Archive for February, 2010

ARM Unveils 28nm SoC Platform

If you think ARM’s dominance in the low-power computing field was not enough, here is more to add to it.They have partnered with semiconductor giant Globalfoundries.
Yesterday they announced that GlobalFoundries (who also make chips for AMD, among other vendors) will be producing a range of system-on-chip (SoC) devices based around their ARM Cortex A9 processor. What makes this announcement more impressive is that the new products will be built on the 28nm process as opposed to the 40nm being used by most competitors. The new 28nm gate-first high-K metal gate (HKMG) design allows for twice the gate density.
The shrinking of the production node has led to significant changes in performance and power consumption. ARM claims a 40 percent increase in performance, 30 percent decrease in power consumption and a frankly astounding 100 percent increase in standby time. Importantly, all these changes come within the same old thermal envelope, which means that customers designing products around current ARM processors can switch to the SoCs without necessitating time-consuming and costly redesigns.
Two versions of the new chip have been designated – a super low power edition for mobile devices where battery life is paramount, and a high-performance version for embedded devices that demand more punch.
Globalfoundries CEO Chia Song Hwee said this about the announcement:
We are working closely with ARM to optimize the physical IP and implementation of the Cortex-A9 processor with our proven manufacturing experience in high-volume, advanced technology products, to deliver a fully integrated platform for leading-edge wireless products and applications.
Mass production of these chips would begin in the second half of this year at Globalfoundries’ ‘Fab 1′ 28nm production line in Dresden, Germany.

No more support for Windows Mobile – Skype

Skype, one of the most used software for calling has withdrawn its support for Windows Mobile. Skype has pulled out both versions namely the Skype Lite and Skype Mobile for Windows Mobile from their site. So what happends is no more downloads from site go to unprotected sources.After it failed with windows Mobile its now aim is to deliver for Windows Phone 7 Series.Previously i had posted about Verizon giving skype on their phones with free Skype to Skype unlimited calls.

From the Skype blog “we’ve decided to make a few changes to our lineup. Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Phones are no longer available for download. This isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, but the reason is simple. Neither of these apps offered a great Skype experience.”

Palm webOS 1.4 update comes today features Video Capture, Flash 10 support

Engadget have managed to dig up a changelog of the upcoming Palm Pre and Pixi webOS update, version 1.4.
Besides bug fixes, it’s also loaded with new features, some of which like video capturing and editing, sending videos over MMS, and Adobe Flash 10 support for the Pre. Here’s the list of major features Pre and Pixi owners will see today:
  • Phonebook Transfer (import & export)
  • Adds Video Capture capability & edit
  • Calendar Enhancements
  • Messaging Enhancements
  • Improved Performance (Phone & CAL)
  • Email Enhancements
  • Notification Enhancements
  • Adds Adobe Flash 10.0 (Pre Only)
Also, here are the most important fixes from the update:
  • Time Zone bug fixed
  • Network time sync bug fixed to reflect accurate Network time
  • Bluetooth car-kit transition to device corrected
  • No EV icon bug fixed (random)
  • Random browser formatting bugs fixed
  • Fixed bug that incorrectly displayed Sprint when actually was Digital  Roaming
  • Missing Contact issue specifically with swap down to 1.2.9.1 or less

iTunes Sells 10 billion songs

Reports say that Apple’s iTunes store has sold its 10 billionth song on Wednesday (Feb. 24), thanks to massive sales of tracks by Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Coldplay.

Apple revealed that Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” is iTunes’ all-time most-downloaded song, with “Boom Boom Pow” coming in at No. 3. Lady Gaga is the solo artist with the most songs in the top 25, with “Poker Face” (No. 2), “Just Dance” (No. 6) and “Bad Romance” (No. 22) all making the list. Other acts with tracks in the top 10 include Jason Mraz, Coldplay, Flo Rida, Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis and Ke$ha.

All of the top 25 tracks were released in the past five years (Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” is the newest) except for “Don’t Stop Believin’” by classic rockers Journey, whose inclusion in popular TV shows “The Sopranos” and “Glee” helped the song reach No. 21 on the list.

But perhaps the real winner might be the person who actually bought the 10 billionth track — they will recieve a $10,000 iTunes gift card.Nows’ that’s awesome.Lucky him.

Here’s the Top 25 list of iTunes’ most downloaded songs:

1.  Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling”

2.  Lady Gaga, “Poker Face”

3.  Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”

4.  Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours”

5.  Coldplay, “Viva La Vida”

6.  Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”

7.  Flo Rida, “Low”

8.  Taylor Swift, “Love Story”

9.  Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love”

10.  Ke$ha, “Tick Tock”

11.  Rihanna, “Disturbia”

12.  P!nk, “So What”

13.  Katy Perry “I Kissed a Girl”

14.   Beyonce, “Single Ladies

15.  Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold”

16.  Kanye West, “Stronger”

17.  T.I. feat. Rihanna, “Live Your Life”

18.  Plain White T’s, “Hey There Delilah”

19.  Flo Rida, “Right Round”

20.  Miley Cyrus, “Party in the U.S.A.”

21.  Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’”

22.  Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”

23.  Kings of Leon, “Use Somebody”

24.  Owl City, “Fireflies”

25.  The Fray, “How to Save a Life”

Google Pushing IE6 out moving to HTML 5

Google has hammered yet another nail into the coffin of Internet Explorer 6. From March 13th onwards, support for IE6 on Youtube will come to an end. What this essentially means whatever the new features Google will roll out for the video-sharing website will probably not work in IE6.

It all started when Google dropped support for IE6 under Google Docs, moving on when they announced that their popular offline-browsing API, Gears, would be shelved and replicated under HTML5.However, Youtube has a far broader audience than both Docs and Gears combined, so this is the first truly significant move that Google has made to tell the world that IE6 needs to die a peaceful death. Google has also stated that Gmail, it’s popular free webmail client will also cease to support IE6 by the end of the year.

There is already a nag-screen on Youtube when it is accessed from IE6 (or any older browser) that informs users that their browser will soon lack support and lists five alternative browsers – Chrome, Firefox 3.6, Opera 10, Safari 4 and Internet Explorer 8.

byebye iE6 250x119 Google Pushing IE6 out moving to HTML 5

Interestingly, all the browsers that Google recommends support HTML5.However, should Google be praised for its efforts in getting users to upgrade their browsers, or should it continue to support IE 6 – which still holds a staggering 10 percent market share, putting it way above both Opera and Safari combined – despite its lack of HTML 5 support?

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