'Fast Boot' Option in Windows ME
Microsoft announced earlier today that they would be implementing the 'fast boot' option into their upcoming OS - Windows ME. The feature utilizes 'fast boot'-optimized hardware, such as the Dell Dimension PC to quicken the system's startup time. Aside from the option, the Microsoft team is working with partners to improve overall boot time on new PCs. Removal of real mode, registry improvements and faster device initialization are just a few methods that will be used to quicken ME's pace.
"We have been asked by our customers to improve the start-up time of their Windows-based PCs. As the PC becomes a more important device in the home, consumers increasingly expect that it will perform as well as their other home appliances," stated general manager of the Platforms Group at Microsoft, John Frederiksen.
Laptop Cost Goes Up with Performance
Next month, Intel plans to make their low-power 600 and 750MHz mobile Pentium III chips available. Along with the release of their 600MHz Celeron, this will shorten the gap between desktop and notebook CPU speeds. Currently, Intel is developing a 900MHz mobile chip, which is expected to be released early next year. Intel's 750MHz mobile PIII chip is expected to ship next month, while their 800 and 850MHz models will be released in the second half of this year.
With the new performance boost, prices are also rising. "The best thing for the consumer would be if notebook manufacturers worked to make their notebooks more economical," stated mobile computing analyst, Matt Sargent. "When consumers come to the marketplace and compare (notebooks and desktops), there's a huge (price) difference between them."
Dark Reign 2 Beta Testing
GameSpot is hosting a multiplayer beta test of Pandemic Studios' Dark Reign 2. They will select 500 applicants at random to participate. The beta will contain two multiplayer maps, which are available to play with other testers. To apply, simply fill out the form at the bottom of this page. To increase your chances of being a Dark Reign 2 beta tester, you may also apply on WON.net's sign in page.
Dark Reign 2 sets the scene with military confrontations between the totalitarian Jovian Detention Authority and the rebellious Sprawlers. Each unit and structure is rendered to scale, and features zooming in capabilities, for a cinematic view of the action. The title also contains a slew of in-game cut scenes.
Cisco Offering Free Instructional Book
Free editions of Voice & Data Internetworking by Gil Held are available on Cisco Systems’ Web site for a limited time. The book explains methods of transporting real-time conversations over data networks, private IP networks, the Internet and intranets. The book is a $55 value, but is available free if you go here.
To receive this title, simply register as a 'Guest' user by filling out a small survey available at the link above. Quantities are limited.
AltaVista Challenges Google
Earlier today AltaVista, a popular search service, unveiled a new engine in an attempt to lure eyes from the increasingly popular Google. The idea behind AltaVista's new search engine is to challenge Google's simplicity by minimizing ad space, decreasing load times, and above all, returning accurate results.
'Raging Search,' the title of the new service, presents results much faster than those on its primary engine, according to AltaVista. There is also an absence of banner ads within the site.
Metallica Accuses 335,435 Napster Users
The heavy metal band, which is suing music-trading company Napster for what they say are copyright infringements, says it has found the identifications of over 335,000 individuals allegedly sharing the band's songs online. The band's attorneys plan to deliver 60,000 pages of documents to the software company, asking for the users to be blocked from the service.
"I don't know if it's going to put a chill on the user end, but it certainly is going to show other artists what they can do to get their work out of Napster," stated Howard King, the Los Angeles attorney who represents Metallica and Dr. Dre, who is also suing Napster.
Diablo II Final Beta Testing Monday
Yesterday, Blizzard announced plans to begin stress testing Diablo II's Battle.net. This will be the final phase of Diablo II beta testing, and the company's largest public beta test to date. Beginning on May 1, 100,000 players will have their chance to register for this final Battle.net test, prior to the launch of Diablo II. You may signup here starting Monday.
The beta signup is scheduled for a seven-day period exclusively on ZDNet's site, GameSpot beginning on Monday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific and ending Sunday, May 7 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific. Worldwide applications will be accepted. Only one submission per person will be allowed, and selected testers will be notified via email.
ATI's Radeon Achieves GigaTexel Speeds
ATI demonstrated its latest graphics card dubbed 'Radeon 256' at the WinHEC conference earlier this week. The new card is touted as the fastest chip the company has ever released. The new graphics hardware features a 1.5 GigaTexel/second fill rate, 128 megabytes of 200-MHz ram, and 8 GB/second Effective Memory bandwidth. ATI's new card is the first to surpass the GigaTexel fill rate.
ATI began to aim towards the 3D graphics market with the release of their Rage 128 chip. Though this chip performed fairly well, development and production delays detered its opportunity to become a real competitor in the high-end market. ATI is now attempting to take the 3D performance crown with the Radeon graphics card.
BeOS Shifting to Internet Appliances
Earlier today, a German website posted an article which stated that Be was planning on halting the development of BeOS after several updates. This however, was a mistaken interpretation on the subject. Be is continuing to design and release new versions of BeOS, which is the development environment for BeIA, Be's software platform for Internet applicances.
BeIA builts are ultimately paired down versions of the BeOS operating system designed for dedicated devices. Each internet appliance will run on its own build, and use only drivers that are required. "Our goal is to have one source tree for both BeOS and BeIA, so that we can pull BeIA builds out of the BeOS source tree whenever necessary. This way, as drivers and other improvements are added because of a particular BeIA project, BeOS as a whole will improve," stated a Be representative.
Microsoft Demonstrates Whistler
The software giant's next version of Windows, dubbed 'Whistler' was showcased by Microsoft executives at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) Tuesday. The company hinted that the new operating system is a fairly minor upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional. Whistler is in pre-beta stages, although pirated copies have been leaked to the Web.
Whistler will be available in both consumer and business versions, and will be the successor to Windows 2000 and Windows Me. Windows Me is set to be released in the second half of this year, which will offer multimedia enhancements for consumers. However, Microsoft claims Whistler, available in 2001, will feature a much wider array of services tuned for home users.
Nvidia Beta Drivers for XFree86
Nvidia, famous for its TNT and GeForce graphics cards, has released beta drivers for XFree86. The company stated that the current drivers have OpenGL acceleration, but are still in an unreliable beta stage. The drivers are a result of a partnership between Nvidia, SGI and VA Linux. The drivers support the TNT, TNT2, TNT Ultra, GeForce, and Quadro chipsets. Download them here.
MCI Offering High-Speed Wireless Internet
MCI WorldCom is preparing another option for high-speed Internet access using wireless technology. The new method of data transmission is known as MMDS, or multichannel multipoint distribution service. The company began service trials last month, which brought wireless Internet access to businesses and homes by using airwaves to bypass local telephone and cable systems.
The trials were held in Memphis, Tenn., Jackson, Miss., and Baton Rouge, La. They were an initial step of MCI WorldCom's efforts to offer high-speed broadband services using radio spectrums designated for MMDS, according to Joe Paluska, a spokesman for MCI WorldCom. "This allows us to offer high-speed broadband access to markets that range from rural where there's no choice for Internet access to other markets where buildings and homes aren't wired for DSL," he said.
Sun Tests New MAJC Processor
Sun recently displayed its Microprocessor Architecture for Java Computing graphics chip to the public. The 'MAJC' chip is designed to deliver superior processing for multimedia, and is set to ship soon. The processor recently completed the engineering stage, and is now being manufactured by IBM Microelectronics.
Announced last August, the MAJC processor is based on a completely new technology. It aims to include multiprocessor support to speed the overall performance of graphics, video and speech recognition in computing applications. Although the new chip operates alongside your current media hardware, it will greatly increase performance for broadband services. "People want to have video on demand and browse the Web in 3-D. However, the (network) infrastructure needs to be enabled, and so do the servers," stated chief architect for MAJC, Marc Tremblay.
Intel Delays New Celerons
Intel, the Santa Clara-based chip manufacturer has pushed back the release date for the 633- and 667-MHz Celeron chips by approximately two months, according to industry sources. The new chips were expected to be available next week. Instead, they will appear in computers toward the end of June, along with the 700-MHz Celeron and 933-MHz Pentium III.
Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices may benefit from this delay. The company stated that it has made several hundred thousand more Athlon processors than it has sold in the past two quarters. Many of these extra chips will likely run at speeds between 550- and 650-MHz.
Enfish Debuts Desktop Portal Software
Enfish Technology Inc., popular for its 'Tracker Pro' software, recently released a beta version of 'Onespace.' This new software collects information in several different programs, such as e-mail clients, documents, and the like. Onespace then combines this information into one area for easy access. Implementing this information into one convenient place allows you to work more quickly and efficiently.
When you first install Enfish Onespace, the program will index your entire hard drive, which makes searching for items much faster. However, this process takes up to 2 hours to complete. Enfish has demonstration pages to show how Onespace users organize their personal information. You can visit the sample pages here
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