- 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
Floppy Finally Flops
After 36 years and billions of sales, the floppy disk is to join the video player, cassette deck and film camera on technology’s scrapheap. The 9cm piece of plastic will no longer be available from Britain’s biggest computer retailer. PC World announced last night it would stop selling the disks when stocks ran out. Floppies were once considered among the most vital accessories to computer users and offices worldwide for holding data in an easy-to-store format, which could easily be transferred between PCs.
This isn’t much of a surprise to anyone I’m sure, but I did expect the final nail in the coffin to happen a lot sooner. I don’t remember the last time I had to rely on a floppy disk for anything, except may to install DOS freeware. In the floppies memory, I have to remind people, “Don’t Copy That Floppy!”
Source: Metro.co.uk
Buying OEM versions of Windows Vista
When it comes to Windows, “OEM editions” most often refer to the cheaper versions of Windows made available to “system builders” and other classes of Microsoft partners. You can buy OEM versions of Windows online almost any place that sells software, such as NewEgg. Companies keep compliant with Microsoft’s rules by bundling OEM versions with a token piece of hardware, like a cable.
Is an OEM version worth your time? Personally, I would never imagine buying an OEM version specifically because you can only install it on one motherboard and never transfer it to a new computer. That… sucks. There are many other restrictions as well though, so be sure to check out the article before handing over cash for what seems to be a great deal.
Source: Ars Technica
OCZ Technology Launches 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kits…
Sunnyvale, CA—January 30, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced their Vista Value Upgrade series which includes the highly anticipated 4GB (2x2048MB) dual channel kit. The new lineup of memory is optimized for perfect compatibility for those transitioning from Microsoft Windows XP to Vista.
Even with Vista being the hog that it is, 4GB kits are not really -that- needed as far as I am concerned. However, it is nice to have 4GB in two sticks instead of the usual four. The downside is that these are only PC2-5400 speeds. Still not too shabby, but when we are seeing PC2-8000 and beyond today, it seems like a slight step back. You can read the full press release here.
Super Talent Ships 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SO-DIMMs
San Jose, California – January 31, 2007 — Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of DRAM memory modules and flash products, today introduced a 2GB DDR2-667 SO-DIMM. The T667SB2G_M is an industry standard 200-pin unbuffered non-ECC DDR2 SO-DIMM that conforms to JEDEC specifications. This product was designed by Super Talent engineers in San Jose, California. It is built with sixteen pieces of 128M x 8 (1 Gigabit) DDR2 DRAM chips in FBGA package, neatly organized onto an industry standard 200-pin SO-DIMM module that measures only 1.18 inches high by 2.66 inches wide.
You can read the full press release here.
Windows Vista’s New Spin On Licensing
WE’VE HEARD ALL MANNER of tinfoil hattery about Windows Vista’s schemes for copy protection, which have prompted the usual round of threats from the usual quarters about how Vista will usher in an OS apocalypse and techies will migrate en masse to Linux. The more realistic types are mostly talking about simply staying camped out with Windows XP for the time being while eying the MacOS world with some curiosity. I’m not onboard with the more paranoid visions of the Vista future, but I do think the uneasiness about Microsoft’s plans for Vista has some warrant.
“Windows” and “activation” are not two words I like to put together since it usually results in something far less than fun. It’s hard to tell at this point whether or not Vista will be as huge of a pain in the rear as XP was, but at least Microsoft have taken a lot more into consideration this time around. Whether or not that means less stress for us is still yet to be seen.
Source: Tech Report
Fighting Album Leaks By Offering Something More
Fall Out Boy had their latest album leaked online last week. Rather than rush to release the album, as others have done in the same situation, the band has decided to add an incentive to those who actually buy the album: they’ll add in a live EP that they’re recording tonight in London.
This is a great idea, but I highly doubt it will thwart people from downloading a leak. Besides, most people who are downloading the leak are probably huge fans, so they are going to buy the album anyway. Well… who knows. I still doubt this will make much of a difference, but it’s good to see bands thinking outside the box.
Source: Tech Dirt
AMD Releases ATI Catalyst 7.1 for Windows Vista
AMD today released the final version of its Windows Vista compatible ATI Catalyst driver package, on the eve of Windows Vista’s launch. The latest ATI Catalyst 7.1 for Windows Vista is compatible with Vista 32-bit and 64-bit releases and passed WHQL testing on RTM versions of Vista. As with previous ATI Catalyst beta releases, ATI Catalyst 7.1 only supports ATI Radeon 9500 series or higher graphics cards on the desktop and mobile-front.
If you have Vista and an ATI card, grab this download. If you give these drivers a try, let us know what you think of them in our forums. The downside is that VIVO on all AIW cards currently does not function… at this time at least. Is Vista looking good to anybody?
Source: Daily Tech
Microsoft Not Playing Games With License Dodgers
Microsoft will take a new approach toward mid-size companies it suspects of using unlicensed software, sending a series of letters culminating in a threat of legal action from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a company official said today. By involving the BSA, which is an advocate for copyright and intellectual property issues, Microsoft is hoping to “spark off the engagement” with its customers, said Ram Dhaliwal, Microsoft’s licensing programs manager in the UK.
It’s hard to disagree with Microsoft here. If you are running a business and choose to use illegal software, expect to be hassled about it.
Source: PC Advisor
BBCs OS Fanboys Speak
Last week we reported that the BBC was looking for a few Windows, Linux and Mac OS X fanboys. It didn’t take long before they were swamped with submissions. Well, the results have finally been posted on their site, with each person relating what they love about their particular OS. I think one of the most notable quotes within is this, “It’s [Vista] an amazing OS. I really think that this one’s going to give Apple Macs a run for their money.”
Source: BBC News
Corsair 2GB DDR2-667 SODIMM Memory Modules Bring Performance…
FREMONT, CA (January 30, 2007) – Corsair, a worldwide leader in high performance computer products, today unveiled production-ready 2GB DDR2-667 (PC5300) ValueSelectTM SODIMMs. Designed for current generation notebooks and mini-PCs, the new high density SODIMMs allow users to maximize memory bandwidth and minimize performance bottleneck to deliver superior user experience. The Corsair ValueSelect SODIMMs are optimized for Microsoft Windows VistaTM client operating system.
You can read the full press release here.
AMD and Microsoft Collaboration Enables World-class Windows Vista Experience
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Jan. 29, 2007 – AMD (NYSE: AMD) today detailed the hardware and supporting software technologies to deliver the highest
levels of performance, stability and application compatibility for Microsoft Windows Vista(tm) users.
You can read the full press release here.
Google Books
Google intends to scan every book ever published, and to make the full texts searchable, in the same way that Web sites can be searched on the company’s engine at google.com. At the books site, which is up and running in a beta (or testing) version, at books.google.com, you can enter a word or phrase—say, Ahab and whale—and the search returns a list of works in which the terms appear, in this case nearly eight hundred titles, including numerous editions of Herman Melville’s novel. Clicking on “Moby-Dick, or The Whale†calls up Chapter 28, in which Ahab is introduced. You can scroll through the chapter, search for other terms that appear in the book, and compare it with other editions. Google won’t say how many books are in its database, but the site’s value as a research tool is apparent; on it you can find a history of Urdu newspapers, an 1892 edition of Jane Austen’s letters, several guides to writing haiku, and a Harvard alumni directory from 1919.
Source: Disinformation
The Top 100 Alternative Search Engines
Look a little further, and market research shows that people actually use four main search engines for 99.99% of their searches: Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Ask.com (in that order). But in my travels as a Search Engine Optimizer (SEO), I have discovered that in that .01% lies a vast multitude of the most innovative and creative search engines you have never seen. So many, in fact, that I have had to limit my list of the very best ones to a mere 100.
I didn’t realize until now just how many search engines there were on the web. A lot of them offer their own twist on things, so it’s good to test a bunch out before settling on one. The author touches on the backend of the search engine world and then throws the huge list right at you. It’s best you set aside some time before going through them all. It may take a while.
Source: Read Write Web
Chemists Report the Creation of Large-Scale Molecular Memory
A team of UCLA and California Institute of Technology chemists has created an ultra-dense memory device that stores information using reconfigurable molecular switches. The 20 kilobyte memory device has a bit density of 100 gigabit per square centimeter and has enough capacity to store the Declaration of Independence with space left over. The accomplishment represents an important step toward the creation of molecular computers that are much smaller and could be more powerful than today’s silicon-based computers.
This type of memory has many benefits, the primary one being that the amount of data you could store would be -huge-. Aside from that though, it would even offer defect tolerance, where if a nanowire were to break, the rest of the data would remain in tact. It’s still early in development, but this is going to be a good one to keep an eye on.
Source: Daily Tech
Official Vista Page Redesign
The official Windows family site has been redesigned in preparation for launch tomorrow. I’ll admit it… the last design sucked. It was unintuitive and cheaply designed. This one is a lot better though, being almost completely flash based. It’s now easier to learn more about Vista and find specific info you are looking for. You can even listen to Bill explain why you should be excited for Vista. Be warned though, you may feel a huge uncontrollable temptation to shell over the $400 for the Ultimate edition after listening. Nah.
Source: Microsoft.com
Debian Now Has Windows Installer… Kind Of
Overall, the process is very simple (it’s been inspired by a similar project with Ubuntu). D-I-L runs on the users’ win32 system, auto-detects wether the CPU supports 64-bits, picks the appropiate linux and initrd.gz images for netboot, and uses GRUB for DOS to chainload into it.
This is a great idea, but what makes it even better is that the official website for the installer is http://goodbye-microsoft.com. You just have to appreciate such a straight-forward sense of humor. The “Kind of” in the title is because it doesn’t actually install Debian from within Windows, but rather properly configures a boot loader so all you need to do is reboot and get underway.
Source: Debian Lists
Inside the Lucasfilm Data Center
Given the cult-film status of 1971’s THX 1138 in the George Lucas universe, it should come as little surprise that the total capacity of Lucasfilm’s giant data center is 11.38 petabits per second. Granted, that number–which represents the value one would get by adding up the bandwidth capacity of all the company’s 1 gigabit per second desktop machines and its 10-gbps backbone–is purely theoretical.
If you are a Lucasfilm diehard or simply a fan of jaw-dropping server setups, this is the article for you. Quick stats include hundreds of servers and over 300TB of storage space… aka two or three HD-DVD rips. They go on to mention that the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie required about 60TB and the next one promises to use closer to 90TB.
Source: News.com
Gates Believes In Huge ITV Revolution
The Internet is set to revolutionize television within five years, due to an explosion of online video content and the merging of PCs and TV sets, Microsoft chairman
Bill Gates said on Saturday. “I’m stunned how people aren’t seeing that with TV, in five years from now, people will laugh at what we’ve had,” he told business leaders and politicians at the World Economic Forum.
This doesn’t seem like much of a surprise, given the fact how quick video content sites explode. I think it still has a ways to go before replacing our TVs entirely. It’s bound to happen sooner than later though.
Source: Yahoo
Porn. On Your Cellphone
The telecommunications company Telus Corp. began offering adult content to its Canadian cellphone customers this month. Available on a “pay-per-download” basis, the service introduced on Jan. 8 will allow cellphone users to download pornographic photographs and videos, charging them an average of $3 to $4 for each item.
So in the past week, we found out that Canada is responsible for over 50% of movie piracy in North America, and now we find out canucks can download porn to their cell phones. It’s almost like Canada is the new kid in school who’s trying hard to fit in, and impress. Well, it’s working.
Source: National Post
Methods for Using Upgrade Vista Discs
Microsoft has cut out this process for Windows Vista and forces users who buy an upgrade CD to actually have a valid install of Windows XP Home or Professional on their machines before upgrading. For most users, this wouldn’t be a problem. They more than likely have an existing copy of Windows XP installed and would have no problems upgrading to Windows Vista with an upgrade CD.
If I didn’t already have the full install of Vista, then this is one thing that would easily force me to purchase it. For people who re-format their PCs every year or two, this is no problem. But for those who re-format every couple weeks (like benchmarkers), it would become a pain -quick-.
I understand the reason behind this, but I think there could have been an easier way. My method would be to activate your copy of XP once, and at that time you could download a “verification” CD image which stores both your XP and Vista serial keys in an encrypted form. Then, when the time came to re-install, you could just boot up with this CD instead and once Vista knows your legit, you can swap discs. Of course, maybe Microsoft is just using this method to force people to buy the full version. Who knows.
Source: Daily Tech
Want Your Firefox To Fit With Vista?
With Vista right around the corner, you probably want all of your current applications to fit well into the Aero scheme. Most programs don’t however, including Firefox. deviantART submitter *solidfilter has released a new version of his Firefox Vista theme, which by the screenshot, looks to fit so perfectly that you’d swear Microsoft automatically skins all applications as such. If you plan to pick up Vista in a few days and use Firefox, be sure to give this one a download.
Source: deviantART
Huge NES Game Collection On eBay
If you have always wanted to own every single NES game produced (at least the licensed ones), then this is the auction for you. It includes 670 games and the seller boasts that not a single title is missing. Added to that is that all the games are in good-to-mint condition and he also has close to 600 game manuals in "good" condition. I took a look through the list for my favorites and they all seem to be there… even Faxanadu! If you want to take the easy way out and get the entire collection at once, be prepared to shell out a -lot- of cash. At the time of writing, the auction is close to $4,000 and has a few more days left to go.
Source: eBay
Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Hits Store Shelves Way Early
It appears as though the February 20th, 2007 embargo date on Athlon 64 X2 6000+ applies to everyone except DailyTech and Newegg. Details of the last high-end Athlon 64 X2 processor before AMD’s next-generation microarchitecture was leaked out DailyTech just a few days ago. Ryan Shrout tells us that early this morning the retailer began selling the 3.0GHz chip for $599 in-stock, which is actually just under the volume distributor pricing of $607. Buy.com also lists the processor, but for $685 and out of stock.
This bundle of joy can be had for $600, and NewEgg actually has them in stock. Competition aside, this is one sweet chip for the price. 3GHz has not been done before at stock speed and it is the right frequency in order to hit DDR2-1200 speeds if that suits your fancy. To think only half a year ago this chip would have sold for more than double, at least.
Source: Daily Tech
DesktopLinux Year In Review
Linux on the desktop grew and matured in 2006. While some analysts reported a slowing of Linux penetration on the desktop in 2006, a number of significant milestones were reached that promise to continue to move the Linux desktop ahead in 2007. These and other improvements are setting the next stage of growth for the Linux desktop. A number of projects and teams have moved beyond alpha positioning and ownership to focus on how their efforts contribute to overall desktop Linux objectives.
If you are one of those who believe that 2006 was a boring year for Linux, think again. DesktopLinux.com has an in-depth look at the past year and give insight onto what we should be expecting for the remainder of this year.
Source: DesktopLinux.com
Inside the Windows Vista Kernel
This is the first part of a series on what’s new in the Windows Vista kernel. In this issue, I’ll look at changes in the areas of processes and threads, and in I/O. Future installments will cover memory management, startup and shutdown, reliability and recovery, and security.
If you are a Windows developer you will probably find some interest in understanding the kernel a bit better. The articles are delivered by Mark Russinovich, the man behind Winternals, so he is no doubt the right person to relay the information to you.
Source: TechNet Mag