MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

Lineage II Released Medley Cinematic Trailer

Posted:

Lineage II Released Medley Cinematic Trailer


NCsoft has released the cinematic trailer of "Tauti" the second chapter of Goddess of Destruction, the first content update of Lineage II.

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile Hosts Open Beta Weekend

Posted:

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile Hosts Open Beta Weekend


Upcoming Indie Action RPG Path of Exile is opening its doors to everyone for two days with a public test this coming weekend. Currently in a Closed Beta, Path of Exile has its own dark and highly customizable take on the Action RPG genre.

Reserve Your Guild Wars 2 Character Name By July 31

Posted:

Reserve Your Guild Wars 2 Character Name By July 31


Guild Wars 2 fans, it's almost time!If you're looking to reserve your Guild Wars 2 character name, you'd better take care of it soon! Today on the official ArenaNet blog, the team announced a deadline of July 31st for name reservations.

C9 First Impressions by Zevri

Posted:

C9 First Impressions by Zevri


It should be no surprise then that I have been keeping my eye on Continent of the Ninth since it was announced in Korea, and have wanted to play the game since that time.

What Exactly Is An MMO?

Posted:

What Exactly Is An MMO?


The world of the MMO is expanding rapidly. Publishers have their eye on the immense profits possible with a successful product, and developers are equally attuned to the idea of huge production budgets and years of continual improvements and upgrades (not to mention relative job stability). Put simply, MMOs have quickly gone from niche product to one of the hottest genres in the industry, mostly thanks to their passionate userbases and a few ridiculous success stories.

Continue reading What Exactly Is An MMO?.

Conquer Online 3: A New Journey to Explore the Oriental World

Posted:

Conquer Online 3: A New Journey to Explore the Oriental World


Conquer Online3 is the much anticipated sequel to NetDragon's successful free-to-play MMORPG, Conquer Online2.0. While preserving many popular features of its predecessor, Conquer Online3 will also welcome tons of new elements as well as improvements.

EVE Online: Inferno 1.2 to be Deployed on August 8

Posted:

EVE Online: Inferno 1.2 to be Deployed on August 8


EVE Online's 1.2 Inferno patch is scheduled for deployment on August 8 to bring a few balance tweaks for frigates along with some improvements to V3 shaders for Angel pirate faction ships and the New Player Experience.

ArcheAge (KR) Released the First Story Teaser Movie

Posted:

ArcheAge (KR) Released the First Story Teaser Movie


XL Games revealed the story teaser movie and the poster prior to CBT5. The first story teaser and the poster are about Orchidna, the bastard infant daughter of Kyprosa Daeiors uncle.

DN CN 2 Years Anniversary Events

Posted:

DN CN 2 Years Anniversary Events


Well, waited 2 days and no event translation by anyone yet, so here it is.

The Secret World - New Clothing In Store

Posted:

The Secret World - New Clothing In Store


Each Tuesday, Funcom will update the item store for The Secret World with new clothing items for players to purchase. The first update added "skeleton motif" jackets for males and double-breasted trenchcoats for females.It's also important to note that as new items come into the store Funcom will phase out older items (but not before putting them on sale!) so be sure to grab these items before they're gone.

Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu July Updates

Posted:

Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu July Updates


Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu. This game is a free massively multiplayer online role-playing game featuring pseudo-3d graphics in a massive, anime-styled world.

Rebirth, challenge, reform, and -- last but not least -- Final Fantasy

Posted:

Rebirth, challenge, reform, and -- last but not least -- Final Fantasy


Final Fantasy XIV Executive Producer Naoki Yoshida has a few words for die-hard fans of the title: "Rebirth, challenge, reform, and -- last but not least -- Final Fantasy." This is in reference to the game's upcoming version 2.0 launch, which will happen not only in existing territories but also in the brand-new region of China.

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Introduces an All-New Trading Card Game

Posted:

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Introduces an All-New Trading Card Game


Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play virtual world, Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™ today launches the latest full featured in-game trading card game, Card Assault. This fully online free-to-play card game offers challenging gameplay, fun collectability and the chance to play and trade cards with friends.

Legend Of The Condor Heroes (CN) - Officially Released

Posted:

Legend Of The Condor Heroes (CN) - Officially Released


It seems the Chinese developers are absorbing the bad habits of their English/ Japanese counterparts in announcing their big news just before a major event starts. I am referring to E3 2012, and now this prior to ChinaJoy 2012. Expected to be announced at the event in a few days' time, Perfect World Beijing has officially revealed Legend of the Condor Heroes to the media a few hours ago.

Sevencore CBT Review

Posted:

Sevencore CBT Review


Sevencore asia Closed Beta Test is about to end in 8 hours. There were many event held in game to keep user entertain. Game has unique features like under water combat, air combat and mounts have more meaning then literally it self. They help you in battle each mount has his own unique skills and stats.

Continue reading Sevencore CBT Review.

MechWarrior Online Reveals Caustic Valley

Posted:

MechWarrior Online Reveals Caustic Valley


Piranha Games revealed a look at the Caustic Valley, an area filled with acidic haze and caustic heat. Be prepared to watch your step and avoid the many sources of heat around the map.

Age of Conan: Server Technology Will Be Updated In August

Posted:

Age of Conan: Server Technology Will Be Updated In August


The next step of Age of Conan's transition to a single-server technology has been dated for August 7-8th. In the next stage of the technology upgrade, both the US and EU servers will merge down into three server types: PvE, PvP and Blood & Glory.

The Secret World - DirectX11 Graphics Comparison

Posted:

The Secret World - DirectX11 Graphics Comparison


Hey peeps, someone asked me what exactly is the big deal with the DX11 effects, apparently his video card sucks and he wants to know if getting new hardware for the DX11 is really worth the price...So here we go... All the normal settings all the way up to ultra and let the DX11 effects take place...!!!

Gundam Online (JP) - New Alpha Trailers

Posted:

Gundam Online (JP) - New Alpha Trailers


Look, Gundam Online isn't as big as Sony's PlanetSide 2 in terms of players on a single map, but having 100 mechas on the same map is enough to make it the "biggest" game in Gundam's history. Announced last year, the game is still currently in its Alpha test phase in Japan. Gamers will take on the role of a mobile suit pilot, either Earth Federation or Zeon forces, in the setting which took place during The One Year War (first Gundam anime). But do expect certain units from outside the timeline to appear though.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

Lineage II has released the cinematic trailer of the second chapter of Goddess of Destruction

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 08:11 AM PDT

NCsoft has released the cinematic trailer of “Tauti” the second chapter of Goddess of Destruction, the first content update of Lineage II. This chapter of Goddess of Destruction will bring many improvements and fresh content to the game this summer, including competitive enhancements.

We are giving away 4000 aditional Raptorex’s Mounts for Forsaken World

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 07:34 AM PDT

Perfect World Entertaintment with FREE MMORPG and MMO Reviews is giving away 4000 aditional Raptorex's Reins Mounts  for Forsaken World. Remember that we invite all our users to send us screenshots, videos, or whatever you want in relation with the promotion and we will publish it. You can send it Here. Step 1. Follow us [...]

Exclusive images from the last beta weekend of Guild Wars 2

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT

Take a look to this exclusive images that our team has taken the last beta weekend of Guild Wars 2. The images shows the Sylvari and the Asura in accion.

Pockie Ninja II Original will be heading straight into open beta this July 25th

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:19 AM PDT

NGames have announced that the anticipated Naruto and Bleach MMO, Pockie Ninja II Original will be heading straight into open beta this Wednesday, July 25th. The Naruto and Bleach MMO features a huge cast of recognizable characters and follows storylines from both of the anime universes. Building on the success of Pockie Ninja, the new [...]

Spirit Tales has released a new update, Clan Island

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 03:41 AM PDT

Spirit Tales continues its summer momentum by releasing a new update, entitled Clan Island, which allows the clans to go on a personal island where the members of the clan can walk, take videos without being bothered, win some items, and go to fishing and lounging in a hot water source.

Guild Wars 2 exclusive Sylvari and Asura Character Creation videos

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 01:44 AM PDT

Take a look to this exclusive videos that our team has taken this weekend in the closed beta of Guild Wars 2. The gameplay videos shows the Sylvari and the Asura Character Creation. Female Sylvari Elementalist Character Creation Male Sylvari Thief Character Creation Female Asura Ranger Character Creation Asura male engineer Character Creation
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

ARM Inks Deal With TSMC To Develop Sub-20nm Procs With 3D Transistors

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 10:59 AM PDT

ARM's relentless attack on Intel's dominant position continues. In recent months, the mobile-friendly company has won major victories in the form of the ARM-compatible Windows RT operating system and cracking the 3.0GHz clock speed barrier with a smaller, 28nm-based Cortex A9. Now, ARM's following Intel's lead on another major front: 3D transistors. Today, ARM announced it has signed a long-term deal with TSMC to develop sub-20nm 64-bit CPUs based around TSMC's FinFET 3D transistor technology.

Intel's leap into Tri-Gate 3D transistors gave Ivy Bridge a big jump in power efficiency and a decent performance boost. ARM's processors -- more specifically, mostly its Cortex A9 processors -- are already found in scads of mobile devices and boast impressive energy efficiency; switching to 3D transistors could make ARM-powered smartphones and tablets last even longer.

Meanwhile, focusing on the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture in these 3D transistor-based chips -- current ARM procs are 32-bit -- opens up the doors for ARM in higher-end computing and server applications.  Prototype ARMv8 systems aren't expected to start showing up until 2014, however.

The big question is: can TSMC actually keep up with market demand? Making the jump to 28nm has been difficult for the fab company, and adding vertical transistors adds a whole new dimension of complexity (literally).

Google Runs Out Of 16GB Nexus 7 Tablets, Still Launches Ad Campaign

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 10:24 AM PDT

Ah, irony. Google really wants the Nexus 7 tablet to sell well, so it's gone ahead and created a commercial showing off a bunch of the nifty things the tiny little Wi-Fi tablet can do. The goal of advertising is to raise awareness and drive sales, of course, but if anybody sees the ad and ventures over to the Google Play store to pick up a Nexus 7, they'll be greeted with a "Coming Soon" sign -- at least if they want the $250 16GB version.

Online demand for the 16GB version has far exceeded Google's estimates, the Guardian reports, and the company has sold through its entire stockpile. Apparently, the company expected online buyers to believe in Google's vision of the connected cloud and opt for the cheaper 8GB version. That hasn't happened; the 8GB Nexus 7 is still available and will show up on your doorstep in 3 to 5 business days.

Apparently, people actually paid attention and noted that the Nexus tablets lack an SD card slot or any type of upgradability path. The wonder! All versions of the tablet have also been getting more difficult to find at physical retailers such as GameSpot and Staples, as well.

While you're waiting for the 16GB Nexus tablets to show up in stock, feel free to check out the Nexus tablet ad embedded below.

Core i7-3970X Sandy Bridge-E CPU Reportedly In The Works

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 10:06 AM PDT

Are you anxiously awaiting the launch of enthusiast-class Ivy Bridge-E chips? If so, you better settle down for the long haul; an Intel roadmap leaked earlier this year suggests that the first IB-E CPUs aren't expected to show up until sometime in 2013. Socket LGA2011 won't be left with empty stockings this Christmas, however, as a new report claims that Intel is working on an unlocked Sandy Bridge-E successor to the top-end Core i7-3960X that should be ready right in time for the holidays.

As the name suggests, the Core i7-3970X is a slight step up over the current Sandy Bridge-E chip. DonanimHaber says the enthusiast chip will sport 3.5/4.0GHz core/turbo speeds, a small increase over the Core i7-3960X's 3.3/3.9GHz numbers.  Of course, tweakers will be able to push that even higher, and since it's based on the 32nm Sandy Bridge architecture, the processor theoretically wouldn't run into the same overclocked thermal woes that plague the newer Ivy Bridge CPUs.

In all other respects, the rumored Core i7-3970X's rumored specs line up with its predecessor, right down to the six HyperThread-enabled cores, 15MB L3 cache and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory. DonanimHaber expects the TDP to be pushed up to 150W, though.

Assuming the claims are true, expect the Core i7-3970X to supplant the $1,000 Core i7-3960X when it drops in the fourth quarter of this year. Again, assuming the claims are true, are you interested in a slightly upgraded SB-E CPU or are you holding out for next year's IB-E?

Via Fudzilla; Image via DonanimHaber

Patriot's Supersonic Rage XT Packs 32GB/64GB into Compact USB 3.0 Thumbstick

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 07:20 AM PDT

With AMD and Intel both fully (and finally) embracing the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard, it's almost impossible to pick up a system saddled with just USB 2.0 ports, especially with third-party companies like NEC and Marvell picking up the slack. That's good news, because USB 3.0 peripherals are quick becoming commonplace. One of the newest USB 3.0 products is Patriot Memory's Supersonic Rage XT, a high-performance thumbstick built around a compact form factor.

USB thumb drives aren't very big to begin with, but the Supersonic Rage XT, according to Patriot's spec sheet, is smaller than most, measuring .41 inches (D) by 2.1 inches (W) by .86 inches (H). That's not quite as itty-bitty as a pico drive, but it's certainly tinier than a traditional thumbstick.

The Supersonic Rage XT is available in 32GB and 64GB capacities. Both models boast up to 180MB/s read and up to 50MB/s write speeds and feature a rubber coated housing to protect from drops, spills, and general clumsiness. A retractable design further protects the drive from the rigors of travel and the daily grind.

As for MSRP and release date, those are specifics Patriot Memory unfortunately neglected to announce, saying only that they'll sell for a "very affordable price."

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Fractal Design Launches Define R4 PC Case with Sound Absorbing Side Panels

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 06:36 AM PDT

Fractal Design, the same company that recently took a 12-gauge shotgun to its Define XL case to prove the sturdiness of the side panel structure, extends the Define line with the newly introduced Define R4. The Define R4 isn't built to take a shotgun blast to the gut (and neither was the Define XL, it just happened to be able to survive one), but it is intended to stomp out unwanted noise with panels that are fitted with dense, sound-absorbing material.

In addition to sound dampening material, the Define R4 features support for up to eight 3.5-inch hard drives (HDDs), all of which are compatible with solid state drives (SSDs), two 2.5-inch SSD stealth bays on the back of the motherboard tray, a pair of 5.25-inch bays, 7 + 1 expansion slots, and plenty of space for towering components, such as a CPU cooler up to 170mm, PSUs up to 270mm deep, and graphics cards up to 430mm in length.

Cooling chores are handled by up to seven case fans (two are included) and an integrated fan controller (also included) that hooks up to three fans. There are also cable routing cutouts to keep bundles of wires from obstructing airflow.

The Define R4 is available now for $110 in Black Pearl, Titanium Grey, and Arctic White.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Solid State Drives Pose No Immediate Threat to Hard Disk Drives, IHS iSuppli Says

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 06:09 AM PDT

For those of you paying attention, it's hard not to notice the downward trend in solid state drive pricing, which in some cases has fallen below a buck per gigabyte on high end SSDs. Be that as it may, market research firm IHS iSuppli believes mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) will remain the dominant storage platform now and in the near term future, even as Microsoft's Surface tablet and other competing SSD-only devices enter the market place.

It's simply a matter of numbers, and IHS iSuppli's figures show that notebooks PCs sporting at least a 500GB hard drive and priced between $450 and $550 claimed the lion's share of the market at 32 percent in the first quarter. The second biggest chunk (26 percent) belonged to notebooks integrating hard drives larger than 320GB and priced between $350 and $450. In fact, 128GB SSD systems priced above $900 accounted for just 3 percent of the market.

"The market-share rankings show that SSD-based notebook PCs like Apple Inc.'s MacBook Air presently pose no threat to the much larger universe of HDD-based mobile PCs," said Fang Zhang, analyst for storage systems at IHS. "SSD-equipped notebooks are faster, more lightweight and sport a thinner profile—some of the characteristics that make them popular and desirable to consumers—but they are also more expensive and feature less overall storage space. The price of a MacBook Air with just a 64GB solid state drive can reach $999, while an HDD-based notebook PC at that price can boast significantly larger storage space."

Looking at it another way, it's all about the Benjamins, and as long as SSD-based systems require more of them than HDD-based PCs while offering less overall storage space, it will be difficult to close the gap in any meaningful way.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Uniloc Sues Electronic Arts Over Patent Infringement Claims

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:49 AM PDT

Nearly a dozen game developers, including Electronic Arts (EA), stand accused of infringing upon a patent held by Uniloc that relates to a "system and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data." According to Uniloc, EA and others are using the patented technology, without permission, in certain Android-based mobile games, including Bejeweled 2, which was specifically named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit against EA specifically, as it appears on Scribd, takes issue with Android-based applications on smartphones and tablets "that require communication with a server to perform a license check to prevent the unauthorized use of said application." A phone home technology, in other words. Uniloc filed similar suits against nine other game developers, all of which are related to U.S. Patent No. 6,857,067. The patent states:

"A portable licensing medium is configured to communicate with the electronic device for storing license data. The license data is used to determine whether to allow access to the electronic data. A registration authority communicates with the electronic device. The registration authority has a database of verification data for verifying the license data stored on the licensing medium and provides updated license data to the licensing medium," according to the abstract of the patent."

In addition to EA, Uniloc is suing and seeking damages and royalties from Distinctive Developments, Full Fat Productions, Gameloft, Halfbrick Studios, Laminar Research, Madfinger Games, Mojjang, Polarbit, and Square Enix.

Image Credit: Eliot Lash via Creative Commons

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MSI Unfurls CX61 and CR61 Multimedia Notebooks

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 04:31 AM PDT

Micro-Star International on Friday expanded its notebook portfolio to include the CX61 and CR61 multimedia notebooks. Actually, the two 15.6-inch laptops are essentially the same machine, with the only difference being  that the CX61 has a dedicated graphics card, whereas the latter ships with integrated graphics. Read on for more.

Powered by Intel's 3rd generation Core i processor, the two notebooks tip the scales at a little over 5 pounds and measure 383X249.5X32.3~37.6mm. Inside you'll find a 2.5" 500GB/640GB/720GB SATA, up to 8 GB DDR3 RAM, DVD Super Multi drive,  Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The notebooks, which sport identical 15.6" 1366x768 displays, also feature one USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, D-Sub, 5-in-1 card reader and an HD webcam. They will ship with a 6-cell battery, which MSI says can last for as long as 7.5 hours on a single charge.

Now let's move on to the lone difference between the two. While CR61 is limited to integrated graphics, the CX61 has dedicated graphics (GeForce GT640M/GeForce GT630M w/ 2GB VRAM).  No word on pricing and availability yet.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

SEO NEWS: Bing adds FourSquare to Social Search Results

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

In SEO news, Bing is expanding their social search indexing by adding Four Square into the mix. The thing that has set Four Square apart from apps with similar objectives is that the detail reviews are perfectly tailored for a system like the Bing social index already. They are short, made for mobile and local [...]

SEO NEWS: Marissa Meyer Tapped as Yahoo CEO

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

With Marissa Mayer taking over the reins of Yahoo as their newly appointed SEO, Yahoo search has a very tenuous future ahead of it in all likelihood. For those unfamiliar with Mayer, while at Google, she took them to the top of the hill in the search world before being shuffled off to other projects [...]

Tata AIA Life reinforces Values and Foundations in its new film - 'Admission'

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Ltd. (Tata AIA Life) today announces the release of its new Television Commercial "Admission'', reinforcing the importance of Values and Foundations necessary for a secure future.

ARM Inks Deal With TSMC To Develop Sub-20nm Procs With 3D Transistors

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

ARM's relentless attack on Intel's dominant position continues. In recent months, the mobile-friendly company has won major victories in the form of the ARM-compatible Windows RT operating system and cracking the 3.0GHz clock speed barrier with a smaller, 28nm-based Cortex A9. Now, ARM's following Intel's lead on another major front: 3D transistors. Today, ARM announced it has signed a long-term deal with TSMC to develop sub-20nm 64-bit CPUs based around TSMC's FinFET 3D transistor technology.

Intel's leap into Tri-Gate 3D transistors gave Ivy Bridge a big jump in power efficiency and a decent performance boost. ARM's processors -- more specifically, mostly its Cortex A9 processors -- are already found in scads of mobile devices and boast impressive energy efficiency; switching to 3D transistors could make ARM-powered smartphones and tablets last even longer.

Meanwhile, focusing on the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture in these 3D transistor-based chips -- current ARM procs are 32-bit -- opens up the doors for ARM in higher-end computing and server applications.  Prototype ARMv8 systems aren't expected to start showing up until 2014, however.

The big question is: can TSMC actually keep up with market demand? Making the jump to 28nm has been difficult for the fab company, and adding vertical transistors adds a whole new dimension of complexity (literally).

Patriot's Supersonic Rage XT Packs 32GB/64GB into Compact USB 3.0 Thumbstick

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

With AMD and Intel both fully (and finally) embracing the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard, it's almost impossible to pick up a system saddled with just USB 2.0 ports, especially with third-party companies like NEC and Marvell picking up the slack. That's good news, because USB 3.0 peripherals are quick becoming commonplace. One of the newest USB 3.0 products is Patriot Memory's Supersonic Rage XT, a high-performance thumbstick built around a compact form factor.

USB thumb drives aren't very big to begin with, but the Supersonic Rage XT, according to Patriot's spec sheet, is smaller than most, measuring .41 inches (D) by 2.1 inches (W) by .86 inches (H). That's not quite as itty-bitty as a pico drive, but it's certainly tinier than a traditional thumbstick.

The Supersonic Rage XT is available in 32GB and 64GB capacities. Both models boast up to 180MB/s read and up to 50MB/s write speeds and feature a rubber coated housing to protect from drops, spills, and general clumsiness. A retractable design further protects the drive from the rigors of travel and the daily grind.

As for MSRP and release date, those are specifics Patriot Memory unfortunately neglected to announce, saying only that they'll sell for a "very affordable price."

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Solid State Drives Pose No Immediate Threat to Hard Disk Drives, IHS iSuppli Says

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

For those of you paying attention, it's hard not to notice the downward trend in solid state drive pricing, which in some cases has fallen below a buck per gigabyte on high end SSDs. Be that as it may, market research firm IHS iSuppli believes mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) will remain the dominant storage platform now and in the near term future, even as Microsoft's Surface tablet and other competing SSD-only devices enter the market place.

It's simply a matter of numbers, and IHS iSuppli's figures show that notebooks PCs sporting at least a 500GB hard drive and priced between $450 and $550 claimed the lion's share of the market at 32 percent in the first quarter. The second biggest chunk (26 percent) belonged to notebooks integrating hard drives larger than 320GB and priced between $350 and $450. In fact, 128GB SSD systems priced above $900 accounted for just 3 percent of the market.

"The market-share rankings show that SSD-based notebook PCs like Apple Inc.'s MacBook Air presently pose no threat to the much larger universe of HDD-based mobile PCs," said Fang Zhang, analyst for storage systems at IHS. "SSD-equipped notebooks are faster, more lightweight and sport a thinner profile—some of the characteristics that make them popular and desirable to consumers—but they are also more expensive and feature less overall storage space. The price of a MacBook Air with just a 64GB solid state drive can reach $999, while an HDD-based notebook PC at that price can boast significantly larger storage space."

Looking at it another way, it's all about the Benjamins, and as long as SSD-based systems require more of them than HDD-based PCs while offering less overall storage space, it will be difficult to close the gap in any meaningful way.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Google Runs Out Of 16GB Nexus 7 Tablets, Still Launches Ad Campaign

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

Ah, irony. Google really wants the Nexus 7 tablet to sell well, so it's gone ahead and created a commercial showing off a bunch of the nifty things the tiny little Wi-Fi tablet can do. The goal of advertising is to raise awareness and drive sales, of course, but if anybody sees the ad and ventures over to the Google Play store to pick up a Nexus 7, they'll be greeted with a "Coming Soon" sign -- at least if they want the $250 16GB version.

Online demand for the 16GB version has far exceeded Google's estimates, the Guardian reports, and the company has sold through its entire stockpile. Apparently, the company expected online buyers to believe in Google's vision of the connected cloud and opt for the cheaper 8GB version. That hasn't happened; the 8GB Nexus 7 is still available and will show up on your doorstep in 3 to 5 business days.

Apparently, people actually paid attention and noted that the Nexus tablets lack an SD card slot or any type of upgradability path. The wonder! All versions of the tablet have also been getting more difficult to find at physical retailers such as GameSpot and Staples, as well.

While you're waiting for the 16GB Nexus tablets to show up in stock, feel free to check out the Nexus tablet ad embedded below.

Fractal Design Launches Define R4 PC Case with Sound Absorbing Side Panels

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

Fractal Design, the same company that recently took a 12-gauge shotgun to its Define XL case to prove the sturdiness of the side panel structure, extends the Define line with the newly introduced Define R4. The Define R4 isn't built to take a shotgun blast to the gut (and neither was the Define XL, it just happened to be able to survive one), but it is intended to stomp out unwanted noise with panels that are fitted with dense, sound-absorbing material.

In addition to sound dampening material, the Define R4 features support for up to eight 3.5-inch hard drives (HDDs), all of which are compatible with solid state drives (SSDs), two 2.5-inch SSD stealth bays on the back of the motherboard tray, a pair of 5.25-inch bays, 7 + 1 expansion slots, and plenty of space for towering components, such as a CPU cooler up to 170mm, PSUs up to 270mm deep, and graphics cards up to 430mm in length.

Cooling chores are handled by up to seven case fans (two are included) and an integrated fan controller (also included) that hooks up to three fans. There are also cable routing cutouts to keep bundles of wires from obstructing airflow.

The Define R4 is available now for $110 in Black Pearl, Titanium Grey, and Arctic White.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Uniloc Sues Electronic Arts Over Patent Infringement Claims

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

Nearly a dozen game developers, including Electronic Arts (EA), stand accused of infringing upon a patent held by Uniloc that relates to a "system and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data." According to Uniloc, EA and others are using the patented technology, without permission, in certain Android-based mobile games, including Bejeweled 2, which was specifically named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit against EA specifically, as it appears on Scribd, takes issue with Android-based applications on smartphones and tablets "that require communication with a server to perform a license check to prevent the unauthorized use of said application." A phone home technology, in other words. Uniloc filed similar suits against nine other game developers, all of which are related to U.S. Patent No. 6,857,067. The patent states:

"A portable licensing medium is configured to communicate with the electronic device for storing license data. The license data is used to determine whether to allow access to the electronic data. A registration authority communicates with the electronic device. The registration authority has a database of verification data for verifying the license data stored on the licensing medium and provides updated license data to the licensing medium," according to the abstract of the patent."

In addition to EA, Uniloc is suing and seeking damages and royalties from Distinctive Developments, Full Fat Productions, Gameloft, Halfbrick Studios, Laminar Research, Madfinger Games, Mojjang, Polarbit, and Square Enix.

Image Credit: Eliot Lash via Creative Commons

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Core i7-3970X Sandy Bridge-E CPU Reportedly In The Works

Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:01 AM PDT

Are you anxiously awaiting the launch of enthusiast-class Ivy Bridge-E chips? If so, you better settle down for the long haul; an Intel roadmap leaked earlier this year suggests that the first IB-E CPUs aren't expected to show up until sometime in 2013. Socket LGA2011 won't be left with empty stockings this Christmas, however, as a new report claims that Intel is working on an unlocked Sandy Bridge-E successor to the top-end Core i7-3960X that should be ready right in time for the holidays.

As the name suggests, the Core i7-3970X is a slight step up over the current Sandy Bridge-E chip. DonanimHaber says the enthusiast chip will sport 3.5/4.0GHz core/turbo speeds, a small increase over the Core i7-3960X's 3.3/3.9GHz numbers.  Of course, tweakers will be able to push that even higher, and since it's based on the 32nm Sandy Bridge architecture, the processor theoretically wouldn't run into the same overclocked thermal woes that plague the newer Ivy Bridge CPUs.

In all other respects, the rumored Core i7-3970X's rumored specs line up with its predecessor, right down to the six HyperThread-enabled cores, 15MB L3 cache and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory. DonanimHaber expects the TDP to be pushed up to 150W, though.

Assuming the claims are true, expect the Core i7-3970X to supplant the $1,000 Core i7-3960X when it drops in the fourth quarter of this year. Again, assuming the claims are true, are you interested in a slightly upgraded SB-E CPU or are you holding out for next year's IB-E?

Via Fudzilla; Image via DonanimHaber
Posted by Shri Krishna
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