Dimension
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Adobe's advanced AI editing tools graduate to Creative Cloud apps
Adobe has just released major updates to Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects and Lightroom. On top of the usual speed and productivity enhancements, many of those have gained time-saving features powered by Adobe's AI Sensei algorithms, some of which we saw in sneak peaks.
Dolby Dimension review: Excellent sound, exorbitant price
Dolby has been delivering 3D sound to people's living rooms through other companies' Atmos-equipped soundbars and systems for years. So it's no surprise the company is harnessing some of that expertise for its first piece of consumer hardware. Its first product is aimed at two very popular activities: binge watching and listening to music. The Dolby Dimension headphones pack in a lot of features and tech to power your marathon Netflix sessions, but at $599, they're a serious investment.
Dolby’s Dimension headphones bring home theater sound to your ears
For more than 50 years, Dolby's brand has been synonymous with top-of-the-line audio (and visual) quality. Its innovations in the space, including recent technologies like the Atmos immersive sound, can be experienced in movie theaters and living rooms around the globe. But Dolby has become a household name without actually building its own consumer products. It's always worked with third-party manufacturers on the hardware used to deliver its tech to your ears. That changes, though, with the introduction of Dolby Dimension. They're a pair of over-ear wireless headphones designed with a particular set of people in mind: video-streaming binge watchers.
RIFT offers early access to a new dimension
If you're enjoying RIFT's free-to-play model, you're probably also enjoying the game's various Dimensions. This means that you're no doubt excited about the upcoming launch of a new Dimension, Three Springs, complete with its own unique Dimension items. But you don't have to wait for its full release, as the development team is offering a select few players a chance to get early access to this Dimension. How do you manage that? By being awesome. On July 9th, the owner of the top weekly rated Dimension on each server will receive a special early access key to Three Springs and the associated items on a character of the owner's choice. That means you'll need to have the most awesome Dimension on your server during voting from July 3rd through the 9th to try it before you can buy it. So what are you waiting for? Crack your knuckles and get decorating -- there's a new space to create!
RIFT invites players to move into a new dimension
Budding interior (and exterior) decorators, get out your throw pillows: RIFT has added a brand-new dimension to the game today. Moonshade Pools was chosen by players to be the next housing plot in the game, and features cascading pools with a far-out view. It costs 300 platinum to purchase and starts out with space for 250 items with the option to increase to 1000. The team will be livestreaming a couple of player-created Moonshade dimensions tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. EDT if you need inspiration for your own masterpiece.
RIFT guild creates Star Wars tableau
No, this isn't Star Wars Galaxies revived from the dead. It's actually one of many screenshots of a Star Wars-themed guild dimension in RIFT, painstakingly created for visitors to enjoy. We've seen plenty of creative examples of player housing in RIFT since Storm Legion added the feature, but this may take the cake. The dimension, which exists on the EU server of Icewatch, includes an Ewok village with AT-ST, a Dewback, an X-Wing, an AT-AT vs. landspeeder, the Millennium Falcon, a Star Destroyer, and even a little Yoda cave. The detail and ingenuity that's gone into this is impressive... most impressive. The bar has been raised for housing design. Your move, other players.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Three terrific player dimensions that have to be seen to be believed
"Oh man, guys, I am going to go flat broke from Dimensions," I whined into guild chat. While it seemed like everyone else in my guild was sprinting through Storm Legion, hitting level 60, and gearing up for the new endgame, I was puttering around at level 51 in my brand-new home, trying to figure out the best place for a kitchen nook. Earlier that day I had blown over 100 plat to purchase a new Dimension and outfit it with one of every item that was on sale in the Tempest Bay canals. If you love player housing, then RIFT has got your next fix. It's flexible, it's insanely easy to use, and the possibilities are just about endless. I'm still fiddling around with ideas -- I think I'd like to make a haunted maze for visitors to enjoy -- so to get inspired, I started hopping around to other players' Dimensions and see what they whipped up. I'm pulling three examples out of the many that are already out there just to show off what this system is capable of doing.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Storm Legion is a go!
Earlier this year I celebrated my 36th birthday. While some of you were negligent in getting me that pony I've always wanted, Trion Worlds stepped up and delivered one of the best presents ever: the announcement of Storm Legion, its first expansion for RIFT. That happily coincided with my return to the game a week earlier and set me on a course of adventure and excitement all summer long. And now it's here. By the time you read this, Storm Legion will have gone live on the servers and Telara as we know will be forever changed. New continents, souls, dungeons, raids, rifts, stories, player housing, dual-faction cities, and more will wash over us and leave us floundering in its wake. What to do first? What to see and experience? I have huge hopes for Storm Legion. Trion's smartly releasing it after the crazy rush of most of the big fall expansions, and if the expansion lives up to even part of the hype, it could cement RIFT's reputation as a premium MMO worth the subscription. Heck, I'll just be happy to see an influx of returning players and new souls (so to speak) because this is a title worth supporting and enjoying. My head is a jumble of thoughts and plans, so excuse me while I gibber about anything and everything in today's column.
PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches
The Storm Legion is coming. Even now, those touched by Crucia are preparing to unleash her will. But RIFT's Storm Legion expansion is bringing more than just dragon minion foes. A new soul for each calling, player housing instances, new continents, new dungeons, and new raids are all part of the bundle. We caught up with the Trion team at PAX to catch a glimpse of what the oncoming storm will bring.%Gallery-161264%
Enter at Your Own Rift: RIFT's upcoming housing boom
Have no doubt, it's been an absolutely barnburner of a week or so for RIFT. As Trion Worlds chugs toward the unknown release date for Storm Legion, we've seen the reveal of the first new soul (the Harbinger), a special annual subscription offer, a tour of several areas of the expansion from Gamescom, and oh yeah, news that Trion's all but eliminating factional barriers. And with all that, do you know what everyone's jabbering on about in the forums? Housing. Housing, housing, housing! It doesn't surprise me; as a long-time proponent of player housing, I know full well the powerful attraction and appeal housing has when done right (emphasis on the last three words there). Housing gives players a sense of attachment to the game world, an outlet for creativity, and a personalized place to socialize. And finally we've heard the first concrete details (with video footage!) of RIFT's dimensions. There's no avoiding it; there's going to be a huge housing boom in RIFT come this fall. So what will it look like?
LG Thrill 4G review
Sharp's Aquos Phone 102SH brings 3D 720p display, 12 megapixel CMOS sensor to Japan Nokia N9 review LG Thrill 4G officially arrives at AT&T for $100, fairy tales can come true Just a few weeks after the LG Optimus 3D got placed in the hot seat at our European offices, we're ready to give its American counterpart its fair share of warmth. Better known in the states as the Thrill 4G, this AT&T device is the latest smartphone to follow in the footsteps of the HTC EVO 3D by tossing an extra dimension into the mix. As it so happens, two rear cameras and some fancy special effects are just enough to change a person's judgement of the device in a split-second. We get it. Few people want to spend their hard-earned cash on a gimmick. But like any other phone with a defining feature, there's more to this glasses-free 3D handset than meets the eye (pun intended). And after peering under the hood and seeing what the Thrill is capable of, there's a possibility this phone can hold its own against the competition in the same price range ($100 on AT&T). How does it differ from its European counterpart? Does the phone's 3D match up against Sprint's contribution? And how does this handset perform apart from that extra D? Join us as we dig through all three dimensions to get to the root of the Thrill 4G. %Gallery-132966%
LG developing slimmer Optimus 3D handset, might be ready for 2012
The LG Optimus 3D certainly isn't the slimmest smartphone we've ever seen, but it looks like the chunky handset is about to get seriously streamlined. In an interview with Pocket-Lint, LG developer Dr. Henry Noh confirmed that his company is working on a thinner version of its 4.3-inch phone, hinting that it may be ready for release by next year. Noh didn't offer specifics on dimensions, but acknowledged that the current version, at 11.9mm (0.47 inches) thick, definitely isn't the "sexiest phone on the street" -- something he hopes to change. "Eventually, we want to make it so that having the 3D won't necessarily mean that it's going to be thicker," Noh explained. "That's going to be a differentiating factor that comes for free to the user." Doing so, he claims, could help LG's glasses-free 3D device distinguish itself from its 2D competitors: "These days, all the phones look the same. They have a huge screen - 4.3-inches is normal these days - and next year they're moving even larger. And they have a fixed number of touch buttons. They're the same thickness. They have the same camera. And even the same OS. It's so boring." Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not this strategy actually pans out, but it's definitely something we'll be keeping an eye on.
Echochrome: The PSP's philosophical answer to Brain Age
For most of our younger readers, school's no longer in session in observation of the midsummer months -- though we're certain that our studious readers won't allow their minds become dull as rusty butter knives during their valuable vacation time. That's why we turn your attention to a fascinating article written by PS3 Fanboy's newest columnist, Ph.D candidate and gaming enthusiast Kylie Prymus, who examines the effect that the Escher-esque Echochrome can have on our perception of our own three-dimensional world. Prymus posits that Echochrome's unique, manipulatable 2D perspective is not only jarring when compared to the robust 3D engines we've become accustomed to seeing in most games, but it also points out the "frailty of our own perceptual apparatus", which is fundamentally two-dimensional. Those who still possess unblown minds might want to give the article a read -- if only to give you some Hawking-quality discussion material with which to impress your gaming cohorts.
Dell Dimension Desktops, RIP: 1992 - 2007
What's missing from the Dell consumer desktop lineup pictured above? Right, the Dimension brand. Gone like the wind and Dell's once dominant position in the home desktop game. As of today, Dell's Inspiron branding, once reserved exclusively for their laptops, becomes the moniker of choice for Dell's budget-conscious consumers. A little sad really, little Dimension would have turned 15 on Friday. Read -- Press release Read -- Dell's original Dimension announcement (June 29, 1992)
Sunday's Wal-Mart ad confirms $698 Dell specs
A couple commenters confirmed those leaked Dell specs we posted earlier, and now we've gotten our hands on this Sunday's Wal-Mart flier -- the first to feature Dell's new in-store action. The numbers on the $698 Dimension E521 pictured line up with everything we've heard -- dual-core Athlon, 1GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Vista Home Premium, and a 19-inch monitor -- but there's nary a mention of the rumored $498 model. We suppose Dell and Wally have got to keep us guessing until the 10th somehow, right? A close-up of the ad after the break.
The wait is over: Dell launches AMD desktops
Dell sure dragged it out long enough, but they've finally gone official on four new desktops, two of which hold those elusive -- at least for Dell -- AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core chips. Privy to the Athlon action are two new Dimension models, the E521 and C521 (pictured), while the new XPS 210 and Dimension E520 fight for truth, justice and the American way, Intel Core 2 Duo style. The E520 and E521 sport all the usual options, including ATI and NVIDIA graphics, dual TV tuners and dual HDDs. As for processors, the E521 can handle anything from AMD Sempron to Athlon 64 X2, while the E520 covers Pentium D and Core 2 Duo processors. Oddly, the E521 only sports one PCI slot, compared to the E520's two, but matches its Intel brother for slots otherwise, with room for a x16 PCIe and a x1 PCIe card. The C521 slims things down to about half the size of the E521, and lacks multiple disc drive and HDD bays, but still manages to match the E521 for PCIe/PCI action. Similarly, the XPS 210 keeps things small, with even less expandability, but measures a mere 1 foot tall. In other news, Dell is moving ahead with their retail strategy, and has plans for opening a New York store in early 2007.Read - Dell launches AMD desktopsRead - Dell plans NYC store
Dell goes with AMD: it's official
Not exactly the best of places to drop some industry-rocking news, but as per Dell's quarterly earnings report, they're officially going with AMD Athlons in future Dimension desktops due out as early as next month -- even earlier than previously assumed. Guess there's not much more to say than that, except that the prices will probably be lower than Intel-equipped Dell boxes, power consumption will go down a bit for the AMD users used to the higher wattage, and clock-for-clock they may actually have faster boxes for doing their Excel sheets. More news specifically regarding the models as we get it -- and don't you be surprised if some Turion powered laptops are right around the corner, y'hear?
