VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Jul 2011 Issue

1
Published by VR-Zone
June 30th, 2011 VR-Zone.com Stuff for the
Geeks!
Too Hot to Handle Sony issues BIOS update
for 535,000 VAIO notebooks at risk of
overheating Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/to
o-hot-to-handle-sony-issues-bios- update-for-535-0
00-vaio-notebooks-at-risk-of-overheating/12815.htm
l June 30th, 2011
VR-Zone Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly
publication covering the latest gadgets and
stuff for the geeks. Sandy Bridge-E delayed
until January 2012 Source http//vr-zone.com/arti
cles/sandy-bridge-e-delayed-until- january-2012/12
816.html
June 30th, 2011 Sony has just issued an
urgent BIOS update for certain F
and CseriesVAIOnotebooks.Theaffectedmodelsweresol
dinthe
Wow, what's going on at Intel? It seems like the
company has decided to delay its entire consumer
desktop roadmap, as we've now heard from a very
reliable source that Intel has pushed back the
Sandy Bridge-E launch from Q4 this year
to January 2012. Wow, what's going on at
Intel? It seems like the company has decided
to delay its entire consumer desktop roadmap, as
we've now heard from a very reliable source that
Intel has pushed back the Sandy Bridge-E launch
from Q4 this year to January 2012. We have a
feeling that Intel is doing an AMD and what
we meanbythatisthatIntelisfocusingonitsserverCPUbu
siness insteadofonconsumers.AMDdelayeditsconsumerB
ulldozer launch in favour of its Opteron CPUs and
it's possible that this is part of what made
Intel change its strategy. The Sandy Bridge-ECPUsa
rebasedonthesamecoreasIntel'supcoming LGA-2011
and LGA-1356 Xeon processors and these are
big chips which mean fewer chips per wafer. As
such it's entirely plausible that Intel is trying
to stock up on chips for its Xeon platforms, but
this is only speculation from our side at
this point in time. As the Sandy Bridge-E CPUs
are set to replace Intel's aging LGA-1366Coreiplat
formitlooksliketheenthusiastendofthe marketisgoing
tohavetowaitanotherquarterbeforetheycan gettheirha
ndsonthenewplatform.Thisisgoingtodisappoint quite
a few people out there, but this is still a very
tiny market for Intel and it's unlikely that it
will affect Intel's profits much, if at all.
Hopefully there won't be any further delays,
although it'salsoentirelypossiblethatthisisacalcul
atedmovebyIntel, asthecompanylaunchedanewLGA-1366C
PUonlythisweek, but it's believed to be the last
of a dying breed.
first half of 2010 and are at risk of overheating
due to a faulty thermal management system.
According to Sony, the BIOS update should
fix the issue. More than half a million
units worldwide are affected, of which
120,000 are in Southeast Asia. M
ore than half a million VAIO notebooks are
at risk of overheating due to a faulty
thermal management system, according to Sony. A
product recall was previously issued but Sony now
says that a BIOS update will fix the problem.
The affected parts have serial numbers
starting with VPCF11 or VPCCW2 and were sold
in the first half of 2010. 535,000 notebooks
are affected worldwide, about half of which
are in the US. Of the remainder, 103,000 are in
Europe, 120,000 are in Southeast Asia and
52,000 are in Japan. The number of
overheating cases reported so far is said
to be between 30 and 40. No injuries have
occured, but the notebooks can get hot enough
to warp the plastic casing and cause burns. To
check if your Sony notebook is affected,
refer to Sony's support website. Sony advises
owners of affected notebooks to cease all usage
until the fix has been applied. 1
2
June 30th, 2011 This is hardly the first notebook
recall in recent years, though recallsaremoreoften
duetonotebookbatteries.In2008,Sony recalled
73,000 VAIO notebooks due to a similar
overheating issue. Sony was forced to recall
over 4 million notebook batteries back in
2006 after a notebook battery exploded
in Japan. Skype announces updated client for
Android, brings video calling to
supported smartphones
Published by VR-Zone According to the official
press release, Skype for Android 2.0 will allow
users of Android-powered smartphones to "make and
receieve free 1-1 video calls over Skype
between their Android phone", as well as
with other Skype contacts who are making use
of the service on other platforms. In
addtion, the client will work with both WiFi and
3G data connections, although Skype
recommends the use of a "strong
WiFi connection" for best results. Users will
also notice that the user interface for Skype's
new client has been given an overhaul, as
shown in the image below. According to Skype,
this was done to ensure that users can easily
gain direct access to all of the key functions
that are available in the client.
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/skype-announce
s-updated-client-for- android-brings-video-calling
-to-supported-smartphones/12809.html June 30th,
2011 For the longest time, users of
Android smartphones could only watch in
envy while their iOS-totting friends
were happily utilizing Skype's services to
initiate video calls among their fellow iOS
users, but it seems that things are about
to change for the better very soon. This is
because Skype just announced the availability of
an updated client which it has confirmed will be
bringing that missing feature to the
Android platform. Android users, let the video
calls begin. Skype may have been present on
mobile platforms for a long time, but the
unfortunate truth is that the Android version of
Skype still has some way to go before it can be
proclaimed to have finally achieved
feature-parity with the one that
is currently available for Apple's iOS. This
is especially true, considering how Skype
for Android still lacks support for video
calls, a feature that was made available for iOS
4 in late December last year. However, just as
good things always comes to those who wait, it
would seem that today is the day Android users
can finally have something to phone home
about, for Skype has just announcedtheavailabi
lityofanupdatedversionofitsAndroid client, which
is designed to bring that missing feature to
what is currently recognized as "the fastest
growing mobile OS". Of course, in addition to
video calls, users can also continue to make use
of Skype's services as a means to make calls
to landlines and mobiles, as well as send SMSs
to their friends and family members under
Skype's existing rates. That being said, you
might want to hold your horses
first. VR-Zone was given the opportunity to
interview Skype's Mark Douglas, who confirmed
that support for video calls is currently
limitted to only four devices in the initial
rollout, and they are HTC's Desire S, Sony
Ericsson's Xperia neo and Xperia pro and
Google's Nexus S, although Skype
has confirmed that more devices will be added to
its compatibility list in time. However, there
is no way to get the feature working
on unsupported phones, as Douglas has
confirmed that the 2
3
June 30th, 2011 app is closed-ended. This
means that devices which fulfill the minium
requirements (Android 2.3 meets the
OS's video requirements) but are not on the
compatibility list will be locked out from
making video calls via Skype on
their smartphone,althoughtheywillstillhaveaccessto
alltheother services. Also, those of you who
are hoping for a greater degree
of integrationofSkypeintoAndroidwillprobablybedisa
pointed to know that the company has got no plans
to do so, but that is only because the
developers are limitted to what Google
Published by VR-Zone Above 8 USB 2.0
ports, 2 USB 3.0 ports and a single HDMI display
output.
allows them to do via the SDK. And last
but defintiely not least, no, group video
conferencing is not available on this new
release, although Douglas did suggest that such a
feature might eventually make its way into
future versions of its mobile Skype client
once smartphones gain access to much more
powerful and capable hardware. Gigabyte
GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Preview Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/gigabyte-ga-z68xp-ud3-
issd- preview/12810.html June 30th, 2011 Above
The power delivery system uses DrMOS
(Driver MOSFET) Intel specifically
designed the 20GB SSD 311 to be used as a
cache drive with Z68's Smart Response Technology.
Now Gigabyte has taken the mSATA version of the
SSD 311 and bundleditontoafull-fledgedZ68motherboa
rd,hopingtosave you the hassle of purchasing the
SSD separately. We haven't had the chance to test
out this unique motherboard yet, but look inside
for a quick tour. Above An
additional two USB 3.0 ports are
accessible via header. A Marvell 88SE9172
controller provides two additional SATA 6 Gbps
ports (grey). Above Gigabyte's
trademark blue colour scheme. 3
4
June 30th, 2011 Above
Thetwox16slotscanbeusedinax8/x8configuration for
SLI/CrossFire. Gigabyte has used the Realtek
ALC889 audio codec and RTL8111E ethernet
controller.
Published by VR-Zone Behind The Scenes
The Making of the Jay Chou ASUS N43
Notebook Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/behin
d-the-scenes-the-making-of-the- jay-chou-asus-n43-
notebook/12808.html June 30th, 2011 Today,
VR-Zone barged into a secret ASUS design
facility where Jay Chou has been spending some of
his time to design anddeveloptheN43notebook.Weares
hownwithsomeofhis works that are eventually
incorporated into the final design of the
notebook. Let us walk you through the workplace
of Jay Chou now.
AboveThekeysellingpointofthismotherboard-anonboar
d Intel SSD 311 20GB solid state drive. Today,
VR-Zone barged into a secret ASUS design
facility where Jay Chou has been spending some
of his time to design and develop the N43
notebook. The ASUS designers revealed that Jay
Chou spend some of his nights in this facility
over the last 6 months entering only by the back
door to avoid any unwanted attention. His visits
to ASUS are even kept a secret frommostoftheASUSe
mployees.Weareshownwithsomeof hisworksthatareeven
tuallyincorporatedintothefinaldesign of the
notebook. Let us walk you through the workplace
of Jay Chou now Staytunedforourfullreviewo
ftheGigabyteGA-Z68XP-UD3- iSSD! 4
5
June 30th, 2011 This is
the place where Jay Chou sat down with
ASUS designers to ponder over the design, colors
and features that
Published by VR-Zone The
ASUS designers eventually picked this one
and a few others to mix and match to form the
perfect J
he wish to see in the notebook. This is also the
place he drew the J letter in calligraphy.
ThesearetheJlettercalligraphydrawnb
yJayChouandoneof them is picked by the ASUS
designer as the signature J found on the N43
notebooks. The signature J letter
is found on the box and notebook 5
6
June 30th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
Initially, he wanted a really bright pink but
through numerous revisions,thecoloriseventuallyto
neddowntotheoneyouare seeing now. That's all
for the walk through of his workplace in the
ASUS Design facility. Olympus officially
announces three new Micro Four
Thirds cameras Source http//vr-zone.com/articl
es/olympus-officially-announces-three- new-micro-
four-thirds-cameras/12807.html June 30th,
2011 Jay Chou and the ASUS designers have drawn
this together and is eventually imprinted onto
the notebook cover While Panasonic may have
claimed an early head start in this race with
the recent launch of the GF3, it is clear that
Olympus is not about to let itself get
outdone anytime soon, for the company has
just announced three new Micro Four
Thirds system cameras that look set to give
Panasonic's GF3 a run for its money. VR-Zone
brings you the coverage. Not so long ago,
Panasonic and Olympus made headlines when
they jointly announced the creation of the Micro
Four Thirds system. The new standard was
initially met with varying degrees of
skepticism. Some pundits claimed that
the concept was superfluous because the use of
large lenses would negateanysize-relatedadvantage
sthatMicroFourThirdswas founded upon. Fast
forward to 2011, and what was once
considered a 'superfluous' standard has
quickly matured into one of the
Jay Chou has written on some Post It
notes specifically wanting a hot pink color
notebook and exceptional sound quality.
most popular segments in the digital camera
market due to its ability to capture excellent
stills in a compact-sized body. As evidence of
this success, Olympus saw it fit to announce
not one, but three new Micro Four Thirds cameras
today that at the National Geographic Store in
VivoCity, Singapore. 6
7
June 30th, 2011 The latest additions to the Micro
Four Thirds stable are the E-P3, Olympus's
flagship model, and the smaller E-PL3 and E-PM1.
Hirobumi Imano (above), Olympus Imaging
Corp.'s general manager for the design
centre, was given the task of officially
unveiling the new devices to the world.
Imano described how the new cameras reflect the
design principles which have been a focal point
of the company's PEN cameras even since their
conception "A camera should not be a toy.. the
Olympus PEN is a product that is designed to
deliver the happiness of photography
all overtheworldwithouttwomainobstacles-difficulty
inusage, andprice.PENexludesasenseofclassandrefine
ment,andits feature set is always expanding. And
today, we will introduce the E-P2's sucessor,
which sports the same design but is
a completely different camera in its own regard,
along with two additional products", he said in
Japanese. Toshiyuki Terada
(above), senior manager of Olympus'
SLR division,thendescribedsomeofthenewfeaturesofth
enewE- P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1. In a nutshell, the
new E-P3 will feature a faster autofocus
algorithm, an extremely sensitive
sensor capable of ISO 12800, TruePic VI
technology and a capacitive OLED touchscreen.
Published by VR-Zone smaller E-PM1 will get
Live Guide, which allows users to control
the camera's background defocusing.
Terada also
announced the availability of two new
large- aperture prime lenses for its entire Micro
Four Thirds camera lineup, the 12mm, F2.0
"Snap Lens" and the 45mm, F1.8 portrait lens.
The E-PL3 will boast a tilting
widescreen LCD display and support for
high-speed continous shooting, while the 7
8
June 30th, 2011 Lamptron to Release Slider- based
Fan Controller Source http//vr-zone.com/articles
/lamptron-to-release-slider-based-fan- controller/
12804.html June 30th, 2011 Lamptron,aChina-
basedmanufacturerofcomputermodding accessories,
has announced the FC9 fan controller.
The FC9 uses sliders to control up to four
fans and includes customizable LED lighting.
See inside for more pictures. L
amptronisdoingawaywithknobsonitslatestfancontrolle
r. The FC9 uses sliders instead to
control the fan speed, supportinguptofourfan
s.Eachchannelcandeliverupto50W of power (or just
over 4A), which is more than enough for
high performance fans. The dimensions of the FC9
are 148.5 x 42.5 x 75mm, which means it will fit
into a 5.25" bay. The FC9 will be available in
silver or black, with both models including
customizable LED lighting. The FC9
supposedly requires a 600W power supply
for optimal operation, but unless you
really use that many high-powered fans
it doesn't really make sense. Pricing for the FC9
has not been announced. The Daily VR-Zone
News Summary - 29 June 2011 Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news
-summary--29- june-2011/12798.html June 30th,
2011 In today's news roundup Nanya is
claiming that the contract prices for DRAM could
decline even further due to issues such
Published by VR-Zone asweakPCend-userdemandandco
nsequentinventorybuild- up at OEMs, and that
prices may continue to fall in July AMD's
next-generation Opteron microprocessors which
are basedofftheBulldozermicroarchitecturewillrepor
tedlyboast a new feature where by users can tweak
the chip's maximum TDP, thus allowing them to
strike a balance between power consumption and
performance Netvolution has launched its very
own Avenue App Store for Microsoft's desktop
Windows operating system, in which users can
browse through apps by popularity and
category, and be informed about featured and
new apps Eurocom Corporation has
announced its supportforthehigh-performanceKille
rWireless-N1102high- performance wireless
network adapter as another available wireless
card option in its premium notebook
solutions Blizzardannouncedtheavailabilityofanew'
Starteredition'of the popular World of WarCraft
game, in which gamers will be allowed to play for
free until their character reaches level
20, afterwhichtheirlevelswillremaincappeduntilthef
ullversion is purchased, and PSP owners can
expect to see more action fromLord"TheMostBadassFr
eakinOverlordIntheCosmos" Zetta, for Nippon Ichi
has confirmed that it will be porting thePS2title,
MakaiKingdom,overtoSony'shandheldgaming console,
and is expected to be released for sale on
September 22. Hardware news Sentey Burton
Full-Tower Computer Case _at_ Benchmark Reviews Descr
iption The Sentey Burton GS-6500 is a
full tower enclosure developed for
enthusiasts who desire high performance
and a sexy exterior. This case flaunts its
multiple LED fans, and LED buttons, turning heads
in the process. The Burton, is one of several
models belonging to the Extreme Division
line of computer cases, and it is
available in 3 flavors The GS-6500 in glossy
black, the GS-6500B with blue highlights and
grills, and the GS-6500R with red highlights and
grills. It's pretty easy to glance at the
exterior of this case and be charmed into
submission... DRAM contract prices may decline
further, says Nanya Description Weak PC
end-user demand and consequent inventory
build-up at OEMs have put pressure on
contract prices for DRAM, Nanya Technology has
pointed out. Prices may continue to fall in July
as OEM clients slow down their pace of orders,
Nanya said. TEAM Group TR1151 USB 3.0 42-in-1 USB
3.0 Card Reader Review Description USB 3.0,
the big brother of the USB 2.0
bus standard which was introduced way back in
2000, is now here and in force after quickly
gaining momentum in the market afterbothASUSandGIG
ABYTElaunchedboardsatCES2010 with USB 3.0 chips
onboard. As a quick recap, USB 3.0 claims to
offer a ten times improvement over USB 2.0, which
has a maximum bandwidth of 480Mbit/s or 60MB/s.
USB 3.0 has a maximum bandwidth of 5Gbit/s or
625MB/s. While we are notsureifyouwouldactuallykno
wsomeonewhohasachieved speeds this high, the
potential is there as the products that make up
USB 3.0 such as chips and devices ramp up in
terms of performance. Liteon iHES212 12x Internal
Blu Ray Review - XSReviews 8
9
June 30th, 2011 Description Blu Ray might just
be a stop gap before true HD streaming, but for
now its one of the easier ways to get hold of
high definition movies and other media
especially since its becoming more affordable.
While they used to cost hundreds ofpounds,nowyouca
ngetyourselfaninternaloneliketheone were
reviewing today for around 60. This one is the
Liteon iHES212 12x Internal, lets give it a
look. OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 480GB PCIe SSD Review _at_
Legit Reviews Description OCZ gave everyone a
hint of things to come at Computex 2011 with a
sneak peak of the third generation of the
RevoDrive. We've been impressed with our
previous encounters with this SSD line and this
time is no different as we give the RevoDrive 3
X2 480GB PCI-E SSD a test drive. Is it fast?
Well, how does 1500MB/s reads grab you? Oh
yeah, there's TRIM support too! Adesto to sample
CBRAM Description Adesto Technologies
Corp. of Sunnyvale in California is
sampling a completely new type of RAM
called CBRAM. The CB stands for Conductive
Bridging and the RAM differs from traditional
DRAM in several important aspects. First of all
CBRAM is non-volatile and secondly it scales
well downto at least 12nm, where it isvery
difficultto manufacture traditional DRAM to put
it mildly. AMD's Next-Generation Opteron
"Bulldozer" Chips to Feature Adjustable
TDP. Description Advanced Micro
Devices' next-generation Opteron
microprocessors based on Bulldozer
micro- architecture will support
capability to adjust maximum thermal
design power (TDP). The technology will
allow customers to regulate TDPs in
order to balance power consumption and
performance of data centers. Consumer Electronics
and Software News Cooler Master NotePal Infinite
EVO Notebook Cooler Review Description Even as
far as fans go, I really thought I had seen it
all. 80mm fan, 120mm fans, all the way up to a
single 20mm fan I have tested them all as
far as standard fans go. If I remember
correctly, I even tested a cooler with a rather
large "squirrel cage" style fan that was the size
of a hamster wheel. I also recall that that fan
idea didn't work out too well and offeredverylittl
einthewayofactualcoolingtothelaptop.This time
around Cooler Master uses a blower style fan, or
rather a pair of them, to do the cooling in the
notebook cooler we received for testing. With
SkypeKit, Skype wants to be everywhere Description
Skype opened up its development platform to
all comers Tuesday, but it still has a disconnect
between revenue generation and its platform
efforts. Like many companies trying to
build a dominant position in the
technology ecosystem, Skype is navigating the
path between dollars and devs. Windows Gets an
App Store of Its Own Avenue Description
Windows users, dont you wish there was
a vendor-agnostic, one-stop shop for downloadable
software? Something with easily browsable
categories, ratings, reviews and simple purchase
options? Several companies are trying to make an
Apple App Store-like software shop for
Windows. Yesterday we noted the launch of
Pokki, a store that puts
Published by VR-Zone mobile-style applets on
the PC desktop. Avenue is a user friendly,
lightning fast and immediately available option
for fully functioning Windows apps. Custom
Firmware Alternatives For Your Wireless
Router Description For most users a good
wireless router is the one that you set up in a
few easy steps and forget about it as long as it
gets you online. But beyond the stock features
that came with your router, there are many things
that the hardware you bought might be capable of.
Luckily for you, people have been workingonwaystog
etthefancystuffrunningonyouraverage 60-100
device. After a relatively simple upgrade to a
free third-party firmware, you'll be able boost
your wireless signal, prioritize what programs
get your precious bandwidth, and do lots of other
stuff usually reserved for pro-grade
wireless routers. Nvidia gets excited about
Alienware notebooks Description And it's all
thanks to its own GTX 580M GPU, the company says.
You can buy the Alienware M18x notebook now if
you're richer than the sense you have. There's an
option to have two of the GPUs under the
hood if it takes your fancy. Machines that
feature the GTX 580M, says Nvidia, are
among the fastest DirectX 11 machines
you'll find on the market. It claims the
GPUs offer up to six times the tessellation
performance of "any other notebook GPU"
along withaperformanceincreaseof20percentcomparedt
othelast lot. The World's fastest Notebooks now
support the World's fastest Wireless
Card! Description Eurocom Corporation, a
leading developer of long lifespan, fully
upgradable notebooks, high performance mobile
workstations, All-in-One desktops and mobile
servers is announcing support for the Killer
Wireless-N 1102 high- performance wireless
network adapter as another available wireless
card option in Eurocom systems. The
addition of the Killer Wireless-N 1102 adapter
by Bigfoot Networks gives Eurocom customers an
ultra high-performance wireless card for their
custom built notebook. The HP TouchPad Will Come
With Its Own Facebook Tablet App (Leaked
Pics) Description The world has been
waiting for an official Facebook tablet
app, and waiting, and waiting. But that app may
not appear on the iPad first (although
Facebook is working on an iPad app for sure).
Instead, Facebooks first tablet app will appear
on the HP TouchPad, which comes out this Friday
and runs the WebOS it bought with Palm. This
app wasnotbuiltbyFacebookbutbyHP,muchlikehowRIMbui
lt the Facebook app for the Blackberry Playbook
using Facebook platform Gaming news World of
WarCraft is free until Level 20 Description Sick
of the 14-day trial in World of Warcraft ? There
is a change for the better. Calling it the
Starter edition, Blizzard will be making World of
WarCraft free-to-play until your character
reaches level 20 and their levels will
remain capped until you purchase the full
version. Makai Kingdom conquering PSP in Japan
this September Description Fans of Nippon
Ichi strategy RPGs like the Disgaea series
can definitely look forward to more of
their 9
10
June 30th, 2011 favorite titles re-released
for the PSP. The PS2 title Makai Kingdom
Chronicles of the Sacred Tome (known as
Phantom Kingdom in Japan) will be out for Sony's
portable system in Japan on September 22. OnLive
Talking to Sony and Microsoft About
Streaming Games Description The service offered
by OnLive is quite intriguing, as it allows you
to play games on any number of platforms.
A high-end game plays just as well on the OnLive
MicroConsole which hooks up to your TV as it does
on your PC or laptop, regardless of the
specifications of either computer. At E3,
Published by VR-Zone of new features, it was
definitely a good sign for users, as it means
that Microsoft is definitely taking steps to
ensure that Internet Explorer remains as
up-to-date as possible with the latest web
standards. Fast forward to the present, and it
seems that Microsoft is not about let up
development on Internet Explorer 10 any
time soon,foraquickvisittotheInternetExplorerTestD
riveHome PagerevealsthatthesecondPlatformPreviewfo
ritsupcoming web browser has already been made
available for download. Yep,allthisinlessthan80day
safterthefirstPlatformPreview was launched. Way
to go, Microsoft.
the company even demonstrated the ability to
stream games on an iPad figuring out a way
to handle the controls on
a touchscreenaside,it'simpressive.TwoplacesOnLivew
ouldn't mind also being available on are Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3. It might seem like a stretch,
but it's in the process of speaking to both
companies about possible support. Internet
Explorer 10 Platform Preview 2 now available
for download Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/i
nternet-explorer-10-platform- preview-2-now-availa
ble-for-download/12803.html June 30th,
2011 However, unlike the first
Platform Preview which had extremely
little to show off to developers, Platform
Preview 2 is actually loaded with a ton
(figuratively speaking) of
new features which are bound to be of
great interest to web developers, especially
if they have already committed themselves to
the new HTML5 standard. According to
a blog post made by Dean Hachamovitch, who
serves as the corporate vice president in
charge of the Internet Explorer team, these
new features come in the form of support for
a wide variety of web technologies, such as
Positioned Floats, HTML5 drag-drop and the HTML5
File Reader API, among many others. Most
importantly, though, has got to be the fact that
HTML5 forms are now supported as well, although
web
Well, it seems that Microsoft sure is not
about to take its time with its browser
development schedule, especially if this latest
piece of news is of any indication. In just less
than 80 days, the Redmond giant has pushed out
yet another Platform PreviewforitsupcomingInternet
Explorer10webbrowserfor developers to test and
experiment with. And based on what we have seen,
it appears that one thing is clear Microsoft
is deeplycommittedtoenhancingauser'sonlineexperien
cewith its web browser.
developers were quick to note that Microsoft's
decision to not include support for the
text-shadow attribute was a major disappointment.
If you would remember, we heaped
praise on Microsoft in a story written two
months ago when news broke out that the
Redmond giant had already commenced work on the
next version of its Internet Explorer web
browser, and had even released a working Platform
Preview of Internet Explorer 10 for developers to
get their hands wet, in spite of the fact
that Internet Explorer 9 was barely even a month
old at that time. Even though the Platform
Preview had little to show in terms 10
11
June 30th, 2011 A
demonstration of Positioned Floats
support in IE10 Platform Preview 2...
Published by VR-Zone Interes
ted? Well, the usual disclaimer about
pre-release software definitely applies, even
if the application comes
direct from a company that is as established
and reputable as Microsoft. Considering that
Platform Previews were never meanttobeserveasful
l-fledgedwebbrowsers,itgoeswithout sayingthatthi
sparticularrelease,liketheonebeforeit,should not
be used as one. However, if you just want to
have some funinplayingaroundwiththevariousnewfea
turesmentioned above, the second Platform
Preview for Internet Explorer 10 can be
downloaded off the Internet Explorer Test Drive
home page here. Corsair HX1050 1050W
PSU review Source http//vr-zone.com/articles
/corsair-hx1050-1050w-psu- review/12801.html J
une 30th, 2011 ...and HTML5 forms. In addition
to the various new features, Microsoft
claims that the Internet Explorer 10 Platform
Preview 2 application also boasts enhancements in
a variety of areas such as web
application performance and security.
It appears as if Corsair has been
releasing more high- end power supplies than
RAM modules during the past few months. It was
only a few weeks ago that we reviewed
the currently most powerful power supply
Corsair offers, the AX1200, and the exceptional
TX850 V2. Today we are going to examine and
review a unit in between those two,
their Professional Series HX1050 modular power
supply. It appears as if Corsair has been
releasing more high-end power supplies
than RAM modules during the past
few months. It was only a few weeks ago
that we reviewed the currently most powerful
power supply Corsair offers, the AX1200, and
the exceptional TX850 V2. Today we are going to
examine and review a unit in between those
two, their Professional Series HX1050 modular
power supply. Manufacturers features and
specifications 11
12
June 30th, 2011 Guaranteedtosustainitsfullrat
edwattageatanambient temperature of 50C
Up to 88 energy-efficiency under
real-world load conditions Single 12V
rail design providing up to 87.5A Multi-GPU
ready Active Power Factor Correction (PFC)
with PF value of 0.99 Supports ATX12V
2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 standards. Backwards
compatible with ATX12V 2.01 Auto switching
circuitry for universal AC input
from 90-264V Over Current/Voltage/Power
Protection, Under Voltage Protection and
Short Circuit Protection
provide complete component safety
Dimensions 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 180mm(L)
MTBF 100,000 hours Safety Approvals UL,
CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick
Published by VR-Zone interested in
licensing its WebOS for handheld
devices. Apparently a number of companies are
interested, although thisgenerallydoesn'tmeananyth
inguntilalicenseagreement has been signed. The
inevitable looks like it's about to
happen, HP has started talks with various
potential partners to see if anyone's interested
in licensing its WebOS for handheld
devices. Apparently a number of companies are
interested, although thisgenerallydoesn'tmeananyth
inguntilalicenseagreement has been
signed. According to Bloomberg, WebOS is
being considered as a choice to Google's
Android OS and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7,
something that almost has to happen if HP
wants the platform to survive. It's a dog eat dog
world in the mobile device OS market with Apple
and Google dominating it at the moment. WebOS is
somewhere at the bottom of the pecking order
having been a proprietary solution owned by
Palm before HP bought the company and although
it has a lot of unique features and several
benefits over its competitors, it lacks market
share. Samsung is rumoured to be one of the
companies interested, but considering the company
is already involved in just about every single
mobile OS platform, bar iOS, at least
directly, this isn't entirely surprising. The
question is who else will
jump on board, as HP needs all the device
partners it can get to grown the ecosystem for
its WebOS, especially as its lacking in
developer support for apps. The way the
market has developed, this has become a key part
of any mobile OS, as if you can't offer the apps
your customers want, they'll go elsewhere. HPisals
oexpectedtobeputtingitsWebOSonitsdesktopand notebo
ok computers, but as a virtualised environment
rather thanasadualbootsolution.Thereasonbehindthis
moveisso that users could access their mobile
device apps even on their desktop, something that
could prove to be a small win for HP. That said,
if it remains exclusive to HP PC's, it's not
likely to go down well with WebOS users, as very
few consumers tend to like to get tied in with a
single brand for all their products, notwithstandi
ng Apple users.
CMPSU-1050HX AC 100-240V INPUT
13A-7.5A 50/60Hz DC 5V
3.3V OUTPUT MAX 30A
30A CURRENT MAX 180W
1050W COMBINED WATTAGE TOTAL POWER 1050W
5Vsb 3.5A
12V 87.5A 9.6W
-12V 0.8A 17.5W
_at_ 50C ambient temperature HP mulling WebOS
licensing
Olympus set to launch new m4/3 cameras later
today Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/olympus-
set-to-launch-new-m43- cameras-later-today/12800.h
tml June 30th, 2011
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/hp-mulling-web
os- licensing/12802.html June 30th, 2011 If
you're looking at getting a new mirrorless camera
then you might want to hold off a little bit, as
later today Olympus is set to unveil no less
than three new micro 4/3 cameras, of
which pictures of two models have already leaked.
Full specs of one model has also made an
appearance on the web ahead 12
The inevitable looks like it's about
to happen, HP has started talks with
various potential partners to see if anyone's
13
June 30th, 2011 ofthelaunchandoneoftheheadlinefeat
uresofOlympus'new models is superfast
auto-focusing. If you're looking at getting a
new mirrorless camera then you might want to hold
off a little bit, as later today Olympus is set
to unveil no less than three new micro 4/3
cameras, of which pictures of two models have
already leaked. Full specs of one model has also
made an appearance on the web ahead ofthelaunchand
oneoftheheadlinefeaturesofOlympus'new models is
superfast auto-focusing. The three new models are
the PEN E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1, all based around
the m4/3 lens and sensor system. So far,
full details of the E-P3 has tipped up, alongside
with a couple of pictures of the E-PM1. As far as
the E-PL3 is concerned, it seems like we might
have to wait until the official launch
later today. The E-P3 is Olympus
new high-end m4/3 mirrorless model and it
features what Olympus calls Instant AF. This
almost sounds too good to be true, but Olympus
has created a sensor for its new cameras with 35
focus points that are spread across most of the
sensor surface and it features what is believed
to beinfra-redsensorstofurtherimprovetheAFspeed.Ol
ympus claims that this camera has the fastest AF
of any camera with interchangeable lenses which
says something about how good it should
be. Further improvements over the E-P2 a camera
which shares a very similar body and design with
the E-P3 include an OLED touch screen which
is expected to feature a higher resolution
compared to Olympus current m4/3
cameras. Despitehavingatouchscreen,Olympushasinclu
dedaregular mode dial as well as two customizable
scroll wheels for more advanced users. The E-P3
is also Olympus first m4/3 camera to offer
1080 video recording, albeit only interlaced
video at 60fps. It recordsvideointheAVCHDorMJP
EGformatsanditcanalso shoot in 720p. A few new
lenses are also expected and to get the most out
of the new, superfast AF you need to team
the camera up with the new lenses.
Published by VR-Zone As far
as the E-PM1 is concerned, we're looking at a
tiny m4/3 camera, albeit apparently not as small
as Panasonic's GF3 and it's meant to share its
design, but not size with the E-PL3. As far as
specifications are concerned, we'll have to wait
for the official word from Olympus, but the good
news is that we'll be at the launch event in
Taipei to bring you the full details of these new
cameras and lenses. MSI's CX480
notebook features top mounted battery indicator So
urce http//vr-zone.com/articles/msi-s-cx480-note
book-features-top- mounted-battery-indicator/12796
.html June 30th, 2011 So far we've already
seen quite a few notebook models from MSI this
year, but the company is continually updating its
line up and the new CX480 follows the CX640 in
terms of overall design, but it has a few
features of its own. MSI has really started to
get the fact that design matters and beyond
having managed to put together something that
looks attractive, the company will also offer the
CX480 in multiple colours and we have some
exclusive pictures of the blue model. So far
we've already seen quite a few notebook models
from MSI this year, but the company is
continually updating its line up and the new
CX480 follows the CX640 in terms of
overall design, but it has a few features of its
own. MSI has really started to get the fact that
design matters and beyond having managed to put
together something that looks attractive,
the company will also offer the CX480 in multiple
colours and we have some exclusive pictures of
the blue model. 13
14
June 30th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
The standard 6-cell 4,400mAh battery is said to
be good for up to 8.5h of usage and a one
hour charge replenishes 80 percent of the
battery power. The screen has an ambient
light sensor and it adjusts the screen backlight
automatically based on ambient light and there
are 16 brightness levels. At 2.2kg the CX480 is
somewhat on the chunky side, but still a
fairly standard14-incher.Itwillbeavailableinblack
,whiteandblue as per our pictures. No word on
pricing as yet, but we'd expect it to be
slightly cheaper than the CX640 which would put
it in the very affordable category. The CX480
is by all intents and purposes a fairly average
14- inch notebook with a 1366x768 resolution
screen, a choice of an Intel Core i3-2310M or
Core i5-2410M processor and it should
support up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory.
That said, MSI has kitted it out with a GeForce
GT 520M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated DDR3
graphics memory and in as much as this is
Nvidia's most basic 500-series mobile GPU,
it should still prove to be a smidgen faster than
Intel's HD 3000 graphics. Rumour
NVIDIA's next- gen Kepler taped out,
AMD Southern Islands in September Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/rumour-nvidia-s-next-g
en-kepler- taped-out-amd-southern-islands-in-sept
ember/12799.html June 30th, 2011
After an eternity at 40nm, thanks to 32nm
cancelation and 28nm delays, the GPU industry
is finally transitioning to TSMC's long,
long awaited 28nm HKMG process.
Fudzilla reports that NVIDIA's next-gen GPU,
based on the Kepler architecture, has already
been taped out. On the AMD side of things, we
have heard reports of Southern Islands
tape-out datingallthewaybacktoMarch2011.AMD'sSouth
ernIslands GPUs could release as early as
September, with NVIDIA's Kepler releasing
earliest in Q4 2011 more likely Q1 2012. At this
early stage, there is still very little known
about the next generation. While AMD has recently
presented it's future GPU architecture at AMD
Fusion Developer Summit, the HD 14
Add to that various storage options, an optical
drive, 802.11b/ g/nWi-Fi,Bluetooth3.0,GigabitEther
net,twoUSB2.0ports, a USB 3.0 port, HDMI, D-sub,
a pair of audio jacks, a memory cardreaderandawebc
amandyougotasomewhatbetterthan average notebook.
However, MSI has added at least one
nifty feature, a battery charge indicator located
next to the power button. This consists of four
green LEDs which will switch off in order and
once you hit 10 percent battery life the last
LED will start flashing.
15
June 30th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
7000 generation is expected to be a tweaked
version of the VLIW-4 architecture currently used
only in HD 6900 series. Of course, it is possible
that the one line of the HD 7000
series -perhapsHD7900-willfeaturethenewAMD'sGraphi
csCore Nextarchitecture,followingasimilararchitect
uresplitasseen in the HD 6000 series. Other
rumours also suggest AMD will be splitting GPU
lines between TSMC and Globalfoundries. While
optimistic rumours peg Southern Islands' release
date at mid-Q3, SemiAccurate suggests that
September is a more likelyreleasedateforthefirstHD
7000GPUs.Thebottleneck, as usual, is TSMC, and it
remains to be seen when they can fab 28nm wafers,
and in what quantity? Incredibly, the first 40nm
GPU, the HD 4770, was released over 2 years back.
Pegged back at 40nm, both NVIDIA
and AMDhaveonlyofferedincrementalperformanceupgrad
esfor theGeforce500andHD6000generations.TheGPUindu
stry, in general, desperately needs an efficient
28nm process - over to TSMC. Well, according
to the official press release from Samsung,
the upcoming portable media player, which is also
known as the Galaxy 070, will be able to function
as a mobile phone of sorts due to the use of VoIP
to achieve this feat. In fact, to further convey
the message that the Galaxy 070 is capable
of functioning as a mobile phone (albeit without
a SIM card), Samsung has announced that it has
teamed up with LG U for the Galaxy 070's
official launch on the first of July this
year, where the device will reportedly be
marketed as Korea's first ever Smart Home Phone
to be based off the Android operating system. Furt
her sweetening the deal are the hardware
specifications of the Galaxy 070 Samsung
has confirmed that the device will boast a
four-inch Super Clear LCD screen, a
rear-facing camera capable of capturing still
images at a maximum resolution of three
megapixels, a T-DMP module, WiFi and Bluetooth
wireless connectivity, 8GB of memory and
support for additional storage via the use of
microSD cards. Customers who purchase the
Samsung Galaxy 070 Smart Home Phone from LG
U will be charged the same tarrifs that
are currently has in place for existing "Internet
Phones". However,thecompanyhasalsoaddedthatitwillb
eenhancing the functionality of the device
by allowing consumers to access the
all-important Android Market on the Galaxy 070, a
decision which will definitely appeal to
users considering how important a role apps play
in the popularity of a mobile platform. No
information about the Galaxy 070's pricing
has been revealed by either company. ASUS and
Jay Chou jointly announce special edition
N series notebook PC Source http//vr-zone.com/ar
ticles/asus-and-jay-chou-jointly-announce- special
-edition-n-series-notebook-pc/12795.html
Samsung to launch Korea's first Android-based
Smart Home Phone on July Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-to-launch-kore
a-s-first- android-based-smart-home-phone-on-july/
12797.html June 30th, 2011 Considering
how Google's Android operating system
was originally designed to be an OS
which is meant to be used exclusively
by smartphones, it would be
expected that Samsung's idea of introducing a
line of portable media players that are powered
by Android would raise more than just a few
eyebrows. However, leave it to Samsung to put
a unique spin on its latest Galaxy Media Player
by launching it as a VoIP device that is capable
of making phone calls via the power of the
Internet. Now that has got to be some
rather creative thinking on the Korean electronic
giant's part. Now that a smartphone is capable of
fulfilling just about every single task under the
sun that consumers could possibly ask for, would
you pay good money to purchase an
Android- powered device which is designed to
serve as a portable media player,muchliketheapproa
chApplehastakenwithitsiPhone and iPod Touch
product lines? Well, it seems that
Samsung believes that there is still a large
enough market out there for such devices to
justify the release of yet another addition to
its Galaxy line of portable media
players. However, in what has got to be rather
interesting twist to the story Samsung will not
be selling the its new Galaxy player as the
portable media player that it is supposed to be,
but as a mobile phone which is capable of making
actual phone calls.
Wait, say what? 15
16
June 30th, 2011 June 30th, 2011 Today,
ASUS and renowned Taiwanese musician,
singer- songwriter and actor Jay Chou
have jointly announced the new special
edition N-series notebook PC. The
14- inch notebook PC features the
latest second generation Intel processor,
SonicMaster audio technology (from
the collaboration with Bang Olufsen
ICEpower), and unique designs from Chou.
VR-Zone brings you the coverage.
Published by VR-Zone he is happy to have
Chou as the designer for the
special edition N-series. To conceptualize the
design, it boils down to how the combination of
the consumers sixth senses and ASUS'advancedtechno
logies,andbringouttheincomparable experience to
the users. According to Chou, he had
used "incomparable" as the theme for one of his
concerts and that the design of the special
edition N-series is very much like east meets
west. Shih also presented Chou with an
honored employee pass which means the
celebrity is officially working for
the company. Here are some pictures of
models with the ASUS special edition N-series
laptop-
Updates Check out Behind The Scenes The Making
of Jay Chou N43 Notebook The
event kickstarted with a symphony
comprised of ASUS laptops, conducted by ASUS
chairman Jonney Shih and Taiwanese celebrity
Jay Chou playing the piano. And later, both
unveiled the Jay Chou special edition N-series
notebook PC. No,itisn'texactl
yacelebrityendorsementChouwasthechief designer
who has worked with the ASUS design centre
on the laptop. Shih said that the company's
vision is to produce more of such distinct
products which are incomparable and 16
17
June 30th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
themselves disappointed, as most 3D-capable
television sets are definitely too big to
be used as PC monitors without causing some
serious neck issues on the user's part, and
3D- capable monitors typically lack support for
certain A/V jacks which are widely used by many
digital appliances today. However, it seems
that users who are finding
themselves caught in the aforementioned
situation now have a potential solution to their
needs, and it comes in the form of LG's
new MX235D Cinema 3D TV monitor, which was just
released for retail in South Korea
yesterday. LG
releases new Cinema 3D TV monitor for sale in
South Korea
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/lg-releases-ne
w-cinema-3d-tv-monitor- for-sale-in-south-korea/12
779.html June 30th, 2011 Wouldn't it be
nice if you could have a 3D-capable
television set that is so small and compact, it
could also double up for use as a PC monitor?
If your answer to that question is
a resounding "yes", well, we got some good news
for you, and it comes in the form of LG
Electronics' new MX235D Cinema 3D TV monitor,
which is reportedly capable of fulfilling
the aforementioned need, and then some. Now that
3D technology is fast becoming mainstream, it
is hardly surprising to see manufacturers start
rolling out new 3D-capable television sets and
monitors as though there is no tomorrow.
Unfortunately, consumers who are on the
lookout for a one-size-fits-all 3D-capable
device will probably find
According to the official press
release posted by LG Electronics, the
MX235D boasts an ultra-thin bezel
which measures16.8mmandisfittedwith3Dconversionchi
pswhich allow for on-the-fly conversion of
digital content from 2D to 3D without the need
to pass the device through
additional software needed for doing so. In
addition, LG has claimed that the MX235D utilizes
passive 3D technology this allows users to do
away with the heavy and cumbersome
battery-operated active shutter 3D glasses which
have been said to have the side effect of
potentially inducing dizziness among users.
Add that to the fact that the MX235D's 23-inch
display size is small enough to be able to double
up as a PC monitor, and you have a rather decent
one-size-fits-all, 3D-capable device which
can shuttle between the roles of both a HDTV and
a HD monitor effortlessly. Last but definitely
not least, LG has also confirmed that the
MX235D television set will come equipped with
various standard features such as a pair of 5W
speakers, a USB port for playing back content
via external storage devices, and 17
18
June 30th, 2011 built-in support for MP3
playback. This means that users who are planning
to utilize the MX235D as a monitor due to
its size can potentially make use of the device's
media playback capabilities to enjoy their
digital media content without even having to turn
on the PC to do so. No mention about global
availability for the device has been made by LG,
although you may be interested to know that
the MX235D is currently available for sale in
South Korea at the price of 479,000 won (approx
US445). Microsoft officially launches Office
365 for businesses Source http//vr-zone.com/arti
cles/microsoft-officially-launches- office-365-for
-businesses/12786.html June 30th,
2011 Rememberthelittlestoryweranafewmonthsb
ackabouthow Microsoft was attempting to make life
easier for businesses by pitching the then beta
version of its cloud-based productivity suite,
Office 365, as a solution to allow business
consumers the luxury of not having to worry
about maintaining their own IT infrastructure?
Well, the good news is that users can finally
start migrating away from the beta, for Microsoft
has justofficiallylaunchedthefinalizedversionofOff
ice365today in a media event held at Swissotel
The Stamford. Hit up the link for the coverage of
today's event... For those who would
remember, VR-Zone ran a story a couple of months
ago which talked about Microsoft's
unveiling of the then beta version of its
cloud-based productivity solution
Published by VR-Zone at a modest subscription
fee of US6 a month per user. And speakingattheev
ent'sopeningaddresstodaywasproductivity guru
Michael A. Podolinsky, who described in great
detail the importance of the cloud and
Microsoft's Office 365 in helping businesses
transform themselves and achieving even
greater productivity. "Beca
use of the connectivity aspect of the cloud...
60 of the ITfocusthisyearisgoingtobeaboutit.Andwi
thalmostthree- quarters of the people and
companies involved in it, this is a tipping point
which we will not go back from," he said,
while adding that adoption of Office 365 is
expected to be seamless due to the fact that most
consumers are already familiar with the way
Microsoft Office works. Podolinsky also
described how businesses do not have
to worry about compatibility or security issues
on Office 365, as Microsoft will ensure that the
software on its servers always remainuptodate,andt
hatsystemsadministratorswillalways have full
control over their data in the cloud to ensure
that company files or information do not get
removed or destroyed without the proper
authorization. Up next was Microsoft's Chief
Operating Officer for Asia Pacific, Andy
Pickup, who talked about what users can
expect from Office 365 now that the finalized
version of the service is already available for
subscription.
for businesses. Known as Office 365,
the idea was that Microsoft's new
offering, which combines the functionality of
Microsoft office, Microsoft SharePoint
Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and
Microsoft Lync Online together into a single,
tightly-integrated cloud offering will help
business users to enhance their productivity
by ensuring that their data will remain
accessible at all times, online
collaboration willbeasseamlessaspossible,andthatth
eITdepartmentcan spend more time dealing with
user-specific issues. That sounded great and all,
save for one little problem there was no mention
as to when the finalized version of Office
365 will be released for public use. Fortunately,
the last piece of the puzzle has fallen into
place, for Microsoft has officially announcedt
heavailabilityofOffice365inapresseventheldat Swiss
otel The Stamford, where it will be offered to
businesses 18
19
June 30th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
"This is the first time Microsoft has
offered a premiere productivity suite in a
cloud-based service format. Customers will be
able to choose between a rich client that is
downloaded on one's device and used in that
way, or to opt for a cost- effective,
affordable and predictable service fee that
allows them to access Office through the power of
the Internet," he said. In
addition, Pickup also described other
benefits users can expect to derive from
utilizing its Office 365 solution, such as the
assurance of having 99.9 server uptime and a
"rich and powerfulexperience"thatstemsfromtheseaml
essintegration among various Microsoft services,
along with ready access to the service regardless
of location via an Internet connection. All of
this, he said, can be had for a subscription fee
that costs less "than a cup of cappuccino". "Ou
rheadsareupinthecloud,butourfeetareveryfirmlyhere
on the ground," he quipped. That being said, we
should point out that Microsoft has got a total
of seven different price plans for users who are
keen to sign up for Office 365. The one which
Pickup described as costing only US6 a month is
targeted at small businesses and individuals,
and offers 25GB of email, along with
access to Office Web Apps, SharePoint and the
Lync enterprise instant messaging client. Larger
enterprises will have up to six price 19
20
June 30th, 2011 plans to choose from, four of
which cost between US10to US 27 per user per
month, while the other two for kiosk workers are
priced at US4 and US10 per person. Of course,
the more costly plans will come with added
features such unlimited Exchange storage, the
full desktop Office suite, Lync
voice capabilities and Office Professional
Plus. Alternatively, there is also the
free 30-day trial which can be obtained from
the Microsoft's product page if you
feel the need to give Office 365 a test
spin before deciding to commityourselftoafull-t
imesubscriptionfortheservice.Last but definitely
not least, more information about the
various components which make up the
complete package that is Office 365 can also
be obtained there. Google releases tool
to convert SWF files into HTML5- compatible
content Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/google
-releases-tool-to-convert-swf- files-into-html5-co
mpatible-content/12791.html June 30th,
2011 When you've got certain OEMs
making sure that their bestselling
products are designed not to play nice
with the current online standard known as
Flash, what is a socially responsible
corporation to do to ensure that users will
still be able to enjoy much of the web's beauty?
Simple release a tool which converts the
offending code into nice HTML5- compatible
instructions. Which is exactly what Google's
new Swiffytoolisallabout.ReadontofindoutmoreaboutS
wiffy... Pundits may claim that Flash is well on
its way to becoming irrelevent soon while
pointing to the introduction of the new HTML5
standard as the basis for their convictions, but
the truthofthematteristhat,despiteitscapabilitiesa
ndpotential, it will still take some time before
the world is ready to migrate to a web that is
powered purely by HTML5. Until then, there
is little to be gained from turning one's back on
well-established standardswhicharewidelyusedinthed
isseminationofonline content today, such as
Adobe's Flash platform. However, if for some
reason you have chosen to drop Flash completely
in your daily web-browsing needs, fret not.
Google has, in its typical "Don't be evil"
fashion, released a tool which allowsuserstoconver
tSWFfilesintoviewablecontentwritten in HTML5 code
so that they can continue to enjoy their
online experience without having to feel left out
over their decision to do so.
Published by VR-Zone This
tool, which is known as Swiffy, has been
described by Google as one that as originally
built by an intern by the name of Pieter
Senster as a means to explore how the
company could find a way to get Flash animations
working on devices which do not support the
standard. Apparently, Google was
so impressedbySenster'seffortsthatthecompanydecide
dtonot only hire him as a full-time staff, but
also assembled a team to commence work on the
project, which resulted in the birth of the
Swiffy tool that is now currently available for
use as a Google Labs feature. For those who are
wondering how Swiffy works, here's how it is done
as described by Google's Marcel Gorden, who is
also the product manager for the tool Swiffy
uses a compact JSON representation of
the animation, which is rendered using SVG
and a bit of HTML5 and CSS3. ActionScript 2.0
is also present in the JSON object, and is
interpreted in JavaScript in the browser. This
representation makes the Swiffy animations
almost as compact as the original
SWF files. That being said, w