The Gadget Geek

Computing pioneer Chuck Thacker wins Turing Award

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:13 +0000

Computing pioneer Chuck Thacker wins Turing Award
Chuck Thacker may not be quite the same household name as some other computing pioneers, but it’s pretty hard to overstate the influence he’s had on the industry, a feat for which he’s now be honored with the A.M. Turing Award — widely considered to be the “Nobel prize of computing.” While Thacker is now a “Technical Fellow” at Microsoft, he first made a name for himself at Xerox PARC, where he not only helped design and realize the very first modern computer, the Alto, but co-invented Ethernet, and contributed to a range of other projects that have had a lasting impact on computing to this day. Later, while at Microsoft Reseach, Thacker oversaw the design of the very first Tablet PC prototypes, and he continues to lead up a computer-architecture group at the company and be involved with various research efforts. Of course, that’s only scratching the surface — hit up the links below for a more complete background of the man’s work, and head on past the break for a short video put together for the occasion by Microsoft.

Continue reading Computing pioneer Chuck Thacker wins Turing Award

Computing pioneer Chuck Thacker wins Turing Award originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1024-bit RSA encryption cracked by carefully starving CPU of electricity

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:01:11 +0000

1024-bit RSA encryption cracked by carefully starving CPU of electricity

Since 1977, RSA public-key encryption has protected privacy and verified authenticity when using computers, gadgets and web browsers around the globe, with only the most brutish of brute force efforts (and 1,500 years of processing time) felling its 768-bit variety earlier this year. Now, three eggheads (or Wolverines, as it were) at the University of Michigan claim they can break it simply by tweaking a device’s power supply. By fluctuating the voltage to the CPU such that it generated a single hardware error per clock cycle, they found that they could cause the server to flip single bits of the private key at a time, allowing them to slowly piece together the password. With a small cluster of 81 Pentium 4 chips and 104 hours of processing time, they were able to successfully hack 1024-bit encryption in OpenSSL on a SPARC-based system, without damaging the computer, leaving a single trace or ending human life as we know it. That’s why they’re presenting a paper at the Design, Automation and Test conference this week in Europe, and that’s why — until RSA hopefully fixes the flaw — you should keep a close eye on your server room’s power supply.

1024-bit RSA encryption cracked by carefully starving CPU of electricity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Register, TechWorld | University of Michigan | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA GTX 480 makes benchmarking debut, matches ATI HD 5870 performance (video)

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:01:16 +0000

NVIDIA GTX 480 makes benchmarking debut, matches ATI HD 5870 performance (video)

We’re still not happy with NVIDIA’s failure to publish anything on its site alerting users about the doom that may befall them if they switched to the 196.75 drivers, but the company’s making an effort to get back into our good books with the first official video of its forthcoming GeForce GTX 480 and even a benchmark run against ATI’s flagship single-GPU card, the HD 5870. It looks like you’ll need to jack in a pair of auxiliary power connectors — one 8-pin and one 6-pin — to power the first Fermi card, as well as plenty of clearance in your case to accommodate its full length (stop giggling!). NVIDIA’s benchmarking stressed the GTX 480’s superior tesselation performance over the HD 5870, but it was level pegging between the two cards during the more conventional moments. It’s all well and good being able to handle extreme amounts of tesselation, but it’ll only matter to the end user if game designers use it as extensively as this benchmark did. As ever, wait for the real benchmarks (i.e. games) before deciding who wins, but we’re slightly disappointed that NVIDIA’s latest and greatest didn’t just blow ATI’s six-month old right out of the water. Benchmarking result awaits after the break, along with video of the new graphics card and a quick look at NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Surround setup. Go fill your eyes.

Continue reading NVIDIA GTX 480 makes benchmarking debut, matches ATI HD 5870 performance (video)

NVIDIA GTX 480 makes benchmarking debut, matches ATI HD 5870 performance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
E3 2009: Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
New Eneloop Bike Recharges On the Flat
Sanyo has added a new electric bike to its Eneloop line-up, and it comes with the brand-new Eco Charge Mode. We first saw the Eneloop bike when we took it for a spin around the car-park at CES in Las Vegas (before being kicked out by a security guard). That bike would charge only on [...]

Steve Ballmer emphasizes importance of the cloud, Google pretty much does likewise

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:01:14 +0000

Steve Ballmer emphasizes importance of the cloud, Google pretty much does likewise
Microsoft has had its run-ins with the cloud before, but if CEO Steve Ballmer is being serious (and we’re guessing he is), the company is about to get even more connected. Speaking with computer science students this week at the University of Washington, Ballmer was quoted as saying that “a year from now… 90 percent [of Microsoft employees would be working in the cloud].” He went on to say that the cloud base “is the bet, if you will, for our company,” and he noted that it’ll “create opportunities for all the folks in [the] room to do important research and build important projects.” It’s not like any of this is an epiphany, though; we’ve already seen a shift to Google Documents given the ability to access it from any web-connected computer, and with the proliferation of broadband on the up and up, it’s only a matter of time before it’s more convenient to open a web app than to wait for your taskbar to stop bouncing. In related news, Google Europe boss John Herlihy has essentially mirrored those thoughts, calling the desktop an item that will be “irrelevant” in three years. Why? Largely because most everything you’ll need a tower for will be available via a mobile or the web, but we all know that sect of hardcore gamers will keep the beige boxes rolling for at least another score.

Steve Ballmer emphasizes importance of the cloud, Google pretty much does likewise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Computer World, Silicon Republic | Email this | Comments

AT&T USBConnect Turbo and Velocity are carrier’s first LG and GPS modems, respectively

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:00:19 +0000

AT&T USBConnect Turbo and Velocity are carrier’s first LG and GPS modems, respectively

Location-based services have finally melted our brains to the point where we’re completely useless without immediate and constant access to Google Maps or a reasonable facsimile — we couldn’t fold a paper map if we tried, and even if we could, we’d spend an hour looking for the pulsing blue dot. That’s why we’re so delighted to hear that AT&T has finally outed its very first GPS-enabled USB modem, the USBConnect Velocity from Option, that includes a so-called Option GPS Control Panel for injecting your whereabouts into popular services like Yahoo and Bing (Google, curiously, isn’t mentioned). The other newbie to the lineup is the USBConnect Turbo — AT&T’s very first modem from LG — with an “ergonomic design” and versatile connector for even the most awkward ports (MacBook, we’re looking straight at you). Both devices will be available on the 7th of the month; the Turbo will be free on contract after rebate while the Velocity comes in at $29.99.

AT&T USBConnect Turbo and Velocity are carrier’s first LG and GPS modems, respectively originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: Myvu
CES 2009: Myvu

XP downgrade lawsuit thrown out, MS lawyers celebrate rare victory

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:23 +0000

XP downgrade lawsuit thrown out, MS lawyers celebrate rare victory
It’s hard to imagine a more busy team of lawyers than those on-staff at Microsoft, and while the news isn’t always good for them, today they can hold their heads high as a lawsuit filed last year alleging that MS was profiting from so-called “downgrade fees” has finally been dismissed. US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman found that the plaintiff, Emma Alvarado, didn’t prove Microsoft was in any way gaining value from these charges. In fact the downgrade fee to move to XP was, in this case, being charged by Lenovo, not Microsoft, and was to cover the additional time it took to physically install that OS over the standard (at the time) Vista. In other words Alvarado missed the mark and in the process surely cost taxpayers and Microsoft thousands and thousands of dollars. Hooray!

XP downgrade lawsuit thrown out, MS lawyers celebrate rare victory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2010 Hands-On with the Plastic Logic QUE proReader
CES 2010 Hands-On with the Plastic Logic QUE proReader

Melbourne’s decommissioned Observation Wheel re-imagined as energy-making windmill

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:00:35 +0000

Melbourne’s decommissioned Observation Wheel re-imagined as energy-making windmill

A Melbourne icon was shut down recently due to damages that were apparently too severe to bother fixing, but thankfully for the otherwise stunning Southern Star Observation Wheel, a few good men and women have their gears going about what to do next. Designer Büro North, who also dreamed up the VEIL Solar Shades, has a most splendorous idea of how to turn a broken ride into something that actually benefits local citizens. Obviously everything’s still a pipe dream for now, but said dream involves strapping solar sails onto the sides and creating a wind-driven energy generation machine that pulls juice from two renewable sources. And let’s be honest, you’d totally ride this — risks be darned.

Melbourne’s decommissioned Observation Wheel re-imagined as energy-making windmill originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Inhabitat | Buro North | Email this | Comments
Gateway FX530 Desktop
Gateway FX530 Desktop

How would you change Google’s Nexus One?

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:00:46 +0000

How would you change Google’s Nexus One?

It hasn’t quite been out (in public hands, anyway) for two months, but Google’s Nexus One has managed to grab the world’s attention and focus it squarely on Android. Specs wise, it’s not the superphone that many had expected, but it’s certainly delightful in its own right. For those who have sprung for one, we’re bubbling over in anticipation to hear how you’d change it. Would you have snuck an overclocked processor in there? Would you have ditched the trackball for a sensor pad? Do you wish it were available on more carriers? Is the call quality up to snuff? Look — there’s a better-than-decent chance that you threw down some serious bills on this, so don’t hold back. The Nexus Two just won’t be the same without your pair of pennies.

How would you change Google’s Nexus One? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TrekStor vibez MP3 Player
TrekStor vibez MP3 Player
Adult Swim Skins Make Your Phone #1 In The Hood, G
Check check it. Here’s the toughest thing you’ll ever slap on your phone (or computer). Ever. MusicSkins is a Brooklyn based company that makes vinyl coverings (aka fancy stickers) for iPods, iPhones, laptops, and a glut of other consumer electronics. And now they’ve gotten all sexy with Cartoon Network and commissioned some incredibly cool designs inspired [...]

EyeTV Netstream DTT tuner streams reruns of The Fall Guy to your entire home network

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:01:13 +0000

EyeTV Netstream DTT tuner streams reruns of The Fall Guy to your entire home network

If you’re looking to bridge the gap between the boob tube and YouTube, Elgato (literally, “the gato”) has always been a good bet. The company’s newly announced EyeTV Netstream DTT takes the ol’ EyeTV tuner we’ve all grown to know and love and lets you connect it to your router, allowing you to watch DTV on any computer connected to your network, provided it’s a Mac or a PC. Plays well Windows 7 Media Center and ships with both TerraTec Home Cinema (Windows) and EyeTV 3 (OS X). Available now for €250 (about $350). Hit the source link and never miss an episode of The New Benny Hill Show again. PR after the break.

Continue reading EyeTV Netstream DTT tuner streams reruns of The Fall Guy to your entire home network

EyeTV Netstream DTT tuner streams reruns of The Fall Guy to your entire home network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: Monster Mobile iPod Gear
CES 2009: Monster Mobile iPod Gear

Seagate ships 3.5-inch 2TB 6Gbps Constellation ES hard drive

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:16 +0000

Seagate ships 3.5-inch 2TB 6Gbps Constellation ES hard drive

Seagate’s no stranger to the world of SATA 6Gbps, and if you really, really needed another option, here you go. The aforesaid company has just shipped what it calls the industry’s first 2TB 6Gbps SAS enterprise drive, complete with a 7200RPM spindle speed and some sort of “best-in-class” reliability. And given the kind of thing that Seagate’s own CEO recommends you use its drives for, you can be certain that you’ll need that. Mum’s the word on pricing, but 500GB and 1TB versions are also out there for those with less to archive.

Seagate ships 3.5-inch 2TB 6Gbps Constellation ES hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hot Hardware | Seagate | Email this | Comments
CES 2010 – Video of Sony Dash Demo
CES 2010 – Video of Sony Dash Demo
Zero to Hero: Five New NX Lenses Put Samsung in the Game
A Samsung press conference is two things: Packed with reporters (the lines to get in can be hundreds of yards long) and packed with products. This last is no surprise, as Samsung is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of anything that uses electricity. Even so, I wasn’t quite expecting the number of lenses that formed [...]
Made to Light You Up
This particular design is called the “Grass Lamp.” It’s designed by Marko Vuckovic to bring warmth into your environment through the fabulously cunning combination of cool human design with natures lovely natural elements. Same word. Its huge, yet discreet. Grows grass, yet it’s PVC. Only light will tell. It’s difficult …