GeekwithEnvy

Richard Vincenti Jr

Intel Introduces 4th Generation Processors

by Leave a Comment

4th_Generation_Intel_Core_Close_i7_p

Intel has just introduced it’s 4th generation Core processor line and they are pushing right along with some serious gains over previous generations.

One of the most notable improvements with the Intel’s 4th generation processors has got to be power consumption. Intel has claimed that they have achieved a 50% improvement in battery life over the last generation while watching video or browsing and that could be over 9 hours . As far as standby goes, Intel says it has gained two or three times as much battery life then the last generation and in some cases they have had 10-13 days of standby on a single charge.

Let’s not forget about graphics, Intel is pushing ahead with Intel® Iris™ graphics which will double 3D performance in gaming. It looks like there will be a few different options to choose from including the the Intel HD 4600 and the faster Iris Pro 5200.

intelGraphicsNaming
Intel’s Graphics Naming (Source: Intel)

Intel’s 4th genration is focusing on 2-in-1 devices and their goal was to harness the kind of power you would normally expect on a PC but in a mobile form factor. This is exactly what’s needed in today’s mobile market and it looks like Intel has delivered on their promises. If you are patiently awaiting next weeks World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) you can probably expect Apple to include these new processors in their announcements.

You can read Intel’s official announcement for complete details.

 

 

Microsoft Gives Us a Glimpse of Windows 8.1

by Leave a Comment

Win8_1StartScreen
Screenshot of the new, more customizable, Window 8.1 Start Screen. (Credit: Microsoft)

Windows 8.1 will be here soon and it will add much needed improvements to the currently somewhat broken and fragmented experience.

To keep us excited about the release of Windows 8.1 Microsoft has created a blog post detailing some of the features of the new update. Here is a very brief summary of that update, you can read the full blog post from Microsoft for complete details.

Some of the features include:

  • Deeper customization of the Start Screen, which will allow you to have more choice in backgrounds, some even have motion.
  • Improved search functionality from the charms search feature which will now see the integration of Bing.
  • PC settings will now be fully integrated into the new UI so you will no longer need to access the control panel on the desktop to change your PC’s settings.
  • Internet Explorer 11, which will work better with touch and offer faster browsing.
  • Overall better support and features for mouse and keyboard users. Microsoft has said many times that Windows 8 is a touch-first OS but this should hopefully smooth out a lot of the desktop unfriendly issues that Windows 8 has.

 

 

Asteroid With It’s Own Moon

by Leave a Comment

AsteroidwMoon
Radar images of 1998 QE2 (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSSR)

What’s cooler than an asteroid? How about an astroid with it’s own moon!

The asteroid is 1998 QE2 and NASA scientists have used radar technology to take images of it, as seen at the top of this article. This type of asteroid is known as a binary asteroid and some even have two orbiting moons, those are referred to as triple systems. This asteroid is in the Near-Earth population of asteroids and is about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) in diameter.

70MDeepSpaceNetworkAnt
70 Meter Deep Space Network Antenna in Goldstone, Calif. ( Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSSR)

The image was taken May 29th, 2013 using the Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone California which is very large.

The antenna itself is 70 meters or 230 feet in diameter and that makes it the largest and most sensitive Deep Space Network antenna on Earth. The DSN antenna is capable of  tracking a spacecraft travelling more than 16 billion kilometers (10 billion miles) from Earth.

You can read the full article on this asteroid from NASA/JPL.

Will Mac Pro Get a Much Needed Refresh?

by Leave a Comment

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro hasn’t seen an update in quite a while and it’s really starting to show it’s age. Pro users are getting quite impatient with Apple by now and some have even sent emails directly to Tim Cook complaining about how they feel that Apple has essentially forgotten about it’s pro users and has decided to focus purely on the iPhone and iPad business.

It makes sense that Apple would focus most of their attention to these products since they are by far their most popular but it’s time for the Mac Pro to get some love and Tim Cook actually responded to the email by saying that there are some updates in store for 2013.

USB 3.0, Thunderbolt and CPU upgrades are just a few of the much needed updates to the Mac Pro line. Hopefully, we will get an announcement next week at the World Wide Developers Conference which begins June 10th and continues through to the 14th. Macrumors has mentioned that supplies of the Mac Pro have decreased significantly among various suppliers which does seem to hint toward a refresh.

World of Warcraft’s New Armored Bloodwing Mount

by Leave a Comment

How about owning the “undisputed ruler of the night skies”? Blizzard is offering up the Armored Bloodwing mount for purchase from the Blizzard Store for $25. The Armored Bloodwing is a giant bat with blood red eyes and a very dark and awesome look. The mount, when purchased, will be available for all of your characters on a single account.