General Gaming Article |
- AMD Starts Shipping Trinity And Brazos 2.0 APUs To Manufacturers
- Diablo III Beta Open To Barbarians (And Everyone Else) This Weekend
- This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar
- Microsoft Posts Better-Than-Expected Q3 Results
- AMD Reports $590 Million Loss in Q1, Still Thumbs Nose at Wall Street
- Asus Introduces Factory Overclocked GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP
- Ultrabooks, Not Tablets, Prop Up the NAND Flash Memory Industry
- Nokia CEO Chalks Up $1.2 Billion Loss to "Competitive Challenges"
| AMD Starts Shipping Trinity And Brazos 2.0 APUs To Manufacturers Posted: 20 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT
…kinda. In a blog post on the AMD website, senior PR manager Phil Hughes announced that the chips started shipping to OEMs last quarter, but haven't started shipping to retail. The actual street date for Trinity- and Brazos 2.0 based systems is a more nebulous "will be available globally soon." Hughes even tossed in a Trinity elevator pitch for the folks who aren't familiar with the APU: "(Trinity) helps improve on virtually every aspect of our current A-Series APUs while doubling the performance-per-watt over our previous generation." Brazos 2.0 improves upon currently available Brazos chips and targets low-end products. All that's left to see is whether or not Trinity is actually able to deliver decent enough CPU chops at a low enough price to be able to steal some of the thunder away from Intel's Ultrabooks and Ivy Bridge CPUs. |
| Diablo III Beta Open To Barbarians (And Everyone Else) This Weekend Posted: 20 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT
Anybody with a Battle.net login can start downloading the Diablo III client now and hop into the action at noon Pacific time this afternoon. Keep downing those 5 hour energy drinks and immolating fools throughout the weekend, though, as the beta shuts its doors at 10 A.M. Pacific time on Monday. (Just don't expect to get your PvP on.) Beta testers can play any and all of the five classes during the beta. Leveling is capped at level 13 for each, however. Gamers have been griping about some of the major changes made to Diablo III; now's your chance to see whether or not the game is awesome enough to wash away complaints about its always-connected single player mode and the new item marketplace. The full game is still slated to drop on May 15. |
| This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:28 AM PDT HTC's 'One' range of Android smartphones represents the company's great hope of a 2012 financial comeback, and we've now reviewed all three models. The HTC One V is the most affordable of the three, and you should check out our review if you're looking for a premium handset for a reasonable price. Elsewhere it's been another exciting week in the world of cameras so do check out our cameras channel. Bringing impressive specs to a more entry-level friendly price point, the HTC One V is a smartphone that will help push user expectations of competitively priced handsets to a new level. Far from a beige device that will simply blend into the highly competitive crowd, the HTC One V features enough standout specs and impressively simple user interface characteristics to separate it from the throng of devices all vying for the same limited custom. Although not perfect, the handset's 1GHz Qualcomm CPU keeps the device zipping through content at an impressive pace, with little lag when jumping between apps, menus and the selection of heavily skinned home screens. The Panasonic HC-V700 has some really stand out features to remind you that smartphones and small Sony Bloggie-style cameras can't do everything a bigger unit can. With its wide-angle lens, massive zoom and image stabilisation, it's easy to see the technological advantages of the HC-V700. Unfortunately, it proved to be only competent at actual image quality, and at £450, that inevitably knocks it down from being an essential purchase. It's great to find that the D800 isn't just a triumph of numbers, and that the 35.3Mp sensor actually delivers on its promise – capturing bags of detail. The surprise bonus is that noise is actually pretty well controlled and the dynamic range is very impressive. For those interested in stepping up to a full-frame camera, the D800 represents a good investment. You get pretty much all of the best features of the D4 in a more compact and lighter body, with a much higher pixel count for just shy of half of the price. Three years after making its first entrance into the compact system camera arena with the PEN E-P1, Olympus has gone back to its roots again to produce the OM-D, with its retro styling owed to its analogue predecessor. The Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is quite an expensive compact camera, although when you take into account the raft of functions it starts to appear good value. Features are one thing, though - image quality is quite another. Although the Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is capable of capturing good pictures, we don't feel the camera's images match the high levels of performance it delivers elsewhere. Other reviews this week:Home cinema systems Laptops Acer Aspire Timeline M3 review Samsung Series 3 NP300E5A review Mice Logitech m600 Touch Mouse review Mobile phones Routers Trendnet TEW-692GR Dual Band Wireless Router review Asus RT-N66U Dark Knight review D-Link DHP-1565 Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router review Software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 review |
| Microsoft Posts Better-Than-Expected Q3 Results Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:44 AM PDT
According to the company, its third-quarter revenue was a record $17.41 billion, a 6 percent increase from the same period last year. Even though the software giant's net income fell slightly year-on-year to $5.11 billion, or 60 cents per share, it was higher than the Street's forecast of around 58 cents per share. "We're driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft, in a press release. "With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead." Barring the lackluster performance of the Entertainment & Devices Division, which posted an year-on-year revenue decline of 16 percent, the company managed to do well in almost all other key areas, with the enterprise-focused Servers and Tools and Business Divisions being the best performers. The Windows and Windows Live Division, which posted a considerable revenue decline during the previous quarter, managed to bounce back in this one, posting a revenue of $4.62 billion, a 4% increase from the same period last year. The company also revealed that 40 percent of the world's enterprise desktops now run on Windows 7. "We saw strong demand for our business desktop and infrastructure offerings," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "Solid revenue growth and continued cost discipline drove double-digit operating income growth." |
| AMD Reports $590 Million Loss in Q1, Still Thumbs Nose at Wall Street Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT
For starters, AMD topped Wall Street's expectations. Wall Street was bracing itself for AMD to report non-GAAP earnings of $0.09 cents a share on revenue of $1.56 billion, so things didn't shake out as bad as they could have. The other reason things aren't as bad as they seem is because the numbers include a $703 million charge AMD took when restructuring its business relationship with Globalfoundries last month, along with the acquisition of SeaMicro. All things considered, AMD believes it's standing on solid ground. "AMD delivered solid results in the first quarter as we remain focused on improving our execution, delivering innovative products, and building a company around a strategy to deliver strong cash flow and earnings growth," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "A complete top-to-bottom introduction of new APU offerings, combined with ample product supply resulting from continued progress with our manufacturing partners, positions us to win and grow." Looking ahead, AMD expects revenue to increase 3 percent sequentially for the second quarter of 2012. There's also reason to be optimistic with the hard drive shortage starting to subside and Windows 8 on the horizon, both of which could drive up PC sales throughout 2012. Image Credit: Flickr (chimothy27) |
| Asus Introduces Factory Overclocked GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:03 AM PDT
Asus went above and beyond the reference blueprint with the GeForce GTX DirectCU II TOP, adding 10-phase DIGI+ VRM digitally regulated power delivery with 30 percent noise reduction. The card also features 'Super Alloy Power' components that Asus claims will last 2.5 times longer than reference parts. As for the custom cooler, it's a dual fan design that Asus says will keep the card 20 percent chillier than the stock heatsink/fan, and will do so while running 14dB quieter. It has five copper heatpipes with a 20 percent bigger dissipation area than reference. What it all adds up to is a card that can withstand the rigors of overclocking, and to prove it, Asus goosed the clocks at the factory. Clockspeeds are pre-configured to 1,137MHz (up from 1,006MHz) for base and 1,201MHz (up from 1,058MHz) for boost. The 2GB of GDDR5 memory was left alone and runs at 6,008MHz (effective) on a 256-bit bus. Price and availability were not announced. Image Credit: Asus |
| Ultrabooks, Not Tablets, Prop Up the NAND Flash Memory Industry Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:37 AM PDT
If IHS iSuppli's projections are spot on, NAND flash revenue will climb to $22.9 billion in 2012, up a "healthy 8 percent" from $21.2 billion in 2011. Looking longer term, the use of NAND flash memory in three key markets -- Ultrabooks, smartphones, and tablets -- will push revenue to $30.9 billion by 2016. One thing that's interesting about all this is the fact that Ultrabooks are playing the biggest role right now, and because "consumers did not embrace tablets as enthusiastically during the fourth quarter [of 2011] as initially expected," last year's NAND flash memory sales actually fell below expectations. "Given the lukewarm performance of the tablet segment last year, there was some trepidation coming into 2012 for the NAND industry," said Michael Yang, senior principal analyst for memory & storage at IHS. "But even though most NAND manufacturers had planned to be on the fast track in 2012 to increase production at newly built fabs, each supplier has since reduced capital spending compared to its original plans, electing to moderate supply expansions to allow demand to catch up. Such a strategy will avoid a precipitous price decline that the industry won't be able to withstand, leading to more optimism for a stronger 2012." IHS iSuppli called Ultrabooks the "shining new hope" for NAND sales as suppliers push for continued adoption of SSDs into thin and light notebooks. Combined with long battery life and fast boot-up times, Ultrabooks have grabbed the attention of both home consumers and corporations. The way IHS iSuppli figures it, Ultrabooks will account for 15 percent of total NAND flash sales, while tablets will account for 12 percent. Image Credit: Samsung |
| Nokia CEO Chalks Up $1.2 Billion Loss to "Competitive Challenges" Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:11 AM PDT
Nokia's smartphone sales in Q1 2012 plummeted 29 percent year-on-year and fell 26 percent compared to the previous quarter. Forget about the proverbial rock and hard place, the problem Nokia faced was being stuck between a Symbian and a Windows Phone platform. "We are navigating through a significant transition in an industry environment that continues to evolve and shift quickly," Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said in a statement. "Over the last year we have made progress on our new strategy, but we have faced greater than expected competitive challenges." Elop admitted to being "disappointed" with Nokia's Q1 performance but found solace in the fact that "Lumia is up and running" in the U.S. Indeed, there's a silver lining there. The Lumia 900 is arguably the best Windows Phone device currently available, and that's saying something when traditionally there has been little to separate devices running Microsoft's mobile OS. But will it be enough? Nokia's future may ultimately depend on the answer. Image Credit: Nokia |
If AMD were an Internet troll, it would be that annoying guy who always chimes in with a "FIRST!" post in the comment section of articles. After the company's Radeon 7000 series beat Nvidia to market by quite a few months, it's now beaten Intel to the CPU punch, too. With Ivy Bridge's expected launch staring us square in the face, AMD has announced that its Trinity and Brazos 2.0 APUs have begun shipping out.
Attention would-be witch doctors and wizards: it's time to reschedule whatever you had planned for the weekend. Homework, quality time with your significant other and bleaching your grandma's teeth all take a backseat to your new to-list entry -- blasting demons and devils in Diablo III. Last night, 
If this is indeed the post-PC era as some are claiming, it isn't having the kind of detrimental effects that one would expect it to have on Microsoft's fiscal health. The Redmond-based software leviathan on Thursday announced its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 and the numbers are better than Wall Street's expectations. Hit the jump for more.
Scanning AMD's financial report for the first quarter of 2012, you would think the Sunnyvale chip maker is in big trouble. Revenue was $1.59 billion, a nice number if not for the fact that it represents a net loss of $590 million, or $0.80 cents per share, along with an operating loss of $580 million. That's a 6 percent sequential decrease and a 2 percent decrease year-over-year. Non-GAAP earnings were $0.12 a share. So why wouldn't investors want to hit the panic button?
It's still a challenge finding one of Nvidia's Kepler infused GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards in stock and ready to ship, but one thing the new GPU series doesn't lack is third-party variation. Nvidia's GPU partners are putting their own stamp on the GTX 680 with custom coolers and, in some cases like the new DirectCU II TOP edition from Asus, custom designed PCBs as well.
Memory makers would be wise never to take consumer demand for granted. It's a lesson all involved had to learn the hard way after the DRAM market crashed crashed a few years ago, and with the rise in popularity of solid state drives and products that use them, NAND flash memory is proving to be their mulligan. Even still, a repeat of what happened to DRAM sales is possible, and surprisingly enough, it's the Ultrabook market that's driving sales of NAND flash memory, not all those supposed PC-killing tablets.
Competition's a pain in the backside, especially when your competitors are launching products people actually want as opposed to stinking up the joint with promises of something better on the horizon. That pretty much sums up Nokia's business strategy, as the handset maker found itself in a smartphone holding pattern during its shift to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform and the launch of the Lumia 900. As a result, Nokia posted a $1.2 billion loss during the first quarter of 2012 and blamed it on "competitive challenges and seasonality."| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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