Daily Archives: February 18, 2017

By Ian Paul

Contributor, PCWorld | Feb 17, 2017 8:28 AM PT

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Thehotly anticipated Ryzen processors are expected to start rolling out in early March, but AMD's still pushing its older FX-series chips folks looking to build a budget gaming PC. Newegg and AMD just revealed a FX processor promotion that bundles a 6- or 8-core chip with the real-time strategy game Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, the poster child for cutting-edge DirectX 12 technology.

The Newegg deal includes six popular FX processors ranging in price from $110 to $185, including the FX-6300, FX-6350, FX-8300, FX-8320, FX-8350, and FX-8370. The FX-8350 comes in the standard model for $140, or theres a $160 version that comes with AMDs swanky Wraith cooler. The FX-6350 and FX-8370 are also available with Wraith.

This is the second major FX-series freebie revealed in recent months. In August, AMD bundled its processors with a copy of the then-newly releasedDeus Ex: Mankind Divided.

The Stardock expansion to the original Ashes of the Singularity debuted in November 2016. While the original game was pretty darn good, the single player campaign left a lot to be desired. Escalationfixed those concerns and added additional polish to technical and gameplay aspects alike, such as ginormous maps, a strategic zoom view, additional units, and more. If you're an RTS fan, you'll love the complete package.

The story behind the story: AMD no doubt has tons of FX processor stock it would like to get rid of with Ryzen right around the corner. However, this years lineup change isnt your typical one for AMD. Despite the addition of Ryzen, AMDs first Zen-based chips, A- and FX-series processors are sticking around. AMD hopes to broaden its lineup to better compete with Intel. As they are newer, Ryzen chips will be the premium CPUs, while A- and FX-series chips will be aimed at budget gamers and other computer buyers looking for a deal.

Ian is an independent writer based in Israel who has never met a tech subject he didn't like. He primarily covers Windows, PC and gaming hardware, video and music streaming services, social networks, and browsers. When he's not covering the news he's working on how-to tips for PC users, or tuning his eGPU setup.

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AMD bundles Ashes of the Singularity with FX processors ahead of Ryzen's launch - PCWorld

Today, most of us carry the world in our pockets. Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)what most people typically just call GPSarent simply about sending geo-located tweets from our favorite restaurants. Countless industries rely on high-precision navigation, from agriculture to construction. The brave new world of self-driving cars and Amazon booty delivered by drone is largely predicated on all those satellites orbiting the planet.

The accuracy of these systems is amazing. The signals broadcast from US Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are accurate to within less than three feet 95 percent of the time, according to the official US government website GPS.gov. In reality, the signal is never quite that good. Local features such as buildings and trees can affect the signal, not to mention atmospheric interference. The typical smartphone is accurate within a 16-foot radius.

A consortium of European universities, institutes and companies thinks it can do better by integrating the worlds four main GNSS constellations. Its called TREASURE, squeezing all these words into the acronym: Training, REsearch and Applications network to Support the Ultimate Real time high accuracy EGNSS solution.

The TREASURE team plans to integrate signals from the USs GPS constellation, along with Russias Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Chinas BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and Europes new Galileo navigation system.

This multi-GNSS would provide accuracy within just a few centimeters in real time.

Although accuracy is at the core of our vision, the improvement we are aiming for is not only to do with accuracywe are also especially concerned with robustness, explains project lead Marcio Aquino, from the Nottingham Geospatial Institute, by email. The big challenge today is to enable centimeter-level accuracy anywhere, anytime in the world.

It wont be easy. For example, GPS uses a different transmission system than Russias GLONASS. Signals from Galileo are similar to GPS but with slightly different carrier frequencies, according to Aquino. Not to mention that the various constellations use different time and geodetic reference systems.

One of the goals of the TREASURE project is to reduce atmospheric disturbances to the signals beamed from satellites back to Earth. Most of the problems occur in the upper layer of the atmosphere, known as the ionosphere, located about 50 to 375 miles above Earth. Thats where solar radiation from the sun ionizes atoms and molecules, creating a layer of electrons. Free electrons can interfere with satellite signals, especially during space weather events.

The atmosphere poses the greatest threat to the success of robust high-accuracy GNSS positioning, whatever individual constellation you consider, Aquino says. The ionosphere, in particular, may be so disturbed that it can render these services pretty useless, especially during periods of high solar activity and in parts of the globe that are more prone to suffer with these effects, such as equatorial and high-latitude regions.

Aquino explains that the ability to use the signals from the different GNSS constellations will make it much easier to monitor and measure disturbances, because of the greater number of signals probing the atmosphere. The same applies for local interference, he notes, where the more signals you have, the better your chances of modeling and countering the problem.

Interestingly, GPS satellites themselves carry special sensors that collect data about space weather. Los Alamos National Laboratory recently released more than 16 years of data in the journal Space Weather to researchers.

Carried on 23 of the 30 current GPS satellites, the sensors measure the energy and intensity of charged particles trapped in Earths magnetic field. The sensors take detailed measurements of the trapped particles, which form the Van Allen radiation belts, every six hours.

The measurements provide data on variations in the largest of the Van Allen radiation belts, including how it responds to solar storms. That information should help researchers develop models to forecast space weatheran important step in protecting the satellites themselves and the signals they emit back to Earth.

High-precision GPS for self-driving cars and unmanned drones is an obvious application of a multi-GNSS. However, a team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) believe GPS alone isnt the answer to reliable navigation for autonomous systems. They have developed a navigation system that instead uses environmental signals such as cellular and WiFi.

They note that GPS signals dont do well in some environments, such as deep canyons. Signals can be intentionally jammed and even hacked. This has led manufacturers of autonomous systems like cars and drones to add cameras, lasers and other sensors for navigation.

By adding more and more sensors, researchers are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink to prepare autonomous vehicle navigation systems for the inevitable scenario that GPS signals become unavailable. We took a different approach, which is to exploit signals that are already out there in the environment, says Zak Kassas, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCRs Bourns College of Engineering, in a press release.

Using what they call signals of opportunity, the scientists are working toward building software-defined radios that can extract timing and positioning information from environmental signals. The project also includes developing navigation algorithms and testing the final system on autonomous vehicles and drones.

Self-driving cars and many other applications rely on a combination of different sensors where multi-GNSS is definitely a major player, Aquino notes. Our main goal, however, is to make multi-GNSS robust and accurate as a technology that can be relied upon as the backbone of these applications, and therefore provide the means for new multi-GNSS-based ideas to flourish.

A highly accurate multi-GNSS wouldnt just be a boon to navigation on Earth. Deep-space missions might also benefit from a more robust satellite navigation system, though thats beyond the scope of TREASURE.

NASA has already been working to improve the use of GPS signals above low Earth orbit, defined as between 100 and 1,200 miles. LEO, as its known, is where most space missions take place. The International Space Station, for example, cruises around the planet at about 250 miles. Meanwhile, GPS satellites fly in medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of about 12,500 miles.

However, GPS signals above LEO are much weaker. Several years ago, the space agency developed the Navigator GPS flight receiver, which significantly boosted the signals. In fact, last year NASAs Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission satellites (MMS) set a Guinness World Record for highest altitude fix of a GPS signal at 43,500 miles above Earth. MMS is studying the connections between the Earth and suns magnetic fields.

Now NASA is developing a new technology called NavCube. The nameand the technologymerges the Navigator GPS flight receiver with SpaceCube, NASAs fast flight computing platform. NASA believes the combined technology has the potential to improve navigation to areas of space near the moon.

In addition, the technology might also demonstrate X-ray communication in space. NASA scientists say it has the potential to transmit gigabits per second through the solar system.

GPS: Its more than just a cool feature on your smartphone. And the better it gets, the more we can explore the worldand beyond.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Europe's TREASURE Will Be the King of All GPSs - Singularity Hub

News

Posted By: Paul Younger February 17, 2017

Stardocks massive RTSAshes of the Singularity was recently updated with theEscalationstandalone expansion late last year but now the two are being merged into one game.

This is great news for anyone who already owns Ashes of Singularity because they will find they now have access toAshes of the Singularity: Escalation. So why is this being done?

Stardock CEO Brad Wardellexplains that there were features planned for the original release, such as strategic zoom, that didnt make the cut for technical and gameplay reasons. However, the community wanted to see these features make it into the original game and felt they shouldnt have to pay the discounted price of the expansion to have access to them. Finally, and probably most importantly, having two version of thegame means the community is split. CEO Brad Wardell explains:

Hence, I have decided to merge Ashes of the Singularity and Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation into a single product: Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. We will update the game to have a simplified rules option for those who do preferred the more streamlined game mechanics and unit types (anyone who has ever tried to get a LAN party going with an RTS knows what I mean) but going forward, Escalation is the only version of the game.

The base game will be discontinued. If you have a copy of it, you can still play it and we will still support it. But we wont be selling it anymore. Everyone who had Ashes of the Singularity now has Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation as well. And anyone who already upgraded to Escalation from Ashes now has an automatic season pass to the DLC for Escalation.

With more PC gamers owning a PC that can now handle the demands of Ashes of the Singularity, this a solid move by Stardock and one that should be welcomed by all players.

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Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation being merged with the original game - PC Invasion (blog)

Go to any airport and youll see wearied travelers huddled around outlets leeching out precious electricity to feed their devices. They arent alone in their need for power. With more than 3 billion smartphones alone in circulation in 2016, more people are experiencing the frustration of a phone dying when youre using maps in an unfamiliar area or just watching the latest viral video.

In response, consumers are increasingly calling for bigger, longer-lasting batteries so that they spend less time looking for anywhere to plug in.

But those days may be coming to an end, thanks to new technology from Disney Research. The company has developed a method for wireless power transmission where the only thing you have to do to charge your phone is be in a specially-designed room.

This means airport outlet mobbing may soon be nothing but an unpleasant memory.

The new method, called quasistatic cavity resonance (QSCR, works by inducing electrical currents inside a room where the walls, floor and ceiling have been metalized. The electrical currents permeate the room with magnetic fields, enabling power to be transmitted to a devices receiving coils operating at the same resonant frequency.

In the demonstration of QSCR detailed in their paper, researchers built a 16-by-16-foot room with aluminum walls, ceiling and floor bolted to an aluminum frame. The metal floorwas covered with insulating carpet, and a capacitor-filled copper pole was placed in the center of the room. A spiral drive coil was used to stimulate the room.

They were able to safely transmit 1.9 kilowatts of power to a receiver at 90 percent efficiencythats equivalent to charging 320 phones at once.

As much as wireless charging sounds appealing, concerns about the health risks of electromagnetic fields abound. During their simulations, researchers tracked Specific Absorption Rate, which measures how much power is absorbed by biological tissue, and ensured the value stayed at or below an established threshold.

Though the research is still in early stages, researchers predict theyll eventually be able to reduce the need for fully-metalized rooms, perhaps by retrofitting existing structures with modular panels or conductive paint. Larger spaces could be accommodated by using multiple copper poles.

"This new innovative method will make it possible for electrical power to become as ubiquitous as WiFi," said Alanson Sample, associate lab director & principal research scientist at Disney Research.

Besides making our day-to-day lives easier, QSCR could accelerate the progress of electronic devices by reducing our dependence on batteries.

Many of us probably dont realize that the devices we are carrying around in our purses and pockets are basically big batteries with a chip and a screen attached to them. For an iPhone 7, for example, the battery alone takes up two-thirds of the length, over half the width, and a fifth of the total weight. Our phones are essentially designed around the battery, thus power is a major limiting factor for smartphone technology as a whole.

But what if our devices didnt need big batteries? How would that change their weight, their design, and their capabilities? Rather than being designed for the batterys sake, they could be designed for the engagement we want.

Augmented reality and virtual reality, for example, are power-hungry apps that would be much more feasible to use on our phones if power wasnt an issue (just ask Pokemon Go players). Imagine if you could have a phone for heavy duty data visualizations. Or how about having triple or quadruple the amount of storage space?

Beyond our phones, think of the other power-hungry devices like quadcopters or Google glass that suddenly could have new designs with continuous usage through wireless charging.

Solving the power problem, then, is just the first stepdeciding what to do with all that extra space will follow close behind.

Banner Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Just Stand Inside this Room and it Will Wirelessly Charge Your Phone - Singularity Hub

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Mega-sized RTS Ashes of the Singularity is now bigger, totally for free. Escalation, the stand-alone expansion that took it from reasonable but missing key features to one of the better RTS games on the market, is now part of the base game. Anyone who paid for the upgrade has been given the season pass for this years Escalation DLC.

Still want something new? Try the best strategy games weve played.

The news comes via a blog post by Stardock CEO Brad Wardell, explaining the decision.

Many people who bought Ashes of the Singularity paid $49.99. Thus, even a $20 discount to get the game they wanted in the first place seemed unfair to them, he explains. More seriously, it split the community.

Coming from the software side, having a standard and a Pro version of your product isn't a big deal. But in the gaming world, especially recently, it is a big problem and one that has proven impossible for us to bridge. For example, even if we solved the multiplayer community fragmentation, what about modding? What about community discussions on strategy and tactics? What about future expansions?

All this added up, plus the acknowledgement of it possibly causing some short-term pain, means the two are now one. It keeps the Escalation name, and more highly-rated Steam page, the originals simplified ruleset will be added as an option and everyone goes home happy.

Full blog post is worth a read if you want to know more about the whys and wherefors. Wardell also mentions that currently in the works is a naval units patch, and Episode 3 DLC that will add a new campaign along with multitude of maps, game modes and scenarios.

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Ashes of the Singularity merges with standalone expansion Escalation, no upgrade fee - PCGamesN