AT&T's myWireless Mobile Comes to BlackBerry
AT&T has expanded the "compatibility matrix" for its myWireless Mobile (free) application to include BlackBerry devices. The app allows AT&T subscribers to manage their accounts, including viewing usage statistics, adding or removing features, and making payments. The myWireless Mobile app has been available for quite some time on the device-of-devices, the iPhone. It will also work on the iPad and iPod touch. Meanwhile, BlackBerry users have had a long wait. As with anything
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HotHardware and TechVi Video Podcast - Mar. 5, 2010
We are back again this week to talk about some more HotHardware with our friends at TechVi. Topics include the new 890GX chipset from AMD, Western Digital's SiliconEdge Blue SSD, some fun with ATI's Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition and 6-screens, and porting Quake II and Quake III to the Motorola Droid... Show Notes:0:25 - AMD 890GX SB850 Chipset Debut: Phenom II X6 Ready1:15 - WD SiliconEdge Blue 256GB SSD Review3:17 - Some Fun With A 6-Screen ATI Eyefinity Configuration5:59 - Forget About Doom: Quake
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Daily Show And Colbert Report Dropped From Hulu: What's Next?
We don't enjoy saying that the first ball has dropped here, but it sure seems that way. Hulu, which was called by NBC an "evil plan to destroy the world," might just be destroying NBC's hope of raking in any serious profits. The site delivers all sorts of television programs to online viewers at no cost, only requiring them to watch ads along the way. For many, it has been seen as something that was "too good to be true." But still, Hulu was making money from ads, and viewers were tuning in in greater numbers
Read More ...
Skinput Turns Your Arm Into A Remote
PCs continue to get more powerful, and mobile smartphones continue to gain functionality that could have never been imagined just a few years ago. But little attention in the mainstream is paid to how we control all the gizmos that we encounter in our lives. The mouse and keyboard combo has been the go-to tandem for years now, and the touchpad has been another stereotypical choice for controlling a cursor when space came at a premium. Brain-control interfaces have been reserved for universities and labs, while
Read More ...
Dell Inspiron Zino HD Desktop Review
For the last couple of years, Dell's foray into the small-form-factor desktop market was its successful mini-tower (with the emphasis on "mini") Studio Hybrid. But with Dell's latest small-form-factor entry, the Inspiron Zino HD, out goes the vertical mini-tower and in comes the horizontal square--7.8-inches wide by 7.8-inches deep to be exact, and a mere 3.4-inches tall. Like the Studio Hybrid (which Dell still sells), the Inspiron Zino HD (a.k.a. the Inspiron 400) is a solid little machine, with decent mainstream
Read More ...
Russian Blogger Touts "Red Star" Linux OS, Looks Like Windows
If it looks like Windows and acts like Windows, then it must be...Linux! Or at least that's the case with the North Korean government's "Red Star" operating system, as Russian college student and LiveJournal blogger "ashen_rus" (real name Mikhail) tells it.Mikhail posted a review of the Red Star OS on his blog, and while none of us here speak Russian, Google Translate did a good enough job to give us the gist of what he hammered on his keyboard.According to Mikhail, Red Star was created at the behest of Kim
Read More ...
Samsung Launches R80 Multimedia Notebook Line Into Best Buy
We never thought we'd say it, but notebooks are the new black. Notebook after notebook has launched since CES (we've lost count, to be honest), yet only a handful of new desktops have done likewise. We know the desktop still has a life to live with hardcore gamers demanding performance that only a desktop GPU and CPU can provide, but it's actually astonishing to see just how much focus is being placed on mobile machines compared to towers. Take Samsung, for example. The company isn't even in the desktop PC business,
Read More ...
Apple To Ship Wi-Fi iPad On April 3rd; 3G + Wi-Fi Model In Late April
Apple helped us all get over everything we had just seen at CES by introducing an all new product in their notoriously tight product line, but few details were available at the event for consumers who were ready to buy now. We broke down the pros and cons of the iPad, which is the first major tablet PC to garner mainstream attention in the new decade, and now Apple is ready to break down some numbers themselves. According to a new press release from the California-based company, the iPad will be available in
Read More ...
Microsoft Releases App For Google Android
Considering Microsoft and Google are competitors in the mobile phone space, it may seem a bit surprising that Microsoft is writing applications for the Google Android platform. In reality, though, Microsoft has previously released a couple of applications for competing platforms. In December 2008, Microsoft produced its first iPhone app called Seadragon. The software giant then released Tag for the iPhone in early 2009. Microsoft has also made Tag available on J2ME, BlackBerry, and Symbian S60 platforms. Now,
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TRENDnet Brings MIMO Performance To 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router
TRENDnet's been a trusted player in the wireless space for awhile now, and while they don't have the clout that D-Link and Linksys do, the TEW-691GR is still a unit worth looking at if you're hoping to bring a new router into your life. This new one is a 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit router, and it's designed with gamers and transfer junkies in mind. A grand total of three antennas are included, all of which broadcast across the 2.4GHz spectrum. This three antenna layout provides Multiple Input Multiple Output
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Bluetooth 4.0 Could Ship In Devices By The Year's End
Bluetooth has become the de facto standard in the short-range communications field. It's hard to find a new PC these days without Bluetooth support, with even many netbooks offering Bluetooth 2.0 or 2.1 onboard. Bluetooth 3.0 became official last year, though it's still a feature that's rarely found. But what if we told you that Bluetooth 4.0 was on the way. Believe it or not, it is. According to a new report, the Bluetooth 4.0 wireless specification could begin to appear on devices before the end of the year,
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Ubisoft Patches Assassin's Creed 2 DRM, Allows Local Saves
There's two bits of Ubisoft news today, one of which we're still investigating. First up, the company apparently payed attention to the outrage of gamers who discovered the DRM in the PC version of Assassin's Creed II would throw them out of game without saving if they lost an Internet connection in a single-player game. AC2 won't be released until March 16, but the company has already issued a patch that will allow gamers to resume playing in the event of a connection break, rather than forcing them back to
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Contest: Play MLB 2K10 and Potentially Win a Million Bucks!
Forget about unlocking achievements and collecting in-game items, you can score some serious real-world cash just for playing Major League Baseball 2K10. And not just a little bit of loot, but $1 million! That's the largest ever for this kind of contest.So what's the catch? Just be the first to pitch a perfect game (no hits, no walks, and no runs) in MLB 2K10, record the feat with a camera or digital video recorder, and submit your entry to 2K Sports on DVD.Naturally there are a few rules you must abide by,
Read More ...
Google Claims Desktop Will Be Irrelevant In Three Years
Speaking at the Digital Landscapes Conference this week, Google vice president of Global Ad Operations, John Herlihy, made a rather surprising prediction regarding the future of desktops and laptops. These two types of devices (including netbooks) may be the Internet access points of choice for an overwhelming majority of people worldwide, but the Google exec believes both will be irrelevant in the near future. "In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant," Herlihy said. "In Japan, most research is done
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Dell Inspiron Zino HD Desktop Review
For the last couple of years, Dell's foray into the small-form-factor desktop market was its successful mini-tower (with the emphasis on "mini") Studio Hybrid. But with Dell's latest small-form-factor entry, the Inspiron Zino HD, out goes the vertical mini-tower and in comes the horizontal square--7.8-inches wide by 7.8-inches deep to be exact, and a mere 3.4-inches tall. Like the Studio Hybrid (which Dell still sells), the Inspiron Zino HD (a.k.a. the Inspiron 400) is a solid little machine, with decent mainstream
Read More ...
Daily Show And Colbert Report Dropped From Hulu: What's Next?
We don't enjoy saying that the first ball has dropped here, but it sureseems that way. Hulu, which was called by NBC an "evil plan to destroythe world," might just be destroying NBC's hope of raking in anyserious profits. The site delivers all sorts of television programs toonline viewers at no cost, only requiring them to watch ads along theway. For many, it has been seen as something that was "too good to betrue." But still, Hulu was making money from ads, and viewers weretuning in in greater numbers due to the flexibility of being able towatch their favorite shows whenever they pleased.In a way, Hulu helped to revolutionize the way we view content. Now,tons of online portals have opened up for providing looks atprogramming that was reserved for the television just four or fiveyears ago, but this type of breakthrough also brings along growingpains. Growing pains such as the removal of support from Boxee (whichis still being debated, even in Congress) and the removal of some ofHulu's most popular programs. This week, parent company Viacom hasannounced that it will soon yank "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and"The Colbert Report" from Hulu, with Hulu's own Andy Forssell (seniorVP of content and distribution) saying that Hulu couldn't secure rightsto both shows from Comedy Central beyond March 9.
This whole situation brings up an interesting debate. Clearly, thesetwo shows cater to the demographic most likely to tune into Hulu;younger professionals with busy lives and no real way to carve outspecific hours to watch shows. In other words, these viewers would bemost likely to watch online versus on TV, and Comedy Central may beseeing this as an opportunity to grab subscription fees. Both shows,strangely enough, will continue to be posted online for free viewing attheir respective official sites, but users will have to manually surfover there rather than just pulling up Hulu and using that portal.
So, what will this mean for the future of Internet TV? Well, it prettymuch cements the fact that it's not going away. If Comedy Centralexecutives care enough about how many people are watching via Hulu,then it's a pretty safe bet to assume that these shows will keep comingonline. The real question is: will they eventually cost anything toview outside of watching ads?
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AT&T's myWireless Mobile Comes to BlackBerry
AT&T has expanded the "compatibility matrix" for its myWireless Mobile (free) application to include BlackBerry devices. The app allows AT&T subscribers to manage their accounts, including viewing usage statistics, adding or removing features, and making payments.
AT&T describes the application as follows:
The mobile app edition brings greater ease and simplicity to wireless account management needs, featuring:To download the app, subscribers should visit www.att.com/mybb from their BlackBerry Web browser and follow the instructions; an interactive video plus additional information on myWireless Mobile for BlackBerry customers is also live at www.att.com/mybbmobile. An existing myWireless account is required to utilize the app. Customers can establish an account by visiting www.att.com/mywireless.
- Bill Payment – Pay your bill directly from your phone
- Voice and Data Usage – View usage for minutes, data and messaging
- Features – Add or remove features, including new texting plans and more, directly from your handset
The AT&T MyWireless Mobile app is available at no cost on the following BlackBerry smartphones:
- BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700
- BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000
- Blackberry® Curve™ 8900
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8320
- BlackBerry® Curve™ 8310
 The app is obviously not a game-changer, but it's certainly a convenience for those without unlimited plans!
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HotHardware and TechVi Video Podcast - Mar. 5, 2010
Â
Show Notes:
0:25 - AMD 890GX SB850 Chipset Debut: Phenom II X6 Ready
1:15 - WD SiliconEdge Blue 256GB SSD Review
3:17 - Some Fun With A 6-Screen ATI Eyefinity Configuration
5:59 - Forget About Doom: Quake 2, 3 Up And Running on Motorola Droid
7:26 - Showing The Love: HH and Cyberpower PC Sweepstakes
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Apple To Ship Wi-Fi iPad On April 3rd; 3G + Wi-Fi Model In Late April
Apple helped us all get over everything we had just seen at CES byintroducing an all new product in their notoriously tight product line,but few details were available at the event for consumers who wereready to buy now. We broke down the pros and cons of the iPad, which isthe first major tablet PC to garner mainstream attention in the newdecade, and now Apple is ready to break down some numbers themselves.
According to a new press release from the California-based company, theiPad will be available in the United States starting on Saturday, April3rd. That's only for the Wi-Fi models though; the 3G (AT&T) + Wi-Fimodels will not ship until "late April." We're actually kind ofperplexed by the ship date. A Saturday seems like a strange day to makea flagship product available given that it would receive far morecoverage during the week, but we're guessing that Apple either knowsthat the media will cancel their weekend plans to cover the launch orthat April 3rd is the absolute earliest that the first batch of iPadunits will be available. Given the buzz around the product, we doubtthat Apple is keen on shipping them any later than they have to.
Starting a week from now, on March 12, U.S. customers can pre-orderboth the Wi-Fi and 3G + Wi-Fi models from Apple.com, or they canreserve a Wi-Fi model at an Apple retail store. Will you be one ofthose who commits before even getting the chance to play with one? Orare you taking things more slowly to see if it is really worth the hype?
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Dell Inspiron Zino HD Desktop Review
Dell Inspiron Zino HD Desktop Review
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Russian Blogger Touts "Red Star" Linux OS, Looks Like Windows
If it looks like Windows and acts like Windows, then it must be...Linux! Or at least that's the case with the North Korean government's "Red Star" operating system, as Russian college student and LiveJournal blogger "ashen_rus" (real name Mikhail) tells it.Mikhail posted a review of the Red Star OS on his blog, and while none of us here speak Russian, Google Translate did a good enough job to give us the gist of what he hammered on his keyboard.
According to Mikhail, Red Star was created at the behest of Kim Jong-il, though why exactly that's the case isn't entirely clear. Other details are less fuzzy, such as there being two versions of the OS, including server and client, both of which run $5.
Mikhail notes that installation took just 15 minutes on his AMD Athlon XP 1500+ system. Minimum system requirements call for at least an Intel Pentium III 800MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM, and a 3GB hard drive -- incredibly low by today's standards, and a staple of most Linux distros.
There's no mention of what kernel Red Star is built upon, but Mikhail did note that it's not a completely stable release, so there's still work to be done. What is clear, however, is that Red Star tries very hard to combine the look and feel of a Windows OS with the inner workings of Linux.
For a bunch more screenshots, see here.
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Skinput Turns Your Arm Into A Remote
PCs continue to get more powerful, and mobile smartphones continue togain functionality that could have never been imagined just a few yearsago. But little attention in the mainstream is paid to how we controlall the gizmos that we encounter in our lives. The mouse and keyboardcombo has been the go-to tandem for years now, and the touchpad hasbeen another stereotypical choice for controlling a cursor when spacecame at a premium. Brain-control interfaces have been reserved foruniversities and labs, while anything more elaborate than a meremulti-touch display is seen as too wild for Joe Six Pack.Hopefully, the tide is turning. Over the past one or two years, we haveseen engineers at TED detail a "Sixth Sense" type of device that wouldintertwine the digital and "real" worlds, providing a heads-up view ofadditional information related to anything we were currently lookingat. Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft areworking together to make something you already have plenty of be moreuseful when it comes to controlling devices. "Skinput" is the novelname for a new physical interaction design which is aimed at using yourskin as an input interface, primarily for mobile devices.
The technology marries two main systems: the "ability to detect theultralow-frequency sound produced by tapping the skin with a finger,and the microchip-sized "pico" projectors now found in somecellphones." The whole solution would project an image of a keyboard oricons onto one's arm, and then any press on the skin would react towhatever icon was present where the finger touched. An acousticdetector (integrated into an armband) is also a vital part of making itall work, but it's still very early on in the development process.Currently, the system is still a prototype, but we could definitely seethis growing to become the next great cellphone or iPod remote, ormaybe even the television remote that you don't have to grab. But wewould hope the designers could force inputs to be recognized by onlyyour fingers; wouldn't want your kids jumping all over you in a fightto change the channel, would you?
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Samsung Launches R80 Multimedia Notebook Line Into Best Buy
We never thought we'd say it, but notebooks are the new black. Notebookafter notebook has launched since CES (we've lost count, to be honest),yet only a handful of new desktops have done likewise. We know thedesktop still has a life to live with hardcore gamers demandingperformance that only a desktop GPU and CPU can provide, but it'sactually astonishing to see just how much focus is being placed onmobile machines compared to towers.
Take Samsung, for example. The company isn't even in the desktop PCbusiness, yet it's getting incredibly serious about their notebookrange. Announced today, the company's multimedia R80 line will be shotout into Best Buy stores and on Best Buy's website starting on March 7,which means a great deal of exposure for these very machines. PackingBlu-ray drives, NVIDIA graphics and Samsung's Crystal Wave design,we're pretty sure these won't be relegated to the last shelf in thestore.
Samsung's R80 line will be offered in a variety of sizes (17.3†– R780,15.6†– R580, 14.0†– R480), and all are designed with Blu-ray viewersin mind as well as medium-grade gamers. These also feature anintegrated webcam, a built-in microphone, HDMI output and a 16:9 screenlayout. If the full-size rig isn't your cup of tea, the company's N210netbook, which features an Atom N450 CPU, Windows 7 Starter, 1GB ofDDR2 memory, a 10.1" WSVGA display, GMA 3150 graphics and a 250GB HDD,will also be sitting alongside of those at Best Buy Stores. The fullpricing and specification breakdown is listed below.
- R480: $729.99
- R580: $829.99
- R780: $929.99 (available exclusively on BestBuy.com)
Samsung N210
- CPU: Intel® Atom™ N450 Processor
- Genuine Windows® 7 Starter Edition
- Memory: 1GB DDR2
- Screen: 10.1†WSVGA
- Resolution: 1024 x 600
- Graphics: Intel GMA 3150
- Speakers: 3 W Stereo Speaker (1.5 W x 2)
- Audio technology: HD Audio
- Web camera: 0.3MP
- Internal microphone
- Hard Drive: 250GB 5400 RPM
- Wireless LAN: 802.11bg/n
- LAN: 10/100 Ethernet
- 2.82 lbs.
Samsung R480
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i3 Processor
- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64bit)
- Memory: 4GB (DDR3 / 2GB x 2)
- Screen: 14.0†LED HD
- Resolution: 1366 x 768
- Graphics: Intel® GMA 4500MHD
- Optical Drive: Blu-ray
- Speakers: 3 W Stereo Speaker (1.5 W x 2)
- Audio technology: HD Audio
- Web camera: 0.3 MP
- HDMI port
- Hard Drive: 500GB 5400 RPM
- Wireless LAN: 802.11bg/n
- LAN: Gigabit Ethernet
- 5.07 lbs.
Samsung R580
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 Processor
- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64bit)
- Memory: 4GB (DDR3 / 2GB x 2)
- Screen: 15.6" LED HD
- Resolution: 1366 x 768
- Graphics: nVIDIA GeForce 310M
- Optical Drive: Blu-ray
- Speakers: 3 W Stereo Speaker (1.5 W x 2)
- Audio technology: HD Audio
- Web camera: 1.3 MP
- HDMI port
- Hard Drive: 500GB 5400 RPM
- Wireless LAN: 802.11bg/n
- LAN: Gigabit Ethernet
- 5.7 lbs.
Samsung R780
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 Processor
- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64bit)
- Memory: 4 GB (DDR3 / 2GB x 2)
- Display: 17.3" LED HD+
- Resolution: 1600 x 900
- Graphics: nVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
- Optical Drive: Super Multi Dual Layer
- Speakers: 4 W Stereo Speaker (2 W x 2)
- Audio technology: HD Audio
- Webcam: 1.3 MP
- HDMI port
- Hard Drive: 500GB 5400 RPM
- Wireless LAN: 802.11bg/n
- LAN: Gigabit Ethernet
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- 6.26 lbs.
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Contest: Play MLB 2K10 and Potentially Win a Million Bucks!
Forget about unlocking achievements and collecting in-game items, you can score some serious real-world cash just for playing Major League Baseball 2K10. And not just a little bit of loot, but $1 million! That's the largest ever for this kind of contest.So what's the catch? Just be the first to pitch a perfect game (no hits, no walks, and no runs) in MLB 2K10, record the feat with a camera or digital video recorder, and submit your entry to 2K Sports on DVD.
Naturally there are a few rules you must abide by, the biggest being that this is only open to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers. 2K Sports isn't feeling the love for the PC, Nintendo Wii, and every other gaming platform MLB 2K10 is available on.
You also can't make any pitching substitutions, call any coach visits to the mound, pause the game, wait 60 seconds or more between pitches, or change any of the control options. For a full list of rules and participation instructions, see here.
So why the publicity stunt? 2K Sports wants to prove that its revamped controls are much more realistic than in MLB 2K9, in which it's none too difficult to find videos posted of perfectly pitched games. At the same time, Chris Snyder, 2K Sports' director of marketing, told Kotaku that he "would be shocked if someone doesn't get it," adding "It's very doable. It's been budgeted for. It's in an escrow account, and we're fully expecting to pay it."
But only to whoever does it first, so if you're going to participate, don't procrastinate on this one. Also note that the contest ends at 11:59PM PDT on 5/1/2010.
The Battle for $1,000,000We're giving away an unprecedented cash prize in the amount of $1,000,000 to the first person who throws a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball® 2K10.
The contest runs March 2, 2010 through May 1, 2010. To compete, gamers must play in MLB Today mode, select from any of the available matchups, and then choose the option to participate in the ‘Major League Baseball 2K10 contest’ that will automatically default to the proper gameplay settings according to the official gameplay rules. Entries must be recorded via camera or digital video recorder in compliance with guidelines provided by 2K in the Official Rules, and all eligible entrants must submit a copy of their recording in its entirety for verification. Submissions will only be accepted on DVD.Â
For more information about the $1,000,000.00 Major League Baseball 2K10 contest, including step-by-step instructions, a downloadable checklist, FAQ, and official contest rules, please visit:www.2ksports.com/perfectgame. Â
Rules and Regulations:
Game must be played on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia (D.C.), who are 18 or older (excluding residents of AZ, CT, MD, ND, and VT). Void in AZ, CT, MD, ND, VT and where prohibited. Begins on 3/2/2010 at 12:01 AM PST and ends at 11:59 PM PDT on 5/1/2010. Contest subject to, and entrants agree to be bound by, the official rules published at www.2ksports.com/perfectgame. Grand prize is subject to winner verification. Grand prize will be awarded only if an entrant throws a perfect game by 5/2/2010 in accordance with the official rules. Official Rules will be posted prior to contest start.Â
Sony Computer Entertainment America takes no responsibility for this offer.
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TRENDnet Brings MIMO Performance To 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router
TRENDnet's been a trusted player in the wireless space for awhile now,and while they don't have the clout that D-Link and Linksys do, theTEW-691GR is still a unit worth looking at if you're hoping to bring anew router into your life. This new one is a 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabitrouter, and it's designed with gamers and transfer junkies in mind. Agrand total of three antennas are included, all of which broadcastacross the 2.4GHz spectrum.This three antenna layout provides Multiple Input Multiple Output(MIMO) technology, which boosts wireless coverage, signal strength, andthroughput speed. You'll also get four dedicated GigE ports on the rearfor hooking up devices via wires, though the $159.99 price tag mightfrighten off those who won't be actively taking advantage of the speedbenefits here. But surely you understand just how valuable a low pingtime is, right?
 TRENDnet Expands its Award Winning Wireless N Portfolio with the High Performance 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router
TORRANCE, Calif. - March 3, 2010 - TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the launch of the 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router, model TEW-691GR. Designed for extreme performance and unparalleled quality of service, this router provides users with the ultimate wireless networking experience.
Three external antennas broadcast on the 2.4GHz spectrum. Three spatial streams per antenna produce a record 450Mbps theoretical wireless throughput. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology boosts wireless coverage, signal strength, and throughput speed. One Gigabit Wide Area Network port and four Gigabit Local Area Network ports offer exceptional wired throughput performance.
The latest in wireless encryption and a secure firewall protect your digital network. Router setup is fast and intuitive. WMM® Quality of Service (QoS) technology prioritizes gaming, Internet calls, and video streams. A convenient on/off power button protects the router when powering down.
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) integrates other WPS supported wireless adapters at the touch of a button. Gone are the days of entering complicated encryption codes. Simply press the WPS button on the TEW-691GR, and then press the WPS button on a compatible wireless adapter. Confirm you would like to connect and the devices automatically exchange information and connect. The router is compatible with IEEE 802.11n and backward compatible with IEEE 802.11g/b/a compliant devices.
"The 450Mbps TEW-691GR offers unsurpassed wireless throughput and coverage," stated Zak Wood, Director of Global Marketing for TRENDnet. "If you are looking for the ultimate in wireless performance, look for TRENDnet's 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router."
The 450Mbps Wireless N Gigabit Router, model TEW-691GR, will be available from online and retail partners this May.
The MSRP for the TEW-691GR is U.S. $159.99.
About TRENDnet
For TRENDnet logos visit: http://trendnet.com/asp/partners/marketing.asp
TRENDnet is an award winning global brand, dedicated to providing a complete line of high quality yet affordable networking solutions for small to mid-sized business and home users alike. Founded in 1990, TRENDnet is headquartered in Torrance, California, and maintains branch offices in Europe, Central America, South America and Asia. TRENDnet products are sold in over 125 countries. The TRENDnet brand is consistently recognized for high quality, exceptional performance and unparalleled support. For more information visit www.trendnet.com or call +1 (310) 961-5500.
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Microsoft Releases App For Google Android
Considering Microsoft and Google are competitors in the mobile phone space, it may seem a bit surprising that Microsoft is writing applications for the Google Android platform. In reality, though, Microsoft has previously released a couple of applications for competing platforms. In December 2008, Microsoft produced its first iPhone app called Seadragon. The software giant then released Tag for the iPhone in early 2009. Microsoft has also made Tag available on J2ME, BlackBerry, and Symbian S60 platforms.Now, Tag is available for Android. Tag is an application that links 2D barcodes to websites, videos, social networks, promotions, and much more. After installing Tag on your smartphone, you can use the phone's camera to snap a Tag image and you'll instantly gain access to the content that corresponds to that image.
ÂBenjamin Gauthey, a member of the Microsoft Tag team, wrote, "It’s important to give more people access to Tag because there’s huge demand for reliable mobile barcoding – businesses and consumers are eager to find creative ways to use their phone and hyperlink the real world. We want to make this easier, so over the next few months we’re making changes to our website — such as including many more ways to learn about and experience Tag and get inspired by how others are using Tag today — to help better meet the needs of our Tag community."
Tag Reader for Google Android is now available for download from the Andriod Market. Simply search for 'Microsoft Tag.'
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Google Claims Desktop Will Be Irrelevant In Three Years
Speaking at the Digital Landscapes Conference this week, Google vice president of Global Ad Operations, John Herlihy, made a rather surprising prediction regarding the future of desktops and laptops. These two types of devices (including netbooks) may be the Internet access points of choice for an overwhelming majority of people worldwide, but the Google exec believes both will be irrelevant in the near future.
"In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant," Herlihy said. "In Japan, most research is done today on smart phones, not PCs. Mobile makes the world’s information universally accessible. Because there’s more information and because it will be hard to sift through it all, that’s why search will become more and more important. This will create new opportunities for new entrepreneurs to create new business models – ubiquity first, revenue later."Herlihy's 'ubiquity first' motto has an alarming turn-of-the-century ring to it and recalls a time when companies raked in investments based on how many eyeballs they were attracting even when they completely lacked a plan for becoming profitable. Herlihy's prediction that the desktop is about to become irrelevant (presumably followed in a few years by the laptop) is what's attracting most of the attention, however—but Herlihy is wrong.
Let's get some basic facts out of the way first. It's true that there are more laptop PCs sold worldwide than desktops, that this trend probably isn't going to reverse, and that smartphones/MIDs are going to be the initial (and possibly primary) Internet access points for millions
of people over the next ten years. Herlihy's points regarding the importance of mobile technology and the opportunities to innovate that surround the burgeoning market are smack on, but desktops and laptops aren't going anywhere no matter how we define "irrelevant." Google seems to be off in left field a bit on this one; other major tech companies we've spoken to (Intel, ARM, AMD, etc) all see the new markets opening up in netbooks, smartbooks, and ultimately MIDs and smartphones as complementary/additional revenue streams, not disruptive trends that could cannibalize existing products.
The reason why smartphones aren't going to make this sort of jump is (mostly) summarized in a single word: Ergonomics. Smartphones and hypothetical MIDs are limited to certain practical sizes; a mobile phone the size of one's head is impractical unless you can afford to hire a midget to carry it around for you. Keyboards can only be so big, screens can only display so much, and the entire gadget can only be so heavy. These factors function as a certain inherent limit on the degree to which smartphone-type devices can shove 'real' computers out of the way. The fact that more search is done on smartphones than on PCs in Japan doesn't demonstrate that other computing platforms are approaching irrelevancy, it simply demonstrates that the Japanese are running more searches in aggregate on these devices than on traditional computers. The clear importance of mobile devices does not prove the irrelevancy of other options.
Even if smartphones were magically as comfortable to use over sustained periods of time as a PC or laptop, there are two other titans to contend with—battery life and software design. We can safely assume that users will only migrate to mobile devices as they become comfortable with doing so. The speed with which that happens would at least correlate with the speed with which mobile solutions offer 'good enough' user experiences. That hasn't happened yet. Given that we haven't managed to design a perfect computer OS in thirty years, it's highly unlikely that anyone will magically stumble across the perfect mobile OS in three.
Finally, there's battery life, and it's by far the most intractable of the three. It's not hard to imagine devices that are more comfortable to use or sport better control interfaces, but battery life is a function of innate physical properties. Semiconductor manufacturers have sunk billions into better power control and low-power architectures precisely because it's proven easier to reduce the power consumption of a device's components than it has to increase battery life without driving up weight, price, or size. The components that drain the most power—high-quality screens, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, etc, are precisely the components required to drive the hypothetical 'super' next-generation smartphones that would actually render desktops and notebooks irrelevant. Maybe one day, we'll actually have reduced component power consumption enough to run our Crysis-playing phones all day on just 1W of power—but it's not happening in the next three years.
We at Hot Hardware cheerfully predict that three and even five years from now, desktops and laptops will be just as relevant as they are today; mobile devices will have evolved and will complement existing Internet access technologies, not have supplanted them. We'll see who's right.
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Ubisoft Patches Assassin's Creed 2 DRM, Allows Local Saves
There's two bits of Ubisoft news today, one of which we're still investigating. First up, the company apparently payed attention to the outrage of gamers who discovered the DRM in the PC version of Assassin's Creed II would throw them out of game without saving if they lost an Internet connection in a single-player game. AC2 won't be released until March 16, but the company has already issued a patch that will allow gamers to resume playing in the event of a connection break, rather than forcing them back to the last saved game. The second (and amusing) snippet of news is that Ubisoft debuted this new controversial DRM system with the release of Silent Hunter 5, only to have it allegedly cracked within 24 hours of launch. We're currently in the process of confirming this and will report back with our findings.
Ubisoft does get a point or two, however grudgingly, for acknowledging supreme customer unhappiness and patching its ridiculously penalizing DRM scheme but unfortunately neither the medical community nor gaming developers have ever found a way to patch stupid. Based on available evidence, we have no choice but to conclude that there are several high-ranking suits at Ubisoft afflicted with this serious condition. It doesn't matter if we're writing TPS Reports, downloading files, surfing the Internet, or playing a game—we (by which I mean, every human on Earth old enough to hammer their face into a keyboard) collectively HATE losing data or our place in it. This is why nifty features like autosaving documents, web browsers that can remember where you were, and resume download functionality were invented in the first place. It's why DVDs have scene selection, and tape recorders can rewind/fast forward.
Being nice to the librarian used to be much, much, more important. Not pictured above: The first severe beating of an individual over a dog-eared volume.
If you actually pause and think about it, humanity has pumped out a consistent level of nerdrage over losing our place for a pretty damned long time. The card catalog and Dewey Decimal System were simultaneously developed in 1876 (by two different people) because the previous library organization system consisted of throwing all the books into random heaps around the room and it was pissing people off. It wasn't thirty minutes after Gutenberg put his first book on display in 1440 that a disgruntled competitor invented the dog-ear.
The transition from scrolls to codices (books), which began in the 1st century, was driven partly by a desire to better organize, protect, and preserve data, and included the invention of both the bookmark and the index. We can trace this desire all the way back to the very first civilizations and even into prehistoric times. What did our forebears variously paint, chisel, or drag a lot of into geometric shapes? Rock. Why? Because it wasn't going anywhere. You can bet that when Khufu was watching the Great Pyramid rise from the Egyptian desert, he wasn't asking himself: "What happens if I lose my place?" Skip ahead 4,576 years (give or take a decade), and it's still Khufu's pyramid. This is why Khufu is sometimes surreptiously worshipped as the Lord of Saved Games (hieroglyphs drawn in Cheetos grease by caffeine-jittered hands depict him as an Egyptian Pharaoh in his prime, with a Legend of Zelda cartridge for a head.)
Somehow The Powers That Be at Ubisoft forgot this cultural imperative. We'd like to be the first to sincerely thank Ubisoft for doing the right thing and patching out this particular aspect of its new DRM system. We're still left asking the same question we did last week, however: Who, exactly, thought this was a good idea?
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first computer build
ok im getting more and more into computers and now im going to atempt to build one from the ground up and i think ill need some help. im going to go amd since this will be for games (wow,ff,cod)
well i picked out my case...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
can ya tell i want lots and lots of fans?? lol
and iv picked out a processer...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
how is this processor from what iv found its one of or maybe even the best amd one.
the next thing and what im having the hardest time choosing is a motherboard. north bridge, south bridge, 1 bridge 2 bridges. sli vs crossfire. what i want is 2-3 video slots and 8gb maby if posible 16gb. can you guys help me with this part please. any and all info will help
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Bluetooth 4.0 Could Ship In Devices By The Year's End
Bluetooth has become the de facto standard in the short-rangecommunications field. It's hard to find a new PC these days withoutBluetooth support, with even many netbooks offering Bluetooth 2.0 or2.1 onboard. Bluetooth 3.0 became official last year, though it's stilla feature that's rarely found. But what if we told you that Bluetooth 4.0 was on the way. Believe it or not, it is.According to a new report, the Bluetooth 4.0 wireless specificationcould begin to appear on devices before the end of the year, but we'rewondering just how accurate an assumption like this is. Bluetooth 3.0is still a rarity, and we highly doubt 4.0 will gain traction before3.0 does. At any rate, we're fine with the next-generation of any kindof technology, but it's still baffling to think of 4.0 now when 3.0hasn't even had a chance to become popular. The news is flowing fromthe Bluetooth Special Interest Group, and we're told that BT 4.0 will"be used in lower-power devices than previous versions of thetechnology, including watches, pedometers, smart meters and other gadgets that run on coin-cell batteries."
It's very possible that 3.0 and 4.0 will live together at the sametime, but again, it's strange that the Bluetooth SIG would call onstandard 3.0 and the other 4.0 (as opposed to something totallydifferent, like Bluetooth Mobile or sometime similar). BT 4.0 will alsointegrate with Wi-Fi networks when one is nearby (which is alreadyincluded on Bluetooth 3.0), though few other major details weredisclosed. So much for keeping up with the times, you know?
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