SECURITY...

• NSF establishes cybersecurity center - Finding ways to keep computers, networks and data more secure from electronic attacks and theft is a key goal of a new cybersecurity Science and Technology Center being established later this year by the National Science Foundation (NSF).  In an announcement yesterday, the Washington-based NSF said the new cybersecurity center will receive about $19 million in funds over five years to help better protect data and hardware from electronic intrusions, fraud and other cybersecurity problems. The center is being established in response to continuing data theft and fraud incidents that threaten computer users and systems.
• Possible Unpatched Office Flaw Investigated -
• Exploit Code Posted for Microsoft Jet DB Engine Flaw - A private security research outfit on Tuesday warned that a "highly critical" vulnerability in the Microsoft Jet Database Engine (exploit code) could be exploited by malicious hackers to hijack a compromised system. The flaw, which was discovered by HexView Security Research and Assessment, affects fully patched systems with Microsoft Access 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP, including Service Pack 2.
• QuickTime for Windows malformed GIF DoS - QuickTime for Windows has problems with malformed GIF images. Open test.gif with PictureViewer and it will crash. DrWatson is reporting access violation.
• OpenOffice.org details vulnerability - OpenOffice.org has confirmed a buffer overflow issue that could allow for remote attacks. The problem in its freely distributed productivity applications has been fixed, the organization said late Tuesday. But no patch has yet been publicly issued.
• LexisNexis acknowledges more ID theft on 310,000 people - LexisNexis, which compiles and sells personal and financial data on U.S. consumers, said Tuesday that personal information on 310,000 people nationwide may have been stolen. That number is nearly 10 times higher than the figure LexisNexis disclosed last month when it first reported that its databases had been breached.
• US - Legal test of Internet2 underway - The U.S. recording industry is resorting to courts to stop students from alleged illegal distribution of music and movies over the ultra-fast Internet2. Internet2 is not available to the general public, but leading universities use it for research into the next generation of the Internet.  In a suit to be filed Wednesday, the Washington-based Recording Industry Association of America has accused hundreds of college students of illegally using Internet2.  "Right now the Internet2 is a zone of lawlessness when it comes to theft of music and movies and that just can't be allowed to continue," RIAA President Cary Sherman told CBS News.

OFFTOPIC...

• Super-sensitive explosive detector developed - A device capable of detecting concealed explosives and landmines with more sensitivity than a trained dog has been developed. The new detector, which works at a distance, could potentially be used to identify suicide bombers or find explosive booby-traps, the researchers suggest.
• Britney Spears Says She's Pregnant - Britney Spears announced on Tuesday that she was pregnant with her first child, ending months of speculation over whether the pop princess was launching a new career as a mother.
• Pandemic-causing "Asian flu" accidentally released - The virus that caused the 1957 "Asian flu" pandemic has been accidentally released by a lab in the US, and sent all over the world in test kits which scientists are now scrambling to destroy. There are fears the virus could escape the labs, as the mistake was discovered after the virus escaped from a kit at a high-containment lab in Canada. Such an escape could spread worldwide, as demonstrated in Russia in the 1970s.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Microsoft, MTV team up to promote new Xbox console (update 3) - Microsoft Corporation plans to unveil the latest version of its Xbox video game console in a special presentation on MTV on May 12, 2005.  Microsoft said that the video game system would be unveiled in a 30-minute special programme, MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed, on MTV channels across the US, Asia Pacific and Europe within a 24-hour timeframe.
• Analysts: 3 million Xbox 360s shipped by Xmas - According to Forbes, Goldman Sachs is predicting that the next-gen Xbox, now increasingly referred to as the Xbox 360, will "be available for retail sale in October or November at a retail price of about $249 to $299." Goldman says it "expects" Microsoft to have shipped around 3 million units by year's end and reiterated its "outperform" rating for Microsoft Corp. stock, which closed at $25.32 today.
• Yahoo offers free hosting to small businesses - The Internet company on Wednesday introduced a new service that lets any small business sign up for a free Web page to appear in Yahoo's local directory. The move will help otherwise unwired small businesses come online, said Paul Levine, Yahoo's general manager of local services, as well as help consumers find more local information.
• WinHEC 2005 - On April 25th-27th Microsoft will deliver its anual event for developers of hardware for Windows-based computers. With over 100 hours of technical conferences the event promises to be an interesting one. Microsoft are expected to announce the general availability of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions at WinHEC this year.
• Apple To Roll Out Next OS X Operating System Version - The program, which is named Macintosh OS X 10.4 Tiger and which will sell for US$129, has a variety of consumer-oriented features and some new internal technologies, including enhanced graphics support and increased ability to handle memory as well as improved compatibility with Microsoft's Windows operating system.
• Gordon Moore: Moore's Law is Dead - Moore's Law will not hold forever, claims Gordon Moore. In a Techworld article, he points out the limitations of the law, in particular, the limitations as we approach the size of atoms. He helpfully explains, however, that the law will hold for a few years yet. (thanks Slashdot.org)
• Group cuts antipiracy software royalties - MPEG LA, which includes Sony and Philips Electronics, said Wednesday it will cut the proposed tariffs for antipiracy technology by one-third to 65 cents per mobile phone or other electronic gadget. Calls for the reductions stemmed from concerns that high royalties might stifle the markets for digital music and video.

HARDWARE... 

• MD Dual Core desktop processor details - According to Hexus.net, it will be available at least in the following models: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+.  Their source in Greenbriar also confirms that AMD currently has no plans to introduce "FX" variants of its dual-core desktop processors. The flagship AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ will have both its cores operating at 2.4GHz, the same frequency as the AMD Athlon 64 4000+, and we'll be surprised if this doesn't rape the already impressive Pentium Extreme Edition 840.
• Special HW roundup - Opteron 866 Tested - The 866 Stepping E0 runs at 2.2Ghz, the speed of an Athlon 3500+ but with twice the cache and with SSE3. The tests were done on a Tyan Thunder K8WE S2895 dual opteron board with a nForce Pro 220 chipset. When compared to an Opteron 248, the 866 was a winner in all tests - PC Mark, Aqaumark, 3Dmark 03, Super Pi, Content Creation and Business Winstone and Sandra.
• Corsair XMS Xpert CMXP512-3200XL - It is the LED displays that make the XMS Xpert modules so special. Not only do they display the data that Corsair has pre-programmed them to show, but you can actually edit the data displayed by using the provided software. The Corsair Memory Dashboard controls the displays, and also provides a wide range of other information about your memory such asclock speed and memory timings. This works with all types of memory, although you get less information than you do with the XMS Xpert modules.
• SuperTalent PC3500 Cas 2 Memory - Gruntville.com has posted a review of SuperTalent PC3500 Cas 2 Memory.
• OCZ DDR Booster - OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostic Device with Patent pending PowerClean TechnologyT allows users to supply cleaner power to their memory modules, resulting in more stable memory. Additionally, users are able to view memory module voltage with the digital LEDs o=ADn the DDR Booster, allowing simple and inexpensive troubleshooting of the memory modules. Each OCZ DDR Booster allows VDIMM adjustments up to 3.9V* and is compatible with most DDR1 motherboards.
• Asus K8V-X Motherboard review - CoolTechZone has posted a review of Asus K8V-X motherboard.
• DFI nForce4-DAGF Motherboard OC preview - If DFI can make the user manual a bit more extensive I'm convinced that the nF4-DAGF can be the value board, certainly at this price, which packs quite an OC punch. DFI is coming after MSI here.
• MSI K8T-Neo FIS2R Motherboard - The MSI K8T-FIS2R is a worthy contender for anyone who is looking to build a system on a strict budget, and for the approximate price of $60.00, this is definitely the board to get over its FSR equivalent.
• Sapphire Radeon X850 XT PCIe - Overall, the Sapphire Radeon X850 XT is a mixed bag. The performance is great, but the level of value is low, which happens to be the case with all high-end cards regardless of brand or VPU/GPU. If you are willing to do a little overclocking to PE speed, have a $500 budget and want the best ATI performance available, then this is a no-brainer Another review can be found on ViperLair.
• HIS X850XT and X800XL Graphics Cards ­ iTURBO is back again - The X850XT and X800XL PCI Express graphics cards from HIS both offer very good performance at 1024 x 768 and with standard image quality. It is only when we increase the resolution and add on AA and AF that the X800XL begins to struggle a little and the X850XT just laughs back at the system and asks for more as it dishes out brilliant gaming performance in the latest games. The X800XL from HIS is going to be a very good choice for gamers who want to play games around the 800 x 600 – 1280 x 1024 level without AA and AF turned on or if they do, only a mild level turned on.
• Gigabyte GV-RX80256D X800 Turbo Silent Pipe - If you are in the market for a high-performing, silent video card, you may want to check out the Gigabyte GV-RX80256D X800 Turbo Silent Pipe video card. This card sports a completely silent, custom heat-pipe cooling apparatus, it overclocked well, it performed well, and it won't break the bank.
• Asus Extreme N6600TOP/TD/128M/A - The Asus Extreme N6600TOP/TD/128M/A PCI Express x16 videocard uses a vanilla GeForce 6600 GPU, but backs it up with Samsung GDDR3 memory (128MB, 2.0ns DRAM). ASUS has also set the GPU and memory clock speeds of this card considerably higher than that of a stock GeForce 6600, accordingly the speeds are 400Mhz core and 900MHz memory. The Asus Extreme N6600Top videocard natively supports TV-Output as well as dual analog monitors (care of the included DVI-analog converter). The N6600TOP installs into a PCI Express x16 slot, and is SLI compatible too.
• eVGA 6800 Ultra - PCI-E Video Card - eVGA ships this card at its stock speeds of 400MHz (GPU Core) and 550MHz (Memory clock). For those looking to squeeze more performance out of things, you can use NVIDIA coolbits or a utility like Powerstrip to raise the speeds to slightly faster levels – we nailed 435MHz on the core and 675MHz for memory which yielded an overall performance increase of 10-12percent depending on the application. Your results may differ depending on a number of variables such as Power, cooling and RAM.
• Gigabyte GeForce 6600GT PCI-E - The GV-NX66T128D also has a lot of nice features and bundles such as temperature monitoring, V Turner II, games CD, SLi bridge and etc. With the fair price tag on the GV-NX66T128D, it is a good card to buy no matter if you plan to run single setup or SLi setup.
• eVGA 6800U SLI - Gamer's depot does the funky SLI with two eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultras and a DFI SLI motherboard. Benchmarks with a few games in SLI mode and single mode is compared to a ATi 850 XT.
• ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT - Beyond3D has posted a review of ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT.
• MCE TV Tuner Roundup Featuring ATI's Theater 550 & NVIDIA's NVTV - For this article, Anandtech took 6 of the most popular MCE compliant TV tuners and pitted them against one another, trying to figure out if there's any difference between them all, and if there's one clear winner. The cards included in this roundup are: ATI's eHome Wonder, ATI's TV Wonder Elite, AverMedia M150, eMuzed Maui-II PCI PVR, Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250,NVIDIA's dual tuner NVTV.
• Hardware MPEG2 TV Tuner Comparison - Since MPEG2 encoders can't decode cable signals on their own, TV tuner cards also need a decoder. ATI's Theater 550 Pro integrates the MPEG2 encoder and TV decoder into a single chip design, while the NVTV and PVR-150MCE-l.p. use Philips and Conexant decoders, respectively. A single-chip design can reduce board complexity, but shouldn't offer any tangible benefits to end users over two-chip designs.
• PowerColor Theater 550 Pro Capture Card (ATI Reference) vs Hauppauge PVR150 - ATI made a decent chip for PVR enthusiasts. The chip has had a rough start with early drivers not exploiting all the features. Even today there are a few outstanding issues for me, the lack of a sharpness control being one of biggest. Microsoft's specifications for MCE logo certification of capture devices requires that the sharpness control be exposed, so hopefully ATI will add this soon.
• Samsung DVD-R/RW–TS-H552B review - ipKonfig.com takes a look at the Samsung DVD-R/RW–TS-H552B burner.
• Toshiba SDR-5372 DVD Writer - Looking at the specifications of the SDR-5372, shows a drive that's cutting edge in some areas, but a little behind the pack in others. DVD+/-R discs can be written at 16x, which is up there with the best, while the aforementioned 5x DVD+R DL performance is bettered only by the Asus DRW-1608P. But it's when we get to the re-writing speeds that this Toshiba looks a bit shaky, with only 4x performance for both DVD+RW and DVD-RW media. CD performance is respectable, with CD-R discs burned at 48x and CD-RW media written at 24x - again, up there with the best.
• USB 2.0 Hi-speed Flash Drive Roundup - The "sweet spot" for price/size ratio seems to be around the 512MB mark. (Although 1GB is a bit pricier, it is still within the reach of many people as well...) Speeds have also doubled as well. The fastest drives in this round-up have a maximum read speed between 20 and 22MB/sec (in contrast to last year's winners which topped out at 10MB/sec...)
• Sunbeamtech Silent Anodized LED Fans - As the manufacturer states on the packaging, the "silent" fans are pretty quiet. Although not perfectly silent, at 20db you should not expect to hear these fans over other system noises. With the low noise, comes a relatively low air flow, but for most users a few fans rated at 23CFM such as these, will cycle plenty of air through the computer case.
• Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 - InsaneTek takes a look at the Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120.
• AquaBox Passive Watercooling - Initially I was a skeptical about the design concept as I worried how well a passively cooled system can cool down a modern CPU, in our case an Athlon 64 4000+, but what if I tell you that we never ever topped 35 Degrees C with this kit, in complete silence!?
• Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse - Futurelooks posted a review of the Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse.
• Logitech Ultra-X keyboard - The keyboard is unusual because, as the name implies, the Ultra-X is extremely flat and thin. It accomplishes this amazing flatness and thinness by using laptop computer style flat-cap keys, as opposed to traditional large cap keys. Therefore, this keyboard looks and feels very much like a laptop keyboard when in use, although unlike most laptops the keys are full-sized and spaced exactly like traditional desktop keyboards. If you don't like laptop keyboards at all, you probably won't like the Ultra X.
• Gigabyte AirCruiser GN-BC01 802.11g Wireless Desktop Router - This device incorporates a fully wireless home router/Internet sharing device onto a PCI card which you install directly into your desktop PC. The internal form factor of the Wifi Router AirCruiser GN-BC01 is new to us though, so we're interested to see how it performs and what kind of range it gets compared to conventional external wireless networking routers.
• Samsung SyncMaster 193P LCD - The 20ms response time makes this monitor not a viable option for hardcore gamers. While games are playable on the 193P most gamers would opt for a CRT instead. It does however work well in slower paced games like EQ 2 and WoW. Samsung did a nice job of covering up the response time handicap.
• ColorVision SpectroPRO2 Monitor & Printer Calibration Suite - hardCOREware has published a ColorVision SpectroPRO2 Monitor & Printer Calibration Suite review.
• SavRow Katana 3D-9 Portable Workstation - In terms of performance, the Katana clearly is comparable to a desktop PC. You sacrifice some speed but for DCC this is probably the fastest portable money can buy right now, largely in part because of its high-spec NVIDIA Quadro FX Go1400 graphics accelerator. Other firms will be close behind, and using the same chassis, too, since it's one of the few available that can take two hard disk drives and two optical drives. But simply put, SavRow got there first.
• Oakley THUMP 256MB MP3 Player Sunglasses - The Oakley THUMP sunglasses are one hot item. The MP3 player functionality built into sporty sexy Oakley sunglasses really makes for a great experience. The glasses are comfortable, the ear buds sound great, and the player is generally extremely simple to use. For sports enthusiasts, tech gadget fanatics, or anyone looking to have the first of its kind electronic device the THUMP is definitely the way to go.
• Fossil Wrist PDA FX2008 - The Fossil Wrist PDA FX200 features not only a digital chronograph but a micro-sized Palm OS PDA all wrapped up in a stylish polished steel exterior. But will this marriage of timepiece and tech hardware appeal to the gadget-hungry masses?
• Nikon Coolpix 7900 - It's not just the seven megapixel CCD that's making the pictures look this good. It's a combination of resolution, lens quality and one of the best processing engines around

GUIDES... 

• Diagnose XP - A Windows XP Diagnostic Guide - Diagnosing System problems can be very complicated and time consuming. There are no simple solutions. Windows XP systems should never Lock-up (freeze), display Blue Screen Stop Errors or Randomly Reboot. These are all warning signs something is wrong or misconfigured with your system. The following guide will help you troubleshoot the most common causes of system problems. Unless you are a highly trained, experienced PC Technician do not skip any of the following steps.

SOFTWARE...

• Turbolinux 10 for AMD64, Intel EM64T is a free download  - This promotion implements the first phase of Tubolinux's strategy to expand the use of Turbolinux 10 for AMD64/EM64T into the global marketplace". The company also claims that "kernel and various applications have been optimized for 64-bit CPU. Moreover, newly built applications will be free from 32-bit memory and I/O limitations. Turbolinux 10 can be downloaded from here (free reg.required)
• Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager public beta - Simplify and strengthen your backup strategy with Data Protection Manager (DPM) (download 668MB), the new Microsoft server software solution for rapid and reliable data recovery. Lower your total cost of ownership with efficient and near-continuous data protection.
• Adobe Reader 7.0 for Linux -The full Adobe Reader 7.0 version is the first upgrade Adobe Systems, Inc. has produced for Linux users since Adobe Reader 5.0.9 for Linux in 2002. Linspire users can immediately install Reader 7.0 for Linux free with one click at this link.
• The GIMP 2.2.6 - The GIMP (GNU/Image Manipulation Program) is a very nice graphics manipulation application that works on many operating systems, in many languages, on many file formats and is used for a variety of computer imagery purposes.
• Malicious Software Removal Tool 1.3 - The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 computers for and helps remove infections by specific, prevalent malicious software - including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom.
• WinPatrol 9.1.0.0 - Scotty the Windows Watch Dog sniffs out malicious "mysteryware" and parasites that may assault your computer. WinPatrol puts you back in control of your computer so you'll know what programs are and should be running at all times.
• PeerGuardian 2 Beta 5 - PeerGuardian 2 is Methlabs' premier IP blocker for Windows. With features like support for multiple lists, a list editor, automatic updates, and blocking all of IPv4 (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc), PeerGuardian 2 is the safest and easiest way to protect your privacy on P2P. (thanks NeoNSX)
• Outpost Firewall PRO 2.6 (451/402) - The new version provides an alternative method for controlling the content of web pages directly from the browser, thanks to a new browser adjustment plug-in. This plug-in allows users to manage the settings for ads and active content plug-ins from a special panel in Internet Explorer. The panel contains options with the settings for ads and active content plug-ins that are similar to those displayed in the Outpost Firewall interface. These options allow users of Internet Explorer to apply their security settings "on the fly," directly from the browser window.
• DC++ 0.674  - DC++ (download) is an open source C++ client for the Direct Connect protocol. Direct Connect allows you to share files over the Internet without restrictions or limits.
• PSPad 4.3.3 Beta Build 2065 - PSPad editor is freeware programmer editor.
• Uxtheme Multi-patcher 4.0 - This program will patch your uxtheme.dll file so you can use any 3rd party visual style on Windows XP/SP1/SP2 and Windows Server 2003/SP1. File protection dialogs should be cancelled and a reboot is required after using this patch.
• ICQ 5 5.04 Build 2321 - With ICQ Instant Messenger (download) you can video/audio chat, send email, SMS and wireless-pager messages, as well as transfer files and URLs. If you're away from your personal computer you can still chat with friends and contacts, even where the ICQ client is not installed, by using the web-based ICQ2Go that works from any computer.
• CloneCD 5.2 Final - CloneCD is the ideal tool to make backup copies of your music- or data CDs, regardless if they are copy protected or not.
• AnyDVD 5.0 Final - AnyDVD is a driver, which descrambles DVD-Movies automatically in the background. This DVD appears unprotected and region code free for all applications and the Windows operating system as well.
• DVDFab Platinum 2.83 - DVDFab Platinum is all you need to backup your DVDs. This powerful product includes all the functions of our products: DVDFab Express and DVDFab Gold.
• CloneDVD2 v2.8.0.0 - CloneDVD 2 (download) copies movies in unparalleled picture quality. If it's only the main movie or a complete DVD - CloneDVD compresses even long footage in brilliant quality and at high speed: A special transcoding technology compresses your choice of DVD titles according to your audio and language selection automatically to a freely adjustable target size.
• Sateira CD&DVD Burner v2.13 - Sateira has updated its CD/DVD burning solution, the Sateira CD&DVD Burner, to version 2.13. This new version has an updated burning engine.
• SpeedFan 4.23 - SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitoring chips.
• [!] Hyperion 4in1 drivers v4.56v - The new version 4.56v (thanks BetasIntercom.net) updates the AGP driver to version 4.43f. The new AGP driver simply includes new IDs for new VIA host bridges. So this driver update is not really very exciting to be honest. In fact there isn't really any reason why you would need to update your system with them. If it ain't broke don't fix it. But if you are building a PC or you haven't updated in a while then these latest ones are the ones you should use.
• VIA - WinXP Serial ATA RAID Controller Drivers - VIA has released a new SATA RAID controller drivers - VT6410 IDE RAID controller ( VT6410 )
  Discrete Serial ATA RAID controllers VT6420/1 ( VT6420 VT6421 ), VT8237 Integrated Serial ATA RAID controller ( VT8237 VT8237.
• Realtek Audio Driver v3.71 - Here's a new Realtek Audio Driver v3.71 (mirror) for ALC65x and other AC97 Codecs.
• NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver v1.7650 - These drivers are modified Forceware drivers, meaning they are NOT supported or endorsed by nVidia, or any 3rd party OEM manufacturers. They are not covered by any warranty or guarantee, and you install them at your own risk. Currently these drivers are for all GeForce based desktop cards.
• NVIDIA nForce 6.53 (Remix) - This is a 3rd party remix (user compilation of several driver sets) package of the NVIDIA nForce drivers based on the build number 6.53 Nvidia Unified Drivers build.
• Forceware 71.91 - Forceware 71.91, leaked from Alienware, is available for download.