Reg Hardware

19th April 2006 Archive

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  • Apple updates Intel-based Mac firmware

    Fixes remain a mystery

    Apple has posted a series of firmware updates for its Intel-based Mac desktops and notebooks. The release takes the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac's firmware to version 1.0.1. In each case, the download weighs in at a mere 2.8MB. You can get it here. Apple has yet to reveal what the update fixes and/or improves, and no …

    Mac 19 Apr 2006, 08:56

  • AMD 'to bring forward' Socket AM2 launch

    CPUs, chipsets and mobos ready to go, apparently

    AMD has reportedly rescheduled the release of its Socket AM2 platform, bringing forward the launch date from 6 June to 23 May, the better it seems to get as much of a lead on Intel's next-generation architecture processor, 'Conroe', as possible. According to a DailyTech report citing Taiwanese motherboard and chipset makers, …

    Bits 'n' Chips 19 Apr 2006, 09:48

  • MacBook Pro GPU underclocked, report claims

    Thermally challenged?

    Apple appears to have underclocked the ATI Radeon Mobility X1600 graphics chip in its MacBook Pro laptop. According to one online report, the GPU's core runs 35 per cent slower than the clock speed recommended by ATI. The memory clock is 41 per cent below par. The speed differential was spotted by a poster on French-language …

    Mac 19 Apr 2006, 09:59

  • Philips tries to block ad-blocking

    You will watch these sponsorship messages

    Philips is attempting to patent a technique that would prevent viewers from skipping through ads embedded within recorded programmes or even channel surfing during broadcast ad breaks - or force viewers to cough up cash if they want to avoid the ads. "A viewer may either watch the advertisements or pay a fee in order to be …

    Media players 19 Apr 2006, 10:42

  • Germans to get pay-by-phone public transport

    Bus tickets today, cash payments tomorrow?

    Residents of the German town of Hanau, near Frankfurt am Main, will soon be able to pay for bus rides using their mobile phones following the successful conclusion of a trial conducted by Nokia, Philips, Vodafone and the local transport authority, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV). The system is similar to the Oyster …

    Phones 19 Apr 2006, 13:34

  • Samsung lauds 'fastest, biggest' MMCmicro card

    But when will it ship?

    Samsung today claimed to have developed the "smallest, fastest and highest capacity" memory card for mobile phones, a 2GB MMCmicro device pitched as an alternative to the more commonplace MicroSD solid-state memory format. MMCmicro cards measure 14 x 12 x 1.1mm. Samsung said it had squeezed four 4Gb NAND Flash chips into …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 19 Apr 2006, 13:56

  • Gateway 12.1in laptop sports unannounced Intel CPU

    Core Solo U1300 makes first public appearance

    Gateway has begun shipping its latest "ultra-portable" notebook, the E-100M. It said the machine was less than an inch thick and weighs just 1.4kg (3.2lbs) and sports a processor Intel hasn't launched yet. The Core Solo U1300 first appeared on Intel roadmaps in November 2005 with a Q2 2006 debut. The E-100M is based around a …

    PCs 19 Apr 2006, 14:30

  • Wurtlizer hip to the iPod beat

    Dock-sporting jukebox announced

    It had to happen. The doyenne of jukeboxes, Wurlitzer, has announced a version of its classically styled One More Time music machine that features a built-in iPod dock in addition to the standard 100-CD disc stacker. The machine's sound system comes courtesy of Bose - it's an Acoustimass rig with 2x 170W RMS amplification …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 19 Apr 2006, 15:05

  • Zspire touts stealth-like mouse

    Coffin-shaped for confidence?

    Zspire describes its new alloy-cased cordless mouse as "sleek, eye-catching and iconic". Maybe it is, but we're just not sure how comfortable its stealth fighter-like body is to use. That said, the company claimed the coffin-shaped rodent "supports a natural, comfortable [hand] position". Nonetheless, this piece of so- …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 19 Apr 2006, 16:04