<![CDATA[VRForums - SITEX 2009 | IT & Singapore Lifestyle Community - News around the web!]]> http://forums.vr-zone.com/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:52:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.vr-zone.com/images/as4/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[VRForums - SITEX 2009 | IT & Singapore Lifestyle Community - News around the web!]]> http://forums.vr-zone.com/ Google Chrome OS hands-on (Dev Build November 20, 2009) http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=511011&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:48:38 GMT If you followed our live blogging from yesterday you know that Google made some really big claims.... If you followed our live blogging from yesterday you know that Google made some really big claims. They claimed a 10 second boot up time and they claimed a quick and easy to use OS. They even showed us that with their demo unit they had working. The problem is that unless the source code we have is not what they were using at the demo Chrome OS is bulky, awkward and about as un-user-friendly as you can get. The snappy OS and fun items were just not there in the version we played with. Finding options and features is not easy; you really have to hunt around for what you are looking for to find it.

To us it felt more like a badly coded browser than an OS we would want to use for an extended period of time. In fact, as I was writing this Chrome OS, rebooted inside VMWare several times and gave the error that it had not been shut down correctly. Speaking of shutting down, after two hours of hunting and searching, we were not able to find any way to properly shut the OS down. The option simply was not there.

read more @ Google Chrome OS hands-on (Dev Build November 20, 2009) Google Chrome OS hands-on :: TweakTown ]]> News around the web! Mr.Tweak http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=511011 HOT: Google Chrome OS available as free VMWare download http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510793&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:18:51 GMT Google Chrome OS available as free VMWare download -- Engadget... Google Chrome OS available as free VMWare download -- Engadget

get it now!! ]]> News around the web! glyfone http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510793 AXUS FiT 500E Five-Bay RAID DAS Server http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510761&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:20:59 GMT Up until now we focused primarily on Network Attached Storage (NAS) servers, but Direct Attached... Up until now we focused primarily on Network Attached Storage (NAS) servers, but Direct Attached Storage (DAS) seems to be a level that consumers are more eager to venture. There could be many reasons for this. DAS products cost less while offering many of the benefits of NAS servers. In this economy disposable income for many has been reduced, but the problems still remain; how is one supposed to keep all their digital files safe from mechanical failure?

AXUS Microsystems is a company that most of us are not familiar with. Their parent company is ASUStek, someone we have all come to know and love for many years now. I am a little surprised to see ASUS not launching storage systems under their own name considering the global brand recognition they have, but Shakespeare said it best; does a rose by any other name not smell as sweet?

Review @ AXUS FiT 500E Five-Bay RAID DAS Server :: TweakTown ]]> News around the web! Mr.Tweak http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510761 Rumor: Sony bringing Firefox to PS3? http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510651&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:59:43 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.com/image_deposit/up2/1258685958e36e413011.jpg ---Quote---...

Quote:
We've been hoping for a while that Sony would replace the PS3's mediocre built-in Web browser with something more robust, so it's nice to hear that Sony might be in talks with Mozilla to port Firefox over to the PS3--even if it's just a rumor. The folks at PlayStation Insider say they've "received a tip from a source very close to Sony" about possible conversations between Mozilla and Sony. No word on whether a deal is close, but having Firefox on board would put a little more wood behind the PS3's arrow in its battle against the XBox 360 and the Wii.
Rumor: Sony bringing Firefox to PS3? | Crave - CNET ]]> News around the web! eventer http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510651 Ballmer Touts Windows 7 Sales http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510629&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:58:10 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.com/image_deposit/up2/1258682278c8104c6ce2.jpg ---Quote---...

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Microsoft Corp. has sold twice as many copies of Windows 7 in its first few weeks than any previous version of the operating system, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said. Mr. Ballmer, speaking Thursday at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting, described the initial Windows 7 reception as "fantastic" but didn't provide a specific figure for sales since the Oct. 22 release. Since the software giant sold about 20 million copies of Windows Vista in its first month on the market that would put initial Windows 7 sales at roughly 40 million units.

A company spokeswoman said Mr. Ballmer was referring to both boxed copies of Windows 7 and copies it sells to PC makers for inclusion on their machines. Microsoft and others in the PC industry are eager to see Windows 7 give a lift to hardware sales, which have suffered badly during the economic downturn. Windows is one of the biggest sources of Microsoft's profit, accounting for nearly half of the company's $20.4 billion in operating income during its last fiscal year. The new software, which has received favorable reviews, also could give Microsoft a badly needed image boost in the wake of Windows Vista—a prior version of the operating system that suffered from technical snafus when it was launched several years ago.

The comments from Mr. Ballmer are the closest the company has come to quantifying sales of Windows 7 since the product went on sale Oct. 22. Mr. Ballmer didn't give precise figures, or specify how much of Windows 7's sales came through sales of new PCs, which are typically the most common way people receive a new operating system. During the meeting, Mr. Ballmer fielded questions from a number of investors who focused on the trouble Apple Inc. has been causing for Microsoft in different parts of the consumer market. A man who identified himself as a longtime investor expressed concern that Windows had lost ground to Apple's Macintosh among students, including the investor's own children.
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Ballmer Touts Windows 7 Sales - WSJ.com ]]> News around the web! eventer http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510629 Dell profit falls 54 pct; report pulls shares down http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510611&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:07:20 GMT ---Quote--- SAN FRANCISCO - Dell Inc. said Thursday that its net income dropped 54 percent in the...
Quote:
SAN FRANCISCO -
Dell Inc. said Thursday that its net income dropped 54 percent in the latest quarter amid signs the company isn't fully benefiting from the computer industry's fledgling recovery.

Dell's numbers missed Wall Street's forecasts, and the shares fell almost 6 percent in extended trading.

In the last quarter, Dell lost its ranking as the world's No. 2 personal computer maker, a slot now held by Taiwan's Acer Inc. Dell rivals such as Acer and Hewlett-Packard Co. have stolen market share in part by exploiting their bigger presence in retail stores. That has been a big weapon because consumer interest in little laptops called "netbooks" has helped the PC industry start to pull out of its worst slump in years.

Instead, Dell gets 80 percent of its business from corporations, government agencies and other large institutions, which have remained hesitant to spend money on new technology.....
Please read full article:
Dell profit falls 54 pct; report pulls shares down by AP: Yahoo! Tech ]]> News around the web! babybearbear http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510611 <![CDATA[Apple Talk of Microsoft's Annual Meeting]]> http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510609&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:03:35 GMT
Quote:

Microsoft's meeting with shareholders this morning was decidedly low-key, with investors overwhelmingly endorsing the company's compensation practices in their first "say on pay" advisory vote.

Maybe the most remarkable part was that Bill Gates was silent throughout. In a sign of the Microsoft chairman's shift away from his full-time role, he sat at the head table sipping a soda, listening to the proceedings, and writing a note to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at one point. But he didn't give a presentation during the meeting, and shareholders didn't address any questions directly to him.

Ballmer, on the other hand, had plenty to say—particularly in response to shareholder questions about Macs, Windows, and the company's struggle to regain its footing in the market for mobile phones.

One shareholder told Ballmer that he believes Microsoft has a poor reputation compared with Apple among younger computer users, and particularly college students. "I'm just wondering why your marketing group can't do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you've got a real bad image out there," the shareholder said, saying that Apple's ads make the Redmond company look "like a buffoon....
Please read full artilce:
Microsoft Annual Meeting Unleashes Wave Of Questions About Apple - The Tech Observer - Portfolio.com ]]> News around the web! babybearbear http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510609 <![CDATA[Sony Unveils Its Answer to Apple's iTunes]]> http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510606&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:58:07 GMT
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Sony (SNE) is taking a page from Apple's playbook (AAPL). On Nov. 19, Sony said it plans to launch an online store selling music, movies, and books as well as other downloadable applications for mobile products. Sony's top executives didn't specify when the Internet store, tentatively called Sony Online Service, would go live or what it would look like. But the online storefront, announced at a management strategy meeting in Tokyo, is likely to bear some similarities to Apple's iTunes store and would be Sony's most ambitious attempt to link its products to its own vast library of digital content.

Sony will try to differentiate its service from iTunes. One example: Users will be able to upload videos shot on camcorders, save photos taken with digital cameras, and post other digital content to their personal online accounts. That's how Google's suite of Net-based services (such as YouTube video-sharing and Picasso photo site) works. At some point down the road, Sony would consider letting independent software developers create applications for the service, much the way Apple does for its iPhone........
Please read full article here:
Sony Unveils Its Answer to Apple's iTunes - BusinessWeek ]]> News around the web! babybearbear http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510606 <![CDATA[Google's Chrome May Shift the OS Landscape]]> http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510605&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:55:26 GMT ---Quote--- Google is providing a sneak peak at the Chrome OS today. Maybe the Google Midas touch...
Quote:
Google is providing a sneak peak at the Chrome OS today. Maybe the Google Midas touch can succeed where decades of Apple and Linux have failed--denting Microsoft’s OS dominance.

For all of the speculation and rumors, there is little that is really known about the Chrome OS. There have been fake Chrome OS downloads, spoofed screenshots, and a seemingly endless stream of hearsay and conjecture based on virtually nothing.

Google has a Web-centric view of the world. Much of Google's rivalry with Microsoft revolves around a diametrically opposed vision of how computers should work, and the role that the operating system should play. Google is virtually synonymous with the Web, and it has been a staunch proponent of Web-based applications and services.

Ultimately, the success of the Chrome operating system hinges to some degree on the success of cloud computing, and which cloud wins the competition for cloud dominance. Many applications and services are becoming cloud-based, but Microsoft's Azure cloud leaves room for Windows to co-exist. Its possible that, rather than Chrome altering the OS landscape, Azure could alter cloud computing.

Google won't be fighting only Microsoft, either. In trying to replace the operating system with a Web-centric, cloud-focused alternative, Google will also be stepping on Mac OS X and desktop Linux (even though itself Chrome is built on Linux). Not only that, but trying to shift the paradigm to the cloud also means disrupting the culture of application development. Google will have to convince an entire industry built on developing standalone applications to transition to coding for the cloud.

Wherever the Chrome OS ultimately takes us, it seems assured of shaking things up at least a little bit. We'll have to wait a year or three to see how things turn out and find out whether Google can put a dent in Microsoft's dominance.....
Please read full article here:
Google's Chrome May Shift the OS Landscape - Business Center - PC World Business Center ]]> News around the web! babybearbear http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510605 Google shows Chrome OS, promises 2010 launch http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510604&goto=newpost Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:52:37 GMT
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Google has unveiled its Chrome OS. In a webcast launch at the company's California headquarters today, Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management, said that the Linux-based operating system was fully open, ran applications only in its browser and stored all data in the cloud.

Speed, simplicity and security were the key components of the design, said Pichai. "It takes seven seconds to boot to the login, and three seconds to hit an application. We're working very hard to make that faster." All applications are web applications, he said, with the browser running each in an tab isolated from other applications and the system, and there was nothing for users to install or maintain.

"All Chrome OS data is in the cloud", Pichai said. "If I lose my Chrome OS computer, I can buy another one, log in and in a few seconds everything is back".

He also said that the operating system was self-checking and self-repairing, with individual components cryptographically signed. If the computer detects an error, malware or the system being hacked, it reloads some or all of the system afresh over the cloud.

In the demonstration of the operating system, applications ran in tabs along the top of the browser component, could also be opened in panes and minimised. "Any web app is a Chrome OS App", said Pichai: an Excel spreadsheet was shown running in Windows Live. "We expect rich complex applications with the functionality of desktop applications". In particular, he mentioned reading books, playing music and video as key areas. Media and games can be played offline, and Chrome OS would support HTML 5's offline capabilities, he said, but it was primarily designed for online use.

Chrome OS will run on both x86 and ARM chips, but.....
Full article:
Google shows Chrome OS, promises 2010 launch - ZDNet.co.uk ]]> News around the web! babybearbear http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510604 EKL Alpenföhn Brocken - CPU cooler review http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510563&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:57:30 GMT EKL Alpenföhn Brocken - CPU cooler review: Test - EKL Alpenföhn Brocken... EKL Alpenföhn Brocken - CPU cooler review:
Test - EKL Alpenföhn Brocken

Translation:
Google Übersetzer ]]> News around the web! przemyslaw http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510563 Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510535&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:29:57 GMT Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/11/zepto-hq-11-18-09.jpg Zepto...

Zepto Computers may not have exactly made a huge name for itself during its relatively short existence, but it did stand out from the pack somewhat with some high-end, unusually understated gaming laptops (amongst other things). That apparently wasn't enough to keep the Danish company afloat in the tumultuous computer business, however, as it has now announced that it's filed for bankruptcy after not being able to secure some much needed financing.

It's not saying much more than that at the moment though, and it still seems to be business as usual on its website -- though you might just want to hold off an any purchase you were planning.


Source: Zepto Computers files for bankruptcy -- Engadget ]]> News around the web! tUx http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510535 ATI Radeon HD 5950 will launch in Q1/2010 http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510531&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:11:58 GMT We got informations that AMD will launch another Dual-GPU, called HD 5950, in Q1/2010. This card... We got informations that AMD will launch another Dual-GPU, called HD 5950, in Q1/2010. This card will feature 2x 1440 SPs, 2x 72 TMUs, 2x 32 ROPs and 2x 256 Bit GDDR5. The clock frequencies are not final, yet, but you can expect 650-675 MHz for the core and 1800-2000 MHz for the memory.

ATI Radeon HD 5950 will launch in Q1/2010 ]]> News around the web! KonKorT http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510531 ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB in CrossFireX http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510447&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:28 GMT So, we've looked at the HD 5970 in single form and we've also seen the massive OC potential of the card. You have to wonder what else there is to do? - We'll, that's easy; install our second HD 5970 into the system and see how CrossFireX goes.

Since the second card arrived from big red themselves, there isn't a whole lot to look at. We'll have a quick peek at the card, just in case you haven't had a chance to see what's happening with it. We'll also snag a quick GPU-Z screen shot to make sure CrossFireX is working before we simply get into the benchmarks.

Article @ ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB in CrossFireX :: TweakTown ]]> News around the web! Mr.Tweak http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510447 Google and LTA Singapore collaborates to help users get to places more conveniently http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510388&goto=newpost Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:33 GMT Google and Land Transport Authority (LTA) Singapore held a press conference this morning to...
Google and Land Transport Authority (LTA) Singapore held a press conference this morning to announce their collaborative effort to provide commuters with the info they require - from mapping, route planning to traffic congestion information and bus/train arrival schedule.


Read More:
Google and LTA Singapore collaborates to help users get to places more conveniently ]]> News around the web! VRNews http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=510388