65 nm GPU for Xbox 360 'Jasper' due in August
The latest update to Microsoft's Xbox 360 not only gives the console a 65 nm CPU, but a similarly-profiled GPU, enabling the whole unit to consume less power, and therefore run cooler and more quietly.
As most fans of the console -- certainly those who eagerly awaited the release of Halo 3 -- know, any Xbox 360 manufactured after August 2007 has what is known as the "Falcon" chipset: a 65 nm CPU coupled with a 90 nm GPU. The "Jasper" evolution of the 360 is expected to come to market at the end of this summer, with a GPU also sporting a 65 nm profile, and the "Valhalla" model with a 45 nm CPU is expected in Fall 2009.
Canadian iPod settlement resolves battery life claims
Canadian owners of first, second and third generation iPods will be eligible for a $45 credit as part of a settlement over battery life claims.
Two lawsuits have been filed in the country. While one in Quebec was denied class-action status, the other in Ontario had been accepted by the courts. This agreement would settle both cases.
Hollywood helps Pioneer launch 2008 Kuro HDTVs
Pioneer's 2008 line of plasma HDTVs, monitors, Blu-ray drives, and projectors are billed as offering five times the level of black as the first generation of Project Kuro, which wowed audiences at CES 2008 just last January.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - Despite the hard work of Hollywood film makers, movies show up on most flat panel high-definition displays "all washed out," said cinematographer Ousama Rawi, meanwhile making it clear he considers Pioneer's 2008 Project Kuro line-up -- rolled out at a press launch Wednesday night -- to be a shining exception.
Id Software announces the coming of Doom 4
Game maker id Software quietly confirmed it is working on Doom 4, almost four years after the release of the third installment of the series that made the first-person shooter a permanent fixture in the public conscience.
Instead of a large public announcement, id's notice came in the form of a brief mention on its Web site along with a call for developers and artists interested in working on the game.
NVidia considers an across-the-board overhaul of its marketing strategy
To help casual consumers who may not be able to track every code name and official product launch, GPU maker NVidia now says it's considering plans to simplify its product range.
The news comes from the company's Vice President of Business Content Roy Taylor, in comments made recently to GamesIndustry.biz.
Much ado over yet another change to Facebook's profile page
Facebook today released more details about a major user profile overhaul that was supposed to take place early last month but is now back on track.
Although MySpace is considered the more popular social networking site overall, Facebook remains especially popular among college students and young professionals looking for a social network that is more organized and easier to navigate. The latest redesign to Facebook centers on the user profile page, taking account of several key modifications requested by Facebook users and the developers who create Facebook applications.
State Dept. loses, then recovers, anti-terrorism computers worth $30 M
For several months, according to an Inspector General's report discovered by a group of former State Department employees, the Dept. did not know the whereabouts of some 400 laptops. And now, somehow, they've all been found.
A blog maintained by some former US Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) who found their security credentials inexplicably suspended in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, is being credited for having shed light on a serious State Dept. problem: A February audit by the Inspector General's office determined that as many as 400 laptop computers belonging to a key anti-terrorism training task force were unaccounted for, among other possibly lost State Dept. assets.
Latest XNA Game Studio CTP adds support for Zune games
Download XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP from BetaNews FileForum now.
The next phase in Microsoft's efforts to scale games across Windows to a certain portable device, begins this week with the introduction of a preview of the next XNA Game Studio. But as we discovered, it could use some help.
MySpace gets the most users, but ad sales lag
MySpace might get more user traffic than any other social networking Web site, but it will probably fail to hit revenue targets set earlier this year by its corporate parent News Corp.
That disparity between incoming traffic and incoming dollars has led to new questions about the relationship between advertising and social networking.
NBC appears to be courting Apple once again
With Apple now streaming NBC shows to iPhones through its dedicated portal, and the network's properties appearing on the iTunes UK store, are the two sides ready to settle their differences?
Several shows are now available for download through the NBC iPhone portal, including Heroes, Eureka, The Incredible Hulk, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and House, shown in America on Fox.
Online pizza ordering becomes a billion-dollar industry
In another sign of the changing nature of communications in the US economy, Papa John's, America's third-largest pizza chain, has recently passed $1 billion in completed online transactions.
At the risk of editorializing an otherwise fluffy story for the approaching weekend, it's worth noting that some of us at BetaNews have a soft spot for lighthearted examples of modernity. Take for example, the coverage we have given to the trend of pizza delivery franchises embracing technology to improve business.
No surprises from Samsung and Verizon with their Glyde phone
The CDMA version of Samsung's F700 that has been seen in Europe since last year, the Glyde is a GPS-enabled 2.8" touchscreen and QWERTY slider that will be made available to Verizon customers tomorrow both online and at company stores.
The cardinal elements of the handset's design have been re-hashed by practically every major mobile phone manufacturer from LG with its KS20/Prada Phone to this week's HTC Touch Diamond, making it stand out far less than if it had adopted a unique form factor.
Internet Archive emerges victorious in national security row with the FBI
A National Security Letter was issued last year to the Internet Archive, seeking information about what it called a "subscriber" in conjunction with an anti-terrorism investigation. The IA challenged the letter, and as we learned yesterday, it won.
Last November, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation served a National Security Letter (NSL) to the Internet Archive, the project to preserve much of the Internet's content at various stages in his history, as a perpetual online museum. The letter appeared to contain boilerplate language that would normally be used in requests to ISPs for national security information, as this one did request certain data about so-called "subscribers."
Microsoft refutes a Times article on Zune's 'copyright cop'
A New York Times article purporting that Microsoft is working with NBC Universal to create a "copyright cop" -- or anti-piracy filter -- for the Zune that will prevent playback of unauthorized videos, was refuted by Microsoft today.
In the article which appeared on a Times blog, Saul Hansell, a Times reporter, quotes J.B. Perrette, president of digital distribution for the movie studio, as saying there are two reasons why NBC chose Microsoft's Zune over Apple's iTunes for content distribution.
OpenOffice 3.0 beta natively supports Mac OS X
Download OpenOffice.org 3.0.0 Beta for Mac OS X from BetaNews FileForum now.
The latest beta of OpenOffice.org 3.0 is the first to support Mac OS X without the need for X11.
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