Tech news, reviews, and how-tos!
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YouOS
Jul 8th
Just when you thought the internet couldn’t get more bizzare, out comes: the first ever online operating system.
I decided to give it a go, first using a guest account, and then signing up to a members account. If you create your own personal account, anything you save whilst logged in, will still be there when you next log in, even if you’re on the other side of the world!
The main page boasts:
- Access from anywhere. Create a document at an office computer, drive home, continue right from where you left off.
- Built-in sharing. Instantly share music, documents and more with your buddies.
- An application community. Everyone More >
Flash drives herald end of the hard disk
Jul 4th
Several manufacturers are showing large capacity hard drives based on Flash memory technology at the Computex trade show in Taipei.
The drives are lighter, less power-hungry and far more durable than traditional hard disk drives based on a rotating magnetic platter.The largest on display were PQI‘s 64GB drives, and another company has a 32GB drive.
The PQI drives are working engineering samples with mass production scheduled for August, Bob Chiu, a sales manager with PQI told Techcentral. Apacer was showing a similar 32GB flash drive.
While Flash hard drives have many potential benefits, they also have some drawbacks and are expensive.
Apacer’s 32GB drive, which More >
Computer chip shatters speed records
Jul 4th
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) — A super-cooled computer chip has shattered speed records for silicon-based electronics, but don’t expect your PC to hum along at 500 gigahertz anytime soon.
The chip only ran at the high speed when it was cooled to 451 degrees below zero — just 8 degrees above absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible in nature, researchers at IBM Corp. and Georgia Tech said.
Still, researchers believe they can improve the technology so that high speeds can be reached at room temperature — a development that could lead to advances in cell phones, radar technology and space exploration, among other More >
Google to offer ‘easy’ payment service
Jul 4th
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Google Inc. Thursday will launch a long-awaited service called Google Checkout, which some analysts said could help online merchants boost sales and convince them to commit more advertising money to the Web search leader.
Analysts were mixed on whether the product, initially available only in the United States, puts eBay Inc.’s PayPal online payment system in Google’s competitive sights.
The new offering, referred to in news and analyst reports as GBuy or Google Wallet, promises online sellers an easy way to add a checkout to their sites and can be used in addition to other options such More >
Make your PC a playstation!
Jul 3rd
I was just thinking the other day, how difficult it was trying to play GTA:Vice City on my laptop, and now I have the perfect solution! The USB Playstation2 controller converter allows you to plug PS2 controllers straight into your PC via the USB port, ready for you to start playing your favourite games without having to spend 6 hours memorising the key combinations for every move.
It’s features are as follows:
- USB powered.
- Easy to install, simply hot-plug to USB port.
- Real vibration feedback function.
- Digital & analog modes are available.
- Support dual player games.
- Compatible with PlayStation/PlayStation2 controller.
- Compatible with Win XP, 2000, ME, 98SE, 98 with More >
Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5456 released to Beta Testers
Jun 29th
It was released earlier on this week to Connect users, and although I am not using it, it sounds good!
There were alot of general bugfixes, and after many requests for this, the “List” view option has been put back.
Several other changes have been made:
- The system clock no longer changes when you set your timezone.
- The behavior of the user accounts has changed considerably, and should make deleting items off your desktop alot easier.
Microsoft plans to release a Windows Driver Kit and Software Development Kit (SDK) aswell as versions of Vista in German and Japanese some time soon.
They are asking all testers More >
Opera 9 Released
Jun 20th
After months (weeks?) of beta, Opera 9 is out of beta and the final version is available to download on the Opera website. Included in Opera 9 is bit torrent support, widgets, and much, much more. Check it out for yourself.
Opera / Download [by Opera]
Next target: microsoft.com
Jun 18th
Google Earth for Linux Released!
Jun 12th
Google Earth has been a popular sattelite imagery program this past year and is available for both Macintosh’s OS X, and Windows. Now Google has released a beta version of its software for the Linux operating system. Download your copy today!
Direct Download [by Google]
Google Earth [by Google]
Stunning review by Jake Jarvis on Vista beta 2
Jun 10th
Jake Jarvis of WireCatcher, a long time OSX fan, has installed Windows Vista Beta 2 on his Dell Inspiron 600m and has wrote a stunning review with a whole lot of screenshots. Jake Jarvis is a great friend of mine and I’d appreciate it if you would check out the review!
Vista Beta 2 Review [by Jake Jarvis]
Digg this Review [by Digg]