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Build Shop: Warrior 17/44
Every Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday, when dealing with broken computers), Chris Jahosky contributes Build Shop, which takes a look into one of the many talent specs available to players.I'm sure some of you noticed that Build Shop went on an unscheduled vacation -- this was unfortunately due to the death of my old computer. My new computer is all set up and ready to go (and plays WoW better than ever), and so I'm now officially back on the scene. There was a lot of talk in the comments from last time about the RiP (Rogue in Plate) build, so this week I'm taking a look at it for those who are interested.RiPper builds (like 17/44, the one I'm examining) are so named because their DPS potential is quite close to rogues (hence, Rogue in Plate). It's a sustained damage build, similar to a combat spec Rogue, but because of their ability to wear plate (and a shield) have more survivability and off-tank potential. They're quite capable of inflicting incredible damage, and can be especially nasty when paired with a Shaman's Windfury totem.The Fury tree is utilized extensively for this build -- points are mostly put into Arms in order to grab Impale, which increases critical damage, but it also picks up a few nice talents for tanking and utility.
Sony bids adieu to Trinitron CRT sets
Just months after Sony hauled its RPTV production business off to the graveyard, the firm is now bidding a fond farewell to the Trinitron CRT. Believe it or not, the first Trinitron became a reality in 1968, and here we are some 40 years later shedding a tear as LCDs and OLED displays steal the thunder. Reportedly, the firm has moved some 280 million units worldwide between televisions and computer monitors, but we suppose all good things must eventually come to an end. So long, Trinitron -- it's been a mighty impressive run. [Via Slashgear]
DivX shutting down Stage6
In a somewhat sudden announcement, DivX has decided to close the door on its Stage6 service. Reportedly, upload functionality has already been halted, but videos will still be available for viewing / downloading until February 28th. According to a DivX employee, the service simply became too unwieldy (and expensive) to manage, and while it did toss out the option of selling the service to someone else, things evidently didn't pan out. Adios, Stage6 -- 'twas a fun ride.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Netscape finally bows out, browsers no longer supported
Although Netscape was once a mighty pioneer in the world of internet browsers, it didn't take long for Microsoft's Internet Explorer to overtake it and squash its dreams of market dominance. Granted, we highly (and we stress "highly") doubt any viewers reading this now are relying on Netscape Navigator as their primary browser, but seeing it finally bow out is a bit surreal. According to a post on the Netscape Blog, support (and subsequent updates) for it will no longer be provided by AOL (disclosure: AOL is our parent company's parent) after February 1, 2008. Sure, old versions will still be available for those who just hate to move on, but the team is suggesting that any remaining Netscape users (a show of hands, anyone?) make the leap to Firefox, and they even point you in the direction of a Netscape theme should you find yourself uncomfortable with change. Rest in peace, dear Netscape -- it's about time that last heap of dirt was finally flung.[Via BlogRunner]
Fujitsu quits the display business
The rough-and-tumble economics of the display business claimed another victim today, as Fujitsu announced that it will exit the market in March. We hadn't seen a lot from the company's Aviamo line of plasmas since they first debuted in 2006, and it looks like there's a reason -- according to the short press release issued by Fujitsu today, "the pricing and profitability of this segment has compressed beyond the point which our company could realize a satisfactory return on investment." Hmmm, that explains why it spun off Shinoda Plasma a while back, no? Fujitsu says it will continue to sell displays in Japan and provide service and support to customers for the foreseeable future, but that what it really wants to do is paint "concentrate...on our core business of heating and ventilation equipment." You keep living that dream, guys.[Thanks, Bruce S.]
RIP, CompUSA: 1984 - 2008
Days after we first reported that CompUSA could be shutting down for good very, very soon, the WSJ everybody is reporting that the beleaguered big box retailer has been sold to Gordon Brothers Group for liquidation, which will occur shortly after the holidays. Somehow we don't think it'll be too missed, but Carlos Slim's in some pain today -- we didn't realize dude put $2 billion into the chain since the late 90s. Check out the Best Buy victory rap after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
MovieBeam shutting down operations on December 15th
MovieBeam is calling customers today and telling them that the datacasting HD movie service is ceasing operations as of December 15th, with certain customers eligible for a refund on the hardware. It's been rocky going for the company since spinning off from Disney a couple years ago, with a series of investments and acquisitions along the way, but none of the owners ever really managed to make the limited-selection, high-DRM, wonky-quality movie rental business model really work. Although we're always sad to see another gadget fade into that sweet night, something tells us we're not going to mourn for long.[Thanks, Dustin]
Rumor: CompUSA going out of business in January
So we've heard enough banter about CompUSA being on its last legs and possibly shuttering completely after closing more than half the chain's stores earlier this year. Well, chalk this up to rumor (in fact, rumor with prejudice if you must), but we're privy to a high-level internal email competitor Best Buy recently circulated which claims to have it on authority (but not "verified") that CompUSA's holiday revenue is half what it was last year (which, as commenter Hans points out, might have to do with those store closures), store-restocking shipments are not being scheduled past February, and additional liquidators are being called in to help manage closure of the 103 remaining stores. Sure, it could be a sneaky misinformation campaign -- or it could be the truth. We gave CompUSA a ring, and their PR team has yet to respond to the claim; but for what it's worth, if we weren't already hearing this kind of thing elsewhere (or didn't believe it plausible) we wouldn't waste your time.
RIP, Classic Mac OS: 1984 - 2007
It's not a huge surprise, but Apple's gone ahead and posted a note confirming that Leopard will not support Classic, even on PowerPC machines. Of course, Intel Macs have never been able to run Classic anyway, so only like Hypercard user groups and the three printshops still running QuarkXPress 4 will be affected by this. But this does mark the end of the road for the venerable and oft maligned OS, which ushered in the mainstream GUI era with the 128K Mac in 1984 and remained the default boot on all new Macs until OS X 10.1.2 was released 18 years later in 2002 -- prompting Steve to stage a melodramatic mock funeral for OS 9 at that year's WWDC. Still, the old warhorse managed to hang around for another five years, and we're a little sad to finally see it go. Check a vid of Steve's funeral after the break.
Hitachi's consumer PC, RIP: 1978 - 2007
After helping to pioneer the home computer revolution in Japan, Hitachi is bowing out of the consumer PC market due to sluggish sales. They will, however, continue to manufacture server-based computers for businesses while attempting to refocus energies around their core competencies. Of course, with Lenovo, HP, and Dell dominating global (and domestic Japan) sales, things don't look too promising for the likes of NEC or Fujitsu either. Really, what can you expect with desktops this hideous. [Image courtesy of old-computers]
So long ATRAC, thanks for nothing
In case you missed it, Sony's CONNECT music services based on the ATRAC audio format are finally -- at long last -- coming to an end. In North America and Europe, anyway. The off again, on again music service with a penchant for the ol' ATRAC lock-in will be phased out. Buried in that US-bound video Walkman press release, Sony states that, "Specific timing will vary by region depending on market demand, but will not be before March 2008." The CONNECT e-book service for the Reader will not be affected." We expect the swift demise of ATRAC to follow.Update: Connect customers are already being notified of Sony's move away from their "proprietary music format." They'll even provide future "guidance" for converting your library over to WMA or MP3 formats. Good times, eh?Update 2: Those conversions are just for music you added to your library -- not for music you paid for. Sorry, you're gonna be out that cash unless you strip the DRM.[Thanks, Robert H]
Workaround enables Netflix 'Watch Now' titles to be decrypted, saved
Looking for a new way to use FairUse4WM? Have a Netflix account? If so, go on and roll your sleeves up, as a crafty (and acrimonious) fellow has managed to find a workaround that enables you to not only decrypt the DRM-laced "Watch Now" movie files, but save them to your hard drive for future viewing. Admittedly, the process is somewhere between painless and potentially frustrating, but the gist of it involves Windows Media Player 11, FairUse4WM, Notepad, a Netflix account, and a broadband connection. Through a series of hoop jumping, users can now strip the "Watch Now" files free of DRM and watch them at their leisure and on any video-playing device they choose. Granted, there's certainly issues of legality mixed in here, but where there's a will, there's a way. [Warning: Read link language potentially NSFW][Via TVSquad]
Doki Doki Majo Shinpan artwork rips
For those who place little value in the chase, that exhilarating, flirtatious period when nothing is guaranteed, actually playing through Doki Doki Majo Shinpan is secondary to groping its adolescent witches. Rather than have you labor through the text-heavy release's dialogue and plot setup, Stage Clear has posted artwork wrested from the Japanese game, enabling you to skip the journey and get right to your depraved destination. While none of the shots are scandalous enough to land you a ten-year stay in a federal prison, we wouldn't say that they're safe for work viewing either. The wiccan nymphets are depicted in poses that would leave Humbert Humbert dizzy with delight ("the king crying for joy, the trumpets blaring, the nurse drunk"), their faces reacting to the taps and strokes of an unseen stylus. Scurry shamefully past the post break for a couple of those images.
Dell Dimension Desktops, RIP: 1992 - 2007
What's missing from the Dell consumer desktop lineup pictured above? Right, the Dimension brand. Gone like the wind and Dell's once dominant position in the home desktop game. As of today, Dell's Inspiron branding, once reserved exclusively for their laptops, becomes the moniker of choice for Dell's budget-conscious consumers. A little sad really, little Dimension would have turned 15 on Friday. Read -- Press release Read -- Dell's original Dimension announcement (June 29, 1992)
AACS managed copy? We got yer managed copy right 'ere
Remember managed copy? Aw c'mon, it hasn't been that long! Managed copy is / was the answer to people's desire to do totally reasonable things like rip their movies to a portable device, or to a central home server for streaming around the house. Basically the provision in AACS DRM allows users to legally rip however many copies the studio specifies, but those legal rips will still be heavily encased in dark, slippery DRM-goo. You know, just in case you should have friends over with a laptop and sticky fingers. Well, Blu-ray and HD DVD have long since landed, seemingly without any plans for managed copy; shocker, the studios didn't take advantage of the provision. But seeing as how AACS is crackable by a single, simple hex key, the high def DRM obviously wasn't able to cut the mustard in keeping users from doing with their content what they please. The AACS LA's solution? Let them eat cake. The DRM-maker's new plan to distract people from the fact that they can already rip their HD movies to DRM-free formats is simply to pressure and ultimately convince the studios to take advantage of managed copy, and all will be well. (Except for the still-present DRM vestiges.) Will they turn these studios' opinion of managed copy around? Um, what do you think?Update: Ars apparently got in touch with the AACS LA, who seemed to claim that the provisional AACS license granted in early 2006 is not final, and the feature isn't "ready". That seems to contradict previous reports that have the tech as being done, but just merely unimplemented (the two are like, so totally different, man). Whatever the case, the important part is that maybe, just maybe, it's coming along this year.
Dell Axim, RIP: 2002 - 2007
T'is a sad day for legions of Axim fanboys the world over -- yes, they really do exist, especially among PDA emulation gaming enthusiasts -- as Mobility Site is reporting that Dell has quietly removed the last x51-series models from its retail site, effectively spelling the end of the five-year-old brand as we know it. First released in 2002, the Axims were always considered vanguard devices among Pocket PC users, introducing features such as WiFi, VGA screens, and high-end processors as soon as they became available. It would be great to see Dell carry this tradition over onto an Axim line of smartphones -- 624MHz XScale CPUs plus 640 x 480 displays would be pretty hot indeed -- but for now it seems that the company is concentrating on its other businesses, so if you want to buy a PDA from Dell, it's ironically gotta be Palm or nothing or Acer or Pharos.
DVDFab: Now with HD DVD backup support, enjoy!
Another day, another all-in-one solution for copying AACS-protected HD DVDs hits the streets. Fengtao Software has thrown support for the next generation format into the latest beta version (3.0.9.0) of its DVDFab copying software. Following in the steps of Slysoft's AnyDVD HD, the maker of DVDFab HD Decrypter says Blu-ray backup support is "coming soon", and that it's capable of copying an HD DVD to the hard drive -- sans any copy protection restrictions -- in less than one hour. Of course the changelog doesn't provide details on how DVDFab does it's unDRMing thing, but with so many methods available, does it really matter which one? Still no word on how AACS LA plans to respond to the growing availability of easy hacks and DRM-free HD editions of Hollywood's latest, but at this rate we'll have a war between various makers of one-click backup software to rival Blu-ray vs. HD DVD.[Via AfterDawn]
Microsoft Clippy, RIP: 1997 - 2007
Not too long after MobileESPN breathed new life, now we've got the unfortunate duty of informing the world that Microsoft finally axed the most annoying aspect of Office has decided to leave "Clippy" behind in Office 2007. We suspected something was brewing when the iconic figure started donning a 3D skirt in Japan, but a brief interview with Office's group program manager revealed that the clip is indeed dead. While it had been fading for awhile due to an apparent lack of mass fanfare, and was even turned off by default in Office 2003, it seems that Clippy fans will be forced to stick with now-antiquated versions of the Office suite in order to keep their darling on screen. But don't fret too much, as the countdown until someone crafts a freeware app re-instilling a Clippy rendition into Office begins... now.[Via ChipChick]
PS3 music playback is customizable, but limited
IGN tested out PlayStation 3's music playback ability, discovering that it's more fully-featured, but not as flexible as Xbox 360's playback functionality. Like 360, Sony's console allows users to rip/import music onto the hard drive. Ripping a 76-minute album took IGN roughly six minutes; unlike 360, ripped tracks can be formatted into AAC, ATRAC, or MP3 files (with several bitrate options). As with PSP, albums are stored separately (not under artists), but can be sorted by artist (and other categories) if desired.While music playback is enabled during XMB activity (e.g., tinkering with settings, viewing pictures, browsing the web, etc.), it ceases once a game is launched. It's surprising that Sony did not implement seamless (user-generated) soundtrack functionality, which Xbox 360 owners have enjoyed since the spring Dashboard update. Is there a need for a patch in a future firmware upgrade?
PS3 to download album art when ripping CDs
At yesterday's Sony event, we reviewed a few details about how the PS3 will handle music playback. The system will rip your own audio CDs to MP3 or ATRAC, logging ID details through Gracenote. Sony also says that the device will download and add album art if it can be located.Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 will also support iPods and USB mass-storage devices; it can copy MP3 or ATRAC files to the internal hard drive.With these media options, Sony keeps pushing the PS3 as a device capable of more than gaming. We're not sure how many of these features we'll use, but maybe gamers' families will. We just hope that these non-gaming decisions didn't contribute much to the cost of the system.
