Bopaboo Offers Place to Sell "Used" Digital Music... Seriously

For as long as music has been sold, so has "used" music. Who hasn't at least once gone into a music store and looked at the hidden gems in their used section? Doesn't have to be music... could be video games, movies, anything. There's a reason flea markets are still so popular. Well, since so many things have gone digital (including all three of those things), the idea of selling them "used" is probably something that not many people have even contemplated.

Until now, maybe. Whether this is a joke or not, it's hard to tell, but online site Bopaboo (currently in a sign-up beta) has that exact idea in mind. Reading their site, you'll see messages like "Bopaboo is your place to buy and sell digital music" and "start legally selling". How exactly you "legally" sell digital music is beyond me, and it seems to be something that's confusing a lot of people. One thing's for sure, if this service ever goes public, the RIAA is sure to be knocking on their door fast.

The problem is twofold. The first problem is honesty. If you sell a track, nothing forces you to delete it from your computer... and this service sure isn't going to have a way to verify that. Such an issue could result in huge piracy. Someone could either sell lots of the same song, or people could share collections and sell that way. This sounds about as shady as AllofMP3, back in the day.

The other problem is of course the music industry. They are going to have something to say about this, regardless of whether or not they can prove it's wrong. It's not illegal to sell a CD you bought at a store, so it's very difficult to prove that digital music is any different. Realistically speaking though, you could easily sell an album and never delete it from your own computer, and that fact is where things will get sticky. This is going to be an interesting to watch. Despite it being an oddball service, I hope it actually does launch, just to see what kind of chaos ensues.

The logic behind it is that it's legal to sell on a CD you've bought - so why can't you do the same with a music file? In case you haven't spotted it yet, the difference is that when you sell a CD, you don't get to keep an identical copy of it for yourself. Which is probably a point that the record labels and their lawyers are making right now.

Source: Metro.co.uk

OCZ Releases Throttle eSATA-based Thumb Drive

When USB-based thumb drives first came out, they were an object of envy. But, initial prices were rather ridiculous. The first one I ever had was a "freebie" from Dell with the purchase of an overpriced notebook (at the time). At 64MB, I couldn't really do much with it, except store very small files, but hey, it still came in handy at the oddest of times.

Because of the sheer popularity of these things, it's hard for companies to differentiate themselves from the crowd. The top-end speeds were hit a while ago (due to USB 2.0 limitations), and there's only so many different styles before things become a bit boring. Well, OCZ is trying to change things up, and might do so with their eSATA "Throttle" flash drive, which, as you probably guess, utilizes the eSATA port on your desktop or notebook.

Thanks to the connection, Read speeds are clocked at 90MB/s, while Write speeds remain the same as a typical USB thumb drive, at 30MB/s Write. Surely, most people would prefer faster Write speeds, but it sure doesn't seem to be happening with the current flash chips available... at least at this price-range.

What would interest me, though, is booting an OS from this thing. People are already doing that with their USB drives, but with 3x the overall Read speed, theoretically, it should almost be as fast as a mechanical hard drive. This would also depend on whether or not your motherboard could boot from eSATA, but chances are good that it would be able to. Interesting product nonetheless.

The OCZ Throttle eSATA drive offers performance and versatility for enthusiasts that demand the best hardware. The integration of eSATA connectivity now extends beyond desktop systems to laptops, offering increased data transfer rates with extreme portability while eliminating extra cords and power cables.

Source: OCZ Throttle Product Page

Tech Roundup - December 5, 2008

Motherboards & Processors
• Albatron Mini-ITX Evolves KI780G - TweakTown
• Jetway NC92-230-LF Mini-ITX - FusionMods

Displays & Video Cards
• ATI FirePro V8700 Workstation - HotHardware
• HIS HD 4650 iSilence 4 512MB - Bjorn3D
• Palit Revolution R700 Deluxe - VR-Zone

Memory & Storage
• Icy Dock 2.5" to 3.5" Hard Drive Converter - TestFreaks

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Raptor Gaming M3 Platinum, SilverStone Raven and Razer Salmosa - TweakPC

Cooling
• Danamics LM10 - Liquid Metal Put to the Test - Nordic Hardware
• GELID Wing 12 120mm Gamer Fan - Overclockers Online
• Xigmatek Achilles S1284 Towerkühler - ocaholic
• Xthermal BTF120PRO Fan - Hardware Bistro

Chassis & Power Supplies
• AeroCool AeroRacer Pro - Legit Reviews
• be quiet! Dark Power Pro 850w ATX PSU - Overclock3D
• Hiper Type M 780W - techPowerUp
• OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Power Supply - PC Perspective
• Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package - Tech Report

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• All-in-One Printers: Buying Tips - Digital Trends
• Gateway FX6800-01e Gaming PC - Digital Trends

GTA IV PC Release Plagued with Show-Stopping Issues

So, Grand Theft Auto IV was finally released for the PC yesterday, and what isn't much of a surprise is that it's proven to be one of the buggiest game launches of the year. People are comparing it to the original Crysis, but I don't recall that game getting quite this much flack. Problems include missing textures, a non-launchable game, settings that can't be changed, et cetera.

Even the Steam forums, an unofficial spot for chat, has seen its share of heated debate since the launch, resulting in what I'm sure is the most-active sub-forum currently there. So, what's Rockstar's excuse for the flopped launch? They don't seem to have one, but they do offer word of advice for those experiencing performance issues:

"higher settings are provided for future generations of PCs with higher specifications than are currently widely available."

That seems a bit strange, given the game is essentially a console port, and its graphics are nowhere near as good-looking as, say, Crysis Warhead, Call of Duty: World at War, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2... games that work just fine on good detail settings on mainstream computers. It seems this is due to a poor coding job, because there's no way the graphics in this game are that intensive. As we can see with games like STALKER: Clear Sky, it's not only "console ports" that can suffer this issue. That game also offers horrible performance even on the highest-end machines (especially using DX 10 lighting)".

Rockstar is actively working on rectifying the issues here, though, and it really shouldn't be that long before a patch is released. If you own the game and really want to enjoy it, it might actually be a good idea to wait for a fix so that you can avoid frustration.

Problems range from dire performance issues to numerous error codes to a lack of SLI support, with scores of unhappy users flooding forums with their "broken things" laundry lists and Steam even going so far as to start offering refunds for unhappy downloaders. The main bone of contention seems to be with the game's graphics settings. Even powerful PCs are being forced to run the game at low settings (and even then, there are numerous texture errors).

Source: Kotaku

Tech Roundup - December 4, 2008

Motherboards & Processors
• MSI DKA790GX Platinum - Viper Lair
• MSI IM-945GSE-A Mini-ITX Fanless Atom - TweakTown

Displays & Video Cards
• Diamond Radeon 4870 1GB Edition - Boot Daily
• Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe HD 4870 X2 2GB - TweakTown
• Sapphire HD 4830 512MB - Overclockers Club
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Toxic - OC Modshop
• Sparkle 9800 GTX+ - Madshrimps
• Zotac Nitro VGA Overclocking Controller - techPowerUp!

Memory & Storage
• Patriot Xporter Magnum 64GB - TweakTown
• USB Super Kid Flash Drive - TweakTown

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Belkin F1DD104L SOHO KVM Switch with Audio and DL DVI - PC Perspective
• SouthWing SF605 Bluetooth Car Kit - Legit Reviews

Cooling
• Xilence RAM Cooler HP Duo Dual Heatpipe Passive Memory Cooler - Think Computers

Chassis & Power Supplies
• AXP Supernova 1000w and 800w - XS Reviews
• Lian-Li PC-60FW Case - Virtual-Hideout
• Thecus N4100PRO Networked Area Storage - Bjorn3D

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• 10 Best iPhone Alternatives - Digital Trends
• ASUS Lamborghini VX3 - t-break
• Canon Powershot G10 - Digital Trends
• Real World Benchmarks Of The EXT4 File-System - Phoronix

Windows Usage Dips Below 90% for First Time

Microsoft's Windows might still be the dominate operating system on the market, but as more and more people are learning about alternative OS', their dominance is slowly decreasing, but seems to be doing so at an increasing pace. According to recent reports from Net Applications Inc., a service which monitors select major websites, Windows saw a large 0.84% decrease in usage compared to the previous month, which is the largest drop seen in the past two years.

Those decreases now put Windows right below 90% usage, which while still clearly represents Microsoft's dominance, it's still a rather significant change. Apple's OS X has been the hogging the rest of the OS usage overall, with a recent 0.66% jump to sit comfortably at 8.9%. Linux, in third place, settles in at 0.83% usage.

In Windows-specific usage, Vista claims 20.45% of that usage, while XP continues to slowly drop, but is still the most commonly-used version, at 66.31%. Windows 2000, surprisingly, still has some good usage, at 1.56%. For even more information, you can go straight to the Net Applications site to view and fine-tune the information you're looking for.

Vince Vizzaccarro, Net Applications' executive vice president of marketing, attributed Windows' slip to some of the same factors he credited with pushing down the market share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. "The more home users who are online, using Macs and Firefox and Safari, the more those shares go up," he said. November was notable for a higher-than-average number of weekend days, as well as the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., he said.

Source: Computerworld

AMD's Processor Roadmap Revealed

The wait for Phenom II might be a little rough, but we're now closer than ever to launch, and thanks to AMD's updated roadmaps, we know just how close. According to the roadmap, which covers the entire first-half of 2009, AMD will be releasing a total of fourteen models, starting off with two Quad-Cores next month. We'll then see follow-up chips the following month which will also introduce tri-core models. Dual-Cores will be released at the end of this cycle, in June.

Along with the new releases will of course be the updated number scheme, which turns out to be very similar to how Intel is currently handling their Core i7 models. The first two CPUs next month, for example, will be Phenom II X4 940 and 920... the exact same numbers being used by Intel's own current mainstream offerings. These will be clocked at 3GHz and 2.8GHz, respectively, and include 8MB of total cache.

While the first releases will use the AM2+ socket, follow-up releases in February will introduce the first AM3 chips. There, the X4 910 2.6GHz (8MB Cache), X4 810 2.6GHz (6MB Cache) and X4 805 2.5GHz (6MB Cache) are the three Quad-Core offerings, while the X3 720 2.8GHz (7.5MB Cache) and X3 710 2.6GHz (7.5MB Cache) will be the first two tri-cores with the Phenom II moniker.

Moving past that, April will bring a new model, the X4 945, which features identical specs as the X4 940, but is designed for the AM3 platform. April will also introduce the return of the Athlon branding. The initial models will be available in both Quad-Core and Tri-Core varieties, but are more budget-oriented. Athlon Dual-Cores will come in June, as already mentioned.

Pricing isn't yet known, but we can assume they'll be quite competitive compared to Intel's Core 2 offerings. As we found out the other day, the server-equivalents don't manage to dominate Intel's Xeon's, but AMD has made large improvements to their architecture and that alone is reason to be excited. It's going to be hard to wait to see how these CPUs handle in regular desktop scenarios... information that's been rather scarce.

The launch date for the 45nm AM2+ quad-core Deneb is now reported to be January 8; the CPU was originally expected in mid-December. When February 2009 rolls around, AMD will unveil six socket AM3 45nm processors including the Phenom II X4 925 with 6MB of L3 cache and a Phenom II X4 910 with the same cache. A pair of 4MB L3 cache processors, the Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 710 will debut the same month. Also tipping up in February will be a pair of 6MB L3 cache CPUs including the Phenom X3 720 and the Phenom II X3 710.

Source: DailyTech

Open-Source Songbird Music Player Hits Version 1.0

The up-and-coming open-source music player "Songbird" has just hit a major milestone: Version 1.0. "Up-and-coming" might be a poor choice of words, though, as the developers have stated that usage is now above 160,000 users, which is an incredible show of support for an application that didn't release a "stable" version until just now.

Songbird, unlike so many other music players, is unique in various ways. The first major feature is the fact that it's open-source, so anyone can download and alter the code as they wish (and hopefully contribute to the project). In addition, it's actually a combination music player / web browser, and is built on top of Mozilla's XULRunner platform. This means that it has a solid base and that extensions (plugins) are plentiful.

At first glance, Songbird looks similar to iTunes, and overall, I suppose that's a good thing. It's an extremely clean design, one that's neither busy or difficult to navigate. Plus, it also happens to look pretty-much the same regardless of what platform you're using it on (Windows/Linux/OS X). Other key features include support for many formats (MP3, FLAC, etc), iPod support (including FairPlay support), built-in RSS capabilities, support for Last.fm and SHOUTcast, and more.

I installed Songbird on Linux, and it couldn't have been easier. It includes all the required dependencies, so it was just a matter of extracting the archive and running the executable. It didn't take too long to realize this might not be for me, but my reasons are going to likely differ from most. Being a long-time Amarok user, I've become very accustomed to how things work there, and Songbird is fairly different.

One thing I can say though, is that the application is fast. It took about two minutes to import my collection of 7,000 FLAC files, which isn't bad at all. General navigation was also speedy, as well. I won't get into the main problems I had with the program (not problems per se, just functionality I want) since I don't turn this into a novel, b the user-base of 160,000 can't be wrong. If you are looking for a new media player, this is definitely one that should top your list.

We set out to build an open, customizable music player. Today, we’re launching with dozens of integrated services, hundreds of add-ons, and a growing developer community. We’ll be the first to admit that there’s plenty left to do. And, while we’re not ready for everyone, 160k users a month are expressing their vote for an alternative music player.

Source: Songbird Official Site

Tech Roundup - December 3, 2008

Motherboards & Processors
• Intel X58 Smackover - Bjorn3D

Displays & Video Cards
• Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Think Computers
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 512MB - Big Bruin
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Toxic - OC Mod Shop

Memory & Storage
• Picking The Right Memory Kit For Intel Core i7 Platforms - Legit Reviews

Peripherals & Gadgets
• H2O Audio SURGE Headphones - Top Review Shop
• Samsung CLP-315W Network Colour Laser Printer - Dreamware Computers
• Sennheiser HD 595 Headphones - TheTechLounge

Cooling
• Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Paste - Hardware Bistro
• Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Cooler - Hardware OC
• Vizo Mini Ninja II Notebook Cooler - techPowerUp!

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Antec Veris Fusion Remote Max Premium HTPC - TweakNews
• Fractal Design 1000W - Technic3D
• NZXT Whisper - Modders-Inc
• SilverStone Fortress FT01 - Phoronix

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Building a Silent PC - Red and Blackness
• How to Stream Audio & Video In Your Home - Digital Trends
• HTC Touch Diamond - Digital Trends

Apple Recommends Using AntiVirus Under OS X

One thing that Apple users have long been able to brag about is the overall security available on the Mac. For the most part, though, it's not so much that it's secure, it's that OS X has never been the main target of virus and malware writers, or the target of various other exploits. Given the continuing market share growth, though, that's changing, and changing fast.

According to Apple themselves, users should consider using an AntiVirus, which is quite a statement, given their ambitious advertising campaigns that portray OS X as being impenetrable. The three recommendations given on their support page are McAfee VirusScan for Mac, Symantec Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh and Intego Virus Barrier X5.

Being mostly a Linux user, I also feel like I don't have to worry that much about viruses, but the truth is, I feel the same way whenever I use a Windows machine, too. As long as you are careful and don't needlessly download everything you see, you absolutely don't need one. I ran Windows full-time for two years without using one, before moving to Linux, and I didn't encounter a single one. Just play it safe, that's the key.

So what caused Apple to change its tune? One major factor appears to be the rise in non-OS attacks. While Apple's base OS is relatively secure, many of its programs, both Apple and third party have numerous vulnerabilities; among them Flash and Apple's Safari web browser. Dave Marcus, director of security research and communications at McAfee states, "Apple is realizing that malware these days is targeting data, and valuable data exists just as much on an OS platform that is a Mac as it does on an OS platform that is Windows."

Source: DailyTech

Adobe's 64-bit Flash Plugin Worth the Upgrade

Adobe surprised the Linux world a few weeks ago with the release of their alpha 64-bit Flash plugin, as we covered here, and I said I'd follow-up with my thoughts, and I 'll do so now. It took me a week after the release to get around to upgrading, and I can honestly say I regret not doing so right away, because the differences between the previous version is huge.

Although Adobe has been good lately with keeping Linux users current, we (like Windows and Apple users) were stuck with using a 32-bit plugin in a 64-bit browser. The difference in Linux is that it simply wasn't that stable. Things improved a lot when Flash 10 was released, but the situation was still far from ideal, with the Flash player actually crashing during browser use, requiring a constant reload of your tabs, or a restart of the browser entirely.

Well, I can say that this "alpha" is far superior to the current stable version. Since installing it, Flash hasn't only been more stable, but half of its features have worked properly, too. The best example of "fixed" functionality would be at ASUS' website. There, if you hover over the top menu (Products, About ASUS, etc), it will cue a menu. Before, this menu would hide behind their Flash animation up top (this is not the only website to do this, it was a universal problem), but now, it works without issue, just like it does on Windows and Apple.

I can't assume that my experiences are going to be the norm, but if installed correctly (I used Gentoo's Portage to handled the installation here), I'm confident there will be some impressed people out there. Since upgrading, Flash hasn't crashed on me while surfing... something that happened multiple times a day before. Bear in mind that this is still alpha software, and you might experience some oddities that I didn't. Worth the try if you are feeling brave, though.

This public prerelease is an opportunity for developers and consumers to test and provide early feedback to Adobe on new features, enhancements, and compatibility with previously authored content. Once you’ve installed the Flash Player 10 prerelease, you can view interactive demos. You can also help make Flash Player better by visiting all of your favorite sites, making sure they work the same or better than with the current player.

Source: Adobe Labs - Flash Download

Half-Life Recreation "Black Mesa" Due Next Year

Less than two weeks ago, I posted about the tenth anniversary of the original Half-Life, and recalled on just how incredible of a title it was. If you were a PC gamer back in 1998, you knew what Half-Life was, and chances are, you completed the entire game. There might even be a chance that you loved the game, like so many others. Well, if you are one of those, prepare to get psyched.

"Black Mesa" is a mod like few others, as it's not something simply layered on top of another game, but rather, it's an entire game, period. Why it's special is because it's a total recreation of the original game, and if you are at all familiar with it, then you're going to see many things that you recognize. The official site is linked to below, but if you want to see the trailer right away, you can grab an embedded version over at GameTrailers or download a 720p version from FileFront. I recommend the latter, because you can see all of the intricate details.

This mod isn't a simple recreation of the original, but rather a completely new game in it's own rite. Everything is built from the ground up, and utilizes the robust Source engine. Even the levels themselves are upgraded where it makes sense. The result is hard to explain... you really have to check out the trailer and also the media page. It's coming in 2009, and it looks to be a "must play". The trailer is the proof.

Our programmers have been hard at work overhauling and expanding the AI, and lots of our NPCs have been brought to life by our talented voice actors. Levels and chapters continue to be worked on and fine tuned, with large sections strung together and playable. We've also begun tackling the final content of the game, some of the most creative and technically challenging stuff we've had to do yet.

Source: Black Mesa Source

Tech Roundup - December 2, 2008

Motherboards & Processors
• ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition - Benchmark Reviews
• ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition - Neoseeker
• MSI P6NGM mATX - Viper Lair

Displays & Video Cards
• Asus 9800 GTX+ Dark Knight - Bjorn3D
• ASUS EN9800GT HybridPower - Motherboards.org
• ATI HD 4870 1GB vs. NVIDIA GTX 260/216 896MB - PC Perspective
• PowerColor HD 4830 - Overclockers Club
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4650 512MB OC - Phoronix

Memory & Storage
• OCZ Platinum Edition PC3-16000 2GB - Hardware Logic
• Patriot 128GB Warp SSD - Bjorn3D
• Patriot Warp v2 SATA SSD PE128GS25SSDR - Benchmark Reviews
• Seagate FreeAgent XTreme 1.5TB External Hard Drive - EverythingUSB

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Archos 7 320gb Internet Media Tablet - TestFreaks
• Keysonic ACK-612 RF Wireless Multimedia Keyboard - Overclock3D

Cooling
• EK Water Blocks 4870 X2 - PureOverclock

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Antec Skeleton Open Air Case - Virtual-Hideout
• Antec Veris Fusion Black HTPC Case - Legit Reviews
• GMC R-4 BullDozer Case - Hardware Bistro
• NZXT Guardian 921 - XS Reviews
• Revoltec Sixty2 - Technic3D
• Seasonic M12D-850W PSU - Hardware Bistro
• SilverStone Fortress FT01 - Hardware Canucks
• Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package - OverclockersClub

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• How to Recycle Your Electronics - Digital Trends
• Sony Ericsson C902 - Digital Trends

AMD's Shanghai "Phenom II" Server CPUs Put to the Test

As we found out two weeks ago, AMD is doing a great job in boasting what their Phenom II processors are going to be capable of. That was proven when the company revealed a 4.00GHz overclock on air cooling, and if you've been paying attention at all, it's easy to see why that's an impressive improvement over their current-generation offerings.

One important bit of information we've been lacking, though, has been general performance increases. Overall, we knew that Phenom II was going to be faster than the original (sequels are always better than the originals, right?!), but the big question was with regards to how it would compare to Intel's Core 2 line-up, or even Core i7.

Well, our friends at the Tech Report have taken a look at the server version of Phenom II, called Shanghai, and have developed conclusions that we were expecting. AMD made great effort to increase the power efficiency, and these new CPUs are indeed faster, but they're still going to fall behind Core i7 performance. That was highly expected, however.

AMD isn't at a total loss though... far from it. Their new CPUs excel in certain tests, and where they do seem to fall behind the most is with desktop-type applications, not server applications. So hopefully further improvements will be made to the desktop version of Phenom II before release, and if not, we'll still be left with what seems to be a great improvement over the original.

In many cases, Shanghai at 2.7GHz was slightly behind the Xeon L5430 at 2.66GHz. The Opteron does best when it's able to take advantage of its superior system architecture and native quad-core design, and it suffers most by comparison in applications that are more purely compute-bound, where the Xeons generally have both the IPC and clock frequency edge.

Source: Tech Report

Microsoft's "Warp 10" Will Allow CPU-Accelerated DirectX 10

Here's one I didn't quite see coming. Microsoft is working on allowing Direct3D 10 and 10.1 to run off of the processor, rather than require integrated or discrete graphics. The idea is to use the CPU to push out ample graphics performance to allow basic operation of Windows, in addition to light gaming, and I do mean light.

What that means for Microsoft is a potential end to the Vista-capable debacle. If Aero, or whatever the Windows 7 equivalent is called, could run off of the CPU, then the problem simply vanishes. According to them, this "WARP 10" system can run off of a CPU with an 800MHz frequency, which technically shows that the faster the CPU, the better the graphics performance.

According to the article, this technology proved to be even faster than Intel's current integrated offering, but the results are a little hard to settle on. The test machine used was an eight-core Core i7 machine, which is a lot of power. If WARP 10 took full advantage of the spare CPU cycles and still only achieved a 2FPS increase over Intel's integrated solution, then I don't think there's a reason to get excited right now.

The most important thing would be to gain enough graphics power to enable the special OS features. As long as that happens, then we can honestly say Microsoft made a smart development move.

(Picture this, but at -1 FPS)

Of course, software rendering on a single desktop CPU isn’t going to be able to compete with decent dedicated 3D graphics cards when it comes to high-end games, but Microsoft has released some interesting benchmarks that show the system to be quicker than Intel’s current integrated DirectX 10 graphics.

Source: Custom PC