[Designtechnica News] Complete Regional Weather Station with MSN Direct Weather Data Service
Designtechnica :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“Oregon Scientific’s Complete Regional Weather Station draws upon the MSN Direct service, first used to deliver news and information to SPOT watches, to get weather information via FM radio waves. No weather sensors are used by the device, as is common with other weather station style products. Instead, a variety of weather information is delivered every two minutes in the top one hundred U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas via data from The Weather Channel.
The weather information delivered is extremely comprehensive, covering three day weather forecast and description, temperature and humidity with trend indicator, precipitation chance, wind direction, wind speed, gust wind, wind chill, dew point temperature, heat index, UV index, EPA air-quality reading, rain level with last 24 hours of history, sunrise and sunset times, moon phase and NWS weather warnings, watches and advisories. ”
News: Valve dabbles in cinematic effects
The Tech Report :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
LAST WEEK, VALVE INVITED members of the technology press to its offices in Bellevue in order to show off a collection of cinematic effects that have been added to the Source engine. The effects, which include color correction, film grain, motion blur, and depth of field, are all designed to deepen immersion and imply greater scene complexity while making life easier for game designers, artists, and even mod authors. All the effects are showcased in a recently released Day of Defeat trailer that was created entirely in the Source engine with in-game assets. Some effects will even make their way into Day of Defeat: Source and the Half-Life 2: Aftermath expansion pack. Here’s our take on what these new effects can do, how they’re implemented in the Source engine, and why they may drive the development of the next generation of graphics hardware.
Talk Back: “Played Out”
Designtechnica :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“Some people claim you can never have too much of a good thing. To these individuals, I humbly offer the following retort: Jason X, Survivor: Season 11, any major software title released for PC or console platforms in the last month…
You see, it’s ironic: January through September, we gamers essentially twiddle our joysticks, patiently waiting for releases of note, generally few and far between. Then October rolls around, and suddenly, after going half the year ignoring one Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! spin-off after another, it’s open season on blockbusters.
Within the space of 12 weeks, more titles – roughly 1000, if you’re counting handheld, plug-n-play and mobile phone software too – are released than in the entire previous nine months combined.”
Sicuro DEC-900 Cardbus TV Tuner with FM Radio @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Crucial Gizmo! 2GB flash drive review @ DH
Driver Heaven :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
News – Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser
Overclockers Online :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: The Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser has certainly become a welcomed addition to my desk. After getting over the learning curve, you’ll be working just as fast, if not faster than with any other setup. This sleek desktop setup does not offer all the bling of other keyboards with flashing LEDs and flip up LCD displays, but if you only want a sleek setup, you can’t go wrong with this puppy. Logitech has also done a fabulous job at making sure if you like the style of the diNovo you’re not left out if you don’t want Bluetooth.
Thermax Tech XtFlux-GA Thermal Grease @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek Anime DVD @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
CD Ripping Services Compared
Designtechnica :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“Rip, rip, hooray! Reclaim some valuable wall space in your house and be prepared to take your entire CD collection with you wherever you go. Ripping services are gaining in popularity because they make it so easy to convert (a.k.a. rip) your entire collection into MP3 files for your portable media device. Lucky for you, we’ve outlined some of the top ripping services out there, complete with processes, shipping methods and what they’re charging for something you know you could do yourself, if you only had the time.’
Gigabyte G1-975X and ASUS P5N32-SLI Shootout @ t-break
t-break :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Today we take a look at two motherboards for the Pentium platform that are being targeted as gaming boards. Yes, we know that sounds a bit of an oxymoron considering that AMD CPUs hold the performance crown in games at the moment, however, that doesn’t stop two of the biggest motherboard manufacturers from releasing and packaging them as gaming boards. With us today, we have the Gigabyte G1-975X based on the Intel 975X chipset and the ASUS P4N32-SLI Deluxe based on the nVidia nForce X16 chipset.
MGE XG Dragon Gaming Case
Big Bruin :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: The business side of this case is almost as dramatic as the front; a half size window in the upper forward area is framed by part of the cowling that makes up the front of the case. In the lower left corner is a perforated square for more ventilation. Above that, there is another perforated area that leads to the CPU ventilation duct that is becoming more and more prevalent on cases these days.
2005 – The Year Of The Blog @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Blogging really isn’t new. One of the blog pioneers is Justin Hall who started his personal blog in 1994 before it even had a name. In December 1997 John Barger coined the name weblog. Peter Merholz in early 1999 shortened the phrase to today’s term blog. Few of the blogs are business/product oriented. In fact, the blogs that get the most attention and traffic are daily news and politics oriented. The majority of blogs though are personal, more like an online diary of your day-to-day experiences.
What To Look For About Web Hosting
ASE Labs :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
” Shopping for a web host can be a very difficult task. Although it would seem as if it would only be comprised of the simple task of finding one for a good price, this is far from the truth. Countless factors go in to what makes a quality web host. These factors must be given consideration when searching for a web host in order to find not only the best price but also the premier web hosting choice. ”
OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Dual Channel Platinum Rev 2 @ Pro-Clockers
Pro-Clockers :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: OCZ isn’t a newcomer to the overclocking world. Nor were they the first to discover this world either. But sent there move into the enthusiast market, they have been pretty much at the top. OCZ was one of the first ram manufacturers to make the legendary Winbond BH-5 what it was. Then they introduced us to the Samsung TCCD chips. Which gave us tighter timing while climbing to an unbelievable higher frequency. This leads us right to the EL Platinum DDR 3200.
MediainLinux v4.0 RC5 @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Summary: “MediainLinux, a Linux distribution formed in Italy and based upon the popular Knoppix, is different from other LiveCDs as it aims to offer a wide collection of FOSS audio, video, and graphics software. With this multimedia software MediainLinux Version 4 RC5, which was released on Christmas of this year, shapes up to be a enticing GNOME-optimized distribution.”
Ultra Products 500w X-Finity Power Supply Review @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: “So with all said and done, I recommend the Ultra 500w X-Finity Power Supply. This power supply is just slick, mean and well designed with special attention paid to not only looks, but also quality and stability.”
Understanding How Spammers Work @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Spammers trade email addresses for money. This is why the system is out of hand – it is an income producing activity. Every email address has a value to it and no matter how little the value, putting together a list of 100,000 can provide a neat income for a spammer. Most spammers have spam lists many times larger than this.
2006: A Booming Year for Apple @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“Apple Computer is making an absolute killing with its ultra small iPod Nano. How good is the bounty you ask? Well, Apple is shipping about 100,000 units of the iPod Nano alone. Pretty impressive figure for a year, right? Think again, because Apple is shipping this many units every single day.”
ULi Acquisition: A Killer Deal By NVIDIA @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“People are apparently finding the ULi acquisition by NVIDIA surprising, but I believe it was long due and somewhat expected. Given that ULi mostly plays the value game, they make excellent southbridges. Their SATA II chips are to die for and of course, they are a major supplier to ATI.”
OCZ Rally Flash Drive Review at CaseModGod.com
Case Mod God :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Summary: OCZ has taken the flash drive market by storm and has kicked up the speed to “Over Drive”! No more waiting to transfer files to slow and out of date drives or writing a CD to take a file from one PC to another.
Intel EM64T Technology Explained
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
“Intel has released their “64-bit technology” in order to compete with AMD’s 64-bit technology. This technology, officially called EM64T (Extended Memory 64 Technology), is present on Pentium 4 6xx models. In this article we will explain what is this technology and how it works. ”
Hardware Madness in 2005: Looking Back
Madshrimps :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: “Another year has passed, how time flies! Our Madness continues to search for higher performance PC products at affordable prices. Let’s look back at what has happened in 2005 and what we can look forward to in 2006.”
Website displays photo’s of ATI’s latest: X1900
Madshrimps :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quote: “A Chinese website has pictures of ATI’s newest video card, the so called X1900. This card is based on the R580-chip and is expected to be introduced around the 24th next month in January 2006.”
Enermax Liberty ELT620AWT 620W Power Supply Review @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Enermax delivers an attractive, flexible, and powerful PSU with its new Liberty ELT620AWT. If you are looking for a high-end modular power supply, do yourself a favor and check out this review!
Milwaukee 2.4v Cordless Driver for Computers Review @ GruntvillE.com
GruntvillE :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
“The drill itself will be of most use to modders and system builders alike. I used it to build a system and was able to use it for every screw in the case. The mainboard went in with ease. I had no problem with the small screws for mounting the floppy or the hard drive. The power supply was a breeze and even the video card and other PCI devices were easy. I found that setting the clutch to 3 was just right for every aspect of the build. Also keep in mind that the driver has a pivot joint to allow for it to bend if needed for tight spaces or simply for comfort. ”
OCZ 1024-3200 Gold Edition XTC
Overclockers Online :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Quote: For the suicide-shot overclockers, this is the memory for you because nothing will be able to touch it at 250+ with timings of 2-2-2-5. The gamers out there with higher end CPUs that also have higher multipliers will fall in love with the tight timings at moderate overclocks as well. It is hard to say whether the XTC heatspreaders are any better than the standard ones but the theory behind them is solid and they sure look much better in my opinion. Keeping the temperature of the modules at 40C with no active cooling and high voltages is definitely no luck, these XTC heatspreaders really do their job well.
Beginners Guides: Upgrading A Motherboard Without Reinstalling
PCStats :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
“You can upgrade a processor or add a new memory module without causing so much as a blip from Windows XP, but a new motherboard can and will cause XP to stop booting altogether. Many have tried, and many have been greeted with the cold gasp of the Blue Screen of Death for their efforts. Fortunately, the procedure for correctly installing a new motherboard is rather easy and straightforward, and more fortunately, we’re here to talk you through it. PCstats never-ending quest to save you from computer store labor charges continues… after all, this is the exact same procedure a Service Center will charge you $80/hr to do.”
Sunbeamtech NUUO 550 Watt modular Power Supply Unit with Fan Controller Review
OCIA :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Current processors, video cards and also strongly overclocked components have larger Requirements of the used PSU. The Sunbeamtech SUNNUO550-EUAP NUUO Series modular power supply unit give us 550 Watts, a special 3.5 inch Fan Controller, cool design and the cable chaos in the PC case will stop thanks to the modular cable technology. All further details to the excellent NUUO 550 Watts power supply from Sunbeamtech are reviewed in the 4 pages long test report.
Denon S-301 Mini-System Review
Designtechnica :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
“Kudos to Denon for a slick design. With its attractive silver and black finish, the S-301 can stand next to any flat-screen TV on the market. Its curved lines are a welcome departure from the typical black box, too. If you want your electronics to cut some style, this piece won’t disappoint.
The standout feature of the S-301 is the iPod compatibility. An iPod cable comes in the box and plugs into a jack on the front of the unit. The on-screen display shows a graphic of an iPod front panel which you can control from the Denon remote”
Innovatek Water Cooling Review @ MVKTech
MVK Tech :: Wednesday, December 28, 2005
“Innovatek, the Gods of Coolness redefines state-of-the-art manufacturing & high performance thermal dissapation with exceptional products that give the end user a truly unique experience by offering the coolest cooling solutions available. Innovatek the makers of the world famous Cool-Matic series GPU/VPU water cooling blocks, continues the fine tradition of offering ultra low noise-high performance water cooling products for most major computer components. From hard drives to chipset’s Innovatek covers it with style and performance.”
