Thinking about what new things to do with your Raspberry Pi? Why don’t you take up photography? The Pi Foundation recently released a camera board for the credit card-sized computer.

The new add on has a small lens on a chip the size of a postage stamp, and it can be connected into the camera port situated between the Ethernet and HDMI ports on the Pi. But be careful while handling the module as it is very sensitive to static electricity, and that flimsy ribbon should not be folded too much. The video posted below should help you to play with the thing safely.

After connecting, start the Pi and you will need to update the firmware after which boot into the configuration settings to enable the cam. But to use the camera you will have to use some commands such as “raspistill -o image.jpg” for snapping stills and “raspivid -o video.h264 -t 10000″ for ten seconds of soundless video recording. The camera can also stream video over the internet.

The 5MP camera, which can capture 1080p video, can be ordered from RS Components or Premier Farnell/Element14 in the UK for £16.56 plus postage. That’s around $25, the Model A Raspberry Pi’s price tag. Interested US customers might wanna keep an eye on Allied Electronics.

[Source]

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Samsung’s latest and greatest smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is currently available in two versions, one with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and another with the South Korean company’s own Exynos 5 Octa with 4 Cortex-A15 cores and 4 Cortex-A7 cores. With the Exynos 5 Octa, Samsung promises energy efficiency by switching between battery-saving Cortex-A7 and the high-performance Cortex-A15 cores. But it appears like the S4 is not using the best possible way to do the shifting.

You can see how things work with the Octa below.

The image that you see below shows how the cores should be working.

According to Developer AndreiLux, the Galaxy S4 currently switches all 4 cores between the two processors like a cluster rather than using core-pair shifting. The device appears to have arrived with lower level firmware.

AndreiLux says:

“Basically there are three modes of operation of big.LITTLE:

Cluster migration: When load rises, just like when a phone increases its frequency per DVFS, all the cores will jump from the LITTLE processor to the big one. You either have 4 A7 cores or 4 A15 cores online.

Core migration: When load rises, it will only jump those cores from the LITTLE processor whose load exceeds the capacity of the A7 cores: You can have a single A15 online with 3 A7′s on. Or any other combination of a total of 4 processors.

HMP (Heterogeneous Multi-Processing): This is a vastly more complex working mechanism, and its implementation is also an order of magnitude more sophisticated. It requires the kernel scheduler to actually be aware of the differentiation of between the A7 and A15 cores. Currently, the Linux kernel is not capable of doing this and treats all CPUs as equals. This is a problem since we do not want to use the A15 cores when a task can simply be processed on an A7 core with a much lower power cost”.

So when the A15 cores are activated, the battery will be killed faster. This might explain why some people are experiencing heating and battery drain problems with their S4s. But hopefully Samsung will release a software fix soon that could make the S4 more power efficient.

Head here if you are interested in reading more details about this find.

What are your thoughts about all this? Do you have plans to buy the S4? If you are using the device now, are you having power issues?

[Source]

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Tegra 4 — Nvidia’s “secret ingredient” for future smartphones — is now the world’s fastest mobile processor, if we are to believe the benchmarks that are coming in. The Tegra 4 appears to be capable of demolishing every other mobile processor out there.

The new chip’s power was showed off on a few prototype devices at the Mobile World Congress and it appears to be far better than the Tegra 3 and Qualcomm S4 processors currently out there. But how about Apple’s A6 processor, you ask? The Tegra 4 Skadooshed it.

But just as Nvidia claimed about its new chipset, Qualcomm also boasts about its Snapdragon 800 that it is faster than Tegra 4. We will have to wait until 800’s benchmarks are here to know for sure, and also there is Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa to consider. The 1.7-GHz Snapdragon 600 chipset, 800’s little brother, on the HTC One was tested and we can see that the Tegra 4 is a clear winner.

For now, it’s safe to believe that the Tegra 4 is ahead in the race and we can wait for its arrival in Nvidia’s Project Shield, and don’t forget about the Tegra 4i powered Phoenix about which we reported earlier.

What do you prefer, Qualcomm or Nvidia processors?

[Source]

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There is strong rivalry between Qualcomm and Nvidia on the market but lately the momentum appears to be swinging in the former’s direction. As you might already know, the LG Optimus G Pro and the HTC One are coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. And now, right after Nvidia unveiled their newest chipset, Qualcomm has announced their 200 and 400 chips.

The new chipsets are meant for entry-level and mid-range smartphones, and for the high-end devices the company already introduced the 600 and 800 processors back in January. The newly announced chips are coming with improved battery life, better performance and connectivity.

The Snapdragon 200 is coming with quad ARM Cortex-A5 CPUs which will run at 1.4GHz per core and an Adreno 203 GPU. You will also get support for 8 Megapixel cameras, HD video playback, GPS, and it features better battery life as said earlier and Multi-SIM capabilities, so it see quite a bit of popularity in Asia as well.

The 400 chipset will be available in two configurations: dual Krait CPUs at 1.7GHz per core or quad Cortex A7 at 1.4GHz. You will be able to enjoy 3D gaming with an Adreno 305 GPU and get support for up to a 13.5MP snapper.

According to the company, 55 Snapdragon 800-powered devices should be available by the second half of 2013. No info on which all devices will be powered by the newly announced processors. But we will keep you updated, so stay tuned.

[Source]

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Hisense has unveiled a new Google TV this year at CES, the XT780.  While Hisense may not be a make you are familiar with, they are quickly trying to change that.  Hisense first got into the Google TV market back in 2012 at IFA in Berlin.  They unveiled the Pulse set top box, add-on hardware similar to the Roku series.

This year they stepped it up with a TV, with integrated Google TV and other standard pre-loaded apps like Netflix, Pandora, Google Play Store and Chrome browser.  This TV will be available in a 55 inch and 65 inch model.

The XT780 also has a smart search that will search live TV and paid and free services to find the content that you want.  It also allows for multitasking, being able to browse the net or social network while watching television.

Also a multiscreen play feature allows users to share content and control between iOS and Android based devices so that with a simple swipe of the device screen they can share music, movies and photos.  The remote control for the XT780 comes with some premium features as well, a double sided wedge shaped remote that even has a built-in touchpad and a QWERTY keyboard for easy web surfing.  The remote also has a built in mic for voice control of the device.

The Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Hisense USA said “The XT780 gives a whole new audience the opportunity to enjoy Google TV,” “Offering access to a vast array of content and services, the intuitive XT780 with Google TV brings the convenience of an all in one entertainment hub in a beautifully designed, upgradeable package.”

I would say Hisense is doing it right, and I look forward to picking up one of their sets.  Hopefully the price point will be one that makes them a common name in households across North America and beyond.

[ source ]

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Early last year LG had announced it would license ARM’s processor designs in order to bring its own chips to the market. Now Korea Times is reporting that LG will unveil its first in-house chip at CES 2013.

CEO Koo Bon-joon wants the company to own as much of its technology as it can.  The chip called H13 is built on TSMC’s 28-nanometer process and will be used for embedded devices.  They will reportedly start with a CPU for their web capable Smart TVs.

The Times is also reporting that they are working on a mobile version for use in their phones, which they are also hoping to sell to its competitors, similarly to how Samsung built chips for competitors like Apple until the relationship fizzled.

With all these manufacturers looking to get into the processor business it doesn’t seem to leave much meat on the bone for companies like ARM and Broadcom.

How do you feel about LG getting into the processor game, good move or not?

[ source ]

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And that’s why companies like IBM are really exploring silicone alternatives. One very promising direction is with carbon nanotubes and IBM has just reached a major milestone. They have created a new computer chip based on carbon nanotube technology that has more than 10,000 transistors. This is a far cry from the current generation of silicone-based microprocessors, but it does demonstrate a lot of potential for carbon nanotubes moving forward.

As you might remember, carbon nanotubes are constructed with sheets of cabon that are just a single atom thick, rolling them into a cylinder. These conduct electricity better than silicon and have the perfect shape to act as transistors. Unfortunately, they have to be completely free of inpurities and they have to be aligned perfectly. They’re harder to work with, but they could hold the future of computing because carbon nanotubes can also scale much smaller than silicone.

It’s unlikely that we’ll have a Nexus 2013 next year based on carbon nanotube technology, but with the continuing research and innovation at places like IBM, the future of Moore’s Law might still be viable.

[Source]

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There was a time when even the smallest SSD drive could easily fetch you close to a thousand dollars, maybe even more. Today the price has dropped quite a bit, but we still have yet to see that many ‘budget’ flash options either, luckily this is all changing with the 2.5-inch Crucial V4 drive series. The new Crucial line up starts at just $50, granted that’s only 32GB of storage space, but still not bad for just $50. From there you’ll find 64GB for $70, 128GB for $100, and 256MB for just $190. Each of these have read speeds up to 230 MB/s and write speeds up to 190MB/s using SATA-2 capable devices.

While a hardcore gamer might not be content with these drive sizes, these would be a great way to speed up your laptop or even desktop without breaking the bank. Is Crucial a worthwhile brand? While it might not be the biggest name, it is a quality brand that has become quite popular in the world of RAM and SSD drives.

The full press release is available below for those interested, or head on over to Amazon for pricing.

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When a typical new video game console hits the market, you can usually expect to spend several hundred dollars to buy it. You might even remember the frenzy surrounding the PS3 launch with systems going for up to $2,000 on eBay. The Ouya is not that kind of video game console. It’s only $100.

The unassuming silver box will be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. There is 1GB of RAM to go along with 8GB of flash storage, HDMI, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a wireless controller that looks similar to that of the OnLive console or the Xbox 360 controller. Those specs make it sound like a pretty decent smartphone or tablet, but this is meant to be a home gaming console.

Perhaps the even bigger kicker is that there is an open SDK where they promise to provide digitally-delivered titles for free. I imagine the marketplace will start with a handful of freeware titles and free-to-try games, but it has to open up to paid games eventually. In any case, the Ouya is only $100 and it’ll be interesting to see how it fares in an environment where we’ve grown accustomed to Android games on the go. Does this spell eventual doom for the Wii U, PS4, and Xbox 720?

[ Uncrate via Kickstarter ]

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The brain is without a doubt the most complex organ in the human body, and that is why creating a synthetic natural brain is a very difficult task. But it appears like scientists are getting closer and closer to completing the task of making a machine that behaves like a natural brain. Scientists involved in the BrainScaleS project, a collaboration between 15 research institutions, are trying to create hardware which emulates parts of a natural brain.

According to senior researcher Dr. Johannes Schemmel, “Our goal is to create a working system that will be located in Heidelberg, but accessible online to scientists all over the world”.

Their aim is to construct “neuromorphic hardware” or electronic systems that will rely on transistors and microchips to recreate the behavior of synapses. Their first prototype is an 8 inch large wafer consisting of 51 million artificial synapses. Although that sounds big, it represents just a tiny fraction of a working brain.

The completed hardware is expected to be capable of re-creating neurological processes 10,000 times faster than those in a natural biological system. Schemmel says, “That means that if we want to study a behaviour [in the nervous system] that would take a few minutes in the real biology, it will only take us split seconds”.

But the only problem is that hardware is not as flexible as biology. As Schemmel said, “Come new fundamental findings from biologists, we might just have to change our hardware from scratch”. That’s where software is useful as it can be easily re-programmed. But Schemmel says, “Modeling is essential for neuroscience. If we don’t have models to reconstruct the performance of neurones and synapses, we will never understand how the brain works. We can’t just stuff all this into equations, the behaviour of each individual cell is far too complex for that”.

If the project is a success, we could see great developments in the field of robotics, medicine and neurology. And just in case you are wondering, there is less chance for synthetic brain equipped robots to take over the world.

[Image Source]

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