You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
It’s a very poorly kept secret that Intel is looking to bust in the pay-TV business. Rumors have been circulating since at least December that the chip giant is working on its own set-top box and hopes to pair it with a “virtual cable” service that offers unbundled channels. Of course, content creators are reticent to give up the lucrative package deals they’ve struck, which require providers to serve up smaller outlets alongside popular ones. But the tides are starting to shift, and many are demanding that these channels be offered à la carte. According to Bloomberg, Intel is getting close to offering such a service and is reportedly closing in on deals with Time Warner, Viacom and NBC that would allow them to offer both live and on-demand content over the internet. Sources are reporting that the broad terms of the deal have been agreed to, and its only a few fine details and some financial terms that need to be finalized. Intel is also allegedly in talks with Disney, CBS and News Corp. Though, those negotiations are in the preliminary stages. If Intel can successfully land deals for CNN, Comedy Central, MTV and other properties owned by its supposed new partners then its TV experiment could stand a legitimate chance at success.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Intel
Source: Bloomberg
One of Intel’s biggest challenges to its upcoming streaming TV service has been getting content providers to sign on. But according to Bloomberg, many key deals are almost in place. More »
With the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch you’ve got one of the companies most solid deliveries of an Ultrabook-level computer upgraded with Windows 8 and a full 10-point touch display. With this notebook you’re going to be working with 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 processor power under the hood, a lovely 13.3 LED HD screen, and a market cost well under a thousand bucks. Sound like a value proposition you’ll want to add to your already burgeoning Samsung device collection?
This notebook, also known as model NP540U3C-A01US, is not the thinnest beast on the block, nor is it the lightest. But it’s no monster, either. Instead what you’re getting is a 12.4 x 8.6 x 0.6-inch notebook made from a mix of aluminum and plastic parts, certainly sturdy enough – and aesthetically pleasing enough on the outside – to be your daily driver in a public place. As an Ultrabook such as this will likely be used by you for doing work first and foremost, it’s important to take a peek at the keyboard right out of the box.
What you’ve got here is a top-class keyboard that’s not unlike what we’ve seen from the generation of Samsung notebooks that’ve come out over the past year. If you’re used to working with a MacBook, not a PC, you’ll still feel rather at home with this layout and pressure sensitivity. The keyboard features a real no-nonsense set of keys as well, so no worries pecking away at the bits you’re not wanting to hit.
The display is certainly nice looking, and if you’re not used to the ultra-high-definition eye-shattering screens that are also out there on the market today, you’ll have a great time with the 1366 x 768 resolution here with LED HD technology and 10-finger touch. That means that if you’ve got an app that needs every single one of your fingers at once, you’ll be able to do it here. Covering this display you’ve got Corning Gorilla Glass – resistant against scratches and damage like a pro. This display is also 300 nits bright, working with SuperBright Technology so you know you’re backed up by a brand that means business.
Inside you’ll be working with 8GB of system memory, a hard drive of 128GB (SSD), and a find little web camera peeking up at you above the screen. You’ve also got Intel HD Graphics 4000, perfectly generous for your everyday movie watching, and you’ll be connecting to the web either wirelessly with Intel WiDi and Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 802.11 a/b/g/n or wired with this machine’s built-in ethernet port.
Next to your ethernet port (which pops open or closes down for a more compact experience, mind you), you’ll see one USB 3.0 port, HDMI out, and your very own headphone/microphone jack. Lucky you! On the right you’ve got another two USB 2.0 ports and a multi-card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC). Altogether you’ve got a really solid package, certainly one you can bring home to mother.
This device is only surprisingly heavy because I’m so very used to handling computers now that are lighter than they have any business being. When you’re working with Ultrabooks and MacBook Airs and the like every single day of the week, having one like this UltraTouch will seem like a slight change. But as it is with most notebooks and such, the weight and the shape of this machine feels natural rather quickly.
The location of each of the ports feels quite natural, and though it does still feel a bit odd to be pulling open the ethernet port on the left hand side whenever it’s needed, it’s not been a burdon in any way. Toss this and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the GALAXY S 4 in your pockets and backpack and you’re set!
Samsung is particularly proud of its collection of apps made specifically for Windows 8, including such winners as Quick Starter. With Quick Starter, you’re able to grab your own toolbar and start button (otherwise willfully yanked from your life by Windows 8) so you’ll have a more familiar user interface if you’ve never used Windows 8 before. You’ll also have all kinds of awesome AllShare Play action going on – particularly awesome if you’re a Samsung Galaxy S III or GALAXY S 4 or Galaxy Note user.
| Manufacturer | Samsung Electronics | Product Type | Notebook |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit) | ||
| Motherboard | SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. NP540U3C-A01UB | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i5-3317U | ||
| Processor ID | GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9 | ||
| Processor Frequency | 1.70 GHz | Processors | 1 |
| Threads | 4 | Cores | 2 |
| L1 Instruction Cache | 32.0 KB | L1 Data Cache | 32.0 KB |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | L3 Cache | 3.00 MB |
| Memory | 3.71 GB DDR3 SDRAM 799MHz | FSB | 99.8 MHz |
| BIOS | Phoenix Technologies Ltd. P06ABH | ||
With AllShare Play you’ll be connecting with your mobile devices with ease, sharing your media from device to device in a personal mobile network instantly. This interface also works with Samsung Smart TVs and tablets as well as smartphones.
| Section | Description | Score | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit) | |||
| Integer | Processor integer performance | 5173 | 7046 |
| Floating Point | Processor floating point performance | 9610 | |
| Memory | Memory performance | 6351 | |
| Stream | Memory bandwidth performance | 6026 | |
Above and you’ll also find some read-outs we’ve taken of the notebook. You’ll see some additional details about what this Ultrabook is packing as well as some benchmark results from our standard test: Geekbench. Feel free to head back to our archive of reviewed devices to compare and contrast as well!
Off the wall connection we’ve found the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch to be getting a little over 5 hours of battery life. That’s without streaming video – if you’re going to be doing heavy processing tasks, this may not be the workhorse for you. Instead you’ll find this device best for daily work on-the-go without demanding a full 8-hour workday spread without power.
That said, battery life on this device isn’t all that different from the rest of the Ultrabooks out there right now. You’ll find a machine like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 working with essentially the same amount of battery time where the newest era of MacBook Air units are some of the only mobile notebooks we’ve worked with that last longer in the field. Choose wisely!
With the Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch you’ve got an Ultrabook that’s ready to be your best buddy in college, your friendly office companion, or your coffee shop cohort. While the Samsung notebook line doesn’t hold quite the “cool” factor their smartphones and tablets have earned over the past few years, they still connect in more ways than any other machine – particularly if you want to work with the oddity that is AllShare.
The model we’ve reviewed here will cost you a cool $859.99 USD and is available everywhere fine Ultrabooks are sold. We’d recommend, as always, heading out to your local notebook dealer to see how this unit feels before picking one up for yourself. Samsung has made a fabulous notebook here, and you’re going to want to take it out for a test drive before you make the big jump.
Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Intel is looking to equip its next-generation of ultrabooks with its upcoming Haswell processor. The Haswell processor promises extreme power-saving capabilities while also offering great performance. It is also said that Intel’s Haswell ultrabooks will be deeply integrated with Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Blue OS in order to maximize power efficiency and laptop performance.
According to CNET’s sources, the Haswell ultrabooks will be much faster than ultrabooks currently utilizing Intel’s Ivy-Bridge processors. While running Windows Blue, they will also be coming with improved Standby capabilities that will allow your device to stay connected to social networks, e-mails, and other push-services while the ultrabook is asleep. When you turn your device back on, everything will automatically be up-to-date.
Back in 2011, Intel bragged about its new Haswell chips being able to last up to 24 hours on a single charge, and being able to survive 10 days on standby. It will certainly be appealing to customers who’s main priority is having a laptop with a great battery life. According to Paul Otellni, CEO of Intel, the Haswell CPUs will have “the single largest generation-to-generation battery life improvement in Intel history.”
Intel is speculated to be launching its Haswell CPUs in June, and it will be implemented in both ultrabooks, and hybrid laptops (half tablet, half laptop). That’s around the same time-frame that Microsoft plans on launching Windows Blue. The combination between Intel’s upcoming processor and Microsoft’s upcoming operating system is said to be bringing ultrabooks that “act more like a smartphone or tablet OS”.
[via CNET]
Intel “Haswell” ultrabooks to fully utilize Windows Blue is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The name says it all. Late last year, Intel quietly introduced the Next Unit of Computing (NUC): a miniature, barebones desktop PC that represents a modern take on the traditional beige box. The NUC sits a mere two inches tall and comes nestled within a 4-inch square chassis. It also retails for just shy of $300. Don’t let its diminutive size or price fool you, though. The Core i3 system is speedy, stable and more than capable of handling day-to-day computing tasks. Yes, it’s a hell of a departure from the noisy monstrosities we lusted after just a few years ago. And it’s a lot quieter, too.
Before you get too excited, though, let’s temper that enthusiasm just a bit. As with any bare-bones kit, you’ll need to install your own memory, storage, wireless networking components and operating system. In other words, unless you’re willing to get your hands a bit dirty, the NUC isn’t for you. And then there’s the question of its price, which becomes a lot less tempting once you factor in the laundry list of necessary components. So, is the NUC deserving of its “Next Unit of Computing” title? Let’s explore this question together.
Gallery: Intel NUC review
Folks, this isn’t your ordinary, average Friday. Why, you ask? Well, we’ve got a birthday to celebrate, and it’s quite a milestone at that. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Pentium processor, which was introduced on March 22, 1993. If you’re old enough to recall, the chip ran circles around its 486DX2 predecessor, and thanks to a heavy dose of marketing from Intel, the brand quickly became synonymous with the PC. For you trivia types, the original Pentium P5 was available in 60MHz and 66MHz variants, and was manufactured with an 800-nanometer fabrication process, which is quite the contrast to the 22nm chips on the market today. Rather than burden your mind with specs, though, we’d rather celebrate — and we’re sure that you would, too. So join us past the break, where you’ll find some of the more whimsical moments in the Pentium’s storied history.
Via: Slashdot
Source: V3.co.uk
It’s no secret that Intel wants more of a presence in the living room, even if it’s sometimes less than welcome. The chip giant’s new Media Server Reference Design might be key to getting that foot in at least a few doors. The kit combines both Atom CE5300-based hardware with software tools, the combination of which should fast-track media hubs and set-top boxes for those who don’t want to start from scratch. It’s more than just the expected media and TV engines; Intel also bundles in Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace engine to simplify motion remote control. MSRD kits should be available in April, although it’s likely to be months later before we learn whether or not home theater companies want to follow where Intel takes them.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Intel
Source: Technology@Intel
This week as we roll through NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference and hear of the latest innovations in graphics processing prowess, we’ve heard a thunder strike – the Digital Storm Hailstorm II, a massive monster of a gaming PC. This beast has four distinct levels of excellence, ranging from a single GeForce GTX 680 all the way up to three – count them – three NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN GPUs for face-blasting graphics processing excellence. This set of builds is bordering on absolutely insane as the home gaming universe ramps up to a place where you’d have to be no less than tattooed with dedication to having the most powerful set of specifications – here you’ll go wild!
With the Hailstorm II you’ll have space for four radiators, four GPU units, and two CPUs. That’s one massive amount of space on its own – then you consider how it’ll all be blasting forth with the components Digital Storm is quoting here as out-of-box builds, you’ll find your fingers sweating. With the Hailstorm II, you’ve got the first appearance of the Corsair Obsidian Series 900D, a monstrous black tower with a big window on the side so you can view this futuristic wallet-crushing collection for yourself.
Inside you’ve got a liquid cooling system with three front intake fans and a lovely large rear exhaust fan to keep the air running through. If you’d like, this build allows you to ad an absurd 15 fans in total – so much freaking airflow you’ll have to wear a jacket.
Up front you’ll find a lovely brushed aluminum front panel that’ll open up to show you a vast number of expansion slots – ten expansion slots in all, with room for up to nine hard drives or SSD with three hot-swappable mounts, four 5.25-inch optical drive bays, and more! You’ll have two USB 3.0 ports for super quick transfer, four USB 2.0 ports for all your peripherals, and, just incase you’re an over-the-top expander, the ability to work with two power supplies on the back.
If that weren’t enough, you’ll find that each unit has gone through a 72-hour stress-test by Digital Storm, this including industry standard testing of the hardware and software as well as a proprietary testing process in place to detect any and all components that show the potential to fail in the future – you’ll be set!
The system builds you’ll be working with are as you see above, each of the prices reflective of the beastly innards they contain. You’ll find that each of these systems uses fabulous Intel CPU power with the Core i7 across the board as well as NVIDIA GPUs. As noted, this is one of the first systems to work with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN GPU, and you’ll be able to knock it up to 3x SLI NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 6GB – intense!
Digital Storm Hailstorm II gaming PC brings torrential TITAN downpour is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Intel’s Web TV set-top box will use a motion-tracking remote control, it’s been confirmed, with the chip firm turning to LG-favorite Hillcrest Labs for the tech. The new Intel Media Server Reference Design (MSRD), set to go on sale in April as the company tries to tempt content providers and OEMs to its Atom CE5300 multimedia chipset, will use Hillcrest’s Freespace Motion Engine for navigating menus by waving a remote in mid-air.
The Intel MSRD is a partner project to Intel’s own Web TV plans, detailed earlier this year, which will see the company launch its own on-demand streaming service later in 2013. That system is expected to use viewer-tracking as well as other, more traditional control systems; an onboard webcam will monitor the general demographics of the current viewer – age bracket, gender, etc. – and tailor advertising content and suggestions based on that data. SlashGear saw a demonstration of the technology back at Mobile World Congress.
It’s unclear if the MSRD will include the same camera technology out of the box. Intel has so far confirmed that it will include the Atom CE5300 dualcore SoC, complete with hyperthreading and virtualization, 3D/2D graphics encoding, an H.264 B-picture hardware encoder, and integrated power management, along with DBV-T2/T/C broadcast and media sharing stacks, and the aVia media player, already available for Android.
Intel’s own system will likely be built on the same technology, though with the company’s own tailoring to suit its Web TV intentions. The firm hopes to license out the MSRD reference design as a software and hardware shortcut for cable, home entertainment, and other providers hoping to enable things like second-screen interaction with tablets and smartphones, pay-TV, and media streaming.
Intel MSRD set-top box detailed: motion-remote and second-screen grunt is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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