Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:59 AM CEST - May,17 2003
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- Matrix Sequel Has Hacker Cred - The average American moviegoer
taking in the Matrix Reloaded this weekend will likely be wowed by the
elaborate action sequences and dazzling special effects. But hackers who've
seen the blockbuster
are crediting it with a more subtle cinematic milestone: it's the first
major motion picture to accurately portray a hack.
- Robot cleaner hits the shops -
A
robot vacuum cleaner that cleans your carpets all by itself has gone on
sale in the UK. The autonomous, cordless machine uses ultrasound to
avoid obstacles and to work out the most efficient route around a room it has
been set to clean. While other firms have shown off prototype robot
cleaners, Electrolux is the first to put one into production. Modelled on an
ancient arthropod the Electrolux Trilobite is in stores from Friday and should
cost around £999.
- GPS implant designed for humans 'tested' -
A prototype GPS tracking device, designed to be implanted inside a person,
has been successfully tested, claims its manufacturer. However, technical
experts are questioning whether the system could really work. The disc-shaped
"personal location device" measures 6.35 centimetres in diameter and 1.27
centimetres in depth - roughly the same size as a pace-maker.
- 130 arrested in Net fraud crackdown - More than
130
people have been arrested as part of the latest effort by law-enforcement
agencies to crack down on Internet fraud, according to the Justice Department.
- Legal blow for DVD-copying software - Companies selling DVD-copying
software
received a legal blow on Thursday when a judge hearing Hollywood's case
against one firm said she is "substantially persuaded" by previous cases that
the software violates the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
- IRC operators may out-hack Fizzer - Administrators of Internet
relay chat networks believe they might be able to eradicate the Fizzer virus,
but the
methods may run them afoul of cybercrime laws, said a legal expert Friday.
Several postings on an IRC-Security list debated the merits of trying to shut
the computer virus down, and one operator, QuakeNet security team member
Daniel Ferguson, warned that manipulating the worm could be illegal. Despite
that, he believes that several IRC operators will likely attempt to shut down
the computer viruses running on PCs connected to their networks. Another
article about Frizzer can be found at
VuNet.
- Samsung SGH-V200 now up for grabs - As Samsung's first camera
phone, expectations are high as the SGH-V200 sees widespread availability
through EUrope. Featuring a unique swivel lens and support for 40-bit
polyphonic ringtones, the MMS-enabled, tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
Samsung SGH-V200 retails in the price range of £199 GBP (with contract).
Thus far, it is the only phone to have a camera on the hinge of the handset,
meaning that users can point the lens towards themselves and see the
photograph that is being taken.
- Links comes to Smartphone 2002 - Microsoft Game Studios and Hexacto
Games yesterday announced
the
launch of Links Smartphone Edition at the E3 gaming expo. Bringing
functionality from versions for the PC platform to the Smartphone, the game
offers up ball and shot physics that factor in terrain, green conditions and
wind for every shot, complete with weather conditions ranging from downpour to
sunshine over a number of courses worldwide.
- The New nForce2 Chipsets : New Or Just Retouched? - Adrian Rojak's
Pot has posted
an in-depth tour on the "new" nForce2 chipsets and show you what's really
new and what's not.
- Pentax Optio 550 Camera Review - Usually, digital cameras with
everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feature sets are high-priced, hard-to-use
devices aimed primarily at photo-enthusiasts or technogeeks. This is not the
case with the
Pentax Optio 550 ($600 street). The amazing, and amazingly simple-to-use
Optio 550 combines 5-megapixel resolution, an impressive 5X optical zoom lens,
and excellent image quality with an array of useful features and functions
packed in an elegant, compact aluminum body. The Optio 550 is a great buy that
will appeal to point-and-shooters and serious amateurs who want the most bang
for their bucks, along with lots of style.
- Argus DC3810 Camera Review - Argus, a venerable American company
that has been manufacturing photographic products for over 60 years, has been
a minor player in the digital camera market. The company takes a good stab at
changing that with the
Argus DC3810 ($499 list), which is far and away the least expensive,
full-featured 5-megapixel digital camera anywhere.
- Samsung SM-352B CDRW/DVD Combo Drive Review - MonkeyReview has
posted
a new review of the Samsung SM-352B CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
- Kingston Hyper-X PC3000 DDR 256Mb Memory Review -
This hyper-X module runs at 370 MHz, effectively (185 x 2) DDR. This is
not a standard FSB, what I mean is that in order to run this memory in
synchronization with the fsb, not overclocked, @ 133, 166 and 200 for all AMD
Athlon XP and Pentium 4 Proccesors. It runs at CAS 2, with very low 2-2-2-6-1
latencies, comparative with the Corsair XMS PC2700 witch runs at the same
latencies.
- Logitech Z-640 - The quality of the
speakers are great considering it is a budget speaker system. It is very
affordable($79.95), offering high quality and clear sound.
- MCSE Core Exams for Free - For a limited time, beginning May 12,
Microsoft will be offering two
alternate versions of Microsoft Exams 70-210 and 70-215. Exams 76-210
(Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional) and 76-215 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft
Windows 2000 Server) will be offered at NO COST to candidates when they
register for the exams. The 76-210 and 76-215 exams cover the same content as
the standard 70-210 and 70-215 exams, but contain additional questions. Exams
76-210 and 76-215 are each four hours long, and candidates can take these
special exams only once. A score report will be provided for both these exams
and, if candidates pass, the exams will fully count toward Microsoft
certification status. Exam 76-210 will be available May 12 - 28. The 76-215
exam will be available May 12 - June 2. (thanks
Neowin.net)
- Software mod for turning your Radeon 9500 non-Pro into a 9700 - If
the softmod succeeds your card will behave exactly like a 9700 (8 pipelines,
256bit bus).
Check it
out.
- PHP 4.3.2RC3 - This is the third release candidate (Win32
~ Linux ~
buildtracker)
and should have no critical problems/bugs. Nevertheless, please download and
test it as much as possible on real-life applications to uncover any remaining
issues.
- DriverHeaven Driver Cleaner 1.5 -
Driver Cleaner
is a program which helps you to remove parts of drivers that are left after
uninstalling the old drivers. The program is for ATI and Nvidia drivers.
- A-Tuner 1.5.14.4403 -
A-Tuner is a
small tool for changing the following 4 settings [Anti-Aliasing (including all
unofficial modes);Anisotropic Filtering;Vsync;MipMap LOD (Level Of Detail)
Bias] on your Nvidia card and should work with Nvidia Detonators 23.11 -
44.03.
- Nvidia nForce Driver 2.78 - This nForce
WinXP
driver package contains Audio driver 3.34 (WHQL'd), Audio utilities 3.17
and Network driver 3.13 (WHQL'd). According to the readme file, the only new
stuff is the audio driver.
- Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Driver v5.12.4186 Beta - Voyetra has
released a BETA
driver for the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz card v5.12.4186 for Windows
98SE/ME/2k/XP.
Radeon Omega Drivers v3.4 -
Omegadrive has
released a new
Radeon Omega Drivers for Win9x/ME/2k/XP based on the official Catalyst 3.4
ATI drivers. (thanks
DriverHeaven)
Lite-On CD-RW Firmware - LiteOn have released some
new CD-RW firmware updates for LTR-52246S ( 52X 24X 52X ) CD-RW,
LTR-48125W ( 48X 12X 48X ) CD-RW and LTR-40125W ( 40X 12X 48X ) CD-RW.
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Updated:12:40 AM CEST Jun,21
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