Super-fast broadband postponed
17th November, 2008

According to the chief executive of BT the installation of super-fast broadband throughout the UK may be postponed because of the predicted recession.

Ian Livingstone said he had been advised by shareholders to decrease spending as the economic uncertainty continued. The company had been set to expend £1.5 billion providing fibre-optic connections to ten million homes within 4 years.

''I have to tell you there are some shareholders who say you know something, don't do that, don't do a whole lot of other things. That leaves you with a lot more cash and cash today is worth a lot more than cash in a few years time'', he said.

Ian Livingstone also said Ofcom must make sure that BT sees a return on its investment into the technology. Company has been hit by the economic downturn, announcing last week that it is to cut 10,000 jobs by the end of March 2009.

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AMD fights back
13th November, 2008

New Opteron quad-core comes well for future desktop chips. Quad-core period has been tough for AMD. But with the launch of new 45nm Opteron CPUs today, the fight back has begun.

The new 45nm Shanghai architecture is not revolutionary. However, it is a big improvement over AMD's botched 65nm quad-core chips. Actually, thanks to the combination of improved power performance and efficiency, AMD can make a pretty good argument for the new Opterons being the best server chips available at certain price points.

But does Shanghai have the makings of Core i7-bashing desktop processor? That is an extremely high order. Intel's new chip is an absolute monster. But Shanghai looks like it should be good enough to at least give AMD a decent mid-range quad-core competitor.
AMD's upcoming 45nm quad-core desktop chips actually go under the codename Deneb. But they're much identical to the Shanghai core found in the new Opterons launched today.

The top Opteron 2384 chip launched today runs at 2.7GHz. not exactly stunning by desktop standards. But that processor has a modest 75 watt rating. We expect AMD will hit at least 3GHz when 45nm Phenom desktop processors appear, probably in early January. That will barely be enough to demolish Core i7. But it will be a big improvement over existing 65nm Phenoms which top out at 2.6GHz and suck up an awful lot of power in the process.

If the new 45nm process is as strong as it appears then AMD should be able to crank out ever quicker models at a much faster rate than the rather disgraceful trickle it managed with 65nm Phenoms.

The great hope is AMD's upcoming Bulldozer core, which is not due until 2010, is its first properly new processor architecture since the Athlon 64 of 2003. But we've heard whispers on the wind it will pack even wider instruction issuing than Intel's four-issue Core processors.

If that turns out to be true, well, Intel could finally have a real fight on its hands.

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World of Warcraft launched
13th November, 2008

At the launch of World of Warcraft 2000 line up at Oxford Street. The latest development for World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, attracted a shocking 2000 people to its Oxford Street launch – more than turned out for launches like the Apple's iPhone 3G or PlayStation 3.

World of Warcraft is one of the most played games on earth with in excess of 10 million active accounts – paying a monthly fee for entrée to the virtual world of Azeroth.
Although a whole wealth of competitors have sprung up including key names in the same fantasy arena that Warcraft uses – including Warhammer, Lord of the Rings and Age of Conan – it is Blizzard's game that has completely dominated the MMO market.

The titular Lich King, brings new continent Northrend for the mass of high-end players as well as a welter of new equipment, a Death Knight class, a new trade 'inscription', siege weapons and takes the level cap from 70 to 80.

One fan said "I've been waiting for this for months – now there will be a race to discover the new items, get the best equipment, hit the new level cap of 80 and become the best on the server; at least until the next expansion arrives!"

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MIMO 7-inch USB displays..
12th November, 2008

Nanovision’s compact 7-inch MIMO LCD displays, which use Display Link technology to connect to your PC via USB, It seemed as a pleasure limited to the Korean market. SlashGear have been talking with the company and we can exclusively tell you that the Nanovision MIMO UM-710 and UM-730 are both headed to the US, UK, Italy and Japan.

The UM-710 and UM-730 are both widescreens, running at 800 x 480, with a 400:1 contrast ratio and 350cd/m2 brightness.  Connecting via USB 2.0, they’re a plug & play way to add extra display space to your computer; the UM-730 also includes an integrated webcam, microphone and stereo speakers. What seemingly won’t be available outside of Korea is the UM-750, which has a touch screen and integrated DMB TV tuner.

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Ancient Rome in Google Earth
12th November, 2008

Google Earth has added a new advanced feature in its popular 3D map tool, giving millions of users the chance to visit a essential Ancient Rome. Google has reconstructed the city - inhabited by more than one million people as long ago as AD320.

Users get the facility to zoom around the map to visit the Forum of Julius Caesar, stand in the centre of the Colosseum or leap over the Basilica. This adds to five centuries of knowledge, said the project researches.
 
"This is another step in creating a virtual time machine," said Bernard Frischer of the University of Virginia, which worked with Google on the Roman reconstruction.
"The project is a continuation of five centuries of research by scholars, architects and artists since the Renaissance, who have attempted to restore the ruins of the ancient city with words, maps and images," he said.

Past Perfect Productions, who reconstructs archaeological and historical sites through virtual reality. Joel Myers, the firm's chief executive, said: "Cultural heritage, although based in the past, lives in the present, as it forms our identity.
"It is therefore our responsibility to ensure its conservation, to nourish it and make it accessible, with the objective of promoting global understanding. Ancient Rome in 3D is a major step towards this goal," he added.

Ancient Rome is the first historical city to be added to Google Earth. Google's blog said the model contains more than 6,700 buildings, with more than 250 place marks linking to key sites in a variety of languages.
"Whether you are a student taking your first ancient history class, a historian who spends your life researching ancient civilisations, or just a history buff, access to this 3D model in Google Earth will help everyone learn more about ancient Rome," said Bruce

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