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 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,24 2009 - tech 
NVIDIA ForceWare WHQL Drivers v190.62 - tech
(hx) 05:42 PM CEST - Aug,24 2009 - Post a comment / read (3)
There are brand new GeForce 190.62 reference drivers out today for Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows Vista/Windows 7 32-bit, and Windows Vista/Windows 7 64-bit. According to the release highlights, these new drivers support GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200-series desktop GPUs and the ION platform. The new driver, ForceWare 190.62, doesn't seem to offer any performance improvements over the previous ForceWare 190 driver, instead the focus is on bug fixes. It's a pretty incremental update so you may want to pass if you're happy with 190.38.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,22 2009 - tech
TechNews - W7 vs. Vista CPU and RAM Performance - tech
(hx) 04:41 PM CEST - Aug,22 2009 - Post a comment / read (11)
  • Intel Core i7 975 CPU Tested - This CPU is the fastest available processor for the gaming enthusiast on the market with 8 logical cores running at 3.33GHz. If you have the $1000 this CPU will set you back laying around and a system to put it on (X58 motherboard, HD 4890 video card or similar, DDR3 3GB and fast HDDs), this CPU will really help your system shine. The Extreme Edition CPUs are not for the faint of heart as they will run you over $999 USD, but if you want the best you have to pay through the nose for it.
  • Windows 7 vs. Vista CPU & Memory Performance Comparison - When it comes to having a look at pure CPU performance, it seems that Windows 7 isn't quite as efficient as Windows Vista - Heh that surprised me...
  • UK Gets W7 Home Premium Full Version at Half-Price - Hey, for once the UK doesn't get left out of the discount hook-ups. Microsoft is making the full version of Windows 7 Home Premium available at half-price, about 65 pounds. The cheap pre-order deals the US had were limited to upgrade versions so the UK is getting a fine deal.
  • Seven Reasons to Avoid Windows 7 - Wired has the comparison article that focuses on the seven reasons to avoid Windows 7
  • Windows Live Movie Maker 14 released - Microsoft released their newest version of Windows Live Movie Maker. This version allows for greater editing of videos including standard definition (4:3) videos and high definition (16:9) video support. Windows Live Movie Maker allows for direct upload to both YouTube and Facebook (though plug-ins). Users are also able to burn straight to DVD, play video on high definition (HD) televisions and save in a variety of standard and high definition resolutions - 480i, 720i, 720p and 1080p. Auto Movie allows users to easily create a video automatically in under one minute using selected images, captions, a title and soundtrack to go along with the slides.
  • Delphi Programs Targeted by Virus - Security researchers at Sophos & SonicWall have discovered a virus in the wild that has a very specific target: programs written in Delphi. The virus, which doesn't appear to have a payload, inserts itself into the Delphi source code and then compiles itself into a finished executable.
  • How The Pirate Bay Will Be Legalized - Torrentfreak has the first details on how GGF plans to legalize The Pirate Bay after their acquisition at the end of the month.
  • Researchers crack network latency nut with new algorithm -  Issues with latency and dropped packets can kill a network's performance and cripple applications like real-time communications, scientific computing, and high-frequency trading. But the problems can be extremely difficult to diagnose, as they may not appear under test conditions, and real-time monitoring of performance can require dedicated hardware or procedures that actually cut into the usable bandwidth. A team of academic researchers have come up with what they think is a solution, one that could sample the transmission of a collection of representative packets in real time, in a manner that's inexpensive in terms of both hardware and networking resources. Unfortunately, it appears that it would require an extension to an IEEE standard that's only been adopted recently, as well as dedicated processing hardware.
  • Harry Potter style newspapers to become a reality - Appearing in the September 18th editions of Entertainment Weekly in Los Angeles and New York, slim-line screens will be embedded into the printed pages to offer video in these paper magazines. The technology is similar to that of singing greeting cards, as the chips that store the video (up to 40 minutes worth) are activated upon a page turn. The first units will display advertisements from Pepsi and CBS, and are expected to revolutionize magazine advertisement. The screens are 2.7mm thick and offer a 320x240 resolution, can store 40 minutes of video and have a battery that can be recharged via USB which will last for 70 minutes.
  • Volkswagen recalls 13,500 DSG-equipped 2009-2010 models over sensor - Anybody who bought a Volkswagen in North America in the past year with a DSG gearbox will want to keep an eye on their mailbox in the coming weeks for a note from the home office in Herndon, Virginia. It seems there is an issue with a temperature sensor in the dual clutch transmission. Problematic sensors can give erroneous readings that cause warning lamps in the cluster to turn on or send the transmission into neutral. The quick-shifting DSG is a popular option in the Jetta sedan, Sportwagen, GTI and Eos convertible. A total of 13,500 cars built between September 2008 and August 2009 are being brought in for inspection and possible repair.
  • Barney Frank Confronts Woman Comparing Obama to Hitler (video) - check it out
  • Jon Stewart Grills 'Death Panel' Originator (video) - Betsy McCaughey, the first who equated end-of-life planning with government-ordered euthanasia, goes on the Daily Show to make her case. Stewart takes her apart.
  • Top 10: Mike Tyson KOs - Mike Tyson wasn't always crazier than a soup sandwich. Long before he began biting off body parts and using his face as a canvas for tattoos, Iron Mike was the world's most punishing pugilist. His vicious uppercuts sent fighters to the mat with breathtaking ease while his hellacious haymakers connected with the force of a thousand sledgehammers.
  • Will There Be a Terminator 5? - Despite its lackluster performance, the real problems now lie in lawsuits and financial troubles surrounding The Halcyon Company, which picked up the Terminator rights a few years ago. Ben Fritz at the LA Times has a great write-up on the legal issues, which seem to only get worse each and every day. It doesn't help that "no one" is really that interested in seeing more Terminator movies after Terminator Salvation was so bad. So will we even see a Terminator 5?
  • New Halloween 2 Trailer Online - Rob Zombie's Halloween got a fair amount of mixed reviews. Either you liked it or you really didn't. I imagine the same goes for the sequel.
  • JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR - OFFICIAL TRAILER (2009) - The first official teaser trailer for James Cameron's Avatar debuted this morning on Apple. After years and years of waiting and hearing all about the groundbreaking technology that Cameron has been using, we finally get to see what the world on Pandora looks like, and it's as awe-inspiring and amazing as I'd imagined. 20th Century Fox is bringing James Cameron's Avatar to both IMAX and regular theaters in 3D around the world on December 18th.
  • iGun Road Rage (video) - This is madness! LOL!
  • Brooklyn Decker Topless Pictures from GQ - Wow! Here's Supermodel Brooklyn Decker topless and see-through in the new issue of GQ magazine.
  • Miranda Kerr for Victoria's Secret - Model Miranda Kerr is featured on the cover of Victoria's Secret Swim'09 and both she and the swimsuits are lookin' good!
  • Megan Fox pictures are back in GQ magazine - What can be said about Megan Fox that has not said before? I can not think of anything, but I still dig that little blue outfit and that skimpy black bikini.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,20 2009 - tech
Get free Batman: Arkham Asylum PC game - tech
(hx) 06:32 PM CEST - Aug,20 2009 - Post a comment
NVIDIA is running a special promotion that will allow folks to download a free full version of Batman: Arkham Asylum for a limited time if you buy a card based on one of three Nvdia graphics chip. The promotion is limited to buying a card with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 260, GeForce GTX 275 or GeForce GTX 285 graphics chips. If you buy a card with any of those chips you will get a coupon that will allow you to download a free copy of the Rocksteady-Eidos super hero game. The PC port, which support's Nvidia's 3D Vision tech and PhysX game physics, is scheduled for release on September 15.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,19 2009 - tech
Gaming Performance Compared: W7 vs Vista vs XP - tech
(hx) 09:11 PM CEST - Aug,19 2009 - Post a comment / read (4)
Which OS delivers the best performance for gaming? Seasoned gamers would probably say Windows XP, but as you'll see in the benchmarks, that may not be the case anymore. Inside FiringSquad has compared 32-bit and 64- bit flavors of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 across ATI and NVIDIA hardware. SLI and CrossFire are also tested. Here's taster:
The 3-Way battle between Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 is much closer when you exclude the second GPU benchmarks; other than ARMA II, the Radeon and GeForce GPUs performed remarkably similar regardless of OS (as long as you exclude the GeForce Windows XP x64 numbers). No one OS really pulls away from the other, they just trade wins and more often than not, they're tied in performance. For this reason I'd have to give the overall nod to Windows Vista and Windows 7, as they generally run just as fast as XP, with the obvious addition of DirectX 10 and DX11 support.

So is Windows 7 the best OS for gaming? Based on the results we've just looked at, I'd have to say 'yes'. Windows 7 delivers the best combination of features and game performance of any OS tested today. From what I've seen so far, it's also just as stable as Windows XP and Vista and seems more responsive. The addition of gestures and the new taskbar really push Windows 7 over the top.

I'm not a huge fan of the new system tray but I can understand Microsoft's reasoning behind the changes and it's an easy adjustment to make. Compatibility could be the one issue where Windows 7 takes a backseat to Vista and Windows XP, as I did have to manually install a third-party driver to get STALKER to run properly (I don't recall the manufacturer, but I believe it was related to the game's copy protection scheme). Even though it’s less aggravating, I also continue to disable UAC.

Comparing the issues Vista faced on its launch day to Windows 7 though, all signs point to Windows 7 being a huge success. Windows 7 builds on the foundation Microsoft laid with Windows Vista and takes it to another level. Based on everything seen so far, I see no reason why Windows 7 won't be a homerun for Microsoft.

Gamers reluctant to upgrade from Windows XP fear not. You finally have a reason to upgrade. If I was running Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 though, I wouldn't be in a rush to pick up Windows 7. It's definitely an improvement over Vista, but unless you plan on running SLI or CrossFire, it's probably not worth Microsoft's asking price. After all, it is fundamentally just a highly polished extension of Vista. Instead I'd spend that money on a better graphics card or CPU.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,18 2009 - tech
TechNews - Leaked Google OS Screenshots? - tech
(hx) 06:50 PM CEST - Aug,18 2009 - Post a comment
  • Asus GTX 285 Matrix - Fastest Single GPU Card Out there? - The new power design is really able to push this card's GPU and memory to its limits. If you are looking for a new video card, make sure you have a look at this card. It's a very strong performer. And allows easy out of the box OCing, no real hard mods required. The PCB and components seem build to last.
  • Jolicloud - Social Netbook OS preview - CNET got to test an alternate, lightweight OS called Jolicloud that is aimed at Web workers and SocNet experts. It's not Windows and it's not Linux but the tester doesn't think it's too bad. It'll be in public beta soon and the price is right: Free.
  • Windows 7 Product Editions Compared - If you are an average to above-average computer user who will use this product in a home or home business setting, Windows 7 Home Premium is most likely the edition that you will want.
  • Leaked Google OS Screenshots? - The six leaked screenshots show what could possibly be the very first screenshots of the new developer's beta operating system. The beta is labeled 0.1.15 in one of the screenshots, showing the early stages of the operating system
  • iPhone 3.0 OS Bug Reveals Deleted E-Mail - A bug in the iPhone 3.0 OS allows deleted e-mail to be retrieved and viewed:
  • Download a Copy of The Pirate Bay Before It's Gone - The backup includes a mockup site and all of the 873,671 torrent files hosted on The Pirate Bay's servers. As the uploader also notes, not all of the 2 million torrents tracked by The Pirate Bay are hosted on the site itself. With this backup everyone can have their own Pirate Bay up and running in a few minutes.
  • 13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You - Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar's mind might help you decide.
  • Quentin Tarantino's Favorite 20 Movies From 1992 to Now - Like him or hate him, Quentin Tarantino is a very unique filmmaker, with a distinct style and particular tastes. We know that Enzo Castellari's 1978 Italian film The Inglorious Bastards was an inspiration for Tarantino's new Inglorious Basterds, but what are his other favorite films? In this video recorded for Sky Movies, Tarantino lists off his favorite 20 movies from 1992 to now.
  • Oliver Parker's Dorian Gray Teaser - This is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray first published in 1890. Dorian Gray is premiering at the Toronto Film Festival next month and is set to open in the UK in September, but it doesn't have a US distributor yet.
  • Fantasy Goes Wrong! (video) - This is going to be great! ;-)
  • Burger King Drive-Thru Workers Try To Cheat The Timer System - If an employee of Burger King or other fast-food drive-throughs ever asks you to back up before pulling forward, they're most likely attempting to re-set the timer sensors so it appears you're being served faster. The revelation comes from Amy Oztan, who writes the Selfish Mom blog.
  • Jamaican Bolt smashes world record to win world title! - Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica smashed his own 100 meters world record with a stunning time of 9.58 seconds to win the world championship final on Sunday! American Tyson Gay, the 2007 champion, clocked 9.71 to take silver and Jamaican Asafa Powell claimed the bronze.
ATI Catalyst 9.8 Drivers - Now Officially - tech
(hx) 12:35 AM CEST - Aug,18 2009 - Post a comment / read (2)
Ok, now you can go to AMD’s website and grab the officially-released Catalyst 9.8 software for your Radeon cards.They claim a number of impressive performance gains for a wide variety of DirectX 10 games:
* Battleforge DirectX 10/DirectX 10.1 - performance improves up to 15-50% in CPU limited settings with the largest gains in CrossfireX configurations
* Company of Heroes DirectX 10 - performance improves by up to 10-77% in CPU limited settings
* Crysis DirectX 10 - Dual CrossfireX performance improves as much as 10% and Quad CrossfireX performance improves as much as 34% in CPU limited settings
* Crysis Warhead DirectX 10 - Dual CrossfireX performance improves as much as 7% and Quad CrossfireX performance improves as much as 69% in CPU limited settings
* Far Cry 2 DirectX 10 - Dual CrossfireX performance improves as much as 50%
and Quad CrossfireX performance improves as much as 88% in CPU limited settings * Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. DirectX 10/DirectX 10.1 - Dual CrossfireX performance improves up to 40% in CPU limited settings with Quad CrossfireX performance improving up to 60% in CPU limited settings
* UnigineTropics OpenGL - performance improves 5-20%
* UnigineTropics DirectX 10 - Quad CrossfireX performance improves 5-20% in CPU limited settings
* World in Conflict DirectX 10 - performance improves by 5-10%
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,15 2009 - tech
TechNews - ATI Catalyst 9.8 - tech
(hx) 04:48 PM CEST - Aug,15 2009 - Post a comment
  • AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition CPU Reviews Roundup - The X4 965 is a little faster overall than the Q9550, particularly in floating-point heavy applications like video encoding and 3D rendering. Yes, you will want a relatively large cooler to keep the X4 965 quiet under load, but that's also true of any number of high-end CPUs from Intel and AMD at present.
  • Intel DP55KG Kingsberg Motherboard Preview at Quakecon 2009 - The Intel Extreme Series DP55KG 'Kingsberg' motherboard is the highest end motherboard that Intel will be offering with the P55 Express chipset. The board has a very clean layout and features six phase power management. Right now there is a debug port located just to the left of the blue SATA header, but that will be removed on the production boards. The board features a x16 PCI Express slot and a x8 PCI Express slot for graphics cards and has been licensed to support both ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU technology. The board has a pair dual-channel DDR3 memory slots as these boards do not use triple-channel like the Intel X58 Express platform does. The motherboard also features on-board Bluetooth and has a location for an antenna to be attached. One interesting thing about this flagship motherboard is that Intel is still not using solid-state-capacitors on their enthusiast motherboards. This is something worth pointing out as companies like ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI have all switched over to better components in recent years.
  • Fry's selling Core i5 early - Fry's has begun selling Lynnfield-based Core i5-750 CPUs early. On the company website the CPU is selling for $205 and is listed as "in stock", with same-day shipping available. A quick search for faster Lynnfield CPUs and P55 motherboards however turns up no results.
  • Windows 7: Windows 7 (Final) vs. Windows Vista VGA game performance - The VGA drivers are not only stable, they work really well and perform good as well. I was afraid that with the coming of a new OS we'd see a performance drop just like we had with the transition from Windows XP to Vista, but if anything, Windows 7 VGA performance is as good as Windows Vista with the obviously occasional random fluctuation in performance here and there though. Looking at the opposite side, Windows 7 won't offer performance increases in graphics performance either with an exception here and there.
  • ATI Catalyst 9.8 - AMD's QuakeCon blog now offers early downloads of new version 9.8 Catalyst reference drivers for ATI accelerators. These drivers are also being offered to attendees of QuakeCon, and they will be officially released next week. PC Perspective has a change list.
  • How to make strong, easy-to-remember passwords - I know most of you are capable of coming up with a strong password that you won't forget but, in case you need help, here is an article that can be helpful.
  • Symantec Discovers a Botnet on Twitter -Symantec analyst Peter Coogan wrote that researchers found an account, @upd4t3, which was tweeting out links to download a piece malware called Downloader.Sninfs. The account has since been suspended by Twitter.
  • Internet Explorer comes out on top against Phishing - NSS Labs, an independent security research group, found that Internet Explorer 8 was the best browser tested at thwarting phishing attempts. Firefox was statistically tied with IE for first with Opera and Chrome bringing up the rear. Safari was the real loser of the group with only 2% of phishing attempts blocked and there was no difference between the Mac or Windows client.
  • Zune HD Grand Tour (video) - Brian Seitz of Microsoft's Zune team demonstrates the new Zune HD on video. The new thinner, sleeker device features an OLED screen, puts out HD video to your TV and costs about $100 less than a similarly equipped iPod
  • Ticket Details Announced for Avatar Day on August 21st! - Starting on Monday, August 17th at Noon PST on the official Avatar website - AvatarMovie.com - Fox will be giving away first-come, first-serve tickets for free. There will be two screenings on Friday, August 21st (one at 6:00PM, the other at 6:30PM) in over 100 IMAX 3D theaters around the world. I don't have exact details on which theaters will be involved, but it looks like it'll only be in IMAX, so you better find the nearest one now. These tickets will probably go very fast on Monday.
  • Creepy Trailer for Alien Abduction Thriller The Fourth Kind - A thriller involving an unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up. Universal is now bringing The Fourth Kind to theaters everywhere starting on November 6th.
  • First Red Band Trailer for Paul Bettany's Legion - Having lost faith in the human race, a legion of angels descend to Earth to bring about the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a diner and the Archangel Michael himself. Sony Pictures will be bringing Legion to theaters everywhere starting on January 22nd, 2010 early next year.
  • F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen Trailer with Gerard Butler - The trailer for F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx has debuted.
  • Robot running (video) - Toyota humanoid robot running at 7km/h.
  • The Corvette ZR1 was chasing a Lambo LP670-4 SV around Millbrook - This really is an unbelievable video. First of all, you got two of the hottest cars in the world. Second, the Lambo should be a bit quicker than the ZR1, right? It has around 30 more horsepower, weighs about 60 pounds less and has AWD, allowing it to exit corners more quickly!
  • Police Chief Gets Pwned by Marijuana Advocate (video) - Scott Kirkland is the Chief of the El Cerrito Police Department. Watch as he gets pwned by Richard Lee, co-owner of Hemp Research Company and marijuana advocate for 17 years.
  • MEGAWOOSH Bruno Kammerl jumps (video) - Who cares if it is fake or not it's awesome!!!!
  • Fan invades Field with a knife and hits Player (video) - The match between Blooming-BOL-URU and River Plate, at the Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, the preliminary phase of the Copa Sul-Americana, was interrupted and suspended by the referee Victor Hugo Carrillo, 20 minutes for the second time, after a fan invaded the pitch and attacking the player Henry Gimenez, the Uruguayan team.
  • Heidi Montag Playboy Pictures - Heidi Montag in Playboy!
  • Joanna Krupa Swimsuit Pictures In Jack Magazine - Here's Joanna Krupa showing off her hotness in a variety of swimsuits for Jack Magazine.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,13 2009 - tech
TechNews - AMD cuts CPU prices - tech
(hx) 01:07 AM CEST - Aug,13 2009 - Post a comment / read (20)
  • AMD cuts CPU prices - For instance, the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition is now selling for $199.99 on Newegg as of today. That's $45 less than the official $245 price tag found on the official AMD CPU price list.
  • Intel Core i7 In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis - Madshrimps posted an Intel Core i7 In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis
  • Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW 16:9 Widescreen LCD Monitor Tested -  The Syncmaster 2233SW is a simple and cost effective 21.5" monitor that has the additional resolution bump up to 1920x1080
  • Dell scraps 12inch Netbook range - According to Dell this is due to the fact that, according to the user base, 10" is the 'sweet spot' for Netbooks and there isn't a great deal of a market for the slightly larger 12", as a result the size will be disbanded.
  • Google testing their re-engineered search engine - Google has been working on a re-engineered version of their search engine lately
  • New Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n, nearing completion - According to Wired's website, the new standard for Wi-Fi is near completion and offering up to 600mbps promises lightning fast speeds along with a great deal of other bells and whistles. Products based on the final 802.11 n standard could offer up to 600 Mbps connectivity speeds, plus the ability to have up to four simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data through the house. The standard also promises easy backward compatibility, which means new devices will work smoothly with older products.
  • Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.6 Alpha - Firefox 3.6, code-named Namoroka, has a variety of changes, but it's not as dramatic a departure as 3.5 was from 3.0. Among the 3.6 features are faster JavaScript, the Web programming language Firefox executes with itsTraceMonkey engine; faster page-rendering speed; some new features for CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)technology for controlling some of the look of a Web site; and a feature called the compositor that handles complicated layout circumstances better
  • Windows Mobile 6.5 Build 23022 (video) - This is the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 build with mysterious features that may imply there to be a version 6.5.1 or 6.7 coming.
  • Wolfenstein RPG Arrives on iPhone - Kotaku has obtained a shot of a Meijer catalog set to launch on August 30th. The image shows a black Xbox 360 Elite console selling for the "New Lower Price" of $299.99. The site believes Microsoft could announce the Elite price cut as soon as next week at Gamescom. If the rumors are correct, Sony should be responding with a price cut of their own in the form of the PS3 Slim
  • Ion engine could one day power 39-day trips to Mars - There's a growing chorus of calls to send astronauts to Mars rather than the moon, but critics point out that such trips would be long and gruelling, taking about six months to reach the Red Planet. But now, researchers are testing a powerful new ion engine that could one day shorten the journey to just 39 days
  • 14 Seconds of the New Moon Trailer Online  - Summit has officially released this 14-second preview of the New Moon trailer that is hitting theaters this Friday with Bandslam!
  • 5 Minutes of Iron Man 2 Footage - The five-minute clip runs through a number of scenes, including a meeting between Stark and Fury, a congressional hearing questioning Stark's possession of the suit and an action montage where we get our first looks at Whiplash, Black Widow and even War Machine in motion. Impressions? Looks great, really happy to see War Machine's debut. However, I liked Terrance Howard. I'm sure Don Cheadle will be great, but I think the firing was totally unnecesarry.
  • 500 Days of Summer Bank Heist Music Video - It's actually a music video for the song 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?' by Zooey Deschanel's band She & Him. It was created as an additional promotional video by Fox Searchlight for the nationwide release of 500 Days of Summer this weekend. It's really a fun video, so check it out!
  • N00b Boyfriend meets L33T Parents (video) - They have to realize they don't PWN their daughter anymore
  • Catching Laptops With Your Butt (video) - Do not try this at home :P 
  • 10 Drugs You Shouldn't Be On While Driving (video) - This came out pretty well I think :-)
  • Best Fake Punt Ever (Bills/Titans) - Titans (Oilers) Rookie Punter AJ Trapasso does a great behind-the-back fake and run. The first tuchdown of the 2009 NFL season.
  • Girlfriend's angry emails to her vacationing boyfriend (video) - This self-obsessive girl failed to listen to her boyfriend tell her many, many times that he was soon to go off travelling around Europe. When he leaves and therefore can't reply to her emails, she starts up a hilariously tragic and mildly twisted semi-monologue as this over-zealous nut job fears the worst for her 'relationship'.
  • Jessica Stroup took part in a sexy photo shoot for Esquire magazine - Her star just keeps on rising, and Jessica Stroup revealed more of her fun and flirty side in a new spread in Esquire magazine.
  • Today Deals - Blu-ray Buy 2, Get 1 Free Sale at Amazon.com | Iomega Prestige 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive 34275 (save $71)
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,12 2009 - tech
Phenom II vs Core i7: Gaming Value Comparison - tech
(hx) 07:50 PM CEST - Aug,12 2009 - Post a comment / read (1)
at stock speeds, each system is running virtually identical
PureOverclock posted a review of the gaming value performance between AMD Phenom II and Intel Core i7 processors and systems. Here's a taster:
When we first set out to tackle this article, we weren't quite sure what to expect. We've seen both the Phenom II and Core i7 up close and personal, and have a healthy respect for each platform. However, we are performance junkies around here and pride ourselves as overclocking enthusiasts that try to extract maximum performance from our systems, regardless of platform. And we have been suitably impressed by the overclocking prowess of the Core i7 lineup, as have many other enthusiasts the world over. But we also know that very few people are also able to take advantage of much of those increases in real world tasks that can truly harness that power to a great degree.

We've seen the pendulum swing from Intel to AMD, and back and forth, and as gamers, we had assumed that the strengths of the Core i7 platform would prove too much for a Phenom II to overcome in terms of gaming performance. So today's investigation set about not to prove a certain viewpoint, but to try to illuminate the facts of the unknown differences, not the least of which were our own experiences. And as we must admit, we were rather surprised at the results.

There are a few conclusions we can now definitively draw after today's exploration, plain and simple. It is fact that a Core i7 gaming rig will give you better overall performance in terms of absolute numbers and framerates; the difference isn't very much, but it does exist. It is also fact that such a system will cost considerably more money as well for what is essentially almost the same performance. When the results are then applied against those cost differences, it is also fact that the Core i7 system then becomes a very expensive option, costing hundreds of dollars more for little to no performance increase in most games.

Where things get really interesting is when you equalize the costs between the platforms and look at what you get for gaming performance in return. For a current difference of $215, you can purchase a second Radeon 4890 to go with a Crossfire setup in your Phenom II system and it will utterly crush a Core i7 gaming setup that will have only one graphics card. And we must admit, that provides a very compelling reason to consider an AMD gaming system, especially when we consider that a Phenom II X4 can overclock very well and also easily handle just about any regular use application. Unless you're doing a ton of video encoding or workstation renderings and animations, the cost for performance difference is very difficult to justify, particularly for a gaming setup.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,07 2009 - tech
TechNews - Touchable hologram demoed - tech
(hx) 11:49 AM CEST - Aug,07 2009 - Post a comment
  • AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Processor Review - In real world gaming we see that that Phenom II 955 wins again over its older predecessors, but is still not able to get the win over Intel.
  • Apple's New 13inch Macbook Pro - Video Review - The machine also features a LED-backlit screen with a higher color gamut than most notebooks, a backlit keyboard, and a 7 hour battery that actually lasts about 7 hours, which reaffirms Apple's reputation of advertising realistic battery life claims. A number of other features like a built in iSight webcam, a Superdrive (CD/DVD reader and writer), a Magsafe power adapter and for the first time for Apple a built in SD card reader--all in a package that's about 4.5 pounds--make this one heck of an attractive little notebook. The one we tested was the lower end model equipped with a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1066MHz frontside bus and 4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 memory.
  • Four Kingston SSDNow E (Intel X25-E) SSDs in RAID 0 - Win 7 -  Would the average consumer buy a storage setup like this? Well, I'm sure every tech enthusiast would want it, but at a cost close to $4000 USD just for the storage part of the system, it is out of reach of many. However, it is very interesting to see in this technology demonstration what storage technology today is capable of at the ultra high-end and what consumers can expect in the years ahead.
  • Windows 7 Upgrade Chart - This is supposedly the official Windows 7 upgrade chart from Microsoft. It looks like all Vista installs except Starter can do a 32-bit to 32-bit upgrade and keep all your files, same with 64-bit to 64-bit. Windows XP owners will have to do a clean install after backing up your files.
  • Driverheaven Nvidia Mobility Modder Released V1.1.0.0 - Driverheaven has released Nvidia Mobility Modder Released V1.1.0.0:
  • Mac OS X 10.5.8 released -Apple released their update for Leopard, bringing it up to version 10.5.8.
  • Mac OS X 10.5.8 Plugs Six Critical Holes - Apple's Mac OS X 10.5.8 update fixes 18 vulnerabilities, six of which are critical flaws. That means the bugs could open the door to attackers to hijack a computer by tricking victims into viewing malicious image files on the Internet. I advise all three of you that need the update should head over now and get it
  • Google to acquire On2 technologies for $106 Million - Google says it is buying On2, a provider of digital video compression technology, for $106.5 million. On2 is well known for compressing high quality video ready for streaming on IP networks. On2's compression technologies power the video in many of today's leading desktop and mobile applications. On2 customers include Adobe, Skype, Nokia, Infineon, Sun Microsystems, Mediatek, Sony, Brightcove, and Move Networks.
  • Touchable hologram demonstrated (video) - Researchers from The University of Tokyo have demoed a touchable hologram at Siggraph 2009. The project, called Touchable Holography, involves the use of Wiimotes placed above the display to track hand motion, and an airborne ultrasound tactile display created in the university's lab to create the sensation of touch.
  • The $1,000,000 speaker - A one million dollar speaker? For ONE speaker? Yes, it is true!! Please understand that $1,000,000 buys one speaker, so you'll need to shell out $2,000,000 for stereo, and at least five million for your Ultimate home theater.
  • Cool Laser Pattern Sound Test (video) - This is easily the coolest laser video you will see (and hear) all day
  • iPhone Steering Wheel (video) - If you're a huge fan of racing games on the iPhone you may want to look into getting this snazzy accessory.
  • New Mercedes E-Class Estate 2010 Video - Check it out! Whether the load-lugging model will come to America remains to be seen, but I look forward to seeing it in the flesh at the Frankfurt Motor Show all the same.
  • Trailer for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones - Paramount has debuted the trailer for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci. Paramount is bringing The Lovely Bones to theaters everywhere on December 11th.
  • Awesome Red Band Zombieland Trailer - official -  Sony has debuted a second red band trailer for Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone. We've seen quite a bit from this so far, including a trailer and even our set visit piece, but there is still plenty more to see, that's for damn sure! Sony will be bringing Zombieland to theaters on October 9th this fall.
  • The Vampire's Assistant Trailer - Universal has debuted the trailer for The Vampire's Assistant. Word is: "Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares." Universal is bringing The Vampire's Assistant to theaters on October 23rd this fall.
  • To the edge of space in a spyplane! (video) - James May from Top Gear U.K. takes an emotional ride to the edge of space in a U2 spyplane. Amazing!
  • Lost Generation (video) - Using only narration and text, this inspiring video uses a clever trick to make its point about being alive in this generation.
  • Madonna - Celebration Official New Single 2009 - Madonna plans to release her definitive greatest hits compilation Celebration on September 29th as both a single and double album. 
  • Miranda Kerr Bikini Pictures Heat Things Up - This girl has got it going on from top to bottom ain't no doubt about it! Although seeing Miranda Kerr in a bikini isn't a new thing, you really can't complain :P
  • Audrina Patridge Wearing A Sexy Black Miniskirt - Audrina Patridge is looking damn sexy in these photos wearing this little black miniskirt.
Windows 7 Review: You Can Quit Complaining Now - tech
(hx) 02:11 AM CEST - Aug,07 2009 - Post a comment / read (12)
Could Windows 7 accomplish everything that's expected of it? Probably not, but it makes a damn good run at it. The chaps over at Gizmodo have tested the gold master, the final version going out on October 22. Here's a taster:
Windows 7 is not quite a "Vista service pack." It does share a lot of the core tech, and was clearly designed to fix nearly every bad thing anyone said about Vista. Which ironically puts the demon that it was trying to exorcise at its heart. What that means is that Windows 7 is what Vista should have been in the public eye—a solid OS with plenty of modern eye candy that mostly succeeds in taking Windows usability into the 21st century—but it doesn't daringly innovate or push boundaries or smash down walls or whatever verb meets solid object metaphor you want to use, because it had a specific set of obligations to meet, courtesy of its forebear.

That said, if you're coming from Windows XP, Windows 7 will totally feel like a revelation from the glossy future. If you're coming from Vista, you'll definitely go "Hey, this is much better!" the first time you touch Aero Peek. If you're coming from a Mac, you'll—-hahahahaha. But seriously, even the Mactards will have to tone down their nasal David Spadian snide, at least a little bit.
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Windows XP was a great OS in its day. Windows Vista, once it found its feet several months in, was a good OS. With Windows 7, the OS is great again. It's what people said they wanted out of Windows: Solid, more nimble and the easiest, prettiest Windows yet. There's always a chance this won't be a huge hit come October, given the economy and the state of the PC industry, but it's exactly what Microsoft needs right now. Something people can grab without fear.
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,04 2009 - tech
TechNews - Intel 6-core Gulftown CPU spotted - tech
(hx) 06:15 PM CEST - Aug,04 2009 - Post a comment
  • Intel 6-core Gulftown CPU spotted - JC from XtremeSystems Forums has managed to score a sample of Intel's upcoming 6-core, 32-nm Gulftown CPU which will eventually replace today's Core i7-965 at the high-end of the Intel CPU product stack.
  • AMD prepping 3.4GHz Phenom II for launch? - AMD plans to introduce a 3.4GHz Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, its fastest processor ever, on August 13th. Like all Black Edition processors, the 965 BE will ship with an unlocked clock multiplier for easier OC'ing. Pricing wasn't mentioned, but if the release date is accurate, we won't have to wait long to see how it performs and at what cost.
  • AMD 785G Chipset Launch: ASUS and Gigabyte Tested -  The gaming performance of the 785G is 'good enough' for most people. It will play older games at higher resolutions and quality settings, but still can play more modern titles at lower resolutions and quality settings. Casual games such as Sims 3 should have no issues with running on the 785G. AMD's recent driver support has been very good, and while they may not put in CrossFire profiles for the latest games until a month or two after release, we can rest assured that even newer titles will work without problem on the 785G. If there is one area where Intel is consistently criticized for, it is compatibility with many gaming titles. While Intel has improved that with the G4x series of integrated chipsets, the promise of care free gaming from Intel is still a ways off.
  • Windows 7, new laptop designs to converge - CNET takes a look at some of the hardware and innovations that they saw at Intel's Technology Summit last week, which you will see in the next year or so.
  • Microsoft's MSN Video Player is now live, streaming TV shows - MSN Video Player is now available as a free online beta to those in the UK. MSN Video Player is available exclusively in the UK and offers over 300 hours of free content from both BBC worldwide and producer All3Media, responsible for shows like peep show and shameless. Microsoft is running a 6 month trial of the player during which time Ashley Highfield, Microsoft's managing director and vice president of consumer and online, claims that the company has sold out of its advertising space to fund the MSN Video Player.
  • Google preparing to launch theme gallery for Chrome -  The site is not live yet. But on the default new tab/new window page, the one with the thumbnails of your most visited sites, if you click on the “X” to remove some of them, a themes page shows up as a thumbnail
  • DefCon Reveals Holes in SSL, Browser Interoperability - Security researchers at DefCon demonstrated how an enterprising hacker could "tap" into a supposedly secure data stream to lift sensitive information.
  • Apple keyboards hacked and possessed - Another 'innovation' courtesy of DefCon is the ability to compromise the firmware of an Apple keyboard, which can give the hacker total access to the attached system. From keylogging to rootkits to total remote control, the sky's the limit for a system compromised by this hack. To infect your keyboard, the attacker only needs to exploit one of the many weaknesses in Mac OS X and Apple applications. Once exploited, the attacker only needs to drop less than 100 KB of payload to infect the keyboard and the attack takes less than 18 seconds.
  • LG BL40 Chocolate Phone Commercial Video - A 4 inch screen supporting a resolution of 800 x 345 pixel this is what the LG BL40 packs in.
  • Planet Hulk - Animated Trailer - HD - Marvel SDCC - Full length trailer for the upcoming animated film based on the hit comic book storyline, Planet Hulk.
  • Ridley Scott Confirmed To Direct Alien Prequel - There is an Alien prequel coming, and it's been confirmed that director Ridley Scott will be taking the helm for the movie
  • Peter Morgan's Damned United Trailer - Sony Pictures Classics recently debuted the official trailer for The Damned United, which stars Michael Sheen as Brian Clough and a host of other very talented British actors, including Colm Meaney, Stephen Graham, Timothy Spall, and Jim Broadbent. The film is a look at Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the Leeds United soccer team. Sony Pictures Classics is bringing The Damned United to limited theaters starting on September 25th this fall.
  • Second Insane, Crazy Teaser Trailer for [Rec] 2 - Another second new shorter, crazier teaser trailer for [Rec] 2 has arrived! While you're at it, you might as well pick up the original [Rec] on DVD (via Amazon ), as it was just finally officially released by Sony a few weeks ago. This looks like a direct sequel to the original horror cult classic.
  • Jay Leno drives the Reasonably Priced Car (video) - Jay gives a very strange, inaccurate answer as to why Americans drivers won't let people with their turn signals on into a lane , but does tell an absolutely fantastic story about two 'gang bangers,' his McLaren F1 and the three tunnels on Kanan Road. Yes, fine, but does Leno drive fast? Well, he's quite smooth. And the second fastest American.
  • Today Tech Deals -  Mac OS X Snow Leopard Preorder ($29) ||  Toshiba Satellite A505-S6973 16.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey (save $110) || Sony DVP-FX930/R 9-Inch Portable DVD Player (save $25) || Street Fighter IV PC (save $3)
 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,03 2009 - tech
Blue Ray's Future Competition? - tech
(hx) 06:39 PM CEST - Aug,03 2009 - Post a comment / read (3)
ArsTechnica has interesting article talking about a new format in China called CBHD that is MUCH MUCH cheaper than Blu-Ray to produce. If the quality is on par or close too, could Blu-Ray have trouble on the horizon?
At the CBHD factory, owned by Shanghai United Optical Disc corporation, a joint consortium between China Record Shanghai and Japanese Memory Tech, managers expressed excitement over CBHD. They said that while the components of a CBHD player are more expensive, the homegrown format, with some technology licensed from the defunct HD DVD players at a bargain, avoids about $21 in licensing fees on each player compared to DVD, and even more compared to BD, leaving a much higher profit. Meanwhile, the discs are almost as cheap to press as DVDs. They expect to be pressing over a hundred titles in CBHD within the year, and hundreds next year.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,27 2009 - tech
WinXP to Windows 7: It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride - tech
(hx) 05:49 PM CEST - Jul,27 2009 - Post a comment / read (10)
Is Microsoft's decision not to support upgrades from Windows XP to Windows 7 going to be a problem? Does this matter to you?
Microsoft is also ignoring the countless businesses that stuck with XP. I hate to admit it, but I work at one of them. Sure, I'm surrounded by PCs running Vista, Win 7, and even the Mac OS, but my work PC is XP (SP2!). My IT department, like so many others, wanted nothing to do with Vista, or the headaches they assumed they'd encounter. Microsoft needs companies to feel comfortable about switching to Win 7. If they can't upgrade from the OS most are using, they'll wait, too.

Obviously, many businesses will wait anyway (I know of some firms still running Windows 2000 and earlier OSs), but this Microsoft strategy will certainly scare off many XP users who were considering an upgrade. There is a bit of good news. Microsoft's decision has left the door open for third-party tools. LapLink (remember them?), for example, has created a utility that will let any XP user upgrade to Win 7.

There are still a few months before Win 7 ships. Perhaps Microsoft can do something on its own, too. Now that Win 7 is in RTM, it's unlikely Microsoft can do anything to the code, but the company could offer its own free migration utility.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,25 2009 - tech
TechNews - Windows 7 is Gold - tech
(hx) 02:15 PM CEST - Jul,25 2009 - Post a comment
  • Intel Core i7 920 CPU Tested - The Core i7 920 will apparently dissapear soon but I personally hate to see that happen, the processor is really fast and easily competes with the 965 Extreme after some overclocking
  • Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X 2GB has excellent cooling - So what does the Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X 2GB do well? Well, for one it offers up excellent cooling without the noise penalty that the reference cards present when you push the fan speed toward the max level. This card was barely audible three feet away from the case and was not heard over the white noise in the test room
  • Razer announces new laptop gaming mouse and mouse pad - The company revealed two new products made specifically for the laptop gamer. The Razer Orochi notebook mouse has features like 4000dpi, support for both wired and Bluetooth wireless modes, seven programmable buttons and on-board memory. The mouse will be sold via the Razerzone.com web site in mid-August for $79.99 and in September in retail stores. Also on sale in August is the Razer Kabuto gaming mouse surface. Prices at $19.99, the mouse pafe is ultra-thin and soft with a microfiber tracking surface and a rubber base. It can also double as a laptop screen protector.
  • Windows 7 is Gold - Windows 7 is now complete and has been sent off for mass duplication. OEM folks can get it as early as tomorrow, while MSDN and Technet folks will get it on August 6th. Consumers like yourself? October 22nd.
  • Facebook Lets You Change Your Username - It appears that Facebook has quietly launched a new option in the settings area called 'username' where you have the option to change your Facebook username. To find this option, go to 'Settings' at the top-right of the Facebook page and then click on 'Account Settings.' The second option from the top is 'Username.' Press "Change" to enter in your new username and then click 'Confirm' when you're ready to set it. Since there's no official announcement from Facebook at this time, it's hard to know why they've decided to give users another chance to pick their names.
  • What Will Apple's Big Tablet Cost? -  So what do we know about the tablet? Reports say it's an iPod-like device with a 10-inch screen, a handheld slate that's large enough for HD movies, video gaming, and Web browsing without all the window-resizing and screen-tapping calisthenics that smartphone users endure. Apple Insider says the tablet will feature 3G broadband, which seems logical. And since we're speculating here, I'd like to request Wi-fi, Bluetooth, and GPS as well.
  • iPhone encryption can be cracked in under two minutes - Looks like some hackers do not think much of Apple's iPhone 3GS hardware encryption and claim they have never seen encryption implemented so poorly before.
  • 25 Most Influential People in Mobile Tech - LAPTOP Magazine has posted a list of what they believe are the 25 most influential people in the realm of mobile technology. It is somewhat of a "by the numbers" list with the top ten spots dominated by folks from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Intel and Twitter.
  • RUSE gameplay on touch-screen table (video) - Gaming on a large touchscreen looks pretty damn cool!
  • Full-Length Official Trailer for Whiteout - Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsale as U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko who ends up investigating the first murder ever on Antarctica. I wasn't sure what we'd end up seeing go down in this movie (or who murdered who) - but as you can get a glimpse of in this trailer, there is something very interesting going on here...
  • Teaser Trailer for The Hughes Brother's The Book of Eli - Apple has just debuted the first teaser trailer for The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. What is your first impression?
  • Saw VI Teaser Trailer Online - Can you really believe they're already up to the sixth Saw movie?! Justin.tv debuted the first rather mild teaser trailer for Saw VI online earlier today. Saw VI is directed by first-time feature filmmaker Kevin Greutert, who edited all five of the previous Saw movies before this and directed a few horror short films. The screenplay was written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who broke out with Feast and subsequently wrote Saw IV and Saw V as well. Lionsgate is bringing this latest installment, Saw VI, to theaters everywhere on October 23rd, a year from the last one.
  • First Insanely Awesome Ninja Assassin Trailer! - The first official trailer for James McTeigue's Ninja Assassin has finally debuted today on MTV. You need to drop everything and watch this - it's one of those kind of trailers. Word is: "A young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with the clan."
  • Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Official Teaser Trailer - Here's the teaser trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. This is based on Lewis Carroll's beloved series of books that were first published in 1865. Disney is bringing Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland to both digital 3D and 2D theaters everywhere on March 5th, 2010 early next year.
  • Mazda MX-5 Races a Greyhound on Home Turf (video) - Richard Hammond test drives the Mazda MX5 in Ireland, and puts the car to the test with an unusual race against a greyhound at Shelbourne Park. Who will win? Man or dog?
  • Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world (video) - It's a single, steady picture of a huge fish tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan, shot with a Canon 5D Mark II
  • Unexpected Wedding Entrance (video) - Watch it. You might cry. You may get up and dance. You may break into instantaneous giggle fits. You may even be slightly horrified. But while you're watching and tapping your feet, notice the look in the attendees' eyes. Hear their laughs. Look at the faces of the bride and everyone else involved.
  • Bar Refaeli Photoshoot Pics are Hot - Everyone's favorite model, also known as Bar Refaeli, is back and still doing what she does best.
  • American Idol Bikini Girl - Here are some photos of bikini girl from 'American Idol' to check out. If you did not watch the last season of Idol then you will not have a clue who she is, but neither will 23% of the people that did watch the show, so don't feel too bad :-) For those that watched, recall that Simon Cowell actually gave Katrina Darrell (that is her real name by the way) the go-ahead simply because she was dressed in a bikini.
  • Today Tech Deals - Toshiba Satellite A355-S6931 16.0-Inch Laptop (save $200) || HP Officejet J6480 Printer (save $101) ||Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (save $63) || || Watchmen (Director's Cut) (Amazon Digital Bundle + Digital Copy and BD-Live) (save $15)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,23 2009 - tech
ATI Catalyst 9.7 Drivers - tech
(hx) 01:12 AM CEST - Jul,23 2009 - Post a comment
All you Radeon owners should head on over to the AMD/ATi website and grab the new Catalyst 9.7 drivers for Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows XP (separate driver and CCC packages (other languages) and Windows XP drivers will be released tomorrow). The 9.7 Catalysts are supposed to improve performance in Crysis by up to 8% on HD4800 series and performance in Company of Heroes and BattleForge by up to 10%. AMD also introduced support for the ATI Video converter under Windows 7 32-bit  and Windows 7 64-bit. Grab them if you need them!
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,22 2009 - tech
TechNews - Intel cuts CPU prices - tech
(hx) 02:41 PM CEST - Jul,22 2009 - Post a comment
  • Intel cuts CPU prices - Intel has trimmed prices on a range of mainstream and value-oriented Core 2 and Pentium processors. While pricing on higher-end quad-core Core i7 and Core 2 Quad CPUs carry over unchanged, Intel's Q9400 and Q9300 saw a 14% cut, down from $213 to $183, while their entry-level quad-core CPUs with 4MB of L2 cache (the Q8400 and Q8300) had their prices reduced 11% from $183 to $163. Low power variants of the Q9400 and Q8400 also saw cuts. On the dual-core Core 2 front, Intel lowered the E7500's price from $133 to $113, a reduction of 15%. Pentium CPUs also saw price cuts, with Intel trimming the price of the E6300 from $84 to $81, while the E5400 and E5300 saw cuts of 12% and 14% respectively, and are now priced at $74 and $64.
  • Upcoming 32nm Intel Clarkdale CPU Hitting 4GHz - The famous overclocker Coolaler has posted a few spy pics of what appears to be a 32nm Clarksdale processor and some CPUZ screenshots of the very same processor easily hitting 4GHz on air with just 0.832V.
  • Choosing an Office PC - A guide about choosing an office PC.
  • Sky News exposes dodgy laptop repair shops [UK] - Sky News in the UK have exposed several laptop repair shops including some big names like Micro Anvika and PC World. During the investigation, researchers unplugged a RAM stick from a laptop to see if the shops would simply diagnose the fault or charge extra for work and components. Only one shop was genuinely honest.
  • Update on Win 7 RTM availability, MSDN and TechNet August 6 - Microsoft has sent word that MSDN and TechNet customers will be able to get hold of Windows 7 RTM on August 6. Windows 7 RTM will initially be available in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st for both MSDN and TechNet customers.
  • DRM is Dead, RIAA Says - The RIAA says DRM is dead. Wait. What???
  • Taser makes new three-way X3 electro-shock, tests it on own - A single Taser passes a low electric shock through the body of the victims. The ones which were demonstrated here didn't shoot just one by three shots in quick succession. These caused an administration of z400 to 1200 volt shocks in the bodies of victims, thus immobilizing them temporarily.
  • Hand vs. Liquid Nitrogen and the Leidenfrost Effect (video) - The Leidenfrost effect is the formation of a gas barrier between a hot surface and a boiling liquid if the temperature difference is great enough. This gas barrier greatly slows the heat transfer between the two and allows the liquid to last longer and consequently the hot surface to remain hot longer. This effect can be seen in a frying pan as it's being heated. At first the water quickly boils as it's dropped in but at a hot enough temperature the Leidenfrost effect takes over and makes the water skate around the surface lasting a very long time.
  • Top Gear pits Jaguar XFR against BMW M5 (video) - Clarkson spent all of his time behind the wheel of a right hand drive XFR, and he seemed surprised and delighted at the Leaping Cat's power and handling. Clarkson calls the cushy ride of the XFR 'so soft and it's so absorbent, it's like sitting on a fat dog.' But this plump puppy has 503 hp, and '80 more torques' than the BMW, while both vehicles' weight is about the same!
  • If Man Walked on the Moon Today (video) -  In the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing, Slate V imagines how TV news would cover that historic event if it happened today.
  • The Question You Never Want Your Roommate to Ask -  OMG!
  • Happy Tree Friends - Wrath of Con - Ohh yeah! I enoy watching this one... Specially now its in HD :-D
  • First Extended TV Spot for Peter Jackson's District 9 - A brand new extended 60-second TV spot for Neill Blomkamp's District 9 has just landed online. Sony will be bringing District 9 to theaters everywhere on August 14th this summer.
  • Miranda Kerr in Lingerie Photos - Miranda Kerr still looks absolutely fabulous in slinky, sexy underwear like this.
  • Joanna Krupa Heats Up Maxim Magazine - It is easy to see why guys like this hottie because she has an exotic look with a body sculpted out of pure perfection.
  • Today Deals - Toshiba Satellite A505-S6973 16.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey (save $110) || Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multifunction Center (save $400) || Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy (save $20) || Microids: Sinking Island (save $11) 
NVIDIA ForceWare WHQL Drivers v190.38 - tech
(hx) 10:10 AM CEST - Jul,22 2009 - Post a comment
There are brand new GeForce 190.38 reference drivers out today for Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows Vista/Windows 7 32-bit, and Windows Vista/Windows 7 64-bit. According to the release highlights, these new drivers support GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, and 200-series desktop GPUs and the ION platform.  Other than adding Microsoft WHQL certification, the driver appears to be identical to last week's driver. Grab them if you need them!
Call of Juarez:Bound in Blood Gameplay Perf. and IQ - tech
(hx) 02:42 AM CEST - Jul,22 2009 - Post a comment
The chaps over at HardOCP just published Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Gameplay Perf. and IQ.  Their tested revealed that the game showed impressive performance on eight of the best video cards on the market today, even with the settings cranked all the way up. Here's a bit:
This time around, more main memory was consumed by the AMD GPU, and it used about 1% less of our CPU in doing so. The NVIDIA video driver appeared to better split the game’s load among our four CPU cores, but the NVIDIA GPUs did not provide a gameplay advantage because of it. In both camps, CPU utilization was near 100% on core 0, but the NVIDIA GPU loaded up core 3 quite a bit more than the AMD GPU.

At 2560x1600, the best value for Bound in Blood is definitely the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260. Of course, gamers with 30" displays may balk at paying less than $200 for a video card, but it is truly a great performer for this and most other games, and since they’ve spent so much on their monitors, maybe a GTX 260 can save some people some money. You can buy one right now for $149.99 USD after a $20 MIR.

At 1920x1200 and 1680x1050, the diminutive AMD Radeon HD 4770 is a knockout winner. It combines a high level of performance at these lower resolutions with a truly spectacular price. You can buy an XFX model with a lifetime warranty right now at NCIXUS for $111.08 USD, no rebate required.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,20 2009 - tech
TechNews - Upcoming Intel CPUs ditching VGA? - tech
(hx) 10:24 AM CEST - Jul,20 2009 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Upcoming Intel CPUs ditching VGA? - Looks like Intel's upcoming Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs with integrated graphics built into the CPU won't support analog VGA output. Instead Intel's going all digital, with support for HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort outputs. Hopefully video card manufacturers and LCD panel makers will follow suit and ditch analog VGA support as well.
  • HighPoint RocketRAID 2310 PCI-E x4 SATA RAID Controller Tested - When it comes to performance the HighPoint RocketRAID 2310 is void of cache, so RAID 5 performance is pretty lackluster. Even RAID 0 and RAID 10 performance is fairly low with our Seagate 7200.11 test drives
  • Intel 34-nm 320GB SSD Coming Soon - The new series should top out at 320GB, with an 80GB and 160GB version falling underneath. Word on the street has it that both of the smaller two will be around $100 cheaper than the same-sized X25-M drives, though there's been no leaks on the 320GB model's MSRP. Still, Intel has a golden opportunity here if it'll just get these things to market -- a cheap(er) SSD with a brand name like Intel could blow the solid state market wide open.
  • Nvidia beta drivers v190.38 - Nvidia has released new 190.38 drivers for the 3D Vision glasses (for Windows Vista and Windows 7). These drivers have been optimized to work on the new benchmark tool from Capcom. A number of newly supported 3D Vision games have been added with the new drivers; check out the list at this website. The new 3D Vision drivers require new beta GeForce 190.38 drivers and while there's no game performance improvements in this update it does add support for OpenGL 3.1 and CUDA 2.3. It also has new power management features.
  • Exploring Input Lag Inside and Out - Here's a very thorough dissection of how input lag occurs in PC gaming.
  • New Pirate Bay to Be Based on Give-And-Take Models - Does anyone seriously think this is going to work? Remember how much everyone loved Napster? Remember how much they liked it once it became a legit site?
  • Cars to be started by lasers instead of spark plugs - Scientists at Liverpool University and engineers at car giants Ford have developed a new ignition system which uses focused beams of laser light to ignite the fuel. The researchers claim the technology is more reliable and efficient than current spark plug technology and will enable cars to start more easily in cold and damp conditions.
  • Mansory Vincero costs $1 million (video) - The Mansory Vincero is the world's only tuned Bugatti Veyron and is perhaps the most wanton display of pure excess seen since Roman times. It comes with 1109bhp, new wheels, a new exhaust and new panels, as well as the restyled front end and the interior that I could live without. These small changes cost an eye-popping €700,000, too. So this is a €1.8 million car, which wasn't mine, and they gave me the keys. Mad...
  • Crazy guy puts new iPhone 3GS on RC plane (video) - You've seen tons of "cameras on RC plane" videos but have you seen an iPhone 3G S on a RC plane video?
  • Ping Pong Table-Door - From the looks of it, this amazing product not only makes you popular, it gets you chicks too!
  • Two Brand New Inglourious Basterds TV Spots! - Two brand new 30-second TV spots for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds have popped up.
  • First Trailer for Jim Carrey's I Love You Phillip Morris -  Here's the first trailer for I Love You Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. When Steve Russell turns to cons and fraud to allow him to change his lifestyle, his subsequent stay in the state penitentiary results in his meeting the love of his life, a sensitive fellow inmate named Phillip Morris.
  • Girl Arrested for Swearing on 9-11 call (video) - 17yr old Adrainne Ledesma calls 9-1-1 after her father had a stroke. The recording of 9-1-1 proves that she did swear before the operator picked up the phone. However then the operator started to lecture her on swearing and hung up on her, She called back and the operator then called Adrainne a "stupid ass" and a buffoon. Eventually Adrainne had to walk to the police station to get help, instead she was arrested on charges that do not exist "abusing 9-1-1".
  • Mysterious G-Men in Black SUVs Guard Fiber-Optic Cable in DC - A construction crew putting up an office building in the heart of congested Tysons Corner in McLean, Va., hit a fiber-optic cable no one knew was there. Within moments, three black SUVs drove up, half a dozen men in suits jumped out, and one said, "You just hit our line."
  • Toyota iQ: Small Car, Font Jockey (video) - Anyone who has ever used a computer knows that there are a lot of fonts out there, but we can't think of one that was designed with the use of a cute little hatchback. Letmedesign typographers Pierre & Damien teamed up with Stef Vancampenhoudt to create a whole new font using the new Toyota iQ, and the resulting ABCs are colorful to say the least.
  • Nirvana vs Rick Astley (video) - Kurt Cobain is RickRolling is his grave...!!! :-)
  • Supercharged PowerWheels (video) - 6 year old boy pushing the limits of a Power Wheel Vehicle!
  • Never Before Seen Footage of MJ's Pepsi Commercial Accident - It looks like he tried to put out the fire by doing dance moves. He was a showman even when getting scalded.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,16 2009 - tech
TechNews - Hacking the Seagate 1.5TB Drive - tech
(hx) 02:18 AM CEST - Jul,16 2009 - Post a comment
  • Intel updates CPU launch dates - Intel has updated its launch schedule for notebook-based Clarksfield CPUs, new CPUs for ultra-thin notebooks, desktop-based Lynnfield CPUs and several server CPUs. According to DigiTimes, the platform will launch between Sept 8-11. DigiTimes also says the first Clarksfield CPUs for notebooks will be launched sometime between the end of Sept and Oct. Intel reportedly has 3 Clarksfield processors being primed for launch, the Core 2 Extreme XE 2GHz, Core 2 Quad P2 1.73GHz and Core 2 Quad P1 1.6GHz.
  • X58 Roundup - July 2009 -  Read on to find out which best meets your requirements in regards to performance and functionality.
  • Seagate Barracuda LP 2TB (ST32000542AS) Tested - This Barracuda isn't meant to drive your dream machine, and instead is much better served sitting in the passenger seat. Or in the living room. By cramming 2TB into a single drive, the Barracuda LP shines for frequent backup duties, HTPC recording, archiving movies, and any other situation where storage trumps raw performance. And at a little over 11 cents per gigabyte, while not the best bang-for-buck you can get, you won't have to explain to the wife (or husband) where the paycheck went.
  • Hacking the Seagate 1.5TB Drive to turn it into a Velociraptor -  It looks like Seagate inadvertently created something marvelous by creating arguably the best consumer drive on the market. As you have seen from the benchmarks, the Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS outperforms the Velociraptor in almost all categories.
  • IronKey unveils ultra-secure USB Flash key - IT security firm IronKey has taken the wraps off what it promises to be the most secure Flash drive in the world. The S200 device is aimed at government and enterprise customers, and offers hardened physical security, the latest Cryptochip technology, active anti-malware and enhanced management capabilities. AES 256-bit encryption, and a tamper-resistant and tamper-evident rugged metal case mean that the S200 is the first USB Flash drive to get the FIPS 140-2, Security Level 3 certification.
  • Critical JavaScript Vulnerability in Firefox 3.5 - Mozilla has posted a security warning for Firefox 3.5. The company says that the bug was discovered in the JIT JavaScript compiler and disclosed publicly yesterday. The vulnerability can be mitigated by disabling the JIT in the JavaScript engine. To do so: Enter about:config in the browser's location bar. Type jit in the Filter box at the top of the config editor. Double-click the line containing javascript.options.jit.content setting the value to false. Note that disabling the JIT will result in decreased JavaScript performance and is only recommended as a temporary security measure.
  • Microsoft kicks off Office 2010 Technical Preview - Microsoft is distributing the Office 2010 bits via its Connect testing site. The bits hold the build number 14.0.4006.1110 meaning they are older than the recent "beta" leak. Office 2010 promises tighter integration with Windows 7, full Ribbon UI for Outlook and compatibility with Microsoft's forthcoming Office Web Applications. Office Web Applications are not available for testing yet, Microsoft employees are currently "dogfooding" the bits internally and a wider beta should begin at the same time as Office 2010 beta is offered publicly.
  • Microsoft unveils Office Web Applications 2010, Mobile 2010 - Microsoft has officially revealed its Office Web Applications offerings ahead of the announcements at this years Worldwide Partner Conference today. Company officials have posted several "what's new" videos onto the Microsoft Showcase site.
  • YouTube to drop support for IE6 - YouTube will soon be dropping support for Internet Explorer 6 as it attempts to move users to a 'more modern browser'. Google, who owns YouTube, is pushing for users to upgrade to Chrome, Firefox or IE 8. It's no surprise that they are pushing for users to switch to Chrome with two advertisements to download the browser which Google is using to challenge Microsoft's IE 8.
  • Project Natal tech coming to the PC too - Last month at E3, everyone was talking about "Project Natal", the code name for Microsoft's controller-less camera technology for the Xbox 360 game console. When asked if the technology could come to the PC as well, Microsoft execs wouldn't commit saying only that they were just talking about the Xbox 360's uses during E3. Well, no less than Microsoft founder Bill Gates has blown Project Natal's Xbox 360 exclusivity. CNET News.com reports that Gates has confirmed that they are bringing the gesture-based technology to Windows as well. Gates is quoted as saying, "Both the Xbox guys and the Windows guys latched onto that and now even since they latched onto it the idea of how it can be used in the office is getting much more concrete, and is pretty exciting."
  • China Halts Electroshock Therapy Program For Internet Addicts - China Daily a clinic was using electroshock treatment on teenagers to treat them for Internet addiction. China's Ministry of Health has ordered a halt to the controversial practice.
  • Install and Run Windows on Apple iPhone (video) - Using the Bochs emulator and an image of Windows 95, some happy modifiers have managed to install and run the now-ancient operating system on everyone's favorite smartphone. And yes, it comes complete with some Minesweeper action to boot.
  • Check out the LG Chocolate BL40 promo video - The latest videos to make rounds of the internet are that of the LG Chocolate BL40. This is the fourth phone in the Black Label Series and sports a very impressive 4.0 inches touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 345 pixels and a 21:9 aspect ratio.
  • Porsche Panamera vs. U.K. postal service (video) - The latest Top Gear challenge pits the Panamera against Britain's postal service. James May and Richard Hammond race a stamped and mailed letter from the Isles of Scilly to Zanzibar Bungalow, Birsay, Orkney -- about 900 miles over land and sea!
  • Instant Karma (video) - Instant karma hits you when you try to screw with your co-star. If this is fake, the falling guy is a fantastic stunt actor. Lot of work here, from getting the lively/stupid attitude right in the first minutes to the way he misses a step and falls down. They probably have made 3 or 4 takes before getting it right, in all probability. Or maybe the stunt guy is really ***** talented :-)
  • Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Teaser - AOL has just debuted the teaser trailer for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief based on the book by Rick Riordan
  • Jason Eisener's Amazing Treevenge Short Film - This gets very gory near the end, and I don't think it's safe to watch at work or otherwise. Neverthless, I'm so glad this finally ended up online!
  • Blake Lively in Glamour Looks Familiar - Blake is a pretty nice girl to look at!
  • Emma Watson Gorgeous in Elle UK Edition - check it out
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,15 2009 - tech
Windows 7 UK pre-orders 'strong' - tech
(hx) 04:00 PM CEST - Jul,15 2009 - Post a comment
Microsoft began its' limited Windows 7 pre-order offer for UK customers (Windows 7 pre-order offer - US) in the early hours this morning. Microsoft will only be offering Windows 7 E in Europe, without Internet Explorer. Company officials confirmed that no upgrade versions are available so customers who purchase Windows 7 E using the pre-order offer will get full versions of Windows 7. The downside, users will need to clean install Windows 7 meaning you cannot use the copy to upgrade from Windows Vista or Windows XP. Microsoft's decision to remove Internet Explorer for European markets was due to the European Commission's ongoing concerns at Microsoft's IE integration.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,13 2009 - tech
TechNews - Touching Windows 7 Touch Pack - tech
(hx) 10:01 AM CEST - Jul,13 2009 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Amazon Kindle DX Review - Amazon continues to create readers with a wonderfully sleek design and good view ability. The availability of over 300,000 titles and the slick way those books, newspapers, and magazines can be downloaded is still a big enticement for an avid reader. Although the technology is wonderful and the Kindle DX is an excellent reading device, at USD 489 it is very expensive. In fact, you can purchase a computer for that price. Amazon was wise to lower the price of the Kindle 2 to USD 299, to make it more attractive.
  • Windows 7 family pack; Anytime Upgrade prices leaked - Retailer Expercom listed the Windows 7 family pack -- which provides Windows 7 licenses for up to 3 PCs -- for $136.95 while another retailer, University IT Computer Sales, listed it for $144.95.
    That's not all though. Expercom also listed prices for Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade. Upgrading from Windows 7 Starter to Home Premium will cost $81.95, while Expercom listed an upgrade price of $90.95 to switch from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional. Finally, the Windows 7 Home Premium to Ultimate upgrade was listed for $137.95.
  • Touching Windows 7 Touch Pack (video) -  For those of you interested in the Windows 7 Touch Pack you should watch this.
  • Windows 7 RTM - build 7600 -  Released to manufacturing follows weeks of rumour and speculation on when Microsoft would unveil that it has finished Windows 7. 7.7600.16384.090710-1945 is the potential final build number and we're still expecting the company to announce the finalisation of Windows 7 at the annual Worldwide Partner Conference on Monday providing there are no last minute recompiles. Windows 7 has been in development since mid to late 2008 and build 7600 will mark the end of the beta phase and on to servicing and then general availability on October 22
  • Microsoft releases Silverlight 3.0 - Microsoft launched its latest effort to 'Light up the web', Silverlight 3 which is now available for download. Silverlight 3 introduces more than 50 new features, including 3D support, GPU acceleration, H.264 video support and out-of-the-browser capabilities to Silverlight. The out-of-browser support will enable developers to build applications that work like Adobe's AIR plugin. Dramatic video performance and quality improvements are also included.
  • How to fix a 1TB hard drive that suddenly changes to 32MB in size - The loss of factory hard drive capacity seems to be an increasingly common occurrence with very large capacitym 1TB hard drives, but it's not specific to any one hard drive manufacturer. It can happen to brand new drives or existing hard drives full of data. In either case the data portion of the drive isn't generally affected. If a new or existing hard drive in your computer suddenly pops up with a capacity of 32MB, or another value equally small compared to the true drive size, don't freak out, the data should still be there. Here's what typically happens; a large capacity hard drive of between 500GB, 750GB, 1TB and 1.5TB suddenly appears to loose most of its capacity for no apparent reason. In many situations the capacity of the hard drive shrinks to 0.0GB or 32MB (and occasionally 32GB) and becomes inaccessible to the Windows Vista.
  • Stallman on the current state of GNU/Linux - Neowin has posted an interesting interview with Richard M. Stallman, an 'American software freedom activist, hacker and software developer.' He is perhaps most notably known for his work on the Free Software movement. Stallman is also the father of the GNU operating system, that which is commonly referred to as Linux but more accurately defined as GNU/Linux.
  • ImageShack Hacked by 'Anti-Sec' Group - If you use ImageShack or frequent a forum that does, you may have noticed that all of the hosted images were replaced with a manifesto from a group that calls themselves "Anti-Sec." The message adds that 'no images were harmed in the making of this...image', implying that ImageShack images are not lost.
  • iPhone app to help you pick Cruelty-Free products - The application is called 'Be Nice To Bunnies' and is available at $1.99 on iTunes. Check out a video of the 'Be Nice To Bunnies' app at work and buy cruelty-free products from now on.
  • Digital booth babe (video) - Spotted at the International Stationery and Office Supply Fair, this eye-catching digital signage system consists of a 0.3-millimeter-thick high-luminance rear-projection film (Vikuiti Rear Projection Film developed by 3M) applied to a 3-millimeter-thick glass substrate cut into the shape of a woman. A rear projector beams video onto the film, whose microbead-arrayed surface produces a crisp, brilliant image viewable from any angle, even in brightly lit environments.
  • Danish WWII Flame & Citron Trailer - IFC has finally debuted an official US trailer for the Danish WWII thriller Flame & Citron. This film stars Danish actors Mads Mikkelsen (from Casino Royale) as Citron and Thure Lindhardt as Flame
  • Firefox Add-ons in The Real Life - check it out!
  • Video Clears Up Obama Photo (video)  - Image misleadingly seems to show the president admiring a woman's backside.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,08 2009 - tech
Google announces Chrome based Operating System - tech
(hx) 12:52 PM CEST - Jul,08 2009 - Post a comment / read (14)
Google has officially announced that they plan to release a Chrome based OS. Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Google plans to open-source its code later this year and offer Google powered netbooks in 2010. Company officials confirmed that Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips. Google is currently working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year bundled with the new Chrome OS.
Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.
TechNews - SSD RAID Scaling Under Windows 7 - tech
(hx) 03:30 AM CEST - Jul,08 2009 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Tested - The latest Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition is the first dual-core Phenom II chip. And it's great for gaming and multitasking. The 3.1GHz processor performs very much on par with Intel's 3GHz dual-core E8400, but costs L50 or so less.
  • AMD TWKR BE: Phenom II 42 - overclocked to 6ghz+ - The chaps over at DriverHeavens overclocked the AMDs TWKR CPU and managed to get over 6GHZ out of it - which makes it the fastest AMD CPU they have ever tested!
  • SSD RAID Scaling Under Windows 7 - It is important to know what limiting factors you may run into and to also help keep your expectations in check. Upgrading your PC's hard drive to a solid-state drive is possibly the single greatest upgrade you can perform right now to improve your experience, depending on what exactly you are doing with it of course. Running more than one drive increases the time it takes to boot up into Windows 7. The increased overhead of RAID also makes it a slightly slower option when compared to a single drive in our case. Your mileage may vary depending on SSD used, motherboard used and which RAID card (if any) you use.
  • Kingston DataTraveler DT200/64GB Tested - For business data and non-disclosure agreement products on review sites the Kingston DataTraveler DT200/64GB is the perfect choice. For home use it can pull double duty and carry all your sensitive files and media. School use you can protect those term papers and assignments and still have plenty of Music and media files stored.
  • TRENDnet TPE-S44, TPE-112GS and TPE-111GI Power over Ethernet - TweakTown take a look at three products from TRENDnet that help bring PoE to home security without breaking the bank; the TPE-S44 10/100 PoE Switch, the TPE-111GI PoE Injector and the TPE-112GS PoE Splitter
  • VLC 1.0.0 Released - The VideoLAN project is pleased to announce the release of the first version of the Goldeneye branch of VLC: 1.0.0. This major release introduces many new features, new formats and new codecs to the VLC multimedia framework and fixes a very high number of bugs that were present in the 0.9.x or 0.8.6 versions.
  • Google removes 'Beta' label from Gmail, other services - Google announced on its company blog that starting from today the company will remove the beta label from Gmail, Calendar, Google Docs and Google Talk.
  • IE's market share falls below 60%, Firefox surpasses 30% - Internet Explorer fell from 62.09% to 59.49%, while Firefox rose from 28.75% to 30.33%. But Firefox isn't the only browser that's gaining market share. Opera, recently released the beta version of version 10 of its browser, rose from 3.23% to 3.36%, Safari, recently released version 4 of its browser and hitting 11 million downloads in three days, rose from 2.65% to 2.93%, and Chrome rose from 2.42% to 2.82%.
  • Twitter Suggested For a Nobel Prize? - OMG!. You have got to be kidding me. Twitter suggested for a Nobel Peace Prize?
  • McAfee Attacking Core System Files with Latest Update - McAfee users are blowing up about an apparent glitch in McAfee's most recent virus signature update. This glitch causes McAfee to attack core system files, sometimes causing BSODs. Based on anecdotes, the glitch appears to be caused when older VirusScan engines install DAT 5664, which McAfee seems to have pushed out in the past 24 hours. Affected systems then begin identifying a wide variety of legitimate - and frequently crucial - system files as malware. Files belonging to Microsoft Internet Explorer, drivers for Compaq computers, and even the McAfee-associated McScript.exe were being identified as a trojan called PWS!hv.aq, according to the posts and interviews.
  • New iPhone app to locate the nearest tube in Central London (video) - This application helps the users locate the nearest tube station in Central London. Once activated, the application uses the iPhone camera, GPS and compass to locate the nearest tube. When held flat, the app shows an arrow pointing in the right direction and it shows an arrow upwards to show information like distance, relevant tube lines and other stacked stops. This app will certainly come in handy if you are stuck in some god forsaken place.
  • IPhone 3GS owners bemoan its battery life - Apple claims the iPhone 3GS has a slightly increased battery life in certain areas. However, owners interviewed in this LA Times article are finding a much different reality, paying a premium for phones that can't even last through a workday without being plugged in.
  • Ancient Bible Published Online - Nearly 800 pages from the Codex Sinaiticus, a Christian Bible dating to the 4th century, written in Greek and containing the oldest complete copy of the New Testament, were posted Monday at the Web site codexsinaiticus.org, coinciding with a conference on the book at the British Library in London.
  • Blast into Space, Spectacular Fall to Earth (video) - Onboard cameras capture the amazing journey of Atlantis into space, and the dramatic return of the solid rocket boosters. Fast-Forward to 2:25 to get to the really cool part!
  • Nova Science: How Auto-Tune Works (video) - What puts the pain in T-Pain? How the hell did Reba McEntire win all those Grammys? Dr. Andy Hildebrand knows the secret and he's telling.
  • Humming bird robot from pentagon flies like the real one -  Military-backed researchers have built a tiny drone that looks and flies like a hummingbird, flapping its little robotic wings to stay in the air. So far, the mock bird, built for Pentagon mad-science division Darpa, has only stayed aloft for 20 seconds at a time.
  • Marcus Dunstan's The Collector Trailer - Here's a fairly short red band teaser trailer for the film for your viewing enjoyment. The Collector hits limited theaters on July 31st.
  • First Trailer for Jim Sheridan's Brothers - In a small, snowy Pennsylvania town, a young man (Jake Gyllenhaal) comforts his older brother's wife (Natalie Portman) and children after her husband (Tobey Maguire) goes missing in Afghanistan. Lionsgate is bringing Brothers to theaters on December 4th this winter.
  • French Trailer for Tony Jaa's Ong Bak 2 - Here's a French trailer for Tony Jaa's Ong Bak 2, the long-awaited sequel to Jaa's 2003 martial arts cult classic. The Weinstein Company has the distribution rights for the film and is expected to release Ong Bak 2 in the US hopefully sometime later this year.
  • First Red Band Trailer for Jennifer's Body! - 20th Century Fox has debuted the first red band trailer for Jennifer's Body starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried!
  • Evian Roller Babies US (video) - So small yet already incredible!
  • Michael Jackson Ghost? During CNN Larry King Interview with Jermaine Jackson (video) - Something strange to Neverland comes: On an episode of "Larry King Live" late last week, viewers were taken on a video tour of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. While the reporter giving the tour is just outside of Michael Jackson's bedroom, something that looks like a shadow moves in the background. People, convinced it's the "ghost" of MJ, loaded it up on YouTube and added slow-mos.What do you think? :P
  • Emma Watson in Herald Sun - Emma Watson in Sunday Magazine (Herald Sun)
  • Isabel Lucas is the New Hotness - Here are some frickin' hot pictures Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2) bikini pictures taken on the beach, because there's nowhere better to appreciate a woman's beauty than on the beach
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,01 2009 - tech
Ghostbusters Gameplay Performance and IQ - tech
(hx) 08:43 PM CEST - Jul,01 2009 - Post a comment
The chaps over at HardOCP have posted their Ghostbusters Gameplay Performance and IQ evaluation. They have eight video cards in this evaluation: the Radeon HD 4870 X2, the Radeon HD 4890 1GB, the Radeon HD 4870 1GB, and the Radeon HD 4770 512MB. From NVIDIA, we have the GeForce GTX 295, the GeForce GTX 285, the GeForce GTX 275, and the GeForce GTX 260 with 216 shaders.
Ghostbusters proves to us that games can employ gameplay-physics and effects-physics all calculated by the CPU, leaving the GPU free to handle what it is designed for: Graphics. NVIDIA has a vested interest in PhysX, and they push it rather aggressively. A Quad-Core CPU is vastly underutilized in a lot of games, since the focus has been on graphics, and video cards have become so powerful. GPUs are so powerful, in fact, that designers are looking for something more to do with them. NVIDIA and AMD both want general-purpose computing to be done on the GPU, and that is great. But NVIDIA wants to push PhysX on developers and consumers to sell more NVIDIA-based video cards, not to improve gameplay based physics.
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Basically, any NVIDIA GeForce GTX series video card, and any Radeon HD 4800 or 4700 series video card should be able to run Ghostbusters with the highest possible settings at a high resolution like 1920x1200. If you are on a budget, the Radeon HD 4770 would be a fantastic choice. You can buy one now for $104.99 USD plus shipping. If your means are more sympathetic to your gaming needs, a GeForce GTX 275 or a Radeon HD 4890 would be good options as well, and should give you some future-proofing, should AA support be miraculously worked out. You can buy a GeForce GTX 260 for $154.99 USD plus shipping after a $20 MIR, or a Radeon HD 4890 for $169.99 USD after a $20 MIR, and it comes with free shipping. Any way you slice it, you are going to receive a great gameplay experience in Ghostbusters on every current generation video card from AMD and NVIDIA.
Windows 7 preorder a hit--on Amazon - tech
(hx) 02:36 AM CEST - Jul,01 2009 - Post a comment / read (2)
Seriously, did anyone think this was going to go any other way than what it did? Of course Windows 7 preorders for $49 - $99 are going to be a hit, beats the hell out of buying it for full retail. The two offers have proven exceptionally popular on Amazon. The Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade package vaulted to No. 1, not just in Amazon's software store, but among all electronics products on the site. Meanwhile, the Windows 7 Professional upgrade was No. 2 among software products. Amazon also has a lot of Windows 7 info on its site, as well as a paid delivery option that guarantees that the product will arrive on October 22. According to Engadget, Windows 7 has completely sold out of pre-orderable copies in Japan, which combines sales from the 17 retailers involved with the early orders. Apparently, this is a grand total of about 30,000 copies of the operating system, and it took 1.5 days (out of the 10 that were allocated) for this event to happen. Don't think that this offer hasn't been popular in the U.S., though; Windows 7 immediately shot to the top of Amazon sales.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jun,30 2009 - tech
Firefox 3.5 Is Out - tech
(hx) 11:17 PM CEST - Jun,30 2009 - Post a comment / read (1)
Alright all you alternative browser types out there, Firefox 3.5 is out now. The English (US) version weighs in at just under 8MB so head on over and grab it if you want it or try it if you haven't. Firefox 3.5 is the first major revision since 3.0 was released about a year ago. The new version sports a faster rendering engine, stability enhancements and a new javascript engine. It will also include support for the most widely-used elements of HTML 5 that allows for offline data access, enhanced web graphics and multimedia playback without plug-ins. The Firefox logo has also had a small revision as well.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jun,27 2009 - tech
TechNews - Windows 7 on thumb drive? - tech
(hx) 05:59 PM CEST - Jun,27 2009 - Post a comment / read (4)
  • AMD DirectX11 White Paper Released - Legit Reviews posted one of the first white papers on DirectX 11 released by AMD
  • 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Battle: Seagate vs. Western Digital - It is crystal clear that the fastest 2 TB hard disk drive available today is Barracuda LP from Seagate, which is 20% faster than its main competitor, Western Digital Caviar Green.
  • Kingston DataTraveler 200 (128GB) reviewed - Kingston's DataTraveler 200 (DT200) is actually the world's first 128GB USB flash drive - that's enough storage for around 182 music CDs (remember those?) or up to 27 DVD movies. Do not worry if you don't need the large capacity (or price) as the wholly-black DT200 128GB (from £293/$376) also comes in a blue-and-black 32GB model (from £58.58/$80.99) and yellow-and-black 64GB model (from £103/$143) capacities. The price premium is definitely on the 128GB unit. 
  • Microsoft may offer Windows 7 on thumb drive for netbooks - Microsoft is considering offering Windows 7 on a thumb drive so that netbook owners are able to easily upgrade their machines in case they lack a DVD drive, and are unable to use an external one. Even though Microsoft is considering selling Windows 7 on a thumb drive, there are other options for netbook users to upgrade. Less tech-savvy consumers could pay for someone else to do it, such as a service like Best Buy's Geek Squad. More technically literate consumers could order Windows 7 as a download and put it on their own thumb drive, or use an external DVD drive. 
  • Windows 7 Pricing Officially Announced - Microsoft has announced the 'upgrade option program' and prices for its upcoming operating system, Windows 7. Electronics retailer Micro Center is offering Windows 7 pre-orders for $10 less than the pre-order standard prices.  Newegg, along with a handful of other online retailers, is offering the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99 instead of the $119.99 Microsoft announced yesterday. The same e-tailer also has the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade on sale for $99.99 instead of $199.99.
  • No Windows 7 upgrade option in the EU - Microsoft announced that the EU will be getting a version that will not contain IE and because of this Microsoft will be offering no upgrade option in the EU. 
  • Pirate Bay retrial call rejected - A Swedish court has rejected an appeal for a retrial by the four men behind The Pirate Bay.
  • Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB Smartphone Tested - The iPhone 3GS is seriously faster than the original 2G. Most of this can be accounted for by the extra internet speed boost moving from Edge-only to a 3G network. Interestingly, the iPhone 3GS is only slightly faster than the 3G. 
  • Apple iPhone 3GS Overheating Reports - Is the Apple iPhone 3GS having overheating issues? The story began at French site Nowhereelse.com, with a piece that showcases a discolored white iPhone 3GS whose owner says the discolorations came from the device noticeably heating up during use of the GPS over 3G wireless. 
  • Step by Step Guide to Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 3.0 - Do you need to jailbreak or unlock your original iPhone, iPhone 3G or iPod Touch?
  • Conan O'Brien Intel Science and Engineering Fair 2009 (video) -  Conan O'Brien talks to Craig Barrett about the hundreds of boys and girls from around the world competing at this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
  • First Footage and Photos from Avatar Revealed at CinExpo - Finally, after years of waiting, the first footage from James Cameron's Avatar was screened to public for the very first time in Amsterdam earlier today as part of the Cinema Expo International. 
  • First Full Trailer for Richard Kelly's The Box! - Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are starring in the psychological thriller called The Box! Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James Marsden), a suburban couple with a young child, receive a wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human somewhere in the world. 
  • Awesome Blood-Sucking Daybreakers Trailer! - Lionsgate has finally debuted the first trailer for the new vampire flick Daybreakers that stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill. In the year 2019, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher (Ethan Hawke) works with a covert band of vamps (Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan) on a way to save humankind. Lionsgate is bringing Daybreakers to theaters on January 8th, 2010 next year.
  • Transformers 2 Parody (Revenge of The Twitter Icons) - Sam and Mikaela must face a global battle against rampant Twitter Icons.
  • Drifting Rolls Royce Drophead 2009 (video) - Some ultra rich, ultra spoiled and ultra bored guys had found a new way to enjoy the Phantom. These rich hooligans have attempted to perform donuts around other parked cars with a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead.
  • The 5 Most Hated Creatures on the Planet (Don't Deserve It) - We've always had a weird double standard toward non-humans. The adorable animals became our buddies, while we obsessively killed the ugly. It might be time to change that standard.
  • Flooded River Destroys Road In Minutes (video) -  What started as a steady flow of water from a flooded river took out an entire road in just 4 minutes and created a 25 foot gap in the road in less than half an hour.
  • Was Michael Jackson Murdered? (video) - Was Michael Jackson murdered by his doctor? Did Michael Jackson OD? 
  • French Guy Discovers Hidden Feature in The New Mac Books (video) -  Some French guy is working on his MacBook laptop when suddenly it begins to transform into a spaceship then flies away ;-) 
 Gameguru Mania News - Jun,24 2009 - tech
TechNews - What's New in Firefox 3.5 - tech
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  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU Tested - Intel's Q8400 is basically a Q9400 with 2MB of L2 cache disabled. This fact was reflected in our tests as we saw the two chips keep pace with one another in almost every benchmark. Against the AMD chips we used for comparison, the competition was also stiff. While the Q9400 was the best of the bunch, the Q8400 definitely held its own. Also, we were very happy with the 3.92GHz overclock we achieved with this chip at only 1.36V.
  • ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard Tested - The new ASUS Maximus II Gene motherboard goes by the tagline: Mini Size, Max Mobility. You have to take these marketing lines with a grain of salt, because taken at face value, you might expect a mini-ITX board. Instead we have a micro-ATX (uATX) board that squeezes almost every last feature from its feature-rich ROG brother into the slightly smaller format. A more accurate description might be: Micro Size, Max Performance. Let's dive in and take a look at what ASUS calls: A new band of ROG heroes, the GENE squad."
  • Storage Device That Lasts 1,000 Years? - In the case of HDDs, data could be lost in four to 40 years due to the influence of magnetic field. And data stored in an optical disc could be lost in 30 to 100 years when affected by oxygen or moisture. On the other hand, semiconductor devices can keep data intact for a thousand years or more if the humidity around the chip is kept at 2% or less.
  • What's New in Firefox 3.5 - new video from Mozilla - Mike Beltzner gives a quick preview of what's new and exciting in Firefox 3.5, coming soon from Mozilla.
  • Get a Free Copy of Office 2010 and Laptop From Microsoft - Microsoft is looking for people to participate in their "real life stories" campaign so that you can share your story about Office 2010 with the world. As part of the program, Microsoft will give you a laptop for at least six months and you will receive a free copy of the final Office 2010 suite when it is released.
  • Rumor: Windows 7 RTM sign off set for July 13? - Wzor is claiming that the final sign off is set for July 13th. 
  • Xbox 360 on the Cowboys Stadium Video Wall - check it out
  • OTOY Goes Mobile, Turns Your Cell Phone Into Gaming Rig - Here's a video that shows OTOY tech in action on a cell phone. It's a very impressive technology, requiring no plugins or lengthy installs — just open your browser and you can instantly jump into a game of Crysis or GTA4, streamed in HD quality. According to TechCrunch, the phone above is a Samsung Omnia, which is "running" Crysis and Left 4 Dead through its built-in web browser. The Xbox 360 controller is connected to the phone wirelessly. 
  • Ultrasn0w iPhone 3G unlock for 3.0 is 0ut - Looks like the iPhone Dev-Team's Ultrasn0w unlock for legacy iPhone 3G owners is ready. The unlock works with the original iPhone as well but not the iPhone 3GS - for that you'll have to be patient. 
  • iPhone 3G S Can Do 720p But Doesn't? - According to AppleInsider, the new iPhone 3G S is capable of recording 720p video but for some reason doesn't. 
  • Tanker Implodes (video) - The tanker could have been filled with a gaseous substance at a higher temperature than the surroundings, and this demonstration may have taken place at a location that was at a temperature below the vaporization point of said gas. Therefore, as the gas inside this tanker cooled to the temperature of the surroundings, and if the tanker was well sealed, the gas inside would begin to condense and form a liquid, which would cause about a 1000x or more decrease in volume. However, since this is a constant volume system with a constant amount of material inside, this would cause an equivalent decrease in pressure inside. This huge pressure decrease may be sufficient enough to cause an implosion.
  • Talking Dog Collar from Pixar's Up! Is Real (video) - As it turns out, that doggie translating collar is very much real and here's a video. Dubbed the Bowlingual Voice Translator, the dog collar from Takara Tomy claims that it can translate the thoughts of Fido into a language that we (assuming you speak Japanese) can understand :-) Attaching the plastic toy to your dog, you will be able to hear what he is thinking each time he lets out a bark. Technology is amazing, isn't it? ;-) 
  • Mercedes ESF 2009 S400 Hybrid Concept Promotional Clip - The German premium car maker has created an Experimental Safety Vehicle, the ESF 2009 which is based on the upcoming S400 Hybrid. It is their first vehicle of this nature since the ESV 24 which was introduced at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show. 
  • Hospital Confirms Transplant For Steve Jobs - It looks as though the hospital has officially confirmed that Steve Jobs had a liver transplant, saying Apple’s CEO 'has an excellent prognosis.' The doctors also said that Jobs only had to wait a short time on the list because he was the 'sickest patient on the waiting list.'
  • Arrested for asking a policeman for his badge number (video) - The Guardian has obtained this police footage of Emily Apple and Val Swain being arrested by surveillance officers after asking for their badge numbers at the Kingsnorth climate camp last year. The two women speak to Paul Lewis about their arrest, imprisonment and official complaint.
  • Another Trailer for Rob Zombie's Halloween II - The Weinstein Company has debuted the second full trailer for Rob Zombie's Halloween II. Halloween II is again both written and directed by musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie, of House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and 2007's Halloween previously. This sequel is the continuation of a "reboot" of John Carpenter's original Halloween series that lasted for eight films until Halloween: Resurrection in 2002. The Weinstein Company is bringing Halloween II to theaters on August 28th this upcoming fall.
  • Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Trailer - Here's the new trailer for the TV movie 'Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,' which chronicles the same story as the TV show from the viewpoint of the Cylons. Before watching the clip, I was pretty skeptical; I don't see how you can cram the other side of a story that lasted five seasons into a two-hour episode. But I have to admit: this looks good.
  • New Inglourious Basterds Trailer - Let me get this straight. Tarantino movie about killing Nazis in the most heinous ways possible? Yes, please!
  • Katie Price in bikini on the beach in Ibiza - Showing off her busty bikini body, Katie Price was spotted enjoying her holiday in Ibiza.
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