Xbox 360 backwards compat update brings 84 new titles
[Via, and image courtesy of, Joystiq]
Posts with tag upgrades
With everyone all "EV-DO" this and "HSUPA" that these days, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love for our old friend EDGE anymore (the wireless data protocol, not the U2 guitarist). Well Ericsson has just announced plans to upgrade the long-in-the-tooth spec to a zippy 1Mbps by 2009, citing EDGE Evolution as a feasible stopgap solution that will squeeze a few more years (and a few more dollars) out of those legacy networks. Basically a software upgrade to existing hardware, Evolution allows the network to operate more efficiently and consequently deliver two to three times the bandwidth of plain jane EDGE. It's not clear, however, if current handsets can be modified to take advantage of the higher speeds, so while it would be great to wake up one day with a supercharged phone, we're not holding our breath.
You probably remember the old hack that lets you change a couple of digits in a registry key in order to burn a disc capable of installing Windows XP Pro when all you paid for was the cheaper Home edition. Well it looks like Microsoft is once again looking to save a few bucks at the expense of minimizing piracy, as the company has reportedly confirmed to IDG News Service that every version of Vista -- from Home Basic to Ultimate -- will ship on a single DVD when the OS is finally released. Besides enabling Redmond to cut costs, there are even more self-serving interests at play in this decision: by giving consumers an easy way to upgrade, Microsoft is hoping that more people will drool over the extra features in the pricier packages and decide to throw down the cash for a new registration key. Of course the downside to this strategy is that somehow, somewhere, some clever hacker is going to figure out a way to get Ultimate onto his/her machine without the upgrade fee (after disabling WGA of course), and people the world over with less morals than ourselves or our readers will gleefully follow suit. Anyway, we could never in good conscience recommend that you partake in such illegal activities, but as per usual, you can be sure that we'll be reporting on this hack the minute it hits our tip jar.
Most of the Apple fan base is busy chatting about the latest iPod releases, the possibility of laptop spec bumps, and the when-the-hell-is-it-coming-already iPhone, but not all is well and good in Macland, as certain folks have been experiencing all sorts of problems with the just-released iTunes 7. Issues range from broken podcasts to unrecognized hardware to crappy-sounding audio, and although some of the bugs have seen successfully troubleshooting from crafty consumers, everyone is still waiting on word from Cupertino as to how it's going to address the multitude of problems. Well for those of you who've been forced to listen to your old transistor radio for the last few days, AppleInsider has some potentially good news, claiming that people with "ties to Apple" say that the company is well aware of the many glitches (as well as the public outcry) and are "toiling feverishly" on an update -- as in, both Mac and Windows users can expect version 7.0.x ASAP. We bring you this news not only to buoy your spirits in these times of despair, but also as a heads up to certain individuals in the programming community; after all, since QTFairUse struck back so quickly at iTunes 7, don't think that Steve and friends aren't spending at least some of their time trying to break that annoying little piracy-enabling patch for good.
Toshiba's got more notebooks in store for us today than just the R25 convertible and U205 ultra-portable we spotted earlier; nine more in fact, as the 14.1-inch M105, 15.4-inch A105, and 17-inch P105 Satellites have all been upgraded with three new configurations each. Focused on multimedia and gaming, the new P105 configs (pictured) -- the $1,199 S6024, $1,499 S6084, and $1,999 S9312 -- offer several compelling features, highlighted by Core Duo processors throughout the line, a nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics chip in the S6084, and an external USB tuner in the Windows Media Center Edition-powered S9312. The A105 also gets three fancy new looks, all featuring 5,400RPM hard drives, 533MHz DDR2 RAM, and integrated graphics: the $700 S2141 (1.46GHz Celeron M, 512MB of RAM, 80GB HDD), $999 S4074 (1.6GHz Core Duo T2050, 512MB RAM, 120GB storage, dual-layer DVD burner, Media Center Edition 2005), and $1,349 S4134 (same as the S4074 except for a 1.66GHz T2400 and 2GB of RAM). Rounding out the upgrades are S1021, S3041, and S3064 versions of the M105, which sport either Celeron M, Core Solo, or Core Duo processors, between 512MB and 1GB of RAM, 80GB or 120GB hard drives, and either a combo drive or DVD burner -- and are priced between $650 and $1,199. All nine new models are available immediately either directly from Toshiba or from your friendly neighborhood PC retailer.
If you've been frustrated because Microsoft's Vista Upgrade Advisor gave your blazing-fast, three-month-old, $10,000, gaming monster PC a bad rating, you're not alone. In addition to consumers, chipmakers such as VIA and AMD have commented to Microsoft about the program's deficiencies. Now, Microsoft, admitting that the results can be "misleading," plans to revise the tool, including changes to the user interface to make information more accessible, and possibly fine-tuning the results so that they're more in line with standard industry benchmarks. So, if your PC flunked the test, your best bet is to wait a while before splurging on upgrades -- besides, it's not like you don't have plenty of time before you'll need to be Vista-compatible.







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