15th September 2006 Archive

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Apple marches out Boot Camp update

Core 2 Duo-based Mac support

Apple has updated its Windows-on-Mac utility, Boot Camp. The latest release, version 1.1.1 and still a beta test incarnation, primarily incorporates support for the Apple's recently released Core 2 Duo-based iMacs. The 186MB download is little changed from version 1.1, released last month after Apple shipped its Mac Pro …

Mac 15 Sep 2006, 08:49
MS intros Zune music service, Wi-Fi song sharing

Tight-lipped on prices, availability

Microsoft yesterday revealed what World+Dog already knew: what it's upcoming Zune-branded digital music player will look like. Yes, the star of US Federal Communications Commission filings and blurry, amateur-look picture leaks is official. As expected, Zune will incorporate a 30GB hard drive and a 3in display. Unlike the …

Media players 15 Sep 2006, 09:14
JVC constructs 'pulsating sphere' near-ideal audio source

Looks a bit Blakes 7 though...

JVC has developed what it claims is the "ideal sound source" loudspeaker. Well, almost - the company described its "pulsating sphere" system as "very close" to its goal of creating "a natural, near-perfect sound field". It's not a true sphere, either. Each speaker is actually a 10cm-diameter dodecahedron containing 11 …

Gadgets and Gizmos 15 Sep 2006, 09:51
ATI readies 80nm desktop GPUs for October?

ATI will unveil Radeon X1950 Pro and X1650 XT graphics chips and add-in cards on 17 October, according to reports from Taiwanese moles and leaked documents intended for the company's customers. The cards are expected to be the first to sport ATI's new internal CrossFire connector, which differs from Nvidia's SLI link by …

Bits 'n' Chips 15 Sep 2006, 10:06
Trolltech prices up coder-friendly Linux phone

Greenphone not cheap

Trolltech's Linux-based handset, the Greenphone, will set curious coders back at least $695, the company has revealed. The device, announced in August this year, it pitched at software developers rather than consumers or businesspeople. Trolltech said the device itself costs $695. The company plans to ship the Greenphone …

Phones 15 Sep 2006, 10:33
Apple iPhone 'on track' for early '07 intro, mole claims

Echoes analyst's allegation

The Apple iPhone displayed on a French news magazine this week may not be the Real McCoy, but behind the scenes the development of the Mac maker's first foray into phone hardware is continuing apace with a view to an early 2007 introduction, it has been claimed. According to a source "with direct connections to [Apple's] …

Phones 15 Sep 2006, 10:59
Man makes Xbox 360 laptop

First mod that's actually useful?

Xbox 360 buffs who think their next-generation games console is just too darned bulky for gaming on move - not to mention the TV you'd have to lug around - should take heart from fellow fan Ben Heckendorn who decided enough was enough and re-configured his console into a laptop form-factor. Not that you'd necessarily want to …

Consoles 15 Sep 2006, 11:36
Toshiba readies revised HD DVD players

Samsung plans Blu-ray machine update too

Toshiba is to update its North American HD DVD player line-up, the company said yesterday, bringing the US-oriented products launch in March this year into line with the European models announced earlier this month. Separately, it emerged this week that Samsung will update its BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc player's firmware next …

HD 15 Sep 2006, 12:34
Lite-On to ship HD DVD drive next year

Blu-ray Disc supporter backs rival format too

Optical drive maker Lite-On has decided to support the HD DVD next-generation optical disc format as well as rival technology Blu-ray Disc. Lite-On's first, half-height HD DVD drive will come to market in March 2007, it said. To date, Lite-On has been a strong supporter of Blu-ray. Not that you'd know it from today's …

Bits 'n' Chips 15 Sep 2006, 13:08
PC market slows but outlook positive: IDC

Q2 forces down full year forecast

Growth in the worldwide PC market dipped below 10 per cent in the second quarter of 2006, according to latest figures from IDC. Over 52 million units were shipped globally, representing growth in the quarter of 9.8 per cent. This is 0.6 per cent below expectations and slower than in recent quarters. In light of the results …

PCs 15 Sep 2006, 13:18
Nintendo: Wii to come to Europe on 8 December

Pricing, games details announced

Nintendo will ship its Wii console in Europe on Friday, 8 December, six days after the machine's Japanese debut and three weeks after the next-generation gaming system ships in the US. Wii will retail for around £179/€249, Nintendo said. European Wiis will bundle Wii Sports, Nintendo revealed. Other titles will cost between £ …

Consoles 15 Sep 2006, 13:24
Shuttle XPC SD37P2 CrossFire-ready SFF PC

Review Small yet powerful?

The SD37P2 is the first Core 2 Duo-ready small form-factor XPC from Shuttle, but it has far more than support for Intel's latest processor on offer. For anyone looking at building a high-end SFF system, the SD37P2 supports ATI's CrossFire - the first SFF PC to do so - although you're limited to single slot cards. Is this the …

PCs 15 Sep 2006, 14:13
50 years of the hard drive

Comment Amazing, but ...

This week I attended an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View that celebrated the golden anniversary of the IBM RAMAC 305, the first hard disk drive storage system. While the event seem well attended by various industry luminaries and at a least one TV station van, having my nine year-old son alongside me that …

Bits 'n' Chips 15 Sep 2006, 18:32
Toshiba puts Lexar royalties spat to bed

Cost: $288m

Toshiba has settled its rancorous NAND flash memory lawsuit with Lexar, but at a hefty price. It is coughing up $288m to Micron, Lexar's new owner, and in return getting some semiconductor patents and licenses previously owned by Lexar. In a press statement announcing the ending of pending litigation between the two firms, …

Bits 'n' Chips 15 Sep 2006, 20:24