techo-freaks

Quantum computer to debut next Tuesday?

2007-02-10T02:20:00.001-08:00

Quantum computer to debut next Tuesday?

Remember where you were when you heard about Steorn? Us neither. (Yet.) Kind of the same with D-Wave, which, as you may recall, claims to be the first and only "commercial" quantum computing venture; despite a low hanging cloud of skeptical academics, D-Wave is claiming next Tuesday it'll finally debut the first quantum computer: a 16 qubit processor capable of 64,000 simultaneous calculations in quantum space(s). What's a qubit? Why, it's the quantum computer measurement equivalent of a conventional computer's bit (i.e. more (qu)bits = more data and processes), but we're not even going to insult your intelligence by pretending to understand how a many-hundreds qubit quantum computer could supposedly solve more operations than the universe has atoms. We just know that a quantum computer has yet to be built, has the potential to revolutionize the way we understand and use computation -- and with any luck D-Wave's supposed machine will be promptly put to work analyzing weather patterns so we'll know the exact climate this time next year and not buy the wrong things when this year's fall lines come out. That is, if it doesn't open up a black hole, or something.

Internet is for porn!!!

2007-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the video!!..the characters are from Warcraft game..

n73 or w810?

2007-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Features and Performance

The N73 Music Edition is equipped with plenty of connectivity options, but doesn't include Wi-Fi. It still sports Bluetooth, infrared, and USB 2.0 however, and Nokia includes a USB cable in the sales package. There is also an excellent Web browser that has the ability to scroll through each page with a feature called 'page overview'. This view shows a full Web page shrunk to fit the screen and a selection box is used to navigate to the part of the page you want to view in more detail.

Email is also included with SMTP, IMAP4 and POP3 clients supported. Email attachments can be downloaded and saved to the N73 Music Edition's mini-SD card or to the 42MB of internal memory. The mini-SD card slot is cleverly located at the bottom of the handset. There is also regular MMS and SMS messaging with T9 predictive text input, but the poorly designed keyboard will affect messaging speeds.

The N73 Music Edition conveniently includes an adapter to plug in a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which is handy, because the included pair only does a mediocre job. There is a digital music player with stereo audio supporting MP3, AAC, M4A, eAAC+ and WMA files. The device also includes RealPlayer, so playing full screen videos in MPEG-4 format is possible. Best of all, the N73 Music Edition is a USB mass storage device so files can simply be dragged and dropped onto the phone without using Nokia software. A stereo FM radio with 20 preset stations is also included, with all multimedia functions controlled through a stylish media menu.

Running on the Symbian 9.1 operating system, the N73 Music Edition has a full array of smart phone applications, including Quickoffice Word, PowerPoint and Excel document viewers, a host of PIM features (calendar, contacts, to-do list, notes, recorder, calculator, clock and converter) and both voice recording and dialing. We were slightly disappointed with the speed of the interface as it does struggle switching between applications. Start-up time is also a little slow, taking just over a minute.

Imaging

The N73 Music Edition's 3.2 megapixel camera features a Carl Zeiss lens, 20x digital zoom, a flash with red-eye reduction and autofocus, so it's one of the best camera phones on the market in terms of features. While the photos it captures still don't compare to a good compact digital camera, they are very good for a camera phone.

Capturing images at up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, the N73 Music Edition's colour reproduction is excellent, but image sharpness is a slight problem. Shots are fairly crisp though with defined edges and excellent levels of detail for a 3.2 megapixel sensor. The also has a solid list of settings including close-up and portrait scene modes, the ability to adjust white balance, colour tone settings, and light sensitivity (ISO). For editing photos and other images, Nokia includes a copy of Adobe Photoshop Starter Edition 3.0 in the N73 Music Edition sales package.

A dedicated camera shutter button and zoom keys are easily accessible when the phone is flipped horizontally, so the camera experience is much like that of a stand alone digital camera. Video recording is also available; up to 1.5 hours of video in MP4 and 3GP formats can be stored. Videos are captured in 352 x 288 resolution at up to 15fps and feature automatic white balance control and up to 8x digital zoom. There is a second, integrated VGA camera on the front with 2x digital zoom. This second camera can be used for both video calling over a 3G network or for taking portrait photos.

Design

One of the most compelling features of the N73 Music Edition is the high quality, 2.4-inch colour display. The screen is capable of 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA) and can display up to 262,144 colours. It has a great viewing angle and is clearly visible in a variety of lighting conditions. The display is ideal for use as a viewfinder with the phone's camera and also stands out for Web browsing. It is capable of displaying all 12 menu items on one screen, so scrolling in the main menu is eliminated. The N73 Music Edition display also features an ambient light detector which is used to optimise display brightness and power consumption. This feature automatically adjusts the screen and keypad backlight depending on the conditions.

Measuring 110mm x 49mm x 19mm, the N73 Music Edition isn't the smallest phone on the market, but it weighs just 116g. The metallic plastic surrounding the keypad and controls gives the unit a touch of class, but the major setback of the N73 Music Edition is its keypad; it is very small and is squashed into the bottom half of the phone. The keys themselves are flat, so typing messages is quite difficult. Above the keypad is a more pleasing five-way joystick, two selection buttons and answer and end call keys. There are also buttons for menu, clear, edit and multimedia that surround the keypad.

According to Nokia the N73 Music Edition is rated at up to 226 minutes of talk time and up to 370 hours of standby time using a 3G network. These figures are very good, and we found they were quite close to the mark - on average we had to charge the unit every three days. Using a 2.5G network with handset, the figures will change to 20 minutes extra talk time, but 20 minutes less of standby time.

Sony Ericsson W810i Features

SM quad-band technology for communication around the globe
Integrated Walkman player converts the W810i into a portable MP3, MPEG-4, and H.263 player with full functionality or with all transmitters turned off, preventing disturbance of sensitive equipment
FM radio offers convenient listening via portable handsfree accessory (Stereo Headset) or internal speaker
Transfer playlists and albums from a PC

Built-in 2.0-megapixel camera with 4x zoom and video recording capabilities including easy photo sharing through Sony Ericsson's QuickShare solution
40-chord polyphonic sound engine
Conference calling and integrated hands-free speaker
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) for sending pictures, animations, wallpaper, icons and ring tones
J2ME MIDP 2.0 support for application, ringer, wallpaper, graphic and game downloads including 3D gaming through Mascot Capsule 3D engine
Convenient PC synchronization for through Bluetooth, infrared, and SyncML

Windows vista installation problem

2007-02-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

Windows vista installation prob..
I tried installing vista home premium on my PC..configurations are..p4 2.8 ghz, 1 gb ram.
It gives me some device driver error for hdd..shown below in the image..can ne1 tell me from where i can get these drivers?

how to choose a private jet charter Company

2007-02-03T12:47:00.001-08:00

how to choose a private jet charter Company

As the pace of your life accelerates, it’s clear that your time is becoming too valuable to spend waiting in airports for delayed flights to activities or meetings that had to be postponed until you arrived! You begin thinking about private jet charter -- a faster, easier, more customized way to travel to your destination.

Flying in a private jet is one of the safest and most luxurious ways to travel. Unlike commercial airlines, private jets fly in and out of smaller suburban airports that are closer to departure and destination points. Also, typically smaller airports do not have the long lines or delays passengers have come to expect at any of today’s large urban airports.

Getting Started In order to find a jet charter operator with high safety standards and great professional credentials, there are some important factors that should be considered. These factors include: (1) research on one or more charter operators that seem acceptable, (2) validation of the operator’s safety records and professional standards and (3) selection of the aircraft that would best suit your needs. The first step is finding a charter operator.

Sentient Members

Sentient Members have the flexibility to reserve a Light, Mid-Size, or Heavy jet for each and every trip. Our Client Management Team will consult with you to determine the most appropriate jet for each trip, based on the number of passengers, luggage requirements and the distance to be traveled.

Example Specifications Light Mid-Size Heavy

Recommended Passenger Count up to 5 up to 6 up to 10

Approximate Speed 380-490 mph 420-490 mph 420-500 mph

Approximate Range 1,000-1,300 sm 1,550-2,000 sm 2,650-3,700 sm

Please note that these are approximations and that all speed/ranges are affected by weather, passenger count, runway length, and prevailing winds.

Passenger Charter News

2007-02-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

Passenger Charter News

Air Charter Services Senior Charter Analyst Carmen Vanegas flew a series of 5 return flights to Munster from various destinations around the UK

With up to 50 pax on each flight Carmen really had a huge job on her hands.

The flights were for an international agricultural event, chartered from a British based customer and took over two months of planning.

The specialist aircraft used for these flights was a Saab 2000-Regional Turboprop, and with every flight going exactly to plan, both customer and passengers were delighted with the service they received.

Air Charter Service provided flexible flight schedules allowing the trip to run smoothly and swiftly without the executives having to worry about missing flights. The company thanked the New York office for the fantastic service and informed them the flights were a great success.

As specialists in charter travel, and with offices in London, New York, Moscow and Dubai, Air Charter Service works round the clock to provide an unrivalled, fast response whether for the individual executive or large group

Charter for VIP golf break

Air Charter Service’s London office arranged a private aircraft charter for a party of ex-professional football players, TV football pundits and press reporters to fly down to Sardinia for a two day golfing break last month.

The aircraft charter was requested by a big sports sponsor client who was treating the VIP group, which included Sky and BBC presenters, to an all expenses paid trip to play one of Europe’s best courses.

Andy Christie, who specialises in sports event flights, laid on a Saab 2000 commuter turboprop aircraft for the charter from London to Sardinia. The Saab 2000 aircraft allowed the celebrity party to fly as a single group, and the use of VIP airport terminals kept the group away from the chaos of busy airports

Football star choppers in for promotional event

Air Charter Service’s sports charter specialist Andy Christie was this month delighted to be asked to arrange a helicopter charter for a prominent member of the England football team the day after the Euro 2008 qualifier against Macedonia.

The star was needed for a promotional event in central London so his agents requested a helicopter to pick him up from his clubs training ground on the outskirts of the city and fly him directly to the Battersea, South London.

Andy arranged for an AS-355 Twin Squirrel to fly the player high above the traffic gridlock down below. In a helicopter with a capable cruise speed of 224 km/h the flight was completed within minutes and the star was transferred to the event by limousine.

Air Charter Service have seen a sharp rise in demand for private charters since August's terror alert as VIP and executive travellers try to avoid crowded airports and scheduled flight security scares. The dramatic rise in business came during what is usually the slowest time of year for private aircraft charters.

The new security measures and flight delays caused serious difficulties for the business community, with routes to key European cities and transatlantic destinations heavily affected at the height of the problems.

In addition to business traffic, executives who normally hired private jets only for business trips were using them for family vacations as well.

Gavin Copus, passenger sales manager at Air Charter Service, revealed that his team had been working around the clock with business almost double the normal levels for August due to the scare.

He added: “Executives and their families feel reassured by the reliability and security that companies such as ours can offer, which is why we have seen such demand in recent weeks.”

ps3 graphix with 480i games

2007-02-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

After reading more than 500 posts on the PlayStation 3 forum and talking to a It is likely that this can be fixed through a firmware update, but only Sony would know this for surefew of the people affected by the issue, I now feel I have a better grip on the problem. Much of this is due to the amazing effort that people affected by this issue have gone through to document the problems they’ve been experiencing. These people really are hardcore enthusiasts – camping out while waiting in line for days and paying nearly a grand for their systems means they've earned that title – and the level of testing they’ve carried on the forum is of a high standard and they should be praised for their efforts.

Here's the deal with this problem:

The problem seems to be isolated to games that make use of 480i.
If a game which makes use of 480p experiences the problem, switching on the progressive scan option seems to solve the issue.
This issue is NOT related to TV sets or cables.
The 1.31 firmware upgrade did not fix this issue.
There are a number of theories as to what the problem is, but nothing concrete (I think those who claim this is a problem with the PS3's emulation layer being unable to handle horizontally scaled video are pretty close to the mark myself).
It is likely that this can be fixed through a firmware update, but only Sony would know this for sure (let's face it, this could be another recall for Sony).

Now, the first thing to get clear about is that this problem exists. Period. There are a number of people who still seem to doubt the validity of the claims made by those affected and simply see it as campaign to smear the PS3 and Sony. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you doubt the existence of the issue, take a look at the images

PS2 output - Lookin' good!

PS3 output - Gaaahhhhh! Imagine if you paid $800 to see that

Here we have a split-screen video output created by a forum member who goes by the name ‘Slurry’. You can really see the PS3 quality on the left is a lot lower than the PS2 (on the right)

See the entire video here.

The problem seems to involve groups of 4×4 pixels being flipped at regular intervals. I've put together a gallery of images here showing this and how it can be "fixed" (in the image at least).

The problem doesn't seem limited to a small number of PS3s either. A forum member known by the name ‘The-Sarge’ discovered that his PS3 was having difficulties playing PS2 games three days after the PS3 launch date. He carried out further tests and checked the PS3's output of six different TVs. When he saw the same problem displayed on all TV sets he contacted Sony tech support and after being taken through a number of troubleshooting steps Sony suggested sending him a replacement PS3. However, when that arrived he saw that it too was having the same problems with the PS2 games he tried to play.

He contacted Sony again, and this time tech support told him the issue must be with his TV set and not the PS3. He explained to them that he'd tested the unit on six different sets. Getting nowhere, he asked for a refund but was told that Sony did not handle refunds and he should be take the PS3 back to the place of purchase - the only problem was that the serial number on the replacement unit didn't match that on the box and they wouldn’t give him a refund.

‘The-Sarge’ is not alone in not getting any help from Sony. Most of the forum members who have reported this issue have contacted Sony tech support, some more than once, only to be told that Sony is not aware of the problem. Either Sony tech support personnel aren't logging complaints, or customers are being deceived.

See, the real issue here isn't one of a new product having problems. That's bound to happen, especially given how cutting edge and complex this particular device is. The real issue has to do with Sony and how the company is dodging the legitimate concerns of customers. Given the price tag of the PS3, I think those experiencing problems are owed an explanation and some sort of timetable outlining when this issue is going to be fixed.

Now the big question that needs answering is how Sony missed this problem during testing. Well, one likely reason is that the issue is most noticeable on 40+ inch 1080p HDTVs. If smaller non-HDTV sets were used for testing game compatibility, it's possible the issue could be overlooked (and it also helps if those testing the games were familiar with what the games looked like on the PS2)

Top 10 Strangest Custom Gaming Systems

2007-02-03T04:18:00.001-08:00

Check above links for more stuff

10. Colecovision Portable

Yes, this will play all your old school Colecovision games like “Donkey Kong”, “Galaxian”, and “Zaxxon” in all their 16 color glory. Ben Heckendorn, creator of the NES Micro, made a custom case, tore apart an old Colecovision system, designed his own controller, and put it all together into the sleek package you see above. It features A/V outputs, an auxiliary power input, and a reflective black vinyl case with brushed aluminum accents. Unfortunately, this one-of-a-kind system was built by request and has already been sold.

[Source]

9. NEStation

The NEStation is one of the most unique custom systems we’ve ever come across. A French modder painted his NES completely black with blue accents, created a custom vertical stand, installed four blue LEDs, and than carved in a PS2-style logo on its side.

[Source]

8. The nPod

The nPod is Ben Heck’s latest gaming console, featuring a 3.5-inch LCD display, custom machined case (only 41mm thick), and a rear-loading cartridge slot. It’s powered by 4 AA batteries and can play any NES game.

[Source]

7. Portable Sega CDX

Most of you may not remember the CDX, it combined the Sega Genesis and Sega CD into one console. SegaSonicFan’s portable CDX sports a 5″ display, JP/US import switch, second headphone jack, S-Video output, external controller switch, and a built-in automatic scan FM radio. It even plays 32X games.

6. Gamecube-to-Go

Gamelver spent a great deal of time constructing this portable Gamecube — especially the case. It looks to feature external controller ports for multiplayer action, along with a pair speakers. Other specifications have not yet been released.

5. NESPlusSega

This all-in-one machine can play both Sega Genesis and NES games. The case was made from custom molded ABS plastic and features controller ports for both systems.

[Source]

4. Handheld Atari Jaguar

The Jaguar was the world’s first gaming system with two 32-bit processors. Unfortunately, the system met its demise in early 1996 due to poor sales. Well Dave decided to pay tribute with this portable Jaguar.

3. Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini

Kotomi took one of those 6-in-1 Sega TV game devices and turned it into a Genesis/Mega Drive mini, complete with cartridge slot. One potential drawback, he doesn’t mention if the cartridge slot is functional — it’s an interesting project none the less. One more picture after the jump.

2. Dreamcast Portable

Dave took on an ambitous project when he created this portable Dreamcast from scratch. It features a custom designed case, 5″ LCD display, and a built-in 16MB memory card. Powered by two rechargeable batteries, its good for up to 1 1/2 hours of playtime.

1) PS2 portable

xbox 360 laptop

2007-02-03T03:52:00.000-08:00

Tired of the Xbox 360's "look-how-hard-I'm-trying-to-look-hip" aesthetics? Mod it, young man. That's what Ben Heckendorn did, transforming the Xbox 360 into a much smaller, laptop-like fun adapter. Something like that. The laptop mod incorporates a 17-inch high definition LCD along with a built-in keyboard and Wi-Fi and stuffed into a shell that's no more than 2.8-inches deep.

The laptop 360 is water-cooled and cools more efficiently than a regular Xbox 360. Maybe Microsoft should've put Mr. Heck on the 360's development team.

1) Uses a 17" wide (diagonal) 1280x720 progressive-scan LCD VGA monitor (for HD-level resolutions) Thus you can actually read the text in Dead Rising.
2) Water-cooled with custom-built radiator. Allows for a slimmer main body versus the mammoth heat sinks in a stock 360.
3) Built-in keyboard and Wi-Fi.
4) USB hub allows original number of 3 USB ports for user.
5) All-aluminum case, except for plastic keyboard / ring of light / screen control area.
6) Uses single customized "expanded" power supply brick for both screen and Xbox 360.
7) Breakout ports on back allow hookup to component TV, VGA monitor, sound system (analog or TOSlink) and even crummy composite video.
8) Size: 16.75" x 10.75" x 2.8" Weight: 14 pounds (with water loaded)

With all the troubleshooting done I could finally assemble the last bits of the unit, seal it up and complete it. FINALLY. This mostly involved installing the front plates such as the keyboard, ring of light and screen controls. Here are several photos of the completed unit:

Photo behind the 360 laptop, with super power plug.
Click image for larger version.

The finished unit, loaded with distilled water, weighs about 14 lbs, according to my bathroom scale.

Xbox 360 laptop, closed, on table.
Click image for larger version.

The total thickness of the final unit is 2.8 inches. goal was for it to be under 3.

Front detail, with controller.
Click image for larger version.

Here you can see the eject button for the lid (front, near the Ring of Light) and front exhaust holes which have their own fan. Inside one of the holes is the "Bind" button for the controllers.

The DVD tray, in "eject position" Note the lid open button and front USB port on the right. Noted? Great.

The DVD tray BARELY fit through the hole I had cut, even after I hand-Dremeled an extra bit of room at the top. Oh well, I'll take barely fits over DOESN'T fit any day!

Dual-Core Intel

2007-02-03T03:46:00.000-08:00

Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5300 Sequence
The industry's first quad-core processor for mainstream servers provides breakthrough performance and capabilities for the ultimate in powerful, dense and energy efficient servers. With the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5300 series you get breakthrough performance — up to 50% greater than the industry-leading Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor in the same power envelope¹ and up to 150% better than the competition².

Intel® processor-based entry-level servers build in proven performance, manageability, and reliability, allowing you to spend more time on moving your business forward.

Quad-Core and Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 3000 Sequence

The Quad-Core and Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 3000 sequence-based entry-level servers are designed with utility and versatility in mind. They are ideal for small business owners looking for ways to grow business, manage operations more effectively and efficiently, and protect and secure one of their most important assets-information.

Intel® processor-based entry-level servers build in proven performance, manageability, and reliability, allowing you to spend more time on moving your business forward.

Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5000 Sequence

These are the most widely deployed 64-bit processors³ in the world and are ideal for a broad range of solutions, from application servers to email servers to Internet servers. Designed for volume 2-way configurations, the new Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor-based servers deliver additional levels of performance, power-efficiency and reliability to help you improve the efficiency and responsiveness of your server infrastructure.

Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 7000 Sequence

The Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 7000Δ Sequence provides scalable performance, robust virtualization capabilities, and reliable uptime for demanding 64- and 32-bit enterprise applications. Designed for 4-way to 32-way configurations, the Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 7100 Series-based servers give you the headroom, reliability and wide industry support needed for processing multiple, simultaneous transactions (such as database, enterprise resource planning and e-commerce applications) and for virtualization and consolidation, allowing you to increase utilization of servers in the data center.

Kodak and Sony

2007-02-03T03:44:00.001-08:00

Kodak and Sony have entered into a broad cross license agreement and settled their ongoing patent litigations

Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced that Sony and Eastman Kodak Company ("Kodak") have entered into a cross license agreement, under which Sony and Kodak will each have broad access to the other's patent portfolio. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Sony and Kodak have also entered into a settlement agreement resolving certain outstanding patent litigations.

This license and settlement will have no material impact on Sony's consolidated earnings forecast announced on October 19, 2006.

Blue ray

2007-01-31T00:07:00.000-08:00

It has been coming!

Yes the Blu-ray and HD DVD head to head. Would either of the formats be able to show clearly that they were the One.

Well the first round has taken place and comparisons have been made between three Warner Home Video releases, Training Day, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Rumor Has It.... .

And one is definitely in the lead.

Mac users in Japan to get Blu-ray burner

Japanese storage specialist Logitec are reported to be ready to ship what may be the world's first Mac-compatible Blu-ray Disc burner later this month.

The 2x BD drive can write to BD-R and BD-RE media offering 25GB and 50GB storage capacities.

4Q to decide HD future

The major film studios are gearing up for the end of the HD phoney war.

A recent poll of studio exec's shows a strong belief that the year end holiday season will have a major impact on which HD format will survive.

"This is just the start up year, and it’s really about early adopters," said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios. "That’s why it’s so important to do it right. Whatever we do on HD, we've gotta do it very well."

"Quite frankly, I don't believe there is a format war," said Mike Dunn, president of Fox Home Entertainment, who are solely supporting Blu-ray. "The HD DVD camp hasn't brought in enough consoles to form a beachhead. I don’t believe they intend to do so. We'll see Blu-ray start to take hold this year."

Vista

2007-01-31T00:06:00.000-08:00

COMPUTER giant Microsoft today raised the curtain on the latest version of its Windows operating system to a significantly more connected generation of Australian personal computer users.

But while today's global consumer launch of Windows Vista was met with the usual Microsoft fanfare, the industry expects home PC users will give this version of the package a slightly cooler reception than previous versions.

Microsoft Australian managing director Tracey Fellows said the PC market has matured since Microsoft launched its first significantly enhanced take on the operating system, Windows 95, a decade ago.

"The PC market is in a very different space than it was in 1995," she said.

"In 1995, people were just buying a PC, now I think there's every reason to believe that this will be the catalyst for people wanting to upgrade the PC they have today.

"I think we will see a spur in consumer demand and with businesses I think we'll see a very different take-up."

Vista's enhancements include a more aesthetically pleasing graphical user interface, improved digital photo and music applications and better internet connection management and safeguards.
Office 2007 - Microsoft's suite of applications for Windows, which includes Word, Excel and Publisher - has been tweaked to help users create better looking blogs and content more easily.

Microsoft Australia Office chief Tony Wilkinson said Office 2007 was about helping users get more out of their applications by making the thousands of features easier to discover.

"How many people today use photo management applications? Not very many," Mr Wilkinson said.

"And so they try to just get by by using the standard Windows folders to manage their folders and it's not that easy once you get hundreds and thousands of those things.

"But by building those capabilities in the core of the operating system it means that everybody can start to take advantage of the photos in a much more efficient way."

Microsoft has billed the launch as the most important Windows development ever.

The product hit stores at one minute past midnight today, with queues outside retailer Harvey Norman in Sydney surprising even Microsoft management.

But despite the hype, technology research house Gartner believes Vista will lag its predecessor, Windows XP, until 2009, when it is expected to gain the lion's share of PC installations.

Gartner expects Vista will run on less that 15 per cent of PCs globally in 2007, compared with XP's share of more than 77 per cent.

Most Vista purchases are expected to come from new PC purchases in 2007 with the software expected to feature on 72.5 per cent of new shipments.

Consumer advocate Choice says while Microsoft's latest offering includes dramatic improvements, the price is still quite steep for the average user and demands significant computer power.

"You'll probably need a new computer in order to experience Vista in all its glory," Choice said.

"And old software may not work with the new Vista operating system."

Vista will be available in five separate versions including Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Home Premium Upgrade Academic, Ultimate and Business.

At the top of the range, Vista Ultimate will cost users $751 and $495 for an upgrade from XP.
The less flashy Home Basic version costs $385 and $199 for an upgrade.

Laser tv

2007-01-31T00:05:00.000-08:00

IT'S being hailed by its developers as the next revolution in visual technology - a laser television that will make plasma screens obsolete.

Soon-to-be-listed Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux unveiled what they claimed to be the world's first laser television in Sydney today, with a pitch that it would be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs.

Manufacturing company Arasor produces the unique optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device being developed by Silicon Valley-based Novalux, which is being used by a number of television manufacturers.

And displayed beside a conventional 50 inch plasma TV this afternoon, the Mitsubishi-built prototype does appear brighter and clearer than its “older” rival.

With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma.

“If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see,” he said.

“But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see.

“All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display.”

Combine that with energy efficiency, price advantage and the fact that the laser TVs will be half the weight and depth of plasma TVS, and Mr Pelaprat says “plasma is now something of the past”.

Mr Pelaprat predicted LCD TVs would come to dominate the market below 40 inches, and laser television the market above that screen size, displacing plasma.

The optoelectronic chip-laser technology won't be confined to TVs.

The technology is also being trialled in mobile phones, where it will be used to project images onto any surface, and in home theatres and cinemas.

The unveiling of the laser TV prototype was held on the eve of Arasor's public float on the Australian Stock Exchange next week.

2007-01-26T12:30:00.001-08:00