News Category
September 15th, 2011 | 
We took a look at the Ooma Telo recently, and found that this almost free VoIP service was a great solution for penny pinchers. Ooma’s Telo bay station connects to your home network and offers nearly unlimited calls, and all you have to pay is a few bucks in taxes. Today, Ooma has announced the system is getting a refresh with a new wireless adapter and free Bluetooth capability.
Ooma previously required a direct ethernet connection to operate, though the handset itself was cordless. This was our primary gripe with the device; the wired set up was a bit of … [Read More...]
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Tags: If you’re anything like the rest of the human race, you’re probably chomping at the bit to get your hands on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. That in mind, Bethesda’s latest tantalizing batch of Skyrim eye (and eye only) candy should be considered the most heinous of torture tactics. The new footage is stuffed to the brim with a bit of everything – swordfighting, dual-wielding, spells of all shapes and propensities for causing hilarious ragdoll deaths, murky dungeons, and, of course, dragons. So obviously, it looks incredible. Almost makes up for the heart-shattering news that Bethesda passed on the rights to … [Read More...]
Why go for the gold when platinum is within reach? That’s the question Enermax asked itself when designing its new Platimax power supply series, which brings the 80 Plus Platinum certification bling, the highest 80 Plus certification available in the U.S. What that stamp means is that the Platimax line has been certified at least 95 percent efficient at 50 percent typical load and no less than 91 percent efficient when fully loaded.
The Platimax line is available in 600W, 750W, 850W, 1000W, and 1200W models, making it suitable for modest systems on up to heavy-duty dream machines and industrial … [Read More...]
The hype and anticipation continues to build for AMD’s upcoming Bulldozer launch, and all with nary a peep from AMD. It isn’t that AMD isn’t talking about Bulldozer — it is, and AMD just recently announced revenue shipments of its first Bulldozer processors (for servers) — it’s just that AMD has yet to reveal any specifics, like a release date, clockspeeds, and pricing information, leaving the Internet to do its thing.
Recent rumors suggest AMD doesn’t plan to Bulldoze(r) the desktop market until the fourth quarter, which will see the launch of two quad-core chips (FX-4100 and FX-4170), a six-core … [Read More...]
Apple has gone to war with just about anyone who dares to compete with its iOS lineup, suing where possible and spreading FUD when they can’t. Before the lawyers ever threw the first punch however, there was the original rivalry, Apple vs. Adobe. Many analysts believed that Steve Job’s unwillingness to embrace flash would be the death of the platform, but amazingly, it thrived. HTML5 video spread across the web like wildfire, starting with YouTube, and moving to just about every content creation site worth visiting. Adobe put up a brave front, but has finally thrown in the towel, and … [Read More...]
The next technology darling to head for an initial public offering (IPO) could be the stellar note taking service Evernote, Reuters is reporting. Evernote CEO Phil Libin told Reuter that an IPO is inevitable, but they were not rushing into anything. Considering the trouble Groupon has had, that sounds wise.
Evernote has upwards of 14 million users, 500,000 of which pay $5 per month for premium accounts. Evernote has an app for most mobile platforms, a web interface, and a desktop client. Users can upload plain text, images, and audio to keep their lives in order. The explosion in mobile … [Read More...]
The majority of you are PC gamers born and bred, so Hard Reset is a game that absolutely needs to be blowing your radar to tiny little pieces and then laser-blasting those pieces to a fine powder for good measure. It’s an old-school “What the hell’s cover? Oh well, it’d probably just stop me from killing everything that moves” shooter to its very core, but done up in gorgeous cyberpunk style. On top of that, it heralds from a developer comprised primarily of folks who previously worked on Painkiller and The Witcher. Oh, and the studio’s CEO won’t stop saying … [Read More...]
Through a series of BIOS updates, Gigabyte last month announced it added native support for PCI Express Gen. 3 technology on over 40 of its existing motherboards, and along with support for Intel’s 22nm Ivy Bridge processors, it was a solid announcement for system builders looking to future proof. At least it should have been, only MSI is taking Gigabyte to task over its PCI-E Gen. 3 claims.
This isn’t some off-the-cuff remark being blown out of proportion by the media, either. MSI put together a multi-page PDF document filled with marketing slides explaining exactly why it thinks Gigabyte is … [Read More...]
So what if summer is over, the weather is still good for fishing, and AMD is hoping to reel in entry-level system builders working on a tight budget. The bait? A pair of new Fusion-powered A-series accelerated processing units (APUs), the A4-3300 and A4-3400. With the introduction of the A4-3300, the cost of entry for a desktop APU is now just $70, or at least that’s where AMD wants it to be at.
Fresh out of the factory, not a whole lot of vendors are stocked up on these new chips just yet, and the few that are have them … [Read More...]
There’s a new version of GPU-Z available for download (version 0.5.5) that now fully recognizes AMD A-Series Fusion processors. In addition, the latest build adds support for numerous videocards not previously recognized, fixes a shader count detection issue for Blackcomb (mobile AMD Cayman), adds a PowerColor hardware giveaway, and more.
Support for a dozen Nvidia GPUs were added to the latest build, including Nvidia GeForce GT 560 Ti OEM, GT 545, GT 530, GeForce GTX 580M, GT 555M GeForce 520MX, GT 520M, 510M, 305M, Quadro 5000, Quadro 4000M, and Quadro 400. On the AMD side, the list isn’t quite as … [Read More...]
NEC just expanded its MultiSync P Series with a new 24-inch display built for monitor snobs who wouldn’t consider touching a Twisted Nematic (TN) panel with a 40-foot pole. The MultiSynic P241W (or P241W-BK-SV if shelling out for the SpectraView II version) sports an e-IPS panel NEC claims is ideal for Web graphics and photography chores.
In case you’re wondering, e-IPS is one of the newer breeds of In-Plane Switching panels and is considered a sub-category of H-IPS. By using a simplified subpixel structure and wider aperture for light transmission, e-IPS panels can get away with a lower quality (and … [Read More...]
Linux end users may not have to worry about malware too often, but apparently, folks who like to roll their own code still draw the attention of hackers. Kernel.org, the online repository of the Linux kernel, is reporting that it fell victim to a security breach in August. Don’t start screaming and unplugging your Ubuntu PCs just quite yet, though – the administrators believe the attack only compromised users who accessed the kernel.org site, and not the Linux source code itself.
Kernel.org discovered the breach on August 10th. The attacker gained root access on the website’s Hera server, probably via … [Read More...]
The rumors have been swirling for months, but according to CNBC, a Facebook music platform is set to launch in September. The source claims that Facebook will be partnering with some music streaming heavyweights in Spotify, Pandora, and MOG. Facebook is staying silent, but the frequency and specificity of the rumors lead most to believe something is coming soon.
The date of September 22 is being floated for an announcement, which coincides with the Facebook F8 conference. There are already ways to connect music services with Facebook Connect, but the site would benefit from keeping people logged on while they … [Read More...]
What’s your favorite ISO mounting program? Daemon Tools Lite? Alcohol 120%? There are plenty of options out there, but regardless of which application you’re using at the moment, you may consider kicking it to the curb with the arrival of Windows 8. We’ve already tipped you off about the ribbon-based interface in Microsoft’s upcoming OS; now comes word that Windows 8 will be able to mount ISO files (and VHDs, too!) natively.
That gush of wind you just heard was the relieved exhalation of millions of gamers and movie buffs. Microsoft decided to (finally) implement the ability to mount ISOs … [Read More...]
Legal battles over alleged copyright infringement are nothing new, but the recording industry may be blazing new trails with its most recent action. More than two dozen recording labels have gotten together in Japan to sue the owners of a YouTube downloader site called TubeFire. They are demanding more than $3 million in damages.
TubeFire not only allows user to download the video files for a YouTube video, but to extract the audio track as an mp3. The suit, filed on August 19, claims that this process of copying, converting, and distributing the content is an infringement. The $3 million … [Read More...]
LG is not really a name associated with laptops, but that isn’t stopping the Korean company from taking its new LG A530 15-inch gaming laptop on a worldwide tour. Why take it on tour? This device has a high-resolution HD 3D screen, and that just doesn’t come across in pictures. So what can you expect?
The A530 will come with your choice of Core i3, i5, or i7 CPUs. A Nvidia GeForce GT 555 mobile GPU will be pushing pixels around that 3D screen. Buyers can add up to 8GB of RAM if they like. There is even an option … [Read More...]
Metro 2033 was many things – atmospheric, frightening, jaw-droppingly gorgeous – but it wasn’t perfect. Enter Metro: Last Light. 4AGames is going all out with the sequel to its underground hit, and it’s dropped a whopping 12-minute gameplay demo to prove it. To be sure, this demo’s a bit heavier on the slow-mo gunsplosions than 2033, but 4AGames assures us that the final game will still pack just as many gritty, grimy sense-engulfing moments of pure immersion as its predecessor. So then – no longer burdened by that burning question – grab some popcorn, sit back, and consider building a … [Read More...]
DRAM chip makers can quit singing the summertime blues, but only because autumn is right around the corner and not because prices and profits are up. There was a point when making memory chips was almost like printing money, at least before the market got turned on its head. Now things are at an all time low.
According to news and rumor site DigiTimes, DRAM chip suppliers face continued falling prices as the result of an oversupply. The spot price for 2Gb (gigabit) DDR3 tumbled below $1, with some types of chips (same-density effectively tested, or eTT) dropping all the … [Read More...]
