The attack against the Ivy Bridge processors sabotages random number generator (RNG) instructions Intel engineers added to the processor. The exploit works by severely reducing the amount of entropy the RNG normally uses, from 128 bits to 32 bits.]]>
Thus, if Haswell is anything like as good as Intel claims, it’s going to shake things up. Think tablets that combine iPad proportions with proper PC levels of processing prowess. Microsoft’s Surface Pro, as nice as it is in some ways, doesn’t quite deliver on that. Haswell, according to the hype, will. I’ve long wanted a tablet convertible that’s no bigger than an iPad but has the power of a proper PC. So I’m genuinely excited by the prospect. But it’s got naff-all to do with gaming PCs. Given that laptops are outselling desktops by 4:3, and that gaming PCs make up a tiny fraction of desktop sales, this might not be a surprise. But does this point towards the end of gaming rigs? (Thanks @beardyweirdy666 for the link.)]]>
Intel Labs, the company’s R&D arm, is launching an initiative around what it calls the “data economy”—how consumers might capture more of the value of their personal information, like digital records of their their location or work history. To make this possible, Intel is funding hackathons to urge developers to explore novel uses of personal data. It has also paid for a rebellious-sounding website called We the Data, featuring raised fists and stories comparing Facebook to Exxon Mobil. "To destabilise a company, make what it charges for into a commodity."]]>
"There is an adoption curve," Otellini acknowledged, talking about Windows 8 and its "Modern" user interface (UI), a radical overhaul of the traditional desktop. "We didn't quite have that same kind of adoption curve in Windows 7 versus XP before it. This requires a little bit of training."
Otellini, however, did say, "Once you get over that adoption curve, I don't think you go back." He also argued, as have most analysts and many Windows 8 users, that on a touch-enabled device Windows 8 is easier to use than Windows 7.
Shortages of touch-ready hardware, particularly notebooks, have plagued the industry since Windows 8's launch. And the higher prices of touch PCs have put off many consumers, who have been trained for years to expect low-priced machines. When they can't find a touch PC in their price range, experts have said, they instead steer toward lower-cost touch tablets.]]>
ASRock and Micro-Star International (MSI) shipped 7.7 million and five million own-brand motherboards respectively in 2012, the sources indicated.
There were an estimated 28 million own-brand motherboards shipped in the China DIY market in 2012, accounting for 35% of the global total, the sources noted. It's not clear whether these would be for OEMs who then make up PCs for retail sale, or enthusiasts building their own machines. Also of note: Intel is pulling out of the motherboard market.]]>
"If we're going to have this technology in five to 10 years, we could finally do things that take way too much processing power today," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights and Strategy. "This could really open up our concept of what is a computer... The phone would be smart enough to not just be a computer but it could be my computer." With 48 cores, you'd hope so. Then again - five to ten years? Seems a big margin of error. And Intel's still not knocking them over in smartphones.]]>
Pros: Decent performance, good battery life, solid design, operating system tweaks are positive
Cons: Occasional software glitches cause stutter when navigating between screens, camera not as good as some competitors, relatively miserly built-in storage SIM-free price: £350.]]>
And that traction isn’t likely show up until PC manufacturers are able to lower their prices. According to Sterne Agee analyst Vijay Rakesh, 75 percent of the Ultrabooks currently available at Best Buy cost more than $950. Of those, several command prices of more than $1,300. From February: Intel's UK head interviewed about ultrabook expectations on Tech Weekly. ]]>
In addition to Intel, there are already several smartphone players and telecom carriers aggressively developing wireless charging technology. Japan-based NTT Docomo and Sharp both previously launched smartphones with wireless charging functions that meet the Wireless Power Consortium's (WPS) Qi standard, but high prices are still creating barriers that distance consumers, the sources noted. Gotta love those upstream supply chain sources. Can you wait another year, especially as the HP TouchPad had it a year ago?]]>
No one has ever reported that, for 18 months, Project Marklar existed only because a self-demoted engineer wanted his son Max to be able to live closer to Max's grandparents. Quora, proving its worth.]]>
The new chips are set to land later in the month, but large scale shipments of notebooks based on the processors are not likely until the end of the quarter, according to Digitimes. But expected to rise in May and June. You know what this means? New laptops in May.]]>