virtualization

Numecent is rolling out its "cloud paging" technology today. It's an interesting way to add some client/server technology to virtual machine setups. What it really means: You'll be able to play big games over the Web more quickly than if you had to download them, and with better performance than if you're streaming the game's video (as OnLive does).

Numecent is a virtual machine technology, but instead of downloading the whole "machine" to the client (end user) computer before it can run it, it uses a network-based virtual memory manager that … Read more

Don't have a dedicated PC on which to install Windows 8? No problem. Just install the OS virtually on an existing PC using a free virtual machine utility.

Various VM applications will let you install an operating system in a virtual environment on your Windows desktop or laptop. But not all are free and not all support the latest Windows 8 beta.

A product such as VMWare Workstation 8 supports Windows 8 but costs $200. Microsoft's own Windows Virtual PC is free but won't accept Windows 8 as a guest.

Instead, you can use Oracle's VirtualBox … Read more

Pocket Doorbell (app store link) is a pretty dumb app. Or so it appears at first. Actually it's fun and kind of useful, and part of a major trend: The virtualization of the world.

I just invented that trend. Hang on and I'll explain it. First, more on Pocket Doorbell.

This little app is a button on your iPhone that you press when you arrive at a friend's house and want them to come open the door for you. Instead of pressing the doorbell, and disturbing the whole house or apartment, and instead of bothering to look … Read more

OnLive's Desktop Plus service turns your tablet into a virtual Windows 7 PC. The app-based service rolled out to iPad customers last week, and today made the jump to Android tablets.

The Desktop Plus app is a free download, though the service costs $4.99 per month. For the price, you get a full Windows 7 desktop hosted remotely on OnLive's servers and connected to the Web over a Gigabit Ethernet connection. On top of that, OnLive provides 2GB of cloud storage, which can be used to back up any documents created on the virtualized Windows 7 computer. … Read more

Enigma Virtual Box is a free file system virtualization tool that combines any program and all its associated files into a single boxed executable without extracting any files to your hard disk or creating any temporary files. It works by embedding a special loader that emulates the program's file system and directory plus all extra files in your system's memory. You can add all kinds of files to boxed executables, too, including images, videos, and music. With drag-and-drop and one-click processing, it's easy enough for novices, employees, and other non-experts. It supports Windows 2000 to 7, both … Read more

What does it feel like to chop down a tree? Or walk a narrow plank suspended above a deep pit? Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab can take you there.

Professor Jeremy Bailenson has created a thoroughly convincing virtual-reality environment at the Stanford lab. But what makes it feel so real? The lab uses technology to provide sensory feedback in a couple of different ways. There are devices called "butt-kickers" under the floor that make it shake, 22 speakers provide audio input, and, lastly, there's the head-mounted display that offers a stereoscopic view of the virtual … Read more

Ford's Virtual Test Track Experiment (Virttex) just got a major technology upgrade.

Virttex, developed in 2001, is a high-fidelity, motion-based simulator that features a dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement, giving it a slight resemblance to a jellyfish.

The upgraded image rendering technologies will provide a high-res, digitally projected 360-degree horizontal field-of-view to test and measure driver acceleration, braking and steering performance as well as overall driver reactions in varying conditions. This will help Ford develop and test active safety and driver aid technologies that warn drivers of imminent collision, drowsiness and other potentially … Read more

CNET TV reviewer Ty Pendlebury joins in on a fun rundown to start the week. We'll chat about a proposed bill that would require marketers to put a disclaimer on doctored advertisements, self-destructing e-mails, a Sony heads-up "VR" display, and something called "nomophobia." Yeah, you probably suffer from it already.… Read more

While cloud computing and virtualization have transformed server infrastructure dramatically, it's the rise of solid-state drive/flash technologies that have enabled a storage renaissance.

Flash storage will continue to bring a much needed boost to the enterprise landscape. From Fusion-io's IPO last year to the recent launches of a host of venture-backed startups like Nutanix and Tintri, there's a lot going in the world of flash storage.

As an increasing number of applications and databases are virtualized and deployed to the cloud, traditional disk-based storage arrays are creating serious performance bottlenecks that are rendering them increasingly irrelevant. … Read more