Asus Brings Intel Haswell Processors To Laptops & Desktops

Intel recently announced their 4th-Generation Core Processor codenamed Haswell and PC makers are already making news about including them in their upcoming systems. Among them Asus has announced their next desktops and all-in-ones which would be housing the Haswell chips right before Computex trade show, which is to be held at Taipei. The other companies include Cyberpower and MicroCenter. At Computex, other PC makers are expected to display their new PCs including the major manufacturers like Dell, Acer and others.

The Haswell chips add about 10 to 15 percent increase in their performance compared to the previous 3rd-Generation Core Processors codenamed Ivy Bridge. These chips are said to have lesser power consumption and lower heat generation and a considerable increase in the efficiency in battery life in laptops also.

Intel has announced only 4th-Generation Core i5 and i7 processors, with several others to be announced later at Computex. Among the two, the latter is the most powerful. Gaming desktops with Haswell processors, along with graphic cards would be able to handle any high demanding games out there. The Haswell has better speed and power efficiency over the previous Ivy Bridge processors which is equal to the same jump it had from the Sandy Bridge processors. With Haswell, consumers could have a mean desktop computer in their homes.

Haswell processors are expected to be rolled into the upcoming desktops and laptops soon, and will eventually make their way into ultrabooks. It didn't take long for the 4th-Generation Processors to be released after the previous Ivy Bridge Processors which came out just last year. Intel has always dominated the desktop and laptop processor market with AMD fighting with their processors and APUs. With the fabrication of these processors going down and the efficiency going sky high, a lot is expected for the future architecture of processors fron Intel. People might have always thought why Intel hasn't entered the mobile processor domain where Samsung and Qualcomm are leading the race, but who knows, Intel may have something up its sleeve, hidden from us.

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Yahoo Chucks 'Classic Mail', New Upgrade Mandatory

From today, June 3rd, Yahoo will get rid of its "Classic" Mail once and for all. In fact, beginning this week Yahoo! Mail will no longer support older versions. It's either the new, upgraded version of Yahoo Mail or no Yahoo Mail at all. The company has sent out emails informing its users of the same and has notified them of the pending upgrade. Until now, Yahoo had allowed its users to continue using the old versions of the Mail even though the webmail interface was redesigned sometime around last year. But, it seems that this upgrade is more concerned with the refurbishing of the company's goals than the technical up-to-dateness. With the proposed upgrade comes the prerequisite of accepting the Communications Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This grants Yahoo the permission to scan and analyze your incoming and outgoing mails, quite like Gmail does. This automated content scanning is purposed to deliver product features, relevant advertising, and abuse protection to the customers. If you're not interested in contextual-based advertising, you could change the settings using the Ad Interest Manager.

Now, if for some reason, you absolutely do not wish to upgrade, you are left with two options. The first option is to download your Yahoo Mail using IMAP, which will allow you to access your email from a different email program, such as Outlook, Mac Mail, or your mobile app. This, however, does not count as an exception and you'll still have to accept the Communications Terms of Service. If you don't want to do that, then as you might have guessed it, the only option is to close your account and leave. What would you choose?

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Cisco Predicts Major Global Internet Traffic Surge by 2017

At its seventh annual Visual Networking Index, Cisco suggested the possibility of a drastic increase in the global internet traffic. According to the company, a growth rate of 23 percent is expected between 2012 to 2017. This dramatic burst isn't supposed to last but will be enough to aggregate to 1.4 zettabytes (ZBs) of global traffic by 2017. That amount alone is greater than the history of internet from 1984 to 2012 (1.2 ZB). Cisco predicts that by the year 2018, almost half of the world's population will be online. The surge in online activity could be attributed to more users, users connecting more devices, growing network and broadband speeds and more media-rich content in the next few years. With that many users, comes the need of sustainability. The average internet speed is expected to go up too. Mobile connections will target 8Mbps by 2017 and Wi-Fi speeds are anticipated to reach 30Mbps.

Technological advances will broaden the aspects of connectivity with more and more devices connected to the Internet. Cisco also forecasts a potential rise of M2M (Machine to Machine) products. It highlights the increasing interaction of quotidian devices with the real-world. For example, a refrigerator that can talk to people or is able to interact with other machines. 2017 is likely to see a total of 8 billion devices connected as M2M, combined with the support of IPv6-capable devices.

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Acer Iconia W3 Tablet Launched - Tech Specs, Price & Availability Here

Just a couple of weeks back, the tech specs of Acer Iconia W3 tablet were revealed on the company’s Finnish site. And now, ahead of the Computex 2013 showcase event, Acer has launched this Windows 8 featuring 8.1-inch tablet. Acer's Iconia series has been a hit. Coming pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 (that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote), the Iconia W3 belongs the price tag of €139 (approx. Rs. 10,200 in India). The trend of having a keyboard that attached to the tablet, that was popularized by the Microsoft Surface is now being carrying forward by Acer. So, the tablet comes with an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds it upright for typing. Pretty useful. And of course, there's a virtual keypad, ideal for on-the-go thumb typing.

At tech specs of 540 gms and 11.35 mm thin, the device is slim and light. The 8.1-inch LED-backlit display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the two web camera - front and rear are both good enough at 2 megapixels. Powered by the Intel Atom Z2760 mobile-optimized processor, Acer has suggested that 8 hours of battery life can be expected and extended using the Connected Standby mode. Thanks to Windows 8, using the Live Tiles right on the start page is possible.

The Acer Iconia W3 has support for the 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks and hotspots and a micro-HDMI port means that you can connect this tablet to the TV or external display for sharing presentations, photos and video. That tablet is available in either 32 GB or 64 GB variants of internal storage and the micro-USB port is available. As far as the pricing is concerned, the 32 GB version comes at Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of €329 (Rs. 24,000) and 64GB versino at €379 (Rs. 28,000). Available at retail and online stores June onwards, the optional keyboard will be available for a price of €69.- and the case will be available for €24.90 (grey) and €27.90 (white).

In direct cut-throat competition with Asus at the Computex 2013 event in Taipei, it is going to be a war of the tech giants to reveal their extraordinary products and gain maximum attraction. We are hooked to our screens to find out the details. How about you? Share your views, hopes and expectations from the event and the companies in comments below. 

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3D Printing In Space @ Zero Gravity In ISS

3D printing experiment is being done in the space under zero gravity conditions at the ISS. If the experiment is successful, we'll soon see a new era of manufacturing parts in the space. 3D print will use extrusion additive manufacturing that builds objects layer by later from polymers and other materials. NASA and a California based firm 'Mad In Space' have joined hands to begin the experiment in the next year. It'd be the first 3D microgravity experiment to be carried out in the International Space Station.

One of the aims of the experiment will be to test the technology to reduce cargo weight and volume. In future, the astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space. NASA believes in the potential of 3D printing technology and believes that one day, it will allow humans to manufacture entire spaceship in the space. This would eliminate the design constraints caused by the launch-related restrictions.

The importance of 3D printing technology is growing every day. NASA believes that this technology will be incredibly useful in our mission to send humans to Mars.

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