IBLOG SPACE

NVIDIA’s Fermi GF100-based GeForce GTX 480/470 video cards are expected to arrive sometime today, but according to the latest rumors the company is already planning their mid-range and entry-level alternatives. Believed to be on track for a June 2010 launch at the earliest, according to 3dceter.org three of the cards will use the 40nm GF104 core with up to 256 shader cores, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs and a 256-bit memory bus. Although naming isn’t finalised, they’re believed to be known as the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450, 440 and 430. The GTS 440 and GTS 450 will use the GF104 as-is, and go up against the ATI Radeon HD 5830 and HD 5770 respectively, while the GTS 430 will have a pared down version of the Femi chip. That will pack 192 shader cores, 48 TMUs, 24 ROPs and have a 192-bit memory bus. Pricing is expected to be in the region of €200-230 ($268-308) for the GTS 450, €160-180 ($214-241) for the GTS 440, and €130-150 ($174-201) for the GTS 430. After that we can apparently expect Fermi GF106

So you’re not convinced by The Impossible Project’s $3-a-shot reimagined Polaroid film, and the rising cost of increasingly scarce original cartridges is making you consider retiring your camera; how about modifying your Polaroid shooter for use with regular sheet film? It’s not a process for everyone – the camera probably won’t ever use Polaroid film again, and you won’t get your prints instantly – but if you love the optics on your Polaroid Spectra then this Instructable is for you. The Spectra is known for taking better quality photos than the Polaroid-using rank and file, and the Instructable goes through fitting an AA battery pack, modifying the exposure system to allow more light through, and then tweaking the cartridge slot to suit regular sheet film. You’ll also need to craft a film holder to fit the camera (and learn to ignore the odd grinding noises the Spectra makes when you load it in). As for the end result, it looks pretty impressive – though obviously you’ll have to do

We can’t help it, we’re picky; while the HP ENVY 13 and ENVY 15 are all well and good, we still want an ENVY 14 and ENVY 17 to slot into the range. Rumors have circulated for some time now about just such machines, and some judicious digging over by the NotebookReview forum members has turned up a couple of support documents seemingly confirming the 14- and 17-inch variants. A CVA file called “HP Support Assistant CVA documentation, SP47326″ includes references to the ENVY 14 and ENVY 17, though of course beyond the product names there’s nothing so exciting as a spec list or release date. Previously we’ve speculated that HP could use Intel’s Core i5 processor line, slotting in-between the Core 2 Duo based ENVY 13 and the Core i7 based ENVY 15. Meanwhile, the same digging has turned up another unannounced HP notebook, the HP Pavilion dm4, this time in some LightScribe documentation [CVA file]. The dm4 is believed to be a 14-inch machine with integrated optical drive, switchable graph

What would you do with a Microsoft Surface multitouch table, a love of gaming and a handful of spare phones? If your answer is “I’d make a multitouch poker game, using the phones to secretly view my cards” then tough luck, it’s already been done. Poker Surface is the handiwork of a group of students at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany; gameplay mainly happens on the Surface itself, but you view your cards on a wirelessly-connected smartphone, tilting the handset toward yourself to catch a glimpse of what you’ve been dealt. The phones are also used to organise and register players, with each person inputting their name and how much money they want to risk on the handset. That’s then transferred over to the Surface, and the cards virtually dealt. Accelerometer feedback is used so that when you tilt the handset toward yourself, you get to see privately what sort of hand you’ve been given, rather than risk showing it to everyone on the main display. There are also some nice

Launch-day reviews of the TiVo Premiere invariably highlighted the DVR’s frustratingly sluggish HD UI, but it turns out that – as long as the company get their software updates right – the box itself has plenty of speed potential. Enthusiast K. Fowler (who goes by bkdtv on the Tivo Community forums) has whipped open the Premiere and been running benchmarking tests on its core hardware; according to his technical review, it’s capable of significantly faster data transfer speeds. Fowler switched off the janky high-definition UI and used the classic interface instead, and found that data is transferring 3x to 5x as fast as on previous TiVo models. That’s going to have a significant impact on HD multi-room viewing as well as TiVoToGo, as well as when downloading VOD content from providers like Amazon. Incidentally, switching back to the HD UI slices away around 25-percent of that speed, so TiVo obviously have plenty of work to do optimizing their software. As well as the benchmarks Fowl

Nintendo have Microsoft closing in on one side with Project Natal and Sony on the other with PlayStation Move , but should they be worried? Not at all, reckons Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto; he thinks the company should be too busy being flattered by the “great honor” of Wii inspiring the rival motion-control systems. In fact, he describes Project Natal and Move as “intensified” versions of the Wiimote. “Nintendo should welcome the opportunity when or where something we have originally tried is intensified by somebody else, because that means that other people are trying to starting to show their appreciation for whatever endeavour we have made in the beginning. The user experience we have created is going to be intensified by the advent of new machines from other companies. It’s a new experience that we originated. So we really see it as a great honour” Shigeru Miyamoto Speaking to CVG, Miyamoto highlighted MotionPlus as an example of Nintendo taking their own innovation and de

Nothing like a good digital camera rumor to set you up for the weekend, and today’s promises to bring satisfaction to anybody in the market for an entry-level Samsung NX-series camera. Over at k-rumors they spotted mention of the Samsung NX5 at a Swiss accessory retailer, suggesting the company plans a cheaper version of the NX10 announced back in January. The sighting was followed up by some rumored specifications, tipping a 14-megapixel sensor and NX mount. Other specs are believed to include an integrated GN10 flash, 3-inch 240k LCD display and an SD card slot, while connectivity consists of HDMI, A/V and microUSB. An ISO range of 100-3200 is tipped, together with 3fps continuous shooting and 720p HD video recording at 30fps in H.264 format. It’s also expected to use the same battery as the NX10 and have manual controls but no integrated EVF. As for pricing, just like the rest it’s unconfirmed but three bundles of the Samsung NX5 are believed to be in the works: NX5 + 30mm at $5

Google’s plans for the living room with the so-called Google TV project have opened up room for plenty of Android-based speculation, but according to VideoNuze the search giant’s intent is far more collaborative rather than combative when it comes to existing players in the cable/satellite game. Based on “additional information” they’ve encountered (though their sources aren’t detailed), VideoNuze reckon the Google TV box is intended to sit alongside, rather than replace, existing set-top boxes, daisy-chained between them and an HDTV. “Google is contemplating an entirely novel strategy for its set-top box, seeking to insert it alongside the existing [multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD)]’s set-top box by daisy chaining them together via HDMI connections. In other words, the MVPD’s set-top’s HDMI output would be connected to the Google TV set-top’s HDMI input, and then its HDMI output would be connected to the TV. The authorized TV channels would still be delivered, but

AMD may be trying to keep a lid on their upcoming hexacore AMD Phenom II X6 processors, but ASUS are just too excited about their motherboards to play along. The company has announced which motherboards in its range will be compatible with the new processors – codenamed Thuban – thanks to a new batch of BIOS updates. The Phenom II X6 chips are expected to offer a lower-cost alternative to Intel’s recent hexacore processor, the potent Core i7-980X Extreme. Pricing details from earlier in the week suggested that the AMD range would kick off at 4199 for the 2.8GHz X6 1055T, while the 3.2GHz Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition chip should come in at $295. ASUS M4 motherboards should also take advantage of the Phenom II X6’s overclocking abilities, using the Core Unlocker functionality. According to one set of rumors, AMD will announce the new six-core processors on April 26th.

Pioneer certainly seem to love iPod touch/iPhone integration; their latest batch of A/V receivers are the third generation of models to include support for the touchscreen devices. The Pioneer VSX-920-K, VSX-1020-K and VSX-1120-K each offer 7.1-channels of surround sound and can – via a USB hook-up – play back content from an attached Apple PMP; new to these models, however, is compatibility with the Pioneer’s iControlAV App, that turns an iPhone or iPod touch into a touchscreen remote. They also boast support for Bluetooth A2DP stereo audio streaming, to funnel music from any A2DP-compliant device. All three models are 3D-ready, and have HDMI 1.4 ports (four on the 920-K, six on the 1020-K and 1120-K) and Dolby ProLogic IIz support. An ethernet port not only grants remote iPod touch/iPhone control but internet radio support (though not on the 920-K). As for power, the 920-K and 1020-K each have seven channels of 110W, while the 1120-K boosts that to seven channels of 120W. The new

Having teased us with it for over a year, ASUS have finally announced availability for the Eee PC T101MT, their 10.1-inch convertible multitouch-capable netbook. According to the company’s Italian press release, the T101MT will arrive in Europe in April 2010 with a price tag of €499 ($663); however, Lilliputing have also heard from ASUS that the US launch of the tablet will also be in April, with a retail price of $499. The exact specifications of the US machine are unknown, though it’s believed to have 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Starter Edition. The European model, meanwhile, packs healthier specs: Windows 7 Home Premium, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard-drive. Both will have Intel’s Atom N450 1.66GHz processor, WiFi b/g/n and a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen. Reviews of the Eee PC T101MT have been mixed, with positive feedback for the netbook’s touchscreen accuracy but concerns over whether the Atom CPU is potent enough to keep things chugging along. Given the pric

Toshiba isn’t known for its range of all-in-one PCs outside of Japan, probably because the company hasn’t actually bothered exporting them. However, that’s apparently all set to change; according to industry sources , Toshiba has been working on a new line of all-in-ones and is set to launch them in North America and Europe come Q2 2010. The decision follows Toshiba’s push with their Qosmio high-performance entertainment notebooks, some of which feature the same graphics-crunching SpursEngine processor as found in the PS3. The company expects to sell 1m all-in-ones in 2010; there’s no word on what sort of specifications – including whether or not touchscreens will feature – in the new range.

Word is going around that carriers are actually getting a cut of the ad revenue when the handsets come bundled with Google applications such as Search, Maps and Gmail, since those aren’t a requirement of Android. Of course, the advertisements served on those platforms are almost non-existent, aside from those displayed along with search results. But with Google’s recent purchase of AdMob for $750m, things might get significantly juicier for the carriers. There isn’t anything wrong with this, of course, but it could be one of the many factors are to why Google’s Android has been gaining a lot of momentum in the market. Google and several carriers and handset makers declined on comment about this latest update.

Approved iPad apps have started to show up on the iTunes preview site, which is great news, considering that the iPad should be reaching your doorstep soon. It shouldn’t be a big surprise to see that you aren’t able to find said apps on the iPhone/iPod touch’s App Store, nor do they seem to show up on the iTunes store. Judging from the names of the apps available, it seems that “HD” is the preferred way to show that the app is meant for the iPad. The list of apps for the iPad that have been approved so far include: Ammoin HD, Azkend HD, Flight Control HD, Grind HD, HD Recovery, Labyrinth 2 HD, NBA Hotshot HD, Numba HD, Plants vs. Zombie HD, Sparkle HD, Worms HD

You might remember the Mad Catz Wireless Litetouch Keyboard that we brought to your attention during CES 2010. Well, the keyboard is one step closing to making it to your home, as the keyboard is cleared the FCC hurdle. The Wireless Litetouch Keyboard offers a programmable LCD touchscreen with various button configurations for the number pad. If you’re a Mac user, you’re still covered as this keyboard supports Mac too. You should be able to pick up this keyboard from stores sooner rather than later, and the wireless version is going for $129, while the wired is $99.

He's known as King Khan of Bollywood and is one of India's hottest actors and producers. Shah Rukh Khan joins CNN's Talk Asia for an in-depth interview in Mumbai with host Anjali Rao. The global superstar explains why the time has come for developing nations like India to assert themselves internationally, discusses the furore surrounding the premiere of his film My Name is Khan and talks about his hopes for his Kolkata Knight Riders team in this season's Indian Premier League. It's fantastic to have you on the show, you are easily Bollywood's biggest star these days. For those watching it might have seemed easy. You are so big they call you King Khan. Is this the way you saw you life panning when you started off as an actor? Not at all, I still don't believe it. I still think it's like a dream. But when I started off, I never thought I would do anything else but wake up in the morning and work. But the only thing that's added to it