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3/12/10 Friday's News: (some earlier posts updated Sat.)
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Macs | CPU Upgrades | Video | Storage | Audio | Apps/OS/Network | FAQ | Contact
Miss a Day?
See the previous 4 days' news summary or the Archives.
= Recent Articles and Reviews =
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| First reader feedback on Fallen Earth Mac Beta (updated comments) - I posted a FYI about this Wednesday, but won't be signing up for it personally. (It didn't register as high as other recent news like Valve's Source games/steam for Macs, possible BFBC2, etc. )
"Thought I'd try the Fallen Earth Mac Beta you noted a couple of days ago.
Verdict : Unplayable, crashes every 20 mins....
OSX 10.6.2, MacPro 8 core 2.8GHz 6GB Ram, ATI HD2600
(I asked Pete what he thought of the game while it was running (gameplay, graphics, etc.). Being a first beta problems are expected - hopefully they'll address this with an update. (Asked if they have some method of reporting problems, sending crash logs, etc.))
As to gameplay, very slow jerky graphics 6 - 18 fps depending on area, all graphic settings on min. Unusable character creation screen - Flash based according to one FE forum poster. Crashes often on game area change. Crashes on no apparent trigger. Built in crash reporter crashes. Muddled forum offering no real help - they seem to have separate forums for subscribers [only] and trials...
Might be a great game on PC [seems to have potential], but this beta using Wine - I feel like I've wasted my free 10 day trial.
I will keep any eye on it in case a major update appears, but as it stands it's strictly for masochists I'm afraid.
Cheers, Pete"
If any readers had better luck with the Mac Fallen Earth Beta, let me know.
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Looking for Feedback on replacement for Pioneer DVR-K06 drive - The subject of K06 failures/problems first came up a few years ago (from Mac mini, iMac, etc owners) and I have recently gotten a couple more reports looking for a good replacement drive. There were some drive db reports last year on K06 replacements that noted using a Teac DV-W28SLC (Mac mini owner report), a Plextor PX-608AL (mac mini owner) and several older reports on Sony/NEC Optiarc AD-7630A drives, some Matshita models like the UJ-875-S but not sure if they're still available (not done any searches recently).
And IIRC, one reader several months ago noted some problems (disc not ejecting IIRC) with a Sony/Nec Optiarc drive but I can't recall the details now. Some have resorted to using external (USB, FW, etc.) drives but many still want to replace the internal one.
Anyway, if you've replaced a K06 recently with another drive that you're happy with, let me know the details. Thanks.
(BTW - Although it won't help with mechanical or laser failures, several times in the past a good cleaning has solved problems with some drives reading discs. However often the typical cleaning disc didn't help, instead requiring disassembling and manual cleaning of the lens. Several desktop Pioneer drive owners have noted that helped in the past.)
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Apple store taking pre-orders for iPad - The Apple store was down for a short time this AM and as promised is now taking pre-orders for the iPad. (Limit 2 per customer, free shipping.) The store also has several iPad related accessories including a iPad Case ($39 US), iPad Dock ($9 US), iPad Keyboard Dock ($69 US), iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter ($29 US) and iPad 10w USB Power Adapter ($29 US). (BTW - the $69 Apple wireless keyboard (Bluetooth) is also an option.)
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| Apple related News/Articles/Rumors, Misc Software/App Updates/Freebies
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| Apple Support/How-To/Troubleshooting Doc Updates -
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| Other News/Articles/Reviews -
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= Thursday's News Follows =
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Safari 4.0.5 released (w/Security fixes, Performance/Stability improvements) - "About Safari 4.0.5
(download button there goes to http://www.apple.com/safari/download/)
This update is recommended for all Safari users and includes improvements to performance, stability, and security including:
Performance improvements for Top Sites
Stability improvements for 3rd-party plug-ins
Stability improvements for websites with online forms and Scalable Vector Graphics
Fixes an issue that prevented Safari from changing settings on some Linksys routers
For detailed information on the security content of this update, please visit this site: About Apple Security Updates.
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.11, 10.5.8 or 10.6.1/10.6.2
(also available for Vista, XP and Windows 7)"
As I'm typing this (appx 5PM Eastern Thursday) the Apple security updates page didn't have it linked there yet but here's the doc with details About the security content of Safari 4.0.5.
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Rumors of new Mac Pro next week, reviews of new Intel Gulftown 6-Core CPU - I'm sure you've already seen the latest rumor about Gulftown CPU based Mac Pros - rumored to be released next week. No info on other changes there however. I'm expecting new Graphics card options, and my wish list includes SATA III, USB 3.0, eSATA, better BT/Wireless antennas, more pwr connectors for graphics cards, etc. - but hopefully all will be revealed soon. (Most software doesn't even use all the 8 cores in my existing Mac Pro - but I'm definitely interested in a new Graphics card.)
And while on the subject of (codename Gulftown) Xeon Core i7-980x CPUs, the net is full of reviews of it. And Cnet has a Review of Falcon's Mach V w/Core i7 980X Extreme that noted it shipped with a (heavy) ATI 5970 card w/o proper support, resulting in a cracked PCIe slot connector.
Here are links to Gulftown CPU reviews at PC sites (in no particular order and not a complete list) at hothardware, benchmark reviews, Guru3D, motherboards.org, PCperspective, Techgage, Techreport and Tweaknews. Also Tweaktown has an article on Intel's new Gulftown 6 Core CPU meets LN2 Extreme Cooling.
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| Apple related News/Articles/Reviews/Rumors, Misc Software/App Updates/Freebies -
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| Apple Support/How-To/Troubleshooting Doc Updates -
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| Other News/Articles/Reviews -
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Recent Articles and Reviews - Listing/links to recent articles and reviews you may have missed.
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| Previous 4 Days News Summaries: |
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| In Case you missed it:
Thursday March 11, 2010
Wednesday March 10, 2010
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Monday March 8, 2010
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