| AMD launches its next-gen FirePro graphics card lineup, we go hands-on at SIGGRAPH (video) Aug 7th 2012, 19:46  Just as you've cozied up with "Tahiti" and "Cape Verde," AMD has returned to grow its "Southern Islands" family of graphics cards with four fresh FirePros, offering up to four teraflops of graphics computing power. That spec can be found in the company's new W9000, which is capable of four TFLOPs single precision and one TFLOP double precision with a price tag just shy of $4,000. That behemoth of a card offers 6GB of GDDR5 RAM and requires 274 watts of power. More humble members of the fam include the W8000, which has the same form-factor as the higher-end W9000, but eases back on the specs, consuming 189 watts of power and carrying a $1,599 price tag. We had a chance to take a closer look at both cards at SIGGRAPH, and while they packed a significant amount of heft, you'll likely never take a second look once they're buried away in your tower rig. Fans of smaller housings (and price tags) may take notice of the W7000 and W5000, which are both considerably more compact and require less power to boot, with pricing set at $899 and $599, respectively. Those cards were also on hand for our demo, and can be seen along with the top two configs in our gallery below. You can also sneak a closer peek in the hands-on video after the break, and glance at the full specs over at our news post from earlier today. Continue reading AMD launches its next-gen FirePro graphics card lineup, we go hands-on at SIGGRAPH (video) Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Peripherals AMD launches its next-gen FirePro graphics card lineup, we go hands-on at SIGGRAPH (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  AMD | Email this | Comments | | Canon EOS 7D v2 firmware tested: increases burst capacity, gives manual audio control Aug 7th 2012, 19:31  You don't get to unbox anything or have that new-camera smell, so how much does the Canon 7D v2 firmware really transform the now three year-old model? The answer depends a bit on what you do with it, but for most users the Japanese maker deserves kudos from bringing new functionality to the model. Two changes stand out in particular, the first being a bump in the number of burst RAW images from 15 to 25, a boon for action shooters. The other biggie is manual audio level adjustment, saving videographers from the whims of automatic audio levels. Other tweaks include in-camera rating, resizing and editing of images; a max auto ISO setting; GPS compatibility; file name customization; time zone settings; and faster magnification scrolling and control screen adjustment during playback. To test the burst and audio functions, we got our own mitts on the firmware. Prior to updating, we put the rapid-fire 8 fps camera it through the wringer and grabbed about 16-18 RAW frames in a burst. With the v2 firmware we caught exactly 25 frames before it halted, and did it again numerous times with only an occasional stutter. As for audio, the new manual setting is still a far cry from dedicated sound level dials -- on the 7D you'll need to preset the audio before filming, and are stuck with that level until you hit 'stop' again. Still, it beats the previous automatic way, which was so unusable that it forced many pros into buying external audio recorders to get anything decent. A quick test confirmed the new adjustment worked well, giving usable audio in most conditions with both internal and external mics while requiring just a little fiddling beforehand to set levels. While hardly turning your 2009-era beast into an all-new DSLR, the new functionality brings the software in line with newer models, and still keeps the 7D near the top of the APS-C heap in many categories. Swapping out the sensor would be the only way to bump the one area where it now lags, low-light performance -- but you can't expect everything from a $1,500 shooter. Filed under: Digital Cameras Canon EOS 7D v2 firmware tested: increases burst capacity, gives manual audio control originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Canon Europe, Canon USA | Email this | Comments | | T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS Aug 7th 2012, 19:00  Gone are the days when $50 got you a flip phone that could make calls, send texts and shoot super-low-quality thumbnails. T-Mobile's myTouch offerings aim to provide all the functionality of a top-tier smartphone, coupled with the kind of hardware and software top-tier handsets were offering a year or two ago. After letting HTC and LG have a go at the myTouch series, T-Mobile tapped Huawei to design its latest devices, the myTouch and myTouch Q, a garden-variety slab and a full QWERTY slider, respectively. This time around, the carrier chose phones with more expansive 4-inch, 800 x 480 displays, among other improvements to the design and internals. Unfortunately, software wasn't considered in the upgrade: both of these run the aging Android 2.3 OS. Suffice to say, skinned Gingerbread is likely to turn off some shoppers, but it's still worth asking if people on a budget might appreciate these devices when they go on sale Wednesday for $50, post-rebate. So are there any redeeming qualities to speak of, if not the software experience? Read on to find out. Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS Filed under: Cellphones T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q review: two budget-friendly phones, one aging OS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98 Aug 7th 2012, 18:43  Astronomy just lost one of its vanguards, as Sir Bernard Lovell has died at 98. The UK-born scientist was best known as a cornerstone of radio telescope development. While he wasn't the first to leap into the field, he established the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory to study cosmic rays in 1945 and organized the construction of what would ultimately be called the Lovell Telescope -- a radio telescope so large and useful that it's still the third-largest steerable example in the world, 55 years after it was first put into action. His work helped track some of the earliest spacecraft and was instrumental in confirming the first discovered pulsars and quasars. On top of his most conspicuous achievements, Sir Lovell played an important role in developing airborne radar during World War II and was lauded for having scientific curiosity long after he hung up his Jodrell director's hat in 1980. Science will be poorer without him. [Image credit: NASA; thanks, Darren] Filed under: Science Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC | Email this | Comments | | Windows 8 built-in games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft's naming synergy continues Aug 7th 2012, 18:25  Were you among those who jumped for joy when Windows Explorer got its new moniker? Good news, nomenclature fans, for Redmond has decided to label its new OS' built-in games and titles obtained from the Windows Store as "Xbox Windows." Along with the new branding, venerable Windows titles like Minesweeper, Solitaire and Mahjong will also offer Xbox Achievements, so you can bulk up your Gamerscore while wasting time at work. Full details of the achievement and point totals can be found at the source links below. Filed under: Gaming, Software Windows 8 built-in games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft's naming synergy continues originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Verge, Eurogamer | Xbox 360 Achievements, (2), (3) | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft Office RT may lack macros, add-ins, other features Aug 7th 2012, 18:02  Well, the good news, as you already know, is that Office RT will be preloaded on all Windows 8 RT tablets -- at least in preview form. The bad news, even if you spring for the full version, you may be dealing with a limited product. Word on the street is, that in order optimize performance and battery life, Microsoft pulled a number of features from the ARM-friendly version of its productivity suite. Among the missing features is support for macros, third-party add-ins and VBA scripts. A small number of other features are also reportedly on the chopping block, but without a final product to put our fingers on, it's not clear which ones are getting axed. Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software Microsoft Office RT may lack macros, add-ins, other features originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Verge | Email this | Comments | | GameStop Mobile will not be an MVNO; company still testing sales of prepaid SIMs from other carriers Aug 7th 2012, 18:00  In a recent interview with us, GameStop CEO Paul Rainer confirmed that GameStop Mobile -- an entity that appeared to be on the brink of selling prepaid GSM SIM cards to GameStop patrons -- is nothing more than "a mockup." If you'll recall, an entire website launched back in May showcasing what appeared to be GameStop's portal for hawking SIM cards that relied on AT&T's network to provide service. At the time, the collective held its breath awaiting a confirmation of truth -- after all, it's not exactly easy to pry a data-only SIM out of AT&T's hands, particularly one that's free of a contract. Sadly, the CEO informed us that it was "just a creative thing," noting that it "wasn't even an idea being pitched." Continuing, Rainer stated: "We don't have an MVNO (laughing). If you are trying to provide your customers with a bundle that comes with a pre-owned phone and will allow them to play games, make calls, and everything else -- you don't have to have a network to do that; you can sell SIM cards and pre-paid plans, those things exist, and we are in the process of testing several to see which ones makes sense." Of course, accidentally publishing an entire website dedicated to the idea seems a bit crazy for something that wasn't even being pitched -- what kind of designer has that much free time? -- but at least the story has an ending for now. "For now," we say, because the aforementioned pitch could finally happen now that AT&T's Mobile Share plans are debuting this month. Filed under: Cellphones GameStop Mobile will not be an MVNO; company still testing sales of prepaid SIMs from other carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
