lab

Titan supercomputer debuts for open scientific research

Forecasting for weather like this week's "Frankenstorm" may become a lot more accurate with the help of the Department of Energy's Titan supercomputer, a system that launched this month for open research development.

The computer, an update to the Jaguar system, is operated in Tennessee by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, part of the DOE's network of research labs. Researchers from academia, government labs, and various industries will be able to use Titan -- believed to be one of the two most powerful machines in the world -- to research things such as climate change and … Read more

Phase One, DxO Labs revamp raw photo software

DxO Labs and Phase One updated their image-editing programs this week, aiming to improve image quality and editing controls in an attempt to fend off market heavyweights Adobe Systems and Apple.

DxO Optics Pro 8 and Phase One Capture One Pro 7, like Adobe's Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, are designed in particular to handle raw photos from higher-end cameras, photos taken directly from the image sensor for higher quality, greater flexibility, but more hassle.

Among DxO Optics Pro's new features announced during the PhotoPlus Expo show in New York:

• A "Smart Lighting" control designed to … Read more

Color Labs engineer reportedly changes work status to Apple

An iOS engineer at Color Labs has reportedly updated this Twitter profile to indicate that he now works for Apple, supporting reports that Apple is "acqui-hiring" the small app maker's staff.

Eric Cheng, who snagged a job at the video-sharing app maker this spring, recently changed his Twitter profile information to include "work in Apple, live in California," according to a Wired report. Cheng's Twitter account (as well as his LinkedIn profile) had listed his profession as an iOS Color Labs engineer as recently as last month. However, that update apparently did not sit … Read more

Apple buying Color's engineers -- not tech, report says

Did Apple really buy a video-sharing app, its small collection of patents, and other assets?

Not quite, according to a new report.

Citing sources, All Things Digital says Apple instead picked up "about 20" of the startup's engineering types, who will work on cloud-based projects for Apple, while the remainder of Color is "wound down."

The price on the deal was said to be in the $2 million to $5 million range, the report adds, well short of the $41 million in funding the company got before it launched.

News about Apple's interest in … Read more

Apple said to be acquiring strained startup Color Labs

Color Labs founder Bill Nguyen has a relationship with Apple. In 2009, the tech giant bought one of his startups called Lala for $80 million.

Now, rumor has it that Apple may be after his Color Labs too.

According to The Next Web, sources say that Apple has picked up the startup for a price in the "high double digits," and the deal is final even though papers aren't yet signed.

Color made a big splash when it launched last year as a location-based photo-sharing app for iOS and Android. Its charismatic founder, Nguyen, won big backers, … Read more

Kaspersky builds its own antimalware OS -- but not for you

The folks at Kaspersky Lab are aiming to create their own secure operating system, but this one would run on industrial systems rather than your average home PC.

In blog posted today, company CEO Eugene Kaspersky confirmed the rumors of a new OS, describing the background behind the effort and hinting at the development process.

Cyberattacks present a growing and challenging problem for industries maintaining systems that must be powered on all the time. If a virus affects a computer at most companies, that computer can be unplugged from the network so as not to infect other devices, Kaspersky said. … Read more

Windows 8 delivers the goods on benchmarks

CNET Labs has released its system benchmarks comparing Windows old and new, and they've discovered that Microsoft's controversial new operating system doesn't steamroll over Windows 7 as much as it gently shoves it out of the way.

Operating system Boot time Shutdown time MS Office performance iTunes decoding Media multitasking Cinebench Windows 7 SP1 45.2 7.7 408 127 343 16985 Windows 7 SP1 47.5 7.8 412 124 344 17,116 Windows 8 RTM 31.4 8.8 372 123 340 15,300 Windows 8 RTM update 26.4 11.7 367 123 340 … Read more

Newly IDed 'MiniFlame' malware targets individuals for attack

A new form of state-sponsored malware is making the rounds, this one apparently designed specifically to spy on its victims.

Dubbed "MiniFlame" by Kapersky Lab, but also known as SPE, the new malware variant is similar to the Flame virus that targeted computers in the Middle East this past summer. But MiniFlame is a cyber espionage program that can take over where Flame leaves off.

As described by Kaspersky:

First, Flame or Gauss are used to infect as many victims as possible to collect large quantities of information. After data is collected and reviewed, a potentially interesting victim … Read more

JDS Labs' overachieving headphone amplifiers

John Seaber started JDS Labs in 2007 with the cMoyBB headphone amp, which is based on an open-source design. Seaber revamped the cMoy's power supply and volume control, added a DC power jack, and a special bass boost switch. The tiny amp sold well and got the company off the ground. The cMoyBB is still being made, in an Altoids tin box, and currently sells for $60. Seaber is 26 and has an electrical engineering degree from Missouri S&T University.

The JDS Labs Objective2 (02) sells for $144, and it's equally adept with full-size and in-ear … Read more