Not fazed by a takeover battle looming on the sidelines, members of Dell's research division are putting together the pieces for prototype ARM supercomputers that could be deployed in the future. Dell has a good idea what an ARM supercomputer would look like, and prototype designs and other "parts" are being experimented with in Dell's laboratories, said Tim Carroll, director at Dell's research computing group. "It is a solution right now looking for a problem," Carroll said. "ARM is going to have a place. The market is going to tell us what that is." ARM processors go into most smartphones and tablets and are attracting interest for use in servers. The power-efficient CPUs could help cut energy consumed by servers in data centers while bringing enough processing power to handle fast-moving Web search or social-networking requests. Dell is already offering low- to midrange prototype ARM servers for customers to play with.
The more I use Office 2013, the more I like some of the little interface tweaks Microsoft made to the suite. .) I've also discovered a nice change to the Ribbon toolbar, which was one of the most controversial changes in Office 2007 and largely untouched in Office 2010. In Office 2013, Microsoft now gives you the option of three different Ribbon views, which I'll dub full, reduced, and hidden. Here's how to switch between them:
Many people think of the Surface Pro as a tablet for serious work, but according to Surface chief Panos Panay, Microsoft's slates haven't even truly gotten down to business yet. . "They’ll be customized for organizations in the future," he said. "You’ll start to see these get customized and transformed." , their accessories, and optional 3-year "Surface Extended Hardware Service Plans" in bulk after creating a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft.
Whether talking about the constellation in the night sky or the sign of the zodiac, the word "Gemini" is synonymous with twins. It's no coincidence that Gemini is reportedly the code name for an upcoming Microsoft Office build that could be the twin project to . Together, the two efforts represent a complete shift in the way Microsoft develops and rolls out software. According to Mary Jo Foley, a respected authority on Microsoft with reliable inside sources, alongside Windows Blue, with new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. For Office, Gemini could have multiple meanings. It could even be an altogether new Microsoft Office suite, a fraternal twin to the existing Office 2013. Perhaps instead of replacing Office 2013, Gemini will be a suite of Office MX apps designed for the Windows 8 Modern interface, following in the style of the . What does Microsoft have in store for Office Gemini? Here are four things Redmond should consider:
The Mozilla Foundation introduced a technology this week that it claims will allow game makers to supercharge the performance of their wares in a Web browser. will turbo charge a developer's code in a browser and enable them to deliver visually compelling 3D games on the Web. The technology also opens the door for developers to bring 3D games to browsers on mobile devices that perform almost as well as those written in a programming language, the company wrote on The Mozilla Blog. Mozilla added that it is working with gaming heavyweights Disney, EA, and Zeptolab to bring versions of those players' Web games to mobile in an optimized form.
For anyone who gives presentations on the go, an app like SlideShark can be a tremendous asset. With it you can pack PowerPoint slide decks into your iPad, then plug the latter into a TV or projector for easy, laptop-free slideshows. . And this week, the app learned an even more impressive new trick: broadcasting. works just like it sounds, sharing your presentations over the Web to everyone you invite to view them. Attendees don't need the app or any kind of SlideShark account; they can join your presentation via the Web, a tablet, a phone, or pretty much any Internet-connected device. This is as practical as it is cool. Suppose you're pitching a product or service to a handful of execs, but the marketing manager can't make it because he's stuck in the back of a taxi in midtown traffic.
President Barack Obama has made it more difficult for some government entities to buy information technology systems from China, sending a message that the country needs to curtail hackers stealing trade secrets from U.S. corporations. Obama this week signed a spending law that included a provision requiring NASA and the Justice and Commerce departments to before buying information technology systems from companies "owned, directed, or subsidized by the People's Republic of China." The restriction follows months of including those connected to U.S. critical infrastructure. "Make no mistake, there is a danger here [of spyware]," said Paul Henry, security and forensic analyst for Lumension. "This isn't a case of the government being overly paranoid."
Dropbox is a useful service that proves its worth time and time again. But to sync your data to other computers and mobile devices, you need to get that data into the default Dropbox folder in the first place, and sometimes that can prove problematic. Some data—such as browser profiles (Firefox), games points and profiles, Outlook data files, and password manager files (such as be moved. For this, you will need Dropbox Folder Sync. Dropbox Folder Sync is a small, free app that integrates itself into your Explorer right-click menu, and allows you to create what is called a "symbolic link." What this means is that a folder on your computer can be connected to your Dropbox account, and nothing needs to be moved at all. In fact, your computer won't even be aware that there is a link in the first place. The symbolic link will create a clone folder in your Dropbox account and when something changes in the original folder, the clone folder in Dropbox will update instantly. After installing the software, all you have to do is find the folder you want to clone and right-click on it. You will see two new options, . Choose the first one, and a Windows shortcut arrow will appear on the folder. A copy of the folder will also now appear inside your Dropbox account. It goes without saying that you need to check beforehand if you have enough space in your Dropbox account to handle the extra files. If not, you may need to consider upgrading—for a fee. Now everytime you drop something into the original folder, or when an existing file changes in any way, that change will instantly be reflected in the cloned folder in Dropbox. And nothing needs to be moved from the original installation files, which means nothing will inconveniently break.
I got a t-shirt for my birthday:"Writing is 5% talent and 95% not being distracted by the internet." It could just as easily say "distracted by your word processor." PageFour ($40, 45-day free trial) helps remove that distraction, while adding in tools and features specifically useful to writers—though it also makes a decent tree-style outliner, in a pinch.
. , is significant since it opens the door to officially sanctioned Windows 8 tablets with displays smaller than 10 inches. announcing the change in mid-March. “[But] we understand that partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.” Those “certain markets” requiring “greater design flexibility” could be a nod to developing markets, where cheaper hardware with lower screen resolutions could sell well. But it also provides an opportunity for a Windows 8 tablet—let’s call it the Surface Mini—to take on devices like the Kindle Fire HD (1280-by-800), Nexus 7 (1280-by-800), and iPad Mini (1024-by-768).
It?s the race for third place. No matter how either Microsoft or BlackBerry spins their latest mobile efforts, for now at least, there is no catching Apple at the high end or the many flavors of Android racking up sales up and down the mobile phone price curve. Still, a bronze means you get on the podium. So which company will it be that gets to hold its head high?
Fisher Price Apptivity Case is your baby?s gateway to the iPhone. I want my 2-year-old to be smart and healthy and well-adjusted. I don't know how smartphones and tablets fit into that. Worse, it seems like there is simply no way of knowing.
One of the most famous battles in the original
After more than five years of dreaming, planning, building and testing, Solar Impulse is ready to begin its most ambitious flight yet -- a transcontinental journey in an airplane made largely of carbon fiber and photovoltaic cells.
The six-second social video app just got a whole lot more social with embeds.
Each week, Wired Design brings you a photo of one of our favorite buildings, showcasing boundary-pushing architecture and design involved in the unique structures that make the world's cityscapes interesting. Check back Fridays for the continuing series, and feel free to make recommendations in the comments, by Twitter or by e-mail.
It was only a matter of time before serious
When the Obama administration's 2014 federal budget gets released in early April it might include a curious item: a $100 million request for NASA to conduct a mission to capture an asteroid and bring it back to Earth.
There are many, many theories about what Stanley Kubrick's flick
Regular maps of Paris' large, incredibly intricate subway system can get overwhelming to look at very fast, but a gorgeous, interactive website makes it much easier on your eyes by rendering those maps through stunning 3-D graphics and commuting stats.
Chemist-turned-chef Chris Young uses science to answer the burning question: Are charcoal or gas grills better?
Last night, 54 earthquakes were recorded off the western coast of El Hierro, most between 12-15 km below the surface. The activity has increased the chance of small landslides on the western part of the island, so certain roads and tunnels have been closed, reports Wired Science blogger Erik Klemetti.
According to a new indictment, a rocket-propelled grenade is a weapon of mass destruction. Time to retire this misleading term.
The patent office publishes oodles of Apple patent applications each week. It also grants a ton of them, allowing Apple to protect its IP against competitors. Whether it actually uses any of that IP in its products is another matter entirely.
Facebook commissioned renowned architect Frank Gehry to build a new headquarters wing. Then the internet company demanded Gehry tone down his signature style and produce a "very anonymous" building. Here are the results.
A look at where geekdom intersects with charity, and how fan communities are giving back to their own communities
This week?s New York Auto Show had its fair share of hotness. But two of the most stunning concepts came from the most unlikely of automakers -- Hyundai and Subaru.
Curved and shimmery, comet tails sometimes seem to follow a slightly different trajectory than the comet's nucleus. Wired Science blogger Rhett Allain explains why.
Much has already been discussed about the ?Donglegate? incident, so rather than attempting to discern whether Adria Richards was in the right or the wrong, I?ve been thinking about why the issue blew up and what it reveals. Because it?s far from the first time this kind of thing has happened. The Richards incident and resulting backlash not only reveals the lack of diversity and presence of misogyny in tech culture, but the myth of meritocracy and the growing belief in ?misandry? online and ?Men?s Rights Activism?.
Join Wired as we search Etsy for its most remarkable
For the past several months, Google has danced coyly around the question of exactly how deep it wants to dip into the world of shopping. But its official confirmation this week of its long-rumored same-day retail delivery service signals a crystal-clear intention: Google wants to be Amazon.
Wanna see something weird? Search for "wallet" on Kickstarter. You'll end up with pages of projects ? many of them highly funded.
Even as tech consumers obsess over small, mobile screens for personal use, tech companies are buying up massive "big board" screens to rally staffers around common goals. We look at 10 specific examples.
We give you one of the classic episodes of
This week on the
Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. It's a name that hits all the Californian pleasure receptors.
Finding people on Twitter who are into violent extremism is easy. But finding out who's the most successful at spreading extremist ideologies online is a lot harder. Now two researchers think they've found a way.
Alfred Anaya was a genius at installing traps ? secret compartments in cars that can hide everything from weed to jewelry to guns. And if they were used to smuggle drugs without his knowledge, he figured, that wasn't his problem. He was wrong.
Ouya is ready for its close-up. After a remarkably successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $8 million last June, the startup will release its eponymous Ouya game console to retailers on June 4, it said on Thursday evening.
Amazon looked back to its roots in bookselling and forward to its future as the global overlord of all human literary output by announcing its plan today to purchase social reading site GoodReads.