Reg Hardware

18th October 2007 Archive

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  • Slotload DVD drives and half-size discs

    Q&A

    I bought an acer aspire L320, and it's one of those PC's that has no DVD drawer: you offer the disc and it just slides in. I have a webcam I need to install but the software is on a mini disc. Will the machine take it in and spit it out when I'm done?

    Q&A 18 Oct 2007, 09:24

  • Sony, Toshiba to form JV to fab PS3 chips

    Cell, RSX production transferred

    Sony is to sell the chip manufacturing plant it currently uses to produce Cell processors for the PlayStation 3 games console to Toshiba, part of a scheme that will see the two Japanese giants create an ¥100m ($858,000) chip-making joint-venture. The new company's name has yet to be set, but it will take over production of …

    Consoles 18 Oct 2007, 09:54

  • Nokia slides latest Linux tablet onto market

    Internet device gets a keyboard

    Nokia took a direct pop at Apple yesterday as it unveiled the latest addition to its internet tablet range. The Nokia N810: it can definitely handle pink The Linux-based N810 finally adds a real keyboard to the Nokia tablet range, instead of asking customers to rely on a full screen touch keyboard. This might go some way …

    Phones 18 Oct 2007, 10:27

  • Intel readies budget dual-core Celerons

    End of the road for single-core CPUs?

    Intel's Celeron line of budget processors will go dual-core in the new year, a prelude to a plan that will see the chip giant phase out single-core products, it has been claimed. The first low-cost desktop chip will be branded Celeron Dual-Core, as per this year's Pentium Dual-Core releases. The first of the line will be the …

    Bits 'n' Chips 18 Oct 2007, 10:30

  • Oz censor bans Soldier Of Fortune: Payback

    Bodies blown apart too much it seems

    Australian gamers looking forward to a fix of blood, guts and gore in Soldier Of Fortune: Payback will be disappointed - the country’s Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) has banned the game. The game, the third in the Soldier of Fortune series from publisher Activision, was due to appear in Australia for …

    Consoles 18 Oct 2007, 11:24

  • Asus Maximus Formula Intel X38-based mobo

    Review Maximus or minimus?

    Intel’s new X38 chipset sweeps aside the elderly 975X and storms to the front of the queue as the natural choice for anyone building or upgrading a Core 2 Duo, Quad or Extreme PC. In essence, the X38 is a souped-up P35 with added support for the next-gen 1600MHz frontside bus (FSB) as well as Intel’s 45nm 'Penryn'. As things …

    Bits 'n' Chips 18 Oct 2007, 11:48

  • Developer to demo 400Mbps powerline Ethernet

    Double today's LAN-over-mains bandwidth

    DS2, the Spanish chip maker behind one of the two rival ethernet-over-mains-wiring technologies, will next month demo a next-gen version of powerline that runs at up to 400Mbps - double today's top speed. It may be ready to show the technology working, but it's some way from releasing chips that can be incorporated into …

    Networking and Wireless 18 Oct 2007, 12:35

  • Sony slashes US 80GB PS3 price by $100

    Announces 40GB model too

    Sony has cut the price of the US 80GB PlayStation 3 to $499 (£245/€352), a prelude to the launch next month of the 40GB version, already announced in Europe and Japan. Sony launched the 80GB PS3 in the US in July, a month before it went on sale for $599. The 40GB model will cost $399 (£196/€281) and will go on sale Stateside …

    Consoles 18 Oct 2007, 13:02

  • WD claims highest hard drive density crown

    640GB-per-platter drives now possible

    Western Digital has claimed to have created the world's highest density hard drive platter, a unit that packs in 520Gb per inch squared - more than double the highest density products on the market today. They typically offer an data density of 200Gbpi² - just not enough to yield the 640GB-per-platter storage capacity needed …

    Storage 18 Oct 2007, 13:28

  • iRiver rolls out portable DAB

    B20 DAB Radio MP3 Player

    iRiver hasn't deviated far from the popular Clix design with its latest B20 DAB radio-cum-MP3 player. However, the unit’s extendable external aerial gives it a cute retro feel alongside modern MP3 and video features. iRiver's B20: has a retro feel The B20's 2.4in 320 x 240 LCD screen displays 260,000 colours. The external …

    Media players 18 Oct 2007, 13:40

  • PC sales boosted by Europe's laptops

    Steady growth

    Worldwide PC sales grew by 15.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2007 boosted by increased demand in Europe for laptops. Figures from IDC's Quarterly PC Tracker reveal US shipments of desktop machines continued to decline while laptop growth remained strong. HP was most improved of the big vendors, with growth of 17 per cent …

    PCs 18 Oct 2007, 13:44

  • Sony's pitches photo storage pod

    You'd better get snapping

    If you faint with terror at the prospect of organising a few family photos, how does the thought of arranging 50,000 into a digital "super album" strike you? Sony’s HDMS-S1D accepts photos from various sources, tracks them and enables slideshow displays on your HD TV. Sony's HDMS-S1D: stylish, living room-friendly look …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 18 Oct 2007, 15:16

  • How to get colour composite-video from an Apple TV

    Updated Got a standard def 16:9 telly? Now you too can use an Apple TV

    I've been playing with Apple's Apple TV set-top box this week, and I have to say I like it. But Apple's missing a trick by not allowing those of us - me included - without HD TVs to make the most of the device. No matter: a simple hardware trick solves the problem. I've found Apple TV to be a great way of getting content not …

    Hands On 18 Oct 2007, 20:07