memory
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Micron debuts LPCAMM2, laptop RAM that could finally replace SODIMM
Micron says it's the first to market with a compelling to standard laptop RAM: LPCAMM2 RAM using LPDDR5X modules.
Google tweaks Memory Saver and tab group features in latest Chrome update
Google Chrome is getting new security and performance features. The web browser’s latest version (M12) upgrades Safety Check and Memory Saver while adding the ability to save tab groups.
Samsung warns of lower profits amid falling demand for memory chips
Samsung has warned of plummeting profits and plans to cut back on memory chip production in response to falling demand.
Amazon is taking up to 60 percent off WD and SanDisk storage for today only
You can get internal and external drives, as well as memory cards at a discount.
Amazon's one-day storage sale includes big savings on SanDisk's 1TB microSD card
If you're looking to boost storage on your smartphone, Switch or other device, Amazon is offering some steep discounts on SanDisk's highest capacity microSD cards as part of its deal of the day.
Google's 'Memory' feature could turn Assistant into an Android organizer
Google is working on a new feature for Assistant on Android called "Memory" that could transform it into into a handy organizer.
Google Pixel Slate owners are reporting serious memory failures
The issue was first discovered in 2019 but it seems like more users are now seeing their devices fail.
Samsung's mobile sales are up 51 percent over last year's numbers
According to Samsung, despite the pandemic profits in its mobile business are up sharply from the dip it experienced in 2019. Samsung already told investors to expect higher profits for Q3 of 2020, but now the detailed results are out, revealing operating profit in its mobile division that’s up 51 percent over the same period last year (PDF). Samsung also saw growth in its display business (which accounts for screens sold to others, like the OLED displays in Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup), and memory chips, which go in phones, servers and help power the graphics cards for new GPUs and game consoles.
Samsung says its latest mobile memory is a production breakthrough
Samsung claims to have smashed a production barrier with a new LPDDR5 memory chip for smartphones and other mobile devices.
Samsung looks forward to quantum dot TVs, new game systems and phones
Samsung will launch its new Galaxy Note and Galaxy Fold devices next week, but its Q2 earnings rose on higher prices for memory chips and a one-time payment. Later this year it's predicting more growth in the mobile business from 5G, plus more demand for RAM due to new consoles launching.
Samsung says its new flagship processor is 20 percent faster
Samsung has unveiled a bunch of new chips that mean the next slate of smartphones are going to be faster, more efficient and have much improved battery lives. If you go for next year's flagship Samsung Galaxy, chances are it'll come with the newly-announced Exynos 990 processor, which according to the company is offers a 20 percent improvement in performance or a power efficiency gain of up to 20 percent.
Samsung crams 100 layers and more speed into its latest SSD
Samsung has started mass production on solid state drives (SSDs) that feature the company's sixth-generation 256GB three-bit vertical NAND memory. This means the drives come with an industry first 100 layers of NAND cells, a writing speed of 450 microseconds and a reading response time of 45 microseconds. Compared to Samsung's previous 90-layer SSDs, performance is up 10 percent and power consumption down 15 percent, according to the company.
Google's Android app-shrinking tool rolls out to all developers
Google introduced the Android App Bundle last year, a publishing format designed to shrink the size of app installs. It's now out of beta and available to all developers, which means all apps now have the potential to be kinder to your phone in terms of storage and memory.
Samsung invests in logic chip R&D to take on Qualcomm and TSMC
Samsung's chip division is its most lucrative, but memory chip prices are falling and the company's overall operating profits are slipping. In response, Samsung just announced a $116 billion investment in non-memory chip R&D and production infrastructure. Some see that as a move to sell chips to other companies and take on competitors like Qualcomm, Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC).
Samsung unveils the highest-capacity smartphone DRAM yet
Samsung has unveiled the highest-capacity smartphone DRAM chip yet, a 12GB LPDDR4X package that will give premium smartphones more memory than the average laptop. The chip will be ideal for complex multi-camera devices and folding smartphones with high-resolution screens. "With more smartphones adopting more features, Samsung has seen increasing demand for higher-capacity DRAM chips from phone makers," the company said.
Samsung is the next tech giant expecting a sharp earnings drop
Apple isn't the only tech industry behemoth dealing with a rough fourth quarter. Samsung has warned that its earnings likely dropped significantly during the last three months of 2018 due to both tougher competition in the smartphone space and mediocre demand for memory chips. Analysts were predicting sales equivalent to about $56.2 billion, but Samsung now expects 'just' $52.7 billion -- not a huge drop, but disappointing for a company used to growth. Accordingly, the Korean firm now expects profits around $9.7 billion versus the $11.8 billion observers thought they'd see.
Intel's desktop 9th-generation Core chips can handle 128GB of RAM
To date, Intel's mainstream processors haven't supported more than 64GB of RAM. That's not a crisis-inducing problem right now (only demanding pros are likely to notice), but the time when you'll want more is on the horizon. Thankfully, Intel is prepared. The company has confirmed to AnandTech that its desktop 9th-generation Core processors support up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM. Newer, denser memory technology makes that possible, the company said. An update in "a few months' time" will enable the extra headroom.
NASA activated Curiosity's second 'brain' after it misbehaved
Tired? Sluggish? Wouldn't it be great if you could just switch your brain to a better functioning version? Well, that's a privilege you can enjoy if you're the Mars Curiosity rover. NASA's intrepid explorer has been subject to a few technical problems over the last two weeks, which means it's been struggling to send its data back to Earth, so engineers have decided to activate Curiosity's second brain.
Alexa will soon have a memory
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Amazon's Alexa was an amnesiac: it can't remember important long-term info, or even that you started talking to it a few moments ago. Soon, though, it'll be considerably less forgetful. Amazon's Ruhi Sarikaya has detailed a string of upgrades to Alexa that promise more natural conversations, particularly about familiar subjects. Most notably, Alexa devices in the US will soon have a memory: you can tell the voice assistant to remember an important fact (say, a friend's birthday) and bring that up later.
Samsung starts producing GDDR6 RAM for next-gen graphics cards
You can start getting pumped about the next generation of graphics cards, as Samsung has announced that it's building the first-ever 16-gigabit GDDR6 chips using its 10-nanometer class technology. The news isn't a complete surprise, as Samsung previously said that GDDR6 was coming when it unveiled 8-gigabit DDR4 RAM chips last month and won a CES 2018 Innovation Award in November.
