The chip set Via released this week is the first designed to pair the Pentium 4 with a new high-speed memory technology called double-data-rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), rather than Rambus DRAM. According to Intel, Rambus offers the best performance. However, critics say the technology is too expensive and that DDR, the next generation of SDRAM, offers competitive performance for about half the cost.

[Comment on SharkyForums]

(Product Announcement) Canon U.S.A., Inc. has introduced its most advanced product to date: the new Canon PowerShot G2, the company's first 4-megapixel model. The Canon PowerShot G2 Kit will be available through authorized Canon dealers in September at a suggested list price of $999. Virtually every other feature of the Canon PowerShot G2 has been improved relative to the G1.

The list of new or improved functions includes: higher resolution, better image quality, faster signal processing, lower power consumption, more focusing points, improved manual focusing, faster continuous shooting, more shooting modes and metering patterns, additional playback options and accessory compatibility, and direct print capabilities with the Canon CP-10 printer. These are amazing accomplishments considering that the new camera enters the market at the same price as its predecessor did last October.
[Comment on SharkyForums]

(Reuters) Chipmaker Fujitsu Ltd. will slash its worldwide workforce by 15,000, or nearly 10 percent, and close some overseas plants in response to the high-tech slump, a newspaper said on Sunday. Details of the sweeping restructuring, which had been flagged by Japan's biggest flash memory chip maker, would be announced on Monday, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun business daily said without citing sources.
[Comment on SharkyForums]

According to The NY Times, Dell Computer lost $101 million in the second quarter of its fiscal year, largely because of charges related to job cuts and other expenses. Dell Computer lost $101 million in the second quarter of its fiscal year, largely because of charges related to job cuts and other expenses.
[Comment on SharkyForums]

Here are are some links to recent hardware-related reviews and articles online today. News of your site's features can be directed to news@sharkyextreme.com.

Digit-Life has posted a new VIA Apollo KT266 based Mainboards Roundup:
"So, we have only to make a choice of a chipset. Today we will look what the VIA KT266 based boards are capable of and what they will get with the release of new revisions and BIOS."

Hardware Unlimited has posted a review of the Abit ST6-RAID, a Tualatin Pentium III-Ready motherboard. (Score: 8.5/10)
"The most important feature of the board is its support for the Tualatin Pentium III processor over the old ST6 board and its use of the Intel 815 B-Step (815EP) chipset."

GotApex? has posted a review of the GAINWARD GeForce3 PowerPack!!! VIVO Golden Sample Display Adapter:
"The GAINWARD GeForce3 PowerPack!!! VIVO Golden Sample, is not only a mouthful to say but is also one feature rich graphics card."

Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted a review of the 16x10x40x Lite-On BURN-Proof CD-RW drive:
"BURN-Proof, as you would have read from the previous review, was developed by Sanyo to overcome the "buffer under-run" error that plagues most CD-RW users."
[Comment on SharkyForums]