Digital Trends
AMD’s ATI graphics group continues to churn out graphics systems, with the latest editing to their ATI Radeon HD 4000 series being the HD 4770, which features support for DirectX 10.1 games, high-definition video playback, HDMI output, and picture-in-picture capabilities. And, if users want more graphics power, the HD 4770 supports ATI CrossFireX for adding a second HD 4770 card to increase performance. And prices for the HD 4770 start as low as $99.
Everyone knows a big part of the Fab Four’s sound was their tight vocal performances…and now rumors are circulating that the forthcoming The Beatles: Rock Band will feature support for multiple simultaneous singers, enabling players to sing in harmony along with Beatles music. According to the May issue of Game Informer, each singer would use a separate microphone, and the program would track each singer’s performance separately.
April 15 might be a date etched deep in the psyche, but for users of Windows XP and Office 2003, April 14 has resonance, too. That’s when Microsoft will end its mainstream support for both products.
For Office 2003, there will, however, be extended support until 2014, meaning that Microsoft will deliver patches for the software. Only those with support contracts for the software will receive more than that, ZDNet reports.
Similarly, only contract XP users will receive support after April 14.
Platinum Wireless does wireless. It handles the national sales and distribution of Sprint and Boost Mobile wireless solutions, the PayGO prepaid product delivery system, and other integrated wireless solutions. And at CES, one of the things it’s introducing is its latest wireless solution partnership, M-Via, an integrated international money transfer credit card solution executed using mobile phone technology.
After boosting market penetration for Silverlight in the U.S. alone by 30 percent during the Beijing Olympics, Microsoft leveraged the burgeoning support for its Flash competitor on Tuesday by releasing Silverlight 2. The next generation of the software will integrate a number of technical tweaks designed to make it more powerful and interoperable with different systems.
For instance, deep zoom will allow viewers to look further into high resolution imagery, while new skinning support will allow developers to tailor the look and feel of applications to different consumers. The company has also added to the list of built-in controls for app builders to play with and expanded support for .NET framework language support.
Lenovo is entering new territory with its ThinkPad W700 catering to the needs of creative professionals who demand high-performance systems and big displays.
“Lenovo has engineered a new breed of mobile workstation with the ThinkPad W700,” said Lenovo’s senior VP for notebooks Peter Hortensius, in a statement. “No other PC manufacturer has a mobile workstation that delivers the sheer power, performance, and cutting-edge innovation that Lenovo has packed into the ThinkPad W700.”
You might have read about the problems some have experienced when downloading Windows Vista Service Pack 1 – blue screens, incompatible drivers, and so on. It seems that someone in Redmond has been listening and is offering “unlimited installation and compatibility support is available at no charge until March 18, 2009.” E-mail response time is a day, chat wait time depends on when the chat is open – it’s not a 24-hour service – and those using Microsoft’s Software Assurance, TechNet, MSDN, and partner programs can have free phone support. Although historically the company has pushed users with problems to contact the makers of their PCs, dealing directly only with those who bought the software as a standalone product, this time things are a little different. Information Week quotes a blog post from Microsoft manager Brandon LeBlanc stating "We are offering free-of-charge support to *anyone* who is having issues installing Windows Vista SP1." In other words, Microsoft might be a little more concerned than they’ve been letting on.
Mobile broadband technology is the latest rage amongst business travelers and even computing enthusiasts who need the latest and greatest, and HPDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), a data service component of the WCDMA standard which offers downstream transmission bandwidth of up to 8 to 10 Mbps (or up to 20 Mbps for MIMO systems), although real-world data rates are lower. Now computer makers Asus and Hewlett-Packard want users to be able to take advantage of high speed wireless wherever in the world compatible networks may be available, via the Asus V2 or the HP nc6400 notebook computers.
Beginning tomorrow—October 31, 2006—Xbox 360 users will be able to download a free system update which adds significant new features to the company’s standalone gaming console. Chief among the added capabilities: support for games and movies at native 1080p resolution, support for Microsoft’s forthcoming HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, and the ability to play stream WMV video from Windows systems running Windows Media Connect or Windows Media Player 11—or from CD, DVD, USB storage device, or connected PC.
Finland’s Nokia has taken the wraps of the E50, the smallest of its E-series line of phones aimed at the business and corporate markets. The quadband GSM phone offers up to 70 MB of built-in memory, a high-resolution 320 by 240 display, microSD card support, and the capability to access corporate and organizational data services using BlackBerry Connect, Visto Mobile, Altexia, and Microsoft ActiveSync. Also on board: the Nokia Team Suite (a collection of built-in business applications) lets users view PowerPoint, Excel, and Word documents, and, of course, the phone supports email, text, voice, and video clips, sending and receiving images, and did we mention the 1.3 megapixel camera?
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