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Submission + - Why the iPhone 6 Maintained the Same Base Memory as the iPhone 5 (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: When the iPhone 5 was launched two years ago, the base $199 (with wireless plan) model came with 16GB of flash memory. Fast forward to this week when the iPhone 6 was launched with the same capacity. Now consider that the cost of 16GB of NAND flash has dropped by more than 13% over the past two years. So why would Apple increase capacity on its $299 model iPhone 6 to 64GB (eliminating the 32GB model), but but keep the 16GB in the $199 model? The answer may lie in the fact that the 16GB iPhone is, and has been, by far the best selling model. IHS analyst Fang Zhang believes Apple is using that to push users to its iCloud storage service. Others believe restricting storage capacity allows Apple to afford the new features, like NFC and biometrics.

Comment Familiar story line (Score 1) 326

by Lucas123 (#47939345) Attached to: New Study Projects World Population of 11B by 2100
The Stardate is 5423.4. The Federation starship Enterprise arrives at the planet Gideon to begin diplomatic relations and invite the inhabitants to join the Federation. Gideon is reported to be a virtual paradise where the people live incredibly long lives in a nearly germ-free environment, but they refuse to allow anyone but Captain James Kirk from the Enterprise, to beam down. Upon beaming down, however, Kirk learns that the population has exploded to the point where the planet can barely contain the populace. Gideon's leaders plan is to infect the people with a human virus in an attempt to "control" the overpopulation problem caused by the people's long lifespans in a germ-free environment. So, as I see it, the problem is easily solved. Find a alien with a virus for which we have no cure.

Submission + - Once vehicles are connected to the Internet of Things, who guards your privacy? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Carmakers already remotely collect data from their vehicles, unbeknownst to most drivers, but once connected via in-car routers or mobile devices to the Internet, and to roadway infrastructure and other vehicles around them, that information would be accessible by the government or other undesired entities. Location data, which is routinely collected by GPS providers and makers of telematics systems, is among the most sensitive pieces of information that can be collected, according to Nate Cardozo, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Not having knowledge that a third party is collecting that data on us and with whom they are sharing that data with is extremely troubling," Cardozo said. in-vehicle diagnostics data could also be used by government agencies to track driver behavior. Nightmare scenarios could include traffic violations being issued without law enforcement officers on the scene or federal agencies having the ability to track your every move in a car.

Submission + - Dremel Releases 3D Printer (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Power tool maker Dremel today announced its now selling a desktop 3D printer that it said is targeted at "the masses" with a $1,000 price tag and intuitive software. Dremel's 3D Idea Builder is a fused deposition modeling (FDM) machine that can use only one type of polymer filament, polylactide (PLA) and that comes in 10 colors. The new 3D printer has a 9-in. x 5.9-in. x 5.5-in. build area housed in a self-contained box with a detachable lid and side panels. Dremel's currently selling its machine on Amazon and The Home Depot's website, but it plans brick and mortar store sales this November.

Submission + - Latest Logitech Harmony Remotes Can Now Control Smart Home Devices Too (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: In an ongoing effort to put every device in your house under the control of a Harmony Remote, Logitech is also now claiming they're ready to take over other devices in addition to those that reside in your living room. The company stepped into the home control market, releasing two high-end home remotes and the Logitech Harmony Home Hub, which manages the traffic between the remotes and your home's door locks, garage door opener, thermostat, lights and window shades, among other devices. Interestingly, the most important part of the Logitech Harmony Home series is also one of the cheapest. The Logitech Harmony Home Hub, which will set you back $99.99, use a variety of connectivity options (including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) to send commands from your wireless remote to your thermostat and other devices. It's compatible with home automation tools from industry brands, including August, Honeywell, Kwikset, Schlage, and Sylvania (to name just a few). For controlling those devices, you have three options: an app for your smartphone, the Logitech Harmony Home Control ($149.99), or the Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home ($349.99).

Submission + - Micron Releases 16nm Process SSDs With Dynamic Flash Programming (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Micron's newest client flash drive line, the M600, uses its first 16nm process technology and dynamic write acceleration firmware that allows the flash to be programmed as SLC or MLC instead of using overprovisioning or reserving a permanent pool of flash cache to accelerate writes. The ability to dynamically program the flash reduces power use and improves write performance as much as 2.8 times over models without the feature, according to Jon Tanguy, Micron's senior technical marketing engineer. The new lithography process technology also allowed Micron to reduce the price of the flash drive to 45 cents a gigabyte, meaning a 1TB 2.5-in SATA SSD now retails for $450.

Submission + - Mobile Wireless Charging Tech Uses RF To Transmit Power Over 15 Feet (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Startup Energous plans to demonstrate at CES a technology it calls WattUp that can send power in a 15-foot radius using radio frequency transmissions. The company, which raised nearly $25M in an IPO earlier this year, is targeting smartphones, tablets and wearables for its product, which sends up to 4W of power at up to a 5-foot distance. The wireless charging router uses software to control what enabled devices it charges. As the distance and number of "authorized" devices increase power from the router dissipates. The far field charging device operates at 5.7 and 5.8 MHz.

Submission + - SanDisk Releases 512GB SD Card (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: SanDisk today announced the world's highest capacity SD card, a 512GB model that represents a 1,000-fold increase over the company's first 512MB card that it shipped a decade ago. The SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I memory card has a max read/write rate of 95MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively. The card is rated to function in temperatures from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The 512GB model retails for $800. The card also comes in 128GB and 256GB capacities.

Submission + - If Tesla Can Its Gigafactory On 100% Renewables, Why Can't Others? (computerworld.com) 1

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said his company's Gigafactory battery plant, the world's largest, will be "self contained" and run on solar, wind and geothermal energy. The obvious problem with renewable sources is that they're intermittent at any given location, but on a larger scale they're quite predictable and reliable, according to Tom Lombardo, a professor of engineering and technology. Lombardo points out that Tesla isn't necessarily going off-grid, but using a strategy of "net metering" where the factory will produce more renewable energy than it needs, and receive credits in return from its utility when renewables aren't available. So why can't other manufacturing facilities do the same? What Tesla is doing isn't necessarily transferable to other industries? Sam Jaffe, principal research analyst with Navigant Research, believes Tesla's choice of locations — Reno — and its product is optimal for using renewable and not something that can be reproduced by every industry.

Submission + - First Intel 14nm Broadwell Core M Benchmarks Unveiled (hothardware.com)

Submitted by MojoKid
MojoKid writes: Intel Execs out at IDF this week in San Francisco have let slip some actual benchmark run results on Intel's just-released Broadwell Core M processor platform. Intel has gone into detail on Broadwell's architecture and features previously and has discussed power consumption and performance expectations. However, now we finally have some cold, hard numbers, rather than just percentage comparisons versus previous generation Intel platforms. Intel was demonstrating a 12.5-inch Broadwell-based, Core M 5Y70-powered Windows tablet live and the benchmark runs look promising, with 3DMark scores in the 50K range. The Cinebench results shown place the CPU on par with full-fledged Core i5 notebook variants in the 15 Watt power envelope, but powered by the new 4.5 Watt Broadwell Y Core M processor that will be employed mostly in 2-in-1 hybrid devices and high end tablets.

Submission + - WD announces 8TB, 10TB helium hard drives (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Western Digital's HGST subsidiary today announced it's shipping its first 8TB and the world's first 10TB helium-filled hard drive. The 3.5-in, 10TB drive also marks HGST's first foray into the use of singled magnetic recording technology, which Seagate announced it began using last year. Unlike standard perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR), where data tracks rest side by side, SMR overlaps the tracks on a platter like shingles on a roof, thereby allowing a higher areal density. Seagate has said SMR technology will allow it to achieve 20TB drives by 2020. That company has yet to use helium, however. HGST said its use of hermetically-sealed helium drives reduces friction among moving drive components and keeps dust out. Both drives use a 7-platter configuration with a 7200 RPM spindle speed. The company said it plans to discontinue its production of air-only drives by 2017, replacing all data center models with helium drives.

Submission + - Islamic State Using Leaked Snowden Info To Evade U.S. Intelligence (washingtontimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Evidence continues to accumulate that the leaks of Top Secret intelligence material taken by Edward Snowden have harmed national security, and are being used by terrorists to escape surveillance of their activities. The Washington Post reports that, " Recorded Future, a predictive analytics web intelligence firm, published a persuasive timeline showing that Snowden’s revelations about NSA’s capabilities were followed quickly by a burst of new, robust encryption tools from al-Qaeda and its affiliates...." The Washington Times reports in, Islamic State using leaked Snowden info to evade U.S. intelligence , that "Asked by The Washington Times if the Islamic State has studied Mr. Snowden’s documents and taken action, Mr. Inglis answered, “Clearly.” The top-secret spill has proven ready-made for the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIL or ISIS). It relies heavily on Internet channels to communicate internally and to spread propaganda. Mr. Snowden “went way beyond disclosing things that bore on privacy concerns,” said Mr. Inglis ...“‘ ... Matthew G. Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, noted: “Following the disclosure of the stolen NSA documents, terrorists are changing how they communicate to avoid surveillance. They are moving to more secure communications platforms, using encryption and avoiding electronic communications altogether,” ... “This is a problem for us in many areas where we have limited human collection and depend on intercepted communications to identify and disrupt plots.”" And later, "A former military official said some Islamic State operators have virtually disappeared, giving no hint as to their whereabouts or actions."

Submission + - Tesla Chooses Nevada As Site For Gigafactory (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: Nevada beat California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to be the location for Tesla's first $5 billion lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant. Tesla still may open other facilities in other states in the future, but the first plant which will create an estimated 6,500 jobs will rest in the Silver State. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval today tweeted that a "major economic development announcement" will be made at 7 p.m. ET at the Capitol Building in Carson City. Work on the factory has begun at an industrial park outside Reno. The factory is being built in anticipation of the launch of Tesla's mass-market sedan, the Model 3. Unlike its $70,000 Model S sedan, the Model 3 is expected to retail for $35,000 when it's released in 2017 — the same year the Gigafactory is scheduled to open. By Tesla's own estimates, the project to build a battery factory is expected to drive economies of scale so that the per-kilowatt cost of its own lithium-ion batteries by more than 30% in the first year of production.

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