Larrabee Needs Solid-State Drives To Be Interesting, Intel says

August 13, 2009
Hard-disk drives will hold back the performance benefits of Intels upcoming high-end graphics chip Larrabee

Hard-disk drives will hold back the performance benefits of Intel's upcoming high-end graphics chip Larrabee

With the first generation of Intel’s high-end graphics chip – code named Larrabee – only a few months away from shipping, Intel is trying to set some expectations in regards of its performance.

Speaking at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., Intel’s desktop “performance guy” François Piednoël pointed that the performance and the user experience of a Larrabee-based PC will be “less interesting” with a hard-disk drive installed, highly recommending a solid-state drive (SDD) instead.

Hard-disk drives are what is holding PC performance back

Luckily, it so happened that the Santa Clara, Calif., chipmaker had recently shipped its next-generation 80GB SSD for about $220. At this price, Piednoël argues, consumers will begin to pay attention on this new category of devices.

“On a lot of benchmarks you will get more performance benefits to put an SSD into a laptop than having a discrete graphics card… This accelerate dramatically the user experience.”

A statement that I largely agree with having experienced a jump of performance after I installed a Kingston’s SSD on a MacBook used for video editing. The jump in performance was immediately noticeable and would have only been possible if I had upgraded the processor and/or the Nvidia discrete graphics.

With that in mind, Intel’s heavy investment in SSD technologies makes a lot more sense. “The CPU and the SSD are intimately linked. The faster the SSD is, the more you need processing power, and vice-versa.” CQFD.

Follows 2 video excerpts of Piednoël’s presentation at the Flash Memory Summit:

And why Intel is so interested in SSDs:

2 Comments | chips, computers, hardware, news | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

AMD “Evergreen” Graphics Chips: You Won’t Believe Your Eyes… Nvidia!

August 12, 2009
Can AMD change the game in graphics with its upcoming Evergreen GPUs? Well know on September 10th!

Can AMD change the game in graphics with its upcoming Evergreen GPUs? We'll know on September 10th!

[Update 1] We’ve got confirmation from AMD that the Evergreen cards are being shown this weekend, at the QuakeCon video game convention in Dallas, Texas.

[Update 2] AMD will host its Evergreen’s official launch on aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet moored in Alameda, Calif.

The word is finally out. AMD will launch it’s much anticipated next generation graphics processors code name “Evergreen” on September 10th; ahead of Windows 7′s launch in late October..

For AMD, these 40-nm, Microsoft DX11-compliant GPUs will fundamentally change the graphics industry and give it a clear advantage over Nvidia, again!

The prior generation of ATI cards was such high performance and so cheap that they forced Nvidia to hastily put together competitive video cards.

Sadly, AMD’s Santa Clara, Calif., rival hasn’t shown much of its DX-11 chips yet. However, Nvidia might choose to show off its wares at its own GPU Technology conference at the end of September in San Jose.

The GPU market is finally kicking some tires, just in time for the holiday season!

36 Comments | chips, hardware, news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

Verbatim: Mobile Phones Drive Flash Memory Sales

August 12, 2009
Verbatim continues its push in Flash memory with this tiny and tough USB drive

Verbatim continues its push in Flash memory with this tiny and tough USB drive

You’d be surprised what an old storage company like Verbatim – which started by selling data cassettes 40-years ago – can bring to the rapidly changing flash memory market.

For Mark Rogers, the company’s marketing manager for its 6-year old Flash business, it’s all about:

  1. Lifetime warranty on all Flash products (both cards and USB drives); replacing any faulty devices, no questions ask. Kingston also offers a lifetime warranty on its Flash memory cards, but only 5-years for its USB drives; for Sandisk its 2-years and just 1-year for PNY;
  2. A standard password protection feature (for Windows only, not Macs) available on most of Verbatim drives;
  3. Enough performance to speed up Windows, thanks to the USB keys “ReadyBoost” compatibility;

And in conjunction with this week Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., Verbatim introduced new USB keys – the TUFF-’N'-TINY line – that are among the smallest and sturdiest in the market.

Mobile phones are main driver of Flash memory cards sales

However, despite being the fourth top selling brand of USB flash drives in the U.S., Verbatim is yet to ship a solid-state drive (SSD) that would compete with the likes of Intel/Kingston, STEC, etc.

“But we’re in the process of launching an ExpressCard SSD [announced at the Consumer Electronics Show last January and already shipping in Europe] which is based on a removable form-factor. Verbatim is in the removable media business and we chose to start our entry in SSD in that manner ,” said Rogers.

More on our exclusive interview with Verbatim in the video below:

3 Comments | chips, computers, hardware, interview, news | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

Google Investing In Advertising System Without Keywords

August 12, 2009

Google says it is channeling research time and corporate dollars into an advertising system that no longer relies on keywords.

The search giant was vague on what could replace or supplement the use of keywords in its flagship AdWords programs.

“Keywords work very, very well, but we think we can do better,” says Googles Nicholas Fox

“Keywords work very, very well, but we think we can do better,” says Google's Nicholas Fox

But it said it is looking for alternatives to the keywords that sit at the foundation of its money-minting advertising efforts.

“Keywords work very, very well, but we think we can do better,” Product Management Director Nicholas Fox said Wednesday at the Search Engine Strategies conference.

He said one alternative is to rely on the advertiser’s “content” instead of keywords to target ads. He also pointed to the conversion optimizer Google recently released for AdWords that looks at site content, consumer location and the nature of a search query to better slot ads.

The product just recently reached a $1 billion annual sales pace, he said, and can bring a 21 percent improvement in ad conversion rates.

The goal is generate online ads that more relevant to users and valuable to advertisers, said Fox.

He delivered a keynote address at the SES event.

1 Comment | news | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Facebook Says Click Through Rates Do Not Match Those At Google

August 12, 2009

Facebook’s self-serve ad program is younger and less tested than the AdWords program fueling Google’s growth.

It also doesn’t produce the click-through rates the search giant sees on ads running alongside its search results.

Ads need to be reviewed with click-through rates fall below 0.05 percent, says Facebooks Sarah Smith

Ads need to be reviewed with click-through rates fall below 0.05 percent, says Facebook's Sarah Smith

Facebook Online Sales Operations Manager Sarah Smith declined to provide the range of click-through rates the social network sees on ads its customers buy at auction.

But don’t expect them to equal the rates Google gets with its flagship AdWords, she said Wednesday at the Search Engine Strategies conference.

The range varies widely, she added. But when they get to 0.05 or 0.04 percent, it is time to review or replace an ad.

Smith said successful campaigns can have click-through rates as low as that, but keyword prices need to be low as well.

Ads on Facebook also seem to degrade within two weeks, with click-through response falling. “I think two weeks is the max you want to run your ad” before changing the image it uses, she said.

4 Comments | news | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Venture Capital Returns Fall For Third Consecutive Quarter

August 12, 2009

The IPO market remains stalled. The M&A market is softer than in years. It is no surprise venture capital returns fell again in the first quarter for the third quarter in a row.

Quarterly returns for the period ending March 31 fell 2.9 percent, according to the National Venture Capital Association and Cambridge Associates. This is less than the 12.5 percent drop of the fourth quarter – which suggests the declines might be easing.

The 2.9-drop indicates that the one-year returns for venture funds is a -17.5 percent. Three year returns are 1.3 percent.

A year ago, one-year returns were 11.7 percent.

Don’t expect a big improvement until initial public offerings begin interesting public market investors again.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

The Short Sweet Life Of Online Video

August 12, 2009

Post a video on You Tube or another Web site and theoretically it remains online forever. But in many ways it is a perishable commodity.

Here are some interesting stats released by TubeMogul at the Search Engine Strategies conference.

*Video views generally peak in four days. After 14 days, a video will have received 50 percent of its lifetime audience.

*Ten percent of a clip’s audience will watch only 10 seconds. A much greater share is gone before 60 seconds.

Part of the reason for the lack of attention is the glut of online video content. The number of viewers is growing by 35 percent while the amount of video online is expanding by 75 percent.

In most instances, posting a video on You Tube will bring a publisher 3,000 more views than posting it on another site.

Almost 50 percent of videos are found through an online search. The remaining referrals come from a long tail of sites such as blogs and can give a video extended life.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

[SES09] Want More Link Love? Try Blogging

August 12, 2009
Blogging is one of the most effective ways to build your linking strategy says BusinessOnLine search strategist Ray Comstock

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to build your linking strategy says BusinessOnLine search strategist Ray Comstock

The more people link to your site, the better your site will “rank” in a search engine results page.

Although “search rank” has lost a lot of its caché (more on that topic later), link acquisition is still a major part of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and acquiring them can be a tedious task unless you start a blog that adds value to the conversations in the blogosphere!

“Blogging is one of the most effective link acquisition method,” explained BusinessOnLine senior search strategist Ray “Catfish” Comstock on a panel about SEO metrics at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, Calif.

Here’s the quick video excerpt on “Catfish” comments about link acquisition:

21 Comments | news, web 2.0 | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

Twine 2.0 To Launch This Year In Bid For Semantic Web

August 11, 2009

Nova Spivack likes to say the value of online search is leveling off.

The keyword-based, link-prioritized system run by the likes of Google is not keeping up with the growth and complexity of the Internet, says this CEO of Radar Networks

When a search returns millions of responses, it approaches the point of being unwieldy. “The challenge is now how do we save search.”

The Web will become a giant database, says Radar Networks Nova Spivack

The Web will become a giant database, says Radar Network's Nova Spivack

Spivack’s answer – Twine 2.0 – will launch by the end of the year and has broad ambitions of bringing new intelligence to the Internet. Twine 1.0 has up to 2 million monthly users and lets people manually add bookmarks to pages that Twine then converts to “tags” to better explain the content to others.

Twine 2.0 will automate the process (applying metadata tags, or descriptions) across the entire Web.

The Web will become in essence a giant database, where pages will be better understood and information more easily found, says Spivack. He said during a presentation Tuesday afternoon at the Search Engine Strategies conference that the company had not previously disclosed its plans.

At the same time, he acknowledged the enormity of the task. “The project is probably too ambitious for a company of our size,” says Spivack. That’s why he is seeking partnership with some of the large search companies he hopes to put on the defensive.

2 Comments | news | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

Google Claims Success With Pre Roll Video Ads

August 11, 2009

Google has begun projecting profits at You Tube after two years of dollar-less consternation.

Up to 80 percent of You Tubes pre rolls are attached to television content, says Googles Erin Bouchier

Up to 80 percent of You Tube's pre rolls are attached to television content, says Google's Erin Bouchier

One contribution has come from pre-roll ads, short ads that run prior to the start of an online video. The company says they have been well tolerated by viewers.

According to Erin Bouchier, business lead of Google TV ads online, between 70 percent and 80 percent of pre-rolls run on professionally developed television content You Tube has begun showing since April. In those instances, viewers watch the full pre-roll ad because they are eager to get to the show, she said Tuesday at the Search Engine Strategies conference.

It is too soon to tell how well pre-rolls work with user generated video clips, Bouchier said. But they are being watched, she said. “There is not a drop off.”

5 Comments | news | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Mark Boslet

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