24th October 2006 Archive

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Asus GeForce 8800 GTX-based board details leak

Nvidia's 'G80' to sport GigaThread, Quantum Effects technologies

The specifications of an upcoming Asus graphics card, the EN8800GTX, have been posted online to give a pretty good idea what Nvidia's upcoming GeForce 8800 GTX chip - aka 'G80' - will offer, including DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0 support and Nvidia's Quantum Effects Technology. The EN8800GTX is a two-slot card that requires a …

Bits 'n' Chips 24 Oct 2006, 07:54
Intel follows AMD with CPU price cuts

New models too

Intel this weekend pruned its processor prices, making a series of cuts to its Celeron lines and a handful of other CPUs, according to its public price list, which was updated yesterday - the same day in which arch-rival AMD also tweaked what it charges for chips. Intel's Celeron D adjustments saw 8-22 per cent knocked off …

Bits 'n' Chips 24 Oct 2006, 08:26
Colourful US computer company Liebermann re-appears

L's bells, it's back

We haven't heard from colourful computer company Liebermann since its founder, Miguel Liebermann, posted a 42-page PDF in April 2005 explaining why his company had not been a hoax despite announcing a raft of incredibly high-end systems and, more to the point, apparently going out of business in October 2004. We say ' …

PCs 24 Oct 2006, 09:18
ATI to launch Radeon X1650 XT next week?

As AMD takeover goes through

ATI will next week launch its 80nm RV560 chip as the Radeon X1650 XT, it has been claimed. By then, of course, the company will almost certainly be part of AMD and possibly no longer known by its original name. The 575MHz GPU - incidentally, the same speed Nvidia's upcoming GeForce 8800 GTX is alleged to have been set to - …

Bits 'n' Chips 24 Oct 2006, 09:33
SanDisk to secure online sales with USB Flash drives

Crypto on your keychain

SanDisk will next year bring secure computing to its USB Flash drives in a bid to persuade online banks, auction houses and retailers to use them to minimise unauthorised and fraudulent transactions. The technology is called TrustedSignins and essentially embeds a "high performance" encryption engine into the Flash drive. …

PCs 24 Oct 2006, 09:57
Gateway opens up to Sony battery recall plan

Asks for 35,000 units to be returned

Gateway has become the latest notebook computer supplier to recall Sony-made laptop batteries. It has asked for some 35,000 lithium-ion power packs to be returned. The batteries could, under "very rare circumstances" overheat and catch fire, Gateway said, though it claimed it has not heard of any instances of this happening with …

PCs 24 Oct 2006, 10:14
British boffins demo 150dpi bendy display

Rollable SVGA screen, anyone?

UK-based Cambridge University spin-off Plastic Logic has pledged to demo a 150dpi bendy active-matrix display system today. Fold it, roll it - crucially, you can still read it. The technology's based on E Ink's non-volatile display system, but also brings in Plastic Logic's own techniques for 'printing' electronic components …

Gadgets and Gizmos 24 Oct 2006, 10:50
T-Mobile inks tattoo'd RAZR deal

Tattoo you, Moto

It's all a bit Grand Theft Auto, but Motorola and T-Mobile USA clearly want to get hip to the 'hood with these tattoo-styled RAZR V3 handsets, which go on sale in the US on Monday. No vibrating needles, indellible inks, seedy parlours and pain were used, apparently, but the laser etching technique Apple uses to give iPods a …

Phones 24 Oct 2006, 11:39
Brits spend more on HD DVD than Blu-ray

Of course - there's no PS3 yet

Brits favour HD DVD over Blu-ray Disc, it has been claimed. According to online retailer Play.com, UK consumers are spending more than twice as much on HD DVD players and content than they are on BD kit. The numbers are based on pre-orders made via the website. Hardware sales favour HD DVD 2:1, while content favours the …

HD 24 Oct 2006, 12:02
Apple MacBook Pros drop Core Duo for Core 2 Duo

Power boost

Apple has revamped its MacBook Pro line-up with 'Merom', Intel's Core 2 Duo mobile processor, the Mac maker has just announced. The update brings a performance jump of up to 39 per cent, Apple claimed. It also adds Firewire 800 to the 15in models. The 15.4in model is offered with a choice of 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Core 2 chip, …

Mac 24 Oct 2006, 14:20
Lik-Sang shuts shop, names PSP-purchasing senior Sony staffers

Out with a bang?

Hong Kong-based gaming hardware online retailer Lik-Sang.com has closed its doors, and it's firmly blaming Sony for its woes - even though many of the company's senior staffers have used its grey import service, the company alleged. No more orders will be taken from today, the retailer said. Existing orders will be cancelled …

Consoles 24 Oct 2006, 14:51