72474231
submission
MojoKid writes:
Computer generated graphics have come a long way in the past several years and are starting to blur the line between animation and real actors. One of the more difficult tasks for CG artists is to recreate human emotions, especially crying, though you wouldn't know it after watching a tech demo that Square Enix showed off at the Microsoft BUILD Developer Conference. The real-time tech demo is called Witch Chapter 0 [cry] and is part of a research project that studies various next generation technologies. For this particular demo, Square Enix put a lot of research into real-time CG technology utilizing DirectX 12 in collaboration with Microsoft and NVIDIA, the company said. It's an ongoing project that will help form Square Enix's Luminous Studio engine for future games. The short demo shows some pretty impressive graphics, with an amazing level of detail. As the camera zooms in, you can clearly see imperfections in the skin, along with glistening effects from areas where the face is wet with either tears or water.
72400719
submission
MojoKid writes:
LG officially lifted the veil on its new G4 flagship Android phone this week and the buzz has been fairly strong. LG's display prowess is well known, along with their ability to pack a ton of screen real estate into a smaller frame with very little bezel, as they did with the previous generation G3. However, what's under the hood of the new LG G4 is probably just as interesting as the build quality and display, for some. On board the LG G4 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, the six-core little brother of the powerful and power-hungry Snapdragon 810 that's found in HTC's One M9. The One M9 is currently one of the fastest Android handsets out there, but its battery life suffers as a result. So with a six-core Snapdragon and a slightly tamer Adreno 418 graphics engine on board, but also with 3GB of RAM, it's interesting to see where the G4 lands performance-wise. It's basically somewhere between the HTC One M9 (Snapdragon 810) and the Snapdragon 805 in the Nexus 6 in CPU bound workloads, besting even the iPhone 6, but much more middle of the pack in terms of graphics and gaming.
72329613
submission
MojoKid writes:
Some folks are better at solving the timeless classic Rubik's Cube puzzle than others. However, Colin Burns, a teenager who thrilled a crowd of onlookers over the weekend at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown, PA, supposedly just broke the record in a big way. It took Colins a mere 5.253 seconds to solve Rubik's 3x3x3 contraption, besting the previous record held by Mats Valk from the Netherlands, who accomplished the same feat in 5.55 seconds. Colins is one of only eight people to have correctly lined up the scrambled colors in less than 10 seconds during an official competition. The video of the feat is impressive to be sure. Just be warned that the ensuing celebration is quite boisterous, so you may want to turn down the volume on your speakers or headphones.
72271121
submission
bigwophh writes:
Intel gathered a number of its OEM and software partners together in New York this past week to showcase the latest technologies and innovations surrounding the company's RealSense 3D camera. From new interactive gaming experiences to video collaboration, 3D mapping and gesture controls, the the front-facing RealSense technology holds real promise that could someday reinvent how we interact with PCs. The F200 RealSense camera module itself integrates a depth sensor and a full color 1080p HD camera together with standard technologies like dual array mics, but with an SDK, on-board processing engine and 3rd party software that can allow the camera module to sense numerous environmental variables. In the demos that were shown, RealSense was used to create an accurate 3D map of a face, in a matter of seconds, track gestures and respond to voice commands, interact with a game, and remove backgrounds from a video feed in real-time, for more efficient video collaboration.
72248091
submission
MojoKid writes:
A recent "Easter Egg" of sorts was found in Google Maps, in a sharp jab at Apple. Yes, this is a screen shot of the real Google Maps, just south of Islamabad, Pakistan. Unfortunately, the graphic has already been removed, as well as some others. In case you think Apple was hit too harshly, another now-removed message was seen in a field: "Google review policy is crap". In another area in Lahore, Pakistan, a Skype logo could be seen. Given the other messages, it becomes pretty obvious that Google itself had absolutely nothing to do with a graphic showing an Android robot urinating on an Apple logo. And it's probably a good thing, as you can't get much more unprofessional than that. The reason such messages hit Google Maps isn't because of a hacking; it's because the community is allowed to contribute data. Supposedly, Google is should have the final say on committed changes to map, so either that's not the case, or a seriously slack editor was working this particular day.
72209035
submission
MojoKid writes:
NVIDIA's Maxwell GPU architecture has has been well-received in the gaming world, thanks to cards like the GeForce GTX Titan X and the GeForce GTX 980. NVIDIA recently took time to bring that same Maxwell goodness over the workstation market as well and the result is the new Quadro M6000, NVIDIA's new highest-end workstation platform. Like the Titan X, the M6000 is based on the full-fat version of the Maxwell GPU, the G200. Also, like the GeForce GTX Titan X, the Quadro M6000 has 12GB of GDDR5, 3072 GPU cores, 192 texture units (TMUs), and 96 render outputs (ROPs). NVIDIA has said that the M6000 will beat out their previous gen Quadro K6000 in a significant way in pro workstation applications as well as GPGPU or rendering and encoding applications that can be GPU-accelerated. One thing that's changed with the launch of the M6000 is that AMD no longer trades shots with NVIDIA for the top pro graphics performance spot. Last time around, there were some benchmarks that still favored team red. Now, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 puts up pretty much a clean sweep.
72165323
submission
MojoKid writes:
Intel first offered a sneak peek of their forthcoming Compute Stick HDMI dongle earlier this year at CES but today is officially announcing product availability and has lifted embargo on first tests with the device. The Compute Stick is essentially a fully-functional, low-power, Atom-based system with memory, storage, and an OS, crammed into a dongle much bigger than a USB Flash drive. There will initially be two compute sticks made available, one running Windows (model STCK1A32WFC) and another running Ubuntu (model STCK1A8LFC). The Windows 8.1 version of the Compute Stick is packing an Intel Atom Z3735F processor, with a single-channel of 2GB of DDR3L-1333 RAM and 32GB of internal storage, though out of the box only 19.2GB is usable. The Ubuntu version of the Compute Stick has as a similar CPU, but is packing only 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. All sticks have USB and MicroSD expansion capability.The device is packing a low-power Atom processor, Intel HD graphics and only a single-channel of DDR3L-1333 memory, so it's not going to burn through any benchmarks. For multi-media playback, basic computing tasks, web browsing, HD video, or remote access, the Compute Stick has enough muscle to get the job done and it's cheap too at $99 — $149.
72022863
submission
MojoKid writes:
It has been a tremendous week for Star Wars fans. First we got to see Han Solo and Chewbacca make an emotional reappearance in the newest Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer (the second official trailer Disney has put out). Now, Electronic Arts is treating us to a visual smorgasbord of cinema-quality footage showing the forthcoming Star Wars Battlefront game. Battlefront will support to up 40 players divided between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire, all shooting it out and playing with some of the coolest Star Wars vehicles and weapons around. We're talking jetpacks, AT-AT war machines, AT-STs, TIE Fighters, X-wings, and more. Though the trailer allegedly shows actually "game engine footage," it's questionable whether or not it's actual gameplay or just pre-rendered cut scenes from the game engine. Either way, it's still pretty impressive.
71976147
submission
MojoKid writes:
Kingston recently launched their HyperX Predator PCIe SSD that is targeted at performance-minded PC enthusiasts but is much less expensive than enterprise-class PCIe offerings that are currently in market. Kits are available in a couple of capacities and from factors at 240GB and 480GB. All of the drives adhere to the 80mm M.2 2280 "gumstick" form factor and have PCIe 2.0 x4 connections, but are sold both with and without a half-height, half-length adapter card if you'd like to drop it into a standard PCI Express slot. At the heart of the Kingston HyperX Predator in Marvel's latest Marvell 88SS9293 controller. The Marvell 88SS9293 is paired to a gigabyte of DDR3 memory and Toshiba A19 Toggle NAND. The drives are rated for read speeds up to 1.4GB/s and writes of 1GB/s and 130 – 160K random 4K IOPS. In the benchmarks, the 480GB model put up strong numbers. At roughly $1 per GiB, the HyperX Predator is about on par with Intel's faster SSD 750 but unlike Intel's new NVMe solution, the Kingston drive will work in all legacy platforms as well, not just Z97 and X99 boards with a compatible UEFI BIOS.
71946969
submission
MojoKid writes:
How does one go from laying on the floor drunk, attempting to eat a cheeseburger, to appearing in one of the most glorious achievements in cinematography ever seen? We don't know, but David Hasselhoff definitely has the secret sauce to send the world into a collective fit with a music video that far surpasses even his rendition of "Hooked On A Feeling." Ooga chaka indeed my friends. "True Survivor" is the lead track for the upcoming Kickstarter-backed short film "Kung Fury." Hasselhoff takes on the lead vocals and stars in this glorious homage to retro 1980s awesomeness. The video has everything from crude 1980s computer graphics to a Nintendo Power Glove, a Lamborghini Countach, fighting robots, awesome stunts straight out of Bollywood flick, hordes of Nazis, Hitler, and did we mention dinosaurs? Oh and flamethrowers...
71890779
submission
MojoKid writes:
When it comes to outright speed, NVMe PCIe SSDs are hard to beat. Samsung has just announced its new SM951-NVMe SSD, the industry's first NVMe SSD to employ an M.2 form-factor. Samsung says the new gumstick style drive is capable of sequential read and write speeds of 2,260 MB/sec and 1,600 MB/sec respectively. Comparable SATA-based M.2 SSDs typically can only push read/write speeds of 540 MB/sec and 500 MB/sec, while most standard PCIe versions muster just north of 1GB/sec. The Samsung SM951-NVMe's performance is actually very comparable to the Intel SSD 750 Series PCIe x4 card but should help kick notebook performance up a notch in this common platform configuration.
71874903
submission
MojoKid writes:
HGST, a Western Digital company, just announced a new NVMe PCI Express SSD that is rated faster than even Intel's new blistering-fast SSD 750. To be fair, the Intel SSD 750 Series is aimed at the consumer/prosumer market whereas HGST's new Ultrastar SN100 is aimed squarely at the enterprise market. The HGST Ultrastar SN100 Series will be offered in both HH-HL PCIe card and SFF 2.5-inch form-factors in capacities up to 3.2 Terabytes. Naturally, these SSDs support UEFI boot, PCIe Gen 3.0, and feature power fail protection, "enterprise-grade reliability," and secure erase. HGST is targeting the Ultrastar SN100 series at a number of applications including virtualized computing, high frequency trading, and cloud/hyperscale or enterprise/high performance computing. Max reads speeds of 3,000 MB/sec and writes of 1,600 MB/sec have been specified and Read/Write random 4k IOPs are listed at 743,000 and 160,000 IOPS respectively. All drives come with a 5-year warranty.
71828677
submission
MojoKid writes:
Last night Robert Downey Jr. turned up at the MTV Movie Awards with an extended heretofore mostly unseen clip from Marvel Studios' cannot-get-here-fast enough Avengers: Age of Ultron. It's a let 'er rip 90 seconds of the Iron Man versus Hulk battle that the film trailers, promos, and television commercials have only teased up until now. Throughout the scene Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is bedecked in the "Hulkbuster" armor that has had fans all a-tizzy since the first trailer for the film debuted back in October. And Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is, well, wearing his timeless and always-fashionable purple pants.
71732021
submission
MojoKid writes:
Today, Microsoft has let it slip that it is taking things a step further with Windows 10 and a single, unified app and media Store. That means that the new Microsoft Store will serve not only as a home for apps, but also as a repository for music, movies, and TV shows. The new Store Beta, which will roll out to customers currently test driving the newest build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview over the next 24 hours, will populate the Movies & TV section within the Store. This option was previously available, but you couldn't access the content within.
71693789
submission
MojoKid writes:
Dell unveiled a new Android 2-in-1 today, the Venue 10 7000, which brings with it many of the same hardware features that we saw with their popular Venue 8 7000 8-inch tablet. It's powered by a quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 2560x1600 10-inch display. You'll also find a microSD slot that supports up to 512GB of additional storage, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, Miracast, front-facing stereo speakers, a 2MP front-facing camera, and an 8MP Intel RealSense 3D camera on the rear. Where things get more interesting, perhaps, is with the design of the tablet. Whereas the Venue 8 7000 features a more traditional tablet form-factor, the Venue 10 7000 features a cylindrical "barrel edge" which Dell says makes the tablet easier to hold and carry. It's reminiscent of Lenovo's Android-powered Yoga Tablet family. In addition to providing a handy place for your hand to grip the tablet, the cylindrical spine also serves as an attachment point for an optional keyboard that transforms the Venue 10 7000 into a laptop. The keyboard accessory allows the tablet to be used in five different configurations: Tablet Mode (w/o keyboard), Tablet Mode (w/ keyboard), Laptop Mode, Tablet Stand Mode, and Tent Mode.
