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Glasses-free 3DeeScreen augments Windows 7 displays, lets Peter Gabriel get in your eyes
Glasses-free 3DTVs sporting 4K resolution don't exactly match up to the everyman's budget. Still, the tech needs to trickle down to the masses somehow and it appears Spatial View's keen to take up that three-dimensional, plebeian mantle. Available today, the outfit's inventively titled 3DeeScreen snaps onto 15.6-inch laptops of the Windows 7 variety to translate ordinary 2D images and video into autostereoscopic eye candy. And, unlike prevailing iterations that depend upon strict viewing zones, this ad hoc implementation can adjust to a viewer's position through the use of eye-tracking software, letting their zombified heads loll about while they tune in and drop out. Of course, if you choose to plunk down $130 for this visual pizzazz, you'll be jonesing for a library of compatible media. Good thing then the company's prepared to scratch that imaginary itch with a planned one-stop hub, dubbed 3DeeCentral, that'll offer up a curated mix of free and paid content. Need to know more? Then peruse the official presser below while you wonder how the other one percent lives.
PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today
Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.
Microsoft brings Windows 7 Family Pack back: $150 covers three PCs
Missed out on the limited run of Windows 7 Family Packs back in July of last year? You aren't alone. In fact, it sold out in record time, and now that you've bitten the bullet and ponied up for a trio of retail copies, the folks in Redmond are having a laugh at your impatience. As a way to celebrate the nearing of the one year Windows 7 anniversary, Microsoft is now re-offering the Win7 Family Pack on its online store. As a refresher, $149.99 allows for Windows 7 Home Premium to be installed on up to three PCs, but Microsoft warns that the offer stands only while supplies last. Oh, and if you live outside of America? Look for your opportunity to arise on October 22nd. Update: Amazon has it for just $140. Thanks, Stephen! Update 2: Best Buy also has copies... while supplies last!
Ocosmos OCS-1 and O-Bar eyes-on, plus a smattering of prototype sliders (video)
Though arguably the most exciting thing about Ocosmos's five-inch Oak Trail handheld is the promise of a pocket Zerg rush, there's a good bit more to the OCS-1 than gaming prowess -- it claims to be able to replace a full mouse and keyboard with just the two "OMOS Keys" on the front. Though they look like Sidekick II-era directional pads, they're actually stacked two levels tall, with a D-pad on top of an PlayStation Portable-style analog nub that click and slide in each of eight directions (and press in like gamepad analog sticks) for 34 functions in total. That's before we consider there's also a pair of shoulder buttons, a volume rocker, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and a capacitive touchscreen to boot -- and did we mention that the OMOS Keys themselves have multiple user / game profiles?
ASUS' Intel CE4100 Companion Box with Windows Media Center Embedded, there and back (to the ether) again
Seriously, blink and you might've missed it. ASUS had its own Intel CE4100-powered companion box on display running what our memory recalls was Windows Media Center Embedded. We'd love to confirm for the 5 percent of our brain that's uncertain, but by the time we went back for pickup shots of the adjacent (and awesome) Acer box, it was already gone. (Did the RevoPad scare it of that badly?) At any rate, this ASUS device has no drives, but it does boast an ATSC antenna, component and composite video. It's slated for the first half of next year, though representatives weren't willing to talk price just yet. Some more pics in the gallery below. %Gallery-102066%
Colombia pumps out 10-inch Android and Windows 7 tablets (video)
Sure, popular belief equates Colombian exports with tons of coffee beans, but two Bogota-based companies presently have 10-inch tablet computers on the brain. Compumax has got an Android-powered Tegra 2 device on tap with a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9, 512MB of RAM and a 32GB hard drive, and Smart PC's looking at a netbook-specced Windows 7 slate with an Atom N450 processor, a DVD burner, up to 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, a folding stand and a pair of peripheral-friendly USB ports alongside what looks like a fairly responsive multitouch screen. Intriguingly enough, the companies claim the devices aren't rebrands and are actually built in Colombia from foreign parts -- the "Hyper" Android slate is reportedly already on sale for COP 700,000 (about $387), and you can expect the "Smart Touch" Windows machine to debut for COP 1,099,000 (about $608) when it debuts in Peru next month. See the latter machine in action right after the break. Update: We often make light of stereotypes at Engadget, hoping to expose them as such, but the one formerly posted here was not in the best of taste. We've replaced it, and would like to apologize to any offended by our original choice of words.
Windows 7 hits 150 million licenses: that's seven copies a second
If Steve Ballmer's still pumped eight months later, there's a good reason -- Windows 7 has reportedly sold its 150 millionth copy, just two months after crossing the 100 million mark. If you run the numbers -- and we have -- that translates to roughly seven licenses sold per second since launch, a very convenient number for Microsoft to tout in their marketing communications from here on out. Perhaps execs can celebrate with a nice Windows 7 Whopper, topped with a fresh .dll pickle.
Western Digital announces WD TV Live Plus HD with Netflix streaming
We have even more news from Western Digital regarding its WD TV line (and this time around it doesn't involve bricking your set-top box with a firmware update). Besides the usual suspects (including Pandora, Live365, and YouTube), the WD TV Live Plus HD is shipping with Netflix. Get ready to browse titles, manage your Instant Queue, and stream your favorite episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation on your HDTV -- in addition to accessing your sizable collection of legally purchased digital media via the device's USB connection and / or Windows 7 "Play To" functionality. Available now for $150. PR after the break.
Wi-Fi Sync now compatible with Windows and iPad
Wi-Fi Sync is quite the gem (at least we think so) but it had some limitations -- namely, it only worked on OS X for desktop, and only with iPhone / iPod touch. Developer Greg Hughes pinged us earlier today to let us know he's thrown the gates off such restrictions. The jailbroken app now works for both iPads and Windows -- XP, Vista, and 7. The desktop client is free to download but it still cost just a hair under $10 for the appropriate mobile device. Worth the price of breaking free from wires? Your call.
WD TV Live HD gets 'Play To' functionality, full Windows 7 compliance
This silvery-set top box above may look rather drab, but never fear: its next production run will sport a nice, colorful Windows 7 sticker. That's because Western Digital recently signed an agreement to make its WD TV Live HD network media players compatible with Microsoft's "Play To" feature, allowing you to push media right to your TV from a Windows Media Player 12-equipped PC. While the feature actually snuck its way into firmware revision 1.02.21 in late March, WD only just began trumpeting its inclusion today... possibly to let memories of its disastrous prior update fade. Whatever the reason, the box is not the "first network media player compatible with Windows 7" -- Denon has four receivers that predate it. Press release and an example of what 'Play To' looks like, right after the break.
Adobe AIR developer demonstration: one game, five platforms, all the same code
We love the idea of Android apps running on iPhone and vice versa, and that's exactly what Adobe's selling with its multiplatform development solution AIR -- but though we've seen a demo here and there, conversations we've had with the company led us to believe that AIR was not yet up to the task. However, Adobe dev Christian Cantrell has the proof -- he created a game of Reversi that runs on five platforms without having to change a single line of code. In a video after the break, he demonstrates iReverse running on OS X, Windows 7, Ubuntu Linux, the iPhone, a Droid and the new iPad, explaining how it took only a series of seriously tiny platform-specific wrappers to make his program function on each. Since each platform has its own hardware strengths, this kind of convergence isn't always a good thing -- but if it provides extra incentive for developers to get cracking on hot new apps, we're all for it.
Microsoft reports $6.66b Q1 net profit, Windows 7 'fastest selling OS in history'
Microsoft's gotta be pretty happy with its second quarter results, especially after two previous quarters of somewhat downtrodden reports. The company's posting a record $19.02 billion in revenue, a 14 percent increase year-over-year. Net income / profit was $6.66 billion. Buoyed by all that is $1.71 billion in deferred revenue for Windows 7 pre-sales, which in laymen's terms means money the company made before the fiscal quarter began but couldn't then claim it because the product (Windows 7) hadn't yet been delivered to the consumer. Speaking of the platform, Microsoft is claiming to now have "the fastest selling operating system in history" with 60 million licenses sold. A much better way for the gang in Redmond to the start the year, so now let's see how the rest of 2010 plays out.
Ryzom launches 1.7 patch
Ryzom might be a five-year-old game, but despite the few hiccups it went through, it remains an attractive and diverse game with a number of features still not widely found in the genre. Having celebrated its anniversary earlier this year, the game continues to roll along at a steady clip, exemplified by the newly-released patch 1.7. The patch's title, The Kitin's Lair, alludes to one of its central elements: a new zone, the first part of the aforementioned lair. Kitins are one of the game's central adversaries, and so the patch's warning to avoid entering the lair alone is no doubt well-advised. That's hardly the only feature in the latest patch, however -- the game has also added an overhauled mail system, in-game forums for roleplaying and guilds, and the ability to enter viewable character biographies built in to the game's engine. The game has also adjusted the level display system, now using numbers to indicate the target's level only when it is close to that of the player. The addition of official Windows 7 support makes Ryzom more accessible, so the game's players would do well to take note of what the patch brings, and those of you who've never heard of the game may want to give it a fresh look.
Acer's Ferrari One netbook now available -- might not help you get a date
You're probably already fairly familiar with Acer's foray into speedy netbooks with the the Ferrari One -- the 11.6-incher we found to be slightly underwhelming when we got our hands on it back in September. Still, the famous branding and the red hot lid is sure to be a draw for some, and other than that, this laptop boasts an 1.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 CPU, an AMD M780G chipset, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 graphics, plus WiFi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN and a 6-cell battery. It'll run you about $600 to grab one up and it's available now. Full press release is after the break.
Windows 7 Starter comes with hidden wireless connection sharing
Ah, the blessings of market fragmentation. If you thought that, in its efforts to differentiate the Starter Edition from its beefier Windows 7 offerings, Microsoft chopped off the ability to share wireless connections between compatible devices, we've got good news: it didn't. Turns out that ad-hoc networking is very much a part of Windows 7 Cheap Edition, and the only thing missing from it is the dialog you see above. Thrifty Edition owners will have to find the application themselves -- through the shockingly difficult process of a Start Menu search -- but once they do it'll behave exactly as if they'd bought the Extra Awesome variety. Great job, Microsoft -- you keep hiding features and we'll keep installing Chrome OS on our netbooks, deal?
SSD drives don't help dedicated Windows Media Center PCs much
We had a chance to play with the Kingston 40GB SSDNow and of course we just couldn't wait to see what kind of magic it could work for our dedicated Windows 7 Media Center PC. The bad news is the answer is, not much. In fact we tried just about every combination we could think of from setting the SSD drive as the Live TV recording buffer, to just copying recordings to be scanned for commercials. But in the end Media Center just isn't an application that requires much disk I/O to perform well and there really wasn't any noticeable improvement. The real issue is that HD recordings are so big you can't fit many of them on the drive and at 40GB, you can only hold about 5 hours of HD, so recording to the SSD until it was scanned for commercials and then moving to a spinning platter just doesn't work. Now if the SSD was 120GB or bigger, then in this likely scenario we could avoid the UI lag that we experience if we try to record five HD shows at once while playing back one and scanning two for commercials. But at the current price of large SSD drives and frequency of that scenario, it just isn't something we think is worth the money right now.
ASUS UL30Vt available for pre-order at Amazon
ASUS's good-looking, switchable-graphics boasting UL30Vt-X1 is one those Windows 7 laptops you really need to check out for yourself. The thin and light, 13.3-incher will get super strength battery life with the discrete graphics on. This one packs DDR3 memory, and a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (which can be overclocked). It's up for pre-order at Amazon now for $799 with Windows 7 Home Premium, so if you've been waiting around for this one... well now's your time.
Microsoft CEO Ballmer says Windows 7 sales are double its predecessors'
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer was on hand for the company's annual shareholder's meeting in Washington, and news of Windows 7 sales came up right away. While delivering the opening remarks, Ballmer said that Microsoft has sold twice as many copies of Win 7 as any previous Microsoft OS in a comparable time frame. That's including both OEM sales and boxed retail copies, of course, and though no specific numbers were mentioned, the good news isn't completely unexpected as pre-orders were through the roof. High five, Microsoft.
Archos 9 PMP sneaks into the FCC, gets dissected when caught
Archos has already made it abundantly clear that its Windows 7-based Archos 9 media player is US-bound, but just in case you were worried over legalities, this FCC filing should crank your stress level down a notch. Best of all, this particular entry includes external and internal photographs, meaning that the camera-toting employees within the deep, dark FCC labs are actually credited with handling the (admittedly messy) dissection. Shocking pixels await you in the read link, so make sure you go in fully prepared.
Windows 7 bested by XP in netbook battery life tests
The venerable 2001 classic of an OS, Windows XP, strikes again. The scribes over at Laptop have put together a rather damning battery life comparison between old greybeard and the fresh Windows 7, which finds that on average netbooks get 47 minutes less battery life with the upgraded software. In the case of the ASUS 1008HA, that deficit was a meaty 57 minutes, or 16.7%. Liliputing and jkOnTheRun have run their own tests which invariably reached the same conclusion. Adding these data to an earlier comparison with Snow Leopard, where Windows 7 was again markedly worse than its competitor, leads us to the conclusion that perhaps Microsoft's 7th heaven hasn't quite been optimized for the mobile mavens out there... yet. Read - Stick with XP? Windows 7 Battery Life Worse on Netbooks Read - Windows 7 + netbooks = lower battery life? Read - Netbook Battery Tests: Windows XP vs Windows 7
