Podcast #249 - Corsair 350D, Frame Rating in 4K, the Oculus Rift and more!

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 02:59 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, video, Indiegogo, corair, obsidian, 350d, mATX, frame rating, 4k, titan, 7990, 690, Oculus, rift, VR, 3d, amd, amd fx, vishera, hUMA, hsa

PC Perspective Podcast #249 - 05/02/2013

Join us this week as we discuss the Corsair 350D, Frame Rating in 4K, the Oculus Rift and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Josh Walrath, Allyn Malventano, Scott Michaud and Morry Teitelman

Program length: 1:04:02

1. Week in Review:
   1. 0:05:00 Corsair Obsidian 350D Case
   2. 0:10:30 AMD Details hUMA for HSA
   3. 0:25:00 Frame Rating testing at 4K resolutions
2. 0:30:00 This week we thank you for IGG support!
3. News items of interest:
   1. 0:33:15 Read our Heart of the Swarm review
   2. 0:38:30 Oculus Rift hands on testing
   3. 0:44:00 AMD Refreshes FX CPUs
   4. 0:46:00 Gigabyte shows new audio setup for Z87 boards
   5. 0:49:45 Potential power supply issues for Haswell
4. Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: Windows Movie Maker lets you record webcam videos!
   2. Jeremy: anti-pick - hotels that don't offer a RJ45 jack in the rooms!
   3. Josh: Just plain cheap. And Fun!
   4. Allyn: Ventev USB charging stuff (home / auto)
   5. Scott: 120Hz monitors... meh on 3D Vision.
   6. Morry: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
5. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
6. http://pcper.com/podcast
7. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
8. Closing/outro

Deal for May 2nd - Samsung Galaxy S4 [AT&T] @ $168

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 01:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Are you in the same boat as Howard Hughes and can't stand the thought of touching anything?  Samsung's new Galaxy S4 is right up your alley then, as you don't even have to touch the screen to use the phone, simply gesturing near the screen works just as well as touching it.  Not only that but you can benefit from the long list of new features integrated with the new Galaxy, for less than you would otherwise pay.

Samsung Galaxy S4 [AT&T]
Amazon now offers for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone for AT&T starting at just $168 with free shipping (2-4 weeks).  Requires new or upgrading two year contract.  Available in White Frost (pictured) and Black Myst.  You save about $32 off the retail price.

Corsair Clarifies Upcoming Investment Deal With Francisco Partners

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 01:04 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: private equity, investments, corsair

Corsair recently reached out to the technology community to clarify the news of a new investor interested in the company. It turns out that Corsair is in talks with a private equity firm called Francisco Partners. The PC peripherals company wants to expand by making strategic acquisitions of smaller companies in the gaming and audio industry. In order to do that, Corsair needs cash, and without going public, one way to get that is to go with a private equity firm.

Although it will not be official for a couple of weeks, according to Corsair, Francisco Partners will invest as much as $75 million in Corsair and become a shareholder in the privately-held company. The deal is simply a monetary one, with Francisco Partners providing needed cash in exchange for a share of the company. No management changes are planned, and the new investor will not become the majority shareholder according to Corsair.

Corsair recently acquired both gaming peripheral company Raptor Gaming and Simple Audio, a company that provides multi-room streaming audio solutions. Corsair plans to further aggressively pursue the gaming and music/audio markets in addition to its existing case, power supply, fan, and other PC peripheral lineups aimed at enthusiasts. I'm excited to see where Corsair goes from here as it grows and diversifies its business and product lines.

Microsoft Rumored To Be Working On Cloud-Based "Mohoro" Windows Desktop Service

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 05:07 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: windows, thin client, remote desktop, mohoro, microsoft, cloud computing, azure

Microsoft may be working on its own cloud-based desktop service according to sources speaking with ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. The rumored service codenamed “Mohoro” would build the Windows desktop SaaS (Software as a Service) solution on top of the company’s Windows Azure cloud computing platform. With Mohoro, Microsoft would provide Azure virtual machines running the Windows operating system. Users would then be able to remote into the desktop on any Internet connected computer or mobile device (with remote desktop support) and get access to their own desktop and applications.

The Windows desktop... coming soon to a cloud near you?

Windows Azure users can already run virtual machines with Linux or Windows OSes, but in the case of Windows Microsoft only allows server versions to be run. Incensing restrictions prevent users from loading consumer operating systems such as Windows XP, 7 or 8 onto the virtual machines. The rumored Mohoro service would apparently relax the licensing restrictions and allow businesses or consumers to deploy client operating systems running on the Azure VMs. It would basically take the need for enterprises to run their own hardware and move it to “the cloud” behind a Microsoft-run subscription service.

It is an interesting idea that I could see universities and businesses looking into. The Azure platform is actually pretty good, from what little testing I've done on it. However, I think that for many consumers a local install is preferable. Although syncing applications and files can be a pain if you have multiple machines, you retain control of your data and are not bound to needing an always-on Internet connection to access that data and run applications. Further, latency issues and bandwidth caps with home Internet connections make a paid-for Azure desktop less appealing to home users. I think Microsoft would have a hard-enough time selling users a subsciption for a local/traditional Windows installation, much less a subscription for an OS requiring an always-on Internet connection to use their computer.

Would you use an Azure-powered desktop as your main OS?

EFF Report Outlines Which Companies Stand Up For Users' Data Privacy Rights

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 02:01 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: Privacy, eff, data privacy, consumer rights

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released its annual Who Has Your Back report, which highlights Internet companies that (do or do not) defend user’s online privacy rights. The EFF looks at the policies and actions of several major Internet companies, including ISPs, cloud storage, email, and social networks (among others). The companies are graded on various criteria such as whether the companies require a subpoena or warrant before releasing information, lobby congress for stricter data privacy laws, and defend their users’ privacy rights in court.

This year, the EFF found some surprising results. Google is no longer the leader of the pack due to no longer providing transparent data requests to users on the same level that it did in the past. Twitter and ISP Sonic.net are actually the top ranked companies. In a less surprising twist, Verizon is actually the worst company of the bunch along with MySpace with failing grades in each category! And that is just the tip of the spear, with companies like Apple and AT&T being worse than I thought and Foursquare and WordPress doing better than I expected.

Data privacy is of supreme importance, and i hope that these EFF reports prod all companies to do better (and note the companies that are doing right by their users). It is definitely worth a read. You can find the full report in PDF form here.

Do you use any of these services, and are you happy with their data privacy efforts?

A Duke Nukem obsession like no other

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 03:03 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gaming, mod, duke nukem, obsessive

You might think you expressed your disappointment about the pile of garbage that was Duke Nukem Forever by posting scathing reviews online, but you have nothing on these modders who attempted to create the Duke we were all promised by modding Duke Nukem 3D.  If you still have the DN3D kicking around, or at least the DUKE3D.GRP file you can head to ModDB and download a 30MB mod which will expand Las Vegas far beyond the original game. Don't expect miracles, they can only reuse existing assets but they certainly impressed Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN who posted a trailer-ish movie of the mod in action.

"A group of modders have been busily attempting to rewrite history – by recreating the game that 2001 trailer suggested in good old Duke Nukem 3D. Given they suffered a degree of 3D Realms-esque hubris in their struggle to finish the thing, are these the first Method Developers?"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

• Hurrah! – Defense Grid 2 Funded By Secret Investor @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• New GTA V trailer details the lives of the three protagonists @ HEXUS
• Impressions: Neverwinter @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• BioShock Infinite PC @ eTeknix
• Chapter & Verse Of Space Hulk @ Rock, PAper, ShHOTGUN
• God of War: Ascension PlayStation 3 @ eTeknix
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Xbox 360 @ Tweaktown

A sneak peek at Gigabyte's upcoming audio for the Sniper5 series

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 02:19 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gigabyte, G1.Sniper 5, G1.Sniper 5M, AMP-UP Audio

Slow but surely teases of the next generation of motherboards for Intel processors are showing up, such as Tweaktown's preview here.  You don't get to see much of the board its self but you do have a chance to learn about the new AMP-UP audio that will be featured on these motherboards.  This will be a removable OP-AMP paired with Creative's Sound Core3D to bring high end audio performance to your onboard audio.  It will be removable so that audiophiles can choose their favourite OP-AMP to install if they prefer it to the one included. Take a peek right here.

"The NDA is starting to come off the 4th Generation Intel Core series and today we'll show you what to expect from GIGABYTE in its new AMP-UP audio feature on the G1.Sniper 5 and G1.Sniper M5."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Microsoft Exchange rival Icewarp says selling Linux to Windows customers is easy @ The Inquirer
• Samsung making 20nm 4Gb LPDDR3 DRAM for mobile devices @ DigiTimes
• Is it me or did cloud marketing suddenly get really weird? @ The Register
• Intel LANFest SoCal 2013 – Local Gaming & Fun @ Legit Reviews
• Kitguru MEGA graphics card giveaway
• Noctua Joint Giveaway - NH-D14/NH-U14S/NH-U12S Up For Grabs Globally @ NikKTech

Deal for May 1st - Roku 2 XD 1080p Streaming Player (Refurbished) @ $60

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 02:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

If you are looking for a very inexpensive way to stream HD video the Roku 2 is a great choice as it offers flexibility and an easy to use interface.  The only better deal would be to pick up a Roku 2 at $20 off the retail price, which is exactly what the deal for today is.  There are quite a few units available but you might not want to spend too much time debating the purchase as they are not unlimited.

Roku 2 XD 1080p Streaming Player (Refurbished)
Groupon is offering refurbished Roku 2 XD 1080p Streaming Player for $59.99 with free shipping. That's 25% off the price of brand new model and backed by 90-day limited warranty.

AMD Planning APU13 Developer Summit In San Jose, California

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 07:08 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: hUMA, hsa, apu13, APU, amd, AFDS

AMD announced its third annual Developer Summit last week. Dubbed “APU13,” the upcoming summit is the AMD equivalent to NVIDIA’s GTC and is an annual event that brings together industry analysts, researchers, programmers, academics, and software/hardware companies pursuing heterogeneous computing technologies.

In previous years, the AMD Developer Summit has been the launchpad for C++ AMP and the HSA Foundation. This year’s Summit will continue that trend towards heterogeneous computing as well as look back over the year and provide updates on where the various HSA member companies are at as far as goals to move towards standards-based heterogenous computing.

In addition to keynote speeches from AMD and some of its partners, expect a great deal of presentations and workshops from researchers and programmers that are working on new programming models and hardware solutions to efficiently use CPU and GPU processors. More information on hUMA is one of the likely topics, for example. Discussion about upcoming hardware, process nodes, and products may also be on the table so far as it relates to the HSA theme. Considering the summit is called “APU13,” I also expect that AMD will reveal additional details on the company’s Kaveri APU as well as a look into its future product road map.

AMD is currently asking for presentation proposals from researchers in a number of HSA and technology-related fields including heterogeneous computing, cloud computing, web technologies, programming languages, gaming and graphics technologies, and software security. The lineup of presenters for the summit is still being worked out, and proposal papers will be accepted until May 10th with the winners being notified over the summer.

In all, AMD’s APU13 should be an exciting and intellectual event. Last year’s AMD Fusion Developer Summit (AFDS) was an interesting and fun event to cover, and I hope that APU13 will keep up the same momentum and interest in heterogeneous computing that AFDS started.

hUMA has come with a weapon to slay the memory latency dragon

Subject: General Tech | April 30, 2013 - 01:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Steamroller, piledriver, Kaveri, Kabini, hUMA, hsa, GCN, bulldozer, APU, amd

AMD may have united GPU and CPU into the APU but one hurdle had remained until now, the the non-uniformity of memory access between the two processors.  Today we learned about one of the first successful HAS projects called Heterogeneous Uniform Memory Access, aka hUMA, which will appear in the upcoming Kaveri chip family.   The use of this new technology will allow the on-die CPU and GPU to access the same memory pool, both physical and virtual and any data passed between the two processors will remain coherent.  As The Tech Report mentions in their overview hUMA will not provide as much of a benefit to discrete GPUs, while they will be able to share address space the widely differing clock speeds between GDDR5 and DDR3 prevent unification to the level of an APU.

Make sure to read Josh's take as well so you can keep up with him on the Podcast.

"At the Fusion Developer Summit last June, AMD CTO Mark Papermaster teased Kaveri, AMD's next-generation APU due later this year. Among other things, Papermaster revealed that Kaveri will be based on the Steamroller architecture and that it will be the first AMD APU with fully shared memory.

Last week, AMD shed some more light on Kaveri's uniform memory architecture, which now has a snazzy marketing name: heterogeneous uniform memory access, or hUMA for short."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• AMD’s new heterogeneous Uniform Memory Access
• hUMA; AMD’s Heterogeneous Unified Memory Architecture @ Hardware Canucks
• Compro TN50W Cloud Network Camera @ Tweaktown
• Wifi Pineapple project uses updated hardware for man-in-the-middle attacks @ Hack a Day
• New OpenWRT Drops Support For Linux 2.4, Low-Mem Devices @ Slashdot
• HP mashes up ProLiant, Integrity, BladeSystem, and Moonshot server @ The Register
• Acer selling tablet using Intel Y series processor @ The Register
• CERN Celebrates 20 Years of an Open Web (and Rebuilds 1st Web Page) @ Slashdot
• BitFenix 5K YouTube Subscriber Giveaway @ eTeknix

New Ubuntu 13.04 Release Upgrades Unity, Ditches Wubi, and Updates Applications

Subject: General Tech | April 30, 2013 - 12:57 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: wubi, Unity, ubuntu 13.04, ubuntu, openstack, linux, canonical

Canonical released its the Ubuntu 13.04 “Raring Ringtail” Linux distribution earlier this week. The updated operating system incorporates a new Linux kernel, newer pre-installed applications, and a tweaked Unity desktop environment. Enterprise and server users also have updated server software stacks to look forward to, including the latest juju and OpenStack (Grizzly) releases.

Ubuntu 13.04 continues in the direction of convergence set in motion by Canonical and its founder Mark Shuttleworth. It is the first step towards Ubuntu running on many types of devices (including mobile) as it includes an updated Unity interface. The 13.04 release still uses the X window system, but Canonical has made tweaks to Unity and is offering up an optional download of the new Mir display backend that users can install. Mir is the display server that Ubuntu will be switching to with its next LTS release and that will reportedly enable a cross-platform Ubuntu/Unity experience. The Unity tweaks include disabling Workspaces and the “show desktop” button on the desktop (though they can be re-enabled in settings). There have also been tweaks to Ubuntu’s Dash UI, including a typo-tolerant search function and new result sorting options. It will not be until the next release that users will really start to see Ubuntu’s plans of convergence come together (heh), but even with the small changes present in 13.04, the traditional desktop OS is making considerations for mobile devices.

While the visual changes are minimal on Ubuntu 13.04 compared to 12.10, the new release does update a lot of the underlying software.At least on the outside, Ubuntu 13.04 has not changed much from its 12.10 predecessor. Ubuntu 13.04 is based on the upstream 3.8.8 Linux kernel, and incorporates a number of updates to the pre-installed applications and core software. The updates include Unity 7, LibreOffice 4, and Python 3.3 (future versions of Ubuntu will remove Python 2 completely, though it will still be available as a downloadable package). Gwibber has also been replaced with a new service called “Friends” that takes all of your social networking accounts and combines them under your Ubuntu Online account.

Additionally, Ubuntu 13.04 also no longer includes the Wubi installer, which allowed users to install Ubuntu as a program within Windows and got around the need to mess with partitioning. Although there was a bit of overhead in doing the install this way, it was noticeably easier for new users than other methods. Canonical suggests that users interested in trying out the new operating system should simply use the live media, but installing it in a VM such as VirtualBox or VMWare may be more appropriate as some of the functionality is missing from the Live DVD environment in my experience (at least if you also want to try out functionality or other Linux software that would require a restart). Canonical has also cut the support time in half for Ubuntu 13.04 (and all future interim releases) from 18 months to 9 months. Hopefully the development team puts the reduced support workload to good use by investing the time in quick and stable releases.

So far, Ubuntu 13.04 has been getting positive reviews, though some users have run into issues running the operating system on their particular hardware (a bit of instability is expected with a new release, however).

If you are interested in Ubuntu 13.04 “Raring Ringtail,” you can read more about the changes in the official release notes and grab a download of the OS from the Ubuntu website or the updater if you are currently running Ubuntu 12.10.

Deal for April 30th - Dell UltraSharp U2711 27" 2560 x 1440 @ $630

Subject: General Tech | April 30, 2013 - 11:48 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Only slightly less impressive than the flagship 30" model and significantly cheaper, though not as cheap as Ken's favourite Korean monitors, the deal for today is the 27" Dell UltraSharp U2711.  You still get the high resolution and variety of inputs including HDMI 1.3, DisplayPort, two DVI, Component and Composite along with USB connectivity.  As it is an IPS display it will function well as a professional display and the response is fast enough to serve a gamer as well.

Dell UltraSharp U2711 27" 2560 x 1440 LCD Monitor
Dell Home is offering 27-inch UltraSharp U2711 LCD Monitor for $629.99 plus FREE shipping. Use $299.01 instant savings and extra 10% coupon code: ?K0N8$SDH1ZF0P to get final price.

New Linux Kernel 3.9 Adds New Features Including KVM on ARM and SSD Caching Support

Subject: General Tech | April 30, 2013 - 09:46 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd caching, operating system, linux, kernel 3.9, kernel, arm, 802.11ac

Linus Torvalds recently released a new version of the Linux kernel -- version 3.9 -- that advances the core of the GNU/Linux operating system with a number of new features. Among other tweaks, the new kernel rolls in new drivers, improves virtualization support, adds new hardware sleep modes, and tweaks file system and storage support.

The new kernel has added quite a few new experimental features, but developers/enthusiasts will no longer have to employ the CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL flag when compiling the kernel in order to enable them. The kernel development team has decided to remove that option, enable the features by default, and merely tag those experimental features in the documentation. One of the experimental features is SSD caching that allows a solid state drive to cache both reads and writes. The SSD can cache frequently accessed data on the faster solid state drive as well as take the write cached data and write it to the hard drive when the IO subsystem isn’t being heavily utilized. The feature is not new to Linux distributions, but the caching support has now been moved to the kernel. Furthermore, the kernel is now RAID-aware when using the btrfs file system and RAID 5 or RAID 6.

On the driver front, Linux Kernel 3.9 now supports Intel’s upcoming 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapters, improved HD audio codec, AMD’s Oland (8500/8600) and Richland GPUs, and additional NVIDIA GPU support. The new kernel also rolls in a power-optimized driver for Intel’s Haswell GPU and several more track pads.

Kernel 3.9 also adds a new suspend/sleep mode. It will use more power than the traditional S3 (suspend to memory) sleep mode because components are not completely powered down (merely at their lowest sleep mode), but the system will be almost-instantly accessible upon exiting the new suspend mode as a result. According to H-Online, this "lightweight suspend" mode would be ideal for mobile devices or hardware used in network appliances. Also interesting is support for a KVM hypervisor on ARM Cortex A15 SoCs as well as some software tweaks to the kernel to improve web server workloads by allowing multiple networking sockets (and associated CPU processes) to listen on the same network port.

In all, version 3.9 looks to be a worthy upgrade, and one that I hope Linux distro makers will opt for in upcoming releases. I think the new drivers and the SSD caching being rolled into the kernel are the most important features for desktop users, though the networking stack improvements also sound interesting.

For more details, Thorsten Leemhuis has written up an extensive article on the new kernel.

Can you go too far with a gaming mouse? The Shogun Bros Ballista MK-1 Pro

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 06:48 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Shogun Brothers Ballista MK-1 Pro, input, gaming mouse

Gaming mice continue to evolve as the market has become saturated, with companies striving to stand out in the crowd but Shogun Brothers may have taken this a bit far.  While having 8200 DPI and 12000 FPS is impressive, being able to set the X and Y sensitivity separately seems excessive.  The ability to save five different profiles for button programming is impressive but when the mouse is capable of displaying the name of that profile you have perhaps reached a new level altogether.  Perhaps the most telling is that the mouse is clearly labelled with a warning not to even attempt to use the mouse without reading the instructions first.  However, if this sounds like the mouse of your dreams, head to eTeknix to see this mouse in action.

"For the last couple of days I have been spending my evening gaming and putting the Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse from Shogun Bros through its paces. Until a few weeks ago I had never even heard of Shogun Bros and give that the gaming peripheral is somewhat dominated by a few big brands it can be hard for another name to squeeze through. Yet a quick look online has shown that products like the Ballista and other products from Shogun Bros have been getting a lot of attention and a lot of love from both review media and the gaming community, so what is all the fuss about?"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Steelseries World of Warcraft Wireless MMO Gaming Mouse @ eTeknix
• Func MS-3 Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews
• Logitech G100s Gaming Mouse Review @ Techgage
• ROCCAT LUA Tri-Button Gaming Mouse Review @ NikKTech
• Roccat Kone Pure Limited Edition Mouse @ eTeknix
• Tt eSPORTS MEKA G Unit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ eTeknix
• AZiO KB577U Levetron MECH5 Gaming Keyboard @ Benchmark Reviews
• CM Storm Quickfire TK Mechanical Keyboard @ Benchmark Reviews
• SteelSeries Apex [RAW] Gaming Keyboard Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Rosewill RK-9100 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ techPowerUp
• ROCCAT Isku FX Gaming Keyboard Review @ Neoseeker
• Gigabyte Aivia Osmium (MX Brown) Gaming Keyboard Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Logitech G510s @ LanOC Reviews

Can you spare $14K for a curvaceous LCD?

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 04:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: LG, curved lcd

You thought 72"+ HD panels and 4K TVs were expensive?  Wait until you get a load of the price tag attached to the first curved OLED displays which will hit the market in South Korea for a mere $13,569; each.  At just 4.3mm thick and 17lbs they won't be hard to position in your home, if you can afford the asking price of one, let alone the three you would need to get proper multi-monitor performance.  The Inquirer begged for an official release date and price for the UK and were disappointed as are those in North America who have been waiting for these for several years now.

"SOUTH KOREAN ELECTRONICS FIRM LG has announced that it will launch the world's first curved OLED TV this summer, pipping rival Samsung to the post to take the lead in OLED technology."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Chromebook hack controls your television @ Hack a Day
• McAfee discovers Adobe Reader security flaw @ The Inquirer
• The NVIDIA Control Panel Memory Leak Problem @ TechARP
• Online Hitchhiker's Guide Thriving @ Slashdot
• Lenovo deal to buy IBM x86 server biz moving along fast @ The Register
• Video footage from inside AMD boardroom meeting @ Kitguru
• Spring Storm Preparedness - A Look At Energizer & Maglite LED Flashlights @ Legit Reviews
• Instant Recovery / Snapshot Software Review and Guide: Rollback RX @ Tweaktown

Deal for Apr 29 - Two Dell P2213 22" 16:10 Monitors with Stand @ $297

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 03:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

If you want to set up dual monitors with as little fuss as possible and not spend too much doing it then today's deal might be just the thing for you.  At just under $300 you get two 22" 1680 x 1050 TN displays plus a stand to ensure that they are level with each other, something that can be difficult to accomplish without a stand.

L4D2 Beta Coming to Steam For Linux This Week

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 07:25 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: valve, steam for linux, steam, pc gaming, linux, l4d2, beta

Users of Valve’s Steam for Linux client will be getting access to the beta version of Left 4 Dead 2 later this week. The L4D2 beta will come with the new Enhanced Mutation System (EMS), which adds advanced scripting options to the multiplayer zombie survival game.

In fact, all Left 4 Dead owners will get access to the new beta release via the Steam client (not just the Linux platform) for free. The beta will appear in the all games list as a separate download from the main Left 4 Dead 2 game. It will allow beta players to connect to beta servers and other L4D2 beta users.

The EMS system is the biggest addition to the beta currently. It gives developers access to custom script logic as well as custom spawn points and control entities. New maps, characters, and weapons are beyond the scope of the EMS, however.

Interested gamers should keep an eye on their Steam games list as well as the Left 4 Dead blog.

Additional Google Glass Specifications Discovered By Developer

Subject: General Tech | April 27, 2013 - 08:42 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: wearable computing, ti omap, omap 4430, google glasses, android 4.0.4, Android

Earlier this month, Google announced some of the key specifications of its Google Glass project. However, the company left out just how much RAM the device would have or what the exact System on a Chip (SoC) would power the Android device.

Now that the Google Glass glasses are making their way to developers, those as-yet-unknown details are fairly-certain. Google Glass developer Jay Lee managed to access the device using ADB and discovered that the device offered up 682MB of RAM (accessible to developers) and a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 SoC. Google Glass likely has 1GB of total RAM, but the operating system and other necessary device-level processes are likely responsible for reserving the remaining 342MB chunk of RAM. The TI OMAP 4430 is the same SoC that is powering the Amazon Kindle Fire and a number of other mobile devices released last year. Because of battery life constraints, Google is most likely not running the chip at its maximum 1GHz clock speed. In the Google+ discussion, developer Kevin Fitch speculated that it is likely clocked at 600MHz due to the cores’ BogoMIPS scores.

The remaining Google Glass specifications include Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream sandwich), 16GB of internal storage, a 5MP camera, and support for both 802.11g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is essentially a mid-range smartphone hidden away inside a pair of glasses. At $1500, the first round of Google Glass was solely for developers, but once Google rolls it into production next year, judging by the internals, it should be much cheaper.

Are you excited for Google Glass? If you are curious about the software or hardware, Jay Lee is taking questions on his Google + thread.