Posts in PC & Peripherals
Vista SP2 beta due this week
Ina Fried | Oct 28, 2008
The next update to Windows Vista will enter beta testing this week, bringing with it support for Blu-ray drives, among other enhancements.
"Because we've adopted a single serviceability model, these improvements are integrated into a single service pack covering both Windows Vista (client) and Windows Server 2008 (server) versions," Windows executive Mike Nash said in a blog. "This should also minimize deployment and testing complexity for our customers."
The software maker said last week that it was working on Vista SP2, but wouldn't go into detail. A support document posted this month, however, suggested a beta version was in the offing.
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Mac Mini: I'm not dead, yet
Tom Krazit | Oct 28, 2008
The Mac Mini might not be dead after all, as a new report suggests Apple might be adding a Mini DisplayPort to the back of the computer. (Credit: Apple)
Apple's Mac Mini might be getting a reprieve after all.
A few days after Gizmodo reported that European retailers believed the Mac Mini was heading for the exits, AppleInsider says the smallest and cheapest Mac hasn't left the building. Apparently a number of casinos in Las Vegas use Mac Minis to help run the ever-present security cameras in that city, and those customers believe that an update is around the corner.
One Las Vegas-based source who runs a collocation service based on the Mac Mini told AppleInsider that there are about 10,000 Mac Minis in use in Sin City. He believes that Apple is planning to release an updated Mac Mini in the near future that takes a few cues from the recent notebook launch, such as the addition of a Mini DisplayPort connection and the ability to address 4GBs of RAM.
If true, it would make sense that retailers were told not to expect any more of the older Mac Minis, in order to make way for the new models. The Mac Mini has been rumored to be on the way out more than once, and gotten up off the canvas each time. Apple might not yet be ready to part with the cute cube.
Via CNET Crave
Love the Android G1? You can get the G2, too
Dong Ngo | Oct 28, 2008
(Credit: gOS)
This custom-built desktop computer is designed in the image of a new "Android". The G2 PC is based on the Via C7-based Nano-ITX board, and comes with an 800MHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and 80GB of hard disk storage space. This is not much of a supercomputer, but it's powerful enough that you can do multiple tasks.
As Google's Android G1 is set to introduce cell phone users to all the mobile aspects of Linux, gOS hopes the Android G2 PC will bring the same excitement to households.
And whose lucky household will it be? It could be yours. The company is auctioning off this special desktop PC on eBay. All proceeds will be donated to DonorsChoose.org via the TechCrunch Challenge.
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AMD bows new budget 3D card
Rich Brown | Oct 28, 2008
(Credit: AMD)
Check up on the enthusiast Web sites and their review of AMD's new US$130 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics card and you'll find a common thread. Each laments the crowded US$100 to US$200 3D card segment, where rebates and minute performance wins make it very hard to determine a clear winner between AMD and Nvidia in this price range.
If you believe AMD, and want to compare the Radeon HD 4830 with Nvidia's GeForce 9800, it seems as if the Radeon card wins on performance, even on games such as Crysis and Call of Duty 4, where, as the folks at PC Perspective note, Nvidia traditionally has the upper hand. The complication here is that you can find the GeForce 9800 card for a few dollars less than the new AMD card.
Follow Nvidia's guidance, and compare the Radeon HD 4830 to the GeForce 9800 GTX+, the situation is reversed, Nvidia maintains a slight performance edge, but the AMD card is less expensive. Just keep in mind that the 9800 GTX+ is a double-wide card. The Radeon HD 4830 has a single slot design, meaning you can install it in a wider variety of desktops.
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New OWC external Blu-ray recorder reads HD-DVD, too
Dong Ngo | Oct 24, 2008
OWC's new external Blu-ray recorder. Picture credit: OWC
Sony released a new internal Blu-ray recorder, the BWU-300S, a while ago. But if your computer doesn't have an empty bay to take it, you'll appreciate what Other World Computing announced Wednesday: an all new external Blu-ray recorder, called Mercury Pro, that features all four interfaces, including FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA.
The new OWC Mercury Pro drive supports 4x Blu-ray write speed (or 150MB per second). At this speed it can finish a single-layer Blu-ray disc (25GB) in 30 minutes or a double-layer disc (50GB) in an hour. While this is only half the write speed of the Sony internal drive, the new OWC Mercury Pro is still twice the speed of its predecessor and for now rated the fastest external Blu-ray recorder.
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