Content and news by Rob Williams

FLETCHER, OHIO – June 28th, 2006 – Ultra Products, a global leader in technology solutions, has introduced a new line of Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS) featuring 1025VA, 1500VA and 2000VA models, easy-to-use monitoring software, and a $125,000 limited warranty against any damaged equipment. The new UPS units are ideal for anyone running a small server, workstation, or powerful PC.

You can read the full release here.

DRESDEN, Germany – June 28, 2006 – At the 21st International
Supercomputer Conference today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced that several
AMD Opteron(tm) processor-based systems are listed among the world’s
highest-performing supercomputers, as determined by the TOP500
Organization (www.top500.org). The AMD Opteron processor, via its
Direct Connect Architecture featuring HyperTransport(tm) technology,
delivers superior performance and scalability for cluster and
multiprocessor computing in commercial and research environments. These
performance advantages are leading to increased market penetration
across all sectors of the worldwide server market during the last three
years, including such industries as financial services, energy, and
digital media, as well as university and government installations.

You can read the full release right here.

The highest performance DDR2 memory module available to the market today, GeIL introduce to you the all new DDR2 1066 Plus Ultra Series with default safe-mode specification set at 1066MHz, CAS 5 enhanced for Intel platform. However, slip a pair of these bad boys on the latest AMD AM2 platform, boost the voltage to 2.5V and a whopping 1.2GHz is reached with the ultra low CAS of 4.

What else can be said but wow? CAS 4 at 600MHz is a sweet deal. Right-Click, Save As to grab the official release in PDF format.

LAVAL, CANADA, June 27, 2006 – Lavalys Inc., a leader in IT management solutions for both individuals and enterprises, announced today the next milestone in PC diagnostics and benchmarking software with the introduction of EVEREST Ultimate Edition (EVEREST UE) version 3.00. This release is available in 34 languages and contains significant enhancements to the company’s flagship product.

You can read the full press release here.

While there are indeed MANY improvements to the film making mechanics due to the inclusion of new sets, buildings, props, and of course stunts, they only add to the game. While they can enhance a movie, they cannot re-define a movie – after all, there is no need to have stunts to make a 5 star movie, and there is no actual benefit in the box office or the charts for using them. What I’m trying to say is that rather than re-define, or at least augment the gameplay mechanic, Lion head has given players something which seems like a tacked on aside. Now, don’t get me wrong – if you loved the original (and still play it!) then hell, get yourself this expansion pronto.

Check out the full review at GamePyre.

WALTHAM, Mass. – June 27, 2006 – Novell has released a special preview version of its new SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform. Available for free at http://www.novell.com/prerelease , customers and other interested parties can now download pre-release versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 to experience their cutting-edge innovation and sophisticated functionality firsthand. Novell will officially release the server and desktop products later this summer.

You can read the full press release here.

Cases & Enclosures
• Ultra Aluminus Case – XYZ Computing

Cooling
• AlphaCool XP-Light CPU and NB-SLI Water Blocks – Virtual-Hideout
• nMedia Icetank – Overclockers Online
• Noctua NH-U9 Heatsink – Hi-Tech Reviews
• Thermalright HR-05 Chipset Heatsink – PC Modding Malaysia

Memory & Storage
• Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo Edition – BIOS Magazine

Motherboards & CPU’s
• ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2/A/ASR i945PL – PC Stats
• ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe – NeoSeeker

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Brando Optical USB Mouse With 2 USB Port Hub – Bona Fide Reviews
• Logitech Wireless Desktop S510 Media Remote – Overclockers Club
• OCZ GameXStream 700W – Phoronix
• Power Supplies 101: A comprehensive guide – Motherboards.org
• SilverStone 750 Watt ATX Power Supply – Guru3D
• Xgear Multimedia Gaming Headset – Bjorn3D

Video Cards & Monitor
• Asus EN7950GX2 – GeForce 7950 GX2 – HotHardware
• ATi Catalyst 6.6 with Control Panel – NGOHQ
• Catalyst 6.6 Comparison – Technic3D
• Inno3D GeForce 7600 GST 256MB DDR3 – Guru3D

Etcetera, Complete Systems & Contests
• Alienware Aurora m7700 – Atomic Gamer
• ASUS A8N-SLI Giveaway – TechDomain
• Everex StepNote LM7WE – techFEAR
• Kingston Giveaway – Just a few days left! – Cache-Community
• Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2 – Rojak Pot
• Motorola SLVR L7 – ByteSector
• Sondigo Sirocco – Digital Trends
• Sytrin VGA Cooler Giveaway – TechDomain

Valve has sent us a new trailer for the map Colmar which launches tomorrow alongside Jagd. If you haven’t already, you can whet your appetite by reading our preview of the new updates here.

You can download it here.

In short, except for one monitor from Sony – priced at over $1,000 – none of the 16:10 monitors we tested was satisfactory for video use. It was for this reason that we approached this new spate of tests with a certain apprehension, while trying to keep an open mind. And admittedly, manufacturers’ attitudes are changing – at least, some of them. We had a few pleasant surprises while testing for this article, thanks in particular to the new S-MVA panels that are becoming more common. So if you’ll just step this way…

This is a good roundup of a few widescreen LCD’s. I have never been a fan of 16:10, but these monitors don’t look too bad. With 1680*1050, it would look sweet for gaming.

We are proud to announce the beta launch of TechSpot in Spanish. Just like the original TechSpot does, we plan and hope to deliver the best computer and technology information through this new portal which will target all spanish speaking countries.

Grats to TechSpot on the new launch! You can check out their Spanish site at http://www.techspot.com/espanol/.

The CodePlex site will be a venue for Microsoft to provide programmers with tools available under its Shared Source licenses. These licenses allow people to view the source code of products, the software giant said. The site, which had been in beta testing, is meant to foster more interaction between Microsoft and programmers with technical information and software, it added.

They don’t seem to have plans to include the code from larger program offerings, but at least this is a start.

A London exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition will feature a computer system that is “emotionally aware” and is able to read human facial expressions. The computer, developed by researchers from the Royal Society, is able to track 24 facial points. Twenty facial movements — head nods and eyebrow movements included — are already identifiable. The computer will analyze facial expressions to try and read the user’s thoughts.

Now this is classic. What’s for the future? Trying to hold back your tears so as to not upset your PC?

Google is set to introduce a test version of its GBuy online-payment service as early as this week, presaging a shake-up in the online-payments market now dominated by eBay’s PayPal, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: ‘Here is how the service will work: Consumers who search for items like “shoes” or “strollers” on Google’s search site will see text ads with a symbol or icon designating advertisers that accept GBuy payments.

Bring it on! If GBuy proves worthy at all, then the consumer will win. It’s a great time to launch a service, because so many people are fed up with PayPals ridiculous fees.

I believe lack of understanding is the main security issue with
identity theft; therefore, I gave a presentation to my company recently. In
it I mentioned how easy it is to steal someone’s identity at work. My hope
was that employees would fear for their own identity and have a better
understanding of why they need to support our security policies.

This is a great article that anyone could benefit from. Identity theft is become so widespread, nobody should be sitting back ignoring it.

Fremont, CA (June 27, 2006) –Corsair® Memory, the worldwide leader in design and manufacture of high performance memory, today announced the introduction of two new DDR2-800 low latency 2GB kits. Designed with the advanced users in mind who demand performance, aesthetics and functionary in one package, the new TWIN2X2048-6400C4PRO and TWIN2XP2048-6400C4 memory kits are optimized for the current AMD® socket AM2 platform and the upcoming Intel® platform.

You can read the full press release here.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 27, 2006 – Marvell Technology Group, Ltd. and Intel Corporation today announced that they have signed an agreement for Intel to sell its communications and application processor business to Marvell for a purchase price of $600 million plus the assumption by Marvell of certain liabilities. The planned sale will give Marvell a strong presence in the growing market segment for processors used in smart handheld devices. The sale also will enable Intel to focus its investments on its core businesses, including high-performance, low-power Intel Architecture-based processors and emerging technologies for mobile computing, including Wi-Fi and WiMAX broadband wireless technologies. The transaction is expected to close in approximately four to five months and is subject to regulatory review and other normal closing conditions.

You can read the full press release here.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – June 27, 2006 – AGEIA™ Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced that Russian publisher 1C Company has signed a publisher-wide licensing agreement for AGEIA PhysX™ technology. The leading publisher and distributor of computer games in Eastern and Central Europe, 1C Company publishes and distributes titles from leading Eastern European developers, as well as titles of international publishers for the local market.

You can read the full press release right here.

Cases & Enclosures
• Cooler Master Centurion 534 Computer Case – TechNeek
• Inter-Tech Sinan Hermes SPEED2500 External – Technic3D
• Thermaltake Muse OTB 2,5 HDD – TweakPC
• Thermaltake Muse LanDisk external HDD Enclosure – A1 Electronics

Cooling
• Cooljag AMA-P AM2 Cooler – Pro-Clockers
• Zalman Reserator ZM-RF1 Fan Kit – Virtual-Hideout

Motherboards & CPU’s
• Epox 9U1697-GLI K8 – PC Stats
• Kontron ”786LCD/mITX LV Plus” – EPIA Center

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Enermax AURORA Aluminium Keyboard – Cache-Community
• Everglide Titan MonsterMat Mouse Surface – Big Bruin
• Fellowes Split Design Keyboard with Microban – XYZ Computing
• Griffin radioSHARK USB AM/FM Desktop Radio – Think Computers
• Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard – ASE Labs
• Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 EB Earphones – 3D Gameman
• Ultrasone iCans Headphone – Futurelooks

Video Cards & Monitor
• ATI 8.26.18 Display Drivers – Phoronix
• Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP – Bit-Tech
• GeForce 7950 GX2 Retail Round-up – Bit-Tech
• HIS X1800GTO IceQ3 Turbo 256MB – ByteSizedReviews
• HIS X1800GTO IceQ3 Turbo 256MB – Maxit
• MSI GeForce 7950 GX2 – T-Break

Etcetera, Complete Systems & Contests
• Apple MacBook Pro – ByteSector
• Linksys NSLU2 NAS – Digital Trends
• TopDesk – Exposé for Windows – TweakPC

This game grabs you right at the beginning continuing right as you left off. Once you get started, the game play and pace is a little different than the original Half Life 2. After you readjust, the game is smooth and slick with a few repetitive patches. This game is really meant for the player who has a yearning to learn more about the Half Life 2 universe. The still impressive Source engine holds its own against is much newer competitors. Valve really has this brand on lockdown: they could probably produce ten more episodes without running out of story to tell.

You can check out the review at GamePyre. You can also check out our review of the game here.

Valve has unleashed a new DoD: Source update, and this one is a winner. Included is a brand new mode, Detonation, which will be familiar to some CS players. Two new maps and the film grain graphic effect are also included. We give our first impressions inside.