At Blue Bean Software, we’re always researching the latest tech trends and innovations to help us stay on top of our game. This week, we thought we’d share a few happenings that have us excited in the industry.
Life in the fast line with USB4 Version 2.0
Creating an industry standard is not easy, and many have come and gone. The story of USB however is the exception. The industry giant has been the standard of wired data and power transfer for 20 years, and it seems like the best is yet to come. With the release of USB4 V2.0, there are a few lofty claims that got us raising eyebrows.
“The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution,” said USB Promoter Group Chairman Brad Saunders in a statement.
With the release of USB4 V 2.0 you can look forward to:
- Up to 80 Gbps operation, based on a new physical layer architecture, using existing 40 Gbps USB.
- Type-C passive cables and newly defined 80 Gbps USB Type-C active cables.
- Updates to data and display protocols to better use the increase in available bandwidth.
- USB data architecture updates now enable USB 3.2 data tunneling to exceed 20 Gbps.
- Updates that align with the latest versions of the DisplayPort and PCIe specifications.
- Backward compatibility with USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.
Only time will tell if these claims will be realised but with the track record of the company, we’re sure our devices will be in good, speedy hands.
Bringing the magic of coding to more South Africans
Tangible Africa, a coding movement, has partnered with the Bona uBuntu Programme, to bring the magic of coding to visually impaired children from Nelson Mandela Bay.
The group has helped thousands of children discover programming through mobile coding. These coding exercises are based on games that help teach the fundamentals of programming in a fun way.
By breaking the barrier to entry, children can dip their toes into the world of software engineering, hopefully inspiring the next great African coders.
“All that is needed to play these offline coding games, [that is] spearheaded by Tangible Africa, and the Leva Foundation, is a smartphone, coding kit and eager learners.”, said Jackson Tshabalala, operations manager at the Leva Foundation.
The program has already been entered into afterschool programs and we’re hoping to see large-scale adoption of this potentially life-changing initiative.
The race to crown the IoV champions just got more interesting
We’ve talked about IoT (internet of things) at length in previous blog posts, but have you heard of IoV?
The Internet of Vehicles, much like IoT, connects cars to the internet. Completing simple tasks like navigation to complex self-driving applications, the IoV space has a lot to offer the driver of the future.
Drive Thor, Nvidia’s next-generation automotive-grade chip, has drivers in mind and is gearing up to be the manufacturer to watch. Clocking in at 2,000 teraflops of performance, Thor will be able to process twice as much data as Nvidia’s previous entry into the space.
“If we look at a car today, advanced driver assistance systems, parking, driver monitoring, camera mirrors, digital instrument cluster and infotainment are all different computers distributed throughout the vehicle,” said Nvidia’s vice president of automotive, Danny Shapiro.
EV is expanding and evolving at a rapid pace and having an industry giant such as Nvidia throwing their hat in the ring has our inner geeks and petrol heads smiling from ear to ear.
Thor however is not a one-trick pony with it already having plans to be used in robots and medical equipment. And with it being able to run three operating systems simultaneously – Linux, QNX, and Android – the uses seem endless.
Got any mind-tingling industry updates you want to share? Let us know on your social voice of choice and let’s talk tech. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
