Content and news by Rob Williams

The GX-10 offers a 10.2MP, dust resistant CCD sensor, 2.5″ LCD screen, 11-point auto focus, and optical image stabilization. The image stabilization system is built into the body of the camera so all lenses used with the camera will be able to take advantage of the feature. Speaking of lenses, the GX-10 will be compatible with the full range of Pentax, KAF2, KAF and KA mount lenses.

Pricing is not known, but you can expect it to hover around the $900USD area. It appears the camera may also be offered with a Schneider D-XENON 50-200mm lens, or an 18-55mm macro lens. This is one great looking camera though.. despite it being a re-branded Pentax.

In just a week, Apple’s iTunes Store sold $1 million USD worth of downloadable Disney movie content. The service, which was launched last Tuesday, provides an existing library of titles for $9.99 each with new releases going for $14.99. Apple also discounts new titles to $12.99 for those who pre-order the movies before they are released or download it within the first week of availability.

Wow, that’s incredible. Off to a good start would be an understatement. Now to see if it actually keeps up, now that the fanbois have it out of their system.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – Sept. 21, 2006 – AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced
that its Torrenza Initiative is serving as a collaborative force toward
achieving future processor socket compatibility in the server industry.
By leveraging the advantages of AMD64 with Direct Connect Architecture
and HyperTransport(tm) technology, OEMs will be able to standardize on a
Torrenza Innovation Socket for many of their current and future server
platforms. This game-changing approach to server design will enable OEMs
to consolidate server offerings for multiple processors to potentially a
single platform, reducing datacenter disruption and deployment costs for
customers. The Torrenza initiative is establishing AMD64 as the Open
Innovation Platform.

You can read the full press release here.

In conjunction with the release of Issue 8: To Protect and Serve, NCsoft and Cryptic Studios are pleased to announce the launch of the official City of Heroes Veteran Rewards program. This program rewards our fans for their time spent supporting and playing City of Heroes and City of Villains.

Specifically, for each increment of three months with an active account, players will unlock valuable in-game “items” which will come in the form of costumes, powers, badges, and more! The program is retroactive by player account and rewards will be applicable to all characters within each respective account.

Now I have to say, that this is a pretty cool idea. Great way to keep subscribers also… especially those who take breaks every few months ;-)

NBA 2K7, the latest in the top-rated NBA simulation video game series, has gone gold and is set to hit retail shelves on September 26th. NBA 2K7 introduces new standard setting features like Signature Style, improved Shot Stick control, enhanced arena atmosphere, online fantasy leagues, and much more.

There you have it! You can get your grubby mitts on the game on the 25th. $30US for the Xbox version and $60US for the Xbox 360 version.

PARINTINS, Brazil, Sept. 20, 2006 – In one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, the Amazon, Intel Corporation has created a wireless, high-speed Internet network for residents to access vast resources of medical, educational and commercial knowledge through computers. The project is part of the Intel World Ahead Program, an initiative in which Intel plans to invest more than $US 1 billion globally over the next 5 years to accelerate access to computers, the Internet and technology for people in developing communities.

You can read the full press release here.

Cases & Enclosures
• Casebuy 6811-BB-2500 Case – ClubOC
• Vizo Voyager – Red & Blackness

Cooling
• Spire Verticool II SP601B3 – Motherboards.org
• Zalman Reserator 1 V2 Water Cooling – 3D Gameman
• Zalman Reserator 2 WaterCooling Kit – Virtual-Hideout

Memory & Storage
• OCZ PC2-8800 (1100MHz) Gold Edition – Legit Reviews
• Vantec NexStar LX NAS – Guru3D

Motherboards & Processors
• Abit AB9 P965 Skt 775 Conroe Motherboard – Overclock3D
• Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe – PC Stats
• Core 2 chipsets compared – Tech Report
• Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo – Neoseeker
• Intel Pentium M 740 1.73GHz – PC Stats
• Is AMD Using Viral Marketing/Shills? – NGOHQ

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Mushkin HP-550 Enhanced Power Supply – Think Computers
• SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus PSU – InsaneTek
• Thermaltake Embedded 7″ Addon LCD – techPowerUp!
• Xilence XP600 600W PSU – Technic3D

Displays & Video Cards
• ATI 8.29.6 Display Drivers – Phoronix
• ATI Catalyst 6.9 with Control Panel – NGOHQ
• NVIDIA 1.0-9XXX Series Preview – Phoronix
• Radeon X1300 XT GDDR3 duel – Sapphire vs. GeCube – Hexus

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• ASUS Lamborghini VX1 – Hardware Info
• Microsoft and their Gifts That Click in 2006 – Futurelooks
• Oregon Scientific Music Element Video Tour – Digital Trends
• The 24 hour iPod Battery: Fact or Fiction? – The Tech Zone

Apparently a man was convicted of stealing a computer after he stole computers from the courthouse during his own trial for stealing computers elsewhere. He says he did it “for personal reasons” and as his way of “asking for help.” It would seem like there are better ways to ask for help, but, now it looks like he’ll be getting somewhere around five years of “help” in prison.

I almost spit out my coffee from laughter after reading this one.

When Microsoft announced the end of support for Windows 98 and Millennium Edition on June 30th, there was a lot of talk of these users migrating over to Linux Desktops. According to OneStat.com, this is approximately 4% of the total PCs in the world. With Linux clocking in at only 0.4%, this means for every ten PCs, only one has Linux installed compared to these two Microsoft OS’s that are no longer supported.

I fail to see how a lack of a software support will stop people from using it, but if more people move over to Linux, then so be it.

You will finally be able to experience all 60 frames per second of visuals that your 1080p HDTV can provide. Unfortunately there has been no HDMI cable yet announced so this is only over component and VGA. Even better, users can expect 1080p upscaling immediately on current games and DVDs while native 1080p on compatible HD DVD titles.

This does not make me want to run out any buy a 1080p TV, but at least we will have the capability. I’d quicker appreciate an HDMI cable. What I find interesting though, is that this 1080p capability will be added via a simple console software update. If that’s the case, I have to wonder why it hasn’t provided support from the beginning?

We were the ‘victim’ of a Digg.com attack last night, and it’s apparently continuing well into today. Things should clear up as the day progresses, but we are in the early steps of optimizing and upgrading the server software and hardware.

Thanks for your patience!

Sunnyvale, CA—September 19, 2006—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the latest addition to their reputable flash product line—the OCZ Roadster USB 2.0 Flash Drive series. The ultra-portable “Top-Down” design of the OCZ Roadster makes data storage and transferring easier and more portable than ever. Best of all, there is no cap to lose with the OCZ Roadster’s modern design.

You can read the full press release here.

Saratoga, California and Espoo, Finland – September 19th, 2006 – Futuremark Corporation,
providers of world’s leading performance benchmarks and services to the PC and handheld
device industries announced today the appointment of Petri Talala as Vice President of Mobile
Business. He will report directly to Risto Vehvilainen, CEO of Futuremark. Futuremark also
announced today the promotion of Jukka Makinen to Director of PC Business Operations.

You can read the full press release here.

Cooling
• AquaXtreme MP-05 Pro Water Block – Overclock3D
• Case Cooling – The Physics of Good Airflow – Tech Nibble
• Cooler Master Hyper TX CPU Cooler – DragonSteelMods
• Logisys Dual Heatpipe VGA Cooler – Extensive Mods
• Alphacool NexXxoS Complete WaterCooling Kit – Virtual-Hideout

Memory & Storage
• Verbatim Store’n’Go 2GB USB U3 Drive – OC Mod Shop

Motherboards & Processors
• AMD AM2 worth it? – Gideon Tech
• DFI vs. MSI – Conroe 975X Motherboards Tested – TweakTown
• ECS KA3 MVP Extreme – Bjorn3D
• Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H – Technic3D

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• BETA link Dynamic Vibration Headphones – Xtreme Computing
• Cyber Snipa Intelliscope Gaming Mouse – Viper Lair
• Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 – 3D Gameman
• Pinnacle ShowCenter 200 network media player – Hexus
• Sony AW-G170A DVD-writer – Hardware Info
• Super Talent 2GB MEGA Screen MP3/FM/Recorder Player – ModTheBox
• Ultra 1200 Watt Backup UPS – Overclockers Online
• Ultra Products X-Finity 500W Power Supply – XYZ Computing

Displays & Video Cards
• Gigabyte GeForce 7600GS & 7600GT – Tech Spot

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• Apple iTunes 7 – TweakNews
• “Is Artificial Intelligence Possible?” – The Tech Zone
• Sumo Lounge Omni Super-Sized Beanbag Chair – Big Bruin
• Systemax Sabre Intel Core 2 Extreme Gaming PC – HotHardware
• Targus Evolution 14 inch Ultra Portable Leather Laptop Case – Laptop Lifestyle
• Top Five GPS Systems – DV Hardware
• “USBCELL batteries recharge through USB port” – DV Hardware

Just because everybody talks about Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor doesn’t mean AMD shouldn’t be on your radar screen. Now, there is a healthy crop of mature socket AM2 motherboards available to power Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64 FX and Sempron processors. Thanks to recent price drops, AMD still offers a nice price/performance ratio compared to that Intel.

True that! This is a great roundup of 8 motherboards. Though they could not seem to come up with a definitive conclusion, the ASUS Crosshair left them quite impressed.

What’s the big deal with a web interface? A web interface allows the end user to control his or her µTorrent client from any Internet enabled computer. For example, assume µTorrent user “A” is on vacation in the Caribbean, and is suddenly overwhelmed with the inexplicable urge to download the latest Knoppix release. Unfortunately the public WIFI connection at the hotel only has a lousy 300 kilobit down pipe – a speed next to impossible to achieve on a shared connection.

This is actually quite cool, if you don’t wish to use remote desktop. Though, this should prove far quicker than that method. Good stuff. Now if they will only make uTorrent for Linux.

Toshiba is latest to be affected by Sony-produced notebook batteries. The company announced on Monday that it would recall 340,000 batteries found in its Dynabook and Satellite series notebooks — 100,000 of which were sold in the United States. It should be noted that this recall doesn’t involve batteries catching fire as in previous recalls. Instead, this recall is related to the battery packs unexpectedly losing power under normal operating conditions.

Sony’s year just doesn’t seem to be getting any better! If you have a Toshiba notebook, you may want to see if your battery is recalled.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 18, 2006 – Researchers from Intel Corporation and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have built the world’s first electrically powered Hybrid Silicon Laser using standard silicon manufacturing processes. This breakthrough addresses one of the last major barriers to producing low-cost, high-bandwidth silicon photonics devices for use inside and around future computers and data centers.

You can read the full press release here.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 18, 2006 – Intel Corporation today announced a new integrated branding campaign named “Multiply,” which is focused on Intel® Core™ 2 Duo, the world’s best processor. The campaign represents Intel’s most significant marketing campaign in size and scope since the launch of Intel® Centrino® mobile technology.

You can read the full press release here.

Cases & Enclosures
• APEVIA X-Pleasure Aluminum Case – Think Computers
• Cooler Master Stacker 830 – Hexus
• Sansun Galaxy – Overclockers Online

Cooling
• Apack Zerotherm CF900 Copper Heatpipe Intel Socket 775 CPU Cooler – TweakNews
• Gigabyte 3D Rocket II HSF – TweakTown
• Silent CPU coolers – Hardware Info
• Spire SP512S7 CPU Heatsink – Motherboards.org
• Vantec Stingray WaterCooling Kit – Virtual-Hideout

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Bluetake BT500+ Bluetooth Rechargeable Super Mini Mouse – Futurelooks
• Razer Barracuda Hp1 Gaming Headphones – Overclockers Club
• Vantec Slot Protectors – OC Modshop
• Zalman ZM360B-APS Power Supply – 3DGameman

Displays & Video Cards
• Samsung SyncMaster 242MP 24″ – Bona Fide Reviews
• XFX GeForce 7950 GT M570 Extreme – TweakPC

Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
• Garmin Nüvi 310 SatNav – UK Gamer
• Tech Myths B.U.S.T.E.D. – techARP
• Who Will Make Money Off The Matrix? – OC Mod Shop