New Cool Website Find: Sodaplay.com

I was recently at my multimedia class at school when i came across a great website-
http://sodaplay.com

SodaPlay is a online community where you share your diffrent java creations and apps.
The have lots of diffrent programs to make cool games, animations, and other cool stuff! Check Them Out!!

Free Software Of The Day: Game Cam

Game Cam allows the recording of real-time in-game movies with sound and is packed with a variety of optional features. Game Cam was designed to work with most DirectX 7, 8, 9 and OpenGL games. So, if you have a game like Flight Simulator Or Halo, you can record it on your computer. For more or to download, goto http://planetgamecam.com/

Here Is A move I Made With The Free Version Of Game Cam-

Deal of the day!

I know we usually do not have any "deal of the days" but I just found an awesome deal from our buddy newegg! Get an evga 8800gt for just $229.99! This deal only lasts for 2 days, so buy them while you can! But dang.. 8800gt prices just keep on dropping. The 9xxx seires of cards are being released in a month or 2 as well, we will see how well those do .. ;).

Well, that is our "deal of the day" :P !

AMD is not out.

Everybody is talking about the new intel cpu's and how they have been killing amd, and how nvidia is the king of all video cards. Well, today we are going to focus on what AMD has done right..

1. AMD Phenom 9600 Black edition - ($224.99 @ newegg)
The AMD phenom 9600 black edition is essentially the same thing as a phenom 9600, but it comes with an unlocked multiplier (all black editions do), so you can overclock this baby really far, almost anybody who has tried overclocking this has gotten at least 3GHz from its stock of 2.4GHz. That is great for AMD, because it gives them a competitor to intel's q6600 quad and it is still cheaper by $50. This is a great cpu for the money, especially if you are upgrading from an old AMD and you want to upgrade your proc without buying a new motherboard or system

2. AMD 3850/3870
These are two solid videocards, you can find the 3850 for $160 after a $10 rebate at newegg, and the 3870 for $220. The 3850 basically has no competition, except for a slightly lower priced nvidia 8600gts, but it can school the 8600gts when it comes to games, except for ones that play stronger on nvidia systems

3. AMD 3870x2
It is basically 2 3870's in one, and it costs about $450, but it performs on par with the GTX and the 8800ULTRA at times! It also sometimes OUTperforms the ultra. AMD is back in the high end videocards range! For just 450, this is a steal!

Hoped you like the article -
Budgetperson

Have A PC Problem??? Ask Our Editors!!!

Have A Computer Problem? Planning to build??? Computer Doesn't work?? Don't Worry, Were Here To Help :)
Now 22tech has a new service- Free Computer Help!!
Windows, Mac, Linux, whatever!!! Well fix your problem. Building a computer? Email us your plans and well help you get the best of your money!!

Just email all your PC problems, build ideas, open source of the day ideas, and review ideas to-
22centurytech@gmail.com
Don't worry, well respond fast and for free!
But wait? What if we don't have a answer to your problem???
Well post you problem on our blog and see if any of our blog readers have an answer!!!

-Tech drummer

Free Software Of The Day: Acidrip

Yet another open source of the day is on its way, and this time we chose Acidrip! Acidrip is a dvd burner (linux only) that will take a dvd and put it in an avi format. It has a lot of different options, you can set the file size, the number of files you want it to create, you can choose a specific title to rip, etc. It is a great program that I use for ripping all of my dvd's!

Convert any dvd/video file into another video file using free tools!

In today's howto, I will show you how to conver any dvd or video file into another video file (or dvd9 to dvd5) for absolutely FREE using free tools. Here are the tools we will be using

1. DVDFab HD decrypter (it may look a bit pricey, but after the trial expires it can still do the things we need it to do)
2. Handbrake, the utility for ripping dvd's
3. SUPER(C) , a program that lets you convert video formats to any other video format.

1 - How to rip your dvd's.
1a. Insert your dvd
1b. Open dvdfab, go into main movie and select the movie, and let it rip the dvd to your hard drive
1c. Open Handbrake, and browse to the video_ts dir of where dvdfab saved your dvd
1d. Configure your settings (Remember to click the show presets button)
1e. Let handbrake rip the dvd to your hard drive .. wait .. on an intel core 2 duo e4300 @ 2.25ghz cpu it took about 30-45min.
1f. Enjoy your new dvd! If you want it on your ipod, then just drag the mp4 into iTunes and enjoy! ;)

2. Use Super (C) to convert any video file into any other video file you want! This also applies to audio files, so relax and enjoy!

These programs will do better than any commercial app you can find! Handbrake works in linux, dvdfab runs easily uner wine, and SUPER(C) .. i dont know, I only know that all of these also work in vista.

Enjoy your ripped dvd's ;)
-Budgetperson

Open Source of the Day : Wine

Welcome to yet another open source of the day. This time the lucky winner is WINE . (Standing for Wine Is Not an Emulator). Wine is an emulator that enables SOME windows-designed products to work with linux, such as winrar, finale notepad 2008, etc.
It is not hardware emulation, so it does not slow down old computers as much as much as using a VM like vmware. Wine can not play all windows apps, you can check out the wine app database to see if you app works in wine. The operating systems it supports are linux and mac.
You can get wine from www.winehq.org.

Enjoy!

Macbook Air

The All New Macbook Air.

"The Worlds Thinnest notebook."
Today Apple introduced some all new products, including the new macbook air.

The Price ranges form $1,799.00 to $3,098.00 and this new comoputer is amazing. Here is a video ad-

Technical Specifications

Size and weight

0.16-0.76 inch (0.4-1.94 cm)

Width:

12.8 inches (32.5 cm)

Depth:

8.94 inches (22.7 cm)

Weight:

3.0 pounds (1.36 kg)¹

Processor and memory

Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB on-chip shared L2 cache running at full processor speed

• 800MHz frontside bus



• 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM onboard

Storage

• 80GB 4200-rpm Parallel ATA hard disk drive²



• Optional 64GB solid-state drive²



• Optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive

Environmental status report

MacBook Air embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It consumes the least amount of power of any Mac and is also designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure

Mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass

PVC-free internal cables

Largely recyclable, low-volume packaging

Meets ENERGY STAR requirements

MacBook Air received a Silver rating from EPEAT

Display

13.3-inch (diagonal) glossy widescreen TFT LED backlit display with support for millions of colors

Supported resolutions: 1280 by 800 (native), 1152 by 720, 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, 800 by 500, 720 by 480, and 640 by 480 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio

Graphics and video support

Pure digital video output

DVI output using micro-DVI to DVI adapter (included)

VGA output using micro-DVI to VGA adapter (included)

Composite output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)

S-video output using micro-DVI to video adapter (optional)

Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory

Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors

Built-in iSight camera

Input

• Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad



• Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness



• Solid-state trackpad with multi-touch gesture support for precise cursor control; supports two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

href="360.html"

Wireless

Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification); IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible

Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

Peripheral connections

Audio

• Analog audio output/headphone out (minijack)



• Built-in mono speaker



• Built-in omnidirectional microphone

Battery and power³

Integrated 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery

45W MagSafe power adapter with cable management system

MagSafe power adapter port

Electrical and operating requirements

• Line voltage: 100V to 240V AC



• Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz



• Operating temperature: 50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C)



• Storage temperature: -13° to 113°F (-24° to 45°C)



• Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing



• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet



• Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet



• Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet

Installed software

• Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools)



• iLife ’08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)

What’s in the box

• MacBook Air



• Micro-DVI to DVI adapter



• Micro-DVI to VGA adapter



• Cleaning/polishing cloth

• MagSafe power adapter



• Install/restore DVDs



• Printed documentation

Free Software Of The Day: Blender

"So, can i really get one of the most advanced and best programs on the internet, for free ???"

Well my answer to that question, is yes.

With Blender you can create awesome animations and other cool things. Check it out at http://www.blender.org/

Free Software Of The Day: Songbird

Welcome to Songbird! Songbird is a media-managing app(like itunes) but it is open source and free!! It works with ipods (EXCEPT iPod Touch and iPhone) , and it is built around firefox, one of the best web browsers you can find! It is still not a completely ready project yet (in version 0.4 and getting updated). I love this application, and I use it in linux to put songs on my iPod Video 5G (even though it does not support uploading movies ). But it is a great tool, especially for linux! Try it! Good luck!

-Yash Aggarwal

Make the perfect gaming pc

Here at 22tech, we love the idea of making your own pc's. Why? Because they provide a great amount of customization for a REALLY cheap price! But how can you get the perfect best gaming setup?? Here is our parts list for a $900 beauty, and all parts are from Newegg!

1. CPU - Obviously, you need a core 2 duo, but which one? You can get the pentium dual cores that OC very easily, you can get the e4xxx series, or you can get the more expensive e6xxx series. For our purposes, we picked up a e6, it is the lowest e6xxx series with 4mb of cache. It is not that overclockable, but you could easily get it to 3-3.5 GHz.
2. Motherboard - For the motherboard you really need a p35 chipset, it is a midrange, not too expensive board, but it is reliable, fast, and overclocks well. It doesn't support SLI, but you really do not need sli for midrange, right? But if you REALLY wanted sli, you could go a little bit more for a 680i chipset, but that does not support penryn quads :(. For our p35 board , we chose the ABIT ip35-e.

3. RAM - 4 gigs in $800!! No way!! But yes way! This awesome set of OCZ 4gb ddr2 800 will do you well, and it's only $66 after rebates!!!

4. Video Card - This is a no-brainer, the evga 8800gt is the best budget-midrange vidcard!

If you want something a little bit cheaper than that, you could go with an 8800gts . ($220 before $200 after rebate) or a HD3870. ($240) If you want something ULTRA cheap you could go with a HD3850, which will also give reasonable performance.

5. Case and Power Supply - We chose the Antec Sonata III because of the great PSU included with it and a solid, cheap case. (PSU is Earthwatts 500W). And to add to the value, it is only $90 after MIR!!! (Same as the original earthwatts)

6. CD/DVD drive - Who could forget the cd/dvd drive? We chose the SH-S203N. The predecessor of it was the MPC best of the best award, and it is CHEAP! For maximum performance, we chose two of them, which would be about $60.

7. OS - Not included! All you need to do is borrow an XP cd from a friend, then deactivate xp on your current machine, then install XP on your new PC! If you do not want to do that, then pick up winxp home (IMO you do not need pro). It is about $90 on newegg, you can get pro for $70 (upgrade) if you are an academic student.

So total that comes to about $920, not including rebates or s&h. We hope you enjoyed! If you have other ideas or disagree with our thoughts, please post in the comments section.

Free Software Of The Day:PortableApps

Today's Open source of the day is PortableApps!
PortableApps is a suite (like U3) that runs off of your thumbdrive/USB Mass storage device, but it is completely FREE! I use this all the time with my Flash Voyager 4gb and it works like a charm. There are a lot of apps supporting it and you can add new ones easily (by going to program files directory and copying folders to ?:/PortableApps.)

Try it out, it works great!!

Aces High 2

Aces High 2

Aces HIgh 2 is one of the best games on the net. Its based on ww2 combat. Its a online game, with many diffrent features. This is on my "must have" list.

For more 22 century technology videos goto http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=22techblog

For more about Aces High or to download goto http://flyaceshigh.com/

Free Software Of The Day: Ubuntu

Free Software Of The Day: Ubuntu

From now on, Each day we will have a new open source (or free) Program or software that you can use. We will start this off with a great version of linux, called ubuntu.

Ubuntu

What is Ubuntu?

Basically, Ubuntu is a Linux based operating system for all you needs. For any noob to linux, this is the one for you. It is totally Free, and you can download it here.

"Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.
Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing."

Ubuntu uses Openoffice, witch is also available for free download here.

Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

First off, I would like to anounce that our blog is now 100% Ad Free!!!

Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Learn more about Audacity... Also check our Wiki and Forum for more information.

It it one of the best open-source audio editing programs, and you can get it free here.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 Review

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 Review

I myself am a big flight simulator fan, and before i get the new fsx, i have to write a review of Flight Simulator 2004.'

First of all, i have to say this is a great GAME. Any real pilot that says "o this is way easier than fling a real plane" i advise you, this is just a game. But the good thing is, un like fsx, this game can run on any not-so-fast computer on at least low settings. Over all the years of Microsoft's flight simulator (discluding x ) i'de have to say this is the best one yet. You can fly all different kinds of planes, any where in the world. You can also customize everything, so it works best for your system. At first, when you get this game you say " so all i do is fly the plane, huh...." But after a week or two you get to know all the cool different features, places, and controls. And with this games new Air Traffic Control window, talking to atc is a breeze. But this game is not the best for online play. ( for the best online play get fsx). My only dislike is the game gets boring after a while.

Overall i would rate this game a 8 on a 1-10 scale.

Virtual Machines!!

All of you hardcore users will know what a Virtual Machine is, if you don't know, it is a program that can let you run operating systems inside your operating system virtually (hardware emulation). The main Virtual Machine software is Vmware, and vmware player, etc. But today we are going to focus on VirtualBox, my favorite Virtual Machine software, and it is probably also the easiest to use!

In this post, I will show you where to get VirtualBox, and I will do a step-by-step tutorial using Vista. (In a linux envirornment).

1st of all, to download VirtualBox, go here.
Ubuntu users can download from there, and also do "sudo apt-get install VirtualBox"
Now load VBox. You should get this -

Now, click the button that says "New" and you should get this (click to enlarge) -

Just hit next and select the name of your vm (can be anything) and select your operating system you want to emulate. Then hit next and select the amnt of RAM you want to dedicate to a VM. This is your descision, it all depends how much RAM you have and how much you can sacrifice. Of course, for Vista, we do not recommend anything less than 1gb, but for some ppl that is ALL of their RAM!! After that click "New" on the hard disk page, I strongly recommend Dynamically Expanding Image, and from then on it should be easy, and now your screen should look like this-

But we are STILL not done yet. Click on CD/DVDROM, and choose your cd/dvd drive (or an iso file). You can also setup audio and other things (like networking, but should be automatic).
That's all for now, and we will wrap it up in another post!!!