BuildOrBuy Group Network
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PC Computer Technology News Updates: 

1-3 PM Build Session: Featured During Regular Discussion Session - Athlon 1.4 GHz & Win2000 Pro

Discussion Topics: 

1. 1st Time Building A PC Overview: Hardware + O/S -
   

2. Windows XP Pricing  - Windows XP to be pricier than 2000, Me - Tech News - CNET.com - (08-24-01)
   1. Windows XP Flavors... 
      • Home Consumer User Edition - 
        
      • Professional Edition - 
3. Reminder - Windows XP Dates To Watch (As of 8-21-01): 

   1. Friday, 08-24-2001 -  XP Gold Code: Microsoft previously told computer manufacturers expect final code Aug. 22, then pushed back delivery for final tweaking.

      1. Desktop Real Estate (Competing Icon Placements)
   2. September 15th, 2001 - Houston, TX: XP Preinstallation Training - Preinstalling Microsoft Windows XP Professional using the OEM Preinstallation Kit (Nationwide - Sept 6 thru Oct 13 @ selected locations)
      
   3. September 24th, 2001- New PCs shipping with XP Installed
      
   4. October 25th, 2001- Public Retail Launch: Packaged Software
   Note: Microsoft XBox scheduled to ship: Nov. 8 - Competition From Within?

4. eWeek.com - ZDNet: eWEEK: Intel warns PC makers to avoid Via chip set -
   

5. Win XP Pro & Win 2000 Pro Comparisons & Differences - Joe Whinery
   
6. Creative Labs - Audigy Sound Cards - New Chipset replaces EMU 10k1
   • Harmony-Central.com: Creative Announces Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Cards - (August 22, 2001)
     
   • See: AudigyBoom Entertaiment Demo -
     
   • ExtremeTech.com: Creative Denies Authoring Audigy Presentation - (June 19, 2001)
     
   • TheRegister.co.uk: Creative Labs preps 1394-based digital music rig - (06-18-01)

     Excerpt: Creative... Audigy - from 'Audio Energy'? - ..."the most advanced digital audio entertainment centre". In addition to hardware and software control, Audigy appears also to refer to the sound chip underlying it all, also known as the EMU10K2. 

   • Creative Press Release: Creative Shatters PC Sound Barrier With Sound Blaster® Audigy™ - (August 20th, 2001)
     

   • Sound Blaster Audigy - Flavors- www.soundblaster.com/audigy/
     
   • Creative's SB1394 Certification Program:
     
   • www.Creative.com:
    

   Our Take: 24 bit / 96KHz Sounds ProSumer. Hope the specs live up to the specs! ;) Expect Audigy.com to go live soon since Creative Labs owns the domain name!

    

7.  

Hardware: 

• Sound Card Selections: Cakewalk.com - Open Audio Hardware Guide -
  

• Creative Soundblaster.com - Audigy Sound Cards - Audigy chipset -
  
• HP - DVD+RW Drive (dvd100i) Shipping in September For $599 SRP!
  
• Maxtor 40 Gig USB 2 HD 
  
• SeaSound ProAudio Interface - As of 6/29/01 SeaSound.com is Out Of Business! See last week's notes for details.

Software: 

• WAV to Midi Conversions: ScoreExtractor - Manually convert wav file to midi - Author Roman Yakimenko, Russia - (8-28-01)
  

• McAfee DOS Research Collaboration - CNET News.com - (August 20, 2001)
  
• ProAudio: MOTU Releases Windows 2000 Audio/MIDI Drivers - (08-10-01)
  • Windows 2000 WDM "XP-ready" Drivers for all MOTU MIDI and Audio Interfaces 
• 1394 FireWire Problems on Motu 828 on Windows 2000 - Harmony Central User Forums Link Gone!

Note: Use Texas Instrument (TI) chipset FireWire! (OHCI Compliant) NOT NEC chipset! Better still, always check Microsoft HCL!

Technology News & Trends To Watch: 

Storage Solutions: 

August Trade Shows:

Joe Whinery, Gill Boyd & Team, Authors