Intel Corporation today took the wraps off its brand new, low-power, high-performance microarchitecture named Silvermont. The technology is aimed squarely at low-power requirements in market segments from smartphones to the data center. Silvermont will be the foundation for a range of innovative products beginning to come to market later this year, and will also be manufactured using the company's leading-edge, 22nm Tri-Gate SoC manufacturing process, which brings significant performance increases and improved energy efficiency.

"Silvermont is a leap forward and an entirely new technology foundation for the future that will address a broad range of products and market segments," said Dadi Perlmutter, Intel executive vice president and chief product officer. "Early sampling of our 22nm SoCs, including "Bay Trail" and "Avoton" is already garnering positive feedback from our customers. Going forward, we will accelerate future generations of this low-power microarchitecture on a yearly cadence."

DisplayLink, the leading provider of USB Graphics technology, today announced plans to show the latest solutions for Wireless and USB Docking at Interop 2013. Targeting Ultrabook and Tablet expansion and connectivity for business users, DisplayLink will feature wireless WiGig Docking, Enterprise Class USB Docking, and the latest Mac drivers, with demonstrations to be held at the Interop Expo.

Introducing the latest solutions, John Cummins, VP Sales and Marketing for DisplayLink said, "IT Managers are struggling with BYOD. At Interop 2013, DisplayLink will showcase our customer's products, including monitor-docks for tablets with touch screen and integrated Webcams, WiGig Docks for wireless graphics and peripheral expansion, and Enterprise-Class USB Docks with multiple display connections for both Windows and Mac. These products solve problems and enhance productivity."

Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of Fiscal Year 2013.

Sales for Q4 FY 2013 were $469 million, down 12 percent from $532 million in Q4 FY 2012. Excluding the unfavorable impact of exchange rates, sales were down by 11 percent compared to the prior year. The Company posted an operating loss for the fourth quarter of $37 million compared to operating income of $24 million in the same quarter a year ago. The operating loss included $16 million in restructuring charges and $6 million related to the impairment of goodwill and other assets. The net loss for Q4 FY 2013 was $36 million ($0.23 per share) compared to net income of $28 million ($0.17 per share) in the prior year. Gross margin for Q4 FY 2013 was 33.5 percent, down from 36.4 percent a year ago.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., a leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, announces the industry's first 20-drive, single-port 6GB/s SATA RAID HBA, the RocketRAID 644LS. Powered by HighPoint's 6Gb/s SATA Port Multiplier architecture and industry-proven RAID IP, the RocketRAID 644LS represents the industry's best SATA RAID storage performance value, and is fully compatible with PC and Mac computing platforms.

The RocketRAID 644LS utilizes the latest SATA storage technology, HighPoint's 6Gb/s SATA Port Multiplier Architecture, and a PCIe 2.0 host interface to deliver a blazing fast transfer bandwidth – ideal for large scale RAID 5 configurations comprised of today's cost-effective, high-capacity 6Gb/s SATA hard disk drives.

TechPowerUp wishes you an awesome New Year's. 2012, the purported "Ides of March" for some, has come to pass without incident. For the tech world, it's been another eventful year. We look forward to 2013 with even more zeal, especially the kick in the butt that every new year brings to us: International CES, second week of January, and our on-ground coverage from 'Vegas.

So how was your 2012, and what do you most look forward to in 2013?

Just in time for Christmas and New Year's holiday shopping season, COUGAR, leading German PC case and power supply brand, has introduced two new white colored editions of their high-end mid-tower PC case, the COUGAR Volant and their affordable mid-tower case, the COUGAR Solution. The new white editions come with the honey-comb and mesh hybrid intake design creating a solid, rugged look with optimized ventilation characteristics. By offering enough room for eight installable fans, the cases are perfect for demanding gamers and enthusiasts and those on a budget.

To further improve ventilation and in-case airflow, the COUGAR cases also sport an advanced cable-management system keeping the inside organized. Two holes on the backside of the chassis provide access for water cooling solutions. The combination of rugged lines, metal mesh elements and glossy surface ornaments lend the new white editions a clean professional look. A total of 7 PCIe slots allow for multiple-graphics setups in SLI and CrossfireX modes with state-of-the-art graphics cards of up to 320 mm/12.5" length. Drive installation is child's play with the Volant due to COUGAR's screwless design technology. Easy and convenient on-the-fly data access of 3.5" and 2.5" HDDs/SSDs is provided for by an integrated docking-station on top of the case.

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today the MultiSync MD211C2 and MD211C3 medical-grade displays for diagnostic imaging in healthcare organizations. The MD211C2 and MD211C3 are on display at Radiological Society of North America's 2012 Expo (Booth No. 7520) today through November 29 at the McCormick Place in Chicago.

These 2- and 3-megapixel medical diagnostic displays are designed to meet the needs of healthcare facilities requiring consistent and accurate medical imaging using Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). MultiSync MD Series models are factory calibrated to the DICOM grayscale function for luminance and include a new, smaller front sensor to maintain a calibrated brightness as well as an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the display's brightness based on existing lighting conditions. The all-digital connectors, including DisplayPort and a new two-port USB hub, enable advanced connectivity for any type of workstation.

According to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, as the cost decline of ultrabook components like SSDs, displays, and cases becomes more apparent next year and Intel places more focus on developing processors for ultrabook use, ultrabook market size may exceed 30 million units in 2013, growing by more than 30% compared to this year and accounting for 17% of the notebook market.

EA has confirmed reports that a beta invite to Battlefield 4 will be included with pre-orders of the Medal of Honor: Warfighter Limited Edition. The announcement claims the Battlefield 4 beta will be available sometime in fall 2013, so you have a while to wait. EA points out that the two games are very different, but touts the shared heritage of the Frostbite engine. Yesterday, the rumors started churning from a leaked ad that promised the beta. Today you can actually order the Limited Edition from Origin, which costs $10 more than the standard edition.Source: Shacknews

Epic Games' Fortnite will be the company's first game to take advantage of Unreal Engine 4. Debuted at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, the cartoony action title is being described as "a co-op sandbox survival game," with building at the core of the game. "Everything you find allows you to build and improve your structure," producer Tanya Jessen told an audience at a Comic-Con panel. Given that no current console can run Unreal Engine 4, the game will be exclusive to PC. According to The Verge, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski told the audience: "This is a PC designed game, shipping exclusively on the PC."

Fortnite will be available in 2013.Source: Shacknews

At next week’s Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco, Calif., GLOBALFOUNDRIES plans to demonstrate an enhanced silicon-validated design flow for its 28nm Super Low Power (SLP) technology with Gate First High-k Metal Gate (HKMG). The flow provides proven and complete front-to-back support for advanced analog/mixed-signal (AMS) design using the industry’s latest design automation technology. In addition, the company will reveal jointly developed design flows with its EDA partners in certifying both analog and digital “double patterning aware” flows for its 20nm process, with silicon validation expected in early 2013 at that technology node.

As a result of GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ commitment to silicon validation of flows before releasing them, customers have the confidence to produce signoff-ready 28nm digital and analog designs using the industry's most advanced set of design tools, tool scripts, and methodologies from the leading EDA suppliers. The company’s tight collaboration with the design tool and IP ecosystem also accelerates its ability to develop working flows for advanced nodes such as 20nm, providing their advantages in gate density, performance, and lower power to customers ahead of other foundries.

Shacknews is reporting BioShock Infinite has been delayed. BioShock Infinite is going through some "tweaks and improvements," according to Irrational's Ken Levine, forcing the company's upcoming shooter into a Q1 2013 release. Oh, and don't plan on reading about it from E3 or GamesCom, either. In a note to fans on the Irrational site, Levine said the size and scope of the game forced them to delay the game until Feb. 26 of next year: "We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near.

Why? Because the Big Daddies weren't the Big Daddies you've since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan's golf club didn't have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco." Levine said they plan to use the time they would normally be preparing for upcoming conventions to refine the game so the next time it is shown, it will be "essentially the product we intend to put in the box." We already knew that Irrational was staying focused on the main game and trying to avoid distractions, but if delaying it a few months will make it play like the originals, then the added wait will be forgotten quickly.Source: Shacknews

With its 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" CPU and 7-series "Panther Point" platform turning into a reality, Intel is moving on to development of the new 22 nm "Haswell" architecture. Entry-thru-performance segment Core "Haswell" processors will be built on the new LGA1150 package, and will be driven by a new series of platform controller hubs, codenamed "Lynx Point". We already know a tiny bit about the way Haswell+Lynx Point platform is structured, and the features that could come standard with it. A new VR-Zone report lists out all the chipset models Intel will carve out using the silicon.

The lineup is quite predictable. At the top of the pile is the feature-rich Z87, which has all the features of the platform, plus overclocking features. This is followed by Z85, which apart from features such as Rapid Storage Technology, could lack RAID for its SATA ports (could only feature AHCI and IDE modes). Then there's H87, which has all the features of Z87, except platform overclocking features. Q87 and Q85 are for large business desktops, and feature various client management features. Then there's B85, for small businesses. Lynx Point could feature as many as six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Rapid Storage Technology will be updated to present users with a level of customization. Then there's Fast Boot, which speeds up system startup, provided an Intel SSD is used for caching.Source: VR-Zone

As Intel's tick-tock CPU development Juggernaut rolls on, things seem very much on track, looking into the near future. Intel will launch its new "Ivy Bridge" 3rd Generation Core processor family in early-April 2012, which is a miniaturization of what is essentially the "Sandy Bridge" to the new 22 nm process, with IPC and instruction-set improvements, along with a faster graphics controller. The new process will also up clock speeds and overclocking headroom for chips that support it. What's more interesting, though, is that the architecture that succeeds Ivy Bridge, codenamed "Haswell", will be less than an year away in April...well almost.

A roadmap slide sourced by DonanimHaber pins the launch of Haswell to March-June, 2013. Haswell is a brand new CPU architecture that will succeed Ivy Bridge. According to the conventional idea of Intel's tick-tock CPU development strategy, it will be built on the 22 nm fab process, which will have gained some maturity by then. Intel follows a "tick-tock" product development model. Every year, Intel's product lineup sees either of the two. A "tock" brings in a new x86 architecture, a "tick" miniaturizes it to a newer silicon fabrication process. Earlier reports indicated that Haswell Core processors will be based on a newer socket, the LGA1150, and hence it will not be compatible with LGA1155 platforms.Source: DonanimHaber

The recent Thailand floods appear to be taking a bigger toll than expected, with the effects of the shortages to be felt all the way into 2013, according to market research firm IDC. This isn't helped by the fact that the largest manufacturer of HDDs, Western Digital, was hit the hardest. As the situation is so volatile, companies such as HP, Dell & Lenovo are keeping watch on the market daily and are even sometimes having to accept drives of a lower spec if they are to ship some systems at all. As expected, the retail purchaser of hard disk drives comes bottom of the allocation list. IDCs John Rydning said in a statement: "I think the most painful period will occur now through February of next year. We expect the situation will improve, but it won't feel as if things are back to normal until 2013". There's more detail and analysis over at Network World.