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BeagleBone Black packs 1GHz ARM CPU, 512MB RAM for just $45 (video)
The BeagleBone might be just the piece of kit for the DIY set itching to boot Linux in 10 seconds, but the freshly unveiled BeagleBone Black packs an even greater punch -- and the same speedy start times -- at just half the price of its predecessor. The $45 credit card-sized package totes a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 3D graphics accelerator, a pair of PRU 32-bit RISC CPUs, 2GB of built-in storage, a microSD slot and 512MB of RAM. Connectivity-wise, the canine-themed board carries support for USB, Ethernet, micro-HDMI and two 46 pin headers. Those pining for hardware flexibility can make use of the platform's existing "cape" hardware add-ons. Though it ships from Texas Instruments with Angstrom Linux on board, it's also tuned to support Android and Ubuntu, and arrives pre-loaded with the Cloud9 IDE. BeagleBone Black is already up for grabs in limited quantities, but it's expected to ship en masse by the end of May. Hit the second source link to start ordering, or head past the break for a video tour of the pint-sized computer.
SOE introducing brand new forums later this month
If you're a regular on the SOE forums, you may have noticed some changes as the individual game boards have been transitioning over to the new system. But on Tuesday, March 26th, the entirety of the SOE forums will be switched over to let you enjoy the new look, shiny new tools, and improved stability. The most important thing to note about this upgrade is that it's an entirely different forum, so you'll need to re-register your handle. SOE assures us that users can reclaim their longstanding forum names during the first two weeks in the event that someone else grabs it first.
Raspberry Pi's new turbo mode boosts performance by roughly 50 percent, doesn't void warranties
Giving a Raspberry Pi extra voltage is a quick way to squeeze out additional processing power and void its warranty, but the folks behind the tinker-friendly board have devised a turbo mode that boosts performance by roughly 50 percent while keeping warranties intact. After studying the effects of temperature and voltage on the hardware's lifespan, the team found that dynamic overclocking and overvolting doesn't affect the Pi's health appreciably. As a result, speeds can be pushed from 700MHz to 1GHz only when additional horsepower is needed, and things are reined back in when the CPU grazes 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius). Benchmarks show the extra computing oomph makes the Pi 52 percent faster on integer, 64 percent speedier on floating point and 55 percent snappier on memory tasks. The new mode is available in the latest firmware update, which also includes temperature and frequency widgets, better analog audio, improved USB performance and support for WiFi dongles out of the box. For the technical nitty-gritty and more details on the upgrade, hit the source link below.
$49 Cubieboard for developers is heavy on specs, light on the wallet
You've already got plenty of options if you're in the market for a developer board, but it might be worth taking a look at the new $49 Cubieboard, which packs quite the specs given its price point. The board hosts a 1GHz AllWinner A10 Cortex A8 CPU with Mali-400 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 4 gigs of onboard storage. For ins and outs, you're looking at 1080p HDMI, Ethernet, one MultiMediaCard (MMC) slot, a SATA port, two USB hosts, an IR sensor and 96 extender pins for solder junkies. Cubieboard's Wiki page lists an additional MMC slot and USB OTG, but as this doesn't check out in the pictures, we assume they've either been scrapped, or they'll be added on for later production runs. As you would expect, several versions of Linux and Android are supported by the Raspberry Pi bully, which is expected to start shipping to select developers sometime this week. There's no word on when it may be available for general consumption, but by then you'll hopefully have a better product anyway -- if the pros have done their job, that is.
Raspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding through personal licenses, H.264 encoding and CEC tag along
Making the Raspberry Pi affordable involved some tough calls, including the omission of MPEG-2 decoding. Licensing fees alone for the video software would have boosted the board's price by approximately 10 percent. Now, after many have made media centers with the hardware, the foundation behind the project has whipped up a solution to add the missing codec. For $3.16, users can purchase an individual MPEG-2 license for each of their boards on the organization's online store. Partial to Microsoft's VC-1 standard? Rights to using Redmond's codec can be purchased for $1.58. H.264 encoding is also in the cards since OpenMax components needed to develop applications with the functionality are now enabled by default in the device's latest firmware. With CEC support thrown into the Raspbmc, XBian and OpenELEC operating systems, a single IR remote can control a Raspberry Pi, a TV and other connected gadgets. If you're ready to load up your Pi with its newfound abilities, hit the source link below. Update: The Raspberry Pi Foundation let us know that US customers won't have to pay sales tax, which means patrons will only be set back $3.16 for MPEG-2 and $1.58 for VC-1 support, not $3.79 and $1.90 for the respective licenses. We've updated the post accordingly.
Reuters: RIM could open up BlackBerry network to others, join up with Ballmer
The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or or sell it outright. An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.
Gooseberry Android board plans to sate those still waiting on a Raspberry Pi (video)
If one of the aims of the Raspberry Pi was to embody the "do-it-yourself" ethos, then it's already succeeded. Annoyed at the wait for the education-friendly board to arrive, the anonymous creator of the Gooseberry decided to build their own. Looking reasonably similar to its inspiration, it's packing a 1GHz AllWinner CPU, 400MHz Mali GPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB of onboard storage. It'll go on sale in the UK for £40 ($63) shortly, running Gingerbread and is capable of running HD video -- as demonstrated by the video we've got for you after the break.
Olympus to settle with ex-chief exec over misconduct, may involve mountains of cash
As Olympus' recent accounting scandal finally begins to wind down, the guy who blew the whistle on the financial wrongdoings might actually be the one to make out like a bandit. Michael Woodford, former chief executive of the company, has settled out of court with his former employer over his unfair dismissal that occurred just two weeks after his appointment. The settlement still has to be approved by the mostly new board (read: the other guys got arrested), but the Financial Times speculates that it'll result in £10 million ($15.5 million) being awarded to Woodford, or what's left on his contract. Company stock prices are around half of what they stood at before the scandal. Suddenly all those Facebook shares you jumped on don't look so bad.
Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)
Yesterday at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 we visited the Electric Imp booth to chat with the startup's founders and get some hands-on time with the tiny wireless computer. What is the Electric Imp? It's a module containing an ARM Cortex M3 SoC with embedded WiFi that's built into an SD card form factor. While the device looks just like and SD card, it's not pin-compatible with the standard -- the idea is to leverage a reliable and affordable connector for the Electric Imp. The module is not very useful on its own -- it only comes to life when inserted into one of several boards, which provide the Electric Imp with power and access to the real world. In turn the device gives these boards a brain and an Internet connection. Eventually the company hopes that appliance manufacturers will incorporate Electric Imp slots into products to make them network aware. We talked with CEO Hugo Fiennes (formerly with Apple) about the past, present and future of the Electric Imp so hit the break to read more and to watch our hands-on video.%Gallery-155789%
Sony Mobile reshuffle sees Nordberg out, Kunimasa Suzuki in, business as usual
Major changes are afoot over at Sony. After rebranding its mobile division, the firm has also now moved aside the former Ericsson exec who initially came with it. Kunimasa Suzuki will replace Bert Nordberg as CEO of Sony Mobile on May 16th, after leaving his current role as Executive Vice President at Sony proper. Nordberg will still have a hand in the division, taking on the role as Chairman of Sony Mobile Communications' board. Sony's Xperia S might be fresh-faced, but it's soon to come up against stiff competition -- the handling of which will no doubt be Suzuki's first true test.
Raspberry Pi faces distribution troubles over CE certification
Raspberry Pi hit another snag in distribution this week, though the company seems optimistic that shipments of its long-awaited Linux PC won't be dramatically affected. The issue centers around two companies -- RS Components and element14/Premier Farnell -- that have confirmed they won't distribute the device until it's been anointed with the CE label. Raspberry Pi had previously argued that its PC is not a "finished end product," and that it, like Beagleboard, could therefore be distributed without the CE mark. Its distributors, however, disagreed. As a result, the team is working to get their computers CE-compliant "as soon as humanly possible," and are already pretty confident that they'll meet category A, and perhaps even category B requirements. They're also working closely with the UK's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to better understand the standards to which non-CE products like Beagleboard are held. No word yet on when RS and Farnell might issue a verdict, but the Raspberry Pi Foundation says it'll let us know as soon as they do.
Panasonic names Kazuhiro Tsuga as new president after old one loses $9 billion
In the aftermath of company losses that passed $9 billion, Panasonic has announced that Fumio Ohtsubo is to step down as company president. He'll be replaced by current senior executive Kazuhiro Tsuga in an executive reshuffle that'll take place in June, when Ohtsubo will step up to become chairman of the board, replacing Kunio Nakamura who is taking an "advisory role." Tsuga was formerly an exec. at Matsushita (before it was renamed... Panasonic. Confusing, we know), where he spent a lot of time thumbing his nose at HD DVD and promising that Blu-Ray would win the last format war -- so we know his instincts are at least halfway decent.
Olympus board announces chairman and president picks, resigns
Olympus's entire board handed in its resignation this week, but not before picking a new president and chairman to head up the scandal plagued imaging company. Hiroyuki Sasa, from its medical equipment marketing arm, has been named for the president spot, and Yasuyuki Kimoto, who served as an executive for the Olympus-connected Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., has been picked for role of chairman. Both appointments are pending shareholder approval. Sasa, for his part, stated the importance of getting consumers back on board with the company in light recent controversies, telling the press, "My duty is to win back as soon as possible the trust from everyone and repair this damaged brand."
Bobby Kotick joins Coca-Cola board, will advise on digital media
Shortly after appearing in a cameo for Moneyball, Activision Blizzard CEO has picked up another choice role: He's joined The Coca Cola Company's board of directors. Kotick will help oversee the classic sugar water giant, and advise the company on its entries into digital media. Kotick also serves on a few educational institution boards, the board of directors at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and as the founder of the Call of Duty Endowment, Activision's nonprofit arm, built to support US armed forces veterans and their families. Kotick also served on Yahoo!'s board of directors previously.In completely unrelated news, Coca Cola also announced an "online pass" for its sodas going forward: You'll get all the water and carbonation of your soda with the initial purchase, but the actual syrup flavoring will require an extra charge. Ice will require a complete subscription.
Apple shows interest in European patent laws
Apple has delivered a letter to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute asking for basic principles for that region of the world on patents and their licensing, according to the Wall Street Journal. The letter asks for consistency across the board in how patents are owned and shared, and it also asks for specific rates to be set on possible patent royalties for everyone to follow. As smartphones and other mobile technology continue to develop and grow, patents on the many components are becoming increasingly more important, both in terms of determining ownership for the research and work put into development and for the licensing fees afforded to those with high profile patents. Apple obviously has good reason to see standards in this area, given how well-heeled it happens to be in the world of patents and innovations. We'll have to wait and see if the board decides to set up a program of standards as Apple suggests. Even if the board agrees to set standards for these things, it could be a long time before those standards are actually decided on and published.
Netflix is looking for a new Chief Marketing Officer, if you think you can do better
Considering how 2011 progressed for Netflix, it's not entirely surprising to hear some changes are in store at the top when it comes to marketing and communications. The video rental giant announced that its Chief Marketing Officer of the last dozen years, Leslie Kilgore, will be taking a position on its board as a "non-executive director", replaced in the interim by Jessie Becker as it conducts an external search for a permanent replacement. Also shifting positions is Jonathan Friedland who will be the new Chief Communications officer, and both Becker and Friedland will report directly to CEO Reed Hastings. Netflix's relationships with its customers were definitely damaged by last year's price hike and the shocking Qwikster spinoff announcement / unannouncement that followed, with a slate of original content on the way and some changes in store for its content licensing, we'll see if it can get the magic back in 2012 -- we're not so sure that the latest round of ads featuring beavers and hamsters (one's embedded after the break) are the way.
GameChanger board uses your iPad for board games
We stopped by Identity Games' booth here at CES in Las Vegas to see its GameChanger game board (which you can basically see above, albeit in a very cheery/creepy PR picture setting). Despite the less-than-intriguing marketing, the GameChanger is a really great idea. It's a 1'x3' board with an iPad dock in the very middle. With the help of a free app and some plastic cutouts, you can play physical board games, using your iPad for various digital functions. In one of the games, licensed from the Magic School Bus brand, each player takes turns "spinning" a digital wheel on the iPad by swiping with a finger. After spinning, each player needs to move their piece around the board. The iPad tells that player where his/her piece should land. When you reach certain spots on the board, the iPad will give players puzzles to solve or trivia questions to answer to move forward. There will be eight games total on the free app in April, with 12 available by the end of August. In addition to the board games that use plastic overlays, there are also "Action Games" that just use the base board, and allow players to shoot back and forth or get involved in more real-time competition. The whole contraption, though a little flimsy (the plastic covers just basically sit on the gameboard, and the whole thing is colored with a weird gray look), works very well. The board always knows where it's being interacted with, and the iPad does a great job of keeping games rolling along and mixing physical pieces with digital interactions. I don't think this is the best example we'll ever see of real life and digital interaction like this (in other words, it doesn't change the proverbial game quite so much), but it's one of the first, and it's done very well. GameChanger is available now for US$79.99. One more thing. Identity Games is also working on an iPhone version of the GameChanger, and while it's not anywhere near done just yet, they did kindly show us an artist's rendering of the prototype, which you can see below. As shown, it's probably designed for four players, and includes options for answering trivia questions with A, B, or C, as well as moving in four different directions. Looks very interesting indeed. The iPhone version is supposed to be out and available sometime around this August, so we'll look for it then.
Samsung promotes DRAM chief to vice chairman, implements 'top-two' structure
Samsung reshuffled its managerial hierarchy yesterday, promoting Kwon Oh Hyun, head of its DRAM operations, to vice chairman. Kwon, who successfully steered Samsung through an industry-wide price slump last quarter, will continue to head up the company's chip and LCD divisions, while working alongside Jung Yeon Joo -- the former CEO of Samsung C&T Corporation who was also promoted to vice chairman. The restoration of this "top-two" structure was one of several moves the Samsung Group made on Wednesday, including the announcement of six new presidents. Kwon's advancement, however, is certainly the most noteworthy. As the Korea Times reports, the move has already garnered speculation among industry observers, some of whom believe that Kwon's new position signifies Samsung's equal commitment to both component and product divisions. In a statement, Samsung praised the executive for navigating its DRAM business through choppy economic waters, while crediting him for the "strengthening of Samsung's market leadership in memory products." Read more at the source links below.
Verizon confirms CEO Lowell McAdam will succeed Ivan Seidenberg as Chairman
It certainly doesn't come as the biggest of surprises, but Verizon confirmed today that its current CEO, Lowell McAdam, will succeed its former CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, as Chairman when the latter retires on December 31st. McAdam, as you may recall, took over as CEO when Seidenberg stepped down from the position in July of this year, with Seidenberg remaining on as Chairman at that point to aid in the transition, which has apparently gone just as planned. In related news, the carrier also announced today that Melanie L. Healey of Proctor & Gamble will be immediately joining the board, which will stand at twelve members following Seidenberg's departure. Head on past the break for the official press release.
SparkFun announces $80 Electric Sheep development board for Android accessories
Looking for an alternative to the Google-approved Android Development Kit? Then you now have another fairly inexpensive option to consider courtesy of SparkFun. It's officially announced its new Electric Sheep development board, which costs just $80 and will let you build your own Android accessories using the Open Accessory protocol. That means it and any accessories built with it will work just fine with your Nexus One, although there's of course no guarantees it'll work with, say, a future Nexus-6 model -- we hear those might be a bit unpredictable. Press release is after the break, and you can find some additional specifics and an order button at the source link below.
