Apple in talks to buy flash storage firm Anobit

Apple is in talks to buy flash storage company Anobit for upwards of $500 million in a move that could give it more control over the storage element of its successful iPhone and iPad ranges.

The Cupertino, California-based company is allegedly in “advanced negotiations” with Israeli company Anobit to acquire the firm for between $400 million and $500 million, according to a report in Israels financial newspaper The Calcalist.Anobit develops flash chips that enhance performance via signal processing. These are already used by Apple in its iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air devices.Apple is apparently looking to buy Anobit in order to increase the memory volume and performance of its devices, which could double with the use of Anobit chips.This marks an unusual departure for Apple, which traditionally has bought software firms instead of hardware. It may mean a shift in direction following the death of Apples iconic leader Steve Jobs in October.Anobit also supplies chips to companies like Hynix and Samsung, the former of which makes flash memory for the iPhone 4S and the latter of which manufactures the A4 processor chips for Apple. If the Anobit acquisition goes ahead it would mean that Apple would become a supplier to Samsung, a move which could either strengthen or worsen relations between the two companies.Source: Reuters

An iPad 2, you say Well, China got the real deal two days ago!

Apple may have just released its brand new tablet device today, but chances are that most people who have been keeping up with the rumour mill regarding information about the iPad 2 would have had quite a good idea as to what the average user to expect from Apples new new device. Add that to the fact that leaked renders of the iPad 2 were reportedly making their way around the depths of cyberspace before the actual launch event, and it should probably come as little surprise that many would have had a mental image of how the product would look like as well.

However, it also seems that no one can beat the Chinese when it comes to digging out Apples secrets, and a recent article posted a couple of days ago on a Chinese website known as DGtle seems to confirm that fact. Apparently, DGtle was able to obtain actual photographs of the iPad 2 two days before its launch, and had posted them all on its website for readers to make some comparisons. Here are some of the images:

To ensure that we were not being taken along for a ride, we compared some of the pictures with those that were posted in Engadgets hands-on with the actual iPad and it turns out that the similarities were rather striking. In fact, the only inconsistency we spotted between DGtles and Engadgets images was that DGtles device had a black bezel, while the official iPad 2 sports a white-coloured bezel instead.

What do you think? Did DGtle really get its hands on actual images of the iPad 2 while it was in its final stage of product development, or is that device we see nothing more than a very well-crafted clone?

Source and images courtesy of DGtle

ASMedia's USB 3.0 host controller gains USB-IF certification

It seems like hell froze over and pigs flew today, at least at the USB-IF as ASMedia has as the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller manufacturer gained certification. So whats all the fuss about? Well, for one, ASMedia is the first Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller maker to pass the certification process, which is a pretty big deal, but its slightly more important than that.

ASMedia is a daughter company to Asus, but several motherboard makers have already started to use ASMedias USB 3.0 host controller – known as the ASM1042 – on their motherboards. Not being certified by the USB-IF means that there might be some compatibility issues, but it also means that you cant use the Super Speed USB 3.0 logo on your products.

Oddly enough, all three of the Taiwanese USB 3.0 host controller makers – ASMedia, Etron and VLI – have all got WHQL certified drivers, yet, until now, none of them had passed the USB-IF certification. Ok, so getting Microsofts WHQL certification isnt quite the same, but it still suggests that the hardware is working as intended.

Well have to wait and see now as to when Etron and VLI gains their certification and its worth keeping in mind that its just ASMedias two port ASM1042 host controller that has gained certification, not its single port ASM1041 host controller which is found in some notebooks and on some cheaper motherboards.

Archos greets us with low-cost Arnova 8b G2 tablet

Archos has just extended its low-cost Arnova tablet line with a new 8-inch sized model dubbed the Arnova 8b G2. For the most part the tablet appears to be much like the existing Arnova 8 G2 which has been on the market for a few months, only the new 8b model has a different looking case design and does away with physical buttons such as home, back, menu and search.

While the tablet ships with a cobwebbed version of Android (2.3 Gingerbread), the removal of physical buttons suggests that Archos might be planning to roll out an Android 4.0 update for it sometime soon. Dimensions of the Arnova 8b G2 are 8.8" x 6.1" x 0.5" with a weight of 1.1 pounds.

In terms of actual specs, the Arnova 8b G2 uses a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 single core processor, has 512MB of RAM and comes with 4 or 8GB of built-in storage + a microSD slot for further expansion possibilities.

The 8-inch TFT display has an 800 x 600 resolution and theres the inclusion of a front-facing shooter along with mic, g-sensor and speaker. The tablet has 802.11b/g WiFi and there is support for Archos 3G USB stick and host cable if you want to connect to mobile networks or add a camera, USB flash drive or otherwise.

Archos has not revealed pricing on the Arnova 8b G2 as yet, but this will most likely be its best selling point and given the original Arnova 8 G2 can be had for as little as US $149 its hard to imagine the new one going north of US $200.

Source: Arnova

AMD Support Enterprise Server Virtualization

AMD today announced that VMware ESX Server, virtual infrastructure softwarethat enables enterprises to partition, consolidate and manage systems inmission-critical environments, is qualified on AMD Opteron(TM) processor-basedplatforms from HP and IBM. VMware, Inc.'s qualification of the four-way HPProLiant DL585 and IBM e325 for VMware ESX Server underscores the extent towhich the AMD Opteron processor, the world's first x86 processor for both 32-bitand 64-bit computing, is well suited to the demands of server virtualization.The AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture features anintegrated memory controller and HyperTransport(TM) technology, enabling moreefficient memory and I/O access, which are critical to memory-intensivevirtualization.

"Enterprises are increasingly looking to the AMD Opteron processor, as the onlyprocessor that delivers simultaneous 32- and 64-bit x86 computing inmulti-processor server platforms, to meet their server virtualization needs,"said Marty Seyer, vice president and general manager of the MicroprocessorBusiness Unit, Computation Products Group, AMD. "Additionally, featureenhancements planned for our future dual-core and single-core processor productswill further enable the availability of 64-bit virtualization software and helpprovide the infrastructure needed for virtualization vendors to offermainframe-quality virtualization to the x86 market."

Server virtualization generates improved return on IT investments and helpsreduce the total cost of computing infrastructures ownership by deliveringresource consolidation, improved availability and infrastructure flexibility.According to research firm Gartner, "Strategically, enterprises that leveragevirtualization technologies will be able to react to changing requirements morerapidly by using server resources as a pool of resources. Enterprises shouldpursue long-term relationships with vendors that have solid virtualization planseither directly or through partnerships."

VMware recently announced its 64-bit roadmap in which support for concurrent32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines on 64-bit architectures, including AMD64,will be introduced across the VMware product line. Today support for AMD64 isavailable on an experimental basis in VMware GSX Server and VMware Workstation,with support for both Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and SuSE Linux EnterpriseServer 8 64-bit host operating systems as well as for Windows® Server 2003(Beta) for 64-bit extended systems.

"AMD64 technology allows enterprises to leverage existing IT investments whilesimultaneously positioning them to respond faster to changing business demands,"said Michael Mullany, vice president of marketing, VMware. "We are committed toproviding our customers with the support they need to maximize their technologyinvestments, including support for technology like the

AMD Opteron processor. The qualification of ESX Server on the AMD Opteronprocessor-based HP ProLiant DL585 and IBM e325 servers provides users withperformance-based platforms that support our 32-bit products today with theability to migrate to our 64-bit products as they become available."

ATI Chipsets Lineup For 2006

ATI is preparing the RD580 and RD580C for the high-end segment, with the chipsets supporting ATI Crossfire to compete against NVIDIA nForce 4 SLI series. Volume production is slated for the end of this year. For the OEM and SI markets, ATI will offer the RX485 and RS485 parts, which are upgrade versions of its current RX480 and RS482 solutions, with production also slated for the end of this year. The integrated RS485 will be based on Radeon X300 graphics chip. ATI will also release the RS690, which will be an upgrade version of the RS485, with more advanced performance in the graphics core. Volume production of the RS690 is scheduled for the second quarter of 2006.

Apple May Start Off w Pentium M Yonah

Apple will use Intel processors in its Macintosh computers starting in 2006. The first Apple systems in 2006 will use Intel's Pentium M processor. The Pentium M uses the same x86 architecture as the Pentium 4, but consumes far less power than Pentium 4 chips and its design philosophy is expected to be the model for Intel's future processors. Jobs justified the move away from the PowerPC architecture to Intel's x86 architecture based largely on Intel's ability to deliver a high-performance per watt ratio compared to IBM's future chips. This would tend to favor the Pentium M, which is just as powerful as high-end Pentium 4 processors yet uses far less power. Pentium M product Intel plans to launch in early 2006, the dual-core Yonah processor, could be an industry leader in performance per watt at that point.

AMD Low-end GPUs to co-exist with Fusion

With the release of Fusion and Sandy Bridge in early 2011, many havepredicted the demise of low-end GPUs like the Radeon HD 5450 or theGeforce 310. Both the entry level products, priced under $50, areseverely underpowered, and have very limited use. Featuring only 80 SP,the spec for the entry level product has remained the same for overthree years, whereas the next product in line continues to increasesubstantially every generation. The next product, the HD 5500 series,therefore, has 5 times the number of SP - 400. It is a similar case forNvidia as well, where the Geforce 310 contains similar specs to thethree year old 8400 GT, with 16 SP.

AMD Fusion (Llano) is set to feature upto 400-480 SP on die, making it far more powerful than the entry level GPUs, opening up the possibility for gaming and GPU compute acceleration. It is clear that entry level GPUs will decrease in volume substantially, but AMD expects demand for these products even after Fusion is released.

A possible use of these GPUs could be as a backup. There will also continue by CPUs which don't incorporate a GPU, such as the high-end Sandy Bridge CPUs or AMD's first gen Bulldozer. However, one could question why a multi-thousand dollar high-end CPU would want to save a few dollars on an entry level GPU.

Certainly, the transition to CPU+GPU / APUs will be slow, and AMD has no intention to discontinue its entry level GPUs in the near future.

Reference: Xbitlabs

Another x86 tablet PC shows up in China

Most people may be quick to shun Windows 7-based tablets in favor of alternative devices powered by Googles Android operating system, or Apples iOS, and for good reason. Even at its best, Windows 7 and its overlaying user interface was designed to be used with a precision pointing tool such as a mouse or stylus; anything else will definitely result in a sub-optimal user experience. And this issue is further complicated by the fact that installing said OS on devices with small display resolution do no favours for Windows already touch-unfriendly interface.

However, it appears that not all OEMs are ready to give up on Windows-based tablets just yet, and this latest announcement from a certain Shenzhen-based manufacturer appears to back that claim. Apparently, the manufacturer, which is known as GFive, has claimed that it plans to launch a new x86 tablet known as the WisPad some time in the "immediate future", and that Windows will definitely come bundled on the device.

According to online sources, the WisPad GFT97A will be sold to global OEMs and carriers for rebranding, although GFive is reportedly thinking of introducing its own retail brand in order to sell the WisPad directly to the Chinese domestic market, with an option for BTO if need be.

That aside, not much detail about the elusive WisPad has been revealed by GFive. What we do know is that the WisPad will feature an Intel Atom N455 processor and a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, although the actual display resolution is still a mystery. In addition to that, GFive has also revealed that the WisPad features 1GB of system memory, while storage is provided via an optional SSD capable of capacities of up to 16GB or 32GB. Last but not least, the tablet also appears to be designed with the style-conscious in mind, as it sports a full aluminium body and a relatively thin profile with its maximum height of 14mm.

No pricing information for the WisPad has been announced yet; however, given the fact that the device will eventually be sold under a different brand name, chances are that its price will vary greatly between various OEMs. Oh, and one more thing: GFive has reportedly confirmed that the actual production model will feature the ability to dual boot between both Windows and...yes, you guessed it, an x86 port of Android. Now we are talking.

Source: M.I.C Digi

Apple lowers iPhone 4 shipment volume for 2nd Quarter

Reasons for the lowered shipment volume are cited to be due to an inventory volume of about 2 million units of iPhone 4 and the upcoming launch of iPhone 4S which is scheduled in September 2011. Sources indicated the production of iPhone 4S to begin in August.

iPhone 4S will be using Qualcomm 3G and CDMA chips.Therear camera is expected to be a 8-megapixel resolution model which OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision will supply.

Source:DigiTimes.

ATi GPU amp; Chipsets Q2 Plans

The tight supply of ATI graphics chipsets, particularly the Radeon 9600XTlineup, will ease by the end of March. ATI will start delivering chipsetssupporting PCI express technology in the second quarter. Many of ATI’s OEMclients of motherboards and graphics cards have already verified the company’sPCI express-based chipsets and have decided to use the products. The proportionsof PCI express and AGP 8X chips to ATI’s total shipments of graphics chips willbe at comparable levels by the end of this year.

GPUs

R420 (AGP8X)
R423 (PCI Express x16)
RV380 (PCI Express x16)
RV410 (AGP8X, PCI Express x16)
RV370 (PCI Express x16) Chipsets

RX480 (AMD, Discrete)
RS480 (AMD, UMA)
RS400 (Intel, UMA)

ATi will have PCI Express GPUs like RV423 and RV380 on AGP8x interface byusing a PCI Express x16 to AGP8x bridge as well so as to facilitate thetransition. ATi' method is different from NVIDIA's High Speed Interconnect (HSI)that bridge AGP8x GPU to PCI Express x16 interface.

Antec Launches New Laptop Netbook Coolers

Notebook Cooler Basic

Antec, Inc has announced 3 new laptop/ netbook coolers (Notebook Cooler Basic, Notebook Cooler Designer & Notebook Cooler Mini), adding on to its family of notebook coolers.


Notebook Cooler Designer


Notebook CoolerMini

Measuring 269.2 x 238.8 x 27.9mm andweighing 300g, the slim Notebook Cooler Basic is “constructed” fromperforated aluminum, has an integrated flip-up stand, and passivelycools all Mac and PC laptops/ netbooks up to 14" in size. Next up, wehave the stylish Notebook Cooler Designer. Measuring 330 x 280 x 42mm,the stylish and compact cooler supports Mac and PC laptops/ netbooks upto 15" in size, and is cooled by a 110mm fan that operates at speeds of up to 800 RPM. The Notebook Cooler Mini, the smallest cooler in its portfolio of coolers,measures 229 x 121 x 25mm and weighs 200g. It is compatible with Mac andPC laptops/ netbooks up to 17" in size and features one 80mm fan thatruns at speeds of up to 1,200 RPM.

Covered by Antec’s Quality3-Year limited warranty on parts and labor, they can be purchased frommajor retailers, e-tailers and distributors at a MSRP of USD 24.95(Basic), USD 39.95 (Designer) and USB 29.95 (Mini) now.

“With the worldwide increase in the number of notebook users, more diverse cooling solutions are needed to handle each individual user’s needs,” said Scott Richards, senior vice president of Antec. “Antec’s new line of Notebook Coolers is an essential part in helping to ensure stable and reliable notebook performance for everyone.”


News via [Legitreviews]

AMD Trinity A10-4600M APU Review Jumping the Shark

Introduction

AMDs 2012 Consumer top to bottom VISION product positioning with FX CPUs for the enthusiasts, Trinity APUs for the mainstream and Brazos for the entry level.

Summary of Trinity APU improvements - now using "Piledriver" modules (2nd generation of Bulldozer, still the obtuse 2 integer/1 FP unit per module design), featuring DDR3-1866 memory support (1600 for notebook) and depending on SKU, up to 384 Radeon "Cores".

Technical Specifications and block diagram of the partitioning inside the die

The desktop APUs are still rated at 100W TDP like Llano models (not too surprising considering that they are both on the same manufacturing process), with 17W/25W/35W models for mobile variants. Operating frequencies are expected to be between 2.0-3.8GHz on the CPU and 424-800MHz on the GPU. FMA3 instruction set (which is the one adopted by Intel on the upcoming Haswell, instead of FMA4 first seen on Bulldozer) makes its debut here. Improved scheduling, branch prediction and prefetcher also account for higher IPC than the Husky cores used in Llano.

Integrated northbridge and memory controller

The new Turbo Core 3.0 now balances power envelope of the CPU/GPU to fit within the TDP, dynamically throttling the clocks to fit the workload profile of the active running application. There is no indication on whether this is handled by hardware or software driver (ahem quack3.exe).

These are the 32nm Trinity mobile SKUs that are officially announced today:

AMD A-Series Mobile APUs (FS1r2 package, 35W TDP, DDR3-1600 support)

ModelGPUCPU Cores / ModulesCPU Clock (Max/Base)L2 CacheRadeon CoresGPU Clock (Max/Base)A10-4600MHD 7660G4 / 23.2 / 2.3 GHz4MB384686/ 497 MHzA8-4500MHD 7640G4 / 22.8 / 1.9 GHz4MB256655 / 497 MHzA6-4400MHD 7520G2 / 13.2 / 2.7 GHz1MB192686 / 497 MHz

AMD A-Series Mobile LV / ULV APUs (FP2 package, DDR3-1333 support)

ModelGPUCPU Cores / ModulesCPU Clock (Max/Base)TDPL2 CacheRadeon CoresGPU Clock (Max/Base)A10-4655MHD 7620G4 / 23.2 / 2.3 GHz25W4MB384497 / 360MHzA6-4455MHD 7500G2 / 12.8 / 1.9 GHz17W2MB256424 / 327MHz

Expect to see desktop Trinity APUs surfacing in the next quarter, with the chips using the new FM2 socket and motherboards.