Fremont, CA, February 28, 2008 – Corsair® http://www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the HX1000W power supply unit (PSU), the world’s first 1000 watt PSU to be certified under the newly-created 3-way NVIDIA® SLI® Technology Certification Program from NVIDIA Corporation. The Corsair HX1000W will be debuted at the CeBIT 2008 show next week in Hanover, Germany on Corsair’s stand (Booth 40, Hall 21).
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it plans to cut prices of its Windows Vista operating system sold at retail outlets in a move aimed at pushing customers to switch to the newest version of Windows.
The world's largest software maker said it plans to lower retail prices for Vista in 70 countries later this year in tandem with the shipment of the first major update to Vista, known as Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Packaged versions of Windows Vista sold at stores and on the Web account for less than 10 percent of all licenses of the dominant Windows operating system that sits on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers.
San Francisco - Think you can get away with using e-mail and the Internet in violation of company policy? Think again.
A new survey found that more than a quarter of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail, and one third have fired workers for misusing the Internet on the job. The study, conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, surveyed 304 U.S. companies of all sizes.
You don't have to venture very far to dig up unofficial concepts for Apple products of all sorts, but this one from designer Nuno Teixeira is certainly more attention grabbing than most, even if it isn't any more realistic. Dubbed the "iMac iView," the main distinguishing feature here is obviously the curved screen, which isn't actually all that far out there, but still a ways from becoming anywhere near commonplace. As if that wasn't enough, the concept also boasts a second screen on the rear (pictured after the break), and webcams on both the front and back, which would finally let you have impersonal conversations with the person sitting right across from you.
Remember the US Military ray gun that makes people feel like they're on fire? Well, 60 Minutes sent out a reporter to see if he could take the heat. Standing in plain view of the ray gun made his body feel like "scalding water," so David Martin attempted, with little success, to hide behind a piece of plywood and later a mattress. Some claim they can only take the heat ray 4 - 5 seconds, so when David tried it we think he only made it 2 seconds, even if he did say, "ONE ONE THOUSAND TWO ONE THOUSAND THREE ONEEEAAHHHHRRHHR"
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Web search company Google Inc is testing in the United States an online storage bank where individuals can store and access their medical records, the company said on Thursday.
Just last week, Google said it was teaming up with the Cleveland Clinic, a leading academic medical center, to test an exchange of medical data that Google says will put the patient in charge of his own records. The electronic system will allow patients to control their records and interact with multiple physicians, health care service providers and pharmacies.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii game console outsold Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 nearly 4-to-1 in Japan in February as Wii software titles dominated the best seller list, a game magazine publisher said.
Nintendo sold 331,627 units of the Wii in the four weeks to February 24, compared with 89,131 units of the PS3, Enterbrain said on Thursday. The Wii's lead on the PS3 appears to be widening: In January, Nintendo's game console outsold Sony's by almost 3-to-1.
TOKYO - Japan's fair trade watchdog raided two electronics companies Thursday on suspicion of fixing prices of display panels for Nintendo's popular DS portable game machines, officials said.
Fair Trade Commission investigators searched several offices and factories of Sharp Corp. and Hitachi Display Ltd., a display unit of Hitachi, an FTC official said on condition of anonymity, citing internal policy.
The two companies are accused of fixing prices of LCD panels before supplying them to Nintendo for its DS consoles since around 2005, the FTC official said.
Osaka-based Sharp and Hitachi Displays, based in Tokyo, are the only two suppliers of small LCD panels for DS and DS Lite models produced by Nintendo Co.
It's not the first USB peripheral we've seen that'll keep watch on how fast you type, but this new USB Speedometer is certainly the most imposing, and apparently a bit more capable than most. Namely, unlike others which simply track keystrokes, this one keep track of both your words-per-minute and the total number of words you type in a day, although you'll need to install some software to take for that. If those are details you just have to have at all times, you'll be able to get your hands on one of these next month for about $40.
It's not the super cheap $59 plan everyone was hoping for, but it's finally joined the other three carriers in offering a $99 unlimited plan. Sprint's version includes unlimited voice, data, text messages, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS, Direct Connect and Group Connect. This seems like it's even better than most of the other plans (Verizon and AT&T's are for voice only, and T-Mobile's is for voice and messaging). Good job Sprint!
“Overall, the Thermaltake 760i BigWater Liquid Cooling System is one efficient compact liquid cooling system. Not only does it integrate nicely in to your chassis, it'll also compliment most any system you want to assemble. Thermaltake took the time to preassemble some things and make the installation process much simpler. All these factors have made it a very easy system to use and should be simple enough for any and every user wanting to make a change in the way the CPU is cooled.”
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp released the latest version of its Windows operating system for powerful servers on Wednesday, thrusting itself into the red-hot market for virtualization technology that allows one computer to act like many machines.
Windows Server 2008 marks Microsoft's first major challenge against VMware Inc, the leader in virtualization, by building the technology into its core operating system.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union fined Microsoft Corp. a record $1.3 billion Wednesday for the amount it charges rivals for software information.
EU regulators said the company charged "unreasonable prices" until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system.
The fine is the largest ever for a single company and brings to just under $2.5 billion the amount the EU has demanded Microsoft pay in a long-running antitrust dispute.
Oh man, do I like this table. Sure, it provides a flat surface for eating or working on like most tables, but it also has marble tracks carved into it. That means that when you get bored of your meal/job, you can put marbles in the top and watch them follow an elaborate path around the legs and down to the ground. Call me a simpleton, but this thing would keep me entertained for an embarrassing amount of time.
Hailed as a rig that "gamers won't outgrow," the XPS 630 that we originally peeked at CES is finally official. As expected, the tower is ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI-ready and will support Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors on the nForce 650i SLI chipset. You can beef things up with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 1TB of HDD space or an optional Blu-ray drive and AGEIA PhysX accelerator, and you'll have plenty of room for all those peripherals thanks to six total USB 2.0 ports, an optional 19-in-1 media card reader, gigabit Ethernet, audio in / out, FireWire and even PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors. Also of note, it's the first pre-fab PC to support the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA), and you can snag your own for as little as $1,249 right now.
Hot on the heels of a pair of roomy 2.5-inchers comes Toshiba with a duo of even smaller drives likely destined for PMPs and cereal boxes of the future. The 120GB MK1216GSG and 80GB MK8016GSG are both designed to the latest SATA 2.6 specification and also feature the micro-SATA connector. Furthermore, the 5,400 RPM units weigh in at just 62 grams apiece and feature 8MB cache and a 489 Mbits/sec data transfer rate. Per usual, pricing on these buggers remains a mystery.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Internet service providers may have inadvertently blocked the popular YouTube Web site across the world at the weekend when they restricted local access to the site, a telecommunications official said.
YouTube said on Monday that many users around the world could not access the site for about two hours because traffic had been routed according to erroneous Internet protocols.
Apple just slipped out a second press release this AM bragging that, according to NPD, it is now the #2 music retailer in the US, behind the megalithic Wal-Mart.
Apple also boasts 50 million iTunes customers and over 4 billion tracks sold. It's a nice celebratory email, based on solid facts, but it hides some serious insecurities: things might not remain this rosy for long.
More and more people will soon discover Amazon's download store, with higher-res, lower-priced non-DRM MP3s, plus automatic loading into iTunes. Many iPod owners will also be drawn to Wal-Mart's own increasingly busy download department, though in our Battlemodo we decided Amazon was the better bet.
I've bought numerous tracks off amazon lately. It's quick and painless and great quality. Quick Bytes:
NEW YORK - Most of the world's Internet users lost access to YouTube for several hours Sunday after an attempt by Pakistan's government to block access domestically affected other countries.
The outage highlighted yet another of the Internet's vulnerabilities, coming less than a month after broken fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean took Egypt off line and caused communications problems from the Middle East to India.
An Internet expert likened the cause of the outage to "identity theft" by a Pakistani telecommunications company, which accidentally started advertising itself as the fastest route to YouTube. But instead of serving up videos of skateboarding dogs, it sent the traffic into oblivion.
AOL on Monday introduced Xdrive Desktop Lite, a new version of the online data storage service. For the first time, Xdrive works on the Mac, thanks to AOL's switch to Adobe AIR technology. Xdrive Desktop Lite is being offered as a public beta.
Xdrive provides users with an online storage repository. Users upload digital files stored on their local hard drive, then can access those files from within the Xdrive application on that computer or other systems with an Internet connection. Users can get up to 5GB of storage via Xdrive for free; additional space costs extra (a 50GB plan costs $9.95 per month). AOL acquired Xdrive in 2005.
In order to promote a smooth platform transition, Intel plans to start dropping shipment ratios of Napa Refresh and Santa Rosa notebook platforms in the second quarter of 2008 to let the upcoming Centrino 2 (Montevina) platform become its major player, according to sources at notebooks makers.
Montevina will account for around 18% of Intel's notebook shipments after it launches in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the percentage will increase to around 50% and grow to around 90% by the end of 2008.
Napa Refresh with Merom processors will account for around 6% of shipments by the end of March, while Napa and Celeron M processors will only account for around 3%. The platform will be completely phased out by the end of the second quarter, said the sources.
eBay angered many sellers when it raised its fees and overhauled its feedback system in ways which many perceived to be very anti-seller. The changes particularly hurt sellers of small, low-priced items like CDs and video games, which were faced with sharp hikes in their fees upon successful sales.
These sellers had to decide to either put up with it, or take their business elsewhere. DailyTech's Shane McGlaun wrote in a blog an open letter to eBay, voicing his frustration and the frustration of many others. He cited that he was not alone -- CNN recently reported that five of eBay's top sellers called it quits after the changes.
DailyTech reported over the weekend that Microsoft pulled the plug on its Xbox 360 HD DVD player. The move was not surprising considering that Toshiba, maker of the drive, already decided to get out of the HD DVD hardware market.
We noted in the article that it would only be a matter of time before a "fire sale" would commence on the discontinued player. Today, Best Buy confirmed our suspicions by slashing the player's price to $49.99.
The $49.99 price is likely the bottom end for the player which has seen its MSRP drop from $199.99 to $179.99 to $129.99 over the past year.
“The Adata Disney Series 2GB USB Drive is a cool idea and will naturally end up being a popular gift if you want to send or take something home reminding you of Disney. It's a cool idea that'll appeal to everyone's better nature without the theme park price tag. This should please a lot of people. And the novelty of it should resonate among the younger people. My daughter saw the pictures from CES and thought it was the coolest thing for kids who want to take music over their friends house, or for school projects. She knew exactly what it would probably best be suited. So, you can imagine the excitement level while taking pictures. I'd like to have played with it a little longer, but apparently, it's not my turn anymore.”
SEOUL (Reuters) - A battery in a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) notebook computer melted on Sunday, officials from the company and South Korea's fire department said.
The notebook battery emitted smoke after being used for about three and a half hours on a pillow, a fire department official in Seoul told Reuters by telephone.
The battery burned a bed and a floor a bit, but did not cause a big fire, he added.
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray.
Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own," Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a written statement.
It's really too bad nanotechnology is so gosh darn morally unacceptable, it could do so much good for humanity! Take this new wiperless windshield, for instance. Designed by Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina, the Hidra features an aerodynamic design, and a bit of a nanotech sandwich (mmm, sandwich) to keep the front glass clear of water and debris. The first layer protects from sun and repels water, the second layer features "nano-dust" to push dirt to the edges of the windshield and is activated by the third layer which senses the dirt, while the whole kit is powered by the fourth layer which conducts electricity to keep it going. The tech could be ready for mass production within 5 years, but there's already a working prototype in the Hidra concept car.
SAN FRANCISCO - Want to break into a computer's encrypted hard drive? Just blast the machine's memory chip with a burst of cold air.
That's the conclusion of new research out of Princeton University demonstrating a novel, low-tech way hackers can access even the most well-protected computers, provided they have physical access to the machines.
The Princeton report shows how encryption, long considered a vital shield against hacker attacks, can be defeated by manipulating the way memory chips work. The researchers say the ease of their attack raises fears about the security of laptop computers increasingly used to store sensitive information, from personal banking data, to company trade secrets, to national security documents.
CHIP FIRM Intel is preparing to introduce a six core chip called the "Dunnington", a processor that will pave the way for its Nehalem architecture later this year.
According to Eclipse, the “Dunnington” was designed in Bangalore, and will use three dual core 45 nanometre Penryn processors with a shared 16MB L3 cache.
With the launch of the mid-range GeForce 9600 GT marking the debut of Nvidia's GeForce 9-series, graphics card makers have revealed details of the rest of the cards Nvidia is scheduled to launch in the coming months.
At the top-end of the 9-series cards will sit the dual-GPU GeForce 9800 GX2 which will launch on March 11 this year. This will be followed by the GeForce 9800 GTX and 9800 GT between the end of March and beginning of April.
For the mid-range Nvidia will offer the GeForce 9600 GS in May, according the sources.
In June, the company will launch the value-level GeForce 9500 GT based on the G96 graphics core with a reduced 128-bit memory interface. To complete the series, the GeForce 9500 GS will launch in July.
It's the damndest thing: years after seeing the renders we're actually finally writing this post on our very own Optimus Maximus. We've had ours for a few weeks for testing, but we weren't able to do a whole lot with it until we got some later firmware updates.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU and U.S. senior officials said on Friday they would crack down on counterfeiting of computer components after they seized over 360,000 fake items in just two weeks in a joint operation at the end of last year.
Integrated circuits and computer components of over 40 trademarks including Intel, Cisco and Philips, worth more than $1.3 billion, were seized during the operation, the officials said.
"Traffickers and counterfeiters have become much more sophisticated ... They are no longer confining themselves to trafficking in some of the traditional goods we used to see them in, such as footwear or handbags," U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner Dan Baldwin said.
Sunnyvale, CA—February 21, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced two new Reaper HPC solutions for enthusiasts upgrading to next generation of cutting-edge platforms. The PC3-10666 Reaper HPC Series is available in both 2GB and 4GB dual channel kits to meet the specific needs of customized gaming systems or workstations, offering perfect compatibility with the latest platforms and chipsets at a price that will be attractive to upgraders with a specific budget in mind.
“External options still seem to be the best because of all those factors. Millsy has been checking out some huge back planes from Thecus which are perfect for the hardcore data fiends. Smaller scale users tend to benefit most from single and dual drive external enclosures. These include USB 2.0 and eSATA enclosures like the Rosewill RX81-MP Storage Enclosure. Why eSATA you ask? Read on see the two versions compared.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday that it would make key technology elements of some of its best-selling software products widely available to boost interoperability of its software with that of competitors and customers.
To make connecting Microsoft products with third-party software products easier, Microsoft will publish on its Web site key software blueprints, known as application program interfaces, pertaining to its high-volume products used by other Microsoft products.
Microsoft also pledged not to sue open-source developers for development or noncommercial distribution of those software blueprints.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray DVD camp, a day after Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-generation game in town.
Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement issued Wednesday to The Hollywood Reporter: "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," the statement read. "As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - No. 3 U.S. mobile service provider Sprint Nextel Corp is expected to offer flat-rate calling plans at up to a 40 percent discount to its rivals, hurtling the industry into a price war, analysts said on Wednesday.
The two largest U.S. mobile service providers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc, on Tuesday unveiled $99.99-a-month plans for unlimited calls. T-Mobile USA went a step further by including text messaging in that price.
Sprint has yet to respond and spokeswoman Leigh Horner declined comment on any plans for future offers, but analysts say the company could be considering an unlimited calling plan for as low as $60 a month to stem customer defections.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Verizon Wireless and Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) T-Mobile USA on Tuesday announced flat rate plans for unlimited calls in the United States, raising investor concerns that a price war could break out and sending shares lower.
Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research), said early on Tuesday it started offering unlimited calls for $99.99 a month. AT&T and T-Mobile USA followed with similar plans.
The actions put pressure on Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the No. 3 U.S. wireless service, to match the plans or risk customers defecting, analysts said.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it will sell its microchip production facilities in western Japan to Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) for 90 billion yen ($835 million), in their latest move to focus on their core businesses.
The equipment will be used by their semiconductor joint venture that will make high-performance Cell chips and RSX graphic chips, both used in Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, as well as other microchips that go into Toshiba products.
The venture will be established on April 1.
Sony, which is focusing on image sensor chips for digital cameras and pulling away from heavy investments for cutting-edge chip production equipment, said in October it would sell production facilities for making key microchips used in the PS3 to Toshiba, but the price has been unavailable.
The Mozilla Foundation Tuesday opened Mozilla Messaging, a new subsidiary focused on developing its free, open-source Thunderbird e-mail software.
Mozilla Messaging will initially focus on developing Thunderbird 3, which aims at improving several aspects of the software, including integrated calendaring, better search, as well as enhancements to the overall user experience, the company said in a statement.
The Mozilla Foundation is best known for creating the Firefox Web browser, a potent rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The organization enjoys wide support in the open source community because both Firefox and Thunderbird are based on the open source development model.
Doesn't look like there's going to be any glory in death for HD DVD -- we've just received confirmation that GameStop is no longer accepting HD DVD movies as trade-ins, and several GameStops have apparently already stopped taking the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive as well. We're also hearing that the 360 HD DVD drive will no longer be accepted at any GameStop as of tomorrow, and that there's a major price cut in the works -- which makes sense, but we'll see what happens. For now, though, it looks like HD DVD fans jumping ship may have to resort to eBay -- or start peddling discs out the back of their cars.
Fremont, CA, February 19, 2008 – Corsair® http://www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced today that new record-breaking speeds have been achieved within the Corsair DDR2 and DDR3 lines of DRAM memory.
Maximum Performance & Extreme Over-Clocking for Demanding Gaming Enthusiasts
Available by the end of February, two new Corsair 4GB DDR2 module speed grades are being offered for high-performance enthusiast users: Corsair 1066MHz (PC2-8500) and 1142MHz (PC2-9136) 4GB memory kits (2X2GB). The new memory modules utilize Corsair’s patented DHX technology, which employs a specially designed quadruple heat sink to dissipate heat through both convection and conductive methods. The results are maximum performance and extreme over-clocking capability for the demanding gaming enthusiast.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) surrendered in the high-definition home movie war on Tuesday, giving up on its HD DVD format after losing the support of key studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research).
The decision by the electronics maker ends the battle with a consortium led by Sony over who would set the standard for the next generation of discs, a fight that confused shoppers and stalled a move to the new technology in the $24 billion home DVD market.
The Blu-ray win means consumers no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax, Sony's videotape format that lost out to VHS in the 1980s.
Toshiba, which had hoped HD DVD would drive growth in its consumer electronics business, said it would aim to end its HD DVD business by the end of next month.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) unveiled a new initiative on Monday that will give college and high school students around the world free access to technology tools used to develop and design software.
The world's largest software maker said the initiative will allow students to use Microsoft's developer and designer tools to write software applications, design elaborate Web pages or create new video games to run on the Xbox 360 console.
The development and design tools are available immediately to college students in the United States, Western Europe and China, but Microsoft said it will eventually extend the program to other countries and high school students, potentially reaching 1 billion students.
“The case isn't just a gimmick, because it actually does have plenty of useable features. There is the potential for excellent cooling all around given the number of fans included and the fans that can be added. The open rear chassis almost appeared a bit odd since I'm so use to a closed chassis. However, this means there is more than enough room for warm air to escape and it's completely concealed by the really cool looking rear door.”
TOKYO (Reuters) - An impending end to a format war over next-generation DVDs boosted shares in both victorious Sony, in the Blu-ray corner, and Toshiba, in the losing HD DVD camp, on Monday as consumers cheered an end to confusion over which discs will carry high-definition movies.
Shares in Toshiba Corp, which a company source said was planning to axe its HD DVD format, jumped nearly 6 percent as analysts praised a move to cut its losses, while Sony Corp shares rose 1 percent.
The Blu-ray win means consumers seeking sharper movies on high-definition DVDs no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax -- Sony's videotape technology that lost out to VHS in the 1980s.
The Cornell University junior was in his dorm between classes when the text message came in from a friend. Check out JuicyCampus.com, it said.
The student found his name on the Web site beside a rambling, filthy passage about his sexual exploits, posted by an anonymous student on campus. The young man could only hope the commentary was so ridiculous nobody would believe it.
"I thought, `Is this going to affect my job employment? Is this going to make people on campus look at me? Are people going to talk about me behind my back?" said the student, who asked not to be identified. He also wondered about his 11-year-old sister, who is spending more time on the Internet. "What if she Googles me? What will she think about her big brother?" he said.
Microsoft hit us up with a statement today regarding its Xbox 360 HD DVD player in light of the format's current woes. The company seems to think the news won't have "any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace." Microsoft goes on to reiterate its line about the largest next-gen games library and its belief that "it is games that sell consoles." For those of you hoping for some sort of Blu-ray attachment for the 360 -- or a sense of purpose for that increasingly obsolete HD DVD player currently hooked up to your 360 -- Microsoft does say that "we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player," which seems to imply there's something to announce once HD DVD finally kicks the bucket, but at this point the prospect of a Blu-ray add-on still seems rather optimistic.
The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.
The format war, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has confused consumers unsure of which DVD or player to buy, slowing the development what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high definition DVD industry.
Toshiba's cause has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks including Friday's announcement by U.S. retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that it would abandon the HD DVD format and only stock its shelves with Blu-ray movies.
The format war between Toshiba Corp-backed HD DVD and Sony Corp's Blu-ray, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has slowed the development of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry.
It also has been a thorn in the side of retailers, which have had to commit shelf space to devices from both camps even as they field complaints from customers frustrated that some films come out in HD DVD while others are released in Blu-ray.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, announced the move as a phase-out at 4,000 U.S. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores by June, saying it was responding to consumer preference.
Time to face the music, dear HD DVD fans. The red format is officially dead, and unless HD VMD makes an unprecedented run here in the next few weeks, we've all ideas that Blu-ray will take the throne in the high-definition disc war. That being said, we know there are hordes of folks out there now stuck with an HD DVD player -- not to mention the corresponding media -- that is quickly becoming a tainted collector's item. So, what are you to do? Move on and side with the Blu camp? Revolt and pick up a VUDU?
“The Destructor's surface is made with a proprietary "gunmetal" coating which gives it the exceptional reactive surface. In layman's terms, that means the surface helps laser type mice respond easier than compared to something like the Everglide series. The gunmetal coating appears to be pretty resilient against even against minor abuse such as when you get pwned in game and start slapping the pad or banging your mouse against it. You know who you are out there...”
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The high-definition DVD format war has turned into a format death watch.
Toshiba is expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format in the coming weeks, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's stunning announcement in early January that it would support only Sony's rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.
Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Security systems can now block the first computer viruses attack on cell phones, but the mobile industry sees new risks stemming from upcoming open software platforms such as Google's Android.
Since 2004, viruses have been able to disable phones or swell phone bills through pricey messages or unwanted calls, leading to a new security technology market.
"If Android becomes a fully open platform ... and when such a platform becomes more common, risks are greater than with the current platform kings such as Symbian," said Mikko Hypponen, head of research at security software firm F-Secure.
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - After replacing paper maps for millions of drivers, GPS technology is now being put into mobile phones and was one of the most-hyped developments at this week's Mobile World Congress.
The biggest handset manufacturers and GPS (global positioning system) specialists have begun building handsets with personal navigation software, planning routes and guiding pedestrians with detailed digital maps.
Advertising for GPS in phones, long-awaited by the industry, was everywhere at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, one of the industry's biggest trade shows.
We're pretty sure this camera setup won't be putting the Wachowski Brothers out of a job any time soon, but some folks at Carnegie Mellon slapped this Matrix-style rig together for a "mere" $22,000. The cameras are mounted on linear guides, making them self-reconfigurable, and each can shoot 640 x 480 video at 30 fps. Their purported aims are "Image-based rendering," creating 3D objects with little scene geometry info, but we're sure they're doing plenty of bullet time scenarios in their free time. Coming to a YouTube near you: Matrix Restitutions.
Warranty seller SquareTrade, sampling from a pool of over 1,000 claims, says that it's seeing an Xbox 360 failure rate at around 16 percent. Most Xbox 360 owners -- at least the early adopters -- don't just fear the RRoD, they've come to expect it, and compared to projected failure rates of 3% for the Wii and PS3 (a stat Microsoft claimed initially), it's obvious that this continues to be a spendy problem for Microsoft and a headache for its customers. As 1UP points out, the 16% stat might be a little high, since the type of user that would seek out a separate warranty is probably more of a power user, and the majority of problems are heat-related, but whatever the true number is, it'll probably continue to rise in the immediate future as we all CoD4 our gen one 360s to death, and then eventually fall as the 65nm and eventually 45nm Xboxes fill the market.
The U.S. military made a worried announcement informing the public of the satellite's descent last month. Now they have decided on a course of action, which reads like a movie script -- they will shoot the damaged satellite out of the sky with a missile. The military under orders from the U.S. executive branch plans to fire two or three SM-3 missiles at the satellite from a U.S. Navy cruiser. The officials involved spoke on a condition of anonymity, but official word will be released later today.
“I have really grown to like the Foxconn G33M-S a lot. It's a good looking board with an excellent feature set and has proven to be extremely reliable. The integrated Intel chipset will more than satisfy your basic graphics needs like surfing the web, checking email, and even some light gaming. However if you're looking for a bit more graphics power you can add any PCI-e graphics card and really unleash this m-ATX powerhouse. Do like I did and add an 8800 series graphics card, a couple gig of memory and a decent Core 2 Duo CPU and you'll have a stable and powerful small form factor system that packs a punch.”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior lawmaker said on Wednesday he had introduced legislation designed to prevent broadband Internet providers from unreasonable interference with subscribers' access to content.
The bill offered by Rep. Edward Markey is the latest to raise concerns about "net neutrality," an issue that pits open-Internet advocates against some service providers such as Comcast Corp, who say they need to take reasonable steps to manage traffic on their networks.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. scientists have developed a microfiber fabric that generates its own electricity, making enough current to recharge a cell phone or ensure that a small MP3 music player never runs out of power.
If made into a shirt, the fabric could harness power from its wearer simply walking around or even from a slight breeze, they reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
"The fiber-based nanogenerator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from the physical movement," Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who led the study, said in a statement.
It looks like Android will have more than just its openness and pretty face to show to the world soon. According to a report from Reuters, LG has officially set a time-table for bringing a Google-powered handset to market (and obviously not the phone above). "We will bring it out late in 2008 or early 2009," said Chang Ma, the company's vice president for marketing strategy. The plan sounds shockingly close to competitor Samsung's scheme for a rollout of the Linux phone in early 2009. Clearly, companies are doing more than just putting pen to paper on the platform -- let's just hope those minor kinks get straightened out before the new year.
The saga of one crazy suit began with Best Buy customer Raelyn Campbell's purchase of a laptop computer from a local Best Buy store in the D.C. area. A Best Buy staffer talked her into buying a $300 extended warranty. The warranty includes coverage by Best Buy's service technicians -- "Geek Squad" -- for three years, and replacements of defective hardware free of charge.
Her laptop indeed experienced hardware malfunctions within a year when her on/off switch broke. At that point, Campbell breathed a sigh of relief that she purchased the warranty and took her laptop in to Best Buy. She turned in her laptop in May and was told that it would be up and running within two to six weeks. This was a major inconvenience to her, as she was a frequent business traveler, but she figured she just should stay optimistic that it came as soon as possible.
“In the past few years we have seen the move towards quiet computing. In the early days of modding, the aim was to achieve a well-cooled system no matter what the cost, with the "cost" usually being annoyingly loud fans. No more, some have said. With the multitude of other "quiet cases" out there currently, Nexus has set out to beat them all with their Caterpillar, dubbed the "Silent System PC Case". Can this innovative case live up to the promises?”
ALBANY, N.Y. - Amazon.com is fighting Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to require out-of-state online companies to collect New York state sales tax on goods they send to addresses in New York — the most recent cash-strapped state to propose the tax.
Spitzer estimates in his budget that the state would gain $47 million by requiring Internet giants such as Amazon.com to collect state sales tax. If that portion of the budget is passed, retailers will start being required to collect the taxes.
NEW YORK - The company behind the BlackBerry smart phones said a three-hour e-mail outage Monday was caused by an upgrade designed to increase capacity.
Research in Motion Ltd. Tuesday said the upgrade was part of "routine and ongoing efforts," and that similar upgrades in the past had caused no problems.
The outage, which started about 3:30 p.m. EST, annoyed subscribers who are used to checking and writing e-mail whenever they're in cellular coverage and able to make voice calls. It affected only some of the BlackBerry users in North America — for others, the service kept working fully.
Japan-based Plextor, on February 6, unveiled two dual-format Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD optical disc drives, the PX-B300SA and PX-B920SA, for launch in late February, but it is still uncertain whether dual-format will become the mainstream in the battle between BD and HD DVD, according to leading Taiwan-based ODD makers.
PX-B300SA supports BD-ROM, BD-R (recordable), BD-RE (rewritable) and HD DVD formats, whereas PX-B920SA has the same functionality plus BD-R and BD-RE burning, the sources pointed out.
Plextor is the second vendor to offer BD/HD DVD dual-format drives next to LG Electronics, while Samsung has offered BD/HD DVD recorders, the sources indicated. However, BD/HD DVD dual-formats will find it hard to become popular because production costs, including royalty payments, are higher. Leading Japan-based vendors including Sony, Pioneer and Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) are not expected to offer dual-format models, the sources emphasized.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The company that makes the ubiquitous, addictive BlackBerry smart phones said Tuesday it was still looking into what caused the second widespread service disruption in less than a year.
Research in Motion Ltd. said customers in the United States and Canada "experienced intermittent delays" for about three hours Monday beginning about 3:30 p.m. EST. RIM said no messages were lost, and voice and text messaging services were unaffected.
"It is too early to determine root cause at this time, but RIM does have a team addressing this issue in order to define the problem and prevent it in the future," the company said in a statement.
Each sturdy Laptop Stand includes two silent built-in cooling fans, a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and 4 push-button elevation settings. The lowest elevation allows for cooling and improved ergonomics while using the laptop’s own keyboard. In addition to cooling, the 3 steeper inclines raise the screen closer to eye level to create an ergonomically-sound desktop workstation when using a separate keyboard and mouse. With the exception of the Attaché’s heat-absorbing aluminum face plate, both units are identical.
The $69.95 Attaché Laptop Stand and the $49.95 Envoy Laptop Stand are available directly from LapWorks.
Both Laptop Stands are constructed of high-impact ABS plastic and measure 12-7/8 inches wide by 11 ¾ inches long and 1-5/8 inches thick when folded closed. The Envoy weighs 1 pound, 10.5 ounces while the Attaché weighs 2 pounds, 7.5 ounces with its aluminum face plate. Each is easily transportable and carries a one year warranty.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - LG Electronics plans to start selling a phone model running on Android, the highly anticipated mobile phone operating system, at the start of next year at the latest, a senior official said.
"We will bring it out late in 2008 or early 2009," Chang Ma, LG's vice president for marketing strategy told Reuters in an interview at the Mobile World Congress trade show.
SAN FRANCISCO - EBay Inc. bowed to pressure Monday from some of its high-volume sellers, saying it will further cut listing fees for books, music, movies and video games sold through the online auction site.
Monday's move amends a fee structure announced last month and could mean savings for merchants who sell those goods in high volume. Those sellers had expected to lose money from the new plan, slated to take effect Feb. 20. Some had threatened to stop selling on eBay.
The company said last month it plans to cut the fees for listing an item but raise eBay's commissions on items that sell. Merchants quickly complained the cuts were not enough to balance the hike in commissions.
A BLOKE having a shifty at Google Earth has just discovered a previously unlocated coral reef.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris Simpson mooching around the coastal waters off the coast of Western Australia from the comfort of his PC when he spotted a splodge in the water.
The splodge, west of the Kimberleys, a remote area in northern Western Australia, turned out to be an extensive formation of fringing coral.
Simpson told his boss that he felt like 'bloody Charles Darwin' when he discovered the new reefs. He probably meant Captain Cook.
Coffee means big business here in the United States. Starbucks grew from its humble roots in the Northwest to a point now where you can find at least a few within a 5 mile radius in any major U.S. city. Fast food chain McDonalds has even gotten in on the act to cash in on the success of “premium” coffee.
In an attempt to provide a better "in store experience" for its customers and to distance itself from a growing McDonalds threat, Starbucks today announced a new strategic alliance to provide WiFi service to customers. Beginning in the spring of 2008, 7,000+ Starbucks stores in the U.S. will switch from T-Mobile WiFi access to AT&T.
Blu-ray duplication systems have been on the block for a good while now, but apparently, Aleratec's flavor does something that none of the other cool kids can even dream of: it supports LightScribe. The 1:3 Copy Cruiser Blu LS houses a trio of LightScribe-enabled SATA Blu-ray burners that can toast BD-Rs at 6x as well as vanilla DVDs and CDs at much higher speeds. You'll even find a built-in eSATA connector and a dual channel eSATA host adapter bundled in for those who need one. Here's the rough part -- this critter will set you back a staggering $3,199, so you best be making some serious coin on whatever you're duplicating for this to be even close to a sound investment.
“The foot print of the DuOrb is much smaller and lighter than the stock heat sink which is always a nice result. And, the DuOrb does look better adding a bit more flash to a pricey graphics card with a somewhat boring stock cooler. Unfortunately, the included video memory sinks are plain gray, aluminum. This doesn't do the cooler justice and steals away a bit of its potential. Matching copper sinks would definitely compliment the DuOrb better and keep the look more balanced. The Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler is otherwise a good performer and would make your 8800 series graphics cards stand out. Due to the limited designs of stock VGA coolers, it's nice to have a better option made from copper. If you need better cooling and your current card configuration just can't keep up, give the DuOrb some consideration.”
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc is set to reject Microsoft Corp's unsolicited bid, now worth $42 billion, as too low, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Saturday -- the first clear signal the board might be prepared to negotiate and sell the Internet media giant.
The Wall Street Journal had quoted an unnamed source as saying Microsoft's offer of $31 per share was an attempt to "steal" the company and that Yahoo was unlikely to consider anything under $40 per share -- double its price in January.
At $40 per share, the value of the cash and stock deal would be worth $51.1 billion.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The popular wireless technology known as Bluetooth could get a lot faster next year by taking advantage of Wi-Fi technology already built into many gadgets.
Linking Bluetooth and Wi-Fi may make it easier and faster to transfer large amounts of music between computers and cell phones, or send pictures from a camera phone to a printer, or video from a camcorder to a TV.
CHICAGO - Some call it "Wiihabilitation." Nintendo's Wii video game system, whose popularity already extends beyond the teen gaming set, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries.
The usual stretching and lifting exercises that help the sick or injured regain strength can be painful, repetitive and downright boring.
In fact, many patients say PT — physical therapy's nickname — really stands for "pain and torture," said James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois.
The Microsoft deal means all the world's top handset makers apart from Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) will now have Windows Mobile versions. The Sony Ericsson model, named the "X1," will be a slider phone with a typewriter-style qwerty keyboard and touch screen.
The marketing manager of Microsoft's mobile business, Scott Horn, told Reuters he was confident of reaching the company's goal of selling at least 20 million smartphones with partners by the end of Microsoft's fiscal year at the end of June.
About 123 million smartphones -- phones with computer-like capabilities such as e-mail and Internet browsing -- were sold in 2007, according to market research firm Gartner. In total, about 1.14 billion phones were sold worldwide.
Uh-oh. Social networking was supposed to be the Next Big Thing on the Internet. MySpace, Facebook, and other sites have been attracting millions of new users, building sprawling sites that companies are banking on to trigger an online advertising boom. Trouble is, the boom isn't booming anymore. Like Heritage, many people are spending less time on social networking sites or signing off altogether.
With the $4.64 billion reserve price met on January 31st, the "open access" rules pushed for by Google have become part and parcel to the spectrum. The buyer of the spectrum will be "required to provide a platform that is 'more open to devices and applications' ... allowing consumers their choice in applications and devices to connect with." Regardless of who wins, Google stands to benefit from the "open access" rules to promote their mobile phone OS, Android.
What is 790i? In one sentence: a good reason not to look at the 780i at all. Now, the multiple PCI-E v2 is native within the northbridge, avoiding all the bandwidth and latency roadblocks in the 780i. Then, you have native, dual-channel DDR3 memory support, the first for Nvidia, with DDR3-2000 OC enabled on the Nforce 790i Ultra. Nvidia seems to stick with its EPP enhanced performance profiles for that memory, let's see how it goes against - or together with - Intel's already-entrenched XMP profiles.
Now, if comparing DDR2 controllers in, say, Intel 975X and Nvidia 680i, all things being equal, Nvidia easily took a 10-12 per cent performance lead in both bandwidth and latency. On P35 and X38, that lead became nearly 15 per cent, as all newer Intel chipsets' memory controllers seem to focus more on DDR3 high-bandwidth, high-latency approach.
“You may notice in the test graph that the PF rating is rather low or high, depending on how you look at it. The .82% is above the normal reading that is given from Ultra, and will be what the average user will see due to the fact that I'm only pulling roughly 350W. My system setup didn't even dent the capabilities of the Ultra X2 750W Extreme Edition, but users with a higher demand for the wattage will see a much more efficient reading overall. You may also notice that I don't have any voltage readings of the rails fluctuating; well, any minor fluctuating is normal whether at idle or at full load.”
Sunnyvale, CA—February 7, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today unveiled the OCZ PC2-8500 Reaper HPC 4GB, one the fastest high density kits in the world. Incorporating all the features that make the Reaper HPC series the top choice among gamers and overclockers, this ultra high-speed DDR2 is designed to meet the growing demand for faster high density memory for both productivity and gaming applications. With the price of top-speed DDR2 more affordable to a wide range of consumers, the Reaper HPC 4GB kits offer incredible performance at an attractive price.
“DDR2 is starting to adopt 1066 MHz as the new mainstream frequency, not only for extreme overclocking but also for high system memory densities,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “In order to maximize the system performance, especially in the latest games, 4GB of memory are more and more becoming a must have…but it is also necessary to maintain the throughput regardless of the increase in density. The new PC2-8500 Reaper HPC 4GB kits combine the best of two worlds by delivering extreme bandwidth at 1066 MHz data frequency at 5-5-5 latencies, in combination with advanced heatpipe-based thermal management to again raise the bar for high system memory densities.”
FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - British chip designer ARM (ARM.L: Quote, Profile, Research) will demonstrate a prototype of Google Inc's (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Android mobile phone platform in action next week at the world's biggest wireless fair, a source close to the company said.
It was not immediately clear on Thursday what the working model that ARM plans to show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona would look like or who would supply the parts.
Google plans to deploy phones and services using the Android platform commercially in the second half of this year.
SEATTLE - Near-perfect knockoffs of 21 different Microsoft programs began surfacing around the world just over a decade ago. Soon, PCs in more than a dozen countries were running illegal copies of Windows and Office, turning unwitting consumers into criminals and, Microsoft says, exposing them to increased risk of malicious viruses and spyware.
The case began to turn in 2001 when U.S. Customs officers seized a shipping container in Los Angeles filled with $100 million in fake software, including 31,000 copies of the Windows operating system.
From there, Microsoft pushed the investigation through 22 countries. Local law enforcement officials seized software, equipment and records, and made arrests. A court in Taiwan handed down the last of the major sentences in December. Microsoft estimates the retail value of the software the operation generated at $900 million.
Although we have hope that the format war is shuddering to a close, it's probably still wise to hedge your bets just a little -- and Plextor's got you covered with two new SATA Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives. The new PX-B920SA writes to BD-R at 4x speeds, DVDs at 16x, and CD-Rs at 40x, and reads HD DVD, while the lower-end PX-B300SA drops the BD-R capabilities and just writes to DVD and CD. Plextor says both drives will be available at the end of the month, but sadly we don't have any pricing information.
Ever wonder why gadget store employees push Monster cables like they're crack? Bitchin' markups, just like you suspected/knew all along. That's what we found when a Radio Shack employee sent us his store's entire inventory list, which included the wholesale and retail price of every item in stock.
Some cables, like the 19ft HDMI-DVI cable, have markups as high as 80%. Retail: $179.99. Wholesale, $99.40, a profit of $80.54. Or consider the 16 ft S-Video cable, which Radio Shack buys for $61.24 and sells for $114.99. We found non-name brand versions of both on Meritline.com for under $20. It's not just limited to Radio Shack, Best Buy charges the same retail price, and, presumably, gets them for a similar wholesale price.
After two months of delay, shuttle Atlantis blasted into orbit Thursday with Europe's gift to the international space station, a $2 billion science lab named Columbus that spent years waiting to set sail.
Atlantis and its seven-man crew safely roared away from their seaside launch pad at 2:45 p.m., overcoming fuel gauge problems that thwarted back-to-back launch attempts in December and bad weather threats.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc said on Wednesday it would expand its high-speed wireless service to 80 additional markets in 2008, increasing the number of markets where it offers the service to 350 big U.S. markets.
AT&T, the biggest U.S. mobile service, has been behind rivals in building a network with high-speed wireless Web access for cell phones.
LONDON (Reuters) - It may be the most ever paid for a single letter of an Internet address.
A British travel company has paid 560,000 pounds ($1.1 mln) for the domain name cruises.co.uk, a price that is effectively $1 million just for the letter "S" since it already owns the address cruise.co.uk.
The sum shatters the previous record for a .co.uk domain of $300,000, paid in October last year. Seamus Conlon, whose company bought the address from a German travel company, said it was a necessary move to retain dominance in the rapidly growing market for ocean cruising.
"'Cruises' is consistently ranked first on Google, with 'cruise' just behind," he said.
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp.'s online advertising researchers will spend this year teaching computers to be smart about sticking ads into video clips, and to be even smarter about targeting ads to specific Web surfers.
Microsoft showed off a handful of early-stage advertising projects at its headquarters Tuesday that may or may not turn up as part of Microsoft's Web advertising platform.
The demonstrations come just days after Microsoft's $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo Inc., which, if successful, will boost the software maker's Web traffic and online ad revenue.
If you're reading Engadget today because your favorite Iranian gadget blog is offline, here's why: a fifth undersea cable has now been reported as cut, responsible for knocking Iran and a few other million people mostly off the interwebs. Things were already looking awfully suspicious when a fourth undersea cable in the Mediterranean was cut yesterday, and while nothing about a fifth cable being cut necessarily means some sort of sabotage is to blame, it's not exactly reassuring. Emergency measures are already underway to repair the cables, but we're not sure our inter-continental Quake III Arena deathmatch can handle any more snips.
When it comes to computers, I do OK at handling tech problems that arise. TVs and their components — not so much.
I’m not really good at making my way through the minefield of options with the DVD player plugged into our TV, and I can barely manage the TV cable remote.
For years, I’ve heard techies and non-techies talk about how easy TiVo is to use. I put off getting it for a long time, despite the “want” factor, mainly because of the money factor. There is a monthly charge for the service that so handily records any show you want.
CUPERTINO, California—February 5, 2008—Apple® today added new models of the iPhone™ and iPod® touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.
“For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Business software units of Yahoo Inc and Google Inc are introducing beefed-up versions of their Web-based software that compete with Microsoft Outlook, offering yet another clue why Microsoft Corp made a $45 billion unsolicited bid for Yahoo.
While Microsoft views Yahoo as its path into the lucrative Web advertising market dominated by Google, Tuesday's software announcements by Yahoo and Google demonstrate that Microsoft also needs to fend off potential challenges to its business software franchises.
The end of the high-definition disc war seems in sight, say industry observers, with major studio Warner Bros. jumping to the Blu-ray Disc camp and leaving the competing HD DVD format with a dwindling base of Hollywood support.
But ahead lies the real uphill battle: selling high-definition discs — in any format — to consumers who appear more than satisfied with the DVDs they've already bought over the past few years.
DVDs, like CDs before them, were adopted by the mass market quickly because they represented a demonstrable combination of improvements in convenience and quality over VHS and LPs, respectively. But U.S. consumers typically give greater weight to convenience — remember laserdisc? — over quality.
The march of mouse progress apparently never stops, and Microsoft just announce a pair of new ones to drive that point home. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 (after the break) is the more portable one of the bunch, with a snap-in 2.4GHz USB receiver packed inside a desktop-sized laser mouse. The Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 (pictured) sacrifices a bit of portability for a rechargeable batteries -- with a horizontal charging dock to host the mouse when times are rough and juice is scarce. Both mice include Microsoft's HD Lasers and a few Vista-friendly buttons. You can pick them up in March fo $50 and $70, respectively.
SANTA CLARA, CA — FEBRUARY 4, 2008—NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA), the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the industry leader in gaming physics technology. AGEIA's PhysX software is widely adopted with more than 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on Sony Playstation3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and Gaming PCs. AGEIA physics software is pervasive with over 10,000 registered and active users of the PhysX SDK.
“Now we're on to the computer side of the Consumer Electronics Show. As I mentioned, there wasn't quite as many booths this year sporting that many new products that could classify as headliners. The obvious new products include Nvidia's new HD motherboards and 3D technologies, Intel's 45nm next generation processors, newly released Wireless N networking, and solid state drives.”
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc would consider a business alliance with Google Inc as one way to rebuff a $44.6 billion takeover proposal by Microsoft, a source familiar with Yahoo's strategy said on Sunday.
Yahoo management is considering revisiting talks it held with Google several months ago on an alliance as an alternative to Microsoft's bid, that source said. At $31 a share, Yahoo believes the bid undervalues the company, two sources said.
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. raised the specter of Microsoft Corp. using its proposed $42 billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc. to gain illegal control over the Internet, underscoring the online search leader's queasiness about its two biggest rivals teaming up.
The critical remarks, posted online Sunday by Google's top lawyer, represented the Mountain View-based company's first public reaction to Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo since the offer was announced Friday.
"Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo raises troubling questions," David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, wrote. "This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation."
Super Bowl XLII Update.... Posted by Diceman on Monday, February 4, 2008 @ 12:26
Well, Super Bowl XLII is over and the New York Giants just pulled off an incredible upset beating the (previously undefeated) New England Patriots. I'm just sick about it personally, but congrats to the Giants nevertheless. I think I went into cardiac arrest about 5 times during the game....I need oxygen.
VH News: Weekend Edition Posted by Diceman on Saturday, February 2, 2008 @ 10:33
Less than 24 hours until Super Bowl XLII!! I can't wait. I'm stocked up on the beer and chips and I'll be rooting hardcore for the New England Patriots to finish out the only 19-0 perfect season...EVER! Until then, let me rip out some news! LiteOn's Moldable Mouse of the future
Made of lightweight modelling clay and covered with a nylon and polyurethane blend fabric, Moldable Mouse can be kneaded into shapes by users.
Moldable Mouse breaks the boundaries of the traditional mouse with its revolutionary design. Currently, all computer mouse products in the market are made with hard plastic, and their shapes are not universally adaptable to the human hand. Even the most advanced “ergonomically designed” mouse does not fit the preferences of every user. The inelasticity of the plastic model is problematic for long-time usage, as numerous people have suffered wrist injuries from extensive use in a fixed position. Moldable Mouse eliminates this problem with its unique design.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said it may take "quite a bit of time" to weigh its strategic options, including keeping the company independent, following Microsoft Corp's $45 billion offer to buy the company.
In a weekend posting on the company's Web site, Yahoo said it was undertaking a deliberate review of Microsoft's unsolicited offer to pay Yahoo shareholders either $31 in cash, or 0.9509 of a share of Microsoft common stock.
The review "will include evaluating all of the Company's strategic alternatives including maintaining Yahoo! as an independent company," the posting said. "A review process like this is fluid, and it can take quite a bit of time."
LOS ANGELES - A breakthrough in contract talks has been reached between Hollywood studios and striking writers and could lead to a tentative deal as early as next week, a person close to the ongoing negotiations said Saturday.
The two sides breached the gap Friday on the thorniest issues, those concerning compensation for projects distributed via the Internet, said the person, who requested anonymity because he were not authorized to speak publicly.
A second person familiar with the talks, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to comment publicly, said that significant progress had been made and a deal might be announced within a week.
SEATTLE - Critics thought it was over the top when Amazon.com Inc. expanded from books into music in 1998. When the Web retailer let competitors start selling things alongside its own inventory in 2000, they said Amazon had gone nuts.
In both cases, Amazon proved them wrong. Media sales now total in the billions each quarter, and third-party merchandise, more profitable for Amazon than its own wares, makes up nearly a third of everything sold through the site.
Now, Amazon is making an even greater stretch — selling storage, computing power and other behind-the-scenes data center services.
The Edmonton Journal reports that Dell has closed its Canadian call center located in Edmonton after only three years of a 20-year lease was fulfilled. The closing of the call center resulted in the loss of 900 jobs to employees working in the center.
Dell recently decided to change its traditional exclusive marketing approach of direct sales and now offers computers in retail outlets. With stiff competition in the computer industry Dell has had to fight hard for market share with the likes of HP, Acer and Apple, and is now attempting to cut costs in an effort to remain competitive.
Microsoft just announced what has been rumored forever: a formal offer for Yahoo. Microsoft's proposal to Yahoo's board of directors represents $31 per share (a 62% premium over yesterday's closing price) or about $44.6 Billion. Steve Ballmer, CEO and big fan of developers, says, "We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market." Apparently, the deal was laid out in a letter sent by Ballmer to Yahoo's board just yesterday. Seriously. The letter confirms that the two giants have been discussing the topic since late 2006.
Trawling the CES show last month, we happened across a rather juicy piece of gadget gossip.
According to a particularly well-informed insider, it seems that the Big S is prepping an all new PlayStation 3. The new incarnation is supposedly slimmer, lighter weight, and sexy as hell.
It's not as if Sony haven't got a history of making things slimmer and, er, lighter: The PSP shed a lot of its weight last summer, the original PlayStation ended up as the minuscule PSOne, and the PlayStation 2 re-incarnated as the PSTwo, which was an all-round sexier piece of kit to boot. Roll on PSThree?
“The Razer Pro|Click, is a wired, high sensitivity Mac gaming mouse, with same “Always on” feature common with Razer’s other mice. It is an Optical mouse, like the Razer Deathadder, but it takes it shape from the Razer Copperhead. Introduced to me as a gaming solution for my Mac Pro. The white coloring is an obvious choice to match Apple's color scheme for pretty much everything that isn't silver.”
Fremont, CA, February 28, 2008 – Corsair® http://www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the HX1000W power supply unit (PSU), the world’s first 1000 watt PSU to be certified under the newly-created 3-way NVIDIA® SLI® Technology Certification Program from NVIDIA Corporation. The Corsair HX1000W will be debuted at the CeBIT 2008 show next week in Hanover, Germany on Corsair’s stand (Booth 40, Hall 21).
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it plans to cut prices of its Windows Vista operating system sold at retail outlets in a move aimed at pushing customers to switch to the newest version of Windows.
The world's largest software maker said it plans to lower retail prices for Vista in 70 countries later this year in tandem with the shipment of the first major update to Vista, known as Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Packaged versions of Windows Vista sold at stores and on the Web account for less than 10 percent of all licenses of the dominant Windows operating system that sits on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers.
San Francisco - Think you can get away with using e-mail and the Internet in violation of company policy? Think again.
A new survey found that more than a quarter of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail, and one third have fired workers for misusing the Internet on the job. The study, conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, surveyed 304 U.S. companies of all sizes.
You don't have to venture very far to dig up unofficial concepts for Apple products of all sorts, but this one from designer Nuno Teixeira is certainly more attention grabbing than most, even if it isn't any more realistic. Dubbed the "iMac iView," the main distinguishing feature here is obviously the curved screen, which isn't actually all that far out there, but still a ways from becoming anywhere near commonplace. As if that wasn't enough, the concept also boasts a second screen on the rear (pictured after the break), and webcams on both the front and back, which would finally let you have impersonal conversations with the person sitting right across from you.
Remember the US Military ray gun that makes people feel like they're on fire? Well, 60 Minutes sent out a reporter to see if he could take the heat. Standing in plain view of the ray gun made his body feel like "scalding water," so David Martin attempted, with little success, to hide behind a piece of plywood and later a mattress. Some claim they can only take the heat ray 4 - 5 seconds, so when David tried it we think he only made it 2 seconds, even if he did say, "ONE ONE THOUSAND TWO ONE THOUSAND THREE ONEEEAAHHHHRRHHR"
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Web search company Google Inc is testing in the United States an online storage bank where individuals can store and access their medical records, the company said on Thursday.
Just last week, Google said it was teaming up with the Cleveland Clinic, a leading academic medical center, to test an exchange of medical data that Google says will put the patient in charge of his own records. The electronic system will allow patients to control their records and interact with multiple physicians, health care service providers and pharmacies.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii game console outsold Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 nearly 4-to-1 in Japan in February as Wii software titles dominated the best seller list, a game magazine publisher said.
Nintendo sold 331,627 units of the Wii in the four weeks to February 24, compared with 89,131 units of the PS3, Enterbrain said on Thursday. The Wii's lead on the PS3 appears to be widening: In January, Nintendo's game console outsold Sony's by almost 3-to-1.
TOKYO - Japan's fair trade watchdog raided two electronics companies Thursday on suspicion of fixing prices of display panels for Nintendo's popular DS portable game machines, officials said.
Fair Trade Commission investigators searched several offices and factories of Sharp Corp. and Hitachi Display Ltd., a display unit of Hitachi, an FTC official said on condition of anonymity, citing internal policy.
The two companies are accused of fixing prices of LCD panels before supplying them to Nintendo for its DS consoles since around 2005, the FTC official said.
Osaka-based Sharp and Hitachi Displays, based in Tokyo, are the only two suppliers of small LCD panels for DS and DS Lite models produced by Nintendo Co.
It's not the first USB peripheral we've seen that'll keep watch on how fast you type, but this new USB Speedometer is certainly the most imposing, and apparently a bit more capable than most. Namely, unlike others which simply track keystrokes, this one keep track of both your words-per-minute and the total number of words you type in a day, although you'll need to install some software to take for that. If those are details you just have to have at all times, you'll be able to get your hands on one of these next month for about $40.
It's not the super cheap $59 plan everyone was hoping for, but it's finally joined the other three carriers in offering a $99 unlimited plan. Sprint's version includes unlimited voice, data, text messages, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS, Direct Connect and Group Connect. This seems like it's even better than most of the other plans (Verizon and AT&T's are for voice only, and T-Mobile's is for voice and messaging). Good job Sprint!
“Overall, the Thermaltake 760i BigWater Liquid Cooling System is one efficient compact liquid cooling system. Not only does it integrate nicely in to your chassis, it'll also compliment most any system you want to assemble. Thermaltake took the time to preassemble some things and make the installation process much simpler. All these factors have made it a very easy system to use and should be simple enough for any and every user wanting to make a change in the way the CPU is cooled.”
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp released the latest version of its Windows operating system for powerful servers on Wednesday, thrusting itself into the red-hot market for virtualization technology that allows one computer to act like many machines.
Windows Server 2008 marks Microsoft's first major challenge against VMware Inc, the leader in virtualization, by building the technology into its core operating system.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union fined Microsoft Corp. a record $1.3 billion Wednesday for the amount it charges rivals for software information.
EU regulators said the company charged "unreasonable prices" until last October to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows desktop operating system.
The fine is the largest ever for a single company and brings to just under $2.5 billion the amount the EU has demanded Microsoft pay in a long-running antitrust dispute.
Oh man, do I like this table. Sure, it provides a flat surface for eating or working on like most tables, but it also has marble tracks carved into it. That means that when you get bored of your meal/job, you can put marbles in the top and watch them follow an elaborate path around the legs and down to the ground. Call me a simpleton, but this thing would keep me entertained for an embarrassing amount of time.
Hailed as a rig that "gamers won't outgrow," the XPS 630 that we originally peeked at CES is finally official. As expected, the tower is ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI-ready and will support Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme processors on the nForce 650i SLI chipset. You can beef things up with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 1TB of HDD space or an optional Blu-ray drive and AGEIA PhysX accelerator, and you'll have plenty of room for all those peripherals thanks to six total USB 2.0 ports, an optional 19-in-1 media card reader, gigabit Ethernet, audio in / out, FireWire and even PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors. Also of note, it's the first pre-fab PC to support the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA), and you can snag your own for as little as $1,249 right now.
Hot on the heels of a pair of roomy 2.5-inchers comes Toshiba with a duo of even smaller drives likely destined for PMPs and cereal boxes of the future. The 120GB MK1216GSG and 80GB MK8016GSG are both designed to the latest SATA 2.6 specification and also feature the micro-SATA connector. Furthermore, the 5,400 RPM units weigh in at just 62 grams apiece and feature 8MB cache and a 489 Mbits/sec data transfer rate. Per usual, pricing on these buggers remains a mystery.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Internet service providers may have inadvertently blocked the popular YouTube Web site across the world at the weekend when they restricted local access to the site, a telecommunications official said.
YouTube said on Monday that many users around the world could not access the site for about two hours because traffic had been routed according to erroneous Internet protocols.
Apple just slipped out a second press release this AM bragging that, according to NPD, it is now the #2 music retailer in the US, behind the megalithic Wal-Mart.
Apple also boasts 50 million iTunes customers and over 4 billion tracks sold. It's a nice celebratory email, based on solid facts, but it hides some serious insecurities: things might not remain this rosy for long.
More and more people will soon discover Amazon's download store, with higher-res, lower-priced non-DRM MP3s, plus automatic loading into iTunes. Many iPod owners will also be drawn to Wal-Mart's own increasingly busy download department, though in our Battlemodo we decided Amazon was the better bet.
I've bought numerous tracks off amazon lately. It's quick and painless and great quality. Quick Bytes:
NEW YORK - Most of the world's Internet users lost access to YouTube for several hours Sunday after an attempt by Pakistan's government to block access domestically affected other countries.
The outage highlighted yet another of the Internet's vulnerabilities, coming less than a month after broken fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean took Egypt off line and caused communications problems from the Middle East to India.
An Internet expert likened the cause of the outage to "identity theft" by a Pakistani telecommunications company, which accidentally started advertising itself as the fastest route to YouTube. But instead of serving up videos of skateboarding dogs, it sent the traffic into oblivion.
AOL on Monday introduced Xdrive Desktop Lite, a new version of the online data storage service. For the first time, Xdrive works on the Mac, thanks to AOL's switch to Adobe AIR technology. Xdrive Desktop Lite is being offered as a public beta.
Xdrive provides users with an online storage repository. Users upload digital files stored on their local hard drive, then can access those files from within the Xdrive application on that computer or other systems with an Internet connection. Users can get up to 5GB of storage via Xdrive for free; additional space costs extra (a 50GB plan costs $9.95 per month). AOL acquired Xdrive in 2005.
In order to promote a smooth platform transition, Intel plans to start dropping shipment ratios of Napa Refresh and Santa Rosa notebook platforms in the second quarter of 2008 to let the upcoming Centrino 2 (Montevina) platform become its major player, according to sources at notebooks makers.
Montevina will account for around 18% of Intel's notebook shipments after it launches in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the percentage will increase to around 50% and grow to around 90% by the end of 2008.
Napa Refresh with Merom processors will account for around 6% of shipments by the end of March, while Napa and Celeron M processors will only account for around 3%. The platform will be completely phased out by the end of the second quarter, said the sources.
eBay angered many sellers when it raised its fees and overhauled its feedback system in ways which many perceived to be very anti-seller. The changes particularly hurt sellers of small, low-priced items like CDs and video games, which were faced with sharp hikes in their fees upon successful sales.
These sellers had to decide to either put up with it, or take their business elsewhere. DailyTech's Shane McGlaun wrote in a blog an open letter to eBay, voicing his frustration and the frustration of many others. He cited that he was not alone -- CNN recently reported that five of eBay's top sellers called it quits after the changes.
DailyTech reported over the weekend that Microsoft pulled the plug on its Xbox 360 HD DVD player. The move was not surprising considering that Toshiba, maker of the drive, already decided to get out of the HD DVD hardware market.
We noted in the article that it would only be a matter of time before a "fire sale" would commence on the discontinued player. Today, Best Buy confirmed our suspicions by slashing the player's price to $49.99.
The $49.99 price is likely the bottom end for the player which has seen its MSRP drop from $199.99 to $179.99 to $129.99 over the past year.
“The Adata Disney Series 2GB USB Drive is a cool idea and will naturally end up being a popular gift if you want to send or take something home reminding you of Disney. It's a cool idea that'll appeal to everyone's better nature without the theme park price tag. This should please a lot of people. And the novelty of it should resonate among the younger people. My daughter saw the pictures from CES and thought it was the coolest thing for kids who want to take music over their friends house, or for school projects. She knew exactly what it would probably best be suited. So, you can imagine the excitement level while taking pictures. I'd like to have played with it a little longer, but apparently, it's not my turn anymore.”
SEOUL (Reuters) - A battery in a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) notebook computer melted on Sunday, officials from the company and South Korea's fire department said.
The notebook battery emitted smoke after being used for about three and a half hours on a pillow, a fire department official in Seoul told Reuters by telephone.
The battery burned a bed and a floor a bit, but did not cause a big fire, he added.
SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray.
Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own," Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a written statement.
It's really too bad nanotechnology is so gosh darn morally unacceptable, it could do so much good for humanity! Take this new wiperless windshield, for instance. Designed by Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina, the Hidra features an aerodynamic design, and a bit of a nanotech sandwich (mmm, sandwich) to keep the front glass clear of water and debris. The first layer protects from sun and repels water, the second layer features "nano-dust" to push dirt to the edges of the windshield and is activated by the third layer which senses the dirt, while the whole kit is powered by the fourth layer which conducts electricity to keep it going. The tech could be ready for mass production within 5 years, but there's already a working prototype in the Hidra concept car.
SAN FRANCISCO - Want to break into a computer's encrypted hard drive? Just blast the machine's memory chip with a burst of cold air.
That's the conclusion of new research out of Princeton University demonstrating a novel, low-tech way hackers can access even the most well-protected computers, provided they have physical access to the machines.
The Princeton report shows how encryption, long considered a vital shield against hacker attacks, can be defeated by manipulating the way memory chips work. The researchers say the ease of their attack raises fears about the security of laptop computers increasingly used to store sensitive information, from personal banking data, to company trade secrets, to national security documents.
CHIP FIRM Intel is preparing to introduce a six core chip called the "Dunnington", a processor that will pave the way for its Nehalem architecture later this year.
According to Eclipse, the “Dunnington” was designed in Bangalore, and will use three dual core 45 nanometre Penryn processors with a shared 16MB L3 cache.
With the launch of the mid-range GeForce 9600 GT marking the debut of Nvidia's GeForce 9-series, graphics card makers have revealed details of the rest of the cards Nvidia is scheduled to launch in the coming months.
At the top-end of the 9-series cards will sit the dual-GPU GeForce 9800 GX2 which will launch on March 11 this year. This will be followed by the GeForce 9800 GTX and 9800 GT between the end of March and beginning of April.
For the mid-range Nvidia will offer the GeForce 9600 GS in May, according the sources.
In June, the company will launch the value-level GeForce 9500 GT based on the G96 graphics core with a reduced 128-bit memory interface. To complete the series, the GeForce 9500 GS will launch in July.
It's the damndest thing: years after seeing the renders we're actually finally writing this post on our very own Optimus Maximus. We've had ours for a few weeks for testing, but we weren't able to do a whole lot with it until we got some later firmware updates.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU and U.S. senior officials said on Friday they would crack down on counterfeiting of computer components after they seized over 360,000 fake items in just two weeks in a joint operation at the end of last year.
Integrated circuits and computer components of over 40 trademarks including Intel, Cisco and Philips, worth more than $1.3 billion, were seized during the operation, the officials said.
"Traffickers and counterfeiters have become much more sophisticated ... They are no longer confining themselves to trafficking in some of the traditional goods we used to see them in, such as footwear or handbags," U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner Dan Baldwin said.
Sunnyvale, CA—February 21, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced two new Reaper HPC solutions for enthusiasts upgrading to next generation of cutting-edge platforms. The PC3-10666 Reaper HPC Series is available in both 2GB and 4GB dual channel kits to meet the specific needs of customized gaming systems or workstations, offering perfect compatibility with the latest platforms and chipsets at a price that will be attractive to upgraders with a specific budget in mind.
“External options still seem to be the best because of all those factors. Millsy has been checking out some huge back planes from Thecus which are perfect for the hardcore data fiends. Smaller scale users tend to benefit most from single and dual drive external enclosures. These include USB 2.0 and eSATA enclosures like the Rosewill RX81-MP Storage Enclosure. Why eSATA you ask? Read on see the two versions compared.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday that it would make key technology elements of some of its best-selling software products widely available to boost interoperability of its software with that of competitors and customers.
To make connecting Microsoft products with third-party software products easier, Microsoft will publish on its Web site key software blueprints, known as application program interfaces, pertaining to its high-volume products used by other Microsoft products.
Microsoft also pledged not to sue open-source developers for development or noncommercial distribution of those software blueprints.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray DVD camp, a day after Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-generation game in town.
Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement issued Wednesday to The Hollywood Reporter: "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," the statement read. "As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - No. 3 U.S. mobile service provider Sprint Nextel Corp is expected to offer flat-rate calling plans at up to a 40 percent discount to its rivals, hurtling the industry into a price war, analysts said on Wednesday.
The two largest U.S. mobile service providers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc, on Tuesday unveiled $99.99-a-month plans for unlimited calls. T-Mobile USA went a step further by including text messaging in that price.
Sprint has yet to respond and spokeswoman Leigh Horner declined comment on any plans for future offers, but analysts say the company could be considering an unlimited calling plan for as low as $60 a month to stem customer defections.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Verizon Wireless and Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) T-Mobile USA on Tuesday announced flat rate plans for unlimited calls in the United States, raising investor concerns that a price war could break out and sending shares lower.
Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research), said early on Tuesday it started offering unlimited calls for $99.99 a month. AT&T and T-Mobile USA followed with similar plans.
The actions put pressure on Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the No. 3 U.S. wireless service, to match the plans or risk customers defecting, analysts said.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it will sell its microchip production facilities in western Japan to Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) for 90 billion yen ($835 million), in their latest move to focus on their core businesses.
The equipment will be used by their semiconductor joint venture that will make high-performance Cell chips and RSX graphic chips, both used in Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, as well as other microchips that go into Toshiba products.
The venture will be established on April 1.
Sony, which is focusing on image sensor chips for digital cameras and pulling away from heavy investments for cutting-edge chip production equipment, said in October it would sell production facilities for making key microchips used in the PS3 to Toshiba, but the price has been unavailable.
The Mozilla Foundation Tuesday opened Mozilla Messaging, a new subsidiary focused on developing its free, open-source Thunderbird e-mail software.
Mozilla Messaging will initially focus on developing Thunderbird 3, which aims at improving several aspects of the software, including integrated calendaring, better search, as well as enhancements to the overall user experience, the company said in a statement.
The Mozilla Foundation is best known for creating the Firefox Web browser, a potent rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The organization enjoys wide support in the open source community because both Firefox and Thunderbird are based on the open source development model.
Doesn't look like there's going to be any glory in death for HD DVD -- we've just received confirmation that GameStop is no longer accepting HD DVD movies as trade-ins, and several GameStops have apparently already stopped taking the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive as well. We're also hearing that the 360 HD DVD drive will no longer be accepted at any GameStop as of tomorrow, and that there's a major price cut in the works -- which makes sense, but we'll see what happens. For now, though, it looks like HD DVD fans jumping ship may have to resort to eBay -- or start peddling discs out the back of their cars.
Fremont, CA, February 19, 2008 – Corsair® http://www.corsair.com, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced today that new record-breaking speeds have been achieved within the Corsair DDR2 and DDR3 lines of DRAM memory.
Maximum Performance & Extreme Over-Clocking for Demanding Gaming Enthusiasts
Available by the end of February, two new Corsair 4GB DDR2 module speed grades are being offered for high-performance enthusiast users: Corsair 1066MHz (PC2-8500) and 1142MHz (PC2-9136) 4GB memory kits (2X2GB). The new memory modules utilize Corsair’s patented DHX technology, which employs a specially designed quadruple heat sink to dissipate heat through both convection and conductive methods. The results are maximum performance and extreme over-clocking capability for the demanding gaming enthusiast.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research) surrendered in the high-definition home movie war on Tuesday, giving up on its HD DVD format after losing the support of key studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research).
The decision by the electronics maker ends the battle with a consortium led by Sony over who would set the standard for the next generation of discs, a fight that confused shoppers and stalled a move to the new technology in the $24 billion home DVD market.
The Blu-ray win means consumers no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax, Sony's videotape format that lost out to VHS in the 1980s.
Toshiba, which had hoped HD DVD would drive growth in its consumer electronics business, said it would aim to end its HD DVD business by the end of next month.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) unveiled a new initiative on Monday that will give college and high school students around the world free access to technology tools used to develop and design software.
The world's largest software maker said the initiative will allow students to use Microsoft's developer and designer tools to write software applications, design elaborate Web pages or create new video games to run on the Xbox 360 console.
The development and design tools are available immediately to college students in the United States, Western Europe and China, but Microsoft said it will eventually extend the program to other countries and high school students, potentially reaching 1 billion students.
“The case isn't just a gimmick, because it actually does have plenty of useable features. There is the potential for excellent cooling all around given the number of fans included and the fans that can be added. The open rear chassis almost appeared a bit odd since I'm so use to a closed chassis. However, this means there is more than enough room for warm air to escape and it's completely concealed by the really cool looking rear door.”
TOKYO (Reuters) - An impending end to a format war over next-generation DVDs boosted shares in both victorious Sony, in the Blu-ray corner, and Toshiba, in the losing HD DVD camp, on Monday as consumers cheered an end to confusion over which discs will carry high-definition movies.
Shares in Toshiba Corp, which a company source said was planning to axe its HD DVD format, jumped nearly 6 percent as analysts praised a move to cut its losses, while Sony Corp shares rose 1 percent.
The Blu-ray win means consumers seeking sharper movies on high-definition DVDs no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax -- Sony's videotape technology that lost out to VHS in the 1980s.
The Cornell University junior was in his dorm between classes when the text message came in from a friend. Check out JuicyCampus.com, it said.
The student found his name on the Web site beside a rambling, filthy passage about his sexual exploits, posted by an anonymous student on campus. The young man could only hope the commentary was so ridiculous nobody would believe it.
"I thought, `Is this going to affect my job employment? Is this going to make people on campus look at me? Are people going to talk about me behind my back?" said the student, who asked not to be identified. He also wondered about his 11-year-old sister, who is spending more time on the Internet. "What if she Googles me? What will she think about her big brother?" he said.
Microsoft hit us up with a statement today regarding its Xbox 360 HD DVD player in light of the format's current woes. The company seems to think the news won't have "any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace." Microsoft goes on to reiterate its line about the largest next-gen games library and its belief that "it is games that sell consoles." For those of you hoping for some sort of Blu-ray attachment for the 360 -- or a sense of purpose for that increasingly obsolete HD DVD player currently hooked up to your 360 -- Microsoft does say that "we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player," which seems to imply there's something to announce once HD DVD finally kicks the bucket, but at this point the prospect of a Blu-ray add-on still seems rather optimistic.
The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.
The format war, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has confused consumers unsure of which DVD or player to buy, slowing the development what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high definition DVD industry.
Toshiba's cause has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks including Friday's announcement by U.S. retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that it would abandon the HD DVD format and only stock its shelves with Blu-ray movies.
The format war between Toshiba Corp-backed HD DVD and Sony Corp's Blu-ray, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has slowed the development of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry.
It also has been a thorn in the side of retailers, which have had to commit shelf space to devices from both camps even as they field complaints from customers frustrated that some films come out in HD DVD while others are released in Blu-ray.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, announced the move as a phase-out at 4,000 U.S. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores by June, saying it was responding to consumer preference.
Time to face the music, dear HD DVD fans. The red format is officially dead, and unless HD VMD makes an unprecedented run here in the next few weeks, we've all ideas that Blu-ray will take the throne in the high-definition disc war. That being said, we know there are hordes of folks out there now stuck with an HD DVD player -- not to mention the corresponding media -- that is quickly becoming a tainted collector's item. So, what are you to do? Move on and side with the Blu camp? Revolt and pick up a VUDU?
“The Destructor's surface is made with a proprietary "gunmetal" coating which gives it the exceptional reactive surface. In layman's terms, that means the surface helps laser type mice respond easier than compared to something like the Everglide series. The gunmetal coating appears to be pretty resilient against even against minor abuse such as when you get pwned in game and start slapping the pad or banging your mouse against it. You know who you are out there...”
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The high-definition DVD format war has turned into a format death watch.
Toshiba is expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format in the coming weeks, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's stunning announcement in early January that it would support only Sony's rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.
Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. "Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings," she said.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Security systems can now block the first computer viruses attack on cell phones, but the mobile industry sees new risks stemming from upcoming open software platforms such as Google's Android.
Since 2004, viruses have been able to disable phones or swell phone bills through pricey messages or unwanted calls, leading to a new security technology market.
"If Android becomes a fully open platform ... and when such a platform becomes more common, risks are greater than with the current platform kings such as Symbian," said Mikko Hypponen, head of research at security software firm F-Secure.
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - After replacing paper maps for millions of drivers, GPS technology is now being put into mobile phones and was one of the most-hyped developments at this week's Mobile World Congress.
The biggest handset manufacturers and GPS (global positioning system) specialists have begun building handsets with personal navigation software, planning routes and guiding pedestrians with detailed digital maps.
Advertising for GPS in phones, long-awaited by the industry, was everywhere at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, one of the industry's biggest trade shows.
We're pretty sure this camera setup won't be putting the Wachowski Brothers out of a job any time soon, but some folks at Carnegie Mellon slapped this Matrix-style rig together for a "mere" $22,000. The cameras are mounted on linear guides, making them self-reconfigurable, and each can shoot 640 x 480 video at 30 fps. Their purported aims are "Image-based rendering," creating 3D objects with little scene geometry info, but we're sure they're doing plenty of bullet time scenarios in their free time. Coming to a YouTube near you: Matrix Restitutions.
Warranty seller SquareTrade, sampling from a pool of over 1,000 claims, says that it's seeing an Xbox 360 failure rate at around 16 percent. Most Xbox 360 owners -- at least the early adopters -- don't just fear the RRoD, they've come to expect it, and compared to projected failure rates of 3% for the Wii and PS3 (a stat Microsoft claimed initially), it's obvious that this continues to be a spendy problem for Microsoft and a headache for its customers. As 1UP points out, the 16% stat might be a little high, since the type of user that would seek out a separate warranty is probably more of a power user, and the majority of problems are heat-related, but whatever the true number is, it'll probably continue to rise in the immediate future as we all CoD4 our gen one 360s to death, and then eventually fall as the 65nm and eventually 45nm Xboxes fill the market.
The U.S. military made a worried announcement informing the public of the satellite's descent last month. Now they have decided on a course of action, which reads like a movie script -- they will shoot the damaged satellite out of the sky with a missile. The military under orders from the U.S. executive branch plans to fire two or three SM-3 missiles at the satellite from a U.S. Navy cruiser. The officials involved spoke on a condition of anonymity, but official word will be released later today.
“I have really grown to like the Foxconn G33M-S a lot. It's a good looking board with an excellent feature set and has proven to be extremely reliable. The integrated Intel chipset will more than satisfy your basic graphics needs like surfing the web, checking email, and even some light gaming. However if you're looking for a bit more graphics power you can add any PCI-e graphics card and really unleash this m-ATX powerhouse. Do like I did and add an 8800 series graphics card, a couple gig of memory and a decent Core 2 Duo CPU and you'll have a stable and powerful small form factor system that packs a punch.”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior lawmaker said on Wednesday he had introduced legislation designed to prevent broadband Internet providers from unreasonable interference with subscribers' access to content.
The bill offered by Rep. Edward Markey is the latest to raise concerns about "net neutrality," an issue that pits open-Internet advocates against some service providers such as Comcast Corp, who say they need to take reasonable steps to manage traffic on their networks.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. scientists have developed a microfiber fabric that generates its own electricity, making enough current to recharge a cell phone or ensure that a small MP3 music player never runs out of power.
If made into a shirt, the fabric could harness power from its wearer simply walking around or even from a slight breeze, they reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
"The fiber-based nanogenerator would be a simple and economical way to harvest energy from the physical movement," Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who led the study, said in a statement.
It looks like Android will have more than just its openness and pretty face to show to the world soon. According to a report from Reuters, LG has officially set a time-table for bringing a Google-powered handset to market (and obviously not the phone above). "We will bring it out late in 2008 or early 2009," said Chang Ma, the company's vice president for marketing strategy. The plan sounds shockingly close to competitor Samsung's scheme for a rollout of the Linux phone in early 2009. Clearly, companies are doing more than just putting pen to paper on the platform -- let's just hope those minor kinks get straightened out before the new year.
The saga of one crazy suit began with Best Buy customer Raelyn Campbell's purchase of a laptop computer from a local Best Buy store in the D.C. area. A Best Buy staffer talked her into buying a $300 extended warranty. The warranty includes coverage by Best Buy's service technicians -- "Geek Squad" -- for three years, and replacements of defective hardware free of charge.
Her laptop indeed experienced hardware malfunctions within a year when her on/off switch broke. At that point, Campbell breathed a sigh of relief that she purchased the warranty and took her laptop in to Best Buy. She turned in her laptop in May and was told that it would be up and running within two to six weeks. This was a major inconvenience to her, as she was a frequent business traveler, but she figured she just should stay optimistic that it came as soon as possible.
“In the past few years we have seen the move towards quiet computing. In the early days of modding, the aim was to achieve a well-cooled system no matter what the cost, with the "cost" usually being annoyingly loud fans. No more, some have said. With the multitude of other "quiet cases" out there currently, Nexus has set out to beat them all with their Caterpillar, dubbed the "Silent System PC Case". Can this innovative case live up to the promises?”
ALBANY, N.Y. - Amazon.com is fighting Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to require out-of-state online companies to collect New York state sales tax on goods they send to addresses in New York — the most recent cash-strapped state to propose the tax.
Spitzer estimates in his budget that the state would gain $47 million by requiring Internet giants such as Amazon.com to collect state sales tax. If that portion of the budget is passed, retailers will start being required to collect the taxes.
NEW YORK - The company behind the BlackBerry smart phones said a three-hour e-mail outage Monday was caused by an upgrade designed to increase capacity.
Research in Motion Ltd. Tuesday said the upgrade was part of "routine and ongoing efforts," and that similar upgrades in the past had caused no problems.
The outage, which started about 3:30 p.m. EST, annoyed subscribers who are used to checking and writing e-mail whenever they're in cellular coverage and able to make voice calls. It affected only some of the BlackBerry users in North America — for others, the service kept working fully.
Japan-based Plextor, on February 6, unveiled two dual-format Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD optical disc drives, the PX-B300SA and PX-B920SA, for launch in late February, but it is still uncertain whether dual-format will become the mainstream in the battle between BD and HD DVD, according to leading Taiwan-based ODD makers.
PX-B300SA supports BD-ROM, BD-R (recordable), BD-RE (rewritable) and HD DVD formats, whereas PX-B920SA has the same functionality plus BD-R and BD-RE burning, the sources pointed out.
Plextor is the second vendor to offer BD/HD DVD dual-format drives next to LG Electronics, while Samsung has offered BD/HD DVD recorders, the sources indicated. However, BD/HD DVD dual-formats will find it hard to become popular because production costs, including royalty payments, are higher. Leading Japan-based vendors including Sony, Pioneer and Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) are not expected to offer dual-format models, the sources emphasized.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The company that makes the ubiquitous, addictive BlackBerry smart phones said Tuesday it was still looking into what caused the second widespread service disruption in less than a year.
Research in Motion Ltd. said customers in the United States and Canada "experienced intermittent delays" for about three hours Monday beginning about 3:30 p.m. EST. RIM said no messages were lost, and voice and text messaging services were unaffected.
"It is too early to determine root cause at this time, but RIM does have a team addressing this issue in order to define the problem and prevent it in the future," the company said in a statement.
Each sturdy Laptop Stand includes two silent built-in cooling fans, a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and 4 push-button elevation settings. The lowest elevation allows for cooling and improved ergonomics while using the laptop’s own keyboard. In addition to cooling, the 3 steeper inclines raise the screen closer to eye level to create an ergonomically-sound desktop workstation when using a separate keyboard and mouse. With the exception of the Attaché’s heat-absorbing aluminum face plate, both units are identical.
The $69.95 Attaché Laptop Stand and the $49.95 Envoy Laptop Stand are available directly from LapWorks.
Both Laptop Stands are constructed of high-impact ABS plastic and measure 12-7/8 inches wide by 11 ¾ inches long and 1-5/8 inches thick when folded closed. The Envoy weighs 1 pound, 10.5 ounces while the Attaché weighs 2 pounds, 7.5 ounces with its aluminum face plate. Each is easily transportable and carries a one year warranty.
BARCELONA (Reuters) - LG Electronics plans to start selling a phone model running on Android, the highly anticipated mobile phone operating system, at the start of next year at the latest, a senior official said.
"We will bring it out late in 2008 or early 2009," Chang Ma, LG's vice president for marketing strategy told Reuters in an interview at the Mobile World Congress trade show.
SAN FRANCISCO - EBay Inc. bowed to pressure Monday from some of its high-volume sellers, saying it will further cut listing fees for books, music, movies and video games sold through the online auction site.
Monday's move amends a fee structure announced last month and could mean savings for merchants who sell those goods in high volume. Those sellers had expected to lose money from the new plan, slated to take effect Feb. 20. Some had threatened to stop selling on eBay.
The company said last month it plans to cut the fees for listing an item but raise eBay's commissions on items that sell. Merchants quickly complained the cuts were not enough to balance the hike in commissions.
A BLOKE having a shifty at Google Earth has just discovered a previously unlocated coral reef.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris Simpson mooching around the coastal waters off the coast of Western Australia from the comfort of his PC when he spotted a splodge in the water.
The splodge, west of the Kimberleys, a remote area in northern Western Australia, turned out to be an extensive formation of fringing coral.
Simpson told his boss that he felt like 'bloody Charles Darwin' when he discovered the new reefs. He probably meant Captain Cook.
Coffee means big business here in the United States. Starbucks grew from its humble roots in the Northwest to a point now where you can find at least a few within a 5 mile radius in any major U.S. city. Fast food chain McDonalds has even gotten in on the act to cash in on the success of “premium” coffee.
In an attempt to provide a better "in store experience" for its customers and to distance itself from a growing McDonalds threat, Starbucks today announced a new strategic alliance to provide WiFi service to customers. Beginning in the spring of 2008, 7,000+ Starbucks stores in the U.S. will switch from T-Mobile WiFi access to AT&T.
Blu-ray duplication systems have been on the block for a good while now, but apparently, Aleratec's flavor does something that none of the other cool kids can even dream of: it supports LightScribe. The 1:3 Copy Cruiser Blu LS houses a trio of LightScribe-enabled SATA Blu-ray burners that can toast BD-Rs at 6x as well as vanilla DVDs and CDs at much higher speeds. You'll even find a built-in eSATA connector and a dual channel eSATA host adapter bundled in for those who need one. Here's the rough part -- this critter will set you back a staggering $3,199, so you best be making some serious coin on whatever you're duplicating for this to be even close to a sound investment.
“The foot print of the DuOrb is much smaller and lighter than the stock heat sink which is always a nice result. And, the DuOrb does look better adding a bit more flash to a pricey graphics card with a somewhat boring stock cooler. Unfortunately, the included video memory sinks are plain gray, aluminum. This doesn't do the cooler justice and steals away a bit of its potential. Matching copper sinks would definitely compliment the DuOrb better and keep the look more balanced. The Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler is otherwise a good performer and would make your 8800 series graphics cards stand out. Due to the limited designs of stock VGA coolers, it's nice to have a better option made from copper. If you need better cooling and your current card configuration just can't keep up, give the DuOrb some consideration.”
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc is set to reject Microsoft Corp's unsolicited bid, now worth $42 billion, as too low, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Saturday -- the first clear signal the board might be prepared to negotiate and sell the Internet media giant.
The Wall Street Journal had quoted an unnamed source as saying Microsoft's offer of $31 per share was an attempt to "steal" the company and that Yahoo was unlikely to consider anything under $40 per share -- double its price in January.
At $40 per share, the value of the cash and stock deal would be worth $51.1 billion.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The popular wireless technology known as Bluetooth could get a lot faster next year by taking advantage of Wi-Fi technology already built into many gadgets.
Linking Bluetooth and Wi-Fi may make it easier and faster to transfer large amounts of music between computers and cell phones, or send pictures from a camera phone to a printer, or video from a camcorder to a TV.
CHICAGO - Some call it "Wiihabilitation." Nintendo's Wii video game system, whose popularity already extends beyond the teen gaming set, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries.
The usual stretching and lifting exercises that help the sick or injured regain strength can be painful, repetitive and downright boring.
In fact, many patients say PT — physical therapy's nickname — really stands for "pain and torture," said James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois.
The Microsoft deal means all the world's top handset makers apart from Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) will now have Windows Mobile versions. The Sony Ericsson model, named the "X1," will be a slider phone with a typewriter-style qwerty keyboard and touch screen.
The marketing manager of Microsoft's mobile business, Scott Horn, told Reuters he was confident of reaching the company's goal of selling at least 20 million smartphones with partners by the end of Microsoft's fiscal year at the end of June.
About 123 million smartphones -- phones with computer-like capabilities such as e-mail and Internet browsing -- were sold in 2007, according to market research firm Gartner. In total, about 1.14 billion phones were sold worldwide.
Uh-oh. Social networking was supposed to be the Next Big Thing on the Internet. MySpace, Facebook, and other sites have been attracting millions of new users, building sprawling sites that companies are banking on to trigger an online advertising boom. Trouble is, the boom isn't booming anymore. Like Heritage, many people are spending less time on social networking sites or signing off altogether.
With the $4.64 billion reserve price met on January 31st, the "open access" rules pushed for by Google have become part and parcel to the spectrum. The buyer of the spectrum will be "required to provide a platform that is 'more open to devices and applications' ... allowing consumers their choice in applications and devices to connect with." Regardless of who wins, Google stands to benefit from the "open access" rules to promote their mobile phone OS, Android.
What is 790i? In one sentence: a good reason not to look at the 780i at all. Now, the multiple PCI-E v2 is native within the northbridge, avoiding all the bandwidth and latency roadblocks in the 780i. Then, you have native, dual-channel DDR3 memory support, the first for Nvidia, with DDR3-2000 OC enabled on the Nforce 790i Ultra. Nvidia seems to stick with its EPP enhanced performance profiles for that memory, let's see how it goes against - or together with - Intel's already-entrenched XMP profiles.
Now, if comparing DDR2 controllers in, say, Intel 975X and Nvidia 680i, all things being equal, Nvidia easily took a 10-12 per cent performance lead in both bandwidth and latency. On P35 and X38, that lead became nearly 15 per cent, as all newer Intel chipsets' memory controllers seem to focus more on DDR3 high-bandwidth, high-latency approach.
“You may notice in the test graph that the PF rating is rather low or high, depending on how you look at it. The .82% is above the normal reading that is given from Ultra, and will be what the average user will see due to the fact that I'm only pulling roughly 350W. My system setup didn't even dent the capabilities of the Ultra X2 750W Extreme Edition, but users with a higher demand for the wattage will see a much more efficient reading overall. You may also notice that I don't have any voltage readings of the rails fluctuating; well, any minor fluctuating is normal whether at idle or at full load.”
Sunnyvale, CA—February 7, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today unveiled the OCZ PC2-8500 Reaper HPC 4GB, one the fastest high density kits in the world. Incorporating all the features that make the Reaper HPC series the top choice among gamers and overclockers, this ultra high-speed DDR2 is designed to meet the growing demand for faster high density memory for both productivity and gaming applications. With the price of top-speed DDR2 more affordable to a wide range of consumers, the Reaper HPC 4GB kits offer incredible performance at an attractive price.
“DDR2 is starting to adopt 1066 MHz as the new mainstream frequency, not only for extreme overclocking but also for high system memory densities,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “In order to maximize the system performance, especially in the latest games, 4GB of memory are more and more becoming a must have…but it is also necessary to maintain the throughput regardless of the increase in density. The new PC2-8500 Reaper HPC 4GB kits combine the best of two worlds by delivering extreme bandwidth at 1066 MHz data frequency at 5-5-5 latencies, in combination with advanced heatpipe-based thermal management to again raise the bar for high system memory densities.”
FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - British chip designer ARM (ARM.L: Quote, Profile, Research) will demonstrate a prototype of Google Inc's (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Android mobile phone platform in action next week at the world's biggest wireless fair, a source close to the company said.
It was not immediately clear on Thursday what the working model that ARM plans to show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona would look like or who would supply the parts.
Google plans to deploy phones and services using the Android platform commercially in the second half of this year.
SEATTLE - Near-perfect knockoffs of 21 different Microsoft programs began surfacing around the world just over a decade ago. Soon, PCs in more than a dozen countries were running illegal copies of Windows and Office, turning unwitting consumers into criminals and, Microsoft says, exposing them to increased risk of malicious viruses and spyware.
The case began to turn in 2001 when U.S. Customs officers seized a shipping container in Los Angeles filled with $100 million in fake software, including 31,000 copies of the Windows operating system.
From there, Microsoft pushed the investigation through 22 countries. Local law enforcement officials seized software, equipment and records, and made arrests. A court in Taiwan handed down the last of the major sentences in December. Microsoft estimates the retail value of the software the operation generated at $900 million.
Although we have hope that the format war is shuddering to a close, it's probably still wise to hedge your bets just a little -- and Plextor's got you covered with two new SATA Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives. The new PX-B920SA writes to BD-R at 4x speeds, DVDs at 16x, and CD-Rs at 40x, and reads HD DVD, while the lower-end PX-B300SA drops the BD-R capabilities and just writes to DVD and CD. Plextor says both drives will be available at the end of the month, but sadly we don't have any pricing information.
Ever wonder why gadget store employees push Monster cables like they're crack? Bitchin' markups, just like you suspected/knew all along. That's what we found when a Radio Shack employee sent us his store's entire inventory list, which included the wholesale and retail price of every item in stock.
Some cables, like the 19ft HDMI-DVI cable, have markups as high as 80%. Retail: $179.99. Wholesale, $99.40, a profit of $80.54. Or consider the 16 ft S-Video cable, which Radio Shack buys for $61.24 and sells for $114.99. We found non-name brand versions of both on Meritline.com for under $20. It's not just limited to Radio Shack, Best Buy charges the same retail price, and, presumably, gets them for a similar wholesale price.
After two months of delay, shuttle Atlantis blasted into orbit Thursday with Europe's gift to the international space station, a $2 billion science lab named Columbus that spent years waiting to set sail.
Atlantis and its seven-man crew safely roared away from their seaside launch pad at 2:45 p.m., overcoming fuel gauge problems that thwarted back-to-back launch attempts in December and bad weather threats.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc said on Wednesday it would expand its high-speed wireless service to 80 additional markets in 2008, increasing the number of markets where it offers the service to 350 big U.S. markets.
AT&T, the biggest U.S. mobile service, has been behind rivals in building a network with high-speed wireless Web access for cell phones.
LONDON (Reuters) - It may be the most ever paid for a single letter of an Internet address.
A British travel company has paid 560,000 pounds ($1.1 mln) for the domain name cruises.co.uk, a price that is effectively $1 million just for the letter "S" since it already owns the address cruise.co.uk.
The sum shatters the previous record for a .co.uk domain of $300,000, paid in October last year. Seamus Conlon, whose company bought the address from a German travel company, said it was a necessary move to retain dominance in the rapidly growing market for ocean cruising.
"'Cruises' is consistently ranked first on Google, with 'cruise' just behind," he said.
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp.'s online advertising researchers will spend this year teaching computers to be smart about sticking ads into video clips, and to be even smarter about targeting ads to specific Web surfers.
Microsoft showed off a handful of early-stage advertising projects at its headquarters Tuesday that may or may not turn up as part of Microsoft's Web advertising platform.
The demonstrations come just days after Microsoft's $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo Inc., which, if successful, will boost the software maker's Web traffic and online ad revenue.
If you're reading Engadget today because your favorite Iranian gadget blog is offline, here's why: a fifth undersea cable has now been reported as cut, responsible for knocking Iran and a few other million people mostly off the interwebs. Things were already looking awfully suspicious when a fourth undersea cable in the Mediterranean was cut yesterday, and while nothing about a fifth cable being cut necessarily means some sort of sabotage is to blame, it's not exactly reassuring. Emergency measures are already underway to repair the cables, but we're not sure our inter-continental Quake III Arena deathmatch can handle any more snips.
When it comes to computers, I do OK at handling tech problems that arise. TVs and their components — not so much.
I’m not really good at making my way through the minefield of options with the DVD player plugged into our TV, and I can barely manage the TV cable remote.
For years, I’ve heard techies and non-techies talk about how easy TiVo is to use. I put off getting it for a long time, despite the “want” factor, mainly because of the money factor. There is a monthly charge for the service that so handily records any show you want.
CUPERTINO, California—February 5, 2008—Apple® today added new models of the iPhone™ and iPod® touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.
“For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Business software units of Yahoo Inc and Google Inc are introducing beefed-up versions of their Web-based software that compete with Microsoft Outlook, offering yet another clue why Microsoft Corp made a $45 billion unsolicited bid for Yahoo.
While Microsoft views Yahoo as its path into the lucrative Web advertising market dominated by Google, Tuesday's software announcements by Yahoo and Google demonstrate that Microsoft also needs to fend off potential challenges to its business software franchises.
The end of the high-definition disc war seems in sight, say industry observers, with major studio Warner Bros. jumping to the Blu-ray Disc camp and leaving the competing HD DVD format with a dwindling base of Hollywood support.
But ahead lies the real uphill battle: selling high-definition discs — in any format — to consumers who appear more than satisfied with the DVDs they've already bought over the past few years.
DVDs, like CDs before them, were adopted by the mass market quickly because they represented a demonstrable combination of improvements in convenience and quality over VHS and LPs, respectively. But U.S. consumers typically give greater weight to convenience — remember laserdisc? — over quality.
The march of mouse progress apparently never stops, and Microsoft just announce a pair of new ones to drive that point home. The Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 (after the break) is the more portable one of the bunch, with a snap-in 2.4GHz USB receiver packed inside a desktop-sized laser mouse. The Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 (pictured) sacrifices a bit of portability for a rechargeable batteries -- with a horizontal charging dock to host the mouse when times are rough and juice is scarce. Both mice include Microsoft's HD Lasers and a few Vista-friendly buttons. You can pick them up in March fo $50 and $70, respectively.
SANTA CLARA, CA — FEBRUARY 4, 2008—NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA), the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the industry leader in gaming physics technology. AGEIA's PhysX software is widely adopted with more than 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on Sony Playstation3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and Gaming PCs. AGEIA physics software is pervasive with over 10,000 registered and active users of the PhysX SDK.
“Now we're on to the computer side of the Consumer Electronics Show. As I mentioned, there wasn't quite as many booths this year sporting that many new products that could classify as headliners. The obvious new products include Nvidia's new HD motherboards and 3D technologies, Intel's 45nm next generation processors, newly released Wireless N networking, and solid state drives.”
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc would consider a business alliance with Google Inc as one way to rebuff a $44.6 billion takeover proposal by Microsoft, a source familiar with Yahoo's strategy said on Sunday.
Yahoo management is considering revisiting talks it held with Google several months ago on an alliance as an alternative to Microsoft's bid, that source said. At $31 a share, Yahoo believes the bid undervalues the company, two sources said.
SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. raised the specter of Microsoft Corp. using its proposed $42 billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc. to gain illegal control over the Internet, underscoring the online search leader's queasiness about its two biggest rivals teaming up.
The critical remarks, posted online Sunday by Google's top lawyer, represented the Mountain View-based company's first public reaction to Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo since the offer was announced Friday.
"Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo raises troubling questions," David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, wrote. "This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation."
Super Bowl XLII Update.... Posted by Diceman on Monday, February 4, 2008 @ 12:26
Well, Super Bowl XLII is over and the New York Giants just pulled off an incredible upset beating the (previously undefeated) New England Patriots. I'm just sick about it personally, but congrats to the Giants nevertheless. I think I went into cardiac arrest about 5 times during the game....I need oxygen.
VH News: Weekend Edition Posted by Diceman on Saturday, February 2, 2008 @ 10:33
Less than 24 hours until Super Bowl XLII!! I can't wait. I'm stocked up on the beer and chips and I'll be rooting hardcore for the New England Patriots to finish out the only 19-0 perfect season...EVER! Until then, let me rip out some news! LiteOn's Moldable Mouse of the future
Made of lightweight modelling clay and covered with a nylon and polyurethane blend fabric, Moldable Mouse can be kneaded into shapes by users.
Moldable Mouse breaks the boundaries of the traditional mouse with its revolutionary design. Currently, all computer mouse products in the market are made with hard plastic, and their shapes are not universally adaptable to the human hand. Even the most advanced “ergonomically designed” mouse does not fit the preferences of every user. The inelasticity of the plastic model is problematic for long-time usage, as numerous people have suffered wrist injuries from extensive use in a fixed position. Moldable Mouse eliminates this problem with its unique design.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said it may take "quite a bit of time" to weigh its strategic options, including keeping the company independent, following Microsoft Corp's $45 billion offer to buy the company.
In a weekend posting on the company's Web site, Yahoo said it was undertaking a deliberate review of Microsoft's unsolicited offer to pay Yahoo shareholders either $31 in cash, or 0.9509 of a share of Microsoft common stock.
The review "will include evaluating all of the Company's strategic alternatives including maintaining Yahoo! as an independent company," the posting said. "A review process like this is fluid, and it can take quite a bit of time."
LOS ANGELES - A breakthrough in contract talks has been reached between Hollywood studios and striking writers and could lead to a tentative deal as early as next week, a person close to the ongoing negotiations said Saturday.
The two sides breached the gap Friday on the thorniest issues, those concerning compensation for projects distributed via the Internet, said the person, who requested anonymity because he were not authorized to speak publicly.
A second person familiar with the talks, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to comment publicly, said that significant progress had been made and a deal might be announced within a week.
SEATTLE - Critics thought it was over the top when Amazon.com Inc. expanded from books into music in 1998. When the Web retailer let competitors start selling things alongside its own inventory in 2000, they said Amazon had gone nuts.
In both cases, Amazon proved them wrong. Media sales now total in the billions each quarter, and third-party merchandise, more profitable for Amazon than its own wares, makes up nearly a third of everything sold through the site.
Now, Amazon is making an even greater stretch — selling storage, computing power and other behind-the-scenes data center services.
The Edmonton Journal reports that Dell has closed its Canadian call center located in Edmonton after only three years of a 20-year lease was fulfilled. The closing of the call center resulted in the loss of 900 jobs to employees working in the center.
Dell recently decided to change its traditional exclusive marketing approach of direct sales and now offers computers in retail outlets. With stiff competition in the computer industry Dell has had to fight hard for market share with the likes of HP, Acer and Apple, and is now attempting to cut costs in an effort to remain competitive.
Microsoft just announced what has been rumored forever: a formal offer for Yahoo. Microsoft's proposal to Yahoo's board of directors represents $31 per share (a 62% premium over yesterday's closing price) or about $44.6 Billion. Steve Ballmer, CEO and big fan of developers, says, "We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market." Apparently, the deal was laid out in a letter sent by Ballmer to Yahoo's board just yesterday. Seriously. The letter confirms that the two giants have been discussing the topic since late 2006.
Trawling the CES show last month, we happened across a rather juicy piece of gadget gossip.
According to a particularly well-informed insider, it seems that the Big S is prepping an all new PlayStation 3. The new incarnation is supposedly slimmer, lighter weight, and sexy as hell.
It's not as if Sony haven't got a history of making things slimmer and, er, lighter: The PSP shed a lot of its weight last summer, the original PlayStation ended up as the minuscule PSOne, and the PlayStation 2 re-incarnated as the PSTwo, which was an all-round sexier piece of kit to boot. Roll on PSThree?
“The Razer Pro|Click, is a wired, high sensitivity Mac gaming mouse, with same “Always on” feature common with Razer’s other mice. It is an Optical mouse, like the Razer Deathadder, but it takes it shape from the Razer Copperhead. Introduced to me as a gaming solution for my Mac Pro. The white coloring is an obvious choice to match Apple's color scheme for pretty much everything that isn't silver.”
