Saturday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 05:06 PM CEST - May,03 2003
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- Flash Memory Slides into Watches -
Cartagena Handels, which sells watches under the Laks brand name, is
offering three versions of the Laks Memory watch, each with a different memory
capacity. A short USB cable is also built into the watch and can be tucked
away in a groove and clip in the wristband when not in use. The cable is only
a few centimeters long, so users have to remove the watch to connect it to a
PC or use a supplied one-meter extension cord. The watch weighs 1.5 ounces and
is available with several different storage capacities. A 32MB version is
priced at $47; a 64MB device, $71; and a 128MB watch, $103. The memory works
with computers running Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP, Mac OS 8.6 or higher, and
Linux 2.4, according to the company. The watches are sold online from
Laks.
- Zone-H warning about the usage of the new Mastermind service released
by DIVX codec creators - Zone-H is SERIOUSLY concerned about
the
possible legal and privacy threat introduced by the installation and the
usage of the newly released Mastermind service, created by the developers of
the known DIVX codec package. In a few words, Mastermind is a memory resident
client that continuosly delivers information about the media files presents on
user's computer directly to DIVX Mastermind service. This information is
stored in a centralized server allowing the user to get access to the full
list of media files present on his various computers.
- HTML Rendering Crashes IE - I probably mentioned
this exploit a week ago or so, but anyway, there's
a
vulnerability in Microsoft Shell Light-Weight Utility Library
("shlwapi.dll"). If this is regarded as a serious risk, then don't view
untrusted HTML documents. Use another browser that isn't linked to the
vulnerable library when surfing the Internet.
- Douglas Adams' Doctor Who - As you probably know, the
"Hitchhiker's Guide
To The Galaxy" author, Douglas Adams, wrote a number of Doctor Who
episodes. The BBC in its wisdom has turned one of his stories
"Shada"
into a Flash animation. (thanks
Slashdot.org).
- NASA ramps nanotech to explore space -
Micro-rovers that hop, fly or burrow; networks of ultrasmall probes
dropped on a remote body such as an asteroid or planet; swarms of
micro-spacecraft taking in massive amounts of data. Those are just some of the
systems and applications envisioned by the researchers working at NASA's
Center for Nanotechnology.
- DVD Players in 43 Million U.S. Households - 23,000 Total DVD-Video
Titles -
According to AudioRevolution, the home entertainment industry experienced
another record quarter shipping 231.7 million DVD titles to retail in the
first three months of 2003, a 93 % increase over shipments in the first
quarter of last year. According to figures compiled by Ernst & Young on behalf
of the DVD Entertainment Group, the total number of units shipped in North
America has reached nearly 1.6 billion since launch.
- Microsoft moves to own DVD format - Microsoft has started to market
their propertary
HD-DVD format. The movies Shadowns of Motown and Terminator 2: Judgement
Day, will be sold with 2 discs, one that can be played on a normal DVD-Forum
approved DVD player, and one disc that can only be played on a home computer
with Microsoft Windows Media player software installed.
- Canon CanoScan 9900F Scanner Review -
The Canon CanoScan 9900F ($400 street) is a versatile flatbed scanner
designed primarily for imaging pros who require occasional negative and
transparency scans. The 9900F offers several features not found on the
low-cost scanners that have flooded the market. For example, Canon's FARE 2.0
(File Automatic Retouching and Enhancement) option can save damaged photos by
minimizing dust and scratches, restoring original colors, or smoothing the
grain. Another utility lets you scan directly to an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.
- High-performance PCs born of new chips - Right now, a PC
fitted with
a 2.53GHz Pentium 4, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive, a CD burner
and a DVD drive as well as a 17-inch monitor and a 1-year warranty costs about
$988 from Dell Computer. The price is before shipping, which is normally about
$99, and it excludes rebates or other special offers.
- 60GB NOMAD Zen Dwarfs iPod -
The NOMAD Jukebox Zen sports a sleek aluminum case and USB 2.0
connectivity for fast song transfers. Creative has priced the Zen at $400,
$100 cheaper than Apple's new 30GB iPod. Creative claims a battery life of 14
hours in the NOMAD Jukebox Zen, slightly higher than that of the iPod. The Zen
offers the ability to edit playlists directly on the device, and a "Find"
function to quality search thousands of songs. An optional FM Wired Remote is
also available featuring an FM tuner and microphone.
- Sony MZ-E10 MiniDisc Walkman Review -
At just 9.9mm thick and weighing only 55g with a built-in battery, the
MZ-E10 is really one of, if not the smallest player around. And along with its
signature magnesium-alloy body, the MiniDisc walkman can easily pass off as a
metallic cigarette case or a namecard holder.
- 5 MegaPixels Digital Cameras - Hardware Extreme has posted a
showcase of
5
MegaPixels Digital Cameras.
- Intel to counter Athlon 3200+ with 3.2GHz P4 - AMD will launch its
anticipated
400MHz frontside bus Athlon XP processor later this month ahead of the
official debut of further 800MHz FSB Pentium 4 parts from Intel. The
AMD's 400MHz FSB chip is based on the company's Barton core.
- nForce2-roundup - NordicHardware has published
a nice roundup of nForce2 motherboards (ABIT NF7-S v1.0, ABIT NF7-S v1.2,
ASUS A7N8X, MSI K7N2G-L, Soltek SL-75FRN-L).
- Swiftech H20-8500 Water Cooling Kit Review - Viper's Lair has
posted
a Swiftech H20-8500 Water Cooling Kit review.
- Gainward Ultra/800 Plus GeForce FX 5800 Review - Overclockers New
Zealand has posted
a review of Gainward Ultra/800 Plus GeForce FX 5800.
- Corsair XMS3500C2 512MB Review -
The Corsair XMS3500C2 did not disappoint. It's a great looking stick (also
available in Platinum color) with it's jet black color and snazzy looking
hologram spec sticker. The sticks were well packaged, easy to install and
perform better than any other module I've ever laid hands on. It's performance
results leave no question as to why this is one of the most talked about
modules ever.
- Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 200GB ATA/133 Review -
Every gamer today needs a big hard drive, just like every case modder
needs a flashing neon light (or so it would seem). If you want to have all the
latest games and software on the same computer without ever having to face the
disk cleanup message again, then it can't just be any drive, it needs to be a
drive with huge space and top notch performance.
- Bitspower Crystal Lighting & UV Sensitive Fans -
If you are thinking of buying UV-sensitive fans, you might want to
consider the Bitspower UV Sensitive Fan. It's a good choice for those who want
good looking fans. And it sure beats buying a clear plastic fan and slapping
UV-sensitive paint over it.
- InnoPocket Custom Aluminum PDA/Pocket PC Case Review - If
your a Pocket PC or PDA owner, you quickly realize the importance of having a
good
case to protect your investment. These devices usually come with cheap
bulky cases or pouches, and some don't even come with a case at all.
- Creative I-Trigue 2.1 3300 Speakers -
Given the price of the I-Trigue 2.1 3300 setup, this product's
imperfections are easily forgiven. Even the 4.1 systems that compete directly
on price with this 2.1 setup from Creative cannot outperform these speakers.
In order to better the I-Trigue configuration, you will need to look at sets
costing at least $100 more. So until the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers drop
to under $100, the I-Trigue 2.1 3300 speakers have earned the AthlonXP.com
Editor's Choice.
- Lit Hard Drive Window How-to - GideonTech has published
a Lit
Hard Drive Window Guide.
- Longhorn Alpha Preview 3: Build 4015 Review - SuperSite for Windows
has published
a review of Longhorn Alpha Preview 3.
- Klient 2.0.15 -
Klient (download)
is an IRC application for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. Klient features a fully
customizable interface, multiple server support, highly robust scripting,
external .dll support, and much more.
- DVD Cloner 1.95 - The software is able to create backups of your
favorite DVD movies.
The latest version
is 1.95 (download)
and features: Copying the menus of DVD movies with perfect quality; Enhanced
identification of DVD-RW,DVD-R,DVD+R,DVD+RW,DVD-RAM; You can burn a DVD-9 DVD
movie within 3 hours; Improvements in audio and video.
- cladDVD .NET v3.2 -
CladDVD XP is a 'DVD
Ripper', meaning it decrypts the encrypted VOB files off the DVD and saves
them to your hard drive.
- Complete Audio Converter Lite/Pro 3.0 -
Complete Audio Converter
Lite/Pro (download) is a
utility to convert or fast batch convert audio files from/to MP3 (including
VBR), WMA, WAV, ADPCM, GSM, DSP, MP2, PCM (uncompressed Wave), OGG Vorbis,
G721, G723, 726, A-LAW, U-LAW and RAW; you can even make your own formats.
- Morpheus 3.0 -
Morpheus 3.0 (download)
has been completely redesigned inside and out with new technology and a new
interface to make file sharing faster, easier, and safer.
- nVHardPage v1.31.0b - Guru3D have released a new version of their
tweak tool called
nVHardPage.
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Updated:12:40 AM CEST Jun,21
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