Intel introduces eight new 10th Gen Comet Lake processors

Intel has introduced a slate of new processors to add to its 10th Gen lineup. Today’s announcement focuses on its Comet Lake CPUs, resulting in even more Y- and U-series CPUs to decipher.

All eight of these new 10th Gen processors use Intel’s 14nm process, not Ice Lake’s 10nm process. That doesn’t make these bad, per se. Notably, the new Intel Core i7-10710U is its first hexacore U-series processor, and it features 12 threads and a higher max clock speed than some of Intel’s Ice Lake processors. 

The new 14nm chips will lack the benefits that the 10nm chips have, though. On the whole, these likely won’t be as efficient nor will they tout the same kind of excellent battery life as machines that feature Ice Lake chips. None of them feature Intel’s Gen11 impressive integrated graphics, which it claims can handle some relatively smooth gaming at 1080p resolution. Comet Lake is instead using a previous version of its integrated graphics, as denoted by the lack of a “G” followed by a number in their model names. Basically, unless you buy a laptop that has dedicated graphics from AMD or Nvidia, these 10th Gen CPUs won’t be capable of a whole lot by themselves, depending on the games you like to play.

If you’re feeling confused due to the 10th Gen’s very strange naming convention, Intel just made it even more confusing. The clues to telling them apart are in their model names; you just have to know what to look for. 

     

You’re probably wondering where exactly you’ll find these CPUs. Intel says that they’ll be in machines by the time the holiday season rolls around. And while its more efficient, performant 10nm chips will land in pricier machines, these new processors will likely lead to an influx of slightly cheaper Ultrabooks, 2-in-1 laptops, and other slim form-factor PCs, which could even potentially include future Surface and MacBook products.

AMD one-ups Intel with 32-core Ryzen Threadripper CPU

At AMD's Computex press conference on Wednesday, the company shared the first details on what's coming with Ryzen's second generation Threadripper CPU. Threadripper is the big daddy of AMD's new CPU line: it's not a gaming CPU, but it's a multithreaded, multicore monster. What's new: second-gen Threadripper, following the launch of other Ryzen chips in the last few months, is coming in Q3 of 2018. Oh, and it has up to 32 cores.

AMD is leaning into some "heavy metal" imagery to market Threadripper, and the CPU looks like it'll earn it. Threadripper 2 will run on a 12nm Zen+ architecture and have the new features of Ryzen second gen. It's running on the same socket and will come in a number of configurations, but the highest-end chip will have a monstrous 32 cores and 64 threads. Only 24 hours ago, Intel teased a 28-core high-end chip for release later this year. AMD spared no time topping that with Threadripper.


AMD demonstrated 24-core and 32-core chips running on air cooling at the press conference, ripping through some benchmarks. It's going to be a good year for high-end computing.

Intel announces limited edition 5GHz Core i7-8086K anniversary CPU

40 years after releasing its historic 8086 processor, the one that got the x86 architecture started, Intel today announced a special limited edition anniversary processor called the Core i7-8086K. This new 8th-gen Core chip maxes out at a dizzying 5GHz turbo frequency, with a default 4GHz clock speed out of the box. Intel is releasing the new Core i7 part on June 8th, the exact anniversary of the 8086’s release. Being a K-series processor, the Core i7-8086K also has its multiplier unlocked and is ready for overclocking to even more extreme speeds, should you feel the need.

To maximize hype around this release, Intel is going to be giving away 8,086 Core i7-8086K chips, though the company hasn’t yet disclosed a price if you want to buy one.

Qualcomm Announces XR1 Platform : The First Chip Dedicated to Augumented Reality and Virtual Reality

Qualcomm’s processors have ended up in plenty of AR and VR devices over the past couple years. But to date, none of those chips have been fully dedicated to augmented and virtual reality — they’ve just been repurposed phone processors.

That changes today with the introduction of the XR1, Qualcomm’s first chip made specifically for AR and VR devices. The chip is supposed to make it somewhat cheaper for companies to build entry-level versions of augmented and virtual reality gadgets, the first of which are expected to start appearing at the end of this year or in early 2019.

Though Qualcomm getting into the AR / VR chip game could be very exciting for the industry, this first chip isn’t all that thrilling on its own. Qualcomm says its current flagship phone processor, the Snapdragon 845, is still a better choice for AR and VR. The XR1 is built for simpler devices, meant more for videos and passive experiences than gaming.

Qualcomm describes XR1 gadgets as being made for “lean back and 360 viewing” of videos, rather than “room scale tracking,” and equipped with “simple controllers,” rather than hand-tracking abilities. That said, the chip is still supposed to be capable of supporting 4K displays at 60 fps, voice activation, and controllers that detect movement with six degrees of freedom.

Where this will really get interesting is if Qualcomm eventually decides to build higher-end chips in the XR line. By using dedicated hardware, it should be able to support more powerful VR- and AR-specific features than it could with a general purpose chip — similar to what it’s doing with camera chips. The XR1 starts it down that path, but Qualcomm seems to be taking a slower start to see if the market is really ready for all these mixed reality headsets.

    SOURCE : THE VERGE

Tesla Is Putting Question Mark In Front Of Self-Driving Cars !!

Police in Laguna Beach, California, say a Tesla Model S crashed into a parked patrol car. The driver, who suffered minor injuries, told investigators Autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident.


Local news channel ABC7 reports the incident happened on the morning of May 29 on Laguna Canyon Road. Though the investigation is ongoing, the first police officers who arrived at the scene noted the force of the impact pushed the Ford Explorer over the sidewalk. Both cars sustained a substantial amount of damage; police declared the patrol car a total loss. Luckily, it was unoccupied at the time of the impact.


We don’t know exactly what happened or how fast the Tesla was driving. The investigation will reveal whether Autopilot malfunctioned, or if this represents yet another case of technology-aided distracted driving. Police sergeant Jim Cota noted the crash happened in the same spot a Tesla collided with a semi last year.

“Why do these vehicles keep doing that? We’re just lucky people aren’t getting injured,” Cota told the Los Angeles Times.


Tesla hasn’t commented on the cause of the crash. We imagine that will soon change. Company co-founder and CEO Elon Musk recently criticized members of the media for covering accidents involving Tesla’s vehicles. Speaking during a conference call, he explained he’s tired of the bad press and pledged to release quarterly safety reports to persuade drivers and journalists that the system makes driving safer, not more dangerous. The company nonetheless acknowledges some drivers use Autopilot improperly on a regular basis.


“When using Autopilot, drivers are continuously reminded of their responsibility to keep their hands on the wheel and maintain control of the vehicle at all times. Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn’t make the car impervious to all accidents, and before a driver can use Autopilot, they must accept a dialogue box which states that ‘Autopilot is designed for use on highways that have a center divider and clear lane markings,'” a Tesla spokesperson told Digital Trends.


The accident is the latest in a surprisingly long string of Autopilot-related crashes this year. Earlier in May, a 28-year old woman suffered a broken ankle when her Tesla Model S slammed into the back of a fire truck parked at a light on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Reviewing the vehicle’s logs revealed she had Autopilot turned on but used the system improperly because she regularly took her hands off the steering wheel. She admitted she was looking at her phone before the impact.


In March, the 38-year old driver of a Model X died after his crossover drove into a concrete divider on Highway 101 in Mountain View, California. He had engaged Autopilot, but he took his hands off the steering wheel moments before the collision. In January, another Model S rear-ended a fire engine at 65 mph in Culver City, California. The driver blamed Autopilot; the investigation into the crash remains open.

IGI Airport Delhi to Get India's First AI Robot 'RADA' to Assist Flyers, Courtesy Vistara

Come July and passengers of full service carrier Vistara will be assisted by a robot at its lounge in IGI airport here, helping them address their queries, scanning boarding passes and providing flight status and weather conditions of the destination city.

Capable of moving around in a predefined pathways. the robot named 'RADA' will also greet customers and interact with them using basic hand movements. Additionally, it can engage with kids and adults by playing games and other multimedia content such as songs and videos, said a statement issued by the airline.


 The robot will be placed at Vistara's Signature Lounge at Delhi Airport's Terminal 3 from July 5, it said. It will be further developed over a period of time in terms of functionality and features for future use cases, after gauging customer feedback. The robot has been envisioned and incubated under Vistara's Innovation initiative.


It is conceived, designed and engineered by its team of technology experts and apprentices from Tata Innovation Lab with support from students of reputed institutions. The statement claimed 'RADA' is one of India's most economical robots completely made of indigenous components and a compelling ‘Make in India' story.


The robot is built on a chassis of four wheels, enabling it to rotate 360 degrees, and has three in-built cameras for cognitive interaction. Combining these components with an effective voice technology, Vistara has developed the robot to provide a simple solution to cater to the emerging and future trends, the statement said.


"With RADA, we aim to change the way people interact and fly with an airline. We will be developing ‘RADA' based on customer feedback and equipping it with the most effective features in the time to come. "Our steadfast focus remains to be on delighting customers across all touchpoints, and we're confident that ‘RADA' will help us take the ‘new feeling' to the next level,” said Vistara's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Leslie Thng.


Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with the Indian company holding majority stake of 51 per cent. The airline began operations on June 9, 2015 and at present has a fleet strength of 20 aircraft.

Xiaomi Is Ready to Launch Mi 8

Chinese smartphone-maker Xiaomi is all set to launch its latest flagship device, the Mi 8, MIUI 10 and the Mi Band 3 at its eighth annual event in China on 30 May and ahead of the launch, some images of the Mi 8, Mi 8 SE have surfaced online.

After Mi 6, Xiaomi has skipped the Mi 7 and it has decided to go with the Mi 8 as this is Xiaomi’s eighth anniversary. Earlier, Xiaomi was expected to launch only the Mi 8 at the event, but leaked press images have revealed that the company will also launch a Special Edition Mi 8 dubbed as Mi 8 SE.


Xiaomi had earlier revealed that the Mi 8 will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 SoC and the Mi 8 SE is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC. The image has also revealed that both the device will feature notch displays and the Mi 8 SE will feature a smaller display compared to the Mi 8.


Additionally, promo images of the Xiaomi Mi 8 have been spotted on Slashleaks, revealing the design and some features of the device. The image reveals the notch display, bottom chin, AI dual rear camera setup and the fingerprint sensor at the back.


Xiaomi has posted an image on Twitter with the Mi logo in the middle which is surrounded by eight images of landmarks from eight different countries. These landmarks are placed in an ‘8’, hinting that these are the countries where the Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE may be launched.


The eight counties include India, Egypt, Spain, Russia, France, Vietnam, Thailand and Italy. While China is not mentioned in this image, the devices will be launched in China initially and then make their way to other countries. Xiaomi has scheduled an event in India on 7 June and it is expected to launch the Redmi Y2 at the event.


The Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE will both feature a notch display and dual rear cameras. The Mi 8 retail box had revealed that the device will have 3D face recognition and 3D AR emojis like iPhone X’s Animoji. A teaser posted on Weibo by the company’s official account has teased the Animoji-like feature from Xiaomi, revealing characters such as Xiaomi’s official mascot, a fox, a pig and a panda singing the company’s tune.