Microsoft: Come 'celebrate' Windows 8 on Oct. 25

Microsoft is holding its Windows 8 event on October 25.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft plans to hold a special event next month celebrating the launch of Windows 8.

The company today sent out an invite to a Windows 8 celebration for October 25 in New York City. Microsoft didn't offer up any details on the announcement, including the location or the time. The company also didn't say exactly what it plans to discuss, though it's easy enough to guess.

Microsoft has already announced that it'll launch Windows 8 commercially on October 26. It seems likely that it will take this opportunity to show off computers, tablets, and other hardware running its software.

Microsoft declined to offer up more details on the event, telling CNET in an e-mailed statement that there is "nothing more to share at this time."

This story has been updated several times this morning.

Don Reisinger 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57514205-75/microsoft-come-celebrate-windows-8-on-oct-25/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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Cloud-storage Box boosts its upload speed

Box, the cloud storage company that serves companies including LinkedIn, McAfee, and DirectTV, launched a service today that is suppose to make file transfers from the cloud up to 10 times faster.

The Box service lets businesses and individual consumers store their files in the cloud, much like competitors Dropbox and Google Drive. But Whitney Bouck, Box's general manager of enterprise, said that Box's new feature puts it ahead of other cloud offerings.

"We basically have the fastest cloud on the market," she said.

The new feature, called Box Accelerator, is a home-grown method for easing the strain on overloaded servers, and it's rolling out to Box's worldwide network. The new service, which won't cost extra, determines which sever within a network will transfer information the fastest based on how busy the servers are, Bouck said. For example, if a user is in Paris and the server in Paris is overloaded, Box will reroute the information to Germany to get quicker results.

Bouck said tests have shown faster uploading times, ranging from two to 10 times the speed. Although Box created this service mainly for the companies it serves, consumers will also benefit from the technology as it will be applied to all Box accounts, Bouck said.

Donna Tam 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57513536-92/cloud-storage-box-boosts-its-upload-speed/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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iPhone 5 benchmarks surface: Performance doubles

iPhone 5 packs the fastest Apple A series chip to date, according to benchmarks posted by Geekbench.

(Credit: Apple)

The iPhone 5's A6 processor appears to be roughly twice as fast as any chip in an existing iOS product, if results posted by Geekbench prove to be accurate.

The results show a score of 1,601, beating the dual-core A5 and A5X processors in the iPhone 4s and third-generation iPad (Retina), respectively.

Previous benchmarks of the Retina iPad show a score of 794 (iPad with 3G/4G). The iPhone 4S posted a score of 631.

If these iPhone 5 benchmarks are legitimate, they would match Apple's claims. "With the new A6 chip, just about everything you do on iPhone 5 is noticeably faster -- up to twice as fast compared with the A5 chip," Apple states on its iPhone 5 features page.

Geekbench results point to a 1GHz clock speed, an increase from the A5's 800MHz. Because that's not a huge jump in the chip's frequency, chip review site Anandtech said some of that extra performance may come from doing more instructions per clock cycle.

In short, if the chip is more efficient at processing instructions, it adds performance irrespective of clock speed.

The A6 chip is also thought to be the first Apple chip made on Samsung's new 32-nanometer manufacturing process. Typically when a chip moves to a more advanced manufacturing process, it gets faster and/or more power efficient -- or both.

And the A6 adopts a more unique Apple design, according to preliminary analysis. And also boasts faster memory. Both aspects would contribute to performance.

The A6's score also puts it ahead of Android device benchmarks. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S III with a Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core chip rated at 1.4GHz posted a score of 1588, compared to the A6's 1,601.

[Via MacRumors ].

Brooke Crothers 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57513867-37/iphone-5-benchmarks-surface-performance-doubles/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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The PC is not dead yet, say readers

The PC isn't going away.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Don't dismiss the PC, is the tenor of a lot of the responses to a Saturday post where I addressed the coverage of Apple and the iPhone 5 this past week.

"For a working man like me, the PC is a serious piece of machine. It puts food on my table. As for the smartphone, the phone is important. No doubt about it. What makes it smart also turns it into a toy. But a toy is still just a toy," -- that's a pretty typical comment I got.

And another: "Actually, the technology in the computers is very amazing. It just doesn't get the same press coverage because everybody (especially CNET) is obsessed with anything having an Apple logo on it."

Below are summaries or direct quotes of selected readers' comments, with added commentary only if necessary.

Key features and/or tech that keeps the PC competitive as pointed out by readers:

• Games: A reader asked if an iPhone can play Skyrim, Battlefield 3 in high-detail, let alone at all?
  
• Microsoft Office: The iPhone can't run a full version of Microsoft Office, another reader said.
  
• Backup: "Some day, my phone may break, get lost or stolen. But my data will be safe at home on my PC with redundant backups. No cloud for me," said SigpistolDude.
  
• Desktop PC: "The traditional laptop probably is dying, since the primary advantage (over a desktop) has always been portability, and the new devices are better for that. But if I have work to do, I want the best, most powerful tools I can afford. That is a desktop PC, with no compromises for power or portability. Jobs analogy about trucks will hold up," said smallbzznzz.
  
• Microsoft Surface: "The story starts by comparing media coverage of the iPhone with ultrabooks and then moves to comparing ultrabooks to MacBooks. So, it would seem only fair to compare the Surface's power and features (when it comes out) to the iPhone. Doesn't seem fair or reasonable that way either," said mouseclick.
  
• Display resolution: For the record, I said that "there is no Windows laptop out there with anything close to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro's 220 pixel-per-inch (PPI) density Retina display, let alone the iPhone's 326 PPI screen." A reader pointed to the 11.6-inch 1,920x1,080 display on the Asus Zenbook UX21a. That has a PPI of about 189. Good point but still short of the 220 PPI on the MacBook Pro. That said, expect to see more PCs or PC-like devices with Retina-class screens. A version of Microsoft Surface is rumored to pack 1,920x1,080 retina density into a 10.6-inch display.
  

Brooke Crothers 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57513843-75/the-pc-is-not-dead-yet-say-readers/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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iPhone 5 gets more, faster memory, says report

Apple did not hide the markings on the A6 chip at the Wednesday event. This gave chip sleuths a way to determine system memory capacity and speed -- so a chip review site claims.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

The iPhone 5 sports 1GB of system memory, twice the amount of the iPhone 4S, a chip review site claims.

And it's faster too, said Anandtech in a post on Saturday.

"Roughly 33 percent more peak memory bandwidth than the iPhone 4S, which can definitely help feed the faster [graphics processing unit] and drive the higher resolution display," Anandtech said.

So, how does Anandtech know this? Apple did not hide the markings (see image above) at the Wednesday event, which revealed a Samsung -- manufacturer of the A6 -- part number.

We'll know for sure that it's a 1GB part, or not, when somebody takes apart the iPhone 5 and looks at the chip markings in a shipping product. That said, these markings are essentially the same data that is revealed in a teardown.

The iPhone 5's memory speed falls between the iPhone 4/4S and the third-generation Retina iPad, according to Anandtech.

(Credit: Anandtech)

Brooke Crothers 17 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57513818-37/iphone-5-gets-more-faster-memory-says-report/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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A6 chip: More Apple, less ARM

Apple A6 may be a more unique Apple design than first believed.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple's chip investments may have borne native fruit with the A6.

The iPhone 5's A6 may be more of an Apple creation than previous A series chips, according to an updated post by review site Anandtech.

Like Qualcomm, Apple is incorporating more of its in-house expertise into chips. And that means it's getting further away from pure ARM designs. For example, the latest design from U.K.-based ARM is the Cortex A15, which Texas Instruments is using in future chips.

But Apple isn't going that route, according to Anandtech. And that means that past Apple buyouts of chip design houses PA Semi and Intrinsity are bearing fruit.

Anandtech initially believed the A6 used the Cortex-A15 design.

But in a post on Saturday, Anandtech said that's not the case.

"Based on a lot of digging over the past couple of days, and conversations with the right people, I've confirmed that Apple's A6 [chip] is based on Apple's own ARM based CPU core and not the Cortex A15," wrote Anand Shimpi.

And this probably isn't good news for Intel. If Apple is able to make increasingly powerful A series processors, they could theoretically be used for a MacBook Air-style product.

But only time will tell. Intel's next chip, codenamed "Haswell," will be its most power-efficient mainstream chip to date and also well suited for future MacBooks.

Brooke Crothers 16 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57513689-37/a6-chip-more-apple-less-arm/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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Apple, and the media, bury the PC

Phil Schiller talks iPhone 5 at Wednesday's Apple event.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

You would think the PC was six feet under by reading tech coverage this week.

With every aspect of the iPhone 5 dissected ad nauseam by legions of tech journalists worldwide, coverage of the ultrabook at the concurrent Intel event didn't stand a chance.

Problem is, there's just too much cool tech that Apple -- and the Android guys too, by the way -- pack into a handheld device. PCs, as they stand now, are a bit boring by comparison.

Here are a few of the most prominent technologies that ultrabooks -- the standard for cutting-edge PC design -- either lack or can't incorporate effectively:

• 4G: The vast majority of ultrabooks don't come with Internet-access-anywhere capability. (In my opinion, a big mistake. At the very least it should be an option.) The iPhone, on the other hand, has the fastest thing going, LTE.
  
• Ultra high-resolution displays: There is no Windows laptop out there with anything close to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro's 220 pixel-per-inch (PPI) density Retina display, let alone the iPhone's 326 PPI screen. And PC makers like Dell and Hewlett-Packard still insist on selling mainstream ultrabooks with sub-120 PPI displays. Result: ultra boring.
  
• Cameras: Aside from videoconferencing (which the iPhone can also do), the utility of a laptop's camera is problematic. Meanwhile, the iPhone's camera is good enough to turn many digicams into paperweights. And that now includes tech like panorama mode and video stabilization.
  
• Sensors: Again, the laptop paradigm doesn't lend itself to features like three-axis gyros and accelerometers. Not to mention digital compasses.
  
• Size: Though size is not a technology per se, it's a big factor. Intel processors are fast. No doubt. (And I like the Ivy Bridge processor in my laptop.) But until very recently you couldn't squeeze Intel tech into a phone. While it's possible now, the ARM variety of silicon is now the standard. It's not clear that Intel's chips have a compelling advantage over ARM in phones. Time will tell with tablets.
  

All of the above is here-and-now technology. We're not talking about, for example, futuristic tech that verifies a person's identity by reading the unique vein patterns in the palm of the hand. That's interesting Intel tech, but you won't see it for a few years, if at all.

And Intel had a lot to say this week about its upcoming "Haswell" fourth-generation Core processor. But the ultra power-efficient variety of that system-on-a-chip that gets loaded into tablets won't appear until the second half of 2013. Again, too far out there.

Meanwhile, Apple, Samsung, Google, Motorola, HTC, et al keep packing beautiful screens and better cameras into always-connected marvels of technology that you can buy now.

Here's a closing word of advice to Microsoft, Intel, and its partners to keep the PC above ground. Laser-focus on high-resolution displays, because a 13-inch Retina-class display would be stunning on an ultrabook. And make it touch, for good measure.

Any other advice from readers? I'm all ears.

Surface tablet: Microsoft will try to shift the focus of the PC to more mobile devices at its Build conference in November.

(Credit: CNET)

Brooke Crothers 16 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57513539-37/apple-and-the-media-bury-the-pc/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-BusinessTech
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