Dates for Intel Xeons WoodCrest

Intel is set to announce Core and Dual-Core WoodCrest on the19th of June 2006, with the goods being delivered no later than 25th of June2006. The retail name will stick with the established Intel Xeon name. Duringthat time there will be Xeons based on the Dempsey Core and the new WoodCrestCore so consumers should take note that Xeon 50xx refers to one on the Dempseycore while Xeon 51xx refers to one on the WoodCrest.

The initial WoodCrest processors we will see include Xeon 5110(1.6GHz/4MBL2/1066MHz FSB), Xeon 5120(1.86GHz/4MB L2/1066MHz FSB), Xeon 5130(2GHz/4MBL2/1333MHz FSB), Xeon 5140(2.33GHz/4MB L2/1333MHz FSB), Xeon 5150(2.66GHz/4MBL2/1333MHz FSB) and the top-range Xeon 5160(3GHz/4MB L2/1333MHz FSB), based onthe LGA 771 socket. These processors are relatively low power-consuming, drawinga maximum of 80w, compared to the 130w maximum consumption of the previous genDempsey. They will support Intel EM64T, Intel Execute Disable Bit, IntelVirtualization Technology while Demand-Based Switching will only be supported onXeon 5140 and higher models.

The low voltage Xeon LV Sossaman core  and the new generation of Xeon LVwill both still be based on Socket 771, LV WoodCrest Core will be the Xeon 5148(2.33GHz/4MB L2 Cache/1333MHz FSB) drawing only 40w of power. They will fullysupport Intel EM64T, Intel Execute Disable Bit, Intel Virtualization Technologyand Demand-Based Switching.

Xeon 5110, 5120, 5130, 5140, 5150 and 5160 will be retailing for USD$ 209, $ 256,$ 316, $ 455, $ 690 and $ 851 respectively. Xeon 5148 will retail for around USD$ 519and Intel will not be putting out any models higher than Xeon 5160 before thesecond quarter of 2007. The first Quad Core Xeon CloverTown will debut inquarter 1 of 2007.

Dell Smartphone Gets Official Appearance in China

With speculations all over the net, Dell's Smartphone have made an official appearance in China.

Branded Mini 3i, things are starting to get interesting here for Dellas the Mini 3i is on-hand as part of the launch of China Mobile's newApplicationPlatform that offers music, video, and app downloads to various mobilephone manufacturers and that includes Dell.

The Dell Mini 3i is a candybar device that comes with the Android-based Open Mobile System (OMS) and has a 3.5-inch 360 x 640 pixel device with capacitive touchscreen.

The downside ? It lacks WiFi (or Chinese WAPI) and is strictly 2G GSM(no 3G) but does come with a 3 megapixel camera, microSD slot,Bluetooth, and 950mAh battery. G

No details given for the retail date or the price.

CyanogenMod 9-RC1 now available

Before taking off for the Google I/O in San Francisco, the CyanogenMod team announced the release of the CyanogenMod 9.0-RC1.

It has been 225 days since Google unleashed Android ICS for developers to work on, and within that time the people working on CM9 has managed to whip out official support for 37 devices. The team claims that CM 9.0 RC1 is a stable build which they have put countless hours into producing.

Although 37 devices may not seem like a big number, it is because of the effort of the official CM9 devs that people outside of the official team can work on porting CM other devices.

The CM team points out that the RC1 release will be the first of many more RC1’s, and support for additional devices are on their to-do list.

Check out the official post here for more details.

DDR SDRAM Prices Falling

DDR prices have fallen by more than 10 percent on the open market. The pricing fluctuation occurred when Hynix Semiconductor allegedly dumped 5 million 256-megabit DDR SDRAM devices in China. Open market pricing for the DDR 32 x 8 fall from the $ 6.65 range to the $ 5.30 to $ 5.90 range, depending on manufacturer. Admittedly many were caught unaware and speculators further contributed to the price erosion by unloading additional product into the market rather than risk getting caught in a losing situation, resulting in a 10 percent slide in DDR pricing. Choppy DDR pricing over the next several weeks with the 32 x 8 fluctuating between the $ 5.10 to $ 5.70 range and 16 x 16 configured product to sell in the $ 5.65-$ 6.00 range.

AMP Announces Gold Bullet USB Flash Drive

PRESS RELEASE



Fremont, California – November 3, 2010 – Active Media Products, a leading manufacturer of SSDs and USB drives, today launched a new USB 2.0 flash drive in the shape of a 50-caliber bullet. This gold bullet drive features a rugged aluminum case with an air-tight rubber seal, making the drive waterproof when closed. Measuring about 3.0 inches in length and 0.6 inches in diameter, the bullet drive is offered in 4GB and 8GB capacities. "Our goal is to constantly reinvent the USB drive, making a unique combination of style and functionality." commented Active Media Products VP of Sales, Jerry Thomson.


The bullet includes a strong steel keychain and clip for attaching the drive to a backpack or keyring. This new bullet drive is available now through Amazon, at approximately $12 for the 4GB model and $21 for the 8GB drive.


About Active Media Products

Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Active Media Products LLC is dedicated to developing creative new media products that improve performance and enhance the user’s experience. Our focus on innovative product development enables us to bring new technology to market a step ahead of the competition. AMP is a leader in small form factor SSDs and manufactures the Wink and the endangered species line of USB drives.

Apple's Genius ad not a smart move

Apple, for a long time, has relied heavily on marketing to sell their products. It’s anyone’s call to judge whether or not an Apple product lives up to the marketing hype, but it doesn’t take a “Genius” to know the world’s hunger for Apple’s apples is almost unappeasable at times.

Despite all the successes of past campaigns, Apple’s recent “Genius” ads are receiving some harsh criticism from Ken Segall—known for his involvement in the “Think Different” campaign.

In recent a blog post, Segall said that the Genius ads dont fully express the quality of the Apple brand. The “idea” behind the ads were good, but according to Segall the “execution” was poor.

“The ‘idea’ is pretty good. I’m not convinced it’s worthy of an ongoing campaign, but there is some good comedy in the basic concept. The problem is, a good idea is only half of the winning formula in advertising. The other half is execution — and that’s where this campaign went south.”

Yikes, Apple’s Genius ads are causing the company’s image to go south? This is a harsh rejection from a person that is relatively familar with past Apple marketing campaigns. Segall argues that Apple’s past ads instill the concept of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” with the help of an easy to use product.

The recent Genius ads, however, take away the sense of self-reliance, which is a direct contrast to Apple’s past ads. Therefore, consumers are the ones on the “dim side”, and the Genius employee becomes the all-important figure in the campaign. The element of flattering a consumer’s ego is not there, and if a potential buyer doesn’t feel good about himself then he won’t feel good about the product.

“Therein lies another problem with this campaign. In the effort to show that the Genius is the most helpful guy in the world, Apple has created customers who, shall we say, are on the dim side. In past ads, Apple has shown “ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” simply because Apple products are so easy to use. Now we have thick people who want to be better, but need a Genius to help. Not exactly flattering.”

Segall vehemently objects the Mac vs PC idea, as he believes it downgrades the “quality” of the Apple brand. Apple is not Best Buy or an OEM like Dell, therefore, according to Segall, the ads should reflect the unique Apple brand and not the brands of others.

“The idea of creating a “character” from an Apple employee is… well…. damn, I can’t even say this without feeling awful… it feels like something Best Buy would do. Maybe even Dell. Between the writing, casting, directing and production, this campaign has a very “local” feel to it. It doesn’t have the feel of quality that has defined previous Apple advertising.”

So Segall thinks Apple screwed up the Genius ads, but if the late Steve Jobs was still around, could such a failure be rectified?

“Every one of us, Steve Jobs included, has experienced failure,” Segall said.

In the end, it goes without saying that "customers are always right." You decide the genius behind the Genius ads.