February, 2011
New Apple MacBook Pro 17-Inch Laptop: A Closer Look At The Hardware Update
February 24, 2011
Apple’s new 17-inch MacBook Pro is the last of the refreshed notebook line, and it comes packed with some incredibly powerful hardware. Like the 15-inch MacBook Pro models, you can take advantage of quad-core processing power, dedicated graphics and ample storage.
The new Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor in the 17-inch MacBook Pro model is the same 2.2GHz quad-core processor that you will find in the £1849 15-inch model, and is paired with 4GB DDR3 RAM to make the machine fly. You can choose to upgrade the processor to a 2.3GHz quad-core i7 with 8MB L3 cache if you want to.
Continue reading »New Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Laptop: A Closer Look At The Hardware Update
February 24, 2011
Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Pros are seriously powerful. They’ve been given a huge CPU upgrade to Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors, come with larger hard drives than the previous MacBook Pro generations and pack some incredible graphics power in there too.
The new Sandy Bridge processors in the two 15-inch models of the MacBook Pro are of the Core i7 variety, with the £1549 model receiving a 2.0GHz quad-core (yes, quad-core) Intel Core i7 processor and the more expensive £1849 model featuring the same processor, but it is clocked at 2.2GHz rather than 2.0.
Continue reading »New Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch Laptop: A Closer Look At The Hardware Update
February 24, 2011
Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro models for 2011 were revealed today, with upgraded processors, new ports and, well, downgraded graphics…
Apple has decided to drop NVIDIA graphics from its MacBook Pro laptop computers altogether, instead moving to AMD graphics in the 15 and 17-inch models. The 13-inch model, however, seems to have lost its NVIDIA GPU and traded it in for an Intel one, which is sure to annoy Steam loving Mac gamers around the world.
Continue reading »New Apple MacBook Pro Laptops With Thunderbolt I/O & AMD Graphics Hardware Released
February 24, 2011
It turns out that those MacBook Pro related rumours we’ve been seeing in the past few days are all true!
Apple has just announced its new line up of MacBook Pro laptops with Thunderbolt I/O, brand new Sandy Bridge processors and AMD graphics to replace the NVIDIA chips found in the last generation of Apple’s portable line.
There are updates to the 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models, but no iMac updates that were rumoured a few days ago.
Continue reading »Solar Walk iPhone & iPad App Review
February 24, 2011
Every now and again, an iPhone or iPad application comes along on the App Store and just blows your mind. The app will be unique, it will have some seriously cool graphics and it will make you want to show it off to as many people as you possibly can. Solar Walk is undoubtedly one of those applications.
The Solar Walk iPhone & iPad App is fairly self explanatory: it takes you on a guided tour of our solar system, allowing you to zoom between the planets (and Pluto), and take a look at detailed information on any planet that you choose, either on the small screen of your iPhone or the larger screen of the iPad tablet.
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Kinect Sports Review (Xbox 360 Kinect)
February 24, 2011
Sports games seem to be the generic release game for motion controllers. The Nintendo Wii had Wii Sports, Sony had Sports Champions for the Playstation Move, and now Microsoft have Kinect Sports for Xbox Kinect.
Because of that very fact, I wasn’t really expecting a great deal from what Kinect Sports could deliver and although it’s a fun game, it still an average one at best. A few years ago, I would have found a game like this to be well worth the money and it would rarely leave my console as I’d always be playing it. But because of the way games have progressed over the years I need more of a story.
Maybe I’m just becoming a moaning old bugger in my late twenties, or just lazy. This is definitely a party game which is where the majority of the fun is. But as you may have already read in my review of Xbox Kinect, my living room doesn’t have the space to allow 2 or more players unless I do some major shifting of furniture.
Continue reading »Twitter For Mac OS X Review
February 24, 2011
It was a long time coming, but Twitter for Mac OS X, also known as Tweetie 2, was finally brought to the masses with the introduction of the Mac App Store earlier this year. After using it virtually all day long for a couple of months, I thought it was time to put my thoughts down on paper, so here we go!
Twitter for Mac retains many aspects of Tweetie‘s user interface that made it so popular. The navigational buttons are present on the left hand side of the window, and allow you to toggle between your timeline, mentions, messages, lists, profile and search for tweets as well as see what’s currently trending.
Continue reading »Kinect Adventures Review (Xbox 360 Kinect)
February 23, 2011
As you all know by now, Microsoft have released their Xbox Kinect motion sensor ‘controller’, and bundled with the peripheral is Kinect Adventures.
Nobody expects amazing things from release titles, let alone one that’s part of a bundle on release, but occasionally you can hit oil. Unfortunately, this time around, Kinect Adventures is a good, but average title for your Kinect-equipped Xbox 360.
I saw this as merely a game that would get you used to how Kinect works and to help players get used to playing games without a controller in your hand. Don’t get me wrong, the game works well and is enjoyable, but I found myself getting a bit bored after 20 minutes or so.
Continue reading »Apple Renaming Light Peak to ‘Thunderbolt’? New MacBook Pro Specs Revealed?
February 23, 2011
With Apple’s new MacBook Pro line set to arrive tomorrow, images have been flying all over the internet today, supposedly showing off the new models.
German website fscklog (no points for the name, although I suppose it may mean more in German than English…) has released what is apparently a specs sheet for the new models, which includes a mention of “Thunderbolt High-Speed I/O”.
With an Intel event also planned for tomorrow, it’s safe to assume that Thunderbolt is Apple’s naming scheme for Intel’s Light Peak technology, and that we will indeed see it on notebooks being released tomorrow.
Continue reading »Windows 8 Roadmap Leaked, Set For Beta Release In September?
February 23, 2011
A leaked roadmap for Windows 8, obtained by ZD Net, suggests that we may see the new operating system in beta by September of this year.
Even more interesting is that we may see the final version of Windows 8 shipping to consumers by mid 2012, which could allow Dell to show off their Windows 8 based tablet device as well as other potential ARM-Windows 8 powered mobile devices at CES 2012 next January.
Continue reading »Official: Apple Holding iPad 2 Event On 2nd March!
February 23, 2011
Yesterday, we told you that Apple may be holding its iPad 2 event next Wednesday, on March 2nd. Today, this has been confirmed as Apple contacted a number of technology websites to alert them to the event.
There is lots of speculation over what this new update will bring. Many people are suggesting that we will see a dual core processor, as well as front and rear cameras on the device.
Continue reading »HTC Wildfire Review
February 23, 2011
HTC has gone through somewhat of a surge in terms of success in the last couple of years with phones like the HTC Desire and the Desire HD impressing many of us and setting great standards in terms of Android-based smartphones and now have they done it again with the HTC Wildfire?
As we saw in the announcement of the HTC Wildfire is very much a budget Android-based smartphone aimed at those who want the more out their phone for a smaller price tag than the likes of the iPhone 4, HTC Desire or Nexus One, and the £160 that you will have to shell out for one is certainly that. But have sacrifices been made for this price?
Continue reading »Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Service Pack 1 To The Public Via Windows Update
February 23, 2011
Those of you on the P2P bandwagon may already be running your PCs off Windows 7 Service Pack 1, but the rest of us have had to wait until today to grab the latest update from Redmond. The update is available to download now through Windows Update, although you can also download it manually from the Microsoft website.
The size of the update will vary from machine to machine, which is why Microsoft recommends that you download it through Windows Update, so that you don’t grab any unnecessarily large files that you don’t need.
Continue reading »Will Apple Launch New iMacs Alongside Updated MacBook Pros On Thursday?
February 22, 2011
Last Apple rumour of the day, I promise! With MacBook Pro stock dwindling at Apple stores up and down the country and it is nearly a year since its last update, it seems that estimates of a refresh this Thursday seem to be fairly accurate!
What hasn’t been discussed as much in the past week is the potential iMac refresh that could accompany the Sandy Bridge boost for Apple’s line of portables.
Continue reading »Will Apple Unveil The iPad 2 On March 2nd?
February 22, 2011
The Apple rumour mill has certainly been working overtime today; we’ve already heard reports of the iPhone 5 release date being potentially delayed, and got the hopes up of audiophiles around the globe (what can I say, we’re ambitious people) when we told you that Apple may soon be selling 24-bit audio tracks in the near future on their iTunes store.
The latest rumour to make its rounds today? Oh, just a little something about an iPad 2, no big deal. More specifically, All Things Digital is reporting that Apple may actually unveil their new tablet a week tomorrow on March 2nd.
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Xbox Kinect Sensor Review – Should I Buy The Xbox 360 Motion Controller?
February 22, 2011
I was quite excited when I first starting reading about Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect. A motion controller gaming system without the actual controller sounded like futuristic stuff and ever since it was first announced to the world as Project Natal, it was something I just had to have, it really came across as actual future technology that until then you’d only seen in sci-fi movies.
I was excited when I did finally got my hands on Kinect after we’d already seen a Xbox Kinect/Project Natal Preview, even more so through the setup as it felt strange not to be using a controller apart from my very own hands to lead the way.
Continue reading »iPhone 5 Release Date Might Be Delayed Until September 2011 – A Long Summer Of ‘Apple Waiting’?
February 22, 2011
If you were holding out until June to bag yourself an iPhone 5, then you may be out of luck for this year. Business Insider has reported that FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger is predicting that the upgrade of the iPhone 4 may launch in September of this year, rather than the usual time of June or July.
If the predictions are accurate, it would be the first time since the launch of the first iPhone back in 2007 that we haven’t seen a refresh of the popular smartphone in either June or July. So instead of us being able to get our hands on Apple’s latest mobile phone for the summer, we’d end up having a whole summer of “Apple Waiting” until we can get the next upgrade!
Continue reading »BAFTA Video Games Awards 2011 Nominations – Part 2
February 22, 2011
Now seen as one of the biggest gaming awards ceremonies in the calendar the gaming version of the recent film BAFTAs have been steadily increasing in popularity and importance over the years and last week the nominations for this year’s awards were finally announced.
Here at Zath we’ve already looked at the GAME Award which is voted for by the public as well as the first half of the BAFTA Game Awards 2011, so if you haven’t already you should go and have a look at them, but for those who have or have an aversion for chronological order let’s have a look at who’s up for the remaining seven awards…
Continue reading »Higher Quality Music Downloads Could Be Coming To iTunes Later This Year
February 22, 2011
If you’re a regular reader of Zath, you will probably have read a rant or two about how I can’t stand compressed music, and how I feel the vast majority of digital downloads should be in a lossless format.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Despite our ever increasing broadband speeds and huge amounts of storage, we are still downloading tracks at a paltry 256kb/s from the iTunes store or similar outfits such as the Amazon MP3 Store. If you’re somewhat of an audiophile like myself, you will no doubt be encouraged to hear about the latest rumour to land itself at CNN of all places.
Continue reading »BBC iPlayer iPad App Review
February 21, 2011
It’s been a long time coming, but the BBC iPlayer finally came to our iPads this month as a free application on the UK App Store! Following months of setbacks and blocking of the application by the BBC Trust, UK viewers are now finally able to catch up with BBC programs and watch live without being in front of a traditional computer or internet enabled TV.
Is the BBC iPlayer iPad App everything we’d hoped it would be? Does it make us want to watch Match of the Day on Apple’s tablet every Saturday night instead of on the big screen? Let’s check it out and see for ourselves, shall we?
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