Garmin's iQue 3600a Aviation's First Ready-to-Fly PDA

Garmin International today introduced the iQue 3600a, the first Palm Powered aviation device that is ready to navigate right out of the box. The iQue 3600a package includes an innovative yoke-mounted cradle as well as built-in basemap, terrain, obstacle and Jeppesen databases - all of which turn this full-featured PDA into a premium aviation navigator without any complicated set-up procedures. In addition, the device features all of the automotive turn-by-turn capabilities and personal information management (PIM) applications of Garmin’s popular iQue product line, making it a highly versatile device for aviation enthusiasts.

"It's like flying with a portable MFD," said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s director of marketing. "Pilots will fall in love with the rich color, the high-resolution display, the Sectional chart-like presentation, the terrain-mapping and obstacle-alerting functions, and the overall ease of use. They’ll also have the peace of mind knowing that, when they snap their iQue 3600a into the smart cradle, they take to the skies with an enhanced awareness of surrounding terrain."

The iQue 3600a has a patented GPS antenna design that folds discreetly into the back of the unit. Once released from this locked position, the antenna immediately begins acquiring satellite signals and can be adjusted for optimal reception. The iQue 3600a features Garmin’s Que technology, a set of integrated applications for mobile navigation. The company has added several new or enhanced Que applications to the iQue 3600a — beyond those for road navigation, including mapping, turn-by-turn routing, locating points of interest, trip computing, and satellite acquisition — to fit the needs and expectations of today’s pilots. These applications include:

-- QueMap: Displays a comprehensive set of mapping data, such as a basemap of North/South America; aviation navaids, airports and airspace; navigation arc overlay with configurable data fields; Sectional chart-like topographic data; and U.S. obstacles like towers and obstructions
-- QueTerrain: Takes advantage of the topographic/obstacles database to alert the pilot of potential terrain conflicts within the proximity of the flight path using pop-up windows
-- QueNav: Displays GPS-derived speed, altitude and guidance features in an aircraft panel format
-- QueFlights: Keeps a record of flight time, mileage and start/end point as a digital logbook (also interfaces with Garmin’s PC-based FlightBook software, which is included in the Setup CD)

The iQue 3600a features a unique cradle with a patent-pending design that mounts to the yoke. Instead of using a stylus for data input, simply insert the unit in the cradle and navigate using the dedicated Direct To, Nearest, Menu, Escape, Enter and directional rocker buttons — giving it the same functionality as other Garmin aviation portables. When inserted into the cradle, it instinctively selects settings appropriate for aviation use and allows aviators to transition seamlessly from personal/automotive use to the cockpit environment.

“We are pleased to welcome the iQue 3600a from Garmin as it extends the Palm OS® platform to a new category of Palm Powered devices by providing users with a powerful combination of aviation mapping and PIM software in a single handheld,” said David Nagel, president and chief executive officer of PalmSource.

As a highly functional PDA, the iQue 3600a features the Palm operating system and includes the complete suite of PIM applications — Address, Date Book, Memo Pad, To Do (all of which can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook), Calculator and Palm Reader for e-books. It boasts a bright, high-resolution (320x480-pixel) color TFT display, a voice recorder and MP3 player, and a Secure Digital slot for memory expansion.

Other specifications of the iQue 3600a:

-- Operating system: Palm OS Garnet
-- Processor: 200-MHz DragonBall MXL ARM9
-- Internal memory: 96 MB of ROM for pre-installed data and applications; 64 MB of SDRAM for downloading Palm OS-compatible applications and map data from Garmin MapSource® CDs
-- GPS receiver/antenna: 12 parallel channel WAAS receiver / Flip-up integrated GPS patch antenna with remote antenna capability
-- Aviation calculator applications: QueE6B and QueWeight&Balance
-- GPS applications: Location awareness, electronic mapping, address lookup, automatic route generation, turn-by-turn directions with voice guidance, trip computer, tracklog, route avoidance, and Contact Locator™ (geocoding a location within the Address or Date Book applications)
-- Unit size (WxHxD)/Weight: 2.8” x 5.0” x 0.8” / 6.2 oz.
-- Screen dimensions: 3.8” (diagonally)
-- Display information: 320x480-pixel, transflective TFT display with 64K colors
-- Battery/Battery life: Rechargeable lithium ion battery / Up to 9 hours of continuous use (at minimum backlight setting) and four weeks on standby

The iQue 3600a is expected to be available in January 2005 at an MSRP of $1,099. It will ship standard with a USB HotSync cradle, yoke-mount cradle, GA27C external GPS antenna kit, AC adapter, 12-volt adapter, installation/application CD-ROM with owner’s manual, and a quick-start guide. To use the iQue 3600a around town, an optional auto kit is available for $219 and includes a MapSource City Select CD-ROM and a skid-friction mount with 12-volt adapter and speaker.

Hitachi develops finger vein authentication technology for steering wheels

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Hitachi, Ltd. announced today the development of finger vein authentication technology which provides authorized driver verification in a fraction of a second just by gripping the steering wheel.

This technology is expected to play an important role in future car information systems to prevent unauthorized access as information technology (IT) systems becomes increasingly integrated in automobiles; for example, authorizing automatic payment in drive-throughs or payment for music downloads to car audio systems, as well as preventing car theft.

Further, by registering different functions to each finger, it is possible to use the system as a multi-function switch enabling, for example, one finger to set the driving environment such as seat or side mirror position, air-conditioning, etc. to suit the verified driver, and another finger to operate car navigation or car audio systems. Another advantage is that the system does not require the driver to glance to an operating panel and select a button, thus supporting even safer driving in a natural position.

An automobile exhibit fitted with the technology will be on display at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007, to be held at Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan, from Saturday, 27th October through to Sunday, 11th November 2007.

Security consciousness has increased in recent years as crimes such as unauthorized entry or access to cars, information, etc. become increasingly visible. Amidst this current situation, in the field of personal identification, attention is being focused on biometric methods of personal verification to provide greater security.

In relation to automobiles, as well as security of the vehicle itself, there is also a growing demand to be able to enjoy the vehicle as a comfortable private space reflecting the driver's preferences.

Hitachi has been developing an original biometric, finger vein authentication technology, which uses the finger vein pattern obtained from passing light through a finger as a key since 1997. In 2005, a grip-type finger vein authentication technology* was developed, enabling a door to be opened simply by gripping the handle. Since then, Hitachi has been working to develop an even more compact system to extend market applications.

In this development, the area of the finger scanned was changed from the finger surface to the side of the finger, and together with other improvements, provide easy operation as well as high security, and the possibility of developing new value. By this, the process from opening the car to authorizing in-vehicle payment, can be conducted without a key and protected by finger vein security, as well as instantly providing a driver specific comfortable driving environment. Further, all these operations can be conducted without transferring driver gaze from the forward direction, thus contributing to safer driving as well.

Source: Hitachi

Ericsson Predicts Mobile Phones With Full HD, 1 GHz Processor Frequency By 2012

(PhysOrg.com) -- Mobile phones of the future will be equipped with a 12 MP to 20 MP cameras with full HD capability by 2012, according to Jonas Lundstedt, Director of Ericsson's Portfolio Management, Product and Portfolio Management.

New technologies aptly named HSPA Evolution and LTE which means long term evolution will increase the transmission speeds initially to 100Mbps and make possible the progression to full HD quality images. Ericsson plans to actively develop embedded modules, base station facilities and other products in order to bring about the future mobile terminal hand-held device, according to reporter Hiroki Yomogita published on November 6 by Nikkei Electronics.

Currently, HSPA technology has a maximum transmission speed of 7.2Mbps. Ericsson´s system has the lion´s share of commercial networks utilizing HSPA compatible terminals. Today, 805 kinds of HSPA-compatible terminals have been released from approximately 129 manufacturers. According to Hakan Eriksson, Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson, LTE will significantly enhanced the mobile broadband experience for users, who will be able to enjoy more performance-demanding applications like interactive TV, advanced games or professional services. It is expected that 1.8 billion people will have broadband by 2012 and of this amount 2/3 will be mobile broadband subscribers.

Wireless technology will be the predominant way of accessing broadband and Internet connectivity in homes, offices, schools and businesses. Initially, the developing world and other countries will rely primarily on HSPA. LTE is expected to pick up quickly relying on its relationship with the current GSM/WCDMA/HSPA technology family. Another key benefit of LTE is its performance and capacity. Ericsson has already demonstrated peak rates of 160Mbits/s. The future will deliver speeds 300Mbits/s and higher.

The LTE Radio Access Network round trip times will be 10ms or less. Thus, LTE is a prime candidate for the 4G network because it meets all the requirements. Another advantage of LTE is its operator deployment flexibility. It supports flexible carrier bandwidth from 1.4MHz to 20MHz. It also supports both FDD and TDD. The advantage is that an operator may introduce LTE in new bands to where it is easiest for 10 MHz or 20 MHz carriers and eventually switch exclusively to LTE.

According to Mr. Eriksson, the strong market pull for HSPA is creating a burgeoning mobile bandwidth eco-system of device makers, network makers, application developers and enterprises. Since LTE supports hand-over and roaming to existing mobile networks, all devices will have ubiquitous mobile broadband coverage from day one. Ericsson plans to be at the head of the pack for a total transformation of mobile communications. Their vision is a terminal display with XGA resolution and the operating frequency of the application processor will reach 1GHz. It is expected the Japanese market which is moving fast in HSPA will be first to deploy the HSPA Evolution and LTE technology.

New York taxis could get iPads report

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New Yorkers may be able to surf and ride at the same time if a plan to put iPads, or a similar device, in the back of taxis takes off.

A San Francisco company, Square, is proposing a pilot program to install tablet computers in the back of 50 taxis, replacing the little-loved miniature television screens used in all cabs since 2007, showing commercials and some news and entertainment clips, The New York Times and New York Post reported.

Riders would be able to make Internet searches, play games or shop on the tablets.

Square is due to present its plan to city authorities next month, the reports said.

Un jeu gratuit sur 3DS

A tous les possesseurs de 3DS, ce message vous est destiné. Seriez-vous tentés par un petit jeu gratuit sur votre nouvelle portable, et ce sans bouger le petit doigt ?

C'est ce que proposera la prochaine mise à jour de la 3DS. En plus d'intégrer l'eShop et le navigateur internet destiné à la petite nouvelle de Nintendo, vous vous verrez tous offrir le classique Excitebike sorti sur NES il y a des lustres. Il sera d'ailleurs fourni dans une version compatible 3D, et rejoindra la future famille des jeux 3D Classics.

· Forum Excitebike

Development of male youth in jeopardy due to video games and pornogprahy

Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the American school system is also one of the lowest ranking of any in the developed world, but is the government to blame or are there other factors that influence how the youth of America develops. That said, a doctor by the name of Phillip Zimbardo and his assistant Nikita Duncan claims that video games and pornography is the one of the main catalyst in the destruction of American youths—males in particular.

The discussion of how video games and pornography are influencing the way American males develop as human beings is as touchy of a topic as it can get. A recent article by gamesindustry.biz clarifies that Zimbardo claims video games and pornography create an “arousal” and “addiction” that make males “risk-averse [and causes them] to shy away from dealing with relationships, school, or work.”

Zimbardo uses examples from recent tragedies that were correlated with gaming to make his argument. One example was the death of Seungseob Lee due to 50 hours of playing Starcraft continuously. Another example is the killing massacre that was carried out by a Norwegian male named Anders Behring Breivik—who played a lot of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

The doctor and his assistant don’t directly blame technology for the problems in male youths, but rather the “misuse” of it.

“Technology is not the issue. Rather, it’s the misuse of technology. There’s a general overuse of video games and porn – especially in social isolation – which is not balanced out by other activities like exercise, face-to-face socialization with peers, or individual time with any kind of male mentor,” Zimbardo was quoted in an interview TED.com.

There’s no doubt that the correlation between video games and porn is present when it comes to troubled youth, but does that mean causation?

Zimbardo continued on in his interview with TED.com to say that “prescription drugs, illegal drugs, and overstimulation from enticing images and games” changes the brains of male youths, and the consequence is that they get “left behind socially, sexually, and financially.”

It seems that Zimbardo and his assistant has a particular section of men – the video game loving and pornography watching ones – all figured out. What about you? Where do you place the significance of video games and pornography in how it shapes young men?

Eurocom announces availability of 6-core Intel processors for laptop

Do you fancy a huge, 17” mobile workstation with a powerful, top-of-the-line desktop-grade processor stuffed into it? If your answer is yes, then you might want to consider flying down to Canada and picking up one of these notebooks from Eurocom.

The D900F Panther Workstation, which is Eurocom's mobile workstation laptop, is now offering Intel's 6-core i7-980X processor, codenamed Gulftown, as one of the available processors available for customization on purchase, making it one of the first computing systems to feature the 980X in a laptop.

For those requiring a more professional-grade processor, Eurocom is also offering the laptop with Intel's new Xeon W56xx processors, which, coincidentally, also happen to boast 6 processing cores. And as far as customization goes, the D900F Panther Workstation supports up to 24GB of memory (DDR3), 4 hard disks, a choice between Nvidia's GeForce GTX 285M or Quadro 2800/3800 video card, along with RAID, if required.

Of course, it being a desktop replacement notebook (and a mighty fine one at that), don't expect the D900F to weigh anything less than 5kg: this is a notebook which is meant to be set atop a desk and left there for as long as needed, and not for carrying around to meetings or watching videos while on the move.

Source: X-bit labs

CUPP Announces Demo Hybrid PC With ARM and x86 Processors

Intel's and AMD's x86 processors have long dominated desktop and mobile computing, but mostly because of Microsoft's decision to have Windows run only on x86 and no other architecture. However, there is much the ARM architecture has to offer for general-purpose computing, especially when one talks into account the low energy requirements of such processors.

Unfortunately, ARM has one huge obstacle to face in getting its processors onto the desktops and notebooks of today: the lack of support for Windows. With easily more than 80% of the world running on Microsoft's OS for their desktop or mobile computing needs, the situation has reached a point where anything which is not supported by Windows is often dismissed as having little practical value.

That situation is set to change with CUPP Computing's new prototype machine, though. The company's prototype, also dubbed as the Computicator, features a unique platform which combines both a conventional x86 processor (Intel Core 2 Duo, in this case) and a Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 ARM Cortex A8-based processor clocked at 720MHz and integrated with 512MB of RAM. To top off the package, the Computicator comes with a single 320GB hard disk and a 16-inch display, giving it a laptop-like appearance.

But the real draw of CUPP Computing's Computicator is the device's ability to run two operating systems concurrently without virtualization, a feat which has yet to be achieved in current desktop computing standards. By imputing a certain keyboard command, the system will be able to instantly switch between Windows 7 Professional and Ubuntu LXDE (sometimes known as Lubuntu) on the fly, without the need for rebooting, no doubt due to the unique ability of the Computicator to operate two different architectures concurrently.

As the device is still a prototype, there is no mention of any availability date. However, it does set the stage for some major changes in the desktop computing market, especially where the CPU is concerned. Will CUPP Computing's innovation be the push that ARM needs to make a presence into an area where x86 still rules supreme? Only time will tell.

Source: bit-tech

TGS 2009 Le Motion Controller de Sony confirm au printemps

Sony a confirmé l'arrivée de son Motion Controller au printemps 2010 sans plus de détails sur son prix ou sa date précise de sortie. Parallèlement, on découvre une première liste de jeux compatibles avec l'engin dont la version Director's Cut de Resident Evil 5 et LittleBigPlanet. Eyepet, Flower, High Velocity Bowling, PAIN sont également mentionnés.

PAIN PS3

Resident Evil 5 : Gold Edition PS3

EyePet PS3

High Velocity Bowling PS3

Flower PS3

Asus reveals two budget friendly P8Z77-V motherboard models

If you like many others have found Asus range of P8Z77-V motherboards a bit on the expensive side, then the new P8Z77-V LK and P8Z77-V LX models might be what youve been waiting for, as both of these just announced models will end up just below the P8Z77-V LE in Asus range of Z77 motherboards. Weve seen LX and LE boards in the past from Asus, but the LK is a new budget model we havent seen in previous generations.

Were not entirely sure what Asus is trying to achieve by offering so many models as right now we have no less than seven P8Z77 SKUs if we include the Premium, plus two mini ATX, one ITX, the Sabertooth, the WS and soon to be two Maximus V boards with a potential third launching at Computex. Thats no less than 15 models in total and as youll see with these two new additions, only very minor features differ.

The P8Z77-V LX is the new entry level model and it has a smaller PCB at 305x218mm and gone are fancy features like heatsinks on the MOSFETs. Still, its not quite the scrape of the barrel, although Asus hasnt really included any extra features either. You get the standard six Intel SATA ports, two x16 PCI Express slots that can operate in dual x8 mode, two x1 PCI Express slots and three PCI slots. Theres no TB_Header on this board, as it doesnt have the required x4 PCI Express slot, something it shares with the P8Z77-V LE. No extra USB 3.0 controllers are to be found here either, so you have to make do with a header for two internal USB 3.0 ports, as well as six USB 2.0 ports.

The rear I/O isnt terrible with a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, three audio jacks, optical S/PDIF out and a D-sub, DVI and HDMI port. Price wise this board comes in at around US$140, not an incredible saving compared to the P8Z77-LE, but it might get cheaper over time.

For an extra US$5-10 you could pick up the P8Z77-V LK which has a slightly larger PCB at 305x224mm, yet is still smaller than the P8Z77-V LE at 305x244mm. The overall feature set of the P8Z77-V LK is similar to the P8Z77-V LX, but here you get angled SATA connectors which a bonus compared to the P8Z77-V LE, although no extra SATA controller is present. The slot layout has also been improved by adding a x4 PCI Express slot in lieu of a PCI slot, but we cant spot a TB_Header on this model. Asus has also kitted out the P8Z77-V LK with an ASMedia USB 3.0 host controller for a total of six USB 3.0 ports and a small heatsink on part of the MOSFETs.

Around the back you get a PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, six audio jacks, an optical S/PDIF and a D-sub, DisplayPort, DVI and HDMI connector. The only thing you lose out compared to the P8Z77-V LE is an eSATA port, but price wise this board is about $10-15 cheaper than the P8Z77-V LE and if you dont need the extra eSATA and SATA ports, wed go for the P8Z77-V LK out of the two. One other thing that we noticed is that neither of these two new models features Asus TPU, USB BIOS Flashback or USB Charger+, so youre trading off some features for cost. Both models should be available as of now.

Source: Asus

AMD releases Fusion APUs

It has been a long, long time coming. AMD has finally officiallyreleased its first Fusion products - E-series and C-series, based onZacate and Ontario respectively. As a recap, the Zacate products,branded Fusion E-series, are designed for notebooks, nettops andall-in-ones, and feature a 18W TDP. The two variants are E-350, 1.6 GHzdual-core and E-240, 1.5 GHz single core.

The C-series targets netbooks and "other emerging form factors". Previously codenamed Ontario, both variants have a lowly TDP of 9W. The C-50 is dual core clocked at 1.0 GHz, C-30 is a single core APU at 1.2 GHz.

Both APUs feature a Cedar(HD5400)-class GPU, with DX11 support, UVD3 and parallel processing capabilities. Fabbed at TSMC 40nm, C-series and E-series also feature a 64-bit integrated memory controller.

Products are expected to appear soon. Currently, the first Fusion based notebook to be listed is an Acer notebook, featuring the 1.6 GHz dual-core E-350, 2GB RAM, priced at a very reasonable $429, blurring the line between netbooks and notebooks.

AMD also touches on future plans with its Fusion plans. Of course, the next Fusion product will be Llano, based on enhanced 32nm K10.5 quad-cores and a full-blown Redwood-class GPU. The branding is revealed to be A-Series, with shipping scheduled for Q2 2011 and products based on Fusion A-series appearing in mid-2011.

More in AMD's Press Release.

ASUS Unveils First quot;The Ultimate Force quot; (TUF) Series Motherboard - Sabertooth 55i

ASUS, the leader in innovative motherboard solutions, today unveiled the first motherboard in its newly-developed “TUF” (The Ultimate Force) Series, the SABERTOOTH 55i. The TUF Series is specially developed to meet the heavy computing demands of power users and perform well even under extreme conditions. Such computer enthusiasts often demand high-quality motherboard components and the most stable computing platforms. To achieve uncompromising stability, TUF Series motherboards have undergone a more stringent testing program than what most motherboard producers currently undertake. Solidly constructed and equipped with resilient components that have passed demanding military-style testing, the TUF Series triumphs over the harshest operating conditions to deliver robust performance. The debut SABERTOOTH 55i model, designed around a “Marine Cool” concept, incorporates the Intel® P55 chipset and “tough” features to give users a supremely solid and stable computing platform.

Ultimate Heatsink Cooling with Unique CeraM!X Microfin Coating

The ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i motherboard, equipped with the new CeraM!X heatsink, delivers exceptional cooling to active components and uncompromising system stability even under intense operating conditions. With its advanced ceramics-based composition—commonly used in the aerospace industry for heat insulation—the heatsink dissipates heat rapidly to achieve ultimate cooling. Ceramics replace traditional anti-oxidant compounds to create a microfin surface texture for enhanced cooling. This rough surface offers an expanded area for heat induction into the surrounding air. As a result, more heat is rapidly conducted away from the active system—allowing users to enjoy previously unattainable levels of stability.

Direct Memory Cooling with Affordable CoolMem! Fan Frame

As optimal memory operation relies on good cooling, the SABERTOOTH 55i motherboard includes the CoolMem! Fan Frame that encloses most standard 40mm or 50mm computer fans and fits them directly over the memory module. Users thus gain an affordable cooling solution that significantly stabilizes memory operation.

Resilient Performance from Military-certified Capacitors and MOSFETs

To ensure users experience uncompromising performance, the SABERTOOTH 55i incorporates only high-grade, rigorously-tested components. These perform robustly even under the most demanding conditions. For example, all its capacitors have undergone thermal shock tests to ensure continuous, stable operations during rapid temperature changes in the 60°C range. In fact, all its capacitors and VRM MOSFETs have been certified for military-level use through stringent testing.

Optimized Power Usage with E.S.P.

The SABERTOOTH 55i motherboard delivers E.S.P. (Efficient Switching Power) to all major components for superb system efficiency. Besides delivering efficient power to the CPU and memory, the power design also applies the same level of efficient power to the PCIex16 expansion slots and IC. This improves overall power efficiency and reduces the amount of heat generated—resulting in cooler and more reliable operations. Additionally, the E.S.P. converts power at 90% efficiency compared to a conventional linear design that is only about 60% efficient. Built for robust performance, the SABERTOOTH 55i—and ASUS TUF Series motherboards as a whole—incorporates the latest breakthroughs in heatsink composition and high-grade, military-tested components to enable users to build their DIY systems around one of the most solid and stable motherboards ever created.

Les mods de la semaine #102 Amnesia, Minecraft, Skyrim, GTA 4

Pour cette rentrée, nous avons pris la bonne résolution de vous concoter quelques dossiers sur les jeux moddables les plus en vogues du moment. C'est donc sans surprise que vous avez sûrement pu vous apercevoir de l'arrivée de notre dossier des meilleurs mods pour Les Sims 3. En attendant le prochain dossier, retrouvez comme d'habitude notre sympathique sélection hebdomadaire de mods.


A Walk in the Dark (Amnesia : The Dark Descent)

S'il ne s'agit que d'une démo longue d'une quinzaine de minutes (pour les habitués d'Amnesia, comptez le double voire le triple pour les chochottes), A Walk in the Dark se targue d'être un mod prometteur. Afin de préserver toutes les surprises qu'il recèle, nous vous conseillerons tout simplement de téléchargement ce début d'histoire personnalisée et de prévoir des sous-vêtements de rechange.

- Télécharger A Walk in the Dark (12 Ko)


Feminine Running forward and New Dash Animation v1.1 (The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim)

Le monde de Skyrim a beau être aussi accueillant qu'une fosse remplie d'orties, la brutalité de ces contrées héberge quelques généreuses créatures. Oui, nous parlons bien des femmes, qui ont su rester féminines malgré tout. Enfin, dans certains domaines, puisqu'elles courent et marche à reculons de la même façon que les hommes. Avec ce mod, vous les doterez d'une démarche digne d'une dame, avec un sprint plus gracieux et une marche arrière féminine à souhait.

- Télécharger Feminine Running forward and New Dash Animation v1.1 (9 Ko)


La Cité Impériale (Minecraft)

Avec toutes les cartes personnalisées de Minecraft que vous voyez passer, vous vous dites que plus rien ne peux vous surprendre. Pourtant, lorsque plusieurs passionnés se mettent au turbin durant de longs mois (dix pour être précis), le résultat ne peux être que grandiose. Et c'est le cas avec La Cité Impériale, une immense ville d'inspirations diverses qui vous fera voyager à chaque nouveau quartier traversé. Une carte qui devrait sans aucun doute rester dans les mémoires.

- Télécharger La Cité Impériale (111,6 Mo)


GTA IV : San Andreas BETA 3 (GTA IV)

On ne le répétera jamais assez : aucun épisode de GTA n'arrive à la cheville du grandiose San Andreas. Par contre, dès qu'il s'agit de graphismes, on ne peut que se tourner vers son aîné GTA IV. Grâce aux mods, vous n'aurez plus besoin de faire de choix : San Andreas s'invite sur le moteur de son petit frère grâce à GTA IV : San Andreas. Encore en bêta pour le moment, le mod n'en fini pas de s'étoffer et accueille déjà une bonne partie de la carte que vous avez tant arpenté. Amusez-vous bien !

- Télécharger GTA IV : San Andreas BETA 3 (1,905 Go)

ASUS P5N32-E SLI amp; P5N-E Boards

Asus Technology Pte Ltd. (ASUS), the worldwide leader of motherboards isproud to introduce the AI Lifestyle P5N32-E SLI motherboard, which offers athird PCI Express x16 for physics card support, and includes several uniquethermal technologies that enable powerful yet dependable performance.

The nForce 680i SLI-based P5N32-E SLI supports the Intel Quad-Core Processor andNVIDIA’s Quad-SLI technology, and is ready for the up-coming 1,333MHz FSBspecification. Made for gamers and enthusiasts, the motherboard provides thepower needed for smooth video and extreme performance.

Powerful Processing Capability for Games

The P5N32-E SLI is a gamer’s dream come true. It is Quad-SLI ready and supportsthe Intel Quad Core processor, providing superior processing power for the mostgraphics resource-intensive applications. The motherboard includes three PCIExpress x16 slots (two for SLI-ready dual-GPU graphics cards and one reservedfor NVIDIA’s Physics card) to enable unparalleled graphics performance andgaming realism.

8-Phase Power Design

The 8-Phase Power Design provides highly efficient operation to generate lessheat than other conventional power solutions. It reduces input ripple currentand output ripple voltage, which keeps CPU and VRM (voltage regulation modules)from suffering the risk of high power stress. It has the advantages of quicktransient response and stability, especially beneficial when the CPU requiresmore current immediately under heavy loading or overclocking mode.

Fan-less Designs – Stack Cool 2 and Heat-pipe Thermal Solution

The fan-less design brings effective and noiseless cooling to counter the heatgenerated by components. Watch movies, listen to music and play games, and enjoythe peace and quiet. System damage from fan failure is also a thing of the past.The heat-pipe directs heat generated by the chipsets to the heatsink near theback I/O ports, where it can be carried away by existing airflow, while StackCool 2 effectively transfers heat generated by the critical components to theother side of the specially designed PCB (printed circuit board) for fast heatdissipation.

O.C. Profile – Save and Share Multiple BIOS Settings

The motherboard features O.C. Profile, which allows users to save or loadmultiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be stored in the CMOS or aseparate file, giving users freedom to share and distribute their favoriteoverclocking settings.

SupremeFX and DTS Connect

The SupremeFX audio card, with 24bit/192kHz sampling in all surround channels,provides high-quality audio whether it’s through headphones or 7.1 surroundsound speakers.

Besides the P5N32-E SLI, ASUS has also introduced the P5N-E SLI motherboard,based on the NVIDIA 650i chipset. While most competing 650i motherboards settledwith the reference design, ASUS has added exclusive technologies to improveoverall computing performance.

ARCTIC COOLING announces launch of ARCTIC F case fans

Swiss based ARCTIC COOLING has unveiled the ARCTIC F case fans.Available in 3 sizes (F8 - 80mm, F9 - 92mm and F12 - 120mm), these fansare equipped with 9 blades for higher airflow. Their unique "ninjaknife" impeller design reduces noise level and significantly improveslaminar airflow. Compared with standard 7 blades fan design, the ARCTICF case fans reportedly increase airflow by over 20%, dramaticallyimproving the heat dissipated from the heatsinks. They come with a 6year limited warranty and will be available in October in the US. MSRPis USD4.30 for F8, USD5.90 for F9 and USD6.90 for F12. We believe thesefans will appeal to enthusiasts as they are attractively priced andwith a 6 year limited warranty, the ARCTIC F looks too good an offer tomiss out on.

News via [ARTIC]

Athlon 64 3400+CG Offers Better Overclockability

Athlon 64 and Athlon FX family will take a major silicon overhaul with the upcoming CG revision with Athlon 64 3400+ as the first processor with that new core. As it is known already, CG revision will allow better compatibility with memories especially for DDR400 SDRAM with its 2T DRAM timing enhancements . It also removes the requirement for use of identical DIMMs for 2nd and 3rd DIMMs in 3-DIMM boards. However, overclockers have something more to cheer about is that Athlon 3400+CG will offer enhanced performance over the current 3400+ and should be able to overclock more with increased in speed bin distribution to allow for higher clock speed. Production plans to begin in late Q1.

ASUS Enabled SLI On 4 GPUs

It seems like ASUS has successfully enabled SLI on 4 GPUs usingtwo EN7800GT-DUAL cards on ASUS A8N32-SLI board. It appears that no SLI bridgeconnector is needed but i would expect some slight degradation of performance inresult of that. ASUS is still in the process of debugging and hopefully we cansee it implemented soon.

Assassin's Creed III launch trailer is here!

Assassins Creed III, one of the hottest games to hit shelves this holiday season, is but days from launch. The PS3 and Xbox360 versions hit stores tomorrow in North America and the day after in Europe, with the PC and WiiU versions following in about a month. As such, Ubisoft has released the games launch trailer.

Check out the video above, and youll find out a lot about the protagonist, Connor, and his origins; what he fights for, and youll even catch a glimpse of George Washington shaking hands with him. It is slightly odd to see a Native American fighting with the colonists; but I guess the British are the greater evil in this case.

At the very least, the trailer has me bubbly with anticipation, and I dont seem to be alone. Ubisoft stated on October 25th, that ACIII is the most preordered game in the history of the company.

Arctic Cooling Unleashes Accelero XTREME 5870 amp; 5970

Accelero XTREME 5970

Swiss based Arctic Cooling has launched its Accelero XTREME 5970 and Accelero XTREME 5870 GPU coolers, targeting enthusiasts.


Accelero XTREME 5870

Measuring 290 x 104 x 58mm and weighing 692g, the Accelero XTREME 5970,customized for the dual-GPU Radeon HD5970, boosts eight copperheatpipes and 119 aluminum fins. The Accelero XTREME 5870 measures 290x 104 x 56mm and has five copper heatpipes and 84 aluminum fins. Bothcoolers feature pre-applied ARCTIC MX-2 thermal compound and areequipped with three 92mm PWM fans (900 ~ 2,000 RPM). Backed by a sixyear limited warranty, they can be purchased from authorized resellersand e-tailers at a MSRP of USD 76.95/ 56.95 Euro (Accelero XTREME 5970)in May and USD 67.95 and 49.95 Euro (Accelero XTREME 5870) in April.


News via [Tweaktown]

Arrival of the Uni-Wise, Gecube X800XL

Since the introduction of the newer generation X800 family of cards, we hadbeen seeing the same thing over and over again. The difference may only be PCBcolor, or even as mundane as the branding on the sticker on the fan. However,Gecube decided to be different. Introducing Gecube's X800XL Uni-Wise.

The packaging of this card. Gecube's packing seams to be much better thistime, as compared to their previous family of products. The fan is advertised tobe really quiet, at less then 20dB.

A picture of the card. Notice that the fan resembles the older X800Pro/XTseries, however, the heatsink comes with a heatpipe, that could conduct heataway from the core, to cooler regions of the heatsink. Fins are widely spacedapart, and soldered onto the base. Good job on Gecube's part!

Another view of the heatsink. The heatpipe is well soldered onto the basetoo.

The back of the card is well cooled by copper plate provided. Somethingthoughtful from Gecube since the rams run pretty hot after sometime.

*SRP for this is said to be in the early $ 700s. In limited quantities only.

AMD Socket 939 CPUs Delayed To End April

AMD has just informed its partners that the launch for Socket 939 processors initially slated for March 29th has been pushed back one month to end of April. However, it is still not clear if Athlon 64 FX-53 (2.4 Ghz) is still on track for end March launch.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer launching this week

On Friday Asus will hold a launch event in Taipei, Taiwan where the company will unveil its Eee Pad Transformer tablet, also known as the EP101. It’s not clear as to when the company will start to offer it outside of Taiwan, but this Tegra 2 tablet is looking to be a potential winner for Asus, although we still like the Eee Pad Slider more, but it seems like it’s not due quite yet.

There are a couple of pre-launch events going on for the Eee Pad Transformer on Facebook of which one is an interesting one, as it’s a counter that’s not only counting down until the actual launch event, but it’s also counting down the price based on how many Facebook users in Taiwan enters a prize draw. The starting price was NT$22,000 (S$941) and with 3d and 10h to go the price is at NT$21,109 (S$903), but we’re not sure if the end price will be a special promotion or the permanent retail price, as our Chinese is a little bit lacking.

That said Asus has a similar thing running on another Facebook page where it says “Until a lower price!!” with the same count down timer on top of it. It looks like Asus is revving up to make a really big launch for the Eee Pad Transformer as there’s a page titled the Eee Pad Story as well which has a place holder for a series of five videos featuring at least the Eee Pad Transformer in one of them, but possibly even all of them. VR-Zone will be attending the launch event on Friday and we’ll give you all the details of what’s going on then.

For now we’ll leave you with some detailed spec as to what to look forward to as you can see from the spec sheet above. It’s impressive that Asus has gone for an IPS panel here which means that the screen should be very similar to that of Apple’s iPad in terms of quality, although thanks to its higher pixel density, it might even end up looking better. Also keep in mind that the keyboard dock should double the battery life, as it features its own battery pack which has the same power density as the one in the tablet itself.

Source: Asus Club TW Facebook page

Apple experiences a slump in China iPhone out of China's Top 5

Apple enjoyed 2nd place in Chinas smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, but have started to see their foothold slip as they dropped down to No. 5 in the second quarter. The 3rd quarter sees a continuation of that trend as Apples iPhone slipped further down to No. 6. Samsung held their grip on the market, keeping 1st place with 14% of the market, and are closely followed by Lenovo who have 13%.

While Apples YOY shipment of smartphones in the 3rd quarter actually increased, it wasnt enough to hold onto their position against the fast pace of local makers, and their market share dropped 1 point from the previous quarter to 7%.

Analysts commented that Chinas electronics market operated on the principle of extreme price wars, and recent low-price high functioning smartphones produced by local makers has stimulated new growth at the bottom end of the market. People who werent interested in buying hi-tech cell phones at Apple prices jumped at the chance to get their hands on some nifty gear at an affordable price.

In the 3rd quarter of this year, Chinas total shipped smartphones amounted to 50,000,000 units. Thats more than 1/3 of all globally shipped units. 60% of these were made by Chinese manufacturers, and as time goes on an even larger percentage of these sales will be eaten up by local manufactures.

The average price for a smartphone in China is currently $70~$120 USD. Compare that to Apples iPhone 4S, which when bought without a contract in China will set you back a hefty $713 USD. Thats almost a full months wages for a lot of locals.

Will the iPhone 5 be Apples savior in China?

Things are not all bleak though, as Chinese sales of the iPhone have yet to feast on the spoils of the iPhone 5, which is scheduled for a December release in the region. Analysts expect the new revision to give Apple another boost in the 4th quarter. Whether or not this will be enough to hold off against the cutthroat competition of the Chinese electronics market though, is yet to be seen.

Apple to introduce its own proprietary version of USB3.0 and DisplayPort

Although USB3.0 and DisplayPort are interfaces which cater to very different needs, the basis for their design are completely identical; they are both standard interfaces which have been designed to facilitate the transfer of digital content from various electronic devices. And everybody knows how important standards are to our daily computing needs; that is the main reason we do not have to fiddle with cumbersome adaptors when it comes to dealing with various standard expansion and I/O ports found in our PCs today.

That being said, at least one OEM has a fond preference for doing everything its way and tossing out popular existing standards in the process, and it should come as no surprise that Apple is now attempting to do the same with USB3.0 and DisplayPort today. According to a patent which was only recently awarded to Apple, it seems that the Cupertino giant has plans to create an entirely new “hybrid port” which is reportedly capable of delivering both DisplayPort and USB3.0 signals in a single package.

Based on what we are able to understand from the patent filings, the hybrid port will feature a 30-pin connector, of which the various signal types each pin will transmit is shown in the patent illustration below.

Also, based on illustrations of the devices physical dimensions, it can be inferred that Apple might plan to implement this new hybrid port on mobile devices such as its line of iPods, iPhones and iPads first. This is due to the fact that the ports capability to deliver both USB3.0 and DisplayPort signals means that it greatly reduces the amount of space needed to feature dedicated ports for such highly mobile devices, where sufficient real estate for implementing additional I/O ports are a luxury. That being said, Apple does mention that the port may eventually find its way to desktop and notebook PCs.

Of course, with this being Apple we are talking about, it probably goes without saying that such an interface is going to be an Apple-exclusive, just like how the current line of iPods, iPads and iPhones all feature proprietary charging ports even though the micro-USB interface has already been recognized internationally as the standard port to be used for mobile devices.

Feel free to hit up on the source link for more information about the patent and its implementation.

Source: Patently Apple

Android Jelly Bean melts under California sun

Google’s Android Jelly Bean is hot, so hot that it melted. I’m not talking about the actual OS causing smartphones to melt, but rather the Android Jelly Bean’s head on the lawn of Google’s Mountain View campus melted due to extreme heat under the California sun. Although you can find an article on Samsungs recent Galaxy smartphone explosion here.

Orange cones along with yellow caution tape now surround the out-of-commissioned Jelly Bean statue, but prior to that, some passerby allegedly dipped their hands into the Jelly Bean’s torso and stole some of the flavorful organs.

Dan Morrill, an Android engineer, claims that the Google design team is “working on a bug fix.”

2012-12-21-496

Adobe Launches Creative Suite 5 Master Collection

Julian Quinn, Vice President ofAdobe APAC, was at the event to introduce the company's Creative Suite 5 Master collection.

"Regardless of whether you are a creativeprofessional, or in a SMB (small medium business),Adobe CS 5 hasthe abilitytocreate highly interactive documents which include motion, graphics, sound etc,and present the optimized contentto a whole range of devices.Shantanu Narayen (CEO of Adobe) talked about design -the abilityto create highly interactive content and to be able to do that without writing codes; to work after with good precision; rendering 3D images; taking advantage of 64-bit implementation; and to be able to do that with the Mercury Playback Engine as well as allowing users to render the 3D images and still work on other things," says Quinn.

2012-12-21-298

7 Intel CPUs Including Q6600 Phase Out By Q2 2009

For the month of February, we will see two Core 2 processors to be officially phased out by Intel and they are Core 2 Quad Q6700 and Core 2 Duo E4700. At the time of writing, Core 2 Quad Q9450, Core 2 Duo E8200, E8190, E6850, E6750, E6550, E6540, E4600 processors had all been phased out.

In Q2 2009, we will see 7 processors to be phased out including the good old Q6600. The rest of the processors are, Core 2 Extreme QX9770 and QX9650, Core 2 Quad Q6600, Core 2 Duo E8300, Pentium E2200 and E2180, as well as Celeron E1200. Lastly, Core 2 Duo E7200 and PentiumE2200 will be phased out by Q3 this year.