Technology news in brief

IBM announces brainlike computer chip

A computer that works like a brain has been the holy grail of data processing for a while now.

This month, IBM announced a flying leap in the right direction in Science Magazine. Called TrueNorth, the new chip throws away the traditional rules of chip design in favor of a "neuromorphic" model. The chip, IBM researchers wrote, will help computers handle tasks such as image and voice recognition with the alacrity of humans.

"I'm holding in my hand a new machine for a new era," lead researcher Dharmendra Modha said, describing the chip as "a supercomputer the size of a stamp, the weight of a feather."

The chip contains more than 256 million "synapses," or neural connections, and 1 million "neurons." These trade electrical signals with one another, firing off information in much the way human brains do. But given that human brains have about 86 trillion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, a single chip is still puny in comparison.

But the chips can be linked together to create more powerful circuits. And it's possible that IBM will combine the chip with a conventional computer, allowing each processor to handle the tasks it's best suited for.

Science Magazine reports that IBM has set up a virtual school called Synapse University in the hope that computer scientists will learn to tinker with the new kind of chips. Given TrueNorth's brain-like capabilities, the next step is for researchers to learn how to program it to its full potential.

-- The Washington Post

Apple adds China Telecom to data hosts

Apple Inc. is shifting mainland Chinese users' data to servers run by China Telecom Corp., a move that may address concern by government officials that the information could be a security vulnerability.

The data is encrypted, so state-controlled China Telecom, the country's third-largest wireless carrier, won't be able to access it, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said in an emailed statement. Apple's iCloud service lets users store contacts, emails, photos and other personal information on external systems they can access virtually.

"Apple takes user security and privacy very seriously," the company said. "We have added China Telecom to our list of data center providers to increase bandwidth and improve performance for our customers in mainland China."

The maker of the iPhone and iPad is counting on more growth in the world's most populous nation, even as Chinese government scrutiny of U.S. technology companies has intensified. Sales from the Chinese region, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, made up 16 percent of Apple's $37.4 billion in revenue last quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sales of the iPad in the country increased by 51 percent, and Mac sales rose by 39 percent, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said July 23.

Apple has joined a number of U.S. technology companies excluded from some state purchases as tensions between the countries escalated over assertions of hacking and cyberspying. State-run China Central Television last month questioned the security of Apple products, reporting that iPhone software may result in the leak of state secrets. Apple rejected those claims.

The government omitted 10 Apple products, including iPads and MacBook laptops, from a procurement list distributed in July, according to people familiar with the matter. A separate procurement list includes some Apple computers that departments can continue to buy on a smaller scale, defined as purchases totaling less than $195,000, according to a state purchasing website.

-- Bloomberg News

Samsung acquires smart-home startup

Samsung Electronics Co., which is competing with Google Inc. and Apple Inc. to gain a foothold in home automation, is acquiring SmartThings, a startup that makes makes mobile applications to remotely control devices in houses.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, with technology blog Recode reporting the price as $200 million. David Eun, head of Samsung's Open Innovation Center, said that while the South Korean company has a tradition of developing technology internally, his group in Silicon Valley would be stepping up its acquisitions.

SmartThings brings to Samsung a company with an expanding base of developers, Eun said. SmartThings doesn't make any devices itself and instead provides software that other companies can use to make devices speak to each other. For instance, house keys that will buzz a smartphone if a person has left the house without them, or a living room light that will brighten or dim if a person is in the room.

Eun declined to comment on how much Samsung paid for SmartThings.

Alex Hawkinson, the founder and chief executive officer of SmartThings, said that the company has been speaking with Samsung for about two months. He decided to do a deal because of Samsung's global scale, and the opportunity to be closely integrated on the Samsung smartphones.

SmartThings said in a blog post Thursday that it would operate as an independent business within Samsung's Open Innovation Center and would relocate to a new headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Joining forces with Samsung will enable SmartThings to support leading smartphone vendors, devices, and applications, according to the blog post.

-- Bloomberg News

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