Zune, the IPod killer?

From Cnet:

Microsoft took the wraps off its Zune media player on Thursday, though what's underneath is largely what enthusiasts had come to expect.

The device will come in three colors and be capable, via its built-in Wi-Fi, of sharing full-length songs with other nearby Zune devices, the software giant said. As had been revealed through regulatory filings, it includes a 30GB hard drive as well as a 3-inch screen. The Zune will come in black, brown and white, the company said Thursday, but it declined to reveal any pricing information.

Microsoft hopes the Zune will challenge Apple Computer's iPod and the software company has equipped its device with at least one feature not found in the iPod: Zune users can transmit full-length tracks of select songs, homemade recordings or photos to other Zune players.

The songs passed can be heard up to three times over three days. Should a user like a song a friend has shared, the song can be flagged and later can be purchased from the Zune Marketplace.

2005 Lingenfelter Corvette for sale. 1038hp. $158,000. Taking donations now.

Daytona Sunset Orange with ebony interior
ZO6 Factory body panels added to allow giant 285/35ZR19 tires front & 335/30ZR20 rear

Only 1,000 miles on the vehicle

This is a one off prototype car that has not be duplicated and holds the record for fastest
standing mile street Corvette in the world.

1,038 rear wheel horsepower with C16 fuel. This was not the maximum power but only LPE's target for this shoot out, it has much more potential. The electronic adjustable boost controller will allow 93 octane fuel on low boost.


Lingenfelter standard 427 TT Includes:

GM 7.0L aluminum block
4340 forged steel crankshaft
Custom forged aluminum pistons
Forged steel connecting rods
Computer balanced rotating assembly
LPE CNC-porting and hand polishing of cylinder heads
2.02-inch intake/1.57-inch exhaust valves
Custom double valve springs with titanium retainers
LPE hydraulic roller camshaft and lifters
Two Garret hybrid GT-series ball-bearing turbochargers
High efficiency liquid-to-air charge cooler
High efficiency liquid-to-air heat exchanger, pump, and coolant tank
Custom molded silicone air ducts
Custom stainless-steel exhaust manifolds
Custom stainless-steel turbo outlet adapters
LPE belt-driven turbocharger scavenge pump and oil reservoir
Conical air filters, heat shields, and stainless-steel clamps
LPE MAF sensor
High capacity fuel system
Oversized fuel injectors
LPE rear mount battery system
Corsa 2.5-inch diameter stainless-steel cat-back dual exhaust system
Professional installation, tuning, and dyno testing
Package price as shown $52,995.00

Shoot out version includes these
changes and additions

Custom Moldex billet steel crankshaft
Oliver Billet steel connecting rods
Heavy-duty timing chain set
FAST 90 MM intake manifold
Upgraded fuel injectors & support electronics
Secondary fuel pump system
High-flow fuel rails with adjustable fuel pressure regulator
Custom Corsa 3-inch diameter stainless-steel exhaust system
TiaL blow-off valves
TiaL external waste gates
LPE custom dry sump oil system
Custom GT35R ball-bearing turbochargers -special water cooled turbos
Custom stainless-steel exhaust manifolds and outlets
Higher capacity intercooler with remote rear-mounted coolant tank
Electronic boost controller
Transmission overhaul including H-D main shaft and gear sets
3.15:1 rear differential gear set
Heavy-duty differential output shafts
McLeod dual-disk clutch with sintered iron disks
Clutch scattershield with transmission safety blanket
6-point roll bar with removable side door bars
Recaro racing seats - driver & passenger
5-point racing seat belt system - driver & passenger
Boost gauge with gauge pod
Shift light
Fire extinguisher
Video camera mount
1,100 HP Upgrades $94,500.00


Additional Vehicle Upgrades

DRM / Bilstein coil-over shocks / springs
Special anti-roll bar end links
HRE 844R 19x10-inch (front) and 20x12.5-inch (rear) forged aluminum wheels
Michelin Pilot Sport 2 285/35ZR19 (front) and 335/30ZR20 (rear) tires
Chevrolet Z06 front and rear fenders, front fascia, painting, installation
Labor to modify vehicle for oversized wheels/tires
Brembo 4-piston calipers, 14-inch diameter 2-piece, cross-drilled rotors, heavy-duty brake pads, stainless-steel brake lines (front and rear)
Innovative Motorsports air/fuel meter and data acquisition system
Additional upgrades $29,935.00

Total price of vehicle modifications $177,430.00
Price of vehicle $48,430.00
Total price of vehicle as tested $225,860.00

For Sale $158,000.00

Contact

Brian Schacki 219 743 4119
or
Tim Dyer tdyer@lingenfelter.com

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, Inc.
260 724 2552 Ext 1001

Boeing Delivers 1st In-Seat Video System on Next-Generation 737

This Jet Airways 737-800 is the first 737 to be equipped with an in-seat video entertainment system. (Jim Coley)

The Boeing Company recently delivered the first Next-Generation 737 equipped with an in-seat video entertainment system.

The airplane, a Jet Airways 737-800, has 7-inch video monitors mounted in the back of every seat in economy class and 9-inch video monitors mounted in the seat arms in business class. The system offers passengers audio and video on-demand movies, games and in-fight information.

"Our goal is to help our customers continue to succeed by providing technologies that add value to their operations and make flying more enjoyable for passengers," said Mark Jenkins, vice president and general manager of 737 Airplane Production.

To date three customers have ordered the in-seat video system option, which is manufactured by Panasonic and Thales.

In addition to the Panasonic eFx in-seat video system, the Jet Airways 737-800 also is equipped with 110-VAC power outlets throughout the cabin and gooseneck personal reading lights in business class.

"Jet Airways strives to provide service of the highest standard to our customers, both while on the ground and in flight," said Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways. "We are especially proud to be the first 737 operator both in India and the world to offer this service to its customers. We strongly believe that we are bringing innovative ideas and setting new standards in commercial aviation."

The India-based carrier currently operates a fleet of 43 Boeing Classic and Next-Generation 737-400/-700/-800/-900 airplanes. The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world.

The Next-Generation 737 airplane family is the most technologically advanced single-aisle jet family on the market today. Known for its versatility, reliability, fuel efficiency and economical performance, the Next-Generation 737 models have been selected by leading full-service airlines and low-cost carriers throughout the world, and continue to be the company's best-selling airplane model.

Samsung Develops Tiny 32 Gb Flash Chip

Samsung Electronics’ new 40-nanometer 32 Gb NAND Flash chip. The chips are made from the wafer seen in the back.

Samsung Electronics says it has developed the world’s first 40-nanometer 32-Gb Flash memory, which is just about the size of a thumbnail but able to store 1,000 MP3 music files. The president of Samsung Electronics' semiconductor business Hwang Chang-gyu announced the next-generation of memory at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

Samsung’s development of the 32 Gb flash memory chip proves the theory that memory density doubles every year for the seventh consecutive year after the development of 256 Mb Flash memory chip in 1999. Hwang first introduced the theory, which bears his name, in a keynote speech at the ISSCC in February 2002. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter. The new 40-nanometer 32-Gigabit NAND flash has as many as 32.8 billion transistors on a surface the size of a thumbnail.

Intel's Core 2 Quadro Kentsfield

From Tomshardware:

Basically, Intel packs two Core 2 Duo processors into one package. This poses several questions: How fast are four cores versus the not-exactly-a-weakling dual-core version? What will the heat dissipation and power consumption figures be like in a PC system with a quad core processor? Which applications can truly benefit from the increased core count? Is the current platform still sufficient? And finally, the question real enthusiasts are sure to pose: What can be expected in terms of maximum clock speed?

Conclusion: Core 2 Quadro Soups Up Performance

Compared with the already not-too-shabby Intel Core 2 Duo/Extreme, the Core 2 Quadro can give performance a mighty tweak - but only for specific applications. In the best-case scenario, performance can even be doubled. However, this depends on the particular program. Software makers have yet to initiate the needed optimizations for multiple physical CPU units. The table below lists a hodgepodge of applications that benefit from four cores right away.

The future belongs to HD content. If we take our benchmarks into consideration you can no longer get by without a quad-core processor. Test results with the software packages Main Concept with H.264 encoding and the WMV-HD conversion make this very clear. We noticed performance jumps of up to 80% when compared to the Core 2 Duo at the same clock speed (2.66 GHz). A Core 2 Quadro at 2.66 GHz and higher is the answer for HD video (editing and rendering) at full HD resolution (1920x1080).

Editor's Opinion

For me, working with one of the first quad core systems was amazing. No matter how many applications you run at the same time, the system reacts to user commands quickly. Some applications require half the time to finish tasks. To me, it's like being catapulted a year into the future and is unlike the past few years when computing power increased only marginally. Intel pumped out 30% more performance with Core 2 Duo and will double that again with Core 2 Quadro soon.