Computer games have come a long way since the days of Pacman and Mario. In today’s day, all the cool 3D graphics that you see are made up of polygons. Polygons are nothing but flat images that are joined together to create an object in 3D. The higher the number of polygons, the greater the viewing detail.
Game developers have been trying very hard for a number of years to increase the polygon count in the games they make. However, computers face a problem when it comes to increased polygon counts. The higher the number of polygons, the greater processing power it takes to render all those polygons. Its because of this limitation that you will find games that have superb detail on one side of an object, while the other side is just a plain texturized image. Putting a cap on the number of polygons leads to a lot of compromises: You want a super detailed character? No problem, but then your world will look bland.
An Australian company called Euclideon has developed a game engine that does away with polygons and instead replaces them with point clouds that are made up of individual ‘atoms’. So doesn’t increasing the number of objects on screen slow down everything? Well you’d think so but the company says that it has made it work and your computer will make it work too. The company has developed a 1 sq km island using their game engine and each speck of dirt on that island is made up of millions of these ‘atoms’ per cubic inch.
The plus side to this is that the graphics are amazing. Simply put, polygons just cant cope with the kind of quality that the Euclideon ‘atoms’ can create. The curves that are generated with the ‘atoms’ are amazingly smooth and the level of detail is through the roof. You can quite literally see each individual grain of sand. In the next few years, computer games are going to make a huge leap forward in terms of graphics and we’re very exited about this technology and can’t wait for the company to deliver this game engine into the hands of game developers. Watch the video below for a demo of the engine in action:
The cloud is a hot topic today. Not only is it popular, it literally generates a lot of heat. Data-centers are a huge investment and require a lot of power to run the machines as well as to keep them cool. On a very basic level, a computer efficiently converts electricity to heat, while processing some data, the same way a car engine converts petrol to heat, while also turning the wheels of the car.
This analogy has led researchers at Microsoft to come up with the idea of distributing the physical hardware of the cloud from a single data-center into multiple smaller installations that could replace the furnaces in a house or office building. These data furnaces would consume electricity and crunch numbers while simultaneously using the excess heat for spatial or water heating.
Using the data furnaces would have a number of advantages over conventional furnaces. Typically, the exhaust air from a computer is between 100 to 120 degrees fahrenheit. For homeowners, this exhaust air can be used to heat rooms as well as water for washing clothes. For company’s that build and operate data-centers, the physical cost of setting up the building as well as the cost of cooling the servers would be zero. In this situation, provided the companies pay for the electricity and Internet costs (which they would have to pay for anyways), everyone wins.
Microsoft has announced the launch of Office 365 business productivity solutions on the cloud in India. Office 365 takes aim at cloud based enterprise and small business word processing and document editing and storage. This will enable an enterprise to have their solution available for easy access on the cloud.
The Office 365 plan for Small Businesses is optimized for organizations with 25 users or less and includes Office Web Apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online at approximately $6 per user per month.
With Office 365 Microsoft is attempting to target those users who were using Google apps for business by giving more comprehensive solutions at a selectable pricing. Getting partners and a huge database on board may be the real challenge for MS in OFFICE 365.
On Monday, DropBox, the cloud storage giant revealed that for four whole hours on Sunday, its entire storage system was available to the public without providing a password. From 1:54PM to 5:41 PM their entire security system failed. DropBox co-founder and CTO Arash Ferdowsi wrote on the company blog that:
[quote]This should never have happened. We are scrutinizing our controls and we will be implementing additional safeguards to prevent this from happening again.[/quote]
The site has 25 million members and has emerged as the the leader in the cloud storage market. The company claims that it is dedicated to security and that during the time of the failure, less than 1% of its users were logged in. When they discovered the breach, the company said they ended all logged in sessions immediately. On Tuesday they also notified users who were logged in about the event.
Such events highlight the problems with cloud storage services. Is your data really safe when you hand it over to another company to hold for you? This is the main reason lots of large enterprises have witheld from the move to the cloud.
Huawei becomes the first manufacturer to launch an Android 3.2 Device. The 7 inch touchscreen has a capacitive input and a high 217 pixels-per-inch IPS display. There is also the 1.3 megapixel front-facing , 5 megapixel rear-facing cameras which make the device a good business and fun/social accessory.
Check out the demo video below
Specs Include
• Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS • 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen • 10.5mm (0.4 inches) slim, ~390g weight (0.86 pounds) • 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 5 MP auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities • HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps, WiFi 11n • Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor • Over 6 hours battery life • 1080P full HD playback and HDMI port • Flash 10.3
Pre-installed Apps • Facebook • Twitter • Let’s Golf • Document to go
[toggle title_open=”COLLAPSE THE PRESS RELEASE” title_closed=”READ THE PRESS RELEASE” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Huawei Unveils MediaPad – World’s first 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb Dual-Core Tablet
MediaPad set to transform consumers’ entertainment experience
Singapore, 20 June 2011: Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider, today launched the Huawei MediaPad, the world’s first 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet. The MediaPad is a complete entertainment powerhouse driven by Qualcomm’s dual-core 1.2GHz processor and supported by Huawei Device’s Hispace cloud solution. The MediaPad provides the fabulous user experience in a stylish, high-performing and ultra-portable package.
The MediaPad is Huawei Device’s smartest, slimmest and lightest tablet yet, measuring just 10.5mm (0.4 inches) deep and weighing around 390g (0.86 pounds). It supports 1080P full HD video playback and features a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera and 5 megapixel auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities. With HSPA+ 14.4Mbps and high-speed WiFi 11n Internet connectivity, the MediaPad doesn’t just entertain – it keeps you connected.
“With the Huawei MediaPad, we are demonstrating yet again that design, functionality and performance is within anyone’s reach,” said Victor Xu, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Device. “The MediaPad opens up new worlds of entertainment for consumers by removing the barriers to tablet ownership, increasing access to a truly high-quality mobile entertainment experience fully integrated with cloud-based internet content.”
An Out-of-this-World Entertainment Experience The MediaPad supports HSPA+ data services, Flash 10.3 videos and comes preinstalled with applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Let’s Golf and Documents to Go. With the 7-inch IPS touch screen, the MediaPad offers a standout visual experience for photos, movies and applications. Entertainment and gaming experience are taken to the next level with the MediaPad’s 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor, high definition playback and HDMI port.
Expansion of Huawei Device’s Smart Offerings The MediaPad builds on the global success of the IDEOS S7 Slim tablet and cements Huawei Device’s ability to cater to the explosive demand for tablets. According to the International Data Corporation, sales in the tablet market are expected to increase more than fourfold in the next two years. The MediaPad will be showcased at Huawei’s “Smart for Transformation” booth at CommunicAsia 2011 in Singapore. Along with Huawei’s latest range of smart devices, the MediaPad is a prime example of Huawei Device’s focus on the power of practical innovation.
About Huawei Huawei Device is a global leader in providing smart devices that connect you with the world, simply. Huawei Device partners with 500 operators, including the world’s top 50 operators, across 140 countries. Huawei’s products and solutions have been deployed in over 100 countries and support the communications needs of one third of the world’s population. The company is committed to providing innovative and customized products, services and solutions to create long-term value and growth potential for its customers.
For more information, visit Huawei Device online: www.huaweidevice.com
For regular updates on Huawei Device, follow us on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/huaweidevice Twitter: www.twitter.com/huaweipress YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HuaweiPress
Technical Specs • Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS • 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen • 10.5mm (0.4 inches) slim, ~390g weight (0.86 pounds) • 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 5 MP auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities • HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps, WiFi 11n • Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor • Over 6 hours battery life • 1080P full HD playback and HDMI port • Flash 10.3
There is a lot of information pointing to the fact that a new iPhone may just be released today evening at the WWDC (morning in USA) . We will cover the even live from all aspects on our Live Blog.
Who knows whats going to happen at this keynote, iOS 5 , Mac OS X lion and iCloud are already known facts. A lot of speculation on the iPhone 5 and possibly the iPhone Nano. We will just have to wait till Mr. Jobs shows up in his Black turtle neck and blue jeans.
In the mean time bookmark this page to get unrestricted access to our live coverage of the event.
10:30PM – INDIA / New Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkatta/Chennai/Bengaluru
06:00PM – London 07:00PM – Paris 09:00PM – Moscow 02:00AM – Tokyo (June 7th)
According to CNET the last deal b/w Apple and Universal Records has been finalized and Apple is all set to roll out iCloud service at their WWDC Keynote. In their tie up with the 4 major record labels Apple will take 18 percent, publishers get 12 percent, and labels 70 percent of the proceedings.
Early rumors reported that Apple would offer this service free of charge to all iDevice owners, But now the LA times reports that Apple could charge somewhere in the range of US$ 25 (INR 1000/-) for a year of subscription to the service.
AppleInsider also got pictures of the Moscone Center being prepped for the WWDC conference that reveal the iCloud logo / icon.
According to a report filed by CNET, Apple has completed a cloud-music streaming deal with record label EMI. Apple, Sony Music Entertainment and the Universal Music Group are working on agreements as well
Warner Music Group and Apple have already signed a cloud service agreement .
“Apple will finish behind Google and Amazon in the race to the cloud, but Apple now has the freedom to offer a range of features that rivals are prevented from rolling out because of the licensing restrictions,”
The cloud is the term used to describe when a person uses a third-party’s servers for computing instead of a local PC. One of the core features of a cloud music service is enabling consumers to store their songs on the companies’ servers. They can then access their libraries from Web-connected devices.
Amazon has been working on an Android Based tablet, this news has been confirmed by the Amazon’s CEO. But, in a drastic turn of events according to Android and Me, looks like the company is actually planning a host of ANDROID POWERED DEVICES. Ranging from Tablets in various sizes, E-book readers and even possibly a Smartphone.
Earlier this week Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, said “stay tuned” for more information on the product, which is rumored to have been manufactured by Samsung and could launch as early as this summer. According to us a tablet from amazon will possibly beat the sales of their E-book reader “Kindle” in the first few months.
Are you insanely popular, or a mass emailing spammer? Either way, Google has got you covered! The new Gmail address book can now store contacts upto 25,000. This number has gone up from the original 10,000. What is also interesting is the fact that the data entry size has been increased to 128kb from the existing 32kb = more entries per data entry. Celebrations all round!
The folks over at Tech From 10 have managed to get their hands on developer version of the market place, allowing them to download the yet to be released Android Music 3.0 app. The app is identical to the current version of the music player, but the settings panel has been modified to show various streaming related options.
You can also download the app for your device if you like from here.
