| Nvidia Q1 Earnings Report Shows Growth for High End GPU Business Posted: 08 May 2014 04:59 PM PDT  PC gaming and the cloud responsible for profitable first quarter
Nvidia has released its Q1 earnings report for 2015 two days earlier than expected due to an internal communications snafu that sent the report to about 100 people. Despite that, Nvidia's earnings have been good for the period ending April 27. According to the report, Nvidia's earnings for Q1 were $1.01 billion. While down 4 percent from the previous quarter, this is a 16 percent year-over-year increase for the company. Profits were also up with a net income of $136.5 million for the quarter. A 7 percent dip from the last quarter but a 75 percent gain compared to Q1 of last year. In regards to the company's GPU business, it was up $112 million, 14 percent, for year-over-year. Nvidia's high-end GeForce GTX GPUs for both desktop PCs and notebooks grew 57 percent. This growth is due, according to the company, to increased demand in all markets including the U.S., China, and Europe. Nvidia president Jen-Hsun Huang attributed the Q1 results to PC gaming and the cloud saying, "First quarter results benefited from gains in PC gaming and our continued progress in the data center and cloud. Nearly 600 enterprises worldwide are now evaluating GRID, our virtual GPU server platform. VMware announced support for GRID to enable GPU-accelerated enterprise virtualization. And with IBM, Dell and HP now selling our GPUs in their high-volume servers, we expect large-scale data centers to be a significant source of growth." Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Oculus Rift Used to Simulate a Bird Flying Posted: 08 May 2014 03:45 PM PDT  Feel what it's like to fly like a bird
A team of designers at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland has developed a VR machine that simulates a bird flying. The VR device, called Birdly, allows users to mimic how a bird flies through the air in a unique fashion and is the world's first bird flight simulator. While the Oculus Rift provides a birds-eye view, there are a few other parts to help with the simulation. There is a fan that replicates headwinds depending on how fast the user is travelling and a complex setup where the user lays flat on their stomach with controls that help simulate a bird flapping its wings. Not only that, but the machine also replicates smells. Although Birdly may only be an exhibition, it is an interesting direction to take the technology in. And be sure to check out the video that provides a glimpse at how the device works. Will other VR machines be developed that might simulate other types of flight? Like a dragon? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Epic Announcement: Development Begins on Next Unreal Tournament, Will Be Free Posted: 08 May 2014 12:48 PM PDT 
At long last, work has begun on a brand new Unreal Tournament title Epic Games is trying out something a little different with its upcoming Unreal Tournament title, which it confirmed is now under development. In an attempt to "do something radical," Epic Games is making the game in the open, meaning you have a front row seat (and a voice) as more lines of code get added. But wait, there's more to the announcement! When it's all said and finished, the new Unreal Tournament title will be free! We'll give you a moment to let all that sink in. Take your time. We'll just be over switching out our caffeine drip. Almost finished. Wrapped your mind around the three-part announcement yet? Good, let's get out of the kiddie section and jump into the deep end. Epic Games assembled a small team of UT veterans to work on the project. As development progresses, they'll use forums for discussions and Twitch to broadcast regular updates. Every single line of code that's written will be available live to UE4 developers on GitHub. Oh, and the game will be powered by Unreal Engine 4. It might take several months until the project is finished, but when it's complete, it will be free. "Not free to play. Just free," Epic Games states. Over time, Epic Games will create a marketplace where developers, modders, artists, and gamers can give away, buy, and sell models and content. Earnings from the marketplace will be split between developers and Epic, which is how it plans to pay for the game. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Sony to Shut Down Reader Store Next Month Posted: 08 May 2014 09:41 AM PDT  Reader Store customers will transfer to Kobo
Just a few months after selling off its Vaio PC division, Sony will further reduce costs by shutting down its Reader Store. It will close for good on June 16, 2014, up to which time you can continue to shop and make purchases at the Reader Store. That may seem like a silly thing to do with a closure just more than a month away, however Sony says you'll receive an email from Kobo with a personalized link that will allow you to transfer your library over. "In some cases, your eBooks purchased from Reader Store may not be available from Kobo. While a vast majority of your library will be available from the more than 4 million titles available at Kobo, we recommend that you download all of your eBooks to ensure that should one of your titles be unavailable, you can continue to read this eBook in the future," Sony said in a statement on its Reader Store website. Be advised that some features won't carry over to Kobo, such as highlights and wish lists. Credit balances will also go the way of the dodo, so if you have any store credit or vouchers, you'll want to use them up before June 16. For more information, see Sony's Reader Store Closure FAQ. Image Credit: Flickr (Bryan Mills) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Gigabyte Unveils a Bunch of 9 Series Motherboards in Anticipation of Refreshed Haswell Launch Posted: 08 May 2014 08:51 AM PDT  More next-generation motherboards show up to the 5th Generation Core party
While we may never know which came first, the chicken or the egg, we do know that next-generation 9 Series motherboards are arriving ahead of Intel's refreshed Haswell launch. Gigabyte is the latest to debut Z97 and H97 motherboards -- about a million of them (slight exaggeration) broken up into four different categories that include the G1 Gaming Series, Ultra Durable Series, Overclocking Series, and Black Edition. "Gigabyte is excited to launch four new series of motherboards for the Intel 9 series chipset, each offering a host of new and unique Gigabyte features matched with Gigabyte signature quality and durability," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of Gigabyte Motherboard Business Unit. "Our 9 series motherboards also offer a future proof platform to our customers by supporting the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors including the soon to launch refresh and unlocked CPUs, as well as future 5th generation Intel Core processors, ensuring they will be able to take advantage of current and upcoming Intel technologies." If you're looking for reliability over all else, the Black Series is where you should focus. Gigabyte says its Black Series boards undergo an extra 168 hours (7 days) of server-grade full system testing conducted at its new state-of-the-art testing facility in Taiwan. We count 34 total motherboards spread out through all four categories, including a handful of Sniper boards like the G1.Sniper Z97. It features gold plated display and audio ports, high end Nichicon capacitors, AMP-UP audio technology, Killer E2200 networking, and a bunch of other goodies. Intel's refreshed Haswell line is expected to launch next week. Broadwell, which is a die shrink of Haswell down to 14nm, is also expected to be compatible with 9 Series motherboards. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Watch Out Revlon, Mink Brings Makeup to the 3D Printing Market Posted: 08 May 2014 08:22 AM PDT  Print your own custom makeup from your couch
Talk about a shakeup in the makeup industry! Meet Mink, a 3D printer that can take any image and transform it into a wearable color cosmetic. Using existing software, Mink takes that custom color you've chosen and then prints it into a blush, eye shadow, lip gloss, lipstick, or any other type of makeup that you'd otherwise shop up and down the aisles of a brick and mortar location for. As TechCrunch explains it, the majority of makeup comes from the same basic substrates -- that includes premium brands and the cheap stuff alike. Mink founder Grace Choi has sourced the same substrate to make printing makeup at home a reality. The market here could be huge. First there's the convenience of not having to leave your home or waiting for shipping -- just the time it takes to print the makeup. Secondly -- and perhaps more importantly -- is the ability to find exactly the color you want rather than the limited ones offered at stores. 3D printing is still mostly expensive at this early stage, however Mink will cost less than $200 when it launches later this year (it's being aimed at 13 to 21 year old girls, Choi says). There will still be the cost of printing the lipstick itself, though you have to appreciate how Choi shoots it straight in terms in this regard. "The makeup industry makes a whole lot of money on a whole lot of bullshit," Choi said at TechCrunch Disrupt. "They do this by charging a huge premium on one thing that technology provides for free, and that one thing is color." Choi also said that per unit, makeup printed at home using Mink will be cheaper than what you buy at the store. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Acer's 32-inch WQHD Monitor Books a Trip to the U.S., Costs $899 MSRP Posted: 08 May 2014 07:54 AM PDT  Acer's 32-inch B326HUL LED monitor is now available in North America
There are a couple reasons why you might be putting off the upgrade to a 4K monitor. One is the technology -- it's not very mature at this point. The second is horsepower, meaning it takes one hell of a fast system to push all those pixels around, especially in gaming. Acer's compromise is the B326HUL, a 32-inch WQHD (2650x1440) display with 100 percent sRGB coverage. For what it's worth, the spec sheet indicates a 100,000,000:1 maximum contrast ratio, 6ms response time, 178-degree viewing angle, and 6-axis color adjustment. Other features include a built-in USB 3.0 hub, two HDMI ports, DVI-D input, DisplayPort, a pair of 2W speakers, smartphone holder, and a stand that supports tilt (25 degrees up or -5 degrees down), swivel (60 degrees left or right), and height (150mm up or down) adjustments. "The new Acer B326HUL display was engineered to provide commercial customers with a very comfortable and productive viewing experience," said Edward Chan, product manager for Acer America. "Professional users will benefit from the superb image quality and large viewing area that enhances collaboration and significantly reduces scrolling through spreadsheets. IT professionals will appreciate the excellent connectivity, power savings and VESA mounting capability that maximizes work space." Acer says the B326HUL will be available this month for $899 with a three year warranty. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Samsung 21.5-inch LED Monitor, Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSD and More! Posted: 08 May 2014 06:11 AM PDT |
