Western Digital Drives Get Industrial Design Refresh
A hard drive is a hard drive, unless it gets a makeover from a French
industrial designer, in which case it becomes an expensive work of art
that just happens to store data. It's a strategy that LaCie has been
pursuing since the 1990s, and now Western Digital is doing it, too.
The new My Passport and My Book
drives will come in six bright colors chosen by the designer and brand
strategist Yves Béhar (Okay, he's Swiss, not French). The My Passport
portable drives range from $80 for 1TB to $140 for 4TB. Meanwhile, the
My Book desktop drives start at 3TB for $129 and top out at 8TB for
$249.
The color options complement the drive's split exterior: the top of
the enclosure is smooth plastic, while the bottom has ridges. The
desktop and portable versions look nearly identical, except that the My
Book is about an inch thicker.
"We're on the verge of a serious digital evolution where data is
being recognized as more than just a commodity," Béhar said in a
statement, explaining that the design tweaks are supposed to make
Western Digital hard drives more "personal."
All of the drives feature password protection with 256-bit AES
hardware encryption. Automatic backups can be set up with the included
WD Backup software. The company will also offer a dedicated Mac version
of the My Passport, which is only available in black and comes
pre-formatted for macOS and Time Machine backups.
LaCie's design-forward drives command a hefty price premium over
workaday models made by its parent company, Seagate. The My Passport and
My Book, meanwhile, aren't too much more expensive than the more
plain-looking drives they replace. Amazon is selling the current 1TB My Passport Ultra for $59.
Intel launches Stratix 10: Altera FPGA combined with ARM CPU, 14nm manufacturing
When Intel bought Altera last
year, there was speculation on how we’d see future FPGA products fit
within Intel’s existing product lines. Intel has previously stated it
intends to offer a Xeon processor with an integrated FPGA, but we’ve
yet to hear any concrete talk about what that product will look like.
The new Stratix 10 family does contain a microprocessor — but it’s an
ARM-based design, not an Intel chip.
That doesn’t mean Intel DNA
isn’t baked into the new FPGA, however. According to Intel’s PR, Stratix
10 offers double the core performance, up to 70% lower power, up to
1TBps of memory bandwidth provided courtesy of HBM2 (that’s 128GB/s) and
up to 10TFLOPS of single-precision floating point performance. ARM
capabilities are provided by a quad-core Cortex-A53.
According to
Intel, Stratix 10 has been fundamentally re-architected to deliver
performance that’s dramatically better than any competitive solution on
the market. The new chip uses “hyper-registers” to reduce routing
congestion and to allow for performance tuning without requiring
additional adaptive logic modules (ALMs). The chip allows for localized
programmable clock trees to reduce skew and timing uncertainty. This
improvement was apparently “a key feature that allows the HyperFlex
architecture to reach 2X performance.”
Intel also points to new
design tools and options that it claims allow the Stratix 10 to scale
more effectively to deal with a variety of problems than other FPGAs.
The chip is built on Intel’s 14nm Tri-Gate process. Altera isn’t
Intel’s only foundry customer; Achronix has also built FPGAs with the
Santa Clara company, but Achronix used Intel’s older 22nm process.
FPGAs
are a branch of computing we don’t typically discuss at ET. But they’ve
been used extensively in data centers, software-defined networking, and
device prototyping. The slide below broadly captures the difference
between the three types of integrated circuits, and while it focuses on
power efficiency, we can also take this as a broad stand-in for overall
performance as well.
At the far left-hand side of
the graph, you have microprocessors like the general-purpose CPUs from
AMD, Intel, and ARM. These chips all offer a great deal of flexibility —
there’s a robust compiler ecosystem and a wide variety of tools for
programming CPUs, and CPUs can any workload (albeit not necessarily very
well). FPGAs are more energy efficient than CPUs, but not as flexible —
they can be programmed to duplicate the functions and timings of other
processors, which is why many of the replica consoles you can buy rely
on FPGAs instead of relying on aging, original NES hardware.
At
the far end of the scale you have ASICs, which are built to do one
particular task quite well and offer maximum performance, but limited
reprogrammability. Modern GPUs are sometimes considered ASICs, though
they have enough general-purpose compute functionality to argue the
point (ASICs eventually took over cryptocurrency mining precisely
because they could outperform GPUs).
Intel’s new FPGA efforts will
be watched closely. The company invested significant resources in
buying Altera, and its ability to fab hardware for designs that didn’t
originate in-house will be a key factor in whether its foundry business
can get off the ground.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Production Halted After Replacement Units Catch Fire
Samsung
has suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones following
reports of fires in replacement devices, South Korean media said on
Monday, a further setback for the tech giant trying to manage its worst
ever phone recall crisis.
Samsung's decision to temporarily halt Galaxy Note 7 production was done in cooperation with authorities in China and the United States, as two US carriers have stopped exchanging or selling new Galaxy Note 7 phones, Yonhap News Agency cited an unnamed source at a Samsung partner firm as saying.
Samsung did not immediately comment on the Yonhap report.
Problems with replacements for the Galaxy Note 7 model would create a
new and potentially costly chapter to a global scandal which has hurt
the reputation of the world's biggest smartphone maker. It also could
add new dangers for consumers.
AT&T,
the No.2 US wireless carrier, said on Sunday it will stop exchanging
new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to reports of fires from replacement
devices that Samsung has said used safe batteries.
No.3 wireless carrier T-Mobile US said it was temporarily halting
sales of new Galaxy Note 7s as well as exchanges while Samsung
investigated "multiple reports of issues" with its flagship device.
T-Mobile offered customers who brought in their Galaxy Note 7s a $25 credit on their phone bill.
Samsung announced
on September 2 a global recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s in 10
markets including the United States due to faulty batteries causing some
of the phones to catch fire.
Mafia 3 PC Patch to Include Unlimited and 60fps Support; Currently in Testing
Mafia
3 hasn’t had the smoothest of launches on the PC, particularly with
issues related to frame rate. At launch, developer Hangar 13 had
announced plans to rectify this and it has now said that a patch
enabling 60 frames per second and beyond is in testing.
“We currently have a patch running here at the studio that includes
30, 60, and unlimited frames-per-second options in the video menu, among
other improvements for the PC version of Mafia III,” a post from the
developer reads.
"We’re
verifying the patch now to ensure everything is working as expected. If
everything goes well, we expect the update to go live this weekend. We
will be keeping the PC community up-to-date on the status of the patch
throughout the weekend and thank you for all the feedback!"
After it was reported
that Mafia 3 on the PC is locked to 30 frames per second, developer
Hangar 13 issued an official statement on the issue. Suffice to say,
it's aware of the problem at hand and is working on a fix. The reason PC
gaming has seen a resurgence of late is the large degree of flexibility
it offers its users - allowing customisation of the experience for
better visual quality or smoother gameplay. While Mafia 3 allows for the
former to some degree, the latter appears to be a point of concern.
We
know how important having options that best suit your PC’s performance
capabilities are. The team has been hard at work ensuring that Mafia
III’s performance is consistent across all platforms, and right now the
game runs at a solid 30 frames-per-second,"states
a post on Mafia 3's website. "We are currently working on an update for
PC that will give players the option to play Mafia III at higher
framerates. We’ll share more details about the update, and when you can
expect it to arrive, very soon."
In the run up to this, Hangar 13 is calling from user feedback on
what performance options are important to you as the developer is
looking to give fans a larger degree of control over their experience as
per the PC they have.
While
this may sound admirable, it also raises a couple of questions. First
of all, was Hangar 13 genuinely aware of the issues the game had prior
to release and if so, why was it not delayed on PC? Secondly,
considering that 2K's had some stellar PC games over the years, why is
it that Hangar 13 would have to look to the community for what to expect
in terms of customisation options when it shares the same label
responsible for XCOM and GTA V?
You'd think that developers would be a lot more careful with their PC releases when Steam refunds work in favour of the consumer. This is definitely not the case here. Perhaps a ploy to ramp up pre-order numbers?
Soon after PC Gamer initially reported this, many users across the
globe have reported issues ranging from random crashes to desktop and
poor frame rate.
"Mine just crashes on start, without any error message. Its (sic) No Man's Sky all over again," said user Big Boss on Indian Video Gamer - a popular local game forum.
"Submitted my refund. Ended up playing it for a short time, not happy
with the frame rate and it felt too slow and clunky controller wise," claimed NeoGAF member flipswitch.
Hopefully this gets rectified soon. More so considering that Hangar 13 plans to support
iterative consoles such as the PS4 Pro. If that gets its enhancements
prior to the fixes for PC, it would be an embarrassing situation for
many a fan what with the series having its origins on the platform.
Star Wars Battlefront, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, and More Coming to EA Access
EA
has announced that a host of top-tier video games are coming to EA
Access and Origin Access- it’s subscription program for the Xbox One and
Windows PC respectively. These include UFC 2, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and Star Wars Battlefront with more to come.
Meanwhile the Xbox One gets a few extra additions with Heavy Weapon,
Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled 3, Feeding Frenzy, Feeding Frenzy 2, and Zuma in
what it calls the Throwback Pack. These were released on the Xbox 360
digitally via the Xbox Live Arcade and now can be played via EA Access
as well. More
games coming to EA Access and Origin Access is always a good thing
particularly the likes of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst considering it just
released a few months ago and was heavily discounted during Amazon’s
Great Indian Sale. EA
Access and Origin Access grants users to a collection of Xbox One and
Windows PC games respectively from EA's catalogue (though there are
games from other publishers and developers in the case of the latter) as
well as giving users access to check out new EA games before they're
released. Also they let subscribers save 10 percent on Origin purchases.
EA Access costs Rs. 1,990 for an annual subscription on Xbox One while
Origin Access costs Rs. 315 a month. Though keep in mind that you’ll
need a pretty fast Internet connection to make the most of it. A
majority of the games you’d want to play are huge downloads in excess of
20GB in most cases on either platform.
Pocket-lint has teamed up with Probox2 to give one lucky reader the chance to win a Probox2 Air Android TV box.
The
PROBOX2 Air is perfect for home entertainment. It is a revolutionary
new way to enjoy all of your favourite movies, music, TV series and Live
TV.
All packed into one device, with everything controlled with
your fingertips. Loaded with Android 6.0 + PROBOX2 APEX UI User
Interface & the built in "1-click swap" user interface function that
you won't find in any other TV box in the market. Empowered by Kodi
16.0 , you can watch live sporting events not broadcast on terrestrial
or satellite TV, enjoy the latest episodes of your favorite shows long
before they have aired on US / UK TV.
The Probox2 comes with an
enhanced decoding performance which it is capable of hardware decoding
for UHD 4K 60fps and supports multiple formats including H.265 10-bit,
H.264 and VP. It also supports FHD 1080p 60fps for Hardware encoding
with supports on H.264 and is also capable of supporting Dolby / DTS (by
Kodi) and S/SPDIF (5.1CH, 7.1CH).
The real star of the package is
the "Remote+", which bears more resemblance to a primitive gaming
controller, requires that you plug in a separate Bluetooth dongle to one
of the USB ports (which then automatically pairs the device), and is
significantly more responsive and easier to use.The game changer is the
"Remote+" that comes packaged with the Probox2 Air, a Bluetooth remote
that really enhances the experience. It has three modes of operation: a
standard remote; an air mouse with motion controls; and as a game
controller. It also has an auxiliary function as a microphone.
Probox2 Air is one of the best “Android TV” box yet - perfect for media center and retro gaming.
The Pebble 2 is Now the Only Fitness Tracking Smartwatch You Need
When it comes to choosing a smartwatch, do you really need to spend $370 on a device that almost does more than your phone-including reminding you to breath?
No. The Pebble has always been about simplifying the smartwatch, and
even with improved fitness features, the Pebble 2 remains exactly as
much smartwatch as you really need.The original Pebble, now known as the Pebble Classic.
While companies like Apple and Samsung try to cram as much
functionality into a wearable device as technology allows, Pebble
continues to take a simpler approach, focusing on the best uses for
having a second screen strapped to your wrist. And while the Pebble 2+
Heart Rate isn't quite as simple as the original, its fitness tracking
upgrades are a welcome addition that never bring the Pebble 2 down.
If you can remember all the way back to 2012, the original Pebble hit
Kickstarter with a $150 price tag that reflected its basic
functionality. It could show notifications, do basic fitness tracking,
and shrug off water, but it also only had a simple black and white LCD
display, and a reliance on physical buttons to navigate its UI, instead
of a touchscreen.
We've seen these before, but a heart rate sensor is a welcome addition to the Pebble 2.So what's new? The most obvious upgrade to the new Pebble is the addition of a photoplethysmography,
or PPG, sensor on the back. It's the same heart rate monitor method
used by nearly every other wearable on the market. PPG uses a pair of
LEDs to blast multiple light into the wearer's skin, and a camera to
detect how that light is then scattered. Depending on the flow of blood
under the skin, the light scatters in different ways, allowing the
Pebble 2 + Heart Rate to monitor the wearer's heart rate.
Pebble already updated its mobile app to make it more fitness-friendly, but it now provides access to your heart rate data too.
The recent fitness-focused updates to the Pebble app, available for
iOS and Android devices, now includes the ability to keep tabs on your
heart rate throughout the day as the Pebble 2 + Heart Rate takes
periodic measurements, depending on your level of activity, to conserve
battery life. But you can also activate a 'Workout' mode on the
smartwatch, specifying various levels of physical activity, to force the
heart rate monitor to take constant readings.
More and more dedicated fitness trackers with heart rate tracking
capabilities have been gaining smartwatch-like features, but few work as
well as the Pebble do-which is a smartwatch first. If you're already a
fan of Pebble's wearables, this improved fitness tracking functionality
is a welcome upgrade since it means you don't have to wear a second
device, or abandon the smartwatch you've come to love.
Now do you really need a heart rate monitor strapped to your wrist
24/7? No. Believe it or not, humans managed to stay active and fit well
before the words fitness and tracker were ever placed side-by-side. For
some people, however, a constant update on how lazy they're being can be
a great motivator to get up off the couch. And given how cheap and
unobtrusive the hardware has become, it just makes sense for Pebble to
jump on the heart rate bandwagon. Pebble
put the Pebble 2 on a much needed diet, resulting in a thinner, sleeker
smartwatch that looks so much better than the original.
The other big improvement with the Pebble 2 is its design, which is
now much sleeker than the original, but still very much reminiscent of
the Pebble Classic-
if, for some reason, you have a soft spot for the original's bulky
square look. I have to admit, the original Pebble's design was a
complete deal-breaker for me.
Yet the Pebble 2 is much thinner, making it feel less garish on the
wrist, even with the new optical heart rate sensor protruding out the
back. And the bezel surrounding its display doesn't look as thick as it
did on the original Pebble, even if it's the exact same size and only
appears thinner because of how the LCD panel is now being framed. The
changes are minor, but I don't mind the look of the Pebble 2 on my
wrist, despite not being a fan of the original.
The Pebble 2 has also gained a microphone, like the one you'll
already find on the Pebble Time, for sending text and voice replies
right from your wrist. However, this functionality can still only be
used when the smartwatch is paired with an Android phone, or with a
select number of carriers when paired to the iPhone. It is far from
being a key selling point for the wearable. There's no fancy touchscreen here, just four buttons used to navigate the Pebble 2's streamlined UI.
The Pebble 2 excels most in the places the Pebble Classic excelled
before it. Pebble's worked out a formula for a topnotch smartwatch and
isn't about to deviate. The Pebble 2 + Heart Rate has the same black and
white LCD display as the original, without touch functionality, and the
same user interface as all the Pebble smartwatches preceding it. You'll
still be relying on a set of four physical buttons to hop around menus,
scroll through your notifications, and check your daily schedule. If
you're trying to impress your friends with the latest and greatest
smartwatch on your wrist, the Pebble 2 simply isn't for you. The Pebble 2's low-res display hasn't seen much improvement, but it's still completely functional.
Navigating a mobile device with a screen without being able to touch
it does take some getting used to, but eventually I found myself not
missing the touchscreen. Particularly since it means the Pebble 2 can
survive for upwards of seven days without a charge. Do you really need
to be able to send doodles from your wrist to your friends? I don't.
Having worn the Pebble Time with its color display for the past year,
I did find the black and white display on the Pebble 2 limiting.
Notifications on the Pebble Time are color-coded, making it easy to
distinguish between an important email, an urgent text message, and an
ignorable Twitter update at a quick glance. But it's not quite as easy
with the Pebble 2's monochrome display, and it's something I would
consider to be a major drawback to Pebble's basic offering. A magnetic charging cable is easy to attach, but a stronger magnet would prevent it from easily popping off.
In the past we have complained about the weak magnets used to secure the charger to the Pebble wearables,
and unfortunately it doesn't appear as if that's changed with the
Pebble 2. So if you accidentally bump the watch while it's charging on
your nightstand in the middle of the night, there's a chance the cable
will pop off, but that still beats trying to plug in a tiny microUSB
cable.
Unlike the Apple Watch, which in the coming years will most likely
replace the iPhone altogether, the Pebble's raison d'être has always
been as a cheap sidekick to your mobile device, with great battery life,
that puts notifications and other important information on your wrist
where it's always easily accessible at a glance. It's greatest feature
has always been its simplicity.
So had the Pebble 2 + Heart Rate arrived with an inflated price tag
as a result of its fitness tracking upgrades, it would have been hard to
recommend it when the original Apple Watch is now $269. But at $130,
which is actually $20 cheaper than the original Pebble Watch first sold
for, the Pebble 2 is a fantastic bargain if you're just dabbling in
smartwatches, or want a well-equipped fitness tracker with additional
functionality.
README
At $130, the upgraded Pebble 2 + Heart Rate is actually $20 less than the original Pebble sold for.
The addition of a heart rate monitor makes the Pebble 2 a fantastic and affordable waterproof fitness tracker as well.
Its monochromatic, non-touch LCD display means you'll have to rely
on physical buttons for navigating the UI, but it gives the Pebble 2
almost seven days of battery life.
That black and white display means you don't get the color-coded
notifications available on the Pebble Time, which are easier to
distinguish at a glance.
A slimmer design, and a visually minimal bezel around the display, drastically improves the Pebble 2's appearance.
The glass lens over the display will resist scratches, but the plastic housing is prone to getting easily dinged up.
