Tech News

Microsoft to license Windows source code

Posted on January 25, 2006 11:32 AM by Rob Williams

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Microsoft’s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) top lawyer said on Wednesday that the company would take new compliance steps to meet requirements set by the European Commission.

“We are announcing today that we will also license the Windows source code itself so anyone who takes code also has access to that source code,” General Counsel Brad Smith told a news conference.

That’s all we need.. multiple other operating systems that have countless holes. Check out the full posting at Reuters.

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Fastest Geforce 7800 GT 512MB tips up

Posted on January 25, 2006 11:30 AM by Rob Williams

GAINWARD is back with the vengeance. And now we won’t be able to make fun of its ultra-long names anymore as it brings in a new naming convention along with its new designs.

And, since Nvidia could not deliver enough 7800 GTX 512s these guys have made an alternative.

If you think your GPU should use 512MB of memory, then check out the full review of this new card at The Inquirer.

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3200+ Venice, Ramsinks and a long ramble!

Posted on January 25, 2006 11:14 AM by Rob Williams

I originally got this CPU for one reason: I noticed recently that I had 4 sets of memory top out at 306mhz. A very strange thing to do, I decided. After thinking about it for a while, I concluded that the issue must lie with my Opteron 146’s memory controller, so I talked to robberbaron for a bit, and he was able to procure this 3200+ DH-E6 Venice for me.

I love listening to Eclipse ramble; he makes a lot of solid points. The ram sinks his mentions in the article look to have good potential.. Check out the full article at EclipseOC.

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Hardware Roundup for Jan. 25

Posted on January 25, 2006 11:10 AM by Rob Williams

Are you in the market for a new HTPC case? Overclockers Online is taking a great SilverStone case for a spin, the SG01. It’s a solid case, and allows room for extra cooling, and in an HTPC, you will need it. If you are in need for a 1GB kit of memory, and refuse to make the jump to 2GB, then you may want to check out Pro-Clockers today. They are taking a look at the Crucial Ballistix PC4000 kit, which has extreme overclocking abilities.

    Memory & Storage
  • Crucial Ballistix GB (2*512) Kit – Pro-Clockers
    Motherboards & CPU’s
  • ECS PF22 Extreme – Digit-Life

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Auto AssaultT: Rev Up the Weekend

Posted on January 25, 2006 10:41 AM by Rob Williams

Combat the wintertime blahs with a road trip you’ll never forget as you blast your way across the post-apocalyptic landscapes and smoldering ruins of Auto Assault, the fastest, most destructive MMORPG ever! Discover new and exciting towns, marvel at the architecture and then flatten the place with heavy ordnance and reckless driving. You’ll take in breathtaking mutated landscape and feel those day to day irritations melt away as you set everything ablaze with your new flame-throwing turret weapon. Be sure to sample the local flavors and culture as you meet the denizens of the war-ravaged highways and byways; then enjoy the satisfying crunchy noise they make when they wrap around your screeching tires. It’s true – there’s nothing like a road trip to Ground Zero. It’s the ultimate vacation!

We’re very excited about the progress we’ve made during the course of beta testing. As we move closer to launch, our goal is to continue this progress through stress testing the servers and gathering feedback on new vehicles, missions and character progression features as they are introduced. To accomplish this, we’ve begun to hold special beta weekend events, partnering with some of the online gaming communities’ favorite sites to help us spread the good news about Auto Assault and provide beta account keys for these weekend events.

Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com) is currently giving away keys for our next special beta weekend event that will kick off on Friday, January 27 at 4 pm Eastern and continue through Tuesday, January 31 at 3 am Eastern. Visit their site and click the Auto Assault banner on the home page if you’d like to get a key.

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Steganos Freeware Encrypts Notes/Memos

Posted on January 24, 2006 11:05 AM by Rob Williams

FRANKFURT, Germany, Jan. 23, 2006… Steganos GmbH, a leading provider of
security and privacy software for consumers and small to medium-sized
businesses, today announced that it has published its first freeware —
Steganos Locknote — which encrypts important notes or memos in the blink of
an eye.

You can check out the full release right here.

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St. Louis Gaming: LL9

Posted on January 24, 2006 11:02 AM by Rob Williams

Several hours and countless frags later, the door prize time had come. Every prize had to go, and almost every LANner walked home with something cool to play with. Finally, after the tourneys had ended, the food was exhausted, and the caffeine effect had begun to wane, everyone packed up and headed home, yawning widely and sorting through their new gear.

Looks like the party was a huge success! Check out the full coverage at Legit Reviews.

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Bounty For Booting XP on the Intel iMac

Posted on January 24, 2006 10:03 AM by Rob Williams

The race is on. You can try to get the bounty for booting Windows XP on iMac. At this moment there is $2773 waiting for the winner. However several people have brickified their iMacs when playing with EFI.

Ahh, what fun. Killing your iMAC would suck, but it sounds like quite a challenge and there’s hope for decent money at the end. It will be very interesting to see if it happens! Check out the posting at Slashdot.

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ATITool 0.25 Beta 12 available!

Posted on January 24, 2006 9:51 AM by Rob Williams

Just in time for the release of the new X1900 cards, ATI Tool has been updated with support for them. Here are some of the listed changes:

  • Added support for X1900 Series
  • Added voltage change support for VDDCI on R580
  • Fixed Adaptive AA checkbox enabled on NVIDIA
  • Improved detection for “2D/3D switch enabled”
  • Some debugging output removed
  • Fixed negative ranges for temp. monitoring graph
  • Added Yes/No question to disable 3D switch dialog
  • More fixes to hotkey code
  • Shift key is no longer required to display the fuses info
  • Added longer delay after voltage change from profile, also put clock change as last change

You can grab the new download right here and discuss it in their forums here.

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ATI X1900XT and X1900XTX Released

Posted on January 24, 2006 9:48 AM by Rob Williams

Even though you could purchase these cards online for the past couple days, the official launch is today.

MARKHAM, Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 24, 2006— Gamers and multimedia enthusiasts alike will be delighted by the launch and immediate availability of the Radeon® X1900 graphics processor from ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:ATY)(NASDAQ:ATYT). With the most advanced and complete set of features, PCI Express® add-in-cards based on the Radeon X1900 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) will, without question, be the cards of choice for gamers looking for the best performance and for multimedia enthusiasts looking for a high-performance, high-quality digital media experience.

Of course this means that there are reviews a plenty. I am impressed by the performance of this card, as it actually storms past the 7800GTX 512MB in a few select tests. You can check out reviews at Hexus, Guru 3D, Legit Reviews, HardOCP and see a preview at NGOHQ.

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Hardware Roundup for Jan. 24

Posted on January 24, 2006 9:45 AM by Rob Williams

AMD has a new stock heatsink to be included with some of their processors, and it looks great. It’s a nice step up from the previous version, so it would be nice to see it available for their entire line-up. You can read all about it at MadShrimps. We all know that the OCZ Rally is a super fast USB thumb drive because of it’s dual channel memory. Well, GeIL has recently released a similar product and Techniz is taking it for an evaluation. It took only 18 seconds to read 500MB of data off the drive!

    Memory & Storage
  • DAViD 100 Series, Dual Channel USB Pen Drive – Techniz
  • SanDisk Sansa m230 512MB MP3 Player – XYZ Computing
  • X-Micro Mini DisGO 20GB Portable Hard Drive – Think Computers
    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • SilverStone Strider 600w ST60F – A1 Electronics
  • Zalman ZM460-APS 460W Quiet Power Supply – 3D Gameman
    Video Cards & Monitor
  • XGI Volari 8300 Graphics Card – Rojak Pot

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AMD promotes Dirk Meyer to president

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:20 AM by Rob Williams

Advanced Micro Devices, the No. 2 maker of computer processors, on Monday said it promoted Dirk Meyer to president and chief operating officer. Meyer, 44, joined AMD in 1995 and was promoted to the company’s No. 2 spot, as president and chief operating officer of the Microprocessor Solutions Sector unit, in April. He is known as the father of Athlon.

Maybe with Dirk as President, they will soon be No. 1? Source: News.com.

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Disney Buys Pixar for US$7 Billion

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:18 AM by Rob Williams

Pixar Animation Studios, whose films have garnered critical acclaim with both domestic and overseas audiences, is being bought tomorrow by Disney for $7 billion. Steve Jobs, as the CEO of Pixar, will become the largest shareholder in Disney. In contrast to Pixar’s remarkable success, Disney have struggled in the last decade to release original and financially successful productions; recently, many of the studio’s films have been sequels of earlier successful works, a good portion of which have been released direct to video.

This will no doubt affect Apple’s products in the future. In the future, maybe we will see Disney movies available on iTunes.. the possibilities are countless. Check out the full news story at AppleXnet.

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The first DX10 game announced

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:15 AM by Rob Williams

Back in September 2005, at the PDC Microsoft Conference, CryTek, developers of Far Cry, released a movie that showcased some of the capabilities of the Cry Engine 2 under DirectX 10 API: dynamic day/night cycle, fully interactive enviroments, sunrays and diffuse transmission, real time soft shadows, soft particles, interactive/destructrible enviroments, volumetric clouds, and advanced shader technology.

CryTek steps up to the plate again. Just imagine how cool FarCry would be on this technology! Sadly, Gamershell had pictures of the game but have since been forced to take them down. You can still read the posting here.

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Windows Vista x64 To Require Signed Drivers

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

With little fanfare, Microsoft just announced that the x64 version of Windows Vista will require all kernel-mode code to be digitally signed. This is very different than the current WHQL program, where the user ultimately decides how they want to handle unsigned drivers. Vista driver developers must obtain a Publisher Identity Certificate (PIC) from Microsoft. Microsoft says they won’t charge for it, but they require that you have a Class 3 Commercial Software Publisher Certificate from Verisign. This costs $500 [EUR 412] per year, and as the name implies, is only available to commercial entities.

Ouch, this is not good. What ever happened to the ‘power user’? It seems that if you own x64, you will not be able to use BETA video drivers as they are never usually digitally signed. Maybe this is another reason to not make the Vista jump right away. Source: OS News.

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All in Wonder X1900 to cost $529

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:10 AM by Rob Williams

And we can now confirm that the official name of the new AIW card is All in Wonder X1900 PCIe 256MB. It does not come as a huge surprise and this card will support 256MB only. It would be very hard to put the whole 512MB together with two TV tuners on this rather packed card. You should be able to buy it for $524.00, although are talking about distributor prices here. Suggested retail prices could end up a little higher.

It’s hard to determine the consumer cost of the card, but I would guess around $599US. If that turns out to be the actual cost, it’s quite reasonable considering how packed the card should be. Check out the posting at The Inquirer.

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HD DVD and Blu-ray content to be degraded for analog displays

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:04 AM by Rob Williams

Confirming our earlier reports, some owners of HD television sets will not be able to see HD DVD and Blu-ray programming in its full glory, as the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) used by both next-gen formats has been modified to require picture degredation over analog connections. As a result, the signal sent through analog connections will be constrained to 960×540, rather than the 1920×1080 that both Blu-ray and HD DVD are capable of.

As we all know very well, this will likely not stop piracy in any way. It sucks for those who do use an Analog signal to suffer with ‘poorer’ quality. It seems that if you intend on using an HDMI connection, then you will receive the top quality you want. Check out the full article at Ars Technica.

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Adobe Acrobat enters third dimension

Posted on January 23, 2006 10:00 AM by Rob Williams

Adobe Systems has created a high-end version of Acrobat–aimed at boosting sales in the manufacturing industry–that displays three-dimensional images within PDF documents.

On Monday, the company is releasing Acrobat 3D, which allows a person to create a PDF (Portable Document Format) with embedded images from computer-aided design (CAD) applications. Recipients of Acrobat 3D files need to upgrade to the latest version of Acrobat reader to view the documents, the company said.

If you are thinking about picking up the software to create such documents, be ready to part with $995US! Check out the full posting at News.com.

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1UP, Plagiarizing, and Other Bits of Joy

Posted on January 23, 2006 9:58 AM by Rob Williams

1up recently posted their Dead or Alive 4 strategy guide on their website. It didn’t take long for users at the Dead or Alive Central forums to recognize their hard work analyzing the fighting game engine had been blatantly pasted into the strategy guide without any credit given whatsoever. While movelists are largely factual and can be argued to be public knowledge, the most incriminating evidence is the section on the evasion system, which had been pasted into the 1up guide with a few reworded sentences.

If this is true, it’s sad to see the big review sites doing this. Check out the full posting and comments at Slashdot.

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Civilization 4 Review

Posted on January 23, 2006 9:57 AM by Rob Williams

While there may have been numerous Gameplay enhancements, as well as the potential for endless fun, we’re finding it hard to recommend this title to those who either aren’t fans of the series already, or have dabbled in it before. Now that said, considering the nature of the game to be totally multiplayer bar a few campaigns, the replay value comes from your friends, or your boredom, but nothing else really. As such, this title can provide a welcome introduction to the world of turn based strategy titles, but as a viable stand alone product for the well equipped gamer, it’s but a collection of upgrades. Fallacies or not however, it’s still got us playing it and offers hours of fun to those willing to invest the time!

Head on over to GamePyre for the full review!

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Sniper Elite Review

Posted on January 23, 2006 9:56 AM by Rob Williams

Sniper Elite can be quite time consuming with its need for a perfect mission, but the kills can be worth it with interesting cinematics given for headshots. Gameplay centers around stealth and precise planning, in ways that remind me of the Hitman games. For $39.99, it can provide a lengthy and rewarding experience for those who enjoy determining the best way to render their enemy dead while not giving away their own position. Sniper junkies (like those who hog the sniper rifle on America’s Army round after round…) are sure to love every minute of it.

Check out the full review at GamePyre!

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LGP X2 The Threat (BETA)

Posted on January 23, 2006 9:55 AM by Rob Williams

Although X2 – The Threat is still under development by the
talented folks over at Linux Game Publishing, many of the initial issues
seen by the closed BETA community that is testing this game have now
been resolved. Twice already we have done game-play performance
examinations with the various BETA candidates, but today we are finally
delivering some Linux X2 – The Threat screenshots. These images show the
various menus available as well as a few cut scenes and in-flight gaming
and the integrated benchmark. More images will be delivered upon the
retail availability of the game.

Check out the full look at Phoronix.

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Hardware Roundup for Jan. 23

Posted on January 23, 2006 9:55 AM by Rob Williams

Happy Monday! We have a full slew of new reviews to link you to this morning. If you want a classly looking silver case, that’s also heavy enough to throw your back out, then check out Xtreme Computings review of the SilverStone TJ06. If you are an aspiring DJ, then you are probably quite familiar with Ministry of Sound, and now they have released a new product to help you along. Think Computers takes a look at the StikAx which allows you to mix songs to your hearts content, but most importantly, it’s easy.

techFEAR takes a look at my personal favorite Corsair modules, the 2GB 4000PT. They note that the price is awesome for the speed, and they are not even touching on the overclocking capabilities. Want a smokin’ ATI card? PC Per takes the ASUS AX1800XT TOP for a spin, and they conclude that it’s one of the faster single GPU setups they have tested. The addition of the full King Kong game and a gamepad make this card seem like a great bargain.

    Peripherals & Power Supplies
  • Ministry of Sound StikAx – Think Computers
  • SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W – Phoronix
  • Thermaltake ThoughPower 550W PSU – Technic3D

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OCZ EL DDR2 PC2-4200 Gold GX XTC Review

Posted on January 22, 2006 11:23 AM by Rob Williams

OCZ is one of the most well known manufacturer of enthusiast memory. Recently they have introduced their XTC line of heatspreaders which are engineered to keep temperatures of the memory down, even when overclocking. The PC2-4200 Gold XTC offer superb overclocking, even at stock voltage. We found that the default timings of 4-4-4-12 can be tightened a good deal without losing much overclocking headroom.

Check out the full review techPowerUp!

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Coolink Swif 80mm, 92mm and 120mm Silent Fan’s Review

Posted on January 22, 2006 11:22 AM by Rob Williams

Kolink’s retail brand Coolink holds a strong presence in the Asian market and has achieved considerable success during the past years. With its product range and information preparation specifically tailored to the requirements of the European market, Coolink-Europe will open up the European retail market. Although Coolink is not yet really known in Europe but with these products they are on the right path to achieve more…

Check out the full review HardwareXL.

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