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Crossbar's RRAM to boast terabytes of storage, faster write speeds than NAND
Hardware makers often sing the praises of their latest and greatest flash memory, but the folks at Crossbar are ready to show them up with resistive RAM (RRAM) that they've been quietly working on. Compared to NAND, RRAM comes in at half the size and boasts 20 times faster write speeds (140MB/s), reads data at 17MB per second, guzzles 20 times less power and has 10 times more endurance. Since RRAM is non-volatile memory, it can keep data even when it's powered off, á la NAND. As if that weren't enough, 3D stacking construction allows for several terabytes of storage, endowing one 200 x 200mm 200mm2 chip with one terabyte. Unlike many tech breakthroughs however -- we're looking at you, graphene -- this one is just about ready to find its way into finished products. Crossbar has manufactured RRAM within a standard chip factory, and claims that it can be churned out easily with existing production infrastructure. According to the firm, it's in the fine-tuning process and plans to introduce the tech into the world of embedded SoCs. Sure, the outfit is the exclusive holder of some RRAM patents, but it aims to license its know-how to system-on-a-chip creators. Update: Thanks to those readers who spotted our error on the silicon area -- it's now been fixed.
Sony @ CEDIA - 26 screenshots of the PSP-inspired receiver GUI
Sony has big plans to reinvent A/V receiver's GUIs. Even though receivers have been equipped with on-screen menus for a couple of years now, we have never seen one that the less-then-technically-inclined can use efficiently. But Sony has taken the cross-bar interface from the PSP along with the upcoming PS3 and worked it into the STR-DA5200ES. They demo'd the interface for us but it just wasn't good 'nough for our readers; we wanted more. Thus we present to you an internal Sony Powerpoint slideshow showing everything the STR-DA5200ES GUI has to offer. NOTE: We stripped out the extra stuff around the images so you can get a better look at the GUI.26 screenshots follow after the link.
Sony STR-DA5200ES receiver adopts PSP/PS3-style interface
Sony's upcoming high end home theater receiver, the STR-DA5200ES features HDMI connections, 7.1 audio, video upconversion and everything else you would expect, will share something borrowed from the PSP. No, it's not a UMD-slot, it's the crossbar-style menu that will also be in use on the Playstation 3. You'll be able to access the menu as an overlay while still playing HD video playing behind it, picture-in-picture, and possibly be able to set up your A/V system without an engineering degree. This might be a bigger revolution in home theater than the Nintendo Wii controller is to gaming, a truly user-friendly UI would be a rare boon for users with complex systems. They'll be showing off this and many other components at CEDIA next week, if they really do have an interface that anyone can use the next challenge will be keeping your family away from it so they don't mess it up.
