Tag: throw-new

You’ll soon get 10TB SSDs thanks to new memory tech

SSDs and other flash memory devices will soon get cheaper and larger thanks to big announcements from Toshiba and Intel. Both companies revealed new ” 3D NAND ” memory chips that are stacked in layers to pack in more data, unlike single-plane chips currently used. Toshiba said that it’s created the world’s first 48-layer NAND , yielding a 16GB chip with boosted speeds and reliability. The Japanese company invented flash memory in the first place and has the smallest NAND cells in the world at 15nm. Toshiba is now giving manufacturers engineering samples, but products using the new chips won’t arrive for another year or so. At the same time, Intel and partner Micron revealed they’re now manufacturing their own 32-layer NAND chips that should also arrive in SSDs in around a year. They’re sampling even larger capacity NAND memory than Toshiba, with 32GB chips available now and a 48GB version coming soon. Micron said the chips could be used to make gum-stick sized M.2 PCIe SSDs up to 3.5GB in size and 2.5-inch SSDs with 10TB of capacity — on par with the latest hard drives. All of this means that Toshiba, Intel/Micron and companies using their chips will soon give some extra competition to Samsung, which has been using 3D NAND tech much longer . The result will be nothing but good for consumers: higher capacity, cheaper SSDs that will make spinning hard disks sleep with one eye open. Filed under: Storage , Intel Comments Source: Intel , Toshiba

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You’ll soon get 10TB SSDs thanks to new memory tech

Vine’s six-second slices of life get a big video-quality bump

Artists and comedians have been doing some truly amazing things with Vine since it launched as a Twitter product two years ago, but those mesmerizing slices of life that eat up your day in six-second increments have never really looked all that great. That’s finally starting to change, according to a blog post by Vine API lead Mike Kaplinskiy — you’ll start seeing vines in 720p (up from the normal, eye-searing 480p) in the team’s iOS and Android apps within the next few days, but some of them can already be spotted embedded around the web. Speaking of apps, there’s just a bit of platform bifurcation going on here (though that’s nothing new). Got an iPhone? The videos you shoot and share on Vine will be available in that higher-quality format now, and there’s nothing you really have to do since the big changes went through on the service’s back end. Alas, videos shot by Android users won’t appear in higher quality for a little while longer, and there’s zero word on whether the company’s languishing Windows Phone app will eventually get the nod (or, you know any kind of update ever again). Anyway, in case you’re absolutely dying to see what these new hi-def Vines look like, here’s a dog playing bongos. Let this endless loop of canine indie rock lull you into the weekend with the gentleness you deserve. Filed under: Mobile Comments Source: Official Vine blog

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Vine’s six-second slices of life get a big video-quality bump

Play Super Mario 64 in your browser now

Take the edge off of a full work week with a bit of Super Mario 64 , available for download or playable right in your browser thanks to ingenious Unity developer Roystan Ross. He calls it Super Mario 64 HD , and it features the original game’s first level, “Bob-Omb Battlefield.” Ross promises that everything is just as players of the 1996 game will remember, with a few exceptions, including no red coins and no Big Bob-Omb. But, it’s still Super Mario 64 in your browser (not your Bowser). Happy Friday, indeed! Filed under: Gaming , HD , Alt Comments Via: Kotaku UK Source: Roystan Ross

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Play Super Mario 64 in your browser now

YouTube starts testing silky smooth, ultra HD video quality

YouTube introduced videos that play at 60 frames per second last year and ones viewable in 4K resolution in February. Now, the website is starting to experiment with videos that are both silky smooth and ultra high-def. TechCrunch has spotted a low-key, semi-secret playlist comprised of only six videos that you can choose to play at 60 fps in 4K resolution — just toggle the settings switch to see the option. You’ll have to load YouTube on Chrome to see the 2160p60 4K setting under Quality. Plus, you’ll need a device capable of displaying ultra HD (3840 × 2160 resolution) to enjoy the feature’s benefits. Trust us when we say it’s not worth the buffering time if your computer or TV isn’t designed to handle 4K: the videos will look worse. We’ve embedded all six files below the fold, but feel free to visit the playlist itself to watch them all continuously. Filed under: Misc , Google Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: YouTube

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YouTube starts testing silky smooth, ultra HD video quality

Microsoft’s next Surface could signal the death of RT

Microsoft hasn’t given up on the idea of a mini-me version of its successful Surface Pro 3 convertible, according to a rumor from WinBeta . But a Surface 3 model won’t follow in the Surface 2’s wobbly footsteps by packing the RT version of Windows. Instead, it will reportedly take a page from the latest Macbook and come with an Intel Atom or Core M fanless CPU and a full version of Windows 8.1, upgradeable to Windows 10 . That means it could hit a lower price point than the Surface Pro while maintaining standard Windows compatibility — the lack of which effectively sunk the Surface 2. As we recently learned , Microsoft appears to be phasing out Windows RT, saying future versions will have, at best, just “some” Windows 10 functionality. It also reportedly killed a Qualcomm-based “mini” RT version of the Surface just days before it was set to launch. So if it pans out, what will this Surface-lite look like, how much will it cost and when will it arrive? We’re not sure about the first two parts, but it’s rumored to be coming in time for Microsoft’s Build conference starting April 29th. Filed under: Laptops , Microsoft Comments Source: Winbeta

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Microsoft’s next Surface could signal the death of RT

PayPal’s failure to spot sanctioned accounts just cost it $7.7 millon

PayPal has has agreed to pay the US Department of the Treasury $7.7-million, after the financial giant processed transactions for a number of companies and individuals on the US sanctions list. A total of 486 violations of US regulations had apparently been committed by PayPal “for several years” after repeated failures in the firm’s screening process, a reports explains. While the severity of each instance will vary, the Treasury highlighted a number that relate to Turkish national Kursud Zafer Cire — an individual on the list after suspected involvement in the movement of weapons of mass destruction. The Treasury’s report states that Risk Operations Agents at PayPal manually overrode at least four alerts flagging Cire as blacklisted — resulting in transactions totalling over $7, 000. Since 2013, PayPal has introduced a “long term solution” that checks for violations in real time. An investment we imagine that’s a little more cost effective, than predicting future malware . Filed under: Internet Comments Via: Reuters Source: US Dept. Treasury , (2)

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PayPal’s failure to spot sanctioned accounts just cost it $7.7 millon

Google Fiber is launching in Salt Lake City

You no longer have to head to Provo if you want Google Fiber in Utah — Google has revealed that it’s bringing its gigabit internet access to the state’s capital, Salt Lake City. The company is short on details, but it won’t have a ready-made fiber network to use this time around. SLC’s fiber network is still in the design phase, much like those in Atlanta, Nashville and North Carolina , so you could be waiting a while before you have a chance to sign up. Nonetheless, this is a good sign. Even if you don’t live in the area, it suggests that Google is picking up the pace on its once-cautious Fiber rollouts and is more likely to bring extra-fast data to your city. Filed under: Home Entertainment , Networking , Internet , HD , Google Comments Source: Google Fiber Blog

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Google Fiber is launching in Salt Lake City

This $300 cybernetic arm gets its smarts from your cellphone

Iron Man isn’t the only one 3D-printing artificial limbs these days. But unlike the mechanical hand delivered by Robert Downey Jr, this recently unveiled prosthetic from Japanese manufacturer Exiii costs just $300 and leverages your mobile device’s computing power to act just like the real thing. The Ghost in the Shell future we’ve between waiting for came took a step closer to reality. The Handiii bionic limb’s exterior is completely 3D-printed. This not only keeps each unit’s initial production costs low (it’s already dropped $50 since we last saw it at Maker Faire Tokyo ), the technique also makes fabricating replacement parts faster and easier as well. But despite its bargain-basement price, the Handiii is packed with electronics. An EMG sensor detects electrical impulses emanating from the user’s remaining limb stump and converts those impulses into physical movement through a series of servos. What’s more, it connects wirelessly to your cell phone or tablet using the mobile device’s CPU to interpret these signals and initiate movement. Unfortunately, there’s already a waiting list for these handy devices, partly due to a backlog of existing orders. Its creators are also focusing on getting these arms into the hands of academic and industrial researchers — potentially as an open-source platform — before beginning deliveries to the general public. Filed under: Wearables , Science Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: Exiii.jp

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This $300 cybernetic arm gets its smarts from your cellphone

Light-emitting fabrics could reinvent your ’90s wardrobe

Researchers who are obviously Saved by the Bell fans have developed clothing fibers that could turn you into a walking neon sign. Rather than OLED or LCD tech, the team exploited polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) that are rugged enough to be used in fabrics. They created a millimeter-sized fiber that’s decidedly high-tech — it consists of a thin steel wire coated with nanoparticles and an electroluminescent polymer, topped by a transparent carbon nanotube outer layer. A prototype fabric glowed for several hours, but so far, the light colors are limited to blue and yellow. However, PLEC tech has a theoretical life span of thousands of hours, and more colors are technically possible. The fibers could feasibly “be woven into light-emitting clothes for the creation of smart fabrics” or used for biomedical applications, according to lead scientist Zhitao Zhang from Shanghai’s Fudan University. However, there are a few hurdles to clear. The fibers are too short to be woven into clothing and, like your old Christmas tree lights, are still too unstable. On the other hand, they require less power than LEDs and are transparent and conductive — meaning they have potential to be used for human- or solar-powered wearables. We could also see them in future invisibility cloaks if combined with tiny cameras. For now, it’s just a rough prototype, but display tech often goes from concept to reality a lot faster than other scientific pipe dreams . Filed under: Wearables , Science , Alt Comments Via: Spectrum IEEE Source: Nature

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Light-emitting fabrics could reinvent your ’90s wardrobe

There’s now a super-speed PCIe SSD you can actually buy

Samsung has taken a commanding lead in next-gen SSDs that blow away old-school models , but it finally has some competition. Kingston’s HyperX Predator PCIe SSD is now available with read speeds touching 1.4GB/s. That’s still a far cry from Samsung’s latest SM951 SSD , which reads at a ridiculous 2.2GB/s. But unlike Samsung’s OEM-only model, you can actually purchase the Predator PCIe and jam it into your own PC build or laptop. You’ll need an M.2 SSD slot to do so (preferably with four PCIe lanes), but if that’s missing, Kingston will supply a PCIe slot adapter for an extra ten bucks or so. Write speeds run at 1GB/s, and random read/write IOPS are a scorching 130, 000/118, 000 random. For that, your wallet will also get scorched: it’s around $460 for the 480GB model ($230 for 240GB), or nearly double a regular HyperX 480GB SATA III drive. But that matches the price of Samsung’s similar XP941 model , and prices will likely fall quickly now that there’s some competition. Anyway, the performance is also more than double, and you can’t put a price on bragging rights . Filed under: Storage Comments Via: Tom’s Hardware Source: Kingston

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There’s now a super-speed PCIe SSD you can actually buy