Ballmer has some more interesting insight into looking at the world through Microsoft-colored glasses.
At a recent Tokyo press conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had some interesting things to say about Google and its new Android OS, the mobile phone OS that Google has in development.Ballmer has a penchant for colorful remarks; for example. he recently likened his relationship with Microsoft founder and good friend Bill Gates to a marriage which has produced many, many children.Ballmer was at it again, raining harsh criticism on Google, dismissing Android OS as nothing but a press release.He also stated that he would like to welcome Google into "Microsoft's world," apparently referring to the mobile phone market.He said, "Right now they have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they're welcome in our world."His remarks seem slightly curious as Microsoft is dominated in market share of the mobile phone market by the more widespread Symbian OS.Ballmer refused to comment on the Android software itself, instead simply sticking to a general critique of Google policy. He said that he felt that Android OS was vaporware at the present and could not be compared to Microsoft's mobile phone OS, Windows Mobile."Well of course their efforts are just some words on paper right now, it's hard to do a very clear comparison [with Windows Mobile]," he said.Perhaps he might be able to comment soon, as Google has released a concrete initial version of its Software Development Kit for the Android OS, something that competitor Apple Inc., still has been unable to do for the iPhone due to alleged security issues. Google also spread even more love by offering a $10 million USD bounty for "Cool Apps" from third parties for the platform.Ballmer says he is not threatened by Google, but that Microsoft is watching them like a hawk."So we have great momentum, we've brought our Windows Mobile 6 software to market, we're driving forward on our future releases and we'll have to see what Google does," said Ballmer.Google's Android OS is based on Linux and is under a modified open-source Apache license. It is being co-developed by "the Open Handset Alliance," which includes industry giants such as T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics.Google's Android OS generated a tremendous amount of buzz in the online community months before its true nature was unveiled.Ballmer is not the only one who has been making comments deriding Android OS. Symbian OS CEO Nigel Clifford, also made a similar remark at a Tokyo press conference several days prior."One of the reactions [to Android OS] is, it's another Linux platform," Clifford stated. "There's 10, 15, 20, maybe 25 different Linux platforms out there. It sometimes appears that Linux is fragmenting faster than it unifies."Whether Android OS will be a hit or miss remains to be seen, but it appears to be making competitors slightly antsy and generating some new interesting comments to add to Microsoft's colorful public relations history.
dailytech.com
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Hardware Seagate Serves External HDDs with a Side of Virus
eagate Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200 external HDDs get hit with the Virus.Win32.AutoRun.ah virus
The hard disk drive (HDD) market is a relatively boring one. Sure, there are capacity increases in the mobile and desktops sectors every once in a while, but spindle speeds have stayed relatively the same -- HDDs don't exactly have the same sex appeal as quad-core processors or high-end graphics cards.
Seagate, however, is making news these days not for how fast or capacious their new drives are; but for what's included on them from the factory. Seagate is warning customers that a small batch of its 500GB Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200 external drives shipped with the Virus.Win32.AutoRun.ah virus. The company blames a Chinese sub-contract manufacturer for the problem.
"According to Kaspersky the virus is the Virus.Win32.AutoRun.ah, a molar virus that searches for passwords to online games and sends them to a server located in China," said Seagate in a posting on its website. "It also deletes other molar viruses and can disable virus detection software."
Seagate notes that the only English-language game that is affected appears to be World of Warcraft. The other games are Chinese-language titles.
According to Seagate, at least one drive was affected with the virus. PC World reports, however, that as many as 1,800 drives were infected.
Seagate urges customers that purchased a 500GB Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200 to scan the drive with antivirus software that has the latest virus definitions installed. For those that don't have antivirus software installed, Seagate provides a download link for a 60-day trial of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.
The hard disk drive (HDD) market is a relatively boring one. Sure, there are capacity increases in the mobile and desktops sectors every once in a while, but spindle speeds have stayed relatively the same -- HDDs don't exactly have the same sex appeal as quad-core processors or high-end graphics cards.
Seagate, however, is making news these days not for how fast or capacious their new drives are; but for what's included on them from the factory. Seagate is warning customers that a small batch of its 500GB Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200 external drives shipped with the Virus.Win32.AutoRun.ah virus. The company blames a Chinese sub-contract manufacturer for the problem.
"According to Kaspersky the virus is the Virus.Win32.AutoRun.ah, a molar virus that searches for passwords to online games and sends them to a server located in China," said Seagate in a posting on its website. "It also deletes other molar viruses and can disable virus detection software."
Seagate notes that the only English-language game that is affected appears to be World of Warcraft. The other games are Chinese-language titles.
According to Seagate, at least one drive was affected with the virus. PC World reports, however, that as many as 1,800 drives were infected.
Seagate urges customers that purchased a 500GB Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200 to scan the drive with antivirus software that has the latest virus definitions installed. For those that don't have antivirus software installed, Seagate provides a download link for a 60-day trial of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.
dailytech.com
ardware Report: 8GB, 10" ASUS Eee PC Slated for 2008
ASUS' new Eee PC 4G is undoubtedly a hit with consumers and reviewers. The device is small, lightweight and performs quite well despite its aging processor and chipset.
The Eee PC 4G, however, hasn't been without its criticisms. Many consumers have pointed to the device's limited 4GB solid-state disk (SSD). That problem can be mostly alleviated, however, with the addition of a high-capacity SD or SDHC card to be used as secondary storage.
The other, more prominent criticism has been the Eee PC's 7" display. While 7" screen is nothing to scoff at, the screen resolution is a mere 800x480. Worst yet, the screen is rather awkwardly flanked by two speakers and a sea of black plastic.
ASUS is on course to right both of those wrongs with a new Eee PC variant due out next year [German translation]. The 8G, which is still in development, will feature 8GB of internal storage as its name suggests. Likewise, the screen will be bumped up to a full 10" in place of the 7" unit currently in use. There is no word on what the screen resolution will be, but 1024x600 is likely a good guess.
According to ASUS spokesman Holger Schmidt, the overall footprint of the 8G model will be the same as the 4G -- this means that the speakers and built-in webcam will likely have to be repositioned.
It's still too early to determine pricing for 10", 8G, but one could reasonably imagine a $499 USD price tag which would keep it in line with the rest of the Eee PC family.
dailytech.com
Microsoft adds new parental controls to Xbox 360
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it is adding a feature to its Xbox 360 that limits the amount of time children can play video games.
The move comes as the software giant tries to make the Xbox 360 more attractive to mainstream consumers ahead of the holiday buying season that is the biggest time of year for the video game industry.
"As the customer base broadens, the demand for these kinds of capabilities does increase," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.
The new timer can be set to limit playing time on a daily or weekly basis, and turns off the console when the time limit is reached. A similar feature is found in Microsoft's Windows Vista computer operating system.
Microsoft research showed 90 percent of parents had some restrictions on video gaming, with half of those being limits on playing time, Bach said.
"The number-one tool they miss is the ability to enforce time restrictions electronically on the console," Bach said.
The Xbox 360, which competes with Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii, already has a feature that allows parents to restrict the kind of games that are played based upon their content rating.
Microsoft also unveiled an initiative with groups such as the National Parent Teacher Association and Boys & Girls Club to educate families about video game content and encourage parents and children to work out rules around gaming.
(Reporting by Scott Hillis; Editing by Braden Reddall)
reuters.com
The move comes as the software giant tries to make the Xbox 360 more attractive to mainstream consumers ahead of the holiday buying season that is the biggest time of year for the video game industry.
"As the customer base broadens, the demand for these kinds of capabilities does increase," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.
The new timer can be set to limit playing time on a daily or weekly basis, and turns off the console when the time limit is reached. A similar feature is found in Microsoft's Windows Vista computer operating system.
Microsoft research showed 90 percent of parents had some restrictions on video gaming, with half of those being limits on playing time, Bach said.
"The number-one tool they miss is the ability to enforce time restrictions electronically on the console," Bach said.
The Xbox 360, which competes with Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii, already has a feature that allows parents to restrict the kind of games that are played based upon their content rating.
Microsoft also unveiled an initiative with groups such as the National Parent Teacher Association and Boys & Girls Club to educate families about video game content and encourage parents and children to work out rules around gaming.
(Reporting by Scott Hillis; Editing by Braden Reddall)
reuters.com
Vista and Windows Server's Best Salesman--New Hardware
First the good news--Vista is apparently a hit, with over 88 million copies shipped thus far. Despite the fact that Vista still has to be widely accepted in the enterprise, and news that standalone sales have been well behind those of Windows XP's during the same point in its lifecycle--59.7%, according to NPD Group, during the first six months of sales. That's not really a surprise, given that 80 percent of Microsoft's Windows revenue comes from pre-installed copies on new computers. And given that most systems come with Vista by default now, Vista's real competition is channel-installed Windows XP.
Windows pre-installs rule on the server as well, apparently. Windows' growth rate is was reportedly higher than that of Linux in 2006, according to IDC, possibly even taking away market share from Linux on new server shipments.
It does seem the steam has dropped out of the Linux market a little after the initial Unix-to-Linux migration gold rush, at least from the standpoint of the pre-installed side of the business.
But how many copies were erased off the computers they came shipped on and replaced with Windows XP or Linux by IT support teams at business customers? No telling. And since most Linux distros don't come with a per-seat licensing scheme--and, in fact much of Linux's success in overseas markets is on older hardware--trying to line up Linux and Windows market statistics is an apples-to-wombats comparison.
Posted by Sean Gallagher on October 28, 2007 07:10 PM
info;infoworld.com
Windows pre-installs rule on the server as well, apparently. Windows' growth rate is was reportedly higher than that of Linux in 2006, according to IDC, possibly even taking away market share from Linux on new server shipments.
It does seem the steam has dropped out of the Linux market a little after the initial Unix-to-Linux migration gold rush, at least from the standpoint of the pre-installed side of the business.
But how many copies were erased off the computers they came shipped on and replaced with Windows XP or Linux by IT support teams at business customers? No telling. And since most Linux distros don't come with a per-seat licensing scheme--and, in fact much of Linux's success in overseas markets is on older hardware--trying to line up Linux and Windows market statistics is an apples-to-wombats comparison.
Posted by Sean Gallagher on October 28, 2007 07:10 PM
info;infoworld.com
Singapore bans Microsoft's video game for sex scene: paper
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has banned a Microsoft Corp video game which contains a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman kissing and caressing each other, a local newspaper reported on Thursday. The Straits Times said "Mass Effect" -- a highly anticipated futuristic space adventure game from Microsoft -- was banned by Singapore's Media Development Authority.
In October, Singapore's parliament decided to keep a ban on sex between men, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the city-state should keep its conservative values and not allow special rights for homosexuals.
Singapore is the only country to have banned the game, so far, and it is the first Microsoft video game to be banned in the city-state, The Straits Times said.
The move has caused an outcry among local and international gamers who said the decision was too strict, the newspaper said.
The report said Singapore has in the past, banned at least two other video games -- Sony Corp's "God Of War 2", for nudity, and unlisted Top Cow Productions' "The Darkness", for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives.
(Reporting by Ovais Subhani; Editing by Valerie Lee)
info;reuters.com
In October, Singapore's parliament decided to keep a ban on sex between men, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the city-state should keep its conservative values and not allow special rights for homosexuals.
Singapore is the only country to have banned the game, so far, and it is the first Microsoft video game to be banned in the city-state, The Straits Times said.
The move has caused an outcry among local and international gamers who said the decision was too strict, the newspaper said.
The report said Singapore has in the past, banned at least two other video games -- Sony Corp's "God Of War 2", for nudity, and unlisted Top Cow Productions' "The Darkness", for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives.
(Reporting by Ovais Subhani; Editing by Valerie Lee)
info;reuters.com
IBM's hosted Symphony: Will anyone listen?
IBM appears to be getting ready to offer its Lotus Symphony suite as a hosted application, competing directly with Google Apps and Microsoft's Office Live. Does IBM's entry into the on-demand desktop application space signal trouble for Office?
Microsoft's Office Live strategy is still primarily focused on small business, for groups of 10 or fewer users. It's not an enterprise-changing play. Microsoft's enterprise applications on demand are more in the form of services, not desktop tools -- Exchange and SharePoint, for example.
IBM started giving away Symphony for free in September, following a similar path to Sun's with StarOffice (though OpenOffice.org is admittedly not the same thing as Sun's commercial release). The chances, however, of a free Symphony desktop suite displacing Office in the corporate world are close to nil. And while a hosted version might be interesting to organizations still using Lotus Notes, it's doubtful that it would upset anyone's applecart, aside from Google's efforts. Here's why:
Office is the de-facto standard. Despite years of efforts by Sun and IBM to get OpenDoc accepted as a de jure standard -- often successfully -- Microsoft Office is still the tool of choice for most organizations because, simply, it's the tool of choice for most organizations. A tautology, no doubt -- but no less true. Even the exceptions to the rule are telling: Massachusetts, which made waves when it made OpenDoc its official document format standard, still uses Office, albeit with a file converter. And it will for a long time to come. Which leads us to our second reason...
Free software doesn't come with free retraining. Though the applications look a lot like Office, there are still enough differences in the behavior of OpenOffice, Symphony, and Google Apps to give your average corporate user a bit of a learning curve. I've used all of them, and only the most talented of interface hackers would be able to easily slide from one to another without having to get used to the differences for a while before becoming as productive as they were in Office. And given that they're teaching kids Office in elementary school now, that reeducation is something most employers probably don't want to deal with.
Office is "cheap enough." The acquisition cost of the Office suite, per user, is significantly less than the retail price consumers pay -- and even consumers hardly ever pay full price. Compared to the cost of retraining users on new applications, it's insignificant.
"Cool" doesn't get work done. While hosted applications can offer a lot of Web 2.0 cool points, and do provide some interesting collaborative capabilities, they're best suited to early adopters and small teams -- just the audience Microsoft has gone after with Office Live. The collaborative functionality already exists in other applications within most corporate environments, in other forms -- such as Exchange and SharePoint.
You're trading one architecture problem for another. In a corporate environment, there's concern over capturing workflow for compliance and the security of an Internet-based tool -- which can be solved by hosting internally. But if you're hosting it internally, you're really just solving one problem -- software distribution -- and trading it for another set. Now, you've got to manage the servers, deal with network bandwidth demands as XML traffic goes up, and shift your storage needs from network shared drives to server-side storage.
That's not to say there isn't anything interesting about hosted desktop applications. Hundreds of organizations are already using hosted applications -- through desktop virtualization via Citrix and Terminal Server.
But does IBM's enterprise credibility mean trouble for Microsoft on the desktop? Not really. Redmond should pay close attention, though, to the parts of hosted applications that users actually use. Posted by Sean Gallagher on November 14, 2007 03:00 AM
info;infoworld.com
Microsoft's Office Live strategy is still primarily focused on small business, for groups of 10 or fewer users. It's not an enterprise-changing play. Microsoft's enterprise applications on demand are more in the form of services, not desktop tools -- Exchange and SharePoint, for example.
IBM started giving away Symphony for free in September, following a similar path to Sun's with StarOffice (though OpenOffice.org is admittedly not the same thing as Sun's commercial release). The chances, however, of a free Symphony desktop suite displacing Office in the corporate world are close to nil. And while a hosted version might be interesting to organizations still using Lotus Notes, it's doubtful that it would upset anyone's applecart, aside from Google's efforts. Here's why:
Office is the de-facto standard. Despite years of efforts by Sun and IBM to get OpenDoc accepted as a de jure standard -- often successfully -- Microsoft Office is still the tool of choice for most organizations because, simply, it's the tool of choice for most organizations. A tautology, no doubt -- but no less true. Even the exceptions to the rule are telling: Massachusetts, which made waves when it made OpenDoc its official document format standard, still uses Office, albeit with a file converter. And it will for a long time to come. Which leads us to our second reason...
Free software doesn't come with free retraining. Though the applications look a lot like Office, there are still enough differences in the behavior of OpenOffice, Symphony, and Google Apps to give your average corporate user a bit of a learning curve. I've used all of them, and only the most talented of interface hackers would be able to easily slide from one to another without having to get used to the differences for a while before becoming as productive as they were in Office. And given that they're teaching kids Office in elementary school now, that reeducation is something most employers probably don't want to deal with.
Office is "cheap enough." The acquisition cost of the Office suite, per user, is significantly less than the retail price consumers pay -- and even consumers hardly ever pay full price. Compared to the cost of retraining users on new applications, it's insignificant.
"Cool" doesn't get work done. While hosted applications can offer a lot of Web 2.0 cool points, and do provide some interesting collaborative capabilities, they're best suited to early adopters and small teams -- just the audience Microsoft has gone after with Office Live. The collaborative functionality already exists in other applications within most corporate environments, in other forms -- such as Exchange and SharePoint.
You're trading one architecture problem for another. In a corporate environment, there's concern over capturing workflow for compliance and the security of an Internet-based tool -- which can be solved by hosting internally. But if you're hosting it internally, you're really just solving one problem -- software distribution -- and trading it for another set. Now, you've got to manage the servers, deal with network bandwidth demands as XML traffic goes up, and shift your storage needs from network shared drives to server-side storage.
That's not to say there isn't anything interesting about hosted desktop applications. Hundreds of organizations are already using hosted applications -- through desktop virtualization via Citrix and Terminal Server.
But does IBM's enterprise credibility mean trouble for Microsoft on the desktop? Not really. Redmond should pay close attention, though, to the parts of hosted applications that users actually use. Posted by Sean Gallagher on November 14, 2007 03:00 AM
info;infoworld.com
Intel Is Prepping Hardware for a Sub-$100 Vista-Ready Desktop PC System
One of the most successful trends on the PC market nowadays is to produce low-cost platforms, targeting especially those customers from the emerging markets that can't afford to spend a lot of money on a high-end (or even a mid-range) PC or laptop, but want to get a fully-functional device with average computing capabilities.
And it seems that Intel (maker of the Classmate PC, OLPC's rival) is seriously taking this trend into account, as reports have emerged that indicate the fact that the chip maker might be planning a special platform for under $100 for 2008. Thus, according to Monica Chen for DigiTimes, who's quoting unnamed, but apparently reliable sources, it seems that Intel plans to launch next year its Shelton'08 low-cost desktop platform, designed to be integrated in desktop PC systems that will cost as low as 100 US dollars. Furthermore, due to its improved heat dissipation system and level of power consumption, it seems that the Shelton'08 will first be adopted for sub-$300 notebooks in the third quarter of 2008, with the aforementioned desktop PCs following shortly afterwards. Furthermore, according to the same sources mentioned earlier, it seems that the Shelton'08 platform will be using 45nm Diamondville processors, with either Intel's 945GC or SiS 671 chipsets, and will be able to run Microsoft's Vista Basic, which means that the company from Redmond might actually record a certain increase in the sales of its latest OS. The new platform might open up whole new opportunities for computer manufacturers, especially on the markets from those countries where the level of income per family is not exactly great. Thus, a $100 price point is quite an irresistible offer, especially if the customers are not looking for some high-end rigs, but just for something that will help them get in touch with technology. And, to be honest, there are a lot of such people around the world, so Intel and its partners might be on the right track for a huge market hit.
info:softpedia.com
And it seems that Intel (maker of the Classmate PC, OLPC's rival) is seriously taking this trend into account, as reports have emerged that indicate the fact that the chip maker might be planning a special platform for under $100 for 2008. Thus, according to Monica Chen for DigiTimes, who's quoting unnamed, but apparently reliable sources, it seems that Intel plans to launch next year its Shelton'08 low-cost desktop platform, designed to be integrated in desktop PC systems that will cost as low as 100 US dollars. Furthermore, due to its improved heat dissipation system and level of power consumption, it seems that the Shelton'08 will first be adopted for sub-$300 notebooks in the third quarter of 2008, with the aforementioned desktop PCs following shortly afterwards. Furthermore, according to the same sources mentioned earlier, it seems that the Shelton'08 platform will be using 45nm Diamondville processors, with either Intel's 945GC or SiS 671 chipsets, and will be able to run Microsoft's Vista Basic, which means that the company from Redmond might actually record a certain increase in the sales of its latest OS. The new platform might open up whole new opportunities for computer manufacturers, especially on the markets from those countries where the level of income per family is not exactly great. Thus, a $100 price point is quite an irresistible offer, especially if the customers are not looking for some high-end rigs, but just for something that will help them get in touch with technology. And, to be honest, there are a lot of such people around the world, so Intel and its partners might be on the right track for a huge market hit.
info:softpedia.com
MacBook Pro Leopard Keyboard Problems Surface
Various issues with Leopard continue to surface and while some may be relatively small, others are serious problems for those affected. MacBook Pro owners who are considering an upgrade to Leopard should be aware of a potential issue related to the keyboard that can affect its
responsiveness.Reports and details are, as usual, varied however there seems to definitely be a problem with MacBook Pros upgraded to Leopard. Users are reporting that trackpads and keyboards are behaving erratically, becoming unresponsive at the most inappropriate of times.Poster ‘Cub man’ describes his problem: "The keyboard will stop working and become unresponsive – the caps and number lock lights won't even turn on. Then after a few minutes, it turns on again and is fine until I let it sit for a while."Stefan Arentz tells a similar story: "This is on a MacBook Pro that I bought about a month ago. Now with Leopard the keyboard and trackpad stop working at completely at unpredictable moments. The only thing that helps is to connect an external keyboard/mouse and reboot.""Zero issues whatsoever until installing 10.5. Now, keyboard disappears frequently and intermittently. I would have finished typing this post sooner, but my keyboard was unresponsive every time I opened a new window," posts user ‘kenji.’The problem appears to be some sort of energy saving mechanism that kicks in erroneously, rendering the keyboard and track pad unusable. Users have tried various methods of stimulating the controls back to life, but so far these seem to be as haphazard as the problem that causes this to stop working in the first place.While the exact nature of the problem is still vague, all of the posts make it very clear that these problems were not present before upgrading to Leopard.Apple’s first update for Leopard is in the works, but it is unclear whether a fix for this problem is to be found within it and even so it will take some time before it actually makes its way into user’s hands. Until there is official word from Apple, MacBook Pro users are better off postponing that upgrade.
info:softpedia.com
responsiveness.Reports and details are, as usual, varied however there seems to definitely be a problem with MacBook Pros upgraded to Leopard. Users are reporting that trackpads and keyboards are behaving erratically, becoming unresponsive at the most inappropriate of times.Poster ‘Cub man’ describes his problem: "The keyboard will stop working and become unresponsive – the caps and number lock lights won't even turn on. Then after a few minutes, it turns on again and is fine until I let it sit for a while."Stefan Arentz tells a similar story: "This is on a MacBook Pro that I bought about a month ago. Now with Leopard the keyboard and trackpad stop working at completely at unpredictable moments. The only thing that helps is to connect an external keyboard/mouse and reboot.""Zero issues whatsoever until installing 10.5. Now, keyboard disappears frequently and intermittently. I would have finished typing this post sooner, but my keyboard was unresponsive every time I opened a new window," posts user ‘kenji.’The problem appears to be some sort of energy saving mechanism that kicks in erroneously, rendering the keyboard and track pad unusable. Users have tried various methods of stimulating the controls back to life, but so far these seem to be as haphazard as the problem that causes this to stop working in the first place.While the exact nature of the problem is still vague, all of the posts make it very clear that these problems were not present before upgrading to Leopard.Apple’s first update for Leopard is in the works, but it is unclear whether a fix for this problem is to be found within it and even so it will take some time before it actually makes its way into user’s hands. Until there is official word from Apple, MacBook Pro users are better off postponing that upgrade.
info:softpedia.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Hardware AMD Radeon HD 3800 Launch Almost Upon Us
Two new RV670-based cards will make their way into AMD's lineup this weekAn AMD presentation for its upcoming RV670 graphics processor, officially dubbed the Radeon HD 3800, was leaked out to media earlier this week. The slides confirm previous expectations regarding the next generation video card's technical features, such as DirectX 10.1 support, which DailyTech detailed last month. These slides, confirmed by DailyTech for authenticity, tout DirectX 10.1 support. Before the end of the month, AMD will officially launch its ATI Radeon HD 3800 series. The launch will consist of two new video cards, the HD 3870 and HD 3850. The HD 3870 will be AMD's new enthusiast part, and is expected to launch at a retail price of $250, while the HD 3850 will for considerably less. DirectX 10.1, which is scheduled to ship with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, will be supported by both of these new cards.The RV670 graphics core will be the industry's first 55nm GPU. It will feature more than 650 million transistors on 192 sq. mm package. By comparison, the ATI Radeon HD 2900 (R600) is manufactured on a 80nm processing node and has 700M transistors in 408 sq. mm. AMD claims that the change to a smaller processing node results in less power leakage and leads to the HD 3870 having less than half the power draw of the HD 2900 XT. AMD will also introduce PowerPlay technology in its new processors. The HD 3800 series will feature an embedded power state controller that monitors the command buffer to assess GPU utilization levels. Through PowerPlay, engine and memory clocks along with voltage levels can all be dynamically adjusted automatically by the system. AMD will also introduce ATI OverDrive technology with the HD 3800 line of cards. This will allow users to overclock their HD 3800 video cards through ATI Catalyst software. Users will also be allowed to overclock mutli-GPU setups. ATI CrossfireX, previously dubbed Quad Crossfire, will also finally make its debut. In short, users will be able to connect up to four HD 3800 cards through AMD's Crossfire. The technology will support up to 8 monitors, and will also allow overclocking. According to AMD guidance, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 will feature 512MB of 1.2 GHz GDDR4 memory on a 256-bit bus. The form factor of the HD 3870 will be dual slot. Despite its process node shrink, the card will still require a 6-pin PCIe connector. AMD measures peak board power at 105 Watts, and operating noise at 34 dBA. The Radeon HD 3850, which will be a scaled back version of the RV670, will feature 256MB of 900MHz GDDR3 memory. Similar to the HD 3870, the HD 3850 will also feature a 256-bit memory bus. In addition, it will also require a 6-pin PCIe power connector, however, this time it will be based on a single slot form factor. The Radeon HD 3870 and Radeon HD 3850 will both come with 320 stream processors, 16 texture units, and 16 render back-ends. The main difference between the two cards, though, will be their clock speeds. The Radeon HD 3870 will come clocked at 775 MHz, while the Radeon HD 3850 will be clocked at lower 670MHz. Diamond Multimedia previously leaked a GDDR4 version of the Radeon HD 3870, however, the company immediately retracted the leak from its website. AMD partners tell DailyTech both cards will appear in the retail channel before the end of the month.
info;dailytech.com
info;dailytech.com
Hardware AMD Preps Socket AM3 Motherboard Designs
As AMD looks forward at DDR3 implementations, motherboard manufacturers begin rolling out designsReference plans for motherboards based on AMD's desktop AM3 processors are already starting to mature. Socket AM3 is the successor to AMD's Socket AM2+, and is not expected to make an official release until 2008. Current AMD guidance suggests its AM3 processors will be compatible with existing chipsets. AM2 processors, however, will not be compatible with AM3 motherboards. This same guidance claims AM3 processors will work with AM2+ motherboards.The initial reference boards that support AM3 processors will be based on an AMD RS780 northbridge and an AMD SB700 southbridge. The northbridge and southbridge communicate with each other via a 4X PCIe lane. The northbridge communicates directly with the CPU using a HyperTransport link.The RS780-based AM3 reference boards will feature 12 USB 2.0 ports along with 6 SATA II ports. For audiophiles the board also features integrated AZALIA HD Audio. Also making its appearance for the first with AM3 will be DDR3 memory support. Since AMD places its memory controllers directly on its processors, the DDR3 DIMM slots will communicate directly with the processor using a 128-bit bus. According to current AMD reference, there will be a total of four DIMM slots. AMD has not publically announced DDR3 support for its Phenom or Barcelona family processors. Previous roadmaps indicate that DDR3 support will likely come with its 45nm shrink next year, but the company has also confirmed DDR3 will be present on the Bulldozer CPU architecture.The RS780 AM3 chipset will also come with integrated graphics. The AM3 reference boards will feature a VGA and HDMI connection, along with a TV-out composite cable that features S-Video along with HD TV-Out. This is only a reference design, so there is no guarantee these features will pan out in production products.
info;dailytech.com
info;dailytech.com
Friday, November 9, 2007
Children in developing nations who receive the XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation can exercise their imaginations and build their own cities with the original "SimCity" video game.
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) (EA) announced Thursday that it has donated the game, originally released in 1989, to the OLPC Foundation for the organization to include on its laptops, which sell for around US$200 each.
The non-profit's mission is to design, build, manufacture and distribute inexpensive laptops to children in developing nations. Providing these children with laptops, the OLPC believes, will help give them the opportunity to receive a "modern education."
Including "SimCity" on the XO laptop will help young users become familiar with their new computer while at the same time giving them a creative outlet that can help them develop their decision-making skills, according to EA.
"'SimCity' is entertainment that's unintentionally educational. Players learn to use limited resources to build and customize their cities. There are choices and consequences, but in the end, it's a creativity tool that's only limited by the player's imagination," said Steve Seabolt, vice president of global brand development for the Sims label.
"The game should prove to be an incredibly effective way of making the laptop relevant, engaging and fun, particularly for first-time players. We are thrilled to be making this contribution to OLPC to help meet their goal of educating the children of the world."
info;technewsworld.com
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) (EA) announced Thursday that it has donated the game, originally released in 1989, to the OLPC Foundation for the organization to include on its laptops, which sell for around US$200 each.
The non-profit's mission is to design, build, manufacture and distribute inexpensive laptops to children in developing nations. Providing these children with laptops, the OLPC believes, will help give them the opportunity to receive a "modern education."
Including "SimCity" on the XO laptop will help young users become familiar with their new computer while at the same time giving them a creative outlet that can help them develop their decision-making skills, according to EA.
"'SimCity' is entertainment that's unintentionally educational. Players learn to use limited resources to build and customize their cities. There are choices and consequences, but in the end, it's a creativity tool that's only limited by the player's imagination," said Steve Seabolt, vice president of global brand development for the Sims label.
"The game should prove to be an incredibly effective way of making the laptop relevant, engaging and fun, particularly for first-time players. We are thrilled to be making this contribution to OLPC to help meet their goal of educating the children of the world."
info;technewsworld.com
Gadgets New iPhone Firmware 1.1.2 Hacked Before Release
Apple's latest effort to thwart iPhone and iPod touch hacking futileWhen Apple announced the release of the iPhone for the UK, it also announced that iPhone and iPod touch firmware version 1.1.2 would be released at the same time. Released today, firmware 1.1.2 closes the TIFF vulnerability in mobile Safari that was used to jailbreak firmware 1.1.1. Confirmed by DailyTech, the TIFF vulnerability no longer works. However, despite Apple's effort to lockdown the iPhone and iPod touch, firmware 1.1.2 has already been jailbroken.Credit go to the people behind AppSnap, the same utility used to jailbreak 1.1.1 devices. According to TUAW, testing of the new jailbreak began several nights ago, when the new 1.1.2 firmware was made available for download not through iTunes, but through Apple's website.In its current stage, the new jailbreak requires several steps in order to complete, and is by no means release ready and user friendly. AppSnap and jailbreakme.com still remains open for 1.1.1 only, but the new jailbreak is being prepared for the same single tap installation.According to TUAW's report, firmware 1.1.1 is required in order for the jailbreak to work with 1.1.2, although it is unclear at this point whether or not this will still be a requirement once AppSnap is officially updated. Those with hacked 1.1.1 devices may wish to hold off from upgrading to 1.1.2 since it does not appear to provide any significant upgrade. The only noticeable change is the inclusion of several international language packs. Jailbreaking may become a thing of the past if Apple keeps its promise. Apple announced in early October that come February 2008, developers will have an official iPhone SDK. The announcement was well received by the developer community. Currently, third-party applications for the iPhone are done via web applications and are mostly cumbersome to use and slow in nature.
info;dailytech.com
info;dailytech.com
PlayStation 3 Firmware Hits Version 2.0
ew PS3 software adds themes, news feed, progressive video downloading, custom playlists, web filters, PSP Remote Start and more
Just shy of its one year launch anniversary, the PlayStation 3’s system firmware has jumped a full version number. New features in version 2.0 include remote play, unlimited playlists, more Xross Media Bar customization and more.
Those with PSPs can make use of the improvements to the Remote Play linkage between the handheld and the PS3. With the latest firmware for both systems, PSP users have the ability to turn their PS3 on and off from a Wi-Fi connection, adding the opportunity to listen to the music, look at the photos and watch the videos saved on the PS3 hard drive from anywhere in the world.
Version 2.0 also improves upon the PS3’s functions as a media player. The new firmware allows users to create custom playlists for its music and photos – a feature that will be handy for those using the PS3 as a slideshow creator or digital music player.
Another new feature, which was first seen in the PSP 3.70 firmware, is support for custom themes. Previous PS3 firmware allowed the user to select a custom background, but the latest firmware allows for changes in color, brightness, font and the overall look for the XMB.
According to the video demonstration made by Eric Lempel, Sony’s director of PlayStation Network operations, new themes will be available for download tailored to certain gaming and non-gaming motifs. Likely this means that PSN will be mirroring Xbox Live’s use of themes, with somebeing free and the others available for a small charge.
Three sample themes are now ready for download and can be placed on a memory card or USB device for installation. While not yet officially supported by SCEA, Sony of Japan has released a tool to allow users to create their own themes.
As first seen in the 1.94 firmware update, which was included with the game Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, today’s firmware update also has support for force-feedback controllers. The PS3 appears unable to distinguish between a SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controller, so those curious may press the PS button on any PS3 controller to view the new vibration toggle option.
No longer will those who download trailers and other videos from the PSN have to wait until the transfer is complete to view the content. A new progressive download feature allows the user to view a video as it is being downloaded from the PlayStation Store.
The new update also introduces Trend Micro web security for the console, allowing parents to block the viewing of inappropriate sites from the PlayStation Internet Browser.
The most noticeable addition for PS3 owners is the new Information Board, which adds a panel onto the XMB interface with expandable items on the latest PlayStation news. The new firmware may now be obtained using the PS3’s network update feature or downloaded directly from SCEA’s Network Update page.
.info dailytech.com
Just shy of its one year launch anniversary, the PlayStation 3’s system firmware has jumped a full version number. New features in version 2.0 include remote play, unlimited playlists, more Xross Media Bar customization and more.
Those with PSPs can make use of the improvements to the Remote Play linkage between the handheld and the PS3. With the latest firmware for both systems, PSP users have the ability to turn their PS3 on and off from a Wi-Fi connection, adding the opportunity to listen to the music, look at the photos and watch the videos saved on the PS3 hard drive from anywhere in the world.
Version 2.0 also improves upon the PS3’s functions as a media player. The new firmware allows users to create custom playlists for its music and photos – a feature that will be handy for those using the PS3 as a slideshow creator or digital music player.
Another new feature, which was first seen in the PSP 3.70 firmware, is support for custom themes. Previous PS3 firmware allowed the user to select a custom background, but the latest firmware allows for changes in color, brightness, font and the overall look for the XMB.
According to the video demonstration made by Eric Lempel, Sony’s director of PlayStation Network operations, new themes will be available for download tailored to certain gaming and non-gaming motifs. Likely this means that PSN will be mirroring Xbox Live’s use of themes, with somebeing free and the others available for a small charge.
Three sample themes are now ready for download and can be placed on a memory card or USB device for installation. While not yet officially supported by SCEA, Sony of Japan has released a tool to allow users to create their own themes.
As first seen in the 1.94 firmware update, which was included with the game Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, today’s firmware update also has support for force-feedback controllers. The PS3 appears unable to distinguish between a SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controller, so those curious may press the PS button on any PS3 controller to view the new vibration toggle option.
No longer will those who download trailers and other videos from the PSN have to wait until the transfer is complete to view the content. A new progressive download feature allows the user to view a video as it is being downloaded from the PlayStation Store.
The new update also introduces Trend Micro web security for the console, allowing parents to block the viewing of inappropriate sites from the PlayStation Internet Browser.
The most noticeable addition for PS3 owners is the new Information Board, which adds a panel onto the XMB interface with expandable items on the latest PlayStation news. The new firmware may now be obtained using the PS3’s network update feature or downloaded directly from SCEA’s Network Update page.
.info dailytech.com
IT gOS Development Motherboard and CPU for Under $60
VIA sells PC2500E development mainboard with CPU and OS from $59.99"Developers, developers, developers!" rings the famous Steve Ballmer chant. Google is a long way from capturing the same developer community found at Microsoft, or even Apple, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. There's certainly no shortage of low-cost, open-source computing recently. The demand for a PC running an operating system other than Windows or Mac OS only increases each year.
Laptops in this category have been getting a lot of attention recently with the XO Laptop finally entering production and fighting for the dollars of third-world countries against Intel’s ClassMate notebook. ASUS has also released its low cost Eee notebook that runs Linux.
User looking for the sort of low cost computing these systems offer for things like web surfing and email, but still feel the Eee and XO or too expensive for their needs should look at the gOS Development Kit that uses a VIA C7-D 1.5GHz CPU. The development kit includes the mainboard, CPU and comes bundled with a free gOS operating system based on the Ubuntu 7.10 distro bundled with Google applications.
The cost for the VIA PC2500E mainboard and the CPU is $59.99. That isn’t really a full fledged computer since you will need to add a hard drive, case, PSU and RAM, which will add more expense. The mainboard has VIA 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, onboard Realtek ALC655 6-channel audio, two PATA connectors, two SATA connectors, a VGA connection and four USB ports. The board also features a parallel port and a serial port. The board dimensions are 190mm x 228mm.
At a mere $60, almost anyone can become an active developer for gOS -- and Google knows this. The company is banking on excited developers jumping on its recently announced Android OS, though gOS does not receive any official support from Google. However, gOS has no problem loudly promoting Google, and any ally in the third-party developer community is a valuable one.
Apple quickly realized the important of third-party support after the launch of the iPhone this past Summer.
However, as Google "Android" phones are not expected until at least the second half of 2008, it might take more than a $60 motherboard to get enough third-party support to unseat Apple and Microsoft.
info:dailytech.com
Laptops in this category have been getting a lot of attention recently with the XO Laptop finally entering production and fighting for the dollars of third-world countries against Intel’s ClassMate notebook. ASUS has also released its low cost Eee notebook that runs Linux.
User looking for the sort of low cost computing these systems offer for things like web surfing and email, but still feel the Eee and XO or too expensive for their needs should look at the gOS Development Kit that uses a VIA C7-D 1.5GHz CPU. The development kit includes the mainboard, CPU and comes bundled with a free gOS operating system based on the Ubuntu 7.10 distro bundled with Google applications.
The cost for the VIA PC2500E mainboard and the CPU is $59.99. That isn’t really a full fledged computer since you will need to add a hard drive, case, PSU and RAM, which will add more expense. The mainboard has VIA 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, onboard Realtek ALC655 6-channel audio, two PATA connectors, two SATA connectors, a VGA connection and four USB ports. The board also features a parallel port and a serial port. The board dimensions are 190mm x 228mm.
At a mere $60, almost anyone can become an active developer for gOS -- and Google knows this. The company is banking on excited developers jumping on its recently announced Android OS, though gOS does not receive any official support from Google. However, gOS has no problem loudly promoting Google, and any ally in the third-party developer community is a valuable one.
Apple quickly realized the important of third-party support after the launch of the iPhone this past Summer.
However, as Google "Android" phones are not expected until at least the second half of 2008, it might take more than a $60 motherboard to get enough third-party support to unseat Apple and Microsoft.
info:dailytech.com
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