Are you reading?

By Andrew Liszewski

My eyes usually glaze over when I come across yet another iPod/iPhone speaker dock, but there’s just something about the iF500 from Edifier that managed to pique my curiosity, and I think it might have something to do with the massive bulbous speaker clearly designed to mock subtlety. The iF500 supports various models of the iPod and iPhone via a built-in dock, but an aux input also allows you to connect anything featuring an audio output like cellphones or other MP3 players that clearly aren’t worth mentioning by name.

A “5 driver speaker system incorporates unique vibration and resonance control technolories coupled with low frequency porting and mid-range tuned cavities for smoother cleaner audio” and it also comes with the company’s patented EIDC or ‘Electrical Intelligent Distortion Control’ system if inane acronyms are an important feature for you. But if looks or sound quality aren’t enough to convince you to drop $249 on the iF500, keep in mind it also comes with a digital FM tuner!

[ Edifier iF500 iPod/iPhone Speaker ] VIA [ Crave ]

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By Ian Chiu

Make way for USB 3.0. While USB 2.0 (released 7 years ago) has improved performance tenfold, it hasn’t been close to the speed demon many had hoped. Tweaks to chipset and controller helped boost the effective transfer rate closer to 40MB/s… yet this is still a far cry from 3Gb/s eSATA and FireWire 800. So Intel saw the need for an overhaul of the serial bus standard, and has re-written the aging interface specs to match or surpass the aforementioned competitors. In 2008, the chipzilla went where no USB has gone before: commonly known as SuperSpeed USB, the latest USB 3.0 specs offers 4.8Gb/s theoretical maximum bandwidth; full-duplex data interface; 50% more bus power over the same cable; highly efficient power management for idle devices; better bulk transfer performance; and most importantly, backward compatibility with legacy devices.

Clearly, a lot has changed, and this brings confusion and questions. A new USB 3.0 FAQ posted by Everything USB now attempts to address the most common questions about the more significant upgrades in the entire history of the USB connectivity standard. It discusses how USB 3.0 is able to achieve the things that are listed above. The 2700-word FAQ is written mostly in plain English so you won’t be bombarded by jargon and acronyms.

[ USB 3.0 FAQ @ Everything USB ]

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We’ve heard the details and watched the bits fly in person, and now representatives from Agilent Technologies Inc. are saying that test specifications for the SuperSpeediest standard ever will be fully ratified by the end of June. Sure, you probably don’t care much about the internal workings of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF for those fond of acronyms), but without tests manufacturers can’t certify their devices, and with no certification that 500MBps external USB HDD of your dreams will never come to market. However, if all goes to plan and those standards fall in place before the dog days of summer begin, USB-IF members expect consumer devices should hit shelves in 2010. Better start saving.
Source

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Intel is looking to simplify things by adding more processors. Yeah, doesn’t sound all that sensible to us, ether, but stay put. Okay. Ready for some acronyms? Their just-announced EP80579 Integrated Processor features a system on a chip design that integrate the Pentium M core with a Memory Controller Hub (MCH), I/O hub (ICH) and data path acceleration engines (among other things dependent upon model). They believe these new Integrated Architecture (IA) chips will simplify consumer electronics like set-top boxes and MIDs due to their consolidated design that will reduce incompatibility issues. Intel also says portable devices will benefit from the new processors’ energy efficiency. Speeds run from 600MHz on up to 1.2GHz and all sport a 256KB L2 cache. As for when this new tech will end up in your cable box or MID, no news on that just yet. In other words, don’t call your provider just yet.
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