IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (Overclockers Club) 15/04/2010

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Original Xbox Live Service Shuts Down

Not only is today the day before tax day in the United States, but Xbox Live for the original Xbox will be shutting down tonight. After tonight, gamers won't be able to play any of the games from the original Xbox online, nor will they be able to play them on the Xbox 360 online. Games like Halo 2 will now be limited to LAN play only. The service has been around since 2002, and proved that online gaming could be successful on a console. What games are you going to miss playing the most?

Upgrading to Android 2.1 Downgrades Image Quality

When upgrading software or an operating system, users generally expect the latest version to include new and improved features. However PC Mag is reporting that users upgrading their Android based phones to 2.1 will see a lower image quality in the picture gallery. Using a Motorola DROID, Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technology found the picture gallery application in Android 2.0.1 had a 24-bit color depth, but after he updating to Android 2.1, the new picture gallery application had its color depth downgraded to 16-bit.

The findings were confirmed by Google who stated:

"The Gallery app in Android 2.0.1 is different from the Gallery app in Android 2.1. Google developed Gallery in Android 2.0.1, which uses 24-bit color rendered using 2D technology. On the other hand, Cooliris created Gallery in Android 2.1, which uses 16-bit textures rendered using 3D technology. We don't have anything specific to share at this time regarding the Gallery app in future versions."

Cooliris is said to be working on an version of the gallery that supports 24-bit color but they do not expect an update to be available until after the next major Android OS update. Cooliris also stated that this version of the gallery was originally intended for the Google Nexus One and as such only displays in 16-bit color due to memory constraints with OpenGL.

G.Skill Unveils Trident DDR3-2500MHz; "World's Fastest Memory"

G.Skill has released what it calls the "World's Fastest Memory" with the unveiling of its new Trident DDR3 dual-channel kit. The dual-channel 2x2GB Trident kit runs at 2500MHz CL9-11-9-28 using 1.65V, and is designed specifically for the Intel Core i7 860 and 870 CPUs, in partnership with ASUS. The new kit has passed multiple tests on the ASUS P7P55D-E Deluxe and P7P55D-E EVO motherboards, ensuring "perfect stability". G.Skill has not announced any details regarding the availability and pricing of the kit. G.Skill's release of this new 2500MHz Trident kit follows the launch of a 2400MHz kit in January earlier this year, and at this rate I'd expect to see an even faster kit in the near future!

GIGABYTE Motherboard Update Helps With iPad Charging

One of the first things many people noticed when they took their brand new iPad home was that it needed a lot of power to charge. If use the Apple supplied 10W USB power adapter or connect it to a newer Mac you should be fine, however if you try to charge the iPad while connected to an older Mac, PC, or some USB hubs the iPad will only charge while in sleep mode (Apple KB HT4060). The reason behind this is the power requirements is more than some mother boards can support, however many newer Macs include a high-power USB. Charging via a Mac with high-powered USB or even via the iPhone charger will still be slower than using the 10W power adapter.

GIGABYTE, a name we've seen pretty often here at OCC, has released a utility for a number of their motherboards that will allow charging of the iPad even when it is not in sleep mode. The On/Off Charge Utility works with Intel X58, P55, H55, H57 based motherboards and AMD 800 series motherboards. [via MacNN, SlashGear]

Inno3D Prepares Black Freezer Series Water Blocks for GTX 480 and 470

Inno3D is preparing its latest series of water blocks, dubbed Black Freezer for the new GeForce 400 series of video cards. The Black Freezer series will come in two models, the VG-NGTX480 and VG-NGTX470; each catering for the GTX 480 and GTX 470 respectively. Inno3D has not released any details about the new water blocks although it is known that both provide full coverage of critical components and are constructed out of nickel or nickel-plated copper, with a foil-covered acrylic top. Both water blocks should retail soon, although the prices are still not known. Inno3D will either sell the blocks separately, on a factory-fitted video card, or both.

Twitter to Allow Ads in Search Results

Today, Twitter announced that they will be releasing an option for users to pay to have their tweets published into both the Google, and the Bing search engines making them more accessible to the public. Although the cost for users to use this feature has not been released, companies such as Starbucks, Best Buy, Virgin America, and Sony Pictures have already signed up to be the testers of it. In addition to appearing in the Google and Bing search engines, they will also appear on the Twitter page. Later this year Twitter's partner sites will also start to display these sponsored tweets. There is no release day for this feature as of yet.

Viewsonic Launches LED LCD TV

After a showing at CES this year, Viewsonic is finally launching its new LED LCD TV, the VT2300LED. The TV is a 23 inch model that features a 1080p resolution and edge lit LED backlighting. The LED backlighting will help lower energy usage between 30 and 50% compared to a traditionally lit LCD TV. To go with the 1080p resolution, the TV will have a 5ms response time, an ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, and three HDMI ports. The small size of this TV would be ideal for a dorm room, bedroom, or even as a computer monitor.

The TV should be available now for $399 though Amazon already has it for $100 less.

GTX 400 Availability to Stay Limited

File this one under rumor, but it appears that availability for the GTX 470 and 480 will remain slim for some time to come. It had been speculated that the new cards will have low availability and now it appears that this is most certainly the case. Some Nvidia board partners have reported that they received four times less than the amount they sold to distributors. This could spell bad news for anyone wishing to purchase the new cards - they went on sale yesterday and unless you were there at the get go, the cards sold out quickly. For anyone who pre-ordered either card, were you lucky enough to receive a confirmation email to be certain your card(s) will arrive? If not, you may be waiting much longer to get it because the next batch of cards is not due until May. That batch is also predicted to be quite slim and while it may seem good to wait for the third batch, that one is not expected to be available until ATI releases the next set of its cards, be it a refresh or the HD 6000 series.

However, the GF104 cards are expected to launch this summer and in much greater quantity than the GF100 cards.

Macbook Pros Get Core i5 and i7 Options

As was noted earlier today, the Apple Online store was down for a little while with the expectation that a refreshed Macbook Pro lineup would make an appearance once it was back up. In this case, the speculation was spot on, with Apple adding Core i5 and i7 processors to Macbook Pro models. The 13-inch model is a notable exception from the refresh, as it gets Core 2 Duo options at 2.4GHz or 2.66GHz rather than newer Nehalem based silicon. The 15-inch and 17-inch models are available with Core i5 or i7 processors, with 2.4GHz or 2.53GHz options for the Core i5 models or a 2.66GHz Core i7 processor for the top 15-inch model and as a $200 option on the 17-inch model. These also get graphics switching technology (most probably Optimus, though Apple is laying claim to the innovation here) between the integrated Intel HD graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (256MB or 512MB depending on configuration).

Other notable points are 4GB RAM configurations all round and claims of 10 hour batteries in the 13-inch models and 8-9 hour batteries in the 15 and 17-inch models. You can also specify Solid State Drives up to 512GB in all models if your wallet is feeling particularly flush. Of course, you can check out all the options at the Apple Online store, with prices starting at $1,199, $1,799 and $2,299 respectively for 13,15 and 17-inch variants. Why the wait for the new processors? I guess you'll have to ask Apple about that one.

update: Apparently that graphics switching technology is Apple's own work

South Korean Government to Impose Gaming Curfew

Worried about a growing population of young people addicted to online gaming, the South Korean government is introducing two new policies to limit game playing among school-aged children. The first policy is to bar access to online games for school-age children between 12 PM and 8 AM. The first games to be affected by this new policy are MapleStory, Mabinogi and Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds. The ban affects those under 18 and will be monitored based on the users' national id numbers. More games are expected to be added by the end of the year. The second policy will involve slowing down users' connections after they have been online for an extended period. Initially this will affect role playing games "Dungeon & Fighter" and "Dragon Nest" with the intention of extending the list to 19 games that make up 79 percent of the RPG market.

Australia to Add New Game Rating

Since Australia does not feature a mature rating yet for video games, many have been banned in the country and have lead to large groups of people complaining about the bans. The country has decided to introduce a new rating called an R18+ rating, which has seen much support from consumers. So much support has been shown in fact that the deadline for the petition has been extended by an extra two weeks, after a total of 67,000 people already signed it, all in agreement with the R18+ rating system. Australia has tried in various ways to protect children, but with the popular support of a higher ages rating, it seems as if it is time for the bans on certain games to finally be lifted, if the proposed idea ends up passing of course.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Overclockers Club) 15/04/2010

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