Dell Precision M6500 mobile workstation By John Virata
The big horsepower CPUs and graphics chips form the core of a workstation class notebook computer. A large screen, built in color calibration profiles, RAID capabilities, and a bevy of connectivity options also contribute. The Dell Precision M6500 in here for review combines the latest in mobile workstation graphics, the 1GB NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M, with a Quad Core Intel Core i7 x920 2GHz CPU with 8 processor cores, 4GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM (16GB maximum), 17" Wide Screen WUXGA RGB LED LCD Panel with integrated camera and mic, and a Hitachi 250GB hard disk drive.
...Read More »
Lenovo D20 media workstation By John Virata
Lenovo's D20 is the company's top of the line ThinkStation workstation. This particular model shipped with dual Intel E5540 2.53GHz Xeon processors (four processor cores), 12GB RAM, and Windows 7 Professional. Graphics was powered by an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 graphics card. This is your classic media workstation, configured to run the latest creative applications from Adobe Systems, Autodesk, Sony Creative Software, as well as CAD tools such as AutoCAD, Pro Engineer, and others.
...Read More »
3.06 GHz 17-inch MacBook Pro By Heath McKnight
I recently had a chance to review the latest, top-of-the-line unibody MacBook Pro from Apple; with a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and many other great features, this is the fastest Apple laptop I've ever used.
...Read More »
HP Z400 workstation By John Virata
The Hewlett-Packard HP Z400 is the company's entry level workstation. While it doesn't have the whiz bang design features of the HP Z800 reviewed in March, it still does not disappoint as the benchmark numbers will surprise you.
...Read More »
Toshiba Satellite P505 notebook computer By Heath McKnight
The Toshiba Satellite P505 is one of the best Windows-based laptops I've had the pleasure of reviewing. With its beautiful, large display, excellent Harmon/Kardon speakers, large hard drive,and blazing fast processor and graphics, this is a top-notch laptop that will fit virtually anyone's mobile computing needs. From the student all the way to professionals, this is a great system.
...Read More »
Building a Better Mouse: Contour Design RollerMouse Free By Jeffrey P. Fisher
Like me, you've probably been mousing around for some time. You may have even tried some mouse alternatives, such as tablets, trackballs, and their ilk. But, eventually you found yourself back with the mouse in hand. I know, it's not an easy habit to break. But now there is an alternative that is well worth considering: the Contour Design RollerMouse Free.
...Read More »
Lenovo ThinkStation S20 workstation By John Virata
The Lenovo ThinkStation S20 is the company's mid range workstation that works well in a variety of creative environments, be it video and special effects creation to CAD and animation. Configured with the right graphics card, the unit will fit well in any creative environment. The S20 is larger than most mid-tower cases, and sports ample room inside for user upgrades.
...Read More »
Lenovo W700ds mobile workstation By John Virata
Lenovo has long been known for innovative notebook computers harking back to the days when it (IBM) came out with the ThinkPad notebook computer. This machine served notice that it was at the top of the heap when it came to design and functionality. The current crop of ThinkPad workstations maintain that innovation as well as some features that could be called obscure, such as the one with the W700ds that I'm reviewing here.
...Read More »
Review: HP Z800 workstation By John Virata
Hewlett Packard, one of the most widely respected company's in the history of computing, and a true technology innovator (versus marketer), has blown the whole notion of computer design wide open with the latest version of its Z 800 workstations. The system is unique in that not only does it sport the latest Intel technology; the engineers have created a workstation that is both highly functional yet elegant in its form, inside and out.
...Read More »
Hyperbolic Audio Launches A Top Caliber, One-Stop Audio Shop. . . And That's No Exaggeration
Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, partners Julian Rebolledo and Sean Elias-Reyes believe that the core of great storytelling is the skillfully crafted fusion of sound that gives voice to visual imagery. Their passion for this genre initially drew them to careers as actors, musicians and successful voice talent - but ultimately, their desire to work in the optimum audio environment was the genesis for the launch of New York's newest sound house--Hyperbolic Audio.
...Read More »
HP EliteBook 8730W By John Virata
Hewlett Packard has been known for years for its solid workstations. The company has been an innovator when it comes to content creation machines, even supplying its own designed graphics adapters in the late 1990s to power its visual systems. When the company decides to enter the market, it does so with a lot of thought, offering systems that are unique from what is currently available from its competitors, yet still remaining price competitive. The company's latest mobile offering is such a system.
...Read More »
Genius PenSketch 9x12 graphics tablet By John Virata
When it comes to graphics tablets, the only real game in town is Wacom. That company pretty much dominates the market. Recently, I was sent a graphics tablet from a company I've never heard of. Called the PenSketch 9x12 and manufactured by Genius, it is targeted at graphics users and comes with a cordless mouse and pen.
...Read More »
Lenovo ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation By John Virata
It's not very often that a notebook computer has the potential to be a game changer in the market. The routine of the notebook manufacturers are fairly predictable. Intel releases a newer, faster and lower power CPU, and the manufacturers build yet a new notebook around it and call it the next best thing. Lenovo has taken a slightly different, yet radical tact to notebooks by building a Wacom Tablet right into the wrist rests of its ThinkPad W700 workstation class notebook computer
...Read More »
SIGGRAPH 2008: Bunkspeed CGI made simple By John Virata
Bunkspeed CGI made simple. Is it really easy? Bunkspeed at SIGGRAPH 2008 showcased its latest renderer for image modelers, HyperShot 1.5. The renderer features an improved real-time raytracing engine, better real time handling of materials on objects that don't have texture coordinates and a cached material library that instantly displays materials.
...Read More »
Lenovo shows W700 workstation class ThinkPad with built-in digitizer at SIGGRAPH 2008 By John Virata
One thing about the notebook workstation market that tends to stand out every time Intel or AMD releases a new CPU is the seemingly lack of innovation. Manufacturers talk about graphics chipsets and processing power, but usually that is the gist of the innovation. Sure there may be other new features, but these usually don't change the game. At SIGGRAPH 2008, Lenovo introduced what can arguably be described as the most innovative workstation-class notebook computer of the year, if not the last several years.
...Read More »
Lenovo D10 ThinkStation workstation By John Virata
The Lenovo D10 is the big brother to the ThinkStation S10, and as such sports dual Intel XEON CPUs for a combined four processor cores, 12MB L2 cache and a 1333MHz front side bus. Housed in a tower configuration, the D10 system is wider than the S10, and can accommodate more internal drive space, with support for five 3.5-inch hard drives as opposed to three for the S10, two PCIe x4 slots, two PCI X slots, and a single PCI slot.
...Read More »
Adobe Systems Acrobat 9 Pro Extended By John Virata
Adobe Systems' Acrobat 9 Pro Extended is the company's flagship Acrobat document, and the company has added several new tools to enhance the user experience as well as some enhancements to existing tools. Within the scope of this first look, we'll cover some of the new tools introduced with this version.
...Read More »
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core Mac Pro By Heath McKnight
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core (8-cores total!) Mac Pro is one of Apple's fastest computers yet. With the capability to run with 32GB RAM, an excellent graphics card (or two), and terabytes of storage, no job is too big for this beast to handle.
...Read More »
Systemax Endeavor Workstation By John Virata
Systemax is a manufacturer of solid PCs and notebook computers that can be purchased largely online and via mail order at Systemaxpc.com. When I first heard that the company was going to introduce a creative workstation, I really panned the idea, because, one, the market for creative workstations is really small when compared to its main notebook and desktop PC business, and two, so many companies have entered and exited the market.
...Read More »
SketchUp into modo By Ko Maruyama
SketchUp is a very simple 3D design application which is quickly gaining popularity. Purchased by Google and offered in two different flavors (one free, one pro), the allure of the software has most notably been it's ability to interact with Google Earth. Now, Luxology hopes to offer users more reasons to become interested in SketchUp by offering a plugin which reads .SKP files in modo.
...Read More »
Although the entire Percy Jackson film is chock-full of fantastic visual
effects, the last sequence on Mt. Olympus is when the lightning bolt
takes center stage. The lightning bolt was a complex design, with the
look of moving plasma, a w...
Read More
When AJA Video Systems first announced the Ki Pro portable digital
recording device, it was met with great enthusiasm and won six major
industry awards. Director of Photography (DoP) Timo Plogstedt
discovered these benefits and more when rec...
Read More
Digieffects, a developer of popular visual effects plugins,today announced that Depth is immediately available for purchase.Depth, a plugin for After Effects, easily converts an entire AfterEffects composition into a depth map. Available for $49 ...
Read More
Labor Day weekend is a great time to unwind, shed the stress, strain, anxiety of your workday world. Of course you won't shed it all...you'll check email, you'll carry your phone with you. Creativity isn't lost because it starts with ... YOU!!!!
Read More
In Hollywood, there is little doubt that MAXON's CINEMA 4D is the 3D motion graphics artist's best friend. For years, I've been telling you about how easy it is to use, what brilliantly stunning images it produces, how quickly it renders through projects, it's offering of dynamic animation, and, most recently, about its increasingly powerful set of motion graphics tools which fit neatly into production pipelines. So, what could possibly be better than all that has come before? Plenty.
Read More
NO...Doesn't have a thing to do with "that" smartphone...or "that" store...or "that" tablet. It's the next generation. Kids and we mean little kids. That's what today's products are being designed for/targeted at. You happen to buy one...fine. Watch a little, little kid pick up a smartphone. He/she just uses it. They've come pre-wired and we're still trying to figure out how to IM. It's the IGen. They want it instantly. They want to use it instantly. They expect their photos, their video, their music, their stuff immediately when/where/how they want it.
Read More
In this clip, lynda.com host Mark Abdelnour takes a look at proxy bidding. He discusses the strategy and how it works. He also discusses the maximum bid, and when to use Proxy bidding.
Read More
Dell Precision M6500 mobile workstation
The big horsepower CPUs and graphics chips form the core of a workstation class notebook computer. A large screen, built in color calibration profiles, RAID capabilities, and a bevy of connectivity options also contribute. The Dell Precision M6500 in here for review combines the latest in mobile workstation graphics, the 1GB NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M, with a Quad Core Intel Core i7 x920 2GHz CPU with 8 processor cores, 4GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM (16GB maximum), 17" Wide Screen WUXGA RGB LED LCD Panel with integrated camera and mic, and a Hitachi 250GB hard disk drive.
...Read More »
Lenovo D20 media workstation
Lenovo's D20 is the company's top of the line ThinkStation workstation. This particular model shipped with dual Intel E5540 2.53GHz Xeon processors (four processor cores), 12GB RAM, and Windows 7 Professional. Graphics was powered by an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 graphics card. This is your classic media workstation, configured to run the latest creative applications from Adobe Systems, Autodesk, Sony Creative Software, as well as CAD tools such as AutoCAD, Pro Engineer, and others.
...Read More »
3.06 GHz 17-inch MacBook Pro
I recently had a chance to review the latest, top-of-the-line unibody MacBook Pro from Apple; with a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and many other great features, this is the fastest Apple laptop I've ever used.
...Read More »
HP Z400 workstation
The Hewlett-Packard HP Z400 is the company's entry level workstation. While it doesn't have the whiz bang design features of the HP Z800 reviewed in March, it still does not disappoint as the benchmark numbers will surprise you.
...Read More »
Toshiba Satellite P505 notebook computer
The Toshiba Satellite P505 is one of the best Windows-based laptops I've had the pleasure of reviewing. With its beautiful, large display, excellent Harmon/Kardon speakers, large hard drive,and blazing fast processor and graphics, this is a top-notch laptop that will fit virtually anyone's mobile computing needs. From the student all the way to professionals, this is a great system.
...Read More »
Building a Better Mouse: Contour Design RollerMouse Free
Like me, you've probably been mousing around for some time. You may have even tried some mouse alternatives, such as tablets, trackballs, and their ilk. But, eventually you found yourself back with the mouse in hand. I know, it's not an easy habit to break. But now there is an alternative that is well worth considering: the Contour Design RollerMouse Free.
...Read More »
Lenovo ThinkStation S20 workstation
The Lenovo ThinkStation S20 is the company's mid range workstation that works well in a variety of creative environments, be it video and special effects creation to CAD and animation. Configured with the right graphics card, the unit will fit well in any creative environment. The S20 is larger than most mid-tower cases, and sports ample room inside for user upgrades.
...Read More »
Lenovo W700ds mobile workstation
Lenovo has long been known for innovative notebook computers harking back to the days when it (IBM) came out with the ThinkPad notebook computer. This machine served notice that it was at the top of the heap when it came to design and functionality. The current crop of ThinkPad workstations maintain that innovation as well as some features that could be called obscure, such as the one with the W700ds that I'm reviewing here.
...Read More »
Review: HP Z800 workstation
Hewlett Packard, one of the most widely respected company's in the history of computing, and a true technology innovator (versus marketer), has blown the whole notion of computer design wide open with the latest version of its Z 800 workstations. The system is unique in that not only does it sport the latest Intel technology; the engineers have created a workstation that is both highly functional yet elegant in its form, inside and out.
...Read More »
Hyperbolic Audio Launches A Top Caliber, One-Stop Audio Shop. . . And That's No Exaggeration
Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, partners Julian Rebolledo and Sean Elias-Reyes believe that the core of great storytelling is the skillfully crafted fusion of sound that gives voice to visual imagery. Their passion for this genre initially drew them to careers as actors, musicians and successful voice talent - but ultimately, their desire to work in the optimum audio environment was the genesis for the launch of New York's newest sound house--Hyperbolic Audio.
...Read More »
HP EliteBook 8730W
Hewlett Packard has been known for years for its solid workstations. The company has been an innovator when it comes to content creation machines, even supplying its own designed graphics adapters in the late 1990s to power its visual systems. When the company decides to enter the market, it does so with a lot of thought, offering systems that are unique from what is currently available from its competitors, yet still remaining price competitive. The company's latest mobile offering is such a system.
...Read More »
Genius PenSketch 9x12 graphics tablet
When it comes to graphics tablets, the only real game in town is Wacom. That company pretty much dominates the market. Recently, I was sent a graphics tablet from a company I've never heard of. Called the PenSketch 9x12 and manufactured by Genius, it is targeted at graphics users and comes with a cordless mouse and pen.
...Read More »
Lenovo ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation
It's not very often that a notebook computer has the potential to be a game changer in the market. The routine of the notebook manufacturers are fairly predictable. Intel releases a newer, faster and lower power CPU, and the manufacturers build yet a new notebook around it and call it the next best thing. Lenovo has taken a slightly different, yet radical tact to notebooks by building a Wacom Tablet right into the wrist rests of its ThinkPad W700 workstation class notebook computer
...Read More »
SIGGRAPH 2008: Bunkspeed CGI made simple
Bunkspeed CGI made simple. Is it really easy? Bunkspeed at SIGGRAPH 2008 showcased its latest renderer for image modelers, HyperShot 1.5. The renderer features an improved real-time raytracing engine, better real time handling of materials on objects that don't have texture coordinates and a cached material library that instantly displays materials.
...Read More »
Lenovo shows W700 workstation class ThinkPad with built-in digitizer at SIGGRAPH 2008
One thing about the notebook workstation market that tends to stand out every time Intel or AMD releases a new CPU is the seemingly lack of innovation. Manufacturers talk about graphics chipsets and processing power, but usually that is the gist of the innovation. Sure there may be other new features, but these usually don't change the game. At SIGGRAPH 2008, Lenovo introduced what can arguably be described as the most innovative workstation-class notebook computer of the year, if not the last several years.
...Read More »
Lenovo D10 ThinkStation workstation
The Lenovo D10 is the big brother to the ThinkStation S10, and as such sports dual Intel XEON CPUs for a combined four processor cores, 12MB L2 cache and a 1333MHz front side bus. Housed in a tower configuration, the D10 system is wider than the S10, and can accommodate more internal drive space, with support for five 3.5-inch hard drives as opposed to three for the S10, two PCIe x4 slots, two PCI X slots, and a single PCI slot.
...Read More »
Adobe Systems Acrobat 9 Pro Extended
Adobe Systems' Acrobat 9 Pro Extended is the company's flagship Acrobat document, and the company has added several new tools to enhance the user experience as well as some enhancements to existing tools. Within the scope of this first look, we'll cover some of the new tools introduced with this version.
...Read More »
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core Mac Pro
Apple's 2.8Ghz dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core (8-cores total!) Mac Pro is one of Apple's fastest computers yet. With the capability to run with 32GB RAM, an excellent graphics card (or two), and terabytes of storage, no job is too big for this beast to handle.
...Read More »
Systemax Endeavor Workstation
Systemax is a manufacturer of solid PCs and notebook computers that can be purchased largely online and via mail order at Systemaxpc.com. When I first heard that the company was going to introduce a creative workstation, I really panned the idea, because, one, the market for creative workstations is really small when compared to its main notebook and desktop PC business, and two, so many companies have entered and exited the market.
...Read More »
SketchUp into modo
SketchUp is a very simple 3D design application which is quickly gaining popularity. Purchased by Google and offered in two different flavors (one free, one pro), the allure of the software has most notably been it's ability to interact with Google Earth. Now, Luxology hopes to offer users more reasons to become interested in SketchUp by offering a plugin which reads .SKP files in modo.
...Read More »
