General Gaming Article |
- Sony Ejects from Optical Disc Drive Market
- Samsung Upsizes Handheld Android Experience with 5.8-inch Galaxy Player
- Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for Xbox 360 Price Cuts
- Neil Armstrong, World's First Human Moonwalker, Dies at 82
- Why is Microsoft Taking So Long to Reveal Official Windows 8 Pricing?
- Google Finally Reacts to Apple's $1.05 Billion Patent Victory Over Samsung
| Sony Ejects from Optical Disc Drive Market Posted: 27 Aug 2012 10:23 AM PDT
That's not to say it's a dead technology as of today, but it's certainly telling that a number of new PCs in the thin and light (Ultrabook, sleekbook, and so forth) segment don't even bother to come equipped with CD/DVD drives anymore. According to a report in The Japan Times, Sony Optiarc will stop producing ODDs for PCs in November. The company's ODD operations will come to a complete halt in March of next year, at which time Sony will liquidate its ODD unit. Sony said it will offer early retirement to around 400 of the unit's employees, while others will be transferred to different positions. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
|
| Samsung Upsizes Handheld Android Experience with 5.8-inch Galaxy Player Posted: 27 Aug 2012 07:52 AM PDT
Samsung unveiled the device on its Korean-language Samsung Tomorrow blog, in which it revealed that the Galaxy Player 5.8 sports a 960x540 resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has speakers on the top and bottom, runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich topped with TouchWiz, supports Bluetooth 4.0, and has a 2500 mAh battery. The device also features 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, a microSD card slot, 802.11n Wi-Fi, built-in GPS, and a front-facing camera. No word yet on when the Galaxy Player 5.8 will be available or for how much. Image Credit: Samsung Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
|
| Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for Xbox 360 Price Cuts Posted: 27 Aug 2012 07:20 AM PDT
You can take this with a grain of salt, but the folks at Fudzilla claim to have heard from un-named sources that the recent Kinect price cut is all that's coming to the Xbox 360 console this year. Microsoft recently slashed the Kinect (permanently) by $40, which now sells for $110. That probably means the Xbox 360/Kindle bundle will likely see a $40 price drop as well, but that's all related to the motion control sensor, not the console itself. "Beyond that, Microsoft will hold steady with its current hardware pricing," Fudzilla says. This upcoming holiday shopping season could be one of the last hurrahs for the Xbox 360. Rumor has it Microsoft will unveil its next generation console, codenamed Durango, in 2013, perhaps launching the system around November or December of next year. Image Credit: Microsoft |
| Neil Armstrong, World's First Human Moonwalker, Dies at 82 Posted: 27 Aug 2012 06:36 AM PDT
The famed astronaut had undergone heart bypass surgery earlier this month in Cincinnati, close to where he lived, The New York Times reports. His recovery was reportedly going well, so his death came as a surprise. "While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves," Armstrong's familiy said in a statement. NASA also issued a statement, saying "As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first step on the world beyond our own." Neil Armstrong is survived by his wife, two sons, a stepson and stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, a brother, and a sister. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
|
| Why is Microsoft Taking So Long to Reveal Official Windows 8 Pricing? Posted: 27 Aug 2012 06:14 AM PDT
Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, told ComputerWorld that Microsoft's delayed approach "is all about uncertainty around the PC market and competition from Apple." As Moorhead sees it, Microsoft's pricing strategy boils down to a juggling act. "Microsoft needs to price Windows in a way that looks smart versus Apple's OS X, doesn't leave money on the table with commercial PC customers, and enables OEMs to compete better with the iPad," Moorhead said. In the absence of official pricing, there have been numerous rumors, one of which claims Windows 8 Pro will debut at $70 as part of an introductory promotion and then jump to $199 after January 31, 2013. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
|
| Google Finally Reacts to Apple's $1.05 Billion Patent Victory Over Samsung Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:52 AM PDT
"The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims," Google said in a statement, according to The Verge. "Most of these don't relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the U.S. Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players -- including newcomers -- are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don't want anything to limit that." It took a nine panel jury less than three days to deliberate and find Samsung guilty of infringing on several Apple-owned patents in what had been a highly publicized and contentious court case. The ramifications of Samsung losing as badly as it did could affect the Android ecosystem as a whole, which is why many were waiting for Google to weigh in on the matter. It finally has, and you can interpret the company's statement in a number of ways. Kara Swisher at Alll Things D, for example, read the statement as, 'Good lord, let's hope Samsung wins on appeal, because if Apple prevails, it might be coming for us next.' While all this is going on, Microsoft is sitting on the sidelines getting a good laugh. "Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now, " Bill Cox, marketing director for Microsoft's Windows Phone Division, posted to Twitter. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
|
The latest sign that optical disc drives (ODDs) are increasingly viewed as obsolete technology is the fact that Sony has decided to pull out of the market completely. Intense competition and rock bottom prices led to Sony's decision to withdraw from the market, and given the rise of cloud-based services and digital distribution platforms, we wouldn't be surprised if other players stopped making ODDs, too.
It was a close call, but rather than leave the 5.8-inch market untouched, Samsung has come out with a media player that fills the void. The 5.8-inch category, if we can call it that, is one of the few screen sizes Samsung had been ignoring, a situation it addressed by announcing its new Galaxy Player 5.8 -- phew! It's the largest size Galaxy Player yet and is sure to test the elasticity of your pants pocket.
With the holiday shopping season not far off in the distance, you might be tempted to put off purchasing an Xbox 360 console (assuming you're in the market for one to begin with) in hopes of taking advantage of a price cut. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Microsoft is planning to lower the cost of its console, at least not for the rest of 2012, though there's a good chance it will launch another holiday bundle this year.
In case you missed it over the weekend, either because you disconnected from the Internet to enjoy the last few days of summer, or don't have a Facebook account, Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon and who made "one giant leap for mankind," died at the age of 82. Armstrong passed away on Saturday, August 25 as a result of complications from cardiovascular procedures, his family said in a statement.
Here's what we know so far about Windows 8 pricing. If you want to upgrade from XP, Vista, or Windows 7 to Windows Pro, it will cost $40 up through January 31, 2013, after which time the price will go up. We also know that if you buy (or already purchased) a qualifying Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, a Windows 8 Pro upgrade will run $15. Other than those two promotions, Microsoft hasn't released any official pricing info. What gives?
Apple scored over a billion dollars in damages from Samsung in what can be considered a sweeping victory over patent infringement claims in the U.S. and was quick to gloat. In a | 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 |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's 
