ATI's new 3D cards intensify the midrange fight

Both ATI's and Nvidia's first round of DirectX 10 cards delivered underwhelming performance at best. They couldn't handle games from last year, let alone crank through newer titles like Crysis and PC Gears of War. But with Nvidia's GeForce 8800 GT and ATI's new Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 cards mainstream gamers can finally get a piece of that modern game action for less than the price of a full-fledged game console.

The new ATI cards are unique in that they offer support for a few new hardware and software features. They're both PCI Express 2.0 compatible, which means a fatter graphics data pipe when they're paired with a motherboard that has a PCI Express 2.0 slot, due from ATI shortly. That kind of throughput isn't quite necessary yet because no games are really pumping that much data through, but it's nice to have the hardware support in place for when they might. Another benefit of the newer motherboards will be CrossFireX, a new iteration of ATI's multicard technology that lets you match up to four different cards in one system.

Similar to PCI Express 2.0, though perhaps less important, the new Radeons are also DirectX 10.1-compliant. That update to the still-emerging DirectX standard may eventually allow for a few additional graphical bells and whistles. But no developer in his right mind will require you to have DirectX 10.1 hardware, especially when DirectX 10 is still in the early adoption phase. DX10.1 compatibility is more valuable today as a marketing bullet point than an actual feature.

For performance, the 256MB Radeon 3850 overtakes against Nvidia's 8600 GT, and the 512MB Radeon 3870 effectively replaces ATI's older Radeon HD 2900 XT which is basically as fast. According to GameSpot's tests and others from around the Web, neither card is as fast as the newer GeForce 8800 GT from Nvidia, but the latter still costs a pretty penny, making the Radeons into major bang-for-the-buck players. We would still expect all of the midrange cards to choke on newer games in DirectX 10 mode and with the details cranked, but the good news is DirectX 10 hasn't distanced itself enough from DirectX 9 yet to make that much of a difference in image quality. So with these new ATI cards, you can dial down the settings, still have your game look great, and enjoy smooth frame rates on most, if not all, current titles and not break the bank to do it.

Via CNET Crave

Giving data thieves the finger

As anyone who has ever lost or crashed a harddisk knows, the agony is not so much the cost of replacing the software, but trying to get the content back where it belongs. With portable external harddisks becoming cheaper and storage size getting larger, one of the most overlooked areas is the issue of data security.

Some enclosures feel that password encryption is enough, but we all know it takes a determined hacker nothing more than a few hours to break through. Sarotech's new enclosure, the Cutie Bio, has integrated a fingerprint scanner into an external USB 2.0 2.5-inch enclosure. With a swipe of your finger, the data is instantly accessible. Once it's removed from the PC, the information becomes encrypted gibberish.

At only S$89 (US$59.56), we would say it's a must-have for everyone... except for one small detail. The fingerprint software works with only Windows machines, which takes Mac users out of the equation. There is a version which is not only Mac compatible, but also Linux-friendly. However, the latter uses the more expensive 1.8-inch drives and the availability is yet to be confirmed.

Heated keyboard keeps fingertips toasty

Around this time of year even the most cold-hearted gadget freaks could use a little warming up, but we'd rather freeze than wear a pair of USB Heating Gloves or USB Heating Slippers, and we think you know our position on a Hello Kitty heating pad. There are a variety of heated mice on the market that could provide warmth surreptitiously, but only for one palm at a time.

There may, however, be a solution--in the keys themselves. The appropriately named "Warmkeyboard" claims to have "heating elements" built directly into its keys to "gently radiate heat into your hands," according to I4U News. It would probably be a more office-friendly alternative than the Vulcan 47 Super Arctic Master.

Via Crave CNET

Dell shows off tablet and all-in-one at Oracle OpenWorld

Though beaten to the punch by the FCC, Dell introduced the world to its forthcoming all-in-one PC at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco.

Well, it wasn't a formal introduction as much as an all-too-brief glimpse of the XPS One A2010, which resembles a widescreen TV with separate keyboard. Chief executive Michael Dell drew the crowd's attention to the all-in-one during his keynote when he asked chief technology officer Kevin Kettler, who joined him on stage, what "that" device was. Playing along, Kettler "guessed" that it looked like a TV, since it had a remote and was playing a Blu-ray disc.

"It looks like an all-in-one machine. But I probably shouldn't say anymore about that," Kettler concluded, tongue firmly in cheek. He did mention that it will be announced next week.

Though an enterprise software conference might seem an odd place to introduce a firmly consumer-oriented product, Dell certainly wasn't the only one to deviate from standard OOW content. And it didn't stop with the XPS One. While on stage, Dell took the opportunity to demonstrate its forthcoming convertible tablet PC, the Latitude XT, which Kettler said is on track to ship in the next few months. And for good measure, Kettler briefly noted how the XPS M1330 laptop he was holding would be a great holiday gift for the whole family.

It wasn't all a consumer hardware commercial, however. Dell also talked up on-demand desktop streaming as an alternative to thin-client computing. On-demand streaming features a desktop client with its own CPU and graphics processor. Saying it had comparable security and costs to thin clients, and the performance of traditional clients, Dell said desktop streaming would allow IT departments to push software updates instantly to all stations and allow for better video playback.

And it wouldn't be a Dell keynote without a plug for the company's green initiative. Dell again challenged the industry to join his efforts in the greening of the IT industry. Citing a Gartner report predicting widespread data center brownouts several years from now, Dell called it "absolutely unacceptable".

Without revealing many details, he said that Dell will soon roll out a program called Greenprint, which allows companies to check their power efficiency and then enable them to find ways to make themselves even more "green".

He ended on the note challenging other companies to "consider the impact green technologies can have on (return on investment) and on our planet".

Via CNET Crave

Authorize your USB drive

Flash drives have already become the media of choice when one needs to transfer files in a hurry. However, its small size also means the chances of one being lost or stolen is high.

While some USB drives have gone down the password route and others opt for a fingerprint sensor, Elecom's solution is a little more drastic. Its latest flash disks come with Password Authentication Security System (PASS) which allows only authorized machines to read the contents. We do hope that there is a workaround if the only PC it's paired with goes bonkers.

Storage capacities goes up to 16GB with no mention of price as yet. Unfortunately, this highly secure USB drive is available only in the Land of the Rising Sun for now.

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