Tech Knowledge Arena

Search

WebSite

Sunday, September 07, 2008 / Register Login

Home

Forums

Blogs

News

Articles

FAQs

Glossary

Videos

Latest News


Current News More News
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...

Progress and innovation
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I am sitting in an apartment in Bangalore India, typing this out with my thumbs on an OQO UMPC. Someone's pet parrot on the balcony is incesently chirping in the background and the constant sounds of traffic can be heard, including horns, which are used ad-nauseum, but understandably, considering roads marked with two lanes are utilised as four lane roads: the three wheel tuks, scooters, cars, buses and trucks all vying for space to get to their destination ahead of the crowd.

I took a walk down a side street yesterday. It's a fascinating mix of tiny shops selling groceries, SIM cards, medicine and misc. There was even a Vodafone branded store selling live chickens. Other buildings were a mix of dilapidated homes and well cared for apartments behind heavy iron gates. Most things are built in a makeshift way and I can't help but feel that this is partly because it's temporary: there is more progress and innovation to come.

Revamp Your Old PSUs
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Got an old PSU that you're dying to mod but only a fistful of cash? No problemo. Bit-tech.net has posted a guide on how to build a modular PSU, using an old one, $20, and a few hours of your time. A word of caution to the enthusiastic though...the capacitors inside a working PSU need to be drained for a few days prior as they can be dangerous. Leave the PSU unplugged for a minimum of two days, leaving the power switch on and hotwiring it. Catch the guide to find out how it all comes together.

Gamer Heaven
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bioshock, considered to be the spiritual successor of System Shock 2, is making waves over at Driver Heaven with great quality game play and other goodies, including the Unreal 3.0 engine. It looks as good on a PC as on the XBox 360 and offers a terrific viewing experience with a high end computer system sporting higher resolutions and DX10 effects. Using a test system that was built from scratch, Driver Heaven takes readers through the many facets and virtues of the game. Tune in here.

VIA and QSound Labs, Inc. Bring Superior Sound Systems to Windows Vista
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
VIA and "QSound Labs, Inc., a leading technology developer of audio and voice software solutions, today announced the delivery of a superior sound system for Windows Vista based multimedia, personal and laptop computers.

QSound’s QHD technology is now available on VIA Vinyl High Definition Audio codecs and controllers. VIA’s advanced codecs and controllers combined with QSound’s QHD technology enable consumers to experience high definition audio the way it should be heard with content like movies, music, games and even TV programs. Powered by VIA Vinyl Audio hardware, QSound QHD combines several audio technologies to deliver a top quality audio experience while still addressing the unique demands of multi-format audio playback typical of a multimedia-rich device such as a PC. Small speakers found in today’s computers will now sound significantly larger and richer with a more natural intensity regardless of the source of the content."

QSound’s QHD suite of audio enhancements provides users with unparalleled audio quality and includes the industry recognized QXpander®, QRumble™, QSizzle™, QEqualizer™ and other QSound audio enhancement algorithms.
QXpander is a field-proven stereo sound-field enhancement technology that provides a broader stereo sound image width with greater separation and depth for stereo signals and synthesizes a three-dimensional stereo sound field.
QRumble offers base energy adding more substance and warmth to the low-frequency
QSizzle adds the sonic punch to the high-frequency audio spectrum.
QEqualizer, a multi-band equalizer, provides users with an interface for shaping the overall frequency response to Sound QHD.

Read more from the official Press Release here.

The Apple Bites Back
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
And so the fight continues. Apple has announced plans to defeat the intentions of the hackers that unlocked their iPhones, giving users the ability to use a service provider of their choice. And just how will they do it? They plan to release firmware updates to the iPhone, rendering unlocked models useless. To stop your unlocked iPhone from turning into a rather expensive “brick,” beware of downloading any software updates and wait for more from the iPhone Dev Team, who brought us the first software hack. Add your two cents to slashdot’s coverage of the issue here.

Juiced 2 Set to Rock Gamers
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Juiced 2: HIN is out on September 28, initially available on only X360, PS3, and PC, later releases will include PS2, PSP, and DS capabilities as well. Touted as “the only place where superstar DJs, smokin' hot models and totally tuned cars come into close contact,” you can enter the fast-paced racing action by answering the following question: For which games console is the demo advertised on Juiced2.com? If you think you know the answer, send them over to mailto:driverheaven-juiced2@headstreampr.com along with your driver preference.

Winning Feedback
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Want an Ultra ULT33186 Chilltec TEC CPU Cooler? How about an Apevia X-Qpack 2 CM500 Camouflage SFF Case? Or what about a Hiper HPU-4K530-MS Type R Modular 530W PSU? It’s up for grabs to the winner of the feedback contest over at Benchmark Reviews. Two forum members will be the lucky winners of this open contest, which is even open to staff members from the site and affiliates. Get your comments in pronto if you want to be in the running. There’s only a few days left. Check it out here.

Hardware News
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
3dgameman.com is raving about the performance of the Crucial Ballistix DDR3 PC3-12800 Memory. DDR3 is fast becoming the new standard, but needs to be backed by a compatible motherboard. Although it’s much faster than the DDR2, it doesn’t have fast latencies and, being a newcomer, it’s pretty expensive. Pin down the review here.

Corsair’s Survivor GT USB Flash Drive gives you a water-resistant, tough, and durable drive. An 8GB Survivor GT comes in at US$150. It’s also protected from vibration and impact damage and comes with a limited ten-year warranty. Find out what Tweak News thinks of it.

OCC has a new case review to add to the mix. The Cooler Master CMedia 282 Case has an all-steel chassis (except for the front bezel). The matte black panels allow it to blend in as part of practically any entertainment center. Conversion to a desktop style is also possible with threaded holes that allow four legs to be mounted. Find out more here.

The Ongoing Security Battle
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
And what an uphill battle it can appear to be. Just when you thought it was safe to venture out into cyberspace from behind your brand new firewall, the bad guys strike again. Blogger Giorgio raises an interesting issue facing Google and its related services in the form of Google Search Appliance XSS. Then, there is the Picasa exploit that threatens to steal your private pictures from your hard drive. And finally, there’s the Google Polls XSS that attacks Gmail, copies your address book, and redirects your messages. All by visiting a malicious website. Got your attention yet? Thought so. Find out how you can protect yourself here.

World in Conflict
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
No, not the real world. This is gamer’s paradise, we’re talking about here. Driverheaven.net takes a positive view of the PC game with its online modes and classy mechanics but thinks the single-player mode is one of its best plays. The on-screen characters manage to evince a whole range of emotions in the brief moments of respite from the hardcore action. As the reviewer says, “WiC is more than just a strategy game. After all, when was the last time you wanted to smack somebody up when playing Warcraft?” Listen to all he has to say about it here.