OWC Releases Mac-Compatible SSD Firmware Updater
One thing that SandForce based SSDs have lacked since their introduction has been a Mac supported firmware updater. Updating the firmware has required Windows installation, which is something that not all Mac users prefer. Some other brands, such as Intel, offer OS-independent updaters, but this has not been the case with SandForce SSDs. There have been workarounds like OCZ Linux method, though it's not very user friendly.
Finally, OWC has brought a Mac friendly firmware updater to their SSDs. OWC has been talking about the updater for quite awhile now. This is the first and only Mac-based updater for SandForce SSDs as of today. Other brands have not revealed any plans of releasing Mac based updaters.
The update procedure seems simple. You download the updater from OWC's site and burn that to DVD. You then boot from the DVD and follow the on-screen instructions. Unfortunately it seems that Mac users are still out of luck when it comes to firmware updates from within OS X.
Right now, the updater is limited to OWC SSDs with SF-1200 controllers (Mercury Extreme Pro 3G and its variants). It's also limited to only certain Macs (e.g the 2011 MacBook Pros are not yet supported). OWC is aware of this and support for more Mac models, as well as support for 6Gb/s SSDs with SF-2200 controllers, are on their way. OWC is claiming September 7th for SF-2200 updater, so stay tuned.
Source: OWC
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IFA 2011: Toshiba's AT200 Is The Thinnest Android Tablet
Toshiba is joining the race to produce the thinnest possible tablet with their newly announced AT200 tablet, successor to the Toshiba Thrive/AT100. Eschewing the full sized ports and chintzy swappable backs of its predecessor, the AT200 will feature TI's OMAP 4430 (seen here in the Droid 3) running at 1.2 GHz and backed up by 1 GB of RAM, running Android 3.2. At 7.7 mm thin, this is a full millimeter thinner than Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, while sporting a similar 10.1" display. We're excited to see how Honeycomb fairs on non-Tegra platforms and Toshiba's effort seems impressive for its form factor, hopefully its user experience will be a bit more refined than the Thrive that came before it. We've linked the PR below and will update this post when we have some decent press shots in our hands.Source: Toshiba
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IFA 2011: Samsung Keynote Introduces Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Wave 3
Not content with one big press event this week, Samsung is breaking some new and curious ground at their IFA keynote. Along with the LTE variants of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy S II, they are adding some new phones and a tablet, or is it a phone, a tablet-phone and a tablet. Either way, each one features a Super AMOLED display and unique features that will certainly set them apart. Read on to find out more.Read More ...
Hands-On Powerline Networking: How Well (Or Not) Are Latest-Generation Devices Working?
Call me a Luddite, but I've always found the whole idea of setting up a dedicated wired connection just to get an AC-powered gadget connected to the network to be a superfluous hassle. I've already hooked up one (thick) wire, the AC power cord. Why can't I just use it for network packet-shuttling purposes, too? In fact, I can; that's the whole premise of powerline networking, although few devices (save the occasional router) currently integrate the power-transported-packets function within them. Instead, indicative of the still-embryonic state of this particular market, you're forced to externally connect a dedicated Ethernet-to-powerline bridge adapter, which you then connect to a different AC socket.
Conceptually, however, the single-connection vision remains valid. And I've noticed encouraging signs of market maturation in recent months. Now-conventional '200 Mbps' powerline adapters are now advertised on sale for around $50 for a two-pack; that's less than half the price that manufacturers and retail partners were promoting not so very long ago. And latest-generation '500 Mbps' adapter two-packs are selling for not much more moola; $75 or so.
I've been daily using as well as periodically evaluating various powerline networking technologies since mid-2004, back in the '14 Mbps' HomePlug 1.0 days. Given recent trends, I figured I was due for an evaluation revisit. How well do latest generation adapters fulfill their marketing promises? Can we finally dispense with burrowing through dirty, spider- and snake-infested crawlspaces and drilling holes in walls and floors in order to route Cat5e cable around?
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AMD's Trinity GPU Officially Branded as Radeon HD 7000
It's not a surprise, but nevertheless: AMD's next APU will feature a GPU branded the AMD Radeon HD 7000 series, as indicated by a GlobalFoundries slide shown in a presentation today.
The slide specifically references the upcoming Trinity APUs, 32nm parts that are slated to replace current Llano A-series APUs when they're released in 2012. AMD says that Trinity APUs should outperform Llano APUs by about 50 percent (at least, when measured in teraflops).
Like the existing Radeon HD 6000 series, the 7000 series will eventually include both on-board APU graphics and more traditional dedicated graphics cards - these dedicated GPUs are currently codenamed Southern Islands, and are expected to be manufactured on a 28nm process.
Source: Fudzilla
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9/1/2011 Daily Hardware Reviews
DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Thursday
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Toshiba Looks to Deliver Knock-out Blow to MacBook Air with the Portege Z830
Toshiba's Portege Z830 is cheaper, lighter, and better equipped than Apple's 13" MacBook Air
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Facebook to Release Music Streaming Service with Spotify, Rdio, MOG
The new service will be revealed at Facebook's F8 Developers Conference, which will be held on September 22, 2011
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Samsung's Galaxy Family Rounds Out With 7.7", 5.3" Android Slabs
Whatever size device you want, it appears Samsung has you covered with its dizzying selection of Galaxy slabs
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Microsoft Sued for Allegedly Tracking User Locations Without Consent in WP7
The lawsuit was filed in a Seattle federal court yesterday, and claims that Microsoft intentionally designed the camera's software on WP7 so that customer requests to not be tracked would be ignored
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Deja Vu: iPhone Prototype Lost at a California Bar
Phone was electronically traced to man's house, but police search revealed nothing
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AT&T Announces First 4G LTE/HSPA+ Tablet -- The HTC Jetstream
The new tablet will be available exclusively to AT&T customers on September 4, 2011
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