Valve Announces Steam Feature
With Steam taking control of the mass digital download market, it is good for everyone when new features, fixes, and other implementations are added specifically for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. A new mode that will be coming to the program is called Big Picture mode. This new mode will allow Steam users to fully enjoy the application and their library of games on many screens throughout the house. This could potentially sway some people away from their consoles somewhat, since a simple computer and interconnection, along with a HDMI cable, could provide some of the same experience that current consoles do, especially with wireless peripherals. There is no information on when this new feature might get added to the stable version of Steam, or exactly how they want it to effect the market, but hopefully this will be a welcomed addition for those who use small set top boxes for their computing and multimedia home experience.
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Eizo Announces Self-Calibrating IPS Monitor
For some computer users, having a well-calibrated monitor is essential for getting the most joy out of the experience. You can buy a colorimeter which will calibrate the colors, but many of those are expensive and some are inevitably going to be better than others. Well, Eizo has addressed that issue by creating a monitor that is self-calibrating. The Eizo ColorEdge CG275W is a 27" IPS monitor that has a built-in calibration sensor, much like the ColorEdge CG245W released last year, that does all the calibrating by itself. Simply let the monitor calibrate itself, even overnight with the computer turned off, and you'll have the best and most accurate colors possible. The CG275W has a 2560x1440 resolution, 97% reproduction of Adobe RGB, 270 nits of brightness, an 850:1 contrast ratio, 178 degree viewing angles, and a 6ms gray-to-gray response time which should be more than enough to game on. There are DVI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort connections plus a USB 2.0 hub, along with a stand that can tilt, rotate, swivel and the hood that Eizo ships with many of its monitors.
The Eizo ColorEdge CG275W will ship towards the end of this month though pricing was listed as being subject to each country it will be sold in.
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iPad 2 Unveiled
Apple held an event today where everyone speculated it would be for the successor to the iPad. Well, that came true as the iPad 2 was formally unveiled. It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip which Apple promises is twice as fast as the one in the iPad, plus graphics performance is improved nine times. Apple has added HDMI out which is capable of 1080p (though you'll need an additional adapter), plus there is an enlarged speaker grille on the rear. There are two cameras on the tablet, one on the front and one on the rear, and battery life is listed at ten hours. The rear camera can shoot 720p video at 30fps, plus it has a 5x digital zoom, while the front camera is a VGA resolution and can also record at 30fps. The resolution for the iPad 2 remains the same as the first one, 1024x768, which is something the rumors kept saying would be improved. Overall, the iPad 2 is 33% thinner than the first one and clocks in at 8.8mm while it weighs a little over 600 grams.
The iPad 2 has a cover which is basically a magnetic flap that protects the front and will automatically wake or put the tablet to sleep when lifted. The cover costs a little extra so it will be up to you to decide if it is worth it. The iPad 2 will also ship with iOS 4.3 which brings with it improved Safari performance, as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth, Garage Band, and iMovie apps to make use of the cameras. The last two apps will run you $4.99 a piece while the first two seem to come free of charge. There are also Personal Hotspot capabilities, but it seems it will only work with the iPhone 4. Curiously, iTunes 10.2 will be required to use the iPad 2, and seeing as how only 10.1.2 is available, I expect the new version to arrive shortly.
The iPad 2 will be available from AT&T, Verizon, and the Apple Store on March 11th in the US. You will have a choice between a white or black iPad 2. The WiFi model will range from $499 to $699, 16GB to 64GB, while the WiFi + 3G model will range from $629 to $829 for the same sizes. The iPad 2 will launch in most of the rest of the world on March 25th with other countries following this summer.
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Kingston Unveils New Notebook Memory for Intel Chipsets
Kingston has just unveiled its newest addition to its notebook memory line with new HyperX 1600MHz DDR3 SO-DIMM kits. These kits are designed with the latest Intel mobile platform in mind and come in 4 or 8GB capacities. Kingston says this kit is ideal for anyone wanting the highest capacity and the highest speeds for their notebook, though these kits will also work in mini-ITX motherboards that support SO-DIMMs. All you need to do is install the sticks and you should be good to go as Kingston promises plug and play support with them. Each kit comes with two sticks, so you'll either have two sticks to make 4GB or two to make 8GB.
The Kingston HyperX 1600MHz DDR3 SO-DIMMs will cost $67 for the 4GB and $122 for the 8GB. No word on when these kits would ship.
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