Sélectionnez le type d'affichage

Divers

Lexar Launches 'JumpDrive Tough' USB Drives up to 128GB: Focusing on Physical Endurance (AnandTech)

Over the last week, Lexar has introduced a new series of USB flash drives with enhanced endurance. The new drives are built to survive in tough conditions, such as very cold or very hot temperatures or water. As for performance and capacities, we are talking about fairly mainstream products with USB Type-A interface with low price points.

The Lexar JumpDrive Tough are designed to withstand physical impact (up to 750 PSI or 50 atm), extreme temperatures (from -25°C to +148.9°C) and water (it is claimed to be water resistant up to 98 feet, or 30 meters). This is compared to typical flash drives that can be stored at -20°C and operate at 0°C, or some that are also water resistant from use of resins. There are ranges of products on the market aimed at the physical endurance crowd, and the combination of extended temperature ranges, water resistance, and physical durability is the main selling point of Lexar’s new drives.

Lexar JumpDrive Tough Family of Flash Drives
	LJDTD32GABNL	LJDTD64GABNL	LJDTD128GABNL
Capacity	32 GB	64 GB	128 GB
Type of NAND	Unknown
Maximum Transfer Rate	Read: 130 MB/s Write: 25 MB/s	Read: 150 MB/s Write: 60 MB/s
Physical Impact	750 PSI
Water Resistance	Up to 30 Meters
Storage Temperature	-25°C to +148.9°C -13°F to 300°F
Warranty	Three Years
MSRP	$19.99	$34.99	$59.99

The JumpDrive Tough family of USB drives consists of three models with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB capacities. As for performance, the manufacturer declares up to 150 MB/s read speed as well as up to 60 MB/s write speed (for the 128 GB and 64 GB versions, the 32 GB version is slower). To enable advanced security, Lexar bundles the EncryptStick Lite software with 256-bit AES encryption.

Lexar has already started to ship its JumpDrive Tough family of USB drives at MSRPs of $19.99 (32 GB), $34.99 (64 GB), and $59.99 (128 GB). All the USB sticks are covered with a three-year limited warranty.

Today, Intel subsidiary Movidius is announcing the Movidius Myriad X vision processing unit (VPU), a low-power system-on-chip (SoC) intended for deep learning and AI acceleration in vision-based devices such as drones, smart cameras, and VR/AR headsets. This follows up on last month’s launch of the Myriad 2 powered Movidius Neural Compute Stick. As for the Myriad 2, the Myriad X will coexist alongside its predecessor, which was first announced in 2014. Movidius states that the Myriad X will offer ten times the performance of the Myriad 2 in deep neural network (DNN) inferencing within the same power envelope, while the Myriad 2 will remain a lower performance option.

Under the hood, the Myriad X SoC features what Movidius is calling a Neural Compute Engine, an on-chip DNN accelerator. With it, Movidius states that the Myriad X can achieve over one trillion operations per second (TOPS) of peak DNN inferencing throughput, in the backdrop of the Myriad X’s theoretical 4+ TOPS compute capability.

In addition, the Myriad X has four more C-programmable 128-bit VLIW vector processors and configurable MIPI lanes from the Myriad 2, as well as expanded 2.5 MB on-chip memory and more fixed-function imaging/vision accelerators. Like the ones found in the Myriad 2, the Myriad X’s vector units are proprietary SHAVE (Streaming Hybrid Architecture Vector Engine) processors optimized for computer vision workloads. The Myriad X also supports the latest LPDDR4, with the MA2085 variant equipped with only interfaces to external memory. In an accompanying launch video, Movidius locates the Myriad X functions on a stylized dieshot.

Another new function in the Myriad X is 4K hardware encoding, with 4K at 30 Hz (H.264/H.265) and 60 Hz (M/JPEG) supported. Interface-wise, the Myriad X brings USB 3.1 and PCIe 3.0 support, both new to the Myriad VPU family. All this is done within the same <2W power envelope as the Myriad 2, cited more specifically as within 1W.

Movidius Myriad Family VPUs
	Myriad 2	Myriad X
Compute Capacity	>1 TOPS	>4 TOPS
Vector Processors	12x SHAVE Processors	16x SHAVE Processors
CPUs	2x LEON4 cores (RISC; SPARC V8)	2x LEON4 cores (RISC; SPARC V8)
On-chip Accelerators	~20 image/vision processing accelerators	20+ image/vision processing accelerators Neural Compute Engine (DNN accelerator)
Neural Network Capability	1st Gen DNN Support (Up to 100 GFLOPS)	Neural Compute Engine (Up to 1 TOPS)
On-chip Memory and Bandwidth	2 MB (400GB/sec)	2.5 MB (450GB/sec)
DRAM Support	Max: 8Gb LPDDR2 (533MHz, 32-bit) LPDDR3 (933MHz, 32-bit)	Max: 16Gb LPDDR4 (1600MHz, 32-bit)
DRAM Configurations	1Gbit LPDDR2 (MA215X) 4Gbit LPDDR3 (MA245X)	No in-package memory (MA2085) 4Gbit LPDDR4 (MA2485)
Encoder/Codec	VGA, 720p, 1080p, H.264 (software encoder)	M/JPEG 4K at 60Hz encoder H.264/H.265 4K at 30Hz encoder
Key Interfaces	12x MIPI lanes (DPHY 1.1) USB 3 SPI I2S SD 1GbE	16x MIPI lanes (PHY 1.2) USB 3.1 Quad SPI I2S 2x SD 10GbE PCIe 3.0
Process	28nm HPC+/HPC/HPM (TSMC)	16nm FFC (TSMC)
Package	6.5mm x 6.5 mm (MA215X) 8mm x 9.5 mm (MA245X)	8.1mm x 8.8mm (MA2085, MA2485)

At a glance, much of the Myriad X’s extra performance at the same Myriad 2 power appears to come from its new 16nm FFC TSMC process node. In shrinking from a 28nm planar process to 16nm FinFET, Movidius was able to invest the power savings into higher performance as well as more SHAVE processors, accelerators, interfaces, and memory, all in a relatively similar package size. While Intel indeed has its own fabs, Movidius stated that the Myriad X was in development well before Intel acquired Movidius in 2016, and thus 16nm FFC was the technology of choice. This 16nm FFC iteration comes after the Myriad 2’s incarnations on three of TSMC's 28nm process variants: HPM, HPC, and HPC+.

While specifics were not disclosed, the Myriad X VPU comes with an SDK that includes a neural network compiler and “a specialized FLIC framework with a plug-in approach to developing application pipelines.” In any case, like the Myriad 2, the Myriad X will be programmable via the Myriad Development Kit (MDK). At this time, there were no details about the reference kit hardware.

As mentioned earlier, the Myriad 2 will not be replaced by the Myriad X. Last January, the Myriad 2 was described as costing under $10; based on the higher cost FinFET process and additional hardware features, the Myriad X will likely command a higher price for the higher performance.

Update (8/28/17): An Intel representative has given an update stating that 8.1mm x 8.8mm are the correct dimensions for the Myriad X VPUs. The original specifications (8.5mm x 8.7mm) that were given out were incorrect. The press kit photo has been updated.

Computex 2014: Be Quiet!’s New Case and Power Supplies (AnandTech)
Our first meeting this week at Computex is with Be Quiet! and we were shown a new case aimed at low noise output, due for the market in September. The Case With No Name (they are still deciding) will be around $130 and in orange, silver and black. Both of the side panels and the front fan grill is lined with a sound absorbent foam, and the case comes with four fans preinstalled.

The side panels use a latch mechanism so users who want more air flow can open them up by about 1cm, and the case also provides room for cable management. The extra space at the bottom is to aid airflow through the power supply which is also fitted with a rubberized shim to reduce vibrations. Interestingly enough one of the hard drive combination bays can also migrate to the set of ODD bays depending on the user. There is space for a dual radiator cooler at the top, with space in the top segment to also equip the fans. The power button and USB ports are on the top, along with special vents to minimize the fan noise out of the top of the case.

On the power supply front Be Quiet! has two new models, the Straight Power 10 and the Straight Power 10 CM (cable management), featuring their new 135mm Silent Wings 3 fan. The fan has an upgraded motor to reduce the noise, and Be Quiet are working on a consumer model aside from their power supply designs. For the PSUs, they will be rated at 80 PLUS Gold and offered in 400W-700W for the Straight Power 10 and 500-800W for the Straight Power 10 CM. The later should be coming to North America, whereas the former has focus in other markets.

Gallery: Computex 2014: Be Quiet!’s New Case and Power Supplies
Censorship in Dubai (Schneier on Security)
I was in Dubai last weekend for the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda. (I was on the "Future of the Internet" council; fellow council members Ethan Zuckerman and Jeff Jarvis have written about the event.)

As part of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai censors the Internet:

The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pervasively filters Web sites that contain pornography or relate to alcohol and drug use, gay and lesbian issues, or online dating or gambling. Web-based applications and religious and political sites are also filtered, though less extensively. Additionally, legal controls limit free expression and behavior, restricting political discourse and dissent online.

More detail here.

What was interesting to me about how reasonable the execution of the policy was. Unlike some countries -- China for example -- that simply block objectionable content, the UAE displays a screen indicating that the URL has been blocked and offers information about its appeals process.

Corsair Announces White Color Option for RM750x and RM850x Power Supplies (AnandTech)

Corsair has announced a new color option for the RMx series power supplies, Arctic White. Readers with a watchful eye may remember that a while ago the company brought out a special edition of the RM1000i PSU in white. Now by popular demand, Corsair has made this a standard option for two of their PSUs, the RM750x and RM850x.

The newly redecorated power supplies are otherwise identical to their existing black-painted counterparts. This means they have fully modular cabling which can minimize the amount of wires users need to use, and see, in their cases allowing for a cleaner look. The cables come already individually sleeved in white with black connectors using three layers of paracord for each. Also something of note, one will find in-line capacitors on the ATX, EPS12V, and PCIe cables which Corsair says helps reduce ripple and noise, and improve voltage regulation.

Features of the RMx series include a Zero RPM Fan Mode, where the rifle bearing 135mm fan sit idle during light to medium loads, only spinning up with heavy loads or at a specific temperature. On top of that The RMx line carries an 80 Plus Gold certification for efficiency, uses 100% all Japanese capacitors rated to 105C, and provides owners with a long 10 year warranty.

Corsair RM750x and RM850x Specifications
	RM750x		RM850x
	Rated	Combined	Rated	Combined
+3.3V	25A	150W	25A	150W
+5V
+12V	62.5A	750W	70.8A	850W
-12V	0.8A	9.6W	0.8A	9.6W
+5Vsb	3A	15W	3A	15W
Total Power	750W		850W
Connector Type	RM750x		RM850x
ATX 24 Pin	1
EPS 4+4 Pin	1		2
PCIe 6+2 Pin	4		6
SATA	8		10
4P Molex	7		8
Floppy	1

Gallery: Corsair RMx white

The Artic White versions will fetch a $10 premium over the traditional charcoal/black RMx models. They are priced at $149.99 for the RM750x and $169.99 for the RM850x at the Corsair Website. Finally, Corsair is also stating that at least for now, this is it for white RMx PSUs; there are no plans to produce the lower wattage RMx series power supplies in white.

Related Reading

OpenBSD 3.8: Hackers of the Lost RAID (BSD DevCenter)
Every six months, the OpenBSD team releases a new version of their OS. It's time for OpenBSD 3.8. Federico Biancuzzi recently interviewed the core developers about new features and improvements, as well as ongoing struggles to find support from hardware vendors. Here's what to expect when you upgrade.
Office 365 gratuit pour les associations et organismes à but non lucratif (Génération NT: logiciels)
Microsoft annonce Office 365 for Nonprofits. Les associations et organismes à but non lucratif vont pouvoir s'abonner à Office 365 gratuitement ou à prix réduit.
UPC Switching Scam (Schneier on Security)
It's not a new scam to switch bar codes and buy merchandise for a lower value, but how do you get away with over $1M worth of merchandise with this scam?

In a statement of facts filed with Tidwell's plea, he admitted that, during one year, he and others conspired to steal more than $1 million in merchandise from large retailers and sell the items through eBay. The targeted merchandise included high-end vacuum cleaners, electric welders, power winches, personal computers, and electric generators.
Tidwell created fraudulent UPC labels on his home personal computer. Conspirators entered various stores in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Texas and placed the fraudulent labels on merchandise they targeted, and then bought the items from the store. The fraudulent UPC labels attached to the merchandise would cause the item to be rung up for a price far below its actual retail value.

That requires a lot of really clueless checkout clerks.
Les pires mots de passe de 2019 (Génération NT: logiciels)
Et voilà le beau classement des pires mots de passe de 2019 concocté comme de tradition par SplashData.

AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.7.1 (AnandTech)
After the release of Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.6.1 and a follow-up bugfix in the form of 17.6.2, AMD has brought a new major driver update with Crimson ReLive Edition 17.7.1. The latest driver adds support for mining cards and fixes for several games & applications.

In light of the now official AMD Radeon RX 470 based mining cards, 17.7.1 (Driver Version 17.10.3211.1031, Windows Driver Store Version 22.19.171.1024). brings support for Radeon RX 460 and 470 based mining cards. While no RX 460 based mining card has been announced, this driver update suggests that such cards exist or are being prepared. In addition, 17.7.1 adds official support for RX 550 and 560 graphics cards, which were originally launched in April. Unlike the RX 580 and 570, the RX 560 and 550 house different GPUs from their RX 400 series counterparts: the RX 560 is powered by a fully-enabled configuration of Polaris 11 that was only previously seen in laptops such as the MacBook Pro, whereas the RX 550 is powered by Polaris 12, a GPU not seen at all previously.

Moving on to bug fixes, AMD has resolved an issue causing crashes with Adobe Lightroom CC 2015.10. AMD has also fixed game-crashing bugs affecting RX 300 series cards running Final Fantasy XIV and Little Nightmares, and R9 380 series cards running Tekken 7.

As a final note: 17.7.1 is not applicable for Radeon Vega Frontier Edition; the inaugural driver, revision number 17.6 (also referred to as Radeon Vega Frontier Edition 17.20) remains the most up-to-date.

The updated drivers for AMD’s desktop, mobile, and integrated GPUs are available through the Radeon Settings tab or online at the AMD driver download page. More information on this update and further issues can be found in the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.7.1 release notes.
Epson révolutionne le modèle économique des imprimantes jet d'encre (MacBidouille)
Depuis fort longtemps les fabricants d'imprimantes à jet d'encre ont créé un modèle économique biaisé.
Plutôt que de vendre leurs imprimantes à leur juste prix, elles étaient bradées et les revenus étaient ensuite générés sur la vente de cartouches à des tarifs très élevés, transformant le litre d'encre en un des produits les plus coûteux au monde, loin devant les plus grands crus classés de Bordeaux.
Cela a conduit à la prolifération des fabricants de cartouches compatibles et à des sécurisations de plus en plus complexes des imprimantes et des cartouches pour éviter les contrefaçons.
Epson vient de décider de changer de business modèle et commercialise une nouvelle gamme d'imprimantes utilisant une technologie appelée EcoTank.
Sous ce nom se cache une imprimante tout en un dotée d'un appendice sur le côté qui est en fait un gros réservoir (en fait quatre) d'encre.
Il est suffisant selon la société pour imprimer pendant deux ans (4000 pages en noir et 6500 en couleur), soit la contenance de 20 jeux de cartouches.
De plus, il est possible de recharger cette imprimante avec de gros flacons d'encre qui seront vendus à un faible prix.
En échange, l'imprimante coûtera au moins 380$, soit à peu près le triple du prix habituel mais somme toute, c'est un bon deal qu'il faudra confirmer en calculant son coût par page.
La société profite de ce nouveau business modèle pour lancer aussi des modèles à jet d'encre professionnels destinés à concurrencer les produit laser couleur.
Ils sont dotés d'énormes réservoirs d'encre capables d'assurer l'impression de 20 000 pages en couleur ou autant en noir et vendus 1200$.
Google Chrome avec HTML5 par défaut pour tuer Flash (Génération NT: logiciels)
Google livre la version stable de Chrome 55. Le navigateur fait de HTML5 l'expérience par défaut et réduit son empreinte mémoire.
DDoSing a Cell Phone Network (Schneier on Security)
Interesting research:

Abstract: The HLR/AuC is considered to be one of the most important network elements of a 3G network. It can serve up to five million subscribers and at least one transaction with HLR/AuC is required for every single phone call or data session. This paper presents experimental results and observations that can be exploited to perform a novel distributed denial of service attack in 3G networks that targets the availability of the HLR/AuC. More specifically, first we present an experiment in which we identified and proved some zero-day vulnerabilities of the 3G network that can be exploited by malicious actors to mount various attacks. For the purpose of our experiment, we have used off-the-shelf infrastructure and software, without any specialized modification. Based on the observations of the experiment, we reveal an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) in 3G networks that aims to flood an HLR/AuC of a mobile operator. We also prove that the discovered APT can be performed in a trivial manner using commodity hardware and software, which is widely and affordably available.

The attack involves cloning SIM cards, then making multiple calls from different handsets in different locations with the same SIM card. This confuses the network into thinking that the same phone is in multiple places at once.

Note that this has not been tested in the field, but there seems no reason why it wouldn't work.

There's a lot of insecurity in the fact that cell phones and towers largely trust each other. The NSA and FBI use that fact for eavesdropping, and here it's used for a denial-of-service attack.
ARM At GDC 2015: Geomerics Enlighten 3 Released (AnandTech)
One of ARM’s more unusual acquisitions in recent years has been Geomerics, a fellow UK company who specializes in video game lighting technology. Geomerics is a far cry from ARM’s day-to-day business of developing hardware blocks and ISAs to license to customers who want to put together their own chips, but Geomerics has been a long-term play for the company. By investing in a company with strong ties to the video gaming industry, ARM would in turn gain an important tool in helping to bring higher quality lighting to SoC-class GPUs, and also help to ensure that such important middleware was including SoC-class GPUs in their feature & performance targets.

With GDC 2015 taking place this week, the ARM is seeing the first real payoff from their acquisition with the release of the latest version of Geomerics’ lighting technology, Enlighten 3. Enlighten 3 in turn is designed to be one of the most advanced global illumination systems on the market, designed to scale up from mobile to desktop PCs. Previous versions of Enlighten were already in several games and engines, including the Frostbite 2 engine backing Battlefield 3, and now with Enlighten 3 the company is hoping to extend its reach further with its inclusion into the ever popular for mobile Unity 5 engine, and as an add-on for the similarly popular Unreal Engines 3 and 4.

From a feature standpoint Enlighten 3 introduces several new features, including a greatly improved indirect lighting system. Also on the docket is a richer materials system, allowing for improved support for transparent surfaces, which in turn allows for the lighting to be updated to reflect when the transparency of a surface has changed. Alternatively, for scenarios without real-time lighting, the middleware also has increased the quality of lightmaps it can bake.

Ultimately ARM tells us that they believe 2015 will be a big year for Geomerics in the mobile space, saying they expect a number of mobile titles to use the technology. To that end, as part of their GDC launch, ARM and Geomerics are showcasing several Enlighten 3 demos, including an in-house demo they are calling Subway, and a demo showcasing Enlighten 3 running inside Unreal Engine 4.

Running Commercial Linux Software on FreeBSD (BSD DevCenter)
One intriguing feature of the BSDs is their ability to run binaries for Linux distributions. This can be very useful for running commercial software. Michael W. Lucas demonstrates how to configure and use the Linux compatibility layer on FreeBSD.

TSMC Teams Up with ARM and Cadence to Build 7nm Data Center Test Chips in Q1 2018 (AnandTech)

TSMC has announced plans to build its first test chips for data center applications using its 7 nm fabrication technology. The chip will use compute cores from ARM, a Cache Coherent Interconnect for Accelerators (CCIX), and IP from Cadence (a DDR4 memory controller, PCIe 3.0/4.0 links). Given the presence of the CCIX bus and PCIe 4.0 interconnects, the chip will be used to show the benefits of TSMC’s 7 nm process primarily for high-performance compute (HPC) applications. The IC will be taped out in early Q1 2018.

The 7 nm test chips from TSMC will be built mainly to demonstrate capabilities of the semiconductor manufacturing technology for performance-demanding applications and find out more about peculiarities of the process in general. The chip will be based on ARMv8.2 compute cores featuring DynamIQ, as well as a CMN-600 interconnect bus for heterogeneous multi-core CPUs. ARM and TSMC do not disclose which cores they are going to use for the device - the Cortex A55 and A75 are natural suspects, but that’s a speculation at this point. The new chip will also have a DDR4 memory controller as well as PCI Express 3.0/4.0 links, CCIX bus and peripheral IP buses developed by Cadence. The CCIX bus will be used to connect the chip to Xilinx’s Virtex UltraScale+ FPGAs (made using a 16 nm manufacturing technology), so in addition to implementation of its cores using TSMC’s 7 nm fabrication process, ARM will also be able to test Cadence’s physical implementation of the CCIX bus for accelerators, which is important for future data center products.

TSMC's 7 nm Test Chip at Glance
	Logic	PHY
Compute Cores	ARM v8.2 with DynamIQ
Internal Interconnect Bus	ARM CMN-600
CCIX	Cadence
DDR4 DRAM Controller	?	Cadence
PCI Express 3.0/4.0	Cadence
Peripheral Buses	I2C, SPI and QSPI by Cadence
Verification and Implementation Tools	Cadence

As reported multiple times, TSMC’s 7 nm manufacturing process will be a “long” node and the foundry expects the majority of its large customers to use it. By contrast, the current 10 nm technology is aimed primarily at developers of smartphone SoCs. TSMC projects that its first-generation CLN 7FF fabrication technology, compared to its CLN16FF+, will enable its customers to reduce power consumption of their chip by 60% (at the same frequency and complexity), increase their clock rate by 30% (at the same power and transistor count) and shrink their die sizes by 70% at the same complexity. Sometime in 2019, TSMC plans to start making chips using its CLN7FF+ process technology with EUV for critical layers. TSMC claims that the CLN7FF+ will enable the company’s customers to further increase transistor density while improving other areas, such as yields and power consumption.

TSMC does not disclose which of its 7 nm process technologies announced so far it is going to use for the test chip, but the use of EUV for test chips is something that cannot be excluded. For example, GlobalFoundries claims that they use EUV to accelerate production of test chips. On the other hand, since design rules for CLN7FF and CLN7FF+ are different, it is highly likely that TSMC conservatively uses the former for the test chip.

TSMC’s CLN7FF process tech passed qualification in April and was expected to enter risk production in Q2 2017, according to TSMC’s management. The foundry expected 13 CLN7FF tape outs this year and it is projected that the fabrication technology would be used commercially starting from Q2 2018. Therefore, taping out the test vehicle using the first-gen DUV-only 7 nm process in Q1 2018 seems a bit late for early adopters who intend to ship their 7 nm SoCs in the second half of next year. Meanwhile, early adopters (read: Apple, Qualcomm, and some others) get access to new process technologies long before their development is completed and final PDKs (process development kits) are ready. Keeping in mind that the test chips feature a CCIX and PCIe 4.0 buses, it is clearly designed to show advantages of TSMC’s 7 nm process technologies for HPC applications. In fact, this is what TSMC says itself:

“Artificial intelligence and deep learning will significantly impact industries including media, consumer electronics and healthcare,” said Dr. Cliff Hou, TSMC vice president, Research & Development/Design and Technology Platform. “TSMC’s most advanced 7nm FinFET process technology provides high performance and low power benefits that satisfy distinct product requirements for High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications targeting these markets.”

Related Reading

Windows 10 Insiders: New Windows 10 Mobile Build Now Available For Phones (AnandTech)
It was almost two months ago that Microsoft released the first build of Windows 10 for phones. The first build was very basic, and was missing a lot of the Windows 10 functionality that will be coming. If you did want to try it out though, it was limited to just a handful of devices which means that it had a very small audience. Today that is changing, and the new build is available on almost every single Nokia/Microsoft phone made with the big exception of the high end Lumia 930/Icon, as well as the just released Lumia 640XL. Both devices require some new scaling code added to support the display size and resolution.

But with this build, we really get our first glance at Windows 10 on phones. Many of the core apps have been updated to have a new experience. Project Spartan, which we first saw in the latest Windows 10 desktop build, is now replacing Internet Explorer on the phone as well. Considering the performance delta between mobile CPUs and desktop CPUs, the performance improvements that we have measured in Project Spartan should make an even bigger difference. I will run one of my devices through some benchmarks to see what the new build will offer.

Also new is the Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar apps, which are universal Windows apps and will be the same ones found on the desktop too, although they are not yet on the current desktop build, so we will get our first look at them on the small screen. They have a new UI, and the calendar and mail can both be accessed while in the same app rather than having to switch between two. Outlook will now leverage Word for email composition as well, which should drastically improve the experience on mobile.

The Phone and Messaging apps are also new. Both have new designs, but the Skype integration coming to the Messaging app does not appear to be part of this build. The People and Maps app are also redesigned.

All of these apps can now be accessed through a new App Switcher, which is accessed the same way as the old one – hold the back button – and it now supports landscape and offers a grid layout on larger devices which have extra screen real estate.

For anyone who wants to try it out, you must be part of the Windows Insider program, and install the Windows Insider app on your phone, and then sign in with the same MS account as you signed up for the Windows Insider with. Remember though that this is all pre-release software, so you may not want to install this on your personal phone. There are a list of known bugs as well, so be sure to check out the source link if you are interested in installing the new Technical Preview.

Source: Microsoft
One Design, Two Products: The SanDisk Ultra 3D (1TB) and WD Blue 3D (1TB) SSD Reviews, with BiCS 3D NAND (AnandTech)
The first 3D NAND SSDs from Western Digital and its SanDisk subsidiary have arrived. The same mainstream SATA SSD with 3D TLC is being sold under two names, but either way it is a big step forward: SanDisk's 64-layer BiCS3 3D NAND enables faster performance and lower power consumption.
Dell’s Visor Available for Pre-Order: A Mixed Reality Headset, Ships in Mid-October (AnandTech)
Dell has begun to take pre-orders on its Visor headset for Windows Mixed Reality applications. The company will start shipments of the device in mid-October, just in time for Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update that arrives on October 17 and ahead of the holiday season.

Starting from September 14, Dell’s Visor WMR headset is available for pre-order from Dell.com/Visor in the U.S. and from PCWorld in the U.K. The headset itself is priced at $349.99, the controller kit costs $99.99 and a Visor with controllers is priced at $449.99. In the U.K., the whole kit is available for pre-order at £429.99. In order to play non-controller based AR/VR games on the Visor, users will also have to get an Xbox One controller. Dell will start to ship its Visor product on October 17, 2017. In addition, the company plans to make the device available in BestBuy stores and directly from Microsoft (online and offline).

Dell’s Visor AR/VR headset complies with Microsoft’s requirements for headsets compatible with the Windows Mixed Reality platform: it connects to Windows 10-based PCs using HDMI and USB cables, it features two 1440×1440@90 Hz LCD panels (for a total resolution of 2880×1440) and two cameras to capture the outside world. While ergonomics and industrial designs of WMR-compliant headsets from Dell, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo are different, internally they end up being very similar.

The shipments date of the Dell Visor coincides with the launch date of Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update, which will bring support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets to end users. That said it is highly likely that other makers of WMR gear will try to ship their products around the time of the official launch of the platform. In the meantime, Dell seems to be the first with pre-orders.

Related Reading

Apple 2017: Announcing a new Apple Watch Series 3, with Intel LTE/Cellular (AnandTech)
Today at Apple’s new Steve Jobs Theatre, Apple announced its new Apple Watch, called the Series 3. This is a new model above the Series 2 announced last year, with the new headline feature being LTE support through an integrated modem, which we believe to be an Intel modem according to trusted analysts.

With other watch makers having had LTE models, it had been one of the missing features with the Watch Series 2. Now Apple is making that leap, supporting both LTE and UTMS by using the display as the antenna, rather than internal antennas that might take up extra space. Rather than use a regular SIM, Apple is implementing an eSIM to save on size, which was demonstrated on AT&T during the presentation. To that end, Apple stated that the Watch Series 3 is only 0.25mm wider than the Watch Series 2 on the rear crystal, with all other dimensions the same. With LTE, Apple states that users can use features such as Maps, take calls, and stream Apple music.

At the heart of the Watch Series 3 is a new processor – moving up to a dual core version over the Series 2. Apple gave very little information on the processor, except that it offers 70% more performance over the Series 2 but stays at the same size. No details on the cores inside, or the node, but with the new LTE add-in, Apple is quoting the same 18 hours of battery life with a mix of LTE, WiFi and screen-off use during that time.

Also in the hardware is a new wireless chip, called the W2. Again Apple was light on details, except to say that it offers 85% faster WiFi combined with a 50% higher efficiency. On the health side, there is a new barometric altimeter, for calculating air pressure and detecting going up stairs.

For software, Apple is going to launch WatchOS4 on September 19^th , which will ship on the new Watch Series 3. This update will bring the heart rate detection to now display directly on the display, with an enhanced heart-rate detection mechanism that will provide resting heart rate data, calculated based on continuous data over several days. Apple will also add in notifications for users that might experience abnormal heart rates when exercise is not detected. This will be in conjunction with Apple’s new Heart Study, which will use Watch data to analyse arrhythmia in a collaboration with Stanford Medical and the FDA. The first phase of this Heart Study will be available to download in the US early next year.

For prices, Apple gave the base Watch Series 3 as $329, but in order to have the LTE version the price increases to $399. It looks like Apple will be discontinuing the Series 2 as it was not mentioned, but the Series 1 model will still be available at $249. Orders will begin on September 15^th, with availability on the 22^nd.

The Apple Watch Numbers

During the presentation, Apple stated that the Apple Watch is now the #1 watch brand worldwide, up from #2 in 2016, supplanting Rolex. This is on the back of a 50% year-on-year growth in Apple Watch sales, with Apple citing a 97% customer satisfaction rate. Apple did not disclose the exact number of unit sales, due to bundling the numbers in with other products, and so did not disclose if the 50% YoY was on unit sales or overall revenue from accessory or app sales.

Gallery: Apple 2017: Announcing a new Apple Watch Series 3, with Intel LTE/Cellular
Was the iOS SSL Flaw Deliberate? (Schneier on Security)
Last October, I speculated on the best ways to go about designing and implementing a software backdoor. I suggested three characteristics of a good backdoor: low chance of discovery, high deniability if discovered, and minimal conspiracy to implement.

The critical iOS vulnerability that Apple patched last week is an excellent example. Look at the code. What caused the vulnerability is a single line of code: a second "goto fail;" statement. Since that statement isn't a conditional, it causes the whole procedure to terminate.
The flaw is subtle, and hard to spot while scanning the code. It's easy to imagine how this could have happened by error. And it would have been trivially easy for one person to add the vulnerability.

Was this done on purpose? I have no idea. But if I wanted to do something like this on purpose, this is exactly how I would do it.

EDITED TO ADD (2/27): If the Apple auditing system is any good, they would be able to trace this errant goto line not just to the source-code check-in details, but to the specific login that made the change. And they would quickly know whether this was just an error, or a deliberate change by a bad actor. Does anyone know what's going on inside Apple?

EDITED TO ADD (2/27): Steve Bellovin has a pair of posts where he concludes that if this bug is enemy action, it's fairly clumsy and unlikely to be the work of professionals.

G.Skill Announces Trident Z RGB DDR4 Kits with 16 GB Modules, Up to 128 GB (AnandTech)

G.Skill has recently launched new Trident Z RGB memory kits, this time aimed at Intel X99 platforms, and following the RGB trend they give owners of high-end desktops an opportunity to customize the look of DRAM inside their machines. This is also the launch where the company introduces its first 16 GB memory modules with programmable LED lighting.

The Trident Z RGB memory modules feature programmable LED lightbars and can change their colors in accordance with user’s demands (G.Skill offers special software to customize lighting effects), providing the ability to modify the look of a PC on the fly. G.Skill first announced its Trident Z RGB memory modules in late 2016 and started to sell them early in 2017. Initially, G.Skill’s Trident Z RGB dual-channel kits were only focused on Intel’s Z270-based platforms and contained 8 GB DIMMs running at up to DDR4-3866 MT/s. Going forward, G.Skill will offer 16 GB Trident Z RGB modules in both dual-channel and quad-channel kits.

Just like the Trident Z RGB 8 GB modules, the Trident Z RGB 16 GB DIMMs are based on Samsung’s 8 Gb B-die memory chips made using 20 nm process technology. The 16 GB modules will run at DDR4-2400 to DDR4-3866 with CL14-18 latencies at 1.2 V or 1.35 V, depending on the kit performance. The Trident Z RGB fully support Intel’s XMP 2.0 as well.

G.Skill’s fastest dual-channel Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2×16 GB) kit will run at 3866 MT/s with CL18 18-18-38 timings. RGB commands a premium, so while the company’s fastest DDR4 kits (rated for DDR4-4266) are not RGB, the new modules are still a very high data rate for 16 GB modules. As for the fastest quad-channel kits, G.Skill now offers the Trident Z RGB 64 GB (4×16 GB) rated to operate at 3600 MT/s with CL17 19-19-39 latency settings as well as the Trident Z RGB 128 GB (8×16 GB) DDR4-3333 kit with CL16 18-18-38 timings.

G.Skill's New Trident Z RGB Memory for Intel's X99 and Z270 Platforms
Speed	CL Timing	Voltage	Kit Configuration	Kit Capacity
DDR4-2400	CL15 15-15-35	1.2 V	2×16 GB 4×16 GB 8×16 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB 128 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3000	CL14 14-14-34	1.35 V*
DDR4-3200	CL14 14-14-34
DDR4-3200	CL15 15-15-35
DDR4-3333	CL16 18-18-38		8×16 GB 8×8 GB	128 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3466	CL16 18-18-38		2×16 GB 4×16 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3600	CL17 19-19-39		2×16 GB 4×16 GB	32 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3866	CL18 18-18-38		2×16 GB	32 GB

*1.35V is the standard high-performance voltage setting for DDR4

While these kits are aimed at Intel systems, we would assume that qualification on Ryzen systems will be an ongoing process. G.Skill has just sent us a 2x8GB DDR4-3200 C14 kit of G.Skill FlareX (non-RGB) modules for our Ryzen testing, so it's clear that G.Skill (and others) will have AMD qualified kits in their roadmaps. Motherboard manufacturers typically have memory qualified validation lists on their websites for each motherboard, showing which modules have been confirmed to work. Initially it was hit and miss on DRAM qualification with the launch of Ryzen 7 due to timing, but most vendors are falling into place with appropriate BIOS updates.

G.Skill traditionally does not announce MSRPs for its memory modules, due to the volatility of the DRAM ICs, but given the fact that DRAM pricing is generally increasing, expect the new Trident Z RGB kits to be priced at high levels. Moreover, since it is not easy to handpick 8 Gb chips for high-speed 16 GB DDR4 memory modules, expect the manufacturer to charge a premium for kits that use high-capacity DIMMs. As an example, right now G.Skill offers 32 GB (4×8 GB) DDR4-3600 and DDR4-3866 kits without RGB for $410 and $460, respectively.

Gallery: G.Skill Announces Trident Z RGB Kits for Intel X99, Adds 16 GB Modules to Family

General Specifications of the HP Z8 2017
		HP Z8 G4
CPU	Family	Intel Xeon Scalable processor
CPU	Models	Xeon Platinum 8180 (2.5GHz/3.8GHz, 38.5MB cache, 28 cores) Xeon Platinum 8160 (2.1 GHz/3.7 GHz, 33 MB cache, 24 cores) Xeon Gold 6152 (2.1 GHz/3.7 GHz, 30.25 MB cache, 22 cores) Xeon Gold 6154 (3 GHz/3.7 GHz, 24.75 MB cache, 18 cores) Xeon Gold 6148 (2.4 GHz/3.7 GHz, 27.5 MB cache, 20 cores) Xeon Gold 6142 (2.6 GHz/3.7 GHz, 22 MB cache, 16 cores) Xeon Gold 6136 (3 GHz/3.7 GHz, 24.75 MB cache, 12 cores) Xeon Gold 6140 (2.3 GHz/3.7 GHz, 24.75 MB cache, 18 cores) Xeon Gold 6134 (3.2 GHz/3.7 GHz, 24.75 MB cache, 8 cores) Xeon Gold 6132 (2.6 GHz/3.7 GHz, 19.25 MB cache, 14 cores) Xeon Gold 6130 (2.1 GHz/3.7 GHz, 22 MB cache, 16 cores) Xeon Gold 6128 (3.4 GHz/3.7 GHz, 19.25 MB cache, 6 cores) Xeon Gold 5120 (2.2 GHz/3.2 GHz, 19.25 MB cache, 14 cores) Xeon Gold 5118 (2.3 GHz/3.2 GHz, 16.5 MB cache, 12 cores) Xeon Gold 5122 (3.6 GHz/3.7 GHz, 16.5 MB cache, 4 cores) Xeon Silver 4116 (2.1 GHz/3 GHz, 16.5 MB cache, 12 cores) Xeon Silver 4114 (2.2 GHz/3 GHz, 13.75 MB cache, 10 cores) Xeon Silver 4112 (2.6 GHz/3 GHz, 8.25 MB cache, 4 cores) Xeon Silver 4108 (1.8 GHz/3 GHz, 11 MB cache, 8 cores) Xeon Bronze 3106 (1.7 GHz, 11 MB cache, 8 cores) Xeon Bronze 3104 (1.7 GHz, 8.25 MB cache, 6 cores)
Graphics	Entry	NVIDIA Quadro P400 (2 GB GDDR5) NVIDIA Quadro P600 (2 GB GDDR5) AMD FirePro W2100 (2 GB DDR3)
	Mid-Range	NVIDIA Quadro P1000 (4 GB GDDR5) NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (5 GB GDDR5) AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (4 GB GDDR5) AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (4 GB GDDR5)
	High-End	NVIDIA Quadro P4000 (8 GB GDDR5) AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 Graphics (8 GB GDDR5)
	Ultra High-End	NVIDIA Quadro P5000 (16 GB GDDR5X) NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (24 GB GDDR5X) AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100 Graphics (16 GB HBM2) NVIDIA Quadro GP100 (16 GB HBM2)
RAM		24 DDR4 DIMMs, up to 1.5 TB of DDR4-2666 (3TB options in H1 2018, when M CPUs are available)
Storage	Bays	4 × 2.5"/3.5", 2 × 5.25", 1 × slim 5.25" for ODDs
Storage	Options	300 GB SAS (15000 rpm) 500 GB up to 2 TB SATA (7200 rpm) 500 GB SATA SED (7200 rpm) 1 TB up to 4 TB 7200 rpm SATA Enterprise 256 GB up to 2 TB SATA SSD 256 GB up to 512 GB SATA SED Opal 2 SSD 240 GB up to 480 GB SATA Enterprise SSD 256 GB up to 1 TB HP Z Turbo Drive PCIe SSD M.2 256 GB up to 512 GB HP Z Turbo Drive PCIe SED SSD M.2 256 GB up to 4 TB HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro PCIe SSD HP Slim DVD-ROM HP Slim Blu-ray Writer HP Slim DVD-Writer
Networking	GbE	Integrated Intel I219-LM PCIe GbE Integrated Intel X722 PCIe GbE Intel I350-T2 dual-port GbE NIC Intel I350-T4 dual-port GbE NIC Intel I210-T1 PCIe GbE
	10 GbE	Intel X550-T2 dual-port GbE NIC Intel X710-DA2 dual-port GbE NIC Intel 10 GbE SFP+ SR transceiver HP dual-port 10GBase-T NIC
	Wireless	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 Combo, non-vPro
PCIe 3.0 Expansion Slots	x4	2
	x8	3
	x16	4
	Notes	1 PCIe x8 has rear bulkhead access and 2 PCIe x8 are internal access only. Slot 1: Transforms to PCIe x8 when 2nd CPU is installed. Slots 3 and 6: are available only when 2nd processor is installed. PCIe x16 - Available only when 2nd processor is installed
USB	3.1	2 × Type-A, 2 × Type-C
	3.0	4 × Type-A
	2.0	unknown
Thunderbolt		Optional Thunderbolt 3 add-in-card
Card Reader		4-in-1 card reader
PSUs		1125 W, 1450 W, 1700 W
Other I/O		Audio connectors, Realtek HD ALC221 controller
Input Devices		HP Wireless Business Slim Keyboard and Mouse Combo HP USB Business Slim Keyboard USB Premium wired keyboard USB Smart Card (CCID) keyboard 3Dconnexion CADMouse HP USB Optical Mouse HP PS/2 Mouse HP USB Hardened Mouse
Dimensions		8.5 × 21.7 × 17.5 in 21.59 × 55.12 × 44.45 cm
Weight		Starting at 49.4 lb Starting at 22.4 kg
Operating System		Windows 10 Pro for Workstations HP Installer Kit for Linux HP Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Price		Starting at $2,439

G.Skill's Trident Z Memory for Intel's X299 Platform
Speed	CL Timing	Voltage	Kit Configuration	Kit Capacity	Family
DDR4-3600	CL16 16-16-36	1.35 V	4×8 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB	Trident Z Trident Z RGB
DDR4-3600	CL17 19-19-39		4×16 GB 8×16 GB	64 GB 128 GB
DDR4-3733	CL17 17-17-37		4×8 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3733	CL18 19-19-39		4×16 GB 8×16 GB	64 GB 128 GB
DDR4-3800	CL18 18-18-38		4×8 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB
DDR4-3800	CL19 19-19-39		4×16 GB 8×16 GB	64 GB 128 GB
DDR4-4000	CL18 19-19-39		4×8 GB 8×8 GB	32 GB 64 GB
DDR4-4200	CL19 19-19-39	1.4 V	8×8 GB	64 GB	Trident Z
DDR4-4400	CL19 19-19-39	1.4 V (?)	2×8 GB	16 GB	Trident Z Black
DDR4-4600	CL19 23-23-43	1.5 V	2×8 GB	16 GB	Trident Z

Linux Certif

Toute la documentation sur la certification Linux LPI

Divers

Related Reading:

Related Reading

Related Reading

Related Reading

Découvrir

Apprendre

Linux Certif

Toute la documentation sur la certification Linux LPI

Divers

Related Reading:

Related Reading

Related Reading

Related Reading

Découvrir

Apprendre

Partager