Archive for November, 2014
New largest number factored on a quantum device is 56,153
(Phys.org)—Researchers have set a new record for the quantum factorization of the largest number to date, 56,153, smashing the previous record of 143 that was set in 2012. They have shown that the exact same room-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment used to factor 143 can actually factor an entire class of numbers, although this was not known until now. Continue reading →
IRL: The OnePlus One is everything my iPhone wasn’t
After last month’s iPhone event, I was disappointed — I realized the iPhone 6 and its “Plus” sibling were still catching up to Android in a lot of ways. Regardless, the devoted iPhone fan in me still pre-ordered an iPhone 6 a few days later, in the wee hours of September 12th. Continue reading →
OnePlus and Cyanogen on brink of breakup after India fight
Poor OnePlus just can’t take a break. Just as the company’s busy taking care of its Black Friday promotion, its store opening in Beijing and its India launch with Amazon next week, a close partner decided to drop a hurtful bomb. Cyanogen Inc., the maker of OnePlus One’s Android ROM, announced that it’s now inked a deal with Micromax to exclusively support the latter’s upcoming online brand Yu — a direct competitor of Xiaomi — in India. Continue reading →
Sony employees face ‘weeks of pen and paper’ after crippling network hack
Sony Pictures still hasn’t recovered from a comprehensive attack on its computer networks – and staff have been reduced to doing their work by hand – according to insiders. Continue reading →
Australian Supercar Startup Joss Gains New Investor, Plans To Go Public
Recently, we told you about a supercar startup in Australia by the name of Joss, and how it had turned to crowdfunding to help finance the development of a new prototype. Well, the team at Joss, which includes a number of engineers with Formula One and Le Mans backgrounds, having been working on the project for several years and now finally appear to be getting their first big break. Continue reading →
HP Stream 11 review: a $200 Windows laptop meant to be a Chromebook killer
It’s no secret that people like Chromebooks. That can’t be good news for Microsoft, which used to own the market for cheap computers. Not one to take this sort of encroachment lying down, Microsoft came out with a lower-cost version of Windows 8.1 that PC makers could use to build small, lightweight devices inexpensive enough to take on Chromebooks. Continue reading →
Don’t panic and keep forking Debian
As many of you might know already, the Init GR Debian vote promoted by Ian Jackson wasn’t useful to protect Debian’s legacy and its users from the systemd avalanche. Continue reading →
Venus Express spacecraft, low on fuel, does delicate dance above doom below
It’s been an interesting year for Venus Express. A few months ago, controllers deliberately dipped the spacecraft into the atmosphere of the planet—for science purposes, of course. The daring maneuver was approved because the spacecraft is near the end of its mission. It’s nearly out of fuel and will fall into Venus—sometime. Likely in 2015. No one knows exactly when, however. Continue reading →
Mesa 10.4 Brings Performance Improvements & New Features
Mesa 10.4 is being released as soon as next week and continuing in usual tradition this new version brings a lot of exciting changes for users of the open-source Linux hardware graphics drivers. Continue reading →
Rosetta's Philae lander makes historic touchdown on comet 67P
In one of the most ambitious space missions ever attempted, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft successfully deployed its Philae lander onto the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12, 2014. The landing marked the first time a human-made object had soft-landed on a comet nucleus, opening a new chapter in our understanding of these ancient celestial bodies.
The descent was not without drama: harpoons designed to anchor Philae to the comet failed to fire, causing the lander to bounce twice before settling in a shadowed area near a cliff. This unexpected resting place limited the sunlight reaching its solar panels, meaning Philae had only about 60 hours of battery life to conduct its primary science mission. Despite the short window, the lander's instruments managed to transmit valuable data about the comet's surface composition, including the detection of organic molecules—a key finding that supports theories about the role comets may have played in delivering the building blocks of life to Earth.
Google expands Nexus lineup with larger phone and tablet, showcasing Android 5.0 Lollipop
Google took the wraps off its latest Nexus devices in November 2014, unveiling the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet alongside the official release of Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Nexus 6, built by Motorola, featured a 6-inch Quad HD display, a 13-megapixel camera, and a powerful Snapdragon 805 processor, positioning it as a true flagship rather than a budget developer device. Meanwhile, the Nexus 9, manufactured by HTC, offered an 8.9-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, a design choice that echoed Apple's iPad and signaled a shift toward productivity and reading rather than media consumption.
Android 5.0 Lollipop introduced the "Material Design" language, bringing a bold, colorful, and tactile interface to the platform. It also delivered significant under-the-hood improvements, such as a new runtime (ART), better battery management through Project Volta, and enhanced notifications. The combination of premium hardware and the most extensive Android update to date made the Nexus lineup more compelling than ever, though some longtime fans grumbled about the higher price points compared to previous Nexus devices.
Microsoft makes historic move by open-sourcing .NET Core and releasing Visual Studio Community
In a surprising and widely praised announcement, Microsoft said it would open-source the .NET Core runtime and libraries, allowing developers to run .NET applications on Linux and Mac OS X for the first time. The move, unveiled at the Connect() developer event in New York, marked a major philosophical shift for the company, which had long been seen as a closed-ecosystem player. Alongside this, Microsoft introduced Visual Studio Community, a free, full-featured version of its integrated development environment for individual developers and small teams.
The decision was driven by the need to compete in a developer landscape increasingly dominated by open-source technologies like Node.js, Ruby on Rails, and Go. By embracing open source, Microsoft aimed to win back developers who had migrated to other platforms and to encourage a new generation of programmers to build cross-platform applications using C# and the .NET framework. The reaction from the developer community was overwhelmingly positive, with many calling it one of the most significant announcements in Microsoft's history.
Intel's Broadwell chips face delays, leaving PC makers and consumers waiting for upgrades
Intel confirmed that its next-generation Broadwell processors, which had been expected to appear in devices by the end of 2014, would be delayed into 2015. The 14-nanometer chips, the successor to the Haswell architecture, promised better performance and significantly improved power efficiency, but manufacturing issues pushed back the timeline. The delay was a blow to PC manufacturers hoping to refresh their lineups for the holiday season, as well as to consumers waiting for thinner, fanless laptops and longer battery life.
The setback also gave competitors like ARM-based chipmakers an opportunity to gain ground in the mobile and low-power computing space. Intel's struggles highlighted the increasing difficulty of shrinking transistor sizes and the challenges of maintaining the pace of Moore's Law. While the company insisted the delay would not affect its long-term roadmap, analysts noted that repeated slips could erode confidence in Intel's manufacturing leadership.
Apple releases iOS 8.1.1 with performance improvements and bug fixes for older devices
Apple rolled out iOS 8.1.1 in November 2014, a maintenance update aimed at addressing performance issues that had plagued older iPhones and iPads since the launch of iOS 8. The update was particularly welcomed by users of the iPhone 4s and iPad 2, which had experienced sluggishness and stability problems under the new operating system. Apple noted that iOS 8.1.1 included "bug fixes and increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s," a rare acknowledgment of the challenges faced by devices at the lower end of the supported spectrum.
The update also brought minor security fixes and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Apple Pay, which had launched the previous month. While iOS 8 adoption had been slower than previous versions, partly due to the large download size and early bugs, updates like 8.1.1 were seen as steps toward regaining user trust. For those still on the fence, the promise of smoother performance on aging hardware was a compelling reason to upgrade.