Intel goes 64-bit for MMX for mobiles

With the boom in 3G phones and video streaming to mobile devices showing no sign of abating, Intel has said that it has developed a new version of its MMX multimedia technology for mobile devices. The new version, Wireless MMX2, offers 64-bit extensions to improve video streaming and offer better battery life to a new generation of mobile phones. MMX2 is a set of 64-bit Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) instructions similar to the Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) that Intel introduced for the x86 instruction set. ...more

Comdex on the skids?

Exhibition organiser Key3Media was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy even as its showcase event Comdex Fall opened its doors in Las Vegas yesterday The event specialist, which organises IT trade shows around the world, reported third quarter losses of US$315.7 million and said it was in negotiations with creditors and considering restructuring or filing for bankruptcy. The company blamed weaker demand as the IT sector struggles to overcome its recession, with exhibitor and attendee attendance down at shows across the board. ...more

Sharp puts hard drive in Linux PDA

Sharp has announced that the next verison of its Linux-based Zaurus PDA will boast a 4GB hard disk drive. As such it will be the first PDA to do so, using a 1in hard disk, leading Pocket PCs and Palm-based devices that currently use solid state storage. The Zaurus SL-C3000 also boasts a fairly hefty 128MB of RAM memory for running applications and so on. ...more

Scientists polish diamond transistors

Scientists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory in the USA have developed a method for making transistors from pure diamonds. The transistors can operate in much higher working temperatures than conventional ones and are highly resistant to corrosive chemicals, the New Scientist reports. The key to getting the diamonds to connect is an application of liquid molybdenum. ...more

All hands on DeCCS

The DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) Appears to have given up its quest to have the DeCSS software that decrypts the data on commercial DVDs declared a trade secret. The organisation had feared that publishing the software would make it easier for programmers to illegally copy and distribute movies. The DVD CCA is now seeking dismissal of a four-year-old legal action against Andrew Bunner who republished software which allowed DVDs to be played on a computer running Linux. ...more