arm

ARM announces processors, antipiracy chips at Computex

ARM, the designer of most of the world's smartphone processors, announced new silicon that will likely find its way to future mobile devices.

Mali-V500: This video encode/decode chip is designed to prevent piracy of 1080p class video. Using TrustZone technology, the V500 was developed after consultation with Hollywood studios, according to a report in the Financial Times. Hollywood movie studios and content distributors like Netflix "are demanding [that]...their highest value content...be protected not just by digital rights management but by the hardware, all the way from download through to display," the Times wrote, citing … Read more

Robots in development can reach out and touch someone

Robotic prostheses may have a way to go before they work exactly like human limbs, but researchers are making great strides. A team out of Georgia Tech is working on new technology that could give these robotic limbs something akin to a sense of touch.

Thanks to tactile-sensing material that covers the entire prosthesis and software that integrates the gathered data, this robotic arm can maneuver through clutter and distinguish between hard and soft objects as it grips, pushes, and pulls more intuitively.

"Up until now, the dominant strategies for robot manipulation have discouraged contact between the robot's … Read more

ARM's Q1 revenue jumps on mobile strength

It pays to be in mobile, especially if Apple and Samsung are licensing your technology, as evidenced by ARM Holdings' first-quarter results.

The U.K.-based chip architecture designer, whose technology powers the vast majority of smartphones and tablets, on Tuesday reported its sales jumped 26 percent to 28 percent, depending on the currency, to 170.3 million pounds, or $263.9 million. And its profit also soared, up 39 percent to 51.9 million pounds, or $79.4 million.

ARM also projected its full-year revenue would be "at least in line with current market expectations." Analysts pegged … Read more

DARPA's robot changes tire, aspires to defuse bombs

In the future, the U.S. Army could rely on low-cost ambidextrous autonomous robots, instead of bomb disposal technicians or remote control robots, to defuse improvised explosive devices. Better yet, activating and operating the smart robots may only require a nearby solider to say, "Go find and defuse the bomb."

As a precursor to that end goal, DARPA's Autonomous Robotic Manipulation program released a video that shows a robot changing a tire by itself. The robot, complete with a camera and an array of sensors, successfully uses two hands (one equipped with a drill) to remove a tire and put a new one in its place. A small screen shows the robot's virtual view of the tire, which reveals how software algorithms detect each the scene and its minute details in real time.… Read more

Raspberry Pi $25 model sells out soon after U.S. debut

U.S. consumers unable to grab a $25 slice of Raspberry Pi yesterday are now out of luck.

The so-dubbed Linux PC on a stick hit the U.S. market yesterday morning. Both the $25 Model A and the $35 Model B versions are listed by U.S. retailer Allied Electronics. But the $25 flavor of Raspberry Pi has already flown off the virtual shelves.

Trying to purchase Model A today triggers a message that says that "this item is out of stock and may not be backordered. Please remove to continue."

Model B is still up for … Read more

Microsoft defends Windows RT as necessary disruption

Microsoft defended the future viability of Windows RT during an interview with CNET today.

Michael Angiulo, corporate vice president, Windows Planning, Hardware & PC Ecosystem, talked with CNET about what makes RT important for the software giant.

The platform took some hard knocks before and after it debuted on October 26. A lot of the criticism has focused on the lack of compatibility with older Windows applications, in contrast to backward-compatible Windows 8 on Intel-based devices.

But Angiulo says Microsoft has good reason to stick with the platform.

It was a ton of work for us and we didn't … Read more

No strategy shift ahead for ARM, incoming CEO says

ARM Holdings will have a new CEO soon, but the chip designer's strategy won't be changing.

Simon Segars, ARM's president who will take over the CEO role from Warren East in July, told CNET today that he'll be focused on executing the current plans in place, rather than overhauling ARM's strategy.

"What we've been doing is a very appropriate strategy for responding to the dynamics of the market in which we operate," Segars said. "There will be no fundamental shift in strategy. It's about execution and making sure we take … Read more

ARM CEO East to retire in July; Segars waiting in wings

ARM Chief Executive Warren East will retire on July 1, leaving the company in the hands of its president.

The news came down today from the company, saying that Simon Segars, ARM's current president, will succeed East. The company's current chief executive joined ARM in 1994 to head up its consulting business. He became chief executive in October 2001.

East will be no easy act to follow. During his tenure as ARM's chief executive, the company's revenue has soared from $213 million in 2001 to $913 million last year. Only 420 million ARM-based chips were produced … Read more

'Weapons of Mass Destruction' discussion lands at SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas -- Once again, Uncle Sam wants you. This time, the U.S. government is after your nerdy, data- and public policy-obsessed brains.

That was the message delivered by Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller to a small but actively curious group of techie and policy wonks at South by Southwest today.

In a session entitled, "Mobilizing Ingenuity to Strengthen Mobile Security," Gottemoeller and CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman discussed the U.S. government's interest in getting the public more involved in disarmament and the detection of weapons of mass destruction. … Read more