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IBM's S3 security system may head to the US-Mexico border
IBM's decided that it's had enough of making traditional processors, and instead will head further into the lucrative military and law enforcement business. Big Blue just announced today that it's begun selling the "Smart Surveillance System," or S3. According to Reuters, the new system is able to record video feeds and the analyze the information gathered, sounding an alarm when it "identifies suspicious activity." CNET also reports that IBM is in talks with the federal government to put an S3 along the US-Mexico border. According to IBM, the Feds are "doing backflips" every time they see the S3, which apparently can index and search videos based on specific objects and/or actions. We're still not sure if this is a better system than that web-based border cam setup down in Texas, but perhaps the S3 can spy on those Texan cams to make sure they're getting the job done.[Via Slashdot]Read - ReutersRead - CNETRead - IBM press release
IBM researchers unveil next-gen chip cooling technology
That clever Mr. Moore has his law proven correct on a regular basis, but we're not so sure he was accounting for the blistering byproduct a chip emits when speeds increase and efficiency doesn't. While CPUs and GPUs alike are kicking our kilowatt meters into overdrive, IBM researchers have been developing a newfangled method to cool processors down without the need for water. The technique, called "high thermal conductivity interface technology," allows a twofold improvement in heat removal over current methods -- a "highly viscous paste" is applied between the "chip cap and the hot chip" in order to decrease thermal resistance, while the "tree-like" architecture enables the goo to spread more uniformly and attain a thickness of "less than 10 micrometers." Although the concept seems to rely on carefully structured heatsinks and thinly applied thermal paste, the proposed results of this energy-free cooling contraption are indeed impressive, and if IBM's snazzy contrivance can honestly perform "ten times better" than current applications, maybe that leap in processor efficiency can just relocate to the back burner again after all.
Pioneer AVIC-HD1BT brings plain speech voice-activated GPS units
Yeah, we love GPS around here as much as the next guy, but it really doesn't impress our lady friends too much when our mellifluous prose gets interrupted by Cro Magnon-like gestures while we have to ask for directions on our nav units. We'd much prefer to use a phrase like "Find me a hotel in Paris in the seizième arrondissement, play Serge Gainsbourg's 'Je t'aime' and adjust for mood lighting -- s'il te plaît" and have our ride respond instantly. Well, save for that last request, apparently plain English queries (or 13 other languges) to a GPS stystem are now possible thanks to software by IBM built onto Pioneer's new AVIC-HD1BT nav unit. It's loaded up with a 30GB hard drive (20GB for maps and the rest for music), a DVD player and an iPod connection of some sort. Although Pioneer claims that the AVIC-HD1BT is for the European-only non-"luxury car market" driver (sorry, us Lexus-driving Yankees will have to suffer), it still doesn't come cheap: €2,500 ($3,145). [Via IDG News Service]
Lenovo unveils 3000 V100 / C200 Core 2 Duo-powered notebooks
Joining the growing parade of manufacturers upping the innards of their notebook lines with Core 2 Duo chips, Lenovo is bumping the specs in its buget-minded 3000 series. While the N100 has already made the Merom leap, the newly-unveiled C200 now offers a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, 15-inch XGA display, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 80GB 5400RPM hard drive, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and a DVD Burner to boot. It also sports VGA / S-Video out, a 56k modem, Ethernet, 4-pin FireWire, four USB 2.0 ports, and a PCMCIA slot, but the 6.2-pound weight and 2.5-hour battery life may scare some away. On the ultraportable side, the 4-pound V100 now touts a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, 12.1-inch WXGA LCD, 100GB 5400RPM hard drive, 6-cell battery, and a dual-layer DVD burner, while sharing the remaining specs with its larger sibling. Lenovo also threw an ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 flash card reader, and snazzy fingerprint scanner in the little guy, but yanked the S-Video output and one USB 2.0 port in the process. Both units will be available in a plethora of configurations later this month, with prices starting at $650 for the C200, and $999 for the V100. Read - Lenovo 3000 C200 Read - Lenovo 3000 V100
Sony recalls 300,000 of its own batteries; delays and financial woes through 2007
So it looks like Sony's battery fiasco will likely cause delays and high battery prices until June 2007, according to Bloomberg News, which reports that "prices for battery cells have risen about 15 percent in the past three months because of the shortage." If that wasn't bad enough, the news agency also adds that Sony has set aside ¥30 billion ($251 million) "for costs related to the August recall of batteries used in Dell and Apple computers, Sony spokesman Yoshikazu Ochiai reiterated today." However, that figure doesn't take into account the recalls by the laundry list of other companies like Fujitsu, nor Sharp, nor IBM / Lenovo, not to mention a few others. So we'll guesstimate that Sony's true cost is really somewhere around ¥40 billion (over $334 million), and that, of course doesn't include any future companies that may come out of the woodwork to point out faulty batteries they bought from Sony -- like, oh, say, Sony. That's right, Sony has also officially announced a recall of 300,000 batteries in their own devices. Yikes.[Thanks, Sam]Read - Sony recallRead - Sony financials
IBM's speech recognition technology headed for trial use in Iraq
Being frequent users of machine translation ourselves, we're fully aware of the difficulties present in its execution, but IBM seems to think they've got it worked out well enough for some real-life use in Iraq. Their "Multilingual Automatic Speech-to-Speech Translator," AKA Mastor combines speech recognition, machine translation, and text-to-speech technologies to create a common translation engine that is apparently independent of languages. The system develops translation patterns off of regular conversational use of the languages, and is purportedly as speedy as a human translator -- and provides a text read-out of the conversation to boot. DARPA has had similar tech in the works for a while, but now IBM's Mastor is apparently ready enough for actual use, since they're shipping 35 Mastor-equipped ruggedized laptops to Iraq as a trial run, and will consider even more depending on how these work out. So far Mastor works for translation between English and Iraqi Arabic, standard Arabic or Mandarin. The system can run on a laptop or PDA, and should be making its way to commercial channels such as medicine before long.
IBM looking to release 5GHz Power6 server chip
We concur, 5GHz isn't nearly as impressive as IBM's 500GHz microprocessor, and can't hold a candle to the Blue Gene / L supercomputer, but the company is hoping to at least give the likes of AMD, Sun Microsystems, and Intel a run for their money in the oh-so-competitive server market. While it has already been confirmed that Intel's got quad-core on its mind for next year, and AMD's possibilities are wide open now that its chips are comfortably resting within Michael Dell's boxes, IBM has some stiff opposition to topple. While its current Power5+ server chip tops out before hitting the 3GHz mark, Big Blue plans on pushing the Power6 processor to 5GHz thanks to the "65-nanometer process geometry," 75Gbps buses, and voltage thresholds "as low as 0.8 volts." For those keeping track, IBM is doubling the frequency in its new chip and cutting energy requirements by making the CPU "more efficient with improvements such as computing floating point decimals in hardware instead of software." While there's no telling how much these mighty Power6 chips will dent that IT budget, the chips are currently on track for a "mid-2007" release -- but we all know how reliable these corporate giants and their claims are aren't.
Cellphones enable PA system for the deaf
Typically, when we think of cellphones improving one's quality of life, we're speaking in terms of broadband data, big honkin' autofocus cams, and gobs of flash memory. Researchers in IBM's British facilities are looking at it a little differently, though, looking into how mobile devices might be used to help alert the deaf to PA announcements near their location -- something hearing folk take for granted in airport terminals, train stations, and sports venues, just to name a small few. Their LAMA system (Location Aware Messaging for Accessability) was originally designed with the hard of hearing in mind, but they're pointing out that it could come in handy for pretty much anyone: voice-based services to read signage to the blind, directions to various nearby places for the navigationally challenged, and so on. Better yet, the system may not be that far off, with European trials in train stations possibly coming before the year's out. No word on whether new handsets are required to take advantage of the system, but then again, we're always looking for an excuse to upgrade.[Via textually.org]
Toshiba wants mobile version of Cell processor
If we can look for a moment beyond the Playstation 3's wallet-busting, shortage-creating, timeline-stretching ways, Toshiba would like us to envision a world where a wide variety of devices are powered by variants of the superconsole's Cell processor. Sony's obviously been eating up an overwhelming majority of the chip's publicity leading up to the PS3's launch, but Toshiba played (and continues to play) a major role in the Cell's development, and they're touting that a beefer 65-nanometer version of the chip will launch in 2007, a scaled back midrange version in 2008, and a mobile variant by 2010. No word on what sort of functionality is planned for the 2008 and 2010 models -- or just how scaled back they'll be -- but for Toshiba's sake, we wish them a smoother launch then the Cell-powered devices (ahem) we've seen thus far.[Via Mobile Magazine]
IBM and Xing team up for high-end wireless karaoke controller
We're not going to lie -- we're pretty dang awesome at karaoke. Unfortunately, our superstardom is often hampered by ghetto setups in the various K-town karaoke bars we frequent, so we don't always get our chance to shine. IBM and Xing have joined forces to help solve this problem, and came up with the Kyoku NAVIs and NAVI II wireless controllers, which allow you to search through thousands of songs right from the device, without having to lug out those lame songbooks. The device can operate in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English, and can even be used to order food and drinks from the bar while you're busy singing your heart out to top 40 hits of the 80's and 90's. The controllers are WiFi based, and can search the IBM-powered song databases in all sorts of nifty ways. They'll be headed to Japan this November, so if you've really got to get your song on, and aren't looking forward to flipping through a 3-ring binder to track down that certain Bowie fave, you might want to head over before you miss all the fun.
Virgin Atlantic revises complete Dell, Apple laptop ban
Virgin Atlantic has altered its sweeping policy of banning all Inspiron, Latitude, iBook, PowerBook, MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries from its flights, saying "If the battery is identified as being from the affected batch as identified by Apple and Dell, the battery must be removed. In cabins where the seats are fitted with In Seat Power Supplies, leads/adapters will be offered. Where no ISPS is provided or no laptop leads/adapters are available, the use of these affected laptops is prohibited." No word yet on whether Qantas or Korean Air has gotten the memo that it doesn't need to forbid every Dell laptop under the sun on their flights as well. But we've yet to hear of airlines banning Panasonic, Toshiba, and IBM laptops -- something that may be coming sooner than you think, if someone doesn't figure out pretty fast what the devil is going on.
Sony is investigating Lenovo fires
We suppose "We Didn't Start the Fire" is quite the popular tune around the Sony HQ these days, but, unfortunately, that statement seems to be proving increasingly false. After a recent rash of violent Lenovo battery explosions, Sony claims they're "investigating" the fires, specifically the LAX incident. Sony apparently thinks there is no official confirmation that the battery in the PC was Sony-made, but we've got a lot of empirical evidence that has us betting otherwise. Lenovo wasn't available for comment, but it doesn't seem far-fetched that we could have the making of a fourth major Sony battery recall in the recent weeks.
Alan Cox's ThinkPad battery explodes
It appears that the exploding IBM ThinkPad that we spotted last week at LAX may not have been a fluke after all. Telsa Gwynne, wife of famed Linux kernel programmer Alan Cox, describes on her website how her husband's ThinkPad battery suddenly exploded last night (see the photo on the next page), after which "a couple of fires started where the (presumably) boiling battery landed," with one of the fragments taking out a nearby LCD monitor. Alan sustained a few minor burns, but other than the laptop itself there were no serious injuries, thankfully. Telsa does note, however, that the battery was third-party and was bought on eBay, so it may not be an authentic IBM pack at all. Still, somebody needs to get to the bottom of this, like, now -- after the Apple, Dell, Panasonic, and Toshiba recalls, the public demands and deserves complete and rapid disclosure.Update: We traded emails with Alan Cox and have posted some of our questions and answers with him on the next page.
ThinkPad explodes at LAX, ignites bomb scare
In a time when you're not even allowed to say the word "bomb" in an airport (hey, it's for good reason), it's got to be like, really freaking embarrassing to have to run up the jetway at full speed, shoving other passengers out of the way as your flaming laptop explodes on the ground. (Sound familiar?) According to an eyewitness report on the Awful Forums, passersby stared aghast or fled crying terrorist, the ThinkPad (which was quoted to be an IBM, not a Lenovo) apparently had a number of death throes as the fire went through various phases, until eventually a United employee busted out the fire extinguisher and laid the laptop to rest. Apparently the machine's owner already checked its battery against the recalls and it was not listed -- and why would it be? IBM and Lenovo aren't flagged for bad batteries -- yet. (Sony, we're looking your direction.) But the coup de grâce at LAX: onlookers apparently mumbling that "too many viruses on your computer" can lead to this horrendous fate. How true, indeed.[Thanks, Peter]
IBM's BladeCenter QS20 using PS3's cell processor technology
It appears the cell processor is so insanely useful that IBM is going ahead and using it even before the PS3 has launched. Aside from the fact shipping began on the BladeCenter QS20, which is marketed directly towards people running heavy-duty graphics, IBM has announced that it will build a supercomputer based on the cell processor and AMD chips. They hope utilizing both of these will overcome the speed and cooling limitations faced by the supercomputers of today.The BladeCenter QS20 is being adopted early mostly by research-based or academic organizations. This is to be expected, what with the cell being used in a multitude of ways, including quite a few medicinal applications (aside from a fantastic cure for boredom, we hope) like being used in MRI's and X-Rays. Even if the PS3 doesn't do as well as we'd hope, all of us need to admit that the cell processor is going to revolutionize technology. Let's all raise our glasses and toast the cell processor, the bringer of many a good thing now and in the future!**Note: drinking is optional and may result in your computer shorting out, especially if you toast your screen especially vigorously.
Hard drives turn 50 today!
Fifty years ago, all of us at Engadget weren't even a glimmer in our mothers' eyes -- in fact, now that we think about it probably most of our parents hadn't even met yet. By that logic, it's hard for us to imagine a world without hard drives, which were born 50 years ago today, back on September 13, 1956. On that fateful day IBM created the original -- called the RAMAC 305 -- which held around 5 MB of data at the cost of $10,000 per megabyte, and was the size of two refrigerators. By 1980, Big Blue had one-upped itself with the introduction of the first one gigabyte hard drive, which was half the physical size, weighed 550 pounds, and cost only $40,000. Flash forward to 2006, where the fingernail-size microSD card kicking around in our cell phones and cameras these days (albeit not a hard drive) now costs about $10 per gigabyte -- gotta love the march of technology. By that logic, we should have a new type of terabyte storage device to carry around by about 2056, probably embedded in our bodies and hard-wired to our brains.
Wii chip production well underway, say IBM, Nintendo [update 2]
[Ed's note: we made a mistake in allowing this item to snowball into something more than a mere IBM-Nintendo PR announcement that production of chips is on schedule. Our apologies for allowing this one to get way, way out of hand. Read here for a more detailed apology.] IBM announced that their Broadway chip custom-designed for Nintendo's Wii console has been shipping to Nintendo's since July. "We have been shipping well within this quarter (July)," said Ron Martino, director of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. "In fact, we have shipped a significant volume in this quarter."So what does this news mean to gamers who have been waiting patiently for a release date from Nintendo? Well, considering that Nintendo has had their hands on a "significant volume" of one of the major components of their console since July, some might speculate that the Wii could be ready for release sooner than the expected October street date.When asked to quantify the speed of the Broadway processor, IBM's Martino compared it to the GameCube. "Compared to the Gekko in the GameCube, it's 20 percent more power efficient. It also performs significantly better. The key point is that it is Power Architecture-based and custom-made and optimized for Nintendo," he said (not really answering the question).With this update and Nintendo confirming the shipment of "6 million systems to retailers around the world between its launch in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007," we expect Nintendo might finally be ready to talk release schedule during their event in New York City next week. [Update 1: toned down language throughout, added new first paragraph.] [Update 2: more edits, added link in first paragraph.]
Broadway chip production well underway since July
IBM announced that their custom-designed Broadway chip for the Nintendo Wii has been sitting in Nintendo's hands since July, resting ever-so-silently, poised to strike like a Puma silently stalking its prey. Ron Martino, director of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions, commented that production fears should be nonexistent as "We have been shipping well within this quarter (July)," and going on further to say that "In fact, we have shipped a significant volume in this quarter." All well and good, but what about you, the one craving the Wii so bad you've been drawing pictures of it in your notebook, perhaps encapsulated by a red heart with a cartoonish arrow sticking through it reading "Nintendo & Chad 4 Ever?" What does it mean for you? First off, don't ask how we've seen your notebook. Second, you should be thinking "Well, if Nintendo had these chips since July, why haven't they been manufacturing Wiis?" That last one, we really don't have an answer for.So would Nintendo go the way Sega did with the Saturn, springing it upon gamers much like that Puma in the first paragraph leaped upon its prey? Probably not, but it makes that event coming on the 14th that much more interesting.
Silicon Valley to become one ginormous WiFi hotspot
Silicon Valley can't be shown up by, say, Singapore, now can it? That's why the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force has selected the Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a tech consortium that includes IBM and Cisco to build a giant WiFi network for the region. When built, this massive WiFi hotspot will span 1500 square miles (nearly 3900 sq. km), from the city of South San Francisco to Santa Cruz, a distance of over 60 linear miles (96 km). The plan, for now is to have free access for local residents via advertising, but higher bandwidth applications like VoIP or streaming video would cost extra, reports The Associated Press. No word on how GoogleFi fits into all of this, given that Mountain View is part of this territory. Perhaps Google will use its other stronghold in San Francisco to make a power play for the rest of the Peninsula -- creating one giant battleground of free wireless internet access. Still, WiFi for the SiVi is superfly.
Hitachi sez: 1TB drives by end of year
We don't pretend to attract too many readers who were around when IBM unleashed their model 350 hard disk in the RAMAC some fifty years ago. So you regular, mild-mannered geeks probably aren't aware that the original magnettic spinner featured no less than 50, 24-inch platters for a whopping (at that time) 5MB of storage. Why 24-inches? Easy, the disk was engineered to be "small enough" to fit through a standard door frame! My my, how times have changed. Today we're squeezing 12GB of storage into Jetsonian 1-inch drives while Seagate merrily stuffs a full 750GB of perpendicular goodness into a 3.5-incher. And with drive capacities effectively doubling every two years, it comes as little surprise to hear a product VP from Hitachi predicting a 3.5-inch drive sporting 1TB (1,000GB) before the year is up. Still, it's always good to get the poop direct from the source, so to speak.
