Content and news by Rob Williams

Toshiba’s latest AMD notebook offering proves that even those on a relative budget deserve a feature-packed model. Besides its 17-inch display, the P205D-S7479 offers nice harman/kardon speakers, a thumbprint reader, a large 250GB hard-drive, an ATI HD 2600 – all for a light price.

Two weeks ago, we posted that Microsoft released the first and only release candidate for Windows XP Service Pack 3, and now the final release is available. Weighing in at 336.1MB, the installer can upgrade your PC to the latest and greatest Windows XP version in about 10 minutes on a speedy machine.

Up until now, we haven’t had much of a clue as to what SP3 actually updates, but Microsoft has now released a white paper that bares all. Oh, and they want to make one thing very clear: “Microsoft is not adding significant functionality from newer versions of Windows, such as Windows Vista, to Windows XP through XP SP3.”

One notable feature is that SP3 allows Windows XP to be installed without entering the serial key during the installation. This would of course require updated Windows XP media which contains the latest service pack, but is still a nice feature regardless. No new functionality is added to SP3, so if you feel you need to upgrade to see what’s new, don’t stress it.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) includes all previously released Windows XP updates,
including security updates and hotfixes. It also includes select out-of-band releases, and a small
number of new enhancements, which do not significantly change customers’ experience with the operating system.

Source: Windows XP SP3 Download Page

I’ll make one thing clear… I might be a Sega fanboy. I’ve loved Sega’s consoles from the Master System to the Dreamcast (likely my favorite console), but I have to wonder why they are screwing up their most popular franchises. They killed off the Dreamcast to shift to game development, which was a sad day. But we looked at the upside – more time and resources to create some killer titles!

Luckily that’s been the case for the most part, but not with some of their classics. Take Sonic the Hedgehog, released last year, for example. This was a game I was stoked for, until I saw the barrage of poor ratings the game was receiving. After playing the non-impressive demo, this was one of the few Sonic games I actually ignored (namely due to stressful camera angles). How could Sega release such a poor game?

Well as it now seems, after Sonic The Hedgehog, Sega had plans to throw NiGHTS onto the guillotine, because now, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is also receiving lackluster response from the media. Sega, WHY? This game should have been a masterpiece. I still have the original JAP import sitting on the shelf and try to play it from time to time, and it seems that’s what I will be sticking to.

I can’t lie and say I won’t pick up the latest game anyway, but I’d still much rather see Sega put some serious effort into their game development, especially when it comes to the true classics. Sega Rally shouldn’t receive better universal praise than NiGHTS! Oh well, we can hope the sequel will be better. If there is one.

So after waiting over a decade for a new Nights experience, what’s the final verdict? Personally, we’d rather have seen this one stay a nostalgic piece of gaming history, as Journey of Dreams isn’t exactly the spectacular homecoming we were hoping for as huge fans of the original Saturn classic.

Source: IGN Wii

If you’re on the lookout for a DDR3 motherboard, the P5E3 Deluxe proves to be a superb choice. It’s one of the most feature-packed offerings on the market, with it’s passive cooling, on-board WiFi, high energy efficiency and even a remote control – all while being a solid overclocker as well.

By now, there is not too much that a retailer can do to actually shock customers and web-lurkers. Best Buy, Futureshop and others have been in the news countless times for ridiculous reasons, but today’s story is actually not about any of those B&E stores, but rather a video game retailer called Slackers.

According to a report at Ars Technica, Slackers, instead of doing their jobs and selling brand-new Nintendo Wiis to their customers at the storefront, are instead selling their entire stock on eBay. Of course, the eBay price is $150 above normal retail. It’s too bad that Nintendo doesn’t seem too interested, and I guess no one can blame them for not dealing with an outlet of twelve stores. Regardless, this is disgusting and a huge kick in the pants to Slackers’ loyal customers.

Our source then told us that the price has since been lowered to $399.99, (they weren’t moving at $499) and sure enough, there are three Wiis available through Slackers’ eBay storefront at $399.99. Looking back in the store’s history, one can find other Wii sales in its feedback, with the auction advertising “NEW WITH GAME.” The game of course being the bundled Wii Sports.

Source: Ars Technica

When we posted about fresh firmware updates for the PSP and PS3 a few days ago, we failed to mention that PSOne games would now be playable on the PSP through the PS3 and WiFi. That’s because, for some reason, Sony didn’t deem it necessary to mention it in what was already a somewhat small, yet feature-rich, update.

It is indeed possible, and I tested it out with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 and Gex: Enter the Gecko. Overall my experiences were fairly good. The connection stayed solid and levels on the PSP loaded just as fast as they would on the actual console.

What I can’t get used to, though, are two things. First is the fact that you cannot force a full-screen resolution on the PSP… it’s stuck at a 4:3 ratio and has bars on each side. The second is the control… I cannot handle these two games like I could on the PSOne. It might not help that neither of the games I tested could utilize the analog stick, though.

Chances are good that this is not the finished product, primarily because Sony hasn’t even acknowledged it yet. Since there is no full-screen mode, I am willing to bet it’s still being worked on and will have an update in the next firmware. Well, I hope. Though it worked well, I’d still much rather just play the game on the console.

Last week, someone struck the video game world with a video compilation of a Super Mario Galaxy game that would become available for the Nintendo DS if you completely beat the Wii version. The video was incredibly well done. The graphics were altered to look like a DS game and even contained a few items not found in the Wii version (such as the golden DS).

Sadly, according to Joystiq, the entire thing is a hoax. Their reasons make sense as well. First giveaway is that it wouldn’t be that easy for a Wii to transfer an entire game like that to the DS, which doesn’t contain enough on-board memory. One thing is for sure… the video creator is mighty talented.

How do we know? Well a little digging turned up an slightly shorter, more stable version of the same footage posted on video-sharing site Stage6 by user psycho3ler. If that handle sounds familiar, it might be because it belongs to Pablo Belmonte, the talented video editor behind the now-infamous Nintendo ON hoax video posted back in 2005.

Source: Joystiq

“Haha”. That’s all that can be said about Duke Nukem Forever. I recall the very night in 1999 (as sad as that is) that I first heard about this fascinating new game and saw some incredible screenshots. The game was built on the Unreal 1 Engine… it had to kick ass. In particular, there was one screenshot inside a casino that dropped my jaw, but of course that was eight years ago, and things have changed quite a bit since then.

There has been a teaser at the official forums of a trailer that’s supposed to be released today, making it the first of it’s kind. Minor trailers have been released in the past, but they were mere scraps compared to what we should see today. I will update this post once it’s available. I for one could care less if the game were still using the Unreal 1 Engine. I just want this thing and I am sure many are with me!

Edit: HELL… YES!

Source: 3D Realms Forums

It was only two days ago that we learned of Intel’s plans to delay the X48 chipset in order to help X38 sales, but plans of a new delay have surfaced – and it’s one that will affect far more people.

According to DigiTimes, Intel has plans to delay all three of their new 45nm Quad-Core processors, originally slated for a January release, including the Q9300, Q9450 and Q9550. The reasons are blamed on lack of competition with AMD. From a business standpoint, it makes sense to not release a new product that’s going to keep older product on the shelf, but for all those who were holding off on a new system build until Jan… this is a punch to the stomach.

Launching the CPUs now will not benefit Intel much in its battle with AMD, while they could cause damage to Intel’s 65nm quad-core CPUs, therefore the company has decided it is in no rush to release new products until AMD is able to present more of a threat. The three CPUs that Intel plans to delay are the Core 2 Quad Q9300, Q9450 and Q9550, added the sources.

Source: DigiTimes

NVIDIA has released their highly anticipated 780i chipset and both Tech Report and AnandTech have a look at what’s new. Surprisingly, “new” is the wrong word to use, since not much is new at all. The 780i chipset is essentially identical to the previous generation 680i. The primary difference is the nForce 200 chip that adds PCI-E 2.0 support and also enables 3-way SLI.

Performance-wise, not much has changed. The 3-Way SLI can make rather sizable differences of course, but that’s primarily for those who wish to run really high resolutions, such as 2560×1600. If Penryn and SLI are in your plans, then the 780i is -the- chipset you will want to go after, even if you plan to stick with a single GPU. The mid-range chipset, 750i, will be released in January, however, and might appeal more towards enthusiasts with mid-range rigs.

We will have a review of the ASUS P5N-T 780i board in the coming week.

Credit: Tech Report

I can’t help but think it fitting that Nvidia is launching the 780i SLI during a time of year when bands release greatest hits albums to capitalize on the holiday sales rush. In many ways, the 780i feels like Nvidia’s greatest core logic hits; you have some old tracks, represented by the 570 SLI MCP, paired with a remixed north bridge and one new song, the nForce 200.

Source: Tech Report

Sony has been keeping a great track record with regular firmware releases and yesterday was no different. They released fresh firmware upgrades for both the PSP and PS3, 3.80 and 2.10, respectively.

On the PSP side, an online radio station feature has been unveiled. This… is one of the coolest features to hit the PSP in quite a while. I haven’t given the new firmware a go yet, but apparently there are thousands of stations to choose from. As long as you have a WiFi connection handy, you can log on and listen to whatever you like.

Though the PSP firmware is hard to beat, the PS3s isn’t so bad. The 2.10 update updates the Blu-ray profile to 1.1 and also adds DivX and VC-1 support. A feature to allow users to mask their voice while online is also introduced. How unique.

From the PSP’s launch, we’ve been discussing its multi-functional strengths, and with the addition of Internet Radio in firmware update 3.80, PSP owners will be able to access thousands of stations in a wide range of diverse genres. Interested in Top 40 Pop? Check. Country? Check. Talk radio? Check. Ultimately, this addition speaks to how much we listen to our consumers. Music has been one of the primary uses of the PSP system, and with the addition of Internet Radio, consumers are able to access even more of their favorite artists. Enjoy.

Source: Playstation Blog

We posted last week about HotHardware’s article on NVIDIA’s latest enthusiast-bound SLI configuration. There’s no denying the fact that three GPUs in a single rig is drool-worthy, but the performance gains were not incredibly large and the power consumption was unbelievable.

Anand has now taken the new setup for a spin and has similar thoughts. He adds that it would be a bad idea to run out right now to build such a system with G92 right around the corner. Considering that the GPUs for 3-way will set you back $1,500, holding off until the next incarnation sounds like a great idea.

I am still amazed at the sheer power 3-way rigs require. Even at idle the power drain is around ~400W. NVIDIA needs to design a card with a low-power-draw mode like our CPUs have. Power bills are high enough, but to have them increase that much further when the computer is at idle is rather pointless.

NVIDIA always does this. We got Quad SLI with the 7950 GX2, only to be replaced shortly thereafter by G80, and now we’re getting 3-way SLI with the 8800 GTX/Ultra, which we all know is on the way to being replaced by G92. Investing in a 3-way SLI setup today would be a terrible idea, you’re buying into old technology and you’re buying it after it’s already been made obsolete by a new GPU. It’s only a matter of time before G92 makes its way up the food chain, and three of those bad boys with even more shader power should give us a much cooler running, and faster, 3-way SLI setup than what we’ve tested here today.

Source: AnandTech

It wasn’t even a year ago when Intel joined the SSD fray, but so far their appearance has been impressive. They have now announced their Z-P140 “ultra-small” SSD chip which will be available in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models and have promises of read speeds of 40MB/s and write speeds of 30MB/s. For chips this small, those transfer speeds are impressive.

According to Intel, their latest chip weighs less than a drop of water at 0.6g and is smaller than a penny, as seen in the photo below. These latest chips are set out to appear in handheld devices, because clearly they are not small enough already.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2007 – Intel Corporation announced its latest entry into the solid-state drive market with the Intel(R) Z-P140 PATA Solid-State Drive (SSD), one of the tiniest in the industry aimed at handheld mobile devices. Smaller than a penny and weighing less than a drop of water, these 2 Gigabyte (GB) and 4GB ultra-small devices are fast, low-power and rugged, with the right size, capacity and performance for mobile Internet devices, digital entertainment and embedded products.

Source: Intel Press Release

Do you know what a histogram is? Despite most consumer cameras and image applications showing us a histogram for our photos, not too many people understand how they work and why they are there. Most importantly, many overlook the fact that analyzing the histogram can help you take better photos. Isn’t that what matters?

Professional Photographer explains the ins and outs of the histogram and how it works. One thing I didn’t realize was that histograms can differ greatly depending on the color mode and bit-depth. But that’s why I’m not a professional. The article, although comprehensive, is a rather quick read and a worthwhile one.

The horizontal scale of the histogram measures exposure latitude, and the vertical scale measures quantity: it tells us how many pixels in the image have a specific luminosity value. While the horizontal scale is measured in absolute values (0 to 255) the vertical scale is effected by several factors: the color space, bit depth, and if you are shooting jpegs, the compression level.

Source: Professional Photographer

I have to wonder if CNet ever proofs blog posts before they go live, because one of their latest is appalling. Tech blogger Don Reisinger somehow believes that it would be best for AMD if they were to fold. Yeah, that’s it. I’m a fan of Intel like most people, but anyone with half a brain knows that AMD is not going anywhere. Not right now. They might be in dire straits financially, but their product line-ups (aside from Barca) are showing what the company is capable of.

I’m no legal buff, but would the government even allow the #2 semiconductor maker in the world to fold? There’s no denying the fact, if AMD were to cease, it would be bad news for consumers. It’s been said a hundred times. With competition, better products get developed… prices are kept within reason… the consumers are the beneficiaries.

“If you ask me, AMD should be sold to the highest bidder and liquidated.”

What the hell? That’s worse than G4TV recommending DDR3 RAM for a DDR2 motherboard. While I agree with some of what the Don has to say, the rest of it is absolutely ridiculous. Of course we are all entitled to our own opinions, that’s fine, but this is over the top.

I still have good faith that AMD can turn around. I can agree with the blog post in that the management needs to be re-evaluated, however. AMD relied on their K8 architecture far too long and it really bit them… hard. They need to take a look at the big picture, see what’s skewing their progress and fix the problem.

AMD mentioned at last weeks analyst’s day that they don’t need killer processors to survive, which is true to an extent. They have many other product avenues where they are succeeding. But there is still no denying that they need to sort things out and become true competition with Intel again. It’s going to be a great day when it finally happens.

If you ask me, AMD should be sold to the highest bidder and liquidated. Of course, if you think that’s a bit extreme, fire all of its loser executives and try to find some people who actually know how to run a business and compete against larger competitors. Trust me, it’s the only way.

Source: The Digital Home Blog

I somehow overlooked the fact that Ulteo was putting OpenOffice into a web browser, but apparently they have, and Ars Technica has a preview. Web apps offer obvious benefits, but I am still skeptical, especially with ones like OpenOffice that require external memory hogging applications such as Java. But, so far, this implementation looks good.

The concept is simple (although I am sure the development was far from it). Log into the website, choose the component you want to start (Writer, Impress, Calc, etc) and go from there. After a download, it OO will launch right inside your browser and be ready for use. I won’t be too quick to dismiss this implementation, but if it requires Java to run, then you might as well just install the application locally. I am apparently not part of this niche, but if you are, feel free to try it out for yourself.

Credit: David Chartier

To create this feature-rich environment, Online OpenOffice.org requires a modern browser with JavaScript and the Sun Java Runtime Environment version 1.4+ plug-in. The setup has been tested in Firefox 1.5 and above, IE6 and 7, and even Safari, though Ubuntu users are specifically warned that they must be using the Sun Java (Sun JRE) plug-in or the current implementation of Online OpenOffice.org won’t work. Ulteo is working to fix this drawback.

Source: Ars Technica

This is just a rumor, but it would come as no surprise if it were true. The rumor is that Intel will be delaying the launch of it’s X48 chipset due to the fact that there is so much X38 stock available. Who didn’t see this coming? X38 was launched just in November, and X48 was due to launch in January. That is not exactly that much time to clear out a new product run.

Of course, X48 is not actually set to replace X38, except for the enthusiast market. X48 will not be available in “budget” motherboards, but is rather designed solely for the enthusiast, which is backed up by it’s native 1600FSB support. In the end, if there is a delay, it will not hurt anyone. Both X38 and X48 are so similar in spec, there is no sense waiting around until X48 arrives if you are planning a purchase.

The motherboard maker fears that the X48 chipset will slow down clearance of its X38 chipset inventory and has negotiated with Intel to delay the launch of its X48 chipset. However the delay is expected to hurt makers who do not have an overstock X38 chipsets.

Source: DigiTimes

Mozilla have just released a new Firefox extension called “Personas” which makes it easier for both developers and end-users to take advantage of themes. Up to now, themes were a clunky affair, both in searching for them and in execution. Personas looks to take out all of the hard work and make it a simple task for a user to apply a fresh theme.

Once installed, there will be a small Fox icon in the bottom-left corner, and once clicked, it will open up a list of themes that are available. Click on any one of them and it’s applied instantly. I am generally not a fan of themes, but some of these look fantastic. To add to their cool factor, transparency is added to certain objects, such as the tabs. In Linux particularly, I find when a theme is applied, the entire application looks a lot cleaner. It will be nice when there are hundreds and even thousands of themes available, but this is a great start.

Several services out there have personalized web browser options, in different shapes and sizes. And while there were already a significant number of Firefox browser themes, the new Personas seems to be a direct appeal to graphic designers that spend time working to personalize the browsing experience for all of us. See here for more Firefox add-ons for designers.

Source: Mashable

If you believe that the best things come in pairs, you might be a little misguided. AMD is no longer the only ones with a “tri” product on the horizon – NVIDIA has finally unveiled their triple-SLI setup. Rather, the “3-Way SLI” setup. In case you are confused, no, you are not misunderstanding things.

HotHardware takes a look at the new setup, using three 8800 Ultras, and found that for this to be of benefit to anyone, you need to be using at least 1920×1200 as a resolution, preferably 2560×1600. The performance increases are there, but whether or not it warrants the insane cost of the GPUs… that’s up to you.

The performance is undeniably drool-worthy, but what’s not is the insane power consumption. At idle, their system sucked up a massive 473W. That’s more than my QX6850/8800GTX setup at full load. If there is a need for finally purchasing a 1KW PSU… this might be it.

However, you’ll also need significant financial resources to bring a system build of this sort together. With even the least expensive GeForce 8800 Ultra on the market running at around $659 and the lowest cost GeForce 8800 GTX at $510, you’re looking at $1500 – $2000 in graphics cards alone. Then there are power consumption, heat output and possibly noise considerations to keep in mind with an over-the-top ultra-high-end gaming machine like this

Source: HotHardware

Now here is an impressive memory kit. By day, this DDR3-1800 (PC3-14400) kit has “modest” timings of 8-8-8, which has become a relative standard with enthusiast modules. However, when utilizing Intel’s latest Xtreme Memory Profiles feature (in conjunction with an X38/X48-based motherboard), the modules kick it up a notch to use 7-7-7 timings.

For comparisons sake, when DDR3 first came out of the door, the first kit I received was DDR3-1333 that also had 7-7-7 timings. Right now, the best kit I have on hand is DDR3-1600, and even it uses 8-8-8 timings! Leave it to OCZ to push the envelope a wee bit further. Given the price of DDR3 though, I’d rather not know what these are going to retail for. You don’t really love your Lamborghini Gallardo that much anyway, do you?

Sunnyvale, Calif.-December 13, 2007- OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced new 1800MHz Intel® Extreme Memory modules, a performance solution that implements a specification predefined and specially tailored for the Intel X48 chipset. These top-speed modules are the ideal solution for enthusiasts looking for the extra performance gains optimized memory offers their system.

Source: OCZ Press Release