Intel reveals the future of Thunderbolt technology at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show-- boosting data rates from 10Gbps to 20Gbps in both directions.

Seen in prototype form, Thunderbolt 2.0 (codenamed "Falcon Ridge") allows simultaneous 4K file transfer and display, and improves speeds via implementation of PCIe 3.0 technology outside the PC.

Falcon Ridge makes use of copper cables, is backwards-compatible with 1st generation Thunderbolt cables and connectors, and should be available from 2014.

At NAB Intel also previews Read more...

Oracle revenues drop by -1% Y-o-Y to $9.0 billion for fiscal Q3 2013 as software, cloud and hardware divisions miss internal forecasts and current quarterly outlooks disappoint Wall Street.

Software licenses and cloud software subscriptions are down by -2% Y-o-Y to $2.3bn, while hardware revenues crash by -23% Y-o-Y to $671m. Reductions are also significant on a Q-o-Q basis, with Q2 2013 software subscriptions being $2.389bn and hardware revenues $734m. 

According to Marketwatch Oracle expected software and cloud revenues to grow by 3-13% and hardware Read more...

Google pays an undisclosed sum to boost its machine learning-- Toronto-based startup DNNresearch, a 3-man team comprised of University of Toronto professor Geoffrey Hinton and 2 of his graduate students. 

The "DNN" in the name stands for "Deep Neural Networks," the artificial intelligence design approach simulating the way the human brain works, with machines able to form patterns after sifting through vast amounts of data. 

Hinton is a pioneer in the research field, having kicked off work on neural networks in the 1980s before developing new "deep learning" techniques at around 2006. 

According to Wired Magazine Microsoft Research already made use of Hinton's technology, with a December 2012 live demonstration of instant English-to-Chinese voice recognition and translation.  Read more...

Shuttle shows off additions to its All-in-One (AIO) PC range at CeBIT 2013-- including the Shuttle AIO Barebone X70S, a 18.5-inch version of its  15.6-inch machines.

The X70S is the first Shuttle AIO with an LGA1155 socket allowing it to carry conventional Intel desktop processors (Intel Core i3/i5/i7) with up to 65W TDP.

The 5.7 x 46.8 x 36.4cm chassis includes x2 SO-DIMM slots (for a total of 16GB of DDR3 RAM), space for a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, mini-PCIe slot, x2 USB 3.0 and x6 USB 2.0 ports, integrated card reader, HDMI port, wifi, webcam, Read more...

The European Commission (EC) slaps Microsoft with a €561 million fine for violating terms of the 2009 commitment to give Windows users alternatives to Internet Explorer. 

According to investigators Windows 7 Service Pack 1 lacked the browser choice screen from May 2011 to July 2012, meaning 15m Windows users did not get to see the choice during the period. 

Microsoft acknowledges the screen was not displayed at the time, even if it had provided the screen from May 2010. The case is also cited as a reason why CEO Steve Ballmer got only half of his potential 2012 bonus. 

Clearly using Microsoft as an example to others, EC antitrust enforcer Joaquín Almunia says "legally binding commitments reached in antitrust decisions play a very important role in our enforcement policy because they allow for rapid solutions to competition problems. Of course, such decisions require strict compliance. A failure to comply is a very serious infringement that must be sanctioned accordingly." Read more...

Following MWC 2013 Fujitsu goes for a more business-oriented approach at CeBIT 2013-- with announcements including the availability of PalmSecure security technologies and new premium laptops.

PalmSecure technologies use contactless palm readings (specifically the "unique pattern of oxygen-depleted veins") to confirm user identity, a biometric means of identification Fujitsu claims is more both more secure and easier to use than chip & PIN alternatives.

The technology was shown off by means of a proof-of-concept tablet-- a prototype device with Read more...