General Gaming Article |
- Top Case Modders, Manufacturers Collaborate On "John Hanlon Fundraiser PC" For Disabled Mentor
- Chkdsk And NTFS Health Get A Big Boost In Windows 8
- Mechanical Engineering Student Creates Working Portal Turret For Class Project
- Is Microsoft Bringing Internet Explorer To The Xbox 360 Console?
- This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar
- On Strength of Kepler, Nvidia Eyes $1.05 Billion in Revenue for Fiscal 2013
- Sony Posts $5.7 Billion Loss, Stock Slips to Lowest Point in 30 Years
- Microsoft's Vision of a Better Bing is Social Integration
- Asus Introduces Two New Zenbook Ultrabooks with Ivy Bridge
| Top Case Modders, Manufacturers Collaborate On "John Hanlon Fundraiser PC" For Disabled Mentor Posted: 11 May 2012 11:55 AM PDT Members of the case modding community have long looked up to John Hanlon, aka JohnHanlon303, as more than just a friendly face; many consider him a full-fledged mentor. Earlier this year, the community learned that Hanlon suffers from incurable asbestos poisoning that leaves him with 40 percent lung capacity and recently, left him permanently unable to work. Rather than simply sending social media condolences, the modderati, with the help of several sponsors, leaped into action to try and raise funds for Hanlon. The result -- the John Hanlon Fundraiser PC -- went up for auction on eBay this afternoon and looks amazing.
Several of the modders whose work was highlighted in our recent case mod gallery had a hand in the John Hanlon Fundraiser PC, and members of the Bit-Tech modding forums contributed gear -- including water pumps, fan grills and the Windows 7 OS -- to the build. Zotac, Steel Series, XtremeComputing.co.uk, Patriot Memory, Paslis, Lutro0 Customs, Prolimatech and Gigabyte all offered up various hardware components, which are housed in a Define R3 Case donated by Fractal Design. Mnpctech (of Star Trek PC fame) donated several other items and actually built the John Hanlon Fundraiser PC, complete with custom airbrush work by modding maestro Brad Galvin (whose work was highlighted in our eye-popping case mods feature). Richard "DarthBeavis" Surroz of Out of the Box Mods helped with the water cooling installation.
This one-of-a-kind beaut's stacked with care, love, and all kinds of powerful components, so don't expect it to sell cheap. (In fact, it's already up at $1,025.) If the eBay auction's a bit too rich for your blood, Alex Ftoulis (aka AnGEL) and Masbuskado Modding have also set up a Paypal donation fund for Hanlon's benefit. If it isn't, you have 10 days (until May 21) to place a bid. Thirsting for more? Mnpctech's Bill Owen gives a walkthrough of the finished build in the video below, and you can find the worklog here. I won't spam you with stuff like this too often but this one's for a good cause, folks. |
| Chkdsk And NTFS Health Get A Big Boost In Windows 8 Posted: 11 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Changes are a-coming to chkdsk and NTFS health in Windows 8, and unlike the controversial Metro interface, these tweaks should make everyone happy. As hard drives get bigger, the Windows 7 chkdsk times get longer (and longer, and longer…) when hard disk errors occur, as infrequent as they are. In a worse-case scenario, attempting to boot a corrupt drive can take hours. The new system changes all that.
The Windows 8 improvements will let NTFS try to identify corruptions on-the-fly and make an instant fix in the background, no usage interruptions required. If that doesn't work, Windows 8 will conduct a "spot verification scan" to determine if the corruption is genuine or just a brief memory glitch. Genuine errors will be reported to the user and the OS will start scan the system during idle CPU/storage times and log the location of the problems. When the scan is done, Windows 8 will prompt the user to reboot the PC at his convenience. Chkdsk will then use the information NTFS logged about the errors to fix the corruptions quickly. "The restart is quick (adding just a few additional seconds) and the PC is returned to a healthy state," core manager Kim Bangalore writes on the Building Windows 8 blog. Hopefully it really is that quick and simple! For all the nitty gritty details and a helpful FAQ, hit the link. |
| Mechanical Engineering Student Creates Working Portal Turret For Class Project Posted: 11 May 2012 10:17 AM PDT
The project was originally brought to my attention in a Google+ post by BCCHardware's Benjamin Heide. I could tell you about how the kick-ass turret runs on MATLAB and Arduino and it tracks movement via RGB colors, but you'd learn all that by watching the video above and checking out the creator's Reddit thread, anyways -- both of which you should do ASAP. Would I help if it said the turret actually talks? There still some upgrading to be done; the tracking guns are a bit slow and jerky, and the turret's obviously missing an exterior casing that would give it the full-fledged Portal vibe. Fortunately, the engineer behind the turret says he's already working on all that. So, whaddaya think: does he deserve an A? |
| Is Microsoft Bringing Internet Explorer To The Xbox 360 Console? Posted: 11 May 2012 10:09 AM PDT
The Verge's sources don't say much more than that, but they do say that the version of Internet Explorer being whipped up for the Xbox will include full Kinect integration, presumably similar to the Kinect integration built into the local Bing search capabilities that are already available. No word on availability, but the Verge says they'd expect an announcement at the upcoming E3 conference. |
| This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar Posted: 11 May 2012 08:52 AM PDT Last week was utterly dominated by the Samsung Galaxy S3, but the merry-go-round of high-tech wares continues unabated and this week we've seen some really tasty treats. The highly competitive cameras market continues to be an area of constant innovation – Nikon has been leading the way and the D3200 looks like being the must-have entry-level DSLR of 2012. Elsewhere we've seen new graphics cards, Blu-ray players, phones and laptops, and we've tested them all… This Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 then is one of the Kepler cards we've been desperately waiting for. The second tier cards in the Kepler line up were always going to generate more interest than either of the overly expensive GTX 680 or GTX 690. And they're going to sell a hell of a lot more too. The key thing here though is that there is so little difference in performance and architectural terms between the Nvidia GTX 680 and GTX 670. In fact with the frame rates you're getting with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 it's going to be rather difficult for us to recommend anyone buying the GTX 680 if they're going to leave it at stock speeds. Just 3.7cm tall and less than 20cm deep, there's not an AV rack around that couldn't take Samsung's well-equipped Samsung BD-E6100 Blu-ray player. That fact that it's 3D-capable will attract many, especially since that feature only appears to attract a premium of £30 or so over a bare bones Blu-ray deck, but in truth it's only a polished user interface or two away from Samsung's 2011 crop of Blu-ray players. It's a great value 2D and 3D Blu-ray player boasting excellent picture quality, impressive streaming and digital file playback. Samsung's entry-level Samsung BD-E6100 stutters only on a slow Smart Hub interface that's cluttered with novelty apps, services and even advertising. Nikon has delivered an entry-level camera with real photographic punch. Borrowing elements from its more expensive siblings, the D3200 should appeal to a large section of would-be photographers. There's lots of interesting technology crammed into the relatively small body of the D3200, including things which have trickled down from its more expensive siblings. Those include features such as the Expeed 3 processing engine, which promises to deliver quicker processing times, low noise and different frame rates for the full HD video recording. Overall, we are impressed by the D3200 and are very much looking forward to properly putting it through its paces when the time comes. With a serious matt black finish that denotes a enthusiast-targeted piece of kit without even delving into the riches of its feature set, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC HX200V is one of the more impressively attired superzoom cameras out there. Hands on: BlackBerry Curve 9320 review Taking on the budget smartphone market is getting tough these days, but RIM's new Curve 9320 is well-placed to achieve success. The new phone is a re-tooled version of the last iteration, the Curve 9300, and brings with it a very familiar design. This week's other reviews: Cameras DECT phones Archos 35 Smart Home Phone review Desktops Zotac Zbox nano XS AD11 Plus review Graphics cards Hard drives Buffalo DriveStation Velocity review Laptop accessories ReTrak Retractable Universal 70W Notebook Wall Charger review Laptops Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G-9630 review Hands on: HP Envy Spectre XT review Hands on: HP Envy Ultrabook review Mice HP Wireless Optical Mobile Mouse review Mobile computing Hands on: Kingston Wi-Drive 64GB review Mobile phones Hands on: Samsung Focus 2 review Hands on: HTC Evo 4G LTE review Hands on: Droid Incredible 4G LTE review Portable Audio Printers Storage Tablet cases Hands on: The OtterBox Defender for the new iPad and Samsung Galaxy Note review Tablets Hands on: Toshiba Excite 13 review Televisions |
| On Strength of Kepler, Nvidia Eyes $1.05 Billion in Revenue for Fiscal 2013 Posted: 11 May 2012 06:58 AM PDT
Looking ahead to the full year, Nvidia forecasts revenue to be between $990 and $1.05 billion. "Our newly launched desktop products are winning some of the best reviews we've ever had. Notebook GPUs had a record quarter. And Tegra is on a growth track again, driven by great mobile device wins and the upcoming Windows on ARM launch," Huang said. "Graphics is more important than ever. Look for exciting news next week at the GPU Technology Conference as we reveal new ways that the GPU will enhance mobile and cloud computing." Even though Nvidia's Kepler launch has been hampered by short supply, the entire family of GPUs (GTX 670, 680, and 690) are receiving mostly positive reviews and should end up selling well once they're actually available. If that's the case, Nvidia can look forward to a strong year from a financial standpoint. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons |
| Sony Posts $5.7 Billion Loss, Stock Slips to Lowest Point in 30 Years Posted: 11 May 2012 06:37 AM PDT
If there's a silver lining to the dark and gloomy cloud, it's that Sony had previously forecast a loss of $6.5 billion. Overall, however, it was an obviously crummy year for the electronics juggernaut, and not for any single reason. Sony blamed the poor performance on foreign exchange rates, earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, floods in Thailand, and general "deterioration in market conditions in developed countries." According to VentureBeat, Sony CFO Masaru Kato indicated that "This year remains crucial for a recovery in our electronics business. A fifth straight year of losses should never be tolerated." Investors reacted negatively to the news with shares of Sony on the Tokyo Stock Exchange sliding 6.43 percent to 1,135 yen, a 38 percent drop from this year's high of 1,832 yen back in March, and the lowest it's been in three decades, The Register reports. The full financial report is available here (PDF). Image Credit: Flickr (Jami3.org) |
| Microsoft's Vision of a Better Bing is Social Integration Posted: 11 May 2012 06:19 AM PDT
"Now it's possible to do more than find pages with search. You are able to share nearly everything you do, including where you are and who you are, in real-time," Microsoft explains. "From rich multimedia content to real-time streams to social conversations to applications that let you take action in the real world, digital connections are created that present the opportunity to do something. This presents an unprecedented opportunity to rethink how search should work. Suddenly an index of documents that does not embrace these changes is insufficient." The social sidebar is always present and supposedly "never intrusive." It will appear as part of every search query, though it's whisked to the right side of the browser. Most of the social content that used to appear in the main search pane will be shuttled to the side. You'll be able to share links and comment directly to Facebook using the sidebar. It isn't all about social networking, however. The other two columns will consist of core web results, which will take up the largest third of the screen, and a 'Snapshot' center column with relevant information and services related to your search, such as maps, restaurant reviews and reservations, and more. You can read more about Bing's redesign here. |
| Asus Introduces Two New Zenbook Ultrabooks with Ivy Bridge Posted: 11 May 2012 05:56 AM PDT
According to Netbooknews.com, which attended the event and snapped a handful of photos, both the $800 UX32A and $1,100 UX32Vd are 13.3-inch Ultrabooks with a handful of premium upgrade options, such as a Full HD 1080p IPS (In-Plane Switching) display, Intel WiDi technology, and dedicated SSD options rather than the stock 500GB hard drive + 24GB SSD cache. Both models come equipped with either 2GB or 4GB of RAM. According to DigiTimes, the UX32Vd rocks an Intel Core i5 3317U processor, which likely serves as the foundation of the UX32A as well. Image Credit: Asus |
When you say the words "Class Project," most folks flash back to tedious research papers, MLA-style references and boring talks about Shakespearian characters with Oedipus Complexes. In other words: BOOOOOORING. But school doesn't have to be a snooze-fest! Case in point: Penn State's Advanced Mechatronics class, which sounds like it may just be the coolest course ever. One enterprising mechanical engineering student went after his final mechatronic project with gusto and built a working, talking, tracking and firing replica of Portal's gun turret -- then put it up on YouTube for the world to see.
One thing we never understood about the Xbox 360: it's made by Microsoft, so why the heck doesn't it have a web browser? Even the friggin' Wii has a web browser. Xbox 360 owners who don't feel like hooking a HTPC or laptop up to their TV to get their HDTV Amazon shopping on may have something to look forward in the future, however, as a new report claims that Microsoft is working hard to bring a modified version of Internet Explorer 9 to its home console.
Nvidia President and Chief Financial Officer Jen-Hsun Huang gleefully indicated that "Kepler GPUs are accelerating our business" when reporting revenue of $924.9 million for the company's first quarter of fiscal 2013 ended April 29, 2012. The irony there is that Kepler cards are in short supply and extremely difficult to find in stock, save for the GeForce GTX 670, which just went on sale yesterday. But despite GPU shortages (courtesy of TSMC's inability to produce chips fast enough), Nvidia was able to best analysts' expectations.
Sony suffered through its worst year ever in 2011, and not just because of the high-profile hacker attacks that compromised millions of user accounts and resulted in extended downtime to the PlayStation Network. The real reason Sony can lament 2011 is because of the fact that it posted a net loss of $5.7 billion, the company's largest loss ever in its 66-year history, and the fourth straight year of sitting in the red.
Microsoft is dipping its search brush into its paint bucket and getting ready to swipe it across Bing, the world's second most popular search engine behind Google. The new-look Bing will take on a three column design that Microsoft says is "the most significant update" to the search engine since it launched three years ago. Microsoft is looking beyond simple keyword searches and putting a big part of its focus on sharing search results by incorporating a Facebook column on the right-hand side.
Asus used a relatively low-key press event in Taipei to introduce the world to a pair of new Zenbook models built around Intel's recently launched Ivy Bridge platform. The first of the two Ultrabooks is the Zenbook UX32A , an $800 machine with integrated graphics. For $300 more, the UX32Vd ups the pixel pushing ante with a GeForce GT 620M GPU with 1GB of onboard memory.| 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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