How many times can a company get fined millions of dollars for acting illegally – yet still carry on with the same kind of practices? When it comes to LCD panels, there doesn't seem to be a limit. KitGuru gets word that the Chinese government themselves are now fining the …
Read More »Kids drug parents to access internet
Child therapists say that rebellion is a healthy and natural part of growing up, but just how far is healthy and when would rebellion become a problem? KitGuru ponders the nature of ‘too far' while researching the actions of a 16-year old girl in the USA, who tried to bypass an internet …
Read More »One operating system to rule them all?
For years, everyone who tried Windows on a phone would complain that Microsoft were idiots – and that you could not move a clunky/chunky Windows OS onto a handset. Now Microsoft, ever popular chaps that they seem to be, are getting battered for putting the mobile interface onto a desktop. …
Read More »Channel confirms new iPad announcement next week
Many people missed the iPad 4 launch. While it was clear to KitGuru, back at the start of September, that Apple was going to run foul of UK Trading Standards law with accessories – we knew that the solution was a new iPad. However, with all the Mini iPad hype, …
Read More »UK mobile networks stretched by Happy New Year
As Big Ben struck midnight and 2013 began, a huge wave of personal messages swept through the UK's mobile networks. And yet, the networks survived. That's some serious infrastructure. KitGuru pulls out the TallyMan Pro and does some counting. We've all had issues with mobile networks. The most common happens …
Read More »Virgin stores still deserted – new venture doomed?
Back in January 1971, Richard Branson opened his first Virgin Records store at 24 Oxford Street, the ‘cheap end' as Dickie put it. Until March 1992, when he sold out to Thorn EMI for $1 Billion, his business was a huge success. Virgin's attempts to sell phones on the high …
Read More »IBM pushes forward with liquid cooling for 2013
As a youngster, you loved Black Sabbath, AC/DC and The Avengers. But , somehow, the whole world was 30 years behind you. Now, as we enter 2013, the overall market demand for classic rock bands and Marvell Comics seems to know no limits. According to IBM, you've been right about …
Read More »Mayans right – It’s the End of the World (of Warcraft)
You know that an issue is ‘in play' by the number of people who complain. With a local shop, that might mean one or two folks at the counter describing how their favourite magazine is not on the shelf. For Blizzard, things can go wrong on a much bigger scale. …
Read More »OCZ dives deep to offer 240GB Vertex at £89
It's a bit like tasting porridge. For a desktop user, 60GB is not right and even though a 120GB boot drive can give you joy – it's not quite perfect. The size that makes you lick the bowl clean and head upstairs to test the beds is definitely 240GB. OCZ …
Read More »Acid test for Byrne-effect as AMD prepares Q4 results
As the Dragon's Den is always telling us, life is all about revenue. Sure, profit is important, but you can always adjust your cost base to suit a particular business model and, thereby, improve your bottom line. But that only works once you have the revenue. On that basis, you …
Read More »3D liquid crystals set to revolutionise monitor technology
Scientists at the University if Colorado have successfully created a system whereby particles can be injected into liquid crystal – bringing order to chaos – and opening up the possibility of a revolutionary new kind of screen within the decade. That's now been explained and augmented by a clever maths …
Read More »Aria cuts prices to tempt even more spending
While the UK is still looking forward to the credit card bills that will accompany a record breaking Boxing Day push of £2.6 billion, online retailers are not giving up hope that us consumers will consider one last wafer-thin-mint. KitGuru says ‘Better. Better get a bucket'. Shakespeare wrote of Cleopatra, …
Read More »AMD and Altera shareholders pondering 2013 merger?
Looking at all of the markets in which it wants to compete, it's hard to see AMD making a success of 2013 without a serious merger or acquisition. KitGuru reads the financials (and tea leafs) to see what might be brewing over in Austin. While AMD has a big brand …
Read More »Asus delivers supreme efficiency in a supercomputer
While it might not be so unusual for Asus to help deliver a computer that comes in at 52 on the list of the world's most powerful supercomputers, the same machine hits the top of the Green500 list for energy-efficient systems – which is interesting. KitGuru follows up on the …
Read More »Intel/AMD nowhere to be seen as Acer/Asus ramp up tablets
It's not often that a company can say that they made an entire class of products viable, single handedly. IBM did it with the PC, Apple with the tablet and Asus with the netbook. Sometimes the new class is defined by features and functionality (as is the case with the …
Read More »Shocking profits behind TV stands and accessories
Across the globe, the major TV producers are on their collective knees. Nope, they're not searching for a remote control under the sofa, they're looking for any way to turn a profit – before they go out of business. With companies like Sony experiencing a share price drop that would …
Read More »Santa science checked against the KitGuru slide rule
We think it normal to make instant contact with a huge number of people across the globe, but just how does the jolly fat fellow in the red suit pull it off? KitGuru searches the web on Xmas Day so you don't have to. The numbers are as big as …
Read More »KitGuru Faithful Vs The Dust Bunnies
How many of us will buy (or be bought) some living room tech this year? While the boxes promise a better future, with features, advantages and benefits you never dreamed of – there will be pain. Unavoidable pain. KitGuru dons a HazMat suit and heads for the far corner of …
Read More »McAfee on drugs? Customers shafted for Xmas
When we see the headline ‘McAfee on drugs', it's natural to assume that it relates to the security company's founder – who seems to have picked up a talent for production in the meth lab now that his creation is well and truly in the clutches of Intel. But we're …
Read More »Cyberdog delivers last minute tech shopping options
Anyone who's seen Fritz Lang's Metropolis will recognise the HUGE statues guarding the entrance to Cyberdog in London's Camden market. Inside, you have a store that stretches across 3 floors, with a total shopping space that must be close to a football pitch. Alongside the pounding house, you'll find a …
Read More »Luxa2 launches new range of Apple accessories
Luxa2 is the ‘executive goodies' division of Thermaltake. While the core company brand deals with chassis etc and Tt eSports handles the pro-gamers kit, Luxa2 focuses on all things Apple. KitGuru checks the latest offers to see if they are really golden and delicious. Hot on the heels of its …
Read More »Virgin takes over T-Mobile but customers not attracted
After years of plying its wares as the poor cousin to O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3 and Orange – it seems that Virgin will finally make a grab for the high street. But can it overcome the huge competition from the carriers' stores – at the same time as it tries …
Read More »Anyone remember T1? Adobe helps us remember
No, it has nothing to do with Arnie and the search for John Conner. Back in the day, T1 lines were the stuff of legend, with so much bandwidth that you'd be running an enterprise and a half on the throughput. But how does it stack up today? KitGuru downloads …
Read More »Isle of Sark aims to lead the digital revolution
The Fortune 500 list of companies requires you to be turning over more than $12 Billion to even be considered for inclusion. To give you a sense of scale, the biggest component company in our industry is Asus – and they only JUST satisfy that criteria. So what can an …
Read More »Will fat melting pants stand up to scientific lab testing?
As an organisation whose entire business has been built on the quality of its independent reviews, KitGuru has a general interest in all things lab-related. So when we heard about an Australian company's fat-busting trouser system, we were intrigued to know more. KitGuru rolls slightly sideways to hide the cellulite …
Read More »Dre Beats rip-offs brazenly bask in the London sun
When it comes to PCs, we've almost completely forgotten that we're actually talking about ‘compatibles' – that we don't buy the original ‘IBM PC', we actually buy something that agrees to ‘work in a similar way' and that's fine. But a Sunday morning stroll along one of the busiest markets …
Read More »Thermaltake launches Versa G1 and G2 affordable chassis
When Thermaltake launched the Elements series a few years back, reaction was mixed. Knowing that the world economy was in a bad place, the company tried to be creative at the low end of the market, with mixed results. Ironically, with so little money in the market, it was the …
Read More »Roy Taylor appointed head of AMD worldwide channel sales
In one of the world's longest detours, technology sales guru Roy Taylor will be reunited with some of his oldest friends when he takes over the worldwide channel sales role for AMD in 2013. KitGuru adds some historical context and ponders what John Byrne's decision to bring Roy inside AMD …
Read More »BBC documentary brings fresh hope to Facebook addicts
You're drawn from your early morning slumber by the repetitive beep of your alarm clock. After doing the ‘toilet and kitchen' thing, you find yourself at once relieved and energised. Where does your thought go next? For hundreds of millions of people across the planet, the next thing that happens …
Read More »12 days of Xmas offers with Aria starts 12pm today
We're seeing a lot of companies poking 2 fingers up at the poor Mayans these days – and the latest double digit salute comes from British technology specialist Aria. Taking ‘ignoring the warnings of natives' to the extreme, we're being told that the 12-12-12 campaign starts at 12pm on the …
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