Unlike most other quad-core architectures out there, Nvidia’s Tegra 3 also features a fifth companion core. The job of this core is to handle all the usual menial tasks while the four performance cores rest, to be called upon only when there is a need for significant graphical muscle power, such as in 3D games. This results in amazing battery life because the companion core consumes very little power compared to the four performance cores.

This kind of architecture is called as variable symmetric architecture (or vSMP). But as you can image that’s not something that would look at home on a box or a store sign, which is why Nvidia kept calling it things like having a companion core or ninja core. But now they have finally come up with a proper name for it and they have trademarked it too. And that name is 4-PLUS-1. Read more »

Not really a surprise but it’s worth noting that just like the brand Sony Ericsson, its website www.sonyericsson.com is no longer in existence. Entering that URL now directs you to a brand new website: www.sonymobile.com.

Sony has completely revamped the site and it looks nothing like the old one. Along with a new design and navigation you would also notice that the number of products on display has vastly been reduced. Read more »

The native Twitter apps for Android and iOS have been criticized a lot since they were updated a couple of months ago. The iOS version removed basic things like the ability to swipe on tweets and mark all direct messages as read and the Android version was downright unusable due to its sluggish UI. Thankfully, the latest update fixes all that.

The new update brings a host of changes on both the platforms. On Android the performance has greatly been improved, making the application infinitely more usable now. You can also swipe on tweets now to access commonly used functions such as reply, retweet, etc. The latest update also adds optimization for devices running on Ice Cream Sandwich. Read more »

It’s no secret that Microsoft and Google aren’t the best of friends these days. Their most recent spat was prompted by attempts by Google to get around the user privacy settings in Internet Explorer, the same way they did with Safari and both companies took to their blogs to take digs at each other and explain their side of the story. However, that was not enough for Microsoft. So they did what they did last time they had an argument with Google; make a cheesy video.

You probably remember the Gmail Man video made by Microsoft targeting the way Google goes through your emails to deliver your ads. This time they have another new video, with a character they like to call the Googlighting stranger. Read more »

The Windows logo has gone through several changes over the years. What started as a simple, monochrome 2D logo with Windows 1.0 slowly became more complex as more colors were added along with a bit of depth, until it started resembling a flag by the time XP came out. That ‘flag’ then got ensconced inside an orb with Vista and has been the same ever since.

With the Windows 8 logo, Microsoft has attempted to move away from this flag shaped logo towards something that goes well along with the ‘Windows’ name, as well as fit with the new Metro style of the UI. For this they hired the designers at Pentagram and thus the new Windows 8 logo was born. Read more »

Apple has said that the next iteration of its OS X operating system will be sold exclusively through the online Mac App Store. This means you will require a fast Internet connection and an Apple ID in order to upgrade to this OS when it releases later this year.

Apple started this trend with Lion, which was its first OS to be sold online. They even removed the software DVDs that were provided along with Macs that were sold with Lion pre-installed. However, later on Apple did start selling the OS on bootable flash drives through its stores for $69, which is a lot more than the $29 you pay for the OS through the Mac App Store. However, that option will be discontinued with the release of Mountain Lion. Read more »

I know most of you will be going “Not another Angry Birds!” by now but this one is different. Angry Birds Space promises to be an exciting departure from the usual Angry Birds gameplay. Yes, there will still be some limbless bird flinging but this time the conditions are different.

As the name suggests, the game will take place in outer space and this introduces some interesting new parameters to the gameplay. You will be playing in zero gravity, which should heavily affect the game’s physics. Meanwhile, there are also going to be some new birds to fling, along with some familiar ones. Read more »

We have been hearing about it for quite a while now but RIM has yet to give a specific release date for the next major release of the BlackBerry PlayBook operating system. However, Engadget has now received some images that help clear the doubts.

According to these images, the OS 2.0 update is slated for release on February 21, just three days from now, at 4:01 a.m (in an unknown timezone). Read more »

After making PC gamers wait for nearly two years, the PC version of Alan Wake is finally here. You can now download the game exclusively from Steam right now for $29.99. For that price you get the game, Collector’s Edition DLC (free until February 23rd), developer commentary videos, illustrated PDF book, and the official soundtrack for the game.

The PC version of the game promises higher quality graphics compared to the Xbox 360 version, along with full support and optimization for a keyboard and mouse layout. The graphics settings are configurable, the game is optimized for quad-core CPUs and you can now even hide the HUD for a more immersive experience. It also works with AMD’s Eyefinity 3D 3-screen mode and Nvidia’s NVISION2 Stereoscopic 3D. Read more »

The perennial beta version of the Swype keyboard for Android has been updated to support the latest version of the operating system. The keyboard, as you may be aware, relies on swipes on the keys to enter words, along with traditional text input where you can just press individual keys. The new beta also offers the ability to install additional languages for tablets and accuracy improvements.

To test out the new beta, I installed it on my phone to see how well it works. Despite being a beta, the application was just as stable as it has ever been, with no real bugs or issues. However, there are some thing about the way the keypad works that still bugs me. Read more »

Last month when Acer released the Iconia Tab A200, they promised that it will get the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in February. And staying true to that promise, the ICS update has now started rolling out to the device.

In case you are not quite aware of the A200, it is Acer’s latest tablet and comes with a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 resolution display, Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 8/16GB internal memory, dual cameras, stereo speakers and a microSD card slot. It’s available for $329.99 and $349.99 for the 8GB and 16GB model respectively. Read more »

The Google+ app for iOS has always been (understandably) behind the curve compared to its Android counterpart, with some of the features appearing a bit later. The latest feature to trickle down from the Android app is Instant Upload.

As some of you may know, Instant Upload uploads the pictures you take with the camera on your phone and uploads it to a private folder in your Google+ account. It’s actually a neat way to back up your images on an Android phone but with Photo Stream in iCloud, iOS users might not be in any real need of this feature. Read more »

A bunch of new rumors have surfaced about the soon-to-be-launched iPad 3. First, iMore is reporting that the iPad 3 will launch on Wednesday, March 7, which is just three weeks from now, which was then confirmed by The Loop. They are also saying that the iPad 3 will have a 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display and a quad-core A6 processor. Lastly, they mentioned that it will also have 4G LTE connectivity, but they seemed less sure about this.

The Wall Street Journal has now come out and confirmed that last bit of information. According to their latest report, the iPad 3 will have 4G LTE connectivity on both Verizon and AT&T’s networks. Read more »

In recent times, Apple has often been blamed for the poor standards of employees working at Foxconn. It is also the only company being blamed for it, despite the fact that almost every major company out there, including the likes of Samsung, Nokia, Acer, ASUS, Amazon, Dell, Microsoft, Sony , Motorola and many others, also get their products manufactured at Foxconn.

Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a letter to the staff at Apple, stating that the company cares about every employee that works for it. But now to prove that those weren’t just empty words, Apple has now asked Fair Labor Association, to begin inspections at Foxconn. The FLA will conduct special voluntary audits of Apple’s final assembly suppliers, including Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China. A team of labor rights experts have already begun the first inspections starting this Monday. Read more »

Twitter users using Windows Phone 7 devices have been waiting for this one for quite some time now and it has finally released. The Carbon app is now available on the Windows Marketplace and can be purchased for $1.99.

Although it is a bit unusual for a Twitter client to charge money for you to use it, this one promises to be well worth the price. Carbon makes great use of the Metro UI to create a visually brilliant interface. But it’s not just a pretty app and comes with all the important features built-in, such as multi-account support, Read Later, image upload, custom URL shortening, threaded direct messages and image & video previews. Read more »