| Pictures from AMD's Epic GPU14 Tech Day Event in Hawaii Posted: 01 Oct 2013 05:43 PM PDT  40 pictures that will make you wish you were there
AMD recently unveiled its new line of graphics cards that includes its new top tier R9 290X GPU, but this wasn't some simple press release announcement, not be a longshot. To commemorate the announcement of its Hawaii GPUs, AMD invited over 100 tech journalists from all around the world to Hawaii for its GPU 14 Tech Day conference. For the journalists there, getting to attend the event was just as exciting as the announcements. We got a chance to go ourselves and while nice trips have absolutely no influence on Maximum PC's stringent No BS policy, we have to give it to the red team that they really know how to throw an event together. We ended up hiking up a volcano, stayed in a hotel with shark-infested ponds, and more. Below are 40 pictures that will make you wish you were there! |
| Windows 8 Continues to Make Gains as XP's Share Erodes Posted: 01 Oct 2013 10:20 AM PDT  Is Windows 7 the next Windows XP?
Now that another month is in the books, we have yet another opportunity to gauge Windows 8's ability to penetrate the market and make some predictions. One of those predictions is that despite Microsoft's best efforts to the contrary, Windows 7 could become the next Windows XP, meaning the last generation operating system could become one that users cling to for years to come. First things first. Windows 8 continues to climb in market share and is now installed on just over 8 percent of desktops around the world, according to data by NetMarketShare. That's up from 7.41 percent a month ago and 5.4 percent in July. Granted, almost every new PC ships with Windows 8, so you would expect its market share to rise, though that doesn't necessarily explain why it made such a comparatively big jump from July to August. In any event, some of that share is coming at the expense of Windows XP, which is now down to 31.41 percent. That's still a significant number of PCs, however it's definitely on a downward trend. When Windows 8 launched in October of last year, Windows XP held a 40.66 percent share of the market. Meanwhile, Windows 7 is quietly gaining ground. After holding steady at around 44.5 percent for several months, Windows 7 climbed to 45.63 percent in August and ended up with a 46.43 percent share of the desktop market at the end of September. While most XP users seem to be making the jump to Windows 8, at least some are leaping to Windows 7 instead. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| FreedomPop Kicks Off Free Mobile Phone Service, Sells $99 HTC Evo Design Posted: 01 Oct 2013 10:01 AM PDT  No cost mobile phone service becomes a reality
FreedomPop envisioned mobile phone service being free for the masses, but rather than dream about it, the company went out and made it a reality. The free service goes into effect today and includes monthly allotments of 500MB of data, 500 text messages, and 200 anytime voice minutes. Obviously this is intended to be an entry-level plan, but for users who don't spend every waking moment on their smartphone, this could be a great thing. Initially FreedomPop is only available for the HTC Evo Design, a dated Android smartphone that's still running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). You can pick up an HTC Evo Design from FreedomPop for an introductory price of $99, which is half off its normal selling price (it's not clear how long the introductory pricing will be valid). FreedomPop chief Stephen Stokols told ArsTechnica that it plans on offering at least half a dozen of the most popular handsets with a free plan a year from now. In addition, he plans to upgrade the Evo to Android 4.0 after launch. "We're not tied to one handset because you can't disrupt with one handset," Stokols said. 
So, how can FreedomPop do this? The company is banking on people subscribing to paid plans that offer more than what the free plan does. For example, an $11/month plan offers unlimited voice and texting with a 500MB cap on data. For $8/month, you get 500 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited calling to other FreedomPop users, and 500MB of data. Customers who go over the data cap will be charged a penny per megabyte, or $10 per gigabyte. Thinking about signing up? Head over to FreedomPop's website to check availability and find out more. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Leap Motion Controller Edition Posted: 01 Oct 2013 09:18 AM PDT  
Top Deal: Computer has quickly become a touch-feely experience. Between smartphones, tablets, and touchscreen PCs, you may find yourself tap, tap, tapping the day away. But what if your laptop doesn't have a touchscreen, are you out of luck? Not necessarily. Have a look at today's top deal for a Leap Motion Controller for $80 with free shipping (free GameWAVE with purchase, limited offer). Just plug the Leap Motion device into your PC and you can start waving your hand around making natural in-air hand motions. And with GameWAVE, you'll be able to control compatible games such as Diablo, Skyrim, World of Warcraft, Far Cry 3, and several more! Other Deals: Dell UltraSharp U2212HM Black 21.5-inch 8ms LED-Backlit LCD Monitor for $170 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [RDYFRQTR402]) Mad Catz R.A.T. 9 Red 6 Buttons RF Wireless 6400 dpi Gaming Mouse for PC and Mac for $120 with free shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [MAD25]) Asus Maximus VI Formula LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Motherboard for $300 with free shipping (Extra savings with promo code: [DYMMBS10]) Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $83 with free shipping (Extra savings with promo code: [DYMEM15P]) |
| Velocity Micro Adds NoteMagix M17 and M15 LE to Gaming Laptop Line Posted: 01 Oct 2013 08:57 AM PDT  Configurable gaming on the go
When you think about it, we've been spoiled by the advances in technology. It's been several years now, but there was a time when gaming laptops would cost almost as much as a new car. The cost of entry has come way down since then, and serving as a reminder of this are a pair of new gaming laptops from Velocity Micro, the 17.3-inch NoteMagix M17 and 15.6-inch NoteMagix M15 LE. These two systems flank Velocity Micro's existing NoteMagix M15 (non-LE version), and all three are relatively affordable out of the gate, yet customizable in case your budget runs a little deeper. The NoteMagix M15 LE, for example, starts at $1,159 and includes a Full HD 1080p display (1920x1080), Intel Core i7 4700MQ processor (Haswell), 4GB of DDR3 memory, Intel HD Graphics 4600, 750GB hard drive (7200 RPM), 8X DVD burner, GbE LAN, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2MP webcam, 6-cell battery, and Windows 8 64-bit with disc. For most gamers, integrated graphics aren't going to cut it, which leaves the regular NoteMagix M15 and the larger NoteMagix M17, the latter of which starts at $1,899. For that, you get twice as much RAM (8GB of DDR3-1600), a bigger display, Nvidia GeForce GTX 770M graphics, and a larger battery (8-cell). Depending on how much you want to spend, you can configure these systems with higher end parts, including up to a Core i7 4930MX Extreme Edition CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, and SSD options, to name a few of the available upgrades. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Origin PC, Nvidia Team Up to Deliver 4K-Ready "BattleBox" Gaming Machines Posted: 01 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT  Paving the way to 4K gaming
You're going to hear a lot more about 4K resolutions in 2014. More and more, we're starting to see 4K monitors and televisions trickle into the marketplace, but as far as PC gaming is concerned, not all hardware supports running games smoothly at Ultra HD. To take the guesswork out of it, boutique system builder Origin PC has partnered with GPU maker Nvidia to design and build 4K gaming-ready "BattleBox" systems. This is mostly a marketing play between the two firms, though there's some value here for gamers who don't want to spend hours researching parts for compatibility and horsepower. That's where these BattleBoxes come into play. A BattleBox is a desktop built by Origin PC, approved by Nvidia, and powered by GeForce GTX 780 graphics or better. A system that qualifies as a BattleBox will be capable of playing the latest games at 4K Ultra HD without feeling like you're watching a slide show. That includes titles such as Batman: Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch Dogs, and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Systems that qualify as BattleBoxes are specially configured versions of Origin PC's Millennium and Genesis lines, which are available now. The cost of entry for a BattleBox is $2,873 Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Acer Announces Aspire ZC-605 Series All-in-One for $600 MSRP ($440 Street) Posted: 01 Oct 2013 07:45 AM PDT  A compact and affordable all-in-one
A all-in-one machine doesn't have to wield a big size display, and if you're in the market for something a bit more compact than what a 27-inch AIO or even a 23-inch AIO can offer, you may like what you see with Acer's new Aspire ZC-605. Acer's newest AIO system features a 19.5-inch HD display with a "slim, attractive" chassis and ergonomic frame that tilts from 10 to 30 degrees. Acer describes the package as an understated look, and from what we can tell of the pics, that's a fair description. The PC maker also says this is an ideal system for first-time AIO buyers due to its "sleek and compact size, low price, and solid configuration." Acer's upfront about the fact that this rig is intended for those shopping a "basic PC for researching recipes, online shopping, and enjoying social media." 
As such, Acer opted for a Intel Pentium dual-core 2127U processor, a low level chip clocked at 1.9GHz with 2MB of cache, albeit it's based on Ivy Bridge. The Aspire ZC-605 also has 4GB of DDR3 memory, 1TB hard drive, HDMI input, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, SuperMulti optical drive, a pair of front-facing speakers, and Windows 8. The Aspire ZC-605 is available at Amazon for $440, a good chunk less than the system's $600 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft Touts Windows 8.1’s SkyDrive ‘Smart Files’ Feature, OCR Search Posted: 30 Sep 2013 10:12 PM PDT 
SkyDrive integration is a key part of the upcoming update Not only is cloud storage service SkyDrive set to become an integral part of Windows with the upcoming Windows 8.1 update, but Redmond is also trying to make the whole thing smarter. To this end, the company has introduced "smart files." A new SkyDrive feature built right into Windows 8.1, smart files are essentially placeholder files and thumbnails that make it possible for the user to interact with their entire SkyDrive without having to first download each and every file, thereby conserving both local disk space and Internet bandwidth. One area where this feature should really shine through is when using Bing Smart Search to look for images that have text in them. By leveraging the Bing-powered OCR (optical character recognition) feature that Microsoft announced recently for SkyDrive, you will be able to "search from the desktop for the content of Camera Roll photos that have had text extracted from them" regardless of whether those photos are stored locally or not.
"For example, you might have taken a photo 6 months ago of the menu of your favorite restaurant, but can't remember where it's buried in your Camera Roll and want to remember the dish you had. You can simply type in the restaurant name on your desktop and Bing Smart Search will search text of your Camera Roll photos and pull up the picture of the menu with the restaurant name printed on it," Microsoft wrote in a blog post Monday. "With the power of smart files, this will work even if your Camera Roll is marked for online-only access. The moment you open the photo, it will be instantaneously pulled from the cloud for you to view the full version." Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
| Acer Iconia W4 Windows 8 Tablet Spotted at Intel Event Posted: 30 Sep 2013 09:39 PM PDT 
Packs Bay Trail chip and IPS display Despite publicly voicing its displeasure over having to compete with Microsoft in the tablet market, Acer earlier this year became the first company to launch an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet — the Iconia W3. The device itself, though, didn't exactly set the world alight. Things were so bad, in fact, that reports of a replacement started doing the rounds just a few weeks after it first became available. Turns out those reports were mostly accurate. Called the Iconia W4, the successor to the poorly received W3 was recently spotted at a recent Intel event, with Dutch site Bouweenpc.nl even managing to shoot a short hands-on video of the device. According to the site, the W4 has an Intel Atom "Bay Trail" Z3740 chip and an IPS display, both of which are a marked improvement over the W3's dual-core Intel Atom "Cloverview" Z2760 processor and shoddy Twisted Nematic display. Further, the 8.1-inch Iconia W4 is said to have 2GB of DDR3 memory, 32GB of storage, 5MP front camera, 2MP rear camera, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, micro-USB, microSD card reader and micro-HDMI. Follow Pulkit on Google+ Image Credit: Bouweenpc.nl
|
