Active Media Products Debuts New 32GB/64GB 1.8" SaberTooth SSDs
Active Media Products has a thing for tossing out new storage solutions when you least expect thing, and today they're doing just that with an all new SSD in a form factor that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The 2.5" drive, which fits nicely inside of notebooks, gets the most SSD action, while desktops and portable media players get left alone in most cases. The company's new 1.8" PATA Turbo ZIF SSD is designed for the latter, or any other device that needs an exceptionally small drive to operate. The
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Android Crushes the Competition, iPhone Stands Still
The latest quarterly smartphone results are in from market research firm comScore, and surprise-surprise, Google's Android platform continues to rock the marketplace while everyone else looks on.According to comScore, smartphone usage is up 18 percent in the latest quarter, sitting just shy of 43 million users. And while Google's Android OS sits in fourth place behind RIM, Apple, and Microsoft, it's the only one with a significant trend upwards.As comScore puts it, "Google's Android platform continues to see
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Samsung Targets Movie & Video Enthusiasts With New Media Players
Samsung announced two new portable media players that promise high quality movie and video capabilities as well as a superior audio experience in a compact design. The new R1 has a 2.4-inch TFT LCD touch screen and supports up to 50 hours of audio and four hours of video playback. The R0 has a 2.6-inch LCD and tactile keys for easy navigation. It can play up to six hours of video and 30 hours of audio. Both players come in 8GB and 16GB capacities. Samsung Announces Pricing and Availability for Two New Portable
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Palm Announces Public Beta PDK, Shows Off New webOS Games
Palm used the Game Developers Conference to announce a public beta version of its webOS Plug-in Development Kit (PDK). The company is also showing off new games from early PDK developers at the conference. Palm tells us more about the PDK: The PDK complements the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK), letting developers use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app. The PDK enables new functionality, including immersive 3D graphics, and gives
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Samsung Launches eReader With Barnes & Noble eCommerce Storefront
Samsung's new eReader will soon be available in the U.S. The Samsung eReader was initially previewed at CES in January. From the eReader, users can access content, write notes directly on the page, highlight content, and share notes with friends. The Samsung eReader offers Wi-Fi connectivity, advanced handwriting capabilities, and access to over one million electronic titles. Samsung partnered with Barnes & Noble to provide the eCommerce storefront for the Samsung eReader. Thanks to the partnership, users
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Sony Introduces PlayStation Move Motion Control System For PS3
Nintendo has their Wii remote, Microsoft will soon have their Project Natal, and now, Sony has their PlayStation Move. At the GDC '10 conference in San Francisco, the maker of the PS3 decided to cut loose and unveil the "next generation" in console control, though it's really just a sophisticated improvement upon the PlayStation Eye that has been out for a few years now. The Move motion controller will be compatible only with the PS3 console, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience that is
Read More ...
Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor Review
Although they are not due to hit store shelves for a few more weeks, Intel is using the always exciting Game Developers Conference currently being held in San Francisco to officially unveil the new Core i7-980X Extreme processor. Intel's Extreme Edition processors have always been targeted at ultra enthusiasts and hardcore-gamers, so what better place to show off the fastest desktop processor for the PC to date? The new Core i7-980X Extreme is an interesting animal, however, that requires much explanation. Although
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FCC Pushes For Universally Accessible Nationwide Wireless
Earlier this week we covered the news that nearly 80 percent of all Internet users worldwide feel that Internet access is a right. In a week, the FCC will present its specific plan for bringing broadband Internet to the estimated 35 percent of Americans who currently either don't have or can't get such service. A new brief discussing the organizations general thoughts is now available and if it's anything to go by, certain provisions the FCC wants to recommend will face stiff opposition from telecommunication
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Western Digital Introduces Media Savvy My Passport AV External HDD
Western Digital has found a pretty safe spot when it comes to external storage, and anyone who has followed the industry for any amount of time will notice that the My Book and My Passport lines haven't changed much over the years. Today, WD is adding a slight twist to the existing My Passport line by introducing the My Passport AV Portable Media Drives, which are said to be "optimized for video storage and playback." These are designed to work with select Sony camcorders, Blu-ray players and other popular media
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OnLive Streaming Game Service To Go Live On June 17
Just when you were beginning to think "vaporware," OnLive has delivered in the clutch. Nearly a year after being introduced to the world as the future of remote gaming, this service has finally left the "informational" stage at the GDC Expo in California. For those who missed out on last year's news, OnLive is basically an online streaming service that enables users to play games regardless of their location, so long as their home Internet connection has enough upload speed to push content to your current location.
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Dell Packs A Punch With Value-Driven Vostro Business Notebooks
Mmm, don't you love the sweet scent of corporate upgrade season? It's the most wonderful time of the year! For those offices that can't justify the bulk purchase of Dell's Precision M4500, there's the new Vostro 3000. This machine slides into Dell's "affordable" business lineup, one that has become progressively more attractive over the years in terms of design and sheer value. Aimed directly at small business users (but fully capable of handling your minor road warrior spells), the new Vostro 3000 series can
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OCZ Occupies Sub-$100 SSD Space with New Onyx Series
Never has the phrase "you have to pay to play" been more applicable than it is to the SSD market. Solid state drives trump their mechanical brethren in just about every way, including speed, power consumption, and durability, but one area where HDDs still hold an advantage is in price.It should come as great news, then, that OCZ has broken the sub-$100 price barrier with the introduction of its new Onyx Series SSDs."As new technologies become available, OCZ continues to expand both our enterprise and consumer
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Dell's Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation Gets Core i7 Power
There is just never a break any more, is there? You know we're talking about a break in the flow of notebooks; if it's not HP or Lenovo or MSI, it's Dell or Asus or Acer. Almost every single day a new laptop is emerging, and today Dell is taking it to the business world with the introduction of the "world's most powerful 15.6" mobile workstation." Of course, we hear this "world's most powerful" line every single time a new machine (with cutting-edge internals) is introduced. But taken solo, this really is a
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JAYS Introduces Tangle-Free Flat Cabling On a-JAYS Earbuds
Here's something we have always despised: tangled cords. Here's something we have always loved: flat HDMI cables. Now, headphone maker JAYS is making what amounts to our perfect product: earbuds with tangle-free, flat cabling. We can't believe it has taken this long for someone to do it (on lower-end models), but we're thrilled that this little company is getting their name on the map thanks to something that we honestly believe everyone yearns for. The Sweden-based company is expanding their product line with
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Intel Confirms Launch Of Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU
Intel, at a gaming conference? Yes, it's true, and there is big news coming from the company today at GDC '10. While developers and software engineers gather in San Francisco to discuss the future of gaming, Intel is making a few announcements that they hope will shape the future of PC gaming. With Steam rolling out to (Intel-based) Macs this week, the PC gaming sector is seeing mainstream press like it hasn't seen in quite some time, making this debut all the more timely. For starters, Intel will be previewing
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Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review
Lenovo proved at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that it wasn't messing around when it comes to latest generation of notebook technologies. The company has a vast array of options, from tiny to huge, and they span the gamut from casual road warriors to hardcore business users. There's also a machine or two in there for the gaming and multimedia crowd, though you probably wouldn't guess that the ThinkPad T410 was in that category at first glance. This machine, along with the T410s, T510 and W510, received
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Survey Reveals iPhone Addiction Rampant on College Campuses
Including room and board, it now costs over $50,000 per year to attend Stanford University. That's a lot of cash to cough up to send your son or daughter to the second ranked university in the world (according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities), but money well spent when you consider your offspring will be tackling the tough issues, like iPhone addiction.Huh? Believe it or not, a new Stanford study set out to discover just how attached college kids are to their Apple-inspired smartphone, and as it
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Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor Review
Although they are not due to hit store shelves for a few more weeks, Intel is using the always exciting Game Developers Conference currently being held in San Francisco to officially unveil the new Core i7-980X Extreme processor. Intel's Extreme Edition processors have always been targeted at enthusiasts and hardcore-gamers, so what better place to show off the fastest desktop processor for the PC to date? Unless of course you're catching it here on the pages of HotHardware, that is.The new Core i7-980X
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Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review
Lenovo proved at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that it wasn't messing around when it comes to latest generation of notebook technologies. The company has a vast array of options, from tiny to huge, and they span the gamut from casual road warriors to hardcore business users. There's also a machine or two in there for the gaming and multimedia crowd, though you probably wouldn't guess that the ThinkPad T410 was in that category at first glance. This machine, along with the T410s, T510 and W510, received
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FCC Pushes For Universally Accessible Nationwide Wireless
Earlier this week we covered the news that nearly 80 percent of all Internet users worldwide feel that Internet access is a right. In a week, the FCC will present its specific plan for bringing broadband Internet to the estimated 35 percent of Americans who currently either don't have or can't get such service. A new brief discussing the organizations general thoughts is now available and if it's anything to go by, certain provisions the FCC wants to recommend will face stiff opposition from telecommunication companies.FCC chairman Julius Genachowski believes it's essential to extend universal broadband across the US. In order to ensure long term American competitiveness and prosperity, we must not leave one-third of the nation behind," Genachowski said. "The National Broadband Plan provides a vision for federal, state and local leadership and partnerships with the private and nonprofit communities that will bridge the digital divide and transform America into a nation where broadband expands opportunities for all."
The FCC will recommend improving digital literacy for all Americans by publicly funding a "Digital Library Corps" to conduct skill training and outreach in communities with low broadband adoption rates. In addition, it wants to expand existing training and opportunities in the library system and create an online "skill" portfolio that trains students and adults in unspecified concepts (think online college courses, we suppose). None of these proposals are particularly controversial; it's the FCC's ideas for making broadband affordable that will likely come under fire.
The Federal Communications Commission will recommend expanding existing FCC programs that already help indigent residents pay for telephone service and plans to advocate for the creation of a "free or very low cost wireless broadband service." Said broadband service would use a specific band of the spectrum set aside for this purpose. It's assumed that the current owners of this space would 'voluntarily' make it available for use through some sort of partnership with the US government but the details of how to make this happen are glossed over.
Crazy Idea or Business As Usual
There's a certain group of people who will instinctively dismiss the idea that broadband is a "right" that should ever be available for free or at heavily subsidized cost but there's a certain degree of historical precedent. Once upon the 1920s radio was a high-end luxury, a brand new technology and curiosity that only the wealthiest could afford. By 1931 40 percent of US households owned a radio, by 1939, 80 percent of them did. Television adoption followed a similar curve. RCA demonstrated the TV publicly at the World's Fair in 1939. 30 years later, virtually every American family owned a TV (though not all of them were color).Internet adoption has grown the same way and the financial barriers to entry have dropped even faster than was the case with TV or radio. Granted, we don't speak of television as a right, but the government's distribution of digital set-top box coupons this past summer is just one example of how television is no longer considered a luxury but a basic necessity. Even if Congress doesn't jump on the FCC's current set of recommendations the question of broad government sponsorship and the creation of an overarching system may be less an "if" and more a "when."
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OCZ Occupies Sub-$100 SSD Space with New Onyx Series
Never has the phrase "you have to pay to play" been more applicable than it is to the SSD market. Solid state drives trump their mechanical brethren in just about every way, including speed, power consumption, and durability, but one area where HDDs still hold an advantage is in price.It should come as great news, then, that OCZ has broken the sub-$100 price barrier with the introduction of its new Onyx Series SSDs.
"As new technologies become available, OCZ continues to expand both our enterprise and consumer SSD lines, and one of our goals is to make SSDs more affordable to end-users. Our new Onyx series SSD does exactly that and is a perfect solution for netbooks, laptops, or home desktops PCs," commented Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "Designed to offer the best of both worlds, the new OCZ Onyx SSD delivers the speed and reliability of solid state storage to mainstream consumers at an aggressive price point that makes the technology more accessible to customers who want to take advantage of all the benefits of the SSDs without incurring the high cost normally associated with the solution."
As you might expect, a few concessions have to be made in order to jump below the $100 price point. The Onyx only offers 32GB of storage -- still enough for a boot drive -- and performance has been tempered next to the ultra high-end SSDs we've seen of late. Read and write speeds check in at up to 125MB/s and 70MB/s, respectively, though the Onyx does come with an ample 64MB of onboard cache.
Not quite earth shattering, but certainly affordable, and not many SSDs can claim that.
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Sony Introduces PlayStation Move Motion Control System For PS3
Nintendo has their Wii remote, Microsoft will soon have their ProjectNatal, and now, Sony has their PlayStation Move. At the GDC '10conference in San Francisco, the maker of the PS3 decided to cut looseand unveil the "next generation" in console control, though it's reallyjust a sophisticated improvement upon the PlayStation Eye that has beenout for a few years now.
The Move motion controller will be compatible only with the PS3console, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experiencethat is said to be "unlike anything on the market." We kind of doubtit's "unlike" the Wiimote and Project Natal, but we'll let Sony thinkthat they have an all new thing going. Alongside the Move system willbe the Move sub-controller, which is meant to be used in conjunctionwith the standard motion controller and the PS Eye camera. Here's thegist of this thing according to Sony:
"The combination of the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera detectsthe precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space ofPlayStation Move motion controller, allowing users to intuitively playthe game as if they themselves are within the game. PlayStation Movemotion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advancedmotion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axisaccelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as acolor-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. Through PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can bedetected, whether the user is swinging a tennis racket, or paintingwith a brush. With PlayStation Move motion controller, users canprovide direct input through action buttons and an analog trigger,while receiving physical feedback from rumble functionality and visualfeedback from the sphere's ability to display a variety of differentcolors.  Furthermore, PlayStation Eye camera can capture the player'svoice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences."
The Move sub-controller (which looks a lot like Nintendo's Nunchuk) isa one-handed controller that is designed to extend the functionality ofthe Move system, and as with all other wireless PS3 controllers, thisone also ships with a built-in lithium-ion battery and Bluetooth. Todate, 36 publishers have said that they will support the Move system,with over 20 games that are Move-enabled on the docket for fiscal year2010. Exact pricing has yet to be determined, but early reports aresuggesting a sub-$100 price tag and a near-holiday 2010 release. Soundsabout right if we had to guess!
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Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor Review
Although they are not due to hit store shelves for a few more weeks, Intel is using the always exciting Game Developers Conference currently being held in San Francisco to officially unveil the new Core i7-980X Extreme processor. Intel's Extreme Edition processors have always been targeted at ultra enthusiasts and hardcore-gamers, so what better place to show off the fastest desktop processor for the PC to date?
The new Core i7-980X Extreme is an interesting animal, however, that requires much explanation. Although its branding implies that it may be just a simple speed-bump over the previous flagship Core i7-975 Extreme, the 980X is actually a totally different beast. Come on by and take a look...
Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor
Intel Gulftown CPU Die: 50% More Cores, 50% More Cache ~ Same Power Consumption
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Android Crushes the Competition, iPhone Stands Still
The latest quarterly smartphone results are in from market research firm comScore, and surprise-surprise, Google's Android platform continues to rock the marketplace while everyone else looks on.According to comScore, smartphone usage is up 18 percent in the latest quarter, sitting just shy of 43 million users. And while Google's Android OS sits in fourth place behind RIM, Apple, and Microsoft, it's the only one with a significant trend upwards.
As comScore puts it, "Google's Android platform continues to see rapid gains in market share," which might be an understatement. By contrast, Apple remained stagnant for the quarter, while Microsoft tumbled backwards by nearly the same pace as Android moved forward.
This isn't really all that surprising, given that all four major wireless carriers in the U.S. now carry Android phones. Apple's iPhone, on the other hand, is still only available through AT&T, a strategy Apple may want to rethink if it hopes to maintain its lead over most of the competition.
It will be interesting to see what another quarter brings to the table. Should we see more the same, it's entirely possible that Microsoft and Google could switch places, putting Android within striking distance of Apple.
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OK Go
A very trippy video from a band, OK Go.
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Survey Reveals iPhone Addiction Rampant on College Campuses
Including room and board, it now costs over $50,000 per year to attend Stanford University. That's a lot of cash to cough up to send your son or daughter to the second ranked university in the world (according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities), but money well spent when you consider your offspring will be tackling the tough issues, like iPhone addiction.Huh? Believe it or not, a new Stanford study set out to discover just how attached college kids are to their Apple-inspired smartphone, and as it turns out, the results are pretty creepy.
Out of the 200 students with iPhones who participated in the survey, 75 percent fessed up to being bed mates with their handheld gadget. Think about that the next time you ask to borrow someone's iPhone. Granted, there are viable reasons for sleeping with an iPhone, and 89 percent said they used it as their alarm clock. But these are college kids we're talking about, and we're probably better off not knowing what other functions are being performed once the lights go out.
It gets more bizarre. While 15 percent said the iPhone was turning them into a media addict, 30 percent referred to their smartphone as a "doorway into the world." Another 25 percent dubbed it "dangerously alluring, and 41 percent felt it would be "a tragedy" to lose their iPhone, which in this case is literally like losing your bed mate.
So what does it all mean? For starters, it means you paid too much to send your offspring to Stanford. But the survey also reveals what some would argue is an unhealthy addiction towards the iPhone. When asked to rate their level of addiction on a scale of one to five, with five being addicted and one being not addicted at all, 44 percent rated themselves a four or five, while just 6 percent said they weren't addicted.
"One of the most striking things we saw in the interviews was just how identified people were with their iPhone," said Professor Tanya Luhrmann, the Stanford anthropology professor who oversaw the survey. "It was not so much with the object itself, but it had so much personal information that it became a kind of extension of the mind and a means to have a social life. It just kind of captured part of their identity."
Thoughts? Post 'em in our comments section below!
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JAYS Introduces Tangle-Free Flat Cabling On a-JAYS Earbuds
Here's something we have always despised: tangled cords. Here'ssomething we have always loved: flat HDMI cables. Now, headphone makerJAYS is making what amounts to our perfect product: earbuds withtangle-free, flat cabling. We can't believe it has taken this long forsomeone to do it (on lower-end models), but we're thrilled that thislittle company is getting their name on the map thanks to somethingthat we honestly believe everyone yearns for.The Sweden-based company is expanding their product line with theentry-level a-JAYS One, Two and Three. Each of the three have the samesized speaker, with a dynamic element at 8.6mm and differ slightly insound. The group will be available at $39.99, $49.99 and $59.99respectively, from April 2010, and we can't tell you how excited we areto finally grab a set of buds that don't take forever to unwind onceshoved in our front pocket. Now, if only the rest of the headphoneworld would take a note here and listen, we'd be all set.
Jays launches a-JAYS - high performance earphones with three-tiered pricingThisspring award-winning Swedish earphone manufacturer Jays is launchinga-JAYS, a great value high quality earphone made in three differentspecifications at three different price levels.
Jays is expanding its product line with the new entry-level earphonepriced from $39.99 (ex VAT). It will be available with three scales ofupgrade, numbered One, Two and Three, in order to offer the best soundquality to all music-lovers, regardless of their budget.
All a-JAYS have the same sized speaker, with a dynamic element at8.6mm and differ slightly in sound. Three also uses advancedTCD-technology (titanium coated diaphragm). The cord on all threemodels is the newly-developed flat, tangle-free 115cm TPE-cord,previously found only on considerably more expensive earphones.
Each upgraded model comes with added accessories and finish. Forexample, the finish of the earphones is sleek black on One, highlypolished on Two, and with a rubber coating on Three. Three also has astereo splitter, a flight adapter and protective case.Â
"By giving our customers the option of excluding some of the addedextras, we are able to offer a very high quality product to everyone,regardless of price," says Peter Cedmer, senior product manager atJays. "All three models offer unbeatable performance for fantasticvalue, with the sound and power you would expect from Jays."
a-JAYS One, Two and Three will be available at $39.99, $49.99 and $59.99 (ex VAT) respectively, from April 2010.
* a-JAYS: www.jays.se/products/
earphones/a-jays.html * Test results: http://www.jays.se/products/
general/awards-reviews.html Â* Activists: www.jays.se/blog/words-about
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Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review
Lenovo proved at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that it wasn't messing around when it comes to latest generation of notebook technologies. The company has a vast array of options, from tiny to huge, and they span the gamut from casual road warriors to hardcore business users. There's also a machine or two in there for the gaming and multimedia crowd, though you probably wouldn't guess that the ThinkPad T410 was in that category at first glance. This machine, along with the T410s, T510 and W510, received notable upgrades just last month, with Intel's latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors hopping on board to give the classically tough and plain ThinkPad line a much-needed breath of life.
The T410 that we're reviewing today is a ThinkPad through and through. From top to bottom, side to side, there's no mistaking that this is a member of the iconic ThinkPad family...
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Dell's Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation Gets Core i7 Power
There is just never a break any more, is there? You know we're talkingabout a break in the flow of notebooks; if it's not HP or Lenovo orMSI, it's Dell or Asus or Acer. Almost every single day a new laptop isemerging, and today Dell is taking it to the business world with theintroduction of the "world's most powerful 15.6" mobile workstation."Of course, we hear this "world's most powerful" line every single timea new machine (with cutting-edge internals) is introduced. But takensolo, this really is a pretty amazing machine. Currently, the PrecisionM4500 is the only mobile workstation equipped with Intel's Corei7-920XM Extreme Edition CPU and NVIDIA's Quadro FX 1800M GPU; it'salso the first of its kind to offer optional SSD MiniCard for a seriousboost in performance.
The machine is designed for creative professionals, designers,engineers and researchers, but honestly, even gamers could use this ontheir off-hours in order to catch a raid of two in World of Warcraft.Other spec options include a LED-backlit 15.6" panel, optional 3MPwebcam, Gobi 2.0 mobile broadband card, a multi-touch trackpad, a 6lb.chassis and support for nearly every OS on the market. Pricing andavailability has not been made final, but the machine should start wellbelow $2000.
Workstation Mobility Redefined: The Dell Precision M4500
TheM4500 is the world’s first 15.6-inch mobile workstation to offer anoptional SSD MiniCard for additional high-performance data storage anduser selectable thermal tables that keep systems cool and extendbattery life when full power isn’t needed. In addition to the M6500,the M4500 provides near instant access to e-mail, calendar, contacts,the Internet and virtual remote desktops, with a new technology calledDell Precision ON.Other product highlights include:
- Available with optional Intel® Core™ i7-920XM Quad Core processor Extreme Edition,Intel® Core™ i7 and Core™ i5 processors linked with fast 1066MHz and1333MHz memory for compute intensive and memory bandwidth sensitiveapplications;
- Optional NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1800M or Quadro FX880M graphics with 1GB of dedicated memory for large models and modelswith high texture;
- Optional HD+ sRGB LED 15.6-inch screen with 120 percent user selectable color gamut support;
- Optional 3MP camera and Gobi 2.0 mobile broadband support with a multi-touch touchpad for greater user flexibility;
- Enables easy portability with a starting weight of only 6.0 lbs¹; and,
- Support for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows® XP, along with Red Hat® Linux® 5.3 64-bit.
Likethe Dell Precision M6500, the M4500 offers compatibility and optimizedperformance on key applications from leading Independent SoftwareVendors (ISVs) such as Adobe, Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, PTC and Siemens PLM Software.
TheDell Precision M4500 mobile workstation will be available for orderglobally in the coming weeks. More details can be found at www.dell.com/precision.
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Samsung Targets Movie & Video Enthusiasts With New Media Players
Samsung announced two new portable media players that promise high quality movie and video capabilities as well as a superior audio experience in a compact design. The new R1 has a 2.4-inch TFT LCD touch screen and supports up to 50 hours of audio and four hours of video playback. The R0 has a 2.6-inch LCD and tactile keys for easy navigation. It can play up to six hours of video and 30 hours of audio. Both players come in 8GB and 16GB capacities.
Samsung Announces Pricing and Availability for Two New Portable Media Players
The R1 and R0 Satisfy the Needs of Movie and Video Enthusiasts
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., March 9, 2010 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today launched two new portable media players, the R1 and R0, and announced pricing and availability for both. The players deliver high quality multimedia content while optimizing for memory space. The footprint of the R1 is smaller than the size of a credit card and can play a variety of video content without any conversion needed while the R0 delivers an excellent audio and video experience at an affordable value. Samsung’s portable media players will be on public display at the Samsung Experience, located at The Time Warner Center in New York City beginning March 9, 2010.| PMP | Estimated Selling Price | Availability |
| R1 (8GB) | $149.99 | April 2010 |
| R1 (16GB) | $179.99 | April 2010 |
| R0 (8GB) | $99.99 | April 2010 |
| R0 (16GB) | $129.99 | April 2010 |
“Samsung is keeping the portable media player experience fresh with these two new offerings. We’ve combined high quality movie and video capability with a superior audio experience all in two compact designs,†said Reid Sullivan, senior vice president of the Mobile Entertainment Group at Samsung Electronics America. “The R1 and R0 are a great fit for anyone who wants easy access to all of their favorite music, movies, video, and photos.â€
Offered in black and silver, the R1 offers a responsive, clear 2.4-inch TFT LCD touch screen with a “drag and drop†feature that allows you to easily enjoy audio/video files and libraries with the swipe of a finger. Keeping pace with your busy life, it has video, music and photo playback for up to 50 hours of audio and four hours of video enjoyment. Small in size, the R1 still offers plenty of space for video content and is ideal for popping in your pocket when you’re on the go. Within its tiny package, it includes an FM Radio and Recorder as well as voice recording and can also be paired with a Bluetooth enabled headset.
The R0 comes in a compact package as well, with a bright 2.6-inch LCD display making the experience of what you watch as bright as what you hear. Navigation is also easy with the addition of tactile keys. Offered in black, silver, and pink, it is well suited for those on the run, playing up to six hours of video and 30 hours of audio. For fans who can’t get enough of their favorite music, movies, and videos, it also offers an option for expanded memory space with the inclusion of a Micro SD slot.
To ensure users get the best in audio quality, both the R1 and R0 incorporate Samsung’s Digital Natural Sound Engine (DNSe) 3.0 sound enhancement technology. Being DNSe 3.0 enabled, users can enjoy higher sound quality that reproduces more natural effects and accurately matches the tone and feel originally intended. Additionally, both offer DivX so users can download more video content without sacrificing as much space. Both players come in 8GB and 16GB.
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Palm Announces Public Beta PDK, Shows Off New webOS Games
Palm used the Game Developers Conference to announce a public beta version of its webOS Plug-in Development Kit (PDK). The company is also showing off new games from early PDK developers at the conference.Palm tells us more about the PDK:
The PDK complements the Palm webOS Software Development Kit (SDK), letting developers use C and C++ alongside the web technologies that power the SDK and mix them seamlessly within a single app. The PDK enables new functionality, including immersive 3D graphics, and gives developers who have built games for other platforms an easy way to bring their titles to the webOS platform. Developers can download the beta PDK and start developing today, but distribution of games built with the beta PDK will require functionality provided in an upcoming Palm webOS update.
As you'll recall, Palm introduced 12 games at CES in January that were built by four developers who had early access to the PDK. Since then, these early-access developers have added more than 20 webOS titles. New titles include:
- “Apollo†(Laminar Research)
- “Assassin’s Creed™ – Altair’s Chronicles†(Gameloft)
- “Brothers In Arms®: Hour of Heroes†(Gameloft)
- “Castle of Magic†(Gameloft)
- “Deer Hunter 3D†(Glu Mobile)
- “Dungeon Hunter†(Gameloft)
- “Earthworm Jim†(Gameloft)
- “Gangstar: West Coast Hustle†(Gameloft)
- “Giant Fighting Robots†(Laminar Research)
- “Guitar Hero 5 Mobile†(Glu Mobile)
- “Hero of Sparta†(Gameloft)
- “Real Soccer 2010†(Gameloft)
- “Real Tennis†(Gameloft)
- “World Series of Poker: Hold’em Legend†(Glu Mobile)
- “X-Plane Airliner†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Carrier†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Extreme†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Glider†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Helicopter†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Racing†(Laminar Research)
- “X-Plane Space Shuttle†(Laminar Research)
The PDK is available at the Palm Developer Center (developer.palm.com).
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Samsung Launches eReader With Barnes & Noble eCommerce Storefront
Samsung's new eReader will soon be available in the U.S. The Samsung eReader was initially previewed at CES in January. From the eReader, users can access content, write notes directly on the page, highlight content, and share notes with friends.The Samsung eReader offers Wi-Fi connectivity, advanced handwriting capabilities, and access to over one million electronic titles. Samsung partnered with Barnes & Noble to provide the eCommerce storefront for the Samsung eReader. Thanks to the partnership, users will be able to access Barnes & Noble’s digital library of more than one million eBooks, eMagazines, and eNewspapers. Many bestsellers are available for $9.99.
Samsung's eReader also supports LendMe technology, which lets users lend an eBook to a friend free of charge for 14 days. You can send the book to another Samsung eReader or to a number of other computer and mobile devices that have the free Barnes & Noble eReader software.
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the Samsung eReader is its electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. This stylus gives users the ability to make annotations and write on a page just as you would in a traditional book. You can also record voice memos and annotations.
The Samsung eReader uses a 6-inch E-ink display (600x800) with 8-Gray scale to offer easy readability both indoors and out. It supports e-pub, PDF/a, TXT, bmp and jpg formats. Thanks to text-to-speech technology, users can also listen to books through the device's built-in speakers or via the headphone jack. The eReader also has a built-in MP3 player.
With 2GB of internal memory, the Samsung eReader can store 1,500 books or 24,000 pages of memos. The reader also has an external microSD card slot for increased storage.
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Intel Confirms Launch Of Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU
Intel, at a gaming conference? Yes, it's true, and there is big newscoming from the company today at GDC '10. While developers and softwareengineers gather in San Francisco to discuss the future of gaming,Intel is making a few announcements that they hope will shape thefuture of PC gaming. With Steam rolling out to (Intel-based) Macs thisweek, the PC gaming sector is seeing mainstream press like it hasn'tseen in quite some time, making this debut all the more timely.
For starters, Intel will be previewing their new "Gulftown" platform,which is headed up by the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU.That's Intel's first 32nm, six-core processor with 12 computingthreads. Demos are expected at the show, and there will also be a newversion of Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers Suite introduced.
Also interesting is that Intel views "light gaming" as a trend thatwill continue to rise, with games making up 50% of apps on thenetbook-based Intel AppUpSM Center beta. More details on all of thisare expected soon, but the major takeaway is that the Core i7-980X isreal, and it's coming. You know we'll be jumping to benchmark it assoon as we get one, but we'll make sure not to order it from NewEgg.Just kidding, guys--accidents happen!
Intel Spotlights New Extreme Edition Processor, Software Developer Resources at Game Conference
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Intelpreviews new "Gulftown" platform featuring the Intel® Core™ i7- 980Xprocessor Extreme Edition, Intel's first 32nm, six-core processor with12 computing threads.
- Demos showcase "coming soon" games enhanced for Intel® Core™ processors, chipsets and Intel® HD Graphics.
- New version of Intel® Graphics Performance Analyzers Suite introduced, enhances developer capabilities.
- Software contests announced that reward developers committed to innovating gameplay on Intel Architecture.
- Intelsees "light gaming" trend on the rise; games currently make up 50percent of applications on netbook-based Intel AppUpSM Center beta.
GAMEDEVELOPERS CONFERENCE, San Francisco, March 10, 2010 – IntelCorporation today previewed platforms featuring the latest Intel® Core™i7 Extreme Edition processor and announced the latest release of Intel®Graphics Performance Analyzers (Intel® GPA) that will aid developers inoptimizing game performance. In addition, Intel introduced a number ofinitiatives designed to spur innovation in the PC game developercommunity, and in support of the company's Visual Adrenaline and Intel®Atom™ Developer programs.
Intel® Core™ i7 980X Processor Extreme Edition Preview
Intel is previewing its latest PC platform the Intel® Core™ i7-980XExtreme Edition processor, codenamed "Gulftown," the first 32nm,six-core processor with 12 computing threads. In addition, GameDevelopers Conference (GDC) attendees can see and experienceapplications enhanced for this new platform – including newly releasedSega* Napoleon Total War, the soon-to-be-released Ubisoft* RUSE,Geomerics* Enlighten and Cakewalk* Sonar – all by visiting the Intelbooth (South Hall, Booth 1212) and Intel lounge area during the event.
Intel® GPA v3.0
Intel® GPA helps PC game developers analyze and optimize gameperformance on Intel® Architecture-based platforms. Intel GPA providesin-depth application analysis and customization that allows developersto easily pinpoint performance bottlenecks and optimize games fordesktop PCs and laptops using Intel processors, chipsets and Intel® HDGraphics.
With Intel GPA v3.0, developers can ensure their titles run on thefull spectrum of Intel® Core™ processors (e.g., Intel® Core™ i3, Intel®CoreTM i5 with Intel® HD Graphics, Intel® CoreTM i7, and Intel® Core™i7 Extreme Edition) and chipsets with a new platform-focused toolset.The platform view for task-based multi-core optimizations and asimplified automated game launch workflow help developers save valuabletime. The updated toolkit now includes support for DirectX 10.1 and64-bit game executables.
Attendees can see and experience gamesenhanced using Intel® GPA and running on Intel® HD Graphics, includingsuch titles as Atari* Star Trek Online, Electronic Arts* Tiger WoodsGolf, and more in the Intel booth (South Hall, Booth 1212) at GDC.Developers can download the new Intel GPA suite of software tools at www.intel.com/software/gpa.
Game Developer Contests and Initiatives
Level Up 2010
In its fifth year, the Level Up 2010 game demo contest is a worldwidecompetition focusing on the major areas of game development with prizesworth thousands of dollars. As part of the competition, developers haveaccess to development resources that take advantage of Intel processingpower and a chance to gain recognition in the industry.
All game entries will be judged in one of three categories: "BestGame for a Desktop," "Best Game for a Laptop," and "Best Game for aNetbook." Finalists are also eligible to win prizes for "Best SoundDesign," "Best Art Design," "Best Character Design" and "Best GraphicsPerformance." Participants will have access to development kits andsoftware tools to help them along the way. Judges for this year'scontest include industry notables Rick Raymo, Vic Davis, American McGeeand Ralph Koster. Entries for the contest will be accepted through June15, and developers can enter to win at www.intel.com/software/
levelup2010 .Intel® Atom™ Developer Challenge Winners, Next Round Announced
Launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Intel AppUpCenter beta, an application storefront for netbooks, has been met withexcitement by developers. More than 5,000 developers have alreadyjoined the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program. Intel AppUp Center offersgame developers access to the growing market opportunity for innovationon mobile devices, which has sparked the trend of "light gaming." Inline with this trend, about half of the applications submitted to IntelAppUp Center are games. The Intel Atom Developer Challenge was createdto further engage with and recognize developers who submit the mostinnovative and elegant apps.
The first Intel Atom Developer Challenge has come to a close, andthe grand prize winners have been named. Music app GURU won "MostInnovative App" and puzzle game SMILES took "Most Elegant ApplicationDesign." Application developers Angus Hewlett and Michael Kasprzak eachwere awarded an all-expense-paid VIP trip to GDC 2010. The next roundof the Intel Atom Developer Challenge has more categories with suchprizes as tens of thousands of dollars, a 2011 Chevy* Volt* and acomplete application marketing campaign. To participate, developers candownload the Intel Atom Developer Program software development kit at appdeveloper.intel.com and enter the contest at appdeveloper.intel.com/
challenge through Aug. 16, 2010.StarCraft* II Open Game Play
Intel will showcase Blizzard* Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings ofLiberty* at its booth (South Hall, Booth 1212), giving conferenceattendees a chance to play the game on a wide variety of Intel-basedsystems, from high-end Intel® Core™ i7 to mainstream Intel® Core™ i5platforms, before it launches later this year.
Intel,the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer ofcomputer, networking and communications products. Additionalinformation about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
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OnLive Streaming Game Service To Go Live On June 17
Just when you were beginning to think "vaporware," OnLive has deliveredin the clutch. Nearly a year after being introduced to the world as thefuture of remote gaming, this service has finally left the"informational" stage at the GDC Expo in California. For those whomissed out on last year's news, OnLive is basically an online streamingservice that enables users to play games regardless of their location,so long as their home Internet connection has enough upload speed topush content to your current location.Announced this morning in a San Francisco presentation, OnLive hasfinally opened up to the public after eight full years of development.Starting on June 17, 2010 (during E3), the OnLive Game Service willbecome available for users in the 48 contiguous United States.Basically, OnLive takes the console out of the equation, and it givesconsumers the ability to play titles on "virtually any device" that hasan Internet connection, all with the "same flexibility and instant-playexperience that we’ve come to expect from online video and music."
Of course, the service won't be a free lunch. The base monthly rate isset at $14.95, while loyalty programs and other offers will be madeavailable at E3. Also, the first 25,000 qualified people to register onthe OnLive Game Service will have their first 3 months’ service feewaived. You should know that the monthly service fee doesn't includethe rental or purchase of games, so that will be on top of the $14.95.There also seems to be a Steam-like methodology to adding friends andcrafting profiles, and we're told that once you are on the service,instant-play, top-tier, newly-released games will be for sale and forrent on an à la carte basis. Exact pricing details are expected to beannounced in June, but we are promised that they'll be "competitive."
Initially, OnLive will be offering the OnLive Game Service for PCs andMacsthrough a small browser plug-in, but later in the year the company willannounce thepublic availability of the MicroConsole TV adapter, and they'll be"steadily expanding to other devices over time." Is this the death ofthe dedicated console? Hardly, but it's certainly a huge step ingetting to the future of playing games wherever an Internet connectionis available.
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Dell Packs A Punch With Value-Driven Vostro Business Notebooks
Mmm, don't you love the sweet scent of corporate upgrade season? It'sthe most wonderful time of the year! For those offices that can'tjustify the bulk purchase of Dell's Precision M4500, there's the newVostro 3000. This machine slides into Dell's "affordable" businesslineup, one that has become progressively more attractive over theyears in terms of design and sheer value.Aimed directly at small business users (but fully capable of handlingyour minor road warrior spells), the new Vostro 3000 series can beoutfitted with an optional Core i7 Quad-Core CPU (on the Vostro 3700),while the Vostro 3300 is one of the industry’s thinnest commercial 13â€laptop with an integrated optical drive. The 14" Vostro 3400 ups thescreen size a bit, and it can also last for up to 8 solid hours withthe optional 9-cell battery.
All of the Vostro 3000 laptops have embedded webcam and microphone forcollaboration through videoconferencing, while the Vostro 3500 and 3700offer the option of high definition WLED screens and the 3700 offersthe option of up to 1GB of NVIDIA GeForce discrete graphics. There'seven a built-in HDMI port for showing the occasional movie on theoffice HDTV. The Vostro 3000 series laptops sport durable hinges andare encased in aluminum for extra protection while away from theoffice, and of course you'll find 802.11g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN(mobile broadband), Windows 7, up to 6GB of DDR3 RAM and an auto-backupservice. All of the models should be available to order starting today, with pricing to begin at around $699.
These new Vostro notebooks are also backed by adedicated and specially trained small-business sales and support teamof experts, which is a key pain point for small businesses thattypically have little or no IT support. Inclusion in Dell’s FastTrackprogram enables select configurations of the Vostro 3000 series to shipwithin 48 hours of ordering , further removing worry from buying a newlaptop.
Durability is another feature more customers aredemanding from their laptops. The Vostro 3000 series laptops sportdurable hinges and are encased in aluminum for extra protection whileaway from the office. Shipped with a 30-day return policy , the Vostro3000 notebooks also feature a suite of customizable service and supportsolutions to keep business data protected and business moving at anaffordable price.
Vostro 3000 Series: At a Glance
- Stay in Touch:With the integrated webcam and microphone , users can make Internetcalls, conduct video conferences and remotely exchange files to helpincrease productivity.
- Always Be Connected: Users can go wireless with a full range of connectivity options: 802.11g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and WWAN mobile broadband.
- Memory to Spare: Run Windows® 7 effortlessly while performing everyday tasks quickly with support for up to 6GB of DDR3 SDRAM memory.
- Protect Your Work: Keep your critical data under lock and key with optional finger print reader and full-data-encrypted hard drives.Â
- “Set & Forget†Online Data Protection: Easy, secure and automated Dell DataSafe online backup protects and helps recover business-critical data.
- Coverage Now and Later: Users can extend their basic Limited Hardware Warranty from 1-3 years to stay covered into the future.
- Remote On-Call Support:Small businesses can get help when they need it with DellConnect, whichallows tech-support agents to troubleshoot and help resolve systemissues remotely.
- ProSupport to Simplify IT: Businesses can choose their own level of 24x7 IT support with optional Dell ProSupportâ„¢ services.
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