NVIDIA execs have been talking smack about general-purpose CPUs for a while now, and it looks like Intel's ready to do some talking of its own -- speaking to CustomPC, Intel SVP Pat Gelsinger said that general-purpose GPU computing initiatives like NVIDIA's CUDA would be nothing more than "interesting footnotes in the history of computing annals." According to Gelsinger, the lack of a viable new programming model has held back similarly different architectures like the PS3's Cell because "years later the application programmers have barely been able to comprehend how to write applications for it." That's certainly an interesting point, but we'd say Gelsinger's not really taking stock of the big picture here -- fully utilizing the power of the GPU is the whole point of CUDA, after all, and OS developers like Apple are pushing OpenCL as a way to make GPU acceleration easier to for developers to access. Still, Intel has already said that discrete graphics are on their way out as hybrid tech like Larrabee enters the scene, and Gelsinger basically repeated the party line, saying that and "evolutionary compatible computing model" will be the "right answer long term." Those are some fightin' words -- it's going to be interesting to see how these competing chip strategies play out as other entrants like AMD's Fusion slowly make the scene as well.

Who says you need a desktop chip packed within a 3-inch thick, 15-pound beast of a "laptop" to get decent FPS while at a LAN party? Intel's speedy Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 checks in at 2.8GHz (prior to overclocking, of course), and promises to punish today's latest games while sipping less power and generating less heat than the aforementioned alternatives. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to sit down with said chip and put it to the test; overall, the Mobile X9000 "proved itself to be as fast as its desktop counterparts in many scenarios, all the while consuming less power as a complete system in the Dell XPS M730 notebook testbed." If you're the type that gets all hot and bothered by benchmarks and graphs, there's plenty of those in the read link below.

We'll start this by suggesting you take everything from here on out with a healthy dose of salt, but given that Sony has a history of updating its VAIO laptop line in one fell swoop, there's enough credibility here to pass it along. With everyone that hopes to remain relevant in the laptop sector going to Montevina as soon as feasibly possible, it's no shock to hear that Sony's VAIO FW, Z, SR and BZ series units will be making the same leap this summer. Currently, there aren't a whole lot of specifications floating about, but we do know the VGN-FW line will sport an atypical 16.4-inch display while both the VGN-Z and VGN-SR lines check in as subnotes. For a wee bit more on the supposedly forthcoming crew, surf southwest to the read link.

[Via Laptoping]

We know he's just thinking about the children but damn, if Walter Bender's latest move doesn't smack of retribution for Negroponte's XP-lust. Having successfully spun himself out from under NickNeg's OLPC, Bender's UI now owned by his non-profit Sugar Labs might just end up on Intel's Classmate PC. Right, the same competing platform the OLPC camp had lambasted, repeatedly, for its "shameless" and "half-hearted" behavior in the educational marketplace. Nevertheless, Bender is quoted in an interview saying, "A community volunteer is working with Intel on Sugar for the Classmate PC. Sugar Labs helped to expedite the relationship." We assume Bender's loftier goals act as a lithium-salve to what must be a palpable internal turmoil.

P.S. That's our mockup, Intel declined to comment on the usage of Sugar.

Famed chip maker Intel is doing more than just buying up Renewable Energy Certificates like they're going out of style. It's cranking things up with a spin-off outfit that will soon be creating photovoltaic cells for solar module makers. Intel Capital is pouring some $50 million into SpectraWatt Inc., and it's being joined by Cogentrix Energy, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund and Solon AG. Aside from making that dough, the new company will also "concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce the cost of photovoltaic energy generation," and if everything goes smoothly, it should break ground on its manufacturing and development facility in Oregon in 2H 2008 (with product shipping in mid-2009).

Check it gamers, things are about to get like, so extreme in Q4. RegHardware has it from "motherboard-maker moles" that Intel will be loosing its smokin' Nehalem architecture before the end of the year starting with a trio of quad-core "Bloomfield" processors aimed at desktop users. A top o' the line 3.2GHz Extreme proc brings 8MB of L3 cache, connects to 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and rides Intel's new QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) bus capable of delivering 4.6 billion transactions per second. Front Side Bus, be gone.

Don't get ahead of us here, Intel isn't building full-featured Second Life and World of Warcraft apps for handheld Mobile Internet Devices. Instead they're using a new "Interactive 3D Streaming" tech to control and view the game remotely -- similar to some to that Telekinesis app we saw playing WoW on the iPhone last year, but Intel seems to be much further along. Their Xeon 5400 server can handle 14 clients simultaneously, but we're guessing this won't be cost effective for Blizzard anytime soon -- though we can imagine quite a few addicts rigging up similar systems for themselves. The sad news here is that Intel might've just discovered the best use for a MID yet.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Remember middle school? These guys do. NVIDIA, AMD, VIA and now SiS (only two capital letters? Not trying hard enough) have all teamed up in a fight against Intel of truly pubescent proportions. Intel has denied accusations of hiding the USB 3.0 spec, since it's not their spec to hide, and claims it has no obligation to disclose its actual host controller specification before it's ready. This apparently has the other chip makers scrambling to make their own host controller, so they aren't beholden to Intel's schedule. That could cause problems for the end product -- if they don't build theirs exactly like Intel's, and with Intel's already being on the market by the time they're done, they'll have to return to the drawing board and possibly delay their release by nine months. They claim this could give Intel two years of zero competition in the USB 3.0 space, but Intel figures since it plans to release the spec for free, is investing heavily in its development, and isn't done yet anyways, it doesn't owe those companies a thing. This just gets better and better.

After a relationship drama that belongs on daytime television, AMD is snuggling up to Intel to add Havok physics acceleration to their CPUs and GPUs. AMD likely buckled under pressure to come up with a better physics program for its chips and just went with what Rick Bergman of AMD called "the clear market leader in physics software." AMD will add the Havok Physics engine to both its multi-core CPUs and GPUs, but AMD managing director noted that the focus is on CPUs given feedback from gaming developers who like the idea of offsetting physics computation to CPU cores. Good news for game developers, indeed.

Robotics have come a long way, but they still often miss that innate, nervous sense of reluctant touch. Intel researchers have achieved something similar with a robotic hand that uses electrolocation to create a robotic hand conform to the shape of an object before interacting with it. Shown at Research@Intel Day, the hand uses fish-like electrolocation to bounce electric fields off of objects and then conform the hand to that shape in real time. They call the dynamic "Pre Touch," and it could prove useful for configuring robotics before they interact with objects without, say, damaging them or missing the interface completely. We've been aware of the technology for some time, but as you can see in the video after the break, Intel finally has something to show, and the results are what can only be described as a strangely nervous robotic hand.

Nothing captures the public's attention faster than a sensational accusation. Pit industry heavyweights like AMD and NVIDIA against Intel and you've got yourself an LA-style courtroom drama. On one side of the bench we see AMD and NVIDIA, stamping their feet and insisting that Intel is keeping the USB 3.0 spec under wraps in order to lock vendors into Intel chipsets. On the other, Intel, tonguing a bittersweet no we're not raspberry right back at the pair. In a lengthy retort, Intel claims, (1) it's not its spec to hide -- it's owned by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group consisting of HP, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, NXP, and TI; and (2) the "gazillions of dollars and bazillions of man hours" Intel has spent developing the royalty-free USB 3.0 controller spec (a 3.0 "dummies guide") is meant to ensure that the industry can start building the USB 3.0 spec into their silicon as quickly as possible after its release later this year. Of course, Intel offers plenty of verbiage to support its claims. But in a case of he-said, she-said, the truth may never be known to the titillated outsiders who've likely made up their minds anyway.

[Via PCWorld]

We've seen some early USB 3.0 gear here and there, but it looks like the successor to everyone's favorite serial bus is off to a rocky start, with AMD and NVIDIA claiming that Intel is withholding crucial specifications necessary to develop an open host controller. Although Intel apparently already has working silicon, it's not willing to share -- so AMD and NVIDIA are working on a competing spec that will be introduced alongside Intel's. The first meeting of the alternate spec group is scheduled for next week, according to sources, but there could be problems with this diverging roadmap down the line: sources close to Intel say that the only reason the specs haven't been released is that they're not done, and that Intel doesn't want incompatible chipsets based on different versions of the spec out there. Sure, sure, but we're certain both sides are playing a little fast and loose with reality here -- good thing all these fools have until 2010 to get this sorted.

[Via Everything USB]

PowerPC users, your days could be numbered. According to an alleged screenshot of Snow Leopard's system requirements, only Intel CPUs will get to take a ride on the 10.6 train as of now. The grab comes from an early version of the OS seeded to developers at WWDC this week, though given that Jobsy said we're a year out from an actual release, these things could change. Still, it's not looking promising for those of you who've stood by your older models -- but Apple shutting out legacy users doesn't come as a real shock, does it?

[Via Mac Rumors; Thanks, Kiwi616]

We heard they were coming. Now it looks like we've got a second ultra-thin laptop sporting Intel's custom-built, 65-nm processor first unveiled in Apple's MacBook Air. At about 3:00 minutes into the Envy 133 video, Rahul Sood, Voodoo founder, says that his new Envy 133 uses an "off roadmap chip" of Intel design which consumes 20 watts of power. Looking at the Envy spec sheet reveals a processor running at either 1.6GHz (SP7500) or 1.8GHz (SP7700), with 4MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB. Right, those are the exact specs as the custom CPU found inside of Apple's MacBook Air. Also of note, LaptopMag says that Voodoo's instant-on IOS is none other than DeviceVM's Splashtop which ASUS is currently bunging into all of its motherboards. Make no mistake, this hunky chunk of carbon fiber is still magical, it's just not the mystery it seemed when launched this morning.

Read -- Splashtop
Read -- MacBook Air processor
Read -- Envy 133 specs

As WiMax-powered 4G networks remain the stuff of holding companies and litigation, a group of providers have gotten together to form an (evil?) alliance that they say will help speed up both development and deployment. In other words, they want Qualcomm on board, which holds the juiciest 4G patents. The Open Patent Alliance (OPA) includes Intel, the recently-formed Clearwire, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Samsung, and Sprint. Similar to the Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NextWave Wireless, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sony Ericsson coalition that is backing Long Term Evolution, this WiMAX group looks poised to take on Qualcomm with some serious collective patents, boardroom politics, and investor cash. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is sitting in the corner saying, "We already have 4G, and it's very nice." This should be interesting. Stay tuned.