Legit Reviews News History
Microsoft Vista adoption to outpace XP, analyst says
Adoption of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista operating system will happen at a faster pace than any previous operating system release, a software analyst predicted last week. I'm not sure how fast the enthusiast community will move over, but I'm guessing it will be pretty quick as some great new game titles will be coming out on Vista that use DX10.
Up to 15 percent of PC users will move to Vista within the first year that the operating system is available, said David Mitchell, the software practice leader at Ovum Ltd. "That would make it the fastest-moving operating system ever," he said. By comparison, between 12 to 14 percent of users switched to Windows XP during the first year of its release, Mitchell said.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 27, 2006 - 06:01 AM
Web sales down on Black Friday
EBay was the online winner this "Black Friday," data published on Saturday showed, but overall Internet traffic growth was well below last year's even as bargain hunters tracked down sought-after toys and electronics on the Web before "Cyber Monday."
Overall traffic to the Nielsen/Net Ratings Holiday eShopping Index, which tracks more than 120 online retailers, rose 12 percent on the Friday after Thankgiving over the same day last year, according to the online audience measurement firm. That is significantly below the 29 percent growth in overall traffic to the index from 2004 to 2005 and more in line with 11 percent growth seen from 2003 to 2004.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 27, 2006 - 05:58 AM
Shift to larger TVs favors LCD over plasma
Plasma TV suppliers such as Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric, already outnumbered by the rival LCD camp, are expected to lose further ground as LCD TVs encroach on the 40-inch-class market, a plasma stronghold.
"This Christmas season probably is the last chance for (plasma TV makers) to promote 42-inch models. By this time next year probably there will be no price difference between plasma and LCD TVs," Credit Suisse analyst Wanli Wang said. With little price difference, most people would choose LCD TVs because of their higher resolution, Wang said. He expects LCD TV prices to fall 30 percent or more in 2007, compared with a decline of 15 percent to 20 percent for plasma TVs, due to ample LCD panel supplies.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 27, 2006 - 05:56 AM
First Pictures of ATI R600 Published
One of the major things that grabs everyone's attention when first looking at these pictures is the odd placement of the die.
Southeast Asia-based media has published photos of what is claimed to be ATI?s next-generation R600 graphics processing unit (GPU). Without giving any particular details, the photos reveal somewhat strange placement of the relatively large chip on the substrate. Earlier it was reported that AMD/ATI code-named R600 graphics processor is the first ATI?s chip compliant with DirectX 10 standards. Previously released information also says that R600 will have 64 unified shader processors, 16 texture units, clock-speeds well beyond 650MHz ? 700MHz and support for high-speed GDDR4 memory controller. Some sources also suggested that the R600 will have 512-bit physical memory interface.
Posted by | Sat, Nov 25, 2006 - 10:41 AM
Server Growth Steps up 4.4% to $13 Billion in Q3
Demand for servers perked up during the third quarter, the fastest growth rate in four quarters and the best third quarter since 2000, according to a survey by market-research firm IDC. IDC found that server revenue increased 3.5% year over year to $12.9 billion. Legit Reviews recently purchased some servers from Tyan to upgrade the machines behind the site and forums, so it looks like we are following the trend!
Blade servers, ultracompact systems used to save space and power, led the increase, growing by nearly 30% during the quarter. Interestingly, Linux server growth continues to moderate, with year-over-year revenue growth of 5.4% to $1.5 billion, one sixth the growth rate reported by IDC in the same quarter of 2005. Servers run by the Linux operating system account for 11.8% of all server revenue.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 22, 2006 - 05:59 AM
Microsoft Gets Vista To Comply With US Antitrust Ruling
Microsoft's Windows Vista OS doesn't pose antitrust issues so far, according to the latest status report on Microsoft's compliance with the U.S. antitrust settlement. The company has addressed all of the bugs identified relating to how third-party middleware software interacts with Vista, according to the report, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
As part of that settlement, Microsoft agreed to license communication protocols to IT vendors interested in developing server software that works smoothly with its Windows operating system. After complaints, Microsoft is rewriting some of the technical documentation for its Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP). The status report said Microsoft has made the new documentation easier to understand, but the company needs to stay on schedule for delivering further documents. Microsoft has until November 2009 to provide the information.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 22, 2006 - 05:55 AM
Microsoft says Office unfazed by Google threat
One of the two new heads of Microsoft's Office software team downplayed the threat from Google's Web-based word-processing and spreadsheet applications, saying they are unlikely to appeal to corporate customers.
Microsoft will release the long-awaited Office upgrade to business customers next week along with its new Windows Vista operating system, which has been more than five years in the making. These products are the core of a broad product upgrade cycle aimed at restoring the software giant's growth. Microsoft believes new Web services will work in tandem with PC-installed software, a vision that differs from that of "software as a service" advocates, such as Salesforce.com and Google, who expect services delivered over the Web to eventually replace software that resides on local PCs.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 22, 2006 - 05:53 AM
Over 500 million mobile broadband users by 2010
New alternative technologies will contribute just six percent of the forecast 500 million mobile broadband users globally by 2010, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Despite all the hype surrounding alternative technologies like WiMAX, it is iterations of existing technologies which will dominate the mobile broadband arena in the short term, said the research firm.
Technologies such as mobile WiMAX and UMTS TDD will lead the alternative technology camp, but enhancements to existing technologies, including HSPA and EV-DO Revision A+ will comprise the bulk of the market and are where the money lies in the short-term. "We're not likely to see technologies like mobile WiMAX or indeed, anything else, really take off until the next decade," comments Sara Harris, senior industry analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 22, 2006 - 05:51 AM
Dell earnings beat Wall Street estimates
Dell Inc. the world's second-largest personal computer maker, reported on Tuesday quarterly earnings per share that topped Wall Street's average estimate, sending its stock up nearly 10 percent. Net income for the third quarter ended November 3 was $677 million, or 30 cents per share, but Dell provided no comparison with the year-ago period. Revenue was $14.38 billion.
Shares of Dell gained 9.5 percent, or $2.35, to $27.17 in extended-hours trade following the report, adding to a 17-cent gain in regular trading on Nasdaq to close at $24.82. Dell's third-quarter revenue growth, compared with reported revenue of $13.9 billion a year earlier, was the slowest in more than four years as it faced tough competition from Hewlett-Packard Co., which last week reported a quadrupling of quarterly profit as sales and profit margins improved across its key divisions.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 02:22 PM
Global chip plant usage rate falls to 88.6 percent
The utilisation rate of the world's microchip plants fell to 88.6 percent in July-September from 91.2 in the previous quarter, an industry group said on Tuesday, suggesting capital spending on chip equipment may slow. This news has caused chipmakers Intel, AMD and NVIDIA to drop a little bit on the news that wafer starts are lower.
The data is compiled by the Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) group, made up of about 40 major chip makers including Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Texas Instruments Inc. Capacity for all integrated circuits rose to 1.81 million silicon wafer starts per week in July-September from 1.74 million in April-June, SICAS said. Actual wafer starts, which reflect demand for chips, totalled 1.61 million a week, compared with 1.59 million in April-June.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 09:02 AM
NVIDIA Launches the SLI Marketplace!
NVIDIA Corporation today announced a revolutionary new shopping experience for gamers?the NVIDIA SLI Marketplace. By consolidating more than 50 different destinations, including system builder sites, e-tail sites and eBay item listings, the NVIDIA SLI Marketplace is the premier destination in the U.S. for every PC gamers? hardware needs.
Located on NVIDIA?s SLIZone, a thriving community web site dedicated to SLI technology, the SLI Marketplace makes it easy for customers to search for and find a second compatible graphics card from the leading online computer stores even years after the original PC purchase. The SLI Marketplace features an analyzer that can inform users which graphics card they need, and then provide options for users to immediately purchase new or lower-priced second-hand cards. Budget-conscious gamers can use the SLI Marketplace to buy or build SLI-Ready PCs starting at $499.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 08:37 AM
AMD Congratulates Nintendo on the Launch of Wii
AMD today congratulates Nintendo on the successful launch of the revolutionary Wii video gaming console. The AMD "Hollywood" graphics processor resulted in Nintendo delivering a brand new level of immersive gameplay and interaction for consumers in North America.
"Nintendo's fresh approach to the way people play video games is generating a tremendous amount of excitement around the world. The launch of the Wii is a great achievement for Nintendo and a win for gamers everywhere who finally get their hands on this exciting new video game system," said Dave Orton, executive vice president, Visual and Media Business, AMD. "Having powered the graphics in the Nintendo GameCube, AMD is delighted to strengthen its relationship with Nintendo as it drives the next revolution in video games with the Wii."
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 08:26 AM
Samsung has slimmest phone LCD at 0.82 millimeters thick
Samsung Electronics has developed what it claims is the thinnest LCD (liquid crystal display) panel, just the thickness of a credit card, designed for use in mobile phones. I'd like to have one, but it seems they won't have them in production till the end of 2007.
The screen measures 0.82 millimeters thick and, combined with a new method for attaching the panel to devices, will allow manufacturers to shave between 1.4 mm and 2.4mm off the thickness of their phones, Samsung said. The size reduction comes partly from a new assembly technology developed by Samsung called i-Lens. The screens will be available in 2.1 inch and 2.2 inch diagonal sizes. They offer 240 x 320-pixel resolution and 500:1 contrast ratio. Samsung expects to be mass producing them by the second half of next year.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:29 AM
10 Reasons Why Yahoo Is Doomed
The Journal published a leaked memo from Yahoo that reveals mismanagement and confusion in the ranks. This post over at eweek is pretty funny for enthusiasts that follow this kind of news.
Speaking of grammar, WTF is up with Brad Garlinghouse's prose? There are enough hackneyed aphorisms, tired analogies and generally obtuse English in the ol' boy's memo that he must have been raised on a pre-verbal diet of football chants, taco bell commercials and antiseptic MBA newspeak:
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:26 AM
Violent Video Games Blamed for German School Attack
Sure blame the games... Leading German lawmakers demanded a crackdown on violent computer and simulated war games on Tuesday over concerns that they may have helped inspire a young man to attack his former school with guns and explosives. I'm not sure how they linked this young man to violent video games so quickly, but it seems that video games are taking the blame once again. I've been playing violent video games for years and haven't snapped yet, so take that as you will.
"We need effective guidelines to protect children from exposure to different types of media, but we don't need (simulated) killer games that can lead to brutalisation," Bosbach was quoted on the Netzeitung news Web site as saying. Bosbach added that scientific studies have shown violent games have disturbing effects on some children.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:20 AM
Dell set to report Q3 results this afternoon
Dell plans to report its third quarter financial results later today once the U.S. stock market closes, after delaying the announcement by nearly a week due to accounting troubles.
The accounting issues come at an awkward time for Dell. The company has reported a string of disappointing financial quarters, and recently lost its title as the world's largest PC vendor to Hewlett-Packard. Dell also faces some pressure to report solid earnings on Tuesday, since HP last week reported its net profit quadrupled compared to a year earlier. Dell plans to release a third quarter earnings statement on Tuesday, but does not plan to host a conference call, it said in a statement. Future earnings announcements will be pushed back by a week compared to Dell's previous schedule.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:13 AM
Sony Play Station 3 Card Reader Not Defective
Taiwan-based G-Shank Enterprise stated that stamping parts it manufactured for Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) game consoles have no defects and should not cause malfunction of the console's card reader, according to a November 20 filing the company made with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).
The clarification came as rumors circulate in the market that a memory card might be unable to be ejected from the PS3's card reader and that such a problem could have resulted from defective stamping parts inside the card reader. G-Shank said it has checked with the supplier of the card reader for the PS3 and was assured that there were no defects in both the card reader and the stamping parts.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:12 AM
Are Wi-Fi Standards Breaking Patents Owned By Australia?
A federal judge in Tyler, Texas, ruled last week that an Australian government agency holds the rights to patents on the underlying technology used in two Wi-Fi standards and a third proposed standard. The decision--if it survives what many assume will be a lengthy appeals process--could have a wide-ranging impact on wireless equipment makers and consumer electronics manufacturers.
Judge Leonard Davis ruled that a patent granted in 1996 to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, is valid. The patent describes the implementation of several aspects of the 802.11a and 802.11g wireless standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The court also ruled that Buffalo Technology, a small maker of Wi-Fi routing gear, had violated this patent.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 21, 2006 - 07:10 AM
Rambus Gets Delisting Notice
Rambus missed its filing deadline due to a stock option review, earning it a delisting notification from the Nasdaq. The Los Altos, Calif., chipmaker was notified by Nasdaq Wednesday that it is in violation of listing guidelines. This is big news for a company who has been doing very well in the stock market at the start of 2006.
The company has said that a "significant number" of stock options granted from 1998 to 2001 were misdated and that it would have to restate its results and take charges of more than $200 million. The options practices in question came during a time when former CEO Geoff Tate ran the company and served on the stock option committee. Tate resigned from the company's board in August.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 20, 2006 - 06:33 AM
Will Yahoo Cut 20 Percent of Their Work Force?
Yahoo Inc. needs a dramatic organizational shake-up and cuts in its work force of up to 20 percent, according to an internal memo written last month by Senior Vice President Brad Garlinghouse.
The document was published in the Saturday edition of the Wall Street Journal. A Yahoo spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the memo, but declined to comment directly on details contained in the memo or in the newspaper story. The Journal story also describes rumors that Chief Operating Officer Dan Rosensweig and Chief Financial Officer Sue Decker could be elevated to become co-presidents, in preparation for the retirement of Chairman and Chief Executive Terry Semel, age 64, who joined Yahoo five years ago.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 20, 2006 - 06:29 AM
Universal sues MySpace for copyright violations
Universal, owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi, claims that Myspace has looked the other way as users unlawfully uploaded copyright music videos. In a copy of court documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Universal also accuses MySpace of aiding copyright infringement by reformatting clips so users can transfer them to friends or post them to other sites.
"MySpace provides an extraordinary promotion platform for artists--from major labels to independent acts--while respecting their copyrights," a MySpace spokesperson said in a statement. "We have been keeping UMG closely apprised of our industry-leading efforts to protect creators' rights, and it's unfortunate they decided to file this unnecessary...litigation." MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., has moved in recent months to guard against copyright violations.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 20, 2006 - 06:26 AM
Demand for Nvidia G80 chips weak? Could it Be?
Nvidia's launch of its DirectX 10-compliant GeForce 8800 GPU (codenamed G80) earlier this month seems to have failed to significantly stir up demand for high-end graphics cards, although the new chips took a lead in 3D computing processing, according to sources at Taiwan-based graphics card makers.
Since the G80 is preliminarily targeting the high-end sector, the sources pointed out that Nvidia's forthcoming G84 and G86 GPUs for the entry-level and mid-range segments are likely to play a key role in the GPU market, with the two new GPUs expected to debut in the first quarter of 2007. Although details of the G84 and G86 are still not available, Nvidia has completed the roadmap for the two chips, with local graphics card makers likely to receive product samples in January or February of next year, the sources stated.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 20, 2006 - 06:24 AM
Microsoft Gives Out Copies of Vista Ultimate, Business to Beta Testers
Great to See Microsoft Rewording all its Beta Testers
Testers are now receiving emails informing them of their selection for free downloads of Vista and each will be given a product key within one week to activate their software. This will be a download-only proposition and no media will be mailed.
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 06:43 PM
Ultra Products Receives U.S. Patent for Modular Power Supply Design
Ultra Products is proud to announce that it has received United States Patent Number 7,133,293 for its Ultra X-Connect power supply, the world?s first completely modular design power supply. This patented design allows users the opportunity to connect only the cables they need. This leaves the user?s system?s airflow unimpeded by clunky, chunky air stifling cables. The end result is airflow that cools and protects precious components and an overall improvement in the aesthetics of the computer.
?We are especially thrilled that the U.S. Patent Office has validated our claim of innovation for the X-Connect modular design,? stated John Smith, regional sales manager for Ultra Products. ?Our products? innovative designs, combined with easy-to-use functionality set us apart from the competition. Tech enthusiasts and gamers alike love the now patented design that lets them cut down on unused cable clutter.?
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 05:10 PM
Is Sony eating hundreds of dollars on each PS3?
The cost of manufacturing and materials for the low-end, 20-gigabyte version of the console comes to $805.85, iSuppli said in a report Thursday. That means that for every PS3 Sony sells for $499, it will lose $306.85 on components alone. Marketing and advertising costs would then boost the actual cost to Sony higher. The PS3 with the 60GB hard drive comes with a manufacturing and component bill of $840.35. Since it sells that version of $599, the component bill exceeds the retail price by $241.35, iSuppli said.
The higher costs for the PS3 are largely driven by the expenses associated with the Blu-ray Disc drives and the custom chips used inside the machine. The Blu-ray drive costs $125, while the Cell microprocessor likely costs about $89. The reality synthesizer, a graphics chip from Toshiba designed for the PS3, comes to $129. "The reason why the PlayStation 3 is so costly to produce is because it has incredible processing power," iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler said in a statement. "If someone had shown me the PS3 motherboard from afar without telling me what it was, I would have assumed it was for a network switch or an enterprise server."
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 01:16 PM
Solid-state Drives Ready for Prime Time
Some questions are answered about the Future of Solid State Drivers from Don Barnetson, Samsung's director of flash marketing, but in my opinion I would rather see how the longevity of these drivers before spending the case for one. Albeit the speed is a great bonus for all those hardware junkies out there, but the price can be a deal breaker for some
Obviously, write-errors are a huge concern for those who have used flash products in the past. Only a few years ago the highest-end flash media was only useable for 1,000 or so writes. At that point the physical bits would "burnout" and could no longer be flipped. Today's single-level cell (SLC, memory that stores one bit per cell) is rated in excess of 100,000 writes before burnout. Multi-level cell flash, memory that stores multiple bits per cell, is significantly cheaper but even then is still rated at over 10,000 writes before burnout. Is 10,000 writes enough? Absolutely, assures Barnetson. Samsung memory uses a technique called "wear leveling" to distribute the writes on a media through as many groups of cells as possible. The idea behind wear leveling is that all of the cells have approximately the same amount of writes to them, maximizing the life of the device. Consider a typical computer that writes 120 megabytes per hour to the hard drive. On a 32GB solid-state NAND drive, wear leveling would distribute this data over the entire drive -- it would take 267 hours to fill the device once. Even on a multi-cell flash device, at this rate it would take no less than 150 years to burnout all the bits on the SSD. Single-cell drives are capable of ten times as many writes.
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 12:26 PM
Get an Xbox 360 Core for $100
Not having owned a Console since the Nintendo 64 days, I was tempted by this offer, and I believe many other people will be as well. Microsoft should consider lowering its prices on its Core Model officially to compete with the Wii. In my opinion it would attract many non-console gamers like myself
Amazon.com gives customers a vote on four tasty deals If $300 is too much to spend on an Xbox 360 Core system, then $400 for an Xbox 360 Platinum is surely out of the question. Well, how would you feel if you could get an Xbox Core system for a mere $100 instead? Of course, there is a catch involved but it could be quite the deal if the votes are there.
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 12:22 PM
DAMMIT Rename ATI Chipsets
After the completion of acquisition, AMD revealed the company?s plan to merge ATI?s chipset under the brand of AMD. Affected chipsets include those released CrossFire enabled RD580, RD550, RD480 and all future chipsets for AMD platform. The product segment includes X(Multi GPU), T(Premium Class IGP), G(Mainstream Class IGP) and V(Value Class IGP). * ATi Xpress 3200 (RD580) --> AMD 580X Crossfire * ATi RS690 --> AMD 690G Chipset with ATi Radeon X1250 Graphics * RX690M --> AMD M690
RD600 and RS600, which are designed for Intel platform releasing in Dec 2006 and Q1 2007, are the only future ATI products excluded from this change.
Posted by | Thu, Nov 16, 2006 - 12:19 PM
ATI Releases CATALYST 6.11 Drivers For Download
ATI has released CATALYST 6.11 drivers for download and they can be found on the ati.amd.com driver site. The CATALYST software suite weighs in at 34.4MB, so head on over and get updated.
New Features:
Software Crossfire? Support for the Radeon X1900/X1950 Series of Products
- Catalyst 6.11 introduces software CrossFire? support for any combination of ATI Radeon X1900 and ATI Radeon X1950 installed in a system running either Windows XP or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition operating system
- Note: The ATI Radeon X1950 PRO is not supported in software Crossfire mode and can only be used with another ATI Radeon X1950 PRO in Hardware Crossfire mode
Posted by | Wed, Nov 15, 2006 - 11:50 AM
Microsoft to do online test of "Halo 3" in 2007
Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it will invite gamers to test the online multiplayer features in its long-awaited "Halo 3" video game in spring 2007.
The "Halo 3" test will be available to Xbox 360 consoles and accessed via Microsoft's Xbox Live online game service. Microsoft said it will take feedback from testers and use it to put finishing touches on the third installment of its blockbuster game series. Microsoft and "Halo" maker Bungie Studios said they also will offer new downloadable "Halo 2" content for the Xbox 360 in spring 2007.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 15, 2006 - 07:27 AM
TOP500 List of Supercomputers Updated
The 28th edition of the TOP500 List of World's Fastest Supercomputers was released on November 14 at the SC2006 conference and the United States still has the number one spot.
The US never lost its domination in the global rankings since 1993, and now, it has 308 systems in the list, up from 299 in June. The UK and Japan tied in the race for second place, with 30 machines each. Germany's count rose from 17 to 19 systems, and outpaced China to grab the 4th place position in the number of supercomputers. France was 6th with 12 systems, followed by India (10), Canada and Italy (both with eight). Surprisingly, Spain jumped from 22nd (one system) in June to 10th, and now has seven machines in the TOP500 list, one of which is the most powerful European supercomputer (5th in the world at 62.6 TFLOPS) installed at the Barcelona Supercomputer Center.
Posted by | Wed, Nov 15, 2006 - 07:25 AM
Intel Launches Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300 and Core 2 Extreme quad-core processors
Intel Corporation today kicked off the computer industry?s multi-core PC era by delivering four computing ?brains? inside a single microprocessor with the introduction of the Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300 and Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor families. These products deliver immense speed and responsiveness for general purpose servers, workstations, digital media creation, high-end gaming and other market segments that crave absolute performance.
Quad-core Intel Xeon Processor 5300 series servers provide more headroom for server virtualization than any other two-processor, standard, high-volume server platform. The new processors deliver up to 50 percent faster11 performance within the same thermal envelope and at the same cost as the previous generation Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 5100 series launched less than five months ago. Four Intel Xeon processors are launching today at clock speeds ranging from 1.60GHz to 2.66GHz, with front side bus (FSB) speeds ranging from 1066MHz to 1333MHz, and thermal design power (TDP) of either 80 watts or a performance optimized 120 watt option. In the first quarter of 2007, Intel will launch two more quad-core Xeon processors ? a low voltage version for ultra-dense deployments with a TDP of only 50 Watts and a processor designed for single socket workstations and servers.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 14, 2006 - 08:17 AM
GameStop won't get enough PS3s to fill preorders
GameStop began accepting "limited" preorders for the PlayStation 3 last month, asking customers to put down $100 in advance for the game console, with a modest expectation of eight units per store in most cases. Now it appears that largest gaming specialty chain in North America won't be receiving even that many consoles. I was the fourth person in line at my local store and was called yesterday and told that I would be getting one. One of our other staff members was the sixth person in line at another store and was called and told that they wouldn't have a system for him on Friday. Looks like it's a hit or miss.
A GameStop representative said Monday that the company has received launch allocation numbers from Sony and that it won't be able to fill its existing PS3 preorders. The representative declined to comment on how many systems GameStop expected to receive, or how short of that figure the company's share of machines will be. "We are beginning to notify our customers that our initial shipment of PS3 systems will not be what we expected," the representative said. "As this is not an ideal situation, we are asking employees to wait to purchase systems until the second shipment. We are anticipating having systems to cover reservations before Christmas."
Posted by | Tue, Nov 14, 2006 - 08:13 AM
Asustek Has 10 Boards Supporting Intel Clovertown and Kentsfield Processors
Asustek Computer was ahead of competitors in terms of quantity of motherboards presented to support Intel's launch of quad-core CPUs, formerly known under the codenames Clovertown (for servers and workstations) and Kentsfield (for desktops). Today, Intel formally launched Clovertown and Kentsfield as the Intel Xeon 5300 series and Core 2 Extreme processors, respectively.
With 10 motherboards supporting Kentsfield and the same amount for Clovertown, Asustek easily won the competition, and was awarded to deliver the first testimonial speech among Intel's partners. In desktop motherboards, Asustek was followed by Gigabyte with eight models, Universal Abit with seven and Foxconn (the registered trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry) with five. In total, 39 desktop motherboards from eight vendors were presented at the event.
Posted by | Tue, Nov 14, 2006 - 08:11 AM
OCZ Technology Signs with D&H Distributing
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with D&H Distributing, one of the nation's leading technology distributors specializing in emerging trends across IT, Electronics, Entertainment and Gaming. Upon signing with D&H, OCZ?s extensive collection of renowned DRAM memory, flash products and power supplies will be available to a new channel of resellers and system builders ensuring unprecedented product access to OCZ?s growing customer base.
"We're happy to provide our system builders with memory products that have OCZ's reputation for performance," said Dan Schwab, vice president of marketing at D&H Distributing. "As gaming and PC enthusiasts demand more intense and realistic experiences from their technologies, D&H continues to pursue partnerships with innovative manufacturers like OCZ. More capable, high-powered memory solutions make it easier for our resellers to market the overall Digital Lifestyle concept to the end-user."
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 12:40 PM
If Devin Hester was a CPU he'd be an overclocked quad-core
I believe Devin Hester was the 25th player taken in the 2nd Round of the 2006 draft and has produced some of the best returns that I have seen in years. It almost reminds me of Steve Smith and Dante Hall from years back.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 12:37 PM
Sun changing Java to open-source
omputer server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. said Monday that it had begun to make its Java technology an open-source software project available for free on the Internet. Making Java an open-source project allows programmers from around the world to examine, modify, fix bugs and contribute new features in Java's underlying code. It requires that any changes be made public.
The announcement represents one of the largest additions of computer code to the open-source community ? and it marks a major shift for a company that had once fiercely protected the source code used in 3.8 billion cell phones, supercomputers, medical devices and other gadgets.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 07:27 AM
With IE 7, green means go for legit sites
Starting early next year, the address bar in Internet Explorer 7 will turn green when surfing to a legitimate Web site--but only in some cases, not all. The colored address bar is designed to be a sign that a specific site can be trusted, giving people the green light to carry out transactions there. It is a weapon in the fight against phishing scams, which use fraudulent Web sites.
The idea is among the draft guidelines created by the CA Browser Forum, an organization comprised of companies that issue certificates for Web sites and major browser makers. Last week, Microsoft decided to adopt that draft version for IE 7, released last month. It plans to add the functionality in January.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 07:25 AM
Sony sold 88,400 PS3s in Japan in 2 days
Sony Corp. sold 88,400 units of its PlayStation 3 game console in the first two days after the launch in Japan, leaving most stores without any stock, video game magazine publisher Enterbrain said on Monday.
According to Enterbrain, Sony sold 88,400 units combined on Saturday and Sunday, depleting stocks at most electronics retailers that were able to get their hands on a limited supply of the console. Sony was able to ship only 100,000 units for the launch after a glitch in blue laser diode production disrupted its output plans. An official at Enterbrain said the sales figure could be interpreted as a promising start for the PS3, with thousands of game fans queuing for hours at electronics stores in Tokyo over the weekend to be among the first to play PS3 games.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 07:24 AM
Rumor: Kingston To Increase Investment in China Packaging Subsidiary
Kingston Technology will invest about 240 million yuan in its Shenzhen subsidiary, Payton Technology, to boost monthly window ball-grid array (WBGA) capacity to 10 million units, according to media reports in China.
According to Payton's official website, the Kingston subsidiary launched the WBGA project with the investment amount set at 240 million yuan. Mass production is slated to start in May 2007 with a target capacity of 10 million. Kingston currently has over 40 surface-mount technology (SMT) lines in Taiwan, Malaysia, Shanghai, Shenzhen and the US with a monthly memory module capacity of 10 million units.
Posted by | Mon, Nov 13, 2006 - 07:22 AM
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