Sunon Waturbo Liquid Cooling Heatsink presented at IDF Taipei

Sunon, one of the sponsors for IDF Spring@Taipei presented their latest 'Waturbo' liquid core heatsink. Utilising Sunon's latest 'whirlpool water convection' technology, Sunon's Deputy Director, Masaharu Miyahara presented to the forum how the fan invokes a pump hidden within the core to circulate the coolant sealed within. The conductivity of the core is touted to be 3 times more efficient than a full copper core, hence improving the heat transfer to different parts of the metal fins.

At the forum, Sunon presented two different setups running the Intel Pentium 4 660 (3.6Ghz) Processor, one running it's Waturbo heatsink and another setup running Intel's stock heatsink. Temperature difference between the 2 setups is 6 degrees, with the Waturbo setup running at 54 degree celsius and the Intel stock fan setup runnign at 60 degree celsius. The waturbo setup is also 8dBA quieter, running at 25dBA.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page to undergo FTC antitrust probe

The Google Empire has grown so much that the Federal Trade Commission is stepping in to try to slow it down. Next up on the FTCs agenda are, according to Bloomberg.com, probing sessions for Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) and Larry Page (CEO of Google).

(Left: Brin, Right: Page)

Suspicion of Google’s unfair advertisement practice in its search engine will be the FTC’s target in the upcoming disposition. Google announced that the FTC had begun a review of their business practice on June 24th last year, and the FTC announced that it hope to finish its investigation by the end of this year.

Google’s big-wigs are not riding the hope that the FTC won’t sue them, and they have opted to hire Williams & Connolly LLP as counsel for their upcoming interview. William & Connolly LLP have represented some major figures such as Bill Clinton and Edward Kennedy, so it seems like Google’s execs are getting ready for a possibility of an antitrust suit.

Jill Hazelbacker, spokeswoman for Google, says that Google has no intention of not cooperating with the FTC’s investigation. “We are happy to explain our business to regulators and answer any questions they may have,” she says.

The question still remains, has the FTC gathered enough evidence to file an antitrust suit against one of the wealthiest company in history?

Source: Bloomberg.com

Samsung Officially Unveils GALAXY Tab in Berlin

Samsung GALAXY Tab Opens a New Chapter in Mobile Industry

A New Smart Media Device, surpasses mobile boundaries,allowing you to enjoy more possibilities on the go




Berlin, Germany, September 2 , 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in mobiletechnology, today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY Tab (Model: GT-P1000). Powered byAndroid Operating System 2.2, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the first of the company?s tablet devices,representing a new category of mobile products for Samsung.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab brings together all of Samsung?s leading innovations to provide users with morecapabilities while on the move. Consumers are able to experience PC-like web-browsing and enjoy all formsof multimedia content on the perfectly sized 7-inch display, wherever they go. Moreover, users cancontinuously communicate via e-mail, voice and video call, SMS/MMS or social network with the optimizeduser interface.

A new concept of mobility for media

As a new category of device, the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a wealth of mobile experiences. Its striking 7”TFT-LCD display delivers exciting mobile experience for watching films, viewing pictures, e-reading orsharing documents. In design, its light (380g) build provides perfect portability, with its svelte dimensionsmaking it easy to grip and use. Supporting the latest Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the Samsung GALAXY Tabfully supports swift, seamless viewing of every single page of the web.

The 'Readers Hub', Samsung?s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library –from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils„Media Hub,? a gateway to a world of films and videos, and „Music Hub,? an application giving access to awide range of music tunes.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab has made rich communication truly mobile; it presents a level of convergedtechnology that moves beyond mobile or PC to an entirely new category. Users have new powers toconsume, create and communicate from wherever they are.

Powerful, always-on communication

With 3G HSPA connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth® 3.0, the Samsung GALAXY Tab enhances users?mobile communication on a whole new level. Video conferencing and push email on the large 7-inch displaymake communication more smooth and efficient. For voice telephony, the Samsung GALAXY Tab turns outto be a perfect speakerphone on the desk, or a mobile phone on the move via Bluetooth® headset.

Powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is designed to deliverhigh performance whenever and wherever you are. At the same time, HD video contents are supported by awide range of multimedia formats (DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and more), which maximizes the joy ofentertainment.

While the front-facing camera allows face-to-face video telephony over 3G, the rear-facing camera capturesstill images and video that you can edit, upload and share, all without any hassle. As online content explodes,the Samsung GALAXY Tab is the best portable solution for every lifestyle that needs a constant connection.

The Samsung GALAXY Tab will be launched in Europe in mid September, and in other markets includingKorea, the US and Asia in coming months.

Product Specifications for the GALAXY Tab (GT-P1000)

Network
2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
3G (HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps) : 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
OSAndroid 2.2 (Froyo)
Display7.0 inch TFT-LCD, WSVGA (1024 x 600)
ProcessorCortex A8 1.0GHz Application Processor with PowerVR SGX540
Camera3 MP Camera with Auto-Focus and LED Flash
1.3MP front camera for Video Telephony
Value-added Android Market™ and Samsung Apps for more applications and contents
FeaturesReaders Hub, Media Hub* , Music Hub*, Social Hub
*Availability will be decided by market preference.
Adobe Flash 10.1 player support
Full HD video playback, Thinkfree Office, Swype, Hybrid Widget
Connectivity30 pin connector
WiFi 802.11n / Bluetooth® 3.0
SensorGyroscope sensor, Geo-magnetic sensor, Accelerometer, Light sensor
Memory16G / 32G internal memory with up to 32G external memory slot
RAM: 512 MB
Size190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm, 380g
Battery4,000mAh (7 hour movie play
* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including,but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of theproduct are subject to change without notice or obligation.
*Android, Android Market, Google, Google Search, Gmail, and Google Maps are trademarks of Google,Inc

Water-Mark MP3 Instead of DRM

A German company is offering MP3 files for download, unencumberedby DRM (digital rights management). Instead, the company Akumadiscourages copying by adding a unique "watermark" to each download.Major record labels have mostly chosen DRM to protect their copyrights, limitingthe number of copies buyers can make of a downloaded track, and restrictingthe music players they can use to listen to it.

However, Akuma is taking a softer approach: The music storesells MP3 files which can be played on almost any digital music player, butadds a unique tag to each download using watermark technology from Germany'srenowned Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, whichhelped create the MP3 audio compression algorithm. The watermark technologymakes slight changes to the data in sound files, such as a higher volume intensityin a tiny part of a song, that are undetectable by even the best trained ears,according to Fraunhofer researchers. However, if unauthorized copies of a downloadturn up on, for example, peer-to-peer file sharing networks, the watermark allowsAkuma to identify the purchaser of a file and take action against them.

A single song title costs €0.89, (USD$ 1.13) an album €4.49. Akumaoffers MP3 files in a quality similar to CDs, with bit rates (a measure of soundquality) from 192K bps (bits per second) at the low end to 320K bps at the highend. Like eMusic.com Inc., the German music download store hopes to break intoa crowded market by making song downloading a piece of cake. The German portalrequires no special download software and places no restrictions on the choiceof music player, including the iPod from Apple Computer Inc.

US Air Force wants up to 18,000 units of Apple's iPad 2

Apple could soon be rolling in lots more cash soon, as the US Air Force has expressed interest in buying a whopping 18,000 units of the iPad 2.

Pilots wont be playing Angry Birds, however, as the tablet computers will be used to replace manuals and navigation charts, which collectively weigh upwards of 40 pounds and need to be carried by pilots and navigators.Captain Kathleen Ferrero, a spokeswoman for the Air Mobility Commands, told Bloomberg that the airline industry is way ahead of the Air Force on this issue, with most airlines already switching to tablet computers.The final figure for how many tablets will be bought could range from as little as 63 units to as many as 18,000, and the iPad 2 is not necessarily the only model under consideration, as the Air Force appears to be open to alternative brands that are roughly equal. This might give Samsungs Galaxy Tab, for example, a shot at being the Air Forces tablet flagrunner.“My job in the US Air Force would have been truly enhanced if Id had one of these,” said C.E. Wallace, Vietnam veteran and NCO for 13 years in the US Air Force. “All the bulky technical manuals for each of the systems and aircraft in the tablet. And all of my troubleshooting notes and records I made on those spiral notebooks in the tablet. All of those work orders, aircrew debriefing notes and all of those many many forms in the tablet. I get new trainees, I transfer my files, with my comments, to their tablets! Downloading the data from the aircrafts malfunction analysis system and from the individual black boxes into the tablet, incredible!”The Air Force is expected to make its request for the transition to tablet computers within the next week or two.Source: Bloomberg

Rhinotech Computer's TB-91 tablet PC To Make An Appearance In Computex 2011

Just when you thought that Windows XP was all ready to die a quiet death now that Windows 7 has been a major success for Microsoft, out comes an ODM with a tablet running on the now-ancient OS in an attempt to breath more life into an operating system that should have been all but dead and buried after its 10 years of life. Come Computex next year, a slate PC running on Windows XP will be unveiled by a Taiwanese ODM known as Rhinotech Computer Co. Ltd.

According to Rhinotech, the TB-91 tablet will sport a VIA C7 M processor clocked at 1.6GHz, while the 12-inch touchscreen display used for the TB-91 will be based on the older resistive touch technology, so multitouch is definitely out of the question. That being said, Rhinotech claims that the TB-91’s screen makes use of a certain panel which ensures that users can view the tablet’s onscreen contents even under bright sunlight, thus making it suitable for use under outdoor conditions. In addition, the TB-91 is built to handle some degree of abuse: the specifications listed on Rhinotech’s state that the TB-91 sports a waterproof front panel, while the rest of the body is vibration and shock-proof.

Of course, it is not a tablet PC if it does not have a variety of connectivity options available: the TB-91 comes standard with networking features typical of existing slate PCs in the market, such as a WiFi and Bluetooth, while GPS, HSDPA and GRPS are available as add-on modules. Last but definitely not least, the presence of the x86 VIA C7 M processor in the TB-91 means that the tablet can be upgraded to Windows 7 if the need to do so ever arises.

Not that this is a problem though: Rhinotech has already confirmed that the TB-91 will fully support the Windows 7 family of OSes, which also includes the Embedded varients of the operating system.

Source: Computex