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Posts Tagged ‘computer’

My first clear thought is, “OK, this is going to hurt.”

I’m standing on a Freebord, a skateboard that’s been modified to ride more like a snowboard. It has two extra wheels on the center axis that spin freely, allowing you to swoop and slide around on the pavement.

This is my very first time riding one, and although I’m gliding down a fairly gentle slope, I’m quickly picking up speed and realizing that I don’t really know how to control the thing. The pavement is getting blurry and I’m getting scared. I’m looking for a … [Read More...]

And we feel the need to clarify that we’re not being literal with that headline, seeing as a certain other game recently attempted to enter geosynchronous orbit because, well, marketers do the darndest things. At any rate, Ken Levine’s magical/society-damning cloud adventure now has an official release date of October 16. This is, of course, a reason to get obnoxiously excited, seeing as the game’s mix of character interaction, high-flying combat, and higher-flying steampunk nightmare birds has looked positively excellent so far. Also, 1999 mode strikes us as an interesting alternative approach to difficulty, even if we’ll go skydiving without a parachute before we … [Read More...]

Curvy as a chanteuse and as bright-eyed as a Hollywood musical, the Fisker Karma is a blue-sky vision of a green future, a 5,600-pound sedan born from the unlikely marriage of low-slung looks and guilt-free consumption.

But in the four years since it debuted as a concept car in 2008, the Karma has also grown to represent what can go south in this modern era of high-stakes automotive startups. Oft-delayed and priced at $102,000, 20 percent more expensive than originally anticipated, the Karma was recently slapped with lower-than-expected … [Read More...]

Microsoft wasn’t the only company releasing Windows 8 Consumer Preview software yesterday. If you’re rocking a Radeon graphics card, you’ll be happy to hear that AMD rolled out new Catalyst drivers specifically tailored for the prerelease OS, complete with supports for Windows 8′s WDDM 1.2 features.

Actually, you might not be pleased to hear the news if you’ve plunked down cash for one of the latest and greatest Radeon HD 7000 GPUs, since the update doesn’t support that family of hardware. AMD promises you early adopters will get Consumer Preview drivers of your own “in the coming weeks,” though.

Here’s … [Read More...]

Earlier today, Microsoft released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview (beta) at the 2012 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, giving the general public an opportunity to preview Windows 8 on existing x86 systems and provide feedback. But Microsoft’s “Consumer Preview” event wasn’t just all about the beta released today for x86-based PCs. The company also showcased a number of Windows 8 on ARM devices at today’s event.  Hit the jump for more.

Among the devices showcased today were tablets powered by ARM-based SoCs from NVIDIA (Tegra 3), Qualcomm (Snapdragon S4) and Texas Instruments (OMAP5430). Microsoft also announced a seeding program … [Read More...]

Happy Windows 8 Consumer Preview day! Or, rather, happy day-after-Windows-8…. you get the idea. As an astute Maximum PC reader, you’re no doubt itching to get your hands on a not-quite-final build of Windows 8 to tinker around with.

But here’s the problem: You like using your current operating system. In fact, you probably have a great number of files, applications, and games all intertwined with your current operating system. And the absolute last thing you want to do – aside from learning how to use the Metro UI (we kid, we kid) – is back up everything within your … [Read More...]

After two weeks with the Lytro camera, I still can’t decide if it’s a highly refined proof-of-concept or an uneven look at the future of photography. It’s simultaneously addictive and frustrating. It’s also, as advertised, a truly unique photographic experience.

If you missed the hype surrounding the announcement of Lytro’s light-field camera last year, the short explanation is that it allows you to focus your photos after you’ve taken them.

That’s the addictive part. No Lytro photo is ever finished. You can continually readjust an image to focus on the foreground, middle, or background merely by clicking … [Read More...]

Moments ago in Barcelona, we announced the release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, available to download now for anyone interested in trying it out. We’ve been hard at work for many months now, and while we still have lots more to do, we’re excited to show you our progress with the latest preview of the new operating system. I’m a writer on the Windows team, and over the next few weeks, I’ll be publishing a series of posts here on the Windows Experience Blog about what you can expect to see in Windows 8, tips for navigating the new operating … [Read More...]

Be still, our pulsating nostalgia glands. Could there finally be another… ? No. No. We won’t get our hopes up. Even if, you know, Beamdog – a company fronted by former BioWare designer Trent Oster – has commandeered BaldursGate.com and given the whole thing a tease-tacular modern makeover. And even though Oster definitely said, “We’re not related to the Steam complete edition, I can tell you that much. Other than that, we’re hoping to announce something soon.” And even though the site’s source code has skipped its way to a masterful breadcrumb trail of hints, including references to the Infinity Engine and the … [Read More...]

One million dollars. That’s how much Dr. Evil initially wanted for a stolen nuclear warhead, and it’s the same amount Google plans to dole out through various rewards at the CanSecWest security conference to participants who discover full and partial Chrome exploits, as well as bugs in programs than can be a threat to Chrome. The $1 million fund is something Google is doing on its own, as the sultan of search has chosen to withdraw its participation from CanSecWest’s annual Pwn2Own contest.

“Originally, our plan was to sponsor as part of this year’s Pwn2Own competition. Unfortunately, we decided to … [Read More...]

This stripped-down desktop package is aimed at senior citizens and billed as “quite possibly the world’s easiest computer.” We sent one to Peggy Clay, the 67-year-old aunt of one of our photo editors. Here are her first impressions.

“When I open the box there’s just the keyboard, mouse, monitor thing, and a little nine-page manual. The cables and holes have different shapes, so connecting it is easy. There’s a sticker that says using the touchscreen is optional. That’s good, because I keep automatically going to the mouse. OK, let’s try e-mail. Oh, doggonit! Right to the mouse! … [Read More...]

I love a good deal. I’m queen of discount shopping, double coupons and re-using everything in my home. So, one shouldn’t be surprised that I’m psyched to have Best Buy join us for this week’s Tech Tuesday Live Twitter Chat. The specialty tech retailer has had a great deal running this month where you will get all the data transferred from your old PC to your new one if you buy any PC in the Microsoft Premium Collection for FREE. Yep, that saves you $99.99.

For those who don’t know, the Microsoft Premium Collection at Best Buy is a collection … [Read More...]

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy Note is rich with top-of-the-line features. It has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel camera, all tied to AT&T’s speedy 4G LTE network.

But see the Note in the flesh and you’ll notice one thing above all else: its massive 5.3-inch display.

The screen is positively gigantic. Comically huge to the point of shame. Closer to a tablet than a phone, the Note dwarfs the iPhones and Droids around it. Hold it up to your face to make a call and everyone around you laughs. Seriously, it never gets old.… [Read More...]

We’ve never been so confused about a processor launch date as we are now. Actually, it’s Intel that appears the most confuzzled over when exactly Ivy Bridge will make its official debut, as conflicting and incomplete reports continue to surface. The latest we’re hearing is that Ivy Bridge is definitely being delayed until June, but let’s back up a moment and see if we can make some sense of it all.

News of an Ivy Bridge delay first surfaced a couple of weeks ago when DigiTimes reported it was hearing that Intel was intentionally pushing back Ivy Bridge’s launch so … [Read More...]

The Windows Phone team has been keeping the Champaign on ice for months now waiting for a reason to celebrate, and that moment may have finally arrived. According to market research firm Strategy Analytics, Nokia has surged pasted HTC and Samsung to become the single largest manufacturer of Windows Phone devices. This is pretty impressive when you consider that the Lumia lineup is only just now hitting the market in full force, and already accounts for 33 percent of all Windows Phone handsets sold. 

Many questioned Nokia’s decision to throw its fate in with Microsoft, and while it’s a bit … [Read More...]

Has it already been almost five months since AMD’s Bulldozer chips launched? Somehow, it has — and that means it’s time for the old info train to start rolling about Bulldozer’s follow up, better known as “Piledriver.” AMD has apparently been paying attention to our pleas for better, faster, MOAR because this week the company announced it was licensing new resonant clock mesh technology from Cyclos Semiconductor to help push Piledriver’s clock speed over the 4GHz barrier.

The Cyclos technology fit right into the standard design and manufacturing processes AMD already had established for Piledriver, so its implementation shouldn’t delay … [Read More...]