Hasta La Gadget!

After jumping the hurdles of our review gauntlet, the MacBook Pro with Retina display proved itself as a top-notch machine for the creative professionals it’s geared towards, and anyone willing to pay a premium. Save for a brief bout with Diablo III, our time spent gaming on the hardware was limited. Ever since, we’ve wondered how the Kepler-toting, Ivy Bridge-packing laptop would handle one of our favorite graphics-intensive pastimes. Sure, Apple machines aren’t exactly en vogue when it comes to playing video games, but Cupertino’s ultra-high-resolution Mac simply begs to be put to the test. We loaded up Windows 7 on a MacBook Pro carrying an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB of VRAM, the stock 2.3GHz processor and 16GB of RAM (upgraded from the vanilla 8GB configuration) and put it through its paces to see how it performs.

Continue reading How well can the MacBook Pro with Retina display handle Windows games?

Filed under: Gaming

How well can the MacBook Pro with Retina display handle Windows games? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Retina MacBook Pro owners have been waiting for this day for six weeks: that promised Retina support in Google Chrome is now part of a finished, stable release. Chrome 21 is now crisp and clear for those who took the plunge on Apple’s new laptop but would rather not cling to Safari for the web. No matter what hardware you’re using, Google has rolled in its promised WebRTC support to let webcams and microphones have their way without Flash or other plugins. Other notable tweaks like wider support for Cloud Print and gamepads tag along in the update as well. If you’re at all intrigued by the expanded hardware support in Chrome, Google has an abundance of details (and downloads) at the links below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Google Chrome 21 stable release adds Retina MacBook Pro support, webcam use without plugins originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s something you don’t want happening when you’re trying to wrap up a career, plan a jaunt to Moorea and generally goof off while waiting for the final checks to clear: large numbers of people demanding that you change something. That’s probably what one Bob Mansfield is dealing with, just weeks before he’ll turn in his Apple employee badge and do… well, whatever he wants. Just six days after the company yanked its products out of EPEAT’s green registry, all eligible Apple products are back. Why? Well, many cities, entities and organizations (San Francisco, we’re glaring at you) won’t purchase products that aren’t on the list, and according to a letter from Bob (embedded in full after the break), the removal “was a mistake.”

He also notes that “Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry,” and that no other company in this industry can say that its entire product line “exceeds the stringent ENERGY STAR 5.2 government standard.” Curiously, he also states that Apple’s relationship with EPEAT “has become stronger as a result of this experience,” which sure makes one wonder what went down to begin with. Now, Bob — retirement. No more emails. Focus.

Continue reading Bob Mansfield: ‘all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT’

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops

Bob Mansfield: ‘all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has withdrawn all its laptop and desktop computers from the EPEAT environmental rating system, including older MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. According to iFixit, who recently tore down a MacBook Pro and its retina screen, that’s likely related to a design direction favoring smaller, lighter notebooks and longer battery life. Doing so required them to glue the cells to the aluminum shell, making it impossible to recycle the case and other parts — iFixit couldn’t pull the batteries out without spilling the (highly toxic) battery guts all over. Cupertino’s decision means that many federal agencies might not be able to buy those products, since 95 percent of its electronics purchasing must conform to the EPEAT standard. On top of that, many educational institutions that require the certification would also need to opt out of Mac purchases, as well as large corporations like HSBC and Ford. Currently, iPhones and iPads are exempt from that certification, but considering recent ads from Apple specifically touting its conformance to EPEAT, the company might have some ‘splaining to do.

[Image credit: iFixit]

Apple pulls out of EPEAT green registration, may not be able to sell computers to federal agencies originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlueStacks is releasing the first public alpha of its Android App Player capable of running on OS X. The virtualization company’s software is powered by its Layercake technology and includes a bundle of apps from its various partners. CEO Rosen Sharma hopes the move will encourage developers to build “retina-friendly” apps for Google’s mobile OS that can then be sold to those on the other side of the technology divide. There’s a sign-up sheet for developers itchy to get their hands on the goods on the company’s website, but don’t expect a response right away — there’s still a few more days of Google I/O to go first.

Continue reading BlueStacks brings Android apps to OS X, wolves planning a rest with some lambs

BlueStacks brings Android apps to OS X, wolves planning a rest with some lambs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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