Google confirms Chrome 7 GPU acceleration With the release of the first versions of Chrome 7, we noticed a subtle speed increase in graphics-heavy websites and suggested that Google is improving Chrome's overall graphics performance. Our readers later found that GPU acceleration can already be manually activated in Chrome. Google has now officially confirmed that... ConceivablyTech

PC industry's woes could mean bargains this fall If you're looking for bargains on personal computers, bad news from the industry could be good for your pocketbook. Computer makers are scrambling for ways to goose faltering consumer demand after a weak start to the back-to-school shopping season. That could mean deeper price cuts and other promotions beyond the incentives that the industry dangled in front of shoppers to lure them into stores during the worst of the recession. AP

New GeForce 400 series cards exposed by 259.47 driver Jumping the gun a bit, Microsoft has published on its Windows Update site a new, WHQL-certified Nvidia graphics driver - version 259.47, which features mentions of quite a few unannounced and unreleased desktop and mobile GeForce 400 series cards. TC Mag

Situation report: Patch 1.1 and beyond Greetings, citizens of the Koprulu sector! StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is celebrating its one-month anniversary and we're extremely excited to witness the amazing community that's come together around the game. To that end, we want you to know we are hard at work on the first feature and balance patch, and expect to have it completed and available by the middle of September. Blizzard

Introducing the Bethesda podcast As we announced in yesterday's In The 'Works, the latest project to emerge from the Bethesda Community Labs is now available: download the pilot episode of the Bethesda Podcast today. With a blend of studio news and casual discussion, the Bethesda Podcast will offer an inside look at a wide range of subjects. Bethblog