LiewCF.com

At WinHEC 2005, Microsoft announced it is finally ready to bring 64-bit computing to the mainstream and is shipping x64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The 64-bit versions of Windows were released to manufacturing in late March and will now be available from PC vendors.

Microsoft has big plans for 64-bit computing, but moving towards the next-generation architecture won’t be an easy transition. The new x64 Windows releases will not be sold on retail shelves - only as an option from manufacturers selling PCs with 64-bit processors from AMD and soon Intel.

[ Read ]

Link: Microsoft Windows x64 Edition

Joining some 25,000 high school students who compete separately, hundreds of budding mad scientists from ages 9 to 14 each hope their mechanical monsters will win an award.

But a lesson in science and teamwork is certain.

The monsters are toy-sized robots made with the famous LEGO plastic building blocks, which have been around for decades. But unlike the traditional toys, these LEGOs are programmable computers on wheels, designed to perform nine tasks ranging from opening gates to climbing stairs.

Students compete by operating their robots in tiny, table-top arenas, where each robot must complete the nine tasks before time runs out.

[ Read ]

Thought:
I always want to buy the LEGO robotics set, but hardly find such LEGO packages in Malaysia, especially Johor. It would be fun to build and program your own toy!

ArsTechnica ran a review on several USB 2.0 flash drives / thumb drives. See the comparison chart.

Thought:
I have only one advice on USB disk, do Not get those with write protect on media. Once the small switch is spoiled, your USB disk is not usable anymore(if it is in write protection mode)! My manager and friend have the same experience.

Microsoft is developing 2 new “Server Centric Computing Clients” these clients are based on windows XP, so these will be “thin” clients for Terminal server purposes.

Microsoft wants to make Windows the platform of choice for server centric computing by offering new feature rich Windows SKUs for our enterprise and academic customers by providing management and servicing features parity with Windows XP Pro. These clients will offer innovative alternative to the traditional desktop for legacy PCs, low-end PCs, thin client devices and task workers.

[ Read ]

A new cell phone that shakes like the mobile version of a “rumble” game controller will be introduced by Samsung next week.

Samsung’s SCH-n330 is the first phone that will shake and vibrate like a force-feedback joystick, the company claims.

Developed by Immersion, the phone’s VibeTonz system gives the gamer a sense of resistance as he or she turns a steering wheel, drives into a wall or fires a shot.

Vibration is a common feature in mobile phones enabled by an actuator — a spinning, off-center weight attached to a motor that rocks like a tilted washing machine.

Immersion claims VibeTonz is a step up from ordinary vibrating phones, allowing more detailed control of the actuator to create a combination of pulses that vary in intensity, speed or duration. According to Immersion, the system can mimic the sensation of driving on the road one minute, and crashing the next.

[ Read ]