Tech News

Sony forces Lik-Sang out of business?

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:39 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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Firefox 2.0 released!

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:38 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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Tech news search engine

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:36 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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Corsair Distributes Over $1 Million Dollars in Profit Sharing to its Employees

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:14 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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HP, Intel and Oracle to Modernize Applications for Legacy Mainframe Customers

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:12 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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Intel Encourages Hi-Tech Industry to Meet New EPA Energy Star Specification

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:10 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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AMD Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation In Dresden

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:08 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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2K Games to release games on Steam

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:07 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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Review Roundup for Oct 25

Posted on October 25, 2006 8:06 AM by Rob Williams
    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

    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

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Novell Ships SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time

Posted on October 24, 2006 10:00 AM by Rob Williams

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.

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WoW: Burning Crusade delayed until 2007

Posted on October 24, 2006 9:42 AM by Rob Williams

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that the release date for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, the first expansion for World of Warcraft, is delayed until January 2007. By adding a few extra weeks to the development cycle beyond its original target date, Blizzard will be able to extend the closed beta test and further refine the new content that will ship with the game.

Yes, this IS a slow news day, so what you gonna do? For you fifty billion WoW players, you will have to wait until the new year for the expansion pack!

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ATI "RV560" Details Unveiled

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:26 AM by Rob Williams

The RV560 Radeon X1650XT is expected to launch next week with a core clock 575 MHz unlike the previously reported 450 MHz. It appears ATI is getting better yields than previously expected, although the Radeon X1650XT was originally expected for an end of August or beginning of September launch.

Given the specs, this card could be serious competition to the 7600GT. If you considered picking up the X1950 Pro that we recently took a look at, you may want to wait for X1650XT reviews to see if it fits better into your budget. Apparently the cards are going to hover around the $150US mark… not shabby at all.

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Unlocking the iPod

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:21 AM by Rob Williams

Johansen, now 22 and widely known as “DVD Jon” for his exploits, has also figured out how Apple’s iPod-iTunes system works. And he’s using that knowledge to start a business that is going to drive Steve Jobs crazy.

Jon Johansen is one of those people you just have to admire… he uses his smarts to make our lives easier, without care of what the large companies think. This article focuses on his life to a degree, but also his recent task of hacking FairPlay, Apples iTune related protections.

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Jack Thompson To Face Contempt Charge

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:18 AM by Rob Williams

Jack Thompson has himself come under fire from lawyers representing publisher Take-Two Interactive, who have called for Thompson to be held in contempt of court. While it remains unclear as to the exact nature of this request, it most likely stems from comments following Thompson’s most recent failed attempt to prevent the recently released controversial title Bully from being sold in Florida.

This was bound to happen eventually, so it is not much of a surprise. If worse came to worse, Jack could face time in prison but he is hardly worried. In fact, he considers this “hardball”, so things may just get interesting.

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Super Talent Expands Line of IDE Flash Drives

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:15 AM by Rob Williams

San Jose, California – October 23, 2006 — Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of memory modules and flash products, today announced a 16GB solid state disk (SSD) that is fully compatible with industry standard 1.8” notebook IDE drives.

You can read the full press release here.

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Intel Launches Software Partner Program…

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:13 AM by Rob Williams

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2006 – Intel Corporation today announced the formation of the Intel Software Partner Program, a membership-based program for independent software vendors (ISVs). The program is open to any software company developing commercial products or services for Intel technologies, such as Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Xeon and Intel Itanium processors. The Intel Software Partner Program offers a portfolio of planning, technical, marketing and sales resources designed to facilitate a member’s ability to grow business, reach new customers and stay on top of the latest software development, marketing and competitive trends.

You can read the full press release here.

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AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz Promotes…

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:11 AM by Rob Williams

SAN FRANCISCO—OCT. 23, 2006—At Oracle OpenWorld today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz delivered the opening day keynote address, discussing how the IT industry has entered a new era of choice, and the impacts that will result from this industry phenomenon.

You can read the full press release here.

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Review Roundup for Oct 24

Posted on October 24, 2006 8:09 AM by Rob Williams
    Cases & Enclosures
  • Gigabyte Aurora – Guru3D

    Motherboards & Processors
  • Abit AW9D Max – Pro-Clockers
  • Albatron KI51PV-754 Mini-ITX – Tech Spot
  • Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe – Hard|OCP
  • MSI K9A Platinum AM2 – Hexus
  • MSI mPC 945 Barebone SFF – Viper Lair
  • nForce 590 SLI Motherboard Round-Up: Gigabyte, Asus, MSI – HotHardware
  • Sapphire Pure Crossfire AM2 – Neoseeker

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The Apple iPod Turns Five

Posted on October 23, 2006 8:13 AM by Rob Williams

Initial responses ranged from warm to openly dismissive. “Lame” was the final word of a reaction to the player on Slashdot. Others griped that comparably priced players from rivals such as Creative Technology and Archos stored four times as much music or pointed to devices that stored the same amount for far less.

If you, like me, still don’t understand exactly what makes the iPod so great, then you are in the minority. It’s been an incredible five years to say the least, and looking back to the original model is almost laughable. You can see a small timeline here which points out all of the milestones.

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ATI to go 45nm in 2008

Posted on October 23, 2006 8:00 AM by Rob Williams

ATI has been working closely with the foundry, according to Chou, adding that the company is looking to adopt the 45nm node by 2008. ATI began 80nm production at TSMC at the end of 2005 and started production of its 65nm-made chips from the middle of this year.

It looks like the AMD/ATI merge is already starting to show some serious potential. Considering we are currently at 90nm, 45nm is an incredible jump given the timeframe. What this means to the consumer though, is that the card should require less power, which in turn leads to less heat and better performance.

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Firefox 2.0 debuts Tuesday

Posted on October 23, 2006 7:59 AM by Rob Williams

Firefox 2.0, the foremost rival to Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Explorer browser, is set for release Tuesday afternoon, said its producer, the not-for-profit Mozilla Corp. The free 5-megabyte browser, available in 39 languages for Windows, Mac and Linux computers, will be downloadable from getfirefox.com, the Mountain View, Calif., company said.

I’ve been using the Firefox 2.0 release candidate since last week, and am so far impressed. I’ve found the browser to be more stable, so it’s definitely worth checking out. Or wait until Tuesday when the final release will take place!

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1080p Gaming Not What it Seems?

Posted on October 23, 2006 7:56 AM by Rob Williams

There is no doubt that 1080p is the holy grail of high definition, which is exactly why Sony has pursued that benchmark with such enthusiasm. But exactly how hard is 1080p to render for video game consoles?

Here is a very simple article that explains that bigger is not always better. 1080p may sound better than 720p, but optimizations could easily be made to 720p to make it’s appearence better than what 1080p can provide at the same performance level.

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A look at AVG 7.1 for Linux

Posted on October 23, 2006 7:53 AM by Rob Williams

MUCH LESS Linux viruses exist when one compares the numbers to ones on the ubiquitous Windows, but with compatibility libraries like WINE to run windows software on Linux, and and “windows-on-Linux” virtualisation products like Win4Lin an antivirus on Linux is essential.

I was impressed by a Linux review on the Inq, so I have to link to it simply for that. In the end, do you really need an anti-virus for Linux? It’s up to you really, but AVG looks pretty useful.

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YouTube Rapped for Bringing Premiership Goals Online

Posted on October 23, 2006 7:50 AM by Rob Williams

An independent website has been told to stop putting footage of FA Premiership goals on the video website YouTube. NetResult – a firm monitoring the internet on behalf of the Premier League – emailed a warning to the website, 101greatgoals.blogspot.com.

I’m a big fan of the Premier League, so finally something like this actually effects me. I think it’s ridiculous of course, that the firm would be worried about broadcast of low quality video. I am sure that will stifle future DVD sales.

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Review Roundup for Oct 23

Posted on October 23, 2006 7:48 AM by Rob Williams
    Cases & Enclosures
  • Coolermaster Xcraft – Technic3D
  • Thermaltake Aguila – Hexus

    Cooling
  • Apack Zerotherm GX710 Copper Videocard VGA Cooler – TweakNews
  • Cooler Master Hyper TX Socket 775 CPU Cooler – Big Bruin
  • KuFormula VF1 Plus VGA Cooler – Bjorn3D
  • Vantec Iceberq6 VGA Cooler – Pro-Clockers

    Memory & Storage
  • Highpoint 1740 SATA-II Controller – TweakTown

    Motherboards & Processors
  • ECS P965T-A Rev1.0B – Futurelooks
  • Most efficient L2 cache usage: Intel’s shared or AMD’s dedicated? – Digit-Life
  • Nvidia’s nForce 590 SLI chipset for Intel processors – Tech Report

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