More companies have signed on for ARM’s Big.Little chip design technology, which mixes low-power and power-hungry cores for more efficient energy use of chips in smartphones, tablets, servers and other equipment. Seventeen companies have so far licensed Big.Little, ARM said in a statement Wednesday. That is a jump from seven companies announced at the Mobile World Congress in February. Big.Little is meant to preserve battery life on faster smartphones and tablets. Its design reserves high-power cores for demanding tasks like video playback, while the low-power processors take on mundane tasks like answering phone calls or playing audio. That effectively provides power-efficient use of processors and better performance per watt. Samsung is using the Big.Little design in its Exynos 5 Octa chip, which combines four high-power ARM Cortex-A15 cores with four low-power ARM Cortex-A7 processors. The Octa 5 chip is used in some Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones. A prototype tablet displayed by ARM at MWC also demonstrated the processor, with the low-power cores largely handling background tasks.
Sometimes when you rip a CD onto your computer to make backup MP3 copies, the ripping app neglects to export the tags and album art, leaving you with a messy-looking file. If you have ripped a lot of CDs, all without their identifying tags and album covers, then retagging them can be a tiring and tedious process. Free program Mp3tag is here to make that process a lot faster and a lot easier. Mp3tag 2.54 is an absolute delight to use, and my MP3 files are finally starting to look halfway organized. What Mp3tag does is give you an extremely easy-to-use user interface in which you can add the information you need to identify the file. You can also drag and drop album art with your mouse directly onto the MP3tag app and it will automatically attach. The tags—which you can edit—include the title of the song, the artist, the album, the year it came out, what track number that particular song is, and the genre. When an album cover is attached, you can alter the aspect ratio in case it is not the right size or if it is distorted. You can really save time with the batch editing. Use your mouse to select as many of the files in the folder as you want and add information and album art to all of them at the same time. Remember to click the save button afterwards though, otherwise any changes you made will be lost. This is one of the very few downsides of Mp3tag: no automatic real-time saving by the app. You have to press the button yourself and if you forget…whoops, back to square one.
More than 25 years after Apple introduced “Knowledge Navigator” as a concept that envisioned the future of computers, Intel has reintroduced the concept as the future of smartphones. Smartphones in the future will be cognizant of surroundings, and be able to anticipate the needs of users, said Mike Bell, vice president and general manager of Intel’s mobile and communications group, during an this week at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference organized by the All Things D website. Smartphones will be “intelligent” and know when things need to get done, Bell said. Based on time, surroundings and a user’s location, smartphones could manage calendars, schedule events or even set up the air temperature in a home, all with minimal user intervention. “We can essentially have a device that is much more aware of what is going on around you or aware of what you are doing,” Bell said. “It’s kind of the ‘real’ Knowledge Navigator in your pocket.”
About a month ago I offered up . Among them was Mailbox, a much-anticipated email manager that was available only by joining a lengthy waiting list. (Like, seriously lengthy. Some users found themselves in line behind hundreds of thousands of others.) Thankfully, as of yesterday, , so it's available to all comers. The question is, does it succeed as a business tool? The answer is absolutely, with a few qualifications. When it comes to email, I think Apple's stock app does a pretty decent job. I particularly like introduced in iOS 6.
If you’re an active user of Outlook, SkyDrive, Office Web Apps, or other Microsoft services, you may want to add two-step verification for an extra layer of security. . As the name suggests, two-step verification requires you to login with a second form of identification, in addition to your user name and password. For instance, Microsoft can send you a code via text message or email, which you enter while logging into your account for the first time on any PC or other device.
An IT services firm recently sued by Epicor has responded, calling the claims “unwarranted” and part of an attempt on Epicor’s part to “monopolize” the services market for its ERP (enterprise resource planning) software. Epicor sued , alleging that the company illegally used Epicor’s software to create and sell “bolt-on” products and services. Such add-ons can’t be created without access to Epicor’s applications, but Alternative has never licensed the software, nor has Epicor given a third party permission to give Alternative access, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Instead, Alternative has “duplicated” the software or managed to access it illegally, violating Epicor’s intellectual property as well as software license agreements between Epicor and customers, according to the suit. Alternative has also given customers the erroneous impression that it is an authorized Epicor partner through the use of Epicor trademarks, the suit alleges. A number of Alternative employees, including CEO Vivian Keena, once worked at Epicor.
Toshiba is that's housed in a magnesium alloy case and boasts a 13.3-inch display with native resolution of 2560-by-1440 pixels. In a briefing with PCWorld earlier this month, Toshiba’s group product marketing manager, Young Bae, described the Kirabook as having a “MacBook Pro screen on an Ultrabook that’s lighter than a MacBook Air.” There’s just one problem with that description: Toshiba has outfitted the Kirabook with an HDMI output that can drive an external display at only 1920-by-1080 pixels. Apple provides HDMI out on its MacBook Pro, too. However, Apple's machine also delivers Thunderbolt, so it's capable of driving up to two external displays at resolution of 2560-by-1600 pixels each. While the HDMI standard is capable of resolutions higher than 1920-by-1080, when doing so it’s limited to refresh rates of only 24- or 30Hz (4096x2160 pixels at 24Hz, and 3840x2160 pixels at up to 30Hz). Anyone connecting the Kirabook to a 27- or 30-inch display is likely to be disappointed with the image they see on the big screen compared to what they see on the little screen next to it. It’s a curious design decision considering that Toshiba is positioning the Kirabook as a luxury machine. “We intend to deliver an upscale, premium customer experience,” said Bae. “We will have a dedicated tech-support line for Kirabook owners. Their calls will be answered within 45 seconds. And the device will come with a two-year warranty during which we’ll provide paid overnight shipping on warranty claims.”
Apple has patched Java for the aged OS X Snow Leopard and tweaked Safari to give users more control over what websites they let run the vulnerability plagued Oracle software. Oracle on Tuesday shipped an update for Java 6 and Java 7 to patch up to —the number depends on the version and platform—for Windows and OS X. Because Apple maintains Java 6 for OS X—unlike Java 7, which Oracle handles—it followed with its own update. The Apple update was important beyond the fact that it . Not all Mac users can upgrade to the newest version, Java 7, which requires OS X Lion, or its successor, Mountain Lion. OS X Snow Leopard users are stuck on Java 6, and must rely on Apple to provide patches for that version.
More than 80 European digital rights organizations on Wednesday called on the European Commission to do more to protect net neutrality. The groups, represented by The European Consumer Organization (BEUC) and European Digital Rights (EDRi), are demanding an end to “dangerous experimentation with the functioning of the Internet in Europe.” The group said in an open letter to the Commission that operators across Europe are violating Internet neutrality particularly in the mobile sector, where they say there is evidence that companies including ISPs are “using technical measures for their own commercial interests and tampering with citizens’ ability to access the Internet.” “The experimentation by certain European access providers with blocking, filtering and throttling of services creates borders in an online world whose key value is the absence of borders,” said Joe McNamee, Executive Director of EDRi, in a statement demanding that the European Commission put a stop to it.
If software-defined networking ultimately changes the landscape of networking, Intel could be one of the biggest beneficiaries—and might be one of the reasons. SDN is intended to take the control of networks out of the equipment that forwards packets and into software that could run on standard computing platforms. If that vision comes true, then makers of sheer computing horsepower could find a whole new market. Intel is a prime candidate. Though actually moving data through a network will still require specialized silicon of the sort that Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks and merchant chip vendors such as Broadcom make, SDN proposes that decisions about those movements can be made on servers. “All the control-layer function which is being separated out in SDN is definitely in Intel’s wheelhouse, and they could very effectively play in that market,” Yankee Group analyst Jennifer Pigg said.
Get a whiff of this:
For years, the military has dreamed about giving its troops infrared cameras small enough to carry around. Leave it to Darpa to figure out how.
A complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission accuses wireless phone carriers with leaving millions of Android phone users vulnerable to attack from hackers by failing to distribute fixes for known security flaws in a timely manner.
Alongside a massive pile of other game news, Nintendo announced today that a sequel to their 1991 classic
Since January, nearly 1,300 starving sea lion pups have been brought into Southern California's rehab facilities -- about 5.5 times more than the historical average. But in the last week, the rate of pup strandings has decreased.
Assuming the weather holds up, you will be able to watch a live rocket launch as Orbital Sciences Corp. conducts the first major test of their Antares vehicle. NASA's coverage begins at 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST with the launch scheduled for an hour later, 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. EST.
iSteve, the Steve Jobs parody biopic from Funny or Die, starring Justin Long, Jorge Garcia, James Urbaniak and Michaela Watkins, is profoundly unfunny.
This week, federal authorities announced that the notoriously lethal poison ricin had been found in two letters - one addressed to President Obama and the other to U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi). Wired Science blogger Deborah Blum reports on this poison's sordid history.
Veteran space launch company Orbital Sciences is scheduled to make its first demonstration test flight later today of its new Antares rocket as part of NASA's commercial orbital transportation system agreement.
Will Google Voice, Mountain View's red-headed stepchild, live to see another day. Google pulled the plug on its popular Reader RSS reading service, so anything is possible.
OK Superman fans, it might actually be time to push the
A month before the Boston Marathon bombs, the FBI put out a warning that the chemical "exploding targets" used by recreational rifle shooters could be used to fuel homegrown improvised bombs.
Mozilla's new TowTruck project brings real-time collaboration and authoring to any website. Aimed at web development newcomers, TowTruck offers a way to co-edit and teach web development using nothing more than a web browser.
Luxury phone maker Mobiado just released a new Bluetooth headset: the m|Headset, made of aluminum, mother of pearl, and sapphire, which came out in February. Yes, February 2013.
Social networks like Twitter and Facebook are showing interest in the TV business. Their ad-targeting capabilities could make it easier for producers to give away shows online.
Inventors, visionaries, engineers ? whatever you want to call them ? have to arrive at each level before they can even imagine a way to the next one ? and then create it. That?s how Pixar and its first film Toy Story ? the first feature-length computer-animated film ? became a reality. The secret was Moore?s Law, and not just in the technical way you would think.
Frequent fliers have grown accustomed to a certain amount of inconvenience, but with booking systems being completely computerized, one minor glitch is enough to shutter not just a single flight, but an entire airline. And it seems to be happening with increasing regularity.
Inside most companies, the typical health and wellness program includes regular blood pressure checks, a list of fresh foods for the office fridge, and some sort of exercise guru who shows up every so often to tell people they should work out more. If you're lucky, you might even get some coupons designed to encourage healthier eating -- and cut company insurance costs. But at Citizen -- a Portland, Oregon company that designs mobile technology -- things are a little different.
This week on
A sting form a Portuguese man-of-war hurts like hell, so most people avoid the jellyfish-like creatures. Not Aaron Ansarov. He and his wife don rubber gloves and collect them so Ansarov can take the creatures back to their house and photograph them on a makeshift light table.
Last week, Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc. quietly turned one year old. The birthday passed without fanfare, but next week, Microsoft plans to host a birthday party at its Silicon Valley campus.
FedEx's 40-year history is about far more than an unimaginable number of overnight deliveries. It's a case study in creating a service, then pushing technology forward to ensure that service actually works on a large scale. When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight, you need powerful technology. And sometimes you have to create it.
In this episode of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Austin Grossman talks about his second novel,
The smoke from the twin bombs at the Boston Marathon on Monday contains clues about the explosives used to construct them.
If eBay posts strong first-quarter earnings later today, much of that strength will have come from eBay's winning record outside the U.S.
BlabDroids, which will be filming this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, are out to make the first documentary ever shot and directed by robots.
The Fiat 500e is the best electric vehicle that doesn't cost $100,000. And it's the first EV I'd consider owning.
The Roku 3 is the official must-have device for cord-cutters. It's the one set-top box you need if you're getting your media from the internet.
For Wired's 20th anniversary, we investigate the first generation born into a world that has never not known digital life. If you want to understand the past two decades, they are perhaps the perfect subjects. The drumbeat of disruption and technological advance is their natural rhythm.