$350k Big Screen 3D Display

Who cares about using this massive, high definition 3D virtual display for science? Screw that, I want this thing in my home theater room! Too bad it is $350,000.

The $350,000 scientific display device and its twin backscreen projectors are packed with software designed to impart three-dimensional form and even "feel" to virtual objects, whether a string of molecules seeming to swirl in mid-air, a hovering swath of DNA, or a simulated diseased organ about to be removed.

Comments

Dell To Save $3B Over 3 Years

Dell announced today that it will close its desktop manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas as part of an overall plan to save three billion dollars over the next three years. All total, the company will cut almost nine thousand jobs.

Dell Inc. is also reaffirming its plan -- announced last year -- to cut at least 8,800 jobs, or about 10 percent of its work force. In the last nine months of fiscal 2008, the Round Rock, Texas-based company cut 3,200 jobs. The company plans a broad range of cost cuts in design, manufacturing and logistics, materials and operating expenses to stay competitive.

Comments

Apple Sued For iMac Display Deception

As much as I like to poke fun at Apple, even I feel sorry for them sometimes. I wonder how many times they get sued each year?

According to the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose, Apple is deceiving consumers by concealing that the new 20-inch iMac monitors are inferior to the previous generation's and those of the new 24-inch iMac. In addition, the monitors are incapable of displaying "millions of colors," despite Apple's marketing claims.

Comments

[H]ardware Round-Up II

Cases & Modding

Cooler Master COSMOS S Chassis @ HotHardware

Cooling

Cooler Master Hyper TX2 @ Overclockers Club

Video

ATI Radeon HD3450 @ Techware Labs

Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M @ Phoronix

CIA Enlists Google's Help For Spy Work

U.S. intelligence agencies have recruited Google to help them process and share information they gather about suspects? Huh!?! Someone please tell me this is an early April Fool’s Day prank.

Agencies such as the National Security Agency have bought servers on which Google-supplied search technology is used to process information gathered by networks of spies around the world. Google is also providing the search features for a Wikipedia-style site, called Intellipedia, on which agents post information about their targets that can be accessed and appended by colleagues.

Comments

Government Temporarily Bans IBM From Deals

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, IBM has been temporarily banned from receiving future contracts with federal agencies. IBM had no immediate comment.

The suspension went into effect last Thursday "while the agency reviews concerns raised about potential activities involving an EPA procurement," the agency said Monday in an e-mailed statement. Under a reciprocal agreement among federal agencies, when one issues a ban, the others follow it.

Comments

T-Mobile Demands Website Stop Using The Color Magenta

I have seen some funny stuff in my day...hell, I have even been on the receiving end of threats from companies but never over a color. Apparently T-Mobile sent a cease and desist letter to Engadget Mobile requesting that they not use the color “magenta.”

So last week Deutsche Telekom, owners of the global T-Mobile brand, sent Engadget a late birthday present: a hand-delivered letter direct from their German legal department requesting the prompt discontinuation of the use of the color magenta on Engadget Mobile. Yep, seriously.

Comments

Gaming News

Call of Duty 4 Single Player DLC? @ VE3D

Gears of War Movie Expected in 2010 @ Shacknews

Halo 3 Brute Spiker Replica For Sale @ Bungie

PlayStation Store Redesign, No Updates For 2 Weeks @ Kotaku

XBLA Cutting Back On Arcade Ports? @ XBLAH!

Circuit City Allegedly Destroys Customer's Car

I have heard a few horror stories when it comes to botched stereo / DVD players / GPS installations but this one takes the cake. How the Circuit City installer managed to do $12,000 worth of damage to this guy’s car is unbelievable.

VTECnical, a member of the 8thcivic.com forum, shocked us with a tale of $12,199.64 in damages done to his hardly driven 2007 Honda Civic Si with just 800 miles on the odo. The alleged perpetrator in this case is Circuit City store #3124 in Vernon Hills, IL, which reportedly did the damage while installing $3,190.62 worth of stereo equipment into VTECnical's car.

Comments

NVIDIA To Launch 9900GTX, 9900GX2 In July?

Expreview claims that NVIDIA will be launching the GeForce 9900GTX and the 9900GX2 as early as July. That date seems a bit soon, especially for anyone that just plopped down the cash for a 9800GX2 but it wouldn't surprise me.

It is similar to today’s NV tactic: 9900GX2 just like todays 9800GX2, it is a two GPU product, and 9900GTX is a conventional single GPU product. Source mentions that both cards will be announce in July. In previous rumors, words have it that NV will improve G9X core by rolling out GT200. But detailed information still unknown.

Comments

Grandma Uses 40Gb/sec Connection To Dry Laundry

I know what most of you would be doing right now if you had a 40Gb/sec connection piped into your home but not this lady. It seems the best use granny could find for all that hot hardware was to dry her laundry. Thanks to everyone that sent this one in.

Sigbritt Löthberg used her blistering home network for more mundane tasks. "She mostly used it to dry her laundry," Hafsteinn Jonsson, a spokesperon for fibre network operator Karlstad Stadsnät told Swedish website The Local. "It was a big bit of gear and it got pretty warm."

Comments

[H]ard|OCP [H]otDeals

Welcome to another edition of [H]ard|OCP [H]otDeals! There are some awesome end-of-the-month deals posted in the forums today like this Corsair PC6400 TWINX DDR2 for only $28.99 and this 500GB Maxtor Ultra 16 hard drive for $99.99. Those of you in need of a new processor ought to check out this Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, it comes in at $249.99. Need a video card? This EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 512MB for $$199.99 ought to do the trick but you better hurry, this deal ends today! Finally, make sure you grab a new RatPadz GS or XT and get $5 off and free shipping in North America.