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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

ATI Radeon HD 5970: The World's Fastest Graphics Card [Graphics Cards]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kdZDfR0qrkU/ati-radeon-hd-5970-the-worlds-fastest-graphics-card

The ATI Radeon HD 5970 slaughters the competition in pretty much every benchmark thrown at it. It's outrageously fast. We're talking five teraflops here, people. Teraflops.

MaximumPC put the 5970 to the test, and found that it lives up to its promise. The 2GB dual-GPU card is the first to support DirectX 11, and basically doubles its wholly respectable predecessor (the 5870) in specs, capable of delivering nearly 5 teraflops of raw processing power. It's a massive card, about a foot long, designed mostly for heat dissipation, at which aim it apparently succeeds. It's also got easy access to overclocking via AMD's OverDrive, and can drive up to three displays simultaneously with a maximum resolution of 7680x1600. So it's pretty much the greatest thing ever, and it's got a pricetag to match: $600 upon its undisclosed release. Yow. [MaximumPC]

The True Google Phone We've Been Waiting for May Be Coming Soon [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/17wA0uVlVRY/the-true-google-phone-weve-been-waiting-for-may-be-coming-soon

TechCrunch is hearing some veeeeeery interesting rumors about a true Google Phone: Not just an Android device, but a phone designed top-to-bottom by Google to fulfill their dream of exactly what Android can be.

We've heard rumors like this before, but this time there are a few distinct elements that seem credible. The rumblings are a bit vague, but point to an outsider-made but Google-dictated device, sort of like how Microsoft's first Zune was actually made by Toshiba—and in the case of the Google Phone, there are a couple options for the possible manufacturer. The obvious choice is HTC, who's been the major hardware manufacturer of Android devices, but TechCrunch hears that the source of the hardware will be Korean, not Taiwanese, which likely points to either Samsung or LG.

Samsung has a long-standing relationship with Apple, supplying tons of parts for the iPhone, so maybe LG would step up to the plate and develop this phantom device. LG's no stranger to Android, but has been a minor player up to this point—maybe they've been working on this mysterious Google Phone in the meantime, which is supposedly aiming for an early 2010 release.

Right now, we don't know much of anything, so we're reaching out to you guys—if you've heard anything about a possible Google Phone, please shoot us an email. [TechCrunch]

Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy? (Update: it's a date-related self-correction)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/motorola-droid-camera-autofocus-fixed-in-secrecy/

While we were busy looking into external speaker problems on the Droid, it would seem Moto was itself hard at work remedying a separate issue with the device. A number of users on support forums have complained of the Droid's camera failing to focus and giving them "red corners" when attempting to take pictures, but now -- suddenly and without warning -- their ailment has gone away as if touched by the hand of an omnipotent being (or, alternatively, a silent firmware update). This particular autofocus problem was mentioned in Verizon's 5-page treatise on known issues with the Droid, though the planned resolution was an official update by December 11. The fix seems to have been delivered early, as green corners are sprouting up all around, but this silent update conduit sounds a bit nefarious, no?

Update: Sure enough, we can confirm from testing one of our own Droids that the issue has been resolved. The endless quest for the green focus box is over, and you can now finally begin scanning all your discount cards into Key Ring.

Update 2: And things have turned surreal. Dan Morrill, from Google's Android team, has confirmed that there's a date-related bug in the Droid's camera software that leads to it having cycles of good and bad focus that depend on the date. Our own testing confirmed this, as backdating to the 11th of November returned those red bars of failure. Apparently, the cycles last 24.5 days, meaning that you'll have good focus all the way to December 11, when the real fix is expected to drop. So breathe easy, Gotham, there are no phantom updates, just an oddly date-sentient camera.

[Thanks, AlexL and Kaiser]

Read - Android Forums
Read - Howard Forums

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Droid camera autofocus fixed in secrecy? (Update: it's a date-related self-correction) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T's BlackBerry Bold 9700 starts shipping out to top bananas

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/atandts-blackberry-bold-9700-starts-shipping-out-to-top-bananas/

Got an AT&T Premier account at your disposal? Does your nine to five require you to wear a suit on every day that ends in "y?" If you're nodding your head and simultaneously thinking about just how tight that top button is around your neck, there's a decent chance that you can get AT&T's version of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 right now. 'Course, those on T-Mobile have already been enjoying the spoils for a few hours now, but judging by the unboxing shots in the read link, that window of US exclusivity looks to be all but shut. So, anyone jabbing the boss for an upgrade?

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T's BlackBerry Bold 9700 starts shipping out to top bananas originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMIMON's WHDI wireless HD modules coming to netbooks and laptops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/amimons-whdi-wireless-hd-modules-coming-to-netbooks-and-laptops/

For as long as we can remember, AMIMON's WHDI technology has been reserved for use in high-end AV components -- HDTVs, Blu-ray players, set-top-boxes, etc. Today, the outfit has finally figured out a way to break free from its current box and get all up in the grille of the mainstream market. As of now, WHDI modules are being made available for netbook and laptop manufacturers, enabling portable PCs to send or receive high-def signals from other WHDI-enabled devices sans cabling. The outfit expects lappies with their tech built-in to ship sometim! e in 201 0, and when we prodded for more information on who exactly would be taking 'em up on their offer, the company stated that specific partners wouldn't be announced for a few more months. Still, built-in support for beaming 1080p content from a laptop to an HD panel without a single cord? Major score.

Continue reading AMIMON's WHDI wireless HD modules coming to netbooks and laptops

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless