| LinuxCon: Valve CEO Hints at Steam Box Announcement Posted: 17 Sep 2013 02:44 PM PDT Gabe Newell calls Linux the "future of gaming" while pillorying closed platforms Be it the launch of the Steam for Linux client or Big Picture Mode, Valve has been steadily laying the groundwork for its long-announced invasion of the living room. Although it seems the next logical step would be for the company to show off some dedicated hardware, it isn't known how far along in the development of the "Steam Box" it is at this stage. But going by some of the comments CEO Gabe Newell made during his recent keynote at LinuxCon, it appears that some sort of dedicated hardware from Valve could show up as early as next week. "It feels a little bit funny coming here and telling you guys that Linux and open source are the future of gaming. It's sort of like going to Rome and teaching Catholicism to the pope," Newell told LinuxCon attendees. 
Considering the fact that he has already said Valve's much-awaited couch-friendly gaming PC will be a "Linux box", it is no surprise that Gabe Newell was so upbeat about the open-source operating system's prospects as a gaming platform during his LinuxCon keynote on Monday, most of which he spent enumerating the various advantages of ditching closed, proprietary systems in favor of open platforms like Linux.
But it's his comments at the end of that address that have us really excited: "Next week we're going to be rolling out more information about how we get there and what are the hardware opportunities that we see for bringing Linux into the living room, and potentially pointing further down the road to how we get it even more unified with mobile." Will we finally come face to face with the mythical Steam Box next week? Well, we will have to wait to find out, but if you want you can easily set up your own Steam Box using this simple DIY guide from the Holiday 2012 issue of MaximumPC. Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
| HP's Novel Solution to Pre-Boot Threats and Borked Firmware Updates is a Self-Healing BIOS Posted: 17 Sep 2013 11:20 AM PDT  A BIOS with a built-in immunity system
One of the wonders of the human body is that it heals itself. The damage might be self-inflicted, like an accidental fall, or it could be caused by an attacker. Either way, the human body is tremendously adept at repairing cuts, scrapes, bruises, and other ailments. HP is taking that same concept and applying it to the PC's Basic Input/Output System, otherwise known as the BIOS. It's called BIOSphere with SureStart technology, and according to HP, it's the industry's first and only self-healing security solution created to help organizations better mange risk and protect user and IT productivity. Developed with HP Labs, the self-healing BIOS can return to a previously safe state if attacked by malware or otherwise corrupted, such as by a failed BIOS update. "The security landscape has become more complex as threats become more sophisticated and employees require device flexibility to coincide with their changing working environment," said Lorri Jefferson, director, Tablets and Software Strategy, HP. "These breakthrough security offerings are simple, seamless solutions that address these converging trends by delivering enterprise customers the ultimate fighting mechanism for mitigating risk, threats and negative business outcomes." Assuming the technology works as advertised, there are multiple benefits for IT workers, including fewer help desk calls for crisis recovery or bricked units. It also means less downtime in the event of a malware attack, among other benefits. Initially HP will roll out its SureStart technology globally on its EliteBoks beginning this fall. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft Revamps Bing for the Modern Era, Makes Search Smarter and Faster Posted: 17 Sep 2013 09:56 AM PDT  Building a better Bing
Microsoft spent a considerable amount of time and effort re-imagining Windows into what you see today with Windows 8, but at the same time, the company hasn't forgotten about search. Bing is getting a makeover inside and out, and not a one-and-done type of deal, either. Instead, Microsoft is building the backend of Bing in such a way that it can dynamically evolve with the web and the way people search. To start with, Bing has a new logo. It sounds like a simple enough change, though Microsoft claims it conducted hundreds of studies looking at motion, font, color, size, and form. In the end, it settled on a new logo that's "simple, real, and direct." Looking beyond the logo, Microsoft set out to modernize Bing's interface, making it faster, cleaner, and more visually appealing. It also boasts improved predictive search as part of a feature it's calling "Page Zero." What this does is show you popular search results as you're typing in your query. Start typing "Katy Perry," for instance, and you'll see search options for her songs, music videos, her appearance on Sesame Street, and so forth. 
Going a level deeper, Bing will help you narrow down search results through "intelligent disambiguation." Let's say you search for Jon Stewart. You might be looking up information about his talk show on Comedy Central, or you could be investigating the host himself. When you type in his name, you're given the option of choosing which of the two you're more interested in, right from within the search box. There's plenty more to digest, which you can read about in Microsoft's blog post on the topic, or take a test drive of the revamped Bing search engine. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Grand Theft Auto V Launches to Consoles, Expected to Generate $1 Billion in First Month Posted: 17 Sep 2013 09:25 AM PDT  Psst Rockstar, don't forget about the PC!
Don't expect to spend much time hanging out with your Xbox 360 and/or PlayStation 3 gaming buddies for the next few days. If they're fans of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto franchise, chances are they stood outside a GameStop, Best Buy, or Walmart last night in anticipation of the midnight launch of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), one of the most highly hyped games of 2013 and perhaps one of the most lucrative. It's too early to tell, of course, though RW Baird analyst Colin Sebastian estimates the latest GTA installment will generate over $1 billion in revenue in retail sales during its first month on the market, Fudzilla reports. According to Sebastian, shipments are likely to reach 12 million units this year and surpass the 20 million mark by the end of 2013. As a point of comparison, total GTA IV sales were 25 million units. In related news, if you plan on picking up a copy for your Xbox 360 rather than waiting for the inevitable PC release (still unannounced, by the way), be advised that Rockstar Games is recommending against installing the Play disc for optimal performance. GTA V comes with two DVDs, one is the Install disc and the other is the Play disc, the latter of which you'll need to pop into your console when playing the game. The reason Rockstar Games says you shouldn't install the Play disc is because of the way textures are loaded. Game data is loaded from the hard drive and optical drive at the same time, and if you install the Play disc, it can mess up the high-res textures and cause corruption, as well as slow down performance. You can see some of the effects in the video below. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| CyberPowerPC's Fangbook Evo XH6 Gaming Laptop Punishes Pixels, Not Your Wallet Posted: 17 Sep 2013 08:21 AM PDT  Systems start at $1,069
Whether you're a fan of 17.3-inch laptops or the more portable 15.6-inch form factor, CyberPowerPC's new Fangbook Evo HX6 gaming notebook series will oblige, though there's a caveat. Only Intel is offered inside the 15.6-inch models (Fangbook Evo HX6-100/200/300), whereas the 17.3-inch versions offer both Intel and AMD processor options. Regardless of which way you go, you can customize a respectable gaming PC without paying top dollar. Pricing starts at $1,069 for the 15.6-inch Fangbook Evo HX6-100. Like the entire series, this system wields a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) LED-backlit display. It also features a 4th Generation Intel Core i7 4700MQ processor (Haswell), 8GB of DDR3-1600 memory, 1TB hard drive (5400 RPM, SATA 3Gbps), Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics with 2GB of onboard memory, 8X DVD burner, 2-in-1 memory card reader, 802.11n Wi-Fi, GbE LAN, HD webcam, HDMI output, and Windows 8. At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive baseline configuration belongs to the Fangbook Evo HX7-300. This is a 17.3-inch system with the same processor, 16GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, 64GB SanDisk solid state drive, 1TB hard drive (5400 RPM, SATA 3Gbps), GeForce GTX 780M graphics with 4GB of onboard memory, 8X Blu-ray player, 4-in-1 memory card reader, Killer N1202 Wi-Fi, HD webcam, HDMI output, and Windows 8. 
All systems are customizable, and if you're sticking with the hard drive, it's probably worth spending the extra $27 to upgrade to a 1TB model with a 7200 RPM spindle speed and SATA 6Gbps interface. There are also RAID configurations available, though one odd ommission is the lack of a Blu-ray writer option. CyberPower's Fangbook Evo HX6/HX7 series laptops are available now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition, Viewsonic 27-inch LCD, and More! Posted: 17 Sep 2013 06:25 AM PDT |
