We covered a number of hardware-related topics this past week at TG Daily, including Apple’s infamous “Loyalty Unit,” next-gen Intel Core processors, CherryPal’s $99 netbook and the world’s thinnest 2.5-inch HD.
Nook e-reader hacked and rooted
A team of hackers successfully rooted the recently released Nook e-reader. The hack – which is detailed on Nook Devs – reportedly involves mounting the unit’s Android OS MicroSD card on a PC (via a card reader) and altering the init.rc file.
Raytheon wants to take iPhone to war ??
US defense contractor Raytheon released a range of iPhone software applications that it claims will turn the iPhone or iPod touch devices into weapons of war.
Intel details next-gen Core processors
Intel confirmed that it will officially introduce 17 new 32nm “Core” processors on January 7, 2010. The chips have already hit high volume production at two wafer fabs and are being shipped en masse to a number of PC manufacturers.
Computer crashes worse than not having sex
Shy and retiring Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson opined that Brits have wasted almost $12 billion on digital gadgets they can’t figure out how to use. And, somewhat bizarrely, many claim that a computer crash is worse than not getting laid for a month or giving up smoking, or even giving up smoking after getting laid.??
CherryPal bridges digital divide with $99 netbook
CherryPal bridged the wide digital divide with the launch of its $99 “Africa” netbook. The device – which is powered by a 400 MHz processor – features a 7 inch screen, 256MB of RAM and 2GB of flash memory.
Belgian researchers build desktop supercomputer
??Belgian researchers built a desktop supercomputer that is powered by six NVIDIA GTX295 dual-GPU cards and one GTX275 single-GPU card. The system – which is currently deployed at the University of Antwerp – significantly accelerates the rendering of complex, three-dimensional medical images.”
Apple deploys Loyalty Unit to plug leaks
??A former Apple employee
known as “Tom” alleged that Club Cupertino operates a clandestine
Worldwide Loyalty Team
to track down and prevent corporate leaks.??
Seagate touts “world’s thinnest” 2.5-inch HD
Seagate introduced a line of ultra-thin hard disk drives for laptop and netbook computers. The 2.5-inch Momentus Thin measures only 7mm in height – which is 25 percent slimmer than typical 9.5mm 2.5-inch laptop drives.
??Intel showcases hot mods
Intel announced the winners of its Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge Contest, including Cosmos Blue Motion Flow, Project Cool and OS Xbox Pro.
Toshiba intros 64GB NAND flash for mobile phones ??
Japanese giant Toshiba introduced a 64GB NAND memory designed for phones, netbooks, digicameras and smartphones. The 64GB embedded device has sixteen 32 gigabit NAND chips combined together on on one piece of real estate, and includes a dedicated controller. The chips are built using 32 nanometer technology.
Apple admits delays to iMac schedule ??
Cupertino firm Apple acknowledged there’s been a problem supplying 27-inch iMacs although it has refused to reveal what the difficulties delivering are. Nor will it confirm that delays in shipping the 27-inch iMacs are to do with technical problems including hard drive crashes and faulty displays.
?FTC goes for Intel’s jugular
The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Intel, demanding cash for ‘anticompetitive tactics’. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang issued an official statement expressing his support for the US Federal Trade Commission’s legal action against Intel.
AMD claims pole position in mobile graphics
AMD claimed it’s come from being number two in the mobile graphics market to hit the number one position, toppling Nvidia off its perch.
Asif Rehman, product manager of AMD’s mobile graphics business, said: “We started this year as being the number two in the mobile graphics market but in the last nine months we gained 16 percent market share and now we’re sitting at 57 percent.”
??Fusion Garage unfazed by Arrington’s JooJoo lawsuit ??
Fusion Garage issued an official response to a lawsuit filed by Michael Arrington over its controversial JooJoo Internet Tablet. The company statement addressed a number of claims made by Arrington and assured customers that deliveries of the tablet remained firmly on schedule.
