Aurora
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LG unveils S430, S530 Aurora laptops for people who like muted hues
LG has added two new stars to its constellation of Aurora laptops, with the LG S430 and LG S530. Both models are powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, with the S430 boasting a 14-inch, 1366 x 768 HD LCD and the S530 rocking a slightly larger, 15.6-inch display, available in either HD or HD+ (1600 x 900) resolution. Both also feature 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 750GB of HDD space (5400 RPM), along with your standard WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity. Perhaps most notable, however, is their sleek, metallic veneer and crystalline, scratch-free finish, available in both purple and blue. Pricing remains a mystery, but the pair should be available in Africa, Asia and the Middle East by early next month, before making their way to Europe and the US shortly thereafter. Details galore await you after the break, in the full PR.
New radio wave technique could detect alien planets, receive interstellar tunes
Any experienced planet hunter will tell you: finding exoplanets is the real challenge, where hardened professionals go to test their mettle. These tricky bodies stymie conventional methods – like seeing a planet pass in front of its parent star – because exoplanets often have decades-long orbits, meaning you could spend a lot of lonely nights fruitlessly searching the skies. So scientists at the University of Leicester in England developed a new approach: looking for radio waves emitted when ultraviolet flares light up the atmospheres of planets like Saturn and Jupiter. The flares – auroras – even if invisible to ordinary telescopes, are detectable by radio telescopes like the European Low Frequency Array (or LOFAR, pictured above). The scientists hope those methods will help them discover planetary systems up to 150 light-years away, perhaps even some that can sustain life. And, of course, keep them one step ahead of Richard Branson. [Image credit: LOFAR / ASTRON]
Ziiiro Aurora and Orbit watches tell time with color, orbs of wonder
Time: how does it work? Well, the physicists are still trying to figure that out. And while they're tinkering with bosons and quarks and dark matter, the designers at Ziiiro are working on an equally important task: how to represent time, preferably in wrist-compatible form. Now they've got two new attempts, dubbed "Aurora" and "Orbit," that show time as a mix of colors or as a pair of circling orbs, respectively. They have about the same learning curve as earlier Ziiiro watches, and the company's website helpfully walks you through how to read them – "It's no rocket science at all!" If the designs are too minimalist for you, you can always treat yourself to Harry Winston's Opus Eleven. Otherwise, these will ship in late May and set you back €129 (about $184).
Dell Alienware M17x and Aurora hands-on
It's true, Dell unleashed two new Alienware systems this morning, and naturally we just had to check out the two epically powerful rigs in person. We spent the most time with the new 17-inch M17x, and while the chassis has been updated, it's still loaded with lots of LEDs, a trippy color-changing backlit keyboard, and chrome accents. The lid and edges have been given a more chiseled aesthetic, so we'd say it looks more muscular than ever. Obviously, the big story with the M17x is that it is now 3D capable. The full HD display is seriously beautiful, and while we didn't get to check out a Blu-ray 3D movie on the rig, we can only imagine how breathtaking the experience is going to be. We did, however, get to check out its new integrated 1080p streaming capability, which actually is based on an integrated WHDI solution SiBEAM WirelessHD. You'll need to pick up an extra box and hook it up to your TV, but in the demo we saw there was absolutely no lag between the clip of Final Fantasy on the laptop and on the TV. The unit we saw hanging around was packing a new Core i7 CPU and NVIDIA graphics, but it will apparently be available with AMD's latest graphics as well. We also caught sometime with the new Aurora desktop, but like we said it wasn't much. The tower is still crazily-lit, but has been updated with the most powerful overclockable Intel Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge processors as well as new NVIDIA graphics that support 3D Vision. The Aurora should be available this month for a starting price of $1,799 and the M17x for $1,499 on January 10th. Hit the break for some more images and the source link for Engadget Spanish's short video. %Gallery-113117%
One Shots: Life in a northern town
Sure, it's getting cold up here in the northern hemisphere. 'Tis the season and all that. But one great thing about being in the north? The beautiful northern lights! For the rest of us who aren't near a location where the northern lights occur naturally, you can always take a tour in Lord of the Rings Online. The light show there is definitely something that has been the subject of many One Shots over the years, but we still think its lovely to look at. (Admittedly, much better in action.) Today we have one such nighttime shot from Myrdanimyr, who kept it short and sweet: "I thought this shot was quite pretty. I was taken back by the wonderful sky in Forochel in Lord of the Rings Online." One Shots is in need of your screenshots, so while you're out getting your game time in during the weekend, why not send some images our way? It's easy to do. Just email them to oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Windows Home Server 'Vail' sees new beta release, adds OS X support
It's not the biggest of releases, but progress is progress at this point. Since launching in late April, Microsoft has been rather mum on the future of its latest Windows Home Server build. This week, however, the second major beta release has been let loose into the wilds, with Vail's most recent build now available to download there in the source link. The Big M doesn't go into great detail on what all has been added and / or changed, only saying that this new version has "plenty of enhancements and improvements over the original." The so-called "Preview" also adds support for Mac OS X backups, though users should know that storage check and repair (among other things, most likely) aren't exactly working seamlessly. But hey, that's what you get for living on the beta, right?
EVE Online brings back live events with Tyrannis
Read that title for a second. No, you're not dreaming and you haven't stepped into a time machine and emerged on April 1st. EVE Online is finally bringing back live in-game events that players can participate in. Any player old enough to have participated in EVE's live events should be as giddy in their seats as I am right about now. In years gone by, CCP ran short sequences of events that pushed an important storyline arc in the game's fiction. Developers would take on the roles of key figures in the story, acting their part according to a guideline script. The idea that if you were in the right place at the right time you could become embroiled in a terrorist plot or find yourself in the midst of an epic battle between NPC factions was as intoxicating back in 2005 as it is today. This is sure to be a huge boost not just for EVE's role-playing community but for the everyday player that wants to get involved in the great stories of New Eden. Skip past the cut for more details.
$4,000 Alienware Aurora ALX benchmarked: domination this world has never seen
Alienware's Aurora ALX, which was just unveiled this week alongside ATI's blisteringly fast Radeon HD 5870 GPU, gets going at $2,299. If that doesn't bother you, the late-October estimated ship date might. Somehow, the benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware were able to grab hold of one of these rigs, and the results are fairly stunning (if not expected). Granted, their test configuration was a fully loaded $4,074 model, complete with a 3.33GHz Core i7 Extreme Edition 975 CPU, twin ATI Radeon HD 5870's in a CrossFire configuration and 6GB of DDR3 memory. Oh, and blue lights. Lots of blue lights. Put simply, the one-two CPU / GPU punch produced results that led to domination that made pretty much anything else out there look weak. Don't believe us? Hit that link for the bar-charted proof.
Alienware's redesigned Area-51, Aurora, and updated M15x hands-on
Okay, so it's not quite the invasion that the company touted, but Alienware definitely gave itself a fairly sizable retail space at this week's Tokyo Game Show, on hand to show off its Area-51 / Aurora revised desktops and its upgraded m15x laptop. We think you can already grasp the gist of the lineup from the company's long-standing modus operandi: large, powerful, and covered inside and out with LEDs. Enjoy the sight of six hard drives aligned in a wall by way of the gallery below, and stay tuned after the break to see a very brief demonstration on how those "scales" on top of the desktops work. %Gallery-73864% %Gallery-73865%
Alienware slaps 2GHz Core i7 920XM in M15x, new designs on Area-51 / Aurora desktops
It's a wild day in the land of Dell, so it makes sense that said meshugaas is carrying over to the company's Alienware portfolio. We knew that five new rigs were slated to launch today, and now we've finally got the details you've been craving (in official fashion, no less). Up first is the revamped Area-51 M15x laptop, which boasts a streamlined chassis and the entirely overused "most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe" tagline. Those with deep pockets can get this pup outfitted with a 2.0GHz Core i7 920XM (yes, that's the new Clarksfield mobile Core i7!) and a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M, both of which should work wonders on your most demanding NES ROMs. You'll also find up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD, slot-loading Blu-ray drive, FireWire, gigabit Ethernet, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets, VGA and DisplayPort video outputs, an ExpressCard slot and an 8-in-1 card reader. There's no mention of a starting price, but before you even look, you should decide whether or not you're kosher with toting around a 1.92-inch thick machine weighing 9 pounds.Moving on, there's the all-new Area-51 and Area-51 ALX desktops, both of which usher in yet another case change along with ridiculously fast / pricey innards. The standard Area-51 is a liquid cooled beast with factory overclocked Core i7 CPUs (as high as 3.6GHz), an array of multi-GPU options from ATI and NVIDIA, internal lighting effects and a handy door to quickly access the HDD compartment. All of the hard drives are loaded via a cable-free dock, and there's enough room for six SATA II HDDs. The rig also holds up to 12GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 memory, twin Blu-ray drives and a pair of gigabit Ethernet jacks. The ALX edition, on the other hand, is the "most powerful desktop" the company has ever created, as it packs an optional 3.86GHz Core i7 975, twin 1.8GB GeForce GTX 295 GPUs and a power supply large enough to trip most household breakers. Closing things out is the Aurora and Aurora ALX, the latter of which is the most potent microATX rig Alienware has ever called its own. The liquid cooled ALX can be equipped with a 3.6GHz Core i7 975, dual 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPUs and up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, while the slightly more affordable Aurora -- which goes down as the smallest mid-sized desktop ever crafted by the outfit -- can be upgraded nearly as much itself. Pricing on these rigs still remains open, but we've a feeling that'll be cleared up just as soon as the new product pages go live.%Gallery-73748% Show full PR text DELL FEEDS GAMERS' PASSIONS WITH FIVE NEW 'ALL POWERFUL' ALIENWARE GAMING RIGS All-New Alienware Gaming Systems Include the M15x Laptop and Aurora and Area-51 Desktops Alienware M15x Features the New Intel® Mobile Core™ i7 Processor Alienware M17x Laptop Receives Up To 145 Percent Graphics Performance Boost with Addition of Dual 1GB ATI Radeon Mobility™ HD 4870 Alienware Peripherals, Including the New Alienware TactX Keyboard and Mouse, Offer Gamers a Fully-Integrated PC Gaming Ecosystem ROUND ROCK, Texas, Sept. 23, 2009 – PC Gamers now have five new ways to level up with a fleet of high-performance gaming rigs from Alienware, including four overclocked* liquid-cooled desktop systems and the most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. Jointly developed by the Dell and Alienware teams, and featuring the latest technologies for maximum performance, aggressive designs and unmatched customization and personalization through Alienware's exclusive Command Center software suite, these systems represent a new era in PC gaming.The All powerful Alienware Aurora, Aurora ALX, Area-51 and Area-51 ALX desktops and the Alienware M15x laptop join the M17x, launched in June, to expand the Alienware arsenal and reaffirm Dell's position as visionary and designer of the industry's most coveted gaming systems. The News: Alienware M15x – The most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. Sporting Alienware's acclaimed new mobile ID which debuted with the M17x laptop, the M15x offers Alienware performance in a compact package guaranteed to appeal to mobile enthusiasts and hardcore gamers on the go. The first Alienware laptop to feature a mobile Core i7 processor, the M15x also offers a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M GPU* and up to 8GB DDR3 1333MHz memory* to take on, and dominate, even the most intense game titles. Prices start at $1,499 and additional technical specifications are here. Alienware Aurora and Aurora ALX – The Aurora is most upgradeable and the Aurora ALX is the most powerful MicroATX desktops Alienware has ever created. Featuring the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors, including an optional Extreme Edition overclocked** to 3.6GHz, the Aurora line of desktops are designed to deliver the power needed for hardcore gaming, pro-level HD audio and video editing, 3D animation and more. To crank up your gaming performance, Aurora and Aurora ALX have options for dual 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics cards, up to 24GB DDR3 1333MHz memory[asterisk] or 12GB DDR3 1600MHz memory, respectively, and up to 2TB of hard drive storage – all in a compact, MicroATX chassis for taking up less desk space. Prices start at $1,299 and additional technical specs are here. Alienware Area-51 and Area-51 ALX designed for extreme gamers and tech enthusiasts who demand only the latest, most advanced equipment, the Area-51 line of desktops features Intel Core i7 processors factory overclocked* to an intense 3.86GHz for peak performance. To max out your graphics benchmarks, these systems offer the quad-GPU power of dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295 graphics cards. Other featured specs include up to 12GB DDR3* memory clocked at 1333MHz or 1600MHz, respectively, and six easy-access, cable-free hard drive bays that support both 7,200RPM and 10,000RPM drives, solid state drives and RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10 configurations. Prices begin at $1,999. The ALX brand denotes a distinguished class of Alienware systems that deliver both unique designs and peak performance. Both Aurora ALX and Area-51 ALX offer technology options beyond their respective standard editions, allowing for higher benchmarks, extended future-proofing and all-around increased bragging rights. Aurora ALX features design elements not available on Aurora such as the Active Venting louver system, internal theater lighting and cable-free hard drive bays. Area-51 ALX ups the ante with an anodized aluminum body and motorized front panel. All Alienware desktops also offer CPU liquid cooling right out of the box which allows the ease of overclocking that deliver extreme computing.Also announced today, Alienware customers can now configure the M17x laptop with the intense power of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 in both single and ATI CrossFireX configurations for up to a 145 percent graphics performance increase1. The result is an immersive, cinematic experience when playing the latest HD games and movies.Alienware users can build out a complete, high-performance gaming ecosystem with the recently announced Alienware TactX Mouse and Keyboard, and the Alienware OptX™ AW2210 Monitor which features a 21.5-inch full HD screen for experiencing the latest generation games and HD movies in glorious 1080p resolution.The Aurora and Aurora ALX start at $1,299, and are available for order immediately at www.alienware.com The Area 51 and Area 51 ALX start at $1,999, and will be available to order in the coming weeks. The Alienware M15x starts at $1,499 and is available for order immediately at www.alienware.comThe branded peripherals can be ordered immediately at: www.alienware.com Alienware is one of two brand pillars within Dell's broader consumer portfolio. Dell's Alienware gaming brand delivers high-performance computing for enthusiasts and tech lovers alike, and complements the Adamo by Dell brand, which offers unmatched style, design and craftsmanship. Alienware and Adamo are the standard-bearers of Dell's personalization efforts, which extend to the entire consumer portfolio, including Inspiron and Studio and Dell Design Studio, which reinvents the way people can customize their laptops as extensions of self-expression.Quotes:"These newest additions to the Alienware lineup represent the culmination of months of hard work, bringing together two world-class teams to create a family of world-class products targeting PC gamers," said Arthur Lewis, general manager of Dell's Gaming Group. "Our current offering of desktops, notebooks and peripheral products signals our commitment to providing the best PC gaming experience possible and to being the global industry leader for PC gaming products." "Alienware systems are, and always have been, our benchmark for PC gaming performance," said Michael Tatelman, vice president of sales and marketing for Dell's consumer business. "Through the Alienware brand, Dell is committed to offering gamers the richest possible PC gaming experience with the latest technology and coolest designs." "The new Intel® Core™ i7 mobile processor redefines expectations for performance, flexibility and extreme gaming on mobile platforms," said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel. "We are pleased that Alienware has designed the Intel® Core™ i7 920Xm processor into their latest mobile gaming laptop." "As the first-ever DirectX® 11-capable graphics card, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 is the pinnacle of PC graphics performance," said Matt Skynner, Vice President & General Manager, GPU Division, AMD. "By pairing the awesome power of this card with Alienware's reputation for industry-leading technology, gamers can expect an unmatched gaming experience."
Alienware launching new M15x laptop and Aurora / Area-51 ALX desktops at TGS
Wondering what all those teasers were about? So were we, and now we've got the skinny on what exactly is looming at the Tokyo Game Show. For starters, you may have noticed that Alienware has completely removed the option to purchase an Area-51 m15x gaming laptop except in refurbished form, and the only desktop remaining in the store is the Area-51 X58, which is conveniently discounted today. The reason? It's launching five of its most powerful creations yet on September 23rd (that's tomorrow, bub), including the quickest 15-inch lappie in the galaxy (the all-new M15x) as well as the dual-GPU Aurora / Aurora ALX desktops. Finally, a refreshed Area-51 and Area-51 ALX will also be on tap, though exact specifications for the whole lot won't be revealed until the 23rd. Oh, and we'll totally be on hand in Japan to provide all the hands-on media you can stand, so stay tuned![Thanks, Anonymous]
UK college begins testing facial recognition attendance system
It's something we never really appreciated when waltzing into class way back when, but the ability to show up at your leisure without having to "clock in" and "clock out" was awesome. If you agree, you'll probably want to shred that application for City of Ely Community College in the UK, which has become one of the first UK schools to trial a new facial recognition technology from Aurora. Officials suggest that knowing who is on campus at any given time helps them in case of emergency, as they can easily see if they've collected everyone into a safe area; being the Big Brother haters that we are, we tend to see things a bit differently. And besides, who really wants to show up two minutes early to class to have some machine look at your groggy, tattered up face? Have a look in the read link for a quick video of what you are (or are not, we suppose) missing.[Via Slashdot]
MacBundleBox: 15 apps for 50 bucks
MacBundleBox is offering 15 Mac applications for $49.95: an 85 percent discount (compared to buying each app individually). The apps included are: Headline - A full-featured RSS/ATOM feed reader with an ultra-minimal UI. Mac Pilot 3 - A system optimization and customization utility. iConquer - A game not unlike Risk. Mahjong Forests - A traditional mahjong game. Shoebox Express - A solution for organizing all your photos by content. Caboodle - A way to collect random snippets of text or images on your machine. Narrator - A program that will read out stories in multiple voices. WriteRoom - A distraction-free word-processor, and possibly the most popular app in the bundle. Scribbles - A simple drawing utility. Money - An accounting app. Operation - A simple project management application. Aurora - An iTunes-integrated alarm clock. Compositor - A CoreGraphics-based image editor. Sofa Control - Allows you to control your applications remotely, using an Apple Remote. MacBundleBox is available directly from their website.
Auroroa: the open source DJ mixer
Sick of paying top dollar for your mixers? Yeah, so are we. But we're not so sure about building our own from scratch, even if you can get the full source code and build schematics to whip up your own Auroroa open source mixer. (They'll sell you posers one pre-built, too, if you want to front it.) Matching, scratching, and tasteful song selection? You're on your own there, pally boy.[Via hack a day]
BlackBerry Seawolf and Aurora get tossed into the codename soup
RIM hasn't even had the opportunity to announce the Kickstart 9100 -- much less release it -- but it looks like we might already have some intel leaking out on the first BlackBerry flip's successor. In RIM parlance, a "10" tacked on to a model number is often a sign that a GPS receiver lurks within; sure enough, metadata obtained by Boy Genius Report lists GPS support in the 9110 "Seawolf." There's also mention of an "Aurora," indicated to be a member of the 8100 (Pearl) series, though its device ID curiously matches that of the Thunder / Storm so it's possible that the two projects were merged at some point. Are we crazy for missing the days of yore when RIM's model names were nothing more than four solid, reliable, old-fashioned digits?
Alienware's Aurora desktop storms back: AMD Phenom 9850 included
Check it: AMD's potent Phenom 9850 processor, which had a fairly impressive showing during its recent benchmarking test, has teamed up with a pair of ATI's Radeon HD 3870 X2s to bring the Aurora desktop back on the scene. Available now and starting at just $999, Alienware's (potentially) "value-priced" gaming rig can be equipped with one of four AMD CPUs, a liquid-cooling system, twin 512MB 3870 X2 GPUs, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a few terabytes of HDD space, a Blu-ray reader (or burner if you've got the cash), an optional (but totally necessary) Killer K1 gaming NIC, Ageia PhysX processor and your choice of colored enclosures. Of course, speccing this beauty into a rig worth gloating over will easily set you back four large or so, but hey, you only live once, right?
Tabulator: Alarm clock showdown
Mac users must be extremely heavy sleepers, because there is no shortage of alarm clock software for your Mac. If you need to wake up, your Mac will get you up. But which one rules the rooster?Aurora, a popular choice, recently updated to version 4, and went from donationware to a licensing setup (a single copy will now run you EU$15.00. And Awaken was recently included in the Macheist bundle, but could it be that a donationware app like Alarm Clock 2 will do what you want, or is Koingo Software's Alarm Clock Pro the way to go?We decided to wrap them all up into one big table-- app vs. app vs. app vs. app for a wakeup showdown. After the jump, find our first Tabulator battle (thanks to sister site Joystiq for the slick formatting) and discover which clock and timer program deserves to press play on your wakeup playlist.
Aurora apes Moto's ways, intros LAZR IMAGR micro LCD
We've no idea who whispered in Aurora Systems' ear that naming your products sans a few letters and with caps lock on was a good idea, but nevertheless, it listened, and it listened good. First up, the firm is cranking out the LAZR IMAGR, which is hailed as a "single panel color field sequential device" (psst, a micro LCD) designed to get VGA resolution into mobile projectors and the like. In case that wasn't enough, you'll be thrilled to know that it's also trumpeting its new LAZR DRIVR, which, contrary to popular belief, actually isn't Tiger's latest club of choice. Rather, it's a chipset designed to "drive both VGA and SVGA resolution panels" while also enabling memory to be "embedded in the driver chip to limit total chipset power consumption." Sounds pretty spiffy, huh? Or are you still stuck on the names? [Via AboutProjectors]
The skies of Northrend
One of the latest screenshots of Wrath of the Lich King shows a pink-colored sky over Northrend, with some possible cloud-moving effect I haven't seen in WoW before. When I look at this screenshot I imagine all those clouds roiling in the sky and I wonder if Northrend couldn't possibly beat Outland in most interesting skies after all. It's a tough comparison -- Outland planets floating above the horizon are hard to beat, whereas Northrend will be limited to a more terrestrial skyscape. When The Burning Crusade first came out, I remember being impressed that the skies had any animation at all, whereas now, of course, the bar has been raised much much higher. Still, there's a lot that the skies of Northrend could offer us, especially if Blizzard were to go crazy with clouds and colors inspired by the Aurora Borealis. What do you expect of future WoW skies? Do you hope for ever-increasing complexity, or do you think simple and realistic is always best?
Alienware laptops now sporting 640GB of storage
We've seen a couple monster laptops with internal RAID arrays before, but Alienware is the first manufacturer we've seen to load its machines up with two 2.5-inch 320GB drives -- letting you lug around over half a terabyte of data. "Lug" is definitely the operative word, of course -- only the 17-inch Area 51 m9750 and Aurora m9700 offer the option, and each weighs 8.5 pounds -- but that's still some serious capacity for a portable.[Via TG Daily]
