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Transphorm promises brickless laptop chargers, power savings aplenty
Stop us if you've heard this one before. A mysterious startup company operates in secret for a number of years, raises millions in funding from some of the biggest players in the industry (in this case, Google and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers), and announces a breakthrough technology that promises to change everything. In this case the startup is a company called Transphorm, and the breakthrough is a gallium nitride technology that promises to improve AC/DC transformers. While that might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, the company's CEO says that it could not only drastically reduce the electricity wasted by electronics that currently rely on silicon components, but significantly reduce the size of the components as well. One prime example there is laptop charger bricks, which Transphorm says could be reduced or even completely eliminated by building the necessary components right into the laptop itself. The company also sees a huge opportunity with electric cars, and especially data centers, which is one of the first markets it will be targeting. Of course, complete details are still fairly light at the moment, but the company is promising to unveil its first products in just two weeks, and you can be sure we'll be watching.
Dell finally makes right, offers up-rated power adapters to close the Studio Throttlegate
It's taken a long time, too long by most accounts, but Dell finally has what looks to be a proper, honest to gosh fix for the CPU throttling issues that have been plaguing some of its Studio laptops. Users were reporting that the machines, when faced with slightly elevated temperatures, would throttle themselves back by up to 95 percent, leaving some folks with 100MHz paperweights. Dell issued a firmware update quickly after we shed a little light on the situation back in December, a "fix" that helped some but, apparently, not all. We're just now hearing that the company apparently launched a program back in February to replace the stock 90 watt power adapters with more capable 130 watt models for anyone suffering this affliction. However, this doesn't seem to be a proper recall, as the reports we're seeing indicate only customers who call and complain have been made aware of this program. So, consider yourself made aware. The source link below will take you to the official site where you can order a replacement adapter, but if it doesn't like your service tag number give Dell support a call and mention this program. We're hearing others are having success going that route. [Thanks, Kevin]
Xbox 360 power supply cited in Little Rock fire
Y'know, just the other day we were saying to ourselves that it seemed like forever since we'd heard a new report of a Microsoft gaming power supply causing a fire. Well, we can't say that anymore, because KTHV is reporting that Little Rock Fire Department Captain Jason Weaver fingered an Xbox 360 power supply as the source of a house fire Monday.Thankfully no one was hurt in the fire, which did $10,000 worth of damage to the house, but we're a little concerned that it was an Xbox 360 that allegedly caused the fire. Isn't the original Xbox supposed to be the one with the spark-generating, recall-spawning power supply? We thought the Xbox 360's heat problems were usually limited to inside the system (sorry, we had to go there).
Monster 85W MacBook Pro power adapter shrinks
Our blog brothers over at Engadget caught a nice little update to the MacBook Pro 85W MagSafe power adapter. Apparently it's being shrunk down closer to the size of 60W adapter that comes with the MacBook. Considering how huge the older 85W adapter was, this is a welcome change. The Apple Store is listing a shipping time of 3-4 weeks for the new adapter which goes for the same $79 as the old one (and the 60W).
360 Thief calls tech support, gets busted
A 14 year old Kiwi stole an Xbox 360 but neglected to grab the power brick, as it was most likely too heavy for a clean getaway. So, the next day, he called the local tech support, and requested a new one, in the process giving the hot 360's serial number, his name, phone number, and address so that Microsoft New Zealand could mail him a new one. When the victim contacted MS, and gave his stolen console's SN, they informed him it had already been registered and they have the culprit's personal info, but couldn't reveal any information due to their privacy policy. The victim went to the police, who then contacted MS, and found that the only way they could get the information was through a court order. Only then were they able to make an arrest. Although, if we were in his shoes we probably would have just forked over the cash for another adapter.[Via DC Emu]
Big bucks for 360 power brick
The bulky Xbox 360 power brick (aka El Jefe Grande) is big by any definition. Big enough to make your puny DVD player power supply run and hide. Big enough to club a baby seal to death in a pinch. All that's missing to secure its status as the king of gargantuan AC adaptors is a big stand-alone price tag. Enter the Intec Xbox 360 Power AC Adaptor, which, for the Kong-size cost of $100 ( wall plug not included!) adds an internal cooling fan and a few LED lights to your factory power brick, without shaving an ounce off the original's famous form factor. When I first heard about this thing, I assumed Intec was charging power supply snobs a premium for a sleeker, less obtrusive unit, but who was I kidding? This baby is big 'n' beautiful, and it has a fan that supposedly makes your 360 run better. The only question: Is anyone out there a big enough sucker to actually buy it?[Thanks Chris]
More Wii accessories, prices revealed
The Nintendo of Japan website has a new page showing off all the not-so-extravagant Wii accessories; namely, the power cord, input cables, and "official" Nintendo SD cards. The accessories and prices revealed: Power adapter* (¥3,000) Ethernet adapter (¥2,800) 512MB SD card (¥3,800) Composite input cables* (¥1,000) D-Cable input (¥2,500) S-Video input cables (¥2,500) Component input cables (¥2,500) The 512MB SD card equates to approximately US$32, which is double the price for a non-Nintendo SD card with the exact same functionality. Just remember that it costs Nintendo a hefty fee to put its logo on its own products.Note: accessories with an asterisk (*) besides them are pre-packaged with the Wii.[Via Engadget; thanks to all who sent this in!]
Overheard at the family BBQ: "Oh my God it's huge!"
The family Memorial Day weekend BBQ was the first time my non-gamer geek relatives got a chance to spend some quality in-door air-conditioned time with my Xbox 360. Comments ranged from my Mother's horror at the realistic blood and Burger King ads in FNR:3 to group frustration with Geometry Wars (still too intimidating for the most casual, even after several Coronas). Best line of the the day:"What is that thing?...Oh my God it's huge!"In reference to El Jefe, otherwise known as the the 360 power supply.
