The latest happenings in the technology world, January 27th, 2012.
Peripherals:
CM Storm Xornet Gaming Mouse - RBmods
Cases & Cooling:
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 - ElitePcReviews
Lian Li PC-90 HPTX Chassis - MissingRemote
NZXT Switch 810 Case - HotHardware.com
Enermax Fulmo GT Full PC Tower - Pro-Clockers
Alpenföhn Civetta CPU Cooler - eTeknix
Noctua NF-F12 PWM Fan - Vortez News
Continue reading 'Friday Morning Roundup' (full post) Our Deal of the Day is HP Home & Home Office Store - HP Pavilion dv6t Quad 15.6" Laptop PC w/ Intel Core i7-2670QM, 8GB DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray - $699.99 Shipped Free!
HP has a new $450 off coupon code that's specifically for the HP Pavilion dv6t and dv7t Quad Edition Laptops! This makes it the lowest price ever!!
2nd Gen Intel Core i7-2670QM Quad Core 2.2GHz to 3.1GHz
15.6" HD HP LED Brightview (1366x768)
1GB AMD Radeon HD 7470M GDDR5 Discrete Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory
750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
HP TrueVision HD Webcam w/ Integrated Digital Microphone
HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
802.11b/g/n WLAN
These are high end specs with a Intel Quad Core Sandy Bridge CPU, 8GB DDR3 RAM, Blu-Ray ROM, 1GB AMD RADEON Video Card! I would recommend upgrading the display to a Full HD 1920x1080p resolution for $150.
HP PAVILION DV6T QUAD EDITION I7-2670QM BLU-RAY LAPTOP DEAL
Use coupon code: NBDV5528 for the $450 discount. Expires after 900 uses or on 01/29/2012.
Our Download of the Day is Google Earth 6.2
Download the latest version of Google Earth for PC, Mac, or Linux
New in this version of Google Earth:
Share screenshots from your virtual exploration on Google+
View seamless imagery of geographic landscapes all over the world
Get improved search results and new suggestions
Find biking and transit directions
Continue reading 'Download of the Day: Google Earth 6.2' (full post) Our Mobile App of the Day is Facebook Messenger.
Facebook Messenger - a faster way to message.
Facebook Messenger is a faster way to send mobile messages to friends. With Messenger, you can send and receive messages with any of your friends around the world or anyone in your mobile contacts list. Messenger is available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
Messenger lets you:
• Send messages instantly to other friends who have Messenger
• Chat with friends who are on Facebook
• Get free push notifications for incoming messages
• Add location and photos to messages
• Reach friends via text message if they don't have Messenger yet
• Access sent and received messages on both Messenger and Facebook
• Create group conversations for making plans on the go
• Add more friends to group conversations at any time
• Control alert and location settings for each conversation
Note: Sending to phone numbers is not available in all countries.
I remember winning spelling tests, or just doing a good job on some homework in school and getting scratch 'n' sniff stickers. It made me feel like I'd been awesome, and can prove it by sniffing my stickers. Well, now you can sniff... your jeans.
Naked and Famous Denim have created a pair of scratch 'n' sniff jeans, where the effect of the smell is created using a coating of micro capsules that hold a bit of 'perfume' which is baked into the surface of the jeans. Scratch the jeans and the scent is released.
The raspberry scent still comes through, even after the jeans have been washed. Imagine a "new jeans smell", where you could possibly not wash your jeans for months at a time. I'm sure there's plenty out there that would love this feature. Myself, I prefer my jeans washed. Raspberry smell could come in handy, though.
In a case of "why didn't I think of that sooner," Fleshlight have come out and done it for you. A Fleshlight-holding iPad concept has been teased, where you could actually have sex with it.
Think I'm joking? Well, why not check out the above picture Gizmodo have provided, as well as a quote from the Fleshlight COO, Brian Shubin:
It's another exciting product we have in development at the moment. We are always looking to improve our user experience and this will be a way to take it to another level. Continue watching Fleshlight.com for it.
I wonder just how many of these will sell.
The rumor mill is going crazy at the moment with news on Microsoft's upcoming next-generation Xbox console. A games industry source has told Kotaku that the next-generation Xbox will have support for Blu-ray, expanding its disc capacity for games from DVD's 9GB to between 25 and 50GB of data.
A "reliable source" of Kotaku's has also stated that Microsoft intend on incorporating some form of anti-used game system as part of the next-gen Xbox. At the moment it's not clear whether this would not allow you to install a copy of a friends' game, that they've already used, on your console. If so, this would stop the renting of games, second-hand sales, and more.
Another hot rumor is that the the next Xbox will ship with the next-gen Kinect, which would sport an on-board processor, which was originally intended for the Kinect, but didn't make it into the final design. A Microsoft rep told Kotaku:
As an innovator we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect. We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumors or speculation.
The Verge have heard from "people familiar with the matter" that Samsung, who originally had planned to announce its Galaxy S III handset at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, will now not be doing so.
Samsung have decided to delay the news, and have said there will be news of the Galaxy S III "before summer." Keeping in mind the Galaxy S II was unveiled at Mobile World Congress last year, the Galaxy S III being announced at MWC would've been a nice touch.
Rumor has it that Samsung aren't happy with having another problem with availability differences between the global launch and U.S. availability. The U.S. is one of Samsung's key markets, so it is a key decision when launching a new, a very popular phone. Since the GSIII won't be announced, we now look forward to other Samsung-related tech.
Word has it that there might be a Galaxy Tab refresh, which could tap some of that quad-core power. A new Windows Phone-powered device? MWC isn't too long away now!
President Obama has made a visit to Intel, which is his second time since in his stint as President. Last year he visited Hillsboro, Oregon, where Intel CEO announced that a new fabrication plant would be built, in Arizona.
Obama loves this, as it creates jobs and pumps money into an unstable economy. Intel were spending $5 billion and creating more than 4,000 jobs, which should put a smile on Obama's dial. Obama forgot to mention during his visit that Intel have built plants in Israel and China, too.
Considering that the chips that Intel make will be shipped to China, put into PCs and servers, and then sent back to the U.S. Obviously this can't be stopped, but we're not going to see Obama admit the bad things regarding Intel and the economy, only the good. You don't report on bad intel.
Been holding out the the IceCream of the crop? Well, now could be your chance. Amazon are offering Samsung's Ice Cream Sandwich-powered Galaxy Nexus for just $99.
This is a sale price available for new customers only, and only when a new two-year contract is signed. This sounds like quite the deal if you were interested in the phone before the sale.
At $99 up-front and on-contract, it's not a bad price at all to pay for one of the best smartphones on the market? What are your thoughts? Is this enough to push you from an iPhone to an Android-based ICS-powered phone?
Twitter, as of today, can and will sensor tweets, if required by law. Twitter have said as they grow internationally, they enter countries that have different ides about "the contours of freedom of expression".
Some of which can be so different to ours, that Twitter cannot exist there. Twitter have said that others are similar but, for historical and cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content.
Up until now, Twitter had to remove the content globally. Today brings change. Twitter have given themselves the permission to reactively withhold content from users based in a specific country, while keeping it available to everyone else. Twitter have also built-in a way to communicate transparently to users when content is withheld, and why.
Continue reading 'Twitter can now censor tweets, if required by law' (full post) Samsung have posted their Q4 2011 official earnings, and they have done quite well indeed. Samsung had an operating profit in Q4 2011 of $4.7 billion from $42 billion in sales.
How did Samsung reach this success? Oh, by selling more than 300 million smartphones last year alone. Mobile accounted for roughly 40-percent of Samsung's sales, and nearly 50-percent of their operating profit, Samsung's semiconductor business also did very well, taking in more than $2 billion in profit over the same period.
Samsung's Display Panel business was improved year-over-year compared to 2010, thanks to LED TVs, with sales up almost 20-percent to $7.6 billion. Samsung expects good things for 2012, with mobile business to grow, LTE and new market segments like the Galaxy Note to drive sales. TVs are expected to continue their rise, with Samsung releasing more Smart TVs, and the 2012 London Olympics will help, too.
Continue reading 'Samsung Q4 2011 earnings, $42 billion in sales, $4.7 billion operating profit' (full post) HTC do have a fair amount of phones on the market, and compared to companies like Apple where they can just push a handful of phones. HTC have a massive line up which is great for consumer choice, but also can come across as confusing.
Considering there's the Titan, Sensation, Impressive, Trophy, ChaCha, and more, HTC have decided to cull this down and concentrate on quality of quantity. HTC U.K. and Ireland Executive Director, Phil Roberson, has told Mobile magazine that 2012 will see HTC rolling out a smaller number of quality devices, rather than unleashing countless indistinguishable smartphones. He says:
2012 is about giving our customers something special. We need to make sure we do not go so far down the line that we segment our products by launching lots of different SKUs. We have to get back to focusing on what made us great - amazing hardware and a great customer experience. We ended 2011 with far more products than we started out with. We tried to do too much.
Continue reading 'HTC to streamline their product line, wants quality over quantity' (full post) Intel have pulled out their credit card today and swiped down a purchase of patents from RealNetworks to the tune of $120 million. RealNetworks Inc. in the agreement hand over a large number of patents, which is set to help Intel's portfolio for streaming media on not only smartphones, but laptops and other devices.
Intel will receive roughly 190 patents and 170 patent applications, as well as next-generation software that allows for the quick compression or decompression of video for streaming. RealNetworks are still allowed to use the patent in current and future products, and will now work with Intel on continued development of the software and related products.
RealNetworks Chief Executive, Thomas Nielsen, said in an interview:
To bring new technology like that [video software] to market requires significant reach into the consumer and business markets. A partner like Intel has the capacity and size to do that.
Continue reading 'Intel acquires RealNetworks patents, hands over $120 million' (full post) Apple had an amazing quarter, and to thank their employees, Tim Cook has said at today's Town Hall meeting that there will be some new "employee benefits". This is just a way Apple want to show their appreciation to those who have worked so hard to continue pushing the company to where it is today.
Cook announced that starting in June of this year, Apple employees will be given $500 discount on purchases of new Macs and $250 discounts on purchases of new iPads. There are some conditions, though. Apple employees may only take this opportunity every three years, and have to have been working at Apple for 90 days or more.
Another condition is the Mac discount cannot be used on the Mac mini, which is priced pretty close to the $500 Mac discount which would make it nearly free. Apple employees already receive a 25-percent discount on Macs, so that $500 is going to go a long way.
Continue reading 'Apple's Tim Cook says at Town Hall all Apple employees get $500 off Macs, $250 off iPads, starts in June' (full post) A tease of Valve's Steam mobile app is now available. Right now you can't properly use it, as attempting to login just adds you to the huge list of people wanting a beta invite, but the idea is there, the foundation has been laid.
Steam for iOS, Android lets you do virtually everything the proper Steam application does, apart from playing games. The description on the Android Market says:
Steam: chat and participate in the Steam community, catch unbeatable Steam sales
With the free Steam app for Android, you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.
Is this a move by Valve to enter the mobile market? Could we see Steam-powered games on iOS and Android devices? One can wish, one can wish.
The latest happenings in the technology world, January 26th, 2012.
Motherboards:
ASUS P9X79 WS Workstation - Benchmark Reviews
ECS X79R-AX Black Series Motherboard - Legit Reviews
[preview] ASUS P9X79 WS - ocaholic
ASUS Sabertooth X79 Motherboard - Hardware Canucks
CPUs:
AMD Llano A8-3870K APU - TechwareLabs
Video Cards:
Galaxy GT 520 MDT - Overclockers Club
Sapphire Radeon HD6450 FleX Edition 1GB Video Card - ThinkComputers.org
Continue reading 'Thursday Morning Roundup' (full post) Our Deal of the Day is Newegg - 16GB Patriot Holiday USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $6.99 after Rebate with FREE Shipping!
Newegg has this funky looking festively tardy 16GB Patriot Holiday USB 2.0 flash drive for just $6.99 after $7 rebate, with FREE shipping. Ends 1/31/12.
16GB PATRIOT HOLIDAY USB 2.0 FLASH DRIVE REBATE DEAL
Our Mobile App of the Day is Network Dashboard for Windows Phone
Network Dashboard provides a quick, at a glance view into the network status on your Windows Phone. Tap on a tile and you can quickly change the settings. Tap and hold a tile and you can pin it to the Start menu for quick and easy access!
REMINDER: When using settings tiles pinned to your start screen, use your Back key to return to start, NOT your Start key. If you don't, your live tiles will get out of sync and any reminders (Paid version) may not work properly.
Continue reading 'Mobile App of the Day: Network Dashboard for Windows Phone' (full post) Our Download of the Day is CCleaner v3.15
It's Day 3 of our new year release extravaganza! Today we have a new build of CCleaner available for download. With new apps, browser compatibility improvements and extra features. Download now! :)
Changes:
Added Chrome Canary Omnibox search shortcut cleaning.
Added option to only clean Recycle Bin files deleted more than 24 hours ago.
Improved Firefox History cleaning.
Improved Analysis results for Firefox and Chrome cookies and cache.
Improved Driver Wiper feedback for successful operations.
Improved thread synchronization algorithm to avoid possible deadlocks.
Updated Chrome Canary Saved Form Information cleaning.
Updated Chrome Canary Saved Passwords cleaning.
Updated Aurora History cleaning.
Added cleaning for Camtasia Studio 7.0, CoffeeCup HTML Editor, Ashampoo Burning Studio 11, Any Video Converter Ultimate, ConvertXToDVD, Freemake Video Downloader, Audio Converter and Video Converter.
Improved cleaning for Windows Log Files and MS Search.
Improved file size detection algorithm for Recycle Bin.
Minor bug fixes.
Download CCleaner v3.15, here.
