Oct 15

Apple Error Reveals 8-core Mac Pro

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili

This article was written on March 13, 2007 by CyberNet.

A nice surprise recently appeared on the online UK Apple Store that confirms what people have been saying all along. Late last night and early today while searching for “Mac Pro,” the first result displayed an option that said “Now quad-core or 8–core processing power.”The image below is a screenshot of the listing from Tuaw.com who managed to get there before it was taken down.

Applequad

Not too long after the buzz started to get around the Web, the entire UK store went down which tells us this wasn’t intentional, and when it came back up the listing was gone. When Intel announced their quad core processor, it was clear that at some point someone would make the move and introduce computers with 8–core processing power.

Apple is probably really close to releasing the 8–core as expected. It was just last month that MacScoop reported that along with the black 24–inch iMac, there would also be the 8–core Mac Pro coming in March sometime.

People have been waiting for this option for months, and soon they’ll be able to get all 8 cores.

Just for fun I decided to configure the most expensive Mac Pro possible, and it turned out one seriously loaded computer at a grand total of $18,125.00. Once the 8–core is available, I wonder if we can push it over $20,000? :) (Specs below)

  • Two 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
  • (4) 750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drives
  • 16GB (8 x 2GB) of memory
  • NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB, Stereo 3D (2 x dual-link DVI)
  • (2) Apple Cinema HD Display (30″ flat panel)
  • Plus general accessories that they offer like keyboard/wireless mighty mouse

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Oct 13

Microsoft Zune Photo Leaked To The Web

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on August 17, 2006 by CyberNet.

Microsoft Zune Picture Leaked Gizmodo is definitely on top of things today because they were able to snag up this picture of Microsoft’s Zune media player from a tipster. The picture is in black & white because there are only 150 of these things floating around and each person has a different color. By removing the color it makes it much more difficult for Microsoft to figure out who leaked the photo.

Then they go on to report some of the features that it has. One of the most deceiving things is that scroll wheel actually doesn’t scroll! It is just four “arrow” buttons that were put in a circular design. The longer you hold one of the buttons down the faster the device will scroll. Pretty tricky!

Those headphones don’t look like anything special except that they are magnetic. That’s kinda useless but at least it will give the Zune salesman the ability to say “but does the iPod do this?!” 

You’ll also find an FM tuner and an FM transmitter in this bad boy. A nice feature for those people who want to tune in to a local radio station every now and then…or even broadcast your own (for a short distance). :)

So is this going to have a chance against the iPod? Microsoft is stepping into the game pretty late but if they can throw some impressive specs into the Zune it might have a fighting chance.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 12

Zune Will Have Podcasting Support, Just Not At Launch

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on November 05, 2006 by CyberNet.

Zune On a Microsoft employee’s blog called Zunester, he responded to Robert Scoble’s post regarding the Zune. One thing that he wanted to point out was that Podcasting support is in the works for the Zune:

It’s not that we don’t get Podcasting … it’s that podcasting wasn’t done in time. I don’t expect anyone to buy based on my promises, but it’s important to separate things we don’t have at launch from comments about Zune’s long term prospects.

Also, the story that made the Digg front page quoted a comment made by that employee in the same post. The comment says:

Man, how long do you guys think we’ve been doing this? I was in the room in January when we started whiteboarding. Yes, THIS January.

We’ll ship podcasting, and we’ll call it “Podcasting” when we do.

Microsoft is preparing for the release of the Zune on November 14 and they recently launched the new Zune.net site. For those of you who haven’t seen the cool Windows XP theme that they made available, you should definitely check it out. There’s a lot of hype for the new Zune, and I just hope that the media player will be able to hold up to it.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 11

Video Demonstration Of An Exploding Laptop

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on November 13, 2006 by CyberNet.

Ever wonder what it would look like to have one of those exploding laptops that we have been hearing so much about? The curiosity has always been in my mind ever since batteries started getting recalled and PCPitStop put together a great video demonstration with a system that they created to purposely instigate a battery explosion.

The video is interesting to watch as each cell of the battery begins to explode and add more to the fire. About two-minutes into the video is when the third and fourth cells of the battery explode which really gets the party started. Temperatures of the fire reach more than 1000 degrees and my favorite part about the video is when the commentator feels the need to say “If this were a real life situation the best strategy would be to move away from the laptop quickly.“

Here’s the video:

News Source: Gizmodo

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 11

OLPC Officially Named 2B1: The Children’s Machine

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on August 28, 2006 by CyberNet.

OLPC 2B1 Children's Machine Laptop The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has now officially named the laptop “2B1: The Children’s Machine.” Last week it was announced that the laptop would be named “CM1″ but that choice didn’t last very long.

I think 2B1 is a much better choice because it is easy to remember. It actually reminds me of an abbreviation that you would see on a license plate or receive in an instant message. I wonder if it is supposed to mean “to be one” which could be interpreted as we are all meant “to be one.” That may not be the intentions of the new name but I like it.

If you haven’t heard any of the specs yet then you may be pleased to find out that this thing is a mad powerhouse and gamers will especially love it. Okay, not really, but it does have some impressive specs for the size and cost:

  • 7.5-inch 1200×900 pixel TFT screen
  • 400 Mhz AMD Geode processor
  • 128MB of dynamic RAM and 512MB of SLC NAND flash memory
  • 3-USB 2.0 ports
  • SD card slot
  • VOIP-enabled because of built-in mic
  • No hard drive and only two internal cables

The manufacturer of the machine is going to be Quanta and is slated to go into production in the first half of 2007. So you want one of these? A site has been started where you can pledge to purchase a laptop at $300. They need 100,000 people to sign-up (remember, it is only a pledge so they only require your name) by October 31, 2006…but they currently have less than 3,200 pledges. That’s not looking like a good turn out. Hey, there is always eBay though and you know some of these things will pop up on there!

News Source: DailyTech

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 10

ReadyBoost Compatible 2GB Flash Drive for $6.95 (U.S. Only)

Posted in: performance, Today's Chili

This article was written on September 18, 2007 by CyberNet.

2GB USB Drive Buy.com has an amazing deal on a Kingston 2GB DataTraveler USB 2.0 Flash Drive. For a limited time you can get it for $16.95, and you can take another $10 off if you’ve got a Google Account that still hasn’t been used to get the $10 Google Checkout credit. That would bring the total to a whopping $6.95 for the 2GB drive, and that includes shipping within the United States. In case you’re wondering there’s no rebates that you have to hassle with!

I’ve never owned a Kingston USB drive before, but at this price I’m thinking about picking up a spare in case something happens to mine. The reviews on Buy.com seem to say that this is a pretty good drive (it has earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on 83 reviews).

One of the reviews also verified that this drive is capable of handling Vista’s new ReadyBoost feature. That would be because it exceeds the minimum requirements with its 6MBps read speed (2.5MB/s required for ReadyBoost) and its 3MBps write speed (1.75MB/s required for ReadyBoost). Of course you can always get around that restriction, but having a drive that meets the requirements will ensure that you get the best performance. Hey, how can you beat adding 2GB of memory to your system for less than $7?

Kingston 2GB Flash Drive on Buy.com [via ShanKri-la]

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 09

Sony’s New Cyber-shot DSC-T9 Digital Camera

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on December 08, 2005 by CyberNet.

Sony’s New Cyber-shot DSC-T9 will have a remarkable 6.0 megapixel resolution for its super slim body. Sony has officially announced this camera and is currently taking preorders for it. According to their site it will be shipping on or before January 20, 2006 so it isn’t quite in time for the holidays.

Preserve natural memories indoors without a flash using the Sony 6.0 megapixel DSC-T9 digital still camera. The DSC-T9 features 58MB built-in Flash Memory and a 2.5″ Clear Photo LCD Plus Screen for easier shot framing.

  • Approximately 5/8? thin with 6.0 megapixel resolution
  • Super SteadyShot? Optical Image stabilization
  • 58 MB Internal Memory — no flash card needed
  • Carl Zeiss? 3X Optical/2X Digital Zoom lens
  • 2.5″ Clear Photo LCD Plus Screen

About the size of a credit card, the amazing 6.0 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot? DSC-T9 combines Super SteadyShot? Optical Image Stabilization, high ISO sensitivity and Clear RAW Noise Reduction to give you bright, beautiful indoor shots that preserve the mood of your memories. An extra-large 2.5 LCD screen lets you share entertaining Slide Shows with music background. You’ll also have precision Carl Zeiss? 3X Optical/6X Digital zoom lens, 58 MB Internal Memory, high-stamina InfoLithium? battery for up to 240 shots, and optional Cyber-shot Station? cradle for quick hookup to PC, TV, AC power.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 09

World’s Largest iPod

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on May 28, 2006 by CyberNet.

World's Largest iPod

The World’s largest iPod comes to you from Third Street in Ohio, and is attached to the Unizan Bank. The iPod is 25ft. and is actually a working iPod. It has a playlist of songs that it will shuffle through that is mostly composed of songs from local musicians. If you are interested in seeing what songs this giant iPod plays then check out the playlist.

Since it is composed of local artists it would have really been cool if they designed it so that someone could hook their personal iPod up to it and it would add the playlist for the giant iPod to their personal iPod. It would give the local musicians some extra publicity and would be a nifty feature. Maybe in the future?

News Source: Mac Daily News

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 09

Microsoft Revenue Up, Gates Looking for a New Home?

Posted in: Microsoft, Software, Today's Chili, Windows Vista, xbox

This article was written on July 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Bill Gates must be seeing $$ signs after Microsoft announced that they had a reported $13.37 BILLION in revenue for the quarter ending on June 30th. And for their fiscal year which just wrapped up, their reported revenue was $51.12 billion, a 15% increase from last year!

Those numbers are impressive, but I guess they do have Windows Vista, Office 2007, Xbox 360 (despite repair troubles), and Windows Server to thank for their numbers this time around.

Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft had this to say about their sales:

Surpassing $50 billion in annual sales is a testament to the innovation and value that our product groups delivered into the marketplace, as well as the outstanding execution by our field sales, marketing teams and partners to bring that value to life with our customers.

All in all, despite the costs that they will spend on Xbox 360 repairs and trouble with their Online Services group, I’d say that Microsoft had a good year.

So with an increase in revenue, maybe Bill Gates will be out looking for a new high-tech home? :)

And no, he’s not really looking for a new home.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Oct 07

Dell Laptops Affected by NVIDIA GPU Failures

Posted in: Laptops, Notebooks, Today's Chili

This article was written on August 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

dell nvidia.pngOver a month ago NVIDIA came forward and announced that they had shipped some faulty graphical processing units (GPU’s), and that it would cost them between $150-$200 million to cover the damages done. They didn’t announce specifically what cards were affected, but the cause of the issue was a weak die/packaging material that could fail because of temperature fluctuations.

To try and correct the issues the laptop manufacturers were advised to release new BIOS updates that would trigger the fans to turn on more frequently in hopes of lowering the heat. Dell is actually the first one that I’ve seen come forward, admit that some of their laptops are affected, and have already begun taking steps to correct the issues.

So what Dell laptops are affected by the NVIDIA GPU failures? Here’s a list of the models along with any updated BIOS drivers that should be downloaded:

The BIOS update won’t do any good if you’re already experiencing the symptoms of a faulty GPU (multiple images, random characters on the screen, lines on the screen, or no video), and you’ll have to contact Dell to have the notebook repaired. They also plan on offering “modified service terms” which likely means they’ll extend your warranty in case you become affected by the problem later on down the road.

The thing that I find the most interesting is that the comments on the Dell blog regarding the faulty NVIDIA GPU’s are people saying that they’ll be purchasing from a different manufacturer next time if Dell doesn’t replace their graphics card… regardless of whether they’re having the problems right now. I understand their frustration, but these people need to realize that Dell isn’t the only one affected by the failures. I haven’t seen any other companies, like HP, come forward saying they’ll replace all of the graphics cards that could cause problems. It’s rumored that all NVIDIA 8400M and 8600M series cards are affected, which also means Apple could be in the line of fire.

Kudos to Dell for stepping forward with information on the faulty GPU’s. It’s apparent that many manufacturers aren’t brave enough to do the same thing.

Update: Dell has announced that they will be offering extended warranties to cover the issue. Thanks Claus for pointing it out!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: ,