Hasta La Gadget!

This week the teams behind the NVIDIA GeForce Experience have unleashed the Open Beta version of the software, available for download by not just the select few (40,000 users, to be fair), but the greater public – you can grab it now! This Open Beta allows you access to the one and only GeForce Experience, a system where the teams of professionals and undeniably powerfully-minded graphics know-it-alls of NVIDIA’s GeForce ranks have for you sets of optimizations for the games you play all the time. In short: your PC games are about to get a whole lot more awesome.

This release has a limited number of games for which you’ll be able to get next-level optimization on your own GeForce-toting gaming PC. This release pumps up the availability of optimization beyond what the closed beta offered, with both Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPU support now ready for action. NVIDIA also added 2560 x 1440 display resolution support this time around – that having not been part of the closed beta release either.

With the GeForce Experience Open Beta you’ll see improved game detection logic as well as a collection of 41 games ready to look and work as magnificent as they’ve ever been on your machine. Having added FarCry 3, Mechwarrior Online, and the battle action heavy Hawken for this release, GeForce Experience is now able to work with 41 total titles. The rest are as follows:

Assassin’s Creed 3, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Borderlands 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Counter-Strike:GO, CrossFire: Rival Factions, Crysis 2, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Diablo III, Dirt 3, DOTA 2, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, F1 2012, Fable III, Fallout New Vegas, Far Cry 3, FIFA 12, FIFA 13, Football Manager 2013, Hitman Absolution, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3, Mechwarrior Online, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Planetside 2, Portal 2, Shogun 2: Total War, Star Wars The Old Republic, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Team Fortress 2, The Secret World, The Sims 3, The Sims Medieval, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, World Of Tanks, and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.

The actual app and usage therein is beyond simple. Once you’ve got it downloaded and open, you hit the scan button to see if there are any games on your machine that are part of the current list the GeForce Experience works with. The machine we’ve used here is an Alienware M17x R4 (see our full review here), and on it we’ve got none other than Batman: Arkham City (see our full review here) which the GeForce Experience software recognizes easily.

From there it’s just a button click or two more before we’ve got full NVIDIA-approved optimization of our settings, based entirely on the hardware/software combination we’ve got and ready for the best-case-scenario outcome when we kick out the gaming jams.

And that’s it! The simplicity of this app is part of the experience, the GeForce Experience being one that’s meant to be beyond simple. This environment makes certain everyone takes the time to optimize their machines with as easy a process as possible so that NVIDIA’s GeForce graphics can do their work as well as possible – and everything looks and handles hot!

This release includes upgrades in performance for client startup, game scan, billboard display, and nothing less than straight up communication with NVIDIA as well. If you’re all about getting some fantastic support for your games straight from NIVIDA, it’s time you headed over to the GeForce Experience Beta download page and had at it. This release works with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, and is just 9.16 MB in file size – make it yours!

Bonus! Have a peek at the two videos below direct from NVIDIA – the first was filmed at the CES 2013 event we attended (see the timeline below for more info) with the bossman talking about the release iteration of GeForce Experience. The other video shows the app again in simple terms with fancy graphics flying everywhere – hot stuff!

GeForce Experience Open Beta hands-on: optimization for all! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It would appear that Microsoft is aiming to pull in the masses of 20 or 30-somethings that started their web experience with a 1990′s-themed advertisement for exactly the same browser the company wants them to now use again: Internet Explorer. This advertisement does, we must admit, strike more than one chord in the nostalgic banjoes in our heads, and like any good SuperBowl commercial, only gets to the product in the last few seconds of the video. That said, whether you’re all about IE or you hate its guts, you’re probably going to enjoy this advertisement thoroughly.

What you’re going to see is a hashtag “childofthe90s” sort of spot that Microsoft is hoping will draw you in like a Club Kid moth to the rave, if you know what I mean. More like a 90′s kid to a fishtank full of 25-cent milk caps. Or perhaps a young lover of basketball in the 90′s to a pair of Reebok Pumps. You’ll find yourself entranced if you’re anywhere near the age of your humble narrator, that’s for sure.

With the “new” Internet Explorer that this advertisement shows, you’ll be working largely in a Windows 8 universe. While you do not need Windows 8 to access the future of this browser, you’ll be drawn in with its ever-so-slight aesthetic tips toward that environment. If you are using Windows 8, you’ll find Internet Explorer to be a full-screen masterpiece (so to speak) ready for the touchy amongst you.

In the end it’s irrelevant what Internet Explorer looks like here in this advertisement because the aim is brand awareness. If we see a collection of video spots that make us enjoy ourselves and they just so happen to be supporting a product, we being consumers of this 2013 environment will inevitably feel drawn to that product. It just works – see if your impression of Internet Explorer improves by the time the commercial above is done.

Internet Explorer 90′s ad aims to reconnect with your youth is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ll admit it – I like Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8’s layout. It’s very neat and organized and everything just falls into place nicely, however after being used to the Start menu button for more than a decade, trying to navigate Windows 8’s UI got me a little confused at first. Of course this experience will differ from user to user, such as more tech savvy users who might get the hang of it straight away, to less experienced users who might get frustrated at the new design. Well for whatever reason if you didn’t enjoy your Windows 8 experience, it seems that there are Microsoft Certified Professionals out there who are willing to help you revert your computer back to Windows 7. The photo above was snagged by Michael Jurewitz who captioned it, “Signs that Windows 8 really is that bad.” Like we said, the user experience will vary from person to person depending on their needs, level of experience and so on, but what do you guys think? Are you in agreement that the UI Microsoft is hawking for Windows 8 is admittedly confusing at first, or do you think that it’s a much needed refresher for the Windows brand?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Intel To Ramp Down Production Of Its Motherboard Lineup, Chrome Gets Native Client Support On ARM,

This week the folks at Microsoft have announced not only the availability of the Surface Pro, but of a new version of the Surface RT, complete with a 64GB edition for the masses. Also announced were a collection of accessories, they joining the Surface RT 64GB party on the 9th of February with three new Surface Touch Cover Limited Editions as well as a Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition for your enjoyment. The market for the Surface Windows RT is also being expanded to double that of the places you’re able to purchase it today.

The Microsoft Surface Windows RT (see our full review right this minute) is available in a number of countries and regions already, including the UK, the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, China, Canada, Australia, and France. Starting in the coming weeks we’ll be seeing this machine available in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland as well. That’s one heck of a roll out there for this soon to be massive beast.

The newest accessory set for the Surface family begins with the Surface Edition Wedge Touch Mouse, which will be coming with specific design cues made to complement the Surface experience complete with four-way Touch scrolling and a finish that replicates the Surface’s VaporMg casing. This mouse will be available for $69.95 on February 9th, the same time as the Touch Cover Limited Edition. This new cover will work with customizability, offering unique laser-etched designs in red, magenta, or cyan – each available for $129.99 USD.

Finally the next version of the Surface Windows RT will be released in a 64GB edition, this version coming with – you guessed it – 64GB of internal space right out of the box. Important to note is the fact that this version of the tablet does not come bundled with a black Touch Cover. Microsoft makes it clear that this means users will be open to purchasing their own cover of their choice, be it a Touch Cover or a Type Cover, rather than paying the extra cash for the Touch Cover even if they don’t want it in the box. This version of the tablet will be available “in all markets in which Surface Windows RT is currently sold.”

Surface RT grabs 64GB edition, accessories, double the market is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Welcome back to Friday folks. Earlier today, we saw what’s rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy S IV pop up in AnTuTu’s database, with the listing suggesting that it will come equipped with an Exynos 5 Octa CPU. The iPad Mini has been projected to both drive and cannibalize Apple’s sales in Q1 2013, and Kim Dotcom’s new site Mega launched today for advance users. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Intel CEO Paul Otellini, and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt have all been ordered by Judge Lucy Koh to submit to questioning after allegations that the three companies entered into a non-poaching pact together, and we learned today that Windows 8 upgrades will jump up to $119 come February.

Facebook for Android took the jump up to version 2.1 today, and we were right there to go hands-on with it, while the first picture of the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 surfaced. The chairman of the FCC wants gigabit Internet in all 50 states by 2015, and we got our first look at BlackBerry 10 voice commands today in a new leaked video. Opera has announced Opera Ice, a new browser for mobile devices, and today Amazon introduced the world to Kindle Rentals, which is obviously a new feature allowing users to rent eBooks for a pre-set period of time.

It seems that the Exynos security hole has been fixed in the Verizon Galaxy Note II, with a new update being sent out to users today. Bethesda revealed that all Skyrim DLC will be heading to the PlayStation 3 in February after months and months of waiting, and it seems that Google is working with Yubico for password USB rings. XBMC has come to Android and we tell you how to get it on your device of choice, and with the NHL lockout finally (finally!) over, NHL GameCenter has arrived on Xbox 360.

Dynamism today showed off its new KUPA Ultranote X15 Windows 8 Pro tablet today, while a new bill in the House wants stronger laws for video game ratings. AVADirect announced the world’s first quad NVIDIA Tesla system today, and Forbes named Google the best company to work for. Finally tonight, Chris Burns walks you through why Facebook not offering a “hide from search results” option isn’t anything to worry about. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of your night folks!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: January 18, 2013 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.