15th October 2007 Archive

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Sony talks up PS3 update

Bid to boost Blu-ray firmware interactivity

A Sony executive has left PS3 fans all a-quiver after promising to release a firmware update "soon" that will improve the console’s support for Blu-ray Disc interactivity features. Don Eklund, VP of advanced technologies at Sony, reportedly made the promise at the recent HDTV DisplaySearch conference in California. …

Consoles 15 Oct 2007, 09:11
Intel shows off working quad-core mobile CPU

'Penryn' part, due this time next year

Intel has demo'd the 45nm quad-core mobile processor it's planning to release next year. The chip maker claimed it was on track to bring the part to market in H2 2008 - in Q3, to be precise, though that's not a timeframe Intel has yet made public. The prototype chip - said to have rolled out of one of the chip giant's fabs …

Bits 'n' Chips 15 Oct 2007, 09:54
Hitachi halves hard drive head size

Paves way for 4TB desktop drives, apparently

Hitachi has developed a hard drive read/write head that's half the size of the units found in today's top-of-the-line HDDs - a crucial step, it claimed, to delivering a 4TB desktop drive, albeit not until 2009 at the earliest. Hitachi's new head may be tiny - 30-50nm in size, one two-thousandth of the thickness of a human …

Storage 15 Oct 2007, 10:21
Nokia releases 8GB N95 smartphone

Apple who?

The 8GB version of Nokia's N95 3G phone - sorry, "multimedia computer" - has begun making its way out of the Finnish phone giant's factories and onto store shelves, the company claimed today. Nokia's N95 8GB: back in black The new model represents not only the addition of four more gigabytes of storage to the 'Swiss Army …

Phones 15 Oct 2007, 11:09
LucasArts to wield Wii Light Sabre in UK next week

Gaming festival to feature peripheral

British fans of Nintendo Wii and Star Wars will get a first glimpse of the Wii Remote as a Light Sabre at a gaming festival being held later this month. Lego Star Wars: kick against the bricks LucasArts will be exhibiting the Wii Remote as a Light Sabre alongside its forthcoming Wii title Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga …

Consoles 15 Oct 2007, 11:17
How can I widen my wireless network?

Q&A

Like many Reg Hardware readers, I have an 802.11g Wi-Fi network at home. But there are places where it just doesn't reach. Has anyone got a good suggestion as to what I can do about it? I had considered putting in some Powerline Ethernet mains-connected network adaptors, but I don't want to be limited to a fixed place for …

Q&A 15 Oct 2007, 11:30
Rock Xtreme X770-T7800 notebook

Review Could it be a contender?

Rock has a reputation for punching out high-performance laptops, and it's latest line, the flagship 17in desktop-replacment X770 series, has a spec that suggests it's no slouch either. The line's leader, the X770-T7800, has at its heart an Intel Core 2 Duo T7800. Currently the fastest mobile Core 2 Duo processor, the T7800 is …

PCs 15 Oct 2007, 12:17
Intel demos notebook chiller

Company dips toe into laptop cooling

Intel has revealed details of technologies it’s developing to help reduce notebooks’ internal temperatures and make them resistant to accidental spillages. Intel Mobility Group VP Mooly Eden demo'd the new techniques at Intel Developer Forum in Taipei today. He showed off a notebook stand-cum-docking station co-developed with …

PCs 15 Oct 2007, 14:40
MS keeps mum on 'Go Play' Xbox 360 Arcade edition

Core on its way out?

Microsoft has yet to confirm the existence of a new basic Xbox 360 model, the Arcade edition, despite pictures of the model’s packaging appearing online. The picture, hosted by the ShackNews site, is believed to have been taken inside a US gaming store, where it was priced at $280 (£140/€165) and sat in between a top of the …

Consoles 15 Oct 2007, 14:55
D-Link to bring DivX onto your HD TV

DivX has teamed up with D-Link to incorporate its DivX Connected HD digital media platform onto the Wi-Fi firm's DSM-330 network box, giving users access to PC-based DivX content via their TV. D-Link's DSM-330: now with DivX Movies, pictures and music can be streamed over a wired Ethernet connection or over 802.11g Wi-Fi, …

Media players 15 Oct 2007, 15:06
Convert LPs to CDs... without a USB turntable?

Q&A

I have a hi-fi system and I want to transfer my vinyl LPs to CD. I could buy an Ion USB turntable, of course - but could I use my existing turntable somehow?

Q&A 15 Oct 2007, 15:55