in total system performance, ahead of European countries, but still behind the U.S.
Another top 10 system in China is the Tianhe-1 supercomputer at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin, in the seventh spot. It combines Intel's Xeon with AMD's ATI Radeon graphics processors.
IBM had four systems in the top 10 and a total of 198 systems on the list, gaining ground at the expense of HP, which led the list six months ago. HP had 185 systems, dropping from 210 systems in the previous list. IBM also led HP in total supercomputer system performance by a substantial margin.
However, IBM's Power microprocessors lost ground to Intel and AMD. Systems based on Power fell to 42, compared to 52 six months ago. A total of 408 systems -- about 81.6 percent -- used Intel processors, while AMD's Opteron processors were in 47 systems, up from 42 in the previous list. Quad-core processors were used in 425 systems, and six-core processors were used in 25 systems.
Facebook Block Removed in Pakistan, Imposed in Bangladesh
The Lahore High Court in Pakistan on Monday ordered Facebook to be unblocked in the country, after the government said that the web site had promised to make material considered derogatory inaccessible to users in Pakistan.
Facebook was ordered to be blocked by the Lahore court on May 19 after a lawyers' organization filed a petition objecting to a page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everybody-Draw-Mohammed-Day/121369914543425?v=wall) on the Web site called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" which invited users to draw cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
Depictions of the Prophet are prohibited in some Islamic traditions.
Facebook has meanwhile run into trouble in neighboring Bangladesh where the site has been blocked since Sunday, after the government objected to content offensive to the Prophet on Facebook.
Facebook has agreed to block the page in Pakistan, and apologized for it, Naguibullah Malik, Pakistan's secretary of IT and telecom, said in a telephone interview on Monday. Malik said he had already issued the appropriate orders for unblocking Facebook in Pakistan.
Facebook was not immediately available for comment on the recent developments, but a spokeswoman for the Web site had earlier indicated that the company "may consider IP blocking in Pakistan upon further review of local regulations, standards and customs".
Access to the page has already been blocked by Facebook in India, at the request of local authorities, Facebook said last week.
Besides Facebook, YouTube was also blocked in Pakistan on May 20 for "sacrilegious" content. Over 450 links on the Internet were also blocked, Pakistan's telecommunications regulator, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), said on May 20.
The block on YouTube was relaxed last week after the cabinet of Pakistan decided to unblock both Facebook and YouTube, while continuing to block content it considered offensive on these sites. The unblocking of Facebook was delayed until the decision of the Lahore court.
Facebook was ordered to be blocked by the Lahore court on May 19 after a lawyers' organization filed a petition objecting to a page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everybody-Draw-Mohammed-Day/121369914543425?v=wall) on the Web site called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" which invited users to draw cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
Depictions of the Prophet are prohibited in some Islamic traditions.
Facebook has meanwhile run into trouble in neighboring Bangladesh where the site has been blocked since Sunday, after the government objected to content offensive to the Prophet on Facebook.
Facebook has agreed to block the page in Pakistan, and apologized for it, Naguibullah Malik, Pakistan's secretary of IT and telecom, said in a telephone interview on Monday. Malik said he had already issued the appropriate orders for unblocking Facebook in Pakistan.
Facebook was not immediately available for comment on the recent developments, but a spokeswoman for the Web site had earlier indicated that the company "may consider IP blocking in Pakistan upon further review of local regulations, standards and customs".
Access to the page has already been blocked by Facebook in India, at the request of local authorities, Facebook said last week.
Besides Facebook, YouTube was also blocked in Pakistan on May 20 for "sacrilegious" content. Over 450 links on the Internet were also blocked, Pakistan's telecommunications regulator, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), said on May 20.
The block on YouTube was relaxed last week after the cabinet of Pakistan decided to unblock both Facebook and YouTube, while continuing to block content it considered offensive on these sites. The unblocking of Facebook was delayed until the decision of the Lahore court.
Skype's New IPhone App Makes Calls Over 3G
Skype-to-Skype calls over Wi-Fi will remain free, but Skype will begin charging for Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G after the end of 2010, the company said. It has not yet decided how to charge for the calls, it said.
Users may have to pay an additional charge to their mobile operator for the 3G data traffic, according to Skype. They will also have to make sure that their data plan's terms and conditions allow IP telephony. Today, some mobile operators allow IP telephony, some don't and some charge an extra fee.
With the new Skype software, owners of the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and second- or third-generation iPod touch can make calls using Skype. The iPod touch requires a compatible headset with a microphone to be able to make phone calls, and since it lacks 3G, it can only make calls over Wi-Fi.
Other improvements in the new software for iPhone include improved sound quality, so users can expect "CD-quality sound" for Skype-to-Skype calls on their iPhone 3GS or second and third generation iPod touch, according to Skype. The iPhone client also has a call quality indicator, which will help customers choose the best moment to call, and improved start-up time, Skype said.
Owners of Symbian-based smartphones can already make phone calls over 3G, and Skype is also working on a version of its client for smartphones based on Android, but isn't ready to say when it will ship, according to a spokesman.
Users may have to pay an additional charge to their mobile operator for the 3G data traffic, according to Skype. They will also have to make sure that their data plan's terms and conditions allow IP telephony. Today, some mobile operators allow IP telephony, some don't and some charge an extra fee.
With the new Skype software, owners of the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and second- or third-generation iPod touch can make calls using Skype. The iPod touch requires a compatible headset with a microphone to be able to make phone calls, and since it lacks 3G, it can only make calls over Wi-Fi.
Other improvements in the new software for iPhone include improved sound quality, so users can expect "CD-quality sound" for Skype-to-Skype calls on their iPhone 3GS or second and third generation iPod touch, according to Skype. The iPhone client also has a call quality indicator, which will help customers choose the best moment to call, and improved start-up time, Skype said.
Owners of Symbian-based smartphones can already make phone calls over 3G, and Skype is also working on a version of its client for smartphones based on Android, but isn't ready to say when it will ship, according to a spokesman.
Woman Sues Google for Bad Directions
One day I was using my cell phone's GPS service to find the nearest Target. I was driving down the road when suddenly my cell phone piped up, "Turn right here." I looked to the right. There was no road, just a tree and some grass. I chalked it up to a GPS glitch and turned right at the next corner.
If I had been Lauren Rosenberg, however, I would have turned right at that very moment, hit the tree, suffered some cuts and minor brain damage, and then turned around and sued Verizon for the glitch in its GPS service.
Seriously.
Rosenberg, a Los Angeles California native, is suing Google because Google Maps issued directions that told her to walk down a rural highway. She started walking down the highway--which had no sidewalk or pedestrian paths--and was struck by a car. She is suing Google for her medical expenses ($100,000), as well as punitive damages. She is also suing the driver who struck her, Patrick Harwood of Park City, Utah.
On January 19, 2010, Rosenberg was apparently trying to get from 96 Daly Street, Park City, Utah, to 1710 Prospector Avenue, Park City, Utah. She looked up the walking directions using Google Maps on her Blackberry. Google Maps suggested a route that included a half-mile walk down "Deer Valley Drive," which is also known as "Utah State Route 224."
There's not much more to say--she started walking down the middle of a highway, and a car hit her. Who wouldn't have seen that one coming?
According to Rosenberg's complaint filing:
"As a direct and proximate cause of Defendant Google’s careless, reckless and negligent providing of unsafe directions, Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg was led onto a dangerous highway, and was thereby stricken by a motor vehicle, causing her to suffer sever permanent physical, emotional, and mental injuries, including pain and suffering."
Google actually does offer up a warning about its walking directions--if you view Google Maps on a computer, it gives you the following message: "Walking directions are in beta. Use caution--This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
If I had been Lauren Rosenberg, however, I would have turned right at that very moment, hit the tree, suffered some cuts and minor brain damage, and then turned around and sued Verizon for the glitch in its GPS service.
Seriously.
Rosenberg, a Los Angeles California native, is suing Google because Google Maps issued directions that told her to walk down a rural highway. She started walking down the highway--which had no sidewalk or pedestrian paths--and was struck by a car. She is suing Google for her medical expenses ($100,000), as well as punitive damages. She is also suing the driver who struck her, Patrick Harwood of Park City, Utah.
On January 19, 2010, Rosenberg was apparently trying to get from 96 Daly Street, Park City, Utah, to 1710 Prospector Avenue, Park City, Utah. She looked up the walking directions using Google Maps on her Blackberry. Google Maps suggested a route that included a half-mile walk down "Deer Valley Drive," which is also known as "Utah State Route 224."
There's not much more to say--she started walking down the middle of a highway, and a car hit her. Who wouldn't have seen that one coming?
According to Rosenberg's complaint filing:
"As a direct and proximate cause of Defendant Google’s careless, reckless and negligent providing of unsafe directions, Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg was led onto a dangerous highway, and was thereby stricken by a motor vehicle, causing her to suffer sever permanent physical, emotional, and mental injuries, including pain and suffering."
Google actually does offer up a warning about its walking directions--if you view Google Maps on a computer, it gives you the following message: "Walking directions are in beta. Use caution--This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
Nvidia CEO: Hardware Makers Uniting Behind Android
Hardware makers will unite behind Google's Android as the primary operating system for tablet computers, according to Nvidia's CEO.
Tablets are shaping up to be one of the highlights of the annual Computex show in Taipei, where hardware makers are showing off their latest products and prototypes. Most manufacturers are expected to show off tablets, with some designed to run Android and others Windows. But Windows isn't the best choice for a tablet, said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at Nvidia.
"Windows is too big and it's too full featured for smartbooks and tablets," Huang said, speaking with reporters in Taipei on Monday. Smartbook is a term used to describe low-cost laptops containing processors designed by Arm instead of x86 chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.
"The good news is that we finally have an operating system to unite behind. Android is an operating system that has gained a tremendous amount of momentum all over the world," Huang said.
Android was originally developed with cell phones in mind but computer makers wasted no time putting it to use in other devices. Several hardware makers showed off netbooks running the OS at Computex last year. In addition, Acer shipped a version of its Aspire One netbook that came with Windows XP and Android installed.
"Android has become the fastest growing mobile operating system in the world and, in fact, it has surpassed the iPhone in terms of growth and in terms of users," he said.
The iPad's success proved there is widespread demand for tablets and set the bar high for rivals. Apple sold 1 million iPads during the first four weeks it was on sale, winning praise from users for its sleek and intuitive user interface, as well as its long battery life. Matching Apple's success won't be easy and will require modifications to optimize Android for tablets.
"Andy Rubin and his team [at Google] know exactly where the industry needs to go. Android started out as a phone but it's not lost on them that the tablet is going to be very important and that the Android operating system has to evolve, and be enhanced in certain capabilities, in order to be a good tablet operating system," Huang said, citing graphics performance as one area where Android needs to be improved to match the iPad.
Nvidia has a vested interest in seeing the tablet market take off. The company is selling its own Arm-based processor, called Tegra 2, that's designed for tablets. The chip combines a dual-core Arm processor, a graphics processor, and other components on a single piece of silicon. While tablets based on Tegra 2 have yet to hit the market, they will go on sale before the end of this year.
"I think we'll have to wait until this fall. The operating systems are coming together, the devices are coming together," Huang said.
Tablets are shaping up to be one of the highlights of the annual Computex show in Taipei, where hardware makers are showing off their latest products and prototypes. Most manufacturers are expected to show off tablets, with some designed to run Android and others Windows. But Windows isn't the best choice for a tablet, said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at Nvidia.
"Windows is too big and it's too full featured for smartbooks and tablets," Huang said, speaking with reporters in Taipei on Monday. Smartbook is a term used to describe low-cost laptops containing processors designed by Arm instead of x86 chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.
"The good news is that we finally have an operating system to unite behind. Android is an operating system that has gained a tremendous amount of momentum all over the world," Huang said.
Android was originally developed with cell phones in mind but computer makers wasted no time putting it to use in other devices. Several hardware makers showed off netbooks running the OS at Computex last year. In addition, Acer shipped a version of its Aspire One netbook that came with Windows XP and Android installed.
"Android has become the fastest growing mobile operating system in the world and, in fact, it has surpassed the iPhone in terms of growth and in terms of users," he said.
The iPad's success proved there is widespread demand for tablets and set the bar high for rivals. Apple sold 1 million iPads during the first four weeks it was on sale, winning praise from users for its sleek and intuitive user interface, as well as its long battery life. Matching Apple's success won't be easy and will require modifications to optimize Android for tablets.
"Andy Rubin and his team [at Google] know exactly where the industry needs to go. Android started out as a phone but it's not lost on them that the tablet is going to be very important and that the Android operating system has to evolve, and be enhanced in certain capabilities, in order to be a good tablet operating system," Huang said, citing graphics performance as one area where Android needs to be improved to match the iPad.
Nvidia has a vested interest in seeing the tablet market take off. The company is selling its own Arm-based processor, called Tegra 2, that's designed for tablets. The chip combines a dual-core Arm processor, a graphics processor, and other components on a single piece of silicon. While tablets based on Tegra 2 have yet to hit the market, they will go on sale before the end of this year.
"I think we'll have to wait until this fall. The operating systems are coming together, the devices are coming together," Huang said.
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