Sub Zero
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Facebook to backup its servers with low-power storage devices at 'Sub-Zero' data center
Data backups come in all shapes and sizes. For some, they take the form of external hard drives or a slice of the amorphous cloud. As for Facebook, its upcoming solution is low-power deep-storage hardware contained within a 62,000 square-foot building in Prineville, Oregon near its existing Beaver State data center. Unofficially referred to as "Sub-Zero," the facility will store a copy of the social network's data in case its primary servers need to be restored in an emergency. Rather than continuously power HDDs that are only occasionally used, the new setup can conserve energy by lighting-up drives just when they're needed. One of the company's existing server racks eats up around 4.5 kilowatts, while those at Sub-Zero are each expected to consume approximately 1.5 kilowatts once they're up and running. Tom Furlong, Facebook's vice president of site operations, told Wired that there are hopes to create a similar structure alongside the firm's North Carolina data center. Since the Prineville project is still being planned, Zuckerberg & Co. have roughly six to nine months to suss out all the details before your photos are backed up at the new digs.
Digital Storm launches Aventum range with Cryo-TEC cooling system
The last thing you want when things are getting hot in the battlefield, is for things to start heating-up under your desk too. Digital Storm's been back in the lab, looking for ways to prevent just that, and thinks it's cracked it with the new Aventum system. It's the first to be kitted out with the PC-maker's Cryo-TEC liquid cooling mechanism, and boasts a thermal exhaust, five software-regulated "zones" and no less than 13 configurable fans. The range starts with an Intel i7 2700K core, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD (1TB HDD) and a GeForce GTX680 for $3,859. If your pockets are even deeper, then you might fancy the 2x dual Xeon E5-2630 hexacore-totin' system with 32GB DDR RAM, and three-way SLI (with the same GeForce GTX680) for a jaw dropping $7,856. With a price like that, however, it's probably your credit card that'll need cooling down. Digital Storm is taking orders as of today, and full details of the range in the PR after the break.
Sonim XP3300 Force hands-on (through insulating gloves)
What do you do with a phone that claims it can withstand anything you throw its way? Dip it in sub-zero temperatures, bang it against concrete, drop it from great heights, and then stand on it? That was the full extent of our imagination today when getting to grips with the Sonim XP3300 Force and the damn thing didn't budge a millimeter, never mind an inch. It has a Gorilla Glass-protected screen and some rather self-apparent water- and impact-resistant hardware surrounding its soft electronic core. Changes in this latest model include the redesign of the Java-based OS, the internal power supply circuitry, the GPS module, and the antenna, all in the name of improving efficiency to a claimed 24 hours of talk time on a single charge. That's quite the feat, even if you can't exactly stream HD Flash videos using this chunky fella. The XP3300 Force is available in 50 countries around the world today, with pricing near $400 unsubsidized or between $50 and $150 on contract. Skip past the break for video of its endurance. %Gallery-116644%
Federal Excess: FedEx introduces liquid nitrogen-cooled biotech shipping, we can envision other uses
Just think about this the next time a FedEx van comes speeding past you -- that four-wheeled transporter could be carrying containers equipped with liquid nitrogen cooling that keeps its innards at a chilly -150 degrees Celsius. Don't worry, though, says FedEx, the use of dry vapor is actually safer than the currently used dry ice and classifies this new methodology as non-hazardous. While we may like to poke fun, it sounds like a pretty legitimate boon for healthcare and biotechnology shipments, which can now be maintained at a deeply frozen temperature for up to 10 days at a time. FedEx will provide the self-sufficient container and collect it upon delivery of the goods, while also monitoring its condition during transit. No word on whether or when DiGiorno will be signing up for the service. [Thanks, Pavel]
Control4, Sub-Zero get in on the home automation game
While brands like LG, Samsung, and Kenmore all showed off their own special brand of Jetsonian appliances at CES this year, Sub-Zero was close by touting a stable of 30 automation-ready products and a partnership with Control4 that could make them a contender for home automation domination. Sub-Zero's ZigBee-based system uses preexisting serial ports (initially installed for diagnostic purposes) to connect users to appliances via touchscreens, smart phones, and other enabled devices. The system lacks full control of potentially dangerous appliances like the oven, instead acting as an alert system when, say, your turkey is done roasting, but it does grant complete access to things like your refrigerator or freezer. Other systems might sport increased functionality, like LG's Thinq, which allows users to set oven temperatures remotely, and Samsung's fridge, which lets you tweet from a built-in touchscreen, but Sub-Zero is hoping a second-quarter release will put them at the head of the pack. We'll see if a head start makes a difference in the glacial appliance market, when Samsung rolls out its smart refrigerator this May and Kenmore's system comes to fruition in 2012.
Digital Storm's liquid-chilled gaming PC includes 4.6GHz Core i7-980X, equally chilling price
Mmm, overclocking. If you've been looking to treat yourself this holiday season, there's hardly a better way than with a shiny new gaming PC. Better still, a shiny new gaming PC with a liquid-chilled processor... one that just so happens to be warrantied with a 4.6GHz clock speed. Digital Storm's Hailstorm desktop is now available with a so-called Sub-Zero cooling system, which is described as a series of TEC peltier coolers that work in conjunction with other high-end liquid cooling components to keep Intel's Core i7-980X from boiling over. On the high-end rig, you'll also get 6GB of DDR3 memory, a trio of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (1.5GB) GPUs, a 1200-watt power supply and a bank-breaking $6,903 price tag. Cost-conscious consumers can opt for two lesser systems, with a $4,390 build being equipped with a Core i7-950 and the $3,899 unit creeping by with only a single GTX 460 GPU. But hey, what's a few grand among friends? Promo vid is after the break. %Gallery-108029%
Sub-Zero's ice-cold combos revealed in latest Mortal Kombat trailer
In this new Mortal Kombat trailer, we get a glimpse at Sub-Zero's fall-back career: juggling. We have a feeling he'd be at home on a stage somewhere, tossing chainsaws around -- if the Lin Kuei didn't have such an amazing dental plan, he probably would've given up assassinating a long time ago.
Watch this Mortal Kombat trailer about Sub-Zero, if you Frigidaire
The Mortal Kombat trailer after the break offers some backstory for Sub-Zero, explaining why he joined the deadly tournament. Does he need much motivation, though? He's a ninja who freezes people with his hands. Nobody's going to spar with him at the Y. This is basically his only way to keep fit.
Fight your sense of right and wrong with these 10 odd mash-ups
We realize some people have fantasies and, thanks to the internet, they have an outlet. But some things are so sacred, so untouchable, that they should never be tampered with. We bring this up because this list of ten crazy, unauthorized fighting game mash-ups created with M.U.G.E.N. is just plain disturbing. Never would we have wanted to see Homer and Peter Griffin team up to battle Scorpion and Sub-Zero -- both teams are mortal enemies! Nor would we have wished to see Wolverine take on Mike Tyson or Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders throw down against Ryu and M. Bison. We're all for enemies putting aside their differences and finding friendship, but it's really skewing our sense of right and wrong here, guys!
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe gets confirmation, trailer
We were a little skeptical when the first promotional poster for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe leaked out this morning, but now that GamesRadar has posted up the first trailer for the game our reaction has gone from skepticism to amazement. As in, we're amazed that this thing actually exists.The high impact, mid-air fight between Sub-Zero and Batman (shown below the break) seems a little out of character for the Dark Knight, who's always been more about calculation and strategy than all out hand-to-hand Kombat. We're also a little worried about how the DC heroes' long-standing prohibition against killing is going to match up with the Mortal Kombat series' famously fatal, er, fatalities. But these kinds of academic nerd-concerns are hard to maintain when watching the concentrated 360- and PS3-fueled awesomeness on display in this video. [Update: Gamespot has an interview with Project Lead Ed Boon that discusses the game's story and the balancing between the variously super-powered characters. The interview also confirm Superman's and Scorpion's somewhat obvious inclusion in the game. Gamespot's preview has more details][Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone survives freezing temperatures, won't work with gloves
It's been a tick since anyone was brave enough to put their mobile through frozen conditions after that whole i-mate JAQ ordeal, but a fellow at f-secure did manage to put his own iPhone to the test to see just how well it would operate after a half hour in the freezer. Though Apple lists the "nonoperating temperature" as -4° to 113° Fahrenheit, this particular iPhone chilled out in -4° temperatures for 30 solid minutes before finally escaping, and while the touchscreen wouldn't respond at all to glove-covered fingertips, bare hands managed to show that all functionality was still in tact. Granted, it wasn't frozen in a block of ice or anything, but folks residing in bitterly cold locales can rest assured that their iPhone will indeed survive the frigid winters to come. Check out the video after the jump.[Via TUAW]
