News Bits: Gaming & Windows Vista, Jet Engine Powered Laptops, Toshiba HD DVD Burner for Notebooks

Gaming & Windows Vista

Although Windows Vista's security has been highly talked about, the gaming aspect has not received much attention. Microsoft is taking a new approach to gaming with Windows Vista, and it will inevitably replace Windows XP as the OS of choice for gamers in the next few years. Microsoft is putting a lot of emphasis on DirectX 10, a Vista-only feature. It will offload all rendering tasks to the graphics card, as well as most of the computational functions. Crysis from Crytek is one of the most anticipated DirectX 10 titles.

Microsoft is looking to implement a new branding and marketing strategy for games designed for Windows Vista, dubbed "Games for Windows". It will give games a more uniform appearance as seen with consoles. Microsoft also wants PC games to appear in the same number as console games in retail outlets.

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MIT Professor wants to put a jet engine inside laptops for power

MIT professor Alan Epsteinand his aeronautics engineering lab have apparently been studying ways to miniaturize gas powered turbines (aka jet engines) to use them as a power source in laptops. He thinks that running a small jet engine on butane could power a laptop for 10 - 15 hours. He argues that butane, the same fuel used in cigarette lighters,is odor free so your laptop wouldn't smell like a real jet engine when in use.

From a Toronto Star article quoting Epstein:

"My laptop now runs about three hours with a full charge, with a micro-engine about the same size and weight (as a laptop battery), you'd end up with somewhere between 15 and 30 hours."

Genius,now if he could just explain exactly how he'd keep laptop temperatures down with a small jet engine on board. And then there's the issue of travel safety -- you think the FAA and airlines wouldbe thrilled to have passengers on board with butane jet engine powered laptops? That's not going to fly, so to speak.

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Toshiba's HD DVD burner for notebooks

October 2<SUP>ND</SUP> - Toshiba today unveiled a slim HD DVD drive for notebooks that both reads and writes to HD DVD, standard DVD and CD discs. Sample shipments of the drive will start at the end of the year. The drive, SD-L902A, features a blue-violet laser diode that can read and write to HD DVD-R discs, and has support for HD DVD-ROM discs. The SD-L902A has the same functionality of a Super Multi drive.

Due to its 12.7 millimeter height, it can be incorporated into highly portable notebooks. Toshiba will demonstrate the new drive at CEATEC JAPAN 2006 at Makuhari Messe from October 3-7.

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Nvidia DirectX 10 chip to launch mid-November

Nvidia is expected to announce the world's first DirectX 10-compliant graphics chip, the GeForce 8800, in the mid-November timeframe. Its success depends on the penetration rate of Windows Vista and availability of games using DirectX 10. The GeForce 8800, codenamed G80, supports Shader Model 4.0, and will help the visualization and rendering capabilities of a PC by offloading all of the rendering tasks.

ATI's DirectX 10-complaint chip, codename R600, may not appear on the market before 2007. DirectX 10 is a Vista-only technology.

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Toshiba to have produced 40 million 1.8" hard drives

October 2<SUP>nd</SUP> - Toshiba today announced that it would have achieved cumulative production of 40 million 1.8" hard drives on October 7<SUP>th</SUP>, 2006. Toshiba first started producing 1.8" hard drives in 2000, and won the largest market share of the increasingly popular drive. Toshiba recognizes that leadership and success in the hard drive market depends on high capacity and small size. They have recently used PMR (perpendicular magnetic recording) to promote miniaturization. Toshiba first used PMR technology on 1.8" hard drives in 2005.

The latest 1.8" hard drives will be on display at CEATEC Japan from October 3-7 at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo.

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Novatel Wireless announces three new EV-DO Rev. A products for Q3

October 2<SUP>ND</SUP> - Novatel Wireless today announced three new EV-DO Rev. A products for the third quarter of this year. The products, in the form of an embedded module, PC Card, and USB form are currently shipping to major carriers or OEM customers.

The USB product, the MCD3000, is part of the Ovation line, and offers an alternative to broadband by allowing enterprise and small business professionals to access 3G networks through their notebooks or desktops. It has a sleek and compact design, and is about the size of a small cell phone. Downlink data speeds reach 3.1 Mbps, and it is backwards compatible with EV-DO Rev 0 and CDMA 1xRTT technologies. The MCD3000 also features wireless-assisted GPS capabilities and a dual-band antenna system. The Merlin M720 PC Card allows notebook users access to the latest EV-DO technology, and is also backwards compatible with EV-DO Rev 0 and 1xRTT networks. It is GPS ready and has a dual-band diversity design.

The Expedite E720 PCI Express Mini Card Module has the same capabilities of the Merlin M720 PC Card, but allows OEMs to embed the module at board level (internally). Integrating the module into the product design decreases the cost of wireless capability, and the advantages of the latest EV-DO networks are maintained. Downlink data speeds can reach 3.1 Mbps, and the product has GPS capabilities.

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The link from the Star:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...geid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1159654214489

I read it while in class, quite interesting

 

The main problem with a butane jet engine isn't the life (which is very long), or the travel restricitions. It's recharging it. You have to bring around a bottle of butane. It's just not convenient. With a regular battery, you just plug it in and go.

The true solution IMO is a better battery, not an alternative energy source.

 

Hell, Iam all for the jet engine, just imagine the over revving possibilitys it would create a new bread of overclocks in the fact that the competition is to spin it faster without blowing it up and creating more watts for the system.

 

I agree with MGS, I'd be way to lazy to 'gas-up' my laptop everyday. I'd rather just plug it in. I'm curious as to just how small a jet turbine can be thich and wouldn't you need some sort of vent for the exhaust. That laptop would be hovering off the table.

 

That's not the only problem. With gas, you have the problem of running out. In the middle of important work, you find your jet/tank low, and no butane to spare. What do you do? This is a serious set back.

 

There has to be some other element other than Lithium that could be used to charge batteries...

Butane would be a little interesting. It would come in handy if you were ever in a situation like the tv show lost. Take apart your laptop and start a fire with the butane engine.
Tim

 

...ask to borrow some one's lighter...

 

And here I thought we were trying to get away from fossil fuels ...
neat idea, though.

 

Imagine the yields in early batches of this technology. "Oops! Gotta throw this one away too."

 

Lol, my guess is that the developers hadn't been reading the news regarding exploding laptops lately ... it's funny to see how this overshadows the 8800.

 

Change of topics: Any ideas how much a video card with the GeForce 8800 might cost?

 

Yeh they can get these gas turbines to about the size of a button. I believe the US are developing them for power supplies for soldiers to keep all there electrical gizmos going.

You would have to keep getting the thing refueled though which would be a pain. Unless you get a mains supply to connect it.