AMD creates new role for John Byrne

Against a backdrop of flat revenues and job cuts, AMD is preparing a brand new structure to deal with building its business over the next three years. CEO Rory Read has created a new role and appointed John Byrne to take the lead with all of AMD�s major relationships. Read more at Kitguru.

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HTML 5 Gaming: Old Classics and Modern Titles You Can Play for Free Today

TechSpot discusses HTML5 gaming, you can read about it over here.

A lot has changed since the days when web developers relied almost exclusively on Flash for media-rich interactive content. Although the technology is still very much alive and may not see a replacement anytime soon for certain uses, more and more websites are implementing HTML5 for streaming audio and video.

On the gaming side, there are some really impressive examples that could easily rival some of the stuff that has been done on Flash over the past decade. We've compiled a small selection of old classics and modern titles built with HTML5 and other open web standards that will give you a taste of things to come.

HTML 5 Gaming: Old Classics and Modern Titles You Can Play for Free Today - More news at DV Hardware

Roccat Kulo headset gets velvet donut earpads

Roccat announced its Kulo gaming headsets will now ship with a new set of earpads:

We do have news for you: From now on the award-winning Kulo gaming headsets will be shipped with a new set of earpads � the Velvet Donut earpads. Equipped with both the popular Memory+ earpads and this new model ROCCAT� is giving gamers a new option for customization.

The new donut-shaped earpads feature an ultra-soft fabric that provides high comfort even after hours of gaming. Players who like a softer feel will prefer the Velvet Donut model. And because the new earpads don�t fit as snugly, passive ambient noise reduction is less than with the Memory+ model. In addition, the new earpads allow more air to reach the ears, which gamers in warmer countries will appreciate.

What�s more, ROCCAT� will send the new Velvet Donut earpads free of charge to any customer who bought a Kulo headset before their introduction. Customers simply have to register online at roccat.org using their ROCCAT ID number and product serial number to receive the new pads.

The ROCCAT Kulo Virtual 7.1 USB Gaming Headset offers thrilling virtual 7.1 surround sound, providing gamers with incredibly detailed audio that gives them a more immersive experience -- as well as a huge tactical advantage. The ROCCAT Kulo Stereo Gaming Headset features premium stereo sound packed into a lightweight, flexible and robust design. Both headsets deliver a combination of incredible comfort and high-end stereo headset technology.

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Older Macs incapable of running OS X Mountain Lion

Bad news for people with Macs from 2007-2008 and older because these machines will not be able to run Apple's upcoming OS X Mountain Lion operating system. Here's the full list of Mac computers that will run OS X Mountain Lion:

iMac (mid 2007 or later)

MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later), (15-inch, 2.4/2.2 GHz), (17-inch, Late 2007 or later)

MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)

Mac Mini (Early 2009 or later)

Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)

Xserve (Early 2009)

And here's a list of Macs incapable of running OS X Mountain Lion:

Late 2006 iMacs (iMac5,1, iMac5,2, iMac6,1)

All plastic MacBooks that pre-date the aluminum unibody redesign (MacBook2,1, MacBook3,1, MacBook4,1)

MacBook Pros released prior to June 2007 (MacBookPro2,1, MacBookPro2,2)

The original MacBook Air (MacBookAir1,1)

The Mid-2007 Mac mini (Macmini2,1)

The original Mac Pro and its 8-core 2007 refresh (MacPro1,1, MacPro2,1)

Late 2006 and Early 2008 Xserves (Xserve1,1, Xserve2,1)

Source: TUAW

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Microsoft Windows 8 beta arrives on February 29

Legit Reviews reports the public beta of Windows 8 is expected on February 29th:

The Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview, essentially Microsoft's beta edition, will arriving on February 29, 2012. This is great news for those that have been waiting for a newer consumer ready build. Microsoft released a developer build last year, but it wasn't ideal for consumer use or testing. Unless Microsoft is forced to make major changes based on user feedback or runs into an unforeseen issue it appears that Windows 8 final will be launching in Q4 2012.

Microsoft Windows 8 beta arrives on February 29 - More news at DV Hardware

Apple sold more iOS devices in 2011 than all Macs in past 28 years

DailyTech came across some interesting statistics from Asymco regarding Apple's product sales. Asymco calculated that Apple iOS sales (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) now total 316 million, over 2.5 times as much as all Mac computers the company sold in the past 28 years!

Asymco has offered a very interesting statistic that looks at the number of iOS devices sold versus the number of Macs sold by Apple. Macs have been on the market in various forms for 28 years. According to Asymco, Apple has sold 122 million Macs over the 28-year time span.

Since the iOS platform launched, 316 million devices running the OS had been sold by Apple. That counts iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch. One thing that isn't clear about these numbers is how exactly Asymco was able to determine the number of iPod Touches sold since that metric is bundled in with all other iPods which don't run iOS.

Asymco claims that in 2011 alone 156 million iOS devices were sold putting the number 34 million above the number of Macs sold.

Apple sold more iOS devices in 2011 than all Macs in past 28 years - More news at DV Hardware

AMD Catalyst 12.2 pre-certified driver hits the web

AMD has released a "pre-certified" Catalyst 12.2 driver. It's the first time the company describes a driver as "pre-certified", it basically means this driver hasn't received Microsoft's WHQL certification yet. The WHQL-certified driver will follow in late February or early March, but it's exactly the same as this release. You can download the driver over here.

Feature highlights of the AMD Catalyst 12.2 pre-certified driver:

Windows 7 and Windows� Vista� support for the AMD Radeon� HD 7900 Series and AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series

Enables support for Windows 7 64-bit/32-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit/32-bit

Windows XP support will be made available in AMD Catalyst 12.4

Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing is now available for DirectX� 10 and DirectX 11 applications

Supported on the AMD Radeon HD 7900 and 7700 Series

Users can now enable Super Sample Anti-Aliasing and Adaptive Anti-Aliasing through the AMD Catalyst Control Center for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications

Applications must support in game Anti-Aliasing for the feature to work (Forced on Anti-Aliasing through the Catalyst Control Center is not supported for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 applications)

AMD Eyefinity 2.1 technology enhancements

Custom resolutions � users can now choose from a much larger set of display resolutions for their AMD Eyefinity configurations

Dynamic Configuration Changes: Switching between different display configurations (when physically plugging/un-plugging displays) will occur automatically by loading the appropriate profile

HydraVision enhancements: The Windows Task bar can now be moved and resized based on users preference

Profile Manager improvements: Users can now create multiple Display profiles, enabling users to seamlessly switch between various AMD Eyefinity and Display Configurations

AMD Catalyst 12.2 pre-certified driver hits the web - More news at DV Hardware