generator

Microsoft has smaller Surface tablets in the works, report says

Microsoft is readying smaller Surface devices, according to a report.

The "second-generation" Surface tablets may be announced in the coming months, possibly at the upcoming Build Conference in June, according to a report in DigiTimes.

This follows a report last month in the Wall Street Journal that claimed the company is preparing a 7-inch tablet.

Second-generation Surface devices will sport displays with sizes between 7 inches and 9 inches, according to the report. Component suppliers include Samsung Electronics, LG Display, Corning, and Intel.

Microsoft needs to bring out tablets with smaller screen sizes in order to compete with … Read more

Alleged image of iPad 5 shows thinner front panel

The next-generation iPad will follow its smaller counterpart in offering a thinner design, at least according to an image leaked by French Web site Nowhereelse.fr.

The alleged image of the iPad 5 shows the front cover and the surrounding bezel with a much thinner design than that of the current iPad. The thinness of the case suggests that Apple is borrowing some design tips from the iPad Mini for its fifth-generation iPad.

Past rumors have already suggested that the next 9.7-inch iPad would sport a thinner design. But this may be the first photo evidence to back up … Read more

Intel confirms USB bug in 'Haswell' chipset

Intel confirmed a USB bug in its next-generation "Haswell" chipset.

The bug can cause USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 devices, like thumb drives, to disappear after entering standby. In some cases, removable devices have to be reconnected again, according to a report at BSN.

The company issued the following statement this afternoon. The bug, in Intel parlance, is referred to as an "errata." The chipset is silicon that accompanies the main Haswell processor:

4th gen Core is on track for a midyear launch. Intel issued a PCN (Product Change Notification) documenting a chipset USB errata … Read more

Intel's upcoming 'Haswell' chip primed for gaming

Intel wants to make its future "Haswell" chip better than past generations of silicon at gaming and announced tools to make this happen at the Game Developers Conference today.

The world's largest chipmaker announced tools, known as extensions, for software developers that allow Intel's 4th generation Intel Core, aka Haswell, to process demanding special effects.

The first of these extensions, called PixelSync, allows programmers to more realistically render smoke, hair, windows, foliage, fences, and other complex geometry and natural phenomena, according to Intel.

"The artists working on Grid2 have been requesting this type of effect … Read more

YouTube breaks records with 1 billion monthly users

What does 1 billion monthly YouTube users signify? It means that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet worldwide goes to YouTube.

That's a serious amount of people.

Google's video hosting service announced today that for the first time, it's driving these colossal numbers -- more than a billion unique users on the site, every month.

"If YouTube were a country, we'd be the third largest in the world after China and India," YouTube wrote in a blog post today. "Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly 10 Super … Read more

Microsoft's first PC lives!

Microsoft's first PC, the Surface Pro, has survived Round One.

A report this week said 400,000 Surface Pros were sold in about a month since its release. That's a decent start (contrary to the media's take).

Remember, this is an $899-$999 tablet (though I prefer to describe it as a full-blown Windows PC compacted and stuffed into a tablet's chassis), not a $199 Nexus 7 or $329 iPad Mini.

Also remember this is just the start. The Pro should evolve to the point where you can have a 1.5 or 2 pound tablet … Read more

Come up with an interesting name for your writing project with Random Name Generator

Anyone who's ever written a story knows how hard it is to make up names for characters. If you're having trouble coming up with one, you can use the Random Name Generator. It will give you a long list of names, but most of them won't work for what you need. The program itself has a bunch of hang-ups that limit its usefulness.

Your antivirus program might flag this program as a malicious download, but when we were running Random Name Generator, nothing came up worth being concerned about. Whether you click the Normal, Odd, or Strange … Read more

Sony teases big NYC event for Feb. 20, PS4 debut?

Time to dust off that hype machine. The next generation of video game consoles may debut as early as February 20. That's the date Sony has set aside for an event in New York City, leading some to believe this could be the first-ever announcement of the PlayStation 4, the inevitable successor to the company's current PlayStation 3 game system.… Read more

Otherworldly Craigslist ad seeks 'Star Trek' role-players

Those ladies who are fluent in Klingon but just can't seem to find a boyfriend are now in luck. Apparently, a certain someone is seeking women for "Star Trek" role-playing -- strictly "The Next Generation."

A recent Craigslist ad titled "Make It So" is making the joke rounds on Twitter today. The ad promises "no nudity, no touching" but asks for two to three women to get in character with the ad's author as he plays the "honorable" and "intellectual" Captain Picard.… Read more

Analyst cryptically notes that iPad Mini gen-2 is 'pulled in'

Chipmakers are preparing for the second-generation iPad Mini and Samsung is on track for a phone with a bendable display and possibly an early intro of the Galaxy S4, according to a research note from RBC Capital Markets.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman -- who is in China visiting chip companies this week -- offered this ambiguous Apple note: "iPad Mini Gen-2: Apple's gen-2 iPad mini is getting pulled-in, and is likely to have several new suppliers, with TXN gaining content."

"Pulled in" would seem to imply that Apple is moving up introduction of … Read more