Deals for August 14th - Samsung 830 128GB SSD for $97

Subject: Editorial, Storage | August 14, 2012 - 10:45 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: deal of the day, ssd, Samsung

If you are still looking for a deal on your first SSD, the very popular and highly recommended Samsung 830 Series drives are among the best.  Using the offer below, you can get the 128GB model for just $97 with free shipping!

Top Deal

128GB Samsung 830 Series 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal SSD for $97 with free shipping(normally $117.00).

Laptops

17.3" MSI GE70 0ND-033US Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz Quad-core Ivy Bridge Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, 1080p LCD, 2GB GeForce GTX 660M for $1,130 (normally $1,250).

17.3" Alienware M17x Core i7-2670QM 2.2GHz Quad-core 1080p Gaming Laptop w/4GB RAM, 750GB HDD, 2GB Radeon HD 6970M for $1,349 with free shipping (normally $1,849 - use coupon code ?W22Z75PB3DT22).

15.6" ASUS N56VM-TB71 Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz Quad-core Ivy Bridge Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, 1080p LCD & 2GB GeForce GT 630M for $900 (normally $980).

15.6" Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz Ivy Bridge Dual-core Laptop w/6GB RAM, 750GB HDD, 1080p & 2GB Radeon HD 7730M for $750 with free shipping (normally $900 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

14" Dell Inspiron 14z Core i7-3517U 1.9GHz Dual-core Ivy Bridge Ultrabook w/8GB RAM, 500GB HDD + 32GB mSSD, 1GB Radeon HD 7570M for $892 with free shipping (normally $1,189 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

14" Lenovo ThinkPad T430s Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz Ultra-thin Business Laptop (Customizable) w/4GB RAM, 320GB HDD for $703 with free shipping (normally $879 - use coupon code 2DAYSALE).

12.5" Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz Ultra-portable Laptop (Customizable) w/4GB RAM, 500GB 7200RPM HDD for $711 with free shipping (normally $889 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

13.3" Dell Inspiron 13z Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz Dual-core Ivy Bridge Laptop w/6GB RAM, 500GB HDD for $629 with free shipping (normally $839 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Desktops

Dell Vostro 260s Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-core Slim Tower w/4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Wireless Keyboard + Mouse, 21.5" LCD Monitor & $100 Gift Card for $529 with free shipping (normally $749).

Dell Optiplex 790 Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-core Mini Tower w/4GB RAM, 500GB SATA III HDD, 3-year warranty, Windows 7 Pro, 21.5" LCD Monitor & $100 Gift Card for $649 with free shipping (normally $849 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Alienware Aurora Core i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-core microATX Liquid-cooled Gaming PC w/8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Blu-ray, Radeon HD 6870 for $1,229 with free shipping (normally $1,729 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Monitors

Two (2) Dell ST2420L 24" 1080p LED-backlit HDMI LCD Monitors Bundle for $340 with free shipping (normally $480).

23" HP 2311xi 1080p IPS panel LED-backlit Monitor for $170 with free shipping (normally $230).

Tablets

10.1" Samsung Galaxy Tab 16GB Android 3.1 Tablet (Refurbished) for $249 (normally $299).

7" Nook Color eBook reader for $145 with free shipping (normally $150).

Peripherals

1TB Toshiba Canvio USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive (HDTB110XK3BA) for $87(normally $130).

128GB Samsung 830 Series 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal SSD for $97 with free shipping(normally $117.00).

64GB Centon DataStickPro USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $35 with free shipping(normally $50).

3GB VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 Video Card for $370 with free shipping (normally $430 - use coupon code YWI68641).

Gigabyte Radeon HD 6450 Low Profile Video Card for $10(normally $35).

Xerox Phaser 6280N Color Laser Printer for $399 with free shipping (normally $549).

Brother HL-2280DW Laser Multi-Function Printer for $95 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Gaming:

Madden NFL 13 (PS Vita) + $10 Credit for $35 with free shipping (normally $40).

Home Entertainment:

55" Proscan PLED3792A 37" 1080p LED HDTV for $320 (normally $400).

55" Panasonic VIERA TC-P55ST50 3D 1080p Plasma HDTV + $50 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate for $1,250 with free shipping (normally $1,350).

42" LG 42PA4500 720p Plasma HDTV for $400 with free shipping (normally $500).

32" Samsung UN32EH4000 720p LED HDTV + $40 Gift Card for $319.99 with free shipping (normally $350

Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Integrated Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray Player for $110 with free shipping (normally $145 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Personal Portables & Peripherals:

Klipsch Reference S4 In-Ear Noise-Isolating Headphone for $46 with free shipping (normally $69 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

16MP Nikon COOLPIX S8200 Digital Camera (Red) for $210 with free shipping (normally $249).

16MP Canon PowerShot A2400 IS Black Digital Camera for $134 with free shipping (normally $159 - use coupon code 16MP Nikon Coolpix AW100 Waterproof Digital Camera for $269 with free shipping (normally $300).

Miscellaneous:

Ooma Telo VoIP Phone System w/ Bluetooth Adapter for $185 with free shipping (normally $250 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Serta Executive High-Back Leather Chair (Black or Brown) for $145 with free shipping (normally $230 - use coupon code on LogicBuy).

Utorrent Becoming Ad-Supported Software

Subject: Editorial, General Tech | August 13, 2012 - 05:07 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: windows, utorrent, torrent, software

µTorrent (hereafter used interchangeably with utorrent) is one of the most popular BitTorrent clients in the world, boasting more than 125 million active users a month, it has massively grown in popularity since its 2005 debut. The software is still in development, and current parent company BitTorrent Inc. has explored various methods of monetizing the application over the years. Some time ago, the developers introduced a new µTorrent Plus feature that–for $24.95–added a antivirus add-on, codec pack, remote access, and file conversion plug-in. The paid for version, which has essentially been little more than donation-ware (not that there is anything wrong with that, just that the Plus version does not add much in the way of actual torrenting that the free app is not also capable of). BitTorrent Inc. also introduced a browser toolbar, which in addition to Plus, was the company’s sole method of monetizing the software. Until now.

The µTorrent developers have announced that the next version of the torrent program will introduce ads.

In addition to the usual bug fixes and under-the-hood performance tweaks, is a (direct quote) “fresh approach to creating a no-nonsense and free torrenting experience.” Allegedly, the developers are introducing the ads to keep the lights on and pay the bills.

The µTorrent client. No ads in the beta yet, but the next stable release should see ads in the torrent list above.

The new ads include a "featured torrent" at the top of the torrent list that will offer up suggested downloads of various multimedia files, pieces of software, and deliver important updates. Reportedly, the developers are working on offers with third parties (including indie artists) for the featured torrent such that it will present relevant results without compromising privacy. They have stated that utorrent does not collect personalized information. Rather, the ads will be “relevant” in the sense that the offers will be adjusted based on community feedback and other non-personalized factors. Your IP address will likely be used to give you country-specific ads, but they otherwise should not collect any other data or track your usage, according to the announcement.

It is free software, and the developers should be able to make some money off of their work. So long as the ads are not intrusive, the practice is all well and good. Also in the “good news” category is that µTorrent Plus members will not see any ads, so the paid-for version has some additional value for those that have already donated money.

It is not all good news though, and the community does not appear to be happy at the moment. According to the announcement, while users of the free version will be able to close out individual offers, there will be no way to turn off the ads all together. If users do not find an ad relevant, they are encouraged to click the “x” within the ad, after which a new offer will appear.

To be more specific:

“There is no way to turn in-client offers off*. We will pay attention to feedback, and may change this in the future.” [Of course, uTorrent Plus users will not see ads].

Also riling up some community members is an article by torrent-enthusiast website Torrent Freak, which has called out the developers by alleging that adding the new offers (ads) is merely a money grab.  The site calls into question the developers statement about needing the ads to “keep the lights on.” Torrent Freak reports that, according to a source in the know, uTorrent’s parent company BitTorrent Inc. is in no financial trouble and “currently generates between $15 and $20 million in annual revenue.”

Either way, the company is providing a roundabout way to get rid of the ads by buying the µTorrent Plus version. Alternatively, there are several other free torrent clients out there if you do not wish to see ads. Personally, I do not think that µTorrent is doing anything wrong by attempting to monetize its work, but I do find the rather quiet announcement irritating. I think that the developers could have found a more receptive audience if users did not have to find out about the change from other sites first. Update: after some thought, this is just the first announcement and users may well be told within the application of the changes before updating when it does come out. Here's hoping. (end of update). It just feels a bit like they tried to slip the ad announcement in without users being any the wiser (as I believe it’s a small percentage of that user base that follows the developer’s forum). As far as the ads themselves, I will have to wait and see once it is official (the latest beta build I have does not yet have ads) to determine if the offers will be intrusive. Assuming the privacy statement is legitimate and the ads do not impair normal torrenting, I’ll keep using µTorrent and support them with ads since I can’t justify a Plus purchase currently. The latest beta build does improve the support for magnet links, and I have not had any problems with it yet so I'll keep using it.

What do you think though? Will you keep using utorrent with ads? If you want to leave the utorrent developers feedback on the change, the team has asked for comments on the announcement thread.

PC Perspective Gaming Night - UT2004

Subject: Editorial, General Tech | August 12, 2012 - 11:53 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: ut2004, unreal, live, gaming

Doing anything tonight?  Maybe while you watch the tape delayed closing ceremonies to the 2012 Olympics you'll want to join the PC Perspective Team for a little UT2004 (Unreal Tournament 2004) old school gaming action? 

We'll be starting up the game at 8pm ET tonight and you can join me, Josh, Ken and others as we play some team deathmatch, standard DM, CTF, Onslaught and more!

Don't you deserve a little down time?  Even if you can't join us on the server, you can watch the live stream of our smack talk at http://pcper.com/live!!

The information below will be filled in a little later this afternoon:

Server: game.pcper.com (66.42.168.64)
Port: 7777
Download pack (you MIGHT need): UT2004_MegaPack

You can easily join us by looking in the Internet server browser and finding "PC Perspective" or simply hit the console (~) and type "open game.pcper.com" or "open 66.42.168.64".  See you tonight!

Live Recap: PC Perspective LAN Party - Unreal Tournament 2004

Subject: Editorial, General Tech | August 9, 2012 - 10:35 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, ut2004, unreal, live

After the PC Perspective Podcast on Wednesday night, we played some Unreal Tournament 2004 with many of the PCPer staff and fans.  If you missed it - shame on you!  Keep an eye on the Upcoming Events schedule on the right hand side here to see when and what we'll play next.

In the meantime, feel free to waste a couple of hours watching us play UT2004 - in the past.

PC Perspective Hardware Workshop 2012 @ Quakecon 2012 in Dallas, TX

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Cases and Cooling, Processors, Memory, Systems, Storage, Mobile, Shows and Expos | August 9, 2012 - 10:30 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, workshop, streaming, quakecon, prizes, live, giveaways

It is that time of year again: another installment of the PC Perspective Hardware Workshop!  Once again we will be presenting on the main stage at Quakecon 2012 being held in Dallas, TX August 2-5th.  

Main Stage - Quakecon 2012

Saturday, August 4th, 2pm CT

Our thanks go out to the organizers of Quakecon for allowing us and our partners to put together a show that we are proud of every year.  We love giving back to the community of enthusiasts and gamers that drive us to do what we do!  Get ready for 2 hours of prizes, games and raffles and the chances are pretty good that you'll take something out with you - really, they are pretty good!

Our thanks for this year's workshop logo goes to John Pastor!!

Our primary partners at the event are those that threw in for our ability to host the workshop at Quakecon and for the hundreds of shirts we have ready to toss out!  Our thanks to NVIDIA, MSI Computer and Corsair!!

Live Streaming

If you can't make it to the workshop - don't worry!  You can still watch the workshop live on our page right here as we stream it over one of several online services.  Just remember this URL: http://pcper.com/workshop and you will find your way!

Case Mod Competition

Along with the Hardware Workshop, PC Perspective is working with Modders Inc on the annual case mod contest!  There are two categories for the competition: "Scratch Built" and "In the Box" that will allow those that build their computer enclosures from the ground up to compete separately from those that heavily modify their existing cases and systems.

For more details, be sure to check out the on going thread at the Modders Inc Forums!

Prize List (will continue to grow!)

Continue reading to see the list of prizes for the workshop!!!

Qt to have a new owner: Nokia selling the toolkit to Digia

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Mobile | August 9, 2012 - 07:08 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Qt, nokia, Digia

Ars Technica reports 125 employees at Nokia will move to Digia in a deal to relocate the open toolkit, Qt, away from the cellphone manufacturer. The deal reassures developers of software -- especially open sourced software -- their toolkit will continue to be maintained. Qt is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Symbian and MeeGo with other platforms such as Android and iOS planned for support.

I have a special place in my heart for Qt because of a couple of programming projects I have worked on. Finding a good cross-platform interface framework is more difficult than you would think. One project required developing a text-style editor for both Windows and Linux. Qt provided classes for dockable windows and panels, Webkit browser support, and just about anything else I could need.

It really was a cute framework – literally, that is how you pronounce it.

I was one of the first to get a little tenseness in my gut when Nokia started to partner with Microsoft and their Windows Phone platforms. Nokia was slowly distancing themselves from the framework they owned at the time. The Linux and other open source communities were getting quite involved with Qt due to how closely it is tied with KDE. Microsoft is embracing open source communities more than they have been but I would hesitate to trust them that much.

GTK+ is basically the viable alternative to Qt.

So developer framework choice could very well have been between The Gimp and a gimp.

There has been no word on the finances of the transaction.

It is still yet to be seen whether Digia will be a good owner of the framework. Certainly the most recent analogy was the purchase of Java along with the rest of Sun and its assets to Oracle. That certainly did not end up as the best of situations for the end-users of the platform.

Thankfully the framework is published under the GPL along with their commercial license. Should GPL-compatible applications require the framework they would be able to fork from whatever the latest supported GPL release would be and continue on from that point.

Software which uses Qt in a way which is not GPL-compatible still has a few worries going forth. Digia appears to be have some level of trust by the community. We will need to stay tuned to see.

Windows 8 Users Can No Longer Boot Straight To The Desktop, Must Start With Metro

Subject: Editorial, General Tech | August 7, 2012 - 02:07 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: windows 8 style ui, windows 8, windows, operating system, microsoft, Metro

The Windows 8 RTM leak has coincided with numerous articles around the Internet that detail the new features and the Windows 8 Style UI once known as Metro. It seems that a new setup process and the removal of Aero Glass were not the only big aesthetic changes. With the new build came several alleged tweaks by Microsoft that prevent several methods for automatically booting to the desktop. Group Policy tweaks and a autorun shortcut were two such methods–that worked on early beta builds but no longer work on the RTM–to skip past the Metro/Windows 8 Style UI Start Screen, according to Rafael Rivera of Windows 8 Secrets.

Previously, users could login and be automatically taken to the desktop. They would still see the Metro screen, but only for a split second. Now, users wanting to do this are back to square one, and will have to manually launch the desktop each time they login to their computers.

It is not all bad news, however (well, at least not as bad). If you drag the desktop Metro Windows 8 Style UI tile to the top-left corner, as soon as you login, you can hit the Enter key to go to the desktop. It is a less automatic way than has been previously possible, but it is better than nothing.

You can find more information about the alleged changes to the RTM here, as well as more PC Perspective Windows 8 coverage by following the windows 8 tag.

Some speculation and opinion follows:

It seems that Microsoft is taking a very firm position on Windows 8’s new Start Screen interface and full screen applications. While it is likely that developers and enthusiasts are working on new tweaks to get to the desktop automatically again, I foresee this being a drawn out tit-for-tat battle between Microsoft and its users. Beyond the new interface, this stance of working against customization is something I have not seen before on this level, as previous operating system have had numerous tweaking utilities and Microsoft did not seem to have a problem with them. My only guess is that they believe by forcing users to use Windows 8 Style UI as much as it possibly can, it will get users used to, and accepting of, the interface faster (essentially trying to get users over the radical interface change as quickly as possible–ike ripping a bandaid off). And if I let the cynical side get the best of me, Microsoft does have a vested interest in keeping users on the Metro/Windows 8 Style interface as much as possible as they want users to buy Metro apps and not use traditional applications. They are selling the upgrades for $40 and likely want to “make up” the money (compared to selling prices of previous versions) by taking a cut of Windows Store app purchases. The company’s insistence on forcing usage is only going to hurt them, I fear, as people who are on the fence about Metro–but who are interested in the other improvements–likely want to come to the new interface on their own terms (if at all). Actively working against users trying to use and customize their operating systems may well cost them a few sales. It would seem to me that Microsoft should be welcoming anyone that wants to use Windows 8, even if they do not want to stay in (or use at all) the Metro interface but that's just my opinion and apparently Microsoft is of a different mind.

Whether you love, hate, or feel somewhere in-between on Windows 8 Style UI, options are not a bad thing. I do think that more people would be willing to give Microsoft’s new interface a chance if it was more optional than it is. What do you think?

Windows 8 Reaches RTM Status, Almost Immediately Leaked

Subject: Editorial, General Tech | August 4, 2012 - 06:29 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: windows 8 rtm, windows 8, video, start screen, microsoft, Metro

Preface: If you prefer a video version, you can check out a video walkthrough of Windows 8 RTM with commentary. For those that want a written preview, I have attempted to break the article up into sizeable chunks. The first part is the introduction and "what's new" regarding getting it set up versus our guide for installing the Consumer Preview. The following sections are for showing off desktop applications and metro/Windows 8 Style UI apps. Finally, a short conclusion and general impressions section as well as some questions for you to answer should you want to join the discussion. Once again, I've gone with a more informal voice for the preview as there is a lot of opinion in here, this is by no means a full review!

Please note that unless otherwise stated, these opinions are my own, and not PC Perspective's. I am interested in hearing your opinions on the RTM build as well, and you can participate in the comments below without registration (though you get some nice benefits–like an avatar and ability to edit posts–if you decide to).

Windows 8 RTM has leaked to the Internet, here's what's new and what I think of it

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system is well on its way for the final public release on October 26, 2012—in fact OEMs are starting to get their hands on the code, and it is officially in Release To Manufacturing (RTM) status. While Microsoft TechNet subscribers will be able to download the Windows 8 RTM build on August 15, 2012, it has already been leaked to the Internet as is available on various file-sharing websites.

To be more specific, the leaked build is a volume license version of Windows 8 Enterprise (N) RTM. It is further an “N” edition, which means that it is aimed at the European market and has Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center stripped out. The "N" editions are the result of an EU case relating to alleged anti-competitive actions. From that leaked build, people have managed to create a bootable ISO version for clean installs where there is no existing OS on the machine as well as a zipped folder that can be used for upgrade installations.

Needless to say, the news that the RTM had leaked piqued my interest, so I set out to get my hands on it (and report my findings). I managed to find a non-bootable image called "MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.8.ENTERPRISE-N.RTM.X64.VOLUME.ENGLISH.NON_BOOT_DVD-SAMOVARWZT" (wow that's a long file name) that seemed to check out as being legitimate. I then took that 6.05 GB folder and used the files to do a clean install from a Windows 7 x64 virtual machine I had around for testing just this sort of thing.

Unlike our previous Windows 8 Consumer Preview installation guide, this RTM build does not require a key to be entered in order to complete the install. As a volume license version, you are allowed a 30-day grace period to activate (I have not tested if the Windows 7 -rearm trick works to extend that yet). Other than the key issue, the clean install procedure is the same as the steps we covered previously. Aesthetically, Microsoft has changed to a purple background and the beta fish logo at boot-up (when the installer restarts the system) is gone. It is replaced by a small light-blue Windows 8 logo.

Once the installer has finished, it will restart the computer and, upon boot will present a nice graphical OS selection list which appears to be a new addition to the RTM build. After choose Windows 8, you enter the Windows setup wizard which guides you through setting computer options and configuring your user account.

The setup process in Windows 8 RTM appears to be identical to that of the Consumer Preview version that I installed a couple of months ago (how time has flown!). Below is an animated .gif of the setup screens, which appears to be the same as the Consumer Preview except using a slightly different background color.

After that finished though, I was pleasantly surprised with what came next. After asking for some sort of tutorial ever since the Developer Preview, Microsoft has finally provided one–sort of. Basically, after setup finishes, the screen goes dark and then an animation pops up that briefly shows you how to access the Windows 8 Charms bar by moving your mouse to any corner of the screen. Then it dumps you out to the desktop.

Not exactly what I was hoping for, especially considering I was only able to find out how to actually close a Metro "Windows 8 style UI" application without going to the task manager from a forum post of all things. Needless to say, some of the mouse gestures are not obvious, and I do consider myself to be at least somewhat technically savvy. Therefore, I can only imagine how lost some people might be when presented with Windows 8. When I had the Developer and Consumer Preview(s) installed on my Dell XT convertible tablet, the touch and gesture stuff was easier to discover but it is still not apparent. I was really hoping for a tutorial similar to what Microsoft did for Windows XP that introduces the interface and all the new features on the first setup (and accessible later if needed).

Still, it is a step in the right direction, and the tutorial at least points out one of the new mouse/touch navigation features. Here's hoping that MS adds more to that start-up tutorial by the time final code is out and it is for sale. Below is an animated .gif image of the brief tutorial. Note that the actual tutorial has some fading transitions between scenes. The last two images are two clips from a constantly changing background color as the OS loads the desktop and Windows 8 Start Screen for the first time. It cycles through all the colors available to choose from in the Personalize setting during account creation.

Once Windows has finished setting up your user account, you will be presented with the Windows 8 Start Screen for the first time. In my case, it was an array of "Metro" Windows 8 Style UI live tiles on a dark blue background with my name and photo in the top-right-corner. You can see what my Start Screen looks like in the image below. Yours will look similar but the photos and location information will be different. So you'll have the same stock apps, but the information on the tiles will not be the same. The information in question will be pulled from the Microsoft/Windows Live account that you signed into during the initial setup process.

Continue reading to see the new "Metro" apps, desktop UI, and my final thoughts