Published by KTI on 17 Nov 2008

Slick data-visualizer launched for QuickBooks users

Intuit is announcing on Monday a Flash-based Web service that companies can use to geographically visualize their customer data and business activity.

Customer Explorer is being unveiled at this week’s Adobe Max conference in San Francisco. Customer Explorer, available at the Intuit Workplace, imports QuickBooks data and overlays it on a live map.

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Published by KTI on 17 Nov 2008

Finalized speedy USB 3.0 spec debuts

25GB in 70 seconds. That’s the torrid transfer rate consumers can expect with devices based on the USB 3.0 specification, which debuted Monday.

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Published by KTI on 17 Nov 2008

Intel Ships Core i7 Chips for High-Horsepower Desktops

Intel’s (Nasdaq: INTC) latest high-end desktop processor series, the new Core i7 lineup, has officially hit the sales channels with offerings from computer makers like Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) , Gateway (NYSE: GTW) and others. The processors, which were codenamed “Nehalem” by Intel, are based on a new microarchitecture designed to deliver high performance  and energy efficiency.

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Published by KTI on 21 Oct 2008

Wireless Security In-Depth

If we had told you eight years ago, when 802.11b was really taking off, that one day in the future you would be able to pick up at least ten different wireless networks on any given block of a major metropolitan city, you might have believed us. But if we had also told you that many of these would be either unsecured, or secured using methods that were widely known to be flawed and easily crackable (i.e. WEP and MAC address filtering)… well, given the average user’s well-known apathy toward all things security-related, you still might have believed us.

But what if I had told you that, in eight years, all the major methods available for securing your wireless network would be known to have major flaws, and that there was pretty much no way to keep a truly determined attacker off of your WAN? That claim might have raised a few eyebrows, but unfortunately it would’ve been true.

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Published by KTI on 21 Oct 2008

NVIDIA announces the $2,000 Quadro CX

One of the biggest and most important changes to Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) is the capability to take advantage of the GPU for accelerating certain functions of video and image design and testing. To exploit this new capability NVIDIA has announced a Quadro CX accelerator for CS4.

NVIDIA says that it specifically designed the Quadro CX for the enhancement of CS4. The accelerator is designed to give graphics professionals faster speeds and more reliability when working within CS4. Big Green says that using the Quadro CX, users will be able to encode H.264 videos at “lightning-fast” speeds thanks to the CUDA-enabled plug-in for Adobe Premier Pro CS4.

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Published by KTI on 01 Oct 2008

Sprint Flips the WiMAX Switch

Sprint (NYSE: S) launched its new 4G Xohm (pronounced “Zoam”) mobile broadband WiMAX network service in Baltimore today, along with four service plans to entice users to sign on.

The launch represents the culmination of at least two years of investment in the WiMAX 802.16e wireless networking standard — often as critics called it an unproven technology.

WiMAX, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is based on the 802.16e standard and offers a transmission speed more than five times faster than current wireless networks.

It lets users send huge data files from a smartphone, switch from a mobile phone network to a LAN without redialing, share documents in real-time video conferences and essentially transport all the benefits of an office’s networked PC to conduct business on the road.

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Published by KTI on 08 Sep 2008

Intel Releases More Quad-Core Xeons, Goes Halogen-free

(PC World) Intel announced four new quad-core Xeon models on Monday that use a halogen-free packaging technology that is easier on the environment.

The Quad-Core Xeon L5430, X5470, X5492, and X5270 processors run at clock speeds ranging from 2.66GHz to 3.5GHz and are priced from US$562 to $1,493 each, in 1,000-unit quantities. The 5400-series chips are available immediately and the X5270 will be released in the coming months.

Intel did not say where halogen was specifically used in its chips, but it is often used as a flame retardant, including in the resin used in packaging for some chips. Halogen releases dioxins, a family of toxic chemical compounds, into the atmosphere when these chips or other components are disposed of and the resins are burned.

Intel is working to use halogen-free packaging for all of its chips, and has previously said it expects to achieve that goal this year. The first halogen-free chips from Intel were the Atom line, released earlier this year. With the announcement of the latest four Xeons, Intel said the same packaging materials will now be used in all of its Xeon server chips.

The use of halogen-free packaging marks the latest step in Intel’s efforts to curb the environmental impact of its chips. Last year, the company began using lead-free solder with its Penryn family of chips that are produced using a 45-nanometer process. Lead, which is highly toxic, has been the subject of environmental legislation to reduce its use in several markets.

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