Google improves its algorithm

Google has launched a new offensive against sites "on demand" or "farm content" generated to meet the interests of users but also sometimes the only advertising, announcing that its search engine sites retrograde "poor quality
".
"We launched a sizeable improvement of the algorithm in our rankings - a change that affects 11.8% of research," said Thursday Google engineers, Amith Singhal and Matt Cutts, the official blog of the group.





"This update aims to demote poor quality sites - sites that bring little value to Internet users who copy content from other sites, or simply are not very useful," they added.
"At the same time, it will provide a better ranking for quality sites, those with original content and information such as research, detailed studies, thoughtful analysis."





This offensive responds to criticism from users who detected a deterioration in the quality of search results on Google, and extends an initiative last month.
The California group had announced a first change in its calculations to purge its search engine websites more or less containers, called "webspam.
He had also announced its intention to identify the "content farms", a derogatory term that has not used this week for copying sites scattered information answering specific questions and, according to critics, does
have the sole reason to exist than to attract advertising.



Google did not specify which sites were targeted.





At the New York Stock Exchange, the action of Demand Media Group, a company that claims to be treated "content farm", lost juqu'à 4% before recovering and finishing up 1.59
% (at 22.96 dollars), after assuring not to be concerned.
"It is impossible to speculate on what impact the changes," assured the blog of Demand Media a leading member of the company, Larry Fitzgibbon.
"But for the moment we have not seen a big impact."





The operation of Demand Media, as some subsidiaries of Yahoo and AOL internet, based on the use of armed freelancers asked to produce pages on topics sought by Internet users, but little presence on the web and
strong advertising potential: the return on advertising investment that determines the topics for writing or videos are published.
Eventually Google, whose initiative was broadly welcomed by the media, takes the risk of arbiter of quality.





"People do not like that Google has so much power and control over Internet," says Greg Sterling, an official site SearchEngineLand, told AFP.
"The contributors (the sites 'content farms') have the impression of being devalued."
WebmasterWorld on the site, many webmasters have complained of a sudden drop in traffic, as the user "rowtc2.
"For over four years that I manage a site, many hours of work, I add content and value, I get links ... and now ... a 29% drop in traffic
(...) it is rather disheartening! "he writes.





"Google is in a difficult situation", says Mr. Sterling.
"Its success has spawned an economy with freelancers who produce items designed to generate publicity and do well in the search result.
At the same time, "Google has been criticized from all sides because he has too much spam, and realizes that if he does not resolve this problem, its existence is threatened."

Sony Ericsson Relies On its Phone Console To Go Head

The manufacturer, which holds only 3% of the mobile market, introduced its Xperia Play in Barcelona. He wants to become number one of Android, the operating system from Google.

Rikko Sakaguchi discreet caresses the arch of his mobile, looking lost in the wave. "We are the only ones to have a recognizable design with closed eyes" , releases the creative director of Sony Ericsson, a Japanese Silicon Valley the sweet smile. The joint venture of the giant video game and mobile equipment manufacturer presented this week at Barcelona's gem: Xperia Play . With this device a new kind of Android, the company that holds only 3% of mobile market hopes to make a comeback. Once very strong in the upscale brands and technologies through Sony (Cybershot cameras, Walkman ...), the manufacturer has lost ground as and when the multimedia phone was supplanted by the phone "smart". "It's our big announcement in a decade. We intend to be a great actor on Android smartphones " , claims Steve Walker, marketing director of the firm. Nothing less than number one, to Samsung , and this year!

The rumored already before the release of a "PSP Phone", that is to say, a smartphone embedding a real console PlayStation Portable. After six years of study, and the opening of an innovation center in Silicon Valley, it's done, even if Sony Ericsson denies this appellation: "The Xperia is certified play Playstation, but it does is not a Sony product. It is built on an Android platform whose code is open " , says Steve Walker. Through the control panel console that slides and fits like a keyboard on the touchscreen, it can be used to play the same games on a PSP. But you can also download games designed by developers for mobile or PC. "This is the ultimate format of convergence" , said Rikko Sakaguchi, who claims to have already made agreements with a score of publishers to adapt their applications . 'We have a fifty titles in March during the marketing of the Xperia Play, then the ecosystem of games will grow at the speed of Android is to say, with news every day, " boasts Does he said.

Xperia NGP cons?

For its part, the parent company Sony is pursuing a project that is complementary, the launch of the PSP "NIM" , scheduled for the end of the year. This new version of the Playstation Portable will be connected over 3G, but instead to purchase a monthly package the user should pay money to buy a specific level of additional game or to play online. "NPM The PSP is a very terminal upscale, this is not the same kind of audience that the Xperia Play " says Rikko Sakaguchi to mark the difference. According to IHS, the game will be lost for the portable console from Sony: "On the smartphone, not only are there lots of games, but in addition it is cheap. This combination is riveting centerpiece of specialized terminals such as the NPM. " Besides it will be less convenient to call on a console, be it mobile. Therefore, IHS expects sales of 22.8 million units only after four years, while the PSP has sold 30.7 million in the same period.

Xperia Play will be launched in April in France, where Sony Ericsson is in discussions with all operators. It costs 600 euros naked and will probably sell at a price of 200 euros with a subscription. The CEO Bert Nordberg, interviewed by Le Figaro , said he considered that sell fewer than 2 million would be a failure in his eyes . If success is to go, Sony Ericsson will have to ask the network performance to meet the players with higher-end games: why not replicate some of the content servers in proximity, or negotiate with operators a stream priority for some of their subscribers? "In the future, it will in any case a better quality of service" , concludes Rikko Sakaguchi.

Low Cost IPhone: Yes, No, Maybe

If Apple can study hard to create a low-cost iPhone, this is a project among others, that will not necessarily achieving, "says New York Times.

The rumor of the iPhone nano, or at least offered an iPhone at an attractive price had rebounded with an article in the Wall Street Journal arguing details which suggested that the project was well under way but said he could not yet see the day.

The New York Times returns to the subject and suggests the other hand there is a project of low-cost iPhone from Apple, but it is only a working track among others and society still has no plans to make a commercial product.

The priority now is to finalize the next version of the iPhone (iPhone 5, we had confirmation at MWC 2011 that will carry out a module NFC), expected this summer, and there would be no other launch of mobile terminal provided.

Some advantages, many problems.

As we indicated at the mention of the article in the Wall Street Journal, such a project would not necessarily be very interesting for Apple and would bring more problems than benefits. He would lose profitability and could lead to fragmentation of the platform iOS one of whose forces currently is precisely its cohesion, both software and hardware.

While a low-cost iPhone help Apple increase its market share but the company has always targeted a particular niche, that of high-end and it has not ventured to relocate elsewhere, simply lower the price older models as and when the new ones arrive.

Make volume is not necessarily a panacea for a manufacturer of terminals and examples of Sony Ericsson and Motorola are there to remind.

Thales Successfully Launched Spaceship for ATV-2

The second vessel ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) of the European Space Agency successfully launched by Arianespace from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana). Called "Johannes Kepler", in honor of the German astronomer and mathematician, the second flight model of the ATC will join the International Space Station (ISS) after eight days of autonomous flight and dock, fully automatic mode .

The ATC "Johannes Kepler" will bring experience, equipment, spare parts and propellants as well as food and oxygen for astronauts currently residing in the ISS.

Thales Alenia Space plays an important role in the development and production of this highly sophisticated vessel. Under the leadership of Astrium Space Transportation, supervisor of the ATC industry, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the design and manufacture of integrated cargo module (ICC Integrated Cargo Carrier), the passive thermal control, unit of electrical power systems and tests of all communications equipment for telemetry, tracking and command (TTC) of the ATC. Thales Alenia Space has also taken part in the integration and testing of complete spacecraft and the campaign of preparation for the launch in Kourou.

The ICC, manufactured by Thales Alenia Space plant in Turin (Italy), is based on a cylindrical pressurized module of 4.6 meters in diameter and 4 feet long, with a weight of 4 tons. At one end, this module receives an integrated docking with the ISS and the other refueling system propellants. These two elements, derived from systems already operational on the Russian Soyuz and Progress ships, were provided by the Russian company RSC-Energia.

Nvidia Shows Quad-Core ARM Tablet UPDATE

Nvidia shall, after huge: Even in late summer to provide a preliminary Tablets with the quad-core ARM combi processor " Kal-El to be, have, of about five times faster is reputed as the currently available Tegra 2 (Tegra 250). 2012, a Kal-El's successor, code-named Wayne appear, in turn, provides the double performance. 2013 Nvidia plans then "Logan" and 2014 "Strong" and promises to last approximately 75 times the performance available since late summer of 2010 Tegra 2

Nvidia led the MWC a working Android-Tablet with Kal-El on before. Tegra 3 it was marketing director Nick Stam not call the technical. It was not yet decided what name the processor in the market would come under.

The demo Tablet counted in the show a video in the resolution 2560 × 1440 down to its native resolution and gave it out simultaneously on a monitor connected via HMDI full resolution. Another demo showed a complex game, were simultaneously shown on the attached monitor websites - apparently without any lag.

An approximately fivefold acceleration Nvidia promises to the currently available Tegra 2 On board next to the four cores or a graphic unit with 12 cores, which will have about three times the graphics performance of the ULP GeForce Tegra 2 - twice the processing power and three times the graphics performance, Nvidia added to five times the overall performance. The battery power is to keep each of the predecessor within limits: Nvidia promises very effectively deal with the available charge.

According to Nvidia's first tablet with the quad-core processor such as in August on the market. Kal-El smartphones Nvidia expected until year end - this may get a slightly slimmed down version.

The site Anandtech.com has learned that Kal-El in nanometer technology made 40 is still and ARM SoCs huge for silicon area about 80 square millimeters evidence - more than, say, the AMD E-350 (Zacate), who at 75 square millimeters of two CPU cores, 80 DirectX 11 Shader and a video accelerator underneath. The AMD CPU however still needs a chipset, while ARM SoCs the Tegra and I / O units (SATA, USB, PCIe) stuck like.

Nvidia compares the CPU performance of Kal-El on the basis of the benchmark core mark (11 352 points) not only with the Tegra 2 (1 GHz, 2 × ARM Cortex-A9, 5840 points), but also with the four years old x86 Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2 cores, 2 GHz, 10 136 points). Accordingly, therefore, would be Kal-El faster than the 2-GHz mobile processor.

However, while Nvidia's Android code for Kal-El with the GCC 4.4.1 and has produced many improvements mark the core (-O3-mcpu = cortex-a8-funroll-loops-falign-loops = 8-fgcse-sm-fno- tree-vectorize-MARM / heap / 4: Pthreads), allowed to the Core 2 Duo only an older compiler (GCC 3.4.4 (cygming special, gdc 0:12 using dmd 0.125)-O2-DPERFORMANCE_RUN = 1-lrt / 2: Pthreads ).

With more optimized code trumps but in the c't laboratory even one atom of D525 (2 cores / 1.8 GHz), the Kal-El with 11 311 points mark-core (4.4.4-10 GCC-O3-DMULTITHREAD = 8-DUSE_PTHREAD - lrt / heap / 8: Pthreads). In the comparisons with core marketing is also considered that there is a multi-threaded benchmark is - the performance potential of future multi-core ARM's can only use words with carefully tuned software.

"1000-Percent Success" - Images Of Comet Tempel 1

Washington (AP) - Astronomers in luck: After the spectacular flyby of NASA's space probe "Stardust" with comet Tempel 1, astronomers are thrilled.
"We have achieved all our goals", Joe Veverka, professor at Cornell University was pleased and head of the mission on Tuesday (local time). He spoke of a "1000-percent success." After all, the 72 high-resolution images that were taken by the probe at the meeting provided, the scientists already initial findings.

"Stardust" is a temple had approached on Tuesday with a speed of 10.9 kilometers per second up to 178 kilometers. Researchers have now plenty of material thanks to the photos to find out what happens to a comet after it has circled around the sun.

The new images will be compared with recordings from the year 2005. At that time, the probe 'Deep Impact' the heavenly body to pay an official visit, fired a projectile at the comet and ripped a crater so. "This is exciting because we had the first opportunity, attend twice a comet," said NASA project manager Tim Larson.

In the new images of this crater is seen with a diameter of 150 meters for the first time. The images show that the craters are composed of relatively soft material, since much of the time airborne dust and rocks slid back into the pit. "The comet has healed some of whom say," said NASA astronomer Pete Schultz.

The new photos also show parts of the comet, which were not photographed in the previous mission. Besides the images, the spacecraft collected information on the composition and quantity of dust particles that are secreted by the temple first The astronomers hope to gain information such as the celestial body is formed millions of years.

The visit to the comet Tempel 1 was the last "Stardust" mission. Since 1999 she has been traveling and now has hardly any fuel. Previously, the probe had already visited the Anne Frank and comet Wild 2.

European Space Shuttle Takes Second Attempt

Kourou (AP) - The European Space Shuttle, "Johannes Kepler" must take a second attempt for his flight to the International Space Station. The first launch attempt was aborted in the night to Wednesday.

A sensor reported shortly before the end of the countdown to a lot of liquid oxygen into the tanks of the Ariane 5 launcher

Then start the test was terminated automatically. In the many spectators who wanted to watch the spectacle of a platform, five kilometers away, there were long faces. Late on Wednesday evening there will be at the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, a new attempt.

The astronauts aboard the ISS have to wait longer now. Will bring you the unmanned supply ship more than seven tons of equipment and food, including private mail, chocolate, canned fish and fresh clothing.

It is the 200th Start an Ariane 5 Of all the anniversary flight there were problems. The leaders of Arianespace, the company operating the rocket bore the failed attempt to start but with text. The work will attempt to re-start with 90 percent certainty, said a spokesman. Clock at 18.50 local time (22.50 German time clock) to lift the rocket. If all goes well, it is the freighter type ATV settle for about an hour later at an altitude of 260 kilometers in space.

Expected in eight days, ie on 24 February is, fix the transporter in the Russian part of the space station. The same day, actually also the launch of a space shuttle was planned. But a danger that it becomes close to the space station does not exist. The U.S. space agency NASA has announced that the shuttle until 25 Starting in February, when the Ariane actually takes off on Wednesday.

The German astronomer Johannes Kepler, named after the space shuttle is to remain in orbit until early June. Several times he will raise the ISS in time, as they steadily lose altitude. After about three and a half months, the astronauts the freighter laden with garbage. On his way back to Earth, he will burn up control over the South Pacific.