Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Raspberry Pi Model A, First Photos and Video (adafruit.com)

Submitted by
coop0030
coop0030 writes: "The first photos and videos of the Model A production samples are now available. The Raspberry Pi Model A is the newest low-cost computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Compared to the popular Model B, the Model A forgoes the Ethernet Controller, has 256MB of RAM, and has a single USB port. A benefit of the missing Ethernet controller is that power consumption is reduced. This allowed them to reach their goals of a low-cost $25 computer. The release date is for sometime early in 2013."
Lord of the Rings

Submission + - Why The Hobbit's 48fps Is a Good Thing (slate.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Last year, when we discussed news that The Hobbit would be filmed at 48 frames per second, instead of the standard 24, many were skeptical that format would take hold. Now that the film has been released, an article at Slate concedes that it's a bit awkward and takes a while to get used to, but ends up being to the benefit of the film and the entire industry as well. 'The 48 fps version of The Hobbit is weird, that’s true. It’s distracting as hell, yes yes yes. Yet it’s also something that you’ve never seen before, and is, in its way, amazing. Taken all together, and without the prejudice of film-buffery, Jackson’s experiment is not a flop. It’s a strange, unsettling success. ... It does not mark the imposition from on high of a newer, better standard—one frame rate to rule them all (and in the darkness bind them). It’s more like a shift away from standards altogether. With the digital projection systems now in place, filmmakers can choose the frame rate that makes most sense for them, from one project to the next.'
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Windows 8 devices not exactly flying off the shelves (theinquirer.net) 1

Submitted by girlmad
girlmad writes: Doesn't sound like Microsoft’s Windows 8 has got off to a great start in the UK, with computer retailer Currys and PC World struggling to shift devices running the new software. The store on Oxford Street in London was yet to sell one device running Windows 8 by midday today. It seems that the hype created in the build-up to Microsoft's launch has already blown over.
Security

Submission + - HSBC taken down by Anonymous hacking group (theinquirer.net)

Submitted by girlmad
girlmad writes: Looks like HSBC is the latest victim of the Anonymous group of hackers. The bank's servers were hit by a denial of service attack Thursday night that took down a number of their websites. A Twitter account called Anonymous @Fawkessecurity has taken credit for the attack and has posted a statement to Pastebin saying the proof is all in their Tweets although doesn't give a reason for the attack.
Google

Submission + - Google threatens French media ban (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by another random user
another random user writes: Google has threatened to exclude French media sites from search results if France goes ahead with plans to make search engines to pay for content.

In a letter sent to several ministerial offices, Google said such a law "would threaten its very existence".

French newspaper publishers have been pushing for the law, saying it is unfair that Google receives advertising revenue from searches for news. French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti also favours the idea. She told a parliamentary commission it was "a tool that it seems important to me to develop".
Intel

Submission + - Intel says Clover Trail won't work with Linux (theinquirer.net)

Submitted by girlmad
girlmad writes: Intel's Clover Trail Atom processor can be seen in various non-descript laptops around IDF and the firm provided a lot of architectural details on the chip, confirming details such as dual-core and a number of power states. However Intel said Clover Trail "is a Windows 8 chip" and that "the chip cannot run Linux".

While Intel's claim that Clover Trail won't run Linux is not quite true — after all it is an x86 instruction set so there is no major reason why the Linux kernel and userland will not run — given that the firm will not support it, device makers are unlikely to produce Linux Clover Trail devices for their own support reasons.

Submission + - Amazon Kindle HD (fastlanecommission.com)

Submitted by
Pantherbear49
Pantherbear49 writes: "When it comes to HD displays, great resolution is just the start. Unlike other 7" tablets, Kindle Fire HD delivers rich color and deep contrast from every angle, with an advanced polarizing filter and custom anti-glare technology.
High Definition Touchscreen Display

Rich, HD video. Beautiful, vivid photos. Crisp, detailed text. Kindle Fire HD features a new 1280x800 high definition LCD display that brings your content to life.
Reduced Screen Glare

Most tablet displays are made up of two pieces of glass — an LCD on the bottom and a touch sensor on the top, separated by an air gap. With an air gap, light reflects off of every surface as it passes through from the front, creating multiple distracting reflections that reduce display contrast. Kindle Fire HD solves this air gap problem by laminating the touch sensor and the LCD together into a single layer of glass, creating a display that's easy to view, even in overhead light.

Richer Colors at Wider Angles

Like many tablets, Kindle Fire HD uses In-Plane Switching (IPS) to improve color reproduction. But displays that only use IPS still appear washed out at various angles, such as laid sideways when reading in bed, laid flat on a table, or held between you and a friend when sharing a movie. Kindle Fire HD addresses this issue by applying an advanced polarizing filter directly to the LCD panel. This results in a display that shows the same deep contrast and rich, detailed color when viewed at any angle."
Intel

Submission + - Intel Demos Fully Digital Radio and Smart Connect Sleep State Updates (hothardware.com)

Submitted by
MojoKid
MojoKid writes: "Intel recently made waves demonstrating new technologies it believed could drive the next-generation of lower power devices. In addition to its pioneering work with Near Threshold voltages, the company showed off Rosepoint — a prototype SoC that combines a dual-core 32nm Atom CPU with an all-digital radio. Current radios use a mixture of analog and digital circuitry, with the analog side of the equation consuming more power and board real estate in legacy discrete designs. At IDF this week, Intel demo'd the chip code named Rosepoint to prove that the hardware is functional and capable of transmitting and receiving data. Intel is also rolling out improvements to their Smart Connect Mobile Technology (sleep states with connect and pull data updates), codenamed Spring Meadow. Unlike Rosepoint, which is still an early phase product, Smart Connect is already baked into a number of Intel products and is expected to roll out with Haswell next year."
Patents

Submission + - Easy Fix For Software Patents Found In US Patent Act (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
WebMink
WebMink writes: "What if there was an easy, inexpensive way to bring software patents under control, that did not involve Congress, which applied retrospectively to all patents and which was already part of the US Patent Act? Stanford law professor Mark Lemley thinks he's found it. He asserts that the current runaway destruction being caused by software patents is just like previous problems with US patent law, and that Congress included language in the Patent Act of 1952 that can be invoked over software patents just like it fixed the earlier problems. All it will take is a future defendant in a patent trial using his read of a crucial section of the Patent Act in their defence to establish case law. Can it really be that easy?"
Hardware

Submission + - Intel says Clover Trail Atom CPUs can't run Linux (geek.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Intel hopes to change its fortunes in the mobile sector and better compete with ARM with the introduction of the next Atom chip, codenamed Clover Trail. But even before the Clover Trail processors are available, Intel has limited the market for them by stating Clover Trail Atom chips will only work with Windows 8. In other words, they won’t run Linux and Intel wont support them running Linux.

That decision is a little confusing, not because the dominant OS using Atom chips in tablets and laptops will be Windows 8, but because Clover Trail is still an x86 chip so the use of Linux shouldn’t even be an issue or a talking point. The Inquirer even goes so far as to suggest Intel has created an “artificial barrier” to help boost/force the use of Microsoft’s operating system with Atom. Intel hasn’t got specific, but it’s thought to be a software problem that is at the heart of this lack of support.
Apple

Submission + - Favourite Steve Jobs quotes (theinquirer.net)

Submitted by girlmad
girlmad writes: To mark the resignation of Apple's CEO, the Inquirer has compiled some of Steve Jobs' best quotes. Words of wisdom include: "Our goals do not include helping you get a good grade. Sorry", in response to a student asking for help with their thesis.

Slashdot Top Deals

"Here's something to think about: How come you never see a headline like `Psychic Wins Lottery.'" -- Comedian Jay Leno

Close