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Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts

Monday, February 28, 2011

What to Expect From the Apple iPad 2

Sequels very seldom win public acclaim, unless you’re talking about "The Godfather II" or "The Empire Strikes Back." And the Apple iPad, of course.
On Wednesday Apple will release "iPad: Part II" -- the follow-up to the risky, untested, Silicon-Valley thriller "iPad: Begins." It was a hit the world over and a darling of the Academy that sold a whopping 15 million units. No one predicted that.
When movie sequels come out, they have a hard time impressing. Just consider "The Matrix Reloaded" or "Caddyshack 2." Or even "Weekend at Bernie's II" -- all major disappointments. But I have high hopes for iPad II.
In a world where all Internet video runs on Adobe Flash ... In a world where most mobile gadgets have front-facing cameras ... In a world where super-high-definition screens are the norm ...
In that world, the Apple iPad still rules the roost -- even though it lacks all of the above. We’ve seen dozens of tablets hit the market this year, all of them furiously trying to compete with it. The problem is that they are only just catching up with where the iPad started. None of them, in my opinion, surpass the iPad in functionality or finesse, and certainly not in apps. So when the iPad II hits the market, it could very easily put this year’s tablets yet another year behind.
Even the Motorola Xoom, unveiled in early January and finally released just a few days ago, doesn't have the stats to be an iPad killer. Sure, it impresses with speed and specs. And sure, it has a front-facing camera. but when the iPad II comes out with its widely anticipated front-facing camera, this will be a meaningless point.
The Xoom also holds the record for speed, too -- but perhaps not for long. My sources at Apple assure me that the next iteration of iPad will be not only fast but "wicked fast." 
Will it be 4G? I doubt it. But the guts in the new iPad will be speedy, with Apple's rumored next-generation A5 processor. The Motorola Xoom runs on a dual-core, 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor; it stands to reason that Apple will at least see this bet, and perhaps raise the stakes?
With all of this speed, you’d think battery life might be compromised. Guess again. My sources at Apple assure me that this is not the case. The iPad is notorious for under-promising and over-delivering on battery life. I get upwards of 12 hours per charge. With increased performance, it will be an impressive feat for the battery life to remain constant.
Then there's the price. I don’t think Apple will significantly drop the cost of this gadget the way the company did with the original iPhone. Apple has proven that the price is already right, after all. It sells. A lot. And since the iPad is $100 cheaper than the Motorola Xoom, it will continue to sell. Other tablet manufactures simply can’t compete with Apple’s supply chain, from glass to silicon.
So I guess you could say that I’m excited about this week’s iPad launch. I'm definitely more excited than I was last week when the wraps came off of the Motorola Xoom. Again, the Xoom is a good tablet, but it isn’t a great tablet. 
Apple did it first and did it right and I’m excited to see the company do it again. My tickets to the sequel have been purchased (and by tickets I mean plane tickets), and my expectations are high. Lets just hope "iPad: Part II" is nothing like "Transformers 2."
Clayton Morris is a Fox and Friends host. Follow Clayton's adventures online on Twitter @ClaytonMorris and by reading his daily updates at his blog.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Overvalued in 2011 – iPad 2, iPhone 5 and Apple’s Attraction

When you’re looking for some new technology in your home, and start visiting online stores and the local electronics store, making sure the product is not overpriced has to be on top of your checklist. Apple products are known for their quality – to most of us – and the old saying ‘you get what you pay for‘ still rings true today.
The tech enthusiast is smarter than ever, and the Internet has helped buyers make sure they get a good deal, but Apple likes to keep a hold on the process of making their products, from the design, construction, and the sale. So when would a buyer feel that Apple’s products are overpriced? Especially when Apple buyers mostly buy direct.
The attraction for Apple’s MacBooks and other devices is increasing, and this has been shown in their latest sales results. Complaints have started to show from some of PR’s readers, with some people saying Apple’s iPad 2 and iPhone 5 “will be overpriced” in 2011, and not worth the money when comparing the specs to similar priced products. Do you feel like this?
We cannot confirm if these people own Apple products, but those of you that do know the quality you’re buying in the brand Apple. We’ve heard sayings like “once you go Mac, you don’t go back”. With this in mind, its our view that you will own an Apple MacBook Pro longer than you would an equivalent competitor, the products feel that much more solid and reliable.
The iPad 2 and iPhone 5 in 2011 will be more scrutinized that previous years, and this will be due to increased competition, and more options for consumers. Will these products be overvalued? Maybe they will, but you can also bet their reliability will be extra-value too. Apple will need to bring down their price a little to be more competitive, which may lead to mini-iPhone and iPads or at least versions with reduced features, showing again that you get what you pay for.
Recent news of a March 2 event will likely settle the price expectations for iPad 2, with some blogs claiming it could kill the Motorola Xoom if prices are similar. Are you willing to pay a premium for the Apple brand?
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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Apple unveils new MacBook Pros for 2011

After weeks of a growing chorus of rumors, leaks, and anecdotal evidence, Apple today announced a series of updates to its popular MacBook Pro line of laptops.
The biggest changes are all under the hood, as first reported on CNET. The entire updated line now offers Intel's latest Sandy Bridge CPUs, which debuted last month.
Just as significantly, the new MacBook Pros are also the first products to feature Intel's new Thunderbolt technology (formerly known as Light Peak). The Thunderbolt tech is envisioned as a sort of unified successor to USB, FireWire, and DisplayPort, allowing peripherals to hypothetically carry data and video at 10 gigabits per second. The Thunderbolt port on the MacBook Pros looks identical to (and is backwards-compatible with) existing DisplayPort connections, and--with the proper adapter cable--should also be able to interface with HDMI connections as well. (Also, note that Intel will be hosting a press event at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET today at which it is widely expected to highlight its Thunderbolt/Light Peak technology in more detail. Join CNET for live coverage at that time.)
The third big change is in the laptops' internal graphics processor. Instead of the Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics previously found in these systems, the default graphics come from Intel's HD 3000 GPU, which is the improved, integrated graphics that come bundled with the current Sandy Bridge generation of Intel's Core i-series processors. For the larger 15- and 17-inch models that include discrete graphics, the GPUs now come from AMD instead of long-time rival Nvidia.
The new MacBook Pros also get a new higher-resolution FaceTime HD camera. As the name implies, Apple is also bringing the iPhone's FaceTime video-calling software to the Mac.
Like the previous MacBook Pro line, these new models all start with a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and the lowest-end 13-inch MacBook Pro gets a hard-drive bump from 250GB to 320GB.
The base models for the MacBook Pro line are now as follows:
13-inch MacBook Pro
$1,199
2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
320GB HDD
13-inch MacBook Pro
$1,499
2.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
500GB HDD
15-inch MacBook Pro
$1,799
2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics
500GB HDD
15-inch MacBook Pro
$2,199
2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
17-inch MacBook Pro
$2,499
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
Customized configurations offering faster CPUs, larger hard drives (up to 750GB), solid-state storage (up to 512GB), more memory (up to 8GB DDR), and better screens (antiglare/higher-resolution) are available at apple.com/macbookpro.
Stay tuned for hands-on impressions of the new MacBook Pro hardware, as well as benchmark testing and full reviews.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

2011: The Year of the Personal Robot?

A standardized robotics kit promises to advance the field in ways not previously possible, making robot assistants, especially for elder care, more affordable


PR2: Willow Garage's PR2 includes a mobile base, two arms for manipulation, a suite of sensors and two computers, each with eight processing cores, 24 gigabytes of RAM and two terabytes of hard-disk space. The out-of-the-box robot, which costs $400,000, also features an operating system that handles the robot's computation and hardware manipulation functions. Image: COURTESY OF WILLOW GARAGE
What does 2011 hold for the field of robotics? Plenty, if 2010 is any indication. This will not be the year that mobile, artificially intelligent robot nurses assume the responsibility of caring for the world's growing elderly population, but it does promise to be a pivotal time for the development of the underlying technology that will enable safe and reliable automated elder care, not to mention other services that robots are expected to perform in the coming decade.

Thanks to a standardized platform introduced in 2010, roboticists can now collaborate as never before. Last May, Willow Garage, a Menlo Park, Calif., maker of robot hardware and software, released a test version of its personal robot platform. The PR2 includes a mobile base, two arms for manipulation, a suite of sensors and two computers, each with eight processing cores, 24 gigabytes of RAM and two terabytes of hard-disk space. The out-of-the-box robot, which costs $400,000, also features an operating system that handles the robot's computation and hardware manipulation functions.

"There are a lot of innovations in the PR2, but the most significant thing from my perspective is that it is a standardized, well-designed, well-tested platform that has a whole bunch of software that works right out of the box," says Charles Kemp, an assistant biomedical engineering professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "You never had that situation before."

Kemp and his team at Georgia Tech's Healthcare Robotics Lab, which he formed in 2007, are focused on creating robots that can safely and effectively help care for senior citizens. The machines would go beyond current efforts to create bots able to follow the elderly around their homes to provide them with Internet access and remind them to take their medicine. For starters, the Healthcare Robotics Lab researchers want their robots to be able to open doors and drawers to retrieve objects such as pill bottles while being guided by a laser pointer, radio signals or touch.

Kemp's lab is one of 16 institutions that experimented with the PR2 during the latter half of 2010. South Korea's Samsung Electronics is using the PR2 to enhance the company's existing robotics research in a country that hopes to put a robot in every home by 2020. The Bosch Research and Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif., part of electronics and appliances maker The Bosch Group, has begun a two-year project to integrate its advanced sensor technology—including microelectromechanical system (MEMS), accelerometers, gyroscopes,  force sensors, and air-pressure sensors—to improve the PR2's performance and reliability. Other beta-testing sites include Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the French National Center for Scientific Research's (CNRS) Laboratory of Analysis and Architecture of Systems.

Great GATSBII*
Kemp sees the combination of his PR2, named GATSBII, and a free and open-source robot operating system as a way to accelerate his lab's work with the help of a standardized platform and a budding community of roboticists working with the same tools who can now offer more practical advice to one another. "We're actually releasing things that other people can use, and we're using other people's things," Kemp says.

Prior to GATSBII, Kemp and his team used parts from a variety of suppliers to build three different mobile manipulators. The first EL-E, built in 2007 to perform assistive tasks for sufferers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which impairs physical motor functions. The researchers have since built two more robots: Dusty, which has a lift tray designed to pick objects up off the floor; and Cody, whose two arms and omnidirectional mobile base resemble those of GATSBII. Unlike GATSBII, Cody is the product of many different manufacturers, including Meka Robotics, which supplied the arms, and Segway, which delivered the omnidirectional mobile base. In the cases of EL-E, Dusty and Cody, Kemp and his team designed the robots and then found the parts they needed to actually build them.


*Correction (1/04/11): This was edited after posting. It originally referred to GATSBII as "Gatsby."

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

2011 HFT Technology Trends

I had a chance to have a great conversation with Richard Churchill, Vice President of Sales for Europe. Given that we have been working with High Frequency Trading (HFT) customers recently I asked Richard what three things he would tell a technologist new to HFT were the three most important things to consider. He replied:
 
Speed, Integrity and Security
  • Speed is the most important thing to consider. Getting the market data, matching orders and placing bid/offers into the market in less than a millisecond takes a great deal of technological skill. Keeping the thousands of trade events in flight without busting the operational limit is so important that if the pre-trade and matching have taken too long the algorithm may as well drop the trade and save the exchange fee for placing an order that will not be fulfilled.
  • This is still trading and trading in regulated financial markets so all the pre-trade risk and post trade position keeping processing still has to be done. A small firm might offload that to a third party but larger institutions will still want to process in house. In either case, the infrastructure will need to be robust enough to survive an audit.
  • Security, in all its guises, from making sure the operating system is hardened against hacking to testing the trading algorithms to prevent a flash crash incident. Testing falls into this requirement and that means accurate measurement and timekeeping. The need for speed is important but maintaining the integrity of the infrastructure during trading storms is just as important.
What are the key technology trends that are will impact the HFT market place this year?
This is the year 10GBit Ethernet becomes pervasive
  • Enabling precision time protocol (PTP) in silicon on the network card will enable better time stamping and process integrity.
  • The new generation of switch ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that is making low latency 10GBit Ethernet pervasive. This year will see a general upgrade from 1GbitE to 10GbitE. By the end of the year servers will be delivered with 10GbitE ports as standard. The subsequent aggregation at exchanges will cause them to behave more like ISPs (Internet Service Providers)
  • The insatiable demand for more and faster storage both of quantitative trading and regulatory requirements is going to see a move away from traditional monolithic solutions to more mesh based designs. Parallel file systems used in the high performance computing (HPC) environment will find their way into the financial sector.
Finally, I asked Richard for a prediction for HFT:
Not much of prediction but an acceptance that all trading will be done this way. I don't see banks investing in new trading floors but exchanges are building ever larger data centres to house their customers' computers.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Registry cleaner 2011

The windows registry is a huge database that ensures that all the operations of the computer system are performed normally and smoothly. Whenever any changes are made in control panel settings, file associations, system policies or installed software the changes are reflected in the registry. The registry keeps on growing along with the use of windows. Some information may be faulty and have errors. This may clutter the system. Window registry cleaner enables to scan and clean the system and avoids it from getting cluttered. If you want to know how the registry cleaners work, you can download free registry cleaner. This will help to clear your system from unwanted entries. When it comes to computer performance, a lot of weight usually rides on whether or not Windows is running a clean registry. And, when the registry is filled with bugs, it can slow down the performance of a computer considerably.
registry cleaner is designed to detect and remove all the garbage that has accumulated in the registry and may consist of old programs and files that are no longer needed. The first step in this process is to run the registry scan, which uses a vendor to get their interest and said, you really made my computer run faster for free, if you try our free scan.
You must take reasonable steps to make the tone of your computer can work. This can be done with a windows registry cleaner.
Everyone is aware of the risks that go with it unless you are welcome to try their luck in eliminating the virus WinPc.
digital camera to capture a new generation of technology age and take video and photos at the same time through the sensor to digital electronics. There is no requirement in the movie.
Therefore, use anti-spyware software to help make the withdrawal so easy.
technology, more powerful processors, graphics and memory, and is developing at an alarming rate. It's more like 5 years ago, the computer can do more right now and no longer a luxury to surf the Web using a computer has the God-given resources. However, hackers, fraud and problems, such as small pieces of software known as Trojan horses to come.
Is it hard to understand is what happens on the computer when no new hardware or software was added, and suddenly, slowly down the road, down the road. If nothing wrong with a computer, why slow? Why does this happen? Is it time to retire this team? Or you could do something to restore it to its original speed? The answer is yes. In fact, the PC becomes very slow is a common problem.
Basically, a computer registry is an important part of your computer and our computer to work properly and smoothly, it is very important that the register is to keep mistakes. now it is certainly not an easy task, and this is why the best way is to use Registry Repair Software.
This can find invalid file and system reference. The full version registry cleaner from Microsoft provides the option to register and complete backup of the boot program director. There is also an administrator to add or remove programs and support manager for the browser, all with the purpose of keeping the registry clean.
Even the best scientists can be fooled by the tempting offer because sometimes quite slick advertising hook. It is 100% sure that free software comes with Cookies and tracking pixels.

While the Microsoft Windows Registry looks like a monster quite complicated, there are several solutions available for cleaning. There are many available third-party software that will do it for you, but some people prefer to clean themselves. However, you must first understand how the Windows registry. The reason you should know this, no matter what method you use to clean up if there are errors, you will understand better what is happening.

Most people think that viruses are the only reason to make your computer slow. However, problems with the registry can also be one of the highest proportions of slower computers. speed my pc
A Corrupt Registry leads to intermittent problems such as blue screen of death. An easy way to fix the registry is to use a fix software. So instead of having to go into the registry "regedit" and try our luck with strange programming code, we allow the registry cleaner software to do the work for us. Whenever you have observed that your computer has been working very slow, you could think of utilizing the registry cleaner software thus that the bad registry sectors in your PC can be wiped out. The registry is a important section of the computer and a steady cleaning up of this portion should be performed.

Windows 7 might be the latest operating system from Microsoft, but it's still got a big problem in the form of the 'registry'. This part of Windows causes problems for even the most advanced computers, and to fix it, it's vital that you use a good registry cleaner to repair any of the damage that it might have. You can find a registry cleaners review on many websites all over the Internet. Registry cleaners are a topic of great interest for many people. When you stop to think that it is software that literally millions of PC users can benefit from and will at some point likely need, you begin to understand all the attention that registry cleaners receive. A cleaner is an important item that should be part of every serious PC user's toolbox of problem solving software.

If you start to notice that the computer speed is slow, inaccurate, or have problems with Windows, check the Windows registry. problem may come from there. Registry cleaner ensure that this part of the team is well taken care of this as part of your system is probably the most important.

Search and find registry cleaners to prove they are filled with high industry can start to do. Find a legitimate registry repair software developer is not hard to do. Usually can not go wrong with companies whose products are re-start the development of the Windows operating system.

Register conditions set out in clear, obviously the engine of the device for Windows PC. Its function is to monitor the Windows system settings, hardware configurations, user preferences, system policies, file associations, and installed software. Basically, it is in all aspects of computer-related content, such as the status of each program, the contents of the e-mail account set up computer programs, etc.

This is mainly because most of the registry errors caused by different types of invalid entries some of which are not easy to detect and clean. In addition, some cleaning products will only be able to eliminate certain types of entries.

To avoid such dilemmas little computer upgrade their computer systems to Microsoft Vista or Windows XP, 2003-2007. Although some of the best antivirus software downloads, and keep your computer free of bugs.

or advanced registry cleaners include hand-cleaning tool. It explores and analyzes the errors in the registry and displays results in a new window. You can then choose to see results and errors to be deleted. Using registry cleaners, you can set the Windows error, as the rundll errors, DLL errors, runtime errors, and ActiveX errors.

Review : RegCleaner could use some improvements and added, but it will definitely repair the registry and make your computer run better. This is definitely a good buy. You still have the guarantee amounting to 8 weeks back guarantee! Registry cleaners can really make a difference in the speed and resolving problems on the computer, but the dozens to choose from, how to make the best choice for you? I know that people who only select the first net to find on the internet, for example, because the price was reasonable, ie $ 20 - $ 30, but later found not to find as many errors as other cleaning products. Make no mistake - choose wisely.

If you follow these guidelines in the search for a registry cleaner for your computer, you must have a fast, smooth, relatively inexpensive computer (compared to purchasing a new computer or having your car. From a professional).

is great danger here! These cleaners are very cheap or free call list also includes many viruses and Trojans. Some companies actually sell at a good price in the free version from our customers, and turn over the commercial Internet in order to achieve this goal. End-users, it looks like the ad campaigns, particularly where there are low-priced offers extra clean record! It is advisable to pay a few bucks and get a quality registry cleaner instead of the freeware. After all, you want the system running smoothly and a good registry cleaner that is just ten minutes.

Its always wise to go for a product many positive comments. ? Many providers online, one final try before they buy their products. Comes free scan, you can decide the best for cleaning the registry.

Pareto Logic and the RegCure is compatible with all Windows operating systems are upgraded to the new Vista. Spyware search and software errors, incorrect or missing, and all kinds of unnecessary entries that incorrectly removed programs, bugs, viruses and malicious software, so a large amount of rubbish left by the advanced programming. The program can also automatically back up and restore functions.

best thing in the registry is very easy to learn, while providing a useful and efficient services, the program is very easy and simple. Since only a minimal amount of human intervention to clean the Windows registry using Registry Easy to use, it is necessary for everyone.
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