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Researchers Thursday unveiled a powerful new postage-stamp size chip delivering supercomputer performance using a process that mimics the human brain.
The so-called "neurosynaptic" chip is a breakthrough that opens a wide new range of computing possibilities from self-driving cars to artificial intelligence systems that can installed on a smartphone, the scientists say.
The researchers from IBM, Cornell Tech and collaborators from around the world said they took an entirely new approach in design compared with previous computer architecture, moving toward a system called "cognitive computing."
"We have taken inspiration from the cerebral cortex to design this chip," said IBM chief scientist for brain-inspired computing, Dharmendra Modha, referring to the command center of the brain.
(Phys.org) —The integrated circuits in virtually every computer today are built exclusively from transistors. But as researchers are constantly trying to improve the density of circuits on a chip, they are looking at alternative ways to build circuits. One alternative method uses nano-sized magnets, in which the magnets possess two stable magnetic states that represent the logic states "0" and "1."
Until now, nanomagnetic logic (NML) has been implemented only in two dimensions. Now for the first time, a new study has demonstrated a 3D programmable magnetic logic gate, where the magnets are arranged in a 3D manner. In comparison to the 2D gate, the 3D arrangement of the magnets allows for an increase in the field interaction between neighboring magnets and offers higher integration densities.
SANTA CLARA, CALIF. —Moore's Law keeps ticking along and Intel's latest batch of computer chips, processors code named Broadwell and designed for fanless systems like tablets and 2-in-1s, cram more transistors into a smaller, thinner package than ever before.
The key to Broadwell, which will first roll out in System-on-a-Chip (SoC) products dubbed Core M, is Intel's successful ramp of its next-generation 14-nanometer process technology for fabricating microprocessors. The chip giant has lagged a little bit behind its traditional, "tick-tock" pace in getting 14nm up and running, but Intel's Broadwell team on Monday announced that "Broadwell Y" parts are now being produced at volume at Intel fabs in Oregon and Arizona, with a third 14nm fab scheduled to come on line in Ireland in 2015.
Intel said the first products using Core M SoCs built by its OEM partners will arrive on shelves this holiday season. More PCs and devices using other upcoming Broadwell-based chipsets will show up throughout 2015, the company said.
Broadwell is being billed as a major step forward for Intel, and will perhaps have more impact than the typical Moore's Law-driven "tick," or die shrink, which is accomplished every couple of years in keeping with the company's product roadmap cadence.
Speech recognition has been around a lot longer than Siri, but Apple’s dulcet-toned digital assistant helped bring the technology to a mass audience, and inspire futuristic visions like the one voiced by Scarlett Johansson in “Her.” Adam Cheyer, one of the co-founders of Siri (acquired by Apple in 2010), says speech recognition is poised to become more widely used and more sophisticated. We spoke with him at a recent Techonomy dinner in San Francisco. Improvements to speech recognition have happened “at a fairly linear rate” over the past 40 years, he said, but massive data collection is about to yield “the largest leap in progress … that the field has ever seen.” While Cheyer acknowledges that speech recognition is “just one tool in how people interact with computers,” he believes that seamlessly combining touch and voice interfaces will lead to new applications in fields like education and profoundly impact people’s lives.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Cloud graphics company, OTOY Inc., today marked a major milestone in the future of media and entertainment, unveiling a holographic video pipeline for content creators, including the world's first portable 360 holographic capture system and a cloud-based pipeline for creating and deploying holographic media to virtual reality and, in 2015, holographic light field displays. The pipeline enables holographic captures of real world people, objects, and environments, and one-click publishing of interactive holographic videos which are viewable on mobile devices and virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift. Forthcoming next-generation light field displays being developed by OTOY will bring commercial freestanding volumetric holographic displays to market in 2015.
Get used to this look, you're going to see a lot of it
By Aaron Souppouris on August 13, 2014 05:03 am
After much speculation, Samsung has today announced the Galaxy Alpha, a smartphone with a metal frame. The Alpha is an ultra-thin (6.7mm) Android phone with a 4.7-inch 720p display, 12-megapixel camera, a fairly small 1,860mAh battery, and (depending on your region) a quad- or octa-core processor. It'll be available in September, but Samsung has yet to announce pricing.
Holograms made of tiny particles of silver could double the amount of information that can be stored in digital optical devices, such as sensors, displays and medical imaging devices.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a new method for making multi-coloured holograms from a thin film of silver nanoparticles, which could greatly increase the storage capabilities of typical optical storage devices.
The interference produced by the interaction of light with the nanoparticles allows the holograms to go beyond the normal limits of diffraction, or the way in which waves spread or bend when they encounter an opening or obstacle.
. Read MoreAnother big reveal at IFA 2014 today ... Sony has released details on its new flagship Xperia Z3 mobile electronics range. It includes a standard Z3 smartphone, a smaller Z3 Compact model, and the Z3 Tablet Compact. Among other things, all three devices are waterproof to a rating of IP 65/68 – this means they’re not just splashproof, but can actually be submerged
Read MoreThere was never any doubt that Samsung would pull back the curtain on the Galaxy Note 4 today. But the company had a little something extra up its sleeve as well: a Galaxy Note variant with a wrap-around display. Meet the Galaxy Note Edge.
If you want the short version, the Galaxy Note Edge is basically a Galaxy Note 4 with the right side of its screen sloping around the edge of the phone.
... but that isn't entirely the case. First, the Note Edge has a smaller screen: 5.6 inches, next to the Note 4's 5.7-incher. It's also a smidge lighter, with a bit less capacity in its battery.
But that's splitting hairs, as the big differentiator – and the reason to buy the Edge – is that wrap-around display. As you see in our hands-on images, this isn't a right angle, running onto the side of the phone, per se. Instead, the right side of the phone bleeds off into a slope – and the screen follows.
Read MoreAnd you thought Sony’s existing Action Cam was small ... Today at the IFA 2014 electronics trade show in Germany, Sony introduced its Action Cam Mini. By moving the GPS function out of the camera and into an accompanying wrist-mounted remote, the company has shrunk the camera to two-thirds the size of its predecessor.
TCL announced a quantum dot enabled 55-inch full-gamut 4K UHD [3840 x 2160] TV with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price at one-third the cost of comparable OLED color televisions. The QD (Quantum Dots) plus LED television shatters the prohibitively high price barrier of OLED TVs which provide consumers with a richer color viewing experience.
TCL is the world’s third best-selling television brand, and QD Vision is the leading manufacturer of quantum dot optical components for HDTVs and other LCD products. The new TVs will initially be available in China, followed by additional worldwide availability.
Most mainstream LCD TV designs have had to sacrifice color quality, typically only delivering 60-70% of the NTSC color gamut standard. Color IQ is capable of delivering 100% of the NTSC color gamut, and works with all major LCD applications, including LCD TVs, LCD monitors and other displays, providing both superior color performance and high system efficiency.
(Phys.org) —A flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels' electronics has been successfully demonstrated by the Cambridge Graphene Centre and Plastic Logic, the first time graphene has been used in a transistor-based flexible device.
The partnership between the two organisations combines the graphene expertise of the Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC), with the transistor and display processing steps that Plastic Logic has already developed for flexible electronics. This prototype is a first example of how the partnership will accelerate the commercial development of graphene, and is a first step towards the wider implementation of graphene and graphene-like materials into flexible electronics.
Graphene is a two-dimensional material made up of sheets of carbon atoms. It is among the strongest, most lightweight and flexible materials known, and has the potential to revolutionise industries from healthcare to electronics.
The closer we get to the public launch of Windows 9 preview, the more speculation emerges on the changes that Microsoft could make to its operating system.
There’s no doubt that this was quite a busy week for Microsoft enthusiasts and despite the avalanche of phones that came out at IFA 2014, more information on Windows 9 made some wonder whether the software giant is indeed heading in the right direction or not.
In addition to feature changes, new additions, improvements for the desktop and for the Modern UI, a revised look, and others, Microsoft is also pondering a change supposed to make things simpler for customers across the world.
The company might drop its numbering system for new Windows releases, and instead of Windows 9, Microsoft might instead go for just “Windows.”
The tech offers improved computing power and better battery life, according to Intel.
The firm has managed to make the physical size of the Core M 50% smaller and 30% thinner than that of the equivalent last-generation Haswell chip, which featured 22-nanometre (meaning billionths of a metre) transistors.
The firm said manufacturers would now be able to produce "razor-thin" fanless tablets - less than 9mm (0.35in) thick - without having to opt for a less powerful option, such as a rival ARM-based processor.
It's official. Apple is making a smart watch called simply "Apple Watch," but you're going to have to wait for the opportunity to pay at least $349 for one until early next year. If the Apple Watch works as well as the company claimed during its lengthy unveiling on Tuesday, it just may be worth the wait.
Like the existing watches that run Android Wear or the Pebble or Samsung's Tizen-powered watches, the Apple Watch starts with the basic capability of being able to check your phone's notifications and the time, but then it adds functionality that goes far beyond what's been done before.
Multiple infrared and visible light LEDs on the back of the watch work to detect a pulse rate, which then interact with Apple's own health and workout apps to create what Tim Cook calls a "comprehensive health and fitness device." Case in point is the new health app that tracks steps, heart rate and active calories, just for starters.
The other big smart watch innovation on the Apple Watch is actually quite small. In fact, it's the little rotating button on the side of the watch that also functions as a control that Apple calls the "digital crown." Turning the digital crown allows you to zoom in on photos or to scroll through selections like the scroll wheel in the center of a mouse. It's a novel but simple addition typical of Apple that now seems an obvious choice after seeing it in action.
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