4th January 2008 Archive

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NetFlix sics troops on Apple TV

Trumpets set-top box. Plans 100 more

NetFlix is going toe-to-toe with Apple TV. And then some. This morning, the get-your-movie-rentals-through-the-mail pioneer announced it will soon team with LG Electronics to offer a brand new set-top box that streams movies straight to your television. But that's just a start. In a conversation with Hacking Netflix.com, CEO …

HD 4 Jan 02:05
Sony confirms Skype coming to PSP

VoIP while you play

There's no doubt now that Skype is coming to the Sony PlayStation Portable - Sony's own website, updated to preview next week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, admits as much. "Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP," the site says, letting the cat well and …

Phones 4 Jan 09:43
Which is the best DVR?

Q&A

I want a high-quality digital video recorder which also records content onto DVDs. Which one do Reg Hardware readers think is best?

Q&A 4 Jan 10:02
Nvidia readies mid-range GeForce 9600 GT

Speeds'n'feeds leak

Nvidia has begun attempting to tempt its graphics card manufacturer partners with the GeForce 9600 GT chip, leaked presentation slides have revealed. Nvidia will pitch the part as "big on performance, easy on the wallet". The GPU, apparently codenamed 'D9M', is a DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0 product designed for PCI Express 2. …

Bits 'n' Chips 4 Jan 10:07
Intel walks out of OLPC project

Short-lived love-in ends

The controversial One Laptop Per Child project, which aims to provide children in the developing world with access to $100 laptops, has fallen out with Intel. Although machines shipping now - to Libya, Brazil, Argentina and Thailand - are based on AMD chips, the OLPC was in talks to base a future version of the laptop on Intel …

PCs 4 Jan 10:32
Nintendo Wii set to beat MS' 17.7m all-time Xbox 360 sales tally

Halo 3 effect plus Wii famine makes it a close-run race

Microsoft has sold 17.7m Xbox 360 games consoles since the machine was introduced in late 2005, 4.3m of them since the beginning of October 2007, the company claimed yesterday. That almost certainly means the Microsoft console has outsold Sony's PlayStation 3, though that machine only went on sale a year after the Xbox 360 did …

Consoles 4 Jan 11:14
Samsung shapes shock-resistant phone

Solid, init?

Samsung has rolled out its first "ultra-durable" mobile phone, and with its water-, dust- and shock-resistant shell, the Samsung M110 Solid mounts a chunky challenge to Sonim's "indestructible" XP1. Samsung's Solid: rubber clad According to Samsung, the 92g Solid's clad in "thick rubber". Within lies a dual-band (900/ …

Phones 4 Jan 11:58
MS 'disappointed' with Xbox Live connectivity woes

Offers free game in compensation

Microsoft is to offer gamers a free game download to compensate them for all the connectivity problems many of them experience accessing its Xbox Live service during the past few weeks. The software giant blamed the problems on the sheer number of Xbox gamers trying to get online at the same time, including what the company …

Consoles 4 Jan 12:17
Apple gets fans juices flowing with iMac-like laptop dock

Designed for the rumoured Mac sub-notebook?

The latest Apple patent filing to excite the Mac masses shows the manufacturer's iMac recast as a docking station for a MacBook laptop. Apple's been here before, of course, with its Duo range of PowerBooks, launched in 1992. Unlike standard PowerBooks, the Duos were designed to dock into a Mac-like desktop unit that improved …

PCs 4 Jan 12:43
Dell shrinks 15.4in Inspiron laptops by 25%

Dell has revamped its 15.4in Inspiron laptop line by launching a new model clad in an array of four patterned colour lids. It's also three-quarters of the size of the previous version and 190g lighter. Enter the Inspiron 1525, offered with a choice of Intel processors from the 1.86GHz Celeron 540 up to the 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo …

PCs 4 Jan 13:15
Nvidia nForce 780i SLI chipset

Review PCIe 2.0 and Penryn - bring 'em on

Nvidia’s new nForce 780i SLI chipset is heavily – that’s HEAVILY – based on the nForce 680i SLI, adding just two key new features. The first is support for 45nm Intel 'Penryn' processors and the second is the addition of PCI Express 2.0 for top graphics performance. It’s safe to say that the 780i SLI is Nvidia’s answer to Intel’ …

Bits 'n' Chips 4 Jan 14:08
My iPod Classic won't charge up

Q&A

I have a iPod Classic which I brought just under a year ago. I have tried to get it fixed as it just stopped working. It won't charge up - it just dies. I haven't got a receipt, and I can find nowhere which will fix it. Can you help me, please.

Q&A 4 Jan 14:37
Sling unveils 1080i-streaming Slingbox ahead of CES

Integrated HD TV tuner on board

Slingbox maker Sling Media has announced a new version of its Slingbox Pro set-top box that has its own HD TV tuner and can send out a 1080i HD picture over the network. The Slingbox Pro-HD will be initially aimed at the US market - with no terrestrial HD broadcasts in the UK, there's not much point releasing it over here yet …

HD 4 Jan 16:40