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Hands-on with Vulcan's Flipstart handheld PC
The Vulcan Flipstart is one of those products that just gets you juiced up about gadgets, because really, what's more gadgety than a full-fledged computer that you can slide into a coat pocket? There was a short while there (2003 to 2007) when we thought that the Flipstart would never make it out of vaporware hell; all that trepidation disappeared, however, when not one but two of the little XP-powered clamshells got delivered to our doorstep. Having already played around with both OQOs, several UMPCs, and countless smartphones, we had a pretty good idea of what we were expecting from this device, and from our preliminary evaluation, it does not disappoint. From the polished, slightly-heavy body to the port replicator to the geeky hip pouch, everything feels solidly built -- as we would hope for a product that's been in development for several years. Boot-up occurs fairly quickly, and you're up and running within the minute, with most applications performing adequately on a Pentium M CPU backed by 512MB of RAM. Input is also fairly painless; although touch-typing is a non-starter on the tiny thumb board, those used to their Treos will catch on quickly, and the dual methods for pointer control (touchpad and nubbin) felt responsive and precise. Another nice feature is the auxiliary external display, which although not powered by Slideshow, nonetheless offers PIM entries and media control in a very convenient manner. We'll have more impressions for you once we take our two new toys for a longer spin, but for now you can pass the time by checking out the loaded gallery below, complete with the all important Flipstart vs. Flipstart comparative shots.%Gallery-1960%
Windows-based ATM machine hacked, gets Painted
Although we wouldn't expect to find the latest release of Photoshop on your neighborhood ATM, it's not so far fetched to think that Paint would be left on a Windows-based ATM. We've seen a recent boost in cash machine hacking of late, and while this latest attempt doesn't siphon illegal coinage out of the slot, it does make for quite a laugh. Joining the pitiful array of other Windows-powered mishaps, a sharp cameraphone-toting individual spotted a local ATM that had a beautifully hand-crafted Paint message on the front screen in place of the typical "Insert your card to begin transaction," and while we've already said too much about a picture that speaks a million words, be sure to click on through to see how accessing an ATM's start menu can lead to all sorts of mischievous mayhem.[Via Digg]
The quest for Autumn: Windows XP's elusive backdrop
It's no secret that people have been fascinated, or at least intrigued, by wallpapers and screensavers since the desktop first graced their eyes, and judging by the sheer multitude of websites and man-hours devoted to perfecting the screen that you so rarely see once you launch that first app, it's also no shock to hear a tale of such obsession. Although Autumn may not be most people's default background in Windows XP, it's still well regarded, and for one Vanity Fair writer, it sparked a worldwide quest to find its origin. Expecting the task to be one of relative ease in the age of email, meta tags, and digital archives, he began by questioning the usual suspects about its humble beginnings, but to his dismay, was turned down time and time again by rights protectors who wouldn't divulge the author nor location of such a highly prized stock photograph. Eventually, his entire team was onboard in a furious (albeit seemingly futile) search to discover precisely where this image was shot, once leading to thoughts of permanent relocation if the locale was finally unearthed. After what seemed like months of running into brick walls, an email to Bill Gates himself resulted in an apparently automated response that belted out nothing more but the snapshot's place of origin, which incited fits of jovial celebration office-wide. To Campbellville, Ontario, Canada they headed, in desperate need to visit the orangey area so burned into their memories, and thanks to the purportedly mysterious workings of a co-worker, they even landed the shooter's name. Eventually, the journey led them to a rarely traveled path in the city of Burlington, where the old Harris Homestead quietly sat behind a vigilant row of bare trees surrounded by glistening white snow. It truly was Winter, at last for the adventurous crew, but it certainly gives us pause when deciding whether or not to seek out the origin of Ascent and Azul in our spare time.
Windows XP games: We're not dead yet
That thud you heard last week was the sound of Windows Vista hitting the market. We know the Games for Windows crew weren't impressed and we're still a little confused about buying Vista before having it naturally part of a new PC. Despite the confusion, Voodoo Extreme, looking to toss a $20 on the counter and kick Windows XP out, declares their Top 20 PC games for the "last generation."The list is all good and fine with Rise of Nations, Rome: Total War, Half-Life 2, WoW and other PC-centric masterpieces. We've just never thought of PC games as being "next-gen," "last-gen," or any other type of buzzword. PC games don't have that fanboy console mentality attached to them. In the average consumer's mind, PC games evolve in a completely different manner than by console generation. Windows Vista, in time, is what a majority of consumers will use for PC, an eventual unavoidable upgrade as Microsoft intended. The idea that consumers are rushing out, upgrading to Vista and Windows XP games are soooooo passé is a little silly.
WoW + Vista = ????
So Microsoft had a little launch of its own yesterday (why can't they do these things at midnight like normal people?), and reader Scott Harris wrote in with a relevant question: "Has anyone tried to see how compatible WoW is with Windows Vista?" If the above banner snagged at CES is any indication, the fun is only beginning -- then again, something tells me they weren't thinking about Warcraft. I'm not gonna lie -- I have zero plans to upgrade my XP box to Vista anytime soon, mostly because I'm primarily a Mac person (yes, flame on, people, flame on) and the thought of doing the upgrade to the only Windows box in the house sounds about as fun as major surgery to me. However, the trusty intertubes contain some accounts of compatibility, and so far the reports are mixed: WoW + Vista = poor frame rates. No way n00b, it's totally faster! l2computerz people, Vista really has no effect on WoW performance. Since the jury appears to still be out, we're leaving it up to you, dear readers -- has anyone had experience getting Vista and World of Warcraft to play nice? Any experiences to report? P.S. If you want to snag a free copy, get your Need Roll in over at Download Squad.
Nimbuzz lets you call your IM buddies
We've all been there -- you need to get in contact with your friends; they're not answering their phones. You know they're online, but you need to have an actual voice conversation. Well, rejoice, our frustrated friends -- for Nimbuzz plans to bridge the gap between instant messaging and cellphones. Its currently-in-beta (no surprise there), free-to-download app supports "more than 500 [Java-enabled] mobile devices" and allows you to call and initiate voice chats with your buddies on Google Talk and MSN / Windows Live Messenger. In addition to keeping you on top of your online friends, it lets you make international calls to other cellphones at local rates, so long as whomever you are calling also has Nimbuzz installed on their device. Besides that, you also get free text messaging and the ability to have Group Calls with up to five buddies on your contact list regardless of how they are connected, and Nimbuzz says it is currently working on getting your AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! and Skype friends into the mix. Now that you know, we hope you don't mind as we run and make a few overdue calls to our pals across the pond and in the far East.
Microsoft extends support for Windows XP Home / MCE
If you thought Microsoft was just going to bail out on all the Windows XP Home and Media Center Edition users now that copies of Vista are flying off online shelves worldwide, here comes that assurance you've been yearning for. Although most of the folks in Redmond seem to be preoccupied with ironing out the forecasted Fiji service pack, the firm has announced that as of today, it will be extending the support phase for Windows XP Home / MCE users to match that already given to XP Professional owners. With the addition of the "Extended Support," the aid life cycle for the two operating systems will include "a total of five years of mainstream support (until April 2009), as well as five years of extended support." Of course, we highly doubt you're seriously planning on using an old-news OS for another couple years, but hey, Gates' crew is there if you need 'em.
Take picture, win custom Xbox 360 arcade stick
Since when did teal become part of the Xbox 360 color canon? Admittedly, there are some aesthetic faux pas readily apparent in Arcade-in-a-Box's custom 360 stick (the button placement has been jumbled, black is so Xbox (1), etc.); but hey, it looks sturdy and is being offered for free, in the name of Child's Play. We should also note that the arcade stick has a standard 2.5 mm headset jack and is compatible with Windows XP -- and it's got a button mapped to the Xbox 360 Guide.To enter the giveaway contest just snap a picture of your "console lair," paste it into an email with some identification info, and send it off to RetroBlast -- you have to be a RetroBlast or COIN-OP.TV newsletter subscriber to be eligible to win. Entries will be accepted through Sunday, until 12:00 am (EST) Monday. And don't forget to consider a donation to the Child's Play charity drive!
Microsoft attempting to stuff Windows onto the OLPC
Ever since it got the cold shoulder from those open source junkies over at the OLPC project, Microsoft has been sort of sour grapesey about the whole thing. Now it looks like they've changed tacts: instead of offering up Windows CE to power the fledgling Children's Machine CM1 2B1 B1 XO WhateverTheHeckItsCalled, Microsoft is trying to stuff the entirety of Windows XP into the little box. According to NickNeg, the OLPC has an SD card slot specifically at Bill Gates' behest, since Windows XP requires a minimum of 1.5GB of memory for installation, while the OLPC only packs 512MB of storage. Microsoft has apparently been provided a number of OLPCs to this end, but still hasn't managed to get the thing working. In a perfect world, Microsoft would realise the error of its bloatware ways and prep a stripped down version of the OS to delight enthusiasts the world over with speed and minimalism, but somehow we're thinking that's just a bit unlikely.[Via Slashdot; thanks simosx for the pic]
How-To: Transcode & stream videos on Xbox 360
Last week's Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard update added support for the Windows Media Video (WMV) video codec. The feature was a welcomed gain for non-Media Center users who have been limited to photo and music sharing between their Windows PCs and Xbox 360s -- and to anyone who's longed to watch video files on 360 via a thumb drive or CD/DVD.Unfortunately, licensing fees and digital rights concerns have limited the patch to WMV-support only. Being Microsoft's proprietary format, WMV is neither popular or oft-used, taking a backseat to preferred codecs like DivX and XviD. And so, we're still left scrambling for a solution to getting our video content onto Xbox 360.
SwitchBack ruggedized UMPC can rock multiple OSes simultaneously
While we're not buying Black Diamond Advanced Technology's claim that its SwitchBack UMPC (no relation to the Kyocera Switchback) is the world's first such ruggedized device -- either the P630 Spartan or Catcher holds that honor -- it is by far the most versatile. This three-pound jack-of-all-trades comes equipped with a 1.0GHz Celeron M processor that not only runs Windows XP or Linux, but Windows CE and Windows Mobile to boot -- and not just one at time, but simultaneously as well, meaning that you can effortlessly switch between Internet Explorer and Pocket Internet Explorer (even though you wouldn't really want to). Also packed into the magnesium and rubber housing are a 5.6-inch, WSVGA (1,024 x 600) display, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 40GB removable hard drive, 1GB of 400MHz DDR2 RAM, and even a weird little QWERTY thumb board underneath the screen. Perhaps the best part of the SwitchBack, though, is its Handspring-like upgradability, meaning that separate back modules can be attached to endow it with added functionality such as GPS, fingerprint scanning, additional processing power, digital camera, and even a breathalyzer to make sure your fellow troops aren't too drunk to shoot straight. The initial units -- price unknown, meaning they probably cost a grip -- will ship sometime in Q4 as XP-only machines, with the multi-OS upgrade coming in Q2 2007, hopefully in time to help out our armed forces before they get involved in yet another major conflict.[Via PR Newswire]
Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.0
Apple has issued an EFI Firmware Update 1.0 which "fixes several Boot Camp and start up issues on Mac Pro computers." We've been hearing about these problems for a little while now, so here's hoping this 1.8MB update can let Mac Pro + XP owners sleep a little better at night. The updater requires Mac OS X 10.4.7 and is available here.Thanks Robert
Boot Camp updated for Core 2 Duo Macs
Boot Camp, Apple's software that allows Mac users to run Windows XP on a separate partition, has been updated to version 1.1.1. Specific in this release is support for Core 2 Duo Macs (Mac Pro and new iMac), though the Boot Camp page lists other updates, such as support for built-in iSight cameras and improved Apple keyboard support, that actually appeared in Boot Camp 1.1.This release weighs in at 186MB, and is available from Apple's Boot Camp page.Thanks Randy
A look at Windows Vista's casual games [update 1]
GameSpot recently ran a feature showing off the new casual games that will be coming with Windows Vista. The graphical update are, naturally, noticeable and appreciated. Now we can get fired from work for playing Solitaire ... in style! None of the titles were too surprising, as we had seen most of them at E3, but here is what GameSpot highlights: Solitaire FreeCell (now with an undo option!) Spider Solitaire Hearts Minesweeper Purble Place (new title) Premium titles (not available in Home Basic version of Windows Vista): Mahjong Titans Chess Titans InkBall (only in Vista versions that have tablet support) Why the Titans titles are exclusive to non-Home Basic consumers is a bit perplexing -- no one is going to buy a more deluxe version because, on top of whatever else makes it better, it has Chess and Mahjong (yay!). Also conspicuously absent from the list are favorites such as Reversi, Spades, and Space Cadet Pinball. We will let you know the fate of these titles as soon as we find out.[update 1: glaring typo -- better "late" than never]
Samsung unveils commercial LCDs with built-in XP
If you though that Apple's 20-inch iMac was an impressive all-in-one computer, just wait till you hear about Samsung's new 40-inch 400PXn and 46-inch 460PXn LCD displays, both of which feature embedded versions of Windows XP. Designed for use in commercial applications such as signage, the two monitors sport an updated version of Samsung's MagicNet technology, which allows them to run slideshows or video without the need for an external server; if a server is being used to stream data, it can control up to four of the displays at once, feeding them either separate images or one tiled picture (arrays of 4 x 4 units are possible). Specs-wise, both products are pretty run-of-the-mill: you get a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 8-millisecond response time, 800:1 contrast ratio, and 500cd/m² maximum brightness. Although they're available immediately, Sammy hasn't released any pricing info for these models, but TG Daily points out that the previous, non-XP versions cost $8,950 (460Pn, pictured) and $6,750 (400Pn), respectively -- so we can be sure the upgraded editions won't come cheap.[Via TG Daily]
Switching causes Argh
Apple would have you believe that switching from Windows to OS X is like changing socks. It isn't rocket science, but there are bound to be stumbling blocks, though since I have been using both Windows and OS X on a daily basis for years I tend to forget this little fact.Robyn Peterson writes about his five 'argh' moments as he switches from Windows XP to OS X. Most of them are slight annoyances, but I do agree with him about OS X's lackluster support for auto-mounting network resources without using a work around (unless I am missing a setting somewhere).[via Paul Thurrott](The picture accompanying this post is from here, in case you were wondering).
DualCor cPC in the wild
We're not nearly as into DualCor's cPC Windows convergence device now that we found out it doesn't come with any built-in wireless radios, but we've still been looking forward to catching it in the wild just the same, because any pocket-sized machine that sports both XP and WM5 is more than a little bit noteworthy in our book. And luckily for us, our partners-in-crime over at Engadget Chinese have just captured some nice photos of this two-processor machine as part of their extensive Computex 2006 coverage, although our contribution of copying and pasting the pics for you to peep should not be overlooked. More cPC snaps are available after the break, and more VIA-powered products from the CPU manufacturer's booth tour can be found by following the Read link...
DualCor cPC gets specs, launch date -- but no radios
DualCor Technologies has just released the final specs for their cPC "ultimate convergence device," and those who were looking forward to this model are bound to be horribly disappointed: not only will the production version lack cellphone capabilities out of the box as first promised, but the device contains no radios whatsover. That's right, if you want to get your WiFi, Bluetooth, or 3G on with the cPC, you'll need to bring your your own CF cards or USB dongles to get connected, which takes an awful lot of convenience out of a product designed to lighten your load. Besides the crushing lack of wireless, the rest of the specs seem decent enough, with the XP side of the device powered by a 1.5GHz Via processor that's backed by a full gig of DDR2 RAM. Both OSes can store data on the 30GB hard drive (and not 40GB as we previously reported) or the 1GB of NAND flash memory, with the Windows Mobile 5.0 side is supported by a 400MHz Intel PXA263 chip and 128MB of DRAM. GottaBeMobile is reporting that the cPC will be shipping within the next 90 days, though now that the product is devoid of any wireless capabilities, we're curious to see what type of customer actually picks one up. [Warning: PDF link][Via jkOnTheRun]
Overclock your MacBook Pro's GPU -- if you dare
We're not suggesting you try this at home (though we're also not suggesting that doing so will melt your MacBook Pro), but according to reports trickling out on the internets, the graphics processor in Apple's MacBook Pro is woefully underclocked. One user who tested his unit found that the MBP's Radeon X1600 came in at just 310MHz, compared to 470MHz on similarly equipped laptops from other brands (we almost said "similarly equipped Windows-based laptops," but, hey, we can't do that anymore, can we?). So, what's a gamer to do? Why, overclock it -- or reclock it, if you believe the unit is underclocked in the first place. Just boot your MBP into Windows (you do know how to do that, right?), run ATI Tools 0.2.5 and kiss your sluggish graphics (and probably your warranty) goodbye. Oh, and just in case you really don't know how to run Windows on your MBP, it turns out that at least one retailer is now selling models with XP pre-installed. Get one now, before Apple shuts them down.Read - GPURead - XP pre-installed on MBP
Buy a MacBook Pro with pre-loaded Windows XP
I am writing this at midnight, dear readers, and I can only pray that what I'm looking at is a fever-induced hallucination and I'm trapped in some sort of cruel nightmare triggered by Microsoft's secret Terror Ray XP Premium Edition (originally designed to torment Mossberg and Pogue every time they write a pro-Apple article, and also used to bend Dvorak, Thurrott, and Enderle to the company's uncompromising will).It seems a company called ExperCom is selling standard-specced MacBook Pros...pre-loaded with Windows XP. This is for those folks who want the beautiful Apple hardware and the ubiquitous Windows software without having to deal with Boot Camp themselves, I guess.We all knew this was inevitable, and fighting it is pointless. Still...just looking at that page sends shivers up my spine. At least they're happy to note, "We don't support Windows XP - and neither does Apple. We'll install it for you, but, hey, we're Mac people, so we can't help answer Windows questions."[Thanks, Dan K. Kinda.]
