30 Sep 09 ATI Radeon HD 5850 provides scorching performance for a relative pittance

When the covers were slipped off the HD 5870 last week, what emerged was the new champ in graphics performance that could also boast a pretty aggressive price to performance ratio. The only question left for many was whether the slightly hamstrung version of the same Cypress chip, the HD 5850, would be able to offer even better value for money. With a suggested retail price of $259, lower power consumption under load and a shorter circuit board to cram into your case, the 5850 certainly appeals to the more sensible end of the graphics card market. All we really need to say is that Editor's Choice awards rained down upon this thing like they were going out of style -- so take a deep breath and hit the links below to plunge into the bar chart-intensive analysis.

Read - HardOCP review
Read - Hexus review
Read - Hot Hardware review
Read - PC Perspective review
Read - Tech Report review

Filed under: Desktops

ATI Radeon HD 5850 provides scorching performance for a relative pittance originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tagi: aggressive price, pittance, graphics performance, performance ratio, mey, deep breath, graphics card, cypress, ly, choice awards, hd, champ, suggested retail price, perspective

21 Oct 09 Verizon says trackball issue is 'addressed' on Tour, no longer a problem

Sprint had told us in a statement that its BlackBerry Tours only had trackball issues on "early production" units, and now Verizon is telling us pretty much the same thing:

Early on there was an issue with the trackball that affected a small percentage [of] the early production units -- far less than industry norms. The issue was detected early, addressed immediately and is no longer an issue. Returns on this device are some of the lowest among any of our smart phones.

In other words, it sounds like new buyers (and anyone who's taken the plunge recently) should be fine, and Verizon's actually taking it to another level by boasting that the handset's now one of its most return-proof smartphones. That doesn't change the fact that the trackball's a little too recessed for our liking -- but at least it should stay functional.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon says trackball issue is 'addressed' on Tour, no longer a problem originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tagi: industry norms, phes, veriz, fri, liking, unge, ly, handset, blackberry, sprint, proof, ing, verizon

17 Nov 09 Buy.com Offering McAfee Total Protection for $17

Buy.com is now offering the McAfee Total Protection 2010 for only $16.99 (originally $79.99), plus free shipping.
Tagi: ly, free shipping

18 Dec 09 3D Blu-ray Spec Finalized, PS3 Supported

Lucas123 writes "The Blu-ray Disc Association announced today that it has finalized the specification for Blu-ray 3-D discs. The market for 3-D, which includes 3-D enabled televisions, is expected to be $15.8 billion by 2015. Blu-ray 3-D will create a full 1080p resolution image for both eyes using MPEG4-MVC format. Even though two hi-def images are produced, the overhead is typically only 50% compared to equivalent 2D content. The spec also allows PS3 game consoles to play Blu-ray 3-D content. 'The specification also incorporates enhanced graphic features for 3D. These features provide a new experience for users, enabling navigation using 3D graphic menus and displaying 3D subtitles positioned in 3D video.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tagi: graphic menus, graphic features, daying, 1080p, billi, new experience, blu ray, ly, images, game

18 Dec 09 Google's Nexus One lacks multitouch

Our buddy Tnkgrl just had a sit down with Google and HTC's lovedroid, the Nexus One. She "wasn't allowed" to take pictures or video but she came away with plenty of detail. The biggest point of clarification might not be what's included in the handset, but what's missing: multitouch. She confirms, "no multitouch support in the browser or in Google Maps," just like Verizon's Droid (but available on its European Milestone brother). The unit she tested included a 4GB microSD card, 1400mAh battery, works on T-Mobile's 3G only (AT&T is limited to EDGE data), and was "super snappy! Faster than the Droid." She also noted "gold contacts" along the bottom edge presumably for a docking port thus jibing with whispers of a Nexus One Car Dock accessory. Now hit the read link for all the details if you still have the strength.

Google's Nexus One lacks multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tagi: google maps, 4gb microsd card, edge data, docking port, bottom edge, droid, google, fri, htc, t mobile, nexus, ly, 3g, handset, amp, nbsp, brother