Microsoft seems to think that there are a lot of people that are going to be resistant to Windows 7 for one reason or another and have extended the availability of XP downgrades.
Originally, Microsoft was only planning on XP downgrades for six months following the launch of Windows 7. This has now been extended out to 18 months or the release of Windows 7’s first service pack. Given the success of Windows 7 so far and the increase in quality that has been seen in the beta and RC versions, it should be quite some time before we see SP1 for Windows 7.
Why Microsoft has extended the availability of the downgrades isn’t for certain. One thing that we can be certain of however is that this will continue to hurt the push towards native 64-bit applications. While the hardware base is out there, unless we can get to an overwhelming install base for 64-bit OS’s, many application dev’s aren’t going to feel the need to develop 64-bit apps as much as they would without XP around.
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Gaming, Technology | Posted on 18-06-2009
ECS is said to be working on a new GTS 250 card and when it hits the shelves it will be the fastest GTS 250 on the market.
The card in question is the ECS GTS 250 Black Edition and it will be available in both 1GB and 2GB flavors. As of right now the shader clock is unknown on the card but the core will be clocked at 815MHz and the memory will run at 2200MHz.
The pictures show the two cards coming with different cooling solutions and the 2GB model will feature the dual fans. ECS has done away with the dual 6-pin power connectors that most overclocked GTS 250s utilize in favor of a single 8-pin. Rumor has it that ECS will also be swapping out the blue PCB for a black one once the card goes into production and it would make a lot of sense to do so.
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Technology | Posted on 18-06-2009
After posting our news yesterday about the launch of Patriot’s new 128GB XPORTER Magnum USB flash drive, we were able to get an exclusive first peak at it since no picture was provided with the press release. Enjoy!
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Gaming, Technology | Posted on 18-06-2009
Earlier this week pictures were floating around the web of ASUS’s upcomming Maximus III Formula motherboard. These are a little more exclusive and we assure you that they are very, very fresh. Specifications for the board still aren’t finalized but we will bring you that information as soon as we can.
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Technology | Posted on 18-06-2009
There has been a lot of talk about GlobalFoundries and their move to 32nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate. Now while the semantics of the announcement are correct, they will indeed be the first “foundry” to have 32nm HKMG but will they really be the first?
In an interesting read Digitimes is saying that Intel will be the first company to get to 32nm HKMG not directly but in a manner of speaking. If their story is true Intel is going to skip the Tock portion of the Havendale CPU at 45nm and dive straight into Clarkdale at 32nm.
The company also recently decided to skip production of 45nm Havendale CPUs and will go directly to 32nm Clarkdale because 32nm development is going smoothly, the sources revealed.
Intel will issue product discontinuance notice (PDN) for the Core i7 940 later in June, while EOL will be issued in the third quarter. Intel will also issue EOL for the Core 2 Extreme QX9775 in the third quarter.
The PDN for Intel’s quad-core Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Q9400S will come in the fourth quarter, while EOL is scheduled for 2010. The Core 2 Quad Q8200 and Q8200S will see their PDN issued in 2010.
Intel also plans to launch quad-core Core 2 Quad Q9505S CPUs specifically designed for all-in-one PCs.
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Technology | Posted on 17-06-2009
The iPhone Dev-Team has announced the UltraSn0w unlock for iPhones running the 3.0 firmware.
The UltraSn0w unlock will be released on Friday and will be applied in the same manner as the previous yellowsn0w unlock. The procedure will work on the 4.26.08 baseband version so all those who accidentally updated to the latest baseband will be able to regain their unlock.
Once the iPhone Dev-Team has made the tools available we will be posting a detailed tutorial with clear instructions on how to apply it
Posted by 3o5 | Posted in Technology | Posted on 15-06-2009
Customers have been informed that their pre-ordered iPhone 3G S devices from Apple have begun shipping.
According to AppleInsider forum member DiscoNomad, “My 32GB black iPhone that I ordered the second I could on the Apple iPhone store has officially shipped. I found out this morning via an email which included a tracking number.”
The new iPhones are being shipped out of Shenzhen, China. Apple has promised delivery by June 19th.
Apple has already placed the 3.0 firmware online for the new iPhone 3G S device.
You can download the new firmware from here. However, please note that this will not work with your 2G or 3G handset. This firmware is for the unreleased iPhone 3G S.
The 3.0 firmware is expected to go live for all other devices starting on June 17th.
