Fandotech IT Business Solutions

February 2012 Hardware Update

In this month's hardware update, Aaron discusses the foll0wing:

• Intel has put out a new chip. And there’s a new chip set for the new chip—socket 2011. Looks like it’s going to be a desktop and server chip with 8 slots of memory, which means you can put a ton more memory on the board—doubled from the historical standard of four slots.
• Aaron recently purchased the Transformer Prime. Shortcomings? They took away a few things from the original, going more for aesthetics over function. For instance, the solid aluminum case makes it sleek and durable, but also makes it difficult to get a wi-fi signal. They’ve also eliminated one of the original USB ports: the original had two, the new model has only one on the keyboard dock that comes with the device.?Pluses? The new Transformer has the ability to read any SD card and mount it as media, which most portable devices are not capable of doing. Aaron has had success plugging external hard drives into his new device and it just works—no special formatting needed. This new Android also boasts a file manager. The speed upgrade has not gone unnoticed either!?Also, this is the first portable device that provides users the ability to manage power settings in a manner similar to a laptop. Performance mode gives you the juice you need to render high quality graphics and increase your speed, eco mode gives your battery life more longevity, and there’s a balance mode to give you something in between. If more portable devices adopt this level of management users will be better equipped to have the power they need on-demand.
• Hardware advancement in general is slowing down. Companies are not going to make giant leaps in their new releases if they’re only competing against themselves. This new trend has both Intel and AMD releasing new products with smaller increments of advancements such as the newest AMD video card—the 7000 series.
• Windows 8 is on the horizon. The same interface was planned from?Smartphone-to-server, but word is that Microsoft has scaled back their original grandiose plans to be more practical for the specific needs of the individual environments.
• The new Galaxy Note tablet was advertised during the Super Bowl, although it’s not out yet, but it is promising big things!
• Solid-state drives are dropping in price as production ramps back up after the flooding in Thailand and other factors affecting our global economy. Standard hard drives and spinning storage on the other hand is seeing an uptick in pricing.