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Memorial Day Greetings.
Posted: 05/27/2001     Source: N/A  Added by: Kim Heise

Wishing all the readers in the US to have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

This day is in honor of our men and women who had given their lives to protect this country from harm.

Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 review.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: ActiveWin  Added by: Kim Heise

I had no idea the new Kryo II video processor would perform so well under 3D performance. The new Kryo II GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) is featured on the Hercules Prophet 4500 series video card and ActiveWin takes the new card for a test drive.

What simply boggles the mind is why the card produces fantastic 3D performance that out performs the NVIDIA GeForce2 is several areas and then ends up with sub par 2D picture quality. What is R&D thinking? I cannot fathom this unless it is a defect in production or a flaw in Hercules' reference design. The slow RAMDAC would be one way to explain it.

During our tests we were very impressed by the Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 64 MB especially by its 3D performance & the image quality it brings in 3D. Thus justifying all the hype that was made around the new Kyro II GPU around which the product is built.  This new graphic card is frankly unexpected. Indeed priced at a very competitive price the card is definitely worth the buy! Its performances are very high and leave GeForce 2 MX, Matrox G450 and other GeForce 2 GTS in the dust. However the big reproach I have to address against this graphics card is the somewhat weak 2D image quality. Overall this card is definitely a great buy for those of you who are in quest of 3D power and high frame rate and don’t want to spend all their money. It’s a great choice to mount affordable gaming PCs without sacrificing 3D performance!

Windows Media Encoder 7.1.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: Microsoft  Added by: Kim Heise

Microsoft has released a handy video encoding tool for processing various video inputs/sources into Windows Media Format (of course).

Download it by clicking on the "More" button below and it is free.

Microsoft® Windows Media™ Encoder is an easy-to-use, powerful production tool that enables content developers to convert both live and prerecorded audio, video, and computer screen images to Windows Media Format for live and on-demand delivery.

Windows Media Encoder now captures Windows Media Video 8 content in real-time for streaming delivery, and creates Windows Media Audio 8 for streaming and download. For best motion picture quality download video, professionals should still use the Windows Media Encoding Utility.

AMD gains mobile momentum.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: AMD Zone  Added by: Kim Heise

AMD's new Athlon 4 mobile processor must be impressing several laptop vendors. Take a look at this news clip from AMD Zone.

Expect above average price drops when the new laptops powered with the Athlon 4 processor becomes readily available in the retail sector. The strong competion will inevitably lead to lower prices. Also expect the new Athlon 4 processor to be released for desktop computers within the next several weeks.

AMD GAINS MOBILE MOMENTUM: NEC, SONY, FUJITSU CHOOSE AMD PROCESSORS FOR NEW NOTEBOOKS

-NEC selects the 1GHz mobile AMD Athlon(tm) 4 processor-

-NEC, Sony, Fujitsu to offer systems based on mobile AMD Duron(tm) processor-

TOKYO, JAPAN- MAY 23, 2001-AMD today announced that NEC, Sony Corporation and Fujitsu, three of Japan's largest computer manufacturers, are expected to feature notebook PCs based on seventh-generation mobile AMD Athlon(tm) 4 and mobile AMD Duron(tm) processors.

Collectively, these companies commanded over 50 percent of total PC shipments, including notebooks and desktops, for the year 2000 in Japan. Japan is the world's second largest consumer of PCs. NEC, the country's leading PC maker, is the first to adopt the newly introduced 1GHz mobile AMD Athlon(tm) 4 processor in Japan.

The mobile AMD Athlon 4 processor is the world's highest performance processor for the notebook PC market and features the innovative AMD PowerNow!(tm) technology, which can extend system battery life up to 30% without compromising performance and offers up to 50 percent more performance than competitive systems running on batteries.

Sony and Fujitsu have both announced systems based on the mobile AMD Duron processor. NEC is also offering systems based on the mobile AMD Duron processor.

Transmeta to license two AMD technologies.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: Yahoo  Added by: Kim Heise

Transmeta and AMD appear to have teamed up to make a stronger stand against bullying tactics from the competition.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25 (Reuters) - Upstart microprocessor designer Transmeta Corp. will license two technologies from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. that it said will help to promote industry standards for next-generation microprocessors.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD (NYSE:AMD - news), Intel Corp.'s chief rival in the market for microprocessors, the primary computing engine in personal computers, will license its x86-64 technology and its HyperTransport interconnect technology for use in Transmeta's (NasdaqNM:TMTA - news) future microprocessors.

AMD's x86-64 architecture will compete with Intel's (NasdaqNM:INTC - news)own 64-bit chips, called Itanium and are designed for heavy-duty computing. So-called 64-bit chips can crunch 64 bits of data simultaneously while the current, now standard microprocessors crunch 32 bits of data at one time.

Intel earlier this week announced its own line-up of five new energy-saving microprocessors for ultra-light notebooks, products clearly aimed at challenging Transmeta's Crusoe chips.

The HyperTransport bus technology from AMD lets the semiconductors inside PCs, networking and communication devices to communicate with each other as many as 48 times faster than the existing Peripheral Component Interconnect bus, or PCI, technology, Transmeta and AMD said. A bus connects the microprocessor to memory and other chips on a motherboard inside a PC.

``This is really going to help the end-consumer not have fragmentation in these standards,'' said Transmeta co-founder and Vice Chairman Dave Ditzel in an interview.

Transmeta's Crusoe chip has been on the market for less than a year and has been embraced by every major Japanese notebook PC maker, including Toshiba Corp., Sony Corp. and others.

Samsung announces 300MHz DDR memory.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: EBNews  Added by: Kim Heise

The rumors that DDR memory based motherboards are being discontinued could still be true and because we are witnessing new DDR improvements does not mean the technology is secure. R&D for the new 300mhz DDRAM most likely started at least 3-4 months ago where the future for DDRAM based motherboards appeared more solid.

SEOUL -- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today claimed to be the first DRAM maker to develop a 64Mbit double data rate (DDR) memory that operates at speeds up to 300 MHz.

The new 2-Mbit-by-32-bit DDR synchronous DRAM is being aimed at high-speed computer graphics and digital video applications, said the Korean company. The new DRAM will also serve computer networking systems, when it become available in volume production later this year.

Samsung said the new DDR chip is capable of processing 2.4 gigabytes of data per second, based on a unique by-32-Mbit configuration. According to the company, this performance level is the highest available in an SDRAM.

The 64-Mbit memory is packaged in a fine-pitch ball-grid array (FBGA), and it operates on 2.5 volts. Samsung said it plans to transfer the new DDR memory into high-volume production in the third quarter of 2001. No pricing information was released.

Kenny Rogers "Lookalikes" web site.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: NewsBytes  Added by: Kim Heise

.....Since it's Friday and it is safe to post useless information to speed up the day in anticipation of the weekend....

I will go the safe route and will not add my two cents to this web site content to prevent any offense by fans.

Although some of us think we already see too much of Kenny Rogers, after taking a look at this site, you will be sure of it. In fact you may start seeing him everywhere. Dedicated to dead ringers for the white-haired, slightly portly crooner, the Web site offers a Kenny of the Month, a gallery of Kennys, a "How to Look like Kenny" tip area, and even serves up the singer's famous corn muffin recipe. World Wide Web: http://www.menwholooklikekennyrogers.com

Unlimited Spam Trimmed.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: TechWeb  Added by: Kim Heise

While the concept sounds appealing I cannot see how this law can be enforced.

Picture this: Any offensive "mass-mailer" (the kindest word I can find in 30 seconds) will simply move his/her services offshore from the US continent and have "fun". How do we expect to police this?

Spammers could be liable for up to $1 million in damages for using common but fraudulent bulk e-mail practices under legislation that passed out of the House Judiciary Committee.

The committee approval pushes efforts to can spam closer to a congressional vote.

Internet service providers could bring lawsuits against bulk e-mailers under the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act, H.R. 718, when the marketers use false or misleading routing information.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a narrower version of the bill in March that allowed consumers to sue companies that used misleading tactics, such as get-rich quick schemes, for $500 per incident and up to a maximum of $50,000.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) said his committee's version focused on those who send fraudulent e-mail or pornography using technical fraud to conceal the sender's identity without drifting into the regulation of online commerce.

"Congress should be cautious when considering new regulations of e-commerce," he said.

Voice-enabled e-mail via cellphone.
Posted: 05/25/2001     Source: TechWeb  Added by: Kim Heise

Undoubtedly you will be seeing more and more of this "email via voice technology" over cell phones. When companies develop the technology where you can reply to email via the cell phone using normal voice dictation we will reach a milestone - to say the least!

On the flip side can you imagine emailing your boss a response to a new raise/promotion and you are driving through a rural area where the static translates your message with inappropriate language. Not a pleasant thought..

Sprint PCS is rolling out voice-enabled e-mail via its mobile phones.

The service, which was developed with voice-activated-services firm HeyAnita Inc., lets customers receive and send e-mail for about $10 a month.

E-mail subscribers press the asterisk button and "talk" keys and "get my e-mail." E-mail missives will be automatically read aloud. Subscribers can reply in spoken words, which will be delivered as a WAV file.

According to Don Longueuil, a Cahner's In-Stat Group analyst, studies show that the bills of wireless subscribers using voice and data services are 20 percent to 30 percent higher than those with voice service alone.

That might be true of consumers, but business users are different, says TeleChoice consultant Jennifer Rosenberg.

Added 3DMark 2001 results.
Posted: 05/24/2001     Source: N/A  Added by: Kim Heise

Added my 3DMark 2001 scores on the NVIDIA GeForce3 video card to my current PC configuration page. You can download 3DMark 2001 video card benchmark program from Madonion.com

I noticed however that when running the benchmark with a GeForce3 it runs several different benchmarks from when I tested it against a GeForce2 - using the same benchmark program. You would suspect that the same benchmark should be used across all video cards no matter the features to obtain relative scores.

Any one know how to force 3DMark 2001 to run the same benchmarks no matter what video card?

DDR development 'scrapped'?
Posted: 05/24/2001     Source: The Inquirer  Added by: Kim Heise

Keep in mind this has not been confirmed so it may be a rumor. If this is indeed true it would be a unfortunate change in the market since we will be forced to use Intel's memory choices.

I have nothing against Intel but it is important that we have competition in the market place. Typically your wallet and innovation takes the brunt for any monopolized technology.

I wonder how this will affect video card manufacturers since DDR RAM is primarily used.

Microsoft Unveils Plans for 64-Bit Windows Platform.
Posted: 05/24/2001     Source: Yahoo!  Added by: Kim Heise

Talk about a 64bit Windows operating system has been circulating the news wire for at least a year now. Microsoft has officially confirmed this now.

Keep in mind that a 64 bit processor would need to go hand-in-hand with this new OS.

REDMOND, Wash., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) today announced two powerful new additions to its Microsoft® Windows® operating system family, built for the forthcoming Intel® Itanium(TM) 64-bit processor. The new versions of the Windows operating system for servers and workstations will support the most demanding scientific and technical applications, and massive enterprise and e-commerce applications, as well as the most popular business applications.

Microsoft's 64-bit Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition is scheduled for final release to coincide with general commercial availability of OEM Itanium-based systems. The workstation version, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, will be fully supported through the Early Deployment Program before its final release on Oct. 25, when the product will ship simultaneously with Microsoft's 32-bit Windows XP desktop offerings.

``The 64-bit Windows platform is the best choice for customers who want to combine powerful, 64-bit computing with great price/performance and manageability, unmatched scalability, and broad hardware and software support,'' said Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows Division at Microsoft. ``Microsoft is fully committed to the Itanium program and is working closely with Intel, our customers and industry partners to ensure that Windows provides unmatched support for 64-bit computing and that the best of the industry's hardware and software is available when we launch.''