Wednesday, April 6, 2011

SFR of PLC for Neufbox Evolution

At the launch of the Evolution Neufbox SFR proposed CPL - like its competitors - but it was classic designs from trade. We had been discussing it with company officials and they indicated that we had worked on SFR integrated models in the diet of the case, but the aspect of "consumption" was still posing problems.

This is clearly resolved, with the outlet boxes CPRA. Like Free, SFR has integrated PLC controller in the diet of its case. Compatible with Neufbox Evolution and TV decoder, CPRA replaces the original supply. For the rest is classic: the CPL announced to 200 megabits per second but in practice limited to 100 megabits / sec CPRA is quite simple - it is completely black - and appears to compact.

Simulation for PC: The Sims 3 - joy of life: The first images to expand

Life writes the most exciting stories. And the "Sims 3" game simulates life. Manufacturer Electronic Arts can always think of new ways the world of pixel people closer to their real role model approach is: Thanks to the extension "Joy of Life" will stop off the mid-life crisis, bachelor parties and dream weddings catchment in Sunset Valley.

Free Facebook Uploader

"Free Facebook Uploader is a free program for all who share their photos on Facebook. First place your photos and upload your video in the next step, the software can be customized with various file formats simultaneously published. Select the files you want, then enter your Facebook credentials and allow the application to access your profile.

Clicking on "Upload" to the Free Facebook Uploader begins work. The software sets for the uploads to a separate directory. The content can be on your profile at any time move to other folders.

[OC] MSI R6870 Hawk, WRS category by THC

We have already talked about the MSI R6870 Hawk with this news. The many features of extreme overclock implemented by Taiwanese manufacturer on this board have helped the Danish overclocker David "THC" oDoc team set three new world records category. With the car cooled liquid nitrogen (LN2) and a couple of hardware changes (vmode) THX has filed the following score: P44563, P34471 and P26120 respectively 3DMark 05, 3DMark 06 and 3DMark Vantage.

Revealed the hardware requirements for The Witcher 2

Polish developer CD Projekt has released minimum and recommended hardware requirements for The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings, the second chapter of the award-winning PC RPG: The Witcher. Miminum System Requirements: OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 (32/64-bit) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 + Memory: 1 GB Windows XP / Windows Vista and 2 GB Windows 7 Video Card: 512 MB RAM, supporting Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon HD3850) Recommended System Requirements: OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 (32/64-bit) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom X4 Memory: Windows XP 3 GB / 4 GB Windows Vista and Windows 7 Video Card: 1 GB RAM, supporting Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 or ATI Radeon HD4850) Additionally: Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible with HDD : 16 GB of disc space Disc Drive: DVD x8, compatible with DVD9 Instalation Requires administrator access.

Mainboards with AMD Bulldozer: those of ASUS and MSI

The approach of the announcement of new AMD Bulldozer is creating some turmoil among the motherboard manufacturers that are beginning to not only disseminate information on new models but also those with Socket AM3 +, long on the market, which will be compatible as a result An update of the bios. ASUS confirms that the following models will be compatible with future AMD CPU after you have downloaded and installed the latest BIOS version from the website www.asus. en:

SSD card for hybrid approach

A few months ago, Marvell announced a chip able to create a hybrid SSD from an SSD and a HDD. The principle is simple: the controller SATA 6 Gbit / s card is able to determine where to copy the data and it can - by Marvell - to obtain 80% performance of SSDs on the entire space. HighPoint, with RocketHybrid, is the first company to offer the cards.

It comes in two versions: one with two SATA connectors and one with two eSATA connectors. In both cases, the card interfaces in 1x PCI-Express 2.0, which de facto limits performance to about 500 Mb / s and the advertised price is right: $ 60. Good idea, two modes exist: either the card uses the SSD as a cache, or the card uses the SSD over the HDD.

New M4 and M4 Cubitek boxes already available Silencer

Cubitek has launched its new semitorres M4 and M4 Silencer, designed to look great while reducing noise emitted by components of the PC. These boxes can hold the latest in hardware, and are in a price range that Gamers, Power Users and Enthusiasts will find very attractive. Both semitorres have innovative features such as storage compartment for CDs / DVDs in the front, or a Mini USB connector at the top to connect directly to mobile devices or cameras.

Ubuntu: more CD free installation

Canonical, the company that runs the Ubuntu Linux distribution, will no longer distribute free CD. Since 2005, a program - Ships - could receive - free of charge and around the world - an optical medium containing the latest version of the distribution, now in version 11.4 in a few days. Canonical therefore stops the program in question, apparently in part for reasons of cost.

In fact, if physically distribute an operating system that can reach hundreds of MB made sense in 2005, we are in 2011 and broadband is developed enough that the download is no longer a problem. Canonical always distribute CDs through the LoCo (local community dedicated to Ubuntu) and the company says it is still possible to make a copy directly for distribution, Ubuntu is a free and open source.

DSS format SandForce DDR3

In servers, we sometimes lack of space to install storage devices, and Viking Modular offers a solution. Indeed, the company has announced a new line of SSDs "SATADIMM. The idea is simple: as the number of slots for hard drives is low in a 1U server, SSDs are installed in DIMM slots for DDR3, which are often numerous.

It has the ability to mount standard hard drives and SSD in the same machine. The SATADIMM actually use the DIMM connector to power the device, the data pass through a standard SATA connector 6 Gbit / s or SAS connector 6 Gbit / s. In both cases, the company announces 520 MB / S and 60000 IOPS, which indicates the use of a controller family SandForce 2000.

Texas Instruments buys National Semiconductor

Texas Instruments announced it would buy National Semiconductor for $ 6.5 billion paid in cash upon completion of the agreement. The takeover has already been approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Texas Instruments and pay $ 25 per share. The shares were trading at $ 14.07 yesterday.

At this price, TI hopes to reach 17 to 18% of units in the semiconductor market and recover the development teams as well as plants that are National in Scotland, USA and Malaysia. TI has announced that it would strengthen in the field of power management. It will, however, that the purchase is approved by regulators of markets, which should not in principle be a problem.

Apacer: 750 GB external 2.5 "USB 3.0

The manufacturer Apacer announced the launch of a new external hard drive, the AC230. Available in capacities of 500 GB, 640 GB and 750 GB, hard disk 2.5-inch display sizes of 124 x 80 x 14 mm and has a USB 3.0 interface, of course backward compatible with USB 2.0. A red LED next to the USB connector to charge elsewhere indicate, via a color code, the type of connection (red for the USB 2.0, blue for the USB 3.0).

Intel: new mobile CPUs we leave

The arrival of Sandy Bridge processors from Intel in the catalog grows logically towards the exit door the "old" CPU manufacturer. The founder has just announced that nine mobile models, including eight engraved in 32nm, were now dying. The SU2300 Celeron, Core i5-520M, 540M-i5, i5-520UM, 620M-i7, i7-620UM, 640UM i7, i7-i7-620LM and 640LM are thus forced to retire after several months of loyal service .

An infrared remote control for the Freebox

One of the shortcomings of the Freebox Revolution is the absence of infrared receiver. Indeed, if the remote that uses radio waves (ZigBee) is an advanced universal remote users often can not use their device. Free and does not seem to solve the problem because the hardware changes necessary. Fortunately, there are some solutions.

The first is to use a wireless keyboard via a USB port, which emulates a remote control or wireless keyboard - found on eBay -. The problem is that keyboards do not offer all the functions, only some commands are mapped to the keyboard. The second, more complicated to implement, but more effective is to build - literally - an infrared receiver.

Asus NAS-M25: NAS server with full protection.

Asus launches new NAS-M25 to enhance information management capacity of users, lets you back up quickly, easily and conveniently, besides the new ASUS model supports up to 256 concurrent connections UPnP and DLNA. Updated and recovery in record time. When the server NAS-M25 Asus has already created a full disk image every hour anger automatically updating a process which only takes about ten seconds, users can navigate through the images created and, if they need a recovery the education system and retrieve the desired image in less than 30 minutes, so with the new NAS-M25 ensures that the user does not suffer unnecessary loss of time to have a fully functional system.

Tom's Guide: should we fall for the iPad 2?

Our colleagues and neighbors at Tom's Hardware just published a feature on the Apple iPad 2 and its features and functionalities that may make you crack. New design, lower weight, new processor, HDMI output, or two cameras: should we fall for the iPad 2?

Cooler Master HAF 932 in the Advanced version

The manufacturer Cooler Master has unveiled a version of "Advanced" from the case HAF 932. In tower format, this model brings two new features compared to the HAF 932 classic all-black interior and USB 3.0 connectivity. Showing the dimensions of 243 x 560 x 564 mm and weighing 13.4 kg on the scale, the HAF 932 case resumed Advanced connector technology already on the previous model (4 x USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA and audio), the panel with two USB 3.0 additional occupant in turn one of six 5.25-inch bays.

The best configurations of April

This month marks the return among others in the best configurations of platforms Sandy Bridge, a motherboard equipped with the P67 chipset review or H67 B3 is now fully available. No less than 6 configurations succumb, as the case with the use of an i3 or i5, i3 even see 2100T for configurations with low consumption.

Playstation delayed shelf and NGP; Sony goes to confession

Howard Stringer, Sony PD-G, confirmed that his company planned to release a tablet PlayStation. Built on Android, it should be to play what Xperia iPad is the iPhone. Another official also spoke of a possible launch delay for the PSP 2. According to Japanese newspaper Nikkei quoted by Bloomberg, Mr. Stringer has formalized a new project that is known by the codename of S1.

The tablet would be a model PlayStation 9.4 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 800 carrying a Tegra SoC 2, Honeycomb, two photo sensors (one front and one rear), USB and an infrared port. S1 could play PS One games and integrate services and Qriocity Sony Music. It would be sold at $ 600.

Silverlight is also coming to Xbox 360

Microsoft will announce a version of Silverlight 5 for Xbox 360 next week at the MIX11 conference to be held in Las Vegas. The publisher has already announced plans to increase its API on the console. The next Microsoft conference was an opportunity to make a presentation in grand style. The issue is certainly important, because with the presence of Silverlight, developers have a multi-platform support for their applications.

The Sunday Quiz (S02E01) - on Facebook

And here's season 2 of our quizzes Sunday, after 10 episodes in Season 1. We will start strong, the goal is to try to guess what is the picture (yes, nothing changes). You have 24 hours to find the right answer, and another shot - easier - will then be posted on the Facebook page of Tom's Hardware. At the end of the season, we offer a small gift.

The scale? 2 points for the first who answers correctly in comments, 1 point for others. A second image, more "explicit" was posted on Facebook. The contest is over here. Good luck.

No shelf Dell Windows 7 before fall

Dell does not deliver its expected shelf Windows 7 before the fall. It is far behind HP and Asus, which are among the few manufacturers who dared take the step. Windows 7 is the system unloved shelves. HP announced a model in January 2010. The HP Slate was presented by Steve Ballmer himself. Palo Alto's finally abandon the original project.

The HP Slate has become a model in the world dedicated professionals (see "The HP Slate is not canceled, but as amended) and HP is now working on a model WebOS (see" Topaz, the HP Tablet webOS fully disclosed " ). Asus has taken over with the Eee Slate EP121 found recently on the market (see "Two tablets Asus).

Finepix Z900EXR: Fujifilm camera with a variable image sensor

In the High Resolution Mode, you use the full 16-Magapixel of the sensor. The setting is ideal for images that you want to print large format. The "Extended Dynamic Range" made at the same time on two different recordings, which assembles the camera to an image. Image areas of different brightness is like the Finepix characterized.

For shooting in low light, the camera is set to "High sensitivity and low noise." The Automatic combines two of the same color pixels on the sensor. This increases the surface area of each pixel, simultaneously, the camera's sensitivity. The operation of the Finepix is about just under nine inches wide touch screen.

AMD amend the supply agreement with GLOBALFOUNDRIES

AMD announced that it had amended its agreement with GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc for the supply of silicon wafers (Wafer Supply Agreement). The main purpose of the amendment relates to the revision of the pricing policy applicable to wafers delivered in 2011 for the APU and AMD microprocessors. The changes also includes the review of future increases in production of some certain ee GPU chipset.

Under the new hurried, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and AMD have agreed upon the delivery of a fixed number of wafers at 45nm and 32nm for each quarter of 2011. GLOBALFOUNDRIES AMD will pay a fixed price for 45nm wafers delivered in 2011 while the price for 32nm products will be based on the number of good die.