The big memory cube gamble: IBM and Micron stack their chips

Manufacturers have been murmuring about 3D memory chips for years, but an escalation in recent radio chatter suggests the technology is on the cusp of becoming commercial. Intel unveiled a Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) at IDF, which promises seven times the energy efficiency of today's DDR3, and now IBM and Micron have shown their hand too. The pair just struck up a partnership to produce cubes using layers of DRAM connected by vertical conduits known as through-silicon vias (TSVs). These pillars allow a 90 percent reduction in a memory chip's physical footprint, a 70 percent cut in its appetite for energy, and -- best of all -- a radical increase in bandwidth: HMC prototypes have already scored128Gb/s 128GB/s, which makes 6Gb/s SATA III look like a bottleneck. It certainly sounds like a game-changer, unless of course some rival technology like ferroelectric memory gets there first.

T-Mobile, Vodafone and KPN raided in Dutch price-fixing probe

Details are pretty slim at the moment, but it appears that Vodafone, KPN and T-Mobile are among the companies that have been raided by Dutch regulators in a price-fixing investigation. The country's competition authorities, NMa, swept through the carriers' offices as part of a probe into alleged "cartel agreements" exposed by whistleblowers. All three of the companies have agreed to cooperate with the investigation and have denied wrong doing but, they're starting with a dark cloud of suspicion hanging over their heads already. It was only ten years ago that the same three mobile operators were fined for illegally coordinating on pricing and fees. Obviously, it's wrong to jump to conclusions, but what are the chances these huge corporations just haven't learned from their past mistakes?

Android Market reaches ten billionth download, sells Minecraft, Swiftkey X, others for a dime

Happy milestone, Android Market! It's a busy place, full of hustle and bustle -- so much so, in fact, that the applications plaza for Google's mobile OS just had its ten billionth app downloaded. In honor of hitting this mark, it's passing the savings on to you, placing (at least) ten apps on sale for ten cents. The sale will last for ten days (notice a theme?), so procrastinators will have a little extra time to decide which ones are worth a dime. There's a few classics on the list, such as SwiftKey X, Minecraft, Asphalt 6 and SoundHound

Art Lebedev details Optimus Popularis keyboard, puts Mini Six up for pre-order

We haven't heard too much out of Art Lebedev since its last major update on the Optimus Popularis and Mini Six back in June, but the Russian design studio is now finally providing a few more details on the premium peripherals. That includes our best look at the LCD-laden Optimus Popularis keyboard to date, along with a price for the smaller Mini Six (pictured after the break), the latter of which will set you back $376 and is available for pre-order right now. As for the Optimus Popularis, its price now stands at $1086 with the current exchange rate, and Art Lebedev is promising that the first shipment will arrive by June 1st, 2012. Hit the source links below for a closer look at both devices

Grand Theft Auto III anniversary edition for iOS and Android exalts a decade of metropolitan mayhem

Before Niko Bellic, there was a man who was known as Claude, who was just as willing to terrorize Liberty City back in Grand Theft Auto III. If fond memories of carjackings and Flashback 95.6 are starting to rush back, know that Rockstar plans to sell you a fresh copy for your iOS or Android devices come December 15th. And just so we're clear, the $4.99 redux is a full re-release -- not some watered-down version with an alternate story line. Already counting the days? Peep the list of compatible devices after the break so it's not all for naught. Go on, we've left you a surprise.

Intel springs another leak, mobile Ivy Bridge CPUs abound

Just yesterday, we caught a glimpse of what Intel has in store for Ivy Bridge, and it seems those details were but a prelude to a bevy of details that leaked out today. It seems the folks over at VR Zone got their hands on some of Chipzilla's internal documents showing a host of changes for its post-Sandy Bridge mobile CPUs. Apparently, we can expect quite a few new full-power models, including a 2.9GHz Core i7-3920XM -- clocked at 200MHz faster than the Core i7-2960XM that's Intel's presiding mobile chipset champion -- along with two other quad-core Core i7s and a couple of Core i5 chips as well. For those who cherish battery life above all else, there's a dual-core Core i7-3667U clocked at 2.0 GHz and a 1.8GHz Core i5-3427U coming down the pipe. All the speedy new silicon comes with upgraded Intel HD graphics 4000, and is slated for release in April and May of next year. If you can't wait until then for your next-gen CPU fix, head on over to the source for a heaping helping of Ivy Bridge charts and specs

Intel, Micron unveil first 128-gigabit flash chip, provide double the data density

Realign the data and the previous 32- and 64-gigabit roadblocks to flash storage disappear. Today, Intel and Micron announced the first 128-gigabit NAND flash chip. The chip, which was created through the companies' joint IM Flash Technologies venture, is smaller than a fingertip, created through a 20 nanometer manufacturing process and is capable of 333 megatransfers per second with the option of stacking as many as eight chips on top of each other. What makes the new NAND unique is its planar structure that allows individual memory cells to scale much smaller than before. When combined with aHi-K/metal gate combo to keep the power leaks to a minimum, presto, you've got flash memory denser than your mother-in-law's fruitcake.