SECURITY...

• Three Bagle-related downloaders spotted - F-Secure have several reports about a new Bagle-related downloader, which dropper was spammed in e-mails to a large number of people. So far 3 variants are reported and they all have the same functionality (they are just recompiled and repacked versions of the original dropper).
• Trial date set for Sasser suspect - A German court has set aside three days in July to try the teenager accused of creating the Sasser worm. Sven Jaschan faces charges including computer sabotage and disruption of business. The trial of the 19-year-old will start on July 5 and will be held behind closed doors because Jaschan was a minor at the time of the alleged crime, according to the court in Verden.
• Israel police hold 18 in industrial spy probe - Israeli police investigating industrial espionage involving leading companies have detained 18 people, including company executives and private detectives. The probe by the Tel Aviv fraud squad began several months ago and found evidence that Trojan horses, viruses designed to spy on computer systems, had been planted in computers of some of the country's top companies, an Israeli police representative said Sunday.
• Change 2 Bytes and Windows XP Home becomes XP Professional - German Computer magazine C'T (Heise) is describing in its current print issue how to change Windows XP Home to a Windows XP Professional version before install. Microsoft is not going to like this. The C'T magazine apparently found out that by changing 2 bytes in the installation file of Windows XP Home, it will install a Windows Professional. Some functions are missing, but Remote Desktop and User management and enhanced security features are present.
• Cell phone crypto aims to baffle eavesdroppers - An Australian company last week launched a security tool for GSM mobile phones that encrypts transmissions to avoid eavesdroppers. The SecureGSM application uses 256-bit, triple cipher, layered encryption based on AES, Twofish and Serpent ciphers.

OFFTOPIC...

• "Star Trek" To Return - In Two or Three Years - Star Trek producer Rick Berman plans to revive the movie franchise in two or three years. "I think that timeframe for a new, fresh feature with a whole different outlook would be fine," he told the British Star Trek Magazine. He also suggested that the Star Trek television productions might be revived. "[It] certainly would be possible," he told the magazine. "And the answer is that the powers that be at Paramount seem to feel that the time has come to give things a rest."
• Self-wiring supercomputer is cool and compact - An experimental supercomputer made from hardware that can reconfigure itself to tackle different software problems is being built by researchers in Scotland.
• Scientists Fret over nanotech breakthrough -  A breakthrough in nanotechnology has enabled doctors accurately to measure the levels of crucial chemicals in living brain cells in real time and at the level of a single cell. Scientists at Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology claim to be the first successfully to apply genetic nanotechnology using molecular sensors to view changes in brain chemical levels.
• Heroin addiction gene identified and blocked - Scientists have not only identified a critical gene involved in heroin addiction relapse, but they have also successfully blocked it, eliminating cravings for the drug. The study was conducted on heroin-addicted rats. But the researchers now think that, within a few years, better treatments will become available to human heroin users who cannot quit due to insidious cycles of relapse.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Google's "Summer of Code"  - Google has launched a bid to attract more students to the open-source software world by offering a cash award to those who complete a project by the end of the summer. The "Summer of Code" project sees the search giant team up with a number of open-source foundations and offer a $4500 reward for those taking part. Applications will be approved on June 14, with September 1 the deadline for work on projects. A number of possible jobs for students have already been posted.
• Nintendo takes on iPod with Game Boy Micro - Cool factor. Something associated with Apple's iPod and something not associated with the veteran video game maker Nintendo. The company hopes to change that with the new Game Boy Micro. The smaller, hipper Game Boy is about as big as an iPod but plays a huge collection of Game Boy Advance games. It can also play MP3s and videos with an additional cartridge, to let Nintendo inch toward a brand new status in video games.
• Xbox 360 keeps its voice - Despite additions to the Xbox 360, you'll still be able to trash talk your friends via the new console. That's because Microsoft is keeping the same voice recognition software found in the original Xbox for its next-generation game and entertainment device.
• Skype enables video calling - Skype users can now download a free plug-in from Dialcom that will enable video conferencing using the Skype P2P engine. The Spontania Video4skype, allows any users with a webcam connected to their PCs and a Skype account and broadband internet access, to make video-calls using the Skype client.
• PalmOne Unveils "Life Drive" - It's their first PDA to include a hard drive for storage. The Hard drive contains a whopping 4 Gb of storage space. The LifeDrive boasts a nice, 320x480 high-resolution color screen which can flip from landscape to portrait mode, and a very fast 416MHz Intel XScale processor with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking. The matchbook-size 4 GB hard drive is a Hitachi Microdrive, and it can transfer data 30 percent faster than the previous-generation Microdrive. That means you can access your stored music, images and data much more quickly.
• Hitachi unveils three new 55" plasma HDTVs - Expanding its already extensive flat panel offerings, Hitachi has unveiled its line-up of televisions for 2005 which include three new high-end models with 55-inch screens. All based around Hitachi's VirtualHD 1080p II video processing technology, the UltraVision CineForm 55HDS52, 55HDT52 and 55HDX62 incorporate new histogram processing algorithms which Hitachi claims allows for enhanced contrast, sharpness, gamma and colour for a clearer, sharper picture as compared to previous models.

HARDWARE... 

• Computex '05 coverage - TechwareLabs Day 1 coverage / TweakTown Day 1 coverage / Day 2 / AnandTech / FiringSquad || NVIDIA holding back an Ultra G70?  / Crossfire still months away?  / VIA K8T890 Pro runs NVIDIA SLI  / Ulead and InterVideo to unveil HD-DVD and Blu-ray software / New VIA mainboards might be needed for dual-core / Acrox Pro 3D Laser Mouse
• RAM disk add-in card - Gigabyte's fast data storage - The add-in card currently supports up to 4GB of DDR1 memory, and we understand that it is possible to link two cards together for a RAM Disk with a RAID array. That should prove to be interesting, and we wonder what transfer speeds could be achieved with two of these cards together.
• No plans for new single-core Athlon 64s - C|Net has coverage of AMD's official Athlon 64 X2 launch, including word that we may not see any new single-core Athlon 64 processor models: The debut of the dual-core chips also means the beginning of the end for the Athlon 64 line. "We have no immediate plans for new Athlon 64s," Seckler said. (The top chip right now goes at 2.4GHz). There are also no current plans to come out with a dual-core chip for the Sempron line, AMD's budget processor.
• Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 840 CPU - It's odd that the Extreme Edition processor lineup was originally conceived to make Intel stronger in the gaming sector, whereas with their latest generation Extreme Edition processors are simply not very strong here. The EE 840 performs about as well as a Pentium 4 640 (3.2 GHz) processor which costs one fourth the price of the EE 840. Clearly, AMD's chips are still the way to go for gamers, but the EE 840 makes a strong case for itself as a workstation processor. Performance in these areas is simply fantastic.
• AMD edges Intel in early dual-core benchmarks - Both Anandtech and Tom's Hardware--two hardware benchmarking sites--have published reports stating that, in their own tests, the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 chips generally edge out the Intel Pentium D and the dual-core Pentium.
• A64 Winchester Vs. Pentium M Dothan Power Consumption and Performance comparison - AMD's "Winchester" Athlon64 will typically consume about 1/3rd more power compared to the Intel Pentium-M, whether sitting idle or under full load. In addition, when looking at raw performance numbers between the two, we found that at the same clock speeds, Intel's Pentium-M processor typically outperformed the "Winchester" Athlon64 by about 10% in real-world games and applications.
• Corsair 1GB XPERT Series 3200XL Memory - Called the XPERT series, Corsair has taken their best low-latency PC3200 RAM and mated it to an advanced programmable LED display
• ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 nForce 4 Ultra Motherboard -  If you want to overclock your socket 939 processor, then you won't be disappointed with ABIT's Fatal1ty AN8 nForce 4 Ultra board. This is one board that will surely take your overclocking to the limits. It lived up to our highest expectation. This board is a must have for all hardcore gamers and enthusiasts looking at an extreme non-SLI setup. /The only issue we had was the inability of the board to function at 1T command rate when all 4 DIMMs are populated. However this is not the board's fault as this issue can be blamed on the Athlon 64 processor's memory controller. You will find that this is a common problem with any Athlon 64 motherboard.
• Sapphire RADEON X850XT Platinum Edition AGP Video Card - The results are in and the verdict is pretty clear, there is no real need to upgrade from a halfway decent platform to PCIe and SLI in order to get superior gaming performance. The interesting aspect here is the price erosion occurring at the very high end of graphics cards, that is, the RADEON X850XT is available for approximately US$ 450,- and change - a price point at which only a few weeks ago not even a "skimpy" X800XL was to be found on the shelves or online.
• Matrox Parhelia AVPe graphics card - Matrox is aiming the AVPe at a video editor that already has a dual screen setup, but wants to be able to output HD and SD content to a dedicated video monitor. The AVPe will drive dual TFT screens at  resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,200 over DVI and still manage to output Standard Definition video to a dedicated monitor. However, if you want to take advantage of the high definition video output, you're going to have to forsake one of your DVI connections - ultimately leaving you with the option of using two screens via analogue connection or one analogue and one DVI.
• Danger Den DD12V-D4 External Water Pump - This Danger Den DD12V-D4 pump is one of the best 12V pumps on the market. It will run off of a standard computer power supply. This tiny pump will fit in almost any case. The flow rates at various pressures proves to be better then any of the 110V pumps offered at Danger Den.
• Arisetek home theatre PC case - Bit-tech has a review of the Arise Accent home theatre case. It's a full-ATX size with a custom DVD faceplate and some interesting design features.
• Samsung SyncMaster 710N 17" LCD TFT Monitor - With a pixel pitch of 0.264mm and a contrast ratio of 600:1, this monitor is no slouch in the image quality department and is better than even some of the most expensive digital LCD monitors Samsung currently have in their lineup. Although the above photo doesn't convey the real picture quality witnessed, you have to take my word on it, it is perfect. Colors are vibrant, text and photos are sharp and image flicker is unnoticeable even at 60hz. A CRT set at 60Hz will have even the smallest task turning into a headache. For best viewing, always run your LCD monitor at the highest resolution and refresh rate available which in this case is 1280x1024 @ 75hz. With everything set at maximum, everything will be silky smooth and sharp and eye strain will be nonexistent.
• Samsung SyncMaster 910MP 19" LCD - The 910MP comes in a silver finish with a swivel/tilting base and has two three Watt speakers built into the bottom of the monitor. The power supply is built in to the unit as well as the TV tuner. The 910MP is capable of a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 and has a response time of 8ms.
• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 Digital Camera - It's significantly cheaper than the Canon IXUS 700 and about the same price as the excellent Nikon Coolpix 7900, both of which are direct competitors. However you certainly get a lot of camera for your money. It has an all-metal body, a huge 2.5-inch LCD monitor screen and a high quality Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens. It is a big heavy camera, weighing in at a chunky 250g which is a lot for a compact. You can carry it in your jacket pocket, but you'll definitely know it's there.

SOFTWARE...

• New Catalyst 5.6 to give big boost to PC games - While most of ATI's driver updates are just bug fixes, this time ATI will give you a much needed free performance increase, coming with the new Catalyst 5.6 driver. The Chronicles of Riddick will work up to fifteen per cent faster than with the old Catalyst 5.5 drivers and ATI did more efficient storage of vertex data and gained some performance that way too. Doom 3 will work almost twenty per cent faster than with Catalyst 5.5 as ATI made more efficient use of memory.
• KDE 3.4.1 (linux) - KDE 3.4.1 has been just released to the public.
• PhotoFiltre 6.1.2 - PhotoFiltre (download English version) is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy learning curve. The toolbar, giving you access to the standard filters with just a few clicks, gives PhotoFiltre a robust look.
• Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP - Tireless Microsoft afficianado Ken finally came up with the REAL download link for the MS Windows XP Bonus Pack, which includes the PowerToys for Media Player for Windows XP.
• K-Lite Codec Pack Full 2.48 - K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-Decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video.
• 3d Traceroute 2.0.21.52 - Replace all your ugly ping plotters and traceroute programs with a full blown three dimensional traceroute program (download).
• SpeedGuide's TCP Optimizer 2.01 - The TCP Optimizer (download) is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. Just download and run, there is no installaion required. The program makes it easy to find the best MTU and RWIN values, test latency and tweak all the important broadband related registry parameters
• xpy 0.8.12 - Small tool which disables the default threats of a Windows XP installation. Besides disabling Windows and some of its components to communicate with Microsoft servers, xpy improves privacy settings and your system's security.
• PowerShell XP 3.01 - PowerShell for Windows XP is the newest verison of PowerShell. It adds all the shown items to your context menus (right click). Now you can logoff/re-start/shutdown, drop to dos, edit the registry and much more, faster.
• FireTune 1.04 - FireTune for Mozilla Firefox v1.x was developed for an easy and fast optimization of your browsing experience with Firefox. It is based on a collection of optimization settings collected and tested by Tweakfactor.
• Mozilla Firefox Deer Park Alpha 1 released - This is a pre-beta software release (download), branded as Deer Park in the title bar and official graphics. If you can't deal with it being buggier than 1.04 or some themes and extension no longer working, just skip it!
• Maxthon v1.3.1 - Maxthon (MyIE2) (download combo / standard) is a powerful web browser with a highly customizable interface. It is based on the Internet Explorer engine (your most likely current web browser) which means that what works in IE, works the same in Maxthon but with many additional efficient features.
• LinkSync 1.02 - LinkSync is a major re-write of F2e-Sync. It now support multi syncing from one to many browsers on the fly. Supported browsers are as follows: IE /maxthon detection, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape 8, K-Meleon, Opera 8.
• QuickTime Alternative 1.47 - QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime (.mov .qt) files. This way there is no need to install the offical QuickTime Player. It also supports QuickTime content that is embedded in webpages. The QuickTime plugins include iPIX and QuickTimeVR. The QuickTime Browser plugin supports Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla and Netscape.
• Real Alternative 1.39 - Real Alternative will allow you to play RealMedia files without having to install the official RealPlayer. You do need a media player that is capable of playing RealMedia files. The included Media Player Classic supports it. Supported are RealAudio (.ra .rpm), RealVideo (.rm .ram .rmvb), RealText (.rt), and ReadPix (.rp). Not fully supported are: Streaming smil files (.smi .smil) and Realmedia embedded in webpages.
• Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 final - Spybot Search and Destroy searches your hard drive for so-called spy- or adbots; that is, little modules that are responsible for the ads many programs display. Many of these modules also transmit information, including your surfing behavior on the Internet. If it finds such modules, it can remove them. In most cases the host still runs fine after removing the spyware/adware.
• EVEREST Home Edition 2.01 - EVEREST Home Edition (download) is a freeware hardware diagnostics and memory benchmarking solution for home PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. It offers the world's most accurate hardware information and diagnostics capabilities, including online features, memory benchmarks, hardware monitoring, and low-level hardware information.
• AMD Athlon 64 Processor Driver (XP200364 Bit) 1.2.2.2 - Driver for AMD Athlon 64 processor on Windows XP SP2 and 2003 SP1 and Windows 64 bit systems.