Google Energy Becomes Real: Search Company Can Now Buy And Sell Power
Google has their hands in quite a few things. Internet, Web searches, e-mail, mobile operating systems, netbook operating systems, social networking, and the list goes on and on. But we definitely didn't see this one coming. Google has just announced that their have been given clearance to buy and sell energy. Yes, energy. As in, power that makes you things work.This past week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave Google authority to "buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility," which sounds
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Casio Focuses On Style & Ease Of Use With New Compacts
The PMA show is underway, and we're seeing plenty of announcements from all of the top camera manufacturers. Not to be left out, Casio showed up to the show with a few new models that are designed to balance technology with style. The new EX-S7 and the EX-Z35 compact digital cameras are part of the EXILIM line and feature a slim and stylish compact design. Both models feature Casio’s latest EXILIM Engine 5.0. The EX-S7 is a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 3X optical zoom lens and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. This camera
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CellAntenna Selectively Blocks Prison Cell Waves, Doesn't Block Outside World
If you have a tendency to be afraid of "The Man," you just might get jumpy after hearing this. It's one of the most two-sided, polarizing issues we've seen to date in the technology world, and no, we're not talking about Apple vs. Microsoft. It's over the battle to remove cell phones from the hands of prison inmates; no matter how tight security is, some inmates still end up with cellphones in their hands, and it's pretty obvious that no one who loves their safety wishes that trend to continue.In order to hopefully
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Social Networking Sites Could Affect Insurance Premiums
According to price comparison service Confused.com, people who use social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook might have to pay a higher home insurance premium someday. Social networking services could alert criminals when users are not at home. Some social networking services even show the specific location of an individual. Darren Black, the head of home insurance at Confused.com, said: "I wouldn't be surprised if, as social media grow in popularity and more location-based applications come to fore,
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NVIDIA Officially Declares GeForce GTX 480 / 470 Launch Date
We just saw a very interesting, very specific post go up on the official NVIDIA Facebook page. It appears the company's highly anticipated, initial line-up of GF100 based graphics cards will be launching on March 26, 2010. Here's exactly what NVIDIA had to say..."NVIDIA We want to apologize for the confusion around our most recent GF100 update. To clarify, the launch date for GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 is March 26, 2010. This date also coincides with the GeForce LAN event NVIDIA is hosting at PAX 2010. Hope
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SanDisk Announces $350 64GB Ultra SDXC Memory Card
SDXC is the next generation of the long-standing Secure Digital memory card format, which has become quite popular and pervasive over the past few years. SDXC was initially announced at CES 2009, and it has taken over a year for the first cards (from Panasonic) to ship to consumers. Now, SanDisk is marching in as the second memory company to ship an SDXC card to the public, and the price tag is somewhat less shocking here compared to the Panasonic variety.The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC promises up to 15MB/sec read
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CBS Will Sell Some Shows On iTunes For 99 Cents
CBS is prepared to sell some of its shows through iTunes for 99 cents, though which shows and how many episodes of each is yet to be determined, according to reports. The Financial Times quoted CBS CEO Les Moonves as confirming the price, though another CBS source said no deal was imminent.The move is a continuing progression of television content moving online, whether through live streaming, free portals such as Hulu and a la carte pricing.CBS already has joined in the TV Everywhere initiative, with
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Fermi Pre-order Page Fuels Speculation (and Comical 'User Reviews')
The hottest hoax hopping around cyber space this morning is the supposed availability of the first Fermi graphics card in pre-order form. It's being 'offered' by obscure online vendor SabrePC.com, which has the XFX GTX 480 graphics card listed for $679.99, a veritable 'bargain' compared to its original price of $699.99.Word to the wise: Don't go coughing up your credit card number, or any other personal information, for that matter. While it's not uncommon for upcoming parts to leak to the Web ahead of schedule
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Has anyone ever won anything from a GIVEAWAY?
I've never won anything ever from any sort of GIVEAWAY and was wondering if other people can share my feelings lol. I'm not the sort of person to get jealous of other people but when you have like a million people entered in a GIVEAWAY and one person just happens to win, you get really let down.
--- Has anyone ever won anything? ---
The way I see it, the overwhelming majority will say NO lol but if you ARE out there, lemme know!
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CBS Will Sell Some Shows On iTunes For 99 Cents
CBS is prepared to sell some of its shows through iTunes for 99 cents,though which shows and how many episodes of each is yet to bedetermined, according to reports.آ The Financial Times quoted CBS CEO Les Moonves as confirming the price, though another CBS source said no deal was imminent.The move is a continuing progression of television content moving online, whether through live streaming, free portals such as Hulu and a la carte pricing.
CBS already has joined in the TV Everywhereinitiative, with its core network and several other channels, includingThe CW and Showtime, working with cable companies to put their contentonline free to paid subscribers of cable provider Comcast and others.آ It also joined in the AT&T Entertainmenteffort, which allows users to view content from a variety of networksfor free - and you don't have to be an AT&T customer to access thesite.The pending agreement with iTunes could come in time for the launch of the iPad,whose 4:3 aspect ratio perfect for standard-def television viewing.Shows in high definition, which are broadcast in a 16:9 aspect ratiowould show those pesky black bars across the top of the screen aboveand below the video. No date has been announced for the iPad's official launch, though Apple's website says they should be available in "late March."
There'sno word whether the shows sold through iTunes would also be allowed tocarry ads. Networks had been fighting the 99 cent price, saying it wastoo low, but if they can carry advertising, that may make it morepalatable.To this point, the biggest source of legal online network content so far has been Hulu.com,which allows a certain number of ad breaks varying in length throughouteach broadcast. Of course, NBC Universal is one of the major partnersin Hulu, and Comcast has made a successful bid for the entertainmentgiant - though regulators have yet to rule on the legality of that deal.
Countthe iTunes 99 cent purchase price as the latest effort by traditionaltelevision content providers to figure out how to make money on thishere Internet thingy.
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Google Energy Becomes Real: Search Company Can Now Buy And Sell Power
Google has their hands in quite a few things. Internet, Web searches, e-mail, mobile operating systems, netbook operating systems, social networking, and the list goes on and on. But we definitely didn't see this one coming. Google has just announced that their have been given clearance to buy and sell energy. Yes, energy. As in, power that makes you things work.This past week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave Google authority to "buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility," which sounds pretty weird given Google's normal cup of tea. But it may not be as strange as you'd think. Google has a lot of data centers, and it's having to buy power from all sorts of energy companies, probably at rates that Google would love to see lowered. The solution? Cut out the middleman, so to speak.
Those within Google that have spoken out about the announcement confess that the company is not planning or hoping to get into the energy sales business. Rather, they want to be able to "better manage their own energy costs, [and] to possibly add electricity marketer to its repertoire of services." Google Energy may very well setup solar farms or other energy generating facilities that could power Google's data centers, and many reports have noted that this isn't very unusual for larger companies looking to better assess, manage and maintain their own energy costs.
Still, at this point it's tough to think of what Google can't do. They have managed to infiltrate nearly every aspect of our lives at this point, and the sky really does feel like the limit. Google could one day serve you electricity and best-in-class search results? Pretty wild.
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NVIDIA Officially Declares GeForce GTX 480 / 470 Launch Date
We just saw a very interesting, very specific post go up on the official NVIDIA Facebook page. It appears the company's highly anticipated, initial line-up of GF100 based graphics cards will be launching on March 26, 2010. Here's exactly what NVIDIA had to say...
"NVIDIA We want to apologize for the confusion around our most recent GF100 update. To clarify, the launch date for GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 is March 26, 2010. This date also coincides with the GeForce LAN event NVIDIA is hosting at PAX 2010. Hope you can attend the show. For more info, please visit: www.nvidia.com/paxeast"
;)
آ ;)
آ آ ;)
NVIDIA GF100, aka Fermi up and running in a Maingear SHIFT PC at CES 2010 - Click for full res.
If you're unfamiliar with the GF100, we've got plenty of information available already. While out at CES this year, we were made privy to a slew of architectural details, as they relate to gaming and PhysX. And a few months before that, we talked about the compute side of the equation.
NVIDIA's Jen-Hsun Huang hold's GF100's closest sibling, Fermi-based Tesla card
Those of you waiting to see NVIDIA's hand before making the move to a DX11-class graphics card need wait only a few more weeks. Stay tuned to HotHardware for more GF100 scoop as it happens.
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SanDisk Announces $350 64GB Ultra SDXC Memory Card
SDXC is the next generation of the long-standing Secure Digital memory card format, which has become quite popular and pervasive over the past few years. SDXC was initially announced at CES 2009, and it has taken over a year for the first cards (from Panasonic) to ship to consumers. Now, SanDisk is marching in as the second memory company to ship an SDXC card to the public, and the price tag is somewhat less shocking here compared to the Panasonic variety.The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC promises up to 15MB/sec read speed and a Class 4 speed rating, but it's capable of capturing and storing "massive" 1080p video files with ease. SDXC cards are based on the new SD 3.0 specification, which means that some older devices (cameras, namely) will not accept these.
Still, this is definitely ushering in a new era for memory cards. The 64GB device can store more than eight hours of high-definition video with recording speed of 9 Mbps, and the exFAT file structure helps consumers record long-duration HD videos. To date, only a few devices have announced support for SDXC, but that number will surely grow in time. Asus' forthcoming Eee PC T101MT will support the format, as will Canon's newest line of VIXIA camcorder models.
The card is shipping now with a price of $349.99, which will almost certainly keep most consumers away for awhile.
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Social Networking Sites Could Affect Insurance Premiums
According to price comparison service Confused.com, people who use social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook might have to pay a higher home insurance premium someday. Social networking services could alert criminals when users are not at home. Some social networking services even show the specific location of an individual.Darren Black, the head of home insurance at Confused.com, said: "I wouldn't be surprised if, as social media grow in popularity and more location-based applications come to fore, insurance providers consider these in their pricing of an individual's risk. We could see rises of up to 10pc for people who use these sites.
Black continued, explaining "Criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their information gathering, even using Google Earth and Streetview to plan their burglaries with military precision. Insurance providers are starting to take this into account when they are assessing claims and we may in future see insurers declining claims if they believe the customer was negligent."
For users of social networking websites, Confused.com offers the following advice:
- Never post your home address or other personal information such as your home phone number on social networking sites
- Don't follow people you don't know on social networks and use block others from seeing your profile if you don't know them
- Turn off location-based services on Twitter and Facebook unless you absolutely need to use them
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Verbatim Announces ExpressCard SSD
Verbatim Announces ExpressCard SSD for PC and Mac UsersSAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 6, 2009) –آ Verbatimآ® Americas, LLC, a global leader and innovator in the digital storage industry, announced at Macworld today its new ExpressCard SSD for PC and Mac users.آ The new card is a solid-state drive (SSD) that provides ExpressCard slot-equipped XP/Vista PCs and OS X-equipped Macsآ® with plug-in storage that is up to five times faster than USB based ExpressCards. Based on the 34mm ExpressCard module (75mm x 34mm x 5mm), the Verbatim ExpressCard SSD will be available the end of February with capacities of 16, 32 and 64GB. The high-performance, high-capacity storage solution comes bundled with NTI Shadowâ„¢ IV, a backup application that provides PC and Mac users with continuous real time backup of critical data.
With read speeds of up to 125MB/sec (833X) and write speeds up to 30MB/sec (200X), Verbatim’s new ExpressCard SSD offers significantly higher performance than USB-based ExpressCard SSD solutions, due to the throughput limitations of the USB 2.0 interface. Verbatim’s PCI ExpressCard SSD is also enhanced for Windowsآ® ReadyBoostآ® to allow the user to allocate a portion of the device’s unused storage capacity to speed system performance on Windows Vistaâ„¢ equipped PCs.
In addition to providing instant access to volumes of portable storage and reliable backup/recovery, Verbatim’s ExpressCard SSD solution provides advanced sync features to keep multiple storage devices and computers updated.
“We’re excited about the launch of our new ExpressCard SSD because it offers all the advantages of a traditional SSD in a plug-and-play, integrated form factor,†said Mark Rogers, Verbatim Product Manager.آ “Since it’s a plug-and-play device, there’s no hardware installation. It fits completely inside your laptop's ExpressCard slot so you can easily take it with you for automated backup of your critical data, without the need to carry around or keep up with external devices.آ If you want to synch up your data and travel with just your ExpressCard SSD, you can leave the laptop behind. It’s the best way to add storage capacity to your laptop without changing its footprint with external devices, or going inside the case to install hardware.â€
With NTI Shadow 4, backup jobs are conveniently executed transparently in the background without disturbing the user and without slowing system performance. Files or file groups can be automatically backed up in their native format every time a change occurs.آ The software also offers scheduled backups, custom file type filtering, version control, drag and drop file restoring, and more.
Availability, Pricing
The Verbatim ExpressCard SSD for PCآ¹ and Mac users will be available through Verbatim retail and distribution channels late February with MRSPs of US$99.99 for the 16GB card, US$149.99 for the 32GB card and US$299.99 for the 64GB card. Includes software drivers required for XP and Mac OS
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PCMCIA Announces Release 2.0 of ExpressCard
PCMCIA, the leading technology trade association for PC Cardâ„¢ and ExpressCardآ® technology, today at CeBIT announced the newest release of the ExpressCard Standard 2.0, the latest version of the standard for high-performance expansion of notebook systems.This version was updated to accommodate the faster speeds demanded by today's high-performance technologies.
The current ExpressCard Standard supports speeds up to 2.0 Gbit/s.
The new ExpressCard Standard will support transfer rates ranging up to 10 times faster than ExpressCard Standard 1.2, depending on the data protocol used. Some of the applications that benefit from the improved performance are:- E-Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA) adapters for external hard drives;
- High-performance streaming media/video adapters; and
- High-performance storage modules such as solid-state drives (SSDs).
The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard will support the latest versions of the PCI Express and SuperSpeed USB specifications with transfer rates of up to 5Gbps.
The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard supports backward compatibility with previously released products.
Background
ExpressCard technology offers a high-performance optional expansion capability that enables users to upgrade their Apple or PC notebooks with applications that were not originally included by the manufacturer or were not available at the time of purchase.
The Standard continues to support the Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
Current ExpressCard "plug 'n' play" applications include flash memory, WiFi, TV tuners, smart card readers, instrumentation, 3G, 1394A&B (Firewire) and SATA.
ExpressCard and PC Card slots are found in more than 95 percent of consumer notebook computers.آ
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IS my system good enough?
OKOK.....last year I was laid off. I had just finished my rig prior to me being let go. I found a job but the first year required me to be out of town the first year. Now that part is over I have not paid much attention to what all is out there. As I look around and see the new i7's. I'm wondering how long I will be able to get away with what I have.
Here is the rig:
Case: Gigabyte Aroura 3D(now called SUMO)
Enermax 650 watt PS
MB: Asus Strkier Extreme
Proc: e8500
RAM: Corsair XMS2 1066 Dominator(4gigs)
Video: Two Gigabyte 8800GTX 640 MB(running sli) and one 8500 designated for physx
HD: Two 36 Gig Raptors and one 150 gig raptor
Optical: one Sony and one Plextor
6 in one card reader
Windows Vista Home Premium is the OS.
Don't get me wrong.....I think she is lean and mean....but how much longer could I push this to get my money's worth?
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Fermi Pre-order Page Fuels Speculation (and Comical 'User Reviews')
The hottest hoax hopping around cyber space this morning is the supposed availability of the first Fermi graphics card in pre-order form. It's being 'offered' by obscure online vendor SabrePC.com, which has the XFX GTX 480 graphics card listed for $679.99, a veritable 'bargain' compared to its original price of $699.99.
Word to the wise: Don't go coughing up your credit card number, or any other personal information, for that matter. While it's not uncommon for upcoming parts to leak to the Web ahead of schedule -- including order pages like this one -- there's little to indicate this is the real deal, and plenty points to the contrary. There's the memory size, for one (unless there's some rounding going on, 2GB doesn't jibe with Fermi's reported bus width and memory configuration), but the biggest telltale sign is that no one seems to have heard of SabrePC before today. In the end, that may have been the whole point behind SabrePC's stunt, and we just contributed to it, albeit at the greater good of warning would-be buyers. Plus, it's worth a visit just for the customer reviews alone, which will help you kick the week off with a good laugh or two.
Still, we're sorry to burst your bubble, but hey, we feel your pain and are as anxious as you are for Fermi to materialize. But rather than chasing hoaxes, we can recommend at least two other avenues to stay ahead of the curve. First, make HotHardware.com a daily destination, as you know we'll be at the forefront of any breaking news. And secondly, become a fan of Nvidia's official Facebook page.آ Okay, make that three avenues, you can follow us on Twitter if you like as well and be assured of real-time scoopage on the topic.
~UPDATE~
We're not ones to brag (maybe a little here and there), but we'd rather say "told you so" than have to eat crow. We've heard crow doesn't taste very good anyway, and lucky for us, we're not about to find out - it looks like we were right on the money in calling this one a hoax. Not only has SabrePC since taken the pre-order product page down, but the whole site appears to be in a state of disorder. You now need a username and password to enter the site, which presumably no one has, save for SabrePC's staff.
Still, we're sorry to burst your bubble, but hey, we feel your pain and are as anxious as you are for Fermi to materialize. But rather than chasing hoaxes, we can recommend at least two other avenues to stay ahead of the curve. First, make HotHardware.com a daily destination, as you know we'll be at the forefront of any breaking news. And secondly, become a fan of Nvidia's official Facebook page.آ Okay, make that three avenues, you can follow us on Twitter if you like as well and be assured of real-time scoopage on the topic.
~UPDATE~
We're not ones to brag (maybe a little here and there), but we'd rather say "told you so" than have to eat crow. We've heard crow doesn't taste very good anyway, and lucky for us, we're not about to find out - it looks like we were right on the money in calling this one a hoax. Not only has SabrePC since taken the pre-order product page down, but the whole site appears to be in a state of disorder. You now need a username and password to enter the site, which presumably no one has, save for SabrePC's staff.
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Nvidia's Fermi Architecture a Disappointment?
Not sure if anyone read this article, but I'm am somewhat disappointed after reading that Nvidia's GTX 480 isn't going to be as great as originally thought it was.
Article: http://www.semiaccurate.com/2010/02/20/semiaccurate-gets-some-gtx480-scores/
They way they were promoting their new gpu architecture and from what I heard, I thought it was be so amazing. But in the end, it just seems like it barely outperforms the 5870 and it runs really hot.
I guess in the end, it isn't so bad. I do like what AMD/ATI have done with the HD 5xxx series. I am sold on the performance and the loads of video output options. I really wanted a display port connection on my graphics card.
Maybe I just wanted to see Nvidia come out with something better since I have been holding out so that I could buy that or get one of the 5870s for a bit cheaper (if they had to drop the price to remain competitive to Nvidia's new offering)?
Your thoughts?
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CellAntenna Selectively Blocks Prison Cell Waves, Doesn't Block Outside World
If you have a tendency to be afraid of "The Man," you just might get jumpy after hearing this. It's one of the most two-sided, polarizing issues we've seen to date in the technology world, and no, we're not talking about Apple vs. Microsoft. It's over the battle to remove cell phones from the hands of prison inmates; no matter how tight security is, some inmates still end up with cellphones in their hands, and it's pretty obvious that no one who loves their safety wishes that trend to continue.In order to hopefully put a stop to it the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) authorized the first federally sanctioned test of cell phone signal jamming technology inside the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, MD using CellAntenna technology. You'll probably understand that cellphone jamming is illegal is most cases, as it essentially cuts off one's ability to dial 911 or some other emergency number should they get in trouble near a jammer.
But those rules don't really apply to prisons, or at least they don't now. What's interesting about the new technology is that it can somehow jam the prison lines, but not the outside world just outside of its gates. According to CellAntenna, "jamming can be surgical enough to block illegal signals without affecting cell phone communications outside the prison perimeter." The demonstration of the technology is wrapped into a bill, which is currently awaiting House approval that would enable state authorities to use cell phone signals jamming devices in prisons. Today, only Federal agencies can use the technology. Howard Melamed, CellAntenna CEO, had this to say about the situation:
"The issue of contraband cell phones inside America’s prisons has reached pandemic proportions, and this test is a big step toward ending the deaths and illegal activities that can be linked back to convicts with cell phone reception. The Federal government and the NTIA are acknowledging the fact that cell phones in prisons pose a deadly and unnecessary risk to citizens. This test should be a wakeup call for legislators and corrections departments everywhere, because it proves that cell phone jamming is a solution for making our prisons safer."
We can't totally say that we disagree, and we're all for prisoners keeping their thoughts to themselves. What do you think about the matter?
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