Communications

Is China a supercomputer threat? (Q&A)

With China expected to officially take the supercomputer performance crown next month, I asked an expert about the state of supercomputing in the U.S. and whether China poses a long-term threat to the United States' current preeminence in supercomputing.

Nvidia announced yesterday that its chips are powering the "Tianhe-1A" Chinese supercomputer that achieved 2.507 petaflops, beating a U.S.-based system that is currently ranked No. 1 on the June Top500 list of the fastest supercomputers in the world. The Chinese system is a unique hybrid design that uses approximately 7,000 Nvidia graphics chips along with 14,000 Intel Xeon CPUs. The graphics chips are what give the system the extra oomph to catapult it into the top supercomputer spot.

I spoke with Jack Dongarra, university distinguished professor at University of Tennessee's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and part of a group from the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and Georgia Tech that recently purchased a hybrid system. It is important to note that Oak Ridge houses the supercomputer, dubbed "Jaguar," cited above that is currently ranked No. 1 in the world based on the Top500 June list: it is not a hybrid system.

Q: Does Oak Ridge have anything analogous to the Chinese hybrid system? Dongarra: Oak Ridge has a small version of a machine that is hybrid in nature. So, this is an acquisition that just took place...out of a grant from the National Science Foundation. It involved Oak Ridge National Labs, University of Tennessee, and Georgia Tech. But it's much, much smaller than the Chinese system. The machine is in place and testing is being carried out at Oak Ridge. A node has two Intel Westmere chips and three Nvidia Fermi boards. There are… Read more

GM seeking insurance break for OnStar subscribers

To increase consumer adoption of its operator-assisted telematics service, OnStar is working with auto insurance companies to offer its subscribers discounts on their policies.

OnStar's data shows their subscribers are safer drivers and more conscientious on the road. Its service also help insurance companies lower loss and reduce insurance claims, said OnStar spokesperson Jim Kobus. If stolen, a GM vehicle equipped with OnStar has a higher chance of recovery before it ends up in a chop shop, and in the event of an accident, OnStar's operators are automatically alerted and use the car's telematics to help first … Read more

Coming soon: Control car functions from smartphone with AutoBot

Mavizon Technologies just introduced AutoBot, a smartphone application that allows drivers to control several car functions with the push of a few buttons.

The new app will be available in 2012, but you don't need a brand-new car to use it. According to Amy Gilroy at CEOutlook, it will work in all vehicles with an OBD-ll port (1996 or later). Drivers can sync information with a their home computer using a cloud-based account.

AutoBot functions will allow the driver to lock and unlock doors, control window settings, start the car, and even locate the car if it gets stolen.… Read more

QNX upgrades infotainment using iPod Out, Terminal Mode

QNX unveiled its CAR Application Platform that uses mobile phones to integrate the latest technology and applications with a vehicle's infotainment system. The Canadian company's platform goes beyond Bluetooth audio streaming and uses Nokia Terminal Mode and Apple iPod Out to connect smartphones with the vehicle's multimedia head unit, opening the door to adding e-mail, social networking, music, navigation, and other applications, such as parking spot finders, to in-dash screens.

The integration strategy will enable users to eliminate the learning curve for mastering a new audio system. QNX will also be able to add new functionality quickly without hardware or software upgrades. The downside is that the available features depend on the phone and apps you use.

Based on QNX's promotional videos, it appears non-iPhone users will get the most robust functionality. QNX uses the VPN protocol to connect Terminal Mode-equipped smartphones with the vehicles' multimedia head unit, replicating the device's interface on the navigation screen. The car occupants can use the audio and steering-wheel controls or touch-screen to interact with the phone, and QNX will disable certain features it deems unsafe while driving. Unfortunately, iPod Out doesn't offer the type of data integration available on Terminal Mode-equipped phones.

Terminal Mode was developed by Nokia and Consumer Electronics for Automotive (CE4A), an association of which BMW, Audi, Daimler, and Volkswagen are members. QNX, formerly a subsidiary of Harman International, was purchased by Research In Motion last April. BMW offers Harman Kardon branded audio systems in its product line, and has already expressed intent to use QNX's platform to incorporate iPod Out and read BlackBerry e-mails to passengers.

QNX unveiled the new platform at the Society of Automotive Engineers Convergence 2010 conference last week in a modified Chevrolet Corvette, which also demoed QNX's dynamically reconfigurable digital instrument cluster. The feature offers two different displays: driving mode, which shows the tachometer and speedometer, or information mode, which shows weather, navigation, or entertainment information. … Read more

Mercedes accessory integrates Pandora for iPhones

Mercedes entered the race to integrate Pandora and other streaming-media applications with its Media Interface Plus (MIP) accessory, enabling users to control smartphone music apps through its vehicle infotainment systems. But how much functionality you get with MIP depends on the device you're using.

The MIP is an accessory that plugs into a Mercedes' media interface outlet (available on most Mercedes vehicles since 2009) located in the glove compartment or center armrest. On its most basic level, the device makes it possible to stream audio tracks from a Bluetooth enabled device, eliminating the need to carry around cords for … Read more

What's inside the first Windows Phone 7 devices?

Qualcomm's Snapdragon silicon made a sweep of all of the Windows Phone 7 smartphones announced today, rendering the hardware from various manufacturers relatively homogeneous inside.

Against a backdrop of phone announcements from companies such as Samsung, HTC, and Dell, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer posted a video today discussing the relationship between the two companies.

"Qualcomm and Microsoft have a long history of working together to optimize the mobile operating system for Qualcomm chips and platforms...We're excited to bring a new generation of Windows phones exclusively featuring Snapdragon mobile processors," Ballmer said.

"This really shows...what can happen when people bring together great software and great hardware," said Jacobs in the video.

But this collaboration also brings Windows PC-like hardware uniformity. Just as the PC world has the Windows operating system and Intel processors, this first crop of Windows Phone 7 smartphones feature a Microsoft OS and Qualcomm silicon.

"If all of them feature the same hardware (internal) and same operating system, what happens to the differentiation?" asked Ashok Kumar, managing director and analyst at Rodman & Renshaw. Other smartphone processor suppliers include Texas Instruments, Marvell Technology, and Samsung, who provide chips for Android and BlackBerry phones, among others.

And it remains to be seen if Windows Phone 7 devices can find a place in a very crowded market. "I think one of the biggest questions is what are the prospects of Windows Phone 7," said Kumar. "Most of the resources are targeted toward Apple and Android and then you have RIM and the QNX (operating system). There are many questions here, not least of which is what will the receptivity of the consumer be?" Kumar said.

Windows Phone 7 smartphones include the Dell Venue, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC HD7, HTC Surround, HTC 7 Pro, LG Quantum, LG Optimus 7, Samsung Focus, and Samsung Omnia 7. Inside these products is Qualcomm's 1GHz application processor, a 3D graphics function, support for high-megapixel cameras, and the requisite 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, among other functions..… Read more

Pioneer's prototype HUD mixes lasers, Android

We've seen head-up displays (HUDs) before in production vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvette and the BMW 5-Series. However, these displays are often small, monochromatic, and use technology that's nearly a decade old. Pioneer aims to change this with a new laser-based prototype HUD, unveiled and demonstrated at Ceatec 2010 in Japan.

Pioneer's HUD uses lasers to project full-color animated maps and images onto a transparent panel, but Pioneer predicts that one day the system could be used to throw maps and turn-by-turn directions onto your vehicle's windshield. The prototype system connects to an Android OS smartphone … Read more

For Apple, HTC, it's hip to tout chip

At one time in the not-too-distant past, cell phone chips were an unknown quantity or, at best, given short shrift by cell phone providers and manufacturers. Not anymore.

The Apple iPhone and HTC Evo 4G from Sprint are two of the hottest phones on the market. And both companies advertise the processor prominently. Is this a coincidence? Intel, the largest chipmaker in the world, doesn't think so.

"As late as a year ago, consumers didn't care about the processing power in their smartphones. Today almost every store is advertising the CPU speed that's inside the smartphone,&… Read more

Ford envisions a world of apps on wheels

At the final keynote of the CTIA 2010 in San Francisco, Ford Motor Company's Group Vice President of Global Product Development Derrick Kuzak announced that the automaker is releasing a software development kit (SDK) for its AppLink platform for Sync. AppLink is a collection of protocols and commands that allow Ford's extensive Sync voice command system to recognize, interface with, and take control of applications on a user's connected smartphone.

We've already seen AppLink in action when Ford demonstrated the service in the 2011 Ford Fiesta a few months ago; however with the release of the … Read more

Mini integrates Twitter, Facebook, on the iPhone

A few months ago, we told you about BMW and Mini supporting iOS 4's iPod Out feature. Mini announced new integration with the iPhone and iPod as part of its Mini Connected program, which will let drivers tweet on the go, get driving efficiency reports, and listen to music that changes tempo depending on driving style.

An iPhone app currently in development called Mini Connected will let drivers receive Facebook updates and tweets. These posts will appear on the car's LCD or be read out loud if the car has an optional voice command system. We suspect showing … Read more