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|  | Vista FAQ
Thursday, January 25, 2007
This afternoon I have been putting together an FAQ about Vista for publication early next week. So far I have 13 questions, mainly inspired from the forums and email inquiries. Over the weekend I'd like to collect some more questions from you all. What nagging concerns do you have about Vista, upgrading, Aero, the edition choices? Let me know and I might include the answer in the FAQ! Now I'm off to enjoy a 3 day long weekend! It's Australia Day tomorrow and my parents have the kids for 2 nights! :) I'll get back to the FAQ on Monday. |   |
| Green PCs from every aspect
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Tranquil PC are on an environmentally friendly computing crusade. Their computers feature VIA C7 processors, with their own carbon offset program and Tranquil also have one of their own. On their website, Tranquil list 3 simple steps to purchasing a "Green PC":- Look at the supply companies supply chain ‘policies’
- Look at the product itself, does it boast ‘low power features'
- Look at the ‘recycling’ or ‘2nd life’ opportunities.
These are aspects of clean computing which I wrote about in this editorial. Tranquil notes: "In today’s commercial world, companies will almost always put the dollar first, and with good reason to remain competitive. However, if the environment is a principle consideration in the design of a product, and the selection of suitably responsible suppliers is governed, then the delivery of truly ‘green products’ can become a reality." If green computing alternatives are demanded by the market then the dollar and the environment can both come first. DELL and Hewlett Packard have realized this and have started their own "green" PC campaigns. It's gaining momentum! But don't look past smaller companies like Tranquil who really are trying to address the issue from as many points of view as they can. | |
| Worst time to crash
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I went out to a seminar last night where reps from Microsoft, AMD and Nvidia were talking about up and coming technologies and Microsoft Vista. Our local Microsoft rep got up in front of the 60-odd people, who were sales reps, distributors and OEM manufacturers, to give a demonstration of their new operating system that gets released next week, Microsoft Vista. Less than 30 seconds into his presentation the system completely hard locked up. The rep was quick to blame the beta drivers from Nvidia but half the audience agreed that 'it's a typical Microsoft operating system!'. Personally I remember setting up systems for the Quake 3 launch where Tim Willits from id was showing off Quake 3 for the first time in Australia. The systems continuously blue screened. It turned out that issue was because of Nvidia drivers as well! :) Have you ever been caught out by a system crash at an inconvenient moment? | |
| CatchPlay
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Digitimes.com has all the gossip on hand about the VIA on Demand CatchPlay service that will offer movies and music for pay per download to Taiwan customers, hoping to get 500 000 subscribers in 2007. VIA owns 50% of VIA on Demand and hopes to leverage the service with ultra mobile devices. "CatchPlay will initially launch online movies for chargeable download and sell peripheral goods for online games exclusively for Soft-World International, a leading games developer/operator in Taiwan, VIA OnDemand noted. CatchPlay will charge NT$399 (US$12) for a newly released movie and NT$39 for older titles, according to VIA OnDemand, adding that it will also offer online music and plans to invest in movie production." | |
| Ultra Mobile Devices - what are they good for?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Jason Wall from Consumer.HardOcp.com thinks about the UMPC models already available and what they can be used for: "As mentioned, being connected everywhere is what these computers are made for, but what good is connectivity if you need to bring your laptop along to run all of your applications? This is another major advantage of these new devices. When you are on the road (but please not when you’re driving), you can run the actual tools that you already know from your desktop or laptop and not some barebones approximation of the application." | |
| Voom PC take 2 - smaller and cheaper!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Mini-box.com has launched their Voom PC-2 series enclosures designed specifically for the in-car PC market and this time the platform is sub-$400 and fits a slim line drives. Their Press Release reads: "The VoomPC-2 is based on the industry's defacto standard for small form factor and low power consumption: the feature-packed Mini-ITX motherboard sporting a 1.5Ghz VIA C7 processor, rich I/O such as VGA, S-Video, USB2.0, Firewire, Ethernet, PCMCIA type I and type II CardBus interface for GPRS/WIFI/ and smart 5+1 channels audio." Check out the options here. | |
| From zero to hero - the impact of ICT
Thursday, January 25, 2007
When I have talked to people about bridging the digital divide, the emerging market and that whole notion of empowering people through ICT, I sometimes get a response such as 'How can computer hardware really help people? Surely they need proper sewerage and health care as a first priority?!' This article kind of puts it all into perspective and makes you realize what a difference access to ICT can make:"To grasp the significance of Ntando’s heartfelt words, you first need to enter his world, to step into the hopelessness of life in a black South African township. Your home is a two room shack with dirt floors that you share with your mother, three siblings and a grandparent. Electricity is pre-paid, so if the money runs out, you squint by the light of a candle at your text books. You can’t really concentrate because your grandmother has T.B. and she’s coughing incessantly. You’re uneasy and restless because you never feel safe – intermittent sounds throughout the night remind you of this. Besides, you are hungry and cold." Read on... | |
| Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD
Thursday, January 25, 2007
"Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are two new optical storage technologies that fight as the successor of DVD. In this article you will learn everything you need to know about these technologies, including the motivations that lead to the creation of both. Is it really true that DVD has its days counted?" Read on at HardwareSecrets.com. | |
| | VIA Announces PCI Express Chipset for Vista-Ready Mobility
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
VIA has "...announced the launch of the VIA VN896 digital media mobile IGP chipset, certified Vista Basic-ready by Microsoft and designed to provide users with unsurpassed visual clarity for notebooks and the new breed of ultra mobile devices. The VIA VN896 chipset features the VIA Chrome9™ HC integrated graphics processor (IGP) featuring a DirectX® 9.0 3D accelerator for high performance and a 2D accelerator for productivity applications. The 3D graphics engine of the VN896 chipset offers the industry’s only simultaneous usage of single-pass multitexturing and single-cycle trilinear filtering, providing stunning image quality without performance loss." The chipset has also passed "...Microsoft® Windows Vista™ 32bit/64bit Basic logo tests [meaning] customers can integrate the VIA VN896 PCI Express chipset into their products with the assuredness of digitally signed drivers and trouble-free installation of Microsoft Windows Vista, including Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions." Read more of the official Press Release here. | |
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