Ubuntu Edge, the campaign, and WHY it may be in TROUBLE.

Ubuntu Edge.

The next generation smart phone is upon us. Ubuntu Edge will be one of the first smart phone designs to cross the barrier between personal computing and personal telephone use, giving users a pocket computer that is able to make phone calls. Design no doubt takes after the ground breaking iPhone design; attention to detail, practical durability, and sleekness, which Apple prides themselves on. Software development for the Ubuntu Edge however, will fall far far away from the distribution and authentication norms currently visible with the iPhone and Apple App Store. The operating system on the Edge will likely mimic that of the Android OS, giving users hack-ability and customization opportunities; the roots of open source Linux software.

The Ubuntu Edge case will be precision engineered and will feel like a good solid peace of hardware. The canonical logo, circle of friends, is elegantly embossed on the rubberized backing of the smart phone. Size wise, the Edge is slightly smaller than a Samsung Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It is slightly larger in size than the Apple iPhone 4.

It will have the fastest multi-core processor on the market, as well as boasting 4 GB of ram and 120 GB of storage, excellent for carrying around music, videos, and applications. These incredible hardware specifications will allow the phone boot a fully functioning Ubuntu OS as well as Android, making it the first dual-booting device on the market. The Ubuntu Edge will also come with an 4.5" HD Screen at 1280 x 720 pixels protected by a super hard Sapphire Crystal display. It has an 8 mega-pixel low light camera on the back and a 2 mega-pixel front camera.

As far as the connectivity is concerned it will have 4G LTE, 802.11 N Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.

Why DDR3 RAM has increased dramatically in price

1 X 8 GB DDR3: $72.99 USD, July 2013

Why DDR3 Price Increased

Comparison of DDR2 & DDR3 RAM Price

Next-gen DDR4

Price of DDR3 RAM

DDR3 RAM only a few months ago was at an extremely fair and affordable price, allowing over-clockers, gamers and hobbyists to max out their system memory without breaking the bank. I remember seeing a 16 GB DDR3 RAM Kit (2 X 8 GB Modules) for sale for around $75.99 USD, with prices varying slightly from retailer to retailer. This price has nearly doubled since the 1st Quarter of 2013, with a current price of $129.29 USD for Corsair Vengeance  16GB (2x8GB)  DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10).

Cause of DDR3 RAM Price increase

--> So why the enormous explosion in price? Is this collateral damage from a natural disaster like we saw affecting hard drive manufacturers after the 2011 tsunami in Japan? Could the price increase be blamed on the decrease in computer manufacturing immediately following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which would have decreased the demand for DDR3 memory modules leaving manufacturers with unwanted, saturated supplies, driving costs down below their intended market price? Or maybe the price jump is simply due to dwindling competitive pricing strategies between memory manufactures, as profit margins on RAM are generally low, manufacturers may be looking to recoup profits before the release of DDR4 memory.

I believe the current increase in price is a combination of all the possible factors, especially because there is no way to pick one single cause for a price increase in as complex of a market as PC components. A very likely cause may also be that manufacturers are investing more into the research and development of DDR4 and the stock and supply of DDR3 modules are dwindling as we saw with DDR2 after the release of DDR3.

DDR3 vs DDR2 Price

The good news is DDR3 is still greatly cheaper than DDR2 RAM and should continue to stay that way for some time. Also for the budget builder, DDR3 RAM can be picked up used on eBay for around the same prices we saw at the beginning of 2013. Although it is used, RAM tends to be one of the safest and most reliable things a builder can purchase second hand.

DDR4 Next-gen Desktop Memory

Crucial will be launching their next-gen memory with next-gen performance late 2013. Crucial DDR4 will use 20% less voltage and permit mainstream data rates that are at least twice as fast as DDR3 RAM. The reduction in power use will give way to longer battery life and increased energy efficiency, not to mention reduced system temperatures. Less voltage, less heat, making it easier to keep your system cool.

Manufacturers release of DDR4 will accompany the release of Intel's latest cpu, Ivy Bridge-E. This new processor from Intel will be released between September 4th and September 11, 2013

The i7-4960X is a six-core part, with 3.60 GHz clock speed, 4.00 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, and 15 MB L3 cache; the i7-4930K is the other six-core part, which offers 3.40 GHz clocks, 3.90 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, and 12 MB L3 cache. The i7-4820K is the only quad-core part in the series, featuring 3.70 GHz clocks, 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost, and 10 MB of L3 cache. All three are based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge-E" silicon, are built into the LGA2011 package, feature unlocked BClk multipliers, and will run on existing motherboards based on the X79 Express chipset, with BIOS updates. It's also rumored that Intel could launch a new chipset for the platform, which offers more SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and integrated USB 3.0.  -- btarunr & Hermitage Akihabara

  

          

Logic Pro X on OS X Lion 10.7.5 10.7.4

With the newest version of Logic Pro being released many Mac OS X Lion may be feeling left behind. That is, Logic Pro X requires the newest version of Mac OS X (10.8.4) Mountain Lion. Thankfully there are a few crafty OS X developers who have figured out a way around this, permitting Logic Pro X to function in an un-supported operating system version.

Those who’ve seen the Roman numeral X slapped onto Final Cut Pro may approach this release with some initial trepidation. Has Logic Pro been stripped of vital features to make it more accessible to GarageBand users? Is Apple abandoning professional audio engineers and musicians to cater to the prosumer user?No and no. While Logic Pro has indeed adopted some of the look of Final Cut Pro X—with its dark visage and panes that can be invoked or dismissed as the mood strikes—Apple’s digital audio workstation (DAW) has lost none of its power and gained valuable features on just about every front.

---  Breen of MacWorld       

Logic Pro X has more than just a new look — it gives you new options you’ve never had before. You can work the way you always have, with the full power and depth of Logic Pro. Or if you’re exploring ideas, you can choose to work with a more streamlined set of controls to keep things moving right along. You can also personalize Advanced Tools to make your workflow match your creative flow. -- Apple.com

Follow the instructions below to use Logic Pro X on Mac OS X Lion.

• To begin you must have already downloaded the Logic Pro X software from the App Store.
• Navigate to the Applications folder and show the package contents of Logic Pro X.    

Show Package Contents

• After showing the package contents open the info.plist file to perform only one edit which will allow Logic to run on OS X Lion.

Find Info.plist

• Edit line 565 in this file. Change the minimum OS value string from "10.8.4" to "10.7.5" or the OS X version you would like Logic Pro X to operate in.

• 

  Edit line 565 in Info.plist

• Save the file and open Logic.

When Logic Pro is opened for the first time the application will begin downloading a few additional files and updates. Don't panic, this is normal.

Watch this video for a step by step guide to installing Logic Pro X on OS X Lion 10.7.5




Watch this video to see how well Logic Pro X performs in OS X Lion 10.7.5 on a Hackintosh setup using a Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor overclocked to 3.01 Ghz.