AMD has officially launched its first ever 45nm ‘Shanghai’ Opteron processor for servers and workstations.

The Shanghai chips are designed using the 45nm technology using a new technique called “Immersion Lithography”. The chips come with a higher amount of cache amounting to  8MB and the core frequency rises up to 2.7GHZ from a 2.3GHZ base model. The chips feature an integrated memory controller supporting up to DDR2-800.

AMD is also expected to launch its 45nm “Deneb” desktop CPUs before the end of the year.

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Nokia formally launched the Nokia E63, a more budget friendly full QWERTY smartphone designed as alternative to the Nokia E71. The Nokia E63 is designed for users who would like to better manage their life from the palm of their hand. Unlike the E71’s part-metal, the E63 uses plastic casing that also lets Nokia use brighter colors.Aside from the full QWERTY  keyboard, the Nokia E63 features a 2.36-inch 320×240 QVGA display, a 2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and LED flash, support for WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 and support for WCDMA 3G 900/2100 or 850/1900 or 850/2100 quad-band GSM networks.

The E63 has the ability to switch from business mode to personal mode. By simply pressing a single key, users can view corporate mail and appointments, pressing another key will enable the users to check pictures, email and shortcuts to favorite websites.

Below are the complete specifications of the Nokia E63:

Size

• Form: Monoblock with full keyboard
• Dimensions: 113 x 59 x 13 mm
• Weight: 126 g
• Volume: 87 cc
• Full keyboard
• High quality QVGA display

Display and 3D

• Size: 2.36″
• Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
• Up to 16 million colors
• TFT active matrix (QVGA)
• Two customisable home screen modes

Security features

• Device lock
• Remote lock
• Data encryption for both phone memory an microSD content
• mobile VPN

Keys and input method

• Full keyboard
• Dedicated one-touch keys: Home, calendar, contacts, and email
• Speaker dependent and speaker independent voice dialling
• Intelligent input with auto-completion, auto-correction and learning capability
• Accelerated scrolling with NaviTMKey

Connectors

• Micro-USB connector, full-speed
• 3.5 mm standard AV connector

Power

• BP-4L 1500 mAh Li-Po battery
• Talk time (maximum): GSM up to 11 hours; WCDMA up to 4h 40 min
• Standby time (maximum): GSM up to 18 days; WCDMA up to 20 days;WLAN idle up to 170 hours
• Music playback time (maximum): 18 h

Memory

• microSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 8 GB
• 110 MB internal dynamic memory

Operating frequency

• E63-1 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100
• E63-2 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900
• E63-3 Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/2100
• Offline mode

Data network

• CSD
• HSCSD
• GPRS class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 100/60 kbps (DL/UL)
• EDGE class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 296/177.6 kbps (DL/UL)
• WCDMA 900/2100 or 850/1900 or 850/2100, maximum speed 384/384 kbps (DL/UL)
• WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g
• WLAN Security: WEP, 802.1X, WPA, WPA2
• TCP/IP support
• IETF SIP and 3GPP

Local connectivity and synchronization

• Bluetooth version 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
• Bluetooth profiles: DUN, OPP, FTP, HFP, GOEP, HSP, BIP, RSAP, GAVDP, AVRCP, A2DP
• MTP (Multimedia Transfer Protocol) support
• Bluetooth (Bluetooth Serial Port Profile. BT SPP)
• File
• Network (Raw). Direct TCP/IP socket connection to any specified port (a.k.a HP JetDirect™).
• Network (LPR). Line Printer Daemon protocol (RFC1179).
• Support for local and remote SyncML synchronization, iSync, Intellisync, ActiveSync

Call features

• Integrated hands-free speakerphone
• Automatic answer with headset or car kit
• Any key answer
• Call waiting, call hold, call divert
• Call timer
• Logging of dialed, received and missed calls
• Automatic redial and fallback
• Speed dialing
• Speaker dependent and speaker independent voice dialing (SDND, SIND)
• Fixed dialing number support
• Vibrating alert (internal)
• Contacts with images
• Conference calling
• Push to talk
• VoIP

Messaging

• SMS
• Multiple SMS deletion
• Text-to-speech message reader
• MMS
• Distribution lists for messaging
• Instant messaging with Presence-enhanced contacts
• Cell broadcast

E-mail

• Supported protocols: IMAP4, Mail for Exchange, POP3, SMTP
• Support for e-mail attachments
• IMAP IDLE support
• Support for Nokia Intellisync Wireless Email
• Integrated Nokia Mobile VPN
• Easy Email set-up

Web browsing

• Supported markup languages: HTML, XHTML, MP, WML,CSS
• Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP2.0
• TCP/IP support
• Nokia browser
• Nokia Mobile Search

GPS and navigation

• Nokia Maps application

Photography

• 2.0 megapixel camera (1600 x 1200 pixels)
• Image formats: JPEG/EXIF
• CMOS sensor
• digital zoom
• Focal length: 4.5 mm
• Focus range: 10 cm to infinity
• LED flash
• Flash modes: Automatic, Off, Forced
• Flash operating range: 1 m
• White balance modes: automatic, daylight, incasdencent, fluorescent
• Capture modes: still, sequence, self-timer, video
• Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, negative
• Viewfinder
• Active toolbar
• Share photos with Share on Ovi

Video

• Main camera
• 320 x 240 (QVGA) at 15 fps
• 176 x 144 at 15 fps (QCIF)
• digital video zoom
• Video recording file formats: .mp4, .3gp; codecs: H.263, MPEG-4 VSP
• Audio recording formats: AMR
• Video white balance modes: automatic, sunny, incandescent, fluorescent
• Scene modes: automatic, night
• Colour tone modes: normal, sepia, black & white, negative
• Clip length (maximum): 1 h
• RealPlayer
• Video playback file formats: .Flash Lite 3, mp4, .3gp; codecs: H.263, MPEG-4 VSP
• Video streaming: .3gp, mp4, .rm
• Customisable video ring tones

Music and audio playback

• Music player
• Media player
• Music playback file formats: .mp3, .wma, .aac, AAC+, eAAC+
• Audio streaming formats: .rm, .eAAC+
• FM radio 87.5-108 MHz with RDS support
• Visual Radio support. Read more: www.visualradio.com
• 3.5 mm Standard AV connector
• Nokia Music Manager
• Nokia Music Store support
• Nokia Podcasting support
• Customizable ring tones
• Synchronize music with Windows Media Player
• Navi™ wheel support
• Voice Aid

Voice and audio recording

• Voice commands
• Speaker dependent and speaker independent voice dialling (SDND, SIND)
• Voice recorder
• Audio recording formats: AMR-WB, AMR-NB
• Speech codecs: FR, EFR, HRO/1, AMR-HR, and AMR-FR
• Text-to-speech

Personalization: profiles, themes, ring tones

• Customizable profiles
• Customizable ring tones
• Customisable video ring tones
• Support for talking ring tones
• Customizable themes
• Customizable home screen content in Business and Personal modes

Software platform and user interface

• S60 3.1 Edition, Eseries
• Symbian Os 9.2
• Two home screens with customizable active standby views
• Voice commands

Personal information management (PIM)

• Advanced contacts database: multiple number and e-mail details per contact, contacts with images
• Support for assigning images to contacts
• Support for contact groups
• Closed user group support
• Fixed Dialing Number support
• Clock: analog and digital
• Alarm clock with ring tones
• Reminders
• Calculator with advanced functions
• Calendar with week and month view
• Converter
• Active Notes
• To-do list
• PIM information viewable during call

Applications

• JavaTM MIDP 2.0
• Flash Lite 3.0
• Chat and instant messaging
• Nokia browser
• Dictionary
• Quickoffice (Quickword, Quickpoint, Quicksheet)
• PDF Viewer
• ZIP Manager
• Download
• File Manager
• Nokia Search
• Nokia Maps
• Files on OVI

The E63 will be available in ruby red or ultimate blue with a price tag of EUR 199

Popularity: 100% [?]

Swann Communications, a security company, has introduced the MovieStick, an ultra small camera and recorder that weighs under an ounce. All you need is to insert a 2GB microSD card and the device will record footage and still images up to 2.5 hours. It has a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and 4-pin USB port for transferring files and charging the battery.  Swann Communications claims that the device is slightly larger than a pack of gum.

The Swann MovieStick will be available sometime soon for $120

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OCZ Technology has launched the Solid Series SSDs,  a new series of low-cost SSDs which are best suited as alternative to expensive solid-state drives in the market.

The new 2.5-inch, SATA II drives are available in 30GB, 60GB, and 120GB capacities and  a better performance compared to other equal-size notebook drives. The drives deliver an incredible 155 MB/s and 90 MB/s read/write speeds and seek times of less than 0.35ms. OCZ also claims that the Solid Series consumes half as much power than the traditional hard disk. The drives come with a mini-USB port to let OCZ offer firmware upgrades in the future.

There is no word about the pricing as of posting time.

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Intel’s first Core i7 processors will be unveiled in a press conference on November 17 according to an announcement from Intel. The press conference will be held in San Francisco and according to invitations sent by Intel, the Core i7 will become “the fastest processor on the planet”. The claim is based on the SPECint_rate_base2006 benchmarking, which will be the highlight of the event. The Core i7 chips each have four cores capable of a total of eight threads.

The pricing for the Core i7 processors are $284 for the 2.66GHz Core i7 920, $562 for the 2.93GHz Core i7 940, and $999 for the 3.20GHz Core i7 Extreme 965.  These prices are for entities buying in 1,000 minimum quantities.

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SanDisk has developed an advanced flash filesystem that will have the potential to increase the operation of next generation Solid State Drives by 100 times over existing systems.

Called ExtremeFFS, Sandisk’s new technology operates on a page-based algorithm, which means there is no fixed coupling between physical and logical location.  When data needs to be written, the drive will put it where it is most convenient and efficient, resulting to tremendous improvement in random write performance by up to 100 times.

Sandisk will ship products carrying the ExtremeFFS technology sometime next year.

Click here to read the full announcement

Popularity: 100% [?]