The WorkShop

Going off the topic a bit , this is something interesting I read recently . A joint group from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has devised a way to enhance the extraction process of gold from electronic components.
Gold, platinum and other precious metals are used in components for PCs, mobile phones and other electronic goods . But recovering these valuable minerals once the hardware is retired has never been cost effective or practical at a large scale, so there are currently trillions of micro sized gold nuggets hidden in refuse and landfill sites. The new process involves dissolving the metals from old electronic products in acid, extracting the precious metals into a second liquid and then recovering them using plant-derived tannin,By using a sulphide-type diamide as the extracting agent, the group is able to extract over 50 per cent of the gold from the acid solution !!!.
So no more throwing away old parts as there is gold to be found in them
Wikipedia on digger gold

Don’t get your expectations very high , I know Halo 2 is a Vista exclusive and I know so is DX10, from the time we first heard about DX10 Microsoft has repeatedly said that it would be an integral part of Vista,and it could not be implemented onto any other operating system. The reason for this being the approach of DirectX 10 inside the Vista kernel, with a more console-style approach to hardware.
The Alky project intends to change all that , these guys have started Falling Leaf systems and their first release claims to be able to run a number of examples from the DirectX SDK on Windows XP.These libraries will allow the use of DirectX 10 games on platforms other than Microsoft Vista, and increase hardware compatibility even on Vista, by compiling the Geometry Shaders down to native machine code for execution where hardware isn’t capable of running it. The good news does not end here , they plan to port these games on to Mac-OS and Linux in the future. Sounds too good to be true ? If you are interested in the concept then join their sapling program which gives you access to some exclusive content in the months to come. A free for all preview build is available here complete with instructions on where to install the files and how to get started.

April 23rd marked the fourth anniversary for the chipmaker’s Opteron and the ground-breaking AMD64 architecture , and to mark the occasion AMD announced widespread availability and pricing for the latest range of AMD Opteron dual-core server processors .
AMD also revealed updated performance numbers for its upcoming Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processors, code-named ‘Barcelona.’ The new Barcelona projections show that AMD expects to have up to a 50 percent advantage in floating point performance and 20 percent in integer performance over the Intel’s “clovertown” quad-core processor at any given common clock frequency.AMD did not specify the clock speed of Barcelona. Intel’s Clovertown currently tops the chart at 2.66 GHz.
As for the performance of the new AMD Opteron Model 2222 and 8222 SE x86 dual-core server processors . AMD claims and I quote their website
“Under the newest SPECcpu2006 benchmarks, AMD Opteron™ processors continue to set the standard in x86 dual-core processor performance—besting our competitor by up to 15%. We credit that to our superior native dual-core design, with its Direct Connect Architecture, DDR2 memory, and industry-leading performance-per-watt. All with a clear migration path to native Quad-Core. It’s all proof positive that customer-centric innovation wins over hype.”
The AMD site also says
“Saying you’re the “World’s Best Processor” is one thing.
Actually being the “World’s Best Processor” is another.”

Considering their Dismal Q1 results , I would consider it a bold statement

More performance numbers
AMD Native Quad Core Tchnology

See the video where Randy Allen, Corporate Vice-President of AMD’s Server and Workstation Business talks about Barcelona

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_n3wvsfq4Y]

A few days back I had written about Blu-Ray outselling HD-DVD in the first quarter of 2007 , but looks like the HD-DVD camp is gaining momentum now . The Toshiba Website lists a HD-DVD player(Toshiba HD-A2) for as low as $399 and it has all the Bells and whistles for a true HD home theater experience . Rumors have started rolling in that Toshiba has outsourced a chunk of their manufacturing to China and thus have gained a significant cost advantage , another rumor suggests that a $200-$300 HD-DVD player will soon be hitting the markets with the first consignment arriving at WalMart as soon as mid may 2007 .
On the other hand the only blu-ray option available for anything under $600 is the PS3 , Sony has plans for a $499 blu-ray player for late this year, but anyone who is not a hardcore gamer and knows a wee bit of math will and I reinforce WILL go for HD-DVD , this has very serious implications for the blu-ray camp and especially so for Sony as they need blu-ray to accepted as the next generation media format for the PS3 to succeed in the long run . If the prices of blu-ray players do not come down by Mid 2007 then HD-DVD may start gaining widespread acceptance and if that happens then Sony will be left with another dead format and a bricked game console.

The demand for smaller-sized, high-speed, high-density multi-chip packages (MCP) is growing by the day . Stacking Silicon to increase packing density in IC’s is not a new concept, but recently stacking has gained a new level of importance as the process is being introduced to make microprocessors and is slated to come into the mainstream by 2008,Currently chip components are connected by wire bonding, requiring vertical spacing between dies that is tens of microns deep and horizontal spacing on the package board hundreds of microns wide for the die-connecting wires.Stacked silicon, rather than placed side-by-side shortens on chip data travel distances, ultimately saving a whole lot of space on chip and offering an opportunity to drive Moore’s law forward .

“Through-silicon vias” (TSV) is the technology employed for stacking ,which uses vertical connections etched through the silicon wafer and filled with metal. This concept has been described by other chip manufacturers before . Intel revealed thier plans for TSV at the spring IDF 2005 and most recently Samsung announced that it has developed the first all-DRAM stacked memory package using TSV technology, which will soon result in memory packages that are faster, smaller and consume less power, Samsung’s technology forms laser-cut micron-sized holes that penetrate the silicon vertically to connect the memory circuits directly with a copper filling, eliminating the need for gaps of extra space and wires protruding beyond the sides of the dies.
While TSV is still in its early stages, the technology represents the next step in innovative packaging solutions which have become increasingly important to enable high-speed, high-density and high- performance Semiconductor solutions .

Via Technologies , the Taiwanese manufacturer of Integrated circuits who also happen to be the world’s largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets , have announced the IT industry’s smallest mainboard form factor specification and they call it Pico-ITX , at 10cm x 7.2cm it measures in slightly bigger than a regular playing card , Pico-ITX is currently the smallest complete x86 mainboard in the industry, smaller than all existing ATX, BTX and ITX form factors.

Designed for the Via range of processors such as the C7 processor , Pico-ITX mainboard form factor will provide system developers and with a standardized, ultra compact and highly integrated platform that can be utilized across multiple embedded PC, system and appliance designs. Some examples where these can be used may be PCs embedded within dashboards or in-flight entertainment systems and industrial automation systems , Integrated multimedia devices and even ultra portable entertainment devices, Pico-ITX can enable the design of full x86 computing devices in form factors which were previously not practical due to size limitations. Though I don’t see the design being utilized to its full potential in the very near future but come 2008 one can expect a lot of movement in the UMPC sector . The reference design specification has the following key components

Processor :VIA C7/VIA Eden V4 bus processor
•NanoBGA2 package up to 1.5GHz
• 128K L1 and 128K L2 cache

Core Logic: VIA VX700 all-in-one system media processor

Main Memory : • 1 DDR2 400/533 So-DIMM socket
• Up to 1GB memory size

Graphics: • Integrated VIA UniChrome™ Pro II 3D/2D AGP graphics with MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 video decoder
• Integrated LVDS and DVI interface • VIP port for video overlay function

Storage (ATA) • UltraDMA 133/100/66/33
• One 44-pin right-angle IDE connector
• One SATA connector

Audio System: VIA VT1708A
• 7.1 channels high definition audio codec
• 7.1 channels audio out and SPDIF in header
• Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro compatible

Ethernet: (LAN) VIA VT6106S
• 10/100Mbps Ethernet Controller

I am a huge fan of video games and love to follow the progress of the gaming industry , I have been a follower since some punk kid named Bhargav introduced me to “The King of Fighters 96 ” in a shady video game parlor in New Delhi . I have played Arcade Games , PC games and to some extent I have played games on consoles too . I liked to play games on my phone too but it was the snake game on my Nokia 3250 which i had an eternity ago , since then I have moved on to a Sony Ericsson phone which supports java games , and from that day I have been looking for one decent game to play on it . Countless downloads and many frustrating hours later , I have realized that mobile games suck . Let me give you my top 3 reasons why..

1. The Screen size is too small : I have heard people complaining about the screen sizes on the DS and the PSP , please!! in comparison with mobile phone screens , The PSP screen is a golf course , and even if a large screen phone came about it is way more expensive than the PSP and the DS put together.
2. The games suck : It seems the mobile game industry has a game for every single movie which comes out and a game for every B grade movie or a pop star ( the Sameera Reddy game) , I am talking quality here.. There are no big names, no content delivery, Amazingly crappy graphics and sound, awful Controls and A thousand game developers developing 1000000000 games with absurd titles, maybe the hardware is not good enough but thats no excuse for the mess
3. The controls suck : Lets face it, the regular mobile phone alphanumeric keypad was meant for keying in numbers and with great difficulty it allows for some messaging too , and one thing it was not meant to do was to play games . if you put all the controls necessary for a good gaming experience on a phone it would look like a weapon straight out of star wars

What can be done ? Its very simple.. instead of developing mobile phones which can also support games, develop better gaming handhelds which  also support basic mobile phone features , I am sure a lot of people would support and buy something like that .
Please note that this is not meant for people who like playing Sudoku or some scrambled words game on their phones , I am speaking about the gamer who wants to kick a few alien asses when he’s on the move . As far as he is concerned mobile phone games just plain SUCK . If there is anyone who has a better story to tell about mobile phone games , convince me otherwise.

Nokia recently announced its plans to release phones featuring WiMAX in 2008. The current iteration of WiMAX is only able to connect when a receiver is stationary, but a new mobile revision is expected to be released by the end of 2007 . Intel spoke about mobile WiMAX evolution at the Beijing IDF , and Sprint also has plans for Mobile WiMAX.
The WiMAX technology, based on the IEEE 802.16 Air Interface Standard has already proven itself as a cost effective fixed wireless alternative to cable and DSL services. In December, 2005 the IEEE approved the 802.16e amendment to the 802.16 standard. This amendment adds the features and attributes to the standard necessary to support mobility. Mobile WiMAX is a broadband wireless solution that combines mobile and fixed broadband networks through a common wide area broadband radio access technology and a flexible network architecture. The Mobile WiMAX Air Interface uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) , I wont go into the details of it but generally it is a multiplexing technique that divides the available bandwidth into sub-carriers which are of multiple frequencies . Initial Mobile WiMAX profiles cover 5, 7, 8.75, and 10 MHz channel bandwidths for worldwide spectrum allocations in the 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands. The WiMAX forum lists many advantages of this technology of which a few are
> High Data Rate :DL data rates up to 63 Mbps per sector and peak UL data rates up to 28 Mbps per sector in a 10 MHz channel.
>High Scalability and Security
>High Mobility with Optimized Handover Schemes

Many of Nokia’s competitors have opted instead to pursue 4G alternatives to WiMAX. Sprint Nextel is at the forefront of this initiative, along with Orange, T-Mobile, Vodaphone, Motorola and KPN Mobile.

Useful links

The Wimax Forum Website

Information on 4G

Nokia WiMAX Technology

More on WiMAX Technology

Intel has revealed the first performance numbers for their upcoming 45nm Penryn Series of processors at their spring IDF in Beijing . Penryn will make its debut in late 2007 or early 2008 and is the successor to the current line up of Core 2 Duo processors made on the 65nm process.
Intel gave out performance numbers of the new processor with a comparison to its current top of the line 2.93 GHz Kentsfield QX6800 CPU . In comparison the new 3.33 GHz Yorkfield processor (Penryn quad-core for desktops) with 12 MB L2 cache and FSB1333 will gain about 15% in imaging applications, 25% for 3-D Rendering, 40% or more for gaming and more than 40% faster video encoding with SSE4 optimized video encoders, This performance gain comes from the fact that Intel has a set of 47 new SSE instructions to enhance the performance of such CPU intensive Applications .

On the server and workstation side, Intel expects its 45 nm FSB1600 processors to deliver up to 45% more speed for Bandwidth Hungry applications and a 25% acceleration for servers which use Java, when compared to the current X5355 quad-core processor.
Intel also intends to announce Skulltrail : a Consumer dual socket solution for Penryn which would allow up-to 8 cores on two chips and 4 graphics card on board , It should be noted that AMD has such a platform out for some time now which I had written about ( Quad Fx) . For more information on Penryn visit the IDF site ,The session Files can be downloaded in the PDF format.

Toshiba has announced three models for its range of ultra high capacity USB 2.0 External hard drives at 100GB,120GB,160GB and 200 GB in the price range of $130 - $230 .
The 200GB drive offers the highest available capacity in the 2.5 inch form factor and runs off USB power ie. It doesn’t require an external power adapter like the ones available at 3.5″ form factor. The drives are compatible with both Windows and Mac’s and come bundled with NTI Shadow backup software for both the Windows and Max OS X, which include version control and continuous backup when the drive is connected, According to Toshiba these Hard Drives are able to handle a 29-inch drop (non-operating) as well as a 4-inch operating drop.
The Technical specifications are as follows