25th August 2006 Archive

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Hollywood demands 64-bit PCs for HD DVD, Blu-ray playback?

If you want to use Windows Media Player, certainly

Windows Vista will not play HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc media out of the box on 32-bit systems, Microsoft has admitted, but third-party software developers may support next-generation optical disc playback on such machines - if Hollywood lets them. Speaking in Australia this week, Microsoft Senior Program Manager Steve Riley …

HD 25 Aug 2006, 09:10
VIA to ship its first DirectX 9 Intel-oriented IGP next month?

P4M900 finally makes it to market

VIA will next month ship its P4M900 chipset, it has been claimed. The integrated part was announced in May this year, but VIA didn't specify when the product would be made available to motherboard makers. According to Chinese-language website HKEPC, the chipset will ship in September. The P4M900's key introduction is the …

Bits 'n' Chips 25 Aug 2006, 09:43
Vertu Constellation to be observed in October?

Stellar street

Nokia's luxury-phone subsidiary, Vertu, will launch a new line-up in October, it has been claimed - an allegation backed up with leaked publicity shots of the expensive handsets. The upcoming phone will be called Constellation. Specifications remain vague, but it's expected the Constellation series, which comprises four …

Phones 25 Aug 2006, 10:27
Pioneer BDR-101A internal Blu-ray disc burner

Review Europe gets its first retail BD-R/RE drive

It's now well over five months since we reviewed the pre-production version of Samsung's Blu-ray drive and there's still no sign of retail units. Fortunately, if you really must have a BD drive for your PC right now, Pioneer has the goods and you can have one today - if you can afford it... The Pioneer BDR-101A looks very …

Bits 'n' Chips 25 Aug 2006, 11:27
Plextor preps 'world's smallest' external DVD writer

Bus-powered

Plextor this week launched what it claims is the world's smallest DVD writer, a slimline external unit aimed at notebook users. Weighing in at just 250g, the drive is a mere 1.6cm high and barely bigger than a disc. The PX-608CU supports all the many DVD recordable and rewriteable formats, including dual-layer media. Speeds …

Storage 25 Aug 2006, 11:56
Iomega ships 320GB eSATA hard drive

High-speed interface

Iomega has begun shipping its first external hard drives equipped with an eSATA port for direct connection to a PC's Serial ATA bus, the storage specialist announced this week. No eSATA port on your PC or Mac? Don't worry, Iomega's bundling a suitable PCI add-in adaptor. The drive also has a regular USB 2.0 port too. eSATA …

Storage 25 Aug 2006, 12:27
Apple gearing up to ship Conroe-based Macs?

Circumstantial evidence

Is Apple about to upgrade its Mac Mini and iMac consumer computers? One blogger reckons so after a big order for Mac Minis was rejected by his usual supplier. The reseller told him he would be able to order the kit from 5 September onwards. What makes the posting worthy of note is that the same thing happened some seven …

Mac 25 Aug 2006, 13:22
Toshiba's Zune-branded player made public

'Hello from Seattle...'

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a Toshiba-made digital media player that look exactly like the pics that have surfaced of Microsoft's Zune gadget. The test filing confirms the device comes pre-loaded with an 802.11b/g wireless network adaptor - and clearly show the Zune logo. Look familiar? …

Media players 25 Aug 2006, 13:52
Asus announces GPS-equipped UMPC

Biometric security, too

Asus has hopped on the ultra-mobile PC bandwagon, going beyond the near-standard UMPC spec with an integrated fingerprint scanner and a built-in GPS receiver with a fold-out antenna. The handheld computer even has its own webcam. The R2H's display is a 7in LCD 1,280 x 800 job. Inside beats the 900MHz heart of an ultra-low …

PCs 25 Aug 2006, 15:16