Apple Acquires ‘Rock-Solid High-Performance’ Database Company FoundationDB
Apple has acquired database company FoundationDB, reports TechCrunch. FoundationDB is a company that “develops scalable and fault tolerant databases that support multiple data models.” A notice on the company’s site says that it has ceased to offer downloads after deciding to “evolve [the] company mission.”
According to TechCrunch, FoundationDB may have been an attractive purchase for Apple due to its ability to handle ACID-compliant transactions (aka data transfers) quickly and its strong scalability. A company blog post suggested it could achieve 54 billion writes per hour at a cost-per-write of 3 nano dollars.
FoundationDB’s attractiveness came in the speed at which it handled ACID-compliant transactions and coupled that with strong scalability. FoundationDB hosted a booth at TechCrunch Disrupt 2012, where we first wrote about its approach to a modern NoSQL database and its ‘NoSQL, YesACID’ motto. FoundationDB’s latest engine, which was covered by TC Columnist Jon Evans late last year, scaled up 14.4 million random writes per second.
TechCrunch describes FoundationDB as a “fast, affordable and durable database company” that may have been acquired to boost Apple’s server-side technologies for the App Store, iTunes Connect, iTunes in the Cloud, or another service.
Apple confirmed the acquisition with the standard statement that it gives on purchases: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
Russia’s newest armored vehicle swims and picks its own shots
Russia’s latest armored prototype was recently spotted rehearsing for the nation’s upcoming May 9th Victory Day parade following more than half a decade of top-secret development. Dubbed the Kurganets BMP-25 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), this amphibious personnel carrier has been designed to replace all of Russia’s existing tracked assault vehicles, which have been in service since the Cold War.
The 25-ton Kurganets-25 will carry about a half-dozen troops and protect them with modular armor that can be adapted to meet specific mission requirements. It is armed with a 30mm cannon and a quartet of anti-tank guided missile launchers, all of which will reportedly be controlled by an onboard automatic firing system capable of choosing its own targets. The turret is remotely operated by the three-man crew.
The prototype IFC is just one of a number of potential weapons systems built off the “Armata” Universal Combat Platform, including the Armata T-14 main battle tank, a self-propelled 125-mm smoothbore gun, and various other infantry support vehicles. 25 Kurganets will participate in the parade, according to reports from Xinghua News.
[Image Credit: Military Informant]
Via: Sputnik News
Source: Military Informant
Micromax Canvas A1 now getting the Android 5.1 update
Indian manufacturer Micromax has just announced that the Canvas A1 smartphone will now start receiving the Android 5.1 update. This is no surprise given that this belongs to Google’s Android One series of smartphones, which were promised Nexus like software updates.
We saw some Android One phones in Indonesia launching with Android 5.1 out of the box, so it’s no surprise that fellow Android One devices are getting similar treatment. The Spice Dream Uno, which is also an Android One device, started receiving the update not too long ago.
This update is quite significant for users of the Canvas A1 as the device was running Android 4.4 since its launch in mid 2014. This means the customers will see Material Design changes as well as a new lock screen, improved Quick Settings toggles and some other improvements to stock Android.
Source: Facebook
Via: Fone Arena
Come comment on this article: Micromax Canvas A1 now getting the Android 5.1 update
Deal: Moto G (1st Gen.) with LTE on sale for $160 for a limited time
One of our favorite budget-friendly smartphones of all time is on sale right now directly through Motorola’s website. From now until 10:59 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 25th (tomorrow), you can pick up a 1st Generation Moto G with LTE support for only $159.99. Considering you’ll get a plethora of solid specifications and a $40 discount, we’d say this is a pretty great deal.
If you need a refresher, the 1st Gen. Moto G with LTE has a 4.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720. It also has a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and an Adreno 305 GPU backed by 1GB of RAM. You’ll also get a 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and 8GB of on-board storage that can be expanded up to 32GB. This LTE variant comes with support for HSPA+ and LTE on GSM carriers.
Even though Motorola has released a new variant, the 1st Generation Moto G is still a great device. It performs well when gaming, switching between applications, web browsing and pretty much everything else. If you’d like to see how the Moto G performs, you can check out our full review. Just note that we reviewed the 3G model, so keep that in mind while you’re watching the video.
If you’re in need of a backup device or want to give an awesome gift to a friend or a family member, you may want to pick one of these up. Head to the link below to grab this deal.
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