The Cupertino giant has just patented an audio call screening feature, which might enable iPhone users to listen to a voice message while the caller is leaving it. Apple's US Patent No.8,666,034 allows "a user to screen messages being left at a hosted voicemail system from a telephone terminal".
What does this mean, exactly? Simply put, it's an answering machine for your iPhone. Just as the conventional answering machines for landline phones, Apple's audio call screening system allows you to listen to a voicemail message while the caller is leaving it. If you decide that the call is important, you can answer the phone, thus cancelling the further recording of the given voice message. Of course, you can allow the caller to leave his voice message.
It seems that this call screening system creates a conference call between the caller, the voicemail server, and the telephone terminal. Apple's newly-obtained patent states that "the telephone terminal is equipped to open only the speaker channel for monitroing the message and will provide a fully bi-directional connection using a microphone channel".
This patent was one of the roughly 6,000 patents that Nortel, a network equipment manufacturer, sold to Rockstar, a consortium between Apple, Microsoft, Sony, ant others. After Nortel went bankrupt back in 2011, it sold this plethora of patents to Rockstar for some $4.5 billion.
Only time will reveal if this audio call screening system will make its way to the next iPhone. What are your thoughts on the matter?
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Showing posts with label Machine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Machine. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Washing machine uses beads for clear savings
Why would you add more grit to a washing machine? It turns out the modern-day equivalent of washing clothes by banging them between rocks is actually effective, and it cuts back on water use dramatically. by Kenzi Ong February 27, 2014 4:12 PM PST
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View the Original article
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware
byS. Prell
on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM0
Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think.
Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change?
That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
The Box
Pictures of Valve's Steam Machine flooded the Internet when hardware beta participants received their shipments, and what we saw was pretty much what you'd expect: a big, black box. The front of the Steam Machine we tried featured a minimalist design with just two USB ports and a large, circular power button surrounded by a larger ring.
The center circle is a physical button, so in that sense the Steam Machine beta hardware felt a bit more old-school than some of our modern, touch-oriented technology. Once powered on, a thin, white ring lit up to indicate power. The thicker part of the ring that goes around the power button doesn't seem to be anything more than visual flair.
The system was well ventilated, with holes and slots for air flow on just about every face. This design choice also gave the Steam Machine a very appealing side view, since the illuminated text on the installed Nvidia graphics card peeked through the grill. The top of the Steam Machine could be easily removed – just one screw kept everything in place, and removing the cover was a simple lift and pull. Unlike today's consoles, the Steam Machine looked as though it was built to be upgraded, just like a PC. Removable graphics cards, memory and hard drives were all on display.
While there will be many different Steam Machines with varying internal configurations, the one we experienced was likely the prototype for a higher-end model. Powered by an Intel i5 processor clocked at 3.20 GHz with 16GB RAM and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3GB of graphics memory, the system might not be the fastest horse in the race, but it's no slouch, either. The only real oddity here was the use of an external WiFi antenna instead an internal one.
If looking inside wasn't an option, just looking at the rear panel should give you an idea of how much technology was shoved into this box. There were multiple video outputs, including HDMI and DVI, along with inputs for mouse and keyboard, ethernet, and USB. Suddenly an external WiFi antenna makes a lot of sense; maybe there just wasn't room inside.
With all of its components so densely packed together, it should be said that this particular Steam Machine was heavy. We didn't have a scale available to weigh the thing, but we'd say it rested somewhere between the weight of an original Xbox and a high-end home theater receiver. This was not something you would pick up and carry leisurely around your local Walmart or Best Buy. For better or worse, the weight did give the Steam Machine a sense of value – this didn't feel like a flimsy, plastic toy, it felt like a machine, ready to go to work.
The same cannot yet be said of the controller.
Master Controller
Ever used a mouse with a trackball in it? That's what sliding your thumbs across the surface of Valve's controller felt like. The surface of each thumb ... pad? Thumb place? ... was a single, solid piece, but we could still feel a sense of sliding and spinning underneath the thumb, particularly when we gave a good, hard flick to any direction. There were tiny clicks for a bit of resistance, and listening to them also gave us an idea of how fast we were turning the wheel.
We played Hotline Miami and Portal with the controller, and found the experience lacking on both, though the issues were less obtrusive in Valve's signature puzzler. The lack of a physical stick means no resistance, and that takes some getting used to. We also noticed that for people with larger thumbs, there may be an issue of unintentionally sliding across the pad while reaching for the face buttons.
Thankfully, the controller can be remapped with ease because, interestingly, it doesn't register as a controller. When plugged in – the beta controller lacks an internal battery, so plugging in is required – Valve's controller registers as a mouse and keyboard. Keep that in mind, because it's going to be important in just a second.
The controller can be used on machines other than those from Valve, and the Steam Machine, in turn, can receive input from other manufacturers' controllers. We were shown how a wireless Xbox 360 controller could connect to the Steam Machine as easily as it could to any modern PC, and indeed it functioned just as well, with no noticeable lag or issues. The 360 controller, however, did register as a controller.
Since the Steam Machine saw the 360 controller as a controller and the Steam controller as a mouse and keyboard, it was possible to more or less "confuse" a game. I was able to take control of Chell in Portal by using the Steam controller while someone else used the Xbox 360 controller. Unintended benefit? Something to be patched out? Material for trolls in the household? You decide.
Learning how to properly hold Valve's controller was another lesson that took some time. Both of the thumb pads can register depressions as button clicks, but there are also four face buttons (A,B,X,Y), a center face of four more buttons (these were currently not enabled), two shoulder bumpers, two triggers and two more buttons on the underside of the controller on the handles. These rear buttons required the biggest adjustment, as we couldn't wrap our fingers around the controller like we normally would, lest our fingers accidentally click one.
PC-centric gamers may come to love the quick and painless configuration of Valve's controller, but right now, we'd be hard-pressed to say it's as or more accurate than the mouse and keyboard they already own. Console gamers eyeing a Steam Machine should likewise be aware that the controller, if it remains as is, will likely be different from any controller they've ever used before. Either audience has a learning curve ahead of them if they want to use the Steam controller, but at least it doesn't look like they'll be forced to use it if they don't want to.ShareTags: beta, hands-on, hardware, pc, preview, steam, steam-box, steam-controller, steam-machines, steamos, valve.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM0Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think.Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change?
That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
The Box
Pictures of Valve's Steam Machine flooded the Internet when hardware beta participants received their shipments, and what we saw was pretty much what you'd expect: a big, black box. The front of the Steam Machine we tried featured a minimalist design with just two USB ports and a large, circular power button surrounded by a larger ring.
The center circle is a physical button, so in that sense the Steam Machine beta hardware felt a bit more old-school than some of our modern, touch-oriented technology. Once powered on, a thin, white ring lit up to indicate power. The thicker part of the ring that goes around the power button doesn't seem to be anything more than visual flair.
The system was well ventilated, with holes and slots for air flow on just about every face. This design choice also gave the Steam Machine a very appealing side view, since the illuminated text on the installed Nvidia graphics card peeked through the grill. The top of the Steam Machine could be easily removed – just one screw kept everything in place, and removing the cover was a simple lift and pull. Unlike today's consoles, the Steam Machine looked as though it was built to be upgraded, just like a PC. Removable graphics cards, memory and hard drives were all on display.While there will be many different Steam Machines with varying internal configurations, the one we experienced was likely the prototype for a higher-end model. Powered by an Intel i5 processor clocked at 3.20 GHz with 16GB RAM and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3GB of graphics memory, the system might not be the fastest horse in the race, but it's no slouch, either. The only real oddity here was the use of an external WiFi antenna instead an internal one.
If looking inside wasn't an option, just looking at the rear panel should give you an idea of how much technology was shoved into this box. There were multiple video outputs, including HDMI and DVI, along with inputs for mouse and keyboard, ethernet, and USB. Suddenly an external WiFi antenna makes a lot of sense; maybe there just wasn't room inside.
With all of its components so densely packed together, it should be said that this particular Steam Machine was heavy. We didn't have a scale available to weigh the thing, but we'd say it rested somewhere between the weight of an original Xbox and a high-end home theater receiver. This was not something you would pick up and carry leisurely around your local Walmart or Best Buy. For better or worse, the weight did give the Steam Machine a sense of value – this didn't feel like a flimsy, plastic toy, it felt like a machine, ready to go to work.The same cannot yet be said of the controller.
Master Controller
Ever used a mouse with a trackball in it? That's what sliding your thumbs across the surface of Valve's controller felt like. The surface of each thumb ... pad? Thumb place? ... was a single, solid piece, but we could still feel a sense of sliding and spinning underneath the thumb, particularly when we gave a good, hard flick to any direction. There were tiny clicks for a bit of resistance, and listening to them also gave us an idea of how fast we were turning the wheel.
We played Hotline Miami and Portal with the controller, and found the experience lacking on both, though the issues were less obtrusive in Valve's signature puzzler. The lack of a physical stick means no resistance, and that takes some getting used to. We also noticed that for people with larger thumbs, there may be an issue of unintentionally sliding across the pad while reaching for the face buttons.
Thankfully, the controller can be remapped with ease because, interestingly, it doesn't register as a controller. When plugged in – the beta controller lacks an internal battery, so plugging in is required – Valve's controller registers as a mouse and keyboard. Keep that in mind, because it's going to be important in just a second.The controller can be used on machines other than those from Valve, and the Steam Machine, in turn, can receive input from other manufacturers' controllers. We were shown how a wireless Xbox 360 controller could connect to the Steam Machine as easily as it could to any modern PC, and indeed it functioned just as well, with no noticeable lag or issues. The 360 controller, however, did register as a controller.
Since the Steam Machine saw the 360 controller as a controller and the Steam controller as a mouse and keyboard, it was possible to more or less "confuse" a game. I was able to take control of Chell in Portal by using the Steam controller while someone else used the Xbox 360 controller. Unintended benefit? Something to be patched out? Material for trolls in the household? You decide.
Learning how to properly hold Valve's controller was another lesson that took some time. Both of the thumb pads can register depressions as button clicks, but there are also four face buttons (A,B,X,Y), a center face of four more buttons (these were currently not enabled), two shoulder bumpers, two triggers and two more buttons on the underside of the controller on the handles. These rear buttons required the biggest adjustment, as we couldn't wrap our fingers around the controller like we normally would, lest our fingers accidentally click one.PC-centric gamers may come to love the quick and painless configuration of Valve's controller, but right now, we'd be hard-pressed to say it's as or more accurate than the mouse and keyboard they already own. Console gamers eyeing a Steam Machine should likewise be aware that the controller, if it remains as is, will likely be different from any controller they've ever used before. Either audience has a learning curve ahead of them if they want to use the Steam controller, but at least it doesn't look like they'll be forced to use it if they don't want to.ShareTags: beta, hands-on, hardware, pc, preview, steam, steam-box, steam-controller, steam-machines, steamos, valve.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Posted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
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The $500 Steam Machine from iBuyPower is 'not a PC'
byJessica Conditton Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0
IBuyPower built its Steam Machine, the SBX, to compete in the console market. It looks like a console – a rectangle smaller than the Xbox One with the Steam logo pressed into the top – and it's priced to compete with new systems at $500. A few details make it a Steam Machine rather than another new console: It has no disc drive, it runs SteamOS only, and it will ship with the Steam Controller and in-home streaming capabilities.
"We're telling all of our vendors that this is not a PC," Tuan Nguyen, iBuyPower director of product and marketing, said during a demo at CES. "Valve doesn't like to admit that they're really competing with the consoles, but they are."
The retail SBX should include built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth, an internal power supply, a 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU, and a Radeon R7 260X graphics card supporting AMD's Mantle API, iBuyPower's Brad Soken said. Those specs aren't expected to change too drastically leading up to launch.
"With Mantle and everything, and the whole GCN up and running, you're very much on par at least with the current generation of consoles, if not even better," Nguyen said. iBuyPower Steam Machine - SBX
IBuyPower's relationship with Valve began in June, when Nguyen sent Valve an email with a render of its idea for a Steam Machine. The prototype Nguyen showed off was mostly complete, missing the Steam Controller module and with a Raspberry Pi in the place of the box's lighting control. Users will be able to control the color of the LEDs embedded around the box with an app for iOS and Android. Four squares supporting the bottom of the console are yellow, red, green and blue, mimicking Xbox controller colors.
"Hitting that $499 price point is actually not that easy," Nguyen said.
IBuyPower had planned to announce a second SBX tonight, after Valve's press conference – a box with integrated Oculus Rift. It was going to be the ace up iBuyPower's sleeve, Nguyen said, but the Rift wasn't ready. The Oculus team is working with Valve now to tweak problems with the headset causing motion sickness, Nguyen said.
SBX on its own would be ready to ship early this year, but iBuyPower is waiting for Valve to finish the Steam Machine experience, including a new version of SteamOS. Instead, Nguyen said it should hit around June – just in time for E3.ShareTags: ces-2014, ibuypower, Linux, pc, SBX, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwareSuper abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq 
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0IBuyPower built its Steam Machine, the SBX, to compete in the console market. It looks like a console – a rectangle smaller than the Xbox One with the Steam logo pressed into the top – and it's priced to compete with new systems at $500. A few details make it a Steam Machine rather than another new console: It has no disc drive, it runs SteamOS only, and it will ship with the Steam Controller and in-home streaming capabilities."We're telling all of our vendors that this is not a PC," Tuan Nguyen, iBuyPower director of product and marketing, said during a demo at CES. "Valve doesn't like to admit that they're really competing with the consoles, but they are."
The retail SBX should include built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth, an internal power supply, a 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU, and a Radeon R7 260X graphics card supporting AMD's Mantle API, iBuyPower's Brad Soken said. Those specs aren't expected to change too drastically leading up to launch.
"With Mantle and everything, and the whole GCN up and running, you're very much on par at least with the current generation of consoles, if not even better," Nguyen said. iBuyPower Steam Machine - SBX
IBuyPower's relationship with Valve began in June, when Nguyen sent Valve an email with a render of its idea for a Steam Machine. The prototype Nguyen showed off was mostly complete, missing the Steam Controller module and with a Raspberry Pi in the place of the box's lighting control. Users will be able to control the color of the LEDs embedded around the box with an app for iOS and Android. Four squares supporting the bottom of the console are yellow, red, green and blue, mimicking Xbox controller colors."Hitting that $499 price point is actually not that easy," Nguyen said.
IBuyPower had planned to announce a second SBX tonight, after Valve's press conference – a box with integrated Oculus Rift. It was going to be the ace up iBuyPower's sleeve, Nguyen said, but the Rift wasn't ready. The Oculus team is working with Valve now to tweak problems with the headset causing motion sickness, Nguyen said.
SBX on its own would be ready to ship early this year, but iBuyPower is waiting for Valve to finish the Steam Machine experience, including a new version of SteamOS. Instead, Nguyen said it should hit around June – just in time for E3.ShareTags: ces-2014, ibuypower, Linux, pc, SBX, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwarePosted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
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Digital Storm's $2,000 Steam Machine is a PC for the high-end market
byJessica Conditton Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0
The Bolt 2, revealed today as a hybrid PC and Steam Machine, is not for the everyday market, Digital Storm Chief Brand Officer Harjit Chana told Joystiq at CES. The Bolt 2 will cost $1,900 when it launches later this month, and the system ranges in price from $1,500 to $2,800.
"Our brand itself is more about high-end systems," Chana said. "We're not really a more mainstream type of brand; we're focused on higher-tier. So that's where the Bolt 2 came in. We wanted to create a product that appeals to this type of market as a Steam Machine. Because obviously, when someone thinks of a Steam Machine, they think of something compact, hybrid – something they can place in their home theater environment as well."
The Bolt 2 is designed ideally for 4K gaming, with an eye on the future, Chana said.
"A $500 Steam Box isn't going to run a 4K TV," he said.
One $500 Steam Box, the SBX from iBuyPower, won't run 4K, but neither is it a PC. The SBX is presented as a console Steam Machine, while the Bolt 2 is very much a PC Steam Machine. The Bolt 2 launching in January won't ship with a Steam Controller, but it will have the option to install the beta of SteamOS, which anyone can download now. The true Steam Machine version of the Bolt 2, with the controller and SteamOS, will launch later in the year. The Bolt 2 will always run both SteamOS and Windows.
"The whole idea with it being such a high-end product, is we had to make it a hybrid because they're so high-end you can't just run SteamOS because SteamOS is still very limited, for what it is," Chana said.
There is a "pretty big" market for high-end gaming PCs, Digital Storm Senior Technician Robert Wall said. The Bolt 1 launched last year and did "extremely well," he noted:
"We've got a ton of great interest. Even online right now, there's tons of interest, people that want this."ShareTags: bolt-2, ces-2014, digital-storm, Linux, pc, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwareSuper abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq 
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0The Bolt 2, revealed today as a hybrid PC and Steam Machine, is not for the everyday market, Digital Storm Chief Brand Officer Harjit Chana told Joystiq at CES. The Bolt 2 will cost $1,900 when it launches later this month, and the system ranges in price from $1,500 to $2,800."Our brand itself is more about high-end systems," Chana said. "We're not really a more mainstream type of brand; we're focused on higher-tier. So that's where the Bolt 2 came in. We wanted to create a product that appeals to this type of market as a Steam Machine. Because obviously, when someone thinks of a Steam Machine, they think of something compact, hybrid – something they can place in their home theater environment as well."
The Bolt 2 is designed ideally for 4K gaming, with an eye on the future, Chana said.
"A $500 Steam Box isn't going to run a 4K TV," he said.
One $500 Steam Box, the SBX from iBuyPower, won't run 4K, but neither is it a PC. The SBX is presented as a console Steam Machine, while the Bolt 2 is very much a PC Steam Machine. The Bolt 2 launching in January won't ship with a Steam Controller, but it will have the option to install the beta of SteamOS, which anyone can download now. The true Steam Machine version of the Bolt 2, with the controller and SteamOS, will launch later in the year. The Bolt 2 will always run both SteamOS and Windows.
"The whole idea with it being such a high-end product, is we had to make it a hybrid because they're so high-end you can't just run SteamOS because SteamOS is still very limited, for what it is," Chana said.
There is a "pretty big" market for high-end gaming PCs, Digital Storm Senior Technician Robert Wall said. The Bolt 1 launched last year and did "extremely well," he noted:
"We've got a ton of great interest. Even online right now, there's tons of interest, people that want this."ShareTags: bolt-2, ces-2014, digital-storm, Linux, pc, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwarePosted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
View the Original article
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Valve's Steam Machine lineup poses massive threat to gaming status quo
Consoles beware: with huge players like Alienware and Falcon Northwest onboard, the diverse and low-cost Steam Machines unveiled at CES 2014 put Valve in place to pull off its revolution.
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Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Updated: Valve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its own
Valve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its own | News | TechRadar --> Mobile version2014-01-07T10:40:00ZMagsNewsletterRSS FeedsFollow @TechradarA Future Site ▼ TechRadarTechnology, testedSearch the siteSearch term:Log inJoinLog outHomeReviewsVideosPhonesTabletsCamerasComponentsComputingCar TechNewsDealsBundlesSave on broadband TrendingCES 2014PlayStation 4iPad AiriPad mini 2Nexus 5Windows 8.1Xbox OneThe Tip OffHomeNews by technologyValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownUpdated The big (Picture) moment has arrivedBy Michelle Fitzsimmons 7th Jan 2014 | 03:33Comments Tweet
One of more than a dozen Steam Machines unveiled at CESRelated storiesThis is Valve's Steam Machine prototypeSteam Controller revealed, Valve's kind of crazy Steam gamepadValve cracks open specs for its Steam Box prototype, some are insane
Learn moreTagsValveSteam MachinesAlienwareSteamOSSteam BoxconsoleSee more gaming newsCommentsTweet Add your commentType your comment here.You need to log in or join to add comments.Hello, you are logged in as Not you, eh? Log out, log in as another user or joinBy submitting this form you agree to our Terms of Use and so are legally responsible for anything you submit. DO NOT submit anything which may violate the Terms of Use or another person\'s rights including copyrighted or offensive materials. 0 commentsAdd comment AdvertisementPopular in gaming right nowLatestTop storiesMost discussedAlienware Steam Machine joins revolution to bring PC gaming to the living roomValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownCyberpowerPC and Origin PC bring their Steam Machines to CESMicrosoft's mind is blown by Xbox One demand with 3 million sold in 2013Digital Storm's Bolt II is a Steam Machine/Windows hybrid to splash the cash onFirst wireless controller for iPad and iPhone unveiled, on sale nowUpdated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sickness90 best free Android games 2014Top 50 best free games you should play todayXbox One reviewPS4 vs Xbox One: which is better?Updated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sicknessGabe Newell talks Half-Life 3, DayZ explodes, PS4 looks forward to the pastAlienware Steam Machine joins revolution to bring PC gaming to the living roomValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownCyberpowerPC and Origin PC bring their Steam Machines to CESMicrosoft's mind is blown by Xbox One demand with 3 million sold in 2013Digital Storm's Bolt II is a Steam Machine/Windows hybrid to splash the cash onFirst wireless controller for iPad and iPhone unveiled, on sale nowUpdated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sicknessLenovo takes a swing at MacBook Pro Retina with 4K Ultra HD Y50Gabe Newell talks Half-Life 3, DayZ explodes, PS4 looks forward to the pastMicrosoft considered making Xbox One download-only as late as June 2013Can a Mac be a gaming PC? How the world is changing for Mac gamersTobii and SteelSeries team up to make eye-tracking game peripheralsZX Spectrum is coming back as a Bluetooth keyboardSony: Smartphone gaming may actually help boost the PS4, not kill itGear of the year: TechRadar's top tech from 2013In the pursuit of FPS: how AMD and Nvidia are tackling PC gaming optimizationUbisoft: There'll be less waiting around for game updates with PS4 and Xbox OneNo love for next-gen? Revisit Atari glory days with The Console LibraryPS4 can now stream free music videos, still can't play CDs or MP3sWere festive 3DS and Wii U sales that good? Ninty eShop falls over under strainYou might also like... Xbox One review
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One of more than a dozen Steam Machines unveiled at CESRelated storiesThis is Valve's Steam Machine prototypeSteam Controller revealed, Valve's kind of crazy Steam gamepadValve cracks open specs for its Steam Box prototype, some are insaneValve Steam Machine's big moment arrived atop the Palms Casino at CES 2014.
"This has been a great year for the PC," declared Valve Co-Founder Gabe Newell at an intimate press event here.
Indeed, 2013-2014 has seen the unveiling of Valve's Steam Machine console concept and prototype, SteamOS beta and the Steam Controller. Tonight, Newell officially unveiled 13 hardware manufacturers that are building their very own Steam Machines.
"Today we're taking the next step," Newell said. "The next step is to say there are another bunch of hardware manufacturers who are also going to be introducing Steam Machines."
Who is making a Steam Machine?Newell noted that the specs of all the Steam Machines varied greatly from the low to high end, something Valve said would be the case when the initiative was first announced in September.
Alienware was a late addition to Valve's Steam Machine party, and one of the few devices not to have a price.
Alternate, CyberpowerPC, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, Next Spa, Scan, Digital Storm, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Origin PC, Webhallen and Zotac rounded out the dozen other hardware makers building devices that plug into Steam OS.
The price ranges from $499 - $6,000 (about £304/AU$559 - £3,658/AU$6,724), with a few TBDs thrown in. Webhallen's white-box machine occupies the top of the spectrum, while CyberpowerPC will have Machines from $499 and up.
Most house an Intel Core i7 or Core i5 CPU, though the Falcon Northwest Tiki has a customizable chip and iBuyPower will run with either a quad-core AMD or Intel chip.
It was Nvidia across the board for graphics, except for Gigabyte's Brix Pro, which is opting for an Intel Iris Pro 5200. RAM ran from 2 x 4GB to 16GB, while storage floated in the 1TB SSD range. Falcon Northwest, clearly the monster of the bunch, will have a storage option up to 6TB.
Valve currently has 300 of its own Steam Machine prototypes in the hands of beta tests, but Newell said the company will continue to evaluate if it makes sense to manufacture its own commercial machine.
"We're going to continue to make that decision as we go along," he conceded. "We've been happy with the results of doing the hardware development. We had plans to build more Machines as our customers demand. We also expect people to be really happy with the range of offerings coming in from the range of hardware manufacturers."
The company is certainly doing some evaluation. Newell said beta testers haven't been forking over the critical feedback needed to improve the device, controller and overall experience.
"Beta users have been super happy," he said about what the feedback has been like so far. "We actually kind of want them to tell us what's wrong, so we're kind of poking at them a little harder. Right now they're just saying this is the best thing since the beginning of time, or something. We're trying to get them to give us sort of more, how can we iterate on this and what are the steps that we need to solve next."
In addition to its Steam Machine partners, Newell left the crowd with one more revelation; that Valve plans to sell its Steam Controllers separately, though manufacturers will be able to produce their own.
Read on for what else is happening at CES 2014!Join TechRadar and get our weekly newsletterGet the week's hottest news stories, our most popular reviews, and fantastic competitions straight to your inbox with our free weekly newsletter.
Tell me moreLearn moreTagsValveSteam MachinesAlienwareSteamOSSteam BoxconsoleSee more gaming newsCommentsTweet Add your commentType your comment here.You need to log in or join to add comments.Hello, you are logged in as Not you, eh? Log out, log in as another user or joinBy submitting this form you agree to our Terms of Use and so are legally responsible for anything you submit. DO NOT submit anything which may violate the Terms of Use or another person\'s rights including copyrighted or offensive materials. 0 commentsAdd comment AdvertisementPopular in gaming right nowLatestTop storiesMost discussedAlienware Steam Machine joins revolution to bring PC gaming to the living roomValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownCyberpowerPC and Origin PC bring their Steam Machines to CESMicrosoft's mind is blown by Xbox One demand with 3 million sold in 2013Digital Storm's Bolt II is a Steam Machine/Windows hybrid to splash the cash onFirst wireless controller for iPad and iPhone unveiled, on sale nowUpdated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sickness90 best free Android games 2014Top 50 best free games you should play todayXbox One reviewPS4 vs Xbox One: which is better?Updated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sicknessGabe Newell talks Half-Life 3, DayZ explodes, PS4 looks forward to the pastAlienware Steam Machine joins revolution to bring PC gaming to the living roomValve reveals 13 Steam Machine partners, leaves door open to build its ownCyberpowerPC and Origin PC bring their Steam Machines to CESMicrosoft's mind is blown by Xbox One demand with 3 million sold in 2013Digital Storm's Bolt II is a Steam Machine/Windows hybrid to splash the cash onFirst wireless controller for iPad and iPhone unveiled, on sale nowUpdated Oculus Rift will be playable at CES, may eliminate motion sicknessLenovo takes a swing at MacBook Pro Retina with 4K Ultra HD Y50Gabe Newell talks Half-Life 3, DayZ explodes, PS4 looks forward to the pastMicrosoft considered making Xbox One download-only as late as June 2013Can a Mac be a gaming PC? How the world is changing for Mac gamersTobii and SteelSeries team up to make eye-tracking game peripheralsZX Spectrum is coming back as a Bluetooth keyboardSony: Smartphone gaming may actually help boost the PS4, not kill itGear of the year: TechRadar's top tech from 2013In the pursuit of FPS: how AMD and Nvidia are tackling PC gaming optimizationUbisoft: There'll be less waiting around for game updates with PS4 and Xbox OneNo love for next-gen? Revisit Atari glory days with The Console LibraryPS4 can now stream free music videos, still can't play CDs or MP3sWere festive 3DS and Wii U sales that good? Ninty eShop falls over under strainYou might also like... Xbox One review
A work in progress, the new Xbox has lots of potential Hands on: Moverio BT-200 smart glasses review Twice the display, half the price of Google Glass New reviewsRSSLatestTop ratedMost readPreviewed Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 review Unrated TabletsHands on: AMD Project Discovery Tablet reviewCES 2014 This concept gaming tablet could've fooled us
TabletsHands on: Valve Steam Controller reviewCES 2014 It works and it's fun, but can it hold a candle to the mouse?
ControllersHands on: Epson Moverio BT-200 smart glasses reviewCES 2014 Twice the display, half the price of Google Glass
GadgetsHands on: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact reviewCES 2014 Is the solution to the Z1 conundrum to make it smaller?
Mobile phones iPad Air review Editor's Choice award 10 Tablets Panasonic Lumix GM1 review Editor's Choice award 10 Price $748 Digital SLRs/hybrids Sony KD-55X9005A review Editor's Choice award 10 Price $3500 Plasma and LCD TVs Olympus OM-D E-M1 review Editor's Choice award 10 Price $1399 Compact cameras Canon EOS 70D review Editor's Choice award 10 Price $1199 Digital SLRs/hybrids Nokia Lumia 520 review Recommended award 9 Mobile phones Samsung Galaxy S4 review Recommended award 9 Mobile phones Windows 8.1 review Recommended award 9 Price $124 Operating systems Google Nexus 5 review 8 Mobile phones HTC One review Editor's Choice award 10 Mobile phonesHands on: AMD Project Discovery Tablet reviewCES 2014 This concept gaming tablet could've fooled us
TabletsHands on: Valve Steam Controller reviewCES 2014 It works and it's fun, but can it hold a candle to the mouse?
ControllersHands on: Epson Moverio BT-200 smart glasses reviewCES 2014 Twice the display, half the price of Google Glass
GadgetsHands on: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact reviewCES 2014 Is the solution to the Z1 conundrum to make it smaller?
Mobile phonesHands on: Acer Iconia W4 reviewCES 2014 The W3 gets a much-needed update
TabletsBrowse our reviews by categoryAllAudio VisualCamerasComponentsComputingMobile phonesTabletsTelevisionsReviews guarantee AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJoin us on FacebookBack to topMore from TechRadarXbox OneXbox One reviewPS4PS4 reviewTesco Hudl reviewiPhone 5CiPhone 5SiPad 4iPad AiriPad mini 2Samsung Galaxy S4 reviewPlayStation 4Cheap TVs4K TVUltra HDHTC OneNexus 5Windows 8 tablets Best UltrabookBest mobile phonesWindows 8.1Search the siteSearch term:ReviewsBrowse allMobile phonesTVsTabletsDigital camerasLaptopsBuyer's guidesMobile phonesTVsTabletsiPhone appsCamerasLaptopsVideosAll videosMobile phonesTVsTabletsCamerasLaptopsServicesAll newsFacebookTwitterYouTubeNewsletterRSSTechRadarAbout usContact usSitemapAccessibilitySelect regionUnited KingdomUnited StatesAustraliaTechRadar NetworkTap!PC FormatT3Mac FormatOfficial WindowsLinux FormatMacLifeMaxPCTop ▲Future is AOP and PPA Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year.TechRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. We produce content across five core areas:TechnologyT3Mac|LifeGizmodo UKMore...EntertainmentCVGPC GamerGamesRadarTotal FilmMore...MusicClassic RockMusicRadarGuitaristMetal HammerMore...CreativeDigital Camera WorldMollie MakesPhotography WeekThe Simple ThingsMore...Sport & AutoBikeRadarCyclingnewsChopMTBTriRadarMore...About FutureJobsPRAdvertisingDigital FuturePrivacy PolicyCookies PolicyTerms & ConditionsSubscriptionsInvestor RelationsContact Future© Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.
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