External
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ATI to release power-hungry external video card?
As microprocessors increase in efficiency and semiconductors diminish in size, the power required for them to function would also decrease -- in an ideal world, anyway. Unfortunately, this hasn't exactly been the case. If we're to believe the rumors, ATI's next major graphics core, dubbed the R600, will be packed to the brim with pixel pipelines and shader processors to handle the tasks that lie ahead in Windows Vista (if it ever comes out, of course), and, you know, games. But the crazy part here is that the chipset will supposedly require so much power that only an external implementation could provide the level of power necessary to satisfy those demands. An outboard graphics card, however, would one-up internal boards by providing a new level of flexibility. For starters, the same board could power your notebook and desktop, and laptop gamers would have access to bleeding-edge graphics that could turn a relatively weak notebook into a suitable LAN-party machine without the expense of an entirely new rig. Of course, there's still the issue of an external interface that could handle the multi-gigabit bandwidth required to make this system feasible not yet existing, but who knows, maybe those microchip wizards from AMD can give ATI a hand in bringing this to fruition without kicking our kilowatt meters into overdrive -- for now though, our quad-SLI setups are doing just fine, thanks.[Thanks, Mack S.]
I-O Data HDPG-SU withstands 220 pounds of pressure
Not everyone needs a hard drive that's certified by Department of Defense standards, but I-O Data has created an external USB hard drive that can withstand fairly heavy scrutiny -- about 220 pounds worth. Although we're unsure whose DoD has given their blessing to the drive, it doesn't nullify the HDPG-SU's ability to be stomped on by Arnold Schwarzenegger without getting its platters bent out of shape. The plainly styled drives, only available in black or silver, have not only been tested to resist serious pressure, but also to withstand relatively small drops from 122cm (about 4 feet), which isn't spectacular considering the plethora of drives that park their heads on tumbles anyway. These rugged beasts will be available in 40GB, 80GB, and 120GB sizes, and while pricing and availability aren't yet known, we're left wondering what kind of secretive branch of government certifies a drive without any form of security built-in, biometric or otherwise, because what good will the DoD have with a military-grade / ruggedized drive that a thief can simply tap right into? [Via Mobilemag]
Major Nelson rips Blu-Ray a new one
...in the politest way possible. OK, the source might be a tiny bit biased, but Larry's podcast interview with the guys from Microsoft Digital Media provides several argument-ready reasons why HD-DVD is better than Blu-Ray. If this doesn't get you excited about watching movies with the external drive, you're probably either a PS3 fanboy or the owner of a crappy TV. Don't listen if you suffer from home theater envy.
