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31 December 2008

Leak photos show rumors Casio Exilim phone

Casio Exilim phoneAllegations images of the rumor Casio Exilim NX-9250 phone have emerged, making the strengthening of the recent reports that the mobile device is on the way to North America. FCC filings show that the phone is support for CDMA 800/1900, EVDO Rev A radio and Bluetooth include Wireless. If it is authentic, the photos show that the 5.1-megapixel was chosen for capturing photos or video. The phone can use a WVGA screen May and also offers a 3x optical zoom.

The Casio Exilim NX-9250 reported will be offered exclusively by Verizon, but an official announcement has yet been made. The mobile operator currently offers rugged Casio G'zOne phones.

LG launches 3G HSDPA phone wrist

LG-GD910-wrist phone for both 3G and HSDPA
Korea-based LG has its newest mobile phone, the LG-GD910-wrist phone for both 3G and HSDPA. The user interface is part of a 1.43-inch color LCD touch screen, while a video camera was integrated into the side to watch the video or conferences. The device also offers text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities, Bluetooth, MP3 player and voice dialing with voice recognition. The company claims download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps HSDPA use.

The LG-GD910 is scheduled for the first time at CES in January. European and Korean customers will have the first opportunity to purchase new phones wrist, although the price has not yet been published.

30 December 2008

International Rectifier - New range of industrial trench HEXFET power MOSFETs

International Rectifier - New range of industrial trench HEXFET power MOSFETsA new range of trench HEXFET power MOSFETs has been unveiled by International Rectifier. The devices feature low baseline state resistance (RDS (ON)) in an A-247 packages for synchronous recovery, and active ORing including industrial applications of high power DC motors, DC to AC inverters and power tools.

The new MOSFETs feature improved up to 50 per cent in RDS (on) on competing devices, eliminating the need for large, costly packages typically used in industrial applications, and cutting overall system cost. In addition, the low RDS (on) results in lower conduction losses and improving the efficiency of the system.

The superior RDS (ON) noted that family to enable designers to reduce system cost by almost 50 percent in avoiding large and expensive isotopes or mini BLOCK packages typically required to dissipate heat in industrial applications.

The new family of N-channel MOSFETs provide a voltage range from 40V to 200V. The devices are qualified industrial grade and moisture sensitivity level 1 (MSL1). The new MOSFETs are available and are lead-free RoHS compliant, says the company.

23 December 2008

NVIDIA Preparing GT300 Next Graphics Processor Early 2009?

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 320 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 350 will have 25-45% faster core frequencies and will consume 15-30% less Power.

Specifications for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 320 graphics processor (GPU):
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 320
  • GT300 core
  • 55nm technology
  • 386 sq.mm die area
  • 512bit GDDR5 memory controller
  • GDDR5 2GB memory, doubled GTX280
  • 480 stream processors
  • Grating operation units are 64 the same with GTX280
  • 227 GB/s memory bandwidth
  • Default clock speeds of core: 830MHz, shader: 2075 MHz, memory: 3360MHz (effective)
  • Pixel fill-rate 48.3G pixels/s
  • Texture fill-rate 114.4Gpixels/s
  • Support DirectX 11.

Specifications for the Nvdia GeForce GTX 350 graphics processor (GPU):
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 350
  • GT300 core
  • 55nm technology
  • 386 sq.mm die area
  • 640bit GDDR5 memory controller
  • GDDR5 2GB memory, doubled GTX280
  • 640 stream processors
  • Grating operation units are 64 the same with GTX280
  • 246 GB/s memory bandwidth
  • Default clock speeds of core: 900MHz, shader: 2255 MHz, memory: 3660MHz (effective)
  • Pixel fill-rate 54.2G pixels/s
  • Texture fill-rate 136.8Gpixels/s
  • Support DirectX 11.
According to some rumor , the production of the following generation graphic chips NVIDIA, known under the code name GT300, will take place already in the first quarter of the following year. Let us recall, that the development cycle of these solutions must be completed only in the fourth quarter 200

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Video Card Review & benchmark test

Nvidia will release its next high-end graphics card at CES in Las Vegas on January 8th and the company has given us the opportunity to give bit-tech’s readers a sneak peek at how the GeForce GTX 295 will perform. However, because the card is not available on the market yet, and won’t be until January 8th at the earliest, the company has asked us to adhere to a number of restrictions..








The GeForce GTX 295 is a return to dual GPUs on a single card for Nvidia, which some may or may not appreciate. Nvidia still has the fastest single GPU card in the world with the GeForce GTX 280 but because there is such a gulf between Nvidia’s current flagship product and the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, it was time for the company to respond with something that’s able to compete for the graphics crown.

Specifications

480 Stream processors

576 MHz core clock

1242 MHz shader clock

1000 / 2000 MHz GDDR3 memory clock

1792MB total frame buffer (896MB per core)

4480-bit memory interface per core

56 total ROPs (28 per core)

160 texture units (80 per core)

Spec VS GTX 2xx
Model Year Code name Fab (nm) Transistors (Million) Die Size (mm 2) Bus interface Memory min (MiB) Config core 1 Reference clock rate Fillrate Reference Memory Configuration Graphics library support (version GFLOPs (MADD+MUL) TDP (Watts)
Core (MHz) Shader (MHz) Memory (MT/s) Pixel (GP/s) Texture (GT/s) Bandwidth (GiB/s) DRAM type Bus width (bit) DirectX OpenGL
GeForce GTX 260 June 26, 2008 D10U-20 65 1400 576 PCIe x16 2.0 896 192:64:28 576 1242 1998 16.128 36.864 111.9 GDDR3 448 32x14 10 2.1 715 182
GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 September 16, 2008 ? 65 1400 576 PCIe x16 2.0 896 216:72:28 576 1242 1998 16.128 41.472 111.9 GDDR3 448 32x14 10 2.1 805 182
GeForce GTX 280 June 17, 2008 D10U-30 65 1400 576 PCIe x16 2.0 1024 240:80:32 602 1296 2214 19.264 48.16 141.7 GDDR3 512 32x16 10 2.1 933 236
GeForce GTX 285 January 2009
55 1400?
PCIe x16 2.0 1024 240:80:32 648? 1476? 2484?

159.0 GDDR3 512 10 2.1
183
GeForce GTX 295 January 2009
55 1400?
PCIe x16 2.0 2x 896 2x 240:80:28 576 1242 1998 32.256 92.160 223.776 GDDR3 2x 448 10 2.1 1788.48 289


Test
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Crysis Warhead :




FarCry 2






The GeForce GTX 295 will feature the new die-shrunk 55nm version of the GeForce GT200 GPU, and will have the following specifications: 480 stream processors (240x2), a 896 bit memory interface (448x2), and 1792MB of GDDR3. Judging from these specs, there is no reason why this card won't be the single fastest card you can pick up, at least until ATI answers back. Fudzilla has tested the Geforce GTX 295 and it beats the 4870 X2 in almost every game. Nvidia claims that the 4870 X2 only won in certain games because Nvidia has not launched their new drivers for the card. With the new drivers, the GeForce GTX 295 is expected to beat the ATI 4870 X2 in every game.

The GeForce GTX 295 will be officially launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on 8 January 2009, and Nvidia estimates that it will cost around $499 US (£322.41), although no official UK pricing has been announced yet.


GeForce GTX 295
GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce 9800 GX2Radeon HD 4870 X2
Manufacturing Process55nm TSMC65nm TSMC65nm TSMC65nm TSMC55nm TSMC
SPs480
240
216
256
1,600
Core Clock576 MHz602 MHz576 MHz600 MHz750 MHz
Shader Clock1,242 MHz1,296 MHz1,242 MHz1,500 MHz750 MHz
Memory Clock1,998 MHz Eff.2,214 MHz Eff.1,998 MHz Eff.2,000 MHz Eff.3,600 MHz Eff.
Frame Buffer1,792 MB Tot.1 GB896 MB1 GB Tot.2 GB Tot.
Memory Bus Width448-bit x 2512-bit448-bit256-bit x 2256-bit x 2
ROPs56 Tot.32
2832 Tot.32 Tot.
Price$499 MSP~$380~$230N/A~$500


Sierra intros two AirCard HSPA modems

Sierra Wireless on Wednesday released a pair of HSPA mobile broadband network ExpressCard modems, the AirCard 501 and 502. Either has the potential to download data at up to 7.2Mbps and upload at 5.76Mbps and sport internal antennas with no moving parts, which extend just over an inch from a notebook. The AirCard 502 is designed for use in the European market, as it operates on the 900MHz, 1,900MHz and 2,100MHz UMTS bands, while the AirCard 501 supports North America with 850MHz, 1,900MHz and 2,100MHz bands.

NVIDIA demos Ion: 9400M for netbooks

NVIDIA let slip details of its proposed platform for netbooks and nettops through Ubergizmo. Nicknamed Ion, the platform combines both an Intel Atom and a GeForce 9400M on a Pico-ITX mainboard. The design lets NVIDIA reduce the number of main chips for such a system from Intel’s three to two by merging the graphics, interface and memory controllers into a single chip and creates a reference design that measures just 3.9in by 2.9in even with expansion ports.

Full Article

Moto preps 3 touch phones for Motorola Niagara, Fairbanks and Harmony

Believe it or not, there's more to Motorola than just the RAZR and its subsequent successors. In fact, looking at this 2009 roadmap for Verizon Wireless, it looks like Motorola could be selling some pretty hot phones next year. They've got some rather creative names to boot and--get this--they don't all get the "four letters in all caps" naming scheme either. Then again, these could just be codenames and none of them have actually been confirmed by Moto or VZW.

Starting from the left, We have the Motorola RUSH 2. With the increasing popularity in text messaging, instant messaging, and mobile email, we're starting to see more QWERTY dumbphones. The RUSH 2 capitalizes on this trend with a horizontally-sliding QWERTY keyboard and bold black-red color scheme. Look for it in Q1.

In the middle is the Motorola CALGARY, another phone that happens to have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but the keys look pretty different. It's almost as if they are laser-etched into a flat piece of aluminum, illuminated with brilliant cyan lighting. From what I can gather, this will also be a touchscreen phone with Sidekick-like tendencies.

Last but not least is the Motorola INFERNO, seemingly an update to the MOTOMING line of Linux smartphones. It looks like it has an active clear flip like the previous MOTOMING phones. Aside from that, we're pretty lacking in details so stay tuned for more as it develops.

It looks like Motorola and Verizon Wireless indeed have big plans for 2009, and those four leaked handsets (Flash, Rush 2, Calgary and Inferno) are not the only surprises prepared by the two companies for next year.

According to BGR, at least other three new phones are scheduled for a 2009 release.

These are Motorola Niagara, Motorola Fairbanks and Motorola Harmony.

None of them seem to be high-end, but the Niagara surely looks good, sporting a slider design that might make it a next-generation RIZR (if Moto wants to continue with the RIZR line, of course).

Here’s what the Motorola Niagara looks like:



Motorola Fairbanks and Motorola Harmony, the other two handsets that Verizon will out sometime next year, are both clamshells. Fairbanks is a rugged PTT one, while Harmony looks like a music-centric device, with touch-sensitive external keys.

NVIDIA on Thursday was reported as having visited Taiwan computer makers as part of a campaign to pressure Intel into allowing support for the GeForce 9400M and similar chipsets with the Atom processor. The chipset designer is said to be negotiating deals that would have the local firms themselves ask Intel to remove an insistence that Atom run only on its own platform and thus let NVIDIA move in, potentially leading to much faster graphics for netbooks and nettops.

We have reviewed many an Intel Atom netbook. Performance is quite standard at this point; the netbooks can handle basic multi-tasking including Web browsing and word processing and light multimedia use, such as watching streaming video or a navigating through a virtual world. But you are limited in what you can do on your netbook in terms of graphics performance and Nvidia doesn’t want it to stay that way.

The company doesn't specifically say whether it has tried negotiating directly with Intel to get support but implies that a lack of success has forced the new tactic. Which companies have been petitioned aren't named, though Acer and ASUS currenly sell the majority of netbooks. Current users of the 9400M platform are relatively few but include Apple and Toshiba, though whether these have also been asked to pressure Intel isn't mentioned.

Today, the GPU maker released its GeForce 9400 + Intel Atom platform (called Ion) that will allow the Intel netbook platform to run a more powerful graphics option. It replaces Intel’s GMA 945 chipset (it is similar in a sense to what we saw on the ASUS N10J, but that system allowed for switching between the Intel and the Nvidia 9300M graphics card, while the Ion platform is Nvidia graphics only). While Nvidia isn’t looking to convert your netbook into a desktop replacement gaming system, it wants to give end consumers the ability to take advantage of the GPU on smaller form factors. So what will the platform bring to future netbooks?

Such a campaign points to a distinct reversal of NVIDIA's cautious stance on netbooks, revealing the company to now be directly interested in adapting it hybrid graphics and controller chipsets to the very low-cost and often limited field. Most netbooks are incapable of playing back HD video or of accelerating modern 3D.

According to the Nvidia, Ion will improve the graphics and video transcoding performance of Intel Atom netbooks by 10x. Sick of running Windows XP? The GeForce 9400 platform will help netbooks run modern operating systems like Vista and Windows 7. Ion-based systems will also be capable of handling high definition content and outputting it via HDMI. For more details, see our full interview with Nvidia on what the platform can do.


Along with the platform Nvidia is unveiling a Pico-ITX and motherboard nettop reference design that shows off the power of combining its GeForce 9400 platform with Atom processor. See the images in the gallery below.


Nvidia has not announced any OEM partners that will bring the new platform to market just yet, but expects systems to ship during the first half of 2009. As you can read in our interview, the company also hasn’t revealed the pricing but doesn’t expect it to add more than $50 to the total cost of a netbook. The company will be demoing this new small form factor platform at CES next month.

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Sprint releases USB modem hybrid EVDO/WiMAX

Sierra wireless usb modem to debut on sprint mobile broadband commercial availability of portable ev-do rev a usb sequans releases mobile wimax wave 2 chip new emc filters. Wimax news on wimax industry microwave ip solution allows for packet, hybrid of the planned commercial deployment of wimax technology in chicago by sprint's mot) unveiled its first wimax usb adaptor, the. Rim blackberry 8830 specs, features, and information (phone arena) systems, inc is proud to release dragnet wimax site the speed and mobility of wimax has met sprint s that flyvo base station and usb modem have received mobile wimax. Ip telephony, voip, broadband zdnet.com and from potential new offerings, such as sprint nextel's wimax down the road, however, cdma2000 1x ev-do rev c multi-part technical white paper on mobile wimax the first release.

Sprint today claimed to be the first US carrier to offer a device with both 3G and 4G Internet access. The USB Modem U300 gives access to Sprint's recently launched WiMAX network for full 4G access but also carries support for the broader, original-spec EVDO network. The option lets users connect between 2Mbps and 4Mbps in the current 4G coverage area but still get roughly 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps elsewhere.

The Franklin-made USB stick also supports GPS mapping data on 3G portions of the network and comes bundled with software that will auto-detect the fastest available connection. It currently only works with Windows 2000 and later PCs and will ship on December 21st to Baltimore, the official first WiMAX coverage area. The company plans to offer the device for $150 after including a two-year contract and rebate and requires an $80 monthly plan to use both the 3G and 4G networks.

15 December 2008

TDK-Lambda - First 1000W AC/DC power bricks unveiled

TDK-Lambda - First 1000W AC/DC power bricks unveiledAdding more functionality to its PFE range of AC/DC MEGA-brick POWER supplies, TDK-Lambda has introduced the 1000W PFE-F Series.

Like the existing lower power PFE modules, the PFE1000F combines the AC to HVDC front-end with DC-DC converter into a single module. In addition the baseplate cooled design greatly simplifies the thermal design of the equipment in which they are used. PFE modules satisfy the increasing requirement for fanless high power, especially for outdoor electronics when suitably enclosed.

Up to six PFE1000F units can be operated in parallel, achieving outputs of up to 5.1kW. For use in high reliability equipment, N+1 redundant parallel operation is possible. Space savings of 25% are possible with PFE applications compared to previous generation solutions that utilised a two stage AC/DC front end module and DC-DC backend module. Typical markets include industrial, high end ATE, quasi military, traffic signs and cellular infrastructure approach.

Models in the fully-regulated PFE1000F series are available in 12, 28 and 48V nominal outputs and can be adjusted ±20%. The 12V versions deliver 720W with a maximum baseplate temperature of 100C, while the 28V and 48V models provide 1008W.

All versions have a wide-range AC input that allows operation from any voltage between 85V and 265V at 47Hz to 63Hz. As standard, they incorporate active power factor correction and input-to-output isolation of 3000VAC for one minute. Over-voltage, over-current and over-temperature protections are also included.

The PFE1000F Series also has additional features such as remote ON/OFF control, inverter operation good (IOG) signal and an auxiliary power supply for external signals (nominal 12V/20mA). In addition, specific to the telecoms equipment market specifications, the PFE1000F features enhanced circuitry to improve lightning surge withstand capability up to 6kV when installed using recommended reference design.

The PFE1000F comes in 100mm x 13.4mm x 160mm package and can be conduction cooled with a cold-plate or forced cooled with a heatsink. All PFE1000F Series products conform to IEC/EN/UL/CSA 60950-1 safety approvals for general purpose applications. In addition, the units carry the CE mark according to the LV Directive, says the company.

ON Semi - Industry’s highest power integrated Power over Ethernet power device

ON Semi - Industry’s highest power integrated Power over Ethernet power deviceAvailability of the NCP1082 and NCP1083, two new members of its POWER over Ethernet (PoE) product family, has been announced by ON Semiconductor.

The NCP1083 joins the NCP1081 as the industry’s highest power integrated Power over Ethernet Power Device (PoE-PD) supporting extended power ranges up to 40W of regulated power delivered to the application load in a 2-pair configuration, says the company.

The NCP1083 is also capable of providing power via an auxiliary parallel supply. Both NCP1082 and NCP1083 fully support the IEEE 802.3af standard and the NCP1083 enables the latest draft IEEE 802.3at (D3.0) standard including two event physical layer classification. Typical applications targeted by NCP1082 and NCP1083 include VoIP phones, WIRELESS access points, industrial Ethernet I/O modules, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) and dome security cameras, and other applications that require an auxiliary supply.

The NCP1082/3 support normal PoE operation when power is available on the Ethernet cable. In the event Ethernet power is not available, the device accepts an auxiliary supply input to power the application. This approach eliminates the need for a second DC-DC converter and therefore drastically reduces the bill of materials. The new devices support a wide range of external input voltages from 9V to 57V. ON Semiconductor’s integrated NCP1082/3 PoE-PD devices are pin-compatible with the company’s existing NCP1080/1 PoE-PD devices in the TSSOP-EP 20 pin package. Pin compatibility allows the customer to easily mix-and-match different PoE capabilities on different platforms.

The NCP1082/3 exploits ON Semiconductor’s automotive qualified high-voltage SmartPower process to provide superior cable ESD and surge protection levels compared to other integrated PD and DC-DC converter controllers. Low on-resistance (Ron) and extended temperature range from -40C to 85C with full operation up to 150C junction temperature allows the NCP1082/3 to achieve record power levels while operating in harsh environments.

“The auxiliary supply capability facilitates the transition from traditional power sources to Power over Ethernet” said Koen Geirnaert, ON Semiconductor’s PoE-PD product marketing manager. “Combined with the high power capability this feature enables a broad range of applications”

The devices' integrated DC-DC converter controller facilitates the implementation of popular and proven single-ended power supply topologies such as fly-back, buck and forward CONVERTERS for both configurations and uses a control scheme based on peak current control. The controllers have all the features needed for a flexible, robust and highly efficient design, including programmable frequency, slope compensation and soft startup, says the company.

Mini-ITX board uses "netbook" Atom

Axiomtek has introduced a mini-ITX motherboard using the "mobile" versions of Intel's Atom processor. With its low power consumption and impressive list of I/O, the SBC86836 targets "extremely slim" embedded applications such as in-vehicle infotainment, POS, lottery machines, and kiosks.

The SBC86836's complement of I/O includes dual gigabit Ethernet ports, both VGA and LVDS display support, eight USB ports, six serial ports, and dual SATA ports. The company does not actually quantify the SBC86836's power usage, leaving us to turn to power usage ratings for Atom chips in general.

Since the Intels Atom was first announced in May, the family of 45nm processors has become remarkably popular. In a November report on third quarter 2008 processor sales, the research firm IDC said that Atom single-handedly boosted the market by an additional eight percent, out of an overall 15.8 increase.

The first Atoms were the Z5xx series, ranging in speed from 800MHz to 1.86GHz, with TDPs from 0.65 to 2.4 Watts. The 1.6GHz Z530, for example, has a TDP of 2 Watts. These 13 x 13mm chips, generally associated with MIDs (mobile internet devices) and other highly mobile products, are invariably paired with Intel's relatively large SCH US15W, an integrated northbridge/southbridge.

The chipmaker's second wave of Atoms came in June, in the form of the N270 and 230, architecturally the same as the Z5xx series but using 22mm x 22mm packages, and different supporting chipsets -- the "mobile" 945GCSE and 82801GBM for the N270, the 82945GC and 82801GB for the 230. At 1.6GHz, the N270 and 230 have TDPs of 2.5 and 4 Watts, respectively.

As history will record, the N270 has now found a home in innumerable netbooks (Intel's name for mini-laptops). Back on the mini-ITX farm, though, the first motherboard to sport an Atom was Intel's own D945GCLF. Employing the 230 "nettop" CPU, the D945GCLF uses from 40 to 60 Watts overall, according to third party tests. Most companies creating mini-ITX motherboards have apparently followed in Intel's footsteps by choosing the 230, though Kontron used the Z5xx Atoms in its KTUS15/miTX.

The SBC86836 adheres to Via's seven-year-old mini-ITX format, measuring 6.7 x 6.7 inches (170 x 170mm). However it does comply fully with Via's Mini-ITX version 2.0 spec, announced earlier this year, since it lacks a PCI Express x16 expansion slot.

Lacking any specifics from Axiomtek, we'd have to guess that the company's selection of the 1.6GHz N270 for the SBC86836 has subtracted as much as ten Watts from the device's power budget. That said, there appears to be a lot more to the SBC86836 than just its low-power characteristics. For example, it has substantially more I/O than the Intel board already mentioned. It boasts a VGA port, two gigabit Ethernet ports, three serial ports, and four USB ports on its edge. Also on the edge are dual PS/2 ports, for keyboard and mouse, plus audio I/O, according to Axiomtek.

Axiomtek's SBC86836


Internally, headers supply an additional three serial ports, four more USB ports, dual SATA ports, and an LVDS interface, Axiomtek adds. Expansion potential includes up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a PCI slot, and a Type II CompactFlash slot.

Features and specifications listed by Axiomtek for the SBC86838 include:

* Processor -- 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
* Memory -- Up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, via single 240-pin slot
* Displays -- Supports CRTs up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, or LVDS LCDs up to 1600 x 1200
* Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports
* Other I/O:
  • 2 x PS/2 (for keyboard and mouse) o 8 x USB 2.0 (4 external, 4 internal)
  • 1 x RS232/422/485 (external)
  • 5 x RS232 (2 external, 3 internal)
  • 2 x SATA-150
  • VGA
  • LVDS
  • Audio I/O
  • 8 channels of digital I/O (4 in, 4 out)
* Expansion:
  • PCI slot
  • Type II CompactFlash slot
* Operating temperature -- 0 to 60 deg. C (32 to 140 deg. F)
* Dimensions -- 6.7 x 6.7 inches (170 x 170mm)

Further information

Axiomtek did not announce pricing, but said the SBC86836 will be available during January 2009. Operating system support was not specified, but the Intel CPU and chipset have run Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows Vista, Linux, and other OSes on a wide variety of previous devices.

More information may be found on the company's website, here.

For further information about IDC's report regarding Intel Atom sales, see our sister site eWEEK.com, here.

CDMA, UMTS modems gain Linux SDK

Sierra Wireless is shipping a Linux software development kit (SDK) for its 3G wireless modules. The Linux SDK supports its HSPA- and EV-DO Rev-compatible modems, says the company, which also announced it was acquiring embedded wireless vendor Wavecom.

The Sierra Wireless Linux SDK is available to both OEMs and independent software vendors that are developing connection managers for network operators, says the company. The SDK is said to support application development on a wide range of Sierra Wireless adapter products that work with CDMA and UMTS wireless networks, including most recent "AirCard" PC card modems (pictured above), ExpressCard modems (pictured below), "Compass" USB modems, and MCx-class embedded PCI-Express Mini Card modems, such as the MC8792V model shown below. Target applications are said to include portable devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) systems, fixed wireless terminals, vending machines, and fleet management systems, says Sierra Wireless.
The Linux SDK includes a general Application Programming Interface (API), as well as "access to" the Sierra Wireless Command and Status (CnS) API, says Sierra Wireless. The latter includes commands for voice, SMS, and data connections, enabling lower power consumption by comparison with using AT commands, claims the company.

According to a company spokesperson, the Linux SDK has been built, tested, and verified based on Ubuntu- and Debian Sarge-based reference designs. X86 platforms are supported with Ubuntu 8.04, and require 256MB RAM and 3GB of available storage. ARM9 "and other embedded processors" are supported with the Technologic Systems TS-7800 platform, running a Debian Sarge Linux 2.6 distribution, said the Sierra Wireless representative.

The SDK is offered under a "fairly standard" Sierra Wireless license that restricts use to Sierra Wireless products only, and allows for "redistribution with another product that includes the Sierra Wireless product," said the spokesperson. A Linux driver, meanwhile, has already been available as an open source download on kernel.org. Previous Sierra Wireless SDKs have been developed for Windows platforms, including Windows CE and Windows Mobile.

Last week, Vancouver, Canada-based Sierra Wireless announced it had signed an agreement to acquire Paris, France-based Wavecom for 218 million Euros (about $277 million US). Wavecom manufactures embedded wireless technology for M2M applications, strengthening Sierra Wireless's hand in embedded devices while also improving its customer reach in Europe and Asia, says the company.

Stated Trent Punnett, SVP, Marketing and Corporate Development, for Sierra Wireless, "The Linux SDK allows developers integrating Sierra Wireless products into Linux-based systems in a cost-effective way that supports their tight development schedules."

Availability

The Sierra Wireless Linux SDK is available now, free of charge to qualified customers, says the company.

MSC - Low-cost implementation of TFT displays in microcontroller applications

MSC - Low-cost implementation of TFT displays in microcontroller applicationsA new reference design kit has been introduced by MSC as part of its VisuRDK series offering. It now offers a H8SX-based single-chip solution with a resolution up to WVGA (800x480, 32 bit computing POWER, larger on-chip memories of 1MB FLASH as well as additional interfaces like USB and Ethernet, says the company.

With the VisuRDK kits the company presents an economic solution for the direct control of TFT displays using a general purpose microcontroller. With the intelligent hard and software combination, a TFT display can be controlled directly and without an additional graphics controller. The system costs can be significantly reduced by omitting the graphics controllers used so far in such applications. This microcontroller-based approach of the VisuRDK kits offer an interesting alternative for applications where the embedded PC solution or the use of an expensive graphics subsystem would be much too powerful and expensive.

The kit is a fast and easy introduction to graphic programming for developers. Graphic interfaces can be quickly created and tested with the help of graphics libraries and program examples. Within the shortest time, you can adapt the examples to your own requirements. The software drivers are provided in the source code and the touch panel support is also integrated. Besides the provided QVGA TFT with touch, the kit also offers support for TFT displays from different manufacturers.

The kit also contains a complete microcontroller developer environment including IDE, complier (test license) as well as an E10A-JTAG emulator, says the company.

Microsoft releases "critical" patches for XPe devices

Microsoft has released its monthly batch of security updates for Windows XP Embedded (XPe). Announced on Microsoft's Windows Embedded Standard blog, and available now on its Mobile and Embedded Communications Extranet (ECE), the "November 2008 XP Embedded Security Updates" include two fixes for existing devices, both rated "critical."

As in other months, the "critical" fixes are said to repair vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take complete control of a computer. Via remote code execution, an attacker could install programs, view, change, or delete data, and create new accounts with full user rights, according to Microsoft.

The first of the two patches is described, using Microsoft's online knowledge base numbering, as KB 938464, resolving "privately reported" vulnerabilities in the Windows GDI (graphics device interface). The vulnerability may have allowed remote code execution if a user viewed a maliciously crafted image file. But, by modifying GDIPLUS.DLL and other Windows files, the patch prevents this.

The second of the two patches is described as KB 956390, which updates the Internet Explorer web browser to repair "five privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability." Once again, without the fix, remote code execution might be possible, says Microsoft.

These patches might sound familiar to loyal readers, since they were already released as part of Microsoft's October 2008 XP Embedded Security Updates. The October version of the patches, however, merely entered them into XPe's component database, a part of the Target Designer toolkit that's accessed when new operating system images are being built. In contrast, the newly available November version provides the patches for XPe's Desktop QFE Installer (DQI). That apparently means the fixes can now be applied to existing XPe devices.

Further information

More information on the distinction between component database and DQI patches for XPe may be found on Microsoft's website, here. To obtain the November 2008 XP Embedded Security Updates from Microsoft's ECE, go here (prior registration required). (windowsfordevices.com/news)

Toshiba - New 16GB microSDHC and secure digital high capacity cards

Toshiba - New 16GB microSDHC and secure digital high capacity cardsWith the launch of a 16GB microSDHC card, offering the largest capacity available in the market, Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has reinforced its memory card line-up.

At the same time, the company extended its range of industry-leading memory card solutions by adding ultra fast read / write 8GB and 16GB secure digital high capacity (SDHC) cards to its line-up. Mass production of the new SDHC cards will start in December 2008, with production of the new microSDHC due to start in January 2009.

All the new SD memory cards comply with the SD memory standard Ver. 2.00, and the two new SDHC cards support class 6 ultra fast read / write speed - a maximum write speed of 20MB per second, delivering the performance level necessary for continuous shooting of still images and recording video images. The new cards meet strong market demands for cards combining high capacities with high speed data read and write. The new microSDHC can be used with an adapter that allows it to be used in SDHC slots.

Demand is growing fast for larger data storage in portable digital consumer products. microSDHC cards provide a solution for mobile phones, while SDHC memory cards support for other digital consumer products.The high-level specifications and wide range of memory cards announced by Toshiba will allow third-party developers to bring exciting applications to future generations of consumer products. Toshiba will continue to meet market demand by further expanding its SD memory card series, says the company.

Netflix comes to Linux desktop

An alpha-stage "social" media center distribution is bringing Netflix video downloads to Linux desktops for the first time, says an industry blog. The Boxee software offers a unified gateway to a variety of social- and media-networking services, says Boxee.

Earlier this week, LinuxDevices took a brief look at the Linux-compatible Boxee distro when we conjectured that the new Asus B204 and B206 home-theater versions of the company's Eee Box nettops might make a suitable home for the distribution. Now DeviceGuru, which has been evaluating an alpha version, reports that the latest Boxee release supports Netflix video downloads, and even lets users browse Netflix's media library from within Boxee, something owners of Roku's Netflix Player can't do, (at least not with currently available firmware).

As the blog notes, Netflix users have been able to stream the subscription service's videos onto Windows for some time, while Macintosh desktops gained support within the last few weeks. However, the capability has never before been available for Linux desktops. A Mac OS X version of the Netflix release is available now, and an Ubuntu Linux version will be ready early next year, says DeviceGuru

Boxee lets users play and share media from computers and other devices across a home network, says the company. The distribution is said to stream content from various free and commercial Internet sources, or download videos, music, and photos from the Internet. Based on the XMBC Media Center open-source project, Boxee is currently in alpha stage on Ubuntu Linux and Mac OS X platforms. It has been recently ported to the Apple TV 2.3, and a Windows version is in the works.

Earlier this year, Roku shipped its embedded Linux Netflix Player set-top box (STB), enabling users to download videos directly. More recently, Blockbuster came out with its own Linux-equipped STB, based on 2Wire's MediaPoint design, and aimed exclusively at streaming on-demand videos.

Meanwhile, an industry report has stated that the "Moonlight" open source project plans to introduce Netflix playback capabilities in its Linux playback software. Developed as an offshoot of the Novell-sponsored Mono project, the Moonlight project is cloning Microsoft's Silverlight media player technology to Linux.

Netflix support should be available on Windows and Mac versions of Silverlight by the end of the year. It could show up on Moonlight early next year, when Moonlight 1.0 arrives (the first beta version of Moonlight was posted last week). Or, it could rely on features in Moonlight 2.0, scheduled for later in the year.

Availability

Boxee is available in alpha stage for Ubuntu Linux, but new users may have to wait several weeks, the Boxee site warns. The latest Netflix-enabled release is expected to be available in early 2009. More information can be found at the Boxee site, here.

The DeviceGuru blog on Boxee, complete with numerous screenshots of Boxee in action, should be here. ( linuxdevices.com/news )

14 December 2008

Best Values VGA Card For Games

The specifications of the graphics card and comments are great-that is, if you have the time to do research. But at the end of the day, what a player needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.

Therefore, if you do not have the time to research the benchmarks or if you do not feel confident enough in his ability to pick the right board, fear not.

The Radeon HD 4850 X2 became commercially available right after last month’s article was published. The 4850 X2 is a tough card to peg, as its $370 street price is a bit more than the cost of two separate 4850 cards, which can retail for as low as $340. Having said that, the 4850 X2 is equipped with 2 GB of video RAM, while the 4850s with 1 GB of RAM start at $200 each from what we’ve seen. In addition, the 4850 X2 seems to be able to beat Nvidia’s more-expensive flagship GeForce GTX 280 by a small margin. With this in mind, we recommend the Radeon 4850 X2 for those of you with a $370 budget.

Otherwise, the news has been pretty quiet going into the holiday season. Prices keep falling and consumers can’t complain with all of these wonderfully-powerful cards hovering around the $100 mark.

AMD is on the verge of releasing its Catalyst 8.12 driver, which, once installed, should introduce marked performance increases in a number of newer games, as well as adding some new capabilities like a stream computing feature and video encoding acceleration to battle Nvidia’s recent "Badaboom" trial.

On the Nvidia side, we should soon see 55 nm versions of the G200 cards. These should use less power than Nvidia’s current 65 nm GeForce GTX 260/280 cards and make them more overclockable to boot. If this is the case, it’s a safe bet that they’d be ideal for a GeForce 280 GX2 card with two GPUs — just the kind of thing that Nvidia would love to manufacture in order to get the performance crown back from the Radeon HD 4870 X2.

Regardless of what the future holds, lower prices and more performance equal good times right now.

Some Notes About Our Recommendations

A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list:

  • This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need;
  • Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing info, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest;
  • The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary;
  • These are new card prices. No used or open box cards are in the list; they might be a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.

Good 1440x900 performance in most games

Radeon HD 4650
Codename: RV730
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 320
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 8
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 600
Memory Speed MHz: 500 (1000 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

With the Radeon HD 4650’s price dropping to $60, we have a really attractive budget gaming option that takes us past the old budget 1280x1024 limitation. The 4650 is simply an underclocked Radeon 4670, which by now has a reputation as being a very fast mainstream card with low power requirements. Well, the 4650 requires even less power and offers very good gaming performance for the price.

The 4650 is also an exemplary choice for a home theater PC because it can accelerate even HD video without breaking a sweat, and since it’s a single-slot solution, the card won’t use up too much space in your HTPC.

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games

Radeon HD 4670 GDDR3
Codename: RV730
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 320
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 8
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 1,000 (2,000 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4670 slaps previous-generation, high-end performance squarely in the jaw of mid-range pricing. With 320 shader processors, this card means business and will provide awesome 1600x1200 gaming. Compared to the 9600 GSO, its main advantage is a low-power requirement—the 4670 doesn’t need an external power cable, which for some upgraders is a really important feature.

GeForce 9600 GSO (aka GeForce 8800 GS)
Codename: G92
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 96
Texture Units: 48
ROPs: 12
Memory Bus: 192- or 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 600
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

Previously a high-end card crippled and transformed into a high- to mid-range card, the release of the Radeon HD 4670 has forced the 9600 GSO to a lower price to remain competitive—which it does. It’s an excellent alternative to the 4670, as long as the buyer compares clock speeds and makes sure he or she has one of the desirable models (manufacturers seem to follow the reference speeds very loosely).

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games; 1920x1200 in most titles with some lowered detail

Radeon HD 3870
Codename: RV670
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 320
Texture Units: 16
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 775
Memory Speed MHz: 1,125 (2,250 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

At $95, the Radeon HD 3870 is an easy recommendation, positioned between the GeForce 8800 GT and the new Radeon HD 4670. It is still a force to be reckoned with at 1600x1200, and even at 1920x1200.

GeForce 9600 GT
Codename: G92
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 64
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 650
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The 9600 GT is a good match for the Radeon 3870—both are excellent choices at the $95 price point.

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games; 1920x1200 in most titles with some lowered detail

Radeon HD 4830
Codename: RV770LE
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 640
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 575
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The new Radeon HD 4830 finally gives AMD something to compete against the legendary GeForce 8800 GT (as well as its identical sibling, the 9800 GT). Just as the 8800 GT is a crippled 8800 GTS, the Radeon HD 4830 is a crippled 4850. Both cards are excellent, while one winning over the other depends on the game or the image-quality settings.

GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB (aka GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB)
Codename: G92
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 112
Texture Units: 56
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 600
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

While the Radeon HD 4830 offers the 8800/9800 GT its first competition in its price class, the card remains a strong contender and is still a viable option.

Note that it has been reported that some 9800 GTs have been found in the wild with 3-way SLI support.

Good 1920x1200 performance in most games, some with lowered detail

Radeon HD 4850
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 625
Memory Speed MHz: 993 (1,986 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4850 is the new people’s champion, instantly bringing yesterday’s $300 performance level down to the mainstream $160 price point. This card has a lot of potential when used on its own, and becomes a devastating force when paired with a second 4850 in a CrossFire configuration.

Good 1920x1200 performance

Radeon HD 4870 512 MB
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4870 offers the same architecture that the 4850 series does, paired with its secret weapon: brand-new GDDR5 memory. This technology provides about twice as much throughput as the GDDR3 does, so its 900 MHz clock speed is comparable to a 3,600 MHz effective memory speed. This edge allows the 4870 to up the ante and offer a very compelling level of performance for the price, even competing with the more-expensive GTX 280 in some titles.

GeForce GTX 260
Codename: GT200
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 192
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 28
Memory Bus: 448-bit
Core Speed MHz: 576
Memory Speed MHz: 999 (1,998 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The GeForce GTX 260 offers a compelling level of performance now that its price has been reduced to $220, allowing it to trade blows with the Radeon HD 4870 on its own turf. This is one of those situations where a buyer really should look at which card is best for the games he or she plans to play (although you really can’t go wrong with either card).

Good 1920x1200 performance

GeForce GTX 260+
Codename: GT200
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 216
Texture Units: 72
ROPs: 28
Memory Bus: 448-bit
Core Speed MHz: 576
Memory Speed MHz: 999 (1,998 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

We designate the new version of the GeForce GTX 260 with a “+” symbol to differentiate it from its identically-named older sibling. Even though there is no official difference between the two cards, the new GTX 260+ has some very tangible performance increases over the original version. For example, the number of shaders have been increased from 192 to 216, which are within spitting distance of the GeForce GTX 280’s 240 shaders. ROPs have been increased from 64 to 72, once again approaching the GTX 280’s 80 ROPs.

The result is a card that performs almost as well as the expensive GeForce GTX 280, for much less money, and it even beats the GTX 280 when overclocked! You must carefully search for the GeForce GTX 260+ by looking hard at the specifications, but it is certainly worth the price premium over the original GTX 260.

Radeon HD 4870 1 GB
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

It turns out that the Radeon 4870, when equipped with a whole gigabyte of GDDR5 RAM, can up the ante to compete against the GeForce GTX 260+ in some titles. As usual when it comes to these two tough competitors, it pays to look at the benchmarks and see which title you play more, as they tend to trade blows depending on the game.

Good 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles with some lowered detail

2x Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire Configuration
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 625
Memory Speed MHz: 993 (1986 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

In the 4850 CrossFire benchmarks we’ve seen so far, we’ve found that AMD has really learned to squeeze the performance out of its new cards. While a single performs in the same realm as the Radeon HD 4850 GeForce 9800 GTX+, two 4850s in CrossFire mode will beat the dual-GPU GeForce 9800 GX2—and even put the hurt on the more expensive GeForce GTX 280.

Good 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles with some lowered detail

Radeon HD 4850 X2
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 1,600
Texture Units: 80
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The 4850 X2 differentiates itself from a cheaper 4850 CrossFire setup with a full 2 GB of RAM, which usually allows this card to perform better than Nvidia’s flagship GeForce GTX 280 for less money. While the gains over two 4850s in a CrossFire setup might be minimal, those of you without a CrossFire-compatible motherboard will find the 4850 X2 more convenient—just make sure your case and power supply can accommodate the beast.

Good 2560x1600 performance in most games, some with lowered detail

Radeon HD 4870 X2
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 1,600
Texture Units: 80
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

In this author’s opinion, with exponentially increasing prices over $370 offering smaller and smaller performance increases, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than two Radeon HD 4850s. While the 4870, GTX 260, and GTX 280 perform impressively in multiple-card configurations, there’s just not enough of a gain compared to a Radeon 4850 X2, unless you’re playing at resolutions beyond 1920x1200.

Then again, while we often recommend against purchasing any graphics card more than $370 from a value point of view, there are those of you for whom money might not be much of an object, who can afford a 30” LCD monitor and who require the best possible performance money can buy. For those of you, we recommend the $500 Radeon HD 4870 X2, the fastest video card on the planet.

Summary

There you have it folks: the best cards for the money this month. Now all that’s left to do is to find and purchase them, and we leave that part up to you. The best prices will almost certainly be found online, but sometimes large retail outlets might surprise you with a good sale.

Don’t worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there stick pretty close to Nvidia’s and AMD’s reference designs. Just pay attention to price, warranty, and the manufacturer’s reputation for honoring the warranty if something goes wrong.

Also remember that the stores don’t follow this list. Things will change over the course of the month and you’ll probably have to adapt your buying strategy to deal with fluctuating prices. Good luck.