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What Women Really Want
Bring on the tech gear, but don’t make it girly: That’s what women want, according to a survey released today.
FINALLY! Someone is paying attention. I don’t do pink, thanks. I equate marketing with pink because it’s girlish to marketing with baby blue because it’s boyish. How would the guys like it if they were being targeted with baby blue items only? Educate your marketing department! – Geek Girl
Just 9 percent of the fair sex want products that “look feminine,” like a pink Playstation or Hello Kitty keyboards. The remaining 91 percent seek something sleek and sophisticated, more boardroom than teenage bedroom. The data comes from a study, done by the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi, of 750 British women age 24 to 45.
The agency says its study indicates it’s time for tech companies to go beyond the pink ghetto.
Source: WIRED
Facebook To Allow Search Engine Spidering Of Profiles
If there is one thing that I dislike about the internet, it’s the MySpaces and Facebooks. I’d begin to list every reason, but it would require far more space than a simple news post. The main one though, is the fact that many people don’t understand the dangers of exploiting insane amounts of their own information. Like a naive six-year-old who thinks $600 for a game console is equivalent to that of a candy bar, many users of these services find absolutely no risk of offering a thousand images of themselves or updating what they are doing at any given time of the day.
So what the heck am I getting at? It turns out that Facebook believes all forty-million of their users wouldn’t mind having their basic profiles spidered by search engines everywhere. If you are a Facebook user, then you know that no one can see your profile until you add them. However, with this move, Facebook will allow search engines to grab both your profile image and name, so that potential friends can find you outside of the website itself. What this means essentially, is that whether or not you want to be in a search engine, you are going to be. Of course you can disable this default security option, but how many non-computer savvy users are going to even know better?
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For some Facebook members, however, the policy change is troubling, because many chose the service because it is private. “I’m amazed that they seem to be opting-in literally millions of people who never asked for Facebook to put listings out in the public,” says Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineLand.com and a Facebook user.
Source: USA Today
Four Major Halo 3 Launch Parties, Xbox Live Free Sept 25 – 27
Is there any Xbox 360 owner out there who isn’t planning to pick up Halo 3 at launch? If so, the number might be low. To prepare for what could be the fastest-selling video game of all time, Microsoft is holding absolutely nothing back. If you don’t have an Xbox Live subscription, you will be treated to three days free: Sept 25 – 27, just in time considering the game comes out on the 25th.
Of course that’s not all. There will be four major launch events, one in NYC, Seattle, Los Angeles and also Miami. But you can hang outside any Wal-Mart the night of the launch instead, if that’s what floats your boat. I don’t often get excited over any game release, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Halo 3 is only TWO WEEKS AWAY!
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You can check out more details at X3F. For those who just want their damn copy of the game without all the pomp and circumstance, remember you can just stop by 7-Eleven at midnight for the game and a Slurpee, or the “over 10,000 stores [which] will be open to sell Halo 3 in the biggest entertainment launch in history.” Remember, the Halo 3 launch has lofty goals to attain.
Source: Joystiq
PSP Firmware 3.70 Released, PS3 1.83 En Route
Sony, in their ongoing quest to keep people up to date, have released a new firmware update for the PSP while a new PS3 update is on the way. The latest PSP firmware is 3.70 and adds quite a bit of functionality. Most notable is the addition of themes, in case you find the XMB becoming a little boring. The new included theme is “Cookies”, with all icons being shaped out of various cookies. It sounds ridiculous, but it actually looks sharp. Future themes will be released on various websites, but primarily the official PSP site.
Other feature-additions include the ability to listen to music while browsing photos or a slideshow and also a scene search for movies. The PS3 will be launching firmware 1.93 later this week which will simply patch up a few problems that were unveiled with 1.92.
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Taking into account customer feedback and some internal testing, we will be making available in the next few days a firmware update for the PS3 (1.93) that fixes the network disconnect issue that some of you have experienced as a result of downloading Firmware 1.92. In addition, we are adding a new firmware update for PSP (3.71) as well, which adds many features that readers of this blog have requested.
Source: Playstation Blog
iPhone Unlocking Software Released To Public
Oh, the sick irony. We found out just last week of a huge $200 price-drop, to much angst by all of the early adopters. Then yesterday we finally saw the release of iPhoneSIMFree. However, the downside was that some people were having to pay upwards of $100 for the privilege. Well, if you were one of those people, you might want to turn away from the computer since a completely free iPhone unlocking method has since been released. The lesson here? Don’t be a first-adopter when it comes to Apple products if you want to save cash.
Engadget has a quick look at how the hack is performed, but it’s not for the faint of heart and requires pure terminal usage. If you are willing to follow the instructions though, you can have a completely unlocked iPhone in a matter of minutes. As Apple releases more iPhone updates though, they could easily wipe out the effects from this hack. If they choose to do so, then follow-up hacks would have to be performed each time they try to patch it up. Apple has been pretty lenient about hacking of their hardware lately though, so hopefully once you unlock, it stays unlocked.
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Depending on activation method, YouTube might not be working after the unlock — ours isn’t. This is, of course, expected behavior. There’s a Windows script here that should hopefully fix you up (again, we don’t make any guarantees), but Mac users will have to look elsewhere. Also, alongside the Mac GUI iUnlock app in the works, the iPhone Dev Team is prepping a Windows version, a simple bash script and an iPhone app — and eventually an all-in-one app that can do everything from the Jailbreak to the unlock.
Source: Engadget
Nero 8 Trial Available Already?
We first posted about Nero 8 at the end of August when the release date was first announced, that being October 1. Well it sure didn’t take long for the executable to be leaked, as it’s now floating around the web, at Softpedia specifically. This is rather humorous to me, as I signed an NDA a few weeks ago and began preparing a review for launch… seems a tad foolish now!
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In the odd chance that this was by design, I’ve e-mailed Nero to get their thoughts, though I haven’t heard anything as of yet. I imagine that this was not meant to happen, but nothing is going to stop it now. If you want a sneak peak at what’s fresh, be prepared to tackle a download that’s close to a gigabyte in size. Just realize that serial keys will not likely be available until the first of October and that there are multiple features that will not function until then, as well.
Source: Softpedia
HL2: Episode 2 Out On October 10, Pre-Orders Get TF2 Beta Access
When we reviewed Half-Life 2: Episode 1 last June, I don’t think anyone expected to have to wait another sixteen months before getting our grubby hands on the next installment. Finally, Valve released dates for the Orange Box release: October 10 in NA and October 12 for the rest of the world. It will retail for $49.95 both online and off and include Half-Life 2 (The full game, and then the two episodes), Portal and of course, Team Fortress 2.
If you pre-order via Steam, you not only save 10% and receive a copy of the highly-addictive Peggle Extreme from PopCap, you also get beta access to Team Fortress 2 when it launches next week. You might be asking yourself, “I already own HL2 and HL2: Episode 1, what’s the deal?”, and well, that’s a great question. Upon launch, if you already own those games, you are able to “gift” them to a friend for free. At this point, I am not sure who doesn’t own those games, but it’s a nice feature to have. You can read the full press release below.
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September 11, 2007 -The Orange Box-featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, as well as the complete Half-Life 2 experience to date-is now available for pre-purchase via Steam, a leading online platform for the distribution of PC games. Those who pre-purchase the PC edition via Steam before October 10th will save 10% off the $49.95 regular price and get exclusive access to the Team Fortress 2 beta.
Source: Valve Press Release
EVE Online Coming to Mac and Linux
Here’s something that didn’t come up in our interview with CCP last week! According to ShackNews, EVE Online will have both a Mac OS X and Linux client by years-end, with the help of TransGaming. Apparently, the game was already playable in Linux via Cedega, but this catered solution should prove more reliable.
Although I am not a fan of EVE personally, I have to hand it to CCP for knowing how to push and market their game. When it first launched, it “flopped” by many people’s considerations. Even I thought it would be shut down rather quickly. But CCP took the game, turned things around and now the game has over 200,000 players. If only other MMO publishers took a lesson (aka Turbine with their Asheron Call series). The fact that they are now going to cater to all three operating systems is a big step forward also one that should be mimicked by others.
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The move is the result of a partnership with TransGaming, a Canadian company specializing in platform redevelopment. EVE Online was already playable on Linux through Cedega, a Windows shell for Linux users. Now the game will be totally converted using TransGaming’s tasty Cider engine. “By integrating TransGaming’s excellent technology, we are able to keep our laser-focus on evolving EVE Online, while sim ultaneously expanding the EVE universe to even more players,” quipped CCP chief technical officer Halldor Fannar.
Source: ShackNews
Sony BMG and Universal To Release “Ringles”
I admit that I am still a huge fan of the audio CD, but the fact is, it’s a dying breed, especially in an age when downloading a track you want can be done in under a minute. The record industry also realizes this, so to spice up holiday sales, they plan to release “Ringles”. Essentially, these would be similar to CD singles, another product that is dying off rather quickly. The Ringle would feature a popular artists hit track, an older track, perhaps a remix track and also a ringtone. The average price would be between $5.98 and $6.98.
I’m up for new ideas, but this one seems hilarious at best. It’s almost as humorous as the picture below. First, these Ringles are not going to be cheap. $6.00 is the minimum price, meaning that each track and the ringtone would be $1.50 each… according to simple math. That’s far from inexpensive, considering that one track will be older and another a remix. Coupled with the fact that the same hit song most people will be after will cost $0.99 on most music e-tailer sites, and the ringtone at around $2.00 – $3.00. Sounds like a unique idea, but it comes off as being more of a novelty than anything. The record industry is going to have to try harder.
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Universal Music Group and the major labels are about to begin rolling out something called a “RINGLE.” You know, like a single? Except this will be 3 songs packaged together with a ringtone and wallpaper image for your cell phone. The truly idiotic part? These will be physical shipped goods that will be stocked in retailers across the country. Wal-Mart and Best Buy have already jumped on board to start carrying RINGLES.
Source: Boy Genius Report
In-Depth iPod Classic and Nano Review
Apple unveiled their new iPod lineup last Wednesday, and the reviews began trickling out on the web immediately. The most in-depth review thus far would have to be Ars Technica’s look at both the Nano and Classic. They go a bit further than simply telling you what’s new and showing pretty snapshots. Included are benchmarks of boot times and navigation speeds as well.
Their overall thoughts are definitely in the favor of both iPods, which by this point in time, is not that surprising. The main gripes are that the UI is very slow on both models, but worse on the Classic. Another big hit is the fact that video-out is no longer possible via the audio jack. It seems that Apple wants to give people extra incentive into getting the iPod touch, which I will just assume has the support given the fact that they are pushing YouTube capabilities. The review is a worthwhile read if you are in the market for either model.
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We believe that Apple introduced the iPod classic so that it wouldn’t have to kill off the traditional iPod style just yet. It’s also the only game in town if you have a massive music collection and want to be able to take most or all of it with you. The scroll wheel and the massive storage capacity have long since become trademarks of the iPod. However, the iPod classic can’t go through too many more revisions without radically changing how the device functions, and so we expect this to be among the last “major” updates to the player—the vestigial tail, so to speak.
Source: Ars Technica
Now From Dell – The $920 Hard Drive
Dell has begun offering 64GB solid-state hard drives for both their laptops and also their Alienware division. The price sits at $920 as the title suggests… not that easy to stomach considering hard drives of much higher density are far, far less expensive. By comparison, the 32GB flash-based drive is a $540 upgrade on the Latitude D620.
From my personal browsing, I notice that Dell not only offers solid-state storage, but it will be enclosed in a shock-proof mount. In addition, they are also offering 1.8″ hard drives with the same mount, however they might prove slower than the flash-based counterparts. On the same notebook as mentioned above, the 32GB solid-state drive was a $540 upgrade while the 80GB 4200RPM drive was $390. I think I will just risk dropping my laptop rather than pay such an extreme premium. But that’s me. If you back up each night, you could save yourself a load of cash. Of course, if you really care about battery-life, that premium might be your only choice.
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Dell is expanding its options for notebooks with drives built around flash memory. Earlier this year, the company began to sell a 32GB flash drive from Samsung as an upgrade option on some notebooks. This week, it has officially begun to sell Samsung’s 64GB drive. You can swap out a regular hard drive for a 32GB or 64GB flash drive on the Dell XPS 1330 consumer notebook or get a 32GB or 64GB solid state drive on the Alienware Area 51 m9750 notebook. Alienware will also sell you a notebook with two 64GB drives in it to bring the total to 128GB.
Source: News.com Blog
$400 PS3 SKU Rumored for Holidays
According to a rumor given to Ars Technica, a $399 40GB PS3 is going to be delivered just in time for the holidays. At the same time, the 80GB model will have a price drop to put it down to $499, the same price as the current 60GB model. As we found out last week though, those models will not be lasting for much longer. In addition, Spiderman 3 is supposed to be packed in with the 80GB, but possibly the 40GB as well.
The big question… how many would be willing to lose 40GB to save $100? Chances are good that many will never use even 40GB to begin with, but it could happen. The downside of the 40GB model would be the same as the 80GB, that PS1/PS2 emulation would be software-based and not hardware-based, leading to complications in a fair amount of titles. Before you decide whether or not to wait, read our news post from yesterday which discusses the benefits of the 60GB over the others.
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The 80GB price drop isn’t that shocking, but a new $400 40GB system would be huge news. Would people be willing to part with 40GB to save $100? I think so, and having a $400 PlayStation 3 option would be a great weapon this holiday season. If they get to show off the Blu-ray capabilities of the system with Spider-Man 3 bundled? That’s a nice package.
Source: Ars Technica
English Wikipedia Gets Two Millionth Article
Is this the week of the “Millions”? Yesterday, we found out that Apple had sold it’s one millionth iPhone, and today we find out that Wikipedia has added it’s 2 millionth English article. This is a massive accomplishment and really goes to show what community involvement can achieve. I visit Wikipedia every single day, and appreciate greatly all of the hard work of the volunteers (including my little brother!). Kudos to Wikipedia on this accomplishment and here’s to another million!
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Initial reports stated that the two millionth article written was El Hormiguero, which covers a Spanish TV comedy show. Later review of this information found that this article was most likely not two million, and instead a revised list of articles created around two million has been generated, and is believed to be correct to within 3 articles. The Wikimedia foundation, which operates the site, is expected to make an announcement with a final decision, which may require review of the official servers’ logs.
Source: Slashdot
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Demo Released
In case you were asleep all yesterday, this is a note to let you know that the highly-anticipated Quake Wars demo has finally been released and you can download it from every website on the internet. Well not really, but Gamers Hell, Internode and FileShack all have it, and I am sure there are many others who do as well.
From what I gather, this is both a single-player and multi-player demo, taking place on the Valley map. For those not ready to make the trip online, you will be pleased to know that bot support is included to give you plenty of time to prepare for making a fool of yourself in front of others.
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The Strogg and GDF experience is quite different. GDF have to attack on this map, and Strogg defend. The GDF must build a bridge, move a mobile base, kill a tower thing, launch a bunker-busting missile, and then assault an installation. Meanwhile the Stroggs must fight a retreat. Although the classes are paralleled on either side, they are not mirror-images of each other, and every single class has a wide range of different equipment.
Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
OCZ Announces First Intel Extreme Modules
It has been well over a year since NVIDIA first launched their EPP (Enhanced Memory Profiles) specification, but until now there hasn’t been any real “competition”. I put that in quotes, because it’s not really a technology that has competition involved. However, NVIDIA’s profiles only worked on NVIDIA-chipsets, naturally, so users of other Intel motherboard offerings were left in the dark, if they wanted that functionality.
Well thanks to a new OCZ press release, we find out that Intel will be releasing an EPP-like technology with their X38 chipset, called “Extreme Memory Profiles”. It functions similarly to the way EPP did, by using spare bytes on the memory module’s SPD to store enhanced profiles. In XMP’s case, there are three profiles: Profile 0, Profile 1 and Profile 2. Profile 0 is JEDEC’s standard, while Profile 1 is Intel’s-preferred settings. Profile 2 will be up to the memory manufacturer to fill, in this case, OCZ.
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That said, these modules will work in any computer, but XMP will only function when using an X38 motherboard. The stock settings for these particular modules is DDR3-1333 7-7-7, but Intel’s special settings overclock them to DDR3-1600 8-8-8. OCZ further tweaks this setting by refining the timings to 7-6-6, although I am unsure at what voltage this is accomplished. EPP and the like have limited usefulness to enthusiast overclockers, but for those who don’t want to dabble with overclocking at all but still want super-fast settings, XMP could prove to be quite a hit. We will have a review of these modules sometime next month, so stay tuned. Hit up the press release below for more info.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – September 10, 2007 – OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced production of the industry’s first Intel Extreme Memory modules, a new memory solution that implements a high-performance specification optimized and predefined for the impending Intel X38 chipset.
Source: OCZ Press Release
iPhoneSIMFree Finally Available, iPhone Sells 1 Millionth Unit
Yes, iPhone news truly never ends. It was starting to feel like iPhoneSimFree was a hoax by the constant delay, but today that theory has been proven wrong. Engadget is reporting that the software is now available and can be purchased by anyone who owns an iPhone. As mentioned last week, regular customers can’t purchase the software, rather, resellers have to buy in bulk. What this means is that you are going to pay way, way more than you should have to.
One reseller in the US is selling each license for $99, which would be a $61 profit if they bought the smallest bundle from the iPhoneSimFree developers. There are others that are even cheaper though, such as an Aussie site that is selling them for $50 USD. At this point, no one knows if Apple is going to allow this to continue. Future iPhone firmware updates could easily render this hack useless, so purchase at your own risk.
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In other related news, Apple has announced that they’ve hit the 1,000,000 unit mark for the iPhone, a truly impressive feat for something that hit the market only 74 days ago. That amounts to 13,500 per day, and one heck of a profit. It’s unknown how much of a boost the recent price drop helped out here, but there’s no doubt it played a role.
CUPERTINO, California—September 10, 2007—Apple today announced it sold its one millionth iPhone yesterday, just 74 days after its introduction on June 29. iPhone combines three devices into one—a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the best mobile Internet device ever—all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers.
Source: Engadget (iPhoneSimFree), Apple (1,000,000th iPhone)
SPEC Benchmark To Allow Server Power Efficiency Comparisons
Reports were released a few weeks ago finding that AMD Opteron-based servers were far more power-efficient when compared to Intel’s offerings. Intel refuted those reports, stating that they put no thought into overall efficiency. Essentially, their thoughts are that an AMD Dual-Core server might use lower power than an Intel Quad-Core, but the latter would obviously be more efficient overall.
Come early next year, such reports could be more accurate thanks to an upcoming SPEC application that’s designed for this exact reason. In development for over 18-months, this tool would be used to measure not only power consumption, but also overall efficiency. The SPEC committee includes HP employees who no doubt want to find out information that would produce better servers for their customers, so the application will certainly have some merit once out the door.
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Currently, there’s no way for IT managers to choose among servers based on the energy efficiency of the systems, Koomey said, adding that the new benchmark will allow “sensible decision-making.” He said the benchmark may also lead to improvements of more than 30% in the power efficiency of servers as vendors respond with lower-power chips, better power supplies and other improvements.
Source: Computer World
New Bill to Clarify Cellphone Contracts
Have you ever received a cell phone bill that included charges you didn’t expect? Chances are if you didn’t, then you don’t use a cell phone. All too often, providers will sneak hidden charges onto your phone bill in hopes you won’t notice. Too often, it works. Finally, US senators have realized that this is a huge problem and have unveiled legislation that would stop this from ever happening.
If passed, it would require cell phone service providers to offer you clear and concise outlines of your commitment, a thirty-day window that would allow the customer to cancel service without cancellation fees and also greater flexibility to exit contracts with services that don’t meet your needs. I think it goes without saying… this needs to happen.
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The Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act of 2007 will require wireless service providers to share simple, clear information on their services and charges with customers before they enter into long-term contracts; a thirty-day window in which to exit a contract without early termination fees; and greater flexibility to exit contracts with services that don’t meet their needs.
Source: Slashdot
Apple Inks 7-Year Deal With InterDigital, 16GB iPhone Coming?
Apple does a great job of making sure that iPhone news don’t leave the front-page of any website, including ours. There are a few interesting developments to come to light over the weekend, including a new deal with InterDigital Inc. to deliver 3G technologies to the iPhone in current and future releases.
Of most interest though, is a leaked T-Mobile ad from Germany which specifically notes availability of a 16GB model. Nothing says that there is any credibility to this leak, but considering Apple is releasing a 16GB iPod touch at the end of the month, it’s not an unlikely scenario. According to the ad, the 16GB iPhone would sell for close to €499, equivelent to $689USD. Given the iPod touch pricing however, it would be more likely to see the 16GB model retail for $499USD on these shores. That is… if this leak proves true.
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The ad includes an error which references the device in one instance as an iPod, but otherwise appears to be consistent with T-Mobile’s advertising and may reflect a desire to return to two-tier pricing for the iPhone after the drop to $399 for the 8GB model, if proven accurate. The 3G iPhone would sell for 499 Euros ($687) including a coupon for the iTunes Store, and would be available with phone plans that all offer unlimited data and vary only in terms of general calling minutes and SMS messages.
Source: Electronista (16GB iPhone), AppleInsider (InterDigital Deal)
Sony Updates Online Backwards-Compatibility Search-Engine
Why is it when large companies begin right-ing their wrongs, they don’t usually take long to settle back to their old ways? When Sony released their Playstation 3 80GB edition, it was found that the emulation hardware was non-existent, and instead, it would all be software-based. This should be a non-issue to the consumer, but it apparently causes a lot of inconsistencies of stability from title to title.
To help you figure out if your favorite games have known issues, Sony has updated their compatibility search-list for both the 60GB and 80GB models. Depending on which model you choose, the results could be different. Overall, there are far less problems with the 60GB model, although they do exist. The moral of this story? If you are planning to pick up a PS3 and care a lot about backwards-compatibility, run out and pick up the 60GB model before they go extinct.
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As we learned during E3, the new 80 GB PS3 does have backwards compatibility issues. All future PS3 models will also have similar BC issues as they’ll use the less expensive software emulation program instead of the PS2 native hardware which is currently in the 60GB model.
Source: Joystiq
CONTEST: Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa Beta Keys!
We’re giving away 35 Beta Keys for Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa!
The first original 35 people who reply to this post, who are not staff, will be sent their key via Techgage’s private message system.
To win, you must:
1. Be registered with the site, and have a minimum total of 5 posts on our forums.
2. Not currently be under a ban from the forums.
3. Have an up to date valid email in your forum profile.
4. Place the words "Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa Beta Key Please" in your reply post.
You must read your PM within exactly 10 days of the date and time of this posting or your key will be passed on to the next non-winning person on the list. So even if you see more than 35 original non-staff posts, go ahead and post, you never know!
~Kiersten
AMD Launches Barcelona, “The World’s Most Advanced x86 Processor”
AMD today launches their long-awaited Barcelona-based Opteron server processors. Since K8 first launched, not much has changed architecturally, but Barcelona changes that. In addition to Barcelona being AMD’s first Quad-Core offering, it’s also the first native Quad-Core offering on the market. This differs from Intel’s QCs which actually have two Dual-Core dies under the same IHS.
In addition to offering 4x128Kb of L1 and 4x512MB of L2-cache, AMD introduces 2MB of L3-cache, all of which is shared with all available cores. Other notable features include a tweaked IMC which now offers two 64-Bit wide controllers instead of a single 128-bit, improved branch predictors, optimized SSE implementation and of course, better power consumption.
AnandTech has posted two articles, each focusing on a different area. Their server article focuses on what Opteron’s are set out to do. The performance gains are obvious. Many new tweaks have proved very worthy for AMD, although Intel’s processors won most rounds. AMD didn’t allow much time with the chip before NDA lifted, however, so more in-depth articles are to follow.
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Wondering about benefits from the desktop perspective? AMD gave Anand two days to work with all three chips on hand, so the results are obviously not conclusive, but immediate benefits are seen when compared to K8. The 2.0GHz processor doesn’t make jaw drops as hoped, but faster chips are on the way. AnandTech and others had 2.5GHz chips on hand, though they are not due out until later this year. Considering that AMD didn’t release these 2.5GHz chips at launch though, Barcelona in general is not likely to make overclocking enthusiasts jump for joy. Regardless, the initial performance reports look great for AMD, and their Barcelona will no doubt do well in the market for which it is intended. You can read both of AnandTech’s articles and the official (incredibly massive) press release below.
Here’s where things get complicated; we knew Phenom/Barcelona would be faster clock for clock, it was only a matter of how big of an improvement we’d get. If we are to believe that 15% is the best we’ll get on average, taking into account that Penryn is around 5% faster than Conroe, the updated architecture from AMD alone isn’t enough to really compete with Intel. In other words, price matters.
Source: AMD Press Release, AnandTech (Server), AnandTech (Desktop)
UK Drivers Risk Two Years In Jail For Texting While Driving
The UK has recently passed a new law that prohibits texting-while-driving. If you are caught in the act, you could face upwards of two years in prison, a lofty hike from the simple £2,500 fine for careless driving. Talking on your cell phone also carries a penalty, although much more tame at £60 for the fine in addition to three points off of your license.
This is a law that needs to be passed everywhere. Talking on a cell phone is one thing, but when texting, you are not even looking at the road. On an episode of Mythbusters, it was found that talking on a cell phone could prove just as dangerous as driving drunk, and even then it would be far safer than texting. Too many people have died already from such foolishness. If you need to text, it should be common-sense to pull over.
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Those who kill while using a mobile phone will face 14 years behind bars under the charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald said: “There is widespread public concern about the use of mobile phones and other hand-held electronic equipment while driving. “We accept that in cases where there is clear evidence that danger has been caused by their use – such as texting while driving – then our policy should spell out that the starting point for charging will be dangerous driving.”
Source: This Is London
Seagate Releases Cheetah 15K.6, Maxtor OneTouch 4
The past few months have been great to the storage market, but few of the major announcements have come from Seagate. This comes as a stark contrast to last year, when they released the largest notebook and desktop drives available at the time. They are now finally striking back however, with their new Cheetah 15K.6 server drive and also new Maxtor OneTouch 4 products.
The Cheetah drive is a high-end server solution, offering 15,000RPM speeds, but the 28% increase in sustained data transfer in what’s important. It’s available in both SAS and FC offerings. Also launched are new Maxtor OneTouch external drives, in densities between 250GB and 1TB for the top OneTouch Plus offering. If it’s designed similarly to the Seagate FreeAgent Pro that we reviewed back in April, it should prove to be one heck of a product.
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Seagate also introduced a new drive for digital video recording devices. The fourth generation DB35 series hard drives is now available with up to 1TB of storage space allowing recording of up to 200 hours of HD programming. Entry level hard drives of 250GB in the D35 series allow the storage of up to 50 hours of HD programming. The D35 series is also designed to operate inside of DVR systems without the need for cooling fans, which allows manufacturers to make quieter systems. The DB35 drives will be available in Q1 of 2008.
Source: DailyTech
Will NVIDIA Open Their Linux GPU Driver?
With AMD’s landmark announcement the other day about opening up their Linux GPU drivers, all heads are now turning to NVIDIA to see what they will be doing. Unlike ATI, there is no official NVIDIA “open driver” for Linux, although they do contribute to the basic “nv” driver. Nouveau is an NVIDIA-based open-driver that’s constantly improving, though it’s developers are getting no help from NVIDIA.
So will they just sit around and play this off? It’s hard to say. They currently offer the best Linux drivers available that are not only stable, but offer great performance. But with the help of the community, AMD’s drivers are only going to get increasingly better. If NVIDIA wishes to retain dominance, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to consider taking a similar route as AMD.
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So what will NVIDIA’s next step be if they wish to join Intel and AMD with open-source community enablement? Logically, they could provide specifications and assist these developers in a similar fashion to what AMD is doing, open-source their proprietary display driver, develop a new open-source “nv” display driver with greater functionality, or cooperate with and support the Nouveau project.
Source: Phoronix