Popular Science puts entire scanned archive online, Free
Gadget nerds: Prepare to lose the rest of your day to awesomeness. PopSci, the web-wing of Popular Science magazine, has scanned its entire 137-year archive and put it online for you to read, absolutely free. The archive, made available in partnership with Google Books, even has the original period advertisements.
Head over to the site and you’ll see a simple search box. Of course, the first thing I typed in was “jet pack”. This, naturally enough, returned plenty of results, including a rather dangerous-looking hydrogen peroxide–powered contraption with a belt-mounted controller. The article was printed in the December 1962 issue.
You can’t go directly to an issue to browse, but once you have arrived somewhere by search, there are no restrictions on scrolling around. You’ll also find a properly hyperlinked table of contents in each magazine. The early years are a little dry: I browsed an issue from 1902, and it made the average math textbook look like a Dan Brown novel (only better paced), so I’d recommend starting in the optimistic, tech-loving 1950s.
Oh, and did I mention it works great on an iPhone? Good luck getting any work done today.
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Video: Microsoft ‘Mobile Surface’
A Microsoft Research project dubbed “Mobile Surface” links a mobile phone to a camera and projector, letting people interact with a screen projected onto a tabletop by moving their hands in the air above it.
It’s named after the company’s Surface tabletop computer, and while the portable version doesn’t provide nearly the screen resolution of its much larger cousin, Mobile Surface is notable in that it allows for three-dimensional control by sensing not lateral movement but also the distance between the hands and the surface.
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Go Anywhere for Less: Microsoft Hardware Offers BlueTrack Technology at Its Lowest Price Ever
Last week Microsoft Hardware extends its award-winning line of BlueTrack Technology mouse products, debuting the advanced tracking technology at its lowest prices ever — under $30.1 Now people have the opportunity to track on virtually any surface2 at an affordable price with three new mice to choose from — the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available in bright colors just in time for spring so people can add a touch of personality to their computers.
BlueTrack Technology was created in response to people’s increasingly mobile lifestyles, letting them ditch their mouse pad and use their BlueTrack mouse virtually anywhere — from the granite kitchen counter and the wood table at the coffee shop to the armrest at the airport. Debuting in September 2008, BlueTrack Technology is now available in eight Microsoft mice so consumers can choose the best design, color and price to fit their needs.
Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 and Wireless Mouse 2000
The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 includes a Nano transceiver that sticks out less than a centimeter from the USB port, so it can remain plugged into the computer at all times, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 comes with a minitransceiver that easily snaps into the bottom of the mouse when on the go. The two mice also offer an ambidextrous shape with rubber side grips; the Wireless Mouse 2000 is a full-size mouse while the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 is a bit smaller, so people can pick the best fit for their hand size. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available in Loch Ness Gray and Dragon Fruit Pink, and the Wireless Mouse 2000 will be available in gray.
Comfort Mouse 4500
The Comfort Mouse 4500 is the first wired mouse featuring BlueTrack Technology, making it a great choice for people who never want to deal with changing batteries. Like its wireless counterparts, the Comfort Mouse 4500 will track on virtually any surface2 and will be available in black as well as three fresh special-edition colors: Sea Blue, Poppy Red and Strawberry Pink.
Pricing and Availability
All the new mice are available for pre-sale on Amazon.com today. The Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500 will be available for $29.95 and $24.95,1 respectively, and will ship in March when they are widely released. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 will be available for $29.951 and ship in April when it is widely released. All three mice are backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about this and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.
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Amazon may compete with Apple iPad by giving away free Kindles
As Amazon’s e-book business continues to evolve in the wake of the Apple iPad announcement, a new rumor suggests the company is exploring the possibility of giving a Kindle reader to its best customers.
Michael Arrington of TechCrunch reported Friday that Amazon is considering a promotion that would give a free Kindle to subscribers of its Amazon Prime service. At a cost of $79 per year, Prime offers free two-day shipping on selected items, and one-day shipping for just $3.99.
“These are Amazon’s very best customers — the ones who tend to make multiple purchases per month,” Arrington wrote. “And they are also likely to buy multiple books per month on their Kindle devices. If those users buy enough books, and Amazon gets the production costs of the Kindle down enough, Amazon can get Kindles into “millions” of people’s hands without losing their shirt.”
Citing a “reliable source,” he said Amazon’s goal is to find a way to put a Kindle in the hands of Prime subscribers without losing money on the deal. The company ran a promotion in January where they asked users to try the Kindle, and those who were not satisfied were given a full refund, but got to keep the hardware.
The moves are just another example of Amazon rethinking its Kindle platform following Apple’s iPad announcement. The company recently purchased millions of Kindles, but has not given an exact number. Still, the e-book market has proved to be of value to the online retailer: The company revealed last month that it sells six Kindle e-books for every 10 physical books.
The Kindle and large-screen Kindle DX are available in over 100 countries, and the Kindle iPhone application is available in Apple’s App Store in over 60 countries. E-books can be synced between the Kindle reader, PC software, and Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. Kindle software is also forthcoming for the Mac and iPad.
But Apple hopes to counter Amazon with its recently announced iPad. At the product’s unveiling, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs credited Amazon with pioneering the e-book market with the Kindle, but he said Apple intends to improve on that model. “We’re going to stand on their shoulders and go a bit further,” he said.
With a 9.7-inch screen and a starting price of $499, the iPad offers a vibrant, color screen suited for a variety of multimedia consumption, while Amazon’s e-ink, black-and-white Kindle is best suited for reading books.
Apple will serve books for the iPad through its iBookstore, due to be a part of the iBooks application for iPad. The software features a 3D virtual bookshelf displaying a user’s personal collection, and allows the purchase of new content from major publishers. Like the Kindle, it will offer content from the New York Times Bestsellers list.
The introduction of the iPad has driven publishers to force Amazon into higher prices for new hardcover bestsellers. While books are currently priced at $9.99 on the Kindle, that is expected to rise to between $12.99 and $14.99 by the time the iPad launches in March.
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Wondering why you can’t Pre-order an Ipad? It isn’t legal yet
You know you can’t obtain an iPad for least three months, but you may not know the reason you can’t even buy one in advance: Apple has not yet obtained the necessary Federal Communications Commission approval to unleash it on the nation’s airwaves.
The specs on the iPad page mention the lack of FCC approval in tiny print that is easy to miss. And nobody seriously expects the iPad won’t be approved — Apple’s been through this before, with the launch of the first iPhone announced six months before it was available. And the “why?” is almost certainly to have kept as few people in the loop, and only those you could in some way control.
But in an e-mail sent to customers, Apple made the situation a bit more clear. “Some features and applications are not available in all areas,” reads the note. “Application availability and pricing are subject to change. This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”
Apple has good reason to keep a government agency out of the advance loop, since somehow anything juicy is likely to see the light of day. Still, the FCC likes Apple right now, recently commending the company for reversing its policy against VOIP calling over AT&T’s 3G network, which allows the iPhone and iPad to be used as web phones.
However, the new reference in Apple’s e-mail about certain features and applications not being available or being priced differently depending on a customer’s location raises unanswered questions. It could refer to content-oriented applications (movies, books, magazines, etc.), which in their physical forms, vary in price based on location — we already know that this is true of books. But all we really know about that at this point is that the iPads sold in one area will differ in features and app prices from iPads sold in another area.
The FCC’s approval process is standard for electronic devices. The agency ensures that they don’t interfere with other wireless equipment, operate in an area of the spectrum that’s allocated for something else, or emit too much radiation into the people using them.
The agency approved the iPhone about a month after Apple announced it. Unless there’s an unexpected hiccup, it will most likely do the same for the iPad. A conspiracy theorist might say that Apple secretly hopes the FCC will step in and “force” it to sell the iPad to all of its potential customers, regardless of which wireless carrier or plan they want to use, but that seems like wishful thinking.
See Also:
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Sony Flaunts 3-D TVs, Taylor Swift to Regain Its Cool
LAS VEGAS — Pop star Taylor Swift kicked off Sony’s press conference Wednesday night, loosely establishing the theme of the event: 3-D video.
“I feel like my fans are all very cutting edge, so when it comes to technology I’m very interested in what’s the newest and best,” Swift said on stage. “My tour starts next month in Australia and Japan and I’m looking forward to documenting all that footage using 3-D.”
After Swift played a song with her band and her silver, glitter-adorned guitar, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer took the mic to close her performance with a surprisingly self-deprecating (and honest) statement.
“Maybe you’ll call us cool again, who knows,” Stringer said regarding having Swift as a guest. Kanye West was not present in the audience to comment.
In its press conference, Sony made a large number of product announcements, ranging from new VAIO notebooks to Cybershot digital cameras, and from memory cards with bigger storage to a touchscreen digital picture frame called the Dash. 3-D televisions took the spotlight, as well as partnerships Sony established with ESPN, Discovery and IMAX to create 3-D content. Of all the video manufacturers at CES, Sony appears to be the most serious about 3-D.
“We intend to take the lead in 3-D,” Stringer said. “Sony is the only company fully immersed in every link of the 3-D value chain.”
The major product announced was Sony’s first commercial 3-D TV series, the Bravia LX900 (below). Ranging from 22 to 60 inches, the 3-D TVs incorporate a frame sequential display, active-shutter glasses and Sony’s high frame-rate technology to produce high-definition 3-D images.
Sony claims its 240-Hz frame-rate technology reduces the mixing of images of 3-D content assigned to the left and right eyes. The company also says its Bravia Engine 3 digital-video processing technology uses enhanced algorithms to reduce noise, enhance image detail and optimize contrast so scenes look sharp and lifelike.
Sony did not specify a shipping date or a price for the 3-D TVs — which seems to be a trend among manufacturers announcing similar products. That means so far, all these 3-D TVs are still vaporware.
In addition to showing off the 3-D TVs, Sony announced the company was the official sponsor of 3-D video for ESPN — so when 3-D TVs actually ship, Sony will be providing the 3-D technology for sports events televised on the channel. Sony also said it was partnering with Discovery and IMAX to create a new 3-D channel.
Dashing all hopes of Wired ever calling Sony cool again, the company announced a high-definition pocket camcorder dubbed the Bloggie (right).
“Yes, you heard me right — Bloggie,” said Brennan Mullin, Sony Electronics’ senior vice president of the personal imaging and audio business, to a snickering audience.
Sporting a pistol-grip design, the Bloggie shoots 1920-by-1080 MP4 video and 5-megapixel still photos. The camera is called Bloggie because it includes software to share your content on social media sites including YouTube, Dailymotion and Photobucket (but not Blogger, ironically). Shipping today, the Bloggie starts at $170.
Gadget Lab will follow up soon with some of the other products Sony announced tonight. Stay tuned.
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Transparent Laptop Lets You Spy on People As You Type
One of the reasons why OLED technology is cool is the fact that you can create a semi-transparent OLED screen. We’re not quite sure how useful this technology really is, except for looking through your laptop when everyone thinks you’re looking at it, but imagining a future with a bunch of semi-transparent gadgetry around us somehow fills us with glee.
Samsung has decided to take a step into the future, creating a 14-inch notebook prototype with a semi-transparent screen. When the device is off,…
the panel is up to 40% transparent; the screen casing is made out of transparent plastic, which makes the experience even more seamless.
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Google Nexus One – more pictures and video leaked
11 days ago
It’s gone a bit crazy with Google Nexus One leaks over the past few days, and now we have probably the most comprehensive gallery of snaps, and even a hands-on video with its Android 2.1 interface.
As we’ve come to expect with leaks such as this, the pictures are less than perfect, and the video is on the shaky side, but they both give you an idea of what the Nexus One will offer up when it reportedly hits shelves in the US in January.
Take a look at the video and photos below and let us know what you think – does the Nexus One look like a promising handset to you?
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Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day
Deeply discounted computers, HDTVs, and some free music and iPhone apps await you in today’s Dealhacker roundup. Want to upgrade that lump of coal you got in your stocking? Now’s the time.
Computer Gear!
- 15.6″ Gateway NV5820u LED Laptop for $560 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $650)
- 13.4″ Dell Adamo Ultrathin SSD Laptop (Black or Pearl) for $1,124.25 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $1,499)
- 15.6″ Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 LED Laptop for $529 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $958)
- 10″ Samsung N130-13P Netbook (Pink) for $295.51 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $329)
- 15.6″ HP Pavilion DV6-1350US 2.2GHz Intel Core2 Duo 4gb RAM 320 GB HDD Windows 7 Laptop for $599.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $749 – use this form).
- 15.6″ Gateway NV5820u 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB Ram, 500GB HDD Laptop for $560.03 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $699.99).
- 10.1″ Samsung N130-13P 1.6GHz CPU 1GB Ram Pink Netbook for $295.51 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $336.12).
- ASUS Skype Video Phone Touch SV1TS for $149.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $210.14 – use this form).
- 15.6″ Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 Laptop with Core 2 Duo, 3GB RAM for $529 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $998)
- 23″ Dell ST2310 Widescreen Monitor for $158.00 plus free next day shipping (Regular Price: $258 – use coupon code 2DNHT11?TTJRT9)
- Brother MFC-790CW All-in-One Color Inkjet Wireless Printer for $99.98 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $149)
- 23″ HP TouchSmart 600-1050 Touch-enabled PC for $1084.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1,175 – use coupon code SVN9846)
- 20″ HP TouchSmart 300-1020 Touch-enabled PC for $834.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $899.99 – use coupon code SVN9846)
- Dell Vostro 220 Slim Desktop 2.93GHz and 20″ LCD for $429 with free shipping (Regular Price: $746)
- 18.5″ MSI Wind Top AE1900-01SUS All-in-One Touchscreen PC for $449 with free shipping (Regular Price: $499.99 – use coupon code SNOWMAN10)
- 17″ Dell Vostro 1720 Laptop 2.20GHz for $629 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1046)
- 15.6″ Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop for $549.99 plus $15 shipping or free in-store pickup (Regular Price: $620)
- 15.6″ Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5983 2GHz Laptop for $399.99 with $15 shipping (Regular Price: $449.99)
- 14″ Toshiba Satellite L515-S4960 Laptop for $450 with free shipping (Regular Price: $550)
- 14″ Dell Inspiron Laptop for $449.99 plus $15 shipping or free in-store pickup (Regular Price: $580)
- 13.3″ HP Pavilion dm3 Laptop for $524.30 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $749)
- 10.1″ Asus Eee PC 1005HAB Netbook for $249.99 (Regular Price: $319)
- 10.1″ Samsung Go N310-13GBK Intel Atom Netbook for $300 with free shipping (Regular Price: $425)
- 25″ Hanns-G HH-251HPB LCD for $199.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $234)
- Belkin F5L009 5-Port Network USB Hub for $59 with free shipping (Regular Price: $90)
- HP SimpleSave 1TB External HDD for $95 shipped (Regular Price: $110)
- Logitech G500 Wired Laser Gaming Mouse $39.99 (Regular Price: $59)
- Logitech G9 Laser Gaming Mouse for $44.99 (Regular Price: $59.95)
- Klisch ProMedia 2.1 THX Speaker System for $131.74 (Regular Price: $155)
Home Entertainment Gear!
- 55″ Samsung LN55B640 1080p 120hz LCD TV for $1,599.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $2090)
- LG 37LG30 37-Inch 720p LCD TV for $479.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $645)
- 26″ Panasonic VIERA TC-L26X1 720p LCD HDTV w/ iPod dock for $299 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $330)
- 26″ Auria EQ2688 720p LCD HDTV for $249.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $392)
- Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control for $174.97 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $312)
- 55″ Samsung 1080p HDTV for only $1600 with free shipping (Regular Price: $2189)
- 46″ Panasonic TC-P46G10 1080p HDTV for only $1050 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1139)
- 42″ LG 42SL90 1080p HDTV for $1,199 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1,354.77)
- 37″ Toshiba 37RV525R 1080p HDTV for $499.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $550)
- 37″ Insignia NS-LCD37-09 720p HDTV for $499.99 plus free in-store pickup (Regular Price: $750)
- Sharp BD-HP210U AQUOS Blu-ray Disc Player for $102.97 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $133.99)
- HP BD-2000 Blu-ray Disc Player for $107.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $129.58)
- Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control for $174.97 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $197.10).
- OmniMount VFL Flat Panel Wall Mount Bracket for $25.34 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $39 – use coupon code: BONUSBUY)
- Polk Audio Monitor 70 3-Way Speaker for $159.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $199 – use coupon code EMCMNNT58)
Portable Gear!
- Beltronics V940 Vector Radar/laser Detector with Text Display and Voice Alerts for $89.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $139.39).
- Altec Lansing inMotion MIX iMT800 Portable Digital Boom Box for iPhone and iPod for $199.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $230).
- Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Black Unlocked Phone for $215.00 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $279.99)
- MyVideo VGA Camcorder for $59.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price:
- TomTom XL 330S GPS for $95.05 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $130)
- Garmin nuvi 1300 Portable GPS for $119.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $139)
- Insignia NS-DV1080P HD Camcorder for $99.99 (Regular Price: $149)
- Klipsch Custom-1 in-ear Noise Isolating Earphone for $39.95 with free shipping (Regular Price: $77.37)
- Logitech Squeezebox Radio for $149.29 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $177)
- Waring Pro Electric Indoor Grill and Griddle (Black only!) for $79.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $150).
- Samsung SL420 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom for $98.00 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $119)
- iFrogz Nerve Pipe Headphones for $12.25 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $25 – use coupon code shoppingbargains)
Free Stuff!
- 24 Hour Fitness 14 day pass for $0.
- TrackMania Nations Forever (PC) for $0 (use this form)
- Tap Tap Revenage 3 (iPhone) for $0 (Regular Price: $.99)
- Wild West Pinball (iPhone/iPod Touch) for $0 (Regular Price: $.99).
- 14 Track Summer Compilation 2009 (download here).
- 4 Track Sampler Collector by Pascal Comelade for $0 (download here).
Thanks Dealzon, TechDealDigger, Slickdeals, Fatwallet, TechBargains, CheapStingyBargains, CheapCollegeGamers, and GamerHotline!
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Guide to the 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems
You’re probably aware that 64-bit and 32-bit versions of your operating system exist, but apart from ascribing to a bigger-is-better philosophy, you may have no idea what separates the two. The question: Should you use a 64-bit version of Windows, and why?
More and more frequently, users are installing the 64-bit version of their operating system of choice over the less capable 32-bit version. But most people don’t really have a full understanding of what the difference really is. Below, we’re taking a look at the most important differences so you can better understand what you gain (and potentially lose) if you upgrade to the 64-bit version of your OS. (The post focuses on Windows.)
We’ve already explained whether you really need 4 GB of RAM, a question that touches on the 64-bit issue, but now let’s tackle it in more detail.
Which Version Do I Have?
To figure out which version of Windows you are running, just head into the System properties in Control Panel, or you can take the easy route and right-click on your Computer icon in the start menu or desktop, and choose Properties from the menu. Windows 7 or Vista users will be able to check the System type in the list, while the few XP users with 64-bit will see it on the dialog.
Keep in mind that your CPU must support 64-bit in order to be running a 64-bit operating system—if you’re running a modern CPU you should be fine, but some of the budget PCs don’t include a 64-bit processor.
Does 32-bit Really Have a Memory Limit?
In any 32-bit operating system, you are limited to 4096 MB of RAM simply because the size of a 32-bit value will not allow any more. On a 32-bit system, each process is given 4 GB of virtual memory to play with, which is separated into 2 GB of user space that the application can actually use at a time.
Savvy readers might point out that modern chips support PAE, a processor technology that allows the operating system to use a little bit more memory—up to 64 GB, but it also requires special application support that most applications don’t have or necessarily need.
A common misconception is that this is a Windows-specific problem, when in fact 32-bit Linux and Mac OS X have the same limitations and the same workarounds. 32-bit Linux uses a mapping table to allow access to the extra memory, and OS X Snow Leopard actually ships by default with a 32-bit kernel that can’t access all the memory on older systems, even though most of the rest of the OS runs 64-bit processes.
The 4 GB limit for Windows, at least, is also a factor of licensing—the home versions of 32-bit Windows, while technically being able to support PAE, have a hard limit of 4 GB for licensing and driver compatibility reasons.
More Problems with 32-Bit
Not only does 32-bit have a hard limit for the amount of memory it can address, there’s also another problem: your devices, like your video card and motherboard BIOS take up room in that same 4 GB space, which means the underlying operating system gets access to even less of your RAM.
Windows expert Mark Russinovich found that a desktop running 32-bit Windows with 4 GB of RAM and two 1 GB video cards only had 2.2 GB of RAM available for the operating system—so the bigger and better your video cards get, the less of that 4 GB will be accessible on a 32-bit system.
What’s Different About 64-Bit?
While 32 bits of information can only access 4 GB of RAM, a 64-bit machine can access 17.2 BILLION gigabytes of system memory, banishing any limits far into the future. This also means that your video cards and other devices will not be stealing usable memory space from the operating system. Windows 64-bit Home editions are still limited to 16 GB of RAM for licensing reasons, but the Professional and Ultimate versions can use up to 192 GB of RAM, so keep that in mind when building that killer system.
The per-process limit is also greatly increased—on 64-bit Windows, instead of a 2 GB limit, each application has access to 8 TB of virtual memory without any special API, a huge factor when you consider applications like video editing or virtual machines that may need to use enormous amounts of RAM.
On Windows, the 64-bit versions also come with a technology to prevent hijacking the kernel, support for hardware-enabled data execution protection, and mandatory digitally signed 64-bit device drivers. You also won’t be able to use your 16-bit apps anymore, which hardly seems like a loss.
Do 32-bit Applications Work on 64-Bit?
The vast majority of your 32-bit applications will continue to work just fine on 64-bit Windows, which includes a compatibility layer called WoW64, which actually switches the processor back and forth between 32-bit and 64-bit modes depending on which thread needs to execute—making 32-bit software run smoothly even in the 64-bit environment.
There are some exceptions to that rule, however: 32-bit device drivers and low-level system applications like Antivirus, shell extensions that plug into Windows, and some media applications simply won’t work without a 64-bit equivalent.
In practice, the vast majority of your favorite applications will either continue to work, or provide a 64-bit version you can use instead—but you should check to make sure.
Does 64-Bit Use Double the RAM?
A common misconception about 64-bit Windows is the amount of RAM that is actually used—some people seem to think it will use double the RAM, while others incorrectly assume a 64-bit system will be twice as fast as 32-bit.
While it’s true that 64-bit processes will take a little extra memory, that is a result of the memory pointers being a little bigger to address the larger amount of RAM, and not an actual double in size. Imagine, if you will, an ancient library filing system that has a card to tell you where to find the book in the library—if you got a bigger box to hold the cards, the library would not double in size, you’d just be able to find the book you were looking for more easily.
What will increase with 64-bit Windows is the amount of drive space needed for the operating system—with a compatibility layer in place, the base OS will take up a few extra GBs of space, though with today’s massive hard drives that should hardly be a concern.
The Bottom Line, Which Should I Use?
If you are ordering a new PC with 4 GB or more of RAM, you should probably be running a 64-bit version of Windows so you can use all of the available memory, especially if you want a rig with a large video card—just keep in mind that the Home versions only support 16 GB of RAM (for most people a 16GB limit won’t be a problem, but it’s worth keeping in mind).
If you’re running Mac OS X, you don’t need to worry about 32-bit vs 64-bit, and if you’re running Linux, you probably know this stuff already.
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Categories: Hardware Tags: 64-bit computing
