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Engadget Reviews the iPhone
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We haven’t linked to any iPhone reviews since the device was released last Friday, but I couldn’t help but peruse Ryan Block’s exhaustive look at the device. It’s three long pages and covers virtually everything that a potential iPhone buyer will want to know.
The overall opinion is that it’s a great phone, but there are still a few needless issues, such as a recessed headphone jack that will not work with most headphones available. If you are still considering an iPhone, this is a great way to make your final decision. I’m in no hurry, so I will sit back and wait to see if the issues on the first generation iPhone are fixed in the second, which is supposedly due out later this year.
The fact is, there’s only a very short list of properly groundbreaking technologies in the iPhone (multi-touch input), and a very long list of things users are already upset about not having in a $600 cellphone (3G, GPS, A2DP, MMS, physical keyboard, etc.). If you’re prepared to buy into the hype, and thusly, the device, it’s important that purchase (and its subsequent two year commitment to AT&T) not be made for features, but for the device’s paradigm-shifting interface.
Source: Engadget
AMD Phenom FX-80 and FX-90 Added to Roadmap
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Its been revealed in a new AMD roadmap that FX-80 and FX-90 Phenom processors are on the way. FX-80 is expected to launch in late Q4, while FX-90 will be released in early 2008. The differences between FX-80 and FX-90 are simple… the latter is technically FX-80 except designed for a multi-processor system. Clock speeds will range between 2.2GHz – 2.6GHz, sitting on top of an HT3 bus of 3.0GHz+, depending on the processor. Things are looking good, but it’s going to be a tough wait to see how these perform.
AMD plans one Phenom FX processor for Socket AM2+ platforms. The AMD Phenom FX-80 is essentially the FX-90 for single-processor systems. The Phenom FX-80 will clock in between 2.2-to-2.4 GHz and have a HT3 bus speed in excess of 3.2 GHz. All Phenom FX processors share similar feature sets, with 512KB of L2 cache per core and a shared 2MB L3 cache. The TDP of Phenom FX processors are still to be determined.
Source: DailyTech
Turbocharge Your Terminal
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If you are a Linux user, and according to our stats, there is a 10.35% chance that you are, then you will want to check out a new article at Lifehacker. It’s all about tweaking the heck out of your terminal, focusing on the .bashrc file in your home directory. The article is especially helpful if you want to create shortcuts for long commands you run all the time, such as yum.
t’s easy to customize the command line to your particular needs. Today I’ve got a few tweaks that will ramp up your command line productivity so you can spend less time frackin’ around in the terminal and more time getting things done. The holy grail of the terminal lies in a configuration file located in home/username/.bashrc. Let’s transform .bashrc from a couch potato into a productivity monster.
Source: Lifehacker
AllOfMP3.com Dead.. Resurfaces as MP3 Sparks
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AllOfMP3.com has been in the news a lot over the past few months, with assurance of its imminent death. Well, the final nail in the coffin has been hammered down, and the service appears to be no more. However, a remake was immediately launched as MP3Sparks.com, which uses a similar layout and identical back-end. This means, if you had a login at AllOfMP3.com, your login will work here as well.
Legal beliefs aside, AllOfMP3 did a lot of things right, in my opinion as a big music fan. They have a huge selection and offer a wide selection of bitrates, something that personally bugs me with every other music service available. If a ‘legal’ version of this exact same service was available with reasonable prices and DRM-free, it would no doubt do well. I am sure I am not alone in that thinking.
Customers found last week that allofmp3.com would not load on their computers, while others who went through its Russian web address were greeted by a message saying that it was closed “for maintenance”. A former employee confirmed to The Times today that it had been shut down under pressure from the Russian authorities.
Source: Times Online
YouTube Now Free For Helio Users
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Two weeks ago, we posted about how Helio was charging people $6 to take advantage of YouTube usage through their phone, even though the service should have been free. Well thanks to the iPhone offering YouTube for free, Helio had little choice but to join the fray and make it free as well. Now all you Helio subscribers can relax and enjoy some online video without the extra needless charge.
Helio originally wanted to charge a few bucks a month for YouTube, but in response to the iPhone’s free access, they’re doing it free, too. And that’s over 3G, so it’ll be fast where ever you have EVDO coverage. See? One-up-manship can be beneficial for all.
Source: Gizmodo
Xbox Live Bringin’ Home E3
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Remember when E3 used to actually mean something? Well, despite it being kept away from ‘public eyes’, it’s still alive and kicking. Last March, E3 was kept exciting for all Xbox Live subscribers, because new demos and trailers were constantly uploaded and it was actually quite fun. I recall finding something new every time I turned the console on. Well, it’s happening again this year, beginning next Tuesday and running through Friday.
For the second year running, fans around the world thirsting for a sneak preview of the Xbox 360 holiday games and entertainment lineup can get together with friends to experience the E3 Media & Business Summit (E3) — the biggest video game industry event of the year — in high definition from the comfort of their own homes.
Source: Gamescore Blog
Auto Assault Drives off into the Sunset
Today NCsoft is announcing that it will be closing down service for Auto Assault at the end of the summer. The service will close at midnight on August 31, 2007. As of today, any player currently in the service with an active billed account will not be billed again. If players have previously purchased time via multi-month billing or time cards that extends their service past July 31, NCsoft will reconcile these accounts appropriately. There will be more announcements coming soon regarding the shut down of Auto Assault and its impact on current accounts. Please check back at www.autoassault.com for more information.
Toshiba HD-DVD Player Now $299, Microsoft Pushing Indie to the Format
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Earlier today, we posted that the HD-DVD group was planning to release a few upcoming movies with new internet-related features integrated. Well, that’s far from being the only HD-DVD news of the day, as Toshiba has apparently dropped the price of their HD-A2 player to a reasonable $299. Considering that the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 retails for $200, $299 for a full-blown stand-alone sounds like a great deal. At the Blu-ray camp, the least expensive machine retails for $499. Even with the five-free movies promise, that’s still a full $100 more than the HD-DVD player.
In another attempt to help push the HD-DVD format, Microsoft and Amazon are gearing up to promote indie films, by offering free authoring services to qualifying filmmakers. This sounds like a win/win for everyone involved, especially filmmakers looking to further push their product. As a further benefit, the filmmakers themselves will be the ones to set the sale price.
This new HD DVD program is the latest addition to Amazon’s CustomFlix CD and DVD service, which produces and ships discs only as they are ordered, eliminating the need for costly inventory. Filmmakers can then set the sale price, and earn royalties for each disc sold.
Source: DailyTech, High-Def Digest
Xbox 360 Failure Upwards of 33%
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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
Adobe Ships CS3 Production Premium Suite
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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
WGA Not So Bad… Vista Far Worse
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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
HD DVD Fights Back With New Features
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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
Only 30% of Gamers Know Their Consoles Play Movies
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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 Pushing Linux OS to Next Year
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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
Universal to Pull Out of iTunes
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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
BMW 1-Series Coming To US and Canada
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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
Tech’s 10 Most Hyped Products
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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
D-Link Goes Draft N 2.0 Certified
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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
Hans Reiser: Once a Linux Visionary…
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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
Sony Becomes Less Green Than Apple
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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
Music Industry Attacks Free Prince CD
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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
What If the HD 2900 XT Wasn’t Sub-Par?
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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
Five Free Movies With Blu-Ray Player Purchase In Q3
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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
Mysterious 2.8GHz Core Celeron Discovered
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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
Intel Explains the Core 2 “Problem”
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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