Content and news by Rob Williams

According to a DailyTech conducted report, as many as 33% of Xbox 360’s to be picked up by eager gamers will end up failing… not a reassuring statistic. Our very own Greg King has experienced the Red Ring of Death himself, but I’ve been lucky to have my launch console still chugging along with no issue. In the grand scheme of things though, 33% is absolutely ridiculous for a failure rate. The good news is that Microsoft has done pretty well in fixing up their mistake if you happen to fall into the trap of a Red Ring, but the time issue is the biggest inconvenience.

After contacting several retailers from various regions in North America, the responses were unanimous: the Xbox 360 is the least reliable gaming console in recent history. Current EB Games or GameStop employees who offered information did so under strict anonymity, as it is against company policy to reveal such information to the public. Furthermore, our sources confirmed that EB Games revised its Canadian warranty policies during early 2007 for consoles solely due to the failure rate of the Xbox 360.

Source: DailyTech

Multi-media buffs who are fans of Adobe’s line-up will be pleased to know that Production Premium CS3 has finally been released. Included in the package is After Effects CS3 Professional, Premiere Pro CS3, Encore CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3 Professional and also Soundbooth CS3. As for special editions, OnLocation CS3 and chroma keying Ultra CS3 are also included. That’s quite the line-up, and can be yours for $1,699.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — July 2, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe(R) Creative Suite(R) 3 Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection software. Adobe Production Premium CS3 is the industry’s most comprehensive collection of integrated cross-platform post-production software tools, helping video professionals deliver stunning results for film, broadcast, DVD, Web, and mobile devices. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection combines 12 of Adobe’s new design and development products in a single box – the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

Source: Adobe Press Release

I think most by now understand what a pain in the ass XP’s WGA program is, but according to Softpedia, it’s not so bad when compared to Windows Vista. They mention that there are twenty different features and services being used with the sole purpose of reporting information straight back to Microsoft. This is not a secret though. Microsoft well documents all the ‘tracking’ techniques. Should you be worried? Who knows, but it’s unsettling regardless.

The Redmond company emphasized numerous times the fact that all information collected is not used to identify or contact users. But could it? Oh yes! All you have to know is that Microsoft could come knocking on your door as soon as you boot Windows Vista for the first time if you consider the system’s computer information harvested.

Source: Softpedia

With Blu-ray doing all the conquering in the high-def market over the past few weeks, the folks at the HD-DVD had to figure out a way to counter-attack. As a result, we have upcoming movies that will utilize your HD-DVD’s internet-capability. The movie ‘300’ will allow you to re-arrange the scenes and then upload the edit for others to download, while ‘Blood Diamond’ will have you participate in polls after the movie’s finished.

No, it’s not just you… these features are boring beyond belief. Considering the fact that we are dealing with ‘high-def’ content, why are such features supposed to grab our attention? Heck, even an online trivia session after a movie is finished is better than what we are being promised now.

The HD DVD version of “300” will allow users to re-edit the movie, selecting and ordering the scenes as they see fit, and upload their edit to a server hosted by the studio, Warner Bros. The edit will be accessible to other users, who can download it to their players and see the movie in its new form.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

It’s not surprising to know that the majority of game console owners use them to… play games, but what is amazing is that only 30% know about the movie playback functionality. Personally, I have never had a problem with my game consoles reading DVDs, so I have stuck to them instead of hogging up more space with a stand-alone. Going by this survey, I apparently belong within the 13% who do indeed use their consoles for more than just gaming.

But while the PS2 originally boomed in Japanese popularity due to its inexpensive DVD playback, most current console media support has been looked over or not properly advertised. And it’s a shame, because these consoles are fantastic media devices.

Source: Gizmodo

Palm has been promising a Linux-based OS for a while now, and it just doesn’t seem to be happening quick enough. The latest word from the CEO is that it has been pushed to “until some time next year”. Yes, that’s reassuring. All you Palm fans will have to hold off on an upgrade a little longer if you hope to grab a new model with a Linux-based OS. Of course, a year is a long time to have to wait…

Yet again, it seems we’ve been fooled into believing that Palm actually had its ducks in a proverbial row, as BrightHand is now reporting that Palm CEO Ed Colligan recently announced on a conference call that “products based on the new Linux-based platform won’t be available until some time next year.” Interestingly enough, Colligan also insinuated that the firm would “continue to use Windows Mobile and Garnet OS / Palm OS II for the foreseeable future.”

Source: Engadget

With so much good happening to Apple lately, what could possibly go wrong? Well if Universal’s decision goes forward, then the iTunes catalogue may have a chunk taken out of it. For whatever reason, Universal decided against renewing their contract with Apple, and at this point it’s difficult to say what will happen, because no one knows. It would be unwise to assume the worst though, as anything could happen. Interesting turn of events regardless.

We don’t know specifically what caused Universal to turn away — perhaps it’s the weight of the rising anti-DRM movement among consumers, or perhaps it’s because of Stevie J.’s brash negotiating tactics, continual refusal to hand over iPod cash, or oceanic persistence in keeping tracks locked in at $0.99.

Source: Engadget

Sure, this is not tech news, but it’s a Monday, and I refuse to post more iPhone news. After being rumored for a while, BMW finally confirmed that the 1-Series coupe will be making it to the US (and Canada!) shores next spring, great news to those looking for an entry-level model. The even better news is that the car is gorgeous and fits in nice with the other models.

Included on the base 128i model is a 3.0L I6 with 230HP, while the 135i has a twin-turbo I6 with 300HP. The promised 0-62MPH on the 135i is 5.3s, nothing earth-shattering, but not bad nonetheless. Pricing is not disclosed, but considering that this will be an entry model to fall below the 3-Series, $30K for the 128i sounds realistic.

BMW will introduce a modern and authentic performance coupe that draws inspiration from its iconic 2002 models of some 40 years ago. The next BMW legend, the 1 Series Coupe, represents the core BMW philosophies of pure performance and premium design. By combining sporty rear-wheel-drive dynamics, agile handling, powerful engines and seating for four, the 1 Series Coupe will reinvent the niche that the legendary BMW 2002 created.

Source: Autoblog

Ahh, hyped products. The iPhone launch was a perfect example of the potential a hyped product can reach, but somehow the editors at Cnet completely disregarded it. Four consoles made the list, including both Playstations and the Xbox 360, as did the WoW expansion pack, Burning Crusade. Not surprisingly, Segway also made the list, though it still hasn’t caught on like it’s developers had hoped. Decent list overall, but where is the iPhone mention?

Prior to its launch, the Segway was known by its code name, “Ginger,” and was expected to change the way people would get around–and even factor in to the way cities were designed. The product was hyped by people like Steve Jobs far ahead of its launch. But while it is a sophisticated product, its high price never allowed it to have the impact its inventor, Dean Kamen, hoped it would.

Source: News.com

Finally, we are seeing some Draft N advancement. D-Link is officially first out the door with Draft 2.0 certification, with their Xtreme N Router and Xtreme N Notebook Adapter being the first products to meet the specification. You will know if it is 2.0 certified because of a unique logo on the box. Is Draft N life-changing? Not really, but if you are to hook up a new network, you may as well go with the latest standard. It should also prove better for those of you who own mansions.

That means the two devices will be sporting a new “distinctive and prestigious logo,” while D-Link can start boasting of the highest level of forwards compatibility in the wild west of 802.11n products. This doesn’t begin to spell doom for draft 1.0 users, but it’s always good to see things settle down a bit in that space while we wait another few decades for the spec to finalize.

Source: Engadget

For those not following along, Hans Reiser is the creator of the very popular ReiserFS, a filesystem mostly used by some Linux distros. He is accused of killing his ex-wife Nina, and has been in a SF prison for months, at least since December. He denies having any involvement, but it’s difficult with some of the overwhelming evidence. His character doesn’t help matters either, he is deranged, which may or may not be due to the fact that he’s been kept in solitude for months. This is by far the most in-depth article on both Hans and the progression of the case, if such a thing interests you.

I stick out my hand. It’s an awkward moment — his wrists are chained to his waist. It’s mid-December now, and he’s been in this jail 40 miles east of San Francisco for two months, ever since the Alameda County District Attorney’s office accused him of murdering Nina Reiser, his estranged wife.

Source: Wired

It looks like Steve Job’s goal of a greener Apple is already paying off, as they have finally been moved off the bottom rung of the Greenpeace guide to IT’s environment-unfriendly companies. Sony has now been placed at bottom. Not a good place to be Sony, come on!

Now Sony, LG Electronics, Panasonic and HP are all deemed to be ungreener than Apple, which moved to to tenth place on the list. Nokia, topped the list with Dell second a and Lenovo third.

Source: The Inquirer

Let’s get this straight. An artist wants to be generous and release a CD completely free, but is unable without a backlash from the music industry. Yes, this just makes so much sense. The music industry has been shooting itself in the foot constantly lately. How much will it take before they finally clue in to how clueless they are?

You might not like Prince, but he’s planning on giving away a free CD in a national British newspaper. Harmless publicity, right? The music industry disagrees. Executives are practically going insane over the idea and are threatening to ‘retaliate’. ‘The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behavior like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores.

Source: Slashdot

When AMD released the ATI HD 2900 XT card two months ago, it proved lackluster for most, solely because it didn’t keep up to NVIDIA’s 8800GTX in almost every test. Newcomer DailyTech blogger and CEO of Falcon Northwest Kelt Reeves lets the world in on a little secret. There is actually a version of the 2900 XT card that can kick the 8800GTX’s ass. The problem is, AMD hasn’t mentioned anything about it, although some system builders, Falcon included, received the cards long ago.

The special cards go by the same HD 2900 XT name, still retain the 9" length and include 1024MB of GDDR4. For whatever reason, the card is so good that Crossfire 2900 XT’s actually outperformed two-fold over 8800GTX SLI under some games, in PC Magazine’s review of two Falcon systems. This all sounds great, but the biggest problem now is that the regular consumer cannot get ahold of these cards, unless you purchase it through Falcon or another boutique that carries them. I can’t wrap my head around it. AMD has cards to trump NVIDIA’s, but they keep them in ridiculously low quantities?

To graduate from unhelpful idea to shooting yourself in the foot: Make 3 different Radeon HD2900XT cards that are vastly different performers but all have the same name. Then do not publicly acknowledge the existence of the fastest card. Continue denying all knowledge of the faster card even when the press eviscerates the slower version.

Source: DailyTech

In a total punch to the stomachs of those who have recently purchased Blu-ray players, the Blu-ray disc association has just announced that if you purchase a Blu-ray player between July 1 and September 30, you will qualify to receive five free movies. For movie buffs, this is a fantastic deal, considering each movie retails for at least $20, effectively making this at least a $100 deal. For those curious, yes, this does include the Playstation 3.

Among the titles on offer are top hits from all Blu-ray-supporting studios including Sony, Disney, Fox/MGM, Paramount, Lionsgate and Warner. On the menu are such favorites as ‘Pearl Harbor,’ ‘Corpse Bride,’ ‘Underworld Evolution,’ ‘Black Rain,’ ‘Transporter 2’ and ‘Devil’s Rejects.’ Full details on the promotion can be found at the website www.bluraysavings.com. Though the site is not yet live, it is to launch in full when the deal starts this weekend.

Source: High-Def Digest

Dusan from InsideHW inadvertently stumbled upon an unreleased Celeron processor based on the Core architecture, which clocks in at 2.8GHz and has a 14x multiplier. The author of the article believes that it might be an upcoming processor, but I am highly doubtful. Core processors with a 2.8GHz frequency are very high-end, and the 6 – 14 multiplier is just mind blowing, but required thanks to the 800MHz FSB. Compare this chip to the current 420/430/440 Celerons that clock in at 1.6GHz – 2.0GHz.

This is a confusing chip in every regard. Despite it’s high frequency, it’s performance would still fall short when compared to a C2D at the same frequency, due to lack of overall L2 cache. Will this chip ever see the light of day? It’s not likely, but then again, why does it exist at all? One thing is for sure, this is one Celeron that would be incredibly fun to play with.

What the name of this series will be is unknown to this point, but we suppose that they will be marked “Celeron E1XXX” or perhaps belong to the 4XX series of CPUs that already made quite a fuss. This Intel move also marks complete retirement of the NetBurst technology through complete “refreshment” of the offer.

Source: InsideHW

Earlier this week, we posted that a hotfix had been released to handle an issue with most second-gen Intel Core processors. At the time, nobody seemed to understand exactly what the problem was, but it turns out it’s really nothing at all. Certain code could lead to memory leaks, and this is what the fix took care of. However, up to now the cases of this happening have been quite rare, so being alarmed is not necessary. Your next BIOS update should take care of whatever issue is there, though you might never have noticed the difference anyway.

The errata itself has something to do with Translation Lookaside Buffers, also known to this world as TLB, part of the microarchitecture that is improving access to system memory as much as possible by keeping refences to physical memory in its own table.

Source: The Inquirer

MMOG subscriptions are at an all-time high, and while that’s a great thing to the game developers, it’s an even better thing for those who are involved in Gold selling, or power-leveling for those games. It’s not often that we can listen to what these sellers have to say, but Slashdot was contacted by one company with a request to get questions that people wanted answered.

It’s an interested read, but nothing is there that we didn’t really expect. I disagree with most of it anyway, simple because I hate Gold selling and wish it never existed. Games would be more enjoyable and fair without it. But it’s not going away anytime soon, sadly. That’s just me and I’m sure I don’t speak for everyone.

Sparter does not buy or sell game items and we don’t have an in-game presence. As a result, we cannot know for sure how our sellers behave in the game. But if you believe as we do that the truly damaging behavior is exhibited by the spammers, bot farmers, hackers and dupers, then the more we migrate the market to a true gamer-to-gamer exchange, the harder it is for those folks to profit from their actions.

Source: Slashdot

In a surprise launch, Apple is releasing some type of phone tonight that should effectively change our lives. The “iPhone” promises the best phone experience possible. Ever. You can watch movies on it, listen to music, listen to music in movies, listen to movies based on music, listen to movie soundtracks, listen to pop idols who think they can act, watch The Sound of Music, use map software, browse your photos, take pictures to have photos to browse, play with a calendar, check out the weather instead of looking out the window, take notes and change settings. You can also use the device as a telephone.

This feature-packed phone will be available tonight at any Apple store and AT&T store. Even AT&T kiosks will have the phone, from what I understand. Regardless of where you live, the launch time is 6PM local, in order to give everyone a fair chance at getting a copy before they sell out. After all, a phone is such a unique idea, I am surprised no one has thought it up before. After all said and done, it looks good. I think you will like it.

Apple employees will especially like it, since they all score an 8GB model free, a $599 value. For those interested, a lucky few have already posted their reviews of the mysterious device:

• New York Post
• The Wall Street Journal

• MSNBC
• USA Today

Just a hunch, but I expect to see quite a few interesting updates throughout the day, especially tonight. If anything happens that you should know about, you can be sure we will post about it.

I have to hand it to the PS3 developers, they don’t take long to get things done. It feels like firmware version 1.80 just came out, but already they are up to their second update to that one. It’s a stark contrast when you sometimes have to wait months for any sort of an update on the Xbox 360. On the other hand, it takes a good 10 minutes to perform the update…

Version 1.82 doesn’t bring about mind blowing updates, but rather an enabling of playback of AVC High Profile (H.264/MPEG-4) content. The update is available now, and you might very well be prompted to download it when you next turn your console on.

In other news, Resistance is receiving two new maps today for download, which will set you back $8. There will also be a non-related update that will enable global play as well as a slew of other enhancements.

Source: Playstation Blog