This is turning out to be a rough week for Microsoft tablets. [......]
Archive for April, 2010
Boutique system vendor Maingear is hoping to capitalize on AMD's low-priced 6-core Phenom II X6 processor line by releasing a pair of modestly priced gaming PCs built around the new platform. It's called the VYBE Limited Edition and it comes in two baseline configurations. [......]
Scoring a job in the video game industry might seem like a dream gig, and with many industry players looking to take on more talent, there's potential for a lot of dreams to come true this year. [......]
As many expected would happen, Sony has been handed a class action lawsuit for removing the 'Install Other OS' option from its PlayStation 3 console starting with the v3.21 firmware released in March. In the lawsuit, plaintiff Anthony Ventura argues that "Sony's decision to force users to disable the Other OS function was based on its own interest and was made at the expense of its customers." Ventura also alleges deceptive business practices "perpetrated on millions of unsuspecting customers." "On information and belief, contrary to Sony's statement, the 'security concerns' did not involve a threat to PS3 users, but rather reflected Sony's concerns that the Other feature might be used 'hackers' copy and/or steal gaming and other content," the lawsuit reads. At the time of its release, Sony said the firmware update was optional, but any users who refused to install it would lose key features, like the ability to sign into the PlayStation network. [......]
In case you missed it, Steve Jobs on Thursday posted an open letter to no one in particular dismantling Adobe's Flash platform with the delicate precision of a hand grenade. Jobs lambasted Flash on a variety of fronts, including reliability, security, and performance, among other complaints[......]
Amazon is preparing to rollout the 2.5 update for their successful Kindle ereader. Some of the new features seem like nice feature additions. [......]
According to research firm IDC, PC microprocessor shipments were up 39% in the first quarter , when compared to last year. The quarter by quarter numbers were better than expected as well. There is usually a decline from the holiday season into the first quarter, but it was more modest than most years. [......]
In the coming months, Intel will begin fleshing out is mobile Core i7 processor line, starting with the Core i7 660UM. This one will come clocked at 1.33GHz and ramp as high as 2.4GHz with Turbo Boost technology[......]
The new Polaroid bears little resemblance to the clunky Polaroid cameras of days gone by, but it does look strikingly similar to a more modern model, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7 . [......]
By Tim Conneally , Betanews Download Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" LTS from Fileforum now. As expected, Canonical today released the latest long-term support version of Ubuntu (v. [......]
By Tim Conneally , Betanews Skyfire, the third party mobile browser famous for its ability to handle nearly every major browser plug-in and web technology has finally arrived in the Android Market today. At the beginning of April , the browser was released in a very limited alpha program which received overwhelming interest from users. [......]
By Scott M. Fulton, III , Betanews There are a handful of issues of contention that broadcasters (who transmit content over the public airwaves) have with the Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Plan. One such outstanding dispute concerns the FCC's proposed reallocation of unused digital spectrum from broadcast to broadband purposes -- a way to get at least some of the estimated 180 MHz of spectrum wireless operators say they need, without another complete re-auction. [......]
Would a sleeker look courtesy of an all-black makeover be enough to get you to consider buying a Wii? Nintendo is hoping it will, and according to the latest rumblings, the Wii is putting on its tuxedo and heading for North American shores. Apparently the Wii hasn't been selling as well as Nintendo's bean counters would like, and according to news and rumor site Fudzilla, the console maker is hoping that the new black version will spark a bunch of sales[......]
Windows 7, which was launched on October 22, 2009, has since sold more than 100 million licenses and can now be found on one of every 10 PCs in the world. According to Microsoft, that's enough to qualify as the fastest selling Windows OS in the Redmond company's history. The rapid adoption of Windows 7 has paid off big time for Microsoft, who earlier this week reported revenues of $14.5 billion for the financial quarter ended March 31[......]
AMD's latest drivers -- Catalyst 10.4 -- are now up for grabs, and there are a handful of reasons why you should be interested (if you own an ATI videocard). The new drivers introduce a few new features, a little bit better performance, and resolves a whole bunch of issues across a number of operating systems. ATI Catalyst can now play back 5.1 level streams on all supported players, as well as allows for play back of high resolutions (4Kx2K)[......]
