Month: November 2021

The Snapdragon Developer Kit is a small, inexpensive desktop computer designed to let Windows software developers test their apps on hardware powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors.

First announced in May, the Snapdragon Developer Kit was designed by Qualcomm and Microsoft and manufactured by ECS, and it’s now available for purchase for $219.

The kit, also known as the ECS Liva Mini Box QC710, is a 4.7″ x 4.6″ x 1.4″ computer that weighs about half a pound and which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It ships with Windows 10 Home 64-bit software.

Basically it has the guts of an inexpensive Windows on ARM laptop laptop or tablet, but without the display, keyboard, battery, or optional 4G LTE support.

There’s WiFi 5 and Bluetooth support, and ports including:

• 1 x USB 2.0 Type-C (PD-Charging)
• 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A
• 1 x MicroSD
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
• 1 x HDMI
• 1 x LAN(10/100)

The ECS website for the QC710 also lists a micro SIM card slot, eSIM support, and optional WiFi 6, but there’s no mention of those features on the purchase page at the Microsoft Store.

Note that Microsoft also notes that this computer is “meant for developers, not consumers” and that “there are no refunds available on this product,” so while it’s interesting to see an affordable mini PC with a low-power Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor and Windows 10 software, this probably isn’t your best option if you’re looking for a home computer or DIY media center PC.

Windows laptops and tablets with ARM processors have been around for a few years at this point, but they’re still the exception rather than the rule.

One problem is that the price tags have been relatively high for machines that have typically offered performance that’s on par with entry-level Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium Silver chips. Another is that many Windows apps aren’t designed to run natively on ARM architecture — which leads to even slower performance, since Windows has to rely on emulation to run those programs.

Low-cost, low-power chips like the Snapdragon 7c are designed to tackle that first issue, by helping bring down the cost of Windows on ARM computers. And hardware like the Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows could help tackle the second by providing an inexpensive tool developers can use to optimize their software to run on those computers.

But there’s still a bit of a chicken and egg issue here. If there aren’t many Windows on ARM PCs in the wild, then there’s not a lot of incentive for developers to create native ARM versions of their applications. And if there aren’t a lot of native ARM applications, then Windows on ARM computers may suffer from subpar performance, which could keep customers from buying them.

It’s unclear if or when that situation will change. But with Apple showing that computers with ARM-based chips can not only outperform Intel and AMD in performance-per-watt, but in overall performance in at least some situations, it seems likely that demand for PCs with ARM chips could eventually rise.

via xda-developers

The post Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows developers now available for $219 (mini PC with Snapdragon 7c) appeared first on Liliputing.

Auch eine Kritik an feministischen Missverständnissen

Day in and day out, dozens of new movies and TV shows leak online. This is something most pirates simply take for granted.

Only a few people know who the suppliers are. This secrecy is much needed, as members of release groups risk criminal prosecution and multi-year prison sentences.

The Piracy Supply Chain

When we take a closer look at this supply chain there are broadly two groups. On one side there’s ‘The Scene’, a conglomerate of often intertwined groups that release ‘their’ content on private topsites. Rules and security are key in The Scene, but last year’s raids have shown that it’s not impenetrable.

These Scene releases eventually appear on the wider internet through third parties, but there are also groups that upload their content straight to the public. These are known as P2P groups.

Unlike The Scene, P2P groups don’t have any written rules they have to abide to. They can release whatever and whenever they want. And by doing so, they have stolen some of The Scene’s thunder.

EVO Stands Out

EVO, short for EVOLUTiON is one of these P2P groups. The group has been around for years and has built up quite a reputation. Not only does it provide a steady stream of new movie and TV show releases, it has also leaked many screeners way ahead of their official premieres.

Over the past three years, EVO opened the “screener season” by releasing leaked copies of upcoming films. This included Oscar contenders, but also several Netflix titles that originated from festival screenings.

EVO was also the first to release a high-quality copy of the blockbuster “Dune” a few weeks ago, ahead of its official premiere in the United States.

Needless to say, the group is seen as a major threat by movie industry insiders. There is little doubt that rightsholders are doing everything in their power to track down the group. Thus far, however, without result.

“For Fun”

Reaching out to EVO is relatively easy as the group publishes a contact address in its release notes. And while questions are not always answered, the group was willing to explain some of its motivations to us this week.

To begin, EVO wants to counter the suggestion that its work is in any way motivated by money. The group says that “fun” is the main driver instead.

“We don’t get any profit at all from this ‘hobby’. We do it for fun,” EVO informed us, adding that they like to help people.

“We know we are helping lots of people that can’t afford to go to theaters or it’s not even possible due to COVID, since the world is not as we used to know.”

Pointing The Finger at Hollywood

If money plays any role, it’s that pirated movies help the public to keep entertainment affordable. EVO suggests that the increased fragmentation of the streaming landscape, with every service pushing its own exclusive releases, is keeping piracy relevant.

“Maybe, if studios would care a bit more about the consumer, there wouldn’t be much piracy on the internet. But they don’t care anymore, what matters is profit, profit and profit.

“If you are an average person these days, basically, either you are rich or you are fucked. It’s Disney+, its Netflix, its Prime, its Paramount+. God knows what else they come up with,” EVO adds.

The Subscription Dilemma

While EVO was already around before the major subscription boom started, the trend appears to be extra motivation, or justification, for the group to keep going.

Initially, streaming services were seen as the solution to piracy. Making movies and TV-shows available on demand for a fixed price was something pirates have always called for. However, too many subscription offers seem to be counterproductive.

While some people may be able to afford more than a handful of monthly subscriptions, not everyone can. And when services start to demand extra money for “premier” access, it gets even worse.

“You already pay for a subscription and, on top of that, you have to pay to access a movie that you should get for free? And not only that, you have to pay around 30$ for a movie that will come on Disney+ for free in 1-2 months? What’s this?” EVO asks.

These complaints are often heard among pirates. In fact, many pirates also pay for legal streaming services, just not all. In a way, one could argue that the fragmented streaming landscape keeps piracy relevant.

A question remains, however. Why one would take the immense risk of multi-year jail sentences for fun? EVO didn’t go into detail when we addressed the risk part, so that remains unanswered for now.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

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