Firefox-Based KEON Smartphone Receives FCC Approval

Last week, Spanish company Geeksphone announced that the entry-level Keon and Peak smartphones powered by Firefox OS would be available for purchase via its online store.

According to the handset manufacturer, both smartphones will be available for order anywhere in the world for €91 / $119 and €149 / $195, respectively. A few days after the official announcement, Engadget reports that Keon, the most affordable of the two, has just received FCC’s (Federal Communications Commission) approval.

As expected, the smartphone comes equipped with a decent; 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display, a 1GHz single-core processor and a 1580 mAh Li-Ion battery. Customers in the United States who wish to order the Keon should also know that the device features support for GPRS / GSM / WCDMA 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, which makes it fully compatible with AT&T’s network.

Keon smartphone at FCC
Image credits to Engadget

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iOS 7 Needs This Jailbreak Tweak!

Atom, an upcoming Cydia tweak that lets you unlock your iPhone to six different apps just by dragging a slider over to their icons, deserves more than just our attention.

It deserves Apple’s attention as well. Set to become available on the BigBoss repository in the Cydia Store this week, Atom puts a lock icon right smack in the middle of your screen and lets you slide it over to one of six apps that you want to launch. Click on the image above to expand it.

It’s as simple as it is brilliant, and while it’s not the first jailbreak tweak of its kind, it’s certainly the best so far. Which means Apple should really consider buying this idea from whoever coded it (Absinthe Jailbreak doesn’t mention the developer) and bring a bit of joy to the iOS install base this summer. iOS 7 begs for it.

Atom example
Image credits to Absinthe Jailbreak

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Nokia to Launch Something New on April 24

Today, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has announced plans to unveil something new on Wednesday, April 24, although it did not offer specific info on what would be unwrapped.

“On Wednesday morning at 7am GMT we will be announcing something new, followed by a Q&A session with Neil Broadley from our Mobile Phones team and a special guest,” Nokia announced in a blog post on Nokia Conversations. The message was accompanied by a teaser photo, which can be seen above, and which suggests that the company might unveil a QWERTY-enabled smartphone later this week, most probably one included in its already popular Asha series.

However, this is mere speculation for the time being, and we’ll have to wait for April 24 to arrive to learn specifics on Nokia’s plans. Stay tuned for more on this.

Nokia teases new announcement for April 24
Image credits to Nokia Conversations

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May-Bound AMD Dual-GPU Radeon HD 7990 Malta Benchmarked

This past weekend, we found out what the exact specifications of the newest and greatest upcoming AMD graphics card were. Now we get to follow up on that with some benchmark test results.

The following are the results of the card being tested and compared against NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 690 dual-GPU board. As some may expect, AMD's newer dual-chip adapter completely trounces NVIDIA's board, giving credence to the rumors that the Santa Clara company is readying an even stronger Titan card. In 3DMark FireStrike, the Malta scored 11479 Marks, much higher than the 9863 Marks of the GeForce GTX Titan and even higher than the 8859 Marks of the GTX 690. Then there was the even more demanding FireStrike Extreme setting, where the product managed a scrape 5854 Marks versus the Titan's 5079 and the 690's 4470. By all accounts, all those scores are high, but that only makes the Malta more impressive for being so ahead of the others. Then again, this was a synthetic benchmark test, not an actual comparison of frame rates, detail and quality in games.

When the Malta comes out, reviewers will have to take it and play games on it, then play the same games at the same settings on the other high-end adapters. We surmise that Malta will still come out on top, but the difference may not be so sharp then. That said, there is a glimpse of the Radeon HD 7990 playing Battlefield 3 at 5760 x 1080 resolution in Ultra quality, thanks to Hardware.Info. Malta is faster than GTX 690, but only by a few frames per second, oddly enough. In the end, the prowess of the two may be comparable. Still, knowing AMD's tendency to sell things at lower prices than its rivals, the HD 7990 may be sold for even less than the $1,000 previously reported, so AMD will tip the scales in its favor that way.

AMD Radeon HD 7990
Image credits to hardware.info

AMD Radeon HD 7990 benchmark
Image credits to hardware.info

AMD Radeon HD 7990 benchmark
Image credits to WCCFTech

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NVIDIA Prepares GeForce Titan Ultra Graphics Card

We thought that the GeForce GTX Titan LE graphics card was the only superpowered single-GPU graphics card that NVIDIA was still preparing, not counting the supposed GTX 780 presumably set for launch by June.

Then again, it is possible for the latter's name to be no more than hearsay, and for it to be really called GeForce GTX Titan Ultra. GeForce GTX Titan Ultra, or Titan II, is the moniker applied to a video card that 3DCenter.org and PCGamesHardware believe might debut sooner rather than later. This is all speculation, mind, based on nothing but the random possibility that NVIDIA may not, in fact, intend for Titan to stay as the strongest product for long. The only reason we ascribe any sort of probability to these rumors is, as we have said, recent murmurs about a new GeForce 7 adapter. NVIDIA may very well be working on a Titan, rather than something bearing the GeForce GTX 780 name. Since NVIDIA Titan already costs $1,000 / 1,000 EUR, the Titan Ultra / Titan II would sell for quite a bit more, and would need to possess significantly better specifications. That means 2880 CUDA cores, versus the Titan's 2,688 and the Titan LE's 2,496. It also means a 384-bit memory interface (vs. 384/320), 6 GB of GDDR5 VRAM (6/5 GB Titan/LE), GPU base/boost speeds of 900/950 MHz (vs. 837/876 MHz), 48 ROPs (48 Titan, 40 Titan LE) and 256 texture mapping units (48/40 TMUs).

The power consumption would be of around 225W, more than the 206W of the original and 185W of the expected LE. Should NVIDIA actually make a Titan Ultra, it would release it in the fourth quarter of 2013 most likely. Nevertheless, as we have said before, these are speculations based on rumors and hopes. The price will play a big role here. Since dual-GK110 boards are too unprofitable (unlike AMD's Radeon HD 7990 Malta), NVIDIA needs to make sure its single-chip cards at least try to strike a balance between performance and cost. We'll have to wait and see how it all goes.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan
Image credits to Nvidia

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No Start Button Just Yet in Leaked Windows 8.1/Blue

Microsoft is believed to be working on a new Start button that could see daylight as soon as this summer, together with Windows 8.1, the first important upgrade for the current Windows 8.

The Windows 8.1/Blue build that got leaked over the weekend, however, doesn’t show any sign of a potential Start button, but instead focuses on the new Start Screen released with Windows 8. If reports are true, Microsoft might bring back the Start button because of customer feedback, as many Windows 8 adopters have been disappointed with the tech giant’s decision to abandon this particular Windows feature.

What’s more, it appears that some high-profile Microsoft executives, including CEO Steve Ballmer himself, insisted for the return of the Start button in Windows 8.1, even though the Windows division had initially wanted to stick to the Start Screen and improve it with a bunch of new options.

The classic Start button might return in the upcoming Windows 8.1
Image credits to Microsoft

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New Windows 8.1/Blue Version Gets Leaked, Build 9374 Available for Download

Redmond-based tech giant Microsoft continues work on the new Windows iteration, so a brand new version of the internally codenamed Blue project got leaked.

Windows 8.1/Blue build 9374 is now available for download from file sharing websites, as Microsoft has recently sent this particular release to partners across the world for testing purposes. While it's not yet clear if build 9374 brings any improvements over the previous versions, it's pretty obvious that we're getting closer to a public beta of the operating system that could see daylight sometime this summer. According to sources familiar with the matter, Windows 8.1 is expected to hit the shelves in August or September, while the public beta might be unveiled to developers at the BUILD conference in June.

Windows 8.1 would most likely bring quite a lot of improvements to Microsoft's current flagship operating system, including a Start button that's supposed to help the new software appeal to many more users.

Build 9374 is expected to bring several improvements to the Windows 8.1 preview version
Image credits to WinClub.pl

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Intel Broadwell will be Followed by Skylake in 2015

Earlier this week we commented on how odd it was that leaks were already revealing information about Broadwell, which will follow the June-bound Haswell in 2014.

Now we get to catch a glimpse of a future even farther off, where 14nm-based Skylake CPUs will follow the Broadwell in 2015. Like Haswell-E, the chips will support DDR4 memory, although their CPU sockets will be different. While Haswell-E will use LGA 2011, the Skylake will have a new one. That said, Broadwell-E will probably take Haswell-E's place at some point after the Skylake series' arrival, near late 2015 perhaps, or early 2016.

We will have to wait for further leaks, be they documents or photos, to know what else is in store for later years. It will also be interesting to see what AMD will launch during these times.

Intel Skylake roadmap slide
Image credits to VR-Zone China

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AMD Malta Radeon HD 7990 Final Specs Revealed, Launch on April 24

There might once have been uncertainty as to whether or not Advanced Micro Devices would ever actually release a dual-GPU Radeon HD 7000 graphics card, but there is no doubt left now.

The estimated arrival date, for one, is no longer estimated. It is a sure thing: April 24, 2014, which means Tuesday, four days after the time of this article's writing. We can also finally relay the exact specifications of the adapter, thanks to ChinaDIY website. The information fits previous leaks, like the eBay auction and the report about the release day earlier this week. The Radeon HD 7990 used to be called New Zealand, back in 2012, but then AMD decided not to actually release a reference adapter. Having reconsidered this year, it chose to name it “Malta” instead, and gave it two Tahiti XT GPUs, each with a clock speed of 1 GHz, 2048 Stream processors and a memory interface of 384 bits.

The chips operate in tandem thanks to an on-board implementation of CrossFireX multi-GPU technology.  And since each chip has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory backing it up, everything boils down to 4096 Stream processors, 6 GB of GDDR5 at 6 GHz clock speed, 64 Raster operating units, 2 Prim /Clock, 256 Texture mapping units, and a total memory interface of 768 bits. Thus, the bandwidth is of 576.0 GB/s and the peak compute performance is of 8.2 TERAFLOPS. As for the cooler, it is a dual-slot contraption with three fans of 92 mm in diameter, with turbine design and internal vapor chamber heatsinks. One chamber is placed on each core, and copper heatpipes link them together. The cost of the newcomer is bound to be of over $1,000 / 1,000 EUR, like that of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690.

It should be noted, however, that while AMD will formally introduce the product next week, availability won't ramp up immediately. The time in between can be spent finding monitors to make use of the Dual Link DVI and 4 mini Displayports (Eyefinity supported, naturally).

AMD Radeon HD 7990
Image credits to ChinaDIY

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The Windows Start Button Will Come Back. Thanks to Your Feedback

Microsoft will soon launch Windows 8.1, the first major overhaul of an operating system that's often described as a rather disappointing product.

Also dubbed “the new Vista,” Windows 8 will receive several upgrades this summer, as part of a so-called Blue project that's expected to refresh not only the Windows platform, but also some other apps, such as Internet Explorer, SkyDrive, Windows Phone and Office. But leaving all these improvements aside, Windows 8.1 is very likely to mark a historical moment: Microsoft will finally admit it was wrong when it decided to remove the Start button from Windows 8. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Redmond-based tech giant is planning to bring back the Start button in Windows 8.1, along with a new feature that would allow users to bypass the Start Screen and boot directly to desktop.

This is undoubtedly great news for those of you who have already embraced Windows 8 and can't get used to the Start Screen, but here's something we don't see very often.

Microsoft must admit it was wrong.

Peter Klein, the company's financial chief officer that will soon resign, said in this month's earnings conference call that Microsoft's future Windows release would be based on consumer feedback. This means that in case Microsoft indeed brings back the Start button, it's all because of you. Users, that is. The avalanche of criticism Microsoft had to cope with after the Windows 8 launch was overwhelming, with millions of users criticizing the company for removing this traditional Windows feature. High-profile Microsoft executives, including CEO Steve Ballmer, said that customers had no other option than to get used to the Start Screen.

Steven Sinofsky, the former Windows boss, explained that people were reluctant to adopt the Start Screen because it was “something new.” The same happened when the Start button was launched in Windows 95, he said. Microsoft's dilemma is that users actually do have a choice: they can dump Windows completely and move to another operating system, stick to Windows 7 or go the third-party way and install a separate Start button.

Microsoft needs Windows 8.1 to be successful.

There's no doubt about it. Microsoft, on the other hand, has no other option than to bring back the Start button because of two reasons. First, it has to show everyone that it cares about its users. Windows 8 ignored consumer feedback and brought a major change in both user interface and features. The Metro interface even made some people think that Microsoft might actually kill the desktop completely in the future. Which is wrong. Microsoft won't do that unless it wants to lose 99 percent of its customers.

Second, Microsoft needs Windows 8.1 to be successful. If it sticks to the same idea embraced by Windows 8, it has no chance to do this. The Start button and an option to bypass the Start Screen would basically be the easiest ways to attract more users. Microsoft will soon kill Windows XP completely, so the Start button could also help the company bring more users to its Modern operating system. After the Windows 8 “disaster,” Windows 8.1 must be a hit. Otherwise, the comments made by Gartner analyst and suggesting that Microsoft's domination could be over might not sound so strange anymore.

So the Start button is a must have in Windows 8.1 Believe it or not, it all comes down to this feature. It's the end user whose opinion is the most important and in this case, you've said it loud and clear: bring back the Start button! You're welcome, Microsoft! These guys are doing you a huge favor. They're saving your business by showing you the right path. Here are some of the comments you've send to us ever since the Start button got removed from Windows:

“We need options. I don't understand what's so hard, just let us determine how we use OUR computers.”  “I've been using computers since Radio Shack came out with the first home computer. This is the first time I've had to search the Internet to find out how to shut down my computer. Windows 8 is the worst operating system I have ever used! “ “Windows 8 takes the 'friendly' out of user-friendly. This is the final straw. I'm switching to Linux!”

“MS. Are you listening to your customers who pay the bills? For many like my shop, it's still a mouse, trackball, and trackpad world. All the 3rd party start button clones ought to give you at least some clue (that is unless you're clueless).” “I don't use Windows 8 just because of the missing start menu. I think that was the worst idea Microsoft had.” “I loaded Win 8 on my laptop and regret it every time I turn it on. So much so that I rarely use it.” “I believe that Microsoft should take a poll on this to see how many of their consumers like the new metro version or if they prefer the old start button. Why not create an update add on that could allow you to run which ever one you like best. Remember the consumer is always right.”

And we thank you for these. In the end, it seems that you've won a battle, but not the war. Microsoft, on the other hand, has no other choice than to admit it was wrong. And this is great news for all users across the world. Good job everyone! You've made it.

Microsoft has finally decided to listen to customer feedback
Image credits to Microsoft

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