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© 2011 Samples ‘N’ Seconds Records Pty Ltd under exclusive license to Universal Republic Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. |
Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra) – Gotye
Helping students fish for a better future in the land of 10,000 lakes
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Minnesota has long been a state that’s prided itself on its commitment to education. Now the state has taken on the mission of becoming a technology hub as well, setting the goal to become one of the country’s top five technology states by 2020. Last week, we travelled to Minnesota to pilot two new programs designed to help students with an interest in technology get a jump on the job market, and learn directly from Google engineers over Google+ Hangout.
First, we partnered with Teach for America on a classroom mentorship project that pairs Google engineers with middle school science and math classes via Google+ Hangouts. A dozen Googlers paired up with classrooms in Minneapolis/St. Paul last week to introduce a curriculum modelled after Solve for X, Google’s initiative that celebrates technology-based moonshot thinking to solve real-world problems. In the coming weeks, each classroom will chose a big problem to tackle (world hunger, homelessness, climate change, etc.) and develop an innovative technology solution to address it—with help from the Google mentor who will join the classroom via Google+ Hangout for coaching sessions. We think hangouts are a great way to connect Googlers with classrooms far away, and are looking to expand this pilot to other states in the fall.
Google Engineer Selim Onal talks with students at the Minneapolis KIPP Academy about Solve for X
We also kicked off our first-ever youth entrepreneurship training as part of our Google for Entrepreneurs programs. The summit brought together 60 high school students from the Minneapolis STEP-UP program, an effort designed to place students from lower-income communities as interns at Minnesota businesses over the summer. Our goal was to give these students some basic training in Google tools like Docs, Apps, YouTube and Google+ so that they can enter their internships with a better understanding of how technology and the Internet can be of help to them, as well as spark these students with an entrepreneurial drive that will serve them well in these opportunities. After a morning of learning about Google tools, the students broke out into teams to pitch their own business ideas to solve challenges in education, government, transportation and the music industry. A number of mentors from the Minneapolis tech community joined us to help coach the students, and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was on hand himself to help get the students started.
Minneapolis STEP-UP students pitch their start-up ideas to address a series of real-world challenges
Science and technology disciplines are projected to add 70,000 jobs to the Minnesota job market by 2019. We hope by partnering with local organizations, we can help give students the inspiration and skills to enter that job market ready to excel.
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
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© 2012 Interscope Records |
A look inside our 2011 diversity report
[unable to retrieve full-text content]We work hard to ensure that our commitment to diversity is built into everything we do—from hiring our employees and building our company culture to running our business and developing our products, tools and services. To recap our diversity efforts in 2011, a year in which we partnered with and donated $ 19 million to more than 150 organizations working on advancing diversity, we created the 2011 Global Diversity & Talent Inclusion Report. Below are some highlights.
In the U.S., fewer and fewer students are graduating with computer science degrees each year, and enrollment rates are even lower for women and underrepresented groups. It’s important to grow a diverse talent pool and help develop the technologists of tomorrow who will be integral to the success of the technology industry. Here are a few of the things we did last year aimed at this goal in the U.S. and around the world:
- We held our third annual HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Faculty Summit at Google New York, hosting 50 professors and administrators from 16 HBCUs, who came together to collaborate, share insights and engage with Googlers.
- We helped 100,000 students and faculty at 22 HBCUs in the U.S. “go Google;” they now use Google Apps for Education.
- To date, 3,000 students in 77 countries have received Google scholarships and we also expanded our scholarship programs for women in technology.
- We piloted the Top Black Talent U.K. program to help the U.K.’s top black engineering and business students transition into the tech industry. We also partnered with the African Caribbean Society to offer 100 students workshops and mentoring with Googlers from engineering, sales and marketing.
We not only promoted diversity and inclusion outside of Google, but within Google as well.
- We had more than 10,000 members participate in one of our 18 Global Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Membership and reach expanded as Women@Google held the first ever Women’s Summit in both Mountain View, Calif. and Japan; the Black Googler Network (BGN) made their fourth visit to New Orleans, La., contributing 360 volunteer hours in just two days; and the Google Veterans Network partnered with GoogleServe, resulting in 250 Googlers working on nine Veteran-related projects from San Francisco to London.
- Googlers in more than 50 offices participated in the Sum of Google, a celebration about diversity and inclusion, in their respective offices around the globe.
- We sponsored 464 events in 70 countries to celebrate the anniversary of International Women’s Day. Google.org collaborated with Women for Women International to launch the “Join me on the Bridge” campaign. Represented in 20 languages, the campaign invited people to celebrate by joining each other on bridges around the world—either physically or virtually—to show their support.
Since our early days, it’s been important to make our tools and services accessible and useful to a global array of businesses and user communities. Last year:
- We introduced ChromeVox, a screen reader for Google Chrome, which helps people with vision impairment navigate websites. It’s easy to learn and free to install as a Chrome Extension.
- We grew Accelerate with Google to make Google’s tools, information and services more accessible and useful to underrepresented communities and diverse business partners.
- On Veterans Day in the U.S., we launched a new platform for military veterans and their families. The Google for Veterans and Families website helps veterans and their families stay connected through products like Google+, YouTube and Google Earth.
We invite you to take a look back with us at our 2011 diversity and inclusion highlights. We’re proud of the work we’ve done so far, but also recognize that there’s much more to do to. These advances may not happen at Internet speed, but through our collective commitment and involvement, we can be a catalyst for change.
Greek election ‘is vote on euro’
20 May 2012
Last updated at 22:48 ET
David Cameron attended talks with G8 leaders at Camp David before the Nato summit
Prime Minister David Cameron believes the Greek elections amount to a referendum on Greece’s membership of the euro, sources close to him say.
He told the Nato summit in Chicago voters in Greece had to get a “clear message” that their vote on 17 June reflected their opinion on the euro.
He also denied the G8 summit was a failure after it did not deliver a plan to resolve Greece’s debt problems.
It comes amid concerns that the crisis is being allowed to drift.
BBC chief political correspondent Norman Smith said the government fears that if no decision is taken in the aftermath of the election, the implications for the rest of the eurozone – and the global economy – could be much more profound.
Mr Cameron told the Nato summit: “We now have to send a very clear message to people in Greece: there is a choice: you can either vote to stay in the euro, with all the commitments you’ve made, or if you vote another way you’re effectively voting to leave.”
He warned that eurozone countries had to prepare “decisive contingency action” for a possible Greek departure from the single currency.
‘Cranky extremists’
And, with reference to the G8 summit, the prime minister said: “I don’t think it was a failure because I think it helped to crystallise the world’s economic leaders and particularly crystallised the thinking of the eurozone leaders.”
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to criticise the lack of leadership and “political paralysis” in Europe.
And his Cabinet colleague Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said the European banking system was already “in tatters”.
He said Britain was “heavily exposed” to potential problems and could be among the next targets for market speculation.
The justice secretary said the consequences would be “serious” if the Greek people elected “cranky extremists” and defaulted on their debts as a result.
Bee Gee Robin Gibb, 62, dies after cancer battle
Robin Gibb, one of three brothers who made up the disco group The Bee Gees, died Sunday, May 20. He was 62.
The Bee Gees, formerly known as The Brothers Gibb, pose in front of a Rolls Royce showroom in 1967.
Australian musician Colin Petersen, a drummer with the popular disco group The Bee Gees, tinkering under the hood of his car in 1965.
The Bee Gees pose in London in 1967. From left to right, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, drummer Colin Peterson and Maurice Gibb.
The Bee Gees with a bear skin rug.
Robin Gibb, left, and brother Barry at London’s Heathrow Airport in 1967.
The Bee Gees sporting fashionable jackets in 1967.
The Bee Gees walk down a New York City Street in 1968. From left to right, bassist Vince Melouney, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and drummer Colin Peterson.
Singer Barry Gibb poses just after winning a Beau Brummell award for best-dressed personality in Britain.
Maurice and Barry Gibb rehearse for the TV show “Cucumber Castle” in 1969.
Maurice Gibb and his new bride, Scottish pop singer Lulu, exit Gerrards Cross Church in Buckinghamshire, England, on February 18, 1969.
From left to right, brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb in 1970.
Maurice, Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees in 1973.
Robin Gibb sings on stage during a concert in London in 1975.
Robin, Barry and Maurice do a promotional shot for director Michael Schultz’s Beatles tribute film, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” in 1977.
The Bee Gees pose with Barry Manilow at the American Music Awards in1979. Manilow won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, and the Bee Gees won Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group.
Maurice, Barry and Robin in 1989.
The Bee Gees perform during the “One Night Only” concert at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, in March, 1999.
Barry, Robin and Maurice pose at a New York press conference in 2001 announcing the release of the Bee Gees album “This is Where I Came In.”
Robin Gibb displays his World Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement during the 2003 World Awards in Hamburg, Germany. Gibb accepted the award on behalf of the Bee Gees.
Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) and Robin Gibb arrive at the “Adopt-A-Minefield” benefit gala in support of landmine victims in 2005 in Neuss, Germany.
Robin and Barry Gibb arrive for The Ivor Novello Awards at the Grosvenor Hotel on May 25, 2006, in London, England.
Barry and Robin share the stage with Yvonne Gibb (wife of Maurice, who died in 2003) and BMI CEO Del Bryant at the BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills, California, in 2007.
Robin attends the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo in 2010.
Robin Gibb and John Travolta pose after Gibb announced Travolta as the winner of a Golden Camera media prize in Berlin in February 2010.
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- Robin Gibb dies after a “long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery,” his family says
- He and his brothers made up the Bee Gees, the group behind “Saturday Night Fever”
- The group sold more than 200 million albums
(CNN) — Robin Gibb, one of three brothers who made up the disco group the Bee Gees behind “Saturday Night Fever” and other hits from the 1970s, died on Sunday, according to a statement on his website.
He was 62.
Gibb “passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery,” said the statement, which was attributed to his family.
Diagnosed with colon and liver cancer, Gibbs had been in a coma as he battled pneumonia earlier this spring, representative Doug Wright said.
Doctors believe that Gibb had a secondary tumor, Wright said April 14, confirming a news account in the U.K. newspaper The Sun. Gibb had emergency surgery in 2010 for a blocked bowel and then had more surgery for a twisted bowel, Wright confirmed.
The only surviving member of the three Bee Gees is brother Barry, 65.
Robin’s twin brother, Maurice, died in 2003 from a twisted bowel.
And younger brother Andy Gibb died at age 30 from a heart infection.
The Brothers Gibb — calling themselves the Bee Gees — soared to renown after the 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta was built around the group’s falsetto voices and disco songs.
In the latter part of the 1970s, the British-born Bee Gees “dominated dance floors and airwaves. With their matching white suits, soaring high harmonies and polished, radio-friendly records, they remain one of the essential touchstones to that ultra-commercial era,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame says on its website.
“Saturday Night Fever” and the group’s 1979 album “Spirits Having Flown” yielded six No. 1 hits, “making the Bee Gees the only group in pop history to write, produce and record that many consecutive chart-topping singles,” according to the Hall of Fame.
While often more in the background, Robin Gibb was the lead singer on several of the Bee Gees’ top tunes including “I Started a Joke” and “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.” He also recorded several solo albums during his career.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, the Bee Gees sold more than 200 million albums, and their soundtrack album to “Saturday Night Fever” was the top-selling album until Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” claimed that distinction in the 1980s.
Sullenberger pilots ‘Stories’ about good leadership
On Jan. 15, 2009, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger ditched his disabled jetliner in the Hudson River in New York. All 155 passengers and crewmembers survived.
Left by Jason E. Miczek, AP
After his best-selling 2009 memoir, Highest Duty, Sullenberger, 61, retired from US Airways to become a safety consultant. He spoke with USA TODAY about his second book, Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage From America’s Leaders (Morrow, $ 26.99), co-written with Douglas Century.
Q:What inspired you to write about leaders?
A: There are lots of books on leadership for salespeople or CEOs. I wanted a book for everyone, no matter what their job or title, who, through their actions, can be leaders.
Q:In the book, Gene Kranz,a former NASA flight director, talks about learning from failure. Did you?
A: I didn’t always act on my instincts and assert myself. It took me a long time to realize I could make a difference. I was a late bloomer.
Q: Before or after the landing in the Hudson?
A: Well before that. I was 57 when that happened. I’m talking about my 20s, when I could have done a better job if I had more confidence.
Q:In your book, John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, says it’s impossible to lack integrity in one part of your life and have it in another. But John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. were great leaders while cheating on their wives.
A: Not everyone in the book agrees with John. I’m not sure if I do, but I wanted people who would challenge my views. I think it’s possible for someone who’s flawed to be a good leader. But with the best leaders, their actions match their words.
Q: Three political figures in your book — former Labor secretary Robert Reich, former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm and former Army officer Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs in Iraq and is now running for Congress — are all Democrats. Why no Republicans?
A: The is book is apolitical. I didn’t ask about or consider people’s political persuasions. I chose people I admire.
Q: You’re a registered Republican?
A: I am. I haven’t been asked much about that. My answer to whether I’m a Democrat or a Republican is that I am an American. I don’t mean to be flippant. But we need to focus more on the values we share, not what divides us.
Q: Another of your subjects, former baseball manager Tony La Russa, has said he wasn’t aware of steroid use by his players. Is it to fair to ask if he should have known?
A: Oh, my gosh. That’s a question for Tony. I wouldn’t presume to answer for him. He’s my friend.
Q: Have you read Chris Bohjalian‘s novelThe Night Strangers, about a pilot who ditches his plane in Lake Champlain and survives, but loses 39 passengers?
A: No. I read mostly history. I think there’s much to learn from previous generations.
Q: Do you miss flying?
A: I don’t fly professionally, but I’m able to rent planes and take long-range business and family trips. I had the great fortune to turn my passion into a career. But the job changed so much over the last 30 years that it’s almost unrecognizable to people of my generation who remember when being an airline pilot was entirely about flying. Now it’s about security and all kinds of other things.
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Books: New and noteworthy
USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale the week of May 20.
Ecco, $ 27.99, fiction, on sale May 22
What it’s about: After his parents rob a bank and are imprisoned, a 15-year-old boy must forge a new life that takes him across the Canadian border.
The buzz: The first novel in six years by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sportswriter and its sequels. Canada is the No. 1 “Indie Next” pick for June recommended by independent booksellers.
WaterBrook Press, $ 21.99, non-fiction, on sale May 22
What it’s about: Tells the true story of Brown, who overcame a crack cocaine addiction to become a Navy SEAL, only to be killed in action.
The buzz: Ever since the killing of Osama bin Laden, books about the elite forces known as SEALs (fiction and non-fiction titles including SEAL Team Six) have done well on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list.
Scribner, $ 24, non-fiction, on sale May 22
What it’s about: With Father’s Day looming, Zevin, in his latest humor book documenting the stages of growing up (or not), takes a crack at fatherhood.
The buzz: Sports a blurb from Dave Barry: “This is the funniest book about parenting I’ve read in a long, long time. Dan Zevin is a major talent. I want to kill him.”
William Morrow, $ 19.99, fiction, on sale May 22
What it’s about: Thirty-year-old Hazel has a great job and a great boyfriend, and then she sits next to her celebrity crush — rock star Finn Schiller — on a business trip. A rock ‘n’ roll fantasy come true?
The buzz: What better way to kick off the beach-reading season than with sassy chick lit from Kargman, author of The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund?
Bloomsbury, $ 26, fiction, on sale May 22
What it’s about: A debut novel that interweaves the story of two women, one in present-day London, the other a missionary in 1923 on China’s Silk Road.
The buzz: “Beautifully written … highly recommended,” says Library Journal. And it’s an Indie Next pick recommended by independent booksellers.
“Battleship” bomb may hit studio’s profits: analysts
(Reuters) – “Battleship,” Universal Picture’s big budget science fiction film, is likely to dent the studio’s profits after it opened with lower than forecast ticket sales, according to analysts.
The film, which Comcast unit Universal has said cost $ 209 million to produce, generated $ 23.4 million in ticket sales at theaters in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, according to figures compiled by Hollywood.com.
It had been projected by tracking services used by Hollywood studios to have ticket sales of between $ 35 million and $ 40 million.
The movie, which stars Liam Neeson and the singer Rihanna, finished the weekend second to Walt Disney’s superhero blockbuster “The Avengers,” which led the box office for the third weekend with $ 55.1 million in ticket sales.
“It is not quite the epic disaster of ‘John Carter,’ but this will put a dent in Comcast’s quarter,” said Matthew Harrigan of Wunderlich Securities, who follows Comcast. He did not quantify how much he expected the film to lose.
“John Carter,” which sold $ 30.2 million during its opening weekend in March, saddled Disney with a $ 200 million loss, the company said. That film cost more than $ 250 million to produce.
Based on the “John Carter” performance, Universal will lose $ 100 million to $ 200 million, estimates Michael Morris of Davenport & Co., who does not follow Comcast, but follows Disney, News Corp. and Time Warner, which also have studio units.
A Universal spokeswoman would not comment. Comcast officials were not immediately available for comment.
The studio is estimated to have spent more than $ 100 million to market the film, standard for large budget films.
“Battleship” has sold more than $ 220 million in overseas tickets, Universal has said. It is forecast to reach $ 250 million in foreign sales.
Movie studios generally receive about half of the revenues from ticket sales in North America and less in foreign markets.
The film needed to generate more than $ 50 million in weekend ticket sales to break even, said analyst Tony Wible, a managing director at Janney Montgomery Scott who compiles a data base on film performances. He does not follow Comcast.
Last week, Disney’s superhero franchise-builder surprised experts by cutting into the expected weekend ticket sales of “Dark Shadows,” starring Johnny Depp, which took in just $ 29.7 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
During the coming weekend, “Battleship,” loosely based on the Hasbro board game, will face the third installment of Will Smith’s futuristic comedy “Men in Black.” The last one in the series, in 2002, generated $ 190.4 million in domestic ticket sales.
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Paul Simao)
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Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)
Yesterday at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 we visited the Electric Imp booth to chat with the startup’s founders and get some hands-on time with the tiny wireless computer. What is the Electric Imp? It’s a module containing an ARM Cortex M3 SoC with embedded WiFi that’s built into an SD card form factor. While the device looks just like and SD card, it’s not pin-compatible with the standard — the idea is to leverage a reliable and affordable connector for the Electric Imp. The module is not very useful on its own — it only comes to life when inserted into one of several boards, which provide the Electric Imp with power and access to the real world. In turn the device gives these boards a brain and an Internet connection. Eventually the company hopes that appliance manufacturers will incorporate Electric Imp slots into products to make them network aware.
We talked with CEO Hugo Fiennes (formerly with Apple) about the past, present and future of the Electric Imp so hit the break to read more and to watch our hands-on video.
It’s been a bit of a sour year for Yahoo — it’s seen the departure of one of its founding fathers, suffered through a patent dispute with Facebook and lost its new CEO in a sea of scandalous accusations. Yikes. At least former head honcho Scott Thompson’s negotiations to sell the firm’s stake in Alibaba seem to be going through — the two firms just announced plans to redistribute about half of Yahoo’s 40-percent stake in said Chinese tech giant. Under the current agreement, Alibaba will purchase 20-percent of its fully diluted shares back from the Silicon Valley company, netting Yahoo $ 7.1 billion in compensation. Yahoo will also be permitted to sell an additional 10-percent of its stake in a future IPO, or else require Alibaba to purchase it back at the IPO price.
Despite Yahoo’s stake changing hands, the companies will still be working together — Yahoo has cleared Alibaba to continue to operate Yahoo! China (which was acquired by the latter back in October 2005) under the Yahoo! brand for up to four years — in exchange for royalty payments, of course. Finally, Alibaba will license various patents to Yahoo moving forward. What’s next? Well, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma did let it slip at AsiaD that he’s considered buying Yahoo as a whole, and repurchasing the firm’s assets in Asia could be a step in that direction. Read on for the official press release in all its financial glory.
Native Instruments‘ gear is a must-have for those in the beat making world. We put the cheaper, dinkier Maschine Mikro through its paces and found that while we loved the portability, we weren’t so hot on the lack of MIDI ports and absence of knobs for twiddlin’. That said, we weren’t able to hate on the compromises that were made to bring it in under $ 600 and small enough to stow in a backpack, but how about you guys out there? When you’ve used this gear day in, day out, can you forgive its flaws in exchange for that extra cash in your hand, or do you wish you’d saved up a little more? If you were in NI’s position, what would you have done differently?
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.
Want a sneak peek into the future of design? This week Inhabitat hit NY Design Week to uncover the best and the brightest in green interior and furniture design. At ICFF we spotted an ethereal series of 3D printed Hyphae lamps and we were wowed by the iTree — a massive iPod sound system made out of an entire tree trunk! We also saw LED technology take on surprising new forms – like Light and Contrast’s tiny flower-shaped lamps and Peteris Zilbers’ quirky mood broom lamp (yes, it’s shaped like a broom). We’ll continue with the New York Design Week coverage throughout next week, so come back to Inhabitat in the coming days for more fresh new design finds, and read on beyond the break for more in the here and now.
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Fans of the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences can appreciate similarly contrived dynamics in comparing Nokia and RIM (neither of which, contrary to the occasionally expressed opinion, has been murdered despite “Apple and Android” consisting of three words and 15 letters). Both companies are former smartphone market share leaders — RIM in North America, Nokia globally. Both have had success in developing economies with efficient operating systems that they plan to support indefinitely. Both developed reputations for high build quality and good antenna design, and both were initially dismissive of the iPhone as they continue to see Android as the path to commoditization. And after precipitous market share declines, both hired new CEOs. Nokia, a European company, hired a CEO raised in Canada. RIM, a Canadian company, hired a CEO raised in Europe. These men now struggle with keeping their companies part of a viable alternative to the two dominant marketplace offerings.
Since embarking on their new operating system strategies, though, there have been many contrasts. While Nokia hired an outsider as a CEO, RIM hired an insider. Nokia decided to adopt a licensed OS; RIM decided to build its own (based largely on acquisitions). And now that both the Mobile World Congress and BlackBerry World conferences have passed, there’s an opportunity to assess their comeback progress.
Still waiting for your HTC handset to make its way through customs? Ratchet your hopes just a smidge higher, because the company says it’s making progress. “Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carriers customers,” the firm stated in an investor statement today. HTC explained that each of the contested models needs to be reviewed by officials before release, and assures customers that it is working with customs to speed along the process. Which devices are making it through? “We don’t have the status of each specific device at this time,” HTC says, “We remain confident that this issue will be resolved soon.” Sure, that’s not much to go off of, but we’ll take what we can get.
Look out, savvy graphics card buyer: just because it’s labelled ‘GeForce’ and starts with a ’6′ doesn’t necessarily mean it benefits from NVIDIA’s premium 28nm Kepler architecture. We’ve already seen rebadged mobile chips with last-gen 40nm silicon, and now entry-level desktop cards are arriving on shelves that will stretch Fermi’s expiry date even further. There are no price tags as yet, but according to AnandTech the ‘new’ GeForce GT 610 is a repackaged GT 520 with 48 CUDA cores and an ever-so-polite 29-watt power draw. The GT 620 is a GT 530 with a 49-watt TDP and twice as many CUDA cores as the 610 — although a meager 64-bit memory bus will put a cap on any performance gains. Finally, the GT 630 is a 65-watt GT 440 in all but name, with a 128-bit memory bus width allowing its 96 CUDA cores to be fully exploited. This latter card shouldn’t be confused with the OEM version of the GT 630, which does actually pack Kepler. Bewildering, right? We’ve quizzed NVIDIA over its strange rebadging tradition and were told that the company simply numbers its products according to raw performance, rather than freshness or chip type — which sort of makes sense so long as you don’t dwell on it.
The at times very heated legal battle between Apple and Samsung might be softening just a bit ahead of truce talks on May 21st. Samsung’s mobile head JK Shin just left Seoul for the mediated discussions saying there were still “several negotiation options” on tap, including the possibility of cross-licensing patents. He warned that there was still a “big gap” between the two sides, and we’d tend to agree — neither Apple nor Samsung is exactly backing off just yet. However, it’s a definite shift in language from March, when Shin was vowing “no compromise,” and it parallels Apple CEO Tim Cook’s own disdain for lawsuits. We just wouldn’t bet money on the two singing “Kumbaya” this week.
In same breath, Shin added that an ongoing 4G chipset shortage wasn’t letting up: he didn’t see things getting better until the start of the fourth quarter, or October for us common folk. That’s a problem for Samsung’s phones and tablets most of all, of course, and in a dire case could see LTE-packing American Galaxy S III variants rely on other vendors’ chips to stay on the 4G bandwagon. There’s also a chance of a ripple effect on other companies that want Samsung’s parts, but short of getting a peek at Samsung’s inner workings, we won’t know the full impact for awhile yet.
Our hopes of taking the Fisker Atlantic for a spin next year just got dampened considerably: a big document leak has revealed that the more reasonably-priced alternative to the Karma won’t be rolling off the production lines en masse until mid-2014, a year later than we’d expected. Thanks in part to a factory overhaul, the only Atlantics rolling on their hybrid-powered wheels in mid-2013 will be prototypes. On the upside, we’ve learned more about the car itself, including a fairly brisk 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds courtesy of a 300HP-equivalent motor. Green drivers who thought that the promised lower price would put it into entry-level luxury will nonetheless get a reality check with that $ 50,000 to $ 60,000 target, even if it’s still a big savings over the six-digit Karma. There’s still a huge amount of leeway for things to change, but with our compatriots at Autoblog having confirmed that the documents were real and “highly confidential,” they may be a sign that the Tesla Model S will have free rein in the green luxury sedan world for a good year or more.
Does the word ReRAM ring a bell? No? Well, the key point is that it’s much faster than NAND memory, and it’s making its way into chips from Elpida, Sharp and Panasonic. Further proof that ReRAM is on the up and up? Researchers at University College London have used this technology to make a chip that operates at 100 times the speed of standard Flash memory. The device is composed completely of silicon oxide, which improves the chip’s resistance, and it doesn’t require a vacuum to work (which makes it cheaper to produce). But this new chip is more than just a faster alternative to Flash; its ability to move between different states of conductivity means it can be configured as a memristor, or a device that handles both data-processing and storage tasks. In the long term, researchers hope this technology can pave the way for silicon oxide CPUs — and UCL is already using this design to help develop transparent memory chips for mobile devices. Need to know more? Feast your heart on the gritty details via the link below.
Excited for Nintendo’s new tablet-esque controller? So are the kids in TT Games’ QA department. An over-excited tester tweeted out an image of a slightly different Wii U slab than the one we laid hands on at E3 2011, teasing “look we what we have at work!” Answering the call does indeed reveal something worth looking at — a somewhat wider looking Wii U slate featuring two full-sized analog sticks (as opposed to 3DS-like circle pads), a pair of unmarked button-like squares, and a new starboard home for the controller’s plus and minus buttons.
The tweet was summarily pulled, of course, but not before our friends at Joystiq nabbed a screenshot. Naturally, the rumor mill started right up, churning out speculation of developer specific slabs, early prototypes and late redesigns. The truth? We’ll probably need to wait until E3 to find out, but we reached out to Nintendo for a comment all the same. We’ll let you know if we hear anything more than the usual “Nintendo doesn’t comment on rumors and speculation” line.
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Warren, who wants to find an electrical moped within his budget. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“What’s the cheapest two-wheeled electric vehicle that goes over 45mph available in the US? I looked at the Gas-powered $ 2,500 Sym Symba, but as far as I can tell, I’d have to spend four times that much for an electric equivalent. Am I missing something? Thank you!”
Unfortunately, you are. The biggest barrier to joining the EV parade is the price of batteries, which are often more expensive than the vehicles they’re situated inside. For example, even a motorized bicycle like the Grace One is $ 6,000 — but that’s as far as our knowledge goes on the subject. Perhaps there is a solution out there, all it needs is for one of our friendly commenters to tell all in the river of text below.
If you find yourself with nothing better to do this weekend, then you might have a bit of fun playing around with Samsung’s soon-to-be-released S Voice application on your rooted Android 4.0 smartphone. The APK has now made its way into the wild, and we couldn’t help but take it for a spin on our Nexus S. First off, while we can’t vouch for the security of the file, we can confirm that it’s indeed functional. Secondly, while some of the S Voice features work just fine — such as search or contact queries — other requests such as navigation repeatedly caused the app to crash. In other words, if you’re expecting this app to behave as it should on the Galaxy S III, you might be in for a disappointment. If you’re merely looking to poke around with the S Voice functionality, however, the download seems quite worthwhile. At this point, we’re most curious to know whether non-Samsung owners have similar luck. If you’re willing to give ‘er a go, let us know your experience in the comments below.
Update: We’ve also now tested the leaked APK on our Galaxy Nexus, and are happy to report that S Voice works quite flawlessly. As always, your mileage may vary.
Hasselblad is typically known for everything but price cuts, and sometimes goes in the opposite direction. As such, we’re more than a little caught off-guard by a round of price cuts on what’s usually considered the definitive medium format camera line. The ‘entry’ H4D-31 has been cut down by as much as 23 percent; we’re not sure we’d call it a steal at $ 11,995 without a lens, but it’s now an option if you think even a Nikon D800′s full-frame sensor is puny. Price slashes aren’t reserved for the bargain models, either, as even the 200-megapixel, status symbol H4D-200MS shaves enough off the cost (now $ 35,995) to be a worth look for those sitting on the fence. You can get the full details at the source link, and you won’t have to survive on ramen noodles for a year to shoot billboard-sized photos.
What does one do after generating billions from an initial public stock offering? Go shopping, of course. After falling short of expectations following its somewhat helter-skelter IPO debut, Facebook simply shook off the whole thing and acquired itself some good Karma. No, we’re not talking about that Karma. Instead, Facebook purchased the startup responsible for the Karma social gifting app. The move was apparently made to bolster Facebook’s mobile chops — an area the company considers ripe for opportunity. Just recently, Facebook also acquired mobile stalwart Instagram and the Lightbox team, for example. As for its newest purchase, Karma will be allowed to “continue to operate in full force” despite its recent status change, according to a blog post by co-founders Lee Linden and Ben Lewis. Details weren’t disclosed about how much the deal was worth but judging from celebratory nature of their post, it doesn’t look like Linden and Lewis will “Unlike” the agreement any time soon.
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