Hardware 2.0

I've never hidden the fact that I consider rebates to be nothing more than a legalized scam. The customer pays full price for a product and is then faced with all the fun of filling out paperwork and jumping through a series of hoops (a bit like completing a tax return while running an assault course). If the customer completes all the challenges, there's a chance that they'll see their rebate check. If they stumble at any stage in the game, it's tough luck. Things are about to get worse - just in time for the holiday season.

October 11, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

44 Comments Vote

The movie industry seems determined to continue on a course where it happily erodes the rights of legitimate users, all in the name of securing profits. The latest example of this comes in the form of a DVD copy protection technology called Protect DVD-Video which actually prevents a DVD being played on a Windows PC using Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center Edition or any software players based on DirectShow.

October 9, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

69 Comments Vote

The 802.11n WiFi standard is a long way off being ratified ("sometime" in 2008 is the best guesstimate at present), but this hasn't stopped manufacturers from cashing in on it by releasing hardware based on draft 802.11n specifications. ASUS has taken this a step further by offering purchasers of their Broadcon Intensi-Fi Draft N-based WL-500W gateway and WL-100W adapters a guarantee. On the face of it, it sounds like a good deal, but examine the press release a little deeper and you quickly realize that it's not much more than a publicity stunt.

October 8, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

6 Comments Vote

Is SPP more accurate than WGA? How many systems fail the WGA validation test? What should you do if you paid $149 for a Windows Genuine Advantage Kit but think that your copy is genuine? Get answers to these and other questions - direct from Microsoft.

October 6, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

16 Comments Vote

Microsoft: "Software piracy is not a victimless crime"Me: "Wrongly accusing someone of software piracy is also not victimless"

October 4, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

124 Comments Vote

What does AMD have in store for us over the next three months? According to slides leaked by the German site Planet3DNow it seems that we can expect a number of Athlon CPUs based on both 90nm and 65nm architecture.

October 3, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

7 Comments Vote

Spoof Apple ads aren't all that uncommon, but Greenpeace has launched one that contains a serious message - warning consumers that Apple isn't really all that green.

October 2, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

10 Comments Vote

If you plan on buying a Sony PlayStation 3 or a Microsoft Zune this Christmas, then you will join an elite group of individuals who will have the privilege of beta testing that product. On top of that, you'll be expected to market that product aggressively during 2007 by actively promoting it to your friends, colleagues and family.

October 2, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

2 Comments Vote

Whenever anyone mentions the Windows Vista operating system, someone is bound to bring up the fact that Windows Vista is slow and takes up to much in the way of system resources and that is needs some sort of supercomputer to run. This is plainly untrue and the people who are saying this are either misguided, mistaken or lying. However, it is true is that you need more power to run the new Aero user interface. But just how much extra power does this take?

September 29, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

14 Comments Vote

Wireless USB devices are one step closer to being reality as Staccato Communications submits six potential products to the FCC for certification.

September 27, 2006 by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

11 Comments Vote