| 16 Movies That Predicted Technology Right Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:59 AM PDT  Flicks with a pulse on where technology was headed
You can yell, "Beam me up, Scotty!" all you want, the only thing that will happen is you'll elicit a bunch of bemused stares from passersby wondering if you've bonked your head recently. The sad fact is human teleportation devices don't yet exist in 2013, and even if they did, the tremendous lag would make it extraordinarily impractical. Such is the reality of science that it doesn't always mesh with our fantastic visions of fictional futures filled with flying cars and other implausible technologies. In other words, reality sucks compared to what we've grown up watching on television. That doesn't mean Hollywood got it all wrong, however. Take a look around you and you'll notice quite a few inventions that not only don't suck, but some of which were predicted by movie makers decades ago. You can draw a parallel, for example, between swiping and gestures in Minority Report versus today's touchscreen computing and motion-controlled sensors like the Kinect. The further back you go in the movie archives, the more interesting these parallels become. Join us as we look back at 16 films that, for the most part, correctly predicted future technologies in use today. What was your favorite science fiction movie? Let us know in the comments below! |
| Benchmarking Site Bans Windows 8 Results Over Broken Real Time Clock Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:28 AM PDT  Faulty clock to blame
The world's most popular benchmarking and overclocking website is no longer accepting scores from PCs running Windows 8. Furthermore, HWBOT made the decision to invalidate all previous scores from Windows 8 systems. The reason? HWBot cites a flaw in Windows 8's real-time clock (RTC). In addition to making sure your computer displays the correct time, benchmarking applications also use the RTC. "As the result of weekend-time research, the HWBOT staff has decided to invalidate all benchmark records established with the Windows 8 operating system. Due to severe validity problems with the Windows8 real time clock ('RTC'), benchmarks results achieved with Windows 8 cannot be trusted," HWBOT said. "The main problem lies with the RTC being affected when over- or underclocking under the operating system. The operating system uses the RTC as reference clock, and benchmarks use it to reference (benchmark) time." The RTC provides a baseline for benchmarks, letting software know when a particular benchmark started and finished. HWBOT didn't provide too many technical details and itself is still sorting through it all, but at present, the site claims that if you change your CPU's base clock frequency in software, it can affect Windows 8's ability to keep accurate time, thereby throwing off benchmarking results. These aren't minor miscalculations, either. According to HWBOT's testing, underclocking the base frequency by 6 percent can throw off the clock by 18 seconds after just 5 minutes have elapsed. "Since this is all very new to the stall, we are still looking into the consequences and possible solutions for this problem," HWBOT said. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Gigabyte Launches G1.Sniper A88X, a Gaming Motherboard for Kaveri Posted: 19 Aug 2013 10:36 AM PDT  Gigabyte's first true AMD gaming motherboard
In anticipation of AMD's upcoming Kaveri launch, Gigabyte announced a line of new FM2+ motherboards, including a new addition to its G1-Killer range of gaming motherboards, the G1.Sniper A88X. According to Gigabyte, the A88X is the the company's first bona fide gaming motherboard for AMD users, though that's not the only unique thing about this board. It also sports some special audio characteristics. In fact, Gigabyte spent the majority of its press release highlighting the A88X's audio, including two exclusive features. The first is a USB DAC-UP, a gold-plated USB 2.0 port that provides noise-free power delivery to your Digital-to-Analog Converter. And the second is Gain Boost, which provides onboard switches to select between 2.5x and 6x amplification modes depending on the output device. 
"We've had a lot of customer interest in expanding our G1-Killer gaming motherboard range to include an AMD platform model." commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "By also developing unique audio features that make a real difference to the overall experience, we're confident this board will be a real hit with gamers and audiophiles alike." Other than audio goodies, Gigabyte was pretty short on details, making no mention of the other features, price, or release date. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Nokia Thinking Big with "Bandit," a Rumored 6-inch Windows Phone Posted: 19 Aug 2013 09:35 AM PDT  First Windows Phone phablet is in the works
Android's open platform inevitably leads to a wealth of designs, which is one of the reasons for its success. With Android, you can go big or small, fast or modest, and so forth. Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is almost the exact opposite, and certainly there are far fewer options for users to choose from. However, would-be Windows Phone shoppers hoping for a large size display may soon get their wish. Nokia is said to be planning a 6-inch Windows Phone device codenamed Bandit. It would include a Full HD 1080p display (1920x1080) powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. According to The Verge, it's actually one of several planned 1080p Windows Phone devices currently in the works. For shooting photos, it will feature at least a 20-megapixel rear-facing, which will require a small hump on the back of the device similar to the Lumia 925. Though it will be big, it will also be lightweight and come constructed of polycarbonate plastic. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| 12GB PlayStation 3 Slim Emerges for $200, Half the Price of a PS4 Posted: 19 Aug 2013 09:04 AM PDT  A compelling Blu-ray player, if nothing else
If you have the money and patience to wait until this holiday shopping season, you can score Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 (PS4) console and rock some next-generation gaming into 2014 and beyond. Alternately, you could spend half as much on Sony's new flash-based 12GB PlayStation 3 (PS3) Slim system. Sony isn't making a big fuss over its low(er) cost console option, though it's not difficult to find. The 12GB PS3 is being sold direct on Sony's website (temporarily out of stock at the time of this writing), along with places like Best Buy and Walmart. Game bundles are available, too. It's an interesting value proposition, especially if you're already in the market for a Blu-ray player. For $200, you can play your Blu-rays, as well as access a rich catalog of games and streaming services via Ethernet or built-in Wi-Fi. it also comes with a wireless controller. Note that it does not, however, come with a vertical stand as depicted. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| EVGA's Double BIOS Graphics Cards Offer Tinkerers a Safety Net Posted: 19 Aug 2013 08:46 AM PDT  Take a mulligan on overclocking gone bad
Wouldn't it be awesome if there were do-overs in everyday life like there are in some sports? That's pretty much what EVGA is offering through a line of graphics cards that now feature "Double BIOS," the marketing name for what's essentially a secondary BIOS in case you screw something up. It's also there to support experimentation with custom BIOSes, and should something go wrong, BIOS recovery is a flip of the switch away. "Also, on select cards the secondary BIOS may unlock additional overclocking potential and/or improved fanspeed control," EVGA says. EVGA offers several Nvidia GeForce video cards with dual BIOS chips ranging from the GeForce GTX 760 (02G-P4-3763-KR; coming soon) on up to the GTX 780 Classified HC (03G-P4-3789-KR). 
To kick off the introduction of Dual BIOS graphics cards, EVGA is offering a giveaway consisting of two GeForce GTX 780, 770, and 760 cards. To enter, just fill out a simple form, cross your fingers, and wait until September 6, 2013, which is when the winners will be announced. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical DDR3-1866, Cooler Master HAF Case, and More! Posted: 19 Aug 2013 06:53 AM PDT |
