AMD Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 launch assault on enthusiast gaming market
December 15, 2010 No Comment
It’s taken AMD a long time to refresh the top end of its graphics hardware, but today’s culmination to that wait has to be described as somewhat bittersweet. Sweet, because we’re finally getting a successor to the venerable HD 5870 , one that offers improved power management and tessellation performance at a lower $369 price point, but also bitter because in terms of sheer firepower, the Radeon series doesn’t seem to have made quite the leap many of us had hoped for. The new top of AMD’s single-GPU pile, the HD 6970, offers 1,536 stream processors, an 880MHz core clock speed, and 2GB of GDDR5 RAM running at 5.5GHz for a total of 176GBps of memory bandwidth. Its partner in crime, the HD 6950, is expected to list at $299, for which saving you’ll have to sacrifice some clock speed (down to 800MHz) and processing units (1,408 in total). There’s a neat little addition to both new boards: a Dual-BIOS switch that will act like Google’s hardware jailbreak toggle on the Cr-48 , allowing tweakers to unlock the extra (unprotected by warranty!) performance headroom in their cards. Early reviews all seem to agree that both the Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 have struck a very fine price-to-performance ratio. The 6970 manages to spar with the much pricier GTX 580 , but given that it’s priced similarly to NVIDIA’s GTX 570 , it scores plaudits for being a more than viable alternative. The HD 6950 is seen as the real value item here, however, particularly since it occupies a relatively unique spot in the price range, and most reviewers tipped it as their new bang-for-the-buck leader. Read – HardOCP Read – AnandTech Read – Guru3D Read – PC Perspective Read – Hot Hardware Read – techPowerUp! Read – Hexus Read – TechSpot AMD Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 launch assault on enthusiast gaming market originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iGrill meat thermometer for iPhone is the expensive, unholy marriage of the meat thermometer and iPhone
December 15, 2010 No Comment
OK, we didn’t see this one coming: iGrill is a Bluetooth-enabled meat thermometer. That’s right, this bad boy not only displays the temp of whatever you sink the probe into, it also takes that info and transmits it to your iOS device for remote monitoring. Hell, the app itself even features a kitchen timer, alerts for whatever temp you set it to, and more. Because really, you do everything else with your smartphone, so why not use it to free yourself from the tyranny of the kitchen once and for all? Oh, that’s right — because this thing costs $100. See for yourself by hitting up the source link. iGrill meat thermometer for iPhone is the expensive, unholy marriage of the meat thermometer and iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google Voice Search update helps you personalize your results, helps Google build another database to take over the world
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Google Voice Actions was the first step towards our Star Tre k dreams of lassoing the world with naught but vocal cords, and today Google’s taken a second hop towards that inevitable future by letting Android devices record our every utterance. Yes, if you’ve got a handset running Froyo or better, you can download an update for Google Voice Search right now, which will let your phone dynamically personalize its speech-to-text engine to better recognize your voice most every time you use it. Of course, by so doing you’re giving Google permission to record your sentences — anonymously, of course — to use in future products, but whether that’s a problem or just a happy coincidence depends on whether you take Google at its word . We hit the “yes” button, in case you’re curious. Find it on Android Market, or just use the handy-dandy QR code below. Continue reading Google Voice Search update helps you personalize your results, helps Google build another database to take over the world Google Voice Search update helps you personalize your results, helps Google build another database to take over the world originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pioneer ships $200 BDR-206MBK BDXL writer, dares you to afford related media
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Two months from introduction to shipping? Not bad, Pioneer… not bad at all. The world’s first BDXL PC writer is now on sale at your local Fry’s Electronics, bringing support for toasting 128GB quad-layer discs (if you can find / afford ‘em) as well as speedy writing on typical BD-R, DVD-R and CD-R discs. Pioneer’s also throwing in a CyberLink software suite, and if you buy in early, you’ll get a single piece of 100GB BR-R XL media for free . Makes that $199 asking price seem entirely more attractive, doesn’t it? In other news, the first Blu-ray format still isn’t supported by Apple, not even on a $10,000 Mac Pro. Spectacular. Continue reading Pioneer ships $200 BDR-206MBK BDXL writer, dares you to afford related media Pioneer ships $200 BDR-206MBK BDXL writer, dares you to afford related media originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video)
December 15, 2010 No Comment
How are you killing the time until the Nexus S finally goes on sale ? Google’s answer to that question has been a typically outlandish affair, involving seven Nexi , a collection of weather balloons, and another quest to see how much can be learned from a humble smartphone’s sensors when they’re shot to the edge of space. Yes, the Mountain View madmen fired a week’s worth of their latest and greatest smartphones through the Earth’s atmosphere, hoping to test both the durability and the information-gathering skills of the onboard compass, gyro, and accelerometer, while dedicated GPS modules were installed in each “shuttle” (made out of styrofoam beer coolers, if you can believe it) to help recover the cargo on its return to terra firma. So far, only six of the phones have been recovered — might this be another of Google’s crazy puzzles? A treasure hunt for an Android fallen from heaven? Video after the break. Continue reading Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video) Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It may not be available at your favorite e-tailer quite yet, but Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse is indeed on sale at the company’s seven retail stores, each of which got a shipment of the flexible critters this morning. (How do we know? We just called every one.) What’s more, they’ll only cost you $60 apiece, a full portrait of Alexander Hamilton less than the original batch of preorders , so if you’re looking for a thoroughly unique rodent partner that bows to your will, now might be the best chance to nab one. [Thanks, Elliot B.] Arc Touch Mouse now on sale for $60 at all Microsoft retail stores originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Daito Manabe’s sensor-based drum machine might actually melt your face off
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time that Daito Manabe has used some electrical stimulation in a face-twisting musical experiment , but he’s taken things one big step further with his latest project. As before, this rig creates wild facial twitches controlled by music (not the other way around), but it also includes a second set of sensors that allows another person to tap on a virtual drum kit and send the (hopefully) willing subject’s face into a fit of synchronization. All of which is, of course, better seen than explained — check it out in action after the break. [Thanks, James] Continue reading Daito Manabe’s sensor-based drum machine might actually melt your face off Daito Manabe’s sensor-based drum machine might actually melt your face off originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google under fire for promoting own content ahead of competing websites
December 15, 2010 No Comment
This isn’t exactly a new allegation , but the idea’s spreading fast: Google is tuning search results to favor itself, and perhaps that’s not entirely fair. Though the European Union’s already investigating Google for potential antitrust violations, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal cites several US businesses that aren’t too happy themselves, claiming that Google Places, Product Search and the like took a big chomp out of their traffic. Google’s defense, as usual, rests on its secret algorithms, which it claims aren’t rigged in any way, adding that the prominent placement of location- and product-based search results are just a way to get users quicker answers to their queries. If you type in “day spa nyc,” you’re looking for some catered suggestions, right? And what of those who argue differently? Well, o bviously they’re in league with Microsoft . Google under fire for promoting own content ahead of competing websites originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …US Army Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications programs putting smartphones in soldiers’ hands this February
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Earlier this year, DARPA put out RFIs with an eye on developing military apps and an app store for iOS and Android , and now the US Army’s Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications (CSDA) program will put handsets, network equipment, and other equipment including tablets, e-readers, and pico projectors into the hands of the First Army Brigade this February. Additionally, the Army plans to start issuing Common Access Card (the ID cards used to log on to DoD computers and networks) readers for the iPhone in January and for Android in April. According to Rickey Smith of the Army Capabilities Integration Center, “We’re not wedded to a specific piece of hardware. We are open to using Palm Trios, the Android, iPhone or whatever else is out there.” But we must admit — we are encouraged that this time around you haven’t mentioned Celio’s REDFLY . US Army Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications programs putting smartphones in soldiers’ hands this February originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So this is how it was supposed to go : Best Buy would start selling the Nexus S in the States on December 16th, and Carphone Warehouse would follow on a few days later — the 20th, to be exact — in the UK. Looks like the British are going rogue here, though, because Samsung’s Gingerbread -packed slate is showing “in stock” on Carphone Warehouse’s site right this very moment, which should theoretically mean it ships the same day if you order it before 5PM local time. Let us know if you get it in your paws before the 20th, alright? [Thanks, Daniel K.] Nexus S in stock on Carphone Warehouse’s site a little early originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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