How Does The Intel Itanium 9300 Compare With The Competition?

It is always refreshing to look back at what the Itanium range was suppose to bring to humanity and the world of computing; the epic project was supposed to generate sales of $37 billion in its third year, by 2001.

So far, Itanium sales have all but failed to live up to the initial expectations of the two main backers, HP and Intel. One can even question whether the project has indeed broken even given that HP & Intel started the development of IA-64 seven years before the first Itanium CPU was released.

The 10th version of Itanium, Tukwila or Itanium 9300, has been released and is born into a world that is very different from when Merced first launched. Apart from PA-RISC and the DEC Alpha Family, the Power architecture, the X86 and the SPARC family are still alive and (more or less) kicking.

The Power7 is likely to be a formidable competitor to the 9300. IBM has just published the SPEC CPU2006 performance for the chip and they are impressive.

The 8-socket, 64-core system which can play with 256 threads at 3.86GHz, resulting in an SPEC2006 int_rate/fp_rate score of 2530 and 2240 respectively (ed: SPEC was the only widespread benchmark we could find at this level).

In comparison, the previous generation Power6 scored only 2155 and 2184 in the two aforementioned benchmarks while sporting 32 dual-core processors (that's four time the number of sockets) and a clock speed of 5GHz.

NASA finds cocaine in shuttle hangar

NASA says it has launched an investigation after finding cocaine in a processing hangar for a space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A small amount of cocaine was found in a restricted area of the processing hangar for the shuttle Discovery, NASA said in a statement.

"This is a rare and isolated incident, and I'm disappointed that it happened, but it should not detract from the outstanding work that is being done by a dedicated team on a daily basis," Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana said in the statement.

NASA has drug-tested employees who worked in that area, the statement said.

"There were about 200 NASA and contractor personnel who were around the facility at the time the drug was found," the statement said.

CNN affiliate WESH reported that the cocaine was found this week in a small bag on the floor near a bathroom in the restricted area.

NASA is using its own security and law enforcement officials to conduct the investigation.

Discovery's next launch is in March, NASA says.

"There is no reason whatsoever to believe this incident will have any impact on Discovery's upcoming launch," Cabana said.

Sony catches tablet fever, wants to be an 'active player'

sony has long said it would cautiously approach the tablet market while it built up its Reader e-book line, but it looks like things are picking up a little steam: CFO Nobuyuki Oneda said the company is "very interested" in the tablet market during his post-earnings report news conference. Oneda said that Sony's "confident we have the skills to create a product," and that "Time-wise we are a little behind the iPad but it's a space we would like to be an active player in." We could certainly see a Sony device about the size of the Reader Daily Edition making a splash, especially if it's tied in with Sony's new push at a unified online experience -- and dare we hope for tablet remix of the Dash Internet Viewer (pictured above) based on the Chumby OS? Time will tell.

Smartphone shipments hit new record in 2009

Market research firm IDC on Thursday reported a record level of smartphone shipments for the fourth quarter of 2009, when vendors shipped 54.4 million devices. That's up 39 percent from the same quarter a year ago, the company said.

The handset company with the largest growth in 2009 was Apple. Apple's unit shipments for the year were 25.1 million, up from 13.8 million units in 2008. The company's market share rose from 9.1 percent in 2008 to 14.4 percent in 2009, an 81.9 percent year-over-year increase.

(Credit: IDC)

That represents the largest year-over-year increase of any mobile manufacturer, according to IDC.

Fourth quarter 2009 shipments and market share were even better for Apple. The company shipped 8.7 million iPhones in the quarter, up from 4.4 million units during the same quarter of 2008. Its market share rose from 11.2 percent in 2008 to 16 percent in 2009, representing a 97.7 percent growth increase.

(Credit: IDC)

Apple finished in the third spot for the fourth quarter and yearly market share. Nokia took the top spot finishing the year with 67.7 million shipments, an 11.9 percent increase over 2008. Its market share was 38.9 percent.

Research In Motion finished in second place with 34.5 million shipments for 2009, an increase of 46.2 percent over 2008, and a 19.8 percent market share.

ipad

The Apple iPad, formerly referred to as the Apple Tablet, is a touch-pad tablet computer announced in January 2010, to be shipped in late March (for WiFi-only units) and April (for 3G units). Tiene la capacidad de Internet que se ejecutan en cualquiera de WiFi o 3G, y ofrece una base opcional con un tamaño completo teclado mecánico. It has internet capabilities running on either WiFi or 3G, and offers an optional dock with a full size mechanical keyboard.

La 3G es proporcionada por AT & T, sino que viene desbloqueado con las tarjetas de MicroSim en la red GSM. The 3G is provided by AT&T , but comes unlocked with microsim cards on the GSM network. El 3G no exige un contrato a largo plazo. The 3G does not require a long-term contract.

Esquema de precios Pricing scheme

WiFi Modelo WiFi Model

• 16 GB - $ 499 16 GB - $499
• 32 GB - $ 599 32 GB - $599
• 64 GB - $ 699 64 GB - $699

Modelo 3G 3G Model

• 16 GB - $ 629 16 GB - $629
• 32 GB - $ 729 32 GB - $729
• 64 GB - $ 829 64 GB - $829

Especificaciones iPad iPad Specifications

• Procesador de 1 GHz A4 Apple (personalizado) 1GHz Apple A4 processor (custom)
• 0.5 "de espesor 0.5″ thick
• 1,5 libras 1.5 pounds

Exponer Display

• 9,7 pulgadas (en diagonal) con retroiluminación LED y pantalla panorámica brillante pantalla Multi-Touch con tecnología IPS 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-por-768-píxeles de resolución a 132 píxeles por pulgada (ppi) 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• De huellas dactilares revestimiento resistente oleofobicidad Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Soporte para la visualización de múltiples idiomas y caracteres simultáneamente Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Sensores Sensors

• Acelerómetro Accelerometer
• Sensor de luz ambiental Ambient light sensor
• Compass Compass

Entrada y Salida Input and Output

• Conector para Base Dock Dock connector
• De 3,5 mm para auriculares estéreo 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
• Altavoces Built-in speakers
• Micrófono Microphone
• La bandeja de la tarjeta SIM (Wi-Fi + 3G sólo en el modelo) SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

Reproducción de audio Audio Playback

• Respuesta de frecuencia: 20 Hz a 20.000 Hz Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Formatos de audio compatibles: AAC (16 a 320 Kbps), AAC protegido (del iTunes Store), MP3 (16 a 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formatos 2, 3 y 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF y WAV Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• Configurable por el usuario limitar el volumen máximo User-configurable maximum volume limit

Batería y consumo Battery and Power

• Built-in 25Whr de litio recargable de polímeros de litio Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
• Hasta 10 horas de navegar por la web por Wi-Fi, ver vídeos o escuchar música Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Recarga a través de adaptador de corriente o USB al sistema informático Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Otras especificaciones Other Specs

• 802.11n y Bluetooth 2.1 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1
• Ejecuta aplicaciones de iPhone en la ventana o la duplicación de píxeles Runs iPhone apps in window or pixel doubling
• Acelerado por hardware de gráficos OpenGL Hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics
• SDK lanzado 1/27/10 SDK released 1/27/10
• Se sincroniza a través de USB a través de iTunes, al igual que el iPhone o el iPod, sincronizar fotos, música, películas, programas de televisión, contactos, aplicaciones, etc Syncs over USB through iTunes, just like iPhone or iPod touch, syncing photos, music, movies, tv shows, contacts, apps, etc.
• Contacto Ofrece la versión de iWork lista que incluye versiones de las páginas, números y aplicaciones de Keynote en $ 9,99 Offers touch-ready iWork version which includes versions of the Pages, Numbers and Keynote applications at $9.99

PlayStation 3 Hack Released Online

Days after announcing he'd managed to hack Sony's PlayStation 3 console to run his own software George Hotz has released the exploit online.

Hotz, who is best known for cracking Apple's iPhone, said in a blog posting that he had decided to release the exploit to see what others could do with it and because he wanted to move on to other work.

"Esperamos que este se inflame la escena PS3, y se organizan y saber cómo utilizar esto para hacer cosas prácticas, como el iPhone, cuando fugas fueron liberados", escribió. "Hopefully, this will ignite the PS3 scene, and you will organize and figure out how to use this to do practical things, like the iPhone when jailbreaks were first released," he wrote. "Tengo una vida para volver a, y no pueden seguir trabajando en eso todo el día y la noche." "I have a life to get back to and can't keep working on this all day and night."

El viernes Hotz, dijo que había logrado hackear la PlayStation 3, después de cinco semanas de trabajo con el "hardware muy simple inteligentemente aplicada, y algún software no es tan simple." On Friday Hotz said he had managed to hack the PlayStation 3 after five weeks of work with "very simple hardware cleverly applied, and some not so simple software."

De consolas PlayStation 3 que sólo suele ejecutar el software que ha sido firmado digitalmente por Sony. PlayStation 3 consoles typically only run software that has been digitally signed by Sony. Es parte del complejo sistema de gestión de derechos digitales diseñado para impedir la piratería de software, pero el hachazo representa una primera grieta en el que la protección digital. It's part of the complex digital rights management system designed to thwart software piracy but the hack represents a first crack in that digital protection.

Con el lanzamiento de la explotación en línea, muchos programadores es probable que comience a examinar la PlayStation 3 maneras de conseguir más profundo en el sistema. With the release of the exploit online many programmers will likely start to examine the PlayStation 3 for ways to get deeper into the system. Para algunos, el objetivo primordial será el de romper el sistema de encriptación que asegura juegos copiados ilegalmente no se pueden reproducir en la consola, mientras que otros serán probablemente motivada por la dificultad técnica de ejecutar su propio software de gran alcance en la PlayStation 3 de la plataforma. For some the prime goal will be to crack the encryption system that ensures illegally copied games cannot be played on the console while others will likely be motivated by the technical challenge of running their own software on the powerful PlayStation 3 platform.

"La PS3 es pirateado, es su trabajo para averiguar algo útil que hacer con ella", escribió Hotz en un archivo zip que se incluye con la hazaña. "The PS3 is hacked, it's your job to figure out something useful to do with it," wrote Hotz in a zip file included with the exploit.

La hazaña Hotz ha encontrado trabajos con la PlayStation 3 OtherOS característica que permite a un segundo sistema operativo para ser instalado en la máquina. The exploit Hotz has found works with the PlayStation 3's OtherOS feature that allows a second operating system to be installed on the machine. Esta función se suspendió en las máquinas de modelo reciente, la llamada "PS3 Slim" de consolas. This feature was discontinued on newer model machines, the so-called "PS3 Slim" consoles.

Sony también está examinando el código. Sony is also examining the code. Su unidad de juegos de Tokio-basada, Sony Computer Entertainment, dijo que está investigando las denuncias formuladas por Hotz y declinó hacer comentarios hasta que haya terminado su investigación. Its Tokyo-based gaming unit, Sony Computer Entertainment, said it is looking into the claims made by Hotz and declined to comment until it has finished its investigation.

Si el software es mejorado después de Sony podría ser llevado a lanzar una actualización del firmware que se conecta el agujero o agujeros por los que Hotz atacaron el sistema. If the software is improved upon then Sony could be pushed to release a firmware update that plugs the hole or holes through which Hotz attacked the system.

Eso es lo que sucedió cuando Hotz agrietado el iPhone. That's what happened when Hotz cracked the iPhone. Apple comenzó un gato virtual y el ratón con los desarrolladores y salía corriendo las actualizaciones del sistema tan pronto como las nuevas versiones del software de iPhone Jailbreak fueron publicados. Apple began a virtual cat-and-mouse with developers and would rush out system updates as soon as new versions of the iPhone Jailbreak software were published.