ADATA XPG Z1 DDR4 Overclocking Memory with Airplane-Shaped Heatsinks Released

DDR4 is something that only enthusiast-grade PCs based on Intel's upcoming technology will support in the near future. Despite that, though, many of the modules that meet the new specifications' guidelines don't look the part of enthusiast hardware.

Sure, some have heatsinks, but not many, and those that do aren't really available yet. ADATA decided that it was high time it stopped being among the companies whose DDR4 memory modules and kits were just a tease. So, it has finally launched them. You can recognize them in stores by their distinctive red heatspreaders. Distinctive not just because of the color, but because of the shape that resembles an airplane's wings. ADATA has named the product line XPG Z1. The RAM comes in CL 17-17-17 timings and has a clock of 2,800 MHz, which is a fair bit above the 2,133 MHz standard speed.

Then again, if DDR3 can be overclocked to within an inch of its life, it's obvious that DDR4 will be no different, even if it's just starting out. After all, with a voltage of 1.2V (vs DDR3 1.35V-1.5V), it already consumes 20% less energy, 40% if power saving features engage, so there's room for clock tweaks. Sadly, the prices of the ADATA XPG Z1 memory (up to 16 GB capacities will be available) have not been disclosed.

ADATA XPG Z1 DDR4 RAM
Image credits to ADATA

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AMD Launches Mighty Server/Supercomputer GPU with 16 GB GDDR5 VRAM

So far, the High Performance Computing stage has mostly been ruled by NVIDIA when it came to GPU compute acceleration, but Advanced Micro Devices has been doing its best to catch up, and it seems it just managed it.

And it isn't even holding onto the relatively unknown FireStream brand anymore. Even though that's the company's brand for stream processing and/or GPGPU in supercomputers, the company chose to sell its new server GPU under the FirePro brand instead. In fact, AMD even says that the new product, the FirePro S9150 server GPU, is the “first AMD architecture designed specifically with compute workloads in mind.” Looking at its hardware specs, we have to say that the newcomer definitely has what it takes to compete in the same league as NVIDIA's Tesla series. And that means a lot, seeing as how Tesla GPU compute accelerators power some of the most powerful supercomputers on the Top500 list. Anyway, the new AMD FirePro S9150 server GPU has 2,813 stream processors in 44 GCN compute units (graphics core next), as well as 16 GB of GDDR5 backing it up through an interface of 512 bits.

The memory bandwidth is, thus, of 320 GB/s, while the power consumption can go as high as 235W (which isn't as high as it could have been). In fact, it is the same as the 235W of NVIDIA's best Tesla card, the Tesla K40. The peak single-precision floating point performance is of 5.07 TFLOPS, 18% more than the Tesla K40, which has 4.29 TFLOPs. Meanwhile, double-precision floating point performance is of 2.53 TFLOPs vs. 1.43 TFLOPs. Clearly, AMD is playing for keeps here. There's a second HPC FirePro card from AMD, called AMD FirePro S9050. This one has 1,792 stream processors divided into 28 GCN compute units, plus 12 GB VRAM, a 384-bit memory interface, and a bandwidth of up to 264 GB/s. The power draw is of 225W.

Both newcomers utilize the PCI Express x16 card form factor and have passive cooling solutions. They also support AMD STREAM technology, which actually lets a server/supercomputer divert parallel processing tasks from the CPU (or CPUs) to the GPUs. Basically, it's the answer to NVIDIA's CUDA. With the launch of the FirePro S9150 and S9050 server GPUs, AMD has reaffirmed the long-lasting rivalry between it (or rather what used to be ATI Technologies) and NVIDIA. Sapphire will be the main distribution partner, with ASUS, GIGABYTE, Supermicro, and TYAN making compatible motherboards starting this quarter (Q3, 2014).

AMD FirePro S9150

AMD FirePro S9050
Images credits to AMD

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Nokia May Be Readying Its Comeback on Smartphone Market

Since Nokia’s mobile division changed owner a couple of months ago, the Finnish company is looking for new ways to improve its income. The Nokia brand is still strong in some parts of the world, despite the fact that the company is not involved in the mobile phone business anymore.

Currently, Nokia is split in three subsidiaries, each of these in different fields of activity: Nokia Networks, HERE and Nokia Technologies. One of the most prolific of the three, Nokia Networks, seems to bring the highest income, but HERE is likely to become a solid source of profit very soon (if not already). HERE is one of Nokia’s current businesses, which is active in the mapping and location domain. HERE technology, praised by Windows Phone users and Nokia fans alike, is based on the cloud-computing model, which means that, regardless of what operating system one uses to access these services, they will be available. In the last couple of weeks, Nokia made some interesting moves that could be defined as attempts, even if weak, to enter the mobile phone market once again.

Even though HERE is a mobile business per se, as the company’s mapping and location services are now available on Windows Phone, Android and iOS mobile platforms, the company does not have a hardware component, so there are no physical products available. But what if Nokia started producing physical products like smartphones, smartwatches, or other mobile accessories that would help the company rebuild the giant that it once was? The recent job listings from LinkedIn confirm that Nokia is now looking to hire people that would help the company launch new consumer products, both “physical and digital.” Here is one of the job posts that was recently spotted on LinkedIn:

“Nokia is establishing a new businesses built on Nokia innovation, focusing on physical and digital products and services for consumers directly or through other customer companies. We have already identified a number of product opportunities where we can make a difference in the market in areas aligned with our vision and where our brand makes a difference, and we continue to look for new opportunities where we can win.”

Another sign that might point to Nokia’s comeback on the mobile phone market is the fact that the company has recently released an Android application called Z Launcher, which seems to be very popular among users. The Z Launcher is the work of a small team that thought that the Android launchers available in Google Play Store were not doing enough for users, so they developed their own solution. If Nokia is really still thinking at the smartphone market, this means only one thing: the Finnish company is readying its comeback. If and when that might happen is still a mystery, but I have a feeling that we will know more about Nokia’s plans for the mobile phone market by the end of this year.

I doubt the company will continue to put Windows Phone on its first devices, if there will be such devices, so the only viable way to gain some traction on the smartphone market would be to launch something based on Android OS. Either way, the first step is the most important one. It’s the thing that will define Nokia’s fate and its chance to grab the top spot in the smartphone business again. I do hope Nokia is not yet finished with mobile phones, but I’m well aware that a comeback is hard to achieve so soon. However, I’ll be watching this space and be amazed by what Nokia’s engineers manage to come up with in the future. I suggest Nokia fans to do the same, as the company may still have a few surprises under its sleeve.

Nokia products
Image credits to Nokia

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MSI GT72 Dominator Pro Gaming Notebook Comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M or GTX 870M

Looking for a gaming notebook and you want to squeeze all the power you possible can under its hood? MSI has just rolled out the latest addition to its Dominator Pro lineup of advanced gaming systems.

The GT72 Dominator Pro takes design cues from matte-black racing super cars, offering customers what can be considered a highly aesthetic device. The laptop has been released as a reaction to the increasingly competitive gaming market, which tends to spurt out more and more heavily packed gaming devices, all cramped up under a sleek form factor. We should start the specification tour by saying that the laptop arrives with a 17.3-inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution. The new device takes advantage of the high-end NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M or GTX 870M graphics card in order to transform the device into a gaming-ready machine. MSI says that compared to the previous-gen GTX 780M and GTX 770M, the new GPU architecture manages to boost performance by up to 15% (as proved by 3D Mark 11 standard tests).

What’s interesting is that the press-release doesn’t reveal the exact nature of the processor living under the hood. We are dealing with a Haswell i7 chip, but its exact specifications are unknown. A while ago, MSI rolled out the MSI G70 Dominator Dragon Edition which draws life from an Intel Core i7-4810MQ clocked at 2.7GHz. Anyway, going back to the GT72, MSI points out that this is the first laptop in the world to come boasting Killer DoubleShot Pro. This system offers support for both Killer Gb LAN and Wi-Fi 802.11ac protocol. It will deliver average latency improvements of 3.5 times higher than laptops supporting 802.11ac.

The machine utilizes the Killer Network Manager to tap into the Smart Teaming function and from there provide optimization of bandwidth usage between Wi-Fi and Gb LAN. The laptop also boasts Super RAID 3 technology with 4 SSD RAID 0, so the data read/write speed can reach up to 1600MB/sec or more. The device should be able to handle everything you throw at it, and since it benefits from the Cooler Boost 3 tech, it should do so quite noiselessly. Cooler Boost works in order to improve fan speed, keep CPU temperature and noise at optimal levels so that game playing isn't hindered.

Other specifications we should draw your attention to are Xplit Gamecaster (for online game streaming), SteelSeries keyboard with backlit keys, and Matrix multi-display tech which lets you connect the laptop to up to 3 external display (steaming up to 4K). It seems like the MSI website, lists the Intel Core i7-4710HQ chip as the only option for the new Dominator Pro. Anyway, prices seems to be started at $2,599 / €1,945. Images gallery available below, click for larger image.

MSI GT72 Dominator Pro arrives with the most powerful NVIDIA GPU
Images credits to MSI

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HiSense Nana Launched with Windows Phone 8.1, Dual-SIM CDMA+GSM Support

Even more new smartphones running under Windows Phone 8.1, the latest flavor of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, are starting to arrive around the world, and the most recent of them has been revealed today by Chinese vendor HiSense.

This is one of the mobile phone makers to have revealed partnerships with Microsoft earlier this year, and it has already launched another device running under Windows Phone 8.1, in the form of HiSense MIRA6. The new smartphone, however, is a bit special, as it has been announced as the very first Windows Phone device to include Dual-SIM CDMA+GSM capabilities. What this means is that the phone will be released with the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 (GDR1) platform version right from the start. Microsoft did include dual-SIM support in Windows Phone before, but the aforementioned Update 1 represents the first OS iteration to boast support for CDMA and GSM Dual-SIM functionality, as WMPoweruser notes. The phone also offers dual-standby capabilities, and should arrive on shelves with support for China Telecom’s network.

The new mobile phone will arrive on shelves under the name of HiSense Nana (it also features model no. E260T), and will also provide users with a taste of Huna, which is nothing else than the Chinese version of Cortana (currently available only in a beta version). The smartphone will hit the market with pretty decent hardware specifications inside, though it will still be only an entry-level device, so don’t expect too much from it. It will, however, feature a 5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering an HD resolution, which will be quite enough for a phone in its category. According to info coming from cnbeta, HiSense packed the new handset with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor, as well as with 1GB of RAM.

Additionally, the new HiSense Nana sports 8GB of internal memory, but also arrives on shelves with a microSD memory card slot so that users could add up to 32GB of external storage to it. On the back, the smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera, which should deliver appealing imaging performance, while packing a 5MP camera on the front, a great option for snapping selfies and for making video calls while on the go. Apparently, HiSense plans on making the new Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone available for purchase before the end of this month, with a price tag of 599 Yuan ($97/€72.5) attached to it. We suspect that the new mobile phone will be available for purchase only in China, as the handset vendor hasn’t revealed any details on its possible release on other markets as well.

Windows Phone 8.1-based HiSense Nana
Image credits to WMPowerUser

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Galaxy Alpha Spotted in Photos Next to iPhone 5s, Confirmed for Various Carriers

Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the metal-clad Android-based smartphone that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to make official on August 13, has leaked online in a new series of photos, this time showcased next to an iPhone 5s.

Said images, available courtesy of Twitter user @culeaks, show that the new handset will be slimmer than Apple’s existing handset, which is 7.6mm thick. Previous reports suggested that Samsung would plan on launching the device with a 6mm thin body, and it seems that they might pan out. Apparently, the handset vendor decided to pack Galaxy Alpha with an 1850mAh battery inside, which explains why it remains so thin. Moreover, this also sheds some more light on why the company built the Galaxy Alpha with a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display that would boast only a 720p resolution, at a 320ppi pixel density. Should the screen have been larger, a bigger battery would have been included in the device, which automatically might have resulted in a thicker body.

Despite the small size, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha will still be a powerful smartphone, as it should be powered by an octa-core Exynos 5433 processor, as PhoneArena notes. However, the device in the photos below sports the LTE-A logo on the back, which means that it is aimed at the South Korean market, and that it might be powered by a Snapdragon 805 processor. Additionally, the handset should arrive on shelves with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, and LTE Cat. 6 capabilities. The usual set of connectivity options and sensors should also be included in the package. On the back, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Alpha should sport a 12-megapixel camera, most probably capable of recording videos at least in full HD resolution. A front camera for making video calls will also be included in the package.

Moreover, the upcoming mobile phone is expected to arrive on shelves with the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system loaded on top right from the start, but also with a variety of customizations coming from Samsung itself. Samsung Galaxy Alpha hasn’t been officially confirmed as of now, but the device has been already spotted in a series of User Agent Profiles on Samsung’s website, with model numbers SM-G850A, SM-G850F, SM-G850H, SM-G850M, and SM-G850T. These listings have confirmed not only some of the features that the smartphone will include, but also the fact that it will be released on shelves at various wireless carriers in the United States, including AT&T(the SM-G850A) and T-Mobile (the SM-G850T).

As mentioned above, Samsung Galaxy Alpha is expected to be officially announced on August 13, and all the necessary info on its hardware specs and market availability will be provided at that time, so keep an eye on this space for updates.

Galaxy Alpha Spotted in Photos Next to iPhone 5s
Images credits to culeaks

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Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Supposedly Spotted in New Leaked Photos

Next month, Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile should make official its next flagship Android-based handset, in the form of Sony Xperia Z3, and it seems that a mini version of the phone will also be announced.

Supposedly called Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, the handset was rumored a few times before, and allegedly leaked photos with it appear to have emerged online once again. According to XperiaBlog, which has found these images on Baidu, the phone depicted here has been actually labeled as Xperia Z3, though it appears to feature a series of design differences when compared to Xperia Z3 smartphone spotted online before. One of these differences would be the distance between the magnetic charging port and the port flap, suggesting that we’re actually looking at a device that is not Xperia Z3. Furthermore, the news site suggests that, since Xperia Z3 Compact should feature a design similar to that of its larger counterpart, this is the phone that we are looking at in said leaked photos. However, there is also the possibility that the device spotted here is actually a prototype version of the Xperia Z3, which would explain the small differences in design.

However, no official confirmation on the matter has been provided as of now, and we’re still uncertain what this phone actually is. One thing that is certain, however, is that, should this be the Xperia Z3, the leaked photos offer a closer look at the flaps and ports that it will sport on each side when made official. You can see the microUSB port on one side, as well as the micro SD memory card and micro SIM slots on the other. For those out of the loop, we should note that the Xperia Z3 Compact is rumored to arrive on the market with a 4.5-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a full HD resolution, as well as with a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor inside. Moreover, the mobile phone is rumored to include 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes.

On the back, it should sport a 20.7-megapixel camera with at least full HD video recording capabilities, complemented by a 2.1MP front camera for making video calls while on the go. Additionally, the smartphone is expected to run under the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system right out of the box, and to feature various exclusive apps and features coming from Sony itself. Rumor has it that Sony will make both Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact official at the IFA 2014 trade show in Berlin next month, so stay tuned to learn additional info on them.

Allegedly leaked photos of Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Images credits to Baidu via XperiaBlog

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Android Apps Runs on Windows 9? Former Microsoft Employee Says It’s Possible

There’s no doubt that Windows 9 is going to bring a significant array of changes, and although Microsoft doesn’t talk too much about the new features to be part of this OS release, people that are more or less involved in the development process point to quite some impressive novelties.

Among them, there’s the support for Android apps, which would basically enable every Windows 9 adopter to run software published in the Play Store on their devices, be they smartphones, tablets, or even PCs. Hal Berenson, who in the past worked as engineer and general manager for Microsoft, says that bringing Android apps on Windows 9 is very likely, especially because Microsoft is struggling to address the lack of apps on its modern platforms. Just as expected, everything would start with the Windows Phone version, Berenson explained, and a potential implementation of OpenMobile ALC for Windows could make this reality. “Microsoft has only one play to really close the app gap in the next 12-18 months, and that is something they have to do that if they want Windows Phone to have a future. That play is make it easy for developers to port Android apps to Windows Phone, a capability I think is likely to be part of Threshold,” the former Microsoft employee said.

So what about PCs? If Android apps arrive on Windows Phones, in the same manner they did on BlackBerry 10 devices, expect Microsoft to make it possible to run on PCs and tablets with Windows 9 as well. And Berenson has a pretty good reason for this. “I suspect Microsoft is looking to take this another step, and use the opportunity to easily run Android apps on Threshold to convince developers to adapt them to the Microsoft environment. For example, first use it to encourage developers to support Microsoft services (when running on both Windows and Android),” he said. “Then use it to convince developers to turn their Android apps into multi-platform apps, with customizations (to the user experience) when running on Windows. How far they will go is a big question mark, but I believe they will go beyond just wanting to run existing apps unchanged.”

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing that Microsoft could allow Windows users to run Android apps on their devices, but previous reports pointed to a possible implementation of BlueStacks, the software solution that’s still in beta right now and gives users a chance to install apps from the Play Store on their Windows desktops. This time, however, it appears that Microsoft has a much more ambitious plan, but there’s no doubt that the company still needs to consider a number of setbacks that could in the end affect its core Windows platform.

First and foremost, if the majority of Android apps run on Windows, developers might not port any of their titles to Windows and thus offer users a native experience. Microsoft is already working with developers to encourage them to port apps to modern Windows, so it might look like the company is paving the road to make sure that such a thing won’t happen.

Second, if the Windows + Android cocktail doesn’t work well and users are still not attracted by such a mix, Microsoft could do more harm than good. But as Berenson points out, “when you have 3 percent market share, how much risk is it really?”

Microsoft wants to allow all Windows 9 users to run Android apps on their devices
Image credits to Lottspace.com

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Mini Variant of Lenovo K920 (Vibe Z2 Pro) Allegedly Emerges Online

Tomorrow, Chinese mobile phone maker Lenovo should make official a new high-end smartphone, none other than the Lenovo K920, aka Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro, and it seems that a mini flavor of the device is also being prepared.

For those out of the loop, we should note that Vibe Z2 Pro is rumored to arrive tomorrow with a 6-inch touchscreen display capable of delivering a Quad HD (1440 x 2560 pixels) resolution, as well as with a metallic body. A leaked photo with the Lenovo K920 (Vibe Z2 Pro), that has emerged courtesy of weibo, appears to be showing it next to the aforementioned mini version, which will sport a metallic body as well. One thing that you should be aware of, however, is the fact that this Lenovo K920 mini, or however it will be called, is not a small device. Not even close to being small, in fact. As GSMdome notes, the handset is expected to go official with a 5.5-inch touchscreen display, which is larger than most flagship smartphones out there, and the same size as LG’s G3. The screen on this mini Lenovo K920 (Vibe Z2 Pro) is said to deliver a full HD resolution, and might also include a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, supposedly paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory.

Moreover, chances are that the mobile phone will be announced with a 13-megapixel camera on the back, as well as with a 5MP front camera for taking selfies and for making video calls while on the go. The usual set of connectivity capabilities and sensors should also be included in the package, along with the latest flavor of the Android operating system, just as with the Vibe Z2 Pro. However, with no official confirmation on the device, we’ll take the info above with a grain of salt for the time being. Furthermore, should the phone go official, it remains to be seen whether it will be marketed as Lenovo K920 mini, Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro mini, or it will feature a completely different name. Rumor has it that Lenovo will make the smartphone available for purchase with a price tag of only around $323 (€240) attached to it, which will certainly turn it into a highly appealing device.

Most probably, Lenovo will share some details on this Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro mini as soon as tomorrow, when the fully fledged Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro should become official, so keep an eye on this space for additional info on the matter.

Lenovo K920 (Vibe Z2 Pro) photographed next to a mini variant
Weibo Image credits to  GSMDome

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White Samsung Galaxy Alpha Emerges in Leaked Photos

One of the smartphones that South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is expected to make official in the next several weeks is the Galaxy Alpha, long rumored to arrive on shelves as the first handset in the company’s lineup to sport a metallic body.

According to the latest info on the mobile phone, Samsung could be set to announce it on August 13, which would be only three weeks before Samsung Galaxy Note 4 should go official in Berlin during the IFA 2014 trade show. Before that happens, however, you can admire the device in a new set of allegedly leaked images, this time photos that show it all dressed up in white, and also powered up. Said leaked photos have been spotted on weibo and, as nowhereelse notes, they depict a smartphone looking exactly the same as the black Galaxy Alpha did in the previously spotted images. Most probably, Samsung will make the mobile phone official in other color options as well, the same as it did with Galaxy S5 and other recent devices in its lineup. For those out of the loop, we should note that Samsung Galaxy Alpha is expected to be about the same size as the Galaxy S III, which was released two years ago.

The upcoming mobile phone is said to pack a 4.8-inch touchscreen display that should deliver an HD (1280 x 720 pixels) resolution, while being powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor. Apparently, the quad-core CPU will be clocked at 1.9GHz and will also be paired with Mali-T628 graphics. 2GB of RAM will also be attached to it, so as to ensure that users receive appealing performance capabilities at all times. Samsung Galaxy Alpha is also expected to arrive on the market with 32GB of internal memory, but won’t feature a microSD memory card slot for storage expansion purposes, it seems.

On the back, the handset should sport a 12-megapixel camera, which will certainly be capable of recording videos in full HD resolution, if not higher. The mobile phone should run under the Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system version right from the start, though it will also sport a series of exclusive apps and software enhancements coming from Samsung itself, that’s for sure. No official confirmation on Galaxy Alpha has been provided as of now, so take the info above with a grain of salt. Until more on this device emerges online, have a look at the newly leaked images with it, available below. Click for larger images.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha
Images credits to Weibo via NoWhereElse

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