Psystar's Open Computer Makes Its Way Into Customer's Arms

It looks like the Psystar "open computer" isn't a scam after all. One Gizmodo reader received his rig and even took a video and a few pictures of the unboxing. From what it seems, the OS boots up and runs well, but it's difficult to tell from such a short video. The biggest issue it seems, is that the OS cannot be updated, which is to be expected. If the computer isn't a true Mac, then the updater won't know what to update.

It's easy to say that the computer is worth the time if you are looking for a cheap Mac, but the fact of the matter is, Psystar is using publicly free software to accomplish what they are doing. If you are at all technically savvy, you could purchase your own parts for cheaper and accomplish the same thing.

But that's besides the point. It's not so much a scam if the computers are shipping, so this is a good sign. It will be better when we see more examples, though. Of course, I'm more interested in seeing how Apple will handle this, and more importantly, when.

It's alive. Reader Patrick (Whiskeyfrown) is lucky enough to be using one of the few Psystar Open Computing machines that have made it into the wild, and he was generous enough to make a video showing the machine (including the connections in the back to the monitor to show that it's legit).

Source: Gizmodo

Holographic Storage Nearing Availability, At 150GB Per Disc

Burn DVD's much? Ever curious about how long the data will remain on those discs? That's a common worry nowadays, and for good reason. If you burn precious family photos, you'd rather them be safe. Essentially, the only way to combat this going forward would be to re-burn our media as time passes, which would likely be to new media formats each time (given that we will likely be using a completely new media type every ten years).

Company InPhase has a solution to this problem though, albeit an expensive one. Their "holographic" storage system allows you to store upwards of 150GB per disc ($180 each) at a rather slow 20MBps. Slow, but InPhase promises that the discs can last upwards of 50 years. That's a lot, considering the shelf life of a standard DVD is much less. Not to mention that DVD's hold a lot less.

But if you are like me and refuse to pay the $18,000 for the recorder itself, then it's best to just take good care of your DVDs. The leading killer of optical media is having them lying around the house, or leaving them in direct sunlight. Storing them in a dark place and sealed off air-tight should prolong the life dramatically.

Questions over long-term backwards compatibility may also blunt Tapestry 300r sales. The company's literature states that the yet-to-be-released Tapestry 800r and 1600r will be backwards compatible with 300r discs, but does not state that the 300r will be able to read 800r and 1600r media once those discs are available.

Source: Ars Technica

April 29th Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• AMD Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition - InsideHW
• ASUS Rampage Formula vs. Intel DX48BT2 - Tech Report
• ASUS Striker II Extreme - Hardware Logic
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor - HotHardware
• XFX Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI - Bit-Tech

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS EAH3850 Trinity - Overclock3D
• Gigabyte GeForce 8800 GT Turbo Force Edition - Viper Lair
• Interview with PowerColor President - Chile Hardware

Memory & Storage
• Corsair Flash Voyager GT 16GB - Phoronix
• Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock - Virtual-Hideout

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset - Blue Tomorrow
• Razer Destructor Mouse Pad - Dreamware Computers
• Wolfking WARRIOR XXTREME Gamepad/Keyboard - Overclockers Club

Cooling
• Akasa Gemini Notebook Cooler - techPowerUp!
• Noctua NF-B9 92mm Fan - MikhailTech
• Noctua NH-U9B Low Noise Heatsink - FrostyTech

Chassis & Power Supplies
• CoolerMaster Centurion 590 Case - Overclocker Cafe
• NZXT Tempest - techPowerUp!
• Thermaltake M9 VI1000BWS - Overclockers Online

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Contest: "Fully Loaded" Competition - Overclock3D
• Navigon 2100 Max GPS - Digital Trends