The first chip for high-grade trace of beams

Company Caustic Graphics has developed the graphic chip which supports technology of trace of the beams, allowing to do the image in games and the programs working with a three-dimensional drawing, by much more realistic. About it writes The Wall Street Journal. Affirms that the new chip accelerates three-dimensional scenes the usual central processor or a video card in twenty times. In 2010 Caustic is going to increase computing capacity of the chips still ten times. Trace of beams means the analysis of passage of rays of light through a modelled scene. For this purpose extensively from the observer shoot millions beams to which should be reflected, to go out or depart in anywhere. Got to an eye of the observer beams form images. Application of trace of beams demands huge volumes of calculations. High-grade graphic decisions while only are developed for trace of beams. Over it actively works Intel, whose first discrete video card Larrabee with support of this technology will appear not earlier than the end of 2009. The foreign companies also managed to add support of trace of beams in video cards AMD. Caustic Graphics it is based by three former engineers Apple one of which participated in working out of a graphic subsystem iPhone and iPod. Now the company has received financing for the sum of 11 million dollars.

Photo by Tim Babb from wikipedia.org

The largest IT exhibition of the world has missed the fifth part of visitors

In 2009 the world's largest computer exhibition CeBIT in Hanover have visited more than 400 thousand persons that for 20 percent there is less than indicator of year prescription. On it it is informed in the press release of organizers CeBIT 2009. The greatest number of visitors CeBIT has collected in 2001. Then an exhibition has visited more than 850 thousand persons. The quantity of participants CeBIT 2001 has exceeded eight thousand companies. About 20 percent of visitors CeBIT 2009 have arrived to Hanover from other countries. Thus if the number of visitors from Asia in 2009 has decreased, quantity of visitors from Northern and the South America, and also from the countries of the Near East, has increased. Organizers CeBIT 2009 underline that, despite attendance falling, the exhibition has appeared more successfully last year's. In particular, the quantity of the business contacts adjusted on CeBIT 2009, has increased by 20 percent. Exhibition CeBIT passed from March, third till March, eighth. It have opened the governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and German chancellor Angela Merkel. In 2009 CeBIT has taken places on the area of 200 thousand square metres. 4300 companies have taken part in an exhibition from 69 states that for 25 percent there is less than indicator of 2008.

Photo from cebit.de

Acer announced 49-euros communicator

Company Acer announced С1 and E1 communicators at CeBIT exhibition 2009, which cost will make 49 euros, informs TechRadar. If the company manages to agree with operators, these communicators will get to subscribers free of charge. Acer С1 and E1 possitions as accessible communicators initial level. Their main destination - web surfing and work with e-mail. Both communicators will work under control of Windows Mobile 6.5. They will appear on sale till the end of current year in several colour variants. Also Acer announced F1 and L1 communicators, working on the basis of Windows Mobile 6.5. It is known that F1 it is equipped by the big touch screen and 5 Megapixel camera, and L1 it is executed in shape slider. The first Acer communicators have been presented in February of current year at exhibition Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Then representatives of the company have informed that develop such eight devices four of which can be bought in March.
Photo from engadget.com

British scientists announced a virtual cocoon

British researchers from the Universities of York and Warwick announced in London on a device called Virtual Cocoon ( "Virtual Cocoon"), which will create a virtual reality that affect all the senses, not only for vision and hearing. This says TG Daily.
Virtual Cocoon is a ball with the "multifunctionality" seat for the user. The inner surface of the globe is a display. The servers that control a virtual reality, are located under the floor. Virtual Cocoon size is approximately the average kitchen.

The smell will be generated with the help of new technology, developed at Warwick University. Tactile sensation will be simulated with the help of special "tactile devices. Instead, the taste will be simulated the texture of what should be in the user's mouth.

Scientists argue that the use of their equipment, construction of which will cost several million dollars, the user will be unable to distinguish reality from virtual reality. So far, scientists have submitted only waxwork device.

Illustration from tgdaily.com

The creators of BlackBerry will open mobile applications shop

RIM Corporation developed smartphone BlackBerry, announced store mobile applications App World, which is similar to Apple App Store, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi, and other stores.
Commercial applications in the App World will cost a minimum of 2.99 dollars (2.75 euros in Europe), says Engadget. The basic payment system would be PayPal. According to information on the site, place the program in the shop will be able to developers of most of the world, except for Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and others.

While the App World to run only in the U.S., Canada and Britain, the store will use the English language. In the future, service will transfer to the French, Italian, German and Spanish.

BlackBerry devices are widely used not only conventional, but corporate users. In particular, they provide instant e-mail exchange secure communication channel.

Photo by Blackbarry Appworld

British have bought 2 million PlayStation 3 consoles

People in the UK bought more than two million PlayStation 3 prefixes, the MCV, with reference to the statement made by one of the heads of Sony Maguayr Ray (Ray Maguire). He also added that sales of portable gaming system, PSP has already exceeded the three million mark in the console.
Maguayr sure that in the next 12 months, Sony will be able to sell in the UK have about one million PlayStation 3. To a large extent, this should help the success of the game Killzone 2. Recall that the shooter was headed by the British charts in the first week after the start of sales.

Console PlayStation 3 has been on sale in Europe 23 March 2007. According to Sony, the company managed to sell more than 21 million prefixes. At the same time PS3 is still on the last race in the current generation of consoles.

PSP sales in Europe began in 2005. To date, Sony was able to realize more than 50 million portable game systems. According to rumors, the company started to develop a new, already the fourth model PSP. According to anonymous sources close to Sony, portable console will lose its slot for the UMD-discs and get sliding screen.

Photo by Press Service of Sony

Acer announced 10-inch Aspire One at CeBIT 09

Acer Inc. announced at the CeBIT exhibition netbook Aspire One c display with a diagonal of 10.1 inches and resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels and LED backlight.
Netbook equipped with hard disk capacity of 160 gigabytes (previously used drives up to 120 gigabytes). Depending on the battery time on battery power varies from 3 to 7 hours, and the weight - from 1,18 to 1,33 kg.

In 10-inch Aspire One can be apart of modules Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module is built to work with GPRS, EDGE, as well as third-generation networks.

The new device, as in the model with 9 inch display processor uses Intel Atom N270, running at a frequency of 1.6 GhZ. Acer Aspire One comes preinstalled with Windows XP Home Edition, though the corporation reserves the right to install in different models of different operating systems.

Photo by Acer

Amazon made the "Kindle" -iPhone analogue

E-shop Amazon has released a free application for iPhone, allowing the purchase of books and magazines, as well as to read their electronic versions on-screen smartphone Apple, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Thus, service purchase e-books, most of which cost about 10 dollars, is now available not only to buyers device Kindle, but also users of mobile phones. Application for iPhone, which is well called, Kindle for iPhone, has only a few weeks after the presentation of the new version of Kindle.

The authors of the program, which is only available in the U.S., suggest that users of the new applications will not be reading books on the iPhone more than half due to eye strain and battery. Purchased books will be placed not more than six devices.

The program has a function Whispersync, allowing remember where finished reading, and continue with it regardless of what device is used for access to the text.

Device Kindle, can read e-books, was first introduced in November 2007. It has cost nearly 400 dollars. The new version costs about 360 dollars.

Screenshot of "Kindle"

AMD introduced the world's first 40-nanometer graphics chips

AMD introduced the first in the world of graphics processors were executed in compliance with 40-nanometer production methods at CeBIT 2009. They called the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and Mobility Radeon HD 4830 and are intended for installation in notebook computers. This was reported in the press release AMD.

New graphics chips from AMD are 640 stream processors. They support the DirectX version 10.1 and technology ATI CrossFireX, PowerPlay, and PowerXpress.

Maximum performance ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 is 832 ghz, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 - 768 ghz. Both the processor based on energy-efficient technologies and optimized for use with high-definition video with a resolution of 1080p.

The first laptops with graphics processors, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and Mobility Radeon HD 4830 series will be Asus K. They should reach the market early in the second quarter of 2009.

The main competitor AMD graphics processors on the market, the company Nvidia, also announced at CeBIT the new graphics solutions for mobile computers. Output from the most powerful processors Nvidia is 562 ghz.

Photo by AMD

Camera format Micro Four Thirds taught to shoot HD-video

Panasonic introduced a digital camera Lumix DMC-GH1. It was the first camera in a standard Micro Four Thirds, which can shoot video. This was reported in the press release, Panasonic.

Lumix DMC-GH1 is equipped with 12.1-megapixel matrix. During the processing of images in the camera processor meets Venus Engine HD.

To work with this camera manufacturer offers a new lens Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm. It supports auto as when shooting photos or video. This Autofocus works very quietly, so as to minimize background noise while recording video.

Video recorded Lumix DMC-GH1, you can save in the format of AVCHD. Maximum video resolution - 1920h1080 pixels at a frequency of shooting 24 frames per second. When shooting with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels video recording speed increases up to 60 frames per second.

Dimensions Lumix DMC-GH1 constitute 124x90x45 mm, weight - 385 grams. Start date sales price of the camera and are not reported.

Format Micro Four Thirds has been designed by Olympus and Panasonic. It involves the use of nezerkalkah matrix of the same physical size as a modern SLR cameras, but excludes certain structural features of the latter.

In autumn 2008, Panasonic introduced the world's first digital camera format Micro Four Thirds - Lumix DMC-G1. Its technical characteristics are identical characteristics Lumix DMC-GH1 with the exception of the possibility of recording video. Currently, Lumix DMC-G1 costs 800 dollars.

Photo by press service of the company