SECURITY...

• Prepare for Microsoft's Patch Tuesday - Microsoft on Tuesday plans to release seven patches for several of its software products, including at least two critical updates for known vulnerabilities, according to the company's monthly security update. The planned patches include one critical fix for Microsoft Windows Media Player; four patches for Windows, at least one of which is critical; one security update rated as important for both Windows and Microsoft Office; and another important update for Office.
• Malware Evolution: 2005 report - The report is based on data received from Kaspersky Lab's round the clock monitoring of malicious code. It covers the evolution of malicious code over the past year in detail, including developments which have taken place in the criminal underground.
• Techconnect Magazine's Under Attack - A new article detailing the nature and protective measure one can take against malware, from viruses to spyware, is up at Techconnect Magazine.
• Firefox Users Surf Safer - According to two University of Washington Professors, Firefox users have a safer browsing experience than users of IE. These researchers sent their crawlers to 45,000 websites and studied the impact on Firefox and IE.
• Don't use Google toolbar - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned that people should not download Google Desktop because it "greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy".
• Settec protection on German video DVD impairs CD/DVD writers - This copy protection is known as Alpha-DVD. The main application receives a different name on every install, using inconspicuous names such as "win32k2.exe" and "msxhtml.exe". Its file properties characterize it as a "System PTHelper". The executable launches as a cloaked process which Process Explorer. The copy protection also loads a DLL file into memory (hadl.dll), which becomes a child process of all running executables. In the system registry, Alpha-DVD sets itself up as "SystemManager" and armors this entry in such a way that it is restored on every reboot.
• Zone Alarm fix bettered - Jim Borck of Infoworld having originally caught Zone Alarm 'phoning home' has released the following work-around to stop the firewall connecting to four remote servers for whatever reason.  To implement the fix, add the following to your Hosts file: 127.0.0.1 cm2.zonelabs.com, 127.0.0.1 hs2.zonelabs.com, 127.0.0.1 ls2.zonelabs.com, and 127.0.0.1 pa2.zonelabs.com.
• IBM Lotus Notes Multiple Vulnerabilities - Secunia Research has discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Lotus Notes, which can be exploited by malicious people to bypass certain security restrictions or compromise a user's system.

CRIME/LAW...

• FBI probes hacking incident at Indiana clinic - An orthopedics clinic in Indiana has called in the FBI to investigate a hacking incident that involved a back door placed on one of its systems, with the unauthorized access allegedly being traced back to computers at the vendor that developed the software.
• Newest Patent Threat to MPEG-4 - PCMag reports that AT&T claims to have a patent covering core MPEG-4 technology and has warned Apple and others of Patent Infringement. Pentax and Nero have already paid them.

TECHNOLOGY...

• MP3 Inventor Develops Tool to Fight Piracy - Researchers at the Fraunhofer Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute have successfully tested a software system, based on the group's own digital watermarking technology, for tracking pirated audio files in peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, says Michael Kip, a spokesperson for the institute. Kip referred to the Fraunhofer approach as an alternative to DRM (digital rights management) systems, which he says require special players and are prone to hacking.
• Intel shows off its quad core - Clovertown, a four-core processor, will start shipping to computer manufacturers late this year and hit the market in early 2007. Clovertown will be made for dual-processor servers, which means that these servers will essentially be eight-processor servers (two processors x four cores each).
• Intel offers reseller rebates on dual-core chips - Intel is apparently offering resellers instant rebates on select dual-core processors until April 22nd. The rebates affect Pentium D 820, 830, and 840 chips and amount to $40, $60, and $80, respectively
• UK gains first free movies channel - Channel 4 are continuing the UK's digital free-to-air revolution by providing their subscriber service, FilmFour, free of charge. Bosses have decided to enable anyone with a digital terrestrial receiver to experience the L10m a year Channel 4 spends on independent film. After the relaunch, which is expected in July, the channel will show a range of Hollywood, classic, world cinema and cult films running from 3pm to 3am.
• Microsoft Contest Hints at Vista Ship Date -  Microsoft contest to guess Windows Vista's ship date hints that the product's release date could be December 1, though the company itself is remaining characteristically mum on the topic. A contest through the Microsoft BetaExperience campaign for users in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region is offering prizes to people who guess the correct ship date of Windows Vista.
• One In Two PCs Won't Run Vista's 3D Interface - Roughly half of today's PCs won't be able to take advantage of the "Aero Glass" compositor found within Microsoft's upcoming Vista software, due at the end of this year. The fault was that the low-cost integrated graphics controllers customers have chosen process the 2D windows of Windows XP and Windows 2000 just fine, but lack the bells and whistles necessary to process the Windows Desktop Compositing Engine used in Vista. About 63 percent of the 203 million PCs sold used an integrated graphics controller, JPR reported.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 teaser Video - check it out
• Nintendo ups its game with DS promo - Nintendo has announced the launch of an initiative offering DS owners free downloadable game demos and other content at thousands of participating retail locations. The game of their choice will download automatically and users can play all they want until the Nintendo DS is turned off. Players can try out as many games as they like. The first DS Download Service stations will include free demos of Tetris DS, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, True Swing Golf and Pokemon Trozei.
• PlayStation 3 May Play Too Much - Businessweek has a article looking at the PlayStation 3, worrying that Sony is confusing the consumer with all of the technology it's trying to work into the console.
• Europeans ripped off on mobile charges - Charges for calls to European mobile phones are among the most expensive in the world, analysts have reported. The average cost per minute in Europe is more than three times the rate in Asia, according to research conducted over the past year by Telecoms Management Group (TMG).

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD AM2: More than just a Memory Change / AMD Athlon64 FX-60 CPU (1) / AMD Athlon64 FX-60 CPU (2)
• Motherboard - Abit Fatal1ty AN8 SLI nForce4 SLI / AOpen i915GMm-HFS (Intel 915GM Express) / ASrock 939SLI-eSATA2 ULi M1697 SLI board / ECS KA1 MVP / EPoX 8NPA SLI / Foxconn WinFast 6100K8MB-RS GeForce 6100 / DFI NF4 Ultra Infinity / ECS KN1 SLI Extreme nForce4 Ultra / GA-K8NXP-SLI AMD Athlon 64 Socket 939 PCIe SLI / Gigabyte GA-G1975X/ MSI's K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI / PCChips M861G v1.6a
• Complete / SFF - Alienware MJ-12 Series Workstation
• Storage -  SCSI HDD Roundup / Western Digital's Raptor X hard drive / WD's Raptor Still Stands Alone / WD1500AD Raptor X-Tends Performance Lead / Western Digital 150GB Raptor HDD / Western Digital WD1500ADFD: King Raptor || RaidSonic ICY BOX IB-281U USB 2.0 Series at MVKTech || Corsair Flash Voyager 128MB USB Drive /  OCZ Rally 512MB USB Drive / OCZ Technology Rally USB 2.0 Flash Drive / SmarThumb 256MB USB Drive
• Video - X1900 group roundup / ATI CrossFire Based on RADEON X1900 XT, 2x512MB / ATI Radeon X1600XT / Chaintech GeForce 6600 APOGEE VE 256MB DDR2 / EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GS CO Superclock / Chaintech GeForce 6600 APOGEE VE 256MB DDR2 / Gigabyte Radeon X1800 XL / Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B X1800 XL / Gigabyte GV-NX73G128D GeForce 7300 GS / HIS X1600XT IceQ Turbo 256MB Dual DVI / XFX GeForce 7800 GTX/7800GTX XXX 256MB PCI-E
• Monitor/TV - ASUS PM17TU 17" LCD monitor
• Cooling - Arctic Cooling Accelero X1 VGA Cooler / Aerocool ExtremEngine 3T / Alpha PAL-8150 Athlon64 Heatsink / Coolink SWiF very quiet and stylish computer fans / CPU Coolers with Heatpipes from Arctic Cooling  / GlobalWin GP92NPHH Heat Tube CPU Cooler / Noctua NH Series Heatsinks / Swiftech MCX159-CU / Thermaltake Blue Orb II / Thermaltake Eureka / Titan Eagle VGA Cooler / Scythe Samurai Z || Cooler Master NanoFusion Thermal Compound
• Case - Aerocool ExtremEngine 3T Case / Antec Sonata II Case / Cooler Master Praetorian 730 Case / Lian Li PC-V600 Case / NZXT Lexa Full ATX Case / Sansun BAT Case
• Watercooling - Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 liquid cooler / GlobalWin SilentStream Water-Cooling Kit
• Modding - TransTFT Mod
• PSU - FSP Group 400W PSU / SilverStone Zeus ST56ZF and Strider ST56F Power Supplies / Thermaltake Silent PurePower 600W Power Supply (video-review) / Thermaltake Toughpower 550W PSU / Zalman Zm460-APS PSU
• Sound - Altec Lansing IM5 Portable Audio System / Bluetake BT450Tx Bluetooth Stereo Transmitter / Logitech Premium USB Headset 350
• Peripheral - Bluetake Bluetooth Mouse / Logitech G5 Laser Mouse / Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse / Sunbeam Solar illuminated keyboard / X-Arcade Trackball Arcade Mouse || Razer Mantis Speed and Control Gaming Mats
• Miscelanous - Seasonic Power Angel - Power Monitor / SV221MICROUA KVM
• Notebook - Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook P7120 / SONY VAIO VGN-TX1XRP / Panasonic ToughBook CF-18 || Titan G3T Notebook Cooler
• Camera, MP3/DVD players/recorders - FujiFilm FinePix S9000 Digital Camera / Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S600 || Samsung DVD-HD850 UpConversion DVD Player / Samsung DVD-HR720 DVD Recorder
• Phones/PDAs - IPevo Free-1 USB Phone / Motorola PEBL Mobile Phone / T-Mobile SDA Mobile Phone

GUIDES...

• AMD Cool 'n' Quiet - Similar to Intel's SpeedStep Technology, which originally came about to prolong the battery life for mobile users through reducing the CPU clock frequency and voltage, AMD's Athlon 64 processors support the use of Cool 'n' Quiet Technology.
• Thinking About Discount Laptop Computers - There are a variety of reasons that a particular model may be discounted and it's smart to try to find out why.
• How To Maximize Hard Drive Life - The following is a list of important maintenance and monitoring techniques you can use to maximize the life of your hard drive and prevent data loss.
• Aperture Vs. Shutter Speed  - The aperture setting of a camera refers to the amount of light that is let into the camera body by the lens. An iris contracts or expands depending on this setting on the camera, thus controlling the light that hits the film. Shutter speed and aperture values are at a constant tug-of-war concerning light.
• Closer Look at 17" LCD Monitor Features. Part VII - check it out!
• ATI Catalyst 6.2 Performance Analysis - check it out!

SOFTWARE...

• Diskeeper 10 Professional Premier review - Diskeeper is the only defragmenter truly designed for the network. Keeping your servers automatically defragmented to maintain peak performance and reliability has never been easier.
• DirectX 9.0c February 2006  (unofficial download!)- Microsoft DirectX (previously WinG) is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation and rich audio.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar Beta 2 - The Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar (download) provides several features for exploring and understanding Web pages.
• Windows Live Messenger Build 0562 - Build 0562 is now available on http://connect.microsoft.com
• MSN Messenger 7.5.0324 - MSN Messenger (download) is more than just text, it’s a great way to collaborate with co-workers or touch base with family and friends.
• Skype 2.0.0.81 - Skype (download / release notes) is the next phenomenon from the people who brought you KaZaA. Just like KaZaA, Skype uses P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to connect you to other users – not to share files this time, but to talk for free with your friends.
• Google Talk 1.0.0.86 Beta - Google Talk (download) enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free–anytime, anywhere in the world.
• Microsoft Genuine Validation Firefox Plugin Updated - download
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.30 - FastStone Image Viewer (download) is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments.
• XnView 1.82 - XnView, a software to view and convert graphic files, really simple to use. Support of more than 400 graphics formats!
• Songbird O.1 - Songbird is a Web player (MP3) built from Firefox's browser engine.
• MAME v0.104 - MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, and currently runs 1800+ classic (and even some not so classic) arcade games.
• Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 7.0.7 - Adobe Acrobat Reader is free, and freely distributable, software that lets you view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files - download full / update only
• 3DMark03 Patch - Build #360 - download the #350 patch from this page
• Process Explorer 10.0 - This major Process Explorer update (download) has an extensive list of new features and enhancements aimed at usability and malware hunting. Just some of the examples include Runas and Run As Limited User commands, process restart, column sets, enhanced process tooltips for service-hosting and Rundll32 processes, working set breakdown columns, and DLL image verification and packed-image detection.
• CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) 1.27.255 Beta - CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization tool that removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space.
• CloneCD 5.2.7.1 - CloneCD (download) is a powerful CD-Copy program. It writes in Raw mode, which allows it to have total control on the data written. Therefore, it will produce real 1:1 copies of your CDs. This new version adds overburning for DVD media, support for DVD-R DL media, and more.
• ConvertXtoDVD 2.0.2.102 (ex-DivxToDVD) - DivxToDVD (download) is a 1 click solution to convert and burn your movie files to a compatible DVD playable on any home DVD player.
• Free iPod Video Converter 1.32.852 - Free iPod Video Converter (download) provides an easy and completed way to convert all popular video formats to iPod video. You can enjoy DVD/VCD and AVI, MPEG, WMV, RM, RMVB, DivX, ASF, VOB video files in your iPod with few clicks.
• SpeedFan 4.28 - SpeedFan (download) is a freeware program that monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitoring chips
• CPU-Z 1.32 - CPU-Z (download) is a freeware detection program base on the Panopsys hardware detection engine. It allows to get some information on your system.