| Attention Windows Purists: Thinix RetroUI Lets You 'Terminate' Windows 8's New Interface Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:44 PM PDT Chief among the many gripes that people have with Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system are: that it includes the tile-based Windows 8 UI (aka "Metro"); that it's the Windows 8 UI, and not the classic desktop, that greets you when you fire up your PC; and that there is no way to disable this behavior. Up until Microsoft released Windows 8 to manufacturing, a lot of people were still hoping that it would add to the OS a way to bypass/disable the tile-based interface. Unfortunately, the software giant was not in any mood to appease them. That said, there isn't anything to prevent a third party from giving these people their wish. RetroUI from Thinix is a software that Windows purists can now turn to if they want to use Windows 8 but just can't stand the tile-based interface that the OS spits out once the user gets past the initial "Lock Screen." With RetroUI, it's not only possible to bypass Windows 8's Metro interface and go straight to the classic desktop from either the Login screen or the Lock Screen, but you can also use it to disable all other Metro UI features. However, it's only free for the first 7 days and you'll have to pay $4.95 for a three-PC "individual" license after that. Here's what Thinix has to say about the software's capabilities on the official RetroUI website: "Thinix RetroUI allows users to bypass the Windows 8 Metro User Interface (Metro UI) and automatically return to a classic Windows desktop* after login. Users can then return to the Metro desktop or use any Metro UI function. Optionally, Thinix RetroUI can be configured to eliminate/lock-out all Metro UI features. In this mode, users are sent to a classic Windows desktop at Login, and the new Metro features; Charms Bar, Hot Corners, and Metro Switcher - are completely disabled and inaccessible." Seeing a serious business opportunity in disabling Metro UI features in Windows 8 PCs owned by businesses and other large organizations, Thinix has announced separate pricing for them. |
| PAX 2012: 20 Craziest Costumes Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT There are only a handfull of places you can bump into a laid off Storm Trooper and a dude dressed up in full garb as Princess Peach in the same day. One of those places is the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), which is a series of gaming festivals held in Seattle, Washington and Boston, Massachusetts. It's a place to celebrate game culture, to let loose and participate in LAN parties and game tournaments, and if you're brave enough, to dress up as your favorite game character. Cosplay (costume play) is all about having fun, and the guys and gals at PAX do it in spades (and tights and makeup and everything else). If you weren't able to attend the event this past weekend, don't worry, we rounded up a collection of 20 of the wildest, goofiest, and downright craziest costumes to grace PAX Prime 2012. Fair warning, however -- some things you simply can't un-see (don't worry, it's all safe for work), but then again, that's all part of the fun. Enjoy the geek gallery, and be sure to tell us which costume is your favorite! 
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| Daily Deals 9/7/12: Dell 23" Ultra-thin Monitor, Acer Predator, 256GB SSD and More Posted: 07 Sep 2012 12:27 PM PDT 
Our sponsors over at LogicBuy have compiled a list of daily deals for the Maximum PC reader looking for great gadgets on a budget. This promotion will help you find that diamond-in-the-rough special you were looking for. Today's deals are as follows: Top Deal 
Today's top deal is the Dell S2330MX 23" Ultra-Slim 1080p LED-backlit LCD Monitor which is on sale for $152.99 (normally $220). The monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio, maximum resolution of 1920x1080, 60 Hz refresh rate and 2ms response time. In addition, the monitor has a VGA port, DVI-D and also comes with a DVI-HDMI adapter. To get the discount, use the stackable 10% coupon code: XNL07K1W36RMW5. Laptops Dell Inspiron 14z 14-inch Ultrabook starting at $599.99 with free shipping (normally $640). Toshiba Satellite P870 17.3" Ivy Bridge Core i7 2.3 Ghz Laptop with1TB hard drive, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Backlit Keyboard for $899.99 with free Dell shipping (normally $1,389.99 - use additional $50 coupon code A97P870G). Desktops Acer Predator Core i7 3.4 Ghz Gaming PC with 8GB DDR3, Nvidia GeForce GT530, 2TB hard drive for $949.99 (normally $1,050). Dell Inspiron 660 Core i5 3.0 Ghz Desktop with 21.5" LCD Monitor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and 1TB hard drive for the lowest ever $619.99 with free shipping (normally $830 - use coupon code JNRZKP2HWZ029R). Computing Hardware & Peripherals: Acer S271HLbid 27" LED-backlight Monitor with a 5ms response time and HDMI for $269.97 (normally $300). Logitech Portable Lapdesk N315 for $9.99 with free shipping (normally $15- use coupon code MLCK907SNL1). Crucial M4 256GB SSD (CT256M4SSD2) for $199.99 with free shipping (normally $225). Brenton Studio Merido Collection Computer Tower Desk for $150 with free shipping (normally $180). D-Link DIR-815 Wireless-N Dual-Band Router for $69.99 with free shipping (normally $89.99 - use coupon code VPN64870). Note: Due to the nature of deals & coupons, these deals could end suddenly because of coupon redemption caps or from being sold out. |
| All New Kindle Fire Tablets Ship with 'Special Offers' (Ads); Wall Charger Costs Extra Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:55 AM PDT  Amazon may have ignited a price war with the introduction of new Kindle Fire models starting at $159, and $199 (and up) for the HD variants. However, the low prices come with a couple of caveats. First and foremost. every new Kindle Fire tablet comes with what Amazon calls "special offers" that appear on the lock screen. These are essentially ads in the form of money saving offers. Secondly, if you want a wall charger, that's a $10 add-on. Let's take a closer look.
Starting with the special offers, here's what Amazon has to say in its press release: "The new Kindle Fire family comes with special offers that appear on the lock screen. Examples of special money-saving offers that customers will enjoy include a $5 credit in the Amazon MP3 Store and a $5 credit for select titles in the Amazon Instant Video Store. Customers will also receive special offers and screensavers from brands like AT&T, Discover and Intel, such as a special offer of a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card when a customer uses their Discover card to purchase a digital product on Amazon." If you're not interested in lock screen ads, don't go cancelling your pre-order just yet. According to Engadget, there will be a way you can opt out of ads, though Amazon didn't go into any detail other than hinting at the fact that it will cost extra to do so. An official announcement is expected soon. 
The other semi-hidden cost is that Amazon will no longer supply a wall charger with any of the Kindle Fire devices. All four models -- Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch, Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch 4G -- come with the tablet itself (duh), USB 2.0 cable, and a Quick Start Guide. If you want to plug it into the wall, you can pick up a 'Kindle PowerFast for Accelerated Charging' for $20, or $10 if you purchase it the same time you buy/pre-order the tablet. Without it, you can still charge your Kindle Fire via a powered USB port. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| BitFenix Conjures Ghost Case Wrapped in Noise Dampening Materials Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:12 AM PDT  Halloween is still more than a month away, but that didn't stop BitFenix from creating and naming another case that sounds like it could double as a costume. The company's newest chassis is called Ghost, an unassuming case that was designed with a minimalistic approach to blend into virtually any home decor, along with utilizing silencing material to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to itself.
From an aesthetic standpoint, BitFenix says it used a new surface treatment called NanoChrome, which combines an enamel with mother-of-pearl powder that's then applied to the surface of the case and heated to high temperatures. Functionally, BitFenix covered the inside of both the front door and the two side panels with lightweight noise dampening material. Quiet Spectre fans and anti-vibration hard drive bays further keep noise to a minimum, BitFenix says. Other features of the Ghost include three 5.25-inch drive bays, four 3.5-inch drive bays, three 2.5-inch drive bays, a hot swappable bay up top that doubles as a storage compartment, ample room for water cooling, a dual-hinge door design (the front panel swings open to the left or right), all-black interior, cable cutouts, USB 3.0 support, and various other odds and ends. BitFenix says you'll be able to purchase a Ghost by the end of the month for $99. Until then, check out the company's guided tour in the video below. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Caught Off Guard by Weak PC Sales, Slashes Q3 Sales Forecast by a Billion Dollars Posted: 07 Sep 2012 08:28 AM PDT  Intel, the world's largest semiconductor maker, took a mighty big chisel to its third-quarter sales forecast and chipped off about a billion dollars due to "softness in the enterprise PC segment" and "weaker than expected demand in a challenging macroeconomic environment." The chipmaker had previously forecast third-quarter sales to be anywhere from $13.8 billion to $14.8 billion, but now says that $12.9 billion to $13.5 billion is a more realistic target.
According to Intel, customers typically buy more chips in the third quarter as they prepare for the holiday shopping season, but this year they've been cutting back their orders. The only segment Intel said is meeting expectations is the data center business. Daniel Berenbaum, an analyst at MKM Partners LLC, tells BusinessWeek that the problem relates to PC makers being scared off by increasing demand for tablets. 
"The problem is PC makers don't know what to build. The bear case is that this indicates that people are not going to buy PCs, they're buying tablets," Berenbaum says. Be that as it may, Intel was still able to grow its chip business by 4 percent last quarter, even though shipments of PCs around the world remained stagnant (and actually dropped by 0.1 percent, based on data from Gartner and IDC). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
