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Posts tagged "could"
Here’s a technology that could make laptops and smartphones last longer
When you think about the parts of our electronic devices that consume the most power, the screen and processor usually spring to mind. However, data transfer – either within the device or over the waves (i.e. to cloud storage providers) – is consuming more and more power.
Scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have come up with an innovative technique that promises to reduce the amount of energy consumed during memory-intensive processes by up to 80%. In other words, a fivefold improvement in efficiency over current solutions when bits travel on silicon.
They came up with a new type of network-on-chip that decreases quality a little bit, but also reduces power consumption significantly. This is achieved by adjusting the amplitude of the transmitted signal dynamically; using conventional values for mission-critical tasks to ensure maximum accuracy and lower values for greater power reductions.
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Smarter than usual
The example provided by the team was that of imperceptible video quality degradation when full quality is unnecessary, for example when the user looks away from the screen, when ambient light is low or when battery life is short.
Similar scenarios are also applicable to more powerful (and power hungry) platforms such as desktop PCs, NAS boxes, laptops or even servers, but the key opportunity is to enable a full computer vision system – one that can replicate the human vision system while being viable from a power perspective.
The stated goal of the research is to build “a new breed of low-power smart cameras that could operate almost perpetually under the tight power budget extracted from the environment such as via a centimeter-sized solar cell”.
It's unclear when the technology will be rolled out for more practical use cases, but given TSMC – which manufactures chips for AMD, Nvidia and Qualcomm – supports the project for chip fabrication, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was sooner rather than later.
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Huawei could be forced to use Snapdragon chipsets
Huawei has been dragged in the dirty tug-of-war that has been going on since some time between both the US and the Chinese governments. The Trump Administration has time and again introduced sanctions making it difficult for the Chinese company to work with American companies.
Continuing its clampdown on Huawei further, the U.S. Commerce Department introduced a new export rule mandating all the chipmaker companies, who plan to supply components to Huawei, to apply for an additional license thus controlling the crucial supply chain of the Chinese company.
This sanction means that Huawei cannot get its HiSilicon chipsets made by chip-making TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). For the uninitiated, TSMC is the world’s largest contract chipmaker that makes chipsets on contract for companies like Apple, Huawei, Qualcomm and MediaTek etc.
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No more HiSilicon SoCs on Huawei phones?
As per this report, TSMC will not be allowed to ship chipsets to Huawei after September 14 which leaves Huawei with only enough time to procure the new 5nm HiSilicon Kirin SoCs for its next flagship smartphone Mate 40.
Since it will be up to the U.S. Government to permit TSMC or any other company to supply components to the Chinese smartphone maker, it leaves Huawei in a fix as the company may not be able to source enough SoCs for the phones that are scheduled to launch in 2021. The company is scheduled to release phones like the P50 and Mate 50 series as well as all other phones for Huawei and its sub-brand Honor. Hence it may be forced to look for an alternate
In a bid to reduce its dependency on TSMC, Huawei has proactively started working with another Taiwanese company MediaTek that is known for making chipsets for budget and entry-level smartphones and has a capacity to produce 5G chipsets even for cheaper phones.
Some rumours suggest that Huawei may try to scout chipsets from TSMC indirectly using its newfound ally, MediaTek. However, there is always a fear that the Trump administration may come up with another ruling to tap this workaround.
Apart from MediaTek, Huawei is also said to be working with a relatively lesser-known company -SMIC. Despite being China’s biggest foundry, SMIC does not have the required technology to make advanced 5nm chipsets. It is still said to be struggling to come up with the 7nm and 8nm process due to the unavailability of required equipment.
Hence the only company left that is both capable and has the requisite technology ready to manufacture and supply flagship-grade SoC’s to Huawei is Qualcomm.
Will Trump govt allow Qualcomm to supply chips to Huawei?
Like any other company, even Qualcomm will have to follow the licensing route to supply chipsets to Huawei, however, it is quite likely that the US-based chipmaker may get the nod to do so. Interestingly, even Qualcomm’s chipsets are manufactured by TSMC.
Allowing Qualcomm to supply chipsets to Huawei may have multiple benefits. Since Huawei is a huge company and despite all the clampdowns it still sells a lot of smartphones, partnering with it means a huge economical gain for any company.
Secondly, Qualcomm holds a major chunk of the chipset market and this deal could only strengthen its position against its competitor brands like MediaTek.
Lastly, working with Huawei may allow US companies to gain in terms of technology transfer as Huawei is still a global leader in terms of 5G technology. Even the Pentagon had once countered the Trump Administration’s decision to put additional blocks on Huawei by stating that the money received from selling components to Huawei could allow the US companies to invest in critical functions like R&D.
However, it will have to be seen if Huawei wants to work with a US company like Qualcomm since it has been trying to distance itself from American companies and wants to overcome these sanctions on its own conditions.
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Dreaming of Nintendo Switch? Nintendo’s next idea could be a sleep-tracking device
Nintendo has filed a patent for a new sleep-tracking device that will monitor how well you slept, and even produce pleasing aromas.
In typical Nintendo fashion, the device would represent a new take on the growing sleep-tracking market with a host of novel features. According to the patent, the device could beam soothing images to your ceiling using an in-built projector (counting sheep mini-game, anyone?), along with the tracking information from your previous night’s slumber.
Perhaps most intriguing, though, is the device’s ability to produce a variety of smells to help either induce or disturb your beauty sleep. Sleep mists aren’t exactly new, and diffusers have become a common sight in most households, but if Nintendo has discovered that we all sleep better when a room is filled with the smell of Mario’s freshly washed dungarees, then we’re all for it.
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The mobile device, which sits in a base station by your bed, also includes a Doppler sensor that can pick up your breathing, pulse and body movement. It has a detachable element (which looks like a phone) that will track your activity over the course of the day and sync the data back to the base station if it’s close by.
The patent was filed last September and was recently made public (thanks, Japanese Nintendo). The sleep-tracking device might never come to fruition, of course, but clearly Nintendo believes it’s an idea that’s worth protecting.
Some diagrams from the Nintendo patent.
Switch it up
Nintendo has been very clear about its ambition to enter the health-related space. During the Wii U era, Nintendo revealed it was working on a ‘quality-of-life’ peripheral, but nothing has surfaced since that initial announcement which was more than five years ago.
Nintendo has had great success with its fitness-focused game Ring Fit Adventure and the Nintendo Switch in general, but this patent points at an entirely new piece of hardware that serves a specific purpose.
Sleep like a Snorlax
Nintendo’s new patent isn’t the only sleep-tracking device we’ve heard about recently from the video games industry. The Pokémon company also announced its own sleep-tracking app, Pokémon Sleep, which would link up with its incredibly popular mobile app, Pokémon Go. The app would require a new Pokémon Go Plus accessory, and users would place it next to their pillow each night. However, no further details have been revealed since its announcement in 2019.
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iPhone 12 release date could be staggered by model, with a mystery fourth iPhone too
We're expecting the iPhone 12 announcement to take place in September, however there are claims the handset's release date might be as late as 2021, and a new iPhone 12 leak is giving us another possible release window.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is perhaps the most reliable source regarding information on upcoming Apple products, has said (as reported by 9to5Mac) that while there are four iPhone 12 products coming later this year, they won't all be released at once.
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Kuo seems to think that the two smaller iPhones – the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch models – will enter mass production in September, with a larger 6.7-inch device only getting that far in October.
It's not clear what the fourth iPhone will be, though it's possible it's also a 6.7-inch device (which we'll get to in a moment).
The diminutive (by today's standards) 4.7-inch iPhone SE (2020) – launched in mid-April – went into production in mid-March. This would suggest, going by Kuo's statement, that the new iPhone 12 handsets may not be available until October and November respectively.
Unlike the iPhone 11 range, which became available all in one go, it seems the new iPhone 12 models may be released in waves.
This wouldn't be the first time Apple has staggered the release of its iPhone line. Wind the clock back to 2017, and the launch of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X, to see the later arriving a few months after the 8 and 8 Plus went on sale.
What are these four iPhones?
There's not been much word, from Kuo or otherwise, on what the four iPhones will be, but we've got a few ideas.
Based on precedent, we'd expect there to be a standard iPhone 12 model as well as an iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. We've heard leaks about that latter phone, but that doesn't confirm the name will be used, because it was just provided by the leaker based on the iPhone 11 names.
The fourth device could be the anticipated 5G iPhone, which multiple rumors have stated is coming in 2020. We don't know much about the specs of this phone, or how it fits in the iPhone 12 range, but since Kuo only states three different sizes, it's possible the 5G iPhone will be the same size as the most top-end 4G device, perhaps 6.7 inches.
That would leave a curiously large gap between the phone sizes, with 0.7 inches between the small and medium devices and 0.6 inches between the medium and biggest, which is more of a gap than Apple has left in the past, but it's possible it's just trying to distinguish its devices more.
It's also possible this extra phone is the iPhone SE Plus, which we're been hearing about, and that would make sense with the 5.1-inch sizing. However that would leave the 5G iPhone mysteriously absent.
We'll find out more about the iPhone 12 range come September 2020, when we're expecting to see the handsets. Stay tuned to TechRadar before then for all the latest news, leaks and rumors.
Windows 10 updates could now slow down your PC – here’s how to fix them
Several recent Windows 10 updates are seriously impacting the speeds of PCs they are installed on.
According to Windows Latest, Windows 10 updates KB4535996, KB4540673 and KB4551762 could all make your PC slower to boot.
While KB4535996 is an optional update, and has been accused of introducing various problems into Windows 10 since its launch on February 27, Windows 10 KB4540673 and KB4551762 are standard updates, which means they are more likely to have been installed on your PC.
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Not only are these updates making PCs slower to boot, when Windows 10 does load up, some people have noticed that their computers act more slowly than before – for example taking longer to load up apps or open folders.
Not everyone will be affected by these issues, but in its testing, Windows Latest found that Windows 10 KB4535996 was particularly bad at slowing down various PCs.
New Windows 10 KB4551762 issues
Windows Latest is also reporting on performance issues with the Windows 10 KB4551762 update. This update, which is for people running Windows 10 1903 and 1909 versions (the two latest major Windows 10 releases) is causing people to notice abnormal processor and disk usage – which can seriously impact the performance of the computer.
One of our biggest concerns is that Windows 10 KB4551762 is billed as an important update that is supposed to bring a number of fixes. That means Windows 10 users are being encouraged to install it.
People in Windows Latest’s comment section, as well as Microsoft’s support forums and on Reddit, have been complaining about issues their PCs are having after installing the update, including slow boot times, system crashes and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.
Some people are also stating that the update itself fails to install, instead throwing up an error message. This might be a blessing in disguise.
How to fix these problems
For each of these faulty Windows 10 updates, the easiest way of fixing the problems they have brought is to uninstall the updates themselves. Once uninstalled, users have reported that the issues have cleared up.
Thankfully, the process of uninstalling a Windows 10 update is pretty simple. Open up the Settings app (the cog icon in the Start menu, or by pressing Windows + I on the keyboard), then click 'Update & security'.
From the window that appears, click 'Windows Update' on the left-hand menu, then 'View update history'. Click 'Uninstall updates' then select the name of the troublesome update to uninstall it. The problems should now be fixed.
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Tape could replace hard drives – in some cases – thanks to this breakthrough
Fujitsu has announced a new technology called Virtual Integrated File System that it says could help magnetic tape storage compete with hard disk drives as a low-cost, large capacity storage alternative.
With the feud between Sony and Fujitsu around LTO resolved late last year, all eyes are now on LTO-9, which is expected to be delivered in 2020. This iteration will deliver capacities up to 26.1TB (uncompressed) and raw throughput of up to 708MB/sec.
That’s a higher capacity than the largest hard drive on the market (currently 20TB) – also faster and likely cheaper too. Add in on-the-fly compression capabilities and, suddenly, it's all looking rosy for the venerable tape.
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Hacking the file system
Fujitsu's Virtual Integrated File System (VIFS) allows “multiple tape cartridges to be consolidated into one”, which means users can access data without worrying about individual tape cartridges.
It sounds a little like RAID but for tapes, which means that you'll likely need multiple tape drives or a tape library. This limits the product to enterprise and large businesses, where storage demands are usually measured in Petabytes and Exabytes.
The Japanese company claims to have improved the read speeds by more than fourfold in one trial run, while another test yielded a speed improvement of nearly 2X.
“This technology enables high-speed tape access performance, such as random reads and writes of various sizes occurring in archive applications, and is expected to provide a cost-effective data archiving infrastructure for long-term archiving of large volumes of data," Fujitsu added.
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Researchers tricked a Tesla Model S into speeding with a piece of tape – how could hackers cheat our cars in the future?
As the advent of autonomous driving inches forward year by year, there’s an incredible opportunity to cede control over to the machines. AI can help look for dangers on the road and adjust our speed long before problems occur. It’s an exciting time because machine learning in cars is almost magical.
The first time, a car like the Subaru Legacy Outback tells you not to look down at your phone, or a Ford Explorer applies the brakes suddenly when you fail to notice the semi-truck that just pulled out in front of you is when you realize how far we’ve come.
Curiously, these new advancements could also present an opportunity for hackers. While the AI tech in cars never needs to sleep and is always vigilant, it is not that hard to trick the machine learning routines, even with a piece of tape.
Over the limit
Recently, researchers at McAfee announced an 18-month project where they attempted to alter the cruise control abilities in two 2016 Tesla Model S cars. They applied tape to a speed limit sign and then drove the Model S, watching as the vehicle jumped up in speed by 80 miles-per-hour. It only took one extension of the number three on a speed limit sign that said 35, changing it to read 85 instead.
The companies that developed some of the autonomous driving tech in the Tesla S refuted the claims by saying a human driver would also read the speed limit sign inaccurately, and that’s exactly when I started wondering what this all means.
I agree that human drivers are likely not that perceptive. On a highway recently, I noticed how a departure lane I took off the main highway was posted at only 35 miles-per-hour (coincidentally enough).
I slowed down to 35, but I wondered why the city lowered the speed so quickly from 75 miles per hour. It was accurate, but it didn’t make sense to me. The road was nowhere near a residential area.
However, the fact that I was wondering is the important factor.
Autonomous tech in cars might not do this. Experts who responded to Mcafee did say the Model S also uses crowd-sourced data and likely also uses GPS data, which is much harder to spoof. That said, it made me wonder.
Autonomous cars will need to do more than read speed limit signs. They will also need to interpret the conditions and the setting — it would not make sense to suddenly go from 35 MPH to 85 MPH. If it is a simple calculation from one number to another, it won’t work.
New tricks
In the future, I wondered how hackers might trick cars in other ways. We’re on the verge of cars connecting to the roadway and to other cars. Recently, an artist demonstrated how hauling a wagon full of smartphones could trick Google Maps into thinking there was traffic congestion. What else could they do?
I can envision someone creating a stir by sending out fake signals about other cars on the road, sending notices about road closures, or even worse — tapping into car systems from the side of the road and telling them to brake suddenly.
At the same time, it is a lot of fuss over something minor. Fewer and fewer cars are reading roadway signs and are determining speed based on GPS data instead. No research has ever shown that hackers could cause cars to brake suddenly, and when there are examples they are usually in controlled environments.
I think it is mostly a curiosity. We like to be able to fool the machines, and that’s a good thing. As long as they don’t ever start fooling with us.
On The Road is TechRadar's regular look at the futuristic tech in today's hottest cars. John Brandon, a journalist who's been writing about cars for 12 years, puts a new car and its cutting-edge tech through the paces every week. One goal: To find out which new technologies will lead us to fully self-driving cars.
Huawei could drop another foldable at its MWC 2020 virtual conference on February 24
Huawei is going to host a virtual press conference on February 24 from Barcelona, Spain after GSMA decided to cancel MWC 2020 as many companies dropped out of the event due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in may countries across the world.
Huawei will be streaming a pre-recorded launch session where it is expected to unveil multiple products across PC, laptop, wearables, audio and TV categories. However, according to a recent report by Gizmochina, Huawei is also expected to announce its next foldable phone during the event. This is a new foldable product by the company and we are not sure about the name of this upcoming phone, if it's really being unveiled on the said date.
Now, we think this foldable phone could be the Huawei Mate Xs that was announced back in October 2019. A significant update in the Mate Xs is said to be the presence of the Kirin 990 5G chipset, an improved hinge design and a more durable screen.
The Mate Xs is confirmed to feature a similar design as the Mate X with the same set of Leica-branded camera array. It's worth noting though, that while the Huawei Mate X debuted in 2019, it's availability is still limited to China.
With a ban on Huawei currently in effect, it's unlikely that any phone they launch would have access to Google's suite of applications or even Play Store. As for the other products, we believe some of them could be powered by HarmonyOS.
Previously, the Mate Xs was scheduled to launch during MWC 2020 but as the event was scrapped, Huawei seems to be going ahead with the virtual launch anyway. We'll know more about the upcoming phone as we near the date of the conference on February 24.