| CHKDSK is changing how it works (step 1 of 1) 56 percent completed... May 11th 2012, 00:29  PC users of a certain age will be all too familiar with defragging and disk checking, normally as a last-ditch attempt to reinvigorate a flagging or faulty system. Fast-forward to 2012, and Microsoft is reassessing the role of the whole NTFS health model for the modern world (well, Windows 8 at least). It turns out that these days actual corruptions are rare, but people still like to run chkdsk just in case -- or out of habit. In the old approach, health check was either happy or unhappy, and the machine was taken offline for as long as was needed to fix. Even with optimization and improvements in later versions, the galloping sizes of hard drives has swallowed up much of the benefit. In the redesigned model there are four states: healthy, spot verification needed, scan needed and spot fix needed. In any of these states, the system remains online, with the user deciding when to restart if a fix is needed. The reboot process should also be much quicker, with the spot fix already targeted. Advanced users can go a stage further and invoke the spot fix while still online for sections of the disk not in use. The proof, of course, is in the pudding, but anything that involves less death-staring at a disk check is a good thing in our book. Hit the source for a blow-by-blow breakdown. CHKDSK is changing how it works (step 1 of 1) 56 percent completed... originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  MSDN | Email this | Comments | | Panasonic outs Let's Note B11 laptop series in Japan, Ivy Bridge in tow May 11th 2012, 00:08  Okay, it may not be one of the sleekest laptops we've seen of late, but Panasonic's B11 is packing a hefty amount of horsepower underneath that beastly shell to make you forget its looks. This Let's Note B11 is a worthy refresh to the B10 series we showed you a while back -- although aesthetically it didn't change much. Inside the Japan-bound B11 is Intel's latest Core i7-3615QM chip, which you can pair alongside a 750GB hard drive or a 256GB SSD. You can also choose up to 16GB of RAM if you go the quiet route, while the HDD configuration only allows a maximum of 8GB of memory. The 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) B11 is set to hit Japanese shelves on May 18th, with pricing ranging from a whopping 170,000 to 250,000 yen (around $3,100) depending on how you set it up. Panasonic outs Let's Note B11 laptop series in Japan, Ivy Bridge in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Akihabara News | Panasonic (Translated) | Email this | Comments | | Motorola files patent application for anti-smear display tech May 10th 2012, 23:46  Motorola's applied to patent a new display layer that aims to prevent all those smudges that inevitably accrue on our finger-friendly devices. A modern-day touchscreen problem for prim-and-proper types, the application solves it with several minute, raised layers across the surface of the device, with little reflective caveats to capture oils and other unwanted impurities, optically disguising them from your eyes. The layers wouldn't degrade compared to chemical coatings that could also get scratched off. In typical patent application style, the wording's pretty hazy -- Motorola could either be describing an add-on layer applied to the phone afterward or something already fused to the display. In the application's words: "A viewable surface of a device, and more particularly a viewable surface of an electronic device, and even more particularly a viewable surface of a transparent cover for a display in an electronic device, includes transparent pedestals projecting from the surface of the viewable surface, the pedestals having reflective sides that conceal, or suppress the appearance of, smudges on the viewable surface." For some more specifics on Motorola's smudge-disguising solution, you can peruse the official filing down at your local patents and trademark office -- or just hit up the source below. Motorola files patent application for anti-smear display tech originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | Spectrum Interactive brings WiFi hotspots to London's phone boxes May 10th 2012, 23:27  London's red telephone boxes are iconic, sure, but just how relevant can they be in this century? Spectrum Interactive has a solution that both ensures their preservation and provides customers in search of internet a free ticket online. The company has converted some 1,800 pay phones throughout London into WiFi hotspots, offering passersby a free connection so long as they provide their mobile numbers and download an e-coupon for a nearby store. Spectrum initially began testing the program with the help of Nokia late last year, and while it's amassed an impressive number of WiFi access points, it's lost the support of its Finnish partner, and is still assessing how willing local businesses are to pay for getting coupons in the service. On top of that, there's the whole issue of how many people will think to scope out phone booths rather than, say, an internet cafe. Here's hoping Spectrum has some very flashy signs on the windows. [Image credit: Elliott Brown, Flickr] Spectrum Interactive brings WiFi hotspots to London's phone boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 19:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Register | Spectrum Interactive | Email this | Comments | |
