Open webOS Ported to Galaxy Nexus

HP has made the final version of its Open webOS platform available yesterday, and a port for Galaxy Nexus is already making it to headlines.

The availability of this platform on the latest Google phone out there is the result of a few months of development, though it seems that a lot of improvements need to be made to it. While the OS does run on the handset, and can even access the WiFi, support for phone functions is not ready just yet, and it might take a while before it is provided.

The port also needs hardware acceleration, as the software is almost unusable at the moment. However, the first steps in bringing the Open webOS to the smartphone have been taken, and things could evolve in the right direction soon. More info on the software can be found on webOS ports.

first video of Open Webos 1.0 on Google Nexus By Morphis (and WebOS Ports) 
Video credits to WebOS Ports

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Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 Overclock Edition 4GB, Triple-Slot GeForce GTX 680 Graphics Card with 4GB Memory

The world of high-end graphics adapters has become a bit larger now that Gigabyte has finished its latest and arguably greatest GeForce GTX 680 board, with WindForce 3X cooling and more memory than all the others in its collection.

We suspect that prospective buyers will be torn between considering this the best of Gigabyte's GeForce GTX 680 cards or going with the GeForce GTX 680 WindForce 5X. For what it's worth, we think that the GTX 680 Overclock Edition 4GB (GA-N680OC-4GD) is the better choice, for several reasons. The first is that the price of $800 / 622-800 Euro (as revealed by some buyers through Chinese forums) is lower than the $870 / 670-870 Euro of the five-fan monstrosity. The second is that the three fans of the newcomer (as many as the copper heatpipes) make for a lower level of noise. While the WindForce 5X did not add to the decibels, it did not reduce the volume either, so the board still produces 40dB or so, while the GTX 680 Overclock Edition 4GB runs at 28.3 dB under the Furmark test.

The third point is the following: this is the very first of Gigabyte's Geforce GTX 680 adapters to boast 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM instead of two (though not the first such item in the market). Coupled with the clock speeds of the GPU and the memory itself, the performance should be more than a match for that of the WindForce 5X. To elaborate, the 5X features a base speed of 1,137 MHz and can rise to 1202 MHz via GPU Boost. WindForce 3X is just 66 / 65 MHz behind, but the extra 2 GB of memory (256-bit interface, speed left at the normal 6 GHz) will give it an edge in multi-monitor setups. As a bonus, Gigabyte's creation supports OpenGL 4.2 (NVIDIA's original card supports 4.1), Ultra Durable VGA technology (5-10% cooler GPU, 10-30% better overclocking, improved power switching), the OC Guru II and a gold-plated HDMI output.

Gigabyte has added the high-grade adapter to its website, but has yet to officially announce availability and the price. We have only learned the tag, and that shipments are already being carried out, thanks to Chinese buyers that took to online forums.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 Overclock Edition 4GB
Image credits to Gigabyte

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TP-Link N600 Wireless Dual Band Router

IT companies have begun straight-up choosing rivals, with TP-Link being locked in a contest with Netgear for who makes the best and most affordable routers.

TP-Link is the one releasing a product this time around, called N600 Wireless Dual Band Router, and the core of its marketing strategy is “Netgear's product is more expensive than ours.” To elaborate, the press release points out that Netgear's N600 WNDR3400 ships for $79.00 in the USA, or 61-79 Euro, give or take. The TP-Link N600 Wireless Dual Band Router TL-WDR3500 is sold for $47, or 40% less. That's around 36.44-47 Euro. "This router provides cost-conscious consumers a chance to experience the advantages of dual band technology that they otherwise may not have been able to invest in," says Lewis Wu, director of Sales at TP-LINK USA. "No other competitor can beat our combination of the latest technology for the lowest everyday price."

N600 communicates over the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bandz, making it compatible with more or less every 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi device out there. It also has four 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, one USB port, two external antennas and a wireless On/Off button, letting it behave like a regular switch. For older computers that lack Wi-Fi, TP-Link has the N600 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter, TL-WDN3200, “a simple and affordable add-on.” We're not quite sure how $31.06 / 17.90 Euro / £19.99 qualifies as affordable though (the prices were taken from online retailers at the time of this article's writing). At any rate, there is one final asset of the TL-WDR3500 router, not the adapter, that we have to specify: the One Button Security Setup, which establishes a secure connection at a single press of the WPS button (Wi-Fi Protected Setup).

All in all, assuming that no adapter is needed, TP-Link's router is a more convenient buy than TRENDnet's TEW-712BR.

TP-Link N600 Wireless Dual Band Router
Image credits to TP-Link

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$99 (€76) Supercomputer Running Ubuntu OS

Adapteva, a company that designs and sells low-power multicore microprocessor, wants to sell a supercomputer running an Ubuntu operating system.

The Parallella project will try to build an affordable supercomputer aimed at regular consumers. It will make use of Epiphany multicore chips, built by Adapteva. The supercomputer is trying to get some traction with the help of a Kickstater project. Adapteva is trying to raise enough money to make this computer a reality.

The components that will be used to build the Parallella supercomputer are: a dual-core ARM A9 CPU, Epiphany Multicore Accelerator (with 16 or 64 cores), 1GB RAM, 1 MicroSD Card, two USB 2.0 slots, two general purpose expansion connectors, gigabyte Ethernet port, HDMI connection, and Ubunu OS. If you are interested in the project and you want to participate, check out the official Kickstarter project.

Parallella scheme
Image credits to Kickstarter.com

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