hardware

Last fall the Internet was abuzz about Apple's apparent iPhone redesign for what eventually became the iPhone 4S. Much to the dismay of the media and some louder consumers, the iPhone 4S retained the same design profile as the previous-generation iPhone 4.

At the time, the redesign was expected to feature a teardrop back casing, a bigger screen and, among other things, an ovular home button. If the shape of the home button is any indication of a complete redesign, the latest part leak from Chinese supplier TVC-Mall.com (via Apple Bitch) may not win over many of the … Read more

Google Chrome 18 brings two methods of improved graphics support to both newer and older computers. Released today, Google Chrome 18 stable for Windows (download), Mac (download), Linux (download), and Chrome Frame improves both WebGL and Canvas2D.

To help along WebGL in Chrome on older Windows and Mac computers, it now gets a boost from a software rasterizer called SwiftShader, licensed from TransGaming. SwiftShader only works when Chrome's baked-in graphics processor acceleration doesn't run, and in the blog post announcing the update, Google said that it sought out this third-party solution so that "more users will have … Read more

Opera ports its WebGL hardware acceleration from Opera Mobile to the Android version of Opera Mini 7, which first debuted last month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Opera Mini 7 for Android (download) improves the lightweight browser's compressed browsing feature called Turbo with hardware acceleration, and expands the Speed Dial landing page beyond nine Web sites.

It does not include the new home screen that is coming to Opera Mini 7 for feature phones, which will bring interactive social-networking to people who have those lower-powered phones.

Phillip Gronvold, Opera's product manager for mobile, told CNET before … Read more

Adding more RAM to your Mac is one of the easiest ways to increase the capability of the system. In addition, at around $40 for an 8GB upgrade these days, it is quite cheap to do so.

By upgrading to at least 4GB or preferably 8GB, you can see a notable decrease in load times for programs and files, especially when you already have a number of applications open. You may also notice a reduction in slowdowns and the presence of the spinning color wheel, both of which largely happen when applications have to wait for the system to manage … Read more

If you were one of the millions following along today (hopefully on CNET's Live Blog) as Apple released its latest iteration of the iPad and have now decided you must buy it, be sure to add AppleCare+ to your order (pricing has not yet been made available).

First, everyone should know what sort of coverage is offered with every new iPad purchase. For included coverage, Apple shows that it truly believes in its products. Your new iPad will get one year of hardware coverage against manufacturer defects and malfunctions. That means, if your hard drive dies, some of your … Read more

The newly-minted Chrome 18 beta expands the scope of hardware acceleration in the browser to older computers, but it's still not available to all. Meanwhile, Chrome 19 dev goes bleeding edge with JavaScript.

Released today, Google Chrome 18 beta for Windows, Mac, and Chrome Frame improves 2D Canvas support and introduces a software rasterizer. The new features are not yet available on Chrome 18 beta for Linux.

Basically, this means that games and animations based in the HTML5 Canvas tag ought to run faster and appear smoother. Google noted in its blog post announcing the changes that this was … Read more

System information utilities are freeware favorites around here, with multiple PCs to monitor. Hardware Freak is a new one to us, but it's a lot like the others, extracting and displaying a lot of useful information about your computer and software in a centralized, easy-to-use interface. Also like the others, it's portable freeware, which makes it a useful addition to your USB drive's portable toolkit.

While system info tools tend to display the same data, that's what they're supposed to do. Where they differ greatly is in layout and look, and Hardware Freak's Main … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--The Macworld expo isn't what it once was, but you wouldn't know it from the excitement of both vendors and Mac faithful attending this year's show.

The show started today at Moscone Center West here, and though Macworld no longer attracts the big crowds and big-name vendors it once did, I saw plenty of enthusiastic vendors and showgoers checking out the latest wares for Mac and other Apple products.… Read more

Microsoft has issued a set of guidelines for hardware certification on Windows 8 tablets--a policy it applies to all new operating systems.

While there aren't a lot of surprises (see charts below), Microsoft does specifically address a "convertible" design, which is expected to become popular on both Intel- and ARM-based devices.

Convertible: "A convertible form factor is defined as a standalone device that combines the PC, display and rechargeable power source with a mechanically attached keyboard and pointing device in a single chassis. A convertible can be transformed into a tablet where the attached input devices … Read more