| Google Offers Unlimited Drive Storage to Schools for Students and Teachers Posted: 30 Sep 2014 06:14 PM PDT  Unlimited up to a point
In an attempt to lighten student's loads when it comes to carrying around binders and stacks of paper, Google is hoping to get rid of all that. Google announced Drive for Education which will provide students and teachers with unlimited Drive storage. Available to all Google Apps for Education customers at no charge, Google Apps for Education project manager Ben Schrom said in a blog post, "No more worrying about how much space you have left or about which user needs more gigabytes. Drive for Education supports individual files up to 5TB in size and will be available in coming weeks." In addition, Google Apps Vault will be free to all Apps for Education users sometime around the end of the year. Also coming at an undisclosed time will be reporting and editing tools that will let users see the activity of a file. "We want educators and students who use Google Apps for Education to be able to focus on the learning experience—not the technology that supports it," said Schom. "With Drive for Education, users can put an end to worries about storage limits and more easily maintain a safe, effective and compliant learning environment." Back in May, Google announced Classroom, a free tool in Google Apps for Education that catered to teachers with the goal of making their lives easier and more organized. As a part of Drive, Classroom would allow teachers to automatically organize assignments into folders. Now, it seems, Google is trying to make students' lives easier. So what do you think of Drive for Education? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Rig of the Month Roundup Posted: 30 Sep 2014 12:34 PM PDT 
We're looking for the coolest custom computer cases and we want your submissions! We know you guys have got some interesting case mods out there and we want to see them! We're also sure lots of other readers would like to gawk and drool over them as well so let us help you share your cool custom computer case with the world! If you're a case modder with something that deserves the Rig of the Month title, let us know by dropping us an email at mpcrigofthemonth@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name, a 300-word description of why your PC is amazing along with specs (and how it was modified), and no fewer than three high-resolution JPEGs of the build. Please try and use a high-quality camera with good lighting and make sure to bust out your photography skills! We will not accept any blurry, low-res camera-phone grade images because we'd like readers to see your awesome rig in the best light possible! Here are some specific case-shooting photography tips: - Try to avoid using flash and opt for existing natural light. In addition, use things like white curtains to diffuse the bright sun.
- Make sure your case is in focus! Nothing ruins a picture of a nice-looking case than a blurry shot.
- Clean your case before you shoot it. No one wants to see all that nasty dust all over the place!
- Experimenting with shooting from multiple angles.
- Select the right backdrop. Your system could look cooler with a nice/clean background as opposed to on your messy floor with cables strewn about.
- When shooting, use a tripod or if you can't get one, shoot from a stable surface such as a box or even a pillow.
- If your camera has exposure compensation, try playing around with under-exposing or over exposing until you get the effects you want.
In addition to requiring pretty photos, we'll be judging the rigs based on creativity and craftsmanship. To kick things off, we've gathered up some of our favorite Rig of the Month winners in the gallery below. Click the gallery image for the full shot and feel free to get more detail on each custom case by clicking on their individual respective links in the descriptions. |
| No BS Podcast #233: The Episode with SteelSeries Posted: 30 Sep 2014 12:27 PM PDT SteelSeries talks gaming headsets, mechanical keyboards, gaming mice, and more! SteelSeries wanted to drop by to show off its latest Sibera gaming headsets so we thought we would round them up in the podcast room to talk about that and more. In addition to headset talk, on episode 233 of the No BS Podcast, we discuss mechanical keyboards, wired/wireless gaming mice, the possibility of future Steam Machine peripherals, potential VR controllers, and much more. As we've stated before, the old podcast format isn't going anywhere, but we want the Maximum PC No BS Podcast to be the place where all the coolest PC industry insiders come. Are there any guests/companies that you would like to have on the show? Let us know in the comments below! |
| Microsoft Tosses 'Windows 9' into Recycle Bin, Announces Windows 10 Instead Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:49 AM PDT  "It wouldn't be right to call it Windows 9" - Microsoft
You're probably familiar with the argument, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Well, Juliet may not have cared about the name of things, but Microsoft does, which is why you'll never see a Windows 9. Instead, Microsoft today skipped a number and announced Windows 10, the OS formerly known as Threshold and the successor to Windows 8/8.1. "Windows 10 will be our most comprehensive platform ever," Windows head Terry Myerson said during a press event with a small gathering of reporters in San Francisco. "It wouldn't be right to call it Windows 9."
Windows 10 preview video According to Recode, Windows 10 is designed to run on a wide range of devices with screen sizes running the gamut from four inches all the up to 80 inches. Microsoft will have a single application platform with one integrated Store to deliver Windows experiences across all those devices. In order to serve all those devices, Windows 10 was built from the ground up for a "mobile-first, cloud-first world," Myerson added, according to TechRadar. Reports from around the web say Windows 10 looks a bit like Windows 7. It has a hybrid Start menu that combines Windows 7-era features with Windows 8 style tiles, The Seattle Times reports. However, Microsoft isn't viewing Windows 10 as just a rehash of previous versions. Part of the reason for the Windows 10 name is because it represents the "first step of a whole new generation of Windows," Myerson said. The focus right now is on the enterprise, and towards that end, the first priority of the OS is to make sure it's familiar for business users coming from Windows 7 or Windows 8 so they can hop right in and be productive. Microsoft's second priority is "modern management" of lots of computers. So, what about that Modern UI that caused such a fuss with power users? It's gone in Windows 10, Endgadget reports. In place of the Modern UI are Live Tiles integrated into the right side of the Start menu on the Desktop. On the left side are pinned and frequent apps. There's also a refreshed taskbar with a new "task view" that presents all of your running apps. Windows 10 allows you to tile up to four apps on the same screen. Other goodies include a beefed up command prompt that allows you to use keyboard shortcuts, along with copy and paste, and a Charms Bar that may or may not make it into the final cut. Microsoft is planning to issue a Technical Preview of Windows 10 next week, with a launch of the OS by spring 2015. We'll have a more in-depth look once all the information is out, as well as hands-on impressions once we get a copy to play with. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Rig of the Month: Toaster PC Posted: 30 Sep 2014 10:34 AM PDT  This is no joke; toasters are PCs too
This month's Rig of the Month is a bit of an oddball. It's no DotaBox or Weighted Companion Cube, but we still think it's pretty awesome. Anthony Febre was inspired when someone asked if he was running a toaster. It's not the most original insult, but it makes for an amazingly original case mod. There's honestly not that much to it. Anthony says that the whole setup cost a measly $20 (minus all of the actual components) since all it required was a toaster. Inside the Proctor Silex toaster sits an Intel Core i3-530 on top of an Intel DH55TC mATX motherboard. It's not exactly a powerhouse, but it'll do the job with 4GB of Crucial DDR3-1333 and an XFX Radeon HD 7750. All we know is that he's got an amazing comeback to potential toaster jokes. Anothony apologizes for the less-than-stellar photos and blames his phone's camera. Have a case mod of your own that you would like to submit to our monthly feature? Make sure to read the rules/tips here and email us at mpcrigofthemonth@gmail.com with your submissions. |
| Mozilla's $25 Matchstick Dongle Running Firefox OS Hits Kickstarter Posted: 30 Sep 2014 09:09 AM PDT  Chromecast competitor aims to be more open
Google is pitching its Chromecast device for streaming chores, Microsoft recently unveiled its Wireless Display Adapter based on Miracast technology, and now Mozilla is jumping into the fray with Matchstick, the first HDMI stick based on Firefox OS. Currently up for pledges on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, Matchstick's makers hope to find an advantage over the competition by offering up a completely open hardware and software platform. Like Chromecast, the Matchstick dongle plugs into your HDTV or HD monitor via HDMI. It uses Wi-Fi to stream and interact with content from the Internet, such as movies, TV shows, music, games, an more. Mozilla points out that you can even use it in a conference room to stream presentations from your laptop to an HDTV. "Firefox OS is completely open and adaptable. It makes perfect sense for today's blurred lines of online content including video, music, gaming, and all the other stuff we click 'play' on," Mozilla says. "An open and adaptable operating system like Firefox means less cost in production, smaller installs, and more personalized apps.... Without the need for app approval or oversight. How cool is that?" There are no rules, limitations, or boundaries with Matchstick, so essentially developers have complete freedom in how they want to take advantage of the low-cost dongle. At launch, Mozilla promises a core set of content, including apps like Netflix, HBO Go, Pandora, and others. As for the hardware, Matchstick rocks a dual-core Rockship 3066 processor based on ARM's Cortex-A9 design, 1GB of DDR3 memory, 4GB of onboard storage, and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Intrigued? A pledge of $18 gets you a Matchstick in February with free shipping in the U.S. That's assuming the project reaches its goal -- Mozilla is hoping to raise $100,000 and has less than $90,000 to go with 29 days remaining. Find out more on Matchstick's Kickstarter page or on the project's homepage. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Roccat Starts Shipping Tyon Gaming Mouse Posted: 30 Sep 2014 08:01 AM PDT  The first PC rodent with a dorsal fin
Roccat on Tuesday announced the global availability of its "Tyon All Action Gaming" mouse (just "Tyon" from here on out), which unlike any previous mouse you've ever owned, it brings a dorsal fin design to the LAN party. According to Roccat, the Tyon represents an evolution of the gaming mouse and is a "true game changer." In other words, the hype is strong with this one. The uniquely designed Tyon features several subtle design deviations from standard gaming mice. One of them is the X-Celerator, a two-way analog stick that allows gamers to throttle, sprint, rotate tank turrets, and more right from the Tyon. This is supposed to come in particularly hand during FPS gaming. Regarding the dorsal fin, it's a two-click button placed behind the mouse wheel to provide comfortable mid-finger action for increased functionality. Using it allows for rapid and instinctive control, Roccat says. Other featues include an 8200 DPI laser sensor, 16 programmable buttons plus a dedicated Easy-Shift[+] button, onboard 32-bit processor and 576KB of memory for rapid macro storage and execution, tracking and distance control unit, and a customizable two-level lighting system. The Tyon is available now for $100 MSRP online and at Best Buy. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1866, Windows 8.1 64-bit, and More! Posted: 30 Sep 2014 06:04 AM PDT |
