AMD Fusion

AMD Fusion is the codename for the future next-generation microprocessor design. It is a product of the merger between AMD and ATI. It will combine microprocessor capabilities with 3D geometry processing and other functions of modern GPU's into a single package. This technology is expected to be available in the second half of 2011.

"With its Fusion program, AMD hopes to deliver multicore products using different kinds of processing blocks. A GPU, for example, will excel in multiple parallel computational tasks, while the CPU will take on heavy number-crunching duties. The Fusion-based processors, with the CPU and GPU integrated in a single architecture, should make the life of software programmers and application developers much easier."
- Exec VP of AMD, Mario Rivas

With this advance in technology, AMD will combine CPU's with GPU's onto one chip and revolutionize the computer industry.
Fusion will have about 10% more pins than a normal CPU, but will still be used on the 45 nm architecture. It will employ socket FS1 for mobile parts (Cell phones and small multi-media devices). Two other sockets will also be used, directed towards different products. Presumably one for desktop products and one for server processors.

As you can see, the next generation cores are certainly being developed and will be a drastic change in the computer marketplace for years to come.

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The Future of Gaming Interaction

In an ever changing world, the future of gaming is always a hot topic. Project Natal from Microsoft was one of the biggest spotlights at E3 this year.

Project Natal is unlike anything we have ever seen. The interaction is immersive and intense. It's a revolutionary new way to play, no controllers needed. Think of the Wii, but much more interaction and no need for a controller. Your body is the controller.

Microsoft has developed a detection system to be used in conjunction with the Xbox 360. From facial and voice recognition to full body motion, Project Natal is sure to be the biggest hit in the upcoming years.

Here is a link to Project Natal, filled with videos and demos. Take a look at the future of gaming, you will be amazed at how far technology has come.

Online Life After Death

About a month ago I read an interesting article on CNN.com about online life after death. This may seem like a grim topic, but it really goes to show much emphasis we put into our online use everyday.

Digital assets are the future. People around the world have built an online legacy, in some cases, worth millions. The basis of the article describes how one company, in particular, has found a way to preserve this information in case of tragic events. It is a paid service that protects your private information: passwords, accounts, digital assets, and any information not easily accessible to your loved ones. It's one payment per year to protect important information and assets from being lost in the labyrinth of the WWW.

At first glance this seems like an excellent way to protect your online assets for life. However, there are issues that need to be addressed. Online privacy is a huge industry, dedicated to protecting personal and private information. What this company is proposing is to put all your vital information in one basket, so to speak. It would be a hackers dream to stumble upon all this private information and wreak havoc in your personal life. Security of this private information would be of utmost concern to anyone interested in this service.

The original article which can be found here, delves in depth on these very issues at hand.

Solid State Drives Vs. Hard Disk Drives

Solid State Drives or SSDs are becoming increasingly popular in everyday computers. A solid state drive is a storage device that uses solid state memory to store information. Solid state memory is non-volatile memory. When you turn your computer off at night, you do not lose all of your information. In contrast to hard disk drives, solid state drives do not store information on a disk. However, SSDs emulate hard disk drives(HDD) allowing most HDDs to be replaced in certain applications.

Standard HDDs today are made of heads, platters(or disks), magnetic surfaces, spindles and numerous complex moving parts. All of which wear down in time, causing slower performance over the lifetime of the HDD.

Solid state drives eliminate the use of moving parts all-together. Information is stored as memory in an SSD. There is no spin-up time or seek-times associated with accessing or storing this information. The easiest way to think about this is to look at Random Access Memory or RAM. Information is constantly being stored in RAM. However, RAM is volatile. When you turn your computer off, you lose the information stored in RAM. The behavior of an SSD is similar to that of RAM except SSDs are non-volatile.

Advantages of SSD Technology:
- Faster start-up time, no spin-up required.
- Very low latency times. The seek-times of an SSD are much lower than the best HDDs available today.
- No noise when an SSD is storing or retrieving data.
- Much higher reliability, no moving parts, no slow-down over time.
- Larger range of operating temperatures.
- Size and weight along with low power consumption make SSDs ideal for future use. (Smaller is always better right?)


Disadvantages of SSD Technology:
- Cost is the biggest current issue. SSD technology is still a fairly new technology and you will pay more per gigabyte of storage compared to HDDs.
- Low storage capacity compared to today's HDDs.
- Slower write speeds
- Write fragmentation (splitting of information).
- Depending on which type of memory cells are used in an SSD, there is a limited number of write/erase cycles.


The most common use of SSDs is in laptops. Ultra portable and lightweight, SSDs make for a great alternative to standard HDDs in laptops.
If cost and capacity are non-issues, don't hesitate to build for the future with an SSD.