Sony Ericsson Ducati Z770 Clamshell

Sony Ericsson has teamed up with luxury bike maker Ducati to release the sporty looking Sony Ericsson Ducati Z770 clamshell handset. It will be available in Italy (where else) this June via TIM, and it looks as though this will be a standard Z770 through and through, although it will receive external cosmetic changes in the form of Ducati branded covers, themes, screensavers, and videos. One thing that sets this apart would be the inclusion of it's very own HBH DS-220-based Ducati Bluetooth headset. No word on pricing as at press time though, but it shouldn't cost too much over the vanilla Z770.

Mozilla Shooting for Download World Record With Firefox 3

Sure, Firefox 3 is the bee's knees (and has been since Beta 3), but will it go down history books? It will if it sets a world record! Mozilla's taking the quick and easy path to everlasting glory (until someone beats it anyway) by planning to set the world record for most software downloads in 24 hours on Firefox 3's official launch day. The exact day isn't posted, but it'll be sometime next month. I hope they've got some Stark Industries-powered servers running this show. Check out the super cute badge Firefox 3 download badge:

First Details on the Asus Eee Box

Asustek has dropped some details on that Eee Desktop PC EP20 we've seen floating around. First off, it has a more catchy name—the Asus Eee Box.

Expected for a global launch this July in both Linux and Windows XP versions, the cheapest model will start at about $330 and pack an 80GB hard drive (maxing out at 250GB). Standards for the line will include 802.11n Wi-Fi, 4 USB ports, and a slot for various flash memory cards. There's no word on the processor at this time, or whether or not the Eee Box will be packing an Atom like its mobile sibling.

Cybertecture Egg Makes One Tasty Office

In 2010, a few lucky office workers in Mumbai, India, will see a major upgrade from the common cubicle. Because the Cybertecture Egg is being constructed to be one of the most forward-thinking workplaces in the world.

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Its 13 floors are far lighter on columns that conventional buildings since the structure supported by its exterior. And rooftop green space dissipates heat while the building harnesses solar and wind power.

But the most impressive part of the Cybertecture Egg may be for its daily inhabitants. Office workers are treated to customizable workspaces that will apparently alter their "view" with the world locale of their choice—so much for all those gorgeous windows. In addition, bathrooms will monitor worker health by measuring weight and blood pressure. And a doctor will be alerted to any drastic changes.

Dining Table Recreates Pong With 2,400 LEDs and 2 Trackpads

The game that started a phenomenon in the 70's is back (albeit in slightly different form) thanks to the design work of one Moritz Waldemeyer. This new version takes the classic game and embeds it into a fairly plain looking dining table using 2400 LEDs and 2 trackpads. When the table is on, the trackpads allow users to take full control of the paddles. When the table is off, the game completely disappears.

The Pong Table was a big hit at MOMA's recent Elastic Mind exhibit, but despite its popularity, there is no indication that it will ever go into production. It's probably just as well though. I can only imagine the sort of dinnertime disasters that would take place during a heated contest where flailing arms would send food and drink flying around the room.

Apple's Aluminum Clad Thin and Light Laptop

Apple has some of the most sophisticated designs out there in the PC market. The MacBook Pro continues the metal clad tradition of the original PowerBook Titanium models by encasing the entire notebook with aluminum. This gives the notebook a very lightweight but durable shell. Of course, it also has one of the slimmest profiles on the market for a 15.4-inch system.

Apple MacBook Pro

©Apple

While Apple's 15.4-inch MacBook Pro certainly is quite expensive, it does offer some outstanding performance in a very thin and light package that is also stylish and durable. Sure, it is possible to get a PC with similar features for less, but it will likely be in a larger laptop that also uses a fair amount of plastics for its case.

Pros

• Very Thin and Light
• Strong Performance
• Stylish and Durable Aluminum Case

Cons

• Expensive
• Limited Number of USB Ports

Description

• Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 Dual Core Mobile Processor
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
• 200GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
• 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
• 15.4" WXGA+ (1440x900) Wide LCD with Integrated Wedcam
• NVIDIA GeForce 8600M Graphics with 256MB Memory
• Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless, Bluetooth 2.1
• Two USB 2.0, Two FireWire, ExpressCard/34
• 14.1" x 9.6" x 1.0" @ 5.4 lbs.
• Mac OS X 10.5, iLife '08

Guide Review - Apple 15.4-inch MacBook Pro Notebook

5/28/08 - Apple's aluminum clad MacBook Pro line of computers has a very distinctive look that also provides it with one of the more durable chassis on the market. It also provides apple with one of the thinnest profiles on the market with a 1-inch thickness through the whole design unlike the more traditional notebook slant that goes from a thin to thicker profile.

In terms of performance, the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro has strong performance thanks to the use of the Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 dual core mobile processor. The system comes with 2GB of DDR2 memory, but this performs better with applications under the OS X operating system than Vista does with the same amount of memory. Of course, if you don't like the OS X operating system, it is possible to use Windows thanks to the BootCamp features of OS X 10.5.

The 15.4-inch LCD panel on the MacBook Pro provides a higher 1440x900 resolution compared to the more common 1280x800. It is a high quality display with bright colors and excellent clarity. The GeForce 8600M graphics allow it to handle pretty much any tasks one might have for it be it 3D or multimedia.

The biggest drawback to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro is its cost. This is one really expensive system. There are equivalent PC notebooks on the market, but they re larger, heavier and typically not as durable.

The other issue has to do with its peripheral connections. Apple does not include card readers on their systems thus requiring an external reader. They also only have two USB 2.0 ports while includes a FireWire 400 and 800 port. It would be more useful for them to have a third USB port and drop one of the two FireWire.

XFX 9800 GTX Graphics Card Review

Today we are taking a look at the XFX 9800 GTX. This video card offers the second highest performance in the NVIDIA line up and sits directly below the 9800 GX2. The XFX 9800 GTX can also be used in three-way SLI mode where you can use three of the cards at the same time. The XFX 9800 GTX is also quite a bit cheaper than the 9800 GX2.

XFX 9800 GTX

Features & Specifications

The XFX 9800 GTX we are checking out today is a stock clocked video card that is SLI and HDCP ready. The card has a core clock of 675 MHz, a shader clock of 1688 MHz and a memory clock of 2.2GHz. The card is PCI Express 2.0 compliant and comes bundled with Company of Heroes. The XFX 9800 GTX can also support three-way SLI with a compatible motherboard.

Test Machine

The test machine I am using for the following review is as follows:

• Mainboard- XFX 790i Ultra
• CPU- Intel QX9770
• PSU- Top Power 1100W
• RAM- 2GB Aeneon DDR3
• OS- Windows Vista Ultimate

3DMark06

The first test up for the XFX 9800 GTX was 3DMark06, which was ran at stock settings in both the 3DMark06 control panel and the NVIDIA control panel. The XFX 9800 GTX scored as follows in 3DMark06:

• Total 3DMarks- 14298
• SM2.0- 5981
• HDR/SM3.0- 5856
• CPU- 4804
• Return to Proxycon- 50.151
• Firefly Forest- 49.527
• Canyon Flight- 55.408
• Deep Freeze- 61.703
• CPU1- 1.554
• CPU2- 2.376

To compare the BFG 9800 GTX I reviewed scored 14201 3DMarks, the XFX 9800 GX2 scores 16227 3DMArks (on a different test machine) and the XFX 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog scored 11720 3DMarks.

Crysis

The first game test up for the XFX 9800 GTX was with Crysis. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with 2xAA and all settings on medium. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data on a single player game starting at the initial beach insertion.

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 43.650 fps
• Max- 61 fps

Bioshock

The next game test was Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and everything turned on. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 49.947 fps
• Max- 61 fps

Quake Wars

The final game test up was Quake Wars and it was run at 2560 x 1600 with all settings on high, 4x AA and shaders on ultra. Fraps recorded frame rata data on the single player Africa refinery map:

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 43.650
• Max- 61 fps

Final Thoughts

After all was said and done the XFX 9800 GTX performed very well. It edged slightly ahead of the BFG 9800 GTX in 3DMark06, but both of the cards were very close together. The biggest difference is that XFX bundles a game with its card and BFG doesn’t.

SteelSeries 7G Gaming Keyboard Announced

SteelSeries announced what may well be the most durable gaming keyboard ever built this week. The SteelSeries 7G promises to stand up to 50 million keystrokes thanks to the mechanical switch rather than a membrane like many keyboards.

A common keyboard can only withstand about 5 million keystrokes as a comparison. The 7G also features anti-ghosting technology which allows every key on the keyboard to be activated at once without having any issues with ghosting. The mechanical switches used for the keys are gold plated as well. The 7G offers both PS/2 and USB connectivity and has a pair of USB ports. The keyboard retails for $149.99 and is available now.

Via SteelSeries

Dell Mini Inspiron, Their First Mini Laptop

No one's seen before, It's a small form factor notebook, just like the Asus Eee and the HP 2133.,wouldn't tell what OS it's running, or the pricing, but that it's a low-cost notebook meant for developing countries, and I hope here. Maybe it's Atom-powered. Who knows? But I do see three USB ports, a card reader, VGA out, Ethernet, and that red candy shell. I couldn't tell how big the screen was before it was tucked away into a black sleeve and ushered from the building, but it's small. Update: Dell just released a pair of shots that add to the sense of scale, but no official name yet.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Now Available

UPDATE: Windows XP SP3 is now available via Windows Update. Enjoy!

It's been rumored for some time that Windows XP Service Pack 3 would be available soon... and it almost was a few days ago. Microsoft found an issue with SP3 which is causing a delay in its availability. I would guess that it'll be released sometime in the next few weeks.

If you'd like to read up on it, check out Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview document. The information is a little technical but it's still readable. It outlines some of the new features SP3 provides Windows XP users (don't get excited - it's nothing fancy) and provides a link to information on what sorts of problems SP3 fixes.

Here's some more service pack information for your reading pleasure:

What is a Service Pack?
How To Find What Service Pack Level Your Windows XP PC Is Running