- Qualcomm Launches Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Mobile Platform
- AMD Launches Ryzen PRO 7000 Series Mobile & Desktop Platform
- Intel Launches Sleek Single-Slot Arc Pro A60 Workstation Graphics Card
- NVIDIA Announces Latest Ada Lovelace Additions: GeForce RTX 4060 Ti & RTX 4060
- Maxon Redshift With AMD Radeon GPU Rendering Support Now Available
Social & RSS Feeds
Latest Videos
Latest News
Tech News
AT&T To Impose Huge Cancellation Fee On iPhone
 |
iPhone in your future? You might want to think twice about cancelling the service from AT&T if that was your plan, as they will be charging people a completely fair (sarcasm) $175 for the privilege of cancelling. Yes, it’s insane, but completely legal. I am not even sure if it’s known whether or not the iPhone can be unlocked, but I know it’s the first thing I would be looking into. Apple should sell an unlocked version for $100 more, which would still be cheaper than this ridiculous charge.
Like I’ve said in the past, AT&T needs to retain these iPhone customers that will swarm stores next week. Imposing a cancellation fee of that caliber sucks, but it’s how the world works. No word if customers with existing accounts will be subject to the fee.
Source: CrunchGear
TweakVista Beta Released… Guess What It Does
 |
So you think Windows Vista can be a pain in the ass, but you don’t want to take the time to tweak it out. You are in luck, because Stardock has just released a program to help you out, creatively named TweakVista. With it, you can handle security settings, optimize memory, handle resources, start-up and potentially increase performance.
Like most tweaker programs out there, most of the tweaks can be done by hand if you have patience and the knowledge of how to perform them. Most are registry based, which can be daunting to some. The program is currently in beta but will retail for $19.95 upon release. It will also be included in Stardock’s Object Desktop which retails for $49.95.
“TweakVista has been designed not just for power users but also for every-day computer users,” said Brad Wardell, President & CEO of Stardock Corp. “We know a lot of people who are the family/neighborhood ‘computer guy’ and this program really is for them to use themselves or to hand out to people so that they can help fix and manage their own computers safely.”
Source: TweakVista Product Page
Helio Users Required To Pay For YouTube Mobile
 |
Helio members might have a reason to be upset, especially if they are interested in enjoying YouTube mobile. Heliocity is reporting that when the service is accessed on a Helio device, users are prompted to sign up for a service called Video Virus. I assume this to be a fancy name for unlimited data plan, although the article doesn’t elaborate.
The problem is, YouTube mobile is a completely free service, just as the main website is. Charging subscribers for free services is nothing new, but it is for Helio. If you are a Helio user interested in using YouTube mobile, adding a ?someword at the end of the URL should give you access. There has been no response from Helio regarding the matter.
I sincerely hope this was a mistake by someone who was a bit too jumpy with a plan that slipped into the “Do this next!” pile rather than the trash bin. Hopefully it miraculously undoes it self by the time you read this post. If not, we’ll be looking for the fire escape sooner than later.
Source: Heliocity
You Might Be a Zune Addict If…
 |
This is the first time we have posted about it, but a guy by the name of Steve Smith (wonder if he’s an American Dad fan?) has admitted to the world that he is a Zune fan. Not just a fan, a fanATIC. A few weeks ago, he had a Zune logo tattoo’ed on his left arm, and a week later he decided to get a character out of a Zune commercial on the left arm. Whew.
So he didn’t want to stop there. He has full intentions of getting a third, but I don’t care to know where he plans to put it. Microsoft, not known to ignore their biggest fans, caught on to Steve’s antics. Now he is getting a free trip to Redmond to meet up with the Zune team and perform an interview with On10. Everything aside, I think I am most interested in knowing what music he has on his Zune. He seems like an interesting fellow.
Source: Engadget
EMI DRM-Free Music Selling Well
 |
From the O-RLY files, we have EMI who recently started selling DRM-free music on iTunes. Not surprisingly, it’s selling quite well. Pink Floyd’s amazing Dark Side of the Moon album had sales go up 350% in the first week, and is still hovering at 272%. If stats like that aren’t enough of a hint to music companies, I have no idea what could be.
Although the iTunes Store was the first online store through which EMI sold its DRM-free tracks, Amazon recently said that it will also be selling DRM-free EMI songs through its newly-announced music store later this year.
Source: Ars Technica
MacBook Pro 17″ Screen “Suh-weet”
 |
When Apple released their latest Santa Rosa based MacBook Pros, eyes moved towards the 17″ model with the amazing 1920×1200 supported resolution. If you’ve debating whether or not it’s worth the extra $100, Mac World firmly believes so. The author is so impressed, he compares it to moving from Standard-Def TV to a High-Def model.
I’m still a little wary on such a high-resolution on a small monitor, when comparing the fact that this is the resolution seen on 24-inch+ monitors. It might be one of those things that you will just need to see in person.
Oh, and did I mention that screen? You know the difference between regular TV and high-def TV? That’s what it feels like using this model. Not that the standard screen offered by Apple is a slouch; 1,680-by-1,050 pixels is plenty fine for most users. But for those of us who always want faster, bigger, more, Apple has created what I’d call the MBP Ultimate.
Source: PC World
Playstation3 To Receive Better Upscaling
 |
Sony released the 1.80 firmware update for the Playstation3 last month, which offered PS1/PS2 and DVD upscaling capabilities. There has been mixed reaction to the actual gains however, though they are clearly there. It’s just not a night/day transition. It seems that Sony themselves are not that pleased with the result, and intend to attempt to improve it by another 30 – 40% with the help of the powerful Cell processor.
Sony expects to improve the quality of the image another 30 – 40% when all is said and done, and is waiting on a stable version of the Blu-ray spec so it can enable scaling of 1080i BD content to 1080p. The duo also hinted that a remote media playback solution that doesn’t involve having to leave the PS3 on at all times is in the works, and that Sony plans on updating the PS3’s firmware every quarter.
Source: Engadget
NVIDIA Announces Tesla Personal Supercomputing
 |
It’s been known for a while that NVIDIA was interested in getting into the super computer business, but I am not sure if anyone knew it was going to happen so soon. GPUs are capable of blowing away desktop processors for certain operations, so now NVIDIA is putting that into action with their personal supercomputer solution called Tesla.
Similar to an 8-series card, the Tesla GPU features 128 parallel processors and delivers up to 518 gigaflops of parallel computation. Throw four in a system and it will offer you a staggering 2 teraflops of computation to deal with. It doesn’t stop there though, as you can daisy chain machines to tackle computations together, essentially offering up to 8 teraflops. These GPUs are not for the home user, but the need is obvious and many examples are laid out on the site. The GPUs themselves are pricey, reportedly starting off at $1,500 each.
Revolutionary NVIDIA Tesla high performance computing (HPC) solutions arm scientists, engineers and other technical professionals with the power to solve previously unsolvable problems. A dedicated, high performance GPU computing solution, Tesla brings supercomputing power to any workstation or server and to standard, CPU-based server clusters.
Source: NVIDIA Tesla Page
Rockstar’s AO Rating Causing Trouble
 |
We posted yesterday that Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 was the first console game to receive an AO rating. Well, as it turns out, that is not a good thing. Both Nintendo and Sony have explicitly stated that AO games will not be released on their consoles. Although the game was never slated for a Microsoft console, they also agreed to that rule. It looks as though the only possible way for them to have the game released is to tone it down. It’s going to be an interesting predicament to watch.
Both companies forbid licensed third-party publishers from releasing games rated AO for Adults Only on their various hardware platforms. Though Manhunt 2 isn’t slated for any of Microsoft’s systems, the company has also confirmed that it does not allow AO-rated titles on the Xbox or Xbox 360.
Source: Gamespot
OCZ Releases DDR3-1333 CL7 Modules
 |
Memory masters OCZ have again released a super-fast kit that you obviously want. Part of their Platinum series, the DDR3-1333 kit runs with timings of 7-7-7-20, on par with other high-performance DDR3 available from the likes of Corsair and Kingston. OCZ’s kit requires 1.8v while the others require 1.7v, so if there is any downside, it would be that. I’ve been told to expect some amazing overclocking ability however, with clocks far beyond stock with a modest voltage increase.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – June 20, 2007 – OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the newest OCZ DDR3 product addition. The leading-edge PC3-10666 Platinum Edition was developed to offer the enthusiast community a solution that fully exhausts the capabilities of the Intel P35 and X38 Express chipsets.
Source: OCZ Press Release
Steam Receiving Substantial Updates
 |
To say that Steam has grown quickly since inception would be a huge understatement. As far as game developers go, Steam is one of the first places to consider placing your pride and joy, and this is evidenced by the fact that Valve sends out multiple press releases each week telling the world about new games they have picked up.
In the platforms largest update since 2004, July will welcome profile pages, groups, game scheduling, player history, stats, chat and more. There is support for every single game on Steam and the services are free of charge, as they should be. Essentially it sounds like a networking type site, but strictly for Steam users. Knowing Valve, this is going to grow into something big, very quickly.
Beginning in July, Steam users can set up their own personal Steam pages and profiles, create and join groups, schedule games with friends, review who they’ve played with, see how well everyone played, chat with groups, chat via voice, and more. These new community services and features can be used with all Steam games, which include new releases and classic titles from leading publishers and independent developers.
Source: Valve Press Release
Logitech Unveils New Notebook Accessories
 |
It’s been a while since Logitech released any noteworthy notebook accessories, but yesterday they had a whole slew of things to unveil. These products are classified as “notebook essentials” by Logitech and include two notebook stands, USB hub, external numpad and Kinetik notebook cases. Yes, notebook cases. Those, in addition to their recent $2,000 Slim Devices product shows that they are very interested in expanding their product lineup. Keep it comin’ Logitech.
FREMONT, Calif., and ROMANEL-SUR-MORGES, Switzerland — June 20, 2007 — Logitech today announced that shopping for the essential peripherals that complement a notebook PC just got easier. The company has expanded its line of notebook PC essentials and is working with retailers to conveniently display and merchandize notebook essentials in a way that matches the right set of products to the right notebook user.
Source: Logitech Press Release
Buy Vista.. Microsoft Says So
 |
Microsoft wants you to stop being a slackass and run out to purchase Windows Vista. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of unsupported applications, or if you hate the updated layout, or if you find it slow, or if gaming performance lacks, you need to go buy it now.
Well, this is what Microsoft is basically saying, and they are encouraging people to not wait until SP1 before taking the plunge. You should “proceed with confidence”. Personally, I have no problems with XP, and they are not giving a great reason for upgrading. It won’t be much longer before it’s forced though, if you enjoy support of the latest applications and games.
SP1 is no minor update. Although Microsoft won’t officially comment on its contents, we do know that Microsoft is at some point going to provide a complete replacement for the Windows kernel, moving from version 6.0 to 6.1 — the same kernel found in Windows Server 2008.
Source: APC Mag
Microsoft Pulling Plug On Office 2003
 |
If you have your heart set on picking up a copy of Office 2003 with your new computer or notebook purchase, you should do it within the next ten days. Microsoft is officially pulling the plug on the software, giving full attention to their latest 2007 version. This is a bad thing for consumers who enjoy the older version more, and there are some that do. This is for OEMs only, however, so you are feel to purchase it elsewhere for now.
Office 2003 has been around for nearly four years and Microsoft feels that it’s time to send the old mare off to the glue factory. According to Microsoft, OEM versions of Office 2003 will no longer be available from Microsoft after June 30.
Source: DailyTech
Cheaper iPhones Might Be En Route
 |
If you think $599 for a phone is too much, you are certainly not alone. With that blatant fact, comes obvious rumors that cheaper iPhones are on the way, such as the tentative iPhone Shuffle that you see to the right.
According to one technology researcher, Apple would be smart to roll out iPhones at more reasonable prices in order to make a huge impact, a la iPod. I disagree. This is Apple we are talking about. Did the iPod sell over 100 million units because it was priced right? Far from it. Compared to other audio players on the market, the iPods have always cost more. The iPhone will sell. It might not sell 100 million units like the iPod, but Apple clearly prefers to release top quality products in liu of more customers. That said, more iPhones are definitely on the way. It seems like a given.
Shaw Wu has been right on a couple Apple predictions in the past, but it doesn’t take much to guess that Apple is currently at work on, or at least thinking about, a second generation of iPhone. Price drops also seem inevitable, and Shaw’s predictions hold few surprises.
Source: Ars Technica
Inkjet Printers Are Filthy Liars
 |
Anyone who owns a printer knows well that ink cartridges are a huge rip-off. They are expensive and don’t last long. Or do they? Ars Technica relays study results done with different ink cartridges to see if they are really near-empty when the on-screen nag says so. What they discovered is actually shocking. In a few of their results, when the software told them the cartridge was near empty, it was actually still half-full with at least another 100 pages worth of ink left.
Single ink cartridges aren’t exactly perfect, however. Such cartridges still were reported as empty with an average of 20 percent of their ink left, which means that an entire cartridge worth of ink is wasted for every five which are used. Given the sky-high prices of ink, this is an alarming find.
Source: Ars Technica
Is MySpace Worth $12 Billion?
 |
Is it possible that MySpace is worth a staggering $12 billion? Michael Arrington thinks it’s a definite possibility given current information and rumors floating about. Yahoo! is apparently in talks to purchase the popular web property from Fox, who paid just $580 million for it just two years ago. According to Michael, it would be a foolish move on Yahoo!’s part.
Yahoo could certainly use the massive page views and user numbers, and they could kick Google out of that search deal from last year. But they need to focus on strategic acquisitions and a real game plan going forward. To try and hit one out of the park with a monster acquisition, perhaps just as the MySpace star is fading, would be monumentally stupid.
Source: TechCrunch
Mobile Intel Extreme Processors Soon?
 |
According to notebook blog Laptoping, Intel has a few mobile CPU’s up their sleeves slated for release in early July. If true, a lot of mobile gamers will be very happy. The Core 2 Extreme X7800 and X7900 processors will be clocked at 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz, respectively. Compare that to the 2.4GHz that most high-end notebooks include now. Of course, 4MB L2 cache is included as well as an 800FSB, so it’s a true beast, especially where laptops are concerned.
In the mainstream class, the company will release the Core 2 Duo T7250 with 2GHz clock speed, 800MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache, and a $209 price tag, as well as T7800 at 2.6GHz, featuring 800MHz FSB and 4MB L2 cache. The T7800 will be the fastest CPU in its class and will have $361 release price. In addition to this roadmap, the specifications of upcoming Dell Inspiron “Santa Rosa†notebooks revealed the details of another two new chips: the lower-end Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2M L2 cache) and Core 2 Duo T5450 (1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2M L2 cache).
Source: Laptoping
Manhunt 2 Banned In The UK
|
Ahh Rockstar, always in the center of controversy. The original Manhunt was an incredibly violent game, and has been one of the few games to actually make me cringe. Is Manhunt 2 going to be that much worse? It’s certainly looking like it, as the UK has already banned it from being released there. It’s hard to believe that ultra-violent movies are allowed to be sold, but when it comes to a video game with an M rating… It’s almost a given also that Australia will also put a ban on the game, since they are also strict with their games lately.
Manhunt 2 might very well become the first console game ever (excluding GTA: SA’s quickie) to receive an AO rating, as well. I find great humor that such a controversial game is being released on a Nintendo console. Who says that cater to kiddies now? Kudos to Rockstar for never giving up on their dreams of being the controversy kings.
“Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.”
Computer Games On Music LPs?
 |
Today, it’s not rare to pick up a music CD and be treated to special content, some better than others of course. It gives people more incentive to spend their ~$15 on the disc and makes it feel like a complete package. However, according to this article, this is nothing new. It actually began in the vinyl days.
The process was actually quite simple. Record a portion of the record to a cassette tape, load that tape into your Spectrum computer and see if the game would work. This wasn’t a rare feature either, the article mentions many LPs that had this functionality.
Most of these programs were written for the Sinclair Spectrum home computer series. The Sinclair Spectrum was a relatively cheap home computer system that used a television set as a monitor and loaded programs from tapes. It thrived in England in the early 80’s.
Source: Kempa – Via: Boing Boing
Samsung, Seagate Shipping 1 TB Hard Drives
 |
The gents at DailyTech let us know that both Samsung and Seagate have begun shipping their 1 terabyte drives. Of course, Hitachi was the first out the door when they shipped their drives earlier this year, but what’s impressive are the specs of these new ones.
While the Hitatchi sticks to five platters at 200GB each, Seagates uses four platters at 250GB while Samsung uses three at 334GB. Seagate has been the king of disk storage for a while, but Samsung seems to have taken the lead. As far as pricing goes, they should all cost roughly the same when they finally hit your favorite e-tailer.
Six months ago Seagate confirmed it would launch a 1TB Barracuda hard disk drive in 2007. Seagate was the first to officially unveil a 1TB desktop drive after taking first place with the 750GB 7200.10 Barracuda. However, Hitachi announced its 1TB offering only minutes after Seagate’s announcement in January and took advantage of a head start by bringing its product to the market earlier.
Source: Daily Tech
Novint Releases The Falcon
 |
We have been following Novint’s Falcon for quite a while now, and the day has finally come. If you have pre-ordered one, it should be en route to you right now. If you want one, it will have to be a new pre-order. Novint will begin shipping the second batch in late July.
Novint Technologies, Inc. (NVNT), the pioneer of 3D touch for consumer computing, has begun shipping the highly anticipated, award-winning Novint Falcon game controller in a special Limited Edition bundle. Described by Popular Mechanics as “Wii 2.0,” the Falcon is an entirely new type of 3D game interface that makes virtual objects and environments feel real.
Source: Novint Press Release
Use Third-Party iPhone Apps Before Launch
|
You are sick and tired of hearing about the ‘Jesus’ phone, and I well understand your pain. However, like Wal-Mart door greeters, the iPhone is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. For those who are mindlessly excited for the new toy but want to experience all you can before the big day, Download Squad gives us the news that most iPhone apps can be accessed right now, since they are mostly web-based.
Since the iPhone’s third party programs are essentially web pages that can be accessed through Safari, you can already check out some of the first applications designed for the iPhone. For example, there’s already a Digg interface, a cheap gas finder, and a nifty front end for several online newspapers.
Source: Download Squad
AT&T Offers $10 DSL… Should You Jump On It?
 |
As part of AT&T’s agreement to the FCC, they are required to offer basic DSL service for $10 a month. Sounds reasonable, however it’s crippled with 768Kbits down and 128Kbits up. This is a service that they don’t want you to know about, which is evidenced by the fact that it is deliberately hidden deep within their website. As far as Boing Boing is concerned though, people shouldn’t be looking at this with a hint of consideration anyway.
But even at $10/month, AT&T DSL should be avoided like the plague. These are the scumbags who illegally wiretapped the entire Internet for the NSA, who broke net-neutrality to find “copyright infringements, and who inspired NBC to call for a law requiring all ISPs to do the same (imagine — a law forbidding network neutrality!).
Source: Consumerist – Via: Boing Boing
The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer
 |
Gold farming in MMO games is nothing new. It’s been around for as long as the games themselves have been. However, there is no doubt that it’s a bigger business than ever, with the CEOs of these companies earning a massive paycheck by hiring countless people to do the grunt work for them. This article goes into great depth in the life of one of the gold farmers for WoW, which is enough to make any straight-thinking person cringe.
Twelve hours a night, seven nights a week, with only two or three nights off per month, this is what Li does — for a living. On this summer night in 2006, the game on his screen was, as always, World of Warcraft, an online fantasy title in which players, in the guise of self-created avatars — night-elf wizards, warrior orcs and other Tolkienesque characters — battle their way through the mythical realm of Azeroth, earning points for every monster slain and rising, over many months, from the game’s lowest level of death-dealing power (1) to the highest (70).
Source: NY Times