AMD Launches FirePro Workstation GPUs

In an attempt to help fill out their workstation line-up a little better, AMD has just launched a brand-new series, called FirePro. Both the V3700 and V5700 cards are designed to give consumers a better choice, because as it was before, there was an $800 gap between the smallest card offered and the next-step up.

The V3700 becomes the least expensive GPU on the market, at $99, and is based on the RV620 chip, according to Ars Technica. Despite being a budget card, it still has respectable specs, such as 15.2GB/s bandwidth, 10-bit color support and 40 shader units. This GPU will in no way compare to the other cards in the line-up, but is a good solution for those on an extreme budget.

The V5700 fills the gap between the V3600 and V7600, which is where the $800 variance once occurred. This new card carries an SRP of $599, features 512MB of GDDR along with a 128-bit interface. The shaders are greatly increased to 120, while bandwidth also see a small bump, of 16GB/s. If one thing is for sure, it's that AMD should have released these long ago, but at least now their line-up is a lot more robust.

Stats on the budget-model V3700 are quite modest, but the card's $99 price point makes it the cheapest professional 3D solution on the market; even the G84-derived Quadro FX 370 is $119 over at NewEgg. It's impossible to draw any meaningful performance data out of what we know thus far—AMD's benchmark results show its winning, natch, and performance characteristics in 2D are very different from what we'd expect in 3D.

Source: Ars Technica

Upgrade Vista's Look with Seven Free Themes

Vista might look mounds better than XP, but let's face it, even the best interfaces can look boring after a while... it's just something that happens, regardless of what it is. But did you know that Windows Blinds isn't the only solution for skinning your Vista? The best part is, most of the themes out there that are user-developed are easy to apply and don't require special software.

The Life Rocks 2.0 blog takes a look at seven different Vista themes that happen to be absolutely free. Some offer better color options, more advanced translucency, and there's even one to make your Vista look like Windows XP MCE's skin, only better. Definitely give the page a look if you are in bad need of a fresh UI.

Windows Vista has improved the UI and added lots of features like Aero effects when compared to XP. Vista is definitely a great looking OS (we are comparing only the looks here). You can customize Vista just like XP using visual styles. There are lots of styles available based on whether you have/enabled aero effects. So here is a list of seven good looking visual styles (themes) for Windows Vista.

Source: Life Rocks 2.0, Via: Lifehacker

Eight People Purchased Useless "I Am Rich" iPhone Application

On August 5, an application made its way to the iTunes App Store, created by Armin Heinrich, simply titled "I Am Rich." The application did nothing - merely display a picture of a red ruby to serve as a reminder that the user could afford the $999.99 application. The program was approved by Apple and followed all of the store guidelines, making it fair game for the developer.

Despite the broken English in the description, and the promises of "no hidden function at all," for some reason, eight people purchased the application to grace their home screens. The sales amassed to $5,600 in revenue for Heinrich, and $2,400 for Apple, who charges 30% of sales to manage the store. That is, until it was removed.

A flaw in the store's design disallows applications to be placed into a cart. If the prompt for a password is not enabled for purchases, the program is downloaded and the customer is charged shortly after he or she pressed the "Buy App" button. One reviewer on the App Store said, "I saw this app with a few friends and we jokingly clicked 'buy' thinking it was a joke, to see what would happen. ... THIS IS NO JOKE...DO NOT BUY THIS APP AND APPLE PLEASE REMOVE THIS FROM THE APP STORE."

Unfortunately for the developer, Apple has yet to contact him about the removal of the application. He says that it is unclear whether or not this will effect his payment, which Apple normally delivers at the end of each month. Some are criticizing Apple for taking down applications without notice, even if they seem to comply with the store's rules, but others are christening Heinrich a thief.

When the iPhone first hit the market in June 2007, those who paid the $499 entry price -- and signed the two-year AT&T contract -- owned a status symbol. A year later, we have the iPhone 3G, Apple's speedier, sleeker and, most important, less expensive smart phone, which introduced a section for downloading third-party applications. Now that the phone is affordable enough for a wider audience, a new status symbol has emerged: a seemingly useless application called I Am Rich.

Source: Los Angeles Times Blog

August 8th Tech Roundup

• abit IP35P - XtremeComputing
• Gigabyte EP45-DS3R - Virtual-Hideout

• Palit 9800GX2 - Overclockers Club
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 Toxic 512MB - Phoronix
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 - ASE Labs
• Sapphire HD4870 512MB - Modders-Inc

• Corsair Flash Voyager Mini USB Drive - Rbmods
• Thecus N5200PRO NAS - techPowerUp
• Vantec NexStar 3i External Enclosure - ThinkComputers
• Thermaltake BlacX SE External Enclosure - Bjorn3D

• NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse - TweakPC
• Nova Master Mousepad - XSReviews

• Sunbeamtech Quarterback - Pro-Clockers
• Nexus NX-8060 600W - Mikhailtech

• ASUS Eee Box - Tech Report
• HTC Touch - TheTechLounge
• BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Speaker - Legit Reviews