chips

High-tech 'fertility chip' measures sperm count, motility

If you'd like a better understanding of what it takes for sperm to be considered fertile, go grab your measuring spoons and look at the quarter teaspoon. Roughly that amount of ejaculate should boast anywhere between 20 million and 150 million sperm. Anything less than 20 million and fertility just might be an issue.

So Loes Segerink, a researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, has developed a "fertility chip" that can accurately count one's sperm concentration as well as measure its mobility (when discussing sperm the synonym "motility" is often used). What's more, the test can be taken at home, with the ejaculate being, ahem, collected in a more private environment.

While simple home tests are already commercially available, the concentration readings are, well, simple, and indicate only whether sperm concentration is above or below that 20 million mark. But one man's sperm concentration of 19 million is certainly more fertile than another man's count of 1 million.

Segerink, who will be defending her doctoral dissertation in November, says the sperm flows past a liquid-filled channel on the chip beneath electrode "bridges." When cells pass beneath these bridges, a brief fluctuation in electrical resistance occurs. By counting these events, the chip is counting sperm.… Read more

Microsoft readying dual-core, LTE phones, report says

In the face of disappointing sales of Windows smartphones, Microsoft plans to release dual-core and LTE phones.

Windows Phone President Andy Lees told AllThingsD in a story posted yesterday that dual-core phones are coming, though he wouldn't offer specifics. Lees also said the current collection of single-core Windows phones holds up well compared with dual-core Android phones.

"They're all single core, but I suspect that they will be faster in usage than any dual-core phone that you put against it, and that's the point," Lees said.

He also said LTE phones are coming but did … Read more

Buzz Out Loud: Introducing iPhone Not-Five! (Podcast)

Missed the big Apple announcement Tuesday? Re-live it with the Buzz crew as we recap the live feeds of Apple's iPhone presentation. Spoiler alert: there's no iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 to offer 1GB RAM and voice control?

Apple's iPhone 5 will include a whopping 1GB of RAM and a voice-control system known as the Assistant, according to the latest reports hopping onboard the iPhone rumor mill.

Word of these potential new features was apparently leaked to TUAW by an unnamed but "reliable source" last week. However, the tech news site said it was hesitant to publish the details without corroboration.

But yesterday 9to5Mac said it received the same information from a "source familiar with the SOC's manufacturing," which refers to the phone's expected A5 processor, or system-on-a-chip.

Based on details … Read more

Windows 8 Blue Screen of Death gets sad face :(

"Poor Windows 8. You totally crashed out, but you're so adorable. I just can't be mad at you." That may be the new reaction to operating system failure when Windows 8 finally reaches the masses.

Chip Hazard posted a picture on Facebook of the new Blue Screen of Death from Microsoft's latest version of the Windows operating system. It features a prominent emoticon sad face on the familiar blue expanse of sorrow.

The new BSoD also delivers the simple message, "Your PC ran into a problem that it couldn't handle, and now it needs to restart."

It tells you briefly what the error was about so you can search for more information on what happened to upset Windows so much. Hint: it probably found out you've been spending time with an iPad.

This change may be part of a bid by Microsoft to get more in tune with a younger crowd, the sort of kids who won't get it when Windows spews out a list of obscure error codes. Everybody understands a sad face.

In the past, the appearance of the BSoD has been met with vulgar curses, strangled cries of frustration, and the hammering of fists on keyboards. Now, you may hear, "Awww. What a cutie-pie. Can you restart for Mommy? Come on, you can do it!"… Read more

Dutch reporter won't be charged for transit card fraud

A Dutch prosecutor has decided not to charge journalist Brenno de Winter with fraud for publicly discussing security weaknesses in the country's new OV transit chip card.

"Given the public interest, (his) meticulous work and the minimal damage caused, the prosecutor stated that the importance of freedom of information in this case outweighs (claims of fraud) and decided to close the case," a statement from the Dutch public prosecutor in Utrecht said.

De Winter told CNET in an interview that he is relieved at the decision and will now be able to resume his writing on the … Read more

IBM, 3M team up on 3D semiconductor 'glue'

IBM and 3M today said they will develop new adhesives designed to build silicon towers that will be packaged on 3D semiconductors.

The collaboration--IBM brings the semiconductor know-how and 3M is the adhesive expert--aims to make commercial 3D chips via new materials.

According to IBM, the idea is to stack semiconductors in layers up to 100 chips. These chip stacks would allow for better integration and system-on-a-chip capability. Compute, networking, and memory could be stacked on one processor.

IBM has outlined nanoscale breakthroughs before, but one big hurdle is finding the materials to package these 3D silicon skyscrapers. New adhesives … Read more

This Day in Tech: Another missing iPhone; DOJ opposes AT&T-T-Mobile deal

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET News for Wednesday, August 31.

Exclusive: Another unreleased iPhone disappeared. CNET visited Cava22, the San Francisco bar where the iPhone went missing. "Apple electronically traced the phone to a two-floor, single-family home in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood, according to the source," according to the CNET story. Read the full scoop here.

The U.S. government sued to block the AT&T and T-Mobile deal. Why? Because it believes the merger would lesson competition and reduce innovation … Read more

Report: iPhone 5 to be a dual-mode 'world phone'

Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 will support access to both CDMA and GSM networks, allowing it to operate in most countries around the world, a source tells TechCrunch.

An unidentified app developer reportedly pulled information from registration logs that show two distinct mobile network codes (MNC) / mobile country codes (MCC). These codes, which are believed to have been entered by testers of a single device using Apple's upcoming mobile operating system iOS 5, are unique mobile network identifiers belonging to Verizon and AT&T, TechCrunch said.

Apple now caters to both companies, but the devices are not designed to operate on each other's networks; Verizon's works on the CDMA standard, while AT&T's iPhone 4 operates on a GSM network, the dominant global wireless technology and the standard in Europe.

While the iPhone 5 has been long rumored to be a CDMA/GSM world phone, Verizon's iPhone has always had this capability, although it's not activated. Teardowns of the device showed that it sports the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, the same chip that's used in the Droid Pro world phone.

TechCrunch concluded that a dual-mode phone would suggest that the iPhone 5 would not support LTE. However, Apple's latest developer builds for iOS 5 contain a snippet of code that mentions LTE, according to enthusiast site MacRumors, prompting speculation that the company may be testing 4G internally.

The hotly anticipated next edition of Apple's smartphone is expected to be released in October. … Read more

iPhone, iPad boost chip sales for wireless devices

The demand for smartphones and tablets is causing manufacturers to spend more on chips for wireless devices than for traditional computers, says a report out yesterday from IHS iSuppli.

As the tech industry shifts more of its emphasis from PCs to mobile gadgets, the wireless segment is poised to become the leading market for chip buying starting this year.

Manufacturers will buy $55.4 billion of semiconductors for wireless devices this year, a jump of 10.7 percent from 2010, according to IHS. But spending on chips for computers will reach $53.1 billion this year, a gain of just … Read more