8600
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Cisco nearing 8600 multiroom tru2way box tests
Still waiting for multiroom HD streaming from your cable company? Cisco's contender, the Explorer 8600 is apparently expected to start trials in Q2, giving customers a taste of the MoCa 1.1, 500GB storing, tru2way enabled experience they've been wanting. Multichannel News says DLNA and DTCP support is in the package powered by a new more powerful 6th gen processor, and should be ready for a real rollout in the third quarter. Cisco, please don't disappoint us.
Figuring out which NVIDIA GPUs are defective -- it's a lot
So now that HP's joined Dell in releasing information on which laptops have those defective NVIDIA GPUs, we can sort of piece together which chips are faulty -- and just as had been rumored, it looks like basically every Geforce 8600M and 8400M chip is affected. That's not good news for NVIDIA, which has been saying that only "previous-generation" chips were problematic -- unless the chipmaker is planning on updating the hugely popular 8x00 series sometime, say, now, that's not exactly true, now is it? Other affected chips appear to be in the GeForce Go 7000 and 6000 lines, as well as the Quadro NVS 135M and the Quadro FX 360M, but that's just looking at model numbers, and we can't be exactly sure. We'd say that if you've got a machine with any one of these GPUs, it might be wise to call in and see what your laptop maker is going to do -- and it would be smart for NVIDIA to come right out and say exactly how big and how bad this problem really is.Read - Dell list of machines and patchRead - HP list of machines, extended warranty info
AMD ships triple-core Phenom processors
While there have certainly been questions surrounding AMD's ability to deliver its Phenom 9700 / 9900 chips on time, it looks as if the chip maker is right on target with the launch of its triple-core lineup. Just as we expected it to, AMD has indeed began shipping its Phenom 8400 (2.1GHz) and 8600 (2.3GHz) to Dell -- for use in its OptiPlex 740 -- and HP (respectively), which has it mounted in the AL195AW desktop. Reportedly, the CPUs are only shipping in volume to PC manufacturers at the moment, and unfortunately, it failed to spill the beans on when they'd be available on a wider scale. Nevertheless, those parked across the pond can get their fix of tri-core sweetness by picking up one of two Mesh Computer rigs that are being made available as we speak.[Via PC World]Read - Dell OptiPlex 740 [PDF]Read - HP AL195AWRead - Mesh Computer Matrix xXx PlusRead - Mesh Computer Matrix xXx Pro
Nokia 8600 "Luna" gets official
Nokia's newest and oft rumored "Luna" is finally getting its turn in the spotlight and oh how it shines. This Series 40 phone features quad-band GSM / EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, translucent smoked glass slider over the keypad, and Nokia's first use of a micro-USB port. Of course this isn't just any Series 40 handset -- OK, well maybe inside it is, unless of course it's rolling with the 5th gen release -- this is top of the line stuff -- at least where price is concerned -- and you will be paying $700 for the luxury of picking one up. The 8600 handset is crafted from stainless steel and glass, and that glass bit, plus the price, is just the ticket for lakes of giant crybaby tears if one of these guys ever hits the pavement. No word on carrier availability yet, but with release planned for sometime in Q2, we have plenty of time to fill in those blanks. Oh yeah, check the gallery below for some more sweet shots.%Gallery-3560%
Nokia 8600 goes up for preorder
Yo, Nokia, anyone home? One of the world's largest independent retailers of cellphones is thoroughly outing your 8600 here, and you seem to just be sitting idly by without an official announcement in sight. No bother; we guess the important thing is the phone, not the announcement -- we're just not totally used to it going down this way. As a refresher, the 8600 (codenamed "Luna") looks to be Nokia's newest piece of high-end envy, likely slotting in just below the 8800 Sirocco to satisfy the needs of the "I can't quite afford a Vertu" set. Carphone Warehouse's preorder site confirms that it'll have a 2 megapixel camera, 128MB of onboard storage, media player with integrated FM radio, A2DP, and a quadband GSM radio -- refreshing to see after North America got slighted with the Sirocco's tri-band internals. Depending on the selected O2 plan, prices range from zilch all the way up to £299.99 (about $596). For a phone this attractive, we're really liking the sound of "free."
Nokia 8600 "Luna" gets some details
It gets scooped, scooped, and scooped yet again, but we still don't have official confirmation from Nokia that this thing even exists. Still, it's pretty undeniable that this point that the 8600 is the real deal, and Mobile-review has a pretty official-looking pic now to prove it (not to say the prior in-the-wild shots weren't enough). Oh, and some critical details, too: we can apparently expect Series 40 (what else), a 2 megapixel cam, QVGA resolution on the display, and -- disappointingly -- quadband GSM topping out with EDGE data. With what appears to be a press shot floating around the 'nets, it can't be long now before we hear something official.[Via Unwired View]
ASUS announces A7S, F3SV, F3SC, A8SC and W7S Santa Rosa laptops
Just in case the recent outpouring of Santa Rosa wasn't doing enough to keep you satisfied, ASUS just announced five laptops sporting the new mobile processor. None of 'em break much ground on the design or form factor side of things, but Santa Rosa isn't the only thing these laptops have going for them. The 17-inch A7S-7S006C runs a 2GHz T7300 Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 1440 x 900 screen and perhaps most excitingly, the new NVIDIA GeForce 8400G mobile graphics card with 896MB of RAM. For sheer power, the ASUS F3SV (pictured) is teh win, with T7100 to T7700 procs at its disposal, up to 2GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M graphics with up to 1GB of RAM. The F3SC is similar, but steps graphics down to an 8400, with 384MB of RAM -- both laptops feature 1280 x 800 15.4-inch screens. The same graphics card ends up in the A8SC, alongside a 1.8GHz T7100 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 14.1-inch 1280 x 800 screen. Finally, the W7S brings up the rear with a 1.3-inch 1280 x 800 screen, T7100-T7500 processor, 2GB of RAM and 128MB of GeForce 8400 graphics. All of the laptops feature webcams of various resolution, along with plentiful connectivity. No word on when specifically these are due to wow us with their DirectX 10 prowess, or how much those fun and games will cost.
Nokia 8600 "Luna" in the wild
Nokia can position this thing as a lower-end sibling to the 8800 if they so choose, but we've gotta be honest, this thing is shaping up nicely -- as in, "we'd rather have this one" nicely. These here are the first live shots we've spied of the rumored 8600 "Luna," a slider with a trick translucent cover and a shape that roughly mimics the older (and allegedly more expensive) 8800. For one thing, having S40 on here in its very latest incarnation is a huge boost to its lust factor, and the huge display doesn't hurt either. Let's hope the Carphone Warehouse has its wits about it and it really will be launching before too long, shall we?[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
Nokia 8600 "Luna" earns FCC wings
Nokia's generally pretty good about making sure it breaks the news on new handsets before the FCC does. Not Apple good, but still good. Imagine our surprise, then, to find that the rumored 8600 "Luna" has managed to make its way through the FCC gauntlet this week. It's not enough, apparently, that retailers are already trumpeting its existence -- no, even the FCC is going to break the cover on this one before Nokia does. Hey, whatever, that's cool with us. Not much here to look at, but we can confirm that the phone offers up both GSM 850 and 1900 plus EDGE, offering a level of US compatibility that its flashier big sib, the 8800 Sirocco, has failed to do. Still no word on a release, but we're going to go ahead and set up a tent outside our friendly local flagship store in (excessive) anticipation.
Zepto's Znote 6625WD does DX10, HSDPA, and HD DVD
Considering that Zepto isn't exactly "the name" in full-blown gaming laptops, we certainly hope this one won't turn out like ones prior, but the Znote 6625WD purportedly packs a plethora of lavish innards if it proves legitimate. The 15.4-inch machine is based around Intel's Santa Rosa, er, Centrino Pro platform, and sports a WSXGA resolution, Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, NVIDIA's 512MB GeForce Go 8600 graphics card, DirectX 10 support, an optional HD DVD writer, 802.11a/b/g/n, HSDPA compatibility, and to top things off, an HDMI output. The company will supposedly be taking customized orders in May to satisfy your wildest dreams, and while the bottom-end of the bunch could land at around "$1,100 to $1,200," we imagine that some of the aforementioned luxuries will ratchet that right on up.[Via Laptopical]
Nokia's rumored 8600 "Luna" exposed
The rumored Nokia 8600 "Luna" just got a lot more real now that a suspiciously similar twin is teasing us from the Carphone Warehouse site. The site dubs the phone the Nokia High Fashion because it's "so new it doesn't even have a model number." Sure, whatevs. At least they know that it's "coming soon" with an "on-screen menu system," 2 megapixel camera for photos and video, MP3 player, and 1GB of built-in memory. It's also likely to be sporting Series 40 under that sliding, semi-transparent hood. Nice.[Via Stuff.tv]
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 and 8500 launch deets outed
Still haven't scraped together enough change to get yourself a fancy new 8800? Well just wait 10 more days and you can get (a little bit of) that hip-cool technology for peanuts. The GeForce 8600 GTS, 8600 GT and 8500 GT are all due on April 17th, hitting at the $199-$229, $149-$159 and $89-$129 price points, respectively. Specs scale nicely, with 256MB of GDDR3, a 675MHz core clock and a 1000MHz memory clock at the top end, on down to the 128 to 256MB DDR2 or GDDR3, 450MHz core clock and 700MHz memory clock at the bottom. Before too long, the even more basic 8400 GS and 8300 GS will round out the set, but hopefully you won't have to stoop that low to get your DirectX 10 on.
Telus unleashes LG 8600
Canada's been doing a respectable job keeping up with LG's Chocolate releases with both Rogers and Telus offering variants of the Korean slider; next up, Telus is rolling deep with the Chocolate flip. Known by various model names on different carriers -- all typically ending in 8600 -- Telus' version will go simply by "8600" and offer the same comprehensive music support, touch sensitive external controls, EV-DO, and strapping good looks that have brought it success elsewhere. Look for it for $130 CDN on a three-year agreement -- a harsh sentence to be sure, but hey, at least they throw in a 1GB microSD card and reader.[Via Howard Forums, thanks Jay]
Rig of the Day: The Phosphoimager
Ok, we admit it. This photo was chosen partly for the nice (and still active) 8600 in the shot, and partly to put up a post that contains the word "phosphoimager." According to rnafan, the photographer, a phosphoimager is "...a piece of equipment that scans radioactivity." I like that it sounds as cool as Calvin's Transmogrifier."Power Macintosh 8600:300" posted by rnafan.For the month of April, the theme for our Rig of the Day will be "Vintage Macs" in honor of Apple's anniversary. If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. Let's see your vintage Macs (Apples and Newtons, too)! We'll select an image every day to highlight.
