A Beginner’s Introduction to Overclocking Your Intel Processor

If you want to squeeze every last ounce of processing power out of your new computer or aging system, overclocking is a great—if slightly nerve-racking—option. Here are some simple guidelines for safely overclocking your processor. Read more…        

Excerpt from:
A Beginner’s Introduction to Overclocking Your Intel Processor

How to conquer Magic the Gathering’s new Duels of the Planeswalkers

You’ll need a brand new strategy for Duels of the Planeswalkers, the casual “video game” version of the Magic the Gathering card game. Luckily, our ultimate Planeswalkers guide will tell you when to counterspell, when to summon a massive elder thing, when to reanimate a demon corpse, and how to lay waste to your opponent. Read more…        

See the article here:
How to conquer Magic the Gathering’s new Duels of the Planeswalkers

Intel’s 128MB L4 Cache May Be Coming To Broadwell and Other Future CPUs

MojoKid writes “When Intel debuted Haswell this year, it launched its first mobile processor with a massive 128MB L4 cache. Dubbed “Crystal Well, ” this on-package (not on-die) pool of memory wasn’t just a graphics frame buffer, but a giant pool of RAM for the entire core to utilize. The performance impact from doing so is significant, though the Haswell processors that utilize the L4 cache don’t appear to account for very much of Intel’s total CPU volume. Right now, the L4 cache pool is only available on mobile parts, but that could change next year. Apparently Broadwell-K will change that. The 14nm desktop chips aren’t due until the tail end of next year but we should see a desktop refresh in the spring with a second-generation Haswell part. Still, it’s a sign that Intel intends to integrate the large L4 as standard on a wider range of parts. Using EDRAM instead of SRAM allows Intel’s architecture to dedicate just one transistor per cell instead of the 6T configurations commonly used for L1 or L2 cache. That means the memory isn’t quite as fast but it saves an enormous amount of die space. At 1.6GHz, L4 latencies are 50-60ns which is significantly higher than the L3 but just half the speed of main memory.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Continued here:
Intel’s 128MB L4 Cache May Be Coming To Broadwell and Other Future CPUs

Irony: iPhone 5S Users Reporting Blue Screen of Death

MojoKid writes “It’s been a long time since many have seen a dreaded “blue screen of death” (BSoD), but it’s back and in the in the most unlikeliest of places. Oddly enough, some Apple iPhone 5S owners are reporting BSoD errors, though they’re a little different from the ones you may remember seeing on Windows desktops. Rather than spit out an obscure error code with a generic description, some iPhone 5S devices are suddenly turning blue before automatically restarting. The Numbers app in Apple’s iWork suite, a free program with new iPhones, seems to be the primary cause, though BSoD behavior has also been observed in other applications, according to complaints in Apple’s support forum.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read this article:
Irony: iPhone 5S Users Reporting Blue Screen of Death

Hands-on with the Windows “Blue” desktop experience

The Beta fish is back in the new Windows “Blue” previews. This week, Microsoft is unveiling the previews for its Windows “Blue” operating systems—the Windows 8.1 client, Windows Server 2012 R2, and an update to Windows Server Essentials.  Last night, Microsoft released the previews through its MSDN and TechNet programs for its server platforms, which include a feature called “Desktop Experience”—an add-on which gives the server versions of the platform the same interface as Windows 8.1. As a result, Microsoft has tipped its hand about some of the interface changes it will be showing in the preview of the client, which it will release later this week. Here’s a quick look at the most significant changes in the interface we’ve found in our first hands-on with the preview revisions.   Read on Ars Technica | Comments

More here:
Hands-on with the Windows “Blue” desktop experience

iPhone 4, iPad 2 Get US Import Ban

Bent Spoke writes “The U.S. trade agency has banned the import of older Apple iPhone and iPad models due to the violation of a patent held by Samsung (PDF). ‘The president can overturn the import ban on public-policy grounds, though that rarely happens. Apple can keep selling the devices during the 60-day review period. … Apple pledged to appeal the ITC decision. The underlying findings will be reviewed by a U.S. appeals court specializing in patent cases. … The decision could mean fewer choices for AT&T and T-Mobile customers who want to get an iPhone without paying the higher cost of the iPhone 5. Samsung told the commission that Cupertino, California-based Apple could drop the price of the iPhone 5 if it was worried about losing potential customers. All of the iPhones are made in Asia.’ It’s getting so complicated we need a scorecard to keep track of who’s winning these offensive patent battles in the smartphone coliseum.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Taken from:
iPhone 4, iPad 2 Get US Import Ban

Microsoft drops the Blue codename, confirms Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade available later this year

One of the worst kept secrets rattling around Microsoft’s campus is Windows Blue , the forthcoming update to Windows 8 that addresses users’ bugbears about the OS. Now, Microsoft is officially rechristening the platform, and with a more staid name: Windows 8.1. Tami Reller, the CMO and CFO of Microsoft’s Windows Division made the big reveal during JP Morgan’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. The upgrade will be free and available from the home screen when it launches, while a preview version will be opened up to the public on June 26th at the beginning of Build 2013 . Unfortunately, Reller wouldn’t get any more specific about a formal release date, saying simply that it will be delivered “later in the calendar year.” The only clarification she would offer is, “we know when the holidays are.” As anticipated, the Windows 8.1 update will come to both the full version of the OS as well as the ARM-friendly RT. While we haven’t officially seen any sub-10-inch slates announced yet, it’s been rumored that 8.1 would enable smaller devices. Reller’s comments only backed up those expectations, when she suggested that Windows 8 is great for everything from “the smallest tablets ” to desktops. Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments

View post:
Microsoft drops the Blue codename, confirms Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade available later this year

Windows 8, take 2? Let’s see Start button, boot to desktop

Microsoft may be moving toward bringing back the Start button and allowing users to boot straight to the desktop with its coming Windows 8.1 release later this year. [Read more]        

Excerpt from:
Windows 8, take 2? Let’s see Start button, boot to desktop

Leaked Windows Blue build 9364 reveals multiple Live Tile sizes, same-width side-by-side apps

Want to get a first-hand look at Microsoft’s updated OS ? You might be able to download the unreleased Windows Blue operating system on your own machine. Leaked build 9364 hit file sharing sites earlier today — according to Neowin , the 32-bit edition is available for download as a 2.63GB ISO, and likely hit the web from a Microsoft partner in France. Notable adjustments include larger and smaller Live Tiles, enabling a bit more Start screen customization, along with an updated side-by-side app view, which boosts multitasking efficiency by displaying two applications with matching width. Other additions include a Play option under the Devices panel, a screenshot button on the Share sidebar, and Internet Explorer 11, which comes packaged with the new OS. Windows Blue build 9364 appears to be an unauthorized leak, but even if you have any reservations about installing it on your own machine, you’ll surely be able to check out plenty of eye candy from other users over the hours and days to come. In the meantime, hit up the source links for a few more screenshots. [Thanks, Jim] Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Winforum , Neowin

Taken from:
Leaked Windows Blue build 9364 reveals multiple Live Tile sizes, same-width side-by-side apps

Canon Shows the Most Sensitive Camera Sensor In the World

An anonymous reader writes “Canon announced today that it successfully developed a super high-sensitivity full-frame CMOS sensor developed exclusively for video recording. The new Full HD sensor can capture light no other comparable sensor can see and it uses pixels 7.5 larger than the best commercial professional cameras in existence today.” There doesn’t seem to be a gallery of images, but the video demo (direct link to an mpeg4) makes it seem pretty sensitive. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More:
Canon Shows the Most Sensitive Camera Sensor In the World