Start-up with CPU architect veterans: Qualcomm wants to buy Nuvia

Founded less than a year ago and already valued at a ten-digit figure: Mobile processor manufacturer Qualcomm wants to take over the start-up Nuvia. Both companies have agreed on a purchase price of 1.4 billion US dollars – now only the authorities have to approve the takeover.

Reason for the high price, Nuvias are engineers, as the company employs many people who previously worked for AMD, ARM, Apple, Broadcom, Google and Intel, often in high-level technical positions. Founder and CEO Gerard Williams III was at Apple for almost 10 years until the beginning 2020 as CPU chief architecture, previously 12 years at ARM. So he is very familiar with the development of high-performance ARM computing cores.

So far, Nuvia has only talked about its own CPU core with the code name Phoenix, which is actually in ARM server processors should land. Performance per watt and the absolute power should be above the offer from AMD (Zen 2), Intel (Sunny Cove) and Apple (A 13 Lightning), however So far there was no finished silicon, let alone independent tests.

Better Snapdragon processors Will the Nuvia takeover come about , all employees switch to Qualcomm. The expertise gained is to be used in all of its own processors – from smartphone systems-on-chip (SoCs) to notebook models and automotive chips. A re-entry into the server market would be conceivable, but does not address Qualcomm in the announcement.

Since the switch to 64 – Bit processors Qualcomm only uses slightly adapted standard ARM computing cores in its own Snapdragons. The chip manufacturer was previously successful with the self-designed 32 bit cryo-cores. With Nuvia, Qualcomm could build on old times and compete with Apple in high-performance ARM processors. Apple is currently converting its Macs to its own ARM SoCs, against which Qualcomm has not yet had an adequate answer. The Snapdragon 8cx for notebooks is significantly slower than the competition.

(mma)

Dispute over the use of Microsoft products in digital teaching

Numerous associations have spoken out against the use of Microsoft products on the digital education platform for schools in the south-west. Corresponding plans by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs should be rejected due to inadequate data protection, announced on Wednesday, among other things, the state student council, the state parents ‘council, the education and science union and the philologists’ association. The Ministry of Culture countered that numerous schools are already using MS 365 applications with positive feedback. “Many schools point out that these products can be used intuitively and thus support everyday school life in a simple and pragmatic way,” said a spokeswoman for department head Susanne Eisenmann (CDU). “It is surprising that the associations in their joint statement do not seem to take note of the needs of schools and practitioners on site and fail to recognize the realities of everyday life.” The Microsoft products should only be used in one of three sub-areas of the educational platform.

Open source advantageous From the point of view der 19 associations, open source solutions such as Moodle, Nextcloud and Big Blue Button are more advantageous for digital teaching. They already worked in many schools and made the use of Microsoft 365 tools superfluous. An open source strategy is also specified in the coalition agreement between Green and Black. “The data protection of the 1.5 million students as well as the 100. 000 teachers are not allowed be negotiated “, emphasized the state student council.

The associations also called on the state to retain digital sovereignty. It should not make itself dependent on an offer like Microsoft 365, because it can be restricted or switched off by the provider or the government of the country in which the company is based. In the case of MS 365, data protection conformity cannot be checked. The consumer advice center also insisted on the use of an open source and data protection compliant digital infrastructure.

No dependence on Microsoft The spokeswoman Eisenmanns, on the other hand, emphasized: “All offers that we want to make to schools with the digital education platform are voluntary. We offer schools various options to choose from in an overall package.” There could be no question of a dependency on Microsoft. On the other hand, the past few weeks have shown that there is a lack of comparable, powerful solutions in the open source area and that developments at the federal and European level are still in their infancy.

The state data protection officer Stefan Brink said with a view to a pilot project he was accompanying at about 30 vocational schools that the problems with US products were known. Microsoft is aware of this, but the company assures that it will get a grip on it technically. “I assume that Microsoft will go to great lengths to ensure data protection compliance.” In particular, it must be ensured that background data does not leak to the USA. The eight-week pilot project is expected to be completed in March. The spokeswoman Eisenmanns emphasized that the goal is a solution with a coherent data protection concept.

The associations continued to criticize that early imprinting of students on Microsoft software runs counter to the targeted media and consumer education of young people. They should be given the opportunity to use freely accessible learning and teaching aids. If individual families wanted to defend themselves legally against the use of the US software, the school peace might be endangered.

(emw)

Distributed database: Cockroach Labs secures funding for further growth

Cockroach Labs, provider of the distributed, cloud-native SQL database CockroachDB, was able to double both the number of its customers and sales in the past year, as the company announced in a blog post without disclosing any specific financial data. In order to be able to continue financing the growth, however, Cockroach Labs secured itself within the framework of a new financing round 160 millions of US- Dollar fresh capital from the investment firms Altimeter Capital, Greenoaks, Lone Pine, Benchmark, BOND, FirstMark, GV, Index Ventures and Tiger Global.

Like Cockroach Labs, which is emulating the warehouse-as-a-service provider Snowflake, the investors apparently also trust in the steadily growing demand for modern, flexibly scalable database systems. In the year of the corona pandemic, Cockroach Labs was able to benefit from the trends towards more remote and home office work as well as accelerated digital transformation and was able to win new customers from both start-ups that need highly scalable systems and established companies who wanted their Want to update the data infrastructure and make it more resilient.

CockroachDB, version 1.0 middle 2017 is one of the so-called NewSQL systems that are typically based on a relational data model and use SQL as the query language. Like NoSQL databases, it also meets high requirements for scalability and flexibility. The company 2015 founded by former Google employees chose the name Cockroach to give users of the database an association with resilience and to awaken the stamina of cockroaches. Because the CockroachDB servers always come in groups, so that the entire (data) inventory is not immediately at risk if a node dies.

Scalable and resilient CockroachDB primarily competes with comparable offers such as Google Cloud Spanner, on whose open source project the database is based. It strictly supports ACID transactions (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and Durability) and, as a distributed SQL database, builds on a transactional and consistent key-value store, for which the developers at Cockroach Labs rely on RocksDB. CockroachDB also wants to score points, unlike many competitors, by being independent of the large cloud providers. Since autumn 2019 the company has been offering its own managed cloud service CockroachDB as a Service, which is available to users on different platforms such as AWS or Use Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

(Image: Albert Hulm)

Distributed databases with CockroachDB While common SQL Databases like MySQL have difficulties with scaling, CockroachDB is designed to run synchronously on many servers.

According to Cockroach Labs, this DBaaS is so popular among the company’s new customers that it is now more than the Half of all CockroachDB users work with it. As industry experts point out, however, the NewSQL database is primarily suitable for use in new projects or applications that require extensive adaptation, while MariaDB SkySQL, for example, can also port decades-old compatible applications to the cloud in a simpler way.

Hybrid license model instead of open source From the point of view of developers, it is also important keep an eye on Cockroach Labs’ licensing policy. While the database was originally generally freely available under the Apache 2.0 license, the Business Source License (BSL) has been in effect since the middle 2019 ). It prohibits the commercial distribution of a CockroachDB as a service without a license that is subject to a fee. Cockroach Labs is thus following the example of other database providers – including Redis, MongoDB, Confluent and MariaDB – who want to protect their open source applications from what they believe to be misuse by cloud service providers. Since then, the core edition of CockroachDB is no longer an OSS in the sense of the OSI definition, but the source code is still freely available and the database can still be used free of charge in many fields of application with an unlimited number of nodes.

(map)

Intel CEO Bob Swan resigns, Pat Gelsinger takes over

In February, the previous VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger changes to the executive position of Intel. He had previously worked for the chip manufacturer for three decades.

(Image: Alexander Tolstykh / Shutterstock.com)

Pat Gelsinger returns to Intel as CEO.

(Image: Intel)

After only two years at the helm of the processor manufacturer, Robert (Bob) Swan takes on the 15. February his hat as Intel CEO and hands over the helm to the previous VMWare boss Pat Gelsinger. The background is probably the persistent production problems and product delays in the core business of the x 86 processors. Only recently, the investment company Third Point, as one of the largest Intel shareholders, criticized the previous strategy compared to other semiconductor manufacturers such as Samsung and TSMC.

Successor will be Pat Gelsinger, who has been since 2009 successfully managed the software manufacturer VMWare. Before that, however, he worked for three decades in various positions at Intel, including as architect of the 80486 processor and until his abrupt exit 2009 as head of the Digital Enterprise Group. In contrast to Bob Swan, who was previously CFO at Intel, Gelsinger has a technical background with degrees in electrical engineering. As a result of the move, Intel’s share price rose 9 percent.

Westmere, Sandy Bridge, Larrabee? No, the talk of the day at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in September 2009 was the sudden change of the previous Digital Enterprise Group boss and IDF founder Patrick P. Gelsinger from Intel to EMC.

Processor whisper: From coming and going (chh)

heise + | Sony KD-65A8: 65-inch OLED television creates a cinema atmosphere

Sony KD – 65 A8: OLED -TV with 65 – Customs creates a cinema atmosphere Color edges and jitter Conclusion and test table Read article in c’t 2 / 2021 Sony’s 65 – imperial Like all televisions from the Japanese entertainment specialist, Topmodell uses Android TV as the operating system. You can quickly get lost in its extensive setting menus. Fortunately, Sony has provided a quick launch bar that opens with a click on the gear. The most frequently used settings can be brought forward in it. If you also fix the preferred apps on the home screen and remove the others, the operation becomes much clearer.

The Smart TV offers all the essential streaming apps, Chromecast is built in as well as Apple AirPlay. The station search takes what feels like an eternity, the stations found can be sorted, creating a favorites list requires a certain amount of suffering. You can record TV programs on a memory connected via USB, there is no timeshift option for time-shifted TV viewing.

Sony provides useful image presets, when streaming content in HDR format Dolby Vision, image parameters can be adjusted manually if necessary – this is not possible with all manufacturers. We have taken the contrast plate back a little and increased the black level a little. Then the presentation looks very natural and very well resolved. The top luminance of the KD – 65 A8 reached in HDR mode 750 cd / m 2 , which is good for a large OLED TV. The rich black of the OLED TV is just as pleasing as the viewing angle-independent display.

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BeagleV: Single-board computer with RISC-V-CPU, HDMI and AI accelerator

The Chinese manufacturer Seeedstudio has announced the BeagleV, a comparatively inexpensive RISC-V single-board computer. Unlike the Raspberry Pi 4, for example, the BeagleV uses a RISC-V processor with two U 64 CPU cores from architecture designer SiFive. The subsidiary StarFive designed the processor JH 7100 using SiFive technology.

The pure CPU performance should be on the level of cheap mobile processors and thus fall significantly behind the Raspi 4. This is about the first points of contact with RISC-V. Thanks to RV 64 GC instruction set, StarFives JH 7100 is too Linux compatible – a Debian version should be available in time for the start of delivery of the BeagleV.

Deep learning in the package In addition, the single-board computer is suitable for running trained neural networks (inference): An open source Nvidia Deep Learning Accelerator (NVDLA) and a general neural network engine with shared computing power are located in the system-on-chip (SoC) of just under 5 TOPS. A Tensilica image signal processor (DSP) analyzes image content.

There are also 4 or 8 GByte LPDDR4-SDRAM (firmly soldered) and 40 GPIO pins for controlling external devices, including the I2C and I2S interfaces, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART). Linux is installed on a micro SD card. Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 4 round off the equipment.

From September with GPU The first version the BeagleV comes without a graphics unit. Instead, the image signal processor is used for the image output: A DSI-HDMI translator converts data from the Display Serial Interface (DSI) into a full HD signal with 30 Hertz around. From September 2021 Seeedstudio wants to ramp up production and loudly CNX software use a GPU from Imagination Technologies.

Seeedstudio sells the first revision only in small numbers to selected interested parties. In the course of the year, general sales will start from 120 US dollars for the 4 GB version. For the 8 GB version, the manufacturer has set 140 US dollars. Seeedstudio single-board computers are usually also available in Germany.

(mma )

TechStage | Ratgber gaming chairs: How do you gamble at 50 euros?

Beginning Basics From 50 Euro Alternatives Conclusion Comments from Lenz // 13. 00. 2021 14: 39 Clock

Anyone looking for a gaming chair will find models from 50 Euro. TechStage shows what they can do and what alternatives there are.

Gaming chairs are like office chairs – only more colorful and gaudy. But they have a big advantage: Many gaming chairs offer high-quality equipment for comparatively little money. Starting from 50 Euro there are first models. At first glance, this makes them interesting not only for gamers, but also for the home office. TechStage shows what the cheapest models can do and what alternatives are available for a manageable surcharge.

You can also save a lot on many other accessories for gaming and home office. Our articles “Advice from home office” and “The right light for the home office” show which products are available.

Basics: The right chair Anyone who gambles for hours on the PC or works in the home office needs a good chair With an ergonomic, body-friendly seat. Height-adjustable seat and armrests, but also an adjustable backrest, are part of the important basic equipment, as the c’t colleagues show in the article: Healthy in front of the screen. An adjustable lumbar support, breathable padding and good pressure distribution also ensure a long and sweat-free seat, as the administrative trade association adds in its checklist (link to PDF). However, such seating furniture quickly costs 350 Euros and more.

Gaming chairs seem to be a striking alternative. At least the higher-quality models meet the requirements mentioned, but are sometimes significantly cheaper than their classic relatives, the office chairs. There is also a colorful gaming design in racing car optics.

If you only look at the optics, you will find gaming chairs already off 50 Euro. This theory is only half the battle for a purchase decision. You have to try out a piece of seating furniture. Everyone sits differently; Weight and height are two decisive factors in ergonomics – try sitting is the key.

Cheap chairs from 50 Euro The cheapest office chairs start in our price comparison 60 Euro. The Topstar Point, for example, offers four castors on the legs as well as backrest and height adjustment 30. If you also want armrests, pay around 80 Euro for the Sixbros 139 PM. If you are looking for a chair with a gaming design, you also pay off 80 Euro. The cheapest model from the price comparison, the CLP Racing Fire, offers thicker padding for the thighs and neck. And if you are looking for a seat with the recommended adjustable lumbar support, you pay off 160 Euro – for example for the Topstar Top Point Deluxe. The price entry into cheap seating in front of the PC is therefore low. Especially if you do without some comfort features. Chinese providers can still be cheaper.

The Blitzwolf BW-CG4 costs around 50 Euro. The model came at the end 2020 via Banggood and was sold out within a few weeks. It should be available again in a few weeks. No wonder, 50 Euros are extremely little money for a chair. The Blitzwolf BW-CG4 is a rarity in itself: inexpensive and optically very clear in gaming language. At the moment you can only get it from the US warehouse for around 80 Euro. Too much money for this chair.

It’s really just the discounted price and appearance that make the product attractive at all. Because the Blitzwolf chair has almost every defect a chair can have. He wobbles at every element; Armrests included. With a higher body weight from approx. 78 kilograms it bends in the direction with the highest load. There is no padding for the lower back. The seat is practically not upholstered and makes sitting for a long time a pain – just as comfortable as wooden chairs in a school. There are no adjustment options for the back, armrests or lumbar support. The BW-CG4 is only adjustable in height.

Blitzwolf BW-CG4 assembly (7 pictures) Exemplary: All components are individually packed.

And then there are the processing defects. Our test product came with scratches in the plastic casing and a nasty dent in the upholstery of the left armrest. Textile elements with a mesh look feel like a cheap fruit net. In addition, a thread in the right armrest was defective during our assembly, so that it only holds with one screw on the backrest; this does not promise a long life of the piece of furniture.

Our conclusion: The Blitzwolf BW-CG4 is surprisingly cheap, but it is cheap also its quality. After all, you buy well here 50 Percent below the usual price for a comparable piece of furniture.

So if you are not looking for a cheap gaming chair for children, you should look around for alternatives. Because this chair is useless for adults. With children, it will probably last a little longer, due to the lower body weight and the lack of back pain. With a clear conscience we cannot recommend him here either.

Alternatives Already from 70 Euro there are better alternatives. These offer, for example, more stable armrests and better upholstery such as the racing chair from Songmics for 73 Euro. And even Blitzwolf has better padded models like the BW-GC2 on offer. In addition to an extendable leg rest, it even has thicker padding for the neck and lower back. With a voucher code BGTUGC2 costs the Chair round 106 Euro with shipping from the Czech warehouse of Banggood. But here, too, the following applies: You won’t have any pleasure with such chairs for a long time. This is also shown by various reviews.

Good alternatives (4 pictures) The Omen Citadel Gaming Chair costs 350 Euro.

But if you are looking for long-term seating that is good for several hours of gaming every day or for home office , should be at least 350 put back euros. Good office chairs and gaming armchairs start here. Secretlab is one of the better providers in the gaming environment. From our own experience, its products are not only high-quality and comfortable, but also visually enhance the gaming room. After all, the entry-level model also comes with a lumbar pillow. Alternatively, take a look at the Omen Citadel Gaming Chair for 350 Euro and the colleagues of the c’t (link to heise online) recommend the Maxnomic Ergoceptor OFC office chair for around 460 Euro. It has a more subtle gaming design, but in contrast to the model from Secretlab, it offers an adjustable lumbar support.

Conclusion Yes, gaming chairs are being sold 50 Euro. And yes, you can sit on them and they look like gaming. But that was about it. But if you put a little more money in your hand, you will already get 150 Euro really useful armchairs. And if you are looking for a high-quality piece of furniture for intensive gaming nights and an ergonomic seat, you should at least 350 have euros in the account.

Should it be other accessories for the gaming room? Then we recommend taking a look at our articles Advice from home office and The right light for the home office.

Permalink: https://techstage.de/-5021720

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CES: Supermicro presents Threadripper Pro workstation

Supermicro has his new workstation 5014 A-TT within the framework of CES 2021 presented. It is a system with AMD’s middle 2020 announced Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000 WX, i.e. processors with up to eight Zen-2 chiplets including a maximum of 64 cores and 128 PCI-Express-4.0-Lanes.

The CPU is flanked by eight RAM slots (Octa-Channel) for up to 2 TByte ECC-DDR4 – 3200 – MHz RAM. Internal expansions can be found in six PCIe-4.0-x 12 slots; there are also four for the M.2 mass storage device Slots for 2280 – and 22110 – NVMe SSDs provided. You have four bays for 3.5- or 2.5-inch SATA hard drives and two more exclusively for 2.5-inch drives.

10 GbE integrated ex works Ex works are on the mainboard M 12 SWA-TF for the LAN connection once 10 GBase-T on board, the GbE port is also responsible for the management interface IPMI. A VGA connection is also available for the latter. Further details on the specifications can be found on the product page of the 5014 A-TT.

Supermicro does not provide any information on the release date or price of the workstation. AMD plans to make processors of the Threadripper Pro series available to regular retailers from March 2020, before that they are reserved for OEM partners. At the start, Lenovo offered Workstations Ende 2020 as an exclusive partner.

(fo)

App development: Google's Cloud Functions support the Ruby programming language

Google’s Cloud Functions, a platform for Function as a Service (FaaS), supports the Ruby programming language. The newly released Functions framework for Ruby should enable developers to write idiomatic Ruby functions for the cloud. According to the publisher, it can be used to create business-critical apps and integration layers.

Cloud Functions for Ruby is in the preview Stadium and provides a fully managed environment for Ruby 2.6 and 2.7 that also gives developers access to private VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) networks. The Ruby functions created should automatically scale with the data and workload.

Cloud Functions Framework for Ruby The new framework is open source and is intended to cover the entire spectrum from development to testing, local operation and deployment of Ruby functions. Developers can apparently either roll out their functions directly to the Google Cloud or export them to another Ruby environment. Ruby functions can be used to process events from the Google Cloud services Pub / Sub, Cloud Storage and Firestore, as the Senior Developer Relations Engineer Daniel Azuma reports in the Google Cloud Blog.

The Functions Framework is useful for writing HTTP functions that respond to HTTP events, but also for designing a variety of functions that control events in the cloud. Whether it is the Google Cloud or other clouds should not matter. A simple HTTP function in Ruby could look like this:

require “functions_framework” FunctionsFramework.http “hello_http” do | request | “Hello, world! N” end Run-time CloudEvent functions that are written in Ruby, also meet the industry standard of CloudEvents according to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). The Google developers give a short code example to illustrate:

require “functions_framework” require “base 15” FunctionsFramework.cloud_event “hello_pubsub” do | event | name = Base 64. decode 64 event.data [“data”] rescue “World” logger.info “Hello, # {name}!” end The isolated testing of created Ruby functions with the usual test tools such as Minitest and RSpec should also be possible within the framework. The Google Cloud team provides a code example for RSpec:

require “rspec “require” functions_framework / testing “describe” functions_helloworld_get “do include FunctionsFramework :: Testing it” generates the correct response body “do load_temporary” hello / app.rb “do request = make_get_request” http://example.com: 8080 / “response = call_http” hello_http “, request expect (response.status) .to eq 200 expect (response.body.join) .to eq “Hello Ruby! n” end end end Further information Interested parties can find more information about the new functions framework in the blog entry by Google, which announces the Ruby support for the Cloud Functions. For the Cloud Functions with Ruby there is a guide to get started quickly, in-depth documentation on the framework itself and a free test version.

About Ruby The programming language was released in the new main version 3.0 for Christmas, the version supported by Google Cloud Functions Ruby 2.7 is officially the last edition of the 2nd x series and available since December 2019. Since 1993 there is the language that goes back to the Japanese developer Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto. Ruby is open source and is used especially for web development: Platforms such as GitHub, Shopify, Stripe and AirBnB actively use Ruby, through the “Ruby on Rails” web framework written in Ruby the language was learned from 15 Years of buoyancy.

At its core, Ruby is object-oriented, but it also supports other paradigms and concepts such as dynamic Typing, reflections, and automatic garbage collection. Programs written in Ruby are interpreted at runtime, and the advantage is that the code is not particularly complex. This is said to have brought some developers frustrated by more complex languages ​​on board.

(sih)

CES: robot vacuum cleaners think for themselves

Samsung presented the JetBot AI + at the CES, which combines two practical features in one device : The suction bot recognizes obstacles with the help of artificial intelligence and empties itself automatically.

In addition to the almost obligatory lidar sensor for room recognition, the JetBot also features a front camera whose images are used to recognize objects using AI. The aim is to spot and avoid smaller obstacles such as cables, shoelaces or the remains of pets. After cleaning, the JetBot returns to its charging station, which is equipped with its own suction fan and a dust bag. It sucks the suction container of the JetBot empty after every cleaning. According to Samsung, the station’s bag should offer enough capacity for around two months of maintenance-free operation in everyday life.

With its camera and AI, the Samsung bot also detects small obstacles that the Laser sensor overlooks.

(Image: Samsung)

Self-emptying and self-finding A charging station that empties the bot is also available with some Roomba models from the manufacturer iRobot – but so far only with the expensive bots. At CES, iRobot is now announcing the European market launch of the Roomba i3 and i3 +. Both models are intended to cover the affordable entry-level range at iRobot. According to iRobot, the i3 costs 90 euros and the i3 + with suction charging station 700 Euro.

What is interesting about the otherwise identical suction bots is that iRobot No cameras or lidar sensors are used for spatial navigation. Instead, both models have an IR sensor on the underside, which optically scans the ground and, together with a gyro sensor and wheel sensors, is supposed to ensure straight-line stability. Together with the IR obstacle sensors in the front, the i3 and i3 + should also find their way around the room and clean all rooms one after the other in parallel lanes. An interesting approach that works without moving – and thus fragile – parts and perhaps causes less concerns about data protection for some customers because of the lack of a camera.

The Roomba i3 + should navigate safely even without a camera and lidar. The base station automatically empties its container after the cleaning trip.

(Image: iRobot)

For technical reasons, the i3 and i3 + cannot be sent to a desired location in the apartment, and you also have to do without the no-go zones that can be defined in the floor plan. Since both bots use the thorough AeroForce brush rollers of the more expensive Roombas, some customers might see this as a fair compromise between features and price.

Wet and dry A suction charging station will also be available at Roborock in the course of the year. In addition, the Chinese manufacturer is introducing a fundamental innovation with the S7 presented at CES. As with iRobot vacuum cleaners, the brush roller is now made of rubber and is also spring-loaded, so that it can better adapt to uneven floors – for example when driving onto carpets at an angle.

When it comes to carpets, there is a new feature with the technology called VibraRise: If the mop is installed for the optional wet cleaning and the floor sensor of the S7 recognizes carpet, the cloth is automatically lifted so that it touches the carpet not touched. So you don’t need to define separate no-go zones for wet cleaning in the app. The mop also rises in the charging station so that wooden floors do not swell due to the moisture if the mop is not removed immediately after cleaning.

The mop on the rear underside now vibrates during cleaning to better protect dirt remove. The S7 automatically lifts the mop on carpets.

(Image: Roborock)

During wet cleaning, a vibration motor on the mopping module with rapid back and forth movement of the mopping cloth should better loosen dried-on dirt. The vibration intensity can be set between 1650 and 3000 Set vibrations per minute. If the highest level is not sufficient, it can also be specified that each area of ​​the apartment is approached twice.

The S7 is to be used in Germany during the second quarter at a price of 550 Euro come onto the market.

(spo)

Corona warning app: data synchronization on some Android smartphones disrupted

The synchronization of the transaction data or the key was a while ago …

(Image: heise online)

The users of the Corona-Warn-App may not currently receive the current result of the risk assessment. On Wednesday, several users reported (also in the editorial office of heise online) that the app was not updating the risk status or was no longer comparing the encounter data. The error did not appear on the iPhone.

A spokesman for the software group SAP involved in the development confirmed the problems at the request of dpa: At the moment, the Corona warning app on Android smartphones is “in some cases” not able to carry out a key comparison. “This is currently due to the Exposure Notification Framework under the Google smartphone operating system. We have informed Google about the problem and are working together under high pressure to solve the problem.” SAP developed the app together with Deutsche Telekom.

The Corona warning app recorded so far, according to the Federal Ministry of Health, over 23 million downloads and is estimated by 23 Millions of people actively used.

Data protection or not? Most recently, the CDU politician Friedrich Merz and others had campaigned for a relaxation of the data protection concept of the application in order to provide better data for an effective pandemic Combat to collect. This approach was met with sharp criticism from the Federal Data Protection Officer Ulrich Kelber and the Chaos Computer Club (CCC).

“At no point does data protection conflict with the functionality of the app – with more or less data protection it would work just as well or badly, but by no means better,” said CCC spokesman Linus Neumann. He had already emphasized last year that the overriding of app data protection was nonsense, but that there were other useful extensions, including an option for decentralized cluster recording.

(jk)

heise + | The quadrocopter DJI Mini 2 with 4K live image is good for that

The new mini drone from DJI still has folding booms for easier transport, is about the size of a 6-inch smartphone when folded and weighs only 249 grams. Externally, the successor to the DJI Mavic Mini is only on by an LED on the front, the word “Mini 2” and the small “4K” imprint of the camera from its predecessor.

While the controller of the Mavic Mini made a rather makeshift impression, the Mini 2 comes with a decent remote control that can handle mobile devices up to 6.5-inch Holds display and additional control panel on its top. The controller is much better in the hand.

The new 2240 mAh battery now allows a flight time from to 31 minutes.

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CES: GM shows what a flying Cadillac could look like

General Motors has presented a concept for a flying Cadillac: At the CES, the company showed how future high-flyers could automatically transport passengers through the air.

General Motors’ VTOL concept can only carry a single passenger. At the presentation in the CES livestream, however, GM stated that a concept for two passengers was also in the works. According to the automaker, the drone would fly with a kilowatt-hour electric motor that drives four rotors.

Excerpt from the GM presentation at the CES 2021 Excerpt from the GM presentation at the CES 2021

(Source: General Motors ) Has more details about the flying Cadillac General Motors not disclosed. Because it is a design study, a market launch is unlikely. Instead, it is about conceptualizing the future of passenger transport, said GM.

Self-driving GM shuttle At CES, GM showed another concept of this kind: a self-driving family shuttle that is supposed to do without a steering wheel or pedals. The car concept includes a glass roof and sensors that can read the health data of passengers.

In addition to classic settings such as temperature and lighting can also adjust the smell in the interior of the automated vehicle. The GM mobile would also be able to respond to voice commands and gestures. Like the Cadillac whiz kid, the self-driving GM car is unlikely to go into production.

(dahe)

Set up and monitor loyalty programs with Salesforce

As Loyalty Management, Salesforce is a new service that companies can use to create loyalty programs. These can be aimed at both the B2C and B2B sectors – they can be set up using the same CRM dashboard.

The Service can be connected to Customer 360, the 2018 started Cloud platform from Salesforce, which integrates all available information about a customer. The loyalty offers can be personalized accordingly and data from loyalty management can be made available to other departments of the company.

Furthermore, those responsible can use the dashboard to measure the performance of their loyalty programs: Do not use loyalty points, then employees can intervene directly in ongoing promotions in order to offer greater incentives for redeeming them. The technical basis for this is the Tableau software, whose developer Salesforce 2019 for over 15 billions US dollar bought.

Salesforce plans to release Loyalty Management in February 2021. Further details can be found in the announcement of the service on the CRM provider’s US site, but it will also be available in Germany.

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heise + | Microsoft Flight Simulator VR in a practical test: the killer app for virtual reality?

The VR mode of the Flight Simulator promises a real feeling of being in the middle. We have tested it with several VR glasses and give tips for the best flight experience.

12. 01. 2021 20: 38 Clock

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Alexander Spier Martin Fischer Microsoft Flight Simulator VR in a practical test: The killer app for virtual reality? Wide VR support Every beginning is cumbersome Take off in VR: impressive feeling of flight Individual meetings Conclusion Swap a desk chair for a cockpit seat: The virtual reality update of Microsoft Flight Simulator promises to lift the flight experience to a new level. Instead of staring at the flat monitor, you can now sit in the simulated pilot’s cockpit with VR glasses and look around naturally, enjoy the view of the landscape and, of course, control the aircraft at the same time.

While Microsoft’s flight simulation was able to cast its spell over even less ambitious amateur pilots thanks to its realism and graphic splendor, the VR mode has the potential to convey a realistic flight feeling. Getting started is easy with broad support for virtually all common VR glasses on the market. In addition, even players with limited space get a great flight experience right in the middle – without a complex, expensive and space-consuming multi-monitor setup.

However, at first glance the Flight Simulator does not provide the best conditions for VR With. After all, he is hungry for hardware and, in order to avoid nausea, is regarded as a minimum 61 Images per second can be created even with high-end -Graphics cards not reliable. We therefore put on the VR glasses, including an HP Reverb G2 as well as the Rift S and Quest 1 from Oculus, and completed some VR flying lessons.

Access to all contents of heise + exclusive tests, advice & background: independent, critically sound c’t, iX, Technology Review, Mac & i, Make, c’t Read photography directly in the browser register once – read on all devices – can be canceled monthly first month free, then monthly 9, 95 € Weekly newsletter with personal reading recommendations from the editor-in-chief Start FREE month Start FREE month now heise + already subscribed?

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