AMD Reveals More Info About 17W Trinity Ultra-Low Voltage APUs

AMD has recently unveiled some new information about the company’s upcoming ultra-low voltage APUs, based on the Trinity architecture, which were specially designed to be used in ultra-thin laptops.

This is the first time the Sunnyvale-based chip maker will introduce ULV accelerated processing units based on a high-performance architecture.

As some of you may know from the company’s CES presentation, these ULV Trinity APUs will have a TDP of just 17 Watts, but according to the company they will deliver all the performance of last year's 35W Llano parts.

Furthermore the 17W chips will also include some new technologies that weren’t available in the Llano architecture, such as the AVX and AES-NI instruction sets.

Sadly, details regarding the specifications of these APUs are scarce right now, but an AMD slide published by Tom's hardware confirmed that they would pack two Piledriver modules for a total of four processing cores.

The only other bits and pieces of info we have about these low-voltage chips also come from AMD, which at the beginning of February released a series of performance projections for its upcoming chips. 

According to these projections that focused on the speed of the APU’s built in graphics core, an A6-Series Trinity APU with a 17 Watt TDP scored 2355 points in the 3DMark Vantage benchmark.

AMD’s slides released at that time said that their APU was twice as fast as a Sandy Bridge Core i5 2537M CPU (1158 3D Marks), which is one of the most popular processors to be used in today’s Ultrabooks.

Furthermore, even after taking into account the assumed 30% graphics improvement brought by Ivy Bridge, the A6 ULV accelerated processing unit is still expected to come out 56% faster.

AMD’s first APUs based on the Trinity architecture are rumored to launch in June or July this year, but we don’t know if this initial chip batch will also include the company’s 17 Watt CPU models.

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AMD’s Dual-Core Trinity’s APUs Could Arrive in Q3 2012

Besides the quad-core Trinity APUs to be introduced in June/July of this year, AMD’s next-gen desktop processor lineup will also include two dual-core chips, the A6-5400K and A4-5300, which will apparently be released during the third quarter of 2012.

Both of these APUs will include a single Piledriver module and will fit inside a 65 Watt thermal envelope.

Just as its naming implies, the A6-5400K is the more powerful chip of the two as this comes packing a 192 shader Radeon HD 7540D on-board graphics core and a dual-channel DDR3-1866 memory controller.

In comparison, the A4-5300 has to make do with a Radeon HD 7480D integrated GPU with just 128 streaming processors, while the DDR3 memory speed is limited at 1600MHz. 

Furthermore, the A6-5400K is also compatible with AMD’s dual graphics technology and has an unlocked multiplier, two features that were disabled in the lower performing A4-5300.

The clock speeds of these two accelerated processing units are not known at this point in time, but considering that the slowest quad-core Trinity desktop APU has a base frequency of 3.2GHz, Fudzilla expects these dual-core processors to support even higher clock speeds.

Both the A6-5400K and A4-5300 are compatible with FM2 motherboards and support AMD’s Turbo Core technology.

According to an AMD document leaked in the second half of last year, in terms of computing power, Trinity is expected to be about 20% more powerful than the current Llano APUs.

In addition, the chip will also bring support for a series of new instruction sets introduced with the Bulldozer architecture, such as AVX and AES-NI, as well as support for DDR3-2133 memory.

On the graphics side, the new Radeon HD graphics core is expected to deliver 30% better performance than Llano, while also coming with a new Video Compression Engine and support for AMD's EyeFinity technology.

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New Samsung Galaxy S III Concept Phone Emerges

Soon, mobile phone users around the world will be able to purchase a new flagship Android device coming from Samsung. 

Supposedly called Galaxy S III, the new device will be released as the successor of last year’s Galaxy S II smartphone, and should pack top-of-the-line technology inside. 

Nothing has been made official on the new device as of yet, but Samsung is expected to make it official in the very near future, maybe before the end of this month. 

 

Although unofficial, some specs on Galaxy S III have already made it to the web, and enthusiasts have found them inspiring. 

Thus, concept devices based on these leaked hardware specs have emerged, also complemented by the vision of their designers. 

One new such handset has been spotted over at concept-phones (it comes from designer Hafizoff), with a rather unusual, edge-to-edge screen that makes it look even better than we might have imagined it before. 

The concept device, which can be seen in the photo to the left, sports a 4.8-inch touchscreen display that can deliver a 720p resolution, and packs three 3 capacitive buttons below the screen. 

Moreover, the handset features a quad-core Exynos application processor inside, along with an internal memory that ranges from 16GB to as much as 64GB. 

The specifications list of this device also includes 1GB of RAM, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity capabilities, support for LTE networks, and NFC functionality, in addition to a built-in GPS receiver. 

On the back, this Galaxy S III concept device features a 12 megapixel photo snapper, as well as a ceramic case, as can be seen in the aforementioned image. 

Many of the features included in this concept smartphone might easily make it to the real device, which is supposedly slated for launch in the coming weeks. However, we should expect for an official announcement on the matter to be made to learn specifics on it.

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HIS Radeon HD 7970 IceQ X² Graphics Cards Are Now Official

Earlier this week we found out that HIS was working on a new Radeon HD 7970 custom design that was going to be based on an updated version of the company’s IceQ cooler, which now utilizes two fans instead of one.

Just a few hours ago, HIS made this new design official, with the release of the HIS HD 7970 IceQ X² and HIS HD IceQ X² Turbo graphics card models.

The two solutions are basically identical except for their operating clock speeds, as the vanilla model sticks to AMD’s reference 950MHz core and 1,375MHz (5.5GHz data rate) clock speeds, while the Turbo model comes factory overclocked.

 

As a result, the GPU is now working at 1,050MHz, while the VRAM has a 1,400MHz (5.6GHz effective) operating frequency.

The two fans used by HIS’ new IceQ X² cooler measure a massive 112mm in diameter and are placed on top of a large fin array that draws the heat away from the GPU via three 6mm and two 8mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

According to HIS, the result is a cooler that is said to lower the operating temperatures of the card by up to 17° C, while also being 15dB quieter.

Sadly, no details regarding the availability, or the price, of these latest HIS HD 7970 solutions have been provided by TechPowerUp.

The Radeon HD 7970 is AMD’s highest performing graphics card to date and was officially introduced by the company in December of 2011. The card is based on AMD’s new Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

In the Tahiti XT core utilized by the HD 7970, AMD packed 32 Compute Units for a total of 2048 stream processors that are joined by 128 texture units, 32 ROP units and a 384-bit wide memory bus that is connected to 3GB of video buffer memory.

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Script: AutoMOD

What the default phpBB forum installation lacks is a mod (plugin, extension) manager that works out of the box. To fill this glaring whole in their forum software, the phpBB Team is offering AutoMOD, a small extension that provides a GUI for installing, activating and managing phpBB mods.

To install, download and uninstall the AutoMOD files. Then copy them in your phpBB3 root folder, overwriting the older files. To finish the AutoMOD installation, navigate to "http://forumURL.com/install” and follow the final steps.

After finishing these last steps, navigate to the phpBB forum admin panel where you'll notice a new tab at the right side of the admin menu, named  “AUTOMOD.”

There you'll find the interface shown in the picture above, which will help you manage forum mods with a lot more ease.

Of course, the mod is available in the phpBB mod repository as well.

Download AutoMOD here.

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Nokia Announces Preview of New Store Client for Series 40

Finnish handset vendor Nokia might be moving to Windows Phone on the smartphone market, but it is still focused on enhancing the capabilities of its Series 40 devices, to make them more appealing to users. 

Thus, the company has just announced the availability of a preview flavor of the Store client for S40 touch-and-type devices, namely version 3.24.0. 

The new preview iteration of the mobile application was made available for Series 40 devices such as Nokia Asha 300, Nokia Asha 303, Nokia C2-02, Nokia C2-03, Nokia C2-06, Nokia C3-01, Nokia C3-01 Gold Edition, and Nokia X3-02.

The owners of any of the said S40 touch-and-type devices will benefit from new features in the Store client, including application updates, search history, and publisher information.

The application is available for download today in the Beta Labs (keep in mind that it requires signing in for accessing the file).

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Google’s Nexus Tablet Almost Confirmed at $149

Google and Asus are reportedly in the final stages of having a Nexus tablet PC released to the market, the latest reports on the web suggest. 

Apparently, the device is a “done deal,” and Google is finalizing the latest details on it, such as the $149-199 target price tag. Although incredibly cheap, the new device will offer great quality to all users. 

However, one should not look for incredibly great performance capabilities with this device. To ensure that the tablet will be only $149, Google had to take the originally rumored quad-core application processor out of the equation. 

The Android-powered Nexus tablet might pack a dual-core Snapdragon application processor from Qualcomm, rumor has it. 

One thing that hasn’t been set as of yet is the product’s name, it seems. However, chances are that it would be included in the Nexus line as the Nexus Play.

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OLPCs' XO Laptop Ships, Uruguay Gets It First

After months of work, the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) nonprofit organization is ready to send out the newest XO children's laptop, XO 1.75.

As one of the countries most involved with OLPC's efforts to provide all children with learning opportunities, Uruguay will be the country to receive the first batch.

About 60,000 of the XO 1.75 will be shipped, all of them featuring the ARM Armada 610 processor from Marvel, the Sugar learning environment and a power consumption of 4W (200 milliwatts when idle).

The organization's official website has all the relevant information. You can find it here.

"We salute Plan Ceibal for its leadership in providing all Uruguayan children access to a modern education," said Rodrigo Arboleda, chairman and CEO of the One Laptop per Child Association. 

"Uruguay is a great example of a well-planned, well-executed deployment that is having a positive impact on children's educational development."

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Extensive Office 15 Technical Preview Screenshots Available

In January, Microsoft kicked off the technical preview availability of the upcoming Office 15 application, allowing only a small number of people to get a taste of the new features and capabilities packed with it. 

Office 15 is the next version of Microsoft’s productivity suite, and it should arrive on Windows 8 with enhancements for the use on touch-enabled devices. 

We have already encountered a long series of rumors on what the suite might have to offer to users, and now we can get a better glimpse at it. 

Paul Thurrott from WinSupersite has managed to grab one copy of the Office 15 Technical Preview release, and published a series of screenshots to detail some of the main features in the new release. 

One thing that should be mentioned right from the start is the fact that the application is not yet ready for primetime. 

However, Microsoft is expected to bring a series of enhancements to its stability and functionality before the public release is made available in summer. 

To install the new Office 15 Technical Preview, one would have to upgrade from an existing copy of Office 2010 Professional Plus, Paul notes. 

He also mentions the new Microsoft My Site Documents option that emerges during installation, and which is expected to replace SharePoint Workspace. Moreover, the installer includes Lync, as well (Microsoft’s collaboration and productivity tool for businesses). 

Office 15 arrives with a redesigned Word application, one that delivers full-screen use on a Windows 8 tablet PC. It comes with a Metro-style design and offers a split view when loaded, so that users can easily access recent documents. 

The app is dominated by the aforementioned Metro-style look and features the usual ribbon, now minimized by default. It also comes with a new tab, Design, in addition to the already available Home, Insert, References, Mailings, Review, and View.

The app also seems to feature a new full-screen mode, which appears when clicking on the little arrow next to the window control buttons. The taskbar remains visible in this mode. 

Office 15 also comes with Microsoft ID integration, and packs Flickr, My Office, SkyDrive, Windows Live Hotmail, and Windows Live Messenger connectivity. When saving a file, you are offered options such as SkyDrive, Computer, and Other Web Locations.

You can learn more on what the Office 15 Technical Preview includes, and what the final release of the suite could sport, on this post on WinSupersite. Plenty more screenshots with the application are also available there.

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Slim MacBook Pros Now in Production, Sources Say

Sources at Apple’s supply chain partners are telling DigiTimes that Apple has revised its MacBook Pro line to include a slimmer chassis with no optical drive.

By removing the optical disc drive, Apple will release 13- and 15-inch laptops that retain their Pro-status with higher specs than the MacBook Air, the sources said.

Specifically, the enhancements will occur in the CPU and storage departments, according to the Taiwanese trade publication.

Production is said to have already begun, with Apple planning to ship 100,000-150,000 units per month initially, and later 900,000 per month.

This is not the first time DigiTimes reports on Apple’s plans to put the MacBook Pro on a diet by removing the disc-reading unit, which is regarded as an obvious next step for the Mac makers.

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Apple's New iPad Is Not Very Recyclable

Sims Recycling Solutions, the world’s largest electrical and electronics recovery and recycling company, says the new Apple iPad is not a friend of the environment.

Sims Recycling is the world's largest electronics recycling company, handling over 475,000 tonnes of e-waste annually in over 50 locations worldwide.

The company offers repair, refurbishment and recycling services for electronic and electrical goods. They handle everything from desktop computers, laptops, and televisions, to monitors and mobile devices.

They’re also good pals with the people at iFixit, a technically savvy bunch who’ve just recently torn down the latest Apple iPad.

They make it their job to fix things like the elusive tablet PC so, naturally, they had to peek inside. They actually flew over to Australia to be one of the first group of people to grab one.

Once their teardown was complete (which we covered earlier today), iFixit posted their findings on their web site.

They had found that “Apple physically increased the size of each battery cell by about 70%, explaining the big jump from 25 to 42 watt-hours.”

The extra power is needed to handle the increased RAM memory, LTE networking and, most importantly, the A5X chip that outputs quad-core graphics on a 3.1 million pixel matrix.

Speaking of its recyclability, the team at iFixit added:

“Apple claims the new iPad is environmentally friendly with a ‘Recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure’. The materials may be recyclable, but the assembled unit is not.”

“We spoke yesterday with Steve Skurnac, president of SIMS Recycling Solutions—one of the largest electronics recyclers in the world. He told us, ‘Sealed units make it difficult to remove the batteries. From a recycler's point of view, the hazardous components like batteries need to be easily separated or removed.’”

It appears that Apple may once again lose a point or two on the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics this year.

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Windows Phone Tango Custom ROMs Emerge

Last month, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft and its partners announced a range of handsets running under a new flavor of Windows Phone, codenamed Tango. 

The new platform release came with support for lower hardware configurations, thus bringing the Windows Phone OS in the hands of more people out there. 

Today, we learn that the first custom ROMs built on the Windows Phone 7.5 Tango platform are available for download. 

At the moment, only two devices are supported, namely the HTC HD2 (which was launched a few years ago with Windows Mobile 6.5 on board) and the Samsung Omnia 7 (one of the first new Windows phones).

The owners of any of these smartphones interested in getting a taste of a fully unlocked platform should head over to the ZDA-Developers forum to learn more on them and download the files. This thread is dedicated to HD2, while details on Omnia 7 are available via this link.

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HIS Makes Two New Radeon HD 7950 IceQ Graphics Cards Official

HIS, one of AMD’s closest add-in board partners, has just announced the release of two new IceQ graphics cards based on the Radeon HD 7950 design, including one factory overclocked model with a 900MHz GPU clock.

Both of these cards use a cooling system developed in-house by HIS, which is called the IceQ and relies on a single blower fan placed at the rear of the card.

This is used to push air through a small, but dense aluminum channel array, which draws the heat away from the GPU thanks to a pair of 6mm thick and two 8mm thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

This powerful cooling assembly enabled HIS to increase the operating frequency of the iTurbo model to 900MHz, 100MHz more than AMD’s recommended clock for the HD 7950.

The memory works at the same stock 1,250MHz (5GHz data rate) in both of HIS' solutions, according to TechPowerUp.

Users who require even more performance can also overclock these cards beyond these frequencies, as the cooler used by HIS for these two solutions should be able to cope with the extra heat generated by the video card.

Sadly, HIS hasn’t provided us with any information regarding the availability, or the pricing, of these Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards.

Made official at the end of January, the Radeon HD 7950 uses the Tahiti Pro GPU, which includes a total of 1792 stream processors (vs. 2048 in the HD 7970), 112 texture units, 32 ROP units and the same 384-bit wide bus of its elder brother.

The stock operating clocks of the video card are set at 800MHz for the GPU, while the GDDR5 memory is running at 1.25GHz, but AMD’s AIB partners, HIS included, are allowed to overclock these if they want to increase the performance of their cards.

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Leica M10 Full-Frame Camera May Be Revealed on May 10

In a little less than two months from now, Leica may uncover a new M-series full-frame camera dubbed the Leica M10, according to some rumors that reached the web just a few hours ago.

The rumors are fueled by a series of invitations sent out by the company to an event that is supposed to take place May 10-11 in Berlin, Germany.

In the invitation received by Steve Huff, Leica mentions that the event will host “a whole range of product launches.” 

The M10 name isn’t specified anywhere in its text, but Huff believes that new M-series and X-Series cameras will be part of the event.

According to Huff, a Leica representative told him at some point in the past that the company planned to release new M- and X- line cameras every two to three years. Since the M9 was released in September 2009, this makes it just about the time for an updated version to be released.

Little is known at this point in time about the specifications of the M10, but this should improve upon the features of the company’s current flagship in the M-Series.

The M9 has become famous not only for its compatibility with the company’s high-quality M mount lenses, but also for being the world’s smallest full-frame interchangeable lens camera.

The image sensor used in the M9 is manufactured by Kodak (KAF-18500), has a resolution of 18.5MP, and uses the CCD technology.

If we were to speculate, we would say that the M10 is likely to swap this sensor for a CMOS model, most probably one with a higher resolution.

Right now, the M9 costs about $8,000 (roughly 6,100 EUR), so the upcoming M10 is expected to carry a similar price tag.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 14-Inch Ivy Bridge Notebook Visits the FCC

Unveiled by the company during this year’s CES fair, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y480 notebook powered by Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors just paid a quick visit to the FCC to receive WiFi certification for its US launch.

The notebook, which made a brief appearance on Amazon last week, is based on Intel’s third generation Core processors.

Lenovo’s laptop was designed to run the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, and sports a 14-inch display.

At its heart there stands the Intel Core i7-3610QM processor that packs four computing cores clocked at 2.3GHz (3.3GHz maximum Turbo Boost speed), support for Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology and an on-die Intel HD 4000 graphics core.

However, for the version listed by Amazon last week, Lenovo decided that the IdeaPad Y480 needed more powerful graphics, so it installed a GeForce GT 630M dedicated GPU with 1GB of VRAM, which should also support Nvidia’s Optimus dynamic switching technology.

The fast Intel processor is paired with 8GB of system memory, as well as with a 750GB hard drive with a spindle speed of just 5400 RPM.

The rest of the features list includes a pair of JBL branded speakers, two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI video output, as well as the standard Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (built by Broadcom according to Wireless Goodness) and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity.

When unplugged from the power outlet, Lenovo’s IdeaPad notebook gets its power from a Lithium Polymer battery that can provide about 4 hours of autonomy.

According to Amazon’s listing, which has been removed since last week, the price of the IdeaPad Y480 will be set at $999 (about 755 EUR).

No info regarding its release date is available yet, but we believe that the laptop will be made official at the end of April or beginning of May, soon after Intel introduces its 22nm Ivy Bridge CPUs.

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“Unprinting” Technology Erases Text from Paper

Paper printing is an intrinsic part of life, all those tons of used paper go to waste eventually and there is always the need for more blank sheets in case someone wants to print something else.

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge in England may just have a solution to this problem, at least as far as black text is concerned.

Essentially, they managed to create a so-called “unprinting” technology, which erases ink without damaging the paper.

To offer some context, a paper printer uses a laser to give “pixels” on a piece of paper a positive charge.

That causes negatively-charged toner particles to stick to those regions, leaving it to a heat source to fuse the toner and the paper.

The “unprinting” technology is quite different from this procedure, since it uses very short pulses of green laser light to vaporize the toner.

The pulses last for some picoseconds (a picosecond is a billionth of a millisecond) and green light is used because the black toner absorbs it while the cellulose fibers the paper is made of let it harmlessly pass through.

In addition to the convenience of reusing messed up sheets of paper, the major advantage of being able to erase printed text is the potential reduction in CO2 emissions, not to mention the lower need for cutting down trees.

Just making paper leads to millions of tons of CO2 emissions per year. Unprinting, in the worst case scenario, can produce half as much, though the ideal is 20%.

Unfortunately, since this is the first time this idea emerges in practical form, it will take quite a while for it to be put in use, probably years.

Also, consumer printers with this capability aren't bound to appear any time soon. It is more likely that the technology will be used only in the paper recycling industry for a while before that even becomes an option.

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MSI R7970 Lightning Graphics Card Breaks Boundaries

If you thought AMD's Radeon HD 7970 graphics card was strong, you might not believe what Micro-Star International did to it. 

The product is getting customized by more or less every one of AMD's OEMs, so MSI is really only following the natural course. 

It still deserves props for one-upping Sapphire though, since the latter's Radeon HD 7970 OC Edition, while powerful, lags behind the R7970 Lightning. 

Indeed, MSI's product is called R7970 Lightning and has a faster clock speed for the 28nm graphics processing unit (GPUs). 

The same goes for the 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, though the boost is not as pronounced. 

For those who want numbers, the GPU works at 1,070 MHz instead of the reference 925 MHz, while the memory has a clock frequency of 5,600 MHz / 5.6 GHz instead of 5,500 MHz / 5.5 GHz (further specs can be read on the product page). 

Of course, such factory overclocking would not have been possible, or safe, without a serious cooling upgrade and special board components. 

As such, MSI chose the proprietary "GPU Reactor" power supply module, which reduces power supply “noise” and boosts overclocking stability. 

Also, the newest twin Frozr IV Thermal Design is present (cooler), complete with Dust Removal Technology and two 10 cm Propeller Blade fans. 

Needless to say, the company's famous Military Class III components are present as well, certified to MIL-STD-810G military standards in seven different categories by a third-party lab. The tantalum core Hi-c CAP, CopperMOS cooling design, form-in-one Golden SSC and moisture/rust-proof Dark Solid CAP are just a few of them. 

Finally, the R7970 Lightning boasts the Unlocked Digital Power Architecture, including the Unlocked BIOS, Digital PWM Controller, and Enhanced Power Design, for further clock tweaking. 

No price was mentioned, unfortunately, and we can't seem to find the card on big retailers, which means that we'll have to wait a bit longer.

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FBI Asks Google to Provide Data Stored on Locked Android Phone

A federal judge agreed to give the FBI a warrant which forces Google to turn over the information stored on an Android smartphone seized by authorities as part of an investigation. The company is willing to oblige.

Somewhat similar to the case in which a fraudster was ordered by a court to decrypt a laptop that might have contained incriminating data, the FBI now requests Google’s help to obtain email accounts, web history, GPS tracking data, and text messages from the phone of a man suspected of violating his parole conditions.

Ars Technica informs that Dante Dears was imprisoned in 2005 for drug dealing and human trafficking and, after being released a couple of times, he returned to his old habits.

On the last occasion, the FBI found that he continued committing crimes with the use of an Android phone. While they obtained a court order to search his residence and got him to turn over the device, Dante took the Fifth Amendment to ensure that he couldn’t be forced to hand over its contents.

The Bureau obtained a warrant to search the phone on February 13, 2012, but the technicians from the FBI Regional Computer Forensics Lab in Southern California were unable to gain access to the data, because they couldn’t bypass the pattern lock feature.

That’s why investigators turned to Google to do the task for them. In the warrant the FBI served to the company, they request Dear’s name, address, SSN, username, password, time and duration of visited websites, messages, and tons of other details that can be used to convict him.

In a statement given to Ars Technica, Google representatives revealed that they complied with all valid legal processes. 

“Whenever we receive a request we make sure it meets both the letter and spirit of the law before complying. If we believe a request is overly broad, we will seek to narrow it,” the statement reads.

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Rugged Sony Camera Can Be Operated Underwater

If you're in the market for a small, tough camera that can go where few dared to go before, the Sony Bloggie Sport may be just the thing for you.

We have to say that the name alone doesn't do the item justice, or at least doesn't comprise its entire worth, so to speak.

After all, “Bloggie Sport” doesn't exactly scream “tough”, “hardy” or “impervious.” In fact, not even looking at it is enough to figure out just why this item is better than all the rest.

Fortunately, Sony made sure to publish a blog entry about it, and even showed a video rundown of its features.

The Bloggie Sport is, in essence, a rugged photo and video camera, or camcorder as such things are sometimes called.

By rugged we mean that it is capable of surviving through not just drops and hits, but also dusty environments and, most importantly, humid ones.

Of course, “humid” is the understatement of the age: the Bloggie Sport can be totally submerged underwater without any problems.

In fact, Sony fully expects at least some buyers to get the Bloggie Sport wet, so it gave it a touchscreen that works underwater just fine, as long as you don't push it lower than 16 feet (5 meters or so).

Spec-wise, the product can shoot video at 30 frames per second (30 fps) and capture 5.1-megapixel still shots. Its display has a diagonal of 2.7 inches.

The built-in storage is of 4GB, which corresponds to two hours of video or so. Furthermore, the company tossed in an HDMI output, meaning that films can directly be streamed to an HDTV or monitor.

Unfortunately, Sony chose not to say how much money the Bloggie Sport would cost when it finally shipped. We don't know when sales will start either, but we hope it's soon.

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Teardown Reveals Full iPad 3 Specs

As avid readers will remember, iFixit flew over to Australia this week to grab one of the first new iPads going on sale this Friday. They bought one, improvised an “operating table” on site, and took the thing apart.

(Regardless of Apple’s choice for the name of “the new iPad”, it’s probably best not to clutter the headline this time around and just call it what it is - the third iPad. Or, as we’ve been calling it for over a year now, the iPad 3.)

With that out of the way, iFixit has mercilessly torn down Apple’s new tablet PC to discuss all the technical details behind its beautiful Retina display.

They’ve been able to confirm stuff like:

• The device uses a dual-core Apple A5X processor with integrated quad-core graphics (no surprise there).
• A 9.7 inch LED backlit in-plane switching LCD with 2048×1536 pixel “Retina Display” made by Samsung, with iFixit noting “we hear that Sharp and LG may be supplying panels at a later date.”
• 16, 32 or 64 GB Toshiba NAND flash memory.
• 5 MP HD rear-facing camera.
• 1 GB DRAM comprising two 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 parts.
• Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n Baseband/Radio with Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS.
• Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem (not the expected 2nd generation MDM9615).
• Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for LTE bands.

iFixit said getting inside the new iPad was just as difficult as with the iPad 2: “The front panel is glued to the frame,” reads the teardown report.

“We carefully used a heat gun to loosen the adhesive, worked to budge the panel with some guitar picks and plastic opening tools, and finally gently lifted it off with some heavy duty suction cups.”

Visit the tinkerers’ site for the full details and some high-resolution shots of the key iPad 3 parts photographed up close.

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