News Archive for 08/12/01
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| MacUpdate Weekend Sale | :This weekend MacUpdate has slashed prices on Painter 12 and Painter Lite. Painter 12 retails for $429, but has been reduced by 54% to $199. Painter Lite has seen a 58% price cut from $69 to $29. Hurry, because these deals are only available until May 19th 2013. |
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Windows 7 promises to bring with it a pair of programs that will enable users to process Direct3D 10 graphics on Direct3D 9 hardware as well as processing Direct3D 9-level graphics with no hardware at all, according to an MSDN article. The former feat is made possible with software called Direct3D 10 Level9, while the latter comes courtesy of Direct3D Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform (WARP10). The new standard is a high-speed, fully compatible software rasterizer that has already shipped in beta form in the November 2008 DirectX SDK.
Good OS, makers of the gOS Linux operating system that debuted in computers sold at Wal-Mart, on Monday announced it will soon introduce its Cloud operating system that can give users near-instant access to Google, Yahoo and Windows Live services, as well as rich client applications and multimedia content. Good OS introduced the Cloud on a GigaByte touch-screen netbook at the Netbook World Summit kicking off today in Paris, and will begin including Cloud alongside Windows XP on the PC builder's tablets early next year. When users need to do access more hardware-intensive programs, they can go from Cloud to Windows XP.
Russia's RoverPC recently introduced a business-oriented smartphone, the Pro G7. The handset includes a 2.8-inch, 640x480 touchscreen complemented by a scroll wheel. Processing power comes from a 624MHz CPU and 128MB of RAM that run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional particularly smoothly. The quad-band GSM device can connect to the Internet over 3G data networks or hotspots thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi module. Built-in memory is fixed at 256MB but expandable via a microSDHC card slot. A pair of cameras, including a 3-megapixel shooter on the backside and a 0.3-megapixel cam for chatting, is built in.
SageTV has launched a new HD extender over the weekend, called the HD Theater or HD200. The HD200 has many of the same functions of the HD100 it replaces, including the same video and audio format support. The HD200 will connect to home networks or directly to PCs preloaded with software that makes them DHCP servers via an Ethernet jack. It has a rear- and front-panel USB port for connecting external drives or USB flash drives for local streaming to users' HDTVs.
BenQ has released its Joybook Lite U101 netbook in its home market of Taiwan. The netbook sports a 10.1-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen with an LED backlight unit that provides a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and a response time of 8ms. It uses an Intel Atom CPU rated at 1.6GHz and can be ordered with either 120GB or 160GB hard disks or 4GB or 16GB solid state drives preloaded with either Linux or Windows XP Home. Graphics processing is handled by the onboard Intel 945GSE chipiset while built-in memory is rated at 512MB, upgradeable to 1GB.
A leak from BGR on Monday reveals that Research in Motion is already close to releasing a firmware patch for the BlackBerry Storm that will address the numerous software flaws affecting the launch edition phone. The 4.7.0.76 update dramatically improves the response time for tasks such as rotating to landscape mode, browsing photos or playing music, all of which have suffered from delays as long as several seconds for certain tasks.
Nokia Siemens Networks today said it has already run a demonstration of cellular Internet access beyond even 4G. Now called LTE Advanced, the format uses a new radio relaying technique that extends the network without requiring that the carrier build out the entire network infrastructure to a given access point. This will let users on the edge of the network get LTE's faster speeds as carriers can simply put relays in areas where coverage, not bandwidth, hurts performance.
Clearwire today said its recently completed deal with Sprint for WiMAX will use the "Clear" name on its own side of the network rather than use Sprint's Xohm naming scheme. Worth about $14.5 billion, the agreement will effectively replace Xohm on Clearwire's portion of the network rather than see the two provide a united naming scheme.
Sony's long-anticipated netbook has been revealed through filings with the FCC, a report from Engadget suggests. Two versions, known as the PCG-1P1L and PCG-1P2L, have been through wireless testing with the government body; the PCG prefix is known to represent Sony's VAIO portable line. More crucially, the computers match typical netbook dimensions, at approximately 9.5 inches long by 4.5 inches wide. This should make them smaller than many rival systems.
Korea's ReignCom, which makes iRiver-branded personal media players, has released its first cellphone in its home market ahead of the promised March 2009 launch. The iRiver Wave handset sports a 3-inch, 480x272 touchscreen that is capable of recognizing handwriting and will connect to the Internet via its built-in Wi-Fi connection or over wireless data networks, provided by exclusive carrier KT. The handset will also support VoIP calling to reduce airtime costs. Initially, the Wave will be offered in just ten iRiver stores in Korea.
New research data today from Net Applications has revealed both Apple and Mozilla bringing Microsoft's share of the web to historic lows for November. The Mac's usage share of the more than 40,000 websites tracked by the Internet firm has now reached 8.87 percent for the past month; the increase is a major jump from the previous record of 8.23 percent in September and is enough to have pushed Microsoft's Windows below 90 percent usage online for the first time in years.
Nokia could be developing a new, much larger portable device that sits above its Internet Tablets in features, a new research note by UBS analyst Maynard Um says. Where the existing N810 has just a 4.1-inch display, investigations by Um point to the existence of either a notebook or tablet with a 9- or 10-inch display and features that have never existed on an Nseries tablet, such as a touchpad for input, HDMI out, a secondary OLED screen and Near Field Communication (NFC) for very close-range wireless links.
MEDION on Monday announced it is introducing three new personal navigation devices that use a fingerprint scanner for security and theft-deterrence. MEDION enlisted the help of AuthenTec to integrate its fingerprint sensors into the devices, which include the GoPal P5235, GoPal P5435 and GoPal X5535. Users can save up to five fingerprints using the small AES1510 fingerprint sensor used in millions of cellphones, which then allows them to log in and use each device. The feature ensures only authorized users can access the three devices, which are useless if stolen.
Nokia, the world's largest cellphone maker, is allegedly declining to bring an unnamed handset (pictured) to market due to low perceived demand. The stylish handset is similar in appearance to the Finnish phone maker's Prism line of phones, while its functions are nearly identical to the recently introduced but homelier looking 6260 slider. Like the 6260, the axed S40-based handset includes a 480x320 display, a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, a GPS receiver and an integrated Wi-Fi module. The handset was reportedly due to cost about $300, which could be part of the reason most markets did not want to purchase the handset.
Verizon on Monday has already dropped the price on the Samsung Omnia less than a week after its introduction. Originally priced at $250 with a contract and a $70 rebate, the device will now cost $200 with the same discount and now almost matches the pricing of both the BlackBerry Storm as well as the iPhone 3G, which has an inferior two-megapixel camera but shares a similar 8GB of built-in storage, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi.
Nokia is planning to kick off its Nokia World 2008 expo with the launch of a new phone that could be its first high-end touchscreen device, Fast Company's Robert Scoble says. A Nokia executive tells the online reporter that a phone announcement scheduled for the show has been kept unusually well hidden and that outsiders have "no clue" as to what will be unveiled. Even within the company, only "a handful of people" have seen the finished product, the official insists.
Microsoft's next and potentially last major update to Windows Vista is arriving by mid-spring, a reported source for TechARP claims. The historically accurate site is told that Vista Service Pack 2 should be sufficiently complete to reach release candidate status by February and to be finished by April, when it would be sent to manufacturing for DVD versions and prepared as a download for existing users.
Nokia in a low-key launch today rolled out the 2608. The clamshell targets the budget world but also claims a certain amount of fashion consciousness with a striped outer shell, deliberately angular edges and colors that include fuchsia as well as black and a two-tone black-on-white. It relies on an FM radio for music and touts features such as a built-in flashlight as well as basic support for web browsing and sending business information over SMS.
Nikon today launched its long-anticipated D3X as its new flagship digital SLR. As slipped by the company ahead of time, the new pro camera roughly doubles the sensor density to 24.5 megapixels and produces a native 6048x4032 picture -- enough to rival a medium-format camera in a handheld format, the company claims. The camera also adds 16-bit color processing for further image accuracy improvements over the 14-bit D3.
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