VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Dec 2011 Issue

December 1st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
That would have been all well and good were it not for the fact
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication that the dentist then overcharged him, sent his records to the
covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks. wrong insurance company, and refused to provide a new copy
of those records so he could give them to his actual insurance
company.
Dentist fines customer for
posting negative review online The incident was so bad for Lee that he decided to post
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dentist-fines-customer-for-posting- a negative review of Makhnevich's practice on both Yelp
negative-review-online/14116.html and DoctorBase, saying: “Avoid at all cost! Scamming their
December 1st, 2011 customers!”

Of course, the anti-defamation agreement meant that he was
required to never say a bad word about his dentist, no matter
how poorly he had been treated.
A New York dentist has fined a customer for posting a negative
review online, highlighting the underhanded nature of anti-
Makhnevich then sent Lee a number of $100 fines, alleging
defamation contracts and how they are being abused to ensure
he had infringed her copyright. It is not exactly clear why the
a company's good reputation in spite of poor treatment.
dentist went with this argument, as the case appears to be one
of contract violation rather than copyright infringement.

The case raises significant questions over the rampant use of
anti-defamation contracts among certain businesses, which
employ underhanded legal wrestling to ensure that their
reputation remains intact, regardless of the actual treatment
of customers.

Lee filed a lawsuit against Makhnevich, which has resulted in
the medical law agency Medical Justice Services, which wrote
the contract in question, cancelling it and telling all of its
clients to stop using it.

Lee's lawyer, Paul Alan Levy, said: “It is outrageous that a
patient would have to sign away his constitutionally protected
right to get treatment for a toothache.”

A New York dentist has fined a disgruntled customer for
posting a negative review online after it was revealed that he
had inadvertantly signed an anti-defamation contract before
having a toothache addressed.
Safari was fastest then, now
the slowest according to
The bizarre case began when 42-year-old Robert Lee visited Futuremark's Peacekeeper
Stacy Makhnevich's dental practice to deal with a bad Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/safari-was-fastest-then-now-the-
toothache and tooth infection. Lee claims he was given slowest-according-to-futuremark-s-peacekeeper/14112.html
a contract to sign, the terms of which included an anti-
defamation clause, which he said he questioned, but ultimately
agreed to in order for Makhnevich to treat his pain.

1


December 1st, 2011 • Firefox is most popular with Peacekeeper users,
accounting for almost 30% of all results.
• Chrome has held the title of fastest browser since May
2009 but Opera is closing the gap.

According to Futuremark, with the updated Peacekeeper, even
Futuremark has released a new version of the Peacekeeper, the most outdated of hardware will have a proper place in
which is a web browser benchmarking program to keep up- benchmarking.
to-date with the increasingly recognized HTML5 standards.
Along with this new release, Futuremark also reveals some
interesting data on how the browsers landscape has changed Samsung announces PM830
over the last two and a half years. Read on to find out more.
series of mSATA SSD's for
Ultrabooks
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-announces-pm830-series-of-
msata-ssd-s-for-ultrabooks/14115.html
December 1st, 2011

Samsung has been a long time OEM/ODM of notebook SSD's,
least not to Apple, but not the company has announced that
it's about to break into the Ultrabook market with its new
PM830 series of mSATA SSD's. The company also has a model
for hard drive caching, suitable for Ultrabooks, notebooks and
Leader of performance benchmarking software Futuremark desktops.
has just released their latest version of the Peacekeeper, a
freeware to measure and compare web browser operation
Samsung has been a long time OEM/ODM of notebook SSD's,
speeds.
least not to Apple, but not the company has announced that
The Peacekeeper is completely reconstructed to support it's about to break into the Ultrabook market with its new
HTML5 standards, and can accurately compare any browsers PM830 series of mSATA SSD's. The company also has a model
on a large variety of hardware configurations. It utilizes for hard drive caching, suitable for Ultrabooks, notebooks and
JavaScript functionality to assess the speed of the browser, desktops.
which is a good thing, as it is one of the most common
The PM830 series will be available in capacities of 64, 128
programming languages for websites today. Through this
and 256GB, with a 32GB version for hard drive caching. The
method, Internet connection speeds and latencies will not
drive uses Samsung's latest 20nm class toggle mode DDR
affect scores for each comparison.
NAND flash and Samsung is promising read speeds of up to
Hardware comparisons can be made with the Peacekeeper via 500MB/s and write speeds of up to 260MB/s over a SATA
a control browser used across all devices to be benchmarked. 6Gbps interface. The press release didn't mention which SSD
This is due to the fact that the power of the processor is highly controller was being used and the picture below doesn't reveal
associated with the browser performance. any details beyond the Samsung NAND flash.
Here are some interesting facts that have surfaced through
data collected from Peacekeeper over two and a half years
period:

• 2.6 million results submitted since Peacekeeper
launched in March 2009.
• 3140 different browser versions tested.
• Safari was fastest when Peacekeeper launched. It is now
the slowest on Windows and Mac.
• IE has shown the greatest improvement with an average
score increase of almost 450%.
• Safari has shown the least improvement, just 160% faster
in two years on Windows systems.

2


The revelation came at the Reuters Global Media Summit,
where Antoine Brachet, marketing chief of Total Immersion,
said that his company is working closely with Intel on its
chipset to introduce some augmented reality features like
gesture recognition.

This is a highly significant move, as it means that augmented
reality technology would come as part of the hardware itself
and not require software downloads to work, which will help
with the growth and adoption of the technology.

Intel invested in Total Immersion in March, signalling a vote of
confidence in the relatively new augmented reality sector. That
investment might pay off with a new feature that Intel can tout
over competitors, but Total Immersion has not limited itself to
In addition to that, Samsung has also included 256-bit AEI Intel, as it also inked a recent deal with rival chipmaker Texas
encryption to keep the data safe for government people that Instruments.
leave their notebooks in the back seat of taxis. Samsung is only
planning on selling the PM830 to OEM partners which is a
shame, as it looks like it could prove to be a nice upgrade option Augmented reality works by overlaying real life images and
for some Ultrabooks and what not. It looks like the future of videos with digital information, including text and graphics.
notebooks SSDs is mSATA, for better or worse. For example, check out this magician's use of augmented
reality to enhance a card trick.
Intel and Total Immersion plan
augmented reality chips Augmented reality has yet to expand to become a major
consumer technology, but it has shown a lot of potential, with
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-and-total-immersion-plan-
augmented-reality-chips/14114.html
UK supermarket chain Tesco introducing it to help people see
December 1st, 2011
products before they buy them online.

It is not yet clear when we will see the new Intel chips,
but Brachet suggested that it would be between two and
three years, depending on how well consumers accept the
technology.
Chip giant Intel is teaming up with Total Immersion to
introduce augmented reality features into its upcoming
computer chips, potentially giving it a further edge over the
competition.
ZiiLABS to showcase Android
4.0 based JAGUAR tablet at
CES 2012
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/ziilabs-to-showcase-android-4.0-
based-jaguar-tablet-at-ces-2012/14111.html
December 1st, 2011

ZiiLABS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Technology
Ltd. is ready to break the ground at CES 2011 with
their JAGUAR reference tablet based on the latest Android 4.0
(Ice Cream Sandwich). Equipped with quad-core Cortex-A9
Chip giant Intel is teaming up with Total Immersion to based ZMS-40 media processor, it is touted to possess Blu-ray
introduce augmented reality features into its upcoming quality high-profile 1080P H.264 and WebM support. Read on
computer chips. to find out what it is capable of.

3


Media processor and platform company, ZiiLABS has Corsair Vengeance SO-DIMM modules make use of high layer
announced that they will be showcasing their JAGUAR count PCBs (higher number of PCB layers contribute to greater
reference tablet with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at the electrical and signalling stability), the PCBs are colored black,
upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2012 which will start to give them a premium feel. There's no room for a thick
from 10th of January. heatsink, but Corsair used millimeter-thick metal plates to
serve as heatspreaders.
The JAGUAR is said to “deliver a comprehensive range of
OEM ready 7-inch and 10-inch tablet solutions that combine
excellent performance, battery life and industrial design”. It
features two variants of the Cortex-A9 processor which is the
ZMS-20 Dual-Core and the ZMS-40 Quad-Core processors.
ZiiLABS is confident of the new tablet's media capabilities,
thanks to its Blu-ray quality 1080p High-Profile H.264 video
capabilities and WebM support. It also provides high quality
video conferencing capabilities via its dual camera system,
and uses standard APIs such as OpenCL and Renderscript to
perform real-time image processing.

Corsair will be launching three kits consisting of these
Corsair Intros Vengeance SO- modules, two of which are 8 GB (2x 4 GB), and one being a
DIMM Memory Modules single 4 GB module kit. Among the two module kits, there's
a DDR3-1866 MHz kit, and a DDR3-1600 MHz one. The
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/corsair-intros-vengeance-so-dimm-
lone module kit consists of a DDR3-1866 MHz stick. The
memory-modules/14110.html
modules don't require more than 1.5 volts DRAM voltage,
December 1st, 2011
though achieve their rated speeds at rather loose timings, by
desktop standards of course. Part numbers and specifications
are tabled below.

Size Speed # of DIMMs Part Number
Corsair introduced a new line of DDR3 memory modules 8GB 1866MHz, 2 CMSX8GX3M2A1866
in the SO-DIMM form-factor, targeting high-performance 10-10-10-27,
notebooks, gaming notebooks, and mobile workstations. 1.5V
Corsair's new modules promise to bring a similar level of 8GB 1600MHz, 2 CMSX8GX3M2A1600
tuning headroom as their bigger standard DIMM cousins. 9-9-9-24, 1.5V
Corsair's Vengeance family struck a fine middle-ground 4GB 1866MHz, 1 CMSX4GX3M1A11866
between the overclockability of its high-performance yet 10-10-10-27,
expensive Dominator series, and the affordability of its XMS3 1.5V
series. For obvious reasons of space and electrical constraints,
Corsair couldn't port the design ideology of Dominator to the Thi La, Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair, says
SO-DIMM form-factor, but doing so for Vengeance seemed "As more complex applications and games are available in
possible. Hence, Vengeance SO-DIMM family. the market, many laptop users are looking for an easy way
to improve their system performance in order to have the
best experience.Our new Vengeance high-performance laptop

4


memory kits allow performance-minded customers to boost
their memory performance and capacity in an instant."

Although launched, we don't have prices of these kits at hand,
as they are not listed on popular stores just as yet.

Cubitek Has Big Aluminum
Case Plans for 2012
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cubitek-has-big-aluminum-case-plans-
for-2012/14109.html
December 1st, 2011

Pictured above is the main facade. You can find four exposed
5.25-inch drive bays, and a dust-protected inlet for the 200
mm intake fan. You can also get an idea of the outer texture of
the aluminum body, dark brushed aluminum.
Cubitek wants to play in the big league of premium all-
aluminum PC cases, targeting almost every consumer form-
factor: ATX mid-tower, EATX full-tower, HPATX, micro-ATX,
and even mini-ITX. All part of the company's new ICE series,
these cases will be fabricated with extruded aluminum that's
as much as 3 mm thick in some parts, making the cases both
sturdy, and radiate heat better. We got to take a peak at each
of these.
The series starts off with the most common PC form-factor,
the ATX mid-tower. The ATX Ice is larger than most mid-
towers, treading very close to being categorized a full-tower.
It measures 230 x 508.5 x 513 mm (WxHxD), weighing in
at 7.1 kg (net.). As mentioned earlier, Cubitek designed these
cases with aluminum sheets as thick as 3 mm to give them the
sturdiness of 1 mm thick SECC steel.
The internals don't used anodized aluminum, rather exposed.
This helps with radiating heat. Although some cable
management holes are rubber-valved, there are some wide
open holes, such as the one next to the PSU bay, a cutout
over the CPU socket area (to help with handling coolers with
backplates), and one on the top-left corner of the motherboard
tray (for CPU power capbles. You can immediately tell that
Cubitek's Ice cases are not tool-free.

5


South Korean scientists Hyun Gyu Park and Byoung Yeon Won
have found a way where by people can place a sample of their
own saliva on their touchscreen for analysis of their health.
“Since these touchscreens can detect very small capacitance
changes, we thought they could serve as highly sensitive
detection platforms for disease biomarkers,” the scientists
mentioned.
Through the demonstration of a prototype screen, they
managed to show that the detection of various concentrations
of bacteria is possible.Improvements still have to be made to
allow the system to sense different kinds of bacteria, and giving
a more accurate assessment of the disease involved. Perhaps
we can hope that when the technology is ready, people with
severe or prolonged illness can monitor their own health status
comfortably from home, as well as diagnose a serious issue
early enough to receive help with this kind of convenience.
There's nothing "loud" about the rear panel. You find the
usual PSU bay at the bottom, a 120 mm grilled fan exhaust,
two rubber-valved holes for water cooling tubing, and the Apple iPhone 4 on fire, twice
expansion slot bays. Beating the ATX specification, there Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-iphone-4-on-fire-
are eight bays instead of seven. This should help with twice/14106.html
multi-graphics card setups in which one of the graphics December 1st, 2011
cards occupies the bottom-most expansion slot of an ATX
motherboard.

Spit on your phone for good
In two bizarre accounts, two separate Apple iPhone 4 ignited
health themselves in dangerous proximity to users, but ultimately
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/spit-on-your-phone-for-good- causing nothing more than the inconvenience of losing the
health/14108.html phone and some disruptions of the moment. Will Apple find
December 1st, 2011 out if this is just a duo of accidents or a flaw in manufacture
process?

Technological advancements empower our phones to do so
many things, but soon you can spit on your phone to know if
you're down with flu, quite literally. A new developement from
Korean utilizes capacitative screens like those on smartphones
to detect the presence of bacteria.

6


Apple’s iPhone 4 is hot, by every sense of the word. In
one week, two iPhone 4 have been reported to combust
spontaneously, but luckily no one was hurt. In the latest
incident, a lady by the name of Ayla Mota had her iPhone
charging as she slept, when the phone suddenly released Andrew Koh, senior director and general manager,
sparks and smoke. While the phone was dangerously close consumer imaging and information products division, Canon
to her, she was awakened quickly enough and resolved the Singapore, who is also the lead spokesperson for Project
situation before any harm came to her. Homecoming, gave an insight on the background of
Just a few days before, a similar situation occurred onboard a the recycling initiative. Started in Japan in 2008, six
flight in Australia, which was dealt with by the flight attendant printer brands (Epson, Canon, Brother, Dell, HP and
promptly, ensuring that no one was hurt. It seems a little too Lexmark) came together, with cooperation from Japan Post
close to be taken as coincidence, but it is good to keep in mind Office, to provide convenient location for public to recycle
that Apple’s iPhone 4 has one of the largest market share in their cartridges. The project was called "Ink Cartridge
the world, so this statistics amount to nothing more than one- Satogaeri" (which directly translated to Homecoming). In
off incidents. While the Cupertino company has yet to make a Singapore, Project Homecoming is an expansion to this
public statement about the incidents, it can be expected that similar scheme and is first in the region to launch. Public
thorough investigation and compensation be carried out. simply needs to go to one of the 13 designated libraries - Ang
Mo Kio, Bedok, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Geylang East, Jurong
Regional, Jurong West, Marine Parade, National Library @
Victioria Street, Queenstown, Tampies Regional, Toa Payoh
and Woodlands Regional - and dispose their ink cartridges or
toners into the recycling box (picture below).
Project Homecoming, In case you are wondering why HP has been left out from
Singapore's first joint the original recycling intiative, that is only because the
company has their own Planet Partners program. HP has
recycling initiative, launched also introduced the industry’s first “closed loop” ink cartridge
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/project-homecoming-singapore-s-first- recycling process, combining plastic from post-consumer
joint-recycling-initiative-launched/14107.html recycled original HP ink cartridges and other sources, such as
December 1st, 2011 recycled water and soda bottles, in the manufacturing of new
original HP ink cartridges.

This afternoon, five major printer companies - Brother, Canon,
Dell, Epson and Lexmark; with support of National Library
Board and National Environment Agency, jointly announced
the launch of Project Homecoming, Singapore's first joint
brand ink and toner cartridge recycling initiative.

7


According to Elaine Ng, chief executive officer of National December 1st, 2011
Library Board (NLB), at least one recycling bin can be found
at 13 designated libraries. There are plans to introduce the
recycling bin to the remaining 10 libraries in Singapore,
though that would be the next phase of the project.

Increasingly, our phones are becoming our best assistants.
A recent discovery, however, begins to question just how
much of our privacy is compromised as a factory-installed
program is found to reveal every infomation from our phone
to the respective companies that made it. Are our personal
infomation as safe as we think it is?

Recently a program has been unveiled to be embedded deep
into some Android phones which records just about every
single thing a user can do with his or her phone. All the data
goes back to the hardware manufacturers of the phone, which
includes account passwords, credit card numbers and other
sensitive infomation. There is also no way to opt out of being
monitored.
This discovery was first made when an Android developer
Trevor Eckhart used a packet sniffer program to track all
data that enter and exit his HTC EVO 4G smartphone. At
the center of all this is the software developer Carrier IQ, the
company that created this monitoring method for almost all
mobile device manufacturer. Upon realizing that Trevor had
branded their software as a “rootkit” (a term equivalent to
malware) in community sites, Carrier IQ promptly sued him,
only to back off when an International digital rights advocacy
organization Electronic Frontier Foundation stepped in to
help Trevor. In their apology letter to Trevor, Carrier IQ
mentioned that their software does not record keystrokes,
amongst other inputs, but a video circulated by Trevor shows
that this is not true.
As of now, there is no easy way to remove the program
other than to install a new operating system on your phone.
That, of course, generally involves removing the warranty
from the phone, so it is not a good solution for most people.
For now, much remains to be seen from the response of
various companies responsible for the implementation of such
You may be spied on by your a program.

own phone
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/you-may-be-spied-on-by-your-own-
phone/14105.html

8


and larger battery capacities ascending with screen sizes.
Lenovo storms China with The Android Honeycomb 3.2 mobile platform completes the
three new mobile devices package for these two tablets.
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/lenovo-storms-china-with-three-new- While the prices are not known yet, Chinese sources state that
mobile-devices/14096.html the LePad S2005 may be for sale within the week.
December 1st, 2011

Intel planning wireless dock
for Ultrabooks using WiGig
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-planning-wireless-dock-for-
ultrabooks-using-wigig/14104.html
Lenovo has announced three new mobile devices for the
December 1st, 2011
Chinese market. The LePad S2005, S2007 and S2010 are the
new tablets and phones to represent the Chinese company, but
will they meet the mark of their fellow countrymen?

It looks like Intel is having big plans for Ultrabooks, at least
as far as docking stations are concerned as beyond the wired
Thunderbolt docking stations we've already reported about, it
appears that Intel is also working on a wire-free option. The
peculiar thing here though is that Intel is planning on using
WiGig technology courtesy of the Wireless Gigabit Alliance.

It looks like Intel is having big plans for Ultrabooks, at least
as far as docking stations are concerned as beyond the wired
Thunderbolt docking stations we've already reported about, it
appears that Intel is also working on a wire-free option. The
peculiar thing here though is that Intel is planning on using
WiGig technology courtesy of the Wireless Gigabit Alliance.
Never heard of WiGig before? Let us give you a quick
introduction as to what WiGig is. The Wireless Gigabit
Lenovo has recently unleashed a trio of tablets in China. The Alliance consists of a wide range of technology company's
LePad S2007, LePad S2010 and LePad S2005 are set to help including among others, Intel, AMD, Broadcom, Cisco, NEC,
the Chinese company gain grounds in their own country. Marvell, MediaTek and Qualcomm to mention a few of the
In accordance to the data network available in China, all key hardware manufacturers, although many others such
the tablets are WCDMA enabled to access data network via as Microsoft, Nvidia, Dell, Samsung, Nokia, Panasonic and
Chinese telco Unicom. Toshiba are also involved. What these companies are working
The LePad S2005 is a worthy mention as it belongs to the on is an extension of the 802.11 standard that will allow for
emerging category of devices that comes between a phone wireless speed of an expected 7Gbps in the end, some then
and a tablet, owing to its 5-inch screen, which is similar to times faster than what 802.11n is expected to peak at.
Dell's Streak 5 and Samsung's Galaxy Note. It has a Low WiGig is transmitting at 60GHz, otherwise known as Ultra
Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon Display with a resolution Wide Band, although it's also backwards compatible with the
of 800 by 480, featuring a 178-degree viewing angle. This 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, but the highest speeds are only
phone is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB expected at very short range using the 60GHz band. So what
of memory, giving it processing capabilities on par with most does this have to do with a docking station for Ultabooks? Well,
high-end smartphones. Other specifications include a 1.3- to keep things simple, it allows for a high-speed, short range
megapixel front camera, a 5-megapixel rear camera, WiFi wireless signal to be used to connect the Ultrabook to the dock
connectivity, High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) sans any kind of wires. There are some limitations though, as
support and a 1650mAh battery. It is said to come with you'd still have to plug in power to the Ultrabook sooner or
Android Gingerbread. later and in Intel's specification you still have to plug in the
The LePad S2007 and S2010 are tablets with 7-inch and 10- Ethernet cable into the Ultrabook itself if you want to take
inch screens respectively. Each of them possesses a 1280 by advantage of Intel's network features such as vPro.
800 resolution In-Plane Switching display with a contrast
ratio of 1500 to 1. They run on 1.5GHz dual-core processors
and 1GB of memory, with other similar hardware to that
of LePad S2005 except for the 8-megapixel rear cameras

9


going to start to see some serious competition in the entry-
level notebook segment once Microsoft launches Windows 8
for ARM.
The Exynos 5250 is but a stepping stone for Samsung, yet
the company claims that it offers twice the processing power
over one of its Cortex-A9 based Exynos chips clocked at
1.5GHz, or some 14,000 DMIPS compared to 7,500 DMIPS.
Beyond that, Samsung has doubled the memory bandwidth
to 12.8GB/s, twice than not only of current dual core Cortex-
A9 ARM processors, but also twice that of Intel's latest Atom
processors.
Samsung didn't specify the graphics core in the press release
The upside of going wireless is of course the fact that you
but the company did mention that the GPU used is more
don't need to plug anything in to the system to dock it.
than four times faster than what we presume is the ARM
WiGig should also provide enough bandwidth to cope with
Mali-400 MP used in its current Cortex-A9 based processors.
just about everything you'd need from a dock including display
That said, we're not sure that's going to be good enough
interfaces, USB connectivity and audio. The downside is
as Samsung is making some bold claims of WQVGA or
increased cost, as not only do you need a WiGig compatible
2,560x1,600 resolution support and you're going to need one
chip in the Ultrabook, but also in the dock. Of course in the
beefy GPU to run 3D stuff at that kind of resolution. Samsung
future we might see displays with built in WiGig support into
also claims that the extra memory bandwidth is needed to be
which you'd plug an external mouse and a keyboard and that
able to handle these kinds of resolutions. That said, on devices
would be all you'd need, rather than having to connect it all to
with 3D displays, we're still expecting to see resolutions of
yet another device.
1,280x800 as that would be exactly half of WQVGA, ideal for
Considering that the WiGig standard has anything but 3D displays in other words.
launched as yet, it seems like this solution is one for the
future, but it's nonetheless interesting to see where things
might be heading. One thing appears fairly certain though,
Intel is set to make Ultrabooks succeed, one way or another
and if consumers don't want them, then business users will
have to take them as a replacement for sub-notebooks which
have been quite popular with people that travel a lot.

Samsung announces the first
ARM Cortex-A15 based SoC
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-announces-the-first-arm-
cortex-a15-based-soc/14101.html
December 1st, 2011 But wait, there's more, a lot more. The Exynos 5250 also sports
an embedded DisplayPort interface that supports panel self-
refresh technology which in simple terms means that static
pages doesn't require the GPU to be powered up so that they
can be displayed, instead this is handled by the frame buffer in
the timing controller. Shall we keep going?
If there was every any doubt that ARM based processors were
going to be limited in terms of performance, Samsung's new For those interesting in snapping pictures and video the
32nm Exynos 5250 Cortex-A15 based 2GHz dual core SoC Exynos 5250 should impressive with the ability to shoot
should put a lot of doubters minds at rest. This is but a first 8Megapixel stills at 30fps and 1080p video at 60fps. There's
step of what we can expect over the next couple of years from also a hardware video codec, HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0 connectivity
the ARM camp and we have a feeling that the x86 guys are (finally!) and SATA, eMMC4.5 and eSD3.0 support so there's
going to start to see some serious competition in the entry- no shortage of storage options available for the device makers.
level notebook segment once Microsoft launches Windows 8 Although Samsung claims that the Exynos 5250 was designed
for ARM. specifically for high-end tablets, we can easily see this chip
ending up in some Android or Linux based notebooks in the
not too distant future, especially when you consider the SATA
If there was every any doubt that ARM based processors were support as it makes it easy for the notebook makers to use
going to be limited in terms of performance, Samsung's new standard components. The Exynos 5250 is currently sampling
32nm Exynos 5250 Cortex-A15 based 2GHz dual core SoC to Samsung's customers and is expected to go into mass-
should put a lot of doubters minds at rest. This is but a first production in Q2 next year which means that by this time next
step of what we can expect over the next couple of years from year we should have products in the market sporting the new
the ARM camp and we have a feeling that the x86 guys are
10


processor. It will be interesting to see how much better the same shield as the Fatal1ty cards, but with a blue tinted
ARM Cortex-A15 core performs and what kind of device the window. We're not entirely sure what else has changed, but
hardware makers can come up with. Creative Japan is touting this as a mid-range model. It comes
bundled with a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable and an optical
Toslink cable as well as Creative's Media Toolbox software,
Creative announces additional something you don't get with the basic Recon3D model.
Sound Blaster Recon3D cards
in Japan
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/creative-announces-additional-sound-
blaster-recon3d-cards-in-japan/14100.html
December 1st, 2011

We've already seen the Sound Blaster Recon3D and Sound
Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional, but it looks like Japan
is getting an exclusive on no less than two additional models,
the Sound Blaster Recon3D Professional Audio and the Sound
Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Champion edition. Both cards are
of course based on the new Sound Core3D chip from Creative
which the company was touting as a quad core audio processor It also appears that all the two new models will be bundled with
a little while ago. a "beamforming microphone array" in Japan which is meant
to allow for clearer sound during things like voice calls or video
conferencing. The two new cards aren't expect to arrive until
We've already seen the Sound Blaster Recon3D and Sound
January, so we might see them in other regions as well by then
Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional, but it looks like Japan
and sadly Creative Japan didn't provide any pricing for the two
is getting an exclusive on no less than two additional models,
new addiotions.
the Sound Blaster Recon3D Professional Audio and the Sound
Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Champion edition. Both cards are
of course based on the new Sound Core3D chip from Creative Report: Production of AMD's
which the company was touting as a quad core audio processor
a little while ago. desktop Trinity APUs from
The Fatal1ty Champion is quite similar to the Fatal1ty March 2012
Professional and the main difference as far as we can tell is Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/report-production-of-amd-s-desktop-
the inclusion of a front mounted I/O bay that appears to be trinity-apus-from-march-2012/14099.html
identical to the one supplied with the older Sound Blaster X- December 1st, 2011
Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion series. Apart from that the two
cards appear to be identical.

AMD's next-generation A-Series APUs for desktops are set to
enter mass production in March 2012. First to production will
be 65W APUs, to be branded A10-5700, A8-5500, A6-5400
and A4-5300 series. Higher performance 100W APUs will
be produced two months later, from May 2012, branded as
A10-5800 and A8-5600 series.
Considering the 65W APUs go into production with a two
months headstart, we can expect the 65W Trinity SKUs
to release before their 100W counterparts. However, AMD
may choose to hold out for a simultaneous release. Previous
rumours suggested that Trinity may release before Ivy Bridge,
but this report concludes a release around the same time-
frame, if not later, than Ivy Bridge.
The Professional Audio version on the other hand ends up New to the A-Series will be a new segment - A10, while the A8,
somewhere between the Sound Blaster Recon3D and the A6 and A4 segments from Llano will continue. AMD expects
Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional, as it has the improved supply for Trinity thanks to higher yields and greater

11


number of wafer starts at GloFo's 32nm. The report did not
mention details about Trinity's notebook release - arguably
the most important market for Trinity. All information thus
far suggests the market maintaining status-quo, with Intel
retaining CPU performance leadership abd AMD continuing to
offer far superior graphics and good price/performance ratio.
Before Trinity releases, AMD's Llano range will see a final
refresh with A8-3870K, A6-3670K, A8-3820, A6-3620 and
A4-3420 set to release in January 2012.

Cedar Trail-M In December
After All?
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/cedar-trail-m-in-december-after-
all-/14098.html
December 1st, 2011 Sources in the industry are still optimistic about Atom's
future. Despite dwindling netbook sales, there is still room
for it, particularly in the emerging markets. The Atom
netbook ecosystem suffered a huge setback earlier this year,
with Samsung deciding to discontinue selling netbooks. The
development left netbook at the hands of only two notable
companies who can deliver in large volumes, Acer and
Faced with increasingly tough competition from ARM- ASUStek.
powered tablets, mediocre Q3 2011 sales (-32% YoY), and In December 2011, ASUS will unveil 10-inch netbook models
other difficulties, launch of 32 nm "Cedar Tail-M" Atom based on Cedar Trail Atom processors, the Eee PC 1025C
processors has so far been a troubled affair. At one point this and Eee PC 1025CE. By the end of this year, ASUS will have
month, there were even strong indications that the new Atom shipped an estimated 4.6-4.8 netbooks, and is expected to ship
chips won't make it before Christmas. A fresh report, however, 4-4.2 in 2012. Acer's volumes will be similar to ASUS', sources
comes brings back some hope for a December 2011 launch. note.
Faced with increasingly tough competition from ARM-
powered tablets, mediocre Q3 2011 sales (-32% YoY), and
other difficulties, launch of 32 nm "Cedar Tail-M" Atom
processors has so far been a troubled affair. At one point this Australian court overturns
month, there were even strong indications that the new Atom
chips won't make it before Christmas. A fresh report, however, Samsung Galaxy Tab ban
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/australian-court-overturns-samsung-
comes brings back some hope for a December 2011 launch.
galaxy-tab-ban/14097.html
Intel's Atom N2800 and N2600 processors designed for December 1st, 2011
netbooks and ultraportable mobile PCs might still be launched
by Intel in December 2011, according to a recent report by
DigiTimes. Sources told the industry observer that any delays
in the launch of the new chips could have only been because
of weak demand for Atom processors and chipsets, since
the target platforms of these chips are reeling with intense
competition from tablets and other mobile computing devices
running ARM processors. An Australian court has overturned a preliminary injunction
that banned the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab in the country,
but Apple has indicated that it will appeal the decision, which
could lead to further difficulties for Samsung.
An Australian court has overturned a ruling that banned the
sale of Samsung's Galaxy Tab in the country, giving the Korean
consumer electronics giant some relief in a hotly contested
patent battle.
The Federal Court ruling said that there was little evidence
to suggest that Samsung's tablet computer infringed a
touchscreen patent that Apple had secured a preliminary
injunction on.

12


The court went further by dismissing the original ruling as
“clearly wrong”, according to a report by the Associated Press. Berg Little Printer prints in a
The full bench argued against Federal Court Justice Annabelle big way
Bennett's October ruling, stating that she failed to properly Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/berg-little-printer-prints-in-a-big-
assess Apple's case, which the court now believes would be way/14095.html
unlikely to win if the matter went to trial. December 1st, 2011

Berg Little Printer doesn't produce a whole lot of photographic
prints in a minute, but it can bring concise news to you by your
bedside, along with some social gossips, if you want. Check out
how this small box can pack a big surprise.

Bennett's preliminary ruling banned the sale of the 10.1-inch
version of the Galaxy Tab, based on Apple's long-standing
claims that it “slavishly copied” its design for the iPad. Berg, a design studio based in London, has recently unveiled
a new printer. No, it is not your typical consumer fare that
shows off its infinitely dense dots-per-inch rating or its ultra-
Today's decision comes just in time for the lucrative Christmas fast print speeds for the fast-paced and impatient workforce.
shopping season, which Samsung will be keen to take The Berg Little Printer is a lifestyle product which may attract
advantage of. people with its fun and personal take on printed matters. No
bigger than a Rubik's cube, it serves up your daily subscription
of various contents such as news, puzzles, social updates,
However, Apple said that it will appeal the ruling at the messages sent from friends, and much more, with the press
Australian High Court, so the injunction will remain standing of a button. All of them will be neatly styled into receipt-sized
until Friday to allow time for that to take place. prints. Management of the subscription can be carried out
easily with its included smartphone app, while contents are
distributed to the printer via wireless connection and Cloud
The Galaxy Tab is largely seen as the primary competitor technology.
to the iPad, leading some, including the European Union's
Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia, to question The printer itself comes in a minimalist package bearing
the potentially anti-competitive nature of these kinds of urban-style design, a rising trend in design-oriented
injunctions, which have also resulted in a sales ban of the communities. Inside, an inkless thermal printer head does
Galaxy Tab in Germany. the work and takes away the need to replace cartridges. The
prints produced take after the style of graphic design which
includes “visual cues from traditional halftone lithography
Samsung indicated that it was happy with this latest turn of and modern pixel art”. Berg’s product does seem like an
events, claiming that it proves Apple's case lacked any legal elegant marriage of advanced technology and modern styling
merit. primarily motivated by human intuition. While it may not be
the thing for every geek out there, it is likely to have a fair
amount of market appeal, especially to ladies. Unfortunately,
pricing and availability details have yet to be revealed, but you
can sign up on their mailing list to get the latest updates.

13


Intel delays Ivy Bridge to Q2
2012
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-delays-ivy-bridge-to-
q2-2012/14088.html
December 1st, 2011

Few months ago, rumors due to process problems appeared
that Intel is going to delay the launch of their 22nm Ivy Bridge
processors from January to March 2012. Ultimately, even the
rumors of that March delay came untrue: Intel pushed the Furthermore, the platform just needed development time
launch into the second quarter of 2012. to complete the complete 2012 platform (Maho Bay) and
Intel processors for 2012 carry the codename Ivy Bridge. These processor (Ivy Bridge). This wasn't helped by a wave of and
22nm processors will be known as the 3000 series, for example process problems and retirements that recently started to
Core i3-3200, i5-3330 or the i7-3770 (regular and K, S, T happen at Intel, as the original baby boomers (joined Intel in
editions). The clock speeds will vary from 3 to 3.5GHz, while 1970 and 1980s) are beginning to leave the company.
the models now officially support the prevailing DDR3-1600 Additionally, the company needs time to develop drivers for
memory standard. the graphics part. After all is said and done, the new Ivy
Bridge processors should debut in April-May 2012 timeframe
alongside Maho Bay platform i.e. B75, Q75 and Q77 chipsets.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich
coming to LG phones
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/android-ice-cream-sandwich-coming-
to-lg-phones/14087.html
December 1st, 2011

The parts were scheduled to debut in January 2012, but as LG has promised updates of Android Ice Cream Sandwich to
the time passed by, Intel wanted to extract as much money as their top-tier phones, but will they fail to meet the mark again
possible from the existing Sugar Bay platform and the Sandy as they had with Android Gingerbread? Read on to find out
Bridge architecture, with both bringing record profits for the which of your phones will be blessed with the new OS.
company. Bear in mind that Sandy Bridge lost almost a quarter
after the infamous chipset recall at the beginning of 2011. Intel
marked a billion dollar loss with the recall costs and obviously
decided to milk the existing products for as long as possible.
The fact that AMD's Bulldozer processors failed to light up
the market only increased that reason. Ivy Bridge will come to
market only when necessary to do so.

A good number of smartphones from the LG Optimus series
released in 2011 have been promised upgrades to Android 4.0

14


Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The release dates of the updates noise-canceling headphones that reduce ambient noise and
are not known yet, but the Korean company has said that they comes with a detachable cable with in-line microphone
will unveil their upgrade schedule by December, along with a for voice communication on the iPhone. The concealed
list of additional phones that will be receiving the new OS. microphones in the ear-cups pick up surrounding noises and
these are electronically negated, effectively reducing the noise
Amongst the family of Android elite models, it was mentioned
by up to 85%. With the absence of unwanted sound, the finely-
that the Optimus 2X, Optimus Black, Optimus 3D and the
tuned 40mm Neodymium drivers offers great details of music
Optimus LTE will be graced by the highly anticipated software
or entertainment. The Creative HN-900's audio cable also
from Google. LG will also follow up with updates for as
comes with an in-line microphone and switch for a convenient
many phones as they can, which is good news for owners of
one-click call function for voice communication on the iPhone.
older phones. LG’s Facebook page mentions: “We are also
If the headphones run out of battery power, they can still
continuing to evaluate the ICS OS to determine whether it is
be used in the passive mode without the noise-cancellation
compatible with the functionality, features and performance
function.
of other LG smartphones to make the ICS OS available on as
many LG smartphones as possible.” The Creative HN-900 noise-canceling headphones are
currently available at the Creative online store at
These are big promises to be kept, as the owner responses
sg.store.creative.com and The CREATIVE Stores outlets at
following the annoncement show that previous update cycles
International Business Park, Marina Square and authorised
of Android Gingerbread for many of their phones are either
dealers in Singapore from end Nov 2011 onwards at the
slow or lacking. Hopefully, LG would take this opportunity to
suggested retail price of S$129.
fulfil their promises and regain more customer confidence.

Celebrate Christmas with
Creative announces HN-900 Limited Edition SOUL
headphones with active noise- by Ludacris SL-150CS
canceling for clear voice calls headphones
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/creative-announces-hn-900- Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/celebrate-christmas-with-limited-
headphones-with-active-noise-canceling-for-clear-voice-calls/14094.html edition-soul-by-ludacris-sl-150cs-headphones/14093.html
December 1st, 2011 December 1st, 2011

Looking for a new headphones this festive season? Check out
Creative Technology has recently announced their new the limited edition SOUL by Ludacris SL-150CS headphones
HN-900 headphones with active noise-canceling technology in chrome finish.
and full-size ear-cups that can reduce ambient noise by up
to 85%, offering superb audip experience anc clear voice
communications.

Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, the person behind the brand "SOUL
by Ludacris" personal audio products, together with his
design team, has created a Limited Edition of the SL-150CS
headphone in chrome.
Creative Technology has recently announced the new Creative This beautiful SL-150CS headphone comes with two different
HN-900 noise-canceling headphones, a set of full-size active detachable 3.5mm headphone cables. The standard 3.5mm

15


headphone cable with two ring sleeves allows the user to use the primary graphics interface. Results will be comparable
the SL-150CS as a stereophonic headphone for audio playback, through Futuremark's ORB database.
compatible with all 3.5mm jack audio devices. The additional
in-line 3.5mm headphone cable with three ring sleeves comes
with a built-in remote control and microphone, and allows the Seagate announces second-
user to enjoy heart-thumping stereophonic bass to his or her
favorite music and audio tracks, while providing the capability
gen Momentus XT
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/seagate-announces-second-gen-
to answer phone calls on Apple iOS devices such as iPhone,
momentus-xt/14092.html
iPad and iPod as well. The SL-150CS is a headphone that folds
December 1st, 2011
down easily, and comes with a semi-rigid pouch for portability
and protection.

3DMark 2012: Android devices
invade a Windows world
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/3dmark-2012-android-devices-invade- For Seagate's sake we hope that the second time is the charm,
a-windows-world/14089.html as its first generation of Momentus XT hard drives with a
December 1st, 2011 small SLC SSD cache didn't exactly take the world by storm.
Currently the new Momentus XT is only available in a single
size of 750GB, plus 8GB of SLC NAND flash of course,
although the real change is actually the software part and here
Following on the footsteps of the recently announced Seagate has spent a lot of time optimizing things.
"3DMark for Windows 8" benchmark, Futuremark has
revealed that the company is developing a new 3D benchmark
called "3DMark for Android". You've guessed it right, For Seagate's sake we hope that the second time is the charm,
Futuremark is developing one 3D benchmark to rule them all. as its first generation of Momentus XT hard drives with a
small SLC SSD cache didn't exactly take the world by storm.
We have received press release stating that Futuremark
Currently the new Momentus XT is only available in a single
Corporation is announcing the foundation of its Benchmark
size of 750GB, plus 8GB of SLC NAND flash of course,
Development Program for tablets powered by Android
although the real change is actually the software part and here
operating system.
Seagate has spent a lot of time optimizing things.
The first product coming out of that BDP is a next-generation
Seagate claims that the new Momentus XT is close to 70
benchmark "3DMark for Android" (working title), with the
percent faster than its predecessor and up to three times faster
goal of becoming an industry standard gaming benchmark for
than a comparable hard drive of the same size. That said, at
tablets. With this announcement, its official that the targeted
the moment the caching only applies to read performance and
platforms for 3DMark 2012 are both Android 4 tablets and
even in this case only under ideal scenarios where the SSD part
Windows 8 devices - an interesting prospect.
of the drive has a chance to cache the data. Even so it's no
Futuremark wants to attract "companies involved in the slouch compared to other mechanical drives, although it's no
manufacture of Android powered devices are invited to join match for an SSD. For a few benchmarks of the Momentus XT,
Futuremark's Benchmark Development Program to play a head over to StorageReview.com.
critical role in the development of 3DMark for Android, from
initial specification to final delivery."
Jukka Mäkinen, CEO of Futuremark said, "in 2012 we will
bring 3DMark to the Android platform with a professional
grade benchmark that can be trusted by manufacturers,
suppliers and vendors to provide the definitive measure of
gaming performance on Android while showcasing the very
best in real-time graphics and effects."
We also caught up with Oliver Baltuch, President of
Futuremark about the promised result compatibility between
the two. While the benchmark development is in very
early stages, the company wants to have comparable results
between the two platforms and in about a year from now,
the traditional "AMD vs. Intel" or "AMD vs. NVIDIA" debates
might take a backseat to "3DMark Android 4 vs. 3DMark
Windows 8".
The benchmark will measure gaming performance using CPU,
GPU rendering and physics tests, using OpenGL ES API as

16


The Momentus XT does have one upside compared to most
SSD caching solutions, it's platform agnostic thanks to all
the software being stored in the drive firmware. Apparently
Seagate will be offering future upgrades for the Momentus XT
that will allow for write caching as well, although 8GB of flash
is still a fairly small amount even compared to Intel's Smart
Response which requires a minimum of 18GB of SSD storage
space. Beyond all this, the current price point is all wrong, as
Seagate is asking for US$245 (S$320) for the Momentus XT,
money that would easily buy you a fast 120GB SSD these days.
Ok, so there's a trade off in terms of storage space, but overall
you'll get vastly better performance.

17

December 6th, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone

VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Geeks!
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly publication
covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the geeks.

Australians use Facebook in
the bathroom, in church, and
during sex
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/australians-use-facebook-in-the-
bathroom-in-church-and-during-sex/14154.html
December 6th, 2011

Australians use Facebook during some of the most intimate
moments of life, according to a recent survey, suggesting that
social networking is becoming a growing obsession.
Australians use Facebook and other social networks while in
the bathroom, in church, and during sex, according to a recent
survey, suggesting that social networking is an obsession for Somehwat surprisingly, however, 21.5 percent of people use
some. social networks while in the bathroom, which might make you
think twice about borrowing someone's phone to make a call.
Social media marketing firm Tick Yes conducted the survey
of close to 900 people and found out some surprising things Even more shocking is that 3.2 percent log onto Facebook,
about people's online habits. Twitter and other social networks in a place of worship, such
as a church, synagogue or mosque. This will probably be the
next big faux pas instead of snoring during a sermon.
We all know that people check social networks at work, and
this was confirmed in the report, with 51.6 percent logging on
during office hours. And finally 2.8 percent of those asked said they used social
networks while having sex. Out of those, nearly two thirds were
men. We can only imagine what they were tweeting about.
41.9 per cent check status updates and tweets while watching
TV, which is probably driving television advertisers crazy.
It is not surprising then that 4.9 percent admitted that they
were addicted to social media. We expect the real number is
33.8 percent use social media while in bed and 23.3 per cent
probably much higher than that.
use it during meals. We might also see the shopping lists of
14.8 per cent of people, who might be better off browsing price
comparison websites instead. “The survey confirms a number of things,” said Peter
Applebaum, managing director of Tick Yes. “We weren’t
surprised that Facebook is far and away the most popular
social media site, nor that almost half of those surveyed said
that their social media usage has increased in the last year.
But what did raise a few eyebrows is the extent to which
Australians will stop what they’re doing – however enjoyable
it may be – to respond to a tweet or post or update.”

1


$10 billion factory in South Korea. It hopes to have its Chinese
plant open by 2013.
Source: Press Release
Image Credit: Wiki Commons

Samsung to build Flash Bose announces SoundLink
memory chip factory in China Wireless Mobile speaker in
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-to-build-flash-memory-chip- Singapore
factory-in-china/14153.html Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/bose-announces-soundlink-wireless-
December 6th, 2011 mobile-speaker-in-singapore/14149.html
December 6th, 2011

Samsung has revealed plans to build a Flash memory chip
factory in China as the lucrative smartphone and tablet
computer markets continue to grow.
Samsung has revealed plans to build a Flash memory chip Bose and Atlast Sound & Vision, Singapore's premium audio
factory in China as the smartphone and tablet computer visual retailer and distributor, have launched the SoundLink
markets continue to grow. Wireless Mobile speaker in Singapore. The SoundLink
The Korean electronics giant will spend upwards of 5 trillion Wireless Mobile speaker Bluetooth speaker that claims to offer
won ($4.5 billion) on the new plant, which will produce 20nm superb audio performance, mobility and durability in a
Flash memory chips. The exact location of the facility has yet compact form factor.
to be decided.

The move signals a vote of confidence in the Chinese market,
which many see as an increasingly pivotal region for electronic
goods. Samsung is already investing in China with plans to
build a factory that will produce flat-screen TVs, one of its
strongest industries.

The plans will need to be approved by the South Korean
government, which monitors foreign investment made by
Korean firms. However, it appears likely that it will be given
the go-ahead.

Samsung is a major player in the memory market, producing
Flash chips for a number of portable devices, including Apple's
highly successful iPhone and iPad ranges. The expansion into
China will help secure deals with Huawei and ZTE, both of
which are increasing tablet and smartphone output.

Samsung has also increased chip production at its other plants,
including its only foreign facility in Austin, Texas, and a new

2


With the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker, According to Dr. Michael Tien, CEO of Atlas Sound & Vision,
you can connect wirelessly with your Bluetooth-enabled introduced the Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker and
smartphone, tablet or other devices and stream music at said that the Bluetooth connectivity works even up to 10m
the touch of a button. It measures two-inches thick, and away. "There are three key benefits that Bose has focused on
can fit easily in your bag or briefcase. It is equipped with and put their effort to, on the SoundLink Wireless Mobile
a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that provides power for speaker. First, it's quality sound to enjoy your music wherever
more than three hours at high volume, and more than eight you go; second is spontaneous mobility to take your music
hours at typical listening levels. anywhere and easy to set up; and third is elegant durability
whereby it looks great, works well and lasts for a long time,"
It has an integrated cover that unfolds easily into a stand
Tien said.
for instant setup, and once opened, the system is ready to be
played. Close the cover and the system shuts off automatically.
At the top are buttons including volume controls, mute,
Bluetooth (for pairing), Aux and power. The Bose SoundLink
Patent Wars: HTC phones to
Wireless Mobile speaker also comes with Auxiliary input, face ban in USA?
micro USB port for firmware upgrades and power connector. Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/patent-wars-htc-phones-to-face-ban-
in-usa-/14150.html
The Bose SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker with the
December 6th, 2011
standard trim level and dark gray Cordura nylon cover is
selling at S$549, while the LX model with a premium trim level
and a dark brown leather cover is retailing at S$639. Accessory
covers in nylon (bright red or royal purple) and leather
(burgundy or tan) are available separately at S$59 and S$99
though the color options are not available yet at press time.
The SoundLink Wireless Mobile speaker can be purchased
from selected partners and the Atlas Experience Audio Visual HTC smartphones may soon be barred from being imported
Boutique @ TripleOne Somerset, and Bose @ Millenia Walk. into the US due to a patent infringement dispute with Apple.
For more information, go to www.bose.com or www.atlas- This is a big problem for the Taiwanese based handset maker
experience.com and will send shockwaves throughout the entire Android
ecosystem.
The patent war between electronics giants Samsung and Apple
have dominated headlines for quite a while now, but it seems
that a new development might cause a big impact to the entire
Android ecosystem - Taiwanese handset maker HTC may face
a import ban in the US market due to technologies which
infringe on Apple’s patents.
Specifically, the said patent states of a “system and method
for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated
data”. An example is the ability to search and highlight a
contact number on a website which is opened from the web
browser of the mobile device, which can then be followed by a
tap to make a phone call to that number.

3


Another infringement details a “real-time signal processing to the moon, where it will utilize Martin's patterns running on
system for serially transmitted data”, which is frankly, all NVIDIA Tegra 3 hardware.
encompassing in modern day tele-communications. There is still a lot of work to be done, but seems like NVIDIA-
If the ban is passed by a six-member panel at the International powered hardware just might win the $30 million prize.
Trade Commission in Washington next week, HTC will take a
big beating of its holiday sales, which will hit the company’s
market share. Apple iTV in three sizes
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-itv-in-three-sizes/14140.html
The rest of the (Android) industry can only hope for a major
December 6th, 2011
patent reform movement by the Obama administration soon...

NVIDIA Goes to the Moon with
CUDA and Tegra 3
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-goes-to-the-moon-with-cuda-
and-tegra-3/14146.html With a long trail of speculations following the possible
December 6th, 2011 emergence of an Apple branded television, a new insider
infomation suggests that it will come in three sizes, including
a 32-inch and 55-inch model. Will this be enough to go head-
to-head against Microsoft's recent television-oriented updates
for Xbox 360?

Semiconductor products are used on numerous scientific and
military projects. However, this is the story we just had
to share with you. NVIDIA Tegra 3 is heading where no
contemporary semiconductor chip has gone before - to the
Moon.
While there is a lot of discussion on forums what manufacturer
does what, regardless of if we talk about cars or soccer teams,
there is no denying that sometimes, something magical is
happening with the semiconductor products.
A privateer team called Synergy Moon is getting ready for their
entrance for the Google Lunar X-Prize challenge, a $30 million
competition of privateer teams who are working on launching
a rocket into space putting human crew in an orbiter around
Earth. This is followed by a sending a rover to land on the
Moon.
An insider report originating from Japan suggests that Apple
will be producing three sizes for the Apple iTV, which includes
a 32-inch and 55-inch model. Much of the speculations
are aligned with another separate piece of unconfirmed
information that Japanese electronics maker Sharp is now in
charge of making LCD screens for Apple. It is also possible that
they will introduce their IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide)
In order to develop the lunar rover, Team Synergy Moon screen eventually, which is capable of competing against
was joined by Martin Peniak, young scientist famous for his OLED screen technology.
work on the Mars Rover Simulator developed in conjunction
with ESA (European Space Agency). Impressed with an article With the existence of Siri as a viable candidate for the Apple
about neural network using NVIDIA's GPU acceleration, iTV's primary input interface, it is easy to see how the pieces
Martin selected CUDA to be the base of all future work. of the puzzle are nearly complete for it to come forth and
dominate living room spaces. Rumours are still rumours,
One of his projects is the Tesla Lunar Rover and Tesla however, as it is not the first time that Apple had revealed a
Surveyor, both of which are going to utilize multiple Tegra product that is different to what the associated speculations
systems to achieve autonomy of movement while had suggested. The truth will be revealed next year as it is said
Currently, the launch is scheduled for December of next year, that the Apple iTV will go on sales then.
consisted out of Earth orbiter inhabited by astronauts such Looks like the flames of another television war is about to
as team leader Mr. Miroslav Ambrus-Kis and documentary be fuelled, just when we thought the platform was becoming
producer Nebojsa Stanojevic, while the autonomous Lander obsolete.
packing several Lunar Rover will be launched from the orbiter

4

VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Dec 2011 Issue

VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Dec 2011 Issue

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VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Dec 2011 Issue