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The Daily Grind: Which class is the best healer?
I don't always play a healer, but when I do, I must have the best. And when I consider the best, it's a healer that can spit out heal-over-times with machine gun-like speed. That's why I particularly loved the Druid in World of Warcraft and the Warden in RIFT. It's so dang satisfying to stack up HoTs and see my healing outpace the incoming damage. Of course, my tastes in healing aren't everyone's tastes, and I'm no expert raid healer or anything. For those who love to play combat medic, which class do you think is the best healer? Or, barring "best," which one do you simply prefer? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
WRUP: A hot weekend and the anticipation of a patch
It seems most of the country is blanketed in sweltering heat. If you find yourself outside in the sizzling temperatures, take care to stay hydrated and not hurt yourself. Heat like this isn't something to take lightly, and we don't want any of you to get hurt. We like you! So while polling your intrepid WoW Insider staff about their weekend plans, we thought we'd take a few moments to ask what they think of the patch so far. Opinions are varied, of course. That's just as well. If we all had the same opinion, that would make for pretty boring reading. So jump on behind the cut and see what your favorite WoW bloggers are into.
Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans
Can't say we noticed an extraordinary amount of blowing from our XPS 13 Ultrabook review unit, but for those with an optioned Core i7 model, you may want to give the source link a look. Down there, you'll find a download link to the A03 BIOS update, which delivers "an updated thermal table which dictates fan speeds and trigger temperatures." Evidently, these machines have a tendency to kick the fans into high gear prematurely (it's okay Dell, we all get excited sometimes), but thankfully, a 4MB package is all that's required to remedy it. 'Preciate it, technology.
Visualized: new iPad burns 10 degrees hotter than its predecessor
We wouldn't exactly be going out on a limb by suggesting that the new iPad is Apple's hottest tablet to date -- even before Tim Cook confirmed as much earlier today. But while Apple has plenty of reason to brag about the device's sales figures, it's slightly less motivated to be forthcoming about its tendencies to create more heat. 10 degrees more, in fact, according to infrared camera confirmation obtained by Tweakers.net. After five minutes of running GLBenchmark, the site used its infrared cam to confirm what many of you have already suggested: the new iPad runs a little hot. According to the site's measurements, Cupertino's flagship slab reached 33.6 degrees centigrade (92.5 Fahrenheit), compared to 28.3 centigrade (82.9 Fahrenheit) with the iPad 2. That's certainly not enough heat to cause a tablet to spontaneously combust, but if you happen to be one of those new iPad owners that noticed a difference, you can now rest assured that your internal thermometer hasn't missed a beat.
Customers complain of overheating iPads
Is your new iPad too hot to handle? Literally, too hot to handle? If it is, you may not be alone. A growing number of people on Apple support forums and MacRumors say the lower, left-hand corner of their new iPad gets overly hot. Others say it gets warm, but that is to be expected with a fanless device like the iPad. So far, there's no unifying factor that ties all these reports together. Some blame it on WiFi, some say it's the LTE, while others think it has to do with the Retina display. Apple hasn't commented on the reports and probably won't do so unless the complaints escalate. Are any of you experiencing this problem? [Via Engadget and CNET]
iPhone 4 combusts on Australian flight, looks madder than a spurned Qantas employee
On an airline that's actually serving the great country of Australia these days, an iPhone 4 decided enough was enough. Shortly after Regional Express flight ZL319 landed in Sydney from Lismore, "a passenger's mobile phone started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow." What happened next is a bit of an Aussie mystery, but it seems at some point that the glow was "extinguished successfully." No one onboard was harmed, and the handset in question has been handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for "analysis." It suffered only mild reception issues prior to its final collapse, and if faced with a similar situation, Siri reportedly stated that it would consult a therapist before discharging hot fury. Update: Ross let us know that officials from the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau are investigating the incident.
Dyson intros Hot AM04, aims to change the home heating game (video)
Leave it to James Dyson to give your ordinary household appliance a new spin. Tonight in New York City, Mr. Dyson took to the stage in order to properly unveil his latest gizmo -- the $399.99 Dyson Hot AM04. As its name suggests, this is the company's latest fan Air Multiplier, but with a ceramic heating element to keep your toes toasty. On those muggy summer days, you'll be able keeps things breezy similar to previous Air Multipliers, and when the winter's bitter cold hits, you'll be able to heat things up anywhere from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 99 degrees -- caliente. The unit is designed much like a jet's wing, bringing air in from its bottom grills and amplifying it six times as it soars out through the ducts. Interestingly enough, we're told that the heating element stays at one preset temperature, measuring the room until it reaches the level you tell it to. As you'd expect, an inbuilt safety mechanism flips the whole thing off if it tips over. With its tiltable base or an included IR remote, you'll be able to change the temperature, choose between ten fan speeds and set it into an oscillation mode. Better yet, the remote magnetically clings to the top of the unit -- perfect if you're prone to losing things. It's currently available in white or silver directly from Dyson (though a remote-less version is tipped for those looking to save a few bucks), and you'll find more details in the PR past the break. %Gallery-133818%
Delkin's CF cards handle all weathers, so quit yo' jibber jabber
Delkin sneers at wimps who sit around all day debating whether it's worse to be too hot or too cold. Its new 32GB and 64GB rugged CompactFlash cards relish both extremes, with a claimed operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius. They achieve this by eschewing the cheaper multi-level cell design of namby-pamby mainstream cards in favor of single-level cells that last for up to two million cycles and max out at 105MB/s reads and 95MB/s writes. We wouldn't stick anything else in our SnoMote. Full details in the PR after the break.
Cloud Engines recalls potentially flammable Pogoplug Video (update)
Looks like sharing videos over the cloud may be a risky task -- if you're using the box shown here on the left, that is. The Pogoplug Video hit the retail scene about two months ago, but Cloud Engines has already issued a recall after two devices nearly went up in flames. According to The Official Pogoplug Blog, the internal chip that handles video encoding can experience "thermal runaways" after long periods of use, which could cause the device to reach unsafe temperatures; this despite having a fan to keep things cool. The affected model numbers include Pogo P-11 through 14, and the company asks that owners get in contact to setup a return and refund. In the meantime, it also suggests that the units be unplugged -- a good idea if you want to avoid possibly burning the house down. Update: It appears that Cloud Engines' initial statement has been condensed and slightly modified. Zenverge, the chip's manufacturer, has also informed us that the silicon itself isn't exactly the problem. The end result remains the same, however: this Pogoplug is too hot for video.
LG prepares to update Optimus 2X, banishes unexpected reboots to Never Never Land
LG is delivering good news for those affected by random reboots and shutdowns on the Optimus 2X. Today, the company reached out to Engadget and acknowledged the plight of its early adopters. Even better, the manufacturer wants everyone to know it will begin delivering updates in Europe this week, and expects North America to be close behind. In most situations, users will receive the firmware update over-the-air, but this will depend on your carrier and region. After all the hoopla, LG determined these troubles occur when the device is charging, the power button is pressed, or the phone is in standby -- which basically means whenever you reach for it. Let's hope this update filters down to G2x handsets as well. It would seem rather unkind to leave them in the cold, don't you think?
Poker chip-sized device non-invasively measures brain temperature, intrigues Le Chiffre
Do you ever feel like Portal 2 is making your brain overheat? You should get that checked, and thanks to researchers in Norfolk, Virginia, there's an easier way to do so. The Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters has developed a device the diameter of a poker chip that sits atop a patient's head; by detecting the microwaves that all human tissues produce, it calculates brain temperature without the need for messy skull-popping. The waves pass through the bone to give doctors precise, up-to-the-minute results, which can help prevent brain damage due to overheating. One possible use for the technology is helping hypoxic (oxygen lacking) infants, who can be treated with cooling therapies. Of course, you can probably make do with that old home remedy: just put a bag of frozen carrots on your head next time GlaDOS has you stumped.
GE's new phase-change based thermal conductor could mean cooler laptops -- literally
It's no secret: if your laptop sits atop your lap for an extended period of time, you're going to get burned -- okay, so maybe not burned, but you're definitely going to feel the heat. Luckily GE has been working (under contract for DARPA) on a new phase-change based thermal conductor that promises to cool electronics twice as well as copper, at one-fourth the weight. The breakthrough means big things for those of us who'd like to make babies one day, but we doubt that's why DARPA's shelling out the big bucks -- the new material functions at 10 times normal gravity, making it a shoo-in for on-board computing systems in jetliners. Using "unique surface engineered coatings" that simultaneously attract and repel water, the new nanotechnology could mean not only lighter, cooler electronics, but also an increase in computing speeds. Goodbye scrotal hyperthermia, hello cool computing! Full PR after the break.
Ask Engadget: best laptop that won't burn your lap?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Stephen, who frankly isn't interested in suffering from health issues due to insanely hot laptops baking his body. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Real simple: what is the best laptop that doesn't burn you? That is to say, which is the most powerful mainstream laptop (14- or 15-inch) that runs cool when it's actually doing something. I'm running a Dell Studio 1537 and both palmrests are warm even though all I am doing is typing this email and streaming Slacker with the LCD brightness on it's lowest setting. Therefore the WiFi card is cooking and so apparently is the hard drive (even though the processor is only at 12 percent). Help!" Man, we can't wait to see the answers to this. No, seriously -- we're pretty sure everyone in the world wants in on this secret. Every 14- / 15-inch laptop that we've ever used here (Mac and PC, both) has eventually become uncomfortably warm after extended use, and we've personally resorted to keeping a stockpile of pillows around just to guard ourselves. Drop the world a better solution down below if you have one. And by "one," we mean "a laptop model."
Shocker! Laptops placed on laps will overheat you where you don't want to be overheated
Scrotal hyperthermia -- even its name sounds like a terrible, horrible thing. Yes, gadget enthusiasts, we're talking about the vastly underrated problem that is the overheating of a techie gentleman's reproductive parts. A study recently published in the Fertility and Sterility journal confirms what we've long known -- that heat escaping laptops sat on laps can and will raise the temperature in your external offspring storage units -- but adds a bit of handy additional info as well. Firstly, it turns out that keeping one's legs together to balance the laptop is mostly to blame, as it doesn't provide enough airflow to let heat escape, while lap pads have been found to be entirely ineffective in protecting testicles from rising in temperature. Another note of import is that the men in this study failed to notice when their scrotal thermometers rose above what's considered safe, so we'd just advise doing your mobile blogging Engadget style: from a bar, a coffee table, the trunk of a car, or even a humble desk.
EverQuest opens orders for House of Thule
There's a certain seasonal familiarity to EverQuest expansions, with the game continuing to launch new ones at a steady pace through its twelve-year run. House of Thule, set for release in October, is now available for pre-orders as well as for ordering via digital download. And has become the tradition, not only does it include the newest expansion but all of the prior expansions to the game, making it an excellent purchase to catch up with everything. Aside from a level cap increase, House of Thule is set to include player housing and 13 new zones (one of which will presumably be some sort of dwelling or domicile). The pre-order for the standard game includes a live topiary mount and a 16-slot bag, while the collector's edition also includes a dead topiary mount and a 20-slot bag. EverQuest players are also encouraged to watch the trailer just after the cut, showing off some of the more visually impressive elements of the coming expansion.
Hot Topic introduces new WoW merchandise, cute model
Following on the heels of J!NX's new winter line of WoW merchandise, Hot Topic has released a new line of Blizzard-themed apparel just in time for the holidays. Included among the many newcomers to the line are "spray-painted" Alliance and Horde logo shirts, faction insignia wallets, Starcraft II and Diablo III shirts, hoodies with a neat piece of art depicting an Alliance/Horde battle (replete with male model rocking a worrisome mustache) and, for the ladies in your life, a cute purple "Fight Like a Girl" t-shirt with a set of the highly feminine night elf hunter and blood elf paladin. That's right -- now you too can have a qtbelf on your chest, or the chest of a female WoWer near and dear to your heart. As long as she's a size small or medium, anyway. The other sizes are sold out. Speaking of near and dear to my heart, that model! Aye aye aye. For her, if that shirt was available in mens' sizes, I'd buy it even if it said "I play as a female character in World of Warcraft." I mean, I do. Several of them, but. You know. Still. All the new pieces are available at HotTopic.com or at your local Hot Topic store. Remember, those places are guarded by level 14 elite scenesters. Bring friends.
In-game fixes for December 15th
Another day, another round of in-game hotfixes. This time the most interesting one of the bunch is the increase in Battered Hilt drop rate (the Battered Hilt leads to the Quel'Delar). Of course it could mean that the hilt drop rate was increased from 0.001% to 0.01%, but hey, at least that's one whole decimal place! Please note however that we don't know what the actual drop rate was nor what it is now. All we know that it's very low. In actuality, one could surmise that the drop rate was increased to combat some of the outrageous prices that we're seeing on the AH. 20,000 gold or more for a weapon that will be outdated in less than a year is a bit much. Quel'Delar in now unique equip. Naxxramas can now be cleared in any order for the Immortal and Undying achievements. The drop rate for the Battered Hilt has been increased. The Skeletal Slave in the Pit of Saron has had the ability to drop the Battered Hilt and other random drop epics removed. The entire list of in-game hotfixes from the past seven days after the break.
Psyclone / React Wiimote chargers recalled due to fire hazard
Wii owners, you just can't catch a break, can you? First you're busting up the TV when all you ever wanted was a little ball-free faux-bowling action, and then there's that Rock Band controller / chemical burn fiasco. And now? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has just announced a voluntary recall of a little something called the 4-Dock Battery Recharge Station. This guy (available from Target, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com under the Psyclone brand, or from Best Buy under the React name) has been recharging batteries, excessively overheating batteries, posing fire risks, and burning the occasional hand since they first went on sale in January, 2008. Think you may have one of the offending units? Don't just call the Waaaambulance -- hit that read link and demand satisfaction! [Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Patch 3.2 In-Game fixes for Wednesday August 5th
Not that anyone should be surprised, but the first round of in-game bug fixes for patch 3.2 are out. These fixes were announced tonight, however they might not be completely active until the servers undergo maintenance tomorrow.There are many, many bugs this patch. Some are more obvious than others, like XT not being doable for most folks. Others are more subtle, like Wintergrasp Commendations being able to be sent to alts, who then were able to take them into Battlegrounds and level like mad.The full list of fixes announced today after the break. We'll continue to bring you these in-game fixes as Blizzard announces them over the next week (or longer, if things are really bad).
Playcast hoping to beat OnLive to the game streaming punch
We're still not comfortable with the magical technoworkings that apparently allow OnLive to summon games from the ether -- to think that other companies have the engineering prowess to pull it off is terrifying. According to a recent press release, a startup company named Playcast Media has teamed up with an Israeli cable network called Hot to stream "PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 quality games," straight to Israel's set-top cable boxes. The service is in beta now -- in Q1 2010, it'll rollout over all of Israel. It's expected to hit "major markets" in the US, Asia and Europe later that year.That's a lot of heady claims from a service we know so little about. Fortunately, an Israeli tech journalist named Denis Vitchevsky got a chance to check out the service, and came off with an optimistic impression. He says the technology is "somewhat similar to OnLive," and that the demo he witnessed "worked quite well." He claims Playcast has signed agreements with a few publishers, and is promising a huge library at launch. For now, the service is offering PC ports -- but no M rated games just yet, due to a lack of parental control features.We're trying to get more info on the service, but as you might imagine, it takes a while for emails to zip between here and Israel.
