Marvell and Samsung Announce Shipment of New PDA Phone in Korea

December 21, 2007— Marvell, (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in storage, communications, and consumer silicon solutions, and Samsung, announced the availability of the Samsung SPH-M4650 PDA phone with the Marvell® PXA 300 application processor running on Korea’s LG Telecom network.The Marvell PXA 300 application processor enables high-end graphics, gaming, and multimedia capabilities for the Samsung SPH-M4650 as well as delivering optimal business applications while consuming ultra-low levels of power.The Samsung SPH-M4650 runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional operating system.

“The new Samsung SPH-M4650 is designed to offer outstanding multimedia capabilities as well as the advanced functions of a PDA phone.The attractive slim design and full LCD screen makes it an attractive device for work or play,” said Hun Bae Kim, senior vice president, Samsung Mobile CDMA Team. “Marvell’s PXA 300 application processor is designed to allow gaming and multimedia functions, while enabling business functionality and PC synchronization.”

The Samsung SPH-M4650 features terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) for mobile television, a 2.0 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth technology housed in a thin form factor with an LCD touch screen.

“The Samsung SPH-M4650 is an exciting new device that will provide a robust mobile experience for business functionality as well as gaming and multimedia for consumers,” said David Young, vice president and general manager of Marvell’s Mobile Cellular Business Group. “We are pleased that Samsung has chosen our PXA 300 application processor to enhance the consumer experience by providing optimal performance and power savings, enhancing the overall multimedia capabilities.”

The Marvell PXA 300 application processor family is designed for a balance of high performance and low-power efficiency and offers a broad roadmap that is architecturally consistent for maximum software reuse. All PXA 300 products feature frequency scalability to enable intelligent power management and performance. For further information about Marvell products please visit http://www.marvell.com.

Marvell 88DE2710 Digital Video Converter in Meridian iRIS HD Video Dock

Marvell today announced that the Marvell® 88DE2710 digital video format converter is featured in the Meridian® iRIS™ iPod high-definition (HD) video dock. The 88DE2710 features Marvell’s Qdeo™ video processing that provides an immersive HD viewing experience for any video content, regardless of the source.

“The versatility of the 88DE2710 enables ingenious and imaginative product implementations. The Meridian iRIS, powered by Qdeo processing, represents a breakthrough in the home theatre,” stated Dr. Nikhil Balram, vice president and general manager of the Digital Entertainment Business Unit, Communications and Consumer Business Group at Marvell. “At last consumers have the flexibility of carrying their video library on their iPods, watching it wherever they like, and enjoying it in an immersive, high-definition, home-theatre experience with the Meridian iRIS.”

“Qdeo video processing technology is the best way we could take iPod content to the big screen in a high-quality format that would truly satisfy HDTV viewers,” said Robert Haefling, chief executive officer of Meridian Audio, Ltd. “The ability to intelligently enhance content to deliver full 1080p HD, regardless of initial content resolution, is a huge step forward for the electronics industry and for consumers that ask for a best-in-class viewing experience.”As displays grow in size, resolution, contrast, and brightness, they offer the promise of a truly immersive viewing experience. However, conventional video processing creates distracting artifacts, visible on high-quality displays, thus causing more harm than good. Qdeo processing delivers on the promise of a truly immersive viewing experience by rendering content in its most pristine form, without distractions and without harming the image.

At the core of the 88DE2710, Qdeo delivers rich high-definition video quality through a suite of advanced QuietVideo™ technologies, providing quiet, natural video free of noise and artifacts. Per-pixel noise and compression artifact reduction removes noise inherent in digital video. Per-pixel motion-adaptive 3D de-interlacing removes jaggies and eliminates feathering. Adaptive Contrast Enhancement (ACE) and Intelligent Color Remapping (ICR) render rich and vivid images.

The first product to take advantage of Qdeo processing and to display the Qdeo logo is the Meridian iRIS HD video dock, enhancing and upconverting iPod video to 1080p full HD for viewing on digital TVs. Qdeo suppresses the artifacts and noise readily observed when low-resolution iPod video is viewed on a digital TV through conventional video processing. At the same time, Qdeo recovers the contrast, detail, and color of the original material, and intelligently scales the content for immersive, large-screen viewing.

Marvell LG Announce Shipment of 4G WiBro Smart Phones

Marvell, (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in storage, communications, and consumersilicon solutions, and LG Electronics, announced the availability of the LG-KC1smartphone with the Marvell PXA 320 application processor on Korea Telecom’shigh speed WiBro 4G network. The Marvell PXA 320 application processor(Internally code named Monahans) with XScale technology, enables high-endgraphics, gaming and multimedia capabilities for the LG-KCI as well asdelivering optimal business applications while consuming ultra-low levels ofpower.

“The new LG-KC1 is designed to offer the advanced functions of a smartphone,high-bandwidth wireless connectivity, and outstanding multimedia capabilitieswith an attractive slim design” said Mr. JJ Lee, DMP Lab Vice President & PCDivision General Manager, Digital Media Company, for LG Electronics. “Marvell’sPXA 320 application processor is designed to allow superb gaming and multimediafunctions such as movies and 4G mobile internet while enabling users tosynchronize their email and calendars with their PC over the high speed WiBro 4Gnetwork.”

The LG-KC1 boasts wireless internet capabilities using the WiBro 4G network,terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) for mobile television, two-megapixelcamera and Bluetooth functions.

“The new LG-KC1 is an exciting product that will provide a seamless mobileexperience for both business functionality as well as unparalleled gaming andmultimedia performance for consumers” said Sam Arditi, Senior Vice President andGeneral Manager of Marvell’s Cellular and Handheld Business Group. “We areexcited that LG Electronics has chosen our new PXA 320 application processor toprovide optimal performance, power savings, for unrivaled multimedia experiencefor their customers.”

The Marvell PXA 320 application processor family is designed for a balance ofhigh performance and low-power efficiency and offers a broad roadmap that isarchitecturally consistent for maximum software reuse. Marvell silicon providesheadroom for advanced applications with intelligent power management allowingmanufacturers to differentiate current and future offerings. All PXA320 productsfeature frequency scalability to allow advanced power and performance. Forfurther information about Marvell products please visit http://www.marvell.com

Marvel vs Capcom 2 comes to PS3

SINGAPORE, 5 August 2009 – Fans asked, and CAPCOM® has delivered! One of the most popular fighting games of all time has now been made available on the PLAYSTATION®3! MARVEL™ VS. CAPCOM® 2 brings legendary characters from the MARVEL and CAPCOM Universes to duke it out in an all-out tag-team fighting extravaganza.

From Chun Li to Wolverine, Iron Man to Ryu, you can pit your favorite heroes against each other in thousands of combinations thanks to an unprecedented 56-character roster. With the all new online play mode, take your fight across the globe and determine who has the best “dream team”. Furthermore with widescreen support, enhanced HD graphics and a robust leader board feature, MARVEL™ VS. CAPCOM® 2 is definitely one of the best fighting games!

Highlight Features:
– Over 50 characters from the MARVEL™ and CAPCOM® Universes
– Widescreen support and improved graphics
– 3 on 3 tag-team matches
– New online matching mode, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix’s “Quarter Match” mode
– New optional visual filter smoothes out the game’s graphics

MARVEL™ VS. CAPCOM® 2 will be available at the PlayStation®Store from 14 August 2009 and will retail for SGD$22.99.

Marvel Security Consultant Threatens Site Over Source of Leak

For those who don’t know, the San Diego Comic Con, the largest comic book and general nerd convention in the world, took place in San Diego, California from July 12th to July 15th. On the third day, during a panel discussion which included Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Phase Two” plans were revealed (that’s not a joke, they actually called it “phase two”). What was interesting was that their second big movie in 2014, after Iron Man 3, would be Guardians of the Galaxy, with one of the featured characters being Rocket Raccoon.

In late June, however, a few weeks before the announcement, Latino Review caught wind of the plans and began reporting on them. Marvel is reportedly saying that the leak was completely unauthorized and they’re trying to find out who did it. Latino Review reported receiving a very passive-aggressive email regarding the leak, and replied with a challenge to Marvel: “Maybe send us a more realistically written form letter and we’ll start to care.”

Sent by an “independent security consultant” who claims to have worked for Marvel since 1982, the letter accuses the Latino Review editors of disseminating “confidential, non-public information concerning Iron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy.” We have included the full text of the letter below so that you, dear readers, can judge for yourselves.

My name is [redacted] and I am an independent security consultant working for Marvel. I have worked as a security consultant for Marvel since 1982. I am currently conducting an investigation on Marvel’s behalf regarding the dissemination of confidential, non-public information concerning Iron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy.The executives at Marvel are extremely upset regarding the release of this information and they have instructed me to find you and ascertain how you received it. My goal is to accomplish this in a quiet manner. I do not want to see you or anyone else get into trouble nor do I want to see anyone’s career be tarnished because of this. However I am very confident that through your efforts and mine, we will be able to work through this together. I personally feel that you did not have any malicious intent when you posted your spoilers on the fanboy website. Like many fans out there, you just wanted to be the first one to post something on the internet. I get it, however theIron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy informationwas confidential and you did not have Marvel’s consent to post it. That was illegal!

If you provide me with your source, I will make it worth your effort. I want to work with you. As I stated above, I do not want to see you or anyone else get into trouble. That would be a lose-lose for everyone. I would hope that you are now realizing that this is a very serious matter and the consequences will be quite severe if I do not find out how you obtained theIron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy information.

My goal is to ascertain how you got theIron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy informationand make this go away. All information you provide will remain confidential, even your identity. Your source will never know.Let’s work together and make this happen before it is too late. To date, everyone I have worked with has not suffered any consequences. I do not want to see this situation get blown out of proportion. However if we do not work together, I will have no choice but to take this investigation to the next level and I will not stop until this investigation is completed.

Please get back to me with your thoughts and let me know how you would like to proceed. It is my goal to bring this matter to closure as quickly and quietly as possible. Thank you for your time and please get back to me as soon as possible.

If you would like to talk, you can reach me at [redacted]

Thank you

[redacted]

What this consultant doesn’t seem to understand is that this is how reporting works; a reporter hears something from Person A, then goes to Person B and Person C to make sure that the claim made by Person A is legitimate. Latino Review doesn’t have to reveal their sources, either; first, if they just started handing out their sources, no one would ever work with them again (as anyone with a mild understanding of journalism knows), and second, a disclaimer is attached to the bottom of the email saying “Nothing contained in this e-mail shall (a) be considered a legally binding agreement, amendment or modification of any agreement with Marvel,” meaning that Latino Review, and any other site that may have received this email, can just ignore it.

It’s possible that this consultant may not realize that Latino Review is a journalistic site as opposed to a competing studio or a site looking to use its content for advertising, etc. There is a legal precedent, though, set by tech websites who posted leaked designs for new Apple products; it turns out that the courts said yes, those sites can protect their sources just like any other journalistic organization. Should Marvel pursue this, if they are indeed behind this email, trying to beat a legal precedent set when Apple lost a case is going to be a difficult task, to say the least.

Marvel Digital Releases Mercury Pad

Marvel Digital released their latest tablet known as the Mercury Pad. The Mercury Pad runs on Andriod OS, has a 7-inch 800 x 480capacitive touch screendisplay, Samsung S5PV201 ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM and storage capacity of either 4GB, 8GB or 16GB. Other features include a 2-megapixel rear camera, 0.3-megapixel front camera, SD card slot, 1080p HD video output, USB port, WiFi and a 2250mAh battery. The Marvel Digital Mercury Pad will be retailing for just US$259 (S$312).

Source: Andriodcommunity

Mars Express Provides Deeper Understanding of Red Planet

The European Space Agencys Mars Express, after taking some time out to assist in the recent landing of NASAs Curiosity rover, has returned to its primary mission of studying the diverse geology and atmosphere of the Red Planet from orbit.

Earlier in 2013, the craft observed the 120 km wide Hadley Crater, images of which provide evidence of multiple subsequent impacts within the main crater wall, reaching depths of up to 2600 m below the surrounding surface.

This region imaged on 9 April 2013 by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express shows the crater which lies to the west of the Al-Qahira Vallis in the transition zone between the old southern highlands and the younger northern lowlands.

Hadley is named after George Hadley (1685-1768), British lawyer and meteorologist, whose name was also given to the Hadley cell, a circulation system in Earths atmosphere, which transports heat and moisture from the tropics up to higher latitudes.

The images show that Hadley Crater was struck multiple times by large asteroids and/or comets after its initial formation and subsequent infilling with lava and sediments. Some of these later impacts have also been partly buried, with subtle hints of a number of crater rims to the west (top), and wrinkle ridges to the north (right side) of the main crater floor as shown in the first image at the top of the page.

In the image, one side ofthe crater appears shallower than the opposite side. This difference can be explained by an erosion process known as mass wasting. This is where surface material moves down a slope under the force of gravity.

Mass wasting can be initially started by a range of processes including earthquakes, erosion at the base of the slope, ice splitting the rocks or water being introduced into the slope material, In this case there is no clear indication which process caused it, or over what timescales this may have occurred.

Of particular interest to scientists studying the geology of Mars are the ejecta of the smaller craters within Hadley. Two of them, one to the west (top), and the deepest one in the middle of the first image, show evidence for volatiles, possibly water ice beneath the surface.

With the impact that forms the craters, this ice would mix with surrounding materials to form a kind of mud, which would then spread over the surface as ejecta.

Scientists hypothesise that the volatiles excavated by the impacts may indicate the presence of ice to a depths of hundreds of metres, this being the difference in depth between the surface and the depths of the two craters.

This deep view into the martian crust within the walls of Hadley Crater provides scientists an insight into the history of Mars. Between Mars Express, Curiosity and others, the astronomy textbooks oftomorrow are being written today.

Marketing firm causes outrage over using homeless as wireless hotspots

A marketing firm has caused controversy over the hiring of homeless people to carry mobile Wi-Fi devices at an internet conference in return for small donations.

BBH Labs gave 13 volunteers from a homeless shelter Wi-Fi devices, business cards, and a t-shirt bearing their name and a message, such as: “Im Clarence, a 4G Hotspot.”The volunteers got $20 a day for their work and were allowed to keep any donations made by those who attended the conference. BBH Labs called its Homeless Hotspots project a “charitable experiment,” but with such paltry payments and the objectification of fellow human beings it is not surprising that some were dismayed by the idea.Some onlookers labelled the marketing move as “exploitive,” with one person describing it as something from a “darkly satirical science-fiction dystopia.” Others pointed to the huge divide between the haves and have-nots at the events, with many touting their expensive devices and connecting to the free Wi-Fi offered by the homeless volunteers.The phrasing on the t-shirts alone drew considerable criticism, as it made the homeless people into objects, like a piece of furniture or an electronic device that can be cast aside.Some saw humour in the event, joking that their Wi-Fi hotspots kept wandering out of range of their devices, thus ruining their trades.Others thought the idea was ingenious, as it raised questions about how we treat homeless people. One person highlighted how it made them question their feelings about those living in shelters or on the streets.Many of the volunteers themselves had no problems with the project either, with one calling it “an honest day of work and pay.”Source and Image Credit: New York Times

Mark Zuckerberg Down To His Last $10 Billion

In the three months since Facebook was publicly floated, stocks have fallen by 6.3 percent, after 271 million shares were released overnight, effectively wiping $9 billion from the entrepreneurs personal fortune. When the company launched on the stock market in May, Facebook released 421 million shares at $38 to raise a record $16 billion. At the time of the float, Zuckerbergs 22 per cent stake in the company was said to be worth $19.1 billion.

Author of "The Facebook Effect", David Kirkpatrick, told Bloomberg that "the market is not convinced of Facebooks future." When asked to speculate about Zuckerbergs feelings, he had his doubts that he was personally concerned by the dive in value.

"He thinks of it only in terms of how it affects the companys strategic and tactical opportunities," Mr Kirkpatrick said.

Facebooks stock plunged after some initial investors took advantage of the expiration of the "no sell" period. Those eligible to sell additional shares overnight were the investors and directors who had participated in the May IPO. The exception was CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who will be ineligible until November.

Other shareholders, including many Facebook employees, will be able to sell beginning in October. The last lockup period expires next May, a year after the IPO.

In all, up to 1.91 billion more shares could flood the stock market over the next several months – more than four times the amount offered when the company went public. What this will do for the value and public image of Facebook, we can only speculate.

Facebooks stock dipped as low as US$19.69 before rebounding to US$19.99 in overnight trading. If the stock hits U$S19, it will have lost half its value in three months.

Facebook is doing it tough at the moment. Investors remain concerned about Facebooks ability to keep increasing revenue and make money from its growing mobile audience, even as many analysts hold positive long-term views.

Marissa Mayer becomes CEO, Yahoo!

Marissa Mayer is Yahoo’s new CEO, and if you must know, she’s an ex-Google employee. Many expected interim-CEO Ross Levinsohn to end up with the job, but he doesn’t have Google on his resume.

Yahoo has been struggling to keep up with competing search engines such as Google and Bing, and it’s not a shocker that an ex-Google exec will be taking over the helm.

Mayer has an impressive 13-year Google career, and that is perhaps the reason why Yahoo decided to pick Mayer over Levinsohn.

According to Business Insider, Mayer was Google’s first woman engineer. During her times at Google she led development and managed thousands of employees and contractors.

She managed Google’s search product for years, and led development of iGoogle, Google News, and Gmail. To say that many of those products were a success is an understatement. Google controls the majority of the world’s Internet search traffic, and Gmail has 425 million users as of June 2013. She may not be the main catalyst for Googles success, but her involvement with the most widely used search engine speaks volume for her resume.

Here’s what Yahoo co-founder David Flo had to say about Mayer:

“Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting strategists in technology development. I look forward to working with her to enhance Yahoos product offerings for our over 700 million unique monthly visitors.”

A woman of just 37 years old will now lead Yahoo into what they hope will be a new era of “renewed focus on product innovation.”

Press Release:

SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 16, 2013

Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that it has appointed Marissa Mayer as President, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors effective July 17, 2013. The appointment of Ms. Mayer, a leading consumer internet executive, signals a renewed focus on product innovation to drive user experience and advertising revenue for one of the world’s largest consumer internet brands, whose leading properties include Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Mobile, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo! Search.

Mayer said, “I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo!, one of the internet’s premier destinations for more than 700 million users. I look forward to working with the Company’s dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world.”

Most recently, Mayer was responsible for Local, Maps, and Location Services for Google, the company’s suite of local and geographical products including Google Maps, Google Earth, Zagat, Street View, and local search, for desktop and mobile. Mayer joined Google in 1999 as its 20th employee and led efforts for many of Google’s most recognizable products, including the development of its flagship search product and iconic homepage for over 10 years. Mayer managed some of Googles most successful innovations, launching more than 100 features and products including image, book and product search, toolbar, iGoogle, Google News, and Gmail – creating much of the “look and feel” of the Google user experience.

Yahoo! Co-Founder David Filo said, “Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting strategists in technology development. I look forward to working with her to enhance Yahoos product offerings for our over 700 million unique monthly visitors.”

“The Board of Directors unanimously agreed that Marissa’s unparalleled track record in technology, design, and product execution makes her the right leader for Yahoo! at this time of enormous opportunity,” said Fred Amoroso, Chairman of the Board of Directors.