| AMD Post $74 Million Second Quarter Loss, CEO Expects Return to Profitability in Q3 Posted: 22 Jul 2013 11:25 AM PDT  AMD's $1.16 billion quarterly revenue wasn't enough to turn a profit
It's a tough time to be a chip maker without a significant foothold in the mobile handheld market. Witness Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which recently announced $1.16 billion in revenue for the its second quarter of fiscal 2013, an operating loss of $29 million, and a net loss of $74 million, or $0.10 cents per share. Even though the numbers aren't where AMD would like them to be, the Sunnyvale chip designer is optimistic it will return to profitability next quarter. "Our focus on restructuring and transforming AMD resulted in improved financial results," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "Our performance in the second quarter was driven by opportunities in our new high-growth and traditional PC businesses. Looking ahead, we will continue to deliver a strong value proposition to our established customers and also reach new customers as we diversify our business. We expect significant revenue growth and a return to profitability in the third quarter." AMD last quarter posted a $146 million loss, or $0.19 per share. That adds up to a $220 million loss so far this year as AMD struggles to evolve with a changing landscape, one in which tablets and smartphones are replacing traditional PCs for casual activities like Facebook and email. It's not all about mobile, however. AMD scored some major wins by inking deals to power Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 consoles, both of which will feature semi-custom System-on-Chip (SoC) APUs. This in addition to already powering Nintendo's Wii U console. As pre-orders pile up, followed by the launch of the two new consoles, AMD could find itself in pretty good shape by the end of the year. Image Source: Flickr (ThaRemix) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| SanDisk Connect Storage Products Stream Data Wirelessly to Mobile and PC Posted: 22 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT  Stream me up, Scotty!
If the Guinness brewmasters caught wind of SanDisk's new Connect line of wireless flash memory storage devices, including the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive and SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive, they'd say, "Brilliant!" Since they're not here, we'll say it form them, because it's the first word that comes to mind when spying the next generation of portable storage. These devices make it easier than ever to access and share data across multiple mobile devices. In addition, the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive qualifies as the world's smallest wireless USB storage device to date, the company claims. Offered in capacities up to 32GB, the tiny drive supports simultaneous access to photos, movies, music, and documents from multiple devices around the house. It provides four hours of continuous streaming on a single charge. SanDisk's second item is its Connect Wireless Media Drive. It offers up to eight continuous hours of streaming on a single charge, comes in capacities up to 64GB, and has an SDHC/SDXC memory card slot for even more storage. "Today's consumers own an increasing number of mobile devices and accessing content across them can be a challenge," said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. "With the new SanDisk Connect product line, we're raising the bar on what consumers can expect from personal storage. We combined the portability of small flash memory storage devices with the convenience of wireless streaming and sharing functionality." 
All Connect line products are compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Kindle Fire, and Android devices, as well as PC and Mac computers. The Connect Wireless Flash Drive runs $50 for 16GB and $60 for 32GB; the Connect Wireless Media Drive costs $80 for 32GB and $100 for 64GB. All are available to pre-order from Amazon and expected to ship in Q4. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Issues Simple Fix for NUC Overheating Posted: 22 Jul 2013 09:38 AM PDT  Revised design should stop the NUC from freezing up due to heat
Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) is an intriguing device. The NUC is a mini PC built around an incredibly small 4-inch by 4-inch by 2-inch chassis that Intel would like to see become the standard for miniature systems that pack a punch. Though it's small, it offers residence to a 1.8GHz dual-core, Hyper-Threaded Core i3 processor, two SO-DIMM RAM slots, mSATA SSD slot, and a built-in Wi-Fi card. That's a lot to cram into such a tiny device, and as it turned out, first generation models had a problem with overheating. We figured out that if you remove the built-in Wi-Fi card, which sits right on top of the mSATA SSD, the system would work just fine without freezing up or any other hiccups. We've also had success using SSDs with SandForce controllers, though it can be hit or miss. Apparently Intel has devised a better solution. First spotted by FanlessTech, there's a Product Change Notification (PCN) for the NUC, #112432-00. The primary reason for the PCN is the addition of a 9.5mm thermal pad on the bottom cover of the NUC to improve the thermal design. From what we can tell, it's there to prevent the overheating that we and others experienced. Whether or not it fully solves the problem, that's something we're anxious to find out. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Ubuntu Forum Hack Exposes Email and Password Data of 1.8 Million Users Posted: 22 Jul 2013 08:19 AM PDT  Time to change your password
If you're one of the approximately 1.8 million registered users at Canonical's UbuntuForums.org portal, then consider your login details compromised. You should have received an email from "The Canonical Sysadmins" this morning alerting you to the security breach that allowed a remote attacker to make off with your username, email address, and an encrypted copy of your password after breaking into the forum's database. "If you have used this password and email address to authenticate at any other website, you are urged to reset the password on those accounts immediately as the attacker may be able to use the compromised personal information to access these other accounts. It is important to have a distinct password for different accounts," Canonical stated in the email. At present, the UbuntuForums.org website is offline as Canonical investigates the security breach and works to restore things back to normal. According to Canonical, the stolen passwords were not stored in plain text, but as salted hashes. Ubuntu One, Launchpad, and other Ubuntu/Canonical services are not affected by the breach, the open-source company said. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Gateway's Back-to-School Lineup Features Inexpensive Laptops, Desktops, and Monitors Posted: 22 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT  Cheap systems for cash-strapped students
There's a reason college students consider Ramen Noodles an essential food group. It's cheap and won't interfere with their budget for books, backpacks, and beer. Keeping this in line, Acer's Gateway subsidiary announced a new line of affordable PCs and monitors to help students decorate their dorm rooms with new tech without blowing through their grants and/or school loans. Starting at the mobile end, new Gateway NE notebooks are available in 15.6-inch (1366x768) and 17.3-inch (1600x900) form factors with up to 8GB of RAM, up 1TB of storage, USB 3.0 support, HD webcam, stereo speakers, and Windows 8. AMD and Intel processor options are available starting a $380 (15.6-inch) and $450 (17.3-inch). Gateway also rolled out its new One ZX all-in-one (AIO) machine with a 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p display, Intel Pentium G2030 processor (3GHz, 3MB total cache), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 1TB hard drive, optical drive, 2.5W stereo speakers, and more. Pricing starts at $530. Other items in Gateway's back-to-school lineup include a DX Series desktop starting at $398, SX Series desktop starting at $298, and KX Series monitors ranging in size from 19.5 inches to 27 inches starting at $99. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair Carbide Series 500R Case, WD VelociRaptor 150GB HDD, and More! Posted: 22 Jul 2013 05:52 AM PDT |
