 "Top news this week: BlackBerry Q10 launched, Intel Haswell, Xbox One DRM and more!")
This has been quite the week, especially with all the unveilings and launches at Computex. Here’s a a quick recap of what happened in the world of technology this last week:
Ubuntu Touch progress shown off in latest video
It’s been quite some time since the Ubuntu phone OS was first unveiled, and the developers have released a video that gives us a look at where the operating system currently stands, what works, and what doesn’t.
The OS is shaping up nicely
No delivery, says Flipkart for Rs 10,000-plus orders from UP
Flipkart has stopped delivering parcels costing more than Rs 10,000 to its UP-based customers (including regions of Noida and Ghaziabad), citing a “purely business oriented” decision. However, if the report is to be believed, there is more to this decision than what meets the eye. Flipkart’s shipment delivery staff in Lucknow complained that the company had been witness to several instances of customers ordering costly goods using the cash-on delivery (COD) payment option, and then refusing to accept them. The publication also cited sources that said many users logged on to the popular portal and ordered goods “just for fun”.
Xbox One will need an Internet connection every 24 hours to play games offline
Microsoft has finally made its stance on the Xbox One’s DRM clear. The company has revealed on its official website that the console won’t have anything that blocks used game sales by default, but publishers can use their own form of DRM. Other than that, the company has also revealed that players will need to be connected to the Internet once every 24 hours in order to play games offline. This number is reduced to every hour if you are accessing your Xbox One library from a different Xbox One.
Intel’s Thunderbolt 2 interface can hit 20Gbps; will arrive by 2014
Intel recently announced the successor to its Thunderbolt interface technology, Thunderbolt 2. Previously known as Falcon Ridge—which is honestly a much cooler name than the unoriginal Thunderbolt 2—the newest iteration of the interface runs twice as fast as Thunderbolt; Intel claims Thunderbolt 2 has a bandwidth of a mind-blowing 20Gbps. Intel first revealed Thunderbolt 2’s specifications in April during a National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April.
The Tianhe-2 is now the world’s fastest supercomputer (image credit: Jack Dongarra)
China’s Milkyway-2 is now the world’s fastest supercomputer
China has created a supercomputer that boasts more than double the speed of any system in the US. The supercomputer can reach speeds of up to 54.9 petaflops. It has been built with Intel’s chips, but also includes Chinese technology. The country’s government has spent about $290 million building the computer.
New Gmail inbox design now available for Android, iOS users
Google has rolled out app updates to its Gmail apps on iOS and Android. The update has a completely new interface that is in line with the company’s “swipe to the right to access menu” philosophy. The new interface is also available on the browser version of Gmail.
BlackBerry’s Q10 finally arrives priced at Rs 44,990
Almost half a year after announcing it, BlackBerry has finally officially launched its other BB10 smartphone—the Q10. The phone has a hefty price tag of Rs 44,990, which makes it more expensive than BlackBerry’s flagship smartphone – the Z10. While the phone has been spotted as being on sale online, BlackBerry has stated that it will hit store shelves tomorrow. The Q10 is a blend of BlackBerry’s traditional keyboard and the touchscreen interface of the Z10.
The BlackBerry Q10 is finally out
Windows 8.1 demo video hits the web
We’ve only seen leaks and preview images of what Windows 8.1 (codenamed Windows Blue) would look like so far, but we won’t have to do that anymore. Microsoft has finally released a video demo of Windows 8.1, showing off some of the new features the update brings.
New AMD A-Series APUs to take on Haswell with Radeon HD 8000 graphics
To compete with Intel’s new Haswell line-up of chips, AMD has unveiled its new set of chips, the 2013 Elite A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). The new APUs, dubbed Richland, deliver much better performance than the previous series of Trinity chips. According to AMD, the new APUs have discrete-level graphics capabilities and easy upgrade infrastructure. The company showcased the new chips at the Computex event.
Merrifield chipset: Intel’s latest bet to capture smartphone market
During Intel’s keynote speech at the ongoing Computex, head of Intel’s sales and marketing group Tom Kilroy unveiled the company’s next-gen mobile chips. The chip, codenamed Merrifield, is set to give better performance and battery life than the current-generation of Intel’s Clover Trail chips.
Office365 Premium is very popular
Office365 Home Premium crosses 1 million subscribers
Microsoft’s Office365 Home Premium service has managed one million subscribers since its launch earlier this year, the company announced on its blog. This has made the latest edition of MS Office the best-selling edition, with more than one copy of the application being sold every second on average in the last three and a half months. This service is one of the few to reach the one million mark in such a short span of time. Instagram is the only service that reached the one million user mark in two and a half months from the time of its launch, a time span less than that of Office365.
BMW enters gaming PC scene with Haswell-powered M8
At Computex, BMW’s creative consultancy DesignworksUSA showcased a new compact gaming PC for its new client—ASRock. The PC bears the BMW moniker with a similar naming convention to its cars. To be more specific, it has been dubbed the M8.
Government expected to finalise specifications for Aakash 4 soon
The government of India is expected to finalise the specifications for the fourth version of low-cost tablet PC Aakash in the coming days. J Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics and IT (DEIT) said, “The draft of the specifications has been prepared; formally it has to be placed before a committee. We are waiting for a suitable date to do that.”
The government is going to finalise the Aakash 4 specs soon
ARM announces Cortex A-12 chip for mid-range smartphones
ARM has launched a mid-range mobile processing solution in order to address the needs of cheaper handsets. The Cortex A-12 processor, which is the successor to the Cortex A-9, is the company’s new mid-range silicon for phones starting from $200 (Rs.11,314).
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