Over the past 15 years, the Wi-Fi (802.11x) standard has been revised only a handful of times, evolving to include major revisions like 802.11b, g and n and smaller, incremental amendments like 802.11a. For the fourth time since 1997, the IEEE standards committee is planning another major revision to the standard being called 802.11-2012. This new Wi-Fi standard will differentiate itself from previous iterations by operating within a range of 3.65 and 3.7GHz. Current implementations of Wi-Fi typically operate around either 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequencies. However, with 2.4GHz completely saturated by almost every conceivable consumer device and 5.8GHz becoming more popular, utilizing a new area of the spectrum will give consumers more opportunities to avoid interference. 802.11-2012 is also expected to provide 600Mbps throughput. The PHY (physical layer) and MAC (a software layer) components of 802.11-2012 will be reworked to provide that impressive speed. Those changes will also allow for new additions like "mesh" networking, direct-link setup, changes in security, broadcast/multicast/unicast data delivery and additional network management features. As an aside, currently 802.11n can already achieve 600Mbps at 5GHz, but to do so requires MIMO technology to aggregate four multiplexed streams. The new guidelines brought forth by 802.11-2012 are also expected to have a minor effect on existing wireless standards. Small Net Builder has a great piece on one the most noteworthy amendments 802.11-2012 adds to 802.11n: the elimination of 40MHz channel bonding while operating within the 2.4GHz range. Utilizing 40MHz bands allows 2.4GHz "n" users to hit a theoretical 450Mbps, but doing so omnoms channels like the Cookie Monster swallows disc-shaped confections. As a result, this practice has generally been frowned upon, especially in such a crowded area of spectrum. Given the potential interference troubles and the fact it isn't supported by all wireless cards, the IEEE probably felt dropping it was for the best.

Source: techspot

Microsoft is preparing a new dashboard software to include a cross-application exercise tracking system, according to sources “Kinect Play Fit” will allow Xbox gamers to track their exercise across multiple Kinect titles, providing tracking metrics in the cloud. The software developers are also planning to release a hardware accessory, codenamed Joule, to accompany the “Kinect Play Fit” service. The Joule heart-rate monitor will let Kinect owners track their heart rate wirelessly and ensure any exercise is within a target goal for weight loss, strength, or cross-fitness workouts. Although EA currently shipped their own heart rate monitor with EA Sports Active 2 for the Xbox 360. Microsoft’s Joule monitor will be compatible with most Kinect titles but you won’t be needing it to make use of the new exercise tracking feature of Kinect Fit Play, there is no solid release date for the Kinect Play Fit system, but sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have indicated  that a future dashboard update will introduce the system. The system details are expected to be revealed at E3 alongside more Xbox Live content deals and additional software enhancements for the Xbox 360.

Source: wccftech

OCZ has announced a new firmware update that boosts performance of fourth-generation Vertex drives by up to 110% in certain situations. The update (v1.4RC) increases 128KB sequential reads from 535MB/s to 550MB/s on 128GB, 256GB and 512GB Vertex 4s, while 128KB sequential writes have increased from 200MB/s to 420MB/s, 380MB/s to 465MB/s. No gains are touted for 4KB random reads and writes. With the improvements, OCZ says mainstream users of the 128GB model can now enjoy the 512GB version's enterprise-grade performance. The company isn't particularly candid about what knobs it turned, saying only that the faster rates were achieved via "proprietary algorithms which orchestrate the sequence of physical NAND programming operations to ensure that each NAND device is optimally utilized." Storage Review has retested the Vertex 4 to demonstrate the firmware's changes. The site's real-world benchmarks (latter half of the article) show notable gains in various StorageMark workloads, bumping productivity performance from 168MB/s to 192MB/s while read-heavy game tests jumped from 228MB/s to 368MB/s. Power consumption has also been reduced by a smidgen during reads and writes. Despite those improvements, you may want to wait until the final version is released in the coming weeks as Storage Review experienced stability issues. We don't see v1.4RC listed publicly, but a fixed version (v.1.14RC) should appear very soon considering the site has already received the revision (and is working on a fresh round of tests). If you aren't afraid of the release candidate status, spam F5 on OCZ's updates page until the Vertex 4 appears and start backing up your precious data in case things go sour.

Source: storagereview

Micron has announced development of their first fully functional DDR4 DRAM module. The company has already started sending out samples to major vendors and will be applying feedback to use in a final product that is expect to ship in 2013. DDR4 is highlighted by improved power savings and increased performance over its predecessor. Modules will only need 1.2v for operation with improved parity protection and error recovery expected as well. The memory manufacturer suspects that the enterprise and micro-server markets will be the first to take full advantage of DDR4 with ultrathins and tablet makers following soon after. The initial DDR4 x8 offering is being co-developed by Nanya and uses Micron’s 30nm technology. This is the first part of an extensive portfolio of DDR4 products that is expected to include RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, 3DS, SODIMMs and UDIMMs (standard and ECC). Components in x8, x16 and x32 will additionally be available in speeds starting out at up to 2400 megatransfers per second (MT/s) and eventually moving up to JEDEC-set speeds of 3200 MT/s. DDR3 was launched in 2007 after having been in development for nearly five years. The spec got off to a slow start but popularity eventually picked up as new platforms demanded DDR3. All modern PCs have now made the shift to DDR3.

Source: techspot

Thanks to the impressive power-draw and temperature figures its GeForce GTX 680 could come up with, NVIDIA's newest SKU based on the 28 nm GK104 silicon, the GeForce GTX 670, will feature a compact PCB. The reverse side of this PCB was first pictured on a Colorful-branded graphics card. A picture of its obverse side was posted earlier today. In comparison to the GTX 680, the GTX 670 PCB is quite short. The eight GDDR5 memory chips are distributed between both the sides, these chips are wired to the GPU over a 256-bit wide memory interface. The VRM area is pushed towards the front-end of the PCB. It consists of a 4+2 phase design. The card draws power from two 6-pin PCIe power connectors. Display outputs include two dual-link DVI, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. There are two SLI bridge connectors, giving it 4-way SLI capability.

Source: techpowerup

The next generation Xbox has already reached the manufacturing stage according to a report from IGN. A source has told the publication that assembly recently started at the Austin, Texas branch of Flextronics, the same company responsible for manufacturing the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox before that. The company reportedly created a whole new testing group to work on the new Xbox, separate from everyone else. The new group was responsible for marketing, software and hardware testing and with those tasks behind them, the project has moved on to manufacturing. IGN points out that although systems are being actively created, they likely aren’t retail models. Instead, Flextronics is probably churning out development kits that will be sent to game studios so companies can get to work on making games for the new system that will be ready in time for the console’s launch. Speaking of launch, the new Xbox is still probably a couple of years out. We already know for a fact that Microsoft won’t be showing any new hardware at this year’s E3 convention. A company spokesperson confirmed this statement back in March. As is the norm, Microsoft and Flextronics provided no comment on the rumor. Considering that Microsoft will soon be offering a subsidized $99 Xbox 360 bundle paired with a two year service agreement, it seems feasible to think that the company plans to ride the 360 wave for at least two more years following the successful launch of Kinect.

Source: Techspot

A report from Focus Taiwan confirms that much cheaper Ultrabooks are around the corner. The Ultrabook market has remained very pricey no thanks to expensive all-aluminum chassis' people could often care less about. Intel's Taiwan chief Jason Chen has stated that in the second half of this year "it is likely there will be US$599 models in selected regions, but the mainstream price should fall around US$699." Chen believes that as a result of a significant price drop, Ultrabooks will end up accounting for between 30 and 40% of all notebook shipments for the year. The new breed of upcoming cheaper ultrabooks will comprise a combination of cheaper materials, with the casing itself to use fiberglass-reinforced plastic that has been claimed by Intel to respond similarly to metal chassis' in torque tests. There will also be select models that sport aluminum-coated plastic chassis'.

Source: Vr-zone

The day finally came and thankfully there will be no more outlandish rumours regarding Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone as the company has finally lifted the veil of its third generation of the Galaxy S smartphone. The recent rumours were jumping all around and we have seen daily pictures of alleged devices and Samsung's Galaxy S III launch hype could easily be compared to the launch of Apple's iPhone. The specification list starts off with 720p (1280x720) 4.8-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and, of course, Samsung's recently announced Exynos 4 Quad quad-core chip running at 1.4GHz which is paired up with 1GB of RAM memory. Samsung decided to go with a 8MP rear snapper and 1.9MP one on the front with burst and best-shot modes, something that we really liked on recent HTC One smartphones. The rest of the specs include 16 or 32GB of storage space (64GB version coming later) expandable by microSD card, 802.11bgn WiFi, NFC chip, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, pretty decent 2,100mAh battery and of course, Google's Android 4.0 that will be supplemented with Samsung's own TouchWiz. In case you wondered about the actual dimensions, the new Galaxy S III is 8.6mm thick and is 136.6mm tall and 70.6mm wide. This makes it just a tad bit thicker than Galaxy S II 8.49mm. Samsung also announced that the global version will feature 21Mbps HSPA+ while LTE version is probably coming as a region specific version. There has been a lot of software customizations and Samsung will certainly talk a lot about it. The "S Voice" that lets you talk to your phone, "S Beam" that is an enhanced version of Android Beam, "Smart Stay" that uses front camera to monitor your eyes and adjusts the brightnes of the screen, as well as some other DLNA related updates, really sounds like Samsung has put a lot of effort into it and Galaxy S III might defenitely be a really interesting smartphone. Unfortunately, Samsung did not talk about the price or carriers, but Europe should get the phone on May 29th. On the same date, Samsung will launch a global tour for the rest of the world, so best guess is June.

Source: Fudzilla

Samsung UK has jumped the gun with Ivy Bridge-powered Ultrabooks, and posted the product page of its 15-inch Series 9 Ultrabook. Intel's Core "Ivy Bridge" processors for Ultrabooks won't be official till June. Pictured below is the Series 9 NP900X4C, with a 15-inch screen, that has 1600x900 pixels resolution, and a sleek wedge-shaped design. Under the hood is an Intel Core i5-3317U dual-core processor clocked at 1.70 GHz, with 2.60 GHz Turbo Boost speed, and Intel HD 4000 graphics; Intel HM75 Express chipset, 8 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory, and a 128 GB SSD. Connectivity/features include 802.11 b/g/n with WiDi support, Bluetooth 4.0, one USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, micro-HDMI display output, SD/MMC card-reader, and 1.3 megapixel webcam. The keyboad has backlit illumination, and the tracking device is a large multi-touch clickpad. The Series 9 body is made of an all-aluminum chassis, which could make it light, improve heat dissipation, but also step up its costs. Expect the Series 9 NP900X4C to start selling in June.

Cooler Master has unveiled their latest gaming mouse under CM Storm brand (Cooler Master gaming line-up), the Sentinel Advance 2. Featuring the most advanced laser sensor, the Avago 9800, Sentinel Advance II is capable of over 8000 DPI. This opens the door for much higher sensitivity and accuracy levels than was possible before and even extends its benefits to lower DPI settings. This is coupled with an ultra low lift off distance (LOD) to provide gamers with the ability to perform actions in a split-second. This ultra low LOD allows gamers to quickly reposition their mouse without the fear of sending the mouse cursor flying off to undesired areas of the screen. Sensor improvements also improve the accuracy of tracking on multiple surface types and textures to provide maximum compatibility. Sentinel Advance 2 contains all of the features that made its predecessors great. It includes a 128 KB of onboard memory for profile storage and management, customizable color LEDs, a large palm grip, on-the-fly DPI adjustment, and a modular weight management system.