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AMD Vision spreads across desktops, laptops: Will you see a difference?

Does affordability matter most to you when buying a new computer? More importantly, do labels?

AMD has been working on finding its way into laptops and desktops via a strategy of affordability and rebranding, and its AMD Vision series of products is taking off with a new batch of desktops and laptops. We've already seen some of this new branding in a handful of products, but the company's new initiative focuses on its latest processors, and adds extra "Vision" categories to its product line. The real question is how these new systems will perform in the … Read more

New Toughbook 31: Perfect for multitasking in a sandstorm

If you're in the military or working in rough field conditions and need a computer upgrade, you're in luck: Panasonic has just announced the upgraded Toughbook 31, a new successor to its most-rugged Toughbook line.

With a weight and thickness that would be unappealing to anyone but those who need serious environmental armor, the Toughbook 31 comes with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, optional ATI HD 5630 graphics, and up to a claimed 11 hours of battery life.

A 13.3-inch LED-backlit touch-screen display has CircuLumin technology that Panasonic says will enable viewing of the … Read more

HP expands Envy laptop line with 14- and 17-inch models, plus new Pavilions

One of the few new premium laptop brands we've seen recently is HP's Envy line, launched late last year with the HP Envy 13 and HP Envy 15. We liked both for their snappy designs, high-powered components, and big touch pads--but at $1,500-$2,000, depending on configuration, they were ridiculously expensive.

The second generation of Envy laptops is here, and the two new models are the Envy 14 and Envy 17. The new machines have some subtle tweaks, but the most important one is the new starting prices. The 14-inch model starts at $999, and the 17-inch model starts at $1,399. Breaking the $1,000 barrier is a big deal, at least psychologically, and makes these seem like a good choice in the premium-but-affordable department.

The Envy 14 is 1.1 inches thick, weighs 5.25 pounds, and offers Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors. The 14.5-inch 16:9 display runs at 1,600x900 pixels, and the system supports switchable graphics, pairing integrated Intel graphics with an ATI Mobility Radeon 5650. The Envy 14 also adds a backlit keyboard, one of the key upscale features missing from the more-expensive Envy 13. At $999, the magnesium/aluminum alloy Envy compares very favorably with the current $999 MacBook, which has a polycarbonate body and an older Core 2 Duo CPU.

The Envy 17 is about 1.5 inches thick and weighs 7.5 pounds--making it thin but heavy for a desktop replacement. In it, you've got a choice of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, along with ATI Mobility Radeon 5850 graphics. Two 17.3-inch 16:9 display options are available: basic 1,600x900-pixel resolution (but for a 17-inch laptop that costs more than $1,000, why bother?) and full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. Like the 14-inch model, it also includes a backlit keyboard, and both have Beats-Audio-branded audio subsystems.

The HP Envy 17 will be available starting May 19, and the HP Envy 14 will be available starting June 27. Check out some more shots of the Envy 14 and Envy 17 in the gallery after the jump. … Read more

Handicapping the 2010 Game Developers Conference

While it lacks the bombast and sheer size of major technology trade shows such as CES and the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual Game Developers Conference has quietly become one of the most important events on gaming's calendar.

This relatively small conference, held in San Francisco, is where game designers and programmers, as well as publishers, developers, and the third-party technology companies they work with, come together for panels, classes, and keynotes. As the show has traditionally been (until a few years ago) largely under the press radar, you're just as likely to rub elbows with actual game … Read more

AMD's Eyefinity expands desktop real estate beyond reason

We don't have dates, prices, or benchmark scores yet, but after a demo in our offices Thursday, we can at least report on our brief experience with AMD's forthcoming Eyefinity graphics card technology. By enabling you to connect up to six monitors to a single PC, Eyefinity opens a wide array of display possibilities with appeal for a number of different kinds of users.

Even before we saw Eyefinity in person, it was clear that this is a niche technology aimed at those willing to spend a lot of money. By way of example, AMD brought in six, 22-inch Dell Professional P2210H displays and a pair of Adtec vertical mounts to support them, for a retail total cost of around $1,650.

We'll guess and say AMD's Eyefinity-capable graphics card will cost between $500 and $600 (again, a guess). Even if AMD charges $400 for the card, adding no premium to the standard Radeon HD 5870's on which Eyefinity is built, you're looking at a $2,000 investment for a six-display Eyefinity setup, assuming you already own a fast-enough desktop to run it.

Once you make the investment, you'll need to go through the cumbersome installation process. That means mounting each display, aligning the bezels properly, and then connecting the Mini DisplayPort cable and the appropriate adapter to each of the Eyefinity card's six Mini DP outputs.

With the hardware set up, you then need to go through AMD's driver software to configure the panels in your desired layout. Eyefinity supports both extended desktop and clone display modes, and with six monitors to play with you can operate a variety of configurations. You can extend the display across all monitors in a 3x2 arrangement. You can also stack two, 3x1 extended desktops on top of each other, or run three banks of adjacent 1x2 extended desktops. The maximum resolution of the desktop extended across six monitors comes in at 5,760x2,160 pixels.

Such high-resolution output obviously has appeal to the PC gaming crowd, and AMD spent most of our demo showing off the Eyefinity's gaming chops. We saw demos of Dirt 2, Supreme Commander 2, and Tom Clancy's HAWX running across all six screens at full 5,760x2,160, all with smooth frame rates. Not every game out there will scale to such high-resolution output, but AMD is working with various game developers and publishers to ensure that as many games as possible will take advantage of Eyefinity.

As you might imagine, running six displays has some unexpected quirks.… Read more

Steam gamers: Windows XP, Nvidia, Intel rule

Microsoft's Windows XP, Nvidia's video cards, and Intel's processors are what computer gamers use most, if the January hardware survey of Steam, an online service of developer Valve that delivers video games straight to a user's desktop, is any indication.

Windows XP, running 42.15 percent of Steam users' PCs, remained the most popular operating system, ahead of Microsoft successors Windows Vista and the current Windows 7. January marked the first month, however, that the Windows 7 64-bit edition has surpassed Windows Vista in gamer popularity, accounting for 19.5 percent of Steam use, compared to … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1145: China to Google: Suck it

The Google-China drama continues as China makes a veiled response that only law-abiding companies are welcome in the People's Republic. More information came out indicating the Gmail hacking was done by the government in China. This isn't over folks. We'll keep on it. But there is other news. Apple lawyers strike back over tablet rumors, and app stores are all pretty much the same.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1145

Is Sprint making money off of your text message donations? http://consumerist.com/2010/01/att-and-sprint-are-making-money-off-of-your-text-message-donations.html… Read more