TechSpot

Seagate unveils 2.5" 600GB 10K-RPM enterprise HDD

Matthew DeCarlo — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 17:20 -0500

Seagate has introduced what it claims is the world's highest-capacity, most reliable small form factor enterprise hard drive, the Savvio 10K.4. The drive is made in 450GB and 600GB capacities (twice as much as its nearest competitor), boasts a spindle speed of 10,000RPM, a MTBF of two million hours, and crams it all into a 2.5-inch form factor.

Intel Core i5-based MacBook Pros coming soon?

Matthew DeCarlo — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 16:14 -0500

Evidence suggests that Apple is preparing to refresh its MacBook Pro notebook line. It's said that a Best Buy employee uploaded images to a forum that show the current 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo has been removed from the company's database.

WiLink 7.0 packs WLAN, GPS, Bluetooth, and FM transmit/receive in one chip

Matthew DeCarlo — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 15:24 -0500

Texas Instruments has unveiled the industry's first single quad-radio package, incorporating WLAN 802.11n, GPS, FM transmit/receive, and Bluetooth technologies in one 65nm chip. The WiLink 7.0 boasts several benefits, including a 30% cost reduction, it requires 50% less space, and superior coexistence performance than existing solutions.

Google intros Buzz, a social media app for Gmail

Matthew DeCarlo — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 14:23 -0500

As previously speculated, Google has introduced a new social feature for Gmail. Called Buzz, the service is a continuation of Google's attempt to "find relevance in the noise" that congests services like Twitter. Not long back, Google introduced real-time search, Social Search, and Wave...

Microsoft: Windows 7 battery alert feature works fine, check your batteries

Matthew DeCarlo — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 13:30 -0500

Microsoft has concluded that Windows 7's battery alert feature is functioning properly, despite numerous user claims to the contrary. Redmond performed a series of tests to determine if its latest operating system was erroneously warning users of a battery issue, and in each of those scenarios the notification only showed if the battery was actually performing below certain standards.

AMD talks up its first Fusion chip, the Llano APU

Jose Vilches — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 13:00 -0500

AMD has been talking up its Fusion microprocessor plans for quite some time, ever since it acquired ATI for $5.4 billion in 2006, but for the most part the company has abstained from discussing its upcoming GPU/CPU hybrid in detail. Having missed its original May 2009 launch timeframe, and with Intel's Westmere CPUs featuring built-in graphics already out, it seems AMD is now ready to share a litt...

Nvidia automates switchable mobile graphics with Optimus

Jose Vilches — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:36 -0500

After teasing the technology back in January, Nvidia has finally thrown back the curtain on Optimus and is promising notebook users the full performance benefits of a discrete GPU with the battery life of an integrated graphics solution. In a nutshell, it allows notebooks to dynamically switch between graphics systems without any user interaction.

News around the web: The Real-Time Revolution

Erik Orejuela — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:00 -0500

The Real-Time Revolution @ Forbes

ATI Radeon HD 5570 Review

Julio Franco — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:07 -0500

It's self-evident how AMD has kept us busy over the last few months, showing us new generation GPUs aiming at all possible price points. From the performance-oriented HD 5850/5870, to the mainstream HD 5770 and the extreme dual-GPU powered HD 5970. The budget models had to wait a bit longer.

Netflix to roll out 1080p streaming later this year

Matthew DeCarlo — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 19:11 -0500

Netflix will reportedly add 1080p streaming and 5.1 surround sound to its portfolio later this year -- though the initial audience may be slim. The service currently offers 720p streaming when paired with an HD-friendly system, such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Roku, which typically requires a connection speed of about 5Mb/s or better. Streaming media in 1080p may require an even faster conn...

Google to launch Twitter-like service for Gmail

Matthew DeCarlo — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 17:35 -0500

Google reportedly plans to add a Twitter-like service to Gmail later this week. Twitter, in case this is your first day on the Web, is a microblogging service that allows users to post messages of up to 140 characters, which are displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to subscribers. Facebook also offers a status update system.

Intel unveils Itanium 9300 series enterprise processors

Matthew DeCarlo — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 16:36 -0500

Intel revealed its Itanium 9300 series today, which more than doubles the performance of its predecessor. Codenamed Tukwila, the new four-core design packs two billion transistors and boasts an 800% increase in system interconnect bandwidth, as much as a 500% gain in memory bandwidth, and up to 700% more memory capacity.

AMD's six-core Thuban to have feature like Turbo Boost?

Matthew DeCarlo — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 14:58 -0500

Sources close to AMD said the company's six-core Thuban processors have some form of dynamic speed boost technology called "C-state performance boost." Intel has incorporated a similar feature into certain Core i5 and i7 processors called Turbo Boost, which allows an operating system to adjust the clock frequencies of a CPU's cores based on performance requirements and the chip's TDP specification...

Sharp and Samsung end LCD patent suits with cross-licensing agreement

Matthew DeCarlo — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 14:30 -0500

Sharp and Samsung have called truce after nearly three years of bickering over LCD panel and module patents. The electronic-makers have inked a cross-licensing agreement that ends all ongoing patent infringement suits, and gives each firm access to patents owned by the other. Bound by a confidentiality pact, neither company will disclose details of the terms, but the conditions are in favor of Sha...

China closes major hacker ring, arrests three members

Jose Vilches — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 13:40 -0500

Chinese authorities today announced a major bust against computer hackers in hopes of placating recent criticism that they are not doing enough to help enhance global online security. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, local police forces have shut down what they called the country's biggest hacker training website and arrested three people linked to the site's operation.

IBM launches next generation Power 7 CPU, servers

Julio Franco — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 09:30 -0500

IBM is set to launch its long anticipated Power 7 processor today, in hopes of keeping a competitive edge against main competitors in the Unix server business Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard.

Windows 7 overtakes Vista among enthusiasts, plus other interesting trends

Julio Franco — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 07:00 -0500

Just last week we were discussing Net Apps' data about OS usage and browser preferences, where Windows 7 was hitting a 10% worldwide market share by the end of January. That's an estimate for the general population, but how about PC enthusiasts and gamers?

News around the web: Twitpics in Space

Erik Orejuela — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 06:30 -0500

Twitpics in Space @ PCWorld

Microsoft rumored to showcase Windows Mobile 7 next week with Zune-like interface

Julio Franco — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 02:28 -0500

During the weekend rumors surfaced about Microsoft showing a revamped Windows Mobile OS platform next week at the Mobile World Congress. Generally considered a laggard in the smartphone space, Microsoft is expected to finally move forward with its mobile OS roadmap this year after a lukewarm reception to the 6.5 update released last October.

Weekend tech reading: Microsoft to patch 17-year-old bug

Matthew DeCarlo — Sat, 6 Feb 2010 11:37 -0500

Microsoft to patch 17-year-old computer bug The February update for Windows will close the loophole that dates from the time of the DOS operating system. First appearing in Windows NT 3.1, the vulnerability has been carried over into almost every version of Windows that has appeared since. BBC

Steam weekend sale: Far Cry Complete for $14.99

Matthew DeCarlo — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 18:38 -0500

Steam is offering up another fine weekend sale with 50% off Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition. They can be purchased individually for $4.99 and $9.99 or as a package for $14.99.

LGA 775 holds 77% share in 2009, 50% 2010

Matthew DeCarlo — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 16:44 -0500

Socket T hasn't caught much press lately with all the buzz around Intel's LGA 1156 and 1366-based processors, but the elderly platform dates back to the late days of the Pentium 4. Despite its age, LGA 775 still claimed 77% of sales last year, and will seize about 50% this year according the Intel's projections -- more than the company's two new desktop platforms combined.

Microsoft axes Xbox Live for first-gen consoles, games

Matthew DeCarlo — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 15:20 -0500

Microsoft's Marc Whitten announced in a blog post today that the company would discontinue Xbox LIVE for original Xbox consoles and games, including both titles for the first-generation Xbox and Xbox Originals. The switch to Xbox 360-only service will take place on April 15, so you still have a couple months to squeeze in some Halo 2 multiplayer action.

Patch Tuesday to plug 26 holes in Windows and Office

Matthew DeCarlo — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 13:26 -0500

Microsoft plans to issue an extensive update next Tuesday, with 13 security bulletins listed in its advance notification -- most of which are deemed high-priority. The release will tie last October's Patch Tuesday for the most security bulletins issued in a single month.

Dell Precision M6500 gets dual-core Intel CPUs, USB 3.0

Matthew DeCarlo — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 11:56 -0500

In addition to the new 13-inch Latitude, Dell's Precision M6500 is receiving a handful of upgrades. The business-minded notebook is said to be the "world's most powerful mobile workstation" and while it's already available with Intel's Core i7 quad-core processors (including the 920XM), some dual-core i5 and i7 configurations are expected later this month. Not only would this offer power savings, ...

News around the web: Google Lets Kids Design Logo

Erik Orejuela — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 11:30 -0500

Google Lets Kids Design Next Logo @ Google

TechSpot's PC Buying Guide: Always up to date!

Julio Franco — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 05:57 -0500

Over the years we've received numerous praises for our PC Buying Guide, nevertheless there was always the issue with recency. With prices changing every week and components coming and going, the guide's worth simply degraded until we eventually got to rewrite it a few months later.

Amazon gearing up to take on Apple's iPad?

Matthew DeCarlo — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 19:07 -0500

Amazon seems to be gathering resources to launch a touch-enabled Kindle e-reader. The company is reportedly purchasing Touchco, a startup specializing in touchscreen technologies. The firm of six will be merged into Amazon's Kindle hardware division upon acquisition. Terms of the agreement remain under wraps, and an Amazon spokewoman declined to comment on speculation, as did Touchco's co-founder....

Corsair preps a range of new 2.5" and 3.5" SSDs

Matthew DeCarlo — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 18:10 -0500

Corsair has introduced a fresh pair of 2.5-inch SSD lines, Nova and Reactor. Each series is comprised of two products: Nova brings 64GB and 128GB drives, while Reactor carries 60GB and 120GB models.

HP quietly intros $600 Core i3-equipped G62T laptop

Matthew DeCarlo — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:47 -0500

HP has quietly slipped out a new laptop prepared to tackle everyday computing tasks, the G62T. At $600, the base unit offers a 15.6-inch 1366x768 LED display, an Intel Core i3-330M and integrated HD graphics, 2GB of DDR3 RAM (free upgrade to 3GB at the moment), a 160GB 7200RPM HDD, a DVD burner, a six-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.