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Intel Integrates Wifi in Processors

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Intel shows off a breakthrough in making faster and more energy efficient wifi-- integrating a 2.4GHz wifi radio and a dual-core Atom processor on the same chip, codenamed "Rosepoint."

RosepointThe chip was seen at the 2012 IEEE Solid-State Cicuits Conference (ISSCC), San Francisco.

The wifi radio inside Rosepoint is digital RF, and uses only 2 voltage levels. The chip itself is built using a 32nm process, and Intel tells Wired Magazine it brings Moore's Law to the world of RF and radio circuits.

The integrated wifi technology will not hit the market until a few years, and Intel is already working on a version carrying a cellular radio and a built-in antenna. Such technology can result in the more energy efficient internet-connected devices of the future.

Wireless radio and CPUs do not make ideal partners-- radiation from a CPU corrupts data the RF module is receiving, while radio waves mess with microprocessors. The wifi radio and the Atom processor also happen to operate using similar frequencies, demanding the use of noise cancelling and radiation-shielding.

Smartphones Turn into Desktops via Linux

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Canonical plans to provide Android smartphones with a desktop-style OS with Ubuntu for Android-- a hardware dock and software combination aiming at first-PC customers and enterprise use.

Ubuntu for AndroidThe idea is similar to the Motorola Atrix, which used the Motorla Webtop OS and the hardware Lapdock. However Canonical pushes the concept even further by having the phone switch to a different OS (ARM Linux) when docked via HDMI and USB ports.

Canonical says it will take advantage of current smartphones (with multi-core processors and fast 4G connections). The Ubuntu OS will share kernel with Android, meaning it will run the same apps and access the same data (such as contact lists) inside the phone.

The dock also connects to a monitor, keyboard and mouse-- but no details are yet available on who is manufacturing compatible docks, or eventual costs.

The project is still in its infancy, as Canonical says phone manufacturers need to pre-load Ubuntu for Android in their phones-- devices Canonical says will be available by late 2012 (with no mention of models or manufacturers either). Still the idea has a lot of potential, especially with companies like Citrix, VMWare and Adobe already supporting Ubuntu.

Go Ubuntu for Android

Goodbye, Windows Flag

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Microsoft unveils the new logo for Windows 8-- abandoning the familiar multicolour "flag" in favour of a minimalist take on the Metro design already seen within Windows 8 itself.

windows logosAccording to the company the new design is "Authentically Digital" by not imitating real-world materials (such as glass or wood) and "humble, yet confident." The logo will be found throughout all Windows 8 releases, and will change colour according to the user's choices of themes and preferences.

For those with long memories (like us!) the new logo will remind of the very first Windows 1.0 logo, from back in 1985. A similarly minimalist and clean design, it even comes in a similar shade of blue. The more familiar "flag" came around in the 1990s with Windows 3.1.

We should see more of the new Windows logo in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, available from February 29.

Go Redesigning the Windows Logo

It's Not Only CeBIT That Hannover is Now Famous For...

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OK, by us, Hannover in Germany is famous for CeBIT. But the success of a police stratagem in Hannover may capture attention from police forces worldwide.

HannoverIn Hannover, the local polizei have a pilot scheme (Fahndung via Facebook or Manhunt via Facebook) that uses photofit technqiue delivered by social media to harness the public to locate criminal suspects.

Photofit is now generally known as Electronic Facial Identification Technique (E-FIT), as today it is a computer-based method that produces facial composites of suspects based on eyewitness descriptions. (Janina Kaminska in the UK Home Office first proposed the name "E-Fit"in 1984.)

Razer Prepares for Mass Effect 3

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As the much anticipated 3rd chapter in Mass Effect saga nears launch, your customers will want Razer's Mass Effect 3-branded peripherals and accessories-- all coming with a code unlocking downloadable content for the game.

Razer mass Effect 3The peripheral series mostly consists of re-skinned Razer products, including the Imperator mouse, Vespula mouse mat, BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard (for the PC gamers), Onza controller and Chimaera headset (for the 360 owners). All come dressed up in red, black and the vital "N7" logo from the series.

Razer also offers a couple of branded accessories (a messenger bag and iPhone case) for customers wanting to show their love for the sci-fi game series.

All the above mentioned Razer offerings should be available from March 16th-- which happenns to be 10 days after the game launches...

Go Razer Mass Effect 3 Accessories

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