- 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
Lightscribe now available to Linux users
This week, LightScribe announced a new toolkit for Linux that allows users to install and use LightScribe-enabled disc burners to create laser-printed, direct-to-disc designs and labels. The new release is publically available and is free as a SDK. The technology was previously only available to Windows users because of the availability of a proper driver and client-side software.
I found this pretty useless on Windows, and so I probably won’t change my tone here. I may give it a go in the weeks to come, just to see how simple the process is. Many new DVD-RW’s support Lightscribe, so if you are interested in giving it a try, read up to see if you have the goods. We can expect this functionality to be added to k3b in the future so that you won’t have to run a completely separate program.
Vista to be plentiful next year
Microsoft has lofty ambitions for its next generation Windows Vista operating system as witnessed by statements made by the company in early October. Today, IDC issued some new projections for Windows Vista including the notion that over 90 million units of the operating system will ship in 2007 worldwide. That figure far outpaces Microsoft’s assessment of 67 million units in the first year of availability for Windows XP.
In addition to the figures above, this research group expects the highest-end version, Ultimate, to account for around 2% of total sold next year. It’s no surprise that it will be sold with pre-built machines, but I am curious how many enthusiasts will be quick to jump on the bandwagon.
AMD 4×4 finally released
AMD has just announced their Quad FX solution, but it’s not exactly an answer to Intels Kentsfield. It’s not only slower, but is a clunkier setup thanks to the fact that you will have two physical CPU’s. The general concenus is that Kentsfield is faster, and more practical. Most of us realized this a long time ago though. This solution also proves to be a little more expensive, but has it’s own benefits which you can learn about in todays reviews.
AMD will be selling Athlon 64 FX-70, FX-72, and FX-74 processors in pairs with heatsinks for prices of $599, $799, and $999 respectively. That’s two 3.0GHz dual-core processors for just under a grand. The Asus QuadFX L1N64-SLI WS motherboard will sell for upwards of $300. For maximum performance, QuadFX will also require four DIMMs, which will be marginally more expensive than two DIMMs with a similar total capacity. Overall, the pricing structure makes the fastest QuadFX system more expensive than the fastest quad-core Intel-based system, but QuadFX does offer more features, so pricing isn’t out of line in our opinion. – HotHardware
Our real world testing today disproves my preconceptions entirely, and shows that in quite a few cases, the FX-74 is as fast, or even faster than the QX6700. We ran the numbers over and over again, and the FX-74 simply has the horsepower to compete with the QX6700 in the most CPU intensive applications. When the systems are completely maxed out and you’re running rendering, encoding, or multi-media applications, the difference between the two CPU’s is quite minimal, usually between 1 and 3 percent. – HardOCP
Russia Agrees To Shut Down AllofMP3.com
The agreement is dated November 19 and posted to the Web site for the Office of the United States Trade Representative. It summarizes the joint efforts of the two countries to fight content piracy, an issue known to be centered in Russia and Eastern Europe. “This agreement sets the stage for further progress on IPR issues in Russia through the next phase of multilateral negotiations, during which the United States and other WTO members will examine Russia’s IPR regime,” states the document.
It looks like AllofMP3.com will remain for at least another 6 months, since the government doesn’t intend to take action until June 2007. Whether or not it will even be shut down at that time is still up in the air, but the website has already stated that it would shut down no problem if asked.
‘Star Wars’ Kid named most-seen clip on Net
The video clip of a Canadian known around the world as the “Star Wars Kid” has become the most-shared footage on the Internet, a British net-tracking firm has determined. The once-private tape of Ghyslain Raza faking a light-sabre fight, using a golf-ball retriever in place of the traditional Jedi weapon, has been seen online by about 900 million people.
900 Million? How accurate can this number possibly be? Granted it was a popular video, one which I still haven’t seen and couldn’t be stuffed to view, but that’s near 1/6 of the worlds population! In a close second place though, is the even more recent “Numa Numa” followed by the Paris Hilton sex tape.
OLPC runs Doom?
Cory D. at BoingBoing drops this video of the $100 OLPC running Doom on its reflective dual screen. Ghetto, but man, I remember wishing my old TFT screened laptops would play doom this well. Doom shall be distributed to the poor!
I’d be willing to bet most of the kids who receive this would have not heard of Doom, but the fact that it runs so well on the PC opens the door for small games to be run on the machine. In other news, OS News rants about the confusion that is “Sugar”, the user interface for the OLPC.
Casual games go upscale
The programmers at PopCap Games Inc. used to think of themselves as the unloved stepchildren of the computer gaming industry. Their humble word puzzles and math teasers were in a different league from games in which role-playing characters spray bullets, slay dragons and maim rivals in fantastic virtual worlds. Such hardcore games can cost $30 million or more to develop — as much as a Hollywood movie.
Casual games are no doubt a proven winner. People who don’t care for RPG’s and FPS may very well love a good brain game. What absolutely amazes me though is that the latest PopCap game, Bookworm Adventure, cost over $700,000 to develop! Granted it’s nowhere near say, a Halo production, but still!
Why do all our gadgets break?
Computers and mobile phones that last a lifetime can already be built. Now that processors have reached a level where the average student has a laptop more powerful than a 1990s Pixar render farm, you have to wonder why the majority of us need to upgrade. Obviously, there will always be creative industries pushing the boundaries, and these groups will need more powerful machines. But my Razr was perfect for me, and now it’s dead.
It’s an interesting concept that makes complete sense. Since most people would be satisfied with their new PC for the next ten years, you can just build it cheaply so that it will break well before that time. Sounds like a good money maker to me. Shrug.
PS3 Worst Reviewed Launch Ever?
We all got excited when the PS3s finally arrived. But that initial high wore off in shockingly short order. As talk circulated around the office from everyone playing the games for reviews it became clear that beyond Resistance, the launch lineup dropped off pretty sharply. It didn’t take long for the gut feeling to develop that PS3 might just have the worst reviewed set of launch games in modern videogame history.
After 1UP went through the history books, it seems that the Nintendo 64 and it’s Mario and Pilotwings games made it become the console with the best launch lineup. As for the PS3, it’s a sad state of affairs. Crazy expensive, and only one amazing game.
openSUSE holds public IRC Q&A on Microsoft/Novell deal
OpenSUSE project developers held a public IRC meeting at noon EST today to discuss the recently announced and highly controversial Microsoft/Novell agreements. Nat Friedman, chief technical and strategy officer for open source at Novell, fielded most of the questions, with assistance from Andreas Jaeger, openSUSE project manager, and others. The one-hour session was moderated by Henne Vogelsang. Participants were given voice (the ability for their remarks to be seen by everyone on the channel) one at a time, and only while asking a question. The moderation was necessary, given that there were about 200 people on the channel, including individuals working on other distributions.
This IRC chat was filled to the brim with hard hitting questions, so you are definitely going to want to check it out. Will this news ever stop filling headlines everywhere? No, not for a good while.
The Free Ryzom Campaign
Until now, Nevrax has produced Ryzom, as a typical commercial software company. Nevrax, not the players, decide what direction the virtial world of Ryzom takes. We want to turn this model on it’s head and give players control over the virtual world their character’s inhabit. We want to purchase the source code, game data, and artwork, so that we can further develop it by placing it under a Free Software license. Once this is accomplished we would reopen the universe of Ryzom to players and have it function and further developed under democratic controlled basis.
It’s good to see the community gathering together to get this done! I’ve played Ryzom a little bit, and it’s a solid game. Would be great to have it free though, and for multiple platforms. If you enjoy the game or want to see a good free MMO in the future, check out the project.
No business model for HDTV?
As television shifts towards high-definition channels and programs, broadcasters are finding no business model for HDTV and are instead being forced to foot the massive bill, the head of CBC warned Monday. Speaking on the opening day of a two-week regulatory probe into the state of Canada’s television sector, CBC president Robert Rabinovich said advertisers are not willing to pay more for commercials on high-definition channels or during HD programs.
This could very well be why we have not seen HDTV programming skyrocket yet. The cost is what personally sways me. New cable box in addition to an extra $20 per month? Naw, they can keep it. Until HDTV’s become far more mainstream, I don’t think HD cable will become any cheaper.
Avoid the Zune?
Yes, Microsoft’s new Zune digital music player is just plain dreadful. I’ve spent a week setting this thing up and using it, and the overall experience is about as pleasant as having an airbag deploy in your face. “Avoid,” is my general message. The Zune is a square wheel, a product that’s so absurd and so obviously immune to success that it evokes something akin to a sense of pity.
I don’t think it’s possible to be anymore straightforward than this. Included in the problems is the horrible installer and the fact that there is a complete lack of podcast support. It’s too bad too, I was looking forward to seeing some good iPod competition. But by the sounds of it, competition is hardly in the picture.
Best of Whats New for 2006
Popular Science is running the latest of their annual feature showcasing what has been notable over the past year. Included in the list is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with an incredible 1,001 BHP that can hit a top speed of 253MPH. It’s no surprise that the OLPC has made the list, in addition to the Nintendo Wii. What seems mundane but makes a sensible addition is the Hurriquake Nail that’s designed to handle earthquakes and other natural disasters better than anything else on the market.
Shuttleworth tries to lure SuSE devs
Shuttleworth’s invitation is unlikely to be seen by most openSUSE developers in anything but a negative light. The replies are almost universally negative, and accuse Shuttleworth of “doing Microsoft’s FUD work for them” and attempting to divide the community. It hasn’t taken long for at least one openSUSE community member to post a satirical response to the Ubuntu developer list, albeit as an anonymous coward under the moniker “Shark Muddleworth,” inviting Ubuntu developers to join openSUSE because of Shuttleworth’s stance on proprietary drivers in the upcoming Ubuntu Feisty release.
The Novell/MS issue is shaking up the Linux community enough; It certainly did not need help from Ubuntus lead. Although I personally disagree with the cooperation between Novell and MS, I’d still like to see SUSE grow continue to be the stature it always has been.
Amazon downed for 10 minutes due to promotion
Amazon ran a special promotion this week but under-estimated the demand for the product from users with fast connections. At exactly 2pm EST, the offer was open (an Xbox core system at less than half-price). Unfortunately for Amazon, so many people were waiting for the promotion that the entire Amazon website – not just the promotion page – sank without a trace from just before 2pm, to at least 2:12pm. The home page, the product pages, everything, were unavailable.
With a thousand of these consoles available, I’d love to know how many people actually tried to ping the website. Considering the fact that Amazon is one of the top 10 largest websites in the world, it would have to be some extreme surge to bring them down.
How to turn urine blue
My interest in this subject began from hearing a rumor that there was a chemical you could add to food that would make someone’s urine turn blue, as a prank. The person I heard it from had no idea what chemical it was but insisted that it existed. I, of course, being of the Google generation, searched immediately for turn urine blue and lo and behold, the second result was a Wikipedia entry for a chemical called Methylene Blue. I knew I had to have it.
Yes, this is gross. But interesting nonetheless. Simply consuming some Methylene Blue powder can turn urine blue for up to two days. Sounds like good prank material.
Gears of War Tops 1 Million Mark
Epics much-hyped Gears of War, which cost an estimated $10 million USD to make, has sold over 1 million copies in its first two weeks of availability. The breakneck selling pace for Gears of War makes it the fastest-selling game yet for Microsoft’s year-old Xbox 360 console.
Now this is impressive! Halo 2 sold 2.5 Million copies in 24 hours, but I mean, that’s Halo! For a completely new series to come out and be this successful is amazing. Maybe we will see insane sales numbers with the sequel?
Microsoft patent deal could leave Novell behind
Waltham, Massachusetts-based Novell might have negotiated the deal with Microsoft for its SUSE Linux Enterprise users, but that has left Microsoft free to accuse the wider Linux user base of infringing its intellectual property. There have already been calls from some open source users and developers to boycott Novell’s products, but perhaps more significantly for Novell, Perens has warned the company that Linux software licensing changes could leave it isolated if it does not renege on the Microsoft deal.
Could this be the stupidest move Novell has ever made? Well probably, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Shouldn’t take long.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace Unleashed
High-definition TV shows will be 240 Microsoft Points per episode, and standard-definition TV shows will be 160 Microsoft Points per episode. New release movies in high definition will be 480 Microsoft Points, and standard- definition new release movies will be 320 Microsoft Points each. Classic feature films in high definition will be 360 Microsoft Points, and standard definition will be 240 Microsoft Points. After purchasing a high-definition TV show or movie, gamers can download the standard-definition version at no additional charge.
If you are a media buff then this may be right up your alley. To me, purchasing TV shows for -any- amount of money is too much, but that’s just me. Renting a high-definition movie will cost you around $6, while a TV show will cost around $3. Not that expensive. At least it’s there for the taking should you be interested.
Reason #1 to not run porn site in China
Chinese court has sentenced the owner of a porn Web site to life in prison and sentenced eight others to terms ranging from 13 months to 10 years, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Chen Hui and the other defendants started the “Qingseliuyuetian (Pornographic Summer) Web site in 2004, and opened a further three porn Web sites, attracting more than 600,000 users,” according to the state media report, which was picked up by the Associated Press.
Talk about a hardcore punishment! Pun aside, I knew that China was strict, but this is difficult to fathom. Life… for running a porn site. Thank God things are different over on these shores… is all I can say. We’d likely have a good chunk out of the Country put into prisons!
Blizzard Unbans Linux World of Warcraft Players
World of Warcraft players using Cedega (the Linux-based Windows emulator) had their bans lifted after an investigation by Blizzard in cooperation with the Cedega development team revealed that the bans were in fact made in error. “It has since come to our attention that a very small percentage of those accounts should not have been banned. This case of mistaken identity seems to be isolated to users of an unsupported, Linux-based Windows emulator called Cedega.”
Kudos to Blizzard for taking quick action on this, and especially allowing non-Windows players to use an emulator. To help ease the pain of lost time to the players affected, in addition to the 6 – 7 days they have lost they will receive two free weeks work of extended play time. Not too shabby!
PS3 Missed Ship Targets, Loses Exclusives
PS3 fans now also have to deal with the fact that Koei is cross-platforming two previously exclusive titles. Fatal Inertia and Bladestorm are now in development for the 360 as well, marking the latest in a string of titles that have slipped away from Sony. There is some consolation for the company to take away from this week, though. They did better than Microsoft last week in Japan, with around 81,000 PS3s, 19,000 PSPs, and 16,000 PS2s sold to a mere 4,000 Xbox 360s and … 4 Xboxes.
The trouble really doesn’t end for Sony, does it? The new console has only been out for a week, and there seems to be important “bad” news everyday since! Hopefully things will shape up, and we will see more consoles in stores. Soon.
IBM sues Amazon for patent infringement
Key aspects of Amazon.com Inc.’s retailing Web site are improperly built on technologies developed at IBM Corp., Big Blue alleged Monday in two lawsuits against Amazon. Amazon is accused of infringing on five IBM patents, including technologies that govern how the site recommends products to customers, serves up advertising and stores data.
Another day, another lawsuit. Am I the only one who wonders why these companies wait -so- long before filing such suits? Amazon has been using these techniques for as long as I can remember, so it’s odd to just jump up all of a sudden.
AGEIA Empowers Professional Software Developers to Create…
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – November 22, 2006 – AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced that it has implemented a new End User License Agreement (EULA) that allows the PhysX SDK to be used and its runtime components distributed in all commercial and non-commercial PC projects – completely royalty free. The new EULA allows game developers of any size to harness the power of the physics in their titles with a simple, no-fee license.
You can read the full press release here.