Haswell revealed: Intel spills the beans on its 4th-gen Core processor

Been waiting on a processor and mainboard upgrade — or a new desktop — until Intel’s Haswell chips are available? Good move. Intel’s fourth-gen Core processors are coming soon, and they’re going to be awesome.
Haswell chips are built using a 22nm die, just like their Sandy Bridge predecessors. They’ll primarily drop into mainboards with an LGA1150 socket, though the top-end Core i7 beasts will require LGA2011. Quad-core options will start off with the Haswell Core i5. Moving up to an i7 will get you Hyper-Threading support — which means four cores and a total of eight threads. At the top of the range, Intel will offer a six-core hyper-threaded beast with 10 to15MB of L3 cache memory. The lower-end chips will ship with 6 to 8MB.
All the new Haswell chips will feature built-in Intel HD 4600 GPUs. They can output full 1080P 3D visuals, push content wirelessly to your displays using Intel’s WiDi tech, and seamlessly switch back and forth between graphics modes. Just like it does on Sandy Bridge, LucidLogic’s slick Virtu GPU virtualization software will help Haswell chips deliver efficient rendering whenever possible and slam on the accelerator when you’re performing more graphically intensive tasks. Back at CES, Intel’s demo showed that the HD4600 has enough oomph to keep up with an Nvidia GTX650.
Yes, we’re finally getting to the point where integrated graphics provide PC users with pretty decent gaming performance. It couldn’t have happened at a better time, either. The Windows Store has put addictive casual titles  like Angry Birds and Where’s My Water? — as well as more intense Xbox games like The Harvest and Reckless Racing — within easy reach. Haswell will ensure that the masses have the power they need to enjoy silky-smooth desktop gaming, even if they don’t want to spend extra cash on a graphics card.
Now read: Intel says Haswell will provide a 50 percent boost in battery life
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ARM’s Cortex-A12 to offer 40 percent performance gain for mid-range phones and tablets

Look at any smartphone or tablet vendor and they will be pushing their premium devices pretty hard. But the market for $400+ premium devices is only so big, and consumers are expected to be buying more mid-range phones or tablets ($250-$350 price range) by 2015. Chip maker ARM is responding to that growing market by unveiling the Cortex-A12 chip.
While aimed at mid-range devices, the Cortex-A12 is definitely no slouch in the performance department. It’s the successor to the Cortex-A9 and moves from a 40nm process to 28nm. That makes the chip 30 percent smaller, and when combined with the new design, achieves a 40 percent performance gain using the same power draw.
ARM has also added a few key new features to the chip, the first of which is the ability to combine the A12 with a Cortex-A7 processor in a big.LITTLE setup. That makes it a very scalable chip to suit a devices’ processing needs. The A12 also includes virtualization and TrustZone technology, allowing devices using it to double as a work solution as well as your personal smartphone or tablet. ARM also lets the chip address up to 1TB of memory, which I’m pretty sure no vendor will come anywhere near testing the limits of in their devices.

You’ll also be happy to hear the A12 has been paired with ARM’s Mali-T622 GPU, which has full OpenCL 1.1, OpenGL/ES 3.0, and DirectX 11 support as well as handling 1080p30 video playback. And it does that while only using half the power of the first generation Mali-T600 GPUs. Finally, you can throw in a Mali-V500 for video playback, and with it go from 1080p60 right through to 4K output at 120fps depending on the configuration.
The ARM Cortex-A12 certainly looks promising. 40 percent more performance than a Cortex-A9 combined with 1080p output using half the power draw even with the entry level chip is sure to have Intel taking notice. It’s also going to secure ARM a new round of licensing deals with smartphone and tablet manufacturers.
Now read: Samsung pulls the covers off the 4.3-inch Galaxy S4 Mini
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Google Now for iOS review

Google Now is often compared with the Siri voice assistant on Apple's mobile devices, but its power lies in giving you information you need to know before you have to ask. It works best as a supplement to Siri, rather than a replacement, now that it has expanded from Android devices to iPhones and iPads.

Both Google Now and Siri will respond to voice commands, whether it's to look up the day's weather or set the alarm on the phone. Google Now goes further in filling your phone screen with boxes containing stock quotes, sports results, weather, travel directions and more - all without making a request.

Those choices are based partly on your location, the entries in your calendar and the travel-confirmation messages in your Gmail account. To use Google Now, you have to give Google permission to use your personal data. You can create a separate Google account if you're not comfortable with that, though Google Now works better the more it knows about you. It works best if you also let it record and analyze the Google searches you've made recently.

For the past several months, I've had a chance to use Google Now on Android in 13 states and in Thailand. I've found it particularly useful while traveling. As soon as my plane landed in Orlando, Fla., on a trip this year, Google Now offered "cards" with details on my hotel and my car rental, based on confirmation emails sent to my Gmail account. Clicking the hotel card got me turn-by-turn directions to the hotel using the Google Maps app. On the way home, Google Now gave me the gate number for my connecting flight in Charlotte, N.C., as the first plane taxied from the runway.

Now, iPhone and iPad owners can get that, too. Google Now became available on Apple devices this week. Simply download the free Google Search app through Apple's app store.

For the most part, the Apple and the Android versions are similar in terms of the information they present.

But Google Now isn't as seamless to use on the iPhone or the iPad, mainly because Google doesn't have as central a presence in Apple's iOS operating system. On an Android device, clicking a Google Now card will often take you to a built-in Google app such as Google Maps or Calendar for more details. On the iPad Mini I tested it on, I got Web pages - at least until I manually installed Google's mapping app.

Google Now also isn't as easy to get to on the Apple devices. Holding the home button a second or two gets you Siri. Just speak to her with your question or search request. To use Google Now as a voice assistant, you need to open the Google Search app, and then tap on the microphone icon. Sometimes, you need to tap on the search box in the app for the microphone to appear. That microphone is sometimes on top, sometimes at the bottom or sometimes on the on-screen keyboard. (There's no home button to quickly get Google Now on Android, but you can skip one or two steps by finding the microphone on the top right of the home screen.)

To be clear, Siri is the better of the two - as a voice assistant. She'll always respond with something, even if it's to seek clarification. Google Now will often remain silent, sometimes giving you no more than a list of websites. Google Now's assistant also lacks Siri's feistiness and sense of humor. Siri, for instance, has more than a dozen witty responses to queries about the meaning of life. I compared the two for a review in March, so I won't dwell on that here.

Where Google Now shines is in anticipating your questions. Open the Google Search app, and you'll see cards fill the screen with useful information.

In Orlando, Google Now continually offered directions to nearby breweries, possibly because I had searched Google for information on tours. I got information on a co-worker's flight from Las Vegas because he had shared his Google calendar with me. And because I had searched for Flowers Foods for a story just before my trip, Google Now offered me directions to the baking company's headquarters in Georgia when I was about a half-hour away. I was actually headed to Montgomery, Ala., but I appreciated the gesture.

Later, in Bangkok and southern Thailand, Google Now was by my side with information on currency-exchange rates, language translations, tourist attractions and photo opportunities. It also told me the current time at home in New York, so I didn't need to figure out time zones myself.

On weekday mornings in New York, Google Now sends me notifications on how long my commute should take, based on public transit schedules at that time. It tells me about my commute home in the afternoon. It knows not to bother me with that information while I'm abroad.

Without typing or saying anything, I can press the search box on my phone and automatically get a card with the current weather and forecast. I can also get the latest Mets and Nets scores that way.

Google Now's judgments on what information I need to know can be sketchy at times

Although I thought the offer for directions to Flowers Foods was clever, I got annoyed with Google Now in Bangkok when it continually gave me directions to places I had searched but wasn't interested in visiting.Searching for a company on Google often resulted in stock quotes on that company for a day or two, even though I don't own any stocks.When I'm near a Barnes & Noble, I often get a card saying I could research products there. Clicking on the card gets me a link to the retailer's website and a chance to "Scan for product information." There was a camera icon, so presumably I could photograph a bar code or other identifier. It's not clear why I'm limited to being at a Barnes & Noble to do that and why Google thinks I need it just because I'm near a store.

Despite getting stray information at times, I find Google Now useful enough to leave it on. I could always customize the service by telling it never to give me stock quotes, for instance. And some of the cards are enabled only when I have Google's Web History feature turned on through my Google account settings. (Newer accounts come with that feature already on, but you can turn it off and still use Google Now.)

You do have to give Google Now permission to scan contents of your Gmail account, but it's typically limited to confirmation notices from airlines and hotels rather than discussions of hobbies and medical conditions. You also must give it permission to access calendar entries. Privacy worries aside, Google Now's appeal is in what it does with that data. That's why I'm OK with Web History.

Whatever you think of the rivalry between Google and Apple, don't look at Google Now as a Siri-killer. Think of it as a companion for the tasks you can't accomplish with a simple voice search.

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Apple launches new lighter 16GB iPod Touch

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Apple's quietly launched budget iPod Touch could be a sign of things to come with the Cupertino-based company rumoured to be working on a budget iPhone
Apple has launched a new 16GB iPod Touch which loses the rear-facing camera and touch-loop in favour of a reduced price tag of £199.
Available only in silver the new iPod Touch does still feature the same 4-inch Retina Display found on the other iPod Touch's and the iPhone 5. You also get the same A5 chip and HD front-facing FaceTime camera.
There's Bluetooth and Nike+ connectivity built-in so if you're not that into taking pics or the bright colour schemes then this could well be the PMP for you.
It's not yet clear what has prompted Apple to launch a 'budget' iPod Touch however there have been increasing rumours that Apple is launching a budget iPhone 5S alongside a new iPhone 6 later in the year.
Most recently Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that WWDC 2013 would see the launch of new Macs along with some serious software updates including new versions of Mac OS X and the highly-anticipated iOS 7.
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Google to sell HTC One Nexus Edition

HomeNewsGoogle to sell HTC One Nexus Edition

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As with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus Edition, HTC has now joined the ranks with its own HTC One soon to be offering up the 'pure' Google experience
The HTC One Nexus Edition has now been confirmed after HTC announced that Google will be offering a special edition HTC One sporting just Android 4.2.2.
Initially the company denied the existence of such a handset but Google's own Sundar Pichai confirmed that a 32GB HTC One Nexus Edition would be launching at the end of June sporting the Nexus UI.
At present the HTC One currently features HTC's own Sense 5 UI which offers up a more minimalist interface along with the Blinkfeed aggregated newsfeed.
It also seems certain that the HTC One Nexus Edition would also lose HTC Zoe which uses the One's Ultrapixel camera to take short three second videos which can then be shared.
Of course being a Nexus phone that also means you'll get an unlocked Bootloader for those who want a truly customisable experience.
One aspect that will remain is HTC's Beats Audio integration, as this is more a hardware feature the Beats Audio technology will run in the background but won't appear at any point in the OS.
HTC are also reportedly working on a solution to allow HTC One users with Sense 5 the option to actually switch their smartphones over the stock Android 4.2.2.
The HTC One Nexus Edition will be available in the US Google Play Store from June 26th with a UK release date not yet decided. The One will be joining both the Google Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus Edition in Google's increasing line-up of flagship stock Android smartphones.
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Apple iOS 6 Maps review

Apple's new maps app came out the day I started a 2,243-mile road trip through four states. As complaints about it trickled in and Apple's CEO apologized, I was left wondering whether people were using the same app I was.

Although it's not flawless or as good as Google's maps app on Android phones, Apple's new offering on the iPhone got me where I needed to go for the most part. I know many people will disagree with me, but I even find it an improvement over the old app on iPhones because I now get voice navigation and automatic re-routing.

I've used Google's Android app since it was released three years ago. I don't own a car, but I travel a lot. The app has proven crucial in getting me to unfamiliar territories in New England and various Southern states from Arizona to South Carolina.

Google brought to the phone the spoken-aloud, turn-by-turn directions once limited to GPS navigational devices from Garmin, TomTom and others. Make a wrong turn, and the app automatically updates with new directions. Best of all, it's always been free.

Until last month, Google was also behind the free, main maps app on iPhones.

But that one didn't have voice navigation or automatic re-routing. Driving with it meant swiping through pages of on-screen directions. A friend missed a train in May as we overlooked a step and went the wrong way on a highway, ending up back where we came from. A drive from Ann Arbor to Lansing, Mich., took 17 steps, each with its own page. After Step 9, I had to pull into a rest stop to memorize subsequent steps and avoid an accident.

Apple wanted voice directions, too, and figured the only way to get it was to build its own maps app and bump Google from its perch as the default offering. It partnered with TomTom and shipped the iPhone 5 with the new app. A software update out Sept. 19 made it available on the iPhone 4S and the cellular versions of the latest two iPad models.

I updated an iPhone 4S in a hotel room in Grand Rapids, Mich., that night and was immediately impressed. It was a nice touch to have turn-by-turn directions narrated by Siri, the familiar female voice from Apple's virtual-assistant feature.

Then I started hearing the complaints.

I agree with many of them. The Apple app didn't show as many businesses and landmarks as Google's. Some appeared in the wrong location or were mislabeled. The Apple app didn't offer public transit directions, something crucial for New Yorkers like me. A friend I was visiting toward the end of the two-week trip immediately complained that the app looked different as she pulled it out for the first time.

Head to head, the Google app for Android, which I used on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and a Galaxy S III, outperformed Apple's version in many respects:

Google's app typically told me about turns a second or two quicker. Sometimes, I didn't hear from Siri until I got to the intersection, two lanes away from where I needed to be to make a right turn.I got better navigation on private roads with Google. At a shopping mall, Google guided me along the right driveways to get to JC Penney, while Apple got me to the general vicinity. Google also got me to the front door of my hotel in Ann Arbor, while Apple got me to the entrance of a complex that included other hotels, a gas station and retail stores.In Akron, Ohio, Siri had me turn left to get on a highway, while Google's app properly instructed me to take a ramp on the left. In Indianapolis, Google knew about a service road alongside Michigan Road, while Siri assumed I was on the main road and would have had me crash into a Chinese restaurant. In Charleston, W.Va., Siri told me to head northeast, as if I had a compass, while Google just told me to turn left.Besides public transit directions, Google offered options for avoiding tolls or highways while driving. It allowed me to choose continuous satellite images instead of animated maps, while Apple's app offered them only for route overviews, not for live navigation.While Siri's voice sounds much more human than the one Google used in its early mapping apps, Google now has a voice that makes Siri sound robotic by comparison. Google also was more sparing with words, which was good as long as I didn't get lost for lack of detail.

That said, Apple's map offers 3-D views. That may sound like a gimmick, but it presents the map in a way that mirrors what you're seeing through the windshield. On Apple's map, the direction you're going is on top in the regular view or toward the back in 3-D. Outside of big cities, Google often has north on top, which can be confusing when driving east or south.

Apple's maps are also more pleasant to view. Instructions such as "turn right onto Pearl St." are in white against a green background, similar to the signs you see on highways. Street names at intersections are in a green rectangle, similar to actual street signs at corners. Unlike Google's, Apple's app showed me the distance and time remaining and an estimated time of arrival all at once, though I would have appreciated larger text.

Apple's app was mostly dead-on in getting me to my destination. The one big miss was when it had a winery I was looking for about a half-mile east of its actual location. I went to another instead.

But Google has made mistakes, too. It told me to turn left to get to a lighthouse along the Straits of Mackinac connecting two Great Lakes, even as the road sign in front of me pointed to the right. Then again, Apple's app didn't even find that lighthouse in a search.

Both apps gave me other questionable directions, even though they got me there, which was what mattered most. At one point, Google had me on a curvy one-lane residential street with little visibility, even though a faster, safer road ran parallel to it. Apple's directions to a roadside tourist trap had me take an exit four miles to the south, only to return four miles north on smaller roads.

Bottom line is no app is perfect. After all the complaints about Apple's app, I downloaded a 99-cent iPhone app called MotionX GPS Drive. It got good reviews and offered more features than either Apple or Google. But it tried to lead me off the wrong exit in Ohio. Plus, all the extra features diverted my eyes to the settings menu when I should've been paying attention to trucks and, ahem, police cars around me.

One of my favorite scenes from "The Office" television show is when clueless boss Michael Scott drives into Lake Scranton because he was blindly following GPS directions.

There will be mistakes, but it beats driving in a new place with nothing. You just need to use your common sense.

Apple's app is far better than the one Google had when it first came out in late 2009. In apologizing for an app he says "fell short" of Apple's own expectations, CEO Tim Cook says the company will keep working to improve it.

It's true Apple's app falls short of what Google now offers for Android, but if all you have is an iPhone or an iPad, Apple's new app will get you there just fine.

Clinging to the old, voiceless app is like hanging on to your cassette tapes while the world has moved on to CDs and digital downloads. I can't imagine driving without hearing voices.

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NH7 Festivapp review

I remember doing writing exercises as a kid, where we were asked to summarise large pieces of writing in 6 words - no more, no less. If this review of the NH7 Festivapp was the subject of such an exercise, my answer would be "Stop reading and get the app." If you prefer a (slightly) more eloquent version, read on.

Festivapp comes from the OML (Only Much Louder) group, the guys behind the NH7 website and Weekender music festivals organised across the country under the same brand name. NH7 aims to provide a platform for Indie artists, and has been rather successful towards that end. Not many may know that OML group is also behind the TV show, The Dewarists and the ones responsible for bringing big-name artists like David Guetta and Lady Gaga to India via their auxiliary brands. Once you understand this background, you'll realise that Festivapp is just a natural extension ofthe brand.

Festivapp aims to "help users to discover and navigate music, literary and cultural festivals across India". Great, yet another "events" app. Exactly what the world needs, right? Wrong. Festivapp goes beyond your typical "events app" by not only listing the various festivals that are happening across the country in the near future, but also including every possible detail you'll need to know if you are considering attending the event.

In addition to basic information about the festival, the app provides the schedule, a venue map, a profile of the artist(s) involved and other details related to the festival. Festivapp also includes useful information like how to get to the venue and hotel recommendations (with a 10% discount in some cases) for those travelling from out of town. The amount of information available for each festival varies depending upon what details the organisers have shared, if the schedule of the festival has been finalised yet etc.

Two other features make the app stand out. The first is the Festival Wall that features Twitter and Instagram posts related to the festival, while also letting you join in the fun from within the app. The other is the Announcements tab that not only features important news from the organisers, but also lets you get in touch with them and have your own queries answered.

The only disappointing aspect of the app is that the option to buy tickets is not available for all festivals (yet). As of writing this review, only tickets for NH7's own Weekender festival in Delhi could be purchased via the apps. However, the developers say that they are working towards extending this to most, if not all, festivals. Another point worth highlighting is that the Android app doesn't seem as solid as its iOS counterpart, as it failed to fetch any data on a couple of occasions over the same Wi-Fi that had the iOS app motoring along. We had to manually quit the app and launch it again to fix the behaviour. We expect this to be ironed out in a forthcoming update.

All in all, the NH7 Festivapp for iOS and Android is a must-have app for anyone looking to stay up to date with the festival scene in India.

Festivapp (iOS, Free)
Festivapp (Android, Free)

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