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Sony Denies Plans to Release PlayStation Vita in Europe, U.S. This Year.

Sony PlayStation Vita Will Be Available in Japan Only in 2012

[08/04/2011 10:02 AM]
by Anton Shilov

The president of Sony Computer Entertainment on Thursday denied that the company intended to release its next-generation PlayStation Vita portable video game console in Europe and the U.S. this calendar year. Kazuo Hirai stressed that PS Vita would only be available in Japan in 2011.

The product will initially launch in Japan before the end of December, followed by introductions in the U.S. and Europe early next year, Kazuo Hirai, told reporters in Tokyo, reports Bloomberg news-agency.

Late last month a flier from Blockbuster UK store indicated that the PlayStation Vita would hit the shops on the 28th of October, 2011. The flier indicated that both versions of PS Vita - with Wi-Fi as well as with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity - would become available and also mentioned pricing.

It is not a secret that Sony has tradition to release its consoles first in Japan and only after that roll them out in other regions. In particular, the U.S. is the second market to launch latest Sony video game systems and Europe is the third region to get the new consoles.

Sony PlayStation Vita is based on a system-on-chip with four ARM Cortex-A9 cores, PowerVR SGX543MP4+ graphics engine and a memory controller. The new portable game console has 5" multi-touch OLED screen with 960x544 resolution, typical set of PSP buttons, two cameras (front and rear), Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, GPS, six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), three-axis electronic compass, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR controller, integrated speakers and microphone as well as multi touchpad located on the back side of the system. For the first time, a portable entertainment system will feature two analog sticks, which enable a wider range of game genres to be brought into the portable experience.

A Wi-Fi model will be available for ¥24980 yen (including tax) in Japan, $249 in the U.S. and €249 in Europe, while a 3G/Wi-Fi model will be available for ¥29980 yen (including tax) in Japan, $299 in the U.S. and €299 in Europe. PS Vita will launch in the global market starting at the end of 2011. AT&T, which powers the U.S.’s fastest mobile broadband network, will be the exclusive service provider in the United States for PlayStation Vita.

Tags: Sony, Vita, Playstation, PSP

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Apple Expected to Have One Operating System for PCs and Mobile Devices by 2016.

Apple Plans to Unify iOS and Mac OS Operating Systems

[08/03/2011 10:23 PM]
by Anton Shilov

In a bid to further consolidate its platforms, Apple is projected to create one operating systems for its Macintosh personal computers and iPhone/iPad mobile devices by 2016. The move will allow software for Macs to work on iPads and vice-versa. The idea has a lot of advantages for both Apple and its customers, but it also brings a number of difficulties.

"We believe Apple is looking to merge iOS (iPhones/iPads) with OS X (Macs) into a single platform for apps and cloud services starting in 2012-13. Our preliminary view is that Apple can use a 32-bit ARM architecture to address the vast majority of the OS X ecosystem's needs in 2012-13 except for high-end professional devices. When 64-bit ARM is available in 2016, we believe Apple will have a single OS and hardware architecture," Peter Misek, an analyst with Jefferies & Co wrote in a report.

The idea of equipping tablets with desktop/laptop-class operating system is not completely new: Microsoft Corp. bluntly claims that tablets should feature operating system for personal computers, not upgraded OS for smartphones. Fully-fledged operating system on tablets greatly enhances their capabilities and allow to work with various peripherals, including printers, keyboards, mice and other. Another advantage is that unified operating system means that user will have similar experience across numerous devices.

"Users want to be able to pick up any iPhone, iPad, or Mac (or turn on their iTV) and have content move seamlessly between them and be optimized for the user and the device currently being used. We believe this will be difficult to implement if iOS and OS X are kept separate," wrote Mr. Misek.

It is hardly a huge problem to create an operating systems that will run on different central processing units: Mac OS X from the mid-2000s supported both PowerPC and x86 microprocessor architectures and Windows 8 is expected to support both ARM and x86. It may not even be a problem to tailor user interface of Mac OS for iPhone smartphones. A bigger question is whether Apple plans to unify hardware platforms for its smartphones, tablets and PCs.

Many believe that Apple is looking forward towards multi-core ARM processors as viable alternatives for x86 chips that are used inside Macs today. There are evidences that Apple is even developing its own ARM-based micro-architecture, which will potentially offer much higher performance compared to today's ARM chips. Still, so far no one has estimated performance of 64-bit ARM processors in 2006 and compared it to estimated performance of x86 offerings that will be available on the same timeframe. If performance-wise x86 will be significantly better than ARM, then Apple will hardly unify its hardware platforms.

Apple did not comment on the news-story.

Tags: Apple, Mac OS, iOS, Macintosh, iPhone, iPad

Tweet Comments currently: 2
Discussion started: 08/05/11 01:27:30 AM
Latest comment: 08/05/11 10:48:26 AM
And what about if this is other way around? I.e. Intel finally able to sqeeze it's power hungry Atom to ARM power envelope and Apple using it for iPhone/iPad? :-) Well, my bet is on ARM anyway, but if the article does not mention this possibility, then it looks kind of narrow-minded.I hope this will never materialize.

From my point of view, it is completely stupid to try and merge 2 different platforms.
On the one hand we have the keyboard/mouse input and on the other hand we had touch screens, each one of these interfaces have specific needs from the OS, at least in UI level.

The only way for a virtual merge is to have one core system and different UI for each platform.

I see MS to take a similar way with windows 8, I hope both companies will keep computers and mobile devices separated at OS level.

AMD to Launch Next-Generation Opteron “Bulldozer” Microprocessors in Late September – Report.

AMD to Formally Unveil Next-Gen Opteron Processors on September 26, 2011

[08/04/2011 12:29 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Advanced Micro Devices plans to formally introduce its next-generation Opteron central processing units (CPUs) code-named Interlagos and Valencia on Monday, September 26, 2011. The highly-anticipated introduction is expected to mark a new beginning in AMD’s history as the new chips feature the company’s first new micro-architecture in eight years.

AMD is eyeing the September 26 release date for its new “Valencia” Opteron 4200-series chips with six or eight cores as well as “Interlagos” Opteron 6200-series microprocessors with eight, twelve or sixteen cores, according to a report from PCMag, which cites a source familiar with the company's product roadmap. AMD expects new chips to offer 35% higher performance compared to existing AMD Opteron chips with up to twelve cores.

AMD needs the new Bulldozer-based microprocessors badly as its share on the server market declined in Q2 2011 to 5.5% down from 25.9% in Q2 2006, according to IDC. At present Intel outsells AMD in terms of servers 19 to 1. It is obvious that the release of even ground-breaking chips will not allow AMD to quickly fight back the share from Intel, it will take several quarters at least. Nonentheless, the company’s shipments of Opteron central processing units will either stabilize or will even grow a bit provided that they are competitive enough.

AMD Opteron microprocessor in G34 form-factor. The Opteron "Interlagos" uses the same.

Recently a server maker accidentally disclosed specifications of next-generation Opteron models that AMD seems to plan to release initially which sported pretty low clock-speeds:

Opteron 6220: 8-core, 3.0GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo, 8MB L2, 8MB L3 cacheOpteron 6234: 12-core, 2.4GHz, 2.9GHz Turbo, 12MB L2, 12MB L3 cacheOpteron 6272: 16-core, 2.1GHz, 2.6GHz Turbo, 16MB L2, 16MB L3 cacheOpteron 6276: 16-core, 2.3GHz, 2.8GHz Turbo, 16MB L2, 16MB L3 cache

Insufficient clock-speeds of Bulldozer are probably the reason why AMD now claims that the 16-core offering will be 35% faster than 12-core solution (which is natural, given 33% higher core count) and not 50%, as it initially expected. It is also noteworthy that Bulldozer's per-core performance is not projected to be much higher compared to existing microprocessors.

Dual-socket server running two AMD Opteron 6200-series "Interlagos" microprocessors

At present AMD is extremely tight-lipped about specifications, performance numbers, business opportunities and other peculiarities of its new Bulldozer-based microprocessors for servers. The company does show servers running the new processors, but shares no actual details and even does not show the chips themselves. The company insists that it would start revenue shipments of its new chips in August and some sources even indicate that the first batch of AMD Opteron 4200- and 6200-series will be shipped on the 5th of August, 2011.

AMD did not comment on the news-story.

Tags: AMD, Opteron, Bulldozer, Interlagos, Valencia, 32nm, Orochi

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Patriot Releases SandForce-Based Pyro-Series Solid-State Drives.

Patriot Launches High-Performance Pyro SSDs with 60GB, 120GB and 240GB Capacities

[08/04/2011 11:38 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Patriot Memory, a leading supplier of DRAM modules, this week introduced its solid-state drives (SSDs) powered by SandForce SF-2281 controller that ensures rather extreme sequential read and write speeds. Unlike some other makers, Patriot decided to release not only rather expensive 120GB and 240GB drives, but also rather affordable 60GB model.

Patriot Pyro-series solid-state drives are based on SandForce SF-2281 controller as well as multi-level cell NAND flash memory (presumably made using 20nm-class manufacturing technology). Thanks to the latest-generation SSD controller, Patriot Pyro drives feature high reliability (advanced ECC engine corrects up to 55 bits per 512-byte sector to assure high data integrity along with various proprietary technologies from SandForce) amid high performance. The drives use Serial ATA-600 interface.

The 120GB and 240GB models offer maximum sequential read speed of 550MB/s and up to 515MB/s sequential write speed as well as up to 85 000 IOPS (input/output operations per second). The 60GB model is not that fast with 520MB/s|490MB/s maximum sequential read|write speeds and up to 80 000 IOPS.

"The Patriot Memory Pyro will continue to aggressively expand on what consumers can expect out of performance class solid state drives. With near enterprise level performance by utilizing the new SandForce SF-2281, coupled with Patriot Memory's reputation; Pyro will deliver unmatched price per performance," said William Lai, a product managet at Patriot Memory.

The Pyro series will feature a standard 2.5" form factor for compatibility with notebooks and select desktops and will ship with the latest 3.1.9 firmware. Unfortunately, Patriot does not seem to provide necessary frames to install 2.5" drives into 3.5" bays.

Tags: Patriot, SandForce, SSD

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Intel Haswell Processor to Support DirectX 11.1 Graphics Capabilities - Document.

Intel to Continue Addressing Professional Graphics Market with Integrated Graphics Cores

[08/04/2011 04:26 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Even though Intel Corp. is not really concentrated on driving innovation in the fireld of computer graphics, the company cannot ignore demands of its customers and thus continues to improve its built-in graphics cores. The next-gen Ivy Bridge will bring support for DirectX 11 and Haswell will even feature DirectX 11.1 capabilities. Moreover, Intel will continue to certify its graphics cores with software developers to address the market of professional apps.

Intel's microprocessors with integrated graphics engines will get DirectX 11 support only in March or April next year, when the world's largest maker of chips introduces its Ivy Bridge-series of microprocessors with code-named Carlow graphics core with presumably 16 execution units (stream processors). While Intel is clearly late to DirectX 11 party, things may get better with DirectX 11.1. According to a slide, which resembles those from Intel's documents, Intel's code-named Haswell chips due in 2013 will sport Denlow graphics core with DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 3.2+ support.

The slide was published by Sweclockers.com

Improved feature-set of graphics processing unit will help Intel to offer user experience comparable to that provided by Advanced Micro Devices' Fusion-series accelerated processing units, many of which sport desktop-class graphics engines. Unfortunately, Intel does not seem to support OpenGL 4.1 even in 2013, hence, some things that require latest OpenGL APIs may not work.

Providing excellent visual experience is definitely an important thing for Intel. Yet another important thing is addressing the market of professional graphics applications with built-in graphics cores. Even Core i-series "Sandy Bridge" chips are certified for nine professional applications, Ivy Bridge is projected to receive certifications for another eight (including ProEngineer, Maya, 3ds Max, Softimage XSI and so on) apps and Haswell is projected to be certified to work with another three. It is unknown how many professionals actually use Intel's integrated graphics instead of AMD FirePro or Nvidia Quadro for work, but ability to use certain programs clearly expands market opportunities for Intel's chips.

Intel did not comment on the news-story.

Tags: Intel, Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Bromolow, Carlow, Denlow, 22nm, DirectX, OpenGL

Tweet Comments currently: 7
Discussion started: 08/04/11 07:42:37 PM
Latest comment: 08/05/11 09:37:04 PM
Expand all threads | Collapse all threads 11.1? Are you serious? We still only have a handful of games that are built from DX10 up (anything that runs on XP = not DX10). Almost all games on PC are DX9 with DX10 or DX11 features added on top and we all know we can thank consoles for this. However to add support for 11.1 is pointless. First of all by the time games are actually natively DX11 (keep in mind even BF3 is not native DX11, it's DX10 with DX11 features)the CPU will be outdated and when DX11.1 is being used this IGP would never be able to run them. This is what you call number marketing, even though it is new technology (or superset of DX11/10) it will never be used. I'm not saying anything about Ivy as a whole, just the DX11.1 part.Hmmm. Notice how their CPU roadmap in 2012 still says OS: Windows 7 and not Windows 7/8 or Windows 8 but instead 2013 OS: says Windows 8. I wonder if Intel knows something everyone else doesn't know yet in regards to Windows 8 release. Also by the looks of things it looks like DirectX 11 is hanging around much longer then expected considering Intel is going with DirectX 11.1 which seems to hint that Windows 8 will come with DirectX 11.1 instead of DirectX 12.No support for Opengl 4.1 WHAT? You're kidding Intel Haswell will only be as powerful as a AMD radeon 5670 as best. Remember Intel said that its Haswell IGP will rival discrete graphics cards of TODAY. Hahahahahahah you're kidding me that is so Intel and So very pathetic. Direct X 11.1 is just another useless feature that Intel IGPs won't have the power to use at all. Forget playing doom 3 or even rage and the upcoming doom 4 with Intel IGPs. Intel is Growing more pathetic with every slide that they show. Intel & Pro Graphics always makes me laugh. Good lick service by Anton Shilov.Yes I have to agree with everyone here that Intel graphics SUCK monkey S@#T. It'll be funny if Ivy Bridge or even haswell for that matter to reach 4ghz. Intel will now and forever be behind in power consumption because of what AMD did with llano and what bulldozer will do. AMD llano already drastically lower power consumption and Trinity will lower it by just as much if not more and I can't wait for it. STEELCITY1981 the INTEL FANBOI you don't get it WINDOWS 8 Will NOT BE OUT LATE 2011/EARLY 2012 so Intel can't list it.+ expand thread (1 answer) - collapse thread  If Intel Fail to Deliver Significant Decrease on Power even with Trigate it will be a disappointment to some.

What AMD did in Llano was to Die Shrike the AMD Phenom X4 Remove its Level 3 Cache and Increase it Level 2 Cache while Lowering its Clock Rate then Adding a Grapics Procesor ATI 6550. to Meet its TDP Requirement. Intel has nothing to offer in On-chip Graphics Processor that will beat Llano. But if You Check BenchMark Against Llano on CPU Benchmark Intel is Way a Head on CPU Result Only. Even a AMD Phenom X4 beat Llano is some Cases. So Far AMD and Intel hasn't made any Benchmark which it Legit. They only Publish What Trinity will have on it and what Improvement.

What good is it if the Intel drivers do not pay ..

IDC Confirms Apple's Smartphone Crown as Smartphone Shipments Exceed 100 Million.

Android Becomes World's Most Popular Mobile Platform

[08/05/2011 12:56 PM]
by Anton Shilov

International Data Corp. (IDC), one of the world's most respected market research firm, this week confirmed that Apple became the world's largest supplier of smartphones in the second quarter of 2011. Indirectly, IDC confirmed that Google Android officially became the world's most popular operating system (OS) for advanced handsets.

Different vendors shipped 106.5 million smartphone units in Q2 2011 compared to 64.4 million units in the second quarter of 2010. The 65.4% growth was on par with IDC's forecast of 67.3% for the quarter and below the 84.0% year-over-year growth in Q1 2011. During the second quarter of 2011 Apple, the company which entered the market just four years ago, became the largest maker of smartphones.

"The smartphone market crowned a new leader in Q2 2011, and its name is Apple. Ever since the first iPhone launched in 2007, Apple has made market-setting strides in hardware, software, and channel development to grab mindshare and market share. Demand has been so strong that even models that have been out for one or two years are still being sought out. With an expected refresh later this year, volumes are set to reach higher levels," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's mobile phone technology and trends team.

Apple's success can be directly attributed to its distribution (more than 200 carriers in more than 200 countries), increased manufacturing capacity, and solid demand within emerging and developed markets from both consumers and business users. Apple's emergence as the number one smartphone vendor worldwide comes at a time when former worldwide leader Nokia is in the midst of a major transition. However, Apple has yet to top Nokia's single-quarter volume record of 28.1 million units. But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when.

While the success of Apple is unquestionable, shipments of smartphones by Samsung and HTC - the lion's share of which are handsets powered by Google Android - 29 million clearly shows that the Android operating system has clearly become the world's most popular operating system. Given the fact that Android-based phones are available from LG Electronics, Motorola and many others, the Android has most probably beaten the record of 28.1 million handsets per quarter set by Nokia's Symbian.

Samsung realized the largest year-over-year growth of any vendor among the top five, and key to its continued success was the global popularity of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones. What originally began as a series of high-end smartphones has proliferated well into the mass-market, but has not strayed too far from its high-end roots. Moreover, its steady cadence of device releases and updates has kept Samsung's smartphones well out in front of the competition. Samsung's Bada-powered smartphones likewise grew, while demand for its Windows Phone smartphones has cooled off.

Nokia ceded the number one position for the first time in the history of IDC's Mobile Phone Tracker, with smartphone volumes dipping below the 20 million unit mark for the first time since Q3 2009. Even as the company released new smartphones running on Symbian^3, demand for its products running on the aged Symbian platform has shifted to other devices. At the same time, Nokia must be considered as a company in transition, as it recently unveiled its first MeeGo-powered smartphone and Windows Phone-powered smartphones, designated as the primary operating system for Nokia moving forward, have yet to reach the market.

Research In Motion posted the lowest year-over-year growth of all the vendors in the top five, but still shipped enough BlackBerry smartphones to be the number four vendor worldwide. The company has released only a few new models so far this year, leaving the bulk of its shipments to be comprised of older, less expensive models. That has allowed its competitors to grab mindshare and market share with multiple new models. In addition, many vendors have targeted business users with enterprise-grade smartphones, which have long been RIM's stronghold. Still, demand for BlackBerry smartphones remained healthy in the face of competition.

HTC marked another upward quarter, having launched and announced several new smartphones to the market. These featured 3D displays and 4G speeds, attesting to HTC's ability to bring devices with the latest and forward-thinking technologies. For a company that got its start providing carrier-branded smartphones, HTC's success at building a strong and readily identifiable brand stems directly from a broad and deep selection of devices, a steady stream of device releases, and a warm reception among carriers and end-users. With a goal of shipping more than 13 million units in Q3 2011, HTC is well poised to reach its goal of shipping 50 million units for the year.

IDC maintains that the worldwide smartphone market will grow 55.0% over 2010.

Tags: Apple, Nokia, iPhone, HTC, Samsung, RIM, Blackberry, Android, Symbian, iOS

Tweet Comments currently: 1
Discussion started: 08/05/11 01:53:25 PM
Latest comment: 08/05/11 01:53:25 PM
No, Android becomes world's most popular smartphone platform.
iOS still outsells Android OS.

Toshiba Reveals eMMC Flash Chips with DDR Interface.

Toshiba Intros New 24nm NAND Flash Chips

[08/03/2011 10:45 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Toshiba Corp. introduced a family of higher performance 24nm eMMC devices. The new NAND flash chips for embedded applications utilize double data rate interface and therefore provide better random access and sequential performance. Thanks to new 24nm fabrication process, the new chips are also small and thus more affordable compared to competing solutions.

The densities of Toshiba's eMMC NAND flash chips with toggle-mode DDR interface for embedded applications range from 2GB to 128GB and offer full compliance with the JEDEC e-MMC version 4.41 standard.

Integrating up to 128GB NAND and an e-MMC controller in a single package, Toshiba's new family of 24nm e-MMC devices combine up to 16 pieces of 64Gb (8GB) NAND chips fabricated with Toshiba's 24nm process technology. Toshiba was the first company to succeed in combining 16 pieces of 64Gbit die in e-MMC to achieve 128GB of memory by applying advanced chip thinning and layering technologies to realize individual chips that are only 30 micrometers thick.

Toshiba's 24nm e-MMC process lowers costs, enables higher densities, boosts performance and allows for smaller packages – all of which are key requirements for space-conscious applications such as smartphones, tablet PC s, electronic book readers, digital video cameras, printers, servers, and POS systems.

“The utilization of our new toggle-mode DDR NAND die at 64Gb density is key to enabling our eMMC to support the higher performance, and smaller, thinner packages that customers desire. For example, our 128GB e-MMC can now be supported in a smaller 14x18 package, which many space conscious applications can support," noted Scott Beekman, senior business development manager, mobile communications memory for Toshiba America Electronic Components.

Samples of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB 24nm e-MMC product family are available now, and mass production will begin in Q3, with other densities to follow.

Tags: Toshiba, NAND, Flash, eMMC

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