"The card is decidedly no-frills. The 4500 model has digital output or TV in or out, although an "XT" model is available for $10 more that does include TV/out. The driver and software suite is...shall we say...economical. Two tabs are added to your display properties window with tools for adjusting screen positioning, gamma and 3D effects in DirectX and OpenGL gaming. A single Temple demo is included that shows off the card's effects and the common 3Deep color correction software comes on the CD as well.
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Creative Technology Ltd. has introduced its high performance drive solution, the CD-RW Blaster 161040, which ships this week at an estimated street price of US$129. The CD-RW Blaster 161040 writes CD-Rs at 16X and CD-RWs at 10X and comes bundled with the user-friendly NTI CD-Maker 2000 Plus software enabling anyone including first time users to create CDs within minutes for both sharing and storage.

Product Specs:

• ATAPI Interface(PIO mode-4)
• Maximum CD-ROM data transfer rate of 6,000KB/sec CAV (40X)
• Maximum recording rate of 2,400KB/sec CLV(16X) for CD-R and 1,500KB/sec CLV(10X) for high-speed CD-RW 
• Capable of Digital Audio Exrtaction at up to 32X
• 150ms average access time
• Feature buffer under-run error protection (2MB buffer)
• Includes an internal S/PDIF-out (Digital Audio) connector
• Reads various disc types including: CD-Audio, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, Mixed Mode CD, Photo CD®, CD-R, High-Speed CD-RW, CD-RW, Video CD & CD Extra
• Front panel headphone jack, volume control, busy indicator, and close/eject button
• Supports DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode for faster transfer rates and lower CPU utilization
• Capable of reading and writing CD TEXT information
• Supports Disk-At-Once, Track-At-Once, Multi-session and Packet writing mode

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Following a complex ruling in the courts between chip companies Rambus and Infineon, a group of Rambus investors has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging violations of federal securities laws. It alleges that chip designer Rambus misled investors about the royalties it could reap based on a series of patents related to computer memory.

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(Press Release) ATI Technologies Inc. announced the introduction of its next generation RADEON processors. Building on the performance leadership demonstrated by its second-generation RADEON chip and board technologies announced today, and founded on the heritage of its first-generation RADEON products, ATI's new family of graphics processors delivers unprecedented performance for both enthusiast and mainstream computing, offering consumers the most complete range of solutions available from any graphics manufacturer in the world.

• RADEON 8500: Designed with the most advanced graphics technology in the world, the RADEON 8500 delivers up to 33 percent higher performance than the nearest competitive graphics processor. Major technological advancements include TRUFORM, an innovative rendering technology that helps to deliver the smoothest, most natural 3D images ever seen on existing and next-generation 3D games; and SMARTSHADER, an advanced technology that takes advantage of the new Microsoft DirectX 8.1 API (application programming interface) to enable more complex and realistic texture and lighting effects without sacrificing performance, including supporting Pixel Shaders Version 1.4.

• RADEON 7500: This graphics processor offers an ideal combination of performance, innovative 3D features and real value for mainstream commercial and consumer computer users. It delivers up to a 60 percent improvement in performance compared to the previous generation of RADEON high-performance processors. The RADEON 7500 targets the performance mainstream, offering a level of performance not seen at its price point; and

• FIRE GL 8800: Combining the FIRE GL's pioneering workstation reputation and software excellence in OpenGL with ATI's new industry-leading technology, the FIRE GL 8800 is easily the most affordable mid-range 3D graphics board for CAD/CAM and the modeling and animation aspects of digital content and creation.

Availability & Pricing:

RADEON 8500: The Ultimate Gaming Graphics Card The RADEON 8500 is powered by the most advanced graphics technology in the world, and features 64MB of DDR (double data rate) memory, digital flat panel (DVI) support as well as dual monitor and video output, and DVD (digital versatile disc) video playback. The first gaming card with complete hardware support for DirectX 8.1, the RADEON 8500 will be available in late September and has an MSRP of (US) $399.

RADEON 7500: The Performance Mainstream Graphics Board The RADEON 7500 brings premium-level features to the mainstream market. Coming standard with dual-monitor support, including VGA (video graphics array) and digital flat panel (DVI) displays and integrated TV-out, low power and acoustic levels and proven technologies, the RADEON 7500 features 64MB DDR. Available in late September, it has an MSRP of (US) $199.

The FIRE GL 8800 combines the extensive and proven workstation experience of the FIRE GL brand with the leading edge technology of the RADEON 8800 chip to offer workstation users a fully-featured, economically-priced, mid-range workstation solution. Featuring 64MB DDR memory and VGA and DVI support, the FIRE GL 8800 is optimized for superior application performance using OpenGL and Linux drivers. It is the first workstation graphics processor in the industry to support the Microsoft DirectX 8.1 API. It begins shipping in October.

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(Press Release) CMS Peripherals has announced that they are expanding the capacity of their portable Desktop Automatic Backup System (ABS) for Windows 98/Me and 2000 users, to 100GB. These solutions will also be among the company's first to include USB 2.0 support. CMS also announced the availability of a new line of PCI cards that when plugged into a desktop computer, provides users with two USB 2.0 ports. This enables users to access USB 2.0 compatible peripherals on their system. Using the Desktop ABS, users can easily backup and share files among multiple USB-enabled notebooks, desktops and workstations. Once connected, the unit's exclusive patent-pending "Automatic Launcher" technology initiates either a full or incremental backup.
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(Press Release) Creative Technology Ltd. has announced the next-generation Audigy audio processor and EAX ADVANCED HD, two core elements of Creative's future audio developments. The new Audigy processor boasts four times the effects processing power of Creative Technology's famed EMU10K1 processor, which powers the industry-leading Sound Blaster Live! brand of PC audio cards. Its dedicated design makes it uniquely capable of executing the complex audio algorithms required to produce higher fidelity reverb and effects, as well as powering advanced 3D audio imaging for games, music and home studio productions. The Audigy audio processor features a 32-bit Multi-Effects Engine, which accelerates Creative's new EAX ADVANCED HD software to enhance both gaming and music listening experiences. For gaming, EAX ADVANCED HD provides unprecedented realism by providing users the following features:

• Multi-Environment - Gamers can enjoy four simultaneous audio environments in real time;
• Environment Morphing - Provides a natural audio transition from one environment to another with real-time morphing of each environment's audio characteristics;
• Environment Panning - Enables gamers to hear the 3D spatialization and localization of an upcoming or distant environment;
• Environment Reflections - Allows the real-world phenomenon of sound bouncing off surfaces and returning to the gamer in full 3D;
• Environment Filtering - Utilizes high-pass audio filters to generate accurate simulation of sound from both indoor and outdoor environments.

For game developers, the EAX ADVANCED HD game audio library provides a compelling set of useful tools with support for Microsoft's Direct Sound API, the OpenAL API, Dolby Digital 5.1 mixing API and EAGLE 3.0 Graphical Librarian Editor. Digital music enthusiasts will be able to utilize the interactive elements of EAX ADVANCED HD to enhance their listening experience, be it with CD Audio, MP3 or other digital formats and Dolby Digital music.
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