IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (HotHardware) 02/05/2010

Plugable Technologies Intros New DisplayLink-Enabled USB Products
You may have never heard of Plugable Technologies, but you've heard of DisplayLink. Or do we assume too much? At any rate, you'll know what both are after the company's newest releases, which includes a pair of new USB graphics products enabling easy expandability of any laptop or desktop system with a spare USB port. The UGA-125 enables multiple VGA, DVI, or HDMI monitors or projectors to be added to any system via USB 2.0 (one extra display supported per adapter); just toss this in your bag, and you can instantly
Read More ...

CoPilot Live HD Is First Turn-By-Turn Navigation App For iPad
Apple's iPad has many uses, and for anyone looking to "wow" someone right away, all you need to do is pull up "Maps." Zooming, pinching, and sliding across the globe on the iPad is a really marvelous experience, but there's just one main problem: no true iPad turn-by-turn navigation apps exist. Well, that was the case, but that changed today with the shipping of Apple's iPad 3G + Wi-Fi. The new iPad, which includes a Micro-SIM from AT&T, also includes an integrated A-GPS module, which the Wi-Fi iPad lacks.
Read More ...

Scosche Teases iPad Car Kit In Subaru: Vehicle Entertainment, Elevated
Scosche is a solid company. They make loads of accessories, many of which enhance Apple's line of iDevices. But this? This is taking things into a whole 'nother universe, and we're not quite sure whether to laugh, cry, or simply bow at the greatness of the world's first mass produced iPad Car Kit.Teased today in a YouTube video, the upcoming iKit (great name, wouldn't you say?) is a new car mount that actually allows consumers to mount their 9.7" iPad in their vehicle! Many will say there's simply no way a device
Read More ...

Penguinistas Strike Back: Sony Sued For Killing Other OS Functionality
When Sony announced it was terminating the PlayStation 3's ability to run Linux operating systems about a month ago, we knew it was a decision that could send ripples through the small community of users that relied upon the function. It also struck a nasty chord with gamers who might not utilize the feature, but were wary of Sony's ability to alter the core functionality of a system with a unilateral declaration. Sony has just been sued over its actions by a California man, Anthony Ventura, who claims to have
Read More ...

Steam Shipping to Mac Platform in May
Short and to the point, Valve this week announced it would be porting its Steam platform over to the Mac next month. And when we say short and to the point, we really mean it. All the developer had to say was "Valve today announced the public release of Steam for the Mac is May 12. Please stayed tuned for more information." No "Hi, how ya doing" or "Hey, we're going to include some exciting features, let us tell you all about them." No screenshots or teaser videos either, but that's okay because those have already
Read More ...

MSI Creates Another Big Bang Motherboard
In the beginning, there was Core i7, but the platform was without form and void. And the hardware Gods said, "Let there be SuperSpeed 3.0," and there was USB 3.0. The hardware Gods saw that USB 3.0 was good and said, "Let there be SATA 6Gb/s," and this too was good. But then the scientists at MSI argued the case for the Big Bang theory, not once, but multiple times, most recently resulting in the Big Bang-XPower. But unlike what you may have heard, the creation of Core i7 and MSI's Big Bang concept were not
Read More ...

CPU Sales Up 39 Percent In Q1; AMD's Revenue Share Slips Despite New Launches
IDC's latest report on CPU revenue and market share for Q1 2010 confirms results we saw when Intel reported its record first quarter earnings. According to the research firm, the CPU market fell just 5.6 percent from Q4 2009 to Q1 2010. Historically, CPU sales fall 8-10 percent over the same period; IDC's figures lend credence to the idea that the IT recession is beginning to break. "PC processor shipments typically decline around 7 to 8 percent going from fourth quarter to first quarter," said Shane Rau director
Read More ...

Apple's iPad: Not A Smartphone, Not a Netbook But A Tweener
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad at a frenzied event in California this past January, he said something interesting. It's something that got many in the tech industry thinking, and now that we have played with the company's first tablet for a couple of weeks, we think it's time to really take a look at how reasonable Jobs' statement was. If you missed it, Jobs stated that he saw the Apple iPad as a type of third device; something that could fit in between your smartphone and your full-sized notebook... Apple's
Read More ...

CPU Sales Up 39 Percent In Q1; AMD's Revenue Share Slips Despite New Launches

IDC's latest report on CPU revenue and market share for Q1 2010 confirms results we saw when Intel reported its record first quarter earnings. According to the research firm, the CPU market fell just 5.6 percent from Q4 2009 to Q1 2010. Historically, CPU sales fall 8-10 percent over the same period; IDC's figures lend credence to the idea that the IT recession is beginning to break.

"PC processor shipments typically decline around 7 to 8 percent going from fourth quarter to first quarter," said Shane Rau director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC. "A decline of 5.6% is modest and wouldn't mean much by itself. However, after the huge rise in shipments we saw in the fourth quarter, it adds more credibility to market recovery and that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010."

Broken down by segment, mobile PCs declined the most at 6.3 percent, probably thanks to the precipitous drop in Atom shipments in Q1. Falling volumes were offset by rising ASPs which were up 4.1 percent. That gain, however, is almost entirely on Intel's side; AMD executives confirmed during company's Q1 conference call that its own ASPs had improved due to a better product mixture as opposed to any actual uptick in CPU pricing.

Intel gained market share in all three segments despite AMD's extremely competitive server pricing and new 8-12 core processors. Santa Clara earned 81 percent of the overall unit market share in Q1, a gain of 0.5 percent, while AMD took 18.8 percent (a loss of 0.6 percent). By segment, Intel snatched 87.8 percent of mobile sales (up 0.5 percent) 90.2 percent of server/workstations (up 0.4 percent) and 71.7 percent of desktop sales, up 0.6 percent.

AMD's new six-core desktop processor. Behold Thuban, aka Instanbul, aka Constantinople.

AMD has a chance to reverse these trends in Q2 thanks to the aforementioned server products and the company's impressive six-core processor that popped up just this week. Both launches play to the company's historic strength in servers and desktop technology; we've a feeling it'll still be awhile before we see AMD earning major ground in mobile.

Farther Ahead

Like Intel and AMD themselves, Rau isn't willing to commit to a major corporate refresh cycle in 2010 and chooses to focus on consumer projections instead. He predicts shoppers will want "more value than just low price in their PCs...In terms of the processor, that means more openness to paying for benefits such as good performance and reduced power consumption that serves long battery life."

Good performance is a given; Intel's new ultra-mobile Core processors are scrumptious looking, but improved battery life isn't an obvious sales point for 2010. The last two years have been about netbooksâ€”thin, light, consumer-driven products with "good enough" performance and batteries that could last past 10 hours. From where we sit today, 2011, not 2010, will be the year to watch in terms of significant power reduction.

Intel's 32nm Atom will launch in the latter half of 2011, AMD's own netbook-aimed Bobcat core should be available around the same time, and we might even start to see the first OLED displays on thin-and-light systems.

Plugable Technologies Intros New DisplayLink-Enabled USB Products

You may have never heard of Plugable Technologies, but you've heard ofDisplayLink. Or do we assume too much? At any rate, you'll know whatboth are after the company's newest releases, which includes a pair ofnew USB graphics products enabling easy expandability of any laptop ordesktop system with a spare USB port.

The UGA-125 enables multiple VGA, DVI, or HDMI monitors or projectorsto be added to any system via USB 2.0 (one extra display supported peradapter); just toss this in your bag, and you can instantly turn a USBport into a monitor output. The second product in the UGA-125 family,the UGA-125-HUB, also includes a matching bus-powered 4-port USB 2.0hub, and unlike proprietary docking stations, the simple hub solution workswith any brand of computer, using standard USB 2.0 connectivity andcomponents.

Both of these utilize the DisplayLink DL-125 chip, capable ofdisplaying up to 1440x900 (widescreen) or 1280x1024 (standard)resolutions. Finally, the Plugable UD-160-A offers a 4-port USB 2.0solution along with a DisplayLink chip, giving consumers the best ofboth worlds in one product. All three are available now on Amazon, withpricing set for $49.99, $59.99 and $96.99 in order of mention.

MSI Creates Another Big Bang Motherboard

In the beginning, there was Core i7, but the platform was without form and void. And the hardware Gods said, "Let there be SuperSpeed 3.0," and there was USB 3.0. The hardware Gods saw that USB 3.0 was good and said, "Let there be SATA 6Gb/s," and this too was good. But then the scientists at MSI argued the case for the Big Bang theory, not once, but multiple times, most recently resulting in the Big Bang-XPower. But unlike what you may have heard, the creation of Core i7 and MSI's Big Bang concept were not at odds, but were to be united, and enthusiasts took it upon themselves to be fruitful and multiply clockspeeds and have dominion over the overclocking world.

Or something like that. Religious and scientific overtones aside, the point here is that MSI has announced the latest in their line of Big Bang motherboards, and this one is the best yet. In case we were being too subtle, the Big Bang-XPower is built around Intel's X58 chipset, but includes a number of high end features that will have overclockers and power users salivationg. A 16 Phase DrMOS PWM? It has it. What about Hi-c CAPs and an Icy Choke (a new generation of ferrite choke that features low temperature and longer lifespan)? Check and check. The board also comes with an extra 6-pin power connector to give graphics cards a bit of extra juice, so you can go to town on that those dual-card setups.

Every bit the modern motherboard, you'll also find next-gen amenities like USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. You can run GPUs from different vendors, shove up to 24GB of RAM into your system and, if you wish, sit back and let the board handle overclocking chores without any user intervention.

It's good to be man.

Steam Shipping to Mac Platform in May

Short and to the point, Valve this week announced it would be porting its Steam platform over to the Mac next month. And when we say short and to the point, we really mean it. All the developer had to say was "Valve today announced the public release of Steam for the Mac is May 12. Please stayed tuned for more information."

No "Hi, how ya doing" or "Hey, we're going to include some exciting features, let us tell you all about them." No screenshots or teaser videos either, but that's okay because those have already been leaked to the Web (see here). So in less than two weeks, our Mac-powered brethren will enjoy the same digital distribution scheme that us PC (as in, Windows-based) folk have been enjoying since 2003.

If you managed to sign up for the Mac beta beforehand, rumor has it you'll gain access to the official build sometime before May 12, though this hasn't been confirmed by Valve in any official capacity.

Any Mac users looking forward to this?

Ubuntu 10.04 Now Available For Loyal Linux Users

There aren't too many Linux users out there in the consumer world, atleast from a global market share perspective. But there's no doubt thatUbuntu is about as popular a variant as they come for Linux, and thenewest version has just recently been released. The new version is10.04 LTS, which is arriving right around a year after 9.10 "KarmicKoala" launched.

This new version, also known as Lucid Lynx," promises lots ofworthwhile changes for those looking to upgrade, and it's also one ofthe most accessible for consumers that are considering a switch to atruly open-sourced operating system. Aside from being quicker on nearlyevery machine, with boot speeds in particular being notably improved.There's also a new suite of features, with an integrated socialnetworking twist that fits in just perfectly with the world's obsessionsurrounding Facebook and Twitter.

There's also a new range of Cloud-based services courtesy of UbuntuOne, and even an Ubuntu One music store. Take that, iTunes! This newversion also has F-Spot installed rather than GIMP, and Ubuntu 10.04Netbook Edition is also ready to be devoured by those smaller, nimblermachines. Anyone dared to download yet? Considering it as a weekendproject?

Penguinistas Strike Back: Sony Sued For Killing Other OS Functionality

When Sony announced it was terminating the PlayStation 3's ability to run Linux operating systems about a month ago, we knew it was a decision that could send ripples through the small community of users that relied upon the function. It also struck a nasty chord with gamers who might not utilize the feature, but were wary of Sony's ability to alter the core functionality of a system with a unilateral declaration. Sony has just been sued over its actions by a California man, Anthony Ventura, who claims to have purchased the system for its "Other OS" functionality and alleges that the electronic giant has broken its sales contract, breached good faith, and engaged in false/deceptive marketing practices.

The lawsuit claims that Other OS support has been a key feature of PS3 marketing since the console launched in 2006, and quotes numerous statements from various top-level executives that emphasize that fact. Until recently, Playstation.com stated that: "it was fully intended that you, a PS3 owner, could play games, watch movies, view photos, listen to music, and run a full-featured Linux operating system that transforms your PS3 into a home computer." Over the past four years, Sony has released Linux Distributor Starter Kits (2006-2009); one-time president Phil Harrison (2005-2008) is on record saying: "We believe the PS3 will be the place where our users play games, watch films, browse the Web, and use other computer functions. The Playstation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC."

Statements like this could come back to haunt Sony in the months ahead. Sony has always rejected the idea that its Playstation products are mere consoles; the company is on record insisting that the PS2 was a computer and should be taxed as such as far back as 2000. Pages 3-5 of the PDF detail a number of statements to this effect, including a rather damning one from Geoffrey Levand, Principle Software Engineer at Sony. Speaking in August 2009, Levand said: "Please be assured that SCE is committed to continue the support for previously sold models that have the "Install Other OS" feature and that this feature will not be disabled in future firmware releases."

Did Sony's Updates Legally Break The PS3?

Technically, PS3 owners don't have to update to the 3.21 firmware that removes Other OSâ€”but if they don't, they lose access to virtually any other reason to buy one. Gamers who don't upgrade lose the ability to sign into the PlayStation Network, are denied access to any game or features that requires PSN connectivity, and will not be able to play PS3 titles or Blu-ray movies that require the 3.21 firmware. Downloaded copy-protected videos that use DTCP-IP will no longer play, and improvements that require the 3.21 firmware are not available.

The case will likely hinge on whether or not the court rules that Sony's actions materially impaired the functionality of the PS3. While the number of people and institutions negatively impacted is an exceedingly small percentage of the PS3's overall sales, as of February 2010, Sony had sold some 33.71 million units. If just one-half of one percent of those systems use the Other OS capability, that's over 165,000 PS3 owners shafted with choosing between Linux and everything else.

The entire reason Sony made all these changes was in response to news that exactly one person had hacked the PS3. In a beautiful twist of irony, the company's knee-jerk decision to yank Linux support annoyed said hacker enough that he vowed to put it back. As of April 7, he's reported moderate success and has demonstrated Other OS functionality while running 3.21.

Scosche Teases iPad Car Kit In Subaru: Vehicle Entertainment, Elevated

Scosche is a solid company. They make loads of accessories, many of which enhance Apple's line of iDevices. But this? This is taking things into a whole 'nother universe, and we're not quite sure whether to laugh, cry, or simply bow at the greatness of the world's first mass produced iPad Car Kit.

Teased today in a YouTube video, the upcoming iKit (great name, wouldn't you say?) is a new car mount that actually allows consumers to mount their 9.7" iPad in their vehicle! Many will say there's simply no way a device that large could reasonably fit in a car, and they're probably right. But no one said this was "reasonable."

There's still no definite ship date or price, and we're guessing this will end up being compatible with any car with a big enough gap in the dash. But it's not about the specifics right now, it's about this video. Have a laugh after pressing play, and then ponder why you're actually considering buying one in the near future.

Win 7 SSD+ HDD= C:/

Some might have noticed I have been amiss on the site lately. I have been dealing with some software issues!

I have decided to break down and go the 7 route. I got a 64GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. I was wondering if anyone has been able to set up both so that the SSD is the Boot/program drive and the HDD is the data drive. While still remaining as a single C: ?

I would like to transfer all my current users data to the HDD without having to go through all the permissions and route changes. I am not so much worried about this for the Documents and such. But the problems it will cause when I try to load scenes and the texture file pathways are all screwed up. Most program files I have are over 60GB so putting them on the SSD is not an option. I was reading about doing something like a software RAID, yet I am not sure if that is the solution. Also I am not familiar with how Win 7 handles that.

Like I have said before I am not a good programmer. So the simplest solution would be appreciated.

THX

CoPilot Live HD Is First Turn-By-Turn Navigation App For iPad

Apple's iPad has many uses, and for anyone looking to "wow" someoneright away, all you need to do is pull up "Maps." Zooming, pinching,and sliding across the globe on the iPad is a really marvelousexperience, but there's just one main problem: no true iPadturn-by-turn navigation apps exist. Well, that was the case, but thatchanged today with the shipping of Apple's iPad 3G + Wi-Fi.

The new iPad, which includes a Micro-SIM from AT&T, also includesan integrated A-GPS module, which the Wi-Fi iPad lacks. This helps itto remain locked onto GPS satellites while on the move, and generallymakes it more suitable for navigation considering that a 3G connectioncan be maintained from the road, while a Wi-Fi hotspot generally staysput in one place (Novatel's MiFi notwithstanding). ALK Technologieslooks to be first on the scene with a dedicated iPad GPS application,as their CoPilot Live HD was recently submitted for approval at the AppStore.

It's a turn-by-turn GPS navigation and trip planning app designedspecifically for 3G models of Apple's iPad, and considering that thestreet maps are stored on the device, you won't need to ping any mapservers via Wi-Fi or 3G in order to find the next page of routes. In aneffort to better utilize the iPad's larger screen (compared to theiPhone), there's a split-screen 3D/2D map, and it can also auto-switchbetween portrait and landscape. It, of course, offers pinch-zoomfunctionality and offers access to iPod music controls from within theapp. nitially launched in North America to coincide with the U.S. release of GPS-enabled iPad 3G models, detailed street-level maps of the U.S. and Canadaare stored directly on the iPad. Customers do not need to download mapsfor each trip or worry about being left stranded without maps in mobiledead spots. Apps for additional regions will be launched as the iPad 3Gbecomes available worldwide in coming months.

The app should be approved for use in early Map, and will cost the sameas the iPhone version: $29.99. That includes unlimited use, with noongoing fees or subscriptions and includes freefull quarterly map updates through the MapSure service through 2010.Not a bad deal at all, particularly considering that an iPad Car Kit mount is just around the corner...

Permanent solution to Win XP SP3 window animation removal

Hello everyone,

May I know how I can get rid of the Window Animation (seen when you minimise or maximise a window) in Windows XP Service Pack 3 Permanently‎?

I have tried the following two solutions:

I went to the control panel--->adjust visual effects---> then unchecked the "Animate windows when maximising and minimising" option.

2.I have tried using windows powertoys tweakUI to disable the animation.

3.I even tried this:

Turn Off Window Animation

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel \Desktop\ WindowMetrics 3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate". 4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On

But still no help

The Big Problem is that the window animation will disappear for a while but returns again some time later. When I navigate back to the "adjust visual effects" window, the checkbox for "Animate windows when maximising and minimising" is checked again.

Thank you very much

Microsoft's Take On Flash: HTML5 Is The Future, But We'll Support Adobe

The debate surrounding Adobe's Flash has never been hotter, and as thehe-said-she-said rages on, more and more companies are stepping forwardto make public their own take. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs got thingsstarted by publicly slamming Flash, and then Adobe's CEO stepped up toinsist that the future of Web technology was Flash. Now, Microsoft isstepping in to give their two cents as well.

DeanHachamovitch, the general manager of Internet Explorer, posted a newwriteup this weekend claiming to share Microsoft's point of view on thewhole Flash/No-Flash debate. Their take is pretty clear: "The future ofthe web is HTML5," he says, with Microsoft being deeply engaged in theHTML5 process with the W3C. He also stated that "HTML5 will be veryimportant in advancing rich, interactive web applications and sitedesign," as it "describes video support without specifying a particularvideo format." Microsoft also thinks that "H.264 is an excellentformat; in its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 videoonly."

The response shouldn't be surprising. Microsoft has no vested interestin Flash, and they're basically supporting what they feel helps themthe most. But that said, we really appreciate Microsoft's final stanceon the matter, which is one that lowers their pride and agrees to workwith industry leaders to make things better with consumers. This actionis one that Steve Jobs refuses to take, and it's frankly childish.Listen to Microsoft's final take:

"Today, video on the web is predominantly Flash-based. While video may be available in other formats, the ease of accessing video using just a browser on a particular website without using Flash is a challenge for typical consumers. Flash does have some issues, particularly around reliability, security, and performance. We work closely with engineers at Adobe, sharing information about the issues we know of in ongoing technical discussions. Despite these issues, Flash remains an important part of delivering a good consumer experience on todayâ€™s web."

Now that's some level-headed analysis.

Apple's iPad: Not A Smartphone, Not a Netbook But A Tweener

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad at a frenzied event in California this past January, he said something interesting. It's something that got many in the tech industry thinking, and now that we have played with the company's first tablet for a couple of weeks, we think it's time to really take a look at how reasonable Jobs' statement was.

If you missed it, Jobs stated that he saw the Apple iPad as a type of third device; something that could fit in between your smartphone and your full-sized notebook...

Apple's iPad: Not A Smartphone, Not a Netbook

Sunday, May 2, 2010

IT News HeadLines (HotHardware) 02/05/2010

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