Daily News Brief: Intel Demos Nehalem

Intel Nehalem Demoed

TweakTown had a chance to sit with Intel at Computex and preview the chip maker's upcoming Nehalem processor, noting the "responsiveness was amazing." Not surprising, considering the demo system boasted a pair of 80GB SATA-II SSD drives in a RAID 0 configuration. Intel didn't disclose what clockspeed the Nehalem chip was running at, but rumblings suggest it may have been chugging along at 3.2GHz. Catch the full story and accompanying YouTube video here.

Comcast to Test Net Neutrality

Yesterday we reported on Time Warner Cable's decision to test internet metering and mused how long it would be until Comcast follows suit. Answer: Not long. Comcast said it will begin testing a "protocol agnostic" approach to managing bandwidth traffic during high-peak periods. The 30- day tests are expected to begin Thursday in select markets. More here.

XP to Stick Around

Microsoft may be gearing up to pull Windows XP from the mainstream market at the end of June, but low cost notebooks won't be the only PCs sporting the familiar OS. Instead, the software maker announced at Computex Taipei 2008 that it would make XP home available to low- cost desktop systems too, which they call "nettops." The decision to extend XP's availability is a result of Vista's requirements for performance, which cannot be made available on entry-level systems.

ExpressCard Standerd 2.0 Gets a Release Date

PCMCIA announced at CeBIT plans to update the ExpressCard Standard from release 1.2 to 2.0 in order to accommodate faster speeds, and according to Engadget, the update is on track for a "second-half 2008 / early 2009" delivery. Engadget said the new spec will comply with PCI-Express 2.0 and SuperSpeed USB, which is planned for a release later this year as part of the USB 3.0 specification.

Get Behind the Scenes with Qore

Come this Thursday, Sony will unveil its Qore program, a subscription service that promises gamers a sneak peek at what's going on with the platform, with developers of PlayStation titles, and with games. Available through the PlayStation store, viewers will be charged $2.99 per 'episode' or they can purchase a $24.99 annual subscription. The interactive service will give viewers the ability to control camera angles, but will it be enough to warrant a fee? Read more here and post your thoughts below.

AMD Sees Future in External Notebook Graphics

The 3D revolution began years ago for the desktop, and now its time for notebooks to change the way 3D graphics are handled. Exactly one week ago Asus announced the launch of their ROG XG Station, but they're not the only ones thinking outside the box laptop. AMD today announced its ATI XGP (External Graphics Platform), a new external PCI-E 2.0 graphics platform poised to bring high end graphics to any notebook equipped with an external PCI-E 2.0 connector. Read more here.