World's fastest graphics memory chip

Samsung Electronics claims to have developed the fastest graphics memory chip in the world. Samsung built a 512Mb GDDR4 memory chip that is 65% faster in transferring data than the next fastest chip, reports Biz Tech.

The new chips work at 4Gbps, while currently-available GDDR4 chips operate at 2.4Gbps.

Samsung used 80nm production technology to make the new chips. Sample chips have been delivered to Samsung's major customers, such as Nvidia, and mass production will reportedly begin during the second half of this year.

New research by Pew Internet and American Life Project says one-third of Internet users in the US have used a wireless connection to surf the Web or check e-mail, reports Business Week.

The survey showed 34% of Internet users have gone online through WiFi service or a cellphone network, a 22% increase compared to February 2004.

The study also showed 19% of users have a wireless network in their home. That number has nearly doubled since January 2005, when 10% said they had a home wireless network.

Sony says the European version of PlayStation 3 (PS3) will play fewer PlayStation 2 (PS2) video games compared to models launched earlier in Japan and America, reports Reuters.

PS3 was launched in Japan and North America in November and the model that will be introduced in Europe will be designed differently.

Software will take over some of the functionality that was originally taken care of by dedicated chips, which means far fewer PS2 games can be played on a European PS3 compared with the Japanese and American PS3 models, which play 98% of old games.

The Green Grid consortium, which focuses on the energy consumption of data centres, is expected to announce that Intel and Microsoft have joined as members, reports The Register.

The group, whose members include AMD, Sun Microsystems, Dell, HP and IBM, also plans to be formally constituted and discuss its charter following the announcement. It will also bring out three white papers aimed at CIOs, data centre chiefs and building managers.

The group's board of directors will include AMD, APC, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Rackable Systems, SprayCool, Sun Microsystems and VMware.

BitTorrent, a notorious file-sharing software company, is planning to use its software to launch a download site that will distribute more than 5 000 titles from digital movies, TV shows, games and other media, reports CNET News.

The new store must prove that it can bring movies to users faster than the clunky distribution methods currently available - and it must be careful not to alienate the millions who have grown accustomed to using BitTorrent to snatch files off the Web with virtually no DRM and at no cost.

In the battle for the nascent online video market, BitTorrent could be a competitor, thanks to its existing reputation for speedy file distribution. It also has an established user base that the company says numbers 135 million.