12th December 2006 Archive

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Apple a-quiver over iPod vibrator copyright clash

Buzz off, says sex toy supplier

Apple has set the lawyers on the makers of the iBuzz iPod-driven vibrator. The company claims the UK website established to promote the stimulatory accessory violates its copyright. Specifically, what LoveLabs describes as an "animation showing silhouettes of girls diddling themselves silly" is, in the words of Apple legal …

Gadgets and Gizmos 12 Dec 2006, 10:46
Fujitsu 'first' to announce 300GB laptop SATA HDD

Second-generation perpendicular recording tech

Fujitsu has unveiled what it claims is the world's first 2.5in, notebook-oriented SATA hard drive with a "second-generation perpendicular recording"-boosted capacity of 300GB. The part's called the MHX2300BT and will also be offered with a 250GB storage capacity. Fujitsu claimed the drives a not only "exceptionally quiet" but …

Bits 'n' Chips 12 Dec 2006, 11:06
Dell takes orders for Blu-ray laptop

Gamer-friendly XPS M1710 gets next-gen optical format

Dell has brought the Blu-ray Disc next-generation optical disc format to its XPS M1710 gamer-friendly notebook offering. The PC giant is now allowing buyers to configure the machine with a dual-layer, 50GB BD-R burner. The company is also offering a standard-configuration M1710 with the Blu-ray drive built in. It's equipped …

PCs 12 Dec 2006, 11:26
Intel EOLs Pentium D 820

Clearing the decks for Core

Intel has formally sounded the death knell for its dual-core Pentium D 820 processor, documents sent by the chip giant to its customers reveal. Come 2 February 2007, orders for the part will no longer be available for cancellation and shipped product can't be sent back. In August this year, Taiwanese moles signalled Intel's …

Bits 'n' Chips 12 Dec 2006, 11:38
Nvidia specs up single-chip Intel integrated chipsets

MCP73 to be followed by DirectX 10-capable MCP79, apparently

Analyst claims that Nvidia is close to releasing low-cost chipsets targeting Intel processors gained weight this week when Far Eastern moles detailed the single-chip products' - said to be codenamed 'MCP73' and 'MCP79' - specifications. The MCP73 is said to support a 1,066MHz frontside bus and can host a single-channel 667MHz …

Bits 'n' Chips 12 Dec 2006, 12:06
Cambridge Soundworks readies iPod-friendly speakers

Version for Creative Zen players ships today

Creative Technology subsidiary Cambridge Soundworks will next month ship a version of its PlayDock speaker set for Apple's iPod. The company began shipping a version of the product for Creative's Zen digital music players today. Creative is the company that famously declared war on the iPod. Nowadays, if you can't beat 'em, …

Media players 12 Dec 2006, 12:43
MS ships 'free' Xbox 360 coding kit for amateurs

To share your toys you'll need to pay up

Microsoft has released its anticipated PC-hosted Xbox 360 games development package, XNA Game Studio Express, in the hope it can turn game players into game makers. And make some money out of them: it's charging would-be coders $99 a year for access to sample software, support and such. The software giant announced XNA Game …

Consoles 12 Dec 2006, 13:03
Re-enact great Jedi, Sith battles with... a Nintendo Wii Remote

Impressive... most impressive

Remember MacSaber, the fun utility that used a MacBook or MacBook Pro's hard drive movement sensor to trigger Jedi lightsabre sounds? Well, now you can do the same thing with the much more sword hilt-like Nintendo Wii Remote. The new app, WiiSaber, comes from Isnoop, the guy who developed MacSaber earlier this year. It's …

Consoles 12 Dec 2006, 13:27
Nintendo Wii launch breaks UK record

Demand and supply levels still not matched

Nintendo has sold more than 105,000 Wiis in the UK since the games console went on sale over here first thing last Friday morning. According to the videogames pioneer, punters took possession of 50,000 Wiis during the first 12 hours it was available. ChartTrack statistics cited by GamesIndustry.biz show more than double that …

Consoles 12 Dec 2006, 14:21