Sonic Unleashed is Official

Late March, we posted about a new Sonic game that was en route. Although at the time, nothing was official, and the sources were still sketchy, despite having a detailed trailer available. We have to wonder no more, however, as Sega has finally made the game official. It is indeed going to be called Sonic Unleashed, so we will just have to hope that it's unbad, unlike the previous Sonic the Hedgehog game.

The game mixes 2D and 3D elements together and offers fast gameplay. Based from the early trailer, the game looks incredibly hopeful. Graphics don't make a game, but the environments here are sure to add a lot to the eye candy. In a 2D view, you can see further in the background... probably of different parts of the level that you will at some point reach.

Hit up the link and check out the updated trailer. It's worth it, but it's going to be difficult to wait until the end of the year to see the game hit the shops!

The announcement hints at the new 3D portions of the game in which Sonic turns into a werewolf, another well-known secret I'm sure they'll officially reveal somewhere down the line. For now, enjoy the extended version of the video you've already watched, now with extra-added Sonic goodness!

Source: Kotaku

Intel's Latest Tech to Help Decrease Notebook Theft (Hopefully)

Notebooks are great for offering computing on the go, but at the same time, the portability can also be a downside. The more the notebook is out of the house, the greater the chance that it could get stolen, even if you only take your eye off of it for a minute. I've never had this happen to me, but I can understand the frustration that it would cause... the money paid for it wouldn't even be the problem. The problem would be all of the personal information loaded on there, including photos, videos and even documents.

With notebooks growing extremely quick in popularity, the risk continues to grow with it that your notebook could suffer the fate of being stolen. Intel is looking to fight that possibility back by offering a new technology called Anti-Theft Technology, or ATT.

The concept is simple. If your notebook is stolen, it cannot be boot without the owners permission, which I assume to be either be a password-based solution or require the swipe of a finger. Swapping the hard drive would have no effect either, and I'd imagine that with ATT and an encrypted drive together, the notebook would be virtually useless to any thief. Here's to hoping that this tech is well executed and catches on fast.

Intel isn't working on this initiative alone, though. In fact, a number of third parties announced today that they were partnering up with Intel to support ATT, such as Absolute Software Corporation (creators of firmware-based data protection/tracking solutions), BIOS maker Phoenix, and Utimaco (a data security company), to name a few. Intel also says that McAfee is on board, as well as manufacturers like Lenovo and Fujitsu.

Source: Ars Technica

April 4th Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI - HotHardware
• XFX 790i Ultra Mainboard - i4u

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS EN9800 GTX - Overclockers Club
• ASUS GeForce 8800GS TOP 384MB - TweakTown
• EVGA 9600 GT KO - Hardware OC
• Sapphire Radeon HD3850 1GB - MadboxPC

Memory & Storage
• Honeywell 80 GB SecuraDrive Portable Drive - Bjorn3D

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Creative Aurvana Live - Digital Trends
• Logisys 650W Power Supply - Techware Labs
• Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard - i4u
• Neural-THX Surround Gaming Nexus

Cooling
• CoolIT Systems Pure CPU Cooler - Legit Reviews
• Kingwin Heat-Pipe Direct Touch CPU Coolers - Virtual-Hideout
• OrigenAE C10 Low Profile CPU Cooler - techPowerUp!

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Apevia X-Supra G Type Case - Hardware Logic
• Cooler Master CM690 - Viper Lair
• Cooler Master Cosmos S - Techware Labs
• Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1000W Power Supply - Big Bruin
• CSX Wraith Tower Case - OCIA
• SilverStone KLO2 Kublai Series Case - Motherboards.org

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• ASUS Eee PC - TweakPC
• Windows Vista Service Pack 1: A Performance Check - Tech Report