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Australia Hits 1 Million Xbox 360 Games Sold
Australia is game hungry, which is proven by the latest report that over 1 million Xbox 360 games have been sold in just over fourteen months. Surprisingly, this beats out both the PS2 and Nintendo DS.
According to Daniel Morse, Account Director at GfK Australia, “360 has reached the milestone faster than any previous console, and is currently outperforming other next generation consoles in terms of software sales. Titles such as “Gears of War”, “Saints Row” and “Call of Duty 2″, the top three selling Xbox 360 games, have played major roles in the success of the platform.”
Aussies have some good taste!
Source: IGN Xbox 360
855,000 Phones Dropped in UK Toilets Yearly
Did you know 855,000 phones are flushed down the toilet every year in the UK? That’s both true and ridiculous. SimplySwitch, a price comparison site that apparently services the UK, came up with this number. How many people are in the UK? 60.7 million? That’s about 1.5% of the population that actually flushed their phones down the toilet.
It’s surprising, and odd. I am not sure how that many people could have that happen. Either you talk on your phone too much, or need to keep the phone out of your back pocket. Surprisingly, more people drop their phones in the toilet than they leave at the pubs.
Source: Gizmodo
Wii To Wiiceive External Hard Drive?
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Despite the lame news title, this rumor has been floating around for quite some time now. It’s no surprise, given the 512MB worth of internal storage and the fact that SD cards only hold up to 4GB of space normally. Because rumors never die, this one is back in full swing.
Lending a smidgen of credence to this latest rumor is SNK’s recent announcement that it would soon be bringing some of its Neo Geo titles to the Wii’s Virtual Console, many of which would take up a heckuva lot more space (up to 330MB) than the current crop of old school games available on the service.
I had no idea of that previous announcement, but I am hoping to see the Wii treated to some King of Fighters excitement. If an external hard drive is actually in the works, anyone care to speculate how large it would be? Unlike the Xbox 360, a 20GB hard drive could go a long way with the Wii, so my bets would be there.
Source: Engadget
Pay to Play: Uncovering Online Payola
Have you ever finished reading a review on a website and wondered just how accurate it might be? It could be that you relied on a review for guidance, only to find out that the products overall quality is worse than the reviewer led on to believe. Reviewers being paid off for good reviews is nothing new, especially in the gaming sector. Not many have taken the time to investigate the potential problem with tech sites though, such as our own.
Over the past three months, DailyTech put together a series of faux companies, product portfolios and trademarks. In a combination of phone and email correspondences, our team of journalists set out to find illicit and unethical review behavior in the English-print, computer hardware review industry.
Simple enough. Their game was to mimic a real PR company that represents a real manufacturer. The goal was to get an idea of how many tech sites would accept “bribes”, or allow the company to pay them for writing a review. Their results are surprising, but not so much at the same time.
Of 35 online computer-related publications, 23 (66 percent) refused editorial influence in exchange for advertising. Of remaining 12, seven publications (20 percent, Fig. 1) agreed to editorial service in exchange for advertising or cash.
20% of the websites agreed to be paid for the review, while the other 80% refused. Techgage was one of those 35 websites contacted, and we of course stated that we never would charge for reviews. DT pulled off their game well, because while discussing a potential review of their “fake” product, I had no thought that I was being set up.
Although their article is in-depth, it lacks actual site names. Some members of their community are demanding that the sites who agreed to accept money be uncovered, but for whatever reason, they wish to keep that private. If they wish to continue keeping that list as such, then these sites will simply continue on misleading their readers. Remember that these are not small websites. Chances are you visit a few of them daily.
If there is anything you should take away from the article, it’s that you shouldn’t immediately trust the first review you read. Even as the head of a tech site, I admit that I would read more than one review if I were to make a large purchase. Two perspectives can be better than one.
That said, Techgage can only be bribed with beer. And lots of it.
Source: Daily Tech
Ask.com Receives Huge Overhaul
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TechCrunch was the first to report that popular search engine Ask.com would be re-launched, and it has now happened. The updated site looks fresher, but I haven’t used it in the past enough to know if the search results have improved at all.
At the core of the changes is a move towards simplicity, though, which may count for more than the other changes. There is a significantly less cluttered home page with lots of white space.
Although simple, a great new feature is the selection of different backgrounds to use for the main page. Simple search engines do well, for obvious reasons, but the new Ask.com keeps simplicity in mind while having a modern feel. If you are in search of a replacement for your current search engine, give it a look.
Source: TechCrunch
Is the RCA Output of the PS1 Worth $6,000?
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Stories like this don’t appear everyday. There is a claim that the audio output of the Playstation (PSX) is so good, it’s quality is comparable to a $6,000 audio system.
I had heard rumors of just how good this particular version of the PS1 is when used as a CD player and was curious to give it a listen. This kid’s video game player really does have outstanding audio performance. I’m guessing you’d have to spend more than $6000 on a one-box CD player to equal let alone better it.
Skeptical? So am I. The good in all of this is that most of us have an old PSX stuffed in a closet, so it might be a good time to haul it out and hook it up to the stereo. For whatever reason, the only PSXs that are affected use the SCHP-0001 or SCHP-0002 BIOS.
I am not about to haul out the PSX despite it being not far from me, simply because I am not audiophile and would be surprised if I heard the difference on the equipment I own. If the claim is true, then there is some renewed value to be had there.
Source: Destructoid
DRAM Chipmakers Suffering Thanks To Vista
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There is not too much surprise when you hear someone complaining about Windows Vista. It’s expected. However, it’s hurting DRAM manufacturers worse than it is the users, it seems.
Before Vista was released, production was amped up in order to prepare for the influx of users wanting to upgrade their computer by adding more RAM. The problem is, there is no real demand for Vista, the result being that there is an overstock of modules, hence the recent low prices.
Weak prices are hurting chipmakers Micron Technology Inc. and Qimonda AG, among the world’s largest providers of DRAM, and pinching the order books at Applied Materials Inc. and Lam Research Corp. who supply the equipment to make DRAM chips.
When in doubt, blame Microsoft. Either people are not purchasing Vista despite huge sales claims, or many people are not pushing their computers enough to require more ram. The article mentions that DRAM has gone down almost 65%, which makes it a perfect time to buy.
Source: Marketwatch
Apple Breaks Server Top 10 In Q1
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It’s no secret that Apple is constantly growing, thanks to their i-line of products, but their server software can’t be left out of the equation.
The IDC report, cited by DigiTimes, indicates that Acer, Hitachi and Apple took eighth, ninth and tenth position with shipments of 14,900, 9,000 and 8,700 units, and on-quarter shipments growth of 5 percent, 26 percent and 73 percent, respectively. Hitachi replaced China-based Lenovo, which joined Langchao in falling out of the top 10, according to the report.
Apple Insider reports that the increase is thanks to the fifth generation of Xserve being released along with Intel Xeon processors. With this much momentum, I don’t think a brick wall could stop Apple that easily.
Source: Apple Insider
Corsair Raises The Bar On DDR3
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Corsair is not a new contender in the memory arena. They have been a fierce competitor as long as they have existed, thriving on pushing out ultra-fast memory. You might recall this past CES where they released a high-end DDR2-1250 (PC2-10000) kit. Well, it’s only been a few months but they now have an equally impressive DDR3 kit to show off at this weekends Computex.
COMPUTEX – Taipei, Taiwan (June 4, 2007) – Corsair(R), the worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, today unveiled the world’s fastest production DDR3 memory rated at a blazing-fast 1,600MHz (PC3-12,800) and the world preview of the Corsair DOMINATOR memory running at 2,000MHz (PC3-16,000).
It’s not mentioned what timings were used, but it was no doubt CL10 with an ample amount of voltage. Corsair is not the first to hit such speeds though, as a few enthusiasts around the web have been known to hit closer to DDR3-2100 speeds.
You might also remember from this past CES that right after Corsair announced their PC2-10000 kit, Patriot turned around and announced a PC2-10100 kit. I wonder if that will happen again this time?
Source: Corsair Press Release
Toshiba Announces HD-DVD RW Drive for Notebooks
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Toshiba has announced that they are releasing the first HD-DVD re-writable drives for notebook PCs. Though no notebooks have been announced using the drive, it shouldn’t be too long before we see them surface. Pricing is not disclosed, but is likely in the $500 (for the consumer) range.
Germany, 4 June 2007 – Toshiba Storage Device Division Europe today
announced the world’s first slim re-writable HD DVD drive for notebook PCs. With the new SD-L912A drive, Toshiba is offering consumer and business notebook PC users access to affordable next-generation HD DVD quality entertainment that delivers the full visual brilliance of high-definition content with the flexibility of re-writable HD DVD
media.
Blank HD-DVD discs come in 15GB and 30GB flavors, so this drive has an obvious appeal. Media prices have been going down as well, with the 15GB discs settling in at the $10 per disc area. It shouldn’t be too much longer before both HD-DVD and Blu-ray are a norm.
Source: Toshiba Press Release
SabayonLinux Growing At Rapid Pace
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We at Techgage have been fans of SabayonLinux for quite a while now. In fact, we’ve taken a look at three different versions since launch, and will be taking a look at an upcoming version later this month. In our reviews, we’ve talked about how simple SL is to use, and how superb it’s hardware detection is. Well, it seems like we are not the only ones out there who feels that way. Here’s what Daniel Robbins, Gentoo creator, had to say:
“What excites me about Sabayon is that it reminds me of the early days of Gentoo – when we were focused on doing innovative things like dependency-based initscripts, GameCDs and other things that hadn’t been done before.”
Those thoughts are right on the money. It’s hard to carry on a conversation with Fabio Erculiani, lead developer, and not walk away feeling ambitious yourself. The amount of passion that goes into the project is almost difficult to take in. When questioned about various doubts by LXer, he replies,
“I simply believe in the impossible. Many people told me, it’s impossible to succeed with a Gentoo based distribution. And I showed them that they were wrong and I’ll show how I’ll be able to reach the 5th position on Distrowatch.com before the end of the year. I have a lot of bullets in my gun. I just need the funds and the most important thing, time.”
SabayonLinux is quickly growing and needs help, so if you are a user of the distro or simply want to support the project, you can make a donation on their web site. Kudos to the entire SL team for their success thus far. Since the beginning, their growth has been enormous, and there is still no visible sign of slowdown.
Source: LXer
Google Earth Imagery Updated
Google has just released new imagery for Google Earth (exit GE and re-load it if you had it turned on over night). Most of the UK is now in high resolution. It appears there are many new strips of Digital Globe satellite photography in many parts of the world.
There are many updates this time around, so be sure to load Google Earth up and see if your city had any special treatment. Going by reports, it seems Germany and the UK has had the best updates, although some parts of Antarctica are also now visible. Though, even with the highest resolution imagery available, there would not be much to look at down there.
Source: Google Earth Blog
True Infinium Stories
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Ars Technica takes a deep look at Infinium Labs, now known as Phantom Entertainment, to see how it was able to survive all these years. Phantom is kind of like Duke Nukem: Forever. We were promised a product, but it never seemed to surface. However, unlike 3D Realms, Infinium somehow managed to waste $73 million.
Amazingly, Phantom lives on, a testament to just how long a company can survive without cash when it simply stops paying creditors. The company is down to three full-time employees but still hopes to launch its Phantom Wireless Lapboard in September—if it survives that long.
Will we see this mystery Lapboard before the end of the year? You could hope for it, but bear in mind that we were supposed to see it last year. It’s a recurring theme with this company.
Source: Ars Technica
Microsoft Once Again Attacked Over Vista Name
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Is there a single thing Microsoft does that they can’t potentially be sued for? This time around, they are being targeted for using the Vista name. Of course, this all comes two years after Windows Vista was first announced.
A French man has attacked Microsoft for using the Vista name, which he said was intended as the name for a TV channel being launched. Accord to PC Inpact, Philippe Gildas registered the trademark Vista in the autumn of 2003, with the mark covering a number of media aimed at the older sort of citizen. He’s complained to the Vole.
It’s going to be interesting to see if this goes anywhere. The guy in question does own a trademark, so Microsoft might very well have to pay up.
Source: The Inquirer
Why Upgrade to GPL Version 3
If you are a developer and unsure whether or not you should be upgrading your softwares license to GPLv3, Richard Stallman lays it out pretty well.
One major danger that GPLv3 will block is tivoization. Tivoization means computers (called “appliancesâ€) contain GPL-covered software that you can’t change, because the appliance shuts down if it detects modified software. The usual motive for tivoization is that the software has features the manufacturer thinks lots of people won’t like. The manufacturers of these computers take advantage of the freedom that free software provides, but they don’t let you do likewise.
The reasons do not end there. Others include better internationalization, BitTorrent support and Apache license compatibility. One of the greatest benefits though, is the fact that companies who use the license with their application and give you full freedom to their patents, cannot later turn around and use it against you. This is a great read even for the non-developer.
Source: Free Software Foundation
First Apple iPhone Commercials Published
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Apple has finally released television commercials for its iPhone, with the promise of a June 29 release date. The commercials are more of a tutorial on how to use the device, but still get the point across that you indeed want one.
The ads were first spotted on CBS network television at around 7:00 p.m. eastern time on Sunday. Each demonstrates a few of the handset’s functions, ending with an Apple logo and the caption, “Coming June 29th.” AppleInsider recently cited sources in saying that Apple planned to launch the inaugural Apple handset on Friday, June 29th.
You can view all three ads for yourself on the Apple site. After watching, it’s obvious that the iPhone is more than just a phone… it’s a device that Apple wants you to use all the time, for everything.
Strong: Apple Insider
25 Intel CPU Cooler Shoutout
It’s Sunday and you don’t have much to do (don’t lie to me), so how about an article that rounds up a staggering 25 CPU coolers to figure out which is best?
Our review candidates cover a wide spread of manufacturers and price ranges. From the sub-£6 Intel stock cooler to the £65+ behemoths, we’ve covered every budget. We also wanted to see whether it’s possible to run a high-heat CPU passively, so we ran a few coolers through without any fans.
This is in-depth analysis that should not leave you undecided in the end. Just be warned, the article is split up into about 350,000 pages.
Source: Hexus
LG’s 22″ LCD Doubles As HDTV
LG’s FLATRON M228WA won’t go down as the first LCD display that can hold its own as a television monitor, but this 22-incher does a decent job at catering to both sides of the equation rather than leaving one aspect feeling slighted. Dubbed the flagship device in the M8W series, this unit sports a widescreen aspect ratio, 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio, five-millisecond response time, Digital Fine Contrast (DFC) technology to sharpen up images, and a pair of three-watt stereo speakers built right in.
This is a difficult thing to pull off. I have used many computer monitors that have handled HDTV streams horribly. My 18 month old LG LCD TV handles computer connections quite well though, so perhaps they’ve been good at this for a while, not just with their new M228WA. For fun in the sun, how about another LCD TV that’s totally water-proof?
Source: Engadget
Canada Taking Strict Anti-Piracy Measures
Looks like Warner and the IIPA managed to rack up a minor victory in the Great White North, as new legislation has officially been introduced in Ottawa which would result in the permanent crackdown on camcording in movie theaters.
Oh Canada! Why are you becoming so lame? I am not so sure that piracy is a huge issue because of those few who lug a camcorder to the theaters. On the other hand, it would never be those reviewers who leak their DVD-quality screeners. Of course it would be! Foolishness aside, bringing a camcorder to a movie is… also lame.
Source: Engadget
How AMD Handles Linux Drivers
It’s not unknown that ATI’s Linux drivers have been lacking, but they are constantly becoming better. Despite that, there are, understandably, those out there who complain on internet forums about their poor experiences. The reassuring fact is though, ATI/AMD is actively developing new drivers, and seems to have a tighter gameplan than even NVIDIA.
Each release consists of pure development time for roughly one month, creating a branch for that specific release, and then carrying out quality assurance. After development has ended there is three weeks of validation, three weeks of beta testing, and then one week to bake.
If you want to know more, and trust me, there is a lot of info here, head on over to Phoronix.
Source: Phoronix
FeedBurner Gets Owned… By Google
It was rumored last week that Google was purchasing FeedBurner for $100 million, and it is now confirmed.
As you know, we’re constantly looking for ways to identify and offer new tools for content creators and website publishers. Likewise, we constantly aim to give AdWords advertisers broader distribution to an even wider audience of users. For these reasons, we’re very pleased to tell you that we’ve just acquired FeedBurner.
What purchase is up Google’s sleeve next?
Source: Google Blog
Job Cuts For Dell, Motorola, and Circuit City
Layoffs all over the industry have been announced, in a variety of different areas. Last week Dell announced they were partnering with Wal-Mart; this week they are planning a ten-percent reduction in their global workforce. Motorola was already going to cut some 3500 jobs by the end of June; they’re now adding another 4000 pink slips to that number (and hoping that next month’s RAZR2 launch will boost profits).
Ouch, job cuts are appearing left and right lately. Brick and mortar established with layoffs wouldn’t be that surprising, but this is hitting the likes of Motorola and Dell as well. Bad time to work in the tech industry it seems.
Source: Slashdot
Voice Capabilities Coming to the Wii?
Specifically, the Wiimote packs a $2 chip described as an “audio translator,” which CNN says “converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream.” That would obviously also require a microphone, one of which has already been announced, although that one (designed for use with EA’s forthcoming Boogie game) will apparently connect directly to the Wii’s USB port, not the Wiimote itself.
Nintendo undoubtedly has something up their sleeves. At $2 per chip, I am sure they are geared up to have every portion of that Wiimote utilized.
Source: Engadget
PS3 Upscaling Tests
IGN has taken the liberty of testing the upscaling feature of the latest 1.80 PS3 firmware. Upscaling is not the only feature however, smoothing is there also, which will do the obvious.
We’ve put a number of PSone and PS2 games to the test. We went about capturing screens from each in a number of different settings so that you can compare them right here from the comfort of your computer. Hopefully it’s cushioned… We captured everything at 1080p through equipment more expensive than many BMWs to simulate what these titles would look like on some of the best TVs available.
From personal tests, I believe smoothing should be enabled on a per game basis, although scaling seemed to work well for all games I tested. IGN doesn’t appear to have a clear conclusion, but you can see their examples and decide for yourself.
Source: PS3 IGN
Europe Gives Microsoft One Week To Respond To Scratched Disc Problem
Although Microsoft promised to look into the problem, apparently that’s not good enough for Meglena Kuneva, the European Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, who has given Redmond exactly one week to detail how it’s handled the bad DVD drive situation in the Netherlands, how widespread the problem is in other markets, and how many complaints have been received in those markets.
It doesn’t matter what Microsoft does… Europe will not stay off their backs! I will agree that it’s a problem though, although I’ve never had it happen to my twenty odd 360 games personally.
Source: Engadget