Mighty multi-scope snaps stunning STARBIRTH image
Astronomers using the immense and astonishingly perceptive Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have captured a stunning image of the miracle of birth – starbirth, that is.
Herbig-Haro 46/44 as imaged by ALMA
Herbig-Haro 46/44 as imaged by ALMA (click to enlarge)
Starbirth – a violent affair – results in the …
100 MEEELION self-driving cars will be sold globally in 2035 – report
A new report has come to the rather startling conclusion that there will be nearly 100 million autonomous cars sold per year globally by 2035.
Navigant Research, a clean-energy consultancy and research group with offices in the US, UK, and South Korea, forecasts that self-driving cars will comprise 75 per cent of all light-duty …
Apple to replace wonky iMac graphics cards
Apple has admitted to world+dog that some of the 27-inch iMacs that it sold between May 2011 and October 2012 have a suspect graphics card, and that if you own one of the affected models, it'll replace the possibly wonky card for free.
The 27-inch iMacs sold during that period were equipped with either an AMD Radeon HD 6770M or …
Intel to put pedal to metal in 14nm Atom upgrade
When the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) kicks off in San Francisco on September 10, Chipzilla may announce that it will radically accelerate its development of 14-nanometer Atom processors.
So says a report by Barron's, citing "a person close to Intel" who told the financial news service that the chipbaking giant will trim its …
Apple big-screen TV rumor zombie RISES FROM THE DEAD
It's time to fire up the Apple big-screen TV rumor mill again: a report out of Taiwan says that Apple has held talks in the US with representatives of Corning, Foxconn, and G-Tech Optoelectronics for the purpose of getting Corning to share some of its Gorilla Glass expertise with G-Tech.
That expertise would assist the Taiwanese …
iPhone 5S: 64-bit A7, 128GB storage, flashy ƒ/2.0 camera, and...
More details rumors about the iPhone 5S that's reportedly being readied for a September 10 unveiling include a 128GB option, improved low-light camera performance due to a dual-LED flash and an ƒ/2.0 lens, a new 64-bit A7 SoC based on the ARMv8 architecture, and a step up in memory bandwidth from LPDDR2 to LPDDR3 RAM.
Longtime …
Apple files 'Bonk to Gift' near field communication patent application
Apple has filed an unusually detailed, 63-page patent application for the ability to "gift" – and yes, our dictionary recognizes that word as a verb – digital content via near field communication (NFC).
Application number 20130211971, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office just this March, published on Thursday …
NASA: Earth II may be hiding in unexamined data from injured Kepler
NASA has revealed that the Kepler spacecraft, which has been busily hunting for exoplanets for over four years, is no longer capable of carrying out its primary mission – but there's plenty of life left in the ol' girl yet, and plenty of planet-hunting data left to be analyzed.
"What we're saying is done today is our precision- …
Seagate: Storage industry ill-prepared for onrushing big data tsunami
The world is producing such a rapidly surging amount of data that the storage industry – both solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard-disk drives (HDDs) – will be hard-pressed to keep up with demand, says one storage-industry insider.
"You can take that as a crisis; we see it as an opportunity," HDD manufacturer Seagate's SVP in …
Facebook's request to the flash industry: 'Make the worst flash possible'
Flash-memory designers may currently be focused solely on improving speed and endurance, but Facebook's director of capacity engineering and analysis wants something completely different from them.
"The Facebook ask of the industry is make the worst flash possible," Facebook's Jason Taylor told his keynote audience at the Flash …
Leaked photos of iPhone 5C parts portend ugly Google legal battle
Photos of cases and parts of the oft-rumored, lower-cost iPhone – which has been referred to in multiple outlets as the iPhone 5C – have flooded the interwebs in recent weeks, but a new set raises the spectre of an ugly legal battle between Apple and arch-rival Google.
We refer to an assortment of photos of what are said to be …
IBM unleashes 'big data' on wind, solar power management
IBM has announced a weather-modeling and power-grid management system with the goal of increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
"Applying analytics and harnessing big data will allow utilities to tackle the intermittent nature of renewable energy and forecast power …
Apple trademark filing may provide peek into iTunes Radio capability
Apple has filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark office for a trademark on the term "Live Listen", perhaps providing a hint about a capability of the iTunes Radio feature in the soon-to-be-released iOS 7.
Apple's USPTO filing for "Live Listen"
(click to enlarge)
The trademark application was filed on August 7 …
Apple wins Samsung import ban, loses 'Battle of Rounded Corners II'
The US International Trade Commission has issued a decision in the long-running Apple-Samsung patent wars that – barring a veto by the Obama administration – bars some geriatric Samsung kit from importation into the US, but denies Apple the protection it sought in other infringment allegations, including two design patents …
Despite Microsoft Surface RT debacle, second-gen model in the works
Nvidia's CEO says his company is working with Microsoft on a second-generation Surface RT, and that he believes it has a chance of success – even though the original Surface RT tablet was an utter flop – because it will include Microsoft Outlook.
"It is the killer app for Windows," Huang told Cnet. "Now we're going to bring it …
Google Glass: Would you pay a mere $299 to plop one on your brow?
A researcher at Taiwan's largest private market research firm is of the considered opinion that when Google Glass goes on sale to the public, it will be sold for the low, low price of $299.
At a Taipei seminar on wearable devices, Jason Tsai of the Topology Research Institute told reporters of his estimate, based on the bill of …
US Department of Defense throws lifeline to beleaguered BlackBerry
BlackBerry has received certification to be used on US Department of Defense networks, the first Mobile Device Management (MDM) provider to be so certified.
"With foreign entities – governmental and criminal – ramping up attacks on electronic communications and information systems, BlackBerry provides government agencies with a …
Publishers stand behind Apple in ebook price-fixing fight
The five publishers involved in the Apple ebook lawsuit-o-rama have filed a formal objection to the remedies proposed by the US Department of Justice after Cupertino lost its court battle concerning alleged price fixing.
"Despite achieving their stated goal of returning price competition, plaintiffs now seek to improperly impose …
Samsung rolls out first mass-produced 3D NAND flash memory chip
Samsung has announced that it has begun volume production of what it characterizes as "the industry's first" vertically stacked NAND flash-memory chip.
Samsung's mass-produced 3D vertical NAND (V-NAND) chip
Behold the industry's first mass-produced three-dimensional NAND flash chip (click to enlarge)
"Following the world's …
Apple patents laser, incandescent projector for laptops, smartphones
Apple has been granted a patent for a projector technology that uses a mash-up of laser and incandescent light sources, which the patent document says could be used not only in standalone projectors, but could also be scaled down to pico-projector size for use in a laptop, smartphone, "or other handheld device."
US Patent 8,502, …
Upstart's 'FLASH KILLER' chips pack a terabyte per tiny layer
Memory-making start-up Crossbar came out of stealth mode on Monday, announcing that it has developed what it characterizes as "very high capacity and high-performance non-volatile memory" based on a new approach to resistive RAM (RRAM) technology, and capable of storing one terabyte of data on a single-layer 200mm2 chip.
That's …
Lawyers seek $16m payday in Apple 'moist iDevice' settlement
The proposed settlement of the lawsuit against Apple by iPhone and iPad touch owners whose iDevices were unfairly denied warranty service when they incorrectly indicated water damage has not yet been approved by the court, but if you're one of those eligible for a payout, you can now get in line – well behind the lawyers. …
Chinese Apple suppliers face toxic heavy metal water pollution charges
Chinese environmental regulators have launched an investigation into two Apple suppliers – one being the giant iDevice assembler Foxconn – in response to allegations that the companies' factories are using nearby rivers as dumping grounds for huge amounts of toxic heavy metals.
"If you're severely exceeding emissions standards, …
US Republican enviro-vets: 'Climate change is real. DEAL WITH IT'
A quartet of former US Environmental Protection Agency administrators have come out in favor of immediate action on anthropogenic climate change – and all four worked in conservative Republican administrations.
"We served Republican presidents, but we have a message that transcends political affiliation: the United States must …
Qualcomm exec on eight-core mobile chips: They're 'dumb'
If you have been wondering when the chip designers at Qualcomm were going to come up with an eight-core processor, as have competitors Samsung and MediaTek, you can stop wondering. They're not. Why? Because octo-core chips are "dumb."
"We don't do dumb things," Qualcomm SVP and marketing headman Anand Chandrasekher said in …
The hammer falls: Feds propose drastic controls on Apple's iTunes Store
The US Department of Justice, fresh from its ebook price-fixing victory over Apple, has proposed a sweeping array of restrictions on Cupertino's content-peddling iTunes Store, along with the appointment of a watchdog to keep an eye on Apple's compliance.
"Under the department's proposed order, Apple's illegal conduct will cease …
Climate change EVEN WORSE than you thought: It causes WAR and MURDER
Having conducted what they characterize as "the first comprehensive synthesis" of quantitative analyses linking violence to climatic changes, a trio of researchers has come to the conclusion that as the world continues to heat up, humankind will be more prone to violence.
"If future populations respond similarly to past …
Apple files patent for iPhone enabled auto-adjustable auto interior
Apple has filed a patent application for a system that would enable you to carry your preferred automotive environment settings on your iDevice, which would adjust any suitably equipped car to match your preferences.
Illustration from Apple's 'Automatic Configuration of Self-Configurable Environments' patent application So many …
Bipartisan senator group goes to bat for Apple in Samsung dispute
A bipartisan group of US senators has written to the Obama administration's US trade representative, recommending that he take a closer look at US International Trade Commission's ruling that would bar Apple from importing some of its older iPhones and iPads into the US market.
Their reasoning involves what they claim is misuse …
Egad! Could Samsung be CHEATING in Galaxy benchmark tests?
Samsung has reportedly been cheating in benchmark tests, artificially boosting the scores of its latest and greatest system-on-chip, the Exynos 5 Octa, on those performance-ranking number generators so beloved by reviewers and product evaluators.
"Oh hell Samsung, shame on you!" wrote a Beyond3D forum member in a posting on one …
AMD's newest chip: Another step toward 'transformation'
AMD has added a new low-power chip to its embedded lineup in its ongoing effort to transform from a maker of client and server chippery into a company that earns 40 per cent or more of its revenue from embedded and "semi-custom" chips.
"We're filling out the family," Arun Iyengar, VP and general manager of AMD's Embedded …
Dumpsters begone! App matches diners with leftovers to broke, hungry
Hungry? Broke? Soon you'll be able to fire up your smartphone and find out if anyone in your immediate area hasn't been able to finish their meal, then drop by their place and spirit away their leftovers.
Yum.
"It's obviously not for everybody," says Dan Newman, the cofounder of the group developing the app that will facilitate …
Google's new Chromecast spills its simplistic guts
Google's li'l Chromecast media-streaming HDMI dongle is certainly getting a lot of attention for a 35-buck, one-trick pony.
Announced on Wednesday and given its Reg review on Thursday, Chromecast has left one admirer "pretty blown away," was praised for its "pure simplicity" by another, called a "cord cutter's dream" by a third …
Samsung overtakes Apple as most profitable global handset maker
Samsung has overtaken Apple in worldwide handset-sales profits, banking $5.2bn versus Cupertino's $4.6bn in the second quarter of 2013, according to the latest data from Strategy Analytics.
"With strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls, Samsung has finally succeeded in becoming the handset industry's …
Apple crushes all competition in US Brand of the Year survey
Americans love their Apples. A new Harris Interactive poll surveyed 38,814 US consumers, who ranked Apple as Brand of the Year in three categories: smartphones, tablets, and computers.
"Americans continue to give Apple brands strong ratings," Harris Interactive SVP Manny Flores said in a release announcing the results. …
Chinese government to spend $277 BEEELION on air-quality improvements
The Chinese government has launched an ambitious – and expensive – new plan to aggressively combat some of the world's worst air pollution.
According to a report in the US edition of China Daily, the central government has pledged to invest 1,700 billion yuan ($277bn) in support of the effort, which will focus on improving air …
Three different roads to the 3-nanometer chip
Current technology should serve chip bakers well through the 14-nanometer process node, but if transistor scaling is to shrink further, a number of different possible avenues need to be explored.
So concluded Adam Brand, senior director of Applied Materials' Transistor Technology Group, when giving a presentation at SEMICON 2013 …
Hankering for a Nobel Prize? EAT MORE CHOCOLATE
A California researcher has discovered a strong correlation between chocolate consumption and the degree of smarts that results in being awarded a Noble Prize.
In "Chocolate habits of Nobel prizewinners", published in Thursday's edition of Nature, Beatrice Golomb of the University of California, San Diego, notes that of the 23 …
Apple drops hints about future low-cost iPhones
Apple surprised Wall Street on Tuesday when it announced that it had sold more iPhones than most forecasters had envisioned. What it didn't say in its earnings release, however, was how many of those 31.2 million iPhones it sold in its third fiscal quarter were iPhone 5s, and how many were lower-priced, older models.
But on a …
Apple earnings slip, but numbers beat Wall Street estimates
Apple – unlike its tech-industry compatriots Microsoft, Google, Intel, BlackBerry, and über-rival Samsung – surprised most Wall Street moneymen by turning in slightly better than expected numbers for its third fiscal quarter of 2013, reporting revenues of $35.3bn, net income of $6.9bn, and the all-important earnings per share ( …
Divers nearly DEVOURED by HUNGRY SEA BEASTS
Two divers nearly relived the Jonah myth when a pair of humpback whales surfaced, jaws first, right next to them in a dining methodology that leviathan-lovers call "lunge feeding".
"We were just floating around in the water, hoping to get some shots of the whales in the distance, when all of a sudden the sardines started going …
Only 1 in 5 Americans believe in pure evolution – and that's an upswing
According to a new poll by YouGov, the number of Americans who believe in evolution not directed by God is rising, but those pure evolutionists still only account for one in five of those surveyed.
Specifically, YouGov asked its "representative sample of 1,000 Americans" how they felt about three versions of human evolution: …
Aereo streaming TV now bargaining chip in Time Warner Cable, CBS tiff
Locked in an acrimonious retransmission-fee battle with CBS Corporation, Time Warner Cable has slipped a new arrow into its negotiation quiver, saying that if CBS blacks out its content from Time Warner's service in New York, the cable company will recommend that its subscribers sign up with the internet-streaming service Aereo …
Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, world+dog urge NSA transparency
A veritable Who's Who of the tech industry has sent a letter to the director of the US National Security Agency, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and Congressional national security watchdogs, urging that there be more transparency relating to the government's requests for user data.
The signers include Apple, …
That Retina display iPad mini delay scuttlebutt? Fuggedaboutit
The Taiwanese market-watchers and rumor-mongers at DigiTimes have done a one-eighty on a recent report about Apple's upcoming "Retina display" iPad mini, and now say that it will be released in October of this year.
Just this Monday, as Apple-watching Reg readers will remember, DigiTimes reported that the high-res iPad mini …
AMD is 'transforming', will be profitable this quarter, says CEO Read
AMD has entered phase two of its "restructure, accelerate, and ultimately transform" realignment project, says company president and CEO Rory Read, who sees brighter days ahead.
"With our restructuring complete, our focus in the second half of the year is on continuing to accelerate our business," Read told the analysts and …
AMD fools Wall Street, posts smaller loss than expected
A day after its competitor Intel posted financial results for its most recent quarter that came in slightly below analyst's estimates, AMD bucked that disappointing trend – but it's not quite out of the woods yet.
AMD reported its second quarter results on Thursday after markets closed, and reported a loss of $0.09 per share ( …
Verizon joins T-Mobile, AT&T with early phone upgrade plan
Well, that was quick. The number-one US wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless, has announced its plan, dubbed Edge, to allow its subscribers to upgrade their phones more quickly, not unlike the recently announced T-Mobile Jump and AT&T Next plans.
"If you want to stay on top of the latest technology, the new Verizon Edge device …
Worldwide smartwatch shipments predicted to top 5 million next year
Every so often a press release passes by The Reg's gadget desk which just begs to be filed away and checked against future reality. Today's example: the market-watchers at Canalys ("Insight. Innovation. Impact.") predict that over five million smartwatches will ship worldwide next year.
"Smart watches will be the most important …
Micron flashes flashy 16-nanometer flash memory
Boise, Idaho–based memory maker Micron has announced that it is now sampling 16-nanometer 128-gigabit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chips.
Micron 128-gigabit multi-level cell NAND Flash memory device
You can't make storage subsystems any smaller than this – yet
"Our customers continually ask for higher capacities …
