Hardcore Computer bringing oil submersion cooling to the masses

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/427483847/

Filed under: Desktops

Dousing your gaming rig in oil is a technique we've seen from custom shops before, but not quite like the offerings from Minnesota-based start-up Hardcore Computer. Its Reactor line of submerged gaming rigs, shipping to real, live customers in about a month, use custom enclosures to dunk everything from the CPU to the SSDs in a blue-dyed, non-conductive concoction that we hope is mineral oil (it doesn't break down and go rancid like canola). A pump circulates the liquid through a side-mounted radiator for cooling while all the wet components slide out of the top for potentially mess-free maintenance. You can get your choice of Core 2 Extreme processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and even three GeForce GTX 280 GPUs stacked right on top of each other if you have the bank. Prices start at about $4,500, which isn't as bad for a crazy setup like this, with a well-spec'd, triple-SLI machine coming in just under $10k. We'd certainly call that hardcore -- despite the gushy center.

Update: It looks like Maximum PC spent some time soaking in this one and posted some early impressions and a bunch more pics. As it turns out the goo inside isn't blue after all; it's just lit-up that way.

[Thanks, Havok and Jamie]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Google opens the floodgates, open-sources Android

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/427551927/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Making good on a promise it made at the very beginning, Google has today announced that the source code underpinning its Android platform for mobile devices is available for free to anyone who wants a crack at it. The code is being provided through the newly-announced Android Open Source Project, which will give the public at large the opportunity to make contributions to the platform's all-important core -- a first for a mobile operating system with true mass-market appeal. Theoretically, the move should position Android to benefit from a fairly democratic, speedy evolution, and it'll also give anyone with a few spare chips lying around the chance to build a smartphone of their own without shelling out a dime in licensing fees. We're really looking forward to seeing Android pop up on a whole bunch of devices for which it was never intended -- but we have to admit, in a sick, totally twisted sort of way, we're looking forward to some truly deranged individual porting Windows Mobile to the G1, too.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

AT&T's Samsung Epix now epically official

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/427656021/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

It's already been floating around for a day or two, but Samsung and AT&T have decided to go ahead and follow up their latest WinMo smartphone's release to stores with... oh, you know, some actual press material. The i907 Epix rundown goes something like this: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, AGPS with AT&T Navigator, Video Share support, 320 x 320 2.5-inch touchscreen display, and one of those crazy "optical mice" for on-screen navigation when using the touchscreen itself is just too much trouble. Get it now (or yesterday, if you were really on the ball) for $99.99 on a two-year contract.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Fuze turns up on AT&T's website, again

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/427754295/

Filed under: Cellphones

The Fuze, otherwise known as the HTC Touch Pro, first turned up briefly on AT&T's website more than a month ago only to be abruptly pulled down, but it's now finally made a reappearance, and it's apparently staying for good this time. As you might expect, however, there's not exactly anything new to be found, with AT&T's description of the device identical to the one it first put up, but if you had any doubts that the device was in fact headed to AT&T, and that it would indeed be called the Fuze, you can now safely put those to rest. Now, about that release date...

[Thanks, Steve]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

DroboApps go live, they grow up so fast

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/427754294/

Filed under: Storage

Data Robotics launched the Drobo dev program in beta back in July, and it looks like things have worked out swimmingly -- the company just officially launched the first set of DroboApps, including an iTunes server, DLNA server, BitTorrent client, and FTP server. Over 100 developers have joined the Drobo Developer Connection, and there are more than 20 apps available now -- a number Data Robotics expects to grow quickly. You'll need a DroboShare NAS adapter to take advantage of the new apps, of course -- a $199 toll we'd like to see integrated into a future unit. We'll see how it goes, though -- we see a lot of potential in this sort of NAS / server hybrid.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...