Microsoft releases Smooth Streaming; CTV, HSN, NBCOlympics.com, TV 2 and RAI among early adopters.
LAS VEGAS, April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Furthering its vision to provide superior options for delivering online media experiences, today at the 2009 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, Microsoft Corp. released Smooth Streaming, a feature of Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Services. IIS Media Services is an integrated HTTP-based media delivery platform that includes extensions for cost-effectively measuring, monetizing and caching media. Microsoft highlighted growing industry adoption of Smooth Streaming from leading media customers such as electronic retailer HSN, and broadcasters such as NBCOlympics.com, RAI, TV 2 and CTV, as well as media ecosystem partners, including content delivery networks (CDNs), encoding independent software vendors (ISVs) and digital rights management (DRM) service providers, that have announced support for Smooth Streaming.
The First of Two Installments Arrives Today
LOS ANGELES, April 20 /PRNewswire/ — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(R) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today the release of two downloadable titles for Nintendo’s WiiWare(TM) service. The first of these defensive simulation games, CRYSTAL DEFENDERS(TM) R1 will be available for download starting today, while a release date for CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 will be announced at a later stage.
Featuring jobs and locations from the popular FINAL FANTASY TACTICS(R) series, CRYSTAL DEFENDERS requires players to strategically deploy units to fend off encroaching enemy hordes and prevent them from stealing their party’s crystals.
The WiiWare version includes several improvements to the interface and a new design optimized for consoles. A worldwide ranking system allows players to upload their scores to leaderboards and see how they stack up against other players around the globe. These and other new features are sure to increase excitement and enhance replayability.
SAN MATEO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq:GLUU), a leading global publisher of mobile games, today announced the launch of its Cooking Star application on the Apple App Store. Cooking Star is a deliciously fun set of mini-games where players get to tilt, touch, flick, tap and flip to cook up mouth-watering meals, master the menu, and become a Star Chef!
“Cooking Star is yet another example of Glu’s exceptional repertoire of original IP games and our emphasis on bringing a wide range of titles to the very best mobile platform and devices,†said Jill Braff, senior vice president, global publishing, Glu Mobile. “Our team has created a fun, casual game for iPhone and iPod touch users where you are encouraged to play with your food.â€
Another Monday… blah
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Title: Otterbox iPod Nano 4th Gen Impact Case @ TestFreaks
Review Link: http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/review/otterbox-ipod-nano-4th-gen-impact-case/
Review Snipit:
” Up on the review block today I’ve got the first of three reviews of Otterbox cases for the iPod nano 4th Generation, it’s the Impact Case. I’m starting with the least expensive case in this series and working my way up to full protection for your iPod. The Impact Case is the familiar silicone skin style case, but it’s designed with shock protection in mind with reinforced corners designed to dissipate shock away from your device should you happen to accidentally drop your iPod nano. It’s a nice inexpensive, basic case that offers quite a bit more protection than other silicone cases on the market today.”
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Title: Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gamer Keyboard @ DragonSteelMods
Review Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12309&Itemid=1
Review Snipit:
“The new SideWinder X6 is designed for the gamer in mind yet is also an excellent everyday use keyboard. As gamers look for any edge possible the SideWinder X6 delivers features galore. How do ninety programmable Macros sound? That is a lot of WOW spells. How about profile switching? In addition we find the usual media keys, an adjustable backlight and a switchable keypad. ”
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Hardware Bistro has just posted latest review on Kingston HyperX DDR2 Review.
Quote: “DDR3 was announced quite some time ago especially in graphic card arena but majority of the motherboards are still equipped with DDR2 for couple of reasons such cheaper price and mature technology. Hence today we will still introduce you two DDR2 kits from Kingston; Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2LLK2/4G and KHX8500D2T1K2/4G.”
Read More:
http://hardwarebistro.com/index.php?option=com_simple_review&Itemid=84&review=80-Kingston-HyperX-DDR2-Memory-Review
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OCIA.net has posted their review of the Cresyn CS-HP500 Headphones. Below is a direct quote from the review:
“The headphones in question today are the CS-HP500 model which feature a folding design for portability. I will be saving the earphones for a separate review in the near future. I initially assumed the CS-HP500s were a new product, but after some research online I found information on them dating back to 2007. Either way, they are new to me (and most likely many of you as well) so let’s see what these headphones have to offer.“
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We have just posted up our review of the shiny new Thermaltake Element S case. If you are looking for a case with a massive amount of storage potential – this is it. You can easily accommodate seven regular HDDs and a pair of 2.5″ drives to boot. It’s a great idea that still has a couple of issues. Catch all the details in our full review.
Title: Thermaltake Element S Mid-Tower
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7032&Itemid=40
Quote:
At the back of the case I noticed as I was running my power cables that there is a hole underneath the CPU which provides easy access to the back of the motherboard without taking out the board. This is really handy in case I wanted to upgrade my CPU cooler to a custom one, say the Domino, which requires a back plate, this simple feature actually cuts the work down by at least 5 minutes and cuts the headaches involved in half. . .
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NEW CONTENT (Cases, Cooling and PSU) – Zero Moving Parts PC – Totally Silent Computing
QUOTE: “There’s a bit of mad scientist in all of us deep down I think. For years I’ve always wanted a computer that made absolutely no noise at all and looking at all the “noise reducing” products on the market would begin to make my wallet cry at the cost of silencing my current system.
The time is right, I have convinced myself. The time is now to build a system that can handle the entertainment and the everyday without so much as a whisper emanating from the case. But before we jump right in, we have to identify the right components for the job; it’s important to layout the more demanding things we want the system to achieve so that the machine can meet all expectations.”
For more information, please visit - http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/2727/zero_moving_parts_pc_totally_silent_computing/index.html
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Thecus M3800 Streaming NAS @ High Tech Reviews
Quote – Today we have the pleasure and I say that with all sincerity,
of reviewing the Thecus M3800 Streaming Network Assisted Storage
device. What make this unit some much fun to review is the fact that
it has some many capabilies that are not normally found in your
standard NAS. The M3800 can stream both music and movies and mount
ISO files or be used as a file or picture server freeing up space on
your computer mounted hard drives. Take a few minute to visit our
site and take a look at this interest device.
Link -
http://hi-techreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9569%3Athecus-m3800-streaming-nas&catid=14%3Acurrent-reviews&Itemid=80&limitstart=1
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NZXT Performance Power 800W PSU Review:
Link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/8071/nzxt-performance-power-800w-psu-review.aspx
Quote: When choosing a power supply, it can be very hard to find one that excels in both home/office applications that need quiet operations while at the same time provided the raw power needed from a gaming power supply. NZXT, a manufacturer of a wide range of computer products, has produced a power supply, the Performance Power PP800 800W PSU, that claims to provide solid performance in a quiet package. Let’s find out if it can deliver.
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InsideHW.com has reviewed HP EliteBook 6930p. Here is a quote from this review:
“EliteBook is relatively new series of HP notebooks and it is intended for demanding business users. It was created with goal of creating better distinction between business and top-class notebooks that can withstand much tougher working conditions. Model that we got in our test lab is HP EliteBook 6930p and after first contact with this model it was clear that we got an “elite†notebook. Although HP EliteBook 6930p is relatively small, which is consequence of display with 14.1 inch diagonal, it is much heavier than we expected. This shouldn’t surprise you too much since emphasis on all EliteBook models is on build quality…â€
Article link:
http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/HP-Elitebook-6930p.html
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Title:
DimasTech Bench Table Easy V2
Link:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Dimastech/Benchtable_Easy_V2
Brief:
The DimasTech BenchTable Easy is a metal overclocking/testing station with the possibility to hold large water cooling kits. Unlike some other tables out there, you can stuff this puppy with three optical drives, four hard drives and add double or triple radiators to the rig. On top of that, you can freely choose from a whole array of colors to customize the look of your own Bench Table.
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