GeekwithEnvy

Computers

Apple Confirms October Event

by Leave a Comment

APPL2013oct22Invite

Apple has confirmed that October 22 is indeed the day to look forward to as it has sent out official media invitations. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and will begin at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

As we mentioned earlier, the event is expected to be primarily about an update to the iPad line which will likely feature a 64-bit processor (A7), Touch ID sensor, and updated camera. We will also likely be hearing more about OS X Mavericks and possibly the new Mac Pro. Many are also hoping for an updated mac mini, likely to be equipped with new Haswell processors.

How To: Use the Mac Version of Ctrl-Alt-Delete

by Leave a Comment

forceQuitMenuOSX

In the world of Microsoft Windows when things hang up and freeze we can often get out of trouble by pressing the all so familiar key combination, Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Once we get our program menu open we can force close the frozen application and hopefully continue on like nothing ever happened.

Just like any computer Macs freeze up too, and just like with Windows, it’s often because of a locked up or frozen application that needs to be closed. OS X has a similar key combination that will bring up the force quit menu and allow you to easily force quit any misbehaving app.

To open the force quit menu in OS X simply press:

Command (Apple Key)+ Option + Escape (Esc) all at the same time.

* Alternatively, you can also force quit applications on the Dock by Control Clicking (Right Clicking) a running app to open the menu and then by pressing the Option Key to reveal the Force Quit option.

Valve’s Official Steam Machine Hardware Specs

by Leave a Comment

SteamLogo

If you’re not already aware, Valve is creating it’s own hardware to run Steam to try and create the ultimate gaming experience.

This hardware is just a prototype and the final product isn’t due until 2014, but 300 lucky Steam users will get to beta test the system sometime this year.  Currently, there are no images of the prototype hardware but in a recent post from the company they have provided us with some pretty serious specs.

Here are the specifications for Valve’s 300 prototypes:

  • The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components:
  • GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
  • CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
  • RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
  • Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
  • Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
  • Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

As a hardware platform, the Steam ecosystem will change over time, so any upgrades will be at each user’s discretion. In the future we’ll talk about how Steam will help customers understand the differences between machines, hardware strengths and weaknesses, and upgrade decisions.

We aren’t quite ready to post a picture of our prototype – just because they’re not finished enough. Before they ship we’ll let you know what the prototype looks like. And we expect people to redesign the machine, too. Both from a technical perspective, deciding on different components, and from an industrial design perspective, changing the enclosure in interesting ways.”

98 Year Old Makes Amazing MS Paint Art

by Leave a Comment

While reading through a few articles on web, I came across a truly inspiring video. It’s about a 98 year-old man named Hal Lasko who creates amazing 8-bit style artwork using Microsoft Paint. Hal worked as a graphic artist when he was younger and he used to create his own unique typography by hand.

Hal started using Microsoft Paint later on in his retirement when his family introduced it to him around 2005. Hal has been spending hours upon hours every day since then creating his own unique artwork.

You can view more of Hal Lasko’s artwork at hallasko.com and for a deeper look into Hal Lasko’s world, you can head to WIRED.

How to Easily Shut Down Windows 8.1

by Leave a Comment

Win8_1StartScreen

In many ways Windows 8 is pretty awesome, but it has many flaws. One of these flaws is the lack of an intuitive UI. Many people have found that even performing the most common tasks, like shutting down the computer, are very difficult thanks to hidden menus and buttons.  Fortunately , Microsoft is looking to solve these problems with upcoming release of Windows 8.1, which is set to be available to the general public on October 17th.

We originally offered up a solution that allows you to quickly shut down your Windows 8 computer in one step but with the upcoming release of Windows 8.1, this process will no longer be necessary but you can still use it if you prefer. Instead, Microsoft offers it’s own solution, the Start Button.

With the new update, instead of opening the charms bar you can simply right-click the Start Button or press the Windows Key + X, which will open up a menu with the option to Shutdown or Sign Out.