INTELLIGENT DESIGN NEWS FORUM

CHROMEBOOKS ARE REPORTEDLY KILLING LOW-END PC LAPTOPS.  http://www.extremetech.com/computing/221916-chromebooks-reportedly-killing-low-end-pc-laptops-good A new report suggests Windows PCs don’t just face a challenge from tablets and smartphones, but are increasingly under fire from within their own brand segment. Chromebooks, the web-based Google alternative to a Microsoft or Apple-powered laptop, have been slowly gaining ground since they debuted in 2011. Chromebooks are just a fraction of the PC market, at 2.8% in 2015, but that’s up from 1.9% in 2014. That’s an increase of 47% in just a year — not bad for growth when the PC market as a whole continues to take a beating. In response, companies like HP and Dell are reportedly cutting their losses and mostly leaving the sub-$300 space. Acer, Asus, and Lenovo continue to offer some products from $180 to $300, but we may see these products gradually phase out if they don’t sell well enough to justify their own existen...

GRAPHENE ‘OPTICAL CAPACITORS’ CAN MAKE CHIPS THAT MESH BIOPHYSICS AND SEMICONDUCTORS !! http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/221442-graphene-optical-capacitors-can-make-neuromorphic-chips-meshing-biophysics-and-semiconductors Neuromorphic chips are the new hotness in semiconductor research. These chips consist of networks of transistors that interact the way neurons do , allowing them to process analog input, like visual information, faster and more accurately than silicon chips can. We’ve been  inching our way  closer to neuromorphic circuit architecture for years, precisely because it’s so much faster than current von-Neumann-architecture silicon at critical stuff like image processing. The overlap between neuronal and silicon processing is significant — it’s easy to sketch out a metaphor between nerve fibers and bundled wires, myelin and insulation, synapses and logic gates. Optoelectronics  extends the metaphor even further, comparing photons moving thr...

GOOGLE UNVEILS EXPERIMENTAL ANDROID APP SEARCH-AND-INSTALL PROCESS !! It’s not exactly difficult to find and install Android apps the conventional way. But it seems Google wants to create a path of least resistance between thinking about an app you might want and actually installing it. Currently, there are at least four primary ways most of us probably search for and install an Android app: Open the Android Play Store app, search for an app, and then install it; Visit the  Google Play Store  in your desktop web browser, search for an app, and remotely install the app on your Android phone or tablet remotely without even touching your device; Search for an app in your desktop web browser and then use method 2 above to complete the installation; Search for an app in your mobile device web browser or the dedicated Google Search app, tap the Google Play Store link in the search results, and then install the app. Android Police, however,...

MICROSOFT PREPARES TO KILL OLDER VERSIONS OF INTERNET EXPLORER ON JANUARY 12 TH !! http://www.extremetech.com/internet/220488-microsoft-prepares-to-kill-older-versions-of-internet-explorer-on-january-12th The sun is setting on older versions of Internet Explorer, and Microsoft   is making sure users know about it. The software giant isn’t just ending support for Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10, it’s also going to bug you about it. The final patch on January 12th will come with an update nag that reminds people still using these aged browsers that they ought to upgrade. Microsoft would certainly prefer people upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 or Microsoft Edge, if they’re using Windows 10. That’s not what users have been doing in the last few years. The “end of life” patch will include more than the upgrade notification. It will also have the last round of security patches for these browsers. A browser is often the front line of defense from malware, so running something w...