Thread: Anandtech News

AMD just announced availability of its first triple-core Llano APU: the A6-3500. The 3500 features three cores running at 2.1GHz. AMD's Turbo Core is supported so you can see clocks of up to 2.4GHz depending on the workload. The rest of the specs are otherwise identical to the A6-3600. You get 320 Radeon cores running at 443MHz and a 65W TDP.
Chips should be available today at a suggested retail price of $95 ($89 in 1000 unit quantities).
Further Reading: The AMD Llano Notebook Review, AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano on the Desktop


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Two strikingly similar announcements came out of Gamescom over the past two days. During a press conference yesterday, Sony unveiled the PSP-E1000, a discounted PlayStation Portable that can still run UMDs but lacks WiFi. Today, Nintendo revealed a new Wii bundle featuring a slightly redesigned console that will not be compatible with GameCube software or accessories.
The PSP-E1000, currently priced at €99.99, is the fifth version of Sony’s handheld and follows the company’s track record of trimming features as it lowers prices (most notably, Sony has removed PS2 compatibility, two USB ports, and the OtherOS feature from the PlayStation 3 since launch). The PSP Go, discontinued outside of North America, launched without a drive for Sony’s proprietary UMD format. E1000 owners will be able to enjoy their UMDs just fine, but without WiFi, they’ll have to rely on Sony’s Media Go software (which is incompatible with OS X) to make any game purchases from the PlayStation Store.
The new horizontal-sitting Wii (picture courtesy Eurogamer) will launch in Europe for the holiday season and will replace the original Wii model. While Nintendo often iterates rapidly on its handhelds, this is the first major redesign of the Wii. The removal of GameCube compatibility is unfortunate, but the core audience looking for this feature has likely purchased a Wii already. Nintendo’s new model is aimed at rounding up the last of the casual market, seeing that it’s being bundled with Wii Party and Wii Sports.
Neither company’s talking about releases outside of Europe, but a cost-friendly redesign could help extend both products' lifespans in any market.
Source: Nintendo, Sony


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With the Z68 launch Intel introduced SSD caching (Smart Response Technology), a feature that would allow you to use an ultra small SSD as a read/write cache in front of a larger mechanical drive or array. We tested the feature earlier this year and came away impressed. While we still prefer a large SSD, if you can't afford one or aren't willing to deal with a SSD + HDD combo then SSD caching is a good alternative.

Unfortunately Intel's technology is limited to the Z68 chipset and some mobile chipsets. This is where Diskeeper comes in. At Computex this year we came aross a demonstration of ExpressCache. Like Intel's Smart Response Technology, ExpressCache is a software layer that lets you cache HDD reads/writes with a small SSD. Diskeeper partnered with SanDisk to demonstrate its technology, but the software doesn't have any specific SSD or chipset requirements. At the time we were told that the first systems preloaded with ExpressCache would begin shipping later this year.
Today Samsung announced that its new Series 7 GAMER notebook will be the first to officially license ExpressCache for use in an OEM system. I've been testing an ExpressCache system here and hope to have a review comparing it to Z68 in the not too distant future.


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How about that for turnaround time? Just two days ago Intel announced that it had found the root cause of the power cycle bug that could leave your SSD 320 in a mostly unusable 8MB state. Today Intel is making the firmware available to the public, presumably after a long period of validation testing.
Intel encourages all SSD 320 owners to update to the latest firmware here, even if you haven't encountered the issue. If you have encountered the problem you can either send your drive in for a replacement or secure erase your drive using Intel's SSD Toolbox and then drop the new firmware on it.
As with all firmware updates, approach with caution. While the update shouldn't be destructive, backups are your friend.


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AMD today released version 11.8 of its Calalyst driver package for Windows. As with previous releases, version 11.8 is available for all 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and 7, and supports most desktop and laptop DirectX 10 and DirectX 11-capable graphics hardware.
The major addition to the driver suite this month is the ability to overclock your CPU using the AMD Vision Control Center - GPU overclocking was previously possible through the Control Center, but CPU overclocking was done with a separate AMD Overdrive tool. As before, software CPU overclocking is only possible for AMD Black Edition processors running on AMD chipsets.
Other improvements include performance increases in several games (including Crysis 2, Fear 3, and "Call of Duty Black Operations") on Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 series cards, and a handful of fixes for each operating system - the release notes are linked below, for those of you who are interested in specifics.
You can download the new drivers from AMD.com. Users of current drivers can also update them automatically using the AMD Vision Control Center or Valve's Steam service.
Source: AMD


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Sprint customers almost always get the short end of the stick. In exchange for some of the more reasonable smartphone plans in the US, Sprint customers typically enjoy a mediocre selection of phones. Over the years there have been a few that have stood out. The Palm Pre and EVO 4G both come to mind. But generally speaking, all of the cool phones go elsewhere. In fact, the last Sprint phone we reviewed was the Samsung Epic 4G and that was almost a year ago. Of course more phones have debuted on Sprint since then, they just haven't been all that interesting.
Until now of course.
Today we have Sprint's two flagship Android smartphones: the HTC EVO 3D and the Motorola Photon 4G. Despite naming differences both support Sprint's 4G WiMAX network, have dual-core SoCs and boast 4.3-inch screens, but these two are far more different than you'd expect.

Read on for our in-depth review!

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The Summer of Honeycomb has come to an end. Congrats to AnandTech reader tsgarp83 for winning our first Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Be sure to respond to my email to claim your prize! Unfortunately we've only got one Honeycomb tablet left to give away.
It's another Galaxy Tab 10.1 and although it's our last, it's still one of the best Honeycomb tablets on the market today. Thankfully NVIDIA called up a couple of weeks ago with an idea: why not make the last giveaway something really special? Instead of just giving away one tablet, NVIDIA sent along an entire Tegra 2 care pack to give away to the final winner in our contest:

In addition to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, one lucky winner will get a T-Mobile G2x, a $25 gift card to spend on Tegra Zone games, accessories or pretty much anything you want and a Jawbone Jambox. It's safe to say that this is our biggest tablet giveaway yet.
Read on for contest entry details!


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Corsair has today released two new 90GB SSDs: Force Series 3 and Force Series GT. Both series have already been released awhile ago so this update is just to add the 90GB model. Corsair claims up to 550MB/s read and 500MB/s write with Series 3 and 555MB/s read and 505MB/s write with Series GT. Both are based on SandForce's SF-2281 controller, but Series 3 uses asynchronous NAND (like OCZ Agility 3) while Force GT uses synchronous NAND (like OCZ Vertex 3), hence the minor difference in performance.
Corsair is actually the first brand to release 90GB SSD with SATA 6Gb/s interface. There are a few SATA 3Gb/s SSDs with capacity of 90GB, such as Vertex 2 and Agility 2, but none with SATA 6Gb/s before today. 90GB can be the sweet-spot for some people if they need more than 60GB but less than 120GB, yet their budget does not allow the 120GB model.
The retail price for 90GB Series 3 is $159 and $199 for Series GT. When compared with 120GB versions, the Series 3 is slightly more expensive with $1.78/GB ($1.67/GB for 120GB) and the Series GT comes in at $2.22/GB ($1.88/GB). It is worth to note that the prices for 90GB models are Corsair's suggested retail prices, resellers will likely sell them for less and thus change the numbers. However, at current prices, the 90GB Series 3 is a decent deal, but the 120GB version of Series GT is only $25 more than the 90GB model, thus it doesn't make much sense to buy the 90GB model as the 120GB model is only slightly more expensive.
Both models are available immediately from retailers (though none seem to have stock yet).


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HP just announced its plans to discontinue operations on webOS devices, specifically the recently announced TouchPad and webOS phones. The future of webOS is uncertain as HP simply added that it would "continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward". This likely means that HP is looking to either license out the software or dump it in an outright sale.
At this point I don't know that HP needs to be at the helm of the webOS project. Licensing it out could generate short term revenue from companies looking to hedge their bets against Google/Motorola, but unless HP takes on a development partner I don't know that there's much of a future for webOS under HP's command.

That leaves an outright sale. It's clear that HP wants to focus its business on the high margin enterprise space where success is a bit more guaranteed and away from the ultra competitive, regularly shifting consumer and ultra mobile markets. I firmly believe HP could have made Palm/webOS successful, but it would have to be commited to the platform for the long haul (read: 5+ years).

Who could do better with webOS? ASUS, HTC, Intel and Samsung all come to mind. The three Android partners could be interested in giving the vertically integrated route a try. As I mentioned in my review, had the TouchPad been free of bugs and performance issues it would be the best tablet on the market. Any of the three Android partners could continue to fund webOS development and leverage their hardware expertise. Unfortunately neither ASUS, HTC nor Samsung has a particularly great history of software development so any of them would be a risk.

Intel is the wild card here. After Nokia's recent unveiling of its first MeeGo phone it became very clear just how much potential the OS had. With Nokia's departure from the MeeGo partnership that leaves Intel without a hardware partner and not a tremendous need for new software. That being said, Intel has clearly expressed interest in supporting an alternative mobile OS that's truly open. An Intel purchase of webOS would at least put the project in the hands of a company that has real vision and the ability to execute it.

I feel for the folks who did the impossible at Palm and created webOS in the first place. As a company Palm just needed resources to finish its task. HP looked like the home that could provide just that but in the end it ended up being another unfortunate roadblock for what was one of the most promising OSes in the mobile space.

Unless the perfect acquisitor steps forward, I'm afraid webOS may end up being the latest casualty of consolidation in the smartphone/tablet space.


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The Sims, the award-winning game from Will Wright and Maxis, has entered the world of social gaming with The Sims Social. "Officially" in open beta as of today, The Sims Social is a joint effort from EA Play and Playfish Games.
The Sims Social builds on the click-heavy gameplay model pioneered by games like FarmVille and Pet Society. Players earn in-game currency and experience by sprucing up their Sim’s home, starting relationships with other Sims, and sharing their accomplishments with their Facebook friends. To keep you playing, special rewards are offered for logging in on consecutive days.
After a few days picking strawberries and helping my Sim go to the bathroom, I can see the appeal. Every action, no matter how mundane, increases your wealth and experience, and the ability to show off your palatial Sim estate to your Facebook friends makes interior decoration a goal unto itself. There's also the ability to become neighbors (and eventually friends, spouses, and exes) with your Facebook friends, which could make for some awkward news feed announcements.
Oversharing on Facebook could become a problem for The Sims Social, however. In a thirty minute session, I was prompted at least a dozen times to share my miniscule achievements with the world. I declined every time, not wanting to be an imposition on my friends’ news feeds.
The Sims Social is part of a growing trend of large publishers like EA leveraging proven franchises in the social gaming space. Last year, EA launched FIFA Superstars, a soccer management game. This past July, Firaxis and 2K Games launched CivWorld, a Facebook version of Sid Meier’s popular Civilization franchise. So far, it seems to be working: the The Sims Social already has 1.45 million daily users, according to InsideSocialGames.com.


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