GeekwithEnvy

Hardware

Microsoft Buys a HUGE Part of Nokia

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NokiaMSFT

According to the latest press release from Redmond, Washington, Microsoft has purchased substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, licenses and Nokia’s mapping services at a cost of about $7.2 billion.

This is a major deal that most of us were wondering if it was ever going to happen. This will put both companies in a win-win situation to push forward innovation and build upon the success that the two companies have seen while working together.

Microsoft has been switching gears lately and taking a more “Apple-like” approach to how they do business by being more in control of hardware, software and services. This business model isn’t new to Microsoft as they have done it before with Surface but many question how this will impact other devices that use Microsoft mobile software, as it could steer users away from other Windows Phone options. Ultimately, it’s a smart move by Microsoft that should put them in a much better position to compete with the iOS and Android platforms more directly.

You can read the official press release for full details on the acquisition.

Nintendo Announces 2DS

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In what initially seems like one of the weirdest moves, Nintendo has just announced the Nintendo 2DS portable gaming system. No, that’s not a typo, it really says 2DS.

The Nintendo 2DS does not fold in half like the other DS systems and as the name would suggest, it lacks 3D capability. The 2DS is a complete redesign which at first glance seems odd but after looking at it for a while, it kind of grows on you.

All of these changes were put in place to put the 2DS at a $129.99 price tag, which for a device with as many capabilities as it has and not to mention an outstanding game library, is definitely more affordable. The 2DS will play the entire library of games for the 3DS, both downloadable and packaged, along with backwards compatibility with many DS titles.

nintendo2DS

The new handheld will be available on October 12th. You can get the full rundown on the system from Nintendo’s 2DS page.

What do you think? Love it or hate it?

 

Apple’s New iPhone Set for September 10th

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Unofficial images of iPhone 5s/c (Image Source: Tinhte)
Unofficial images of iPhone 5s/c (Image Source: Tinhte)

AllThingsD is reporting that Apple’s next iPhone will be unveiled on September 10th. The new iPhone is rumored to have some pretty cool features including a fingerprint sensor and a new 12-megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

As for the fingerprint scanner, I would love to have a better way to secure information and biometrics would be nice addition to iPhone. I think this is an area that more companies need to experiment with, it’s been used here and there on many different devices but it has yet to be refined and brought into the spotlight.

Macrumors has more details on what this fingerprint sensor might look like and how it might function on the iPhone. As for the camera upgrade, it makes sense that Apple would push for improvement here as it’s probably one of the most used features of the phone.

iOS 7 is also likely to make it’s official debut during the fall iPhone event as well. iOS7 will bring some of the most dramatic changes to Apple’s mobile OS ever. The new iOS will not be limited to the iPhone 5 but will be available to most of Apple’s current mobile devices.

iPhone 5c images (leaked)
iPhone 5c images (leaked)

It’s also very likely that we could see a new cheaper version of the iPhone. The cheaper iPhone has been unofficially named “iPhone 5c” and is said to be made of plastic. Leaked images of the cheaper iPhone, like the ones pictured above, have been circling the web for some time now and many show a variety of colors and a very slim, slightly rounded look.

 

How To Straighten Bent Pins on a CPU

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Computer processor (CPU)

So you’ve somehow managed to bend the pins on your CPU, don’t freak out! There are few things you can do to try to fix this.

Yes, in my early days of tinkering and building my own PCs I did end up bending a pin or two. Hopefully, once you’ve done it you’ll learn to never do it again.

  • The first thing you want to do is get a credit card, not to buy a new CPU of course, but to help you straighten out the pins on the chip. A gift card, drivers license or similar sized card may work as well.
  • Make sure the card slides between the pins easily but still comes in contact with the pins. You don’t want it to be too thin or it won’t straighten out the pins.
  • Slide the card through the rows of pins that are affected from both top to bottom and side to side. This will ensure that the pins are straightened from every side.
  • Once your sure everything looks good, carefully attempt place the CPU into the socket. Don’t force it into place or you will likely bend more pins! If you have any trouble, take out the CPU and re-align your pins.
  • If the pins are are in really bad shape you can use an empty mechanical pencil tip to place over the pin and stand it upright.

That’s all you should need to do!

*It’s important to note that after several attempts the pins can break and no one wants that, so make sure you do your best to align them in the first few attempts.

AMD Does 5 GHz

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AMDFXLogo

Using eight cores built on AMD’s Piledriver architecture, the FX-9590 is the world’s first processor to reach 5GHz that will be available to consumers from a chipmaker.  The 5GHz barrier has been broken before in labs and basements where extreme cooling techniques were applied to CPUs but not in a boxed chip thats available to the public.

The FX 9590’s frequency will range between 4.7 to 5GHz and will utilize AMD’s AM3+ socket. The processor will be built on a new 32 nanometer die and have 8MB of L2 and L3 cache. The chips power consumption is considerable at 220W but that’s to be expected with a chip like this, especially early on. AMD has always had great pride in producing a lot of bang with a small amount of power and it’s my guess that power consumption will likely get better. It’s also important to note that AMD’s power management will likely keep the CPU “Cool n’ Quiet” when there isn’t a large demand for power from the system.

The new chip isn’t cheap as it will cost you around $900 to pick up and although early benchmarks indicate that the performance is solid, it may not be the ultimate processor we are looking for AMD to release. Still, 5GHz is impressive and well, awesome.