DailyTech

"Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates got some hand time with a snazzy new creation, the TouchWall, which he debuted at the Microsoft CEO Summit.  Gates previously lauded so called "Surface" computers with tactile interfaces the future of computing, and has said that the upcoming Windows 7 will include features that focus heavily on the use of such interfaces.

Tactile surfaces are nothing new.  While Apple is much maligned for its creative pricing and less than friendly corporate policy, among other things, it can legitimately claim to have the most successful tactile computer to date -- the iPhone.  The iPhone was widely lauded for its ability to do things like file browsing, web surfing, zooming, and rotating pictures, all with simple finger movement.

Apple may not be the king of tactile for long, however, as Microsoft is looking not to just deploy the technology in portable devices, but in full size computers as well.  It already launched demo models of its Surface computer, a small coffee table style machine that users can touch and manipulate, to partner AT&T stores.

The progress continues with the TouchWall, which Bill Gates describes as an "intelligent whiteboard" and hopes will become an integral tool for use with Microsoft Office's next iteration.  In his speech, Gates first discussed the evolution of surface computers from simplistic interfaces like tablet PCs, to more complex interfaces like Microsoft's Surface and RoundTable tactile computers."

The Tech Report

"Not all Windows XP users enjoyed a smooth upgrade to Service Pack 3. Shortly after the patch appeared on Windows Update, folks were storming message boards with complaints about endless reboot loops and other show-stopping bugs. Microsoft exec Jesper Johansson later shed light on the cause for one issue: HP mistakenly pre-loaded its AMD-based computers with an operating system image containing an Intel processor power management driver.

eWeek now says Microsoft is working together with HP on a fix. An HP spokeswoman told eWeek, "We are of course working diligently with Microsoft on a software update and will be proactively distributing a patch to customers this week through our automated HP Update service that will prevent this error from occurring." Users will also be able to head to hp's website and search for patch SP37394. "When the update is available, the search results screen will list the update with instructions for downloading and installation," she added.

In the meantime, HP has posted an article in its Customer Care knowledge base with workaround instructions for users running into the problem. Those looking for a pre-installation workaround can check Johansson's post, too."

Link

The company will follow with the 4870 in the late June, with the same specification as the 4850 but will add support for GDDR5 memory. Expected pricing will be set around US$349. In the fourth quarter, AMD will launch the dual-GPU ATI Radeon 4870 X2 priced around US$529-549. Nvidia will counter with its new high-end GeForce GTX 200 (D10U) family in the middle of June, featuring a second generation Unified Shader architecture. Launch products will come in GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 280 versions."

Link

Expreview

"Good:
decent performance:

TG Daily

"Intel is transitioning all of its 45 nm Xeon DP processors from the C-O to the E-0 stepping. There are no changes in the feature set of the Harpertown quad-core CPUs and Wolfdale dual-core processors, with the exception of the flagship model, which is the sister model of the company’s Skulltrail processor Core 2 Extreme QX9775. The thermal design power (TDP) rating of the Xeon X5482 drops by 20%."

LINK

Fudzilla

"So will Geforce GTX 260


We've found out what looks to be the launch date for GT200 cards. We are happy to report that both GT200 cards are single chip cards, something that we've suggested back in January.

The launch should take place on the 18th of June, just in the middle of week 25, and at current schedule that is two days after ATI's RV770 launch.

The name Geforce GTX 280 looks a bit odd, but I am sure that we will get used to it. The only other alternative was to use Geforce 9900 cliché but we believe that GT200 deserves better name. As its been suggested at many occasions GT200 chip will have significantly more Shader units and the most frequent number that we heard was 240. We still work on getting the confirmation of this bold spec.

Nvidia just ran out of numbers and it’s starting all over again. It's like reseting the odometer, more or less."

LINK

CPU3D Review: Adata S701 (EeePC edition) and OCZ Rally2 Turbo

Our CPU3D review team takes a look at 2 USB storage devices from Adata and OCZ. The new version of the Adata S701 8Gb USB drive was designed for the EeePC, while the OCZ Rally2 Turbo boast superfast data transfer. Find out how well they work on everyday PCs.

           

" ...Both the Adata S701 EeePC Edition and the OCZ Rally2 Turbo are very good ... but, because I'm a fashion victim ... there's only one choice really for me. "

Read the rest of the review ... HERE.

CPU3D Breaking News: Asus defends its position on recent rumour

We've just received an email from Asus vigourously defending its position, in what appears to be some sort of mis-understanding between a certain media representitive and a recent sponsored event. Here's a copy of the email.

"ASUS Official Statement. It has come to our attention that a certain Taiwanese Motherboard Manufacturer has made false claims against ASUS motherboards. These claims have given rise to false information being communicated in both the mainstream media and technology channels. ASUS wishes to clarify the issues and so avoid any further confusion.

After investigation, it is clear that this company in question made use of a sponsored gathering of local and international media to deliberately spread information that we consider both untrue and without credible verification. This “disinformation” is not only extremely damaging to ASUS but also completely misleading to the consumers. 

ASUS reserves the right to take legal action against any individual, organization or corporation which creates or spreads such rumours. "

It appears that this certain media representitive (and I know who he is) will be thinking to himself ... "Oh NO, What have I done here !?!".  Apologies will probably be too late as the damage has been done, plus I can't see him own up personally. See, when someone sponsors you to attend an event (with a signed NDA), it's extremely disrespectful to abuse their trust. The Taiwanese/Chinese people do not take this kind of matter lightly ... I know, I'm Chinese myself. I expect the guy in question might want to consider another job ... as his credentials are now irreparably damaged.

Oh well ... there's lessons to be learned here. Media/Magazine both online and print, have to take responsibilities for their actions.

Aqua-PCs Weekend Deals

"Each weekend we will be celebrating the fact its Friday by offering up some insane prices on some great gear! The offers are valid from 3pm on Friday to 9am on Monday after this time they will revert to the original pricing."

Feser One Coolant UV Yellow 1L £4.99	Centurion 534 £25.00	EK-FC9800 GX2 SLI £79.99
2GB CellShock DDR3 PC3-14400 1800MHz (8-7-6-21) Dual Channel kit £188.00	Arctic Silver 5 heat conductive paste £3.45	Coolit Elite Retail Version £226.80

This is your only chance to get these products at these amazing prices now. Offers end on 9am on monday, after which we will change them back to the normal prices! "

BBC

"Microsoft has joined forces with the developers of the "$100 laptop" to make Windows available on the machines. The move was prompted by countries which demanded the operating system before placing an order.

Trials of laptops loaded with Windows will begin in "four to five" countries from June, the organisations said. The founder of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), which developed the machines, denied the move was a "desperate new measure" to secure more orders.

"While it is certainly true that it has not taken off as fast as I would have hoped and publicly stated, certain countries around the world... have always been very, very insistent that they want Windows as an option," Nicholas Negroponte told BBC News.

Until now, the XO machines, as they are known, have only been offered with an open-source Linux operating system. "

LINK