Thursday, April 28, 2011

Nintendo 3DS: Cautious launch

Since 26 February 2011 3DS Nintendo is on the market in Japan. Late March launched the pocket console to the world. How Satoru Iwata, president of the Japanese game manufacturer, on a 26 April 2011 announced that the launch has been worse than expected: "Since the second week are the sales of the 3DS below expectations - not only in Japan but also in the U.S. and Europe, where the earthquake had no direct impact." The reason this should include the problem that the added value of the 3D effect of the potential buyers could only give hard. Nintendo also had to explain to customers the new features of 3DS like better. Another reason for poor sales Iwata sees in recent games offer to 3DS.

The rebrand of the Radeon HD 5770 and 5750 reaches the retail market

Unfortunately, as expected, AMD has not kept his word a few months ago and launched solutions Radeon HD 6770 and HD 6770 is also on the retail market. It simply notes Radeon HD 5770 and HD 5750, architecture-based Juniper, renamed and updated with new firmware to support the unique 3D BluRay HDMI 1.4a.

Previously given only to the OEM market, these cards now calling on retail distribution channels at the hands of the main AIB partners of AMD. GalleriaE 'need the Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript support. E 'need the Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript support.

YouTube Founders buyDelicious bookmark service

So far belonged to the Internet company Yahoo. But driving a tough austerity in order to survive against great rival Google. This also speculation that austerity measures threatened to fall victim to Delicious, where users share their Internet bookmarks with one another. Financial details of the transaction is the buyers were silent.

Hurley and Chen had sold 2006, the video portal YouTube for startling 1.65 billion U.S. dollars to Google.

Sony enters the world of tablet 'for fun'

Sony also decided to enter the arena of the tablet with two solutions based on Google Android to be released later this year. The two Sony devices and Sony Tablet Tablet S1 and S2 are designed primarily for fun thinking through its compatibility with PlayStation games. Both devices are based on Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb and use a new concept of chassis.

The S1 model, with 9.4-inch screen, uses an elongated teardrop form factor with the center of gravity moved upwards and the S2 model, with dual 5.5-inch screen, but has a rounded shape and resealable . From the standpoint of the hardware platform, Sony has used for the S1 platform Tegra 2 controller combined with a Wi-Fi and 3G/4G.

AMD Catalyst 4.11 Drivers Available

AMD has updated its Catalyst driver package with the version 4.11 with WHQL certification for video cards Radeon HD 2000, HD 3000, HD 4000, HD 5000 and HD 6000. We find the performance gains seen earlier on Catalyst 4.11 Preview 2 along with other optimizations for various 3D titles. The package also includes new features for the display control and management of configurations Eyefinity and complements the Catalyst update system that alerts the user of the availability of a new driver update.

SLI with AMD 990FX chipset, 990x and 970

Some sources have recently licensed its NVIDIA SLI technology in some motherboard manufacturers planning to launch models based on AM3 + 990FX Chipset, 990x or 970. In practice, this means that manufacturers like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI or ASRock will now be able to produce AM3 motherboards and SLI + CrossFireX compatible.

Until recently, NVIDIA refused because AMD platforms to benefit from SLI, but that decision had no place to be, the manufacturer no longer producing chipsets itself for some time. AMD is therefore on an equal footing with Intel regarding multi-GPU platforms.

Kingston HyperX Plug and Play: High Performance Memory.

Kingston Introduces New RAM, high-performance HyperX called Plug and Play, will be available both for desktop and laptop. PnP HyperX modules are the first to reach the high fees that come with the second generation of Intel CPUs Core i5 and i7, these memory modules are programmed with faster frequencies, and when connected to a system that uses the chipset Sandy Bridge, go on automatically at 1600MHz or 1866MHz both desktops and laptops.

A Blu-ray USB 3.0 Plextor

Intel Chipset features 7 Series

Gradually, as time passes and the launch date of Intel processors Ivy Bridge approaches, week after week we discover details about the Series 7 chipsets that accompany those chips. USB 3.0, SATA III, PCI-Express 3.0 The Z77, Z75 and H77 and should handle up to three simultaneous video outputs (VGA, DVI, HDMI and / or DisplayPort) and support future Ivy Bridge but also the current Sandy Bridge.

iOS 5.0 in mop

While the controversy over iOS 4. x and its localization management is under way, Apple is testing visibly iOS 5.0. This system, which encrypts the data in question according to Apple - is expected at the same time as the next iPhone. The company generally has linked the release of an iPhone OS version 5.0 and should not depart from the rule.

For now, the beta is not available, but developers have been bug reports indicating iOS 5.0 as a system. We do not know the correct news, but we can expect one thing: the total abandonment of the iPhone 3G and iPod touch second generation. For now, iOS 4. x is still running on the models in question, even if version 4.3.

A MEMS harvest energy from our movement

Researchers at the University of Michigan say they have developed the first MEMS piezoelectric capable of generating ten times more energy than traditional systems. Specifically, a MEMS size of a U.S. cent would be enough to power an implanted medical device or wireless sensors on a car. The set has a volume of only 27 mm 3, but little harvest of 200 microwatts of energy from a vibration of 1.5 g.

Acer Z5763: an All-In-One Bridge and Sandy 3D

The Z5763 Acer should, unless last-minute surprises, make its appearance on European soil next month. This all-in-One includes a screen 23-inch Full HD compatible 3D platform and Sandy Bridge. We thus find a CPU-2400 i5, i5-i7-2600 or 2500s, depending on version, up to 16 GB of RAM, a GeForce GT 440 or GT435M up to 2 TB of storage space and a combo Blu -ray/DVD.

Controllers Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 are also available, along with a memory card reader, a 2 MP webcam and two integrated 5W speaker. A TV tuner is finally available as an option. Comes with Windows 7 Home Basic or Premium, or Linpus Linux, the Aspire Z5763 is expected at a rate of 999 pounds or 1125 euros.

TDJ: P67 Express, Corsair HS1A

Our fellow Cowcotland recently posted a review of HS1A Corsair, a headset that covers a spectrum from 20 to 20,000 Hz with its 50 mm speakers. The microphone cover for its spectrum ranging from 200 to 10000 Hz But what about comfort, sound quality or finish of the whole? For their part, our colleagues at the Counter of the Hardware just upload a file consisting of three tests P67 motherboards, namely P8P67 Deluxe, P67A and P67A-GD65-UD5.

Larsen Creek: SSD "cache Intel

Asrock, in which a PDF is no longer online, shows the function of "SSD cache" that will be offered with the Z68 Express. And obviously, Intel will offer a dedicated SSD, the "Larsen Creek, with a capacity of 20 GB The documentation talks about the technology" Intel Smart Response ", which allows coupling the SSD in question with a conventional hard disk.

According Asrock, PCMark 05 index increased from 6 149 to 28 009 and the starting time from 35.2 seconds to 28.36 seconds. It remains to see the price of SSD in question and whether a technology "integrated" like the Momentus XT is not faster. Note that the "Larsen Creek" is officially known as the Intel 311, which indicates a priori MSAT format.

Catalyst 11.4 are here

AMD has released Catalyst 11.4. Program, there are the usual bug fixes, performance enhancements, along with any changes in the GUI. We had already given a foretaste of changes in Catalyst Control Center in our current "AMD Catalyst 11.4: Overview of new products"). The manufacturer has also optimized its Vision Engine Control Center.

Regarding the performance in games, there is improvement from 8% to 20% in Call of Duty, Black Ops, Battleforge, Batman Arkham Asylum, Civilization 5, Far Cry 2 Just Cause 2 and Lost Planet 2 and others. Finally, among the bug fixes, it should be noted that the GPU only gets more performance mode when running Firefox 4, PowerDVD does not crash when Crossfire is enabled or disabled when playing a Blu- ray and the artifacts have disappeared under Heaven's DirectX 11 benchmark.

Happy birthday ... integrated circuit (50)

On April 25, 1961, the patent was filed in the integrated circuit. It was not the first time the integration of several transistors on the same chip was considered (Jack Kilby had patented systems of this type in 1958) but the patent of 1961 is the first to use silicon - still used Nowadays - as the basis for the integrated circuit.

The term "integrated circuit" is very broad, ranging from simple assembly of transistors of an amplifier to the billions of transistors on a modern processor. In the majority of integrated circuits, it still uses a common basis: a silicon wafer, whose size varies depending on the technologies, and interconnections with copper or aluminum between transistors.

Asus BW-12D1S-U: New Blue-Ray burner.

Asus presents its new Blu-Ray recorder BW-12D1S-U which is positioned as the fastest on the market, offering speeds up to 12x and features USB 3.0 technology. With the addition of this recorder to your offer, the firm Asus currently has the widest range of Blu-ray devices market, including internal and external recorders, combos and players with 3D support, all characterized by a speed unmatched and a very careful design.

Intel SSDs will be manufactured by Lite-On

Lite-On would have received an order to make Intel SSDs using a Marvell controller. That's what our colleagues at DigiTimes reports that explain that Lite-On should be responsible for assembling the Intel NAND chips and controller to produce a compatible SSD SATA 3 Gb / s. The firm had also received similar orders from Dell and Plextor.

If these reports are confirmed, this would mean that Intel would be preparing its next generation of SSD. One imagines that this is the range of chips using 20 nm (see "Intel announces flash memory in 20 nm).

Everything passes in touch, even the BIOS

The touch is in vogue, is a fact. And Gigabyte has understood this, showing a "Touch BIOS, usable with fingers on a touch screen. The firmware for PC is actually based on UEFI technology - which became the standard on newer motherboards - but naturally includes an emulator that BIOS for older operating systems like Windows XP running.

In fact, we are left with large colorful buttons, but the fundamentals of the interface does not change. It's basically a pretty interface recarrossage austere traditional BIOS. Still remember that the BIOS is not a graphic novel and it did not take RIL to offer something visually pleasing.

Elpida launches its 30 nm DRAM

Elpida said it will begin mass production of 30 nm DRAM etched next month. The firm had sent copies of the first test last December (see "The DDR3 SO-DIMM Elpida consumes less") and is now preparing for their marketing. She initially allocate 20% of its production to these new chips to increase to 30% next quarter.

It will initially produce modules of 2 Gb, then will move to 4 Gb DDR3 in three months. The firm says that this new fine engraving offers 45% higher yields at 40 nm and the diseases consume 20% less energy. Elpida will also appeal to Rexchip plants that will dedicate 50% of its production capacity for these new chips.

Chat with Intel to 16 H on Tom's Hardware

A few months ago, we permit you to ask your questions directly to representatives of Intel, via a chat. We reproduce this experience today with a live chat module Intel directly accessible from our homepage. You can then from 16 hours to ask all your questions, especially those concerning the second generation of Intel Core and Core vPro functionality provided by this new range and improvements in the area of remote management and security .

Case PSN attention to your bank account

The first credit card fraud resulting from the breach of security servers and Playstation Network Qriocity prompted U.S. consumers to complain. It is recommended to monitor their account or to object to your card if you bought online content on your PS3. When we reported yesterday that Sony thought that the banking information of its customers were potentially compromised with the rest of personal data (see "PlayStation Network information is compromised), we were very careful to use the same level of conditional probability that Sony used in its press release.