The line-standers are soon to return...predicts Dong and I.
(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET)Moms. You love 'em, I love 'em. Well, you love your own that is. Still, moms can be annoying and pushy at times. Especially Dong's mom, who, for some inexplicable reason, thinks he's marriage material. Hence the constant pressure she applies to get him hitched. I'd just like to say to Mama Ngo right now, I'm flattered but he's just not my type. So stop calling me please. Kthxbai.
This Ep. we break out with some non-WoW gaming talk (I know right?) as we discuss Dong's backstabbing in Warcraft 3 and me crappin' my pants in Bioshock. Not literally thank god. Not since the medication at least.
Also, get ready for the "line-standers". Dong and I discuss the reveal (and soon to be launch) of the iPhone 3G S. In addition, I talk a little about why some game developers think the iPhone will soon eclipse the PSP when it comes to 3D graphics. Reminds me of the good old days of Sega Genesis vs. Super Nintendo graphics.
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Hard-core gamers might laugh at this, but if you have a budget PC that you want to upgrade cheaply to be a media center that can play high-definition content on the big TV screen, then S3 Graphics has something for you.
(Credit:
S3 Graphics)
The company announced Thursday the latest addition to its power-efficient Chrome 500 Series graphics processor family, the 850MHz DDR3-based Chrome 540 GTX GPU. The new GPU is capable of handling dual-stream Blu-ray and HD videos. It features a DisplayPort digital interface and HDMI and dual-link DVI and therefore supports connectivity to the latest digital monitors and HDTVs.
The new 540GTX GPU supports DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 for both Windows and Linux platforms. However, the card only can handle non-gaming rendering graphic applications well.
On the other hand, the card incorporates a high-performance ChromotionHD 2.0 video processor unit, advanced filtering, and clear-image post-processing. This means it can efficiently decode MPEG-4/AVC (H.264), MPEG-2, and VC-1 for Blu-ray and HD video. Furthermore, the Chrome 540 GTX features PowerWise technology for Green Computing that reduces the heat, supposedly without compromising performance.
The card will ship bundled with WinDVD 8 for Blu-ray playback at no extra cost. Video cards based on the new GPU are now available with prices that vary depending on configuration. Nevertheless, they will cost much less than the higher priced cards from vendors such as Nvidia or ATI.
In addition to the ultrabasic S2 Pebble, Samsung has also announced the super skinny S3 Slim. With a name like that, a player better be ready for the runway, and at 0.4-inch thick, the Slim can certainly compete. However, I feel it's necessary to note that I've seen thinner MP3 players in my day, such as the iPod Nano. That being said, the S3 promises to be quite the compact media player, stated to be about the size of your average business card case. Looking at mine now, I can attest that that's plenty small. Samsung complements the petite dimensions by splashing on an array of shiny colors--black, blue, green, white, and red (although it looks more pink in pictures)--and incorporating the same glowing blue touch pad found on most of the company's other players at the moment. If nothing else, the Slim is stylish.
(Credit:
Samsung)
In fact, the S3 Slim appears to be an update to the Samsung T10, albeit one with a slightly smaller screen (1.8-inches versus 2-inches) and a more rounded and shrunken design, such as that found on the old YP-T9. The features are largely the same, though. The S3 offers Samsung's Digital Natural Sound engine, photo and video playback, and a built-in FM tuner. It likely offers the same stinted audio format support as the T10 (MP3 and WMA only, but at least including subscription music services). The rated battery life for the Slim is 25 hours for audio and four for video, which is certainly satisfactory for a player of its size. The player will come only in the 4GB capacity and is expected to come out in June with a price tag of $130.
Choose black or chrome.
The continuing popularity of its less-expensive but last-generation PowerShot S3 IS and its competitors around the $300 price mark such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 and Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS has likely driven Canon's decision to release a new megazoom option in that price class. The PowerShot SX100 IS, which Canon expects to ship in early October for $299, offers some attractions over the S3 IS, but makes some tradeoffs as well.
| S3 IS | SX100 IS | S5 IS | |
| Resolution | 6 megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Lens (35mm equivalent) | f/2.7-to-f/3.5, 36mm-to-432mm (12X) | f/2.8-4.3, 36mm-360mm (10X) | f/2.7-3.5, 36mm-to-432mm (12X) |
| LCD size | 2 inches | 2.5 inches | 2.5 inches |
| Viewfinder | EVF | None | EVF |
| Power | 4 AA batteries | 2 AA batteries | 4 AA batteries |
Back of the PowerShot SX100. Nary a viewfinder in sight.
(Credit: Canon USA)Given its specs, the SX100 has a confusing market fit. Its aforementioned competitors sport 12X zoom lenses but 7-megapixel sensors; however, you're generally better off with the longer lens and the smaller sensor. And I'm no big fan of electronic viewfinders (EVF), but I don't know that dropping it entirely is such a good idea. However, it will certainly be an interesting camera to look at when the time comes.
On Sale Now: $395.40
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View the latest prices for Canon PowerShot SX100 IS (black)
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