NVIDIA Fermi GT300 GPU delayed until 2010?
by Ross Miller 
posted Nov 10th 2009 at 2:52AM
Mac OS X 10.6.2 update out on the prowl (update: Atom support is gone)
by Ross Miller posted Nov 9th 2009 at 8:33PM
Update: We just installed it -- it took forever and a day on one of our machines, and sped by reasonably quick on another. Everything seems okay otherwise, how about you?
Update 2: We've gotten enough reports to call it -- Atom support is out. Sorry, hackintosh community.
[Via Mac Rumors, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Read - 10.6.2 notes
Read - Intel Atom still unsupported on Mac OS X 10.6.2 seeds
NVIDIA CEO shoots down talk of Intel-compatible x86 chip, says his home is 'all Apple'
by Donald Melanson posted Nov 9th 2009 at 2:48PM
NVIDIA's feud with Intel may be at an all-time high these days, but it looks like the company isn't about to go as far as to produce its own Intel-compatible x86 chip, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. That word comes straight from NVIDIA's always talkative CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who flatly said "no" when asked if there was any truth to the rumors. He further went on to add NVIDIA's focus is on visual and parallel computing, and on "getting our GPUs into the lowest power platforms we can imagine and driving mobile computing with it" -- as it's now attempting to do with Tegra. In a separate discussion after a talk in Dubai, Huang also interestingly revealed that the computers in his household are "all Apple," but he naturally didn't just leave it there -- head on past the break for the complete, must-read quote (as reported by Shufflegazine).Read - CNET News, "Nvidia CEO says 'no' to Intel-compatible chip"
Read - Shufflegazine, "NVIDIA CEO, visiting Dubai, says "I'm all Apple"
New iMac and MacBook touchscreens debut, thanks to Troll Touch
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 9th 2009 at 11:04AM
Troll Touch -- the fun little company with the unfortunate name -- have announced more of their award-winning analog resistive touch kits for 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs as well as unibody MacBooks. Prices for the iMac kits themselves start at $1099, or you can order new machines with the kits pre-installed starting at $2299. For laptop owners, your touchscreen kits start at $699. Not cheap at all, but you know what the song says: You've got to pay the troll's toll. Delivery slated to begin before December 1, 2009. If you've never seen a video of someone using a touchscreen, you're in for a treat -- we included one after the break. You're welcome.
Read - iMac touchscreens
Read - MacBook touchscreens
Read - iMac touchscreens
Read - MacBook touchscreens
Gigabyte fixes iPhone sync issue with BIOS update
by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 9th 2009 at 8:47AM
The Intel P55 Express chipset snafu that caused iPhones to lose their syncing minds has now been remedied -- at least by one motherboard maker. Gigabyte has issued a BIOS update making things all hunky-dory between the phone and the mobo, putting your troubles to an end. The P55 is Intel's latest midrange chipset and orchestrates things for newer Core i5 / i7 machines. The other two P55 purveyors, ASUS and MSI, were also caught by the bug, and there are anecdotal reports of success with an ASUS BIOS update, but not official fixes as of yet. Given the competitive nature of this market, though, we'd be surprised if those two companies didn't quickly follow suit. All's well that ends well, right?Read - Gigabyte Beta BIOS download page
Read - Update fixes iPhone sync problem
Stealth's rugged LPC-395F Mini PC: it's like a caged monster, but weak
by Darren Murph posted Nov 9th 2009 at 2:14AM
Inspiron Zino HD now configurable, available to order on Dell's website
by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2009 at 1:00PM
[Thanks, Chuck and Douglas]
Read - Dell's desktop page
Read - Zino HD order page
ASRock ION 330HT-BD nettop gets unboxed and cracked open on video
by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2009 at 8:16AM
Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video)
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 6th 2009 at 11:37AM
You know what the world needs? Another company peddling their take on the touch interface as being "just like Minority Report!" Sun, Raytheon, Oblong -- it's a pretty obvious press hook (as well as a pretty awesome area of research), but every once in a while some such technology does come around that begs for a closer look. A collaboration between Sony Europe and Atracsys (a Swiss company specializing in optical tracking) ICU is a dual camera-based system that tracks and analyzes body movements in three dimensions, in real-time. Initially designed for use with a computer in a sterile operating theater, the interface not only notices subtle changes in the position of your body, arm, hand, or finger position, but it's also determine rough age, sex, or facial expression of the user. We're guessing that this bad boy has some novel gaming potential as well (count on the folks at Engadget to bring everything down to their level)! PR / videos after the break.
Microsoft messes with 'natural' user interface, featuring eye tracking, voice control and wild body gestures
by Paul Miller posted Nov 6th 2009 at 9:45AM
NVIDIA takes its feud with Intel to cartoonish new levels
by Donald Melanson posted Nov 5th 2009 at 8:21PM
Oh, boy. Just when you thought NVIDIA 's feud with Intel couldn't rise above endless name-calling, lawsuits and production shutdowns, NVIDIA does this. In a series of not-so-subtle cartoons on the recently established Intel's Insides website -- which NVIDIA's spokesperson has confirmed is, in fact, hosted by NVIDIA -- NVIDIA takes aim at Intel (and CEO Paul Otellini, specifically) over a range of alleged ill doings, and even goes so far as to include a cheeky disclaimer that the site "is not provided, sponsored or endorsed by Intel Corporation." Hit up the gallery below for a quick retrospective, and stay tuned for what we can only hope is a decent comeback from Intel.
[Via ExtremeTech]
[Via ExtremeTech]
NPD: Windows 7 sales 234% higher than Vista's first few days
by Paul Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 5:34PM
Looks like Windows 7 is off to a much stronger start than Windows Vista, with the NPD Group claiming the first few days of sales saw a 234% increase over Vista's start. Part of that can be attributed to special deals and low-cost pre-sales -- total revenue was only 82% higher -- but it's hard to deny people are stoked for Windows 7. Interestingly, the PC hardware growth was actually stronger for Vista than 7 (48% year over year compared to 68% year over year), but there are enough variables at play there to make sure Microsoft won't lose sleep over it. In fact, 7's biggest threat seems to be Microsoft's other products, since Windows 7 PC sales were up against 20% of PC sales being comprised of Vista and XP computers, compared to the 6% of non-Vista PCs sold during that launch.[Via Windows 7 Team Blog]
Maingear SHIFT reviewed: $7,000 can shatter a lot of records
by Darren Murph posted Nov 5th 2009 at 11:01AM
It's the priciest rig we've seen since we laid eyes on Alienware's latest gaggle of machines back at TGS, and it's not even from a company that you would generally take seriously in the gaming PC arena. But according to Computer Shopper, that small-man bias should be shelved, and fast. Maingear's newly unveiled SHIFT can be had for just over $2,000 if you stick with the basics, but CS managed to review a loaded-out $7,113 edition that produced "record-shattering performance." The "uncompromising design" and build quality was also lauded, through the college-fund shattering price tag prevented it from notching a 10/10 rating. Feel free to tap the read link for the full skinny, but honestly, this thing simply did exactly what it should've done for the price; anything less than world-beating would've been a disgrace at seven large.Latest Mac OS X 10.6.2 beta build brings back Atom support
by Donald Melanson posted Nov 4th 2009 at 6:42PM
Well, it looks like reports that Apple might be killing Atom support in the next Snow Leopard update may have been slightly overblown, as the latest developer build of OS X 10.6.2 (10C535) has apparently restored support for the processor and simultaneously brightened the spirits of hackintoshers the world over. What's more, there doesn't appear to be any explanation for the switch-a-roo from Apple which, as Electronista notes, could indicate that it was simply a bug or a temporary measure -- although it does of course also mean that Apple can just as easily flip the switch again if it sees fit (which seems like at least a 50 / 50 shot). [Via Electronista]
NVIDIA confirms Intel chipsets won't support USB 3.0 until 2011
by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 4th 2009 at 10:59AM
What was once an unverifiable rumor from an anonymous source has now, sadly, become a confirmed fact. Intel won't be integrating USB 3.0 support into its chipsets until at least 2011. Motherboard makers such as ASUS can still opt to add discrete 3.0 controllers at an extra cost, but Intel -- already accused of dragging its heels on the standard's development -- won't be. NVIDIA spokesman Brian Burke has expressed, in no uncertain terms, his company's disappointment with Intel, while also claiming that chipsets by NVIDIA are more feature-rich and just plain better than Intel's own efforts. We'll add this to our ever-growing collection of things NVIDIA doesn't like about Intel, but we also hope that the immature outburst doesn't obscure the real issue. NVIDIA is correct in noting that Intel needs competition in the chipset space, and the new interconnect's dependence on Intel's whims demonstrates the market-altering powers that reside in Santa Clara, CA. Unless another chipmaker gets serious about competing with Intel, we could face plenty more of these seemingly arbitrary delays in tech rollouts.
