Kemarin AMD berulang-tahun ke-40. Seakan-akan untuk memperingati usianya itu, sebuah prosesor grafis ATI Radeon HD 4770 baru pun diluncurkan. Produk ini ditujukan pada pasar desktop PC.
ATI Radeon HD 4770 ini istimewa karena memanfaatkan proses manufaktur paling canggih saat ini, 40 nanometer. Teknologi memori-nya terbaru, yakni GDDR5, yang memberikan tingkatan data lebih tinggi untuk performa game yang lebih cepat, termasuk dukungan hardware generasi ketiga untuk game-game DirectX 10.1, seperti Battleforge, HAWX, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky dan Stormrise.
Berkat teknologi Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) generasi kedua dari AMD, penggunanya dapat menikmati video playback secara smooth, gambar-gambar yang jernih, warna-warna yang tajam untuk semua konten HD, termasuk dari Blu-ray disc. Sementara dukungan untuk HDMI, picture-in-picture (PiP) dan teknologi-teknologi audio HD terbaru, seperti 7.1 surround sound, menjadikan penggunanya dapat menikmati pengalaman hiburan dengan kualitas sinema nan impresif di rumah.
Diklaim sebagai berkinerja terbaik dan paling efisien energi listrik di kelasnya, prosesor grafis ini dibandrol dengan harga kurang dari US$ 109. Salah satu yang sudah menerapkannya adalah MSI.
wiek
Friday, 1 May 2009
Genap 40 th, AMD Luncurkan Graphic Card Desktop 40 nm pertama
Five Things You Need to Know to Successfully Sell Your Art Online
The Internet has become an indispensable tool for artists. With the click of a button, art enthusiasts around the world can view your artwork. But before you begin posting your images on the web, there are five important things you should know. The following is a guide to effectively selling your art online.
1. Where to Exhibit – There are thousands of online galleries, so how do you decide which ones are best? Do your research. You need to find out how much they charge in fees or commission, what services they offer, if the gallery is curated, what type of marketing efforts they participate in, and most importantly, how much art they sell. Some of these questions can probably be answered right on the gallery’s website, while others will require a phone call or email. Their contact information should be easily visible on the site. If not, that should raise a red flag. By contacting them, you are also testing their customer service. See how knowledgeable they are on the phone, or send them an email and see how quickly they respond. Overall, you want to determine that they are working hard to promote the art they display, and not just making money off of signup fees and advertisements on the site.
2. Approaching a Gallery – When you are ready to put your art on a site, there are two things you need: great images of your work and an artist’s statement. Most online galleries are not curated, which means that anyone with a paintbrush and money to cover the signup fees can post their art. Be cautious of these sites. Instead, you want to apply to a gallery that has reputable curators who oversee the quality and direction. This is where great images and a statement are crucial; they represent everything about you and your art, and make it much easier for the gallery to see what you do. Once accepted to the gallery, these things will also be important for customers, who will be able to see your art clearly and understand it. As a result, they will be more likely to make a purchase.
3. Professionalism – Throughout this whole process, professionalism is key. You must respond promptly to emails and phone calls, do what you say you are going to do, and be conscious of small things like typos in your artist’s statement. Above all, you need to know your work. If you are a photographer, than you need to be an expert about everything related to your camera and prints. Are these pieces in a limited or unlimited edition? How many prints in the edition? Signed and numbered? To truly be a successful photographer or painter or anything else, you have to know your trade. Professionalism will show your gallery and customers that you are a serious artist worth their representation and money.
4. Pricing – Pricing your art can be one of the most difficult aspects of being an artist. Your prices should be based on the size, medium, and complexity of the piece, and your sales and exhibition history. If the only work you have sold has been to your family, or you have never sold anything, you need to start low. It may be less than you want in the beginning, but that is how you work your way up. If you throw a $10,000 dollar price tag on your first painting for sale, it’s probably never going to sell. Start with a couple hundred dollars and if the first pieces sell quickly you can raise your prices a bit; a ten to 15 percent raise is considered standard gallery practice. One important thing to remember is that you should almost never discount your art if it’s not selling. It makes collectors very unhappy, and it can devalue your whole portfolio. If someone buys a piece from you for $1,000, and then later you lower the price of a comparable piece to $500 because it isn’t selling, in effect you’ve just decreased the value of the first piece to $500 as well. Galleries and buyers will catch onto this and keep away; no one wants to put their money into a risky investment. Start low, be patient, and the right buyer will comes along.
5. Personal Websites and eBay – We’ve talked about online galleries, but what about creating a personal website? Selling your art on a personal site is difficult. The reason you pay signup fees or a commission to an online gallery is to handle things like building an e-commerce site, pursue marketing opportunities, and fostering relationships with customers. Having the time and resources to do this yourself is rare. eBay is even more dicey than a personal site. Although the customer base is there, it is somewhat of a black eye to the art world. Forgers go there en masse to offload knockoff paintings. Beyond that, you are probably not going to build a proper sales history that you can take to a physical gallery selling your art this way, which should be your goal.
Do your research, find a gallery that works hard for you, be professional and realistic, and your chances of being successful will increase infinitely. Once you build a sales history online, it will be that much easier to approach physical galleries. And the best part is, you can use these same five points.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Toshiba NB200, Mini Notebook dengan Perlindungan Harddisk
Dari pandangan pertama, mini notebook Toshiba yang berseri NB200 ini memang sudah menggoda. Casingnya cantik dan halus dengan warna coklat bercorak yang disebut satin brown. Ketika dibuka, terlihatlah pesona lainnya. Lihat engselnya yang bersepuh krom mengilat dengan tombol power besar yang menyala terang di bagian tengah panel tersebut.
Perhatikan juga betapa tombol-tombol pada keyboard-nya berukuran besar dan menonjol dengan jarak antar tombol yang cukup lebar. “Keyboard-nya raised tiled, full-sized dan ergonomis,” kata Melvin dari Toshiba Singapore saat memperkenalkan mini notebook Toshiba NB200 di Jakarta (29/4).
Touchpad-nya pun lebar. Bobot NB200 pun ringan. “Sekitar 1,18kg,” ujar Melvin. Pendek kata dalam pandangan pertama, NB200 yang berlayar 10,1” dengan resolusi 1024x600 ini sungguh memikat.
Selain fisik yang cantik, ada fitur lain yang juga unggul pada mini notebook-nya – begitu sebutan Toshiba untuk produk yang jamak dipanggil netbook itu. Ini adalah perlindungan terhadap harddisk yang dapat menyerap guncangan, alias shock absorber. Jika sistem merasakan guncangan/benturan, 3D acceleratometer monitoring system akan langsung menyingkirkan kepala harddisk dari piringan harddisk yang sedang berputar. Ini agar data pada harddisk tidak hilang atau rusak.
Proteksi harddisk seperti ini masih jarang ditemui pada produk mini notebook. Menurut Gunawan Nugroho (President Director, PT Techking Enterprises Indonesia), proteksi harddisk tersebut hanya ada pada mini notebook NB200 dan beberapa model notebook Toshiba lain. Cuma akibatnya, pemiliknya tidak bisa sebarang meng-upgrade harddisk yang terpasang. Untungnya kapasitas harddisk pada NB200 cukup leluasa, 160GB.
Agak berbeda dengan produk yang sudah ada di pasaran, Toshiba NB200 menggunakan prosesor Intel Atom N280 1,66GHz dengan chipset grafis Intel 945GSE. Namun fasilitas dan kelengkapan lainnya tidak jauh berbeda dengan produk sejenis yang sudah beredar: Webcam, 3 port USB, port VGA, 2-in-1 media slot, RAM 1GB (bisa di-upgrade sampai 2GB), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, port WLAN, Bluetooth 2.1 dengan EDR, dengan sistem operasi Windows XP Home.
Yang istimewa, salah satu port USB-nya merupakan port combo eSATA/USB dengan fungsi Sleep and Charge. “Jadi bisa dipakai untuk men-charge iPod misalnya, walaupun NB200 dalam kondisi mati,” terang Gunawan.
Bagaimana dengan daya tahan batere? NB200 datang standar dengan batere Li-Ion 3-cell, yang oleh Wong Wai Meng (Senior Product Marketing Manager, Toshiba Computer System Division) disebutkan sanggup bertahan sampai 4 jam. “Tergantung aplikasinya,” tambahnya. Selain itu tersedia opsi batere 6-cell berkapasitas lebih besar yang diklaim mampu bertahan sampai 9 jam. Agak disayangkan bahwa batere tersebut akan menonjol keluar dari casing.
Yang agak mengagetkan, harga mini notebook Toshiba NB200 ini tidaklah terlalu mahal. “Rp 5,99 juta. Kalau beli sebelum tanggal 15 Mei ada cashback Rp 400 ribu,” kata Gunawan yang berharap bisa menjual sekitar 20% dari pasar mini notebook yang ada di Indonesia.
Agar lebih nyaman dipakai, Toshiba juga menyediakan berbagai asesori untuk NB200. Ini dimulai dari sarung yang terbuat dari bahan kulit (executive koskin slipcase), mouse rectractable, DVD supermulti drive, USB mini-hub, sampai harddisk eksternal.
Wiwiek Juwono
Aplikasi Penyembunyi Foto di Ponsel Java
Jika Anda punya ponsel, apa pun mereknya, yang mendukung aplikasi Java dan suka menyimpan informasi dan data di sana, tetapi tidak ingin orang lain bisa melihatnya, rahasiakanlah dengan salah satu dari aplikasi Java di bawah ini. Yang perlu diingat, ada aplikasi yang hanya cocok untuk ponsel Java tipe tertentu. Karena itu, lebih baik jika coba dulu satu per satu dan pilih yang lebih sesuai dengan karakter ponsel Anda.
Ingat, aplikasi bertipe Demo hanya bisa dipakai secara penuh dengan kode aktivasi dan membayar harga tertentu. Sementara itu aplikasi berjenis Freeware tentu saja benar-benar gratis. Namun tampilan dan kelengkapan fiturnya tidak selengkap yang versi Demo.
Infoo Hide
Aplikasi kecil untuk menyimpan password e-mail, nomor rekening bank dan pin, dan data data penting lainnya.
Ukuran: 11,71Kb
Jenis: Gratis
Lokasi unduh: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/33630/InfooHide.jar
Infoo Hide Pro
Menyembunyikan informasi rahasia dari pihak lain, praktis dan sangat aman dengan enkripsi. Data penting seperti password Yahoo Messenger, Gmail , Hotmail , Opera Mini Web browser, Nimbuzz , eBuddy Messenger , MajiPlayer , mig33 , Skype , ICQ , kode Bluetooth dan catatan rahasia pribadi.
Ukuran: 10,7Kb
Jenis: Freeware
Download: http://download12.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/39348/InfooHidePro.jar
Q-FileHide
Menyembunyikan gambar, video atau file lain di ponsel. Q-FileHide diproteksi oleh password sehingga hanya pemiliknya yang bisa menyembunyikan (hide) atau memunculkan (unhide) file-file penting. Kode aktivasi bisa didapat di http://www.q-stuff.com/code.php
Ukuran: 35,15Kb
Jenis: Demo
Download: http://q-stuff.com/Q-FileHide.jar
SafeStore
SafeStore merupakan pengelola password dan dompet elektronik di ponsel Java. Anda bisa menggunakan SafeStore untuk menyimpan data pribadi seperti Rekening Bank, Credit Card, Membership, General Details, Catatan, Password dan Website. Jadi, Anda hanya perlu mengingat satu password untuk mengakses ke semua informasi pribadi.
Ukuran: 202,73Kb
Jenis: Demo
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/39182/SafeStoreGold.jar
Stealth
Stealth V1.0 bisa menyembunyikan gambar dan video pada Memory StickDuo, pada ponsel satu seri dengan Sony Ericsson k750i.
Ukuran: 39,73Kb
Jenis: Freeware
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/10705/Stealth.jar
The Mesiah v2.0
Cocok untuk menyembunyikan gambar dan video dalam semua format. Dengan teknologi yang disebut VooDoo(TM), aplikasi ini hanya bekerja di ponsel Sony Ericsson. Foto-foto dan video bisa dibuat tak terlihat. Satu-satunya cara untuk mengembalikan file adalah menghubungkan ke komputer dan mengembalikan nama folder ke nama awal.
Ukuran: 27,46Kb
Jenis: Freeware
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/24236/TheMessiah2.jar
File Hide
Memproteksi file dengan membuatnya tersembunyi. Saat pertama kali, masukkan dan verifikasi password, baru jalankan program. Tekan tombol Go pada file yang ingin Anda munculkan atau sembunyikan. Pada bagian 'Show Status of files' lebih baik dibiarkan pada pilihan No. Jika dipilih Yes, Anda bisa melihat status file terbaru, dan harus sering mengakses untuk sebagai respon untuk permintaan akses ke file. File JAR tidak bisa di-install di ponsel tertentu, hal tersebut adalah masalah sertifikat digital.
Ukuran: 11,19Kb
Jenis: Freeware
Download: http://download12.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/28093/FileHide.jar
File Lock
File Lock bisa mengunci sebuah folder, tak hanya file. Sebagai informasi, pada sebagian ponsel Nokia, sebelumnya Anda harus mengatur ijin akses:"Read user data" & "Write user data" ke "Always" atau "Always ask". Jika tidak, Anda akan mendapatkan pesan:"Access denied".
Ukuran: 10,33Kb
Jenis:Freeware
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/7531/FileLock.jar
Ultra File Manager
Bisa menyembunyikan file dan gambar-gambar di ponsel Java dengan mudah
Ukuran: 9,95Kb
Jenis: Freeware
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/39842/UltraFileManager.jar
iLock 3.0
iLock 3.0 bisa dipakai di ponsel Nokia N-Series, Sony Ericsson dan Motorola. Gambar bisa dinikmati secara penuh. Tidak seperti aplikasi sejenis, iLock baru bisa dipakai setelah gambar diunduh dan disimpan di memori ponsel dengan password. iLock mendukung fungsi slide show. Untuk membuka (unlock) iLock, diperlukan kode aktivasi yang bisa dibeli seharga US$ 4,95. Vrsi Demo-nya hanya bisa menyimpan empat gambar.
Ukuran: 46,4Kb
Jenis: Demo
Download: http://download11.getjar.com/downloads/web/pub/17551/ilock.jar
The Benefits of Stock Animation. . .
Does your company need help with an animation project?
Stock animation can help. Stock animation is used primarily on
the web and on TV. They are used to present information, to
entertain and to keep the viewer interested in what is
happening. They are used across many industries from news
organizations to engineering firms. Because of the great need
for animations many companies have begun to sell stock animation
to help streamline the creative process.
Most animation projects are time intensive and require a lot of
creative thought and energy. Stock animation help reduce the
time, thought and energy that is needed for a project. Stock
animation is often used as a starting place for the animator.
The animator will then build on the animation to get the desired
result. Stock animation is also used as a background for other
creative elements. Suppose that you want to make your own DVD.
Do you have the skills to make a quality animation for the
background? If not you could use a stock animation to help make
your DVD look like it was professionally done. Stock animations
can be used as backgrounds to make on screen text more
interesting. News companies use this all of the time to make
plain text more interesting.
Formats
Stock animation comes in several different formats. Each
format is suited for a different purpose.
Animated Gifs
Gif stands for graphics interchange format. These are the small
and often annoying animations that you see on web pages. You can
find thousands of stock animations in this format for free
download on the internet. The quality of these animations is
usually very poor as they were designed to be compact for use on
the internet. Generally you should stay away from this type of
animation, except for a very few cases, as they often annoy the
user.
Flash animation
Flash animation is the most versatile of all the formats
as they can easily be converted for use on TV or DVD. Flash uses
vector graphics which means it stores most of the information
about the animation as a mathematical formula instead of pixel
by pixel, frame by frame. This is useful because it can be
scaled easily to fit any size that is needed. Stock animation
for Flash is harder to find and will usually cost money.
However, they can save a lot of time.
Composite animation
Composite animations are created by combining several
different animated elements together to create the finished
product. These animations tend to be very high quality and very
visually appealing. They are often used for TV because of their
high quality. You will almost always pay a premium price for
these animations. But, you will get what you paid for. Composite
stock animation can give your project a very professional and
creative look very quickly.
Each stock animation format has its use. The type of project
will determine the best type of stock animation. If used wisely,
stock animation will save time and energy. Stock animation will
also give your projects the professional look that you want.
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Windows 7 to have an 'XP mode'
Microsoft is trying to make it easier to sway users of Windows XP onto the latest version of its operating system.
For some time now, the company has been quietly building a "Windows XP mode" that uses virtualization to allow Windows 7 to easily run applications designed for Windows XP. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix.
By adding the compatibility mode, Microsoft is aiming to address one of the key shortcomings of Windows Vista: its compatibility issues with software designed for Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.
Details of the Windows XP mode, previously known as Virtual Windows XP, were first published earlier Friday by the Windows SuperSite blog.
The technology has not been part of the beta version of Windows 7 or previously disclosed by Microsoft, but is expected to be released alongside the upcoming release candidate version. Microsoft said on Friday that it will release it to developers next week and publicly starting May 5.
According to the SuperSite report, written by bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera, the XP mode won't come in the box with Windows 7, but will be made available as a free download for those who buy the professional, enterprise, or "ultimate" versions of Windows 7. The site also has some screenshots of the mode in action.
There had been rumors of a secret user interface, but until Friday, no mention of the XP mode.
Update: Late on Friday, Microsoft confirmed XP Mode in a blog posting.
"Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7," Microsoft's Scott Woodgate said in the blog. "Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC."
According to the post, "all you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7."
Microsoft said it "will be soon releasing the beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate."
Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried
Microsoft Revenue takes a tumble
As analysts predicted it might, Microsoft on Thursday reported the company's first ever year-over-year sales decline for the quarter ended March 31.
The software maker said fiscal third-quarter sales totaled $13.65 billion, down 6 percent compared with $14.45 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Its per-share earnings were 33 cents per share, although that included severance and investment impairment charges that reduced earnings by 6 cents per share.
Analysts had been projecting sales of $14.15 billion and per-share earnings of 39 cents, down from 47 cents a year ago, according to Reuters Estimates.
Microsoft had said in January that the crystal ball for the company was cloudy and at the time announced its first companywide layoffs, with plans to chop 5,000 jobs over an 18-month period.
"While market conditions remained weak during the quarter, I was pleased with the organization's ability to offset revenue pressures with the swift implementation of cost-savings initiatives," Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said in a statement.
The company noted that software sales to large businesses were stable during the quarter, but that weakness in server and PC sales hit its Windows, server and Office units.
Whereas Intel and EMC have been somewhat optimistic that things may have reached bottom last quarter, Microsoft's comments were less hopeful.
"We expect the weakness to continue through at least the next quarter," Liddell said.
The company didn't have much to say on several closely watched topics. The company did not give a specific sales or earnings outlook for the coming quarter, instead only noting what it expects as far as its operating expenses.
As for Windows 7, Microsoft just noted that it "remains on track for a fiscal year 2010 launch." That's even less specific than its usual comment, which is that it should ship within three years from general availability of Windows Vista, meaning by January. The software maker has been pushing to have Windows 7 out in time to be on PCs by this year's holiday season, with recent indications that the company is still aiming for that goal.
Shares closed Thursday at $18.92, up 14 cents. In after-hours trading, investors sent Microsoft shares higher. The stock was trading recently at $19.85, up 93 cents, or nearly 5 percent.
The PowerPoint slides that Microsoft put out to accompany its earnings report offered a few more nuggets. The company saw its online advertising revenue decline 16 percent, causing that unit to fall below what analysts were expecting.
PC unit sales were down 7 percent to 9 percent during the quarter, but the industry's revenue dropped more than that as Netbooks continued to make up a larger slice of sales--a trend that hurts both the PC makers and Microsoft. Microsoft sold 1.7 million Xbox 360s during the quarter, up 30 percent from a year ago and helping push that unit back into the red.
Here's a look at how each of Microsoft's individual units did during the quarter, in terms of both revenue and operating income.
