Mar 01

AMD Hates Thunderbolt

Posted in: AMD, Today's Chili

 

Intel-Announced-the-Availability-of-Thunderbolt-technology-a-new-high-speed-PC-connection-technology-that-runs-at-10Gbps_.jpgAMD likes to fly in the face of popular opinion, so it’s no surprise that it’s taking a stand against Thunderbolt. The company issued a statement decrying the new port, which the new MacBooks have adopted. AMD doesn’t see other manufacturers embracing the technology for speed-related reasons.

According to AMD, Thunderbolt steals bandwidth that can be used by other devices in other ports. By doing that, it slows down the PC processor, making it impossible to use. AMD believes that would undo all the hard work that hardware manufactures have put towards high speed ports. The company argues that most PC users want or need high speed ports, rendering Thunderbolt useless.

Intel has already shot back with say that the port currently is not aimed on consumers–it’s for professions. No word on whether the company plans to target it toward consumers in the future.

Via X Bit Labs

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Feb 23

Kinect SDK Is Coming To Your PC This Spring

Posted in: kinect, Microsoft, Today's Chili, video games

 

XboxKinect.jpgKinect SKD will launch this Spring, according to a recent blog post by Microsoft. The Kinect SKD will let PC users to use their body as a mouse in Kinect supported PC games.

Here is what Microsoft stated in the post regarding Kinect SKD-

The community that has blossomed since the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 in November shows the breadth of invention and depth of imagination possible when people have access to ground-breaking technology. Already, researchers, academics and enthusiasts are thinking through what’s next in natural and intuitive technology. For example, in January I mentioned Craig’s talk at the Cleveland Clinic, where he highlighted students at the University of Washington’s Biorobotics Lab using Kinect with a commercially available PHANTOM Omni Haptic Device to explore how robotic surgery could be enhanced by incorporating the sense of feel.

The Kinect for Windows SDK is being developed and released by Microsoft Research (MSR) in collaboration with IEB. It will be available this spring as a free download, and will give academic researchers and enthusiasts access to key pieces of the Kinect system–such as the audio technology, system application programming interfaces and direct control of the Kinect sensor itself.

Microsoft has realized even more of the Kinect’s potential. It might give the company an edge against the iPad craze that Apple has started. I do wonder when Microsoft will release the first selection of software for Kinect SKD.

Via Hot Hardware

No Comments | Tags:
Feb 18

AMD Is Releasing 3 New AMD Radon GPUs

Posted in: AMD, Miscellaneous Tech, processor, Today's Chili

 

amd-gpu.jpgRumors are afloat about a Dell buyout for AMD, , but AMD is still making its own news. The company is ready to launch three new GPUs. AMD is shipping the new AMD Radeon HD 6450, 6570, and, 6670 GPUs to PC manufactures. They’ll also be sold online and in retail stores. HP, Dell, and other manufactures are ordering the new GPUs for the upcoming PC models.

All three support DirectX 11 and multiple-display, run faster, and have a cooling system attached. Besides that, the GPUs will be pretty much the same as the previous ones AMD has put out before. AMD has not released the price of the new GPUs.

Via Hot Hardware

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Feb 11

Worldwide Storage More Than 295 Exabytes

Posted in: storage, Today's Chili

i-o-data-hdi-sah7-15tb-hard-drive.jpg

How much data are we storing as a planet? According to a recent study by Science, the number was 295 exabytes–that’s roughly the equivalent of 295 “average” hard drives. To break it down further, an exabyte is one million gigabytes, or one billion terrabytes.
Need it broken down further? How about this quote from University of Southern California professor, Dr. Marting Hilbert, “If we were to take all that information and store it in books, we could cover the entire area of the US or China in 3 layers of books.” A stack of CDs with all of that info would reach the moon.
The data was culled together by estimating the number of PCs and DVDs and more analog technologies, like books. Twenty-five technologies were factored into the list. In 2007, however, 94 percent of the information stored, at present, is in  a digital format. In 2000, 75 percent was stored on analog formats like video.
And, of course, it’s important to point out that the estimation is three years old. It’s likely increased a good deal, with the rapidly dropping price of digital storage.
No Comments | Tags:
Feb 07

10 Geeky Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Posted in: iPhone, laptop, LED, Mac, Miscellaneous Tech, Tech Toys, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for I 'LIKE' You-Facebook Valentine.jpg

It’s that time of the year again. Stores are wall-to-wall with boxes of chocolates, roses, and cheesy Hallmark cards. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re on the nerdier side of the divide, and there’s a good chance your significant other is on that side, too. With Valentine’s Day only one week away, it’s time to start shopping for those V-Day gifts.

If you’re married to or dating a geeky guy or gal, chances are they’d rather get an upgrade in RAM than jewelery or boxers. From cute plush stuffed animals, to bath time fun, we scoured the Web and we were not surprised to find a plethora of geeky gifts perfect for Valentine’s Day. Check them out after the jump!

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Jan 24

Kinect Hack Allows Minecraft Fan to Build Giant Animated Cats

Posted in: Games, kinect, Tech Toys, Today's Chili, video games, videos
There are a lot of people doing really exciting things with Microsoft Kinect – there was a video a few weeks back where some enterprising researchers used Kinect to give you full-body control of your character in World of Warcraft. Nathan Viniconis, however, decided to see if he could use Kinect to play his favorite game: Minecraft. 
It’s not immediately a game you would think could take to motion control: after all, Minecraft is all about mining for blocks and diamonds, punching trees to get wood, and building massive structures to keep yourself safe from the zombies that come out when the sun goes down. Viniconis took the idea a step further though, and used Kinect to control objects in the game, and to make massive animated statues like the ones in the video above. 
Viniconis says on the project’s Web site that he’s still working on it, but he’s not talking about what the next phase of development entails. He’s managed to import data from Kinect and make that data useful to Minecraft, he’s managed to animate the data Kinect sends in the game, and he’s managed to mercilessly tease his cat with a laser pointer. Where could he possibly go from here?
No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 21

Logitech’s M515 Mouse is Built for the Couch

Posted in: logitech, mouse, Today's Chili

Logitech Wireless Mouse M515

Home Theater PC owners are always on the hunt for the perfect keyboard and mouse to use on the couch in front of the television. Some people opt for keyboard/mouse combo gadgets, or keyboards with trackpads on them, and other people opt for small, laptop-style keyboards with media mice. The newly announced Logitech Wireless Mouse M515 is designed for use on any surface, even textured ones like fabric and plastic. 
The M515 features a hand-detection sensor on the top so the mouse is only active when there’s a hand on top of it, and saves battery life any other time. Logitech says that the mouse can live up to 2 years on one set of batteries, and uses their tiny Unifying Receiver to connect over 2.4GHz wireless. 
The top and bottom of the M515 is built with as few seams as possible and is closed up so it won’t collect dust and fuzz. It’ll be available in Europe first, arriving in April and retailing for approximately $79.99 USD.
 
No Comments | Tags:
Jan 18

Victorinox Wants to Keep Your Data Secure on the Go

Posted in: Gadgets, Today's Chili

Victorinox Slim

Victorinox is more commonly known as the company that manufactures Swiss army knives, and Swiss army knives with USB flash storage built into them. Now, the company has unveiled the Victorinox Slim and the Victorinox Slim Duo, two new fold-out USB flash drives with all of the perks of a modest Swiss army knife. 
Previous iterations have focused more on the tools and less on the storage – the Slim and Slim Duo are the first series of devices where the USB storage is the focus, and the knife, nail file, and scissors you get along with it are bonuses. 
The Slim and Slim Duo come in sizes up to 64GB and 128GB respectively, and both models are waterproof, shock resistant, and will be available in a number of different colors to match your style. Pricing and availability have not been announced. 
No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 14

FireWire Reaches 2 Billion Ports Shipped

Posted in: Apple, Today's Chili

firewire.jpg

The folks over at the FireWire consortium are no doubt cracking open some bottles of champagne, ahead of the long weekend. The 1394 Trade Association announced this week that two billion of the not-quite-ubiquitous ports have been shipped internationally since Apple first introduced the IEEE 1394 High Speed Serial Bus to the world, back in 1986.

The association’s chairman sent out a pretty moderate statement regarding the many zeroed milestone, saying, “FireWire will continue its steady, stable growth.” As CNET points out, that rate of inception pales in comparison to that of USB, which current has 10 billion ports on products that have made it beyond the shelf (that number is closer to 1.2 billion for the FireWire folks).

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jan 14

Skeleton Key USB Drive Stores 2GB, Won’t Open Locks

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Tech Toys, Today's Chili

Fredflare Skeleton KeyKey-shaped USB drives are fairly popular lately. LaCie’s iamaKey flash drive looks like something that would fit right in on your keychain next to your house or car key, but the Fredflare Skeleton Key takes a more whimsical approach, and looks a little more fun sticking out of one of your computer’s USB ports. 

The Skeleton Key comes in three colors: white, black, and pink, and only one size: 2GB. It’s available now directly from the manufacturer, and retails for $58 USD.
 
No Comments | Tags: