Tech News

Windows virus worms onto some Apple iPods

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:41 PM by Rob Williams

The company said that a small number of video iPods made after Sept. 12 included the RavMonE virus. It said it has seen fewer than 25 reports of the problem, which it said does not affect other models of the media player, nor does it affect Macs.

The humor doesn’t even lie within the fact that an Apple product loads a virus onto Windows PCs, it’s the comment they made on their website: “As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it. Or for a shorter term: “We’re sorry, but serves you right.”

Read More Comment (0)

OCZ Technology Announces the PC2-6400 Gold Rev. 2 GX

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:39 PM by Rob Williams

Sunnyvale, CA—October 17th, 2006—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the addition of PC2-6400 Gold Rev.2 GX DDR2 to the popular gaming oriented Gold XTC series. OCZ Technology now offers a complete line of gamer-grade XTC DDR2 solutions ranging from DDR2-533 to DDR2-1100 to pair perfectly with the latest high performance AMD and Intel based motherboards.

You can read the full press release here.

Read More Comment (0)

Futuremark releases OpenGL ES 2.0 benchmark: SimulationMark ES2.0

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:36 PM by Rob Williams

Saratoga, California USA – October 17, 2006 – Futuremark Corporation today announced SimulationMark ES2.0, an innovative new approach to benchmarking. The benchmark allows mobile device chipmakers and manufacturers to test and compare simulated 3D graphics performance in OpenGL(r) ES 2.0 chip designs prior to the fabrication of silicon based hardware implementations. SimulationMark ES2.0 will enable users to calculate reliable estimated performance data during the chip design phase comparing various graphics hardware architectures and application processor designs, while minimizing misuse and misinterpretation of those results.

You can read the full press release here.

Read More Comment (0)

AMD’s Acquisition of ATI Receives Ontario Superior Court Approval

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:34 PM by Rob Williams

Sunnyvale Calif. and Markham, Ontario – Oct. 17, 2006 -Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. and ATI Technologies Inc. today announced that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued the final order approving the arrangement under which all of ATI’s outstanding common shares will be acquired by an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of AMD. The proposed acquisition, announced on July 24, 2006, is expected to be completed during the week of October 23, subject to satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.

Just one step closer! This is the entire press release… believe it.

Read More Comment (0)

Intel Opens Up Key Server Acceleration Technology to Industry

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:33 PM by Rob Williams

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Taipei, Oct. 17, 2006 – Intel Corporation announced today that it will encourage networking companies to benefit from a key server data input and output acceleration technology designed and added to its server product lines earlier this year.

You can read the full press release here.

Read More Comment (0)

GameTap Launches "GameTap Original" Label

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:32 PM by Rob Williams

In honor of its first birthday, GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), is bringing new opportunity to the gaming community with the formation of the “GameTap Original” label. Through this new initiative, GameTap will continue what it started with the introduction of “Sam & Max” and “Myst Online: Uru Live” and partner with more independent developers and publishers to bring innovative new video game titles to fans.

Sounds a lot like what Steam already does, but the more the merrier. I am not a fan of Gametap per se, but they’ve come a long way since the initial launch. If you are interested in giving the service a shot, they pass along word that they have a limited b-day deal that offers the service for $60 a year, as opposed to the usual $9.99 a month.

Read More Comment (0)

Review Roundup for Oct 18

Posted on October 18, 2006 12:30 PM by Rob Williams

    Memory & Storage
  • RAID Technology Part 1 – ASE Labs
  • SyncMAX Express PC2-6400 DDR2 800 – PC Stats

    Displays & Video Cards
  • Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 256MiB – Hexus
  • Visiontek Radeon X1300 PCI – Boot Daily

    Complete Systems, Competitions & Etcetera
  • Nokia N73 Mobile Phone – UK Gamer
  • My Vista RC2 Experience – Digital Trends

Read More Comment (0)

Firefox 2.0 RC3 released

Posted on October 17, 2006 1:12 PM by Rob Williams

Firefox 2 Release Candidate 3 (RC 3) is a preview release of our next generation Firefox browser and is being made available for download to Web application developers, our testing community and users who want to get a sneak peek at the next version of Firefox. Please note that at this time, users should not expect all of their extensions, plugins and themes from previous versions of Firefox to work properly.

RC2 was just released last week, but RC3 seems to have taken care of many bugs seen with that release. Two annoying bugs I found in RC2 are now gone. If you need to upgrade from RC1 or RC2, be sure to upgrade once more.

Read More Comment (0)

US Population hits 300 Million

Posted on October 17, 2006 1:10 PM by Rob Williams

The United States’ population will hit 300 million on Tuesday morning, just 39 years after it reached 200 million, the US Census Bureau estimates. A ‘population clock’ will record the milestone at 0746 (1146 GMT) — a timing based on calculations that factor birth and death rates and migration.

Whew, that’s one big Country. By comparison, Canada has similar sized landmass, but has 9x less the population!

Read More Comment (0)

Battlefield 2142 to Bundle Spyware?

Posted on October 17, 2006 1:06 PM by Rob Williams

Kotaku reports on a Shacknews Post. Battlefield 2142, the new Electronic Arts game, is expected to include mandatory spyware in the retail package. The software will apparently monitor web browser and other computer usage; this information will be used to deliver targeted in-game advertisements.

I don’t agree with targeting in game advertising, and certainly don’t any sort of spyware. This is something the user should be able to agree to, not be forced upon.

Read More Comment (0)

The science of superheroes

Posted on October 17, 2006 12:08 PM by Rob Williams

Ever wanted to live like a superhero? Step into the incredible Marvel universe at the Ontario Science Centre and experience the powerful real-life science behind the comics. Step into a suit of armour to lift a Mazda CX-7! Hang from a super-strong spider web! Go bionic… and create your own comics!

If you are a big super hero buff, then this is a worthy exhibition to check out. It’s not free, but is on until March if you want to check it out and happen to be in the Toronto area.

Read More Comment (0)

Source comes to Xbox 360

Posted on October 17, 2006 12:07 PM by Rob Williams

Bellevue, WA – October 11, 2006 – Valve, an entertainment and technology studio, is pleased to announce the availability of the SourceTM engine technology as an official middleware solution for developers on the Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Source, the technology that powered Valve’s Half-Life 2, is already the benchmark game technology on Microsoft’s Windows platform, offering state of the art performance in graphics, networking, artificial intelligence, physics simulation and more. The version of Source, available for Xbox 360, is optimized to utilize the platform’s advance graphics hardware and offer full support for Xbox Live.

Good stuff! Not a bad engine to start seeing on the 360. It has come a long way since HL2 debuted, and isn’t slowing down quite yet.

Read More Comment (0)

Review Roundup for Oct 17

Posted on October 17, 2006 11:59 AM by Rob Williams
    Cases & Enclosures
  • Enermax Phoenix – 3D Gameman
  • nMedia System HTPC 180SA & 280BA Media Center Enclosures – Bjorn3D

    Memory & Storage
  • Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5 2GB – OC Tools
  • OCZ PC2-5400 Special Ops – OCIA

    Motherboards & Processors
  • Asrock ConroeXFire-eSATA2 – Pro-Clockers
  • ECS EliteGroup KN1 SLI Lite Extreme – DSM
  • FOXCONN 975X7AB-8EKRS2H – Virtual-Hideout
  • Gigabyte GA-945GM-S2 945G Express – PC Stats

    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • Antec TruePower Trio 650 – techFEAR
  • Logitech Quickcam Fusion Webcam – TweakNews
  • Plantronics Discovery 655 Bluetooth Headset – Legit Reviews

Read More Comment (0)

IGN lists top 100 games

Posted on October 16, 2006 7:55 AM by Rob Williams

Two years ago, we opened the floodgates for readers to vote for their favorite games of all-time. You heard right, not just what you liked in one particular year, but from the entire history of games. The debate over what ended up on the list lit up the message boards. Over the past few weeks, we gave everyone another shot at their favorites again and the results are in!

The list is only half-way done, but the choices so far seem pretty good. Personally I disagree with a few, but that’s to be expected. THPS2 was such a great game that caused copycats.. it deserves better than 95th place!

Read More Comment (0)

New Stephen Hawking Movie in the Works

Posted on October 16, 2006 7:53 AM by Rob Williams

The Sunday Times is reporting that Stephen Hawking is making a new movie. FTA: ‘Professor Stephen Hawking, Britain’s world-renowned physicist, is to switch from theories of multidimensional space to the three dimensions of the Imax cinema by starring in a film that sets out his ideas on the origins and fate of the universe.

This sounds like it could be quite the thought provoking movie.

Read More Comment (0)

eBay cracks down on PS3 auctions

Posted on October 16, 2006 7:50 AM by Rob Williams

Online auction house eBay has decided to halt all PlayStation 3 auctions for the time being. According to a post in the eBay Trust & Safety forum, those listing PlayStation 3 systems for sale have had their listings pulled. In addition, eBay is putting very stringent requirements in place for any future listings of the next-gen consoles: sellers need to provide eBay with a copy of their drivers license or other ID, copy of a credit card statement or utility bill with their current address, an invoice or receipt showing “purchase or posession” of the consoles, and written acknowledgement of agreement with eBay’s policies.

Good to see eBay actually doing something. I personally think people who pre-purchase a system to sell for multiple times of the amount on eBay are cheap bastards, but that’s just me. Pre-orders in Canada start today, so you Canucks should get a move on!

Read More Comment (0)

Corsair Expands Flash Memory Line with New 2GB microSD Removable Card

Posted on October 16, 2006 7:48 AM by Rob Williams

Fremont, CA (October 16, 2006) –Corsair, a worldwide leader in high performance enthusiast computer products, today launched a new line of microSD™ removable flash memory cards to further expand the company’s award-winning line of flash products. Available immediately in capacities up to 2GB – the largest capacity available in the world’s smallest flash memory card – the high capacity is essential to users who store music, pictures, watch video, and use downloadable ring tones and address books. The 2GB Corsair microSD cards will hold up to 500 MP3 songs or approximately 4000 2megapixel photos.

You can read the full press release here.

Read More Comment (0)

Review Roundup for Oct 16

Posted on October 16, 2006 7:46 AM by Rob Williams

Read More Comment (0)

NVIDIA nForce 680i Board Image Leaked

Posted on October 14, 2006 12:54 PM by Rob Williams

An image of an upcoming NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI based motherboard has been leaked on the AnandTech forums. DailyTech previously reported NVIDIA was replacing its nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition with the nForce 680i SLI. The motherboard is manufactured by eVGA and appears to be an enthusiast offering.

nForce 680i aside, this is a great looking motherboard! Of course, it’s not looks that matter but the performance, and we will obviously not be learning of that for a little while.

Read More Comment (0)

AMD + ATI acquisition near complete

Posted on October 13, 2006 1:33 PM by Rob Williams

MARKHAM, Ontario – October 13, 2006 – ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) shareholders voted overwhelmingly today to approve the proposed acquisition of all outstanding common shares of ATI by an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD). More than 99 per cent of the votes cast by shareholders were in favor of the transaction. No ATI shareholders have exercised rights of dissent in connection with the proposed acquisition.

This is one of the smallest press releases to come out of AMD, but one of the most important. Shareholders agree to the acquisition, so now they only need the courts approval. It’s unlikely that there will be any sort of objection, so the acquisition should be finalized on Oct 23… just 10 days away.

Read More Comment (0)

G4 Folds Into E! Tent

Posted on October 13, 2006 10:58 AM by Rob Williams

Comcast is consolidating its West Coast entertainment networks, bringing G4 management under the E! Networks tent. E! and Style chief Ted Harbert has been given the newly created title of CEO, Comcast Entertainment Group. He will continue to report to Comcast Programming Group President Jeff Shell. G4 President Neal Tiles, who joined the network in September 2005, will now report to Mr. Harbert. G4’s executive staff will move into E!’s Los Angeles offices. Sources said layoffs among the G4 staff are likely, though Mr. Harbert said it’s too soon to tell.

When G4 merged with TechTV, many people were laid off. I emphasize “many”. Since that time, the entire network has turned into a huge Hollywood-type drizzle that simply was not “geeky”. Will this new change kill off more decent shows? Time will tell.

Read More Comment (0)

PhysX goes PCI Express

Posted on October 13, 2006 10:47 AM by Rob Williams

AGEIA HAS ANNOUNCED the PhysX product line is to get a new boost, with the inclusion of a PCI Express based board. The PhysX PCI Express cards will be available, integrated into new PCs in time for this Christmas from “Ageia’s leading OEM system manufacturers” the firm said.

It’s no surprise that this is happening, but it’s definitely later than sooner. Launch PhysX’s should have been PCI-E, really. That aside, we still need to see way more supported content before one of these cards are truly worth the retail price.

Read More Comment (0)

Novell will switch from ReiserFS to ext3

Posted on October 13, 2006 10:32 AM by Rob Williams

Coincidentally, the day Mahoney posted the proposal, Reiser’s house was searched by the police in connection to the disappearance of his wife. Mahoney claims his proposal was posted several hours before the news concerning Reiser broke and the timing was purely coincidental. On October 10, Reiser was arrested, based on circumstantial evidence linking him to his wife’s disappearance.

This is something I’ve predicted since I first learned about Nina Reiser. This would have be one mammoth coincidence… hardly believeable. Regardless, this should prove for the better anyway as ext development is strong.

Read More Comment (0)

VoodooPC Shares All About HP Acquisition

Posted on October 13, 2006 10:25 AM by Rob Williams

DailyTech: Just to clarify, VoodooPC approached HP, and not the other way around, correct?

Rahul Sood: Correct. We started discussions with HP in January of 2005. I had face to face meetings with some HP people in July of 2005 as well. After Mark Hurd came into the picture things moved very quickly.

That’s quite interesting actually. I would have easily figured it to be the other way around. To glean much more information, definitely check out the full interview.

Read More Comment (0)

More US and Canada PS3, Wii Pre-orders

Posted on October 13, 2006 10:23 AM by Rob Williams

EB Games Canada stores will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles on Monday, October 16, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to reach our limit very quickly, most likely in minutes.

The question is.. is it even worth it to get up early and go pre-order, when the chances are so low? You have to act fast… I am still considering it.

Read More Comment (0)

< Older Posts

Newer Posts >