AMD has quietly released two additional socket FM1 CPUs that slot in between the Athlon II X4-651 and 631. The new models 638 (2.7 GHz, 65W) and 641 (2.8 GHz, 100W) integrate 32nm Llano cores with inactive graphics units. AMD is selling both processors for a tray price of $81.

In comparison, Intel’s cheapest quad-core CPUs are the i5-2390T (2.7 GHz) and the i5-2400s (2.5 GHz) for $184. AMD is riding the value train as $81 buys at Intel just Pentium processors (G850 with two cores and 2.9 GHz for $75, for example).

AMD is offering Athlon II X4 processors also for socket AM3 at 45nm: the 645 (3.1 GHz, 95W, $102) and 640 (3.0 GHz, 95W, $98).

SOURCE via AMD

Amazon has increased its presence in the streaming video market in a big way, striking a partnership deal announced Wednesday with Viacom to stream shows from Viacom properties including MTV and Nickelodeon. Amazon Prime members will have access to these programs as part of their membership, with access to over 2000 Viacom titles beginning immediately, with more to follow in the coming weeks.

The deal expands the total number of Amazon streaming titles to 15,000 and represents an increase in spending for such content.

“Users are showing more interest in bingeing on video — or watching a series from episode one to the end,” said Amazon director of video-content acquisition, Brad Beale in an interview related to the announcement. “Amazon will be expanding content offerings as customer demand increases. We’re going to continue working on adding more content to Prime.” However, he did add that “I can’t peg a particular budget number.”

That’s likely because Amazon is considering a massive increase. The company currently spends around 400 million on their streaming video licensing, compared to Netflix’s approximate 1 billion annual expenditures. Even so, Amazon streaming video customers doubled in size in the final quarter of 2011 compared to 2010. As Netflix continues to decline, access to shows like Jersey Shore could help tip the balance further, even if they may also result in diminished mental capacity.

SOURCE via Business Week

A researcher at MIT is promising to pay $100,000 to the individual or group of individuals who can prove that the creation of a functional and scalable quantum computer is impossible.

The award was prompted by an article describing the views of a quantum computing skeptic and a proponent. As part of the discussion Scott Aaaronson was challenged to support his opinion with real money, which he now did.

Aaronson himself believes that scalable quantum computers will be possible one day and he does not think that he will ever be forced to pay out the reward. To critics, who said that his challenge is similar to being asked to prove that there is no Bigfoot, he replied that there may be future discoveries in physics that could provide evidence against the quantum computer model, which would be enough for someone being entitled to collect the prize.

Aaronson said that he does not expect this evidence to ever surface, but he “would welcome [it] as the scientific thrill of [his] life.” If he had to pay, he would consider it as an “honor” to do so: “For I’d then (presumably) simply be adding a little to the well-deserved Nobel Prize coffers of one of the greatest revolutionaries in the history of physics.”

In an update, Aaronson now challenged skeptics to put up a prize for “a demonstration that scalable quantum computing is possible.” He added that he is “certainly not offering such a prize.”

SOURCE via Scott Aaronson

The dev folk over at Tapbots have just unleashed a major overhaul to their famed Twitter client. Tweetbot 2.0 not only sees the addition of a few new traits and a design refresh, but it’s also on the receiving end of some welcomed iPad compatibility (iOS 5 only). Though, it’s worth mentioning the app isn’t universal — so you’ll have to cough up three bucks for the slate variant, even if you’ve already got the iPhone edition. Amongst the new goodies is a renovated timeline view with pic thumbnails, an optional New Tweets bar, auto-refresh, and a one-tap system for links. If you’re still using the official birdie app, but are looking for something a bit different, then hit up the source link below to scan through the rest of the features and see if you’re enticed.

SOURCE via TweetBot

Hot on the heels of its OneNote app for the iPhone, Microsoft has gone ahead and given the Android Market a similar nod of acceptance with the release of OneNote Mobile. Like the iOS version, the app is free to try — which allows tire kickers to create up to 500 memos — but after the limit is reached, you’ll need to plunk down $4.99 or be forever stuck in read-only mode. In addition to syncing all notes with SkyDrive, the app allows users to open notebooks from OneNote 2010. Android 2.3 is necessary admission for this one, and naturally, all users must have a Windows Live ID.

SOURCE via All Things D

Is your current wireless mouse not up to snuff? If that’s the case, you may want to take a gander at the Logitech Touch Mouse M600 that lets you do your navigating via a touch surface instead of those ol’ clicky buttons. The peripheral is outfitted with the company’s Flow Scroll software that touts a similar feel to scrolling on your touchscreen smartphone of choice. From wherever your fingers contact the top of the mouse, you can scroll and swipe in order to keep powering through those Photoshop files. The M600 works just as well for lefties once click areas are reconfigured with Logitech’s SetPoint software. If you’re thinking about taking the leap, get ready to shell out $69.99 later this month.

Now what do we have here? If Google translate serves us well, we believe this to be the upcoming Optimus Vu from LG. This strangely squarish phone seemed to packs a 5-inch touchscreen and a rather unique 4:3 aspect ratio. The telltale capacitive touch buttons reveal this as an Android device, which the Korean manufacturer suggests is more comfortable to hold than traditional portrait-based solutions. It’ll be interesting to see what this means for application compatibility, but for the moment, we’re going to keep digging for more specs. Rumors thus far seem to point to a 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 SoC, with 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, NFC, an eight megapixel camera and Android 2.3. More interestingly, the screen shows a “February 21st” date stamp, which may or may not be a hint. Feel free to hit up the source link for that extra peek. Will LG be unveiling this at MWC 2012?

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