Content and news by Rob Williams

Just in case you missed it somehow, we released IE7 last Wednesday. In the first four days over three million of you have already downloaded the final release. We expect the numbers to continue to climb steadily until we start distributing via Automatic Updates in a few weeks. Clearly, we expect IE7 adoption to really take off then. If you haven’t tested your website with IE7 yet, please use the tools Scott posted about a few weeks ago to help you prepare.

I am probably one of the few who have never touched IE7 outside of Vista, but it does seem to have some potential. The important thing is that this release takes care of many bugs, so if you are a Windows user, then upgrade!

Dell is set to begin shipping notebooks that feature AMD CPUs from the last week of October, according to Taiwan-based notebook makers. By the beginning of November, the first batch of 500,000 AMD notebook from Dell will officially hit the market, added the makers.

This is a great start, no doubt about that. I look even more forward to seeing performance AMD-powered notebooks though. $500 is not likely to be that desirable except for very simple tasks.

PowerColor will be releasing a Radeon X1950 Pro based product for AGP systems. Images of the proposed Radeon X1950 Pro AGP graphics card are posted on PCInpact as well. The upcoming Radeon X1950 Pro AGP is expected to be clocked higher than its PCI Express counterparts at 600 MHz core and 700 MHz instead of the 575 MHz core and 690 MHz memory on PCI Express parts.

Good to see AGP users are not forgotten! On a completely unrelated note, the post even includes a shot of the 8800GTX from ASUS. Not much can be gleaned from the shot, but the cooler looks sharp.

ORACLE OPENWORLD, SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2006 – Oracle and Intel Corporation today announced a joint effort to help accelerate deployment of solutions based on Oracle and Intel technology. This effort builds on a longstanding enterprise computing relationship and is expected to deliver a new level of performance and reliability to customers using Oracle solutions running on industry-leading Intel Core microarchitecture-based Linux servers.

You can read the full press release here.

WALTHAM, Mass. – Oct. 25, 2006 – Novell today announced it has signed agreements with four white-box PC manufacturers who will globally distribute PCs pre-loaded with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 from Novell. European manufacturers ETegro Technologies, MAXDATA and Transtec along with U.S.-based R Cubed Technologies will sell notebooks and/or desktop computers with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 already installed, giving customers around the world simplified access to a complete desktop computing solution that dramatically reduces costs, improves end-user security and increases workforce productivity.

You can read the full press release here.

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is available now for those in North America for just $49.95. For those outside of North America, the game will be made available at 10 am GMT this Friday, October 27. For more information on Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, please visit http://www.mightandmagic.com/.

Finally, the moment many of you have been waiting for. You can hop onto Steam and purchase it if you want to play, or simply load the game if you have already paid during the pre-order period.

Cases & Enclosures
• Akasa Mirage-62 – techPowerUp!
• NZXT Zero – Bjorn3D

Cooling
• Zalman Fatal1ty FS-C77 Heatsink – Frosty Tech

Memory & Storage
• Dual-Channel DDR2-800 With Dual-Core AMD Athlon 64 X2, Intel Core 2 Duo – Digit-Life
• Mushkin 2GB HP2-6400 – Virtual-Hideout

Motherboards & Processors
• ECS P965T-A – Viper Lair
• Foxconn 975X7AB-8EKRS2H 975X Express – PC Stats
• Intel P965 Showdown – Abit vs. GIGABYTE – HotHardware
• MSI 975X Platinum and MSI 975X Platinum PowerUp Edition – Digit-Life

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Antec Truepower Trio 650 Watt Power Supply – TweakNews
• Everglide g-1000 Mouse – NGOHQ
• SteelPad 5H Headset – HWZone
• SteelSound 5H V2 Headset – BurnoutPC
• X-Raypad Aqua2 Professional Fabric Mousepad – DragonSteelMods

Displays & Video Cards
• Dell 2007WFP vs Samsung SM205BW – Pure Overclock

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• Cooler Master Mystique 632 Case Give Away – Big Bruin
• crotale reaches 503MHz FSB with Abit AW9D-MAX – Nordic Hardware
• Ecommerce Tips for Beginners – OC Modshop
• Microsoft IE7 Vs Mozilla Firefox 2.0 – BIOS Magazine
• Travelistic: Travel Meets Web 2.0 – XYZ Computing
• Why AJAX Websites Taste Like Fast Food – Big Bruin
• Xbox Game Accessories Kit – Red & Blackness

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. – Oct. 25, 2006 – AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced the completion of its approximately $5.4 billion acquisition of ATI Technologies Inc. Combining the complementary strengths of the two technology leaders, the new AMD opens for business as a processing powerhouse committed to driving innovation, choice and growth in the technology industry. With approximately 15,000 employees, the company merges AMD’s technology leadership in microprocessors together with ATI’s leadership in graphics, chipsets and consumer electronics.

Time to start looking to the future. We have already seen the possibility of 45nm GPU processors from ATI in 2008, so the benefits to consumers are starting to pop up already.

This also marks the kickoff of “Fusion”, the technology of fusing CPU and GPU capabilities onto one processor. At this point, it’s hard to assume just how this will be accomplished. Will we still have a video card… without a core? Perhaps, because it is probably feasible. With a GPU and CPU processor melded together though, there is no doubt that it would be a large unit in the end, unless this happens around the 45nm time…

AMD also wasted no time taking ATI.com down, and replacing it with http://ati.amd.com/. If you had any bookmarks saved from various points on the ATI site, you will automatically be routed to the correct page on the new ATI AMD site. One thing the site proves is that AMD will certainly be pushing the green color on ATI down the road, if it plans to keep it’s current logos at all. Both the AMD and ATI.amd.com sites are splashed with green, so it may only be a matter of time.

Times are going to get interesting in tech… starting now. You can read the full press release here.

Lavalys today announced the general availability of version 3.50 of its flagship products: EVEREST Corporate Edition “The multi-functional toolset for IT Management and Security” and EVEREST Ultimate Edition 2006 “The cutting-edge benchmarking and diagnostics tool to maximize security, performance, and trouble-shooting capabilities for home and home office PC environments, PC Professionals and consulting firms as well as OEM partners and Configuration Centres worldwide”.

If you are an EVEREST user, be sure to grab the latest version. 3.50 is especially cool if you have a Logitech G15 keyboard, as the program will neatly show all your system temps in a clean fashion. This release also includes various updates to support the latest hardware, including Kentsfield.

Published on October 25, 2006

Yesterday, we reported on a legal defeat for video game importer Lik-Sang, where Sony effectively shut down unathorized PSP exports into Europe and set a precedent for the PS3 to follow. Today, Lik-Sang announced that it is giving up the ghost in the face of these lawsuits, and all outstanding orders will be fully refunded as the company is shutting its doors for good.

Things just keep getting better for Sony! Right now, it’s hard to believe anything they say because most of what comes out of their mouths is laughable. Lik-Sang claims that Sony is completely responsible in their closing, even going as far as disclosing information about their purchasing of products from them in the past. In a later release, Sony stresses that they have nothing to do with their closing, and that their surprised to see a reputable company disclose such information in the first place.

Without knowing the complete truth, this can be looked at from a few different perspectives. First, it would not be unlike Sony to exaggerate their affect on Lik-Sang as a company, one that would result in a closure. On the other hand, if Lik-Sang -was- closed down by Sony, then why would they give a damn about disclosing such information against the company that shut them down? Regardless of the debate, it’s sad to see such a great e-tailer close its doors.

Mozilla today released Firefox 2, a major update to its popular and acclaimed free, open source Web browser. Firefox is developed by an international community of contributors working together under the umbrella of the Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit, public-benefit organization dedicated to improving the Internet experience for people everywhere.

The time is finally upon us. You can read the full press release here and check out the release notes here. If you could care less about any of that, go straight to the download page.

There is a new tech site search engine that we were passed along a link for and it seems pretty solid. It’s primarily good if you wish to search tech specific sites, but I never personally found a problem with Google itself. Check it out though, it may just be your cup of tea.

Fremont, CA (October 25, 2006) –Corsair, a worldwide leader in high performance enthusiast computer products, today reported record quarterly profit and announced distribution of over $1 million dollars in profit sharing to its employees. Fueled by the company’s unique market positioning and precise product launch execution, Corsair enjoyed rapid sales growth in all regions worldwide.

You can read the full press release here.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2006 – HP, Intel Corp. and Oracle today announced a joint initiative to help customers increase business agility and performance, reduce operational cost, and mitigate risk when moving applications from mainframe systems to open standards-based server environments.

You can read the full press release here.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 24, 2006 – Highlighting its leadership and long history of delivering innovative energy-saving technologies and products, Intel Corporation today announced its support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly announced ENERGY STAR computer specifications. Intel plans to deliver microprocessors and other system components that will help enable PC and laptop suppliers to deliver ENERGY STAR qualified systems when these new specifications go into effect in mid-2007.

You can read the full press release here.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and DRESDEN-Oct. 24, 2006-Today in Dresden, Germany, AMD (NYSE: AMD) commemorated the 10-year anniversary of its Dresden-based operations with a ceremony attended by German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and an employee celebration. Joining the Chancellor was Governor of Saxony, Professor Georg Milbradt, AMD Chairman and CEO, Hector Ruiz and General Manager of AMD Dresden, Hans Deppe. On October 24, 1996 AMD broke ground for its first Dresden based microprocessor
production facility, Fab 30, initiating ten years of continuous technology innovation and launching a unique German-American success story.

You can read the full press release here.

October 24, 2006 — 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Valve today announced an agreement to bring a collection of 2K PC games to Steam. “With titles from legendary designer Sid Meier and 2K’s world renowned developer, Firaxis Games, 2K is one of today’s foremost publishers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “Through this initial agreement with 2K, Steam’s game library expands to include four great strategy games. We look forward to delivering more from 2K in the future.”

This seems to be a continuing trend here! So far it will be Sid Meier games available, but we may just see the rest of the collection available later this year. So if you want an easy way to grab Civ IV, or even III, load up Steam later this week.

Cases & Enclosures
• ThermalTake Mozart Tx – Gideon Tech

Cooling
• Gigabyte 3D Rocket II Cooler – Frosty Tech
• Jetart CK5000 RAM Heatsinks – Bjorn3D

Memory & Storage
• OCZ PC2-6400 Special Ops Edition Urban Elite – Overclocker Cafe

Motherboards & Processors
• Asus M2R32-MVP CrossFire Xpress 3200 – PC Stats
• ECS KA3 MVP Extreme – Madbox PC
• ECS P965T-A – Overclockers Online
• GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 – HardOCP

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• AimBlade – Burnout PC
• Cyber Snipa 2 Gaming Pad – ModTheBox
• M-Audio Audiophile 192 Professional Sound Card – Digit-Life
• Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 – Digital Trends

Displays & Video Cards
• ATI or NVIDIA – The Battle For Adult Gaming GPU’s – Legit Reviews
• ATI Radeon X1900 XT 256 MB – techPowerUp!
• BFG GeForce 7950 GT OC – Technic3D
• XFX GeForce 7950 GT Extreme Passive Edition 512MB – Hexus

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• Aftermarket Bluetooth Car Stereos – Blue Tomorrow
• Fedora Core 6 Zod – Phoronix

Nikon recently announced 6 new digital cameras, including the S10. This camera is similar in design to their S4 released earlier this year, but has a few notable upgrades. Overall it’s a good camera, but has a few downsides.

WALTHAM, Mass. – Oct. 24, 2006 – Novell today announced the availability of SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time, enabling customers to realize the benefits of Linux* for real-time applications. SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time from Novell adds real-time technology from Concurrent Computer Corporation* to the flexible and scalable SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform. As a result, customers see lower costs with predictable performance in time-critical environments.

This is -not- for home users, and the $2,500 per year subscription proves this. Real Time functionality is actually an add-on to SLES 10, so you must already have a copy of that as well. It will be interesting to see if it proves to be as useful as they say though. Given the price, it should be. You can read the rest of the press release here.