SECURITY...

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 embedded content cross site scripting - Sven Vetsch found a cross site scripting vulnerability in the current releases of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Thus, it is possible to use a manipulated embedded content to run arbitrary script code in the security context of the website.
• Spoof email tricks AOL users - An email scam is targeting AOL customers in an attempt to steal personal details, according to web monitoring company Websense. Users receive a spoofed email purporting to come from the security department at AOL claiming that the company suffered a security breach over the weekend and that confidential information may have been compromised.
• Platinum Secure Smart Card security bypass technique  - The Acer notebooks include a smart card reader, two smartcards and a security application called Platinum Secure. The smart card security system should prevent access to the console while the smart card is not present or when password has not been entered. This test was conducted on the aforementioned notebooks with the latest versions of the software downloaded from the Acer website and the latest BIOS upgrade
• Kerio ServerFirewall Unspecified Denial of Service Vuln. (v1.1.1 and older) - Kerio ServerFirewall is prone to an unspecified vulnerability which may result in a denial of service. They recommend to install version ServerFirewall 1.1.2.
• Security Fix for DirectX 8 on 98/ME/W2K - There are two buffer overruns with identical effects in the function used by DirectShow to check parameters in a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) file. A security vulnerability results because it would be possible for a malicious user to attempt to exploit these flaws and execute code in the security context of the logged on user.
• Firefox Update Squashes Bug - The Mozilla Foundation has released a new version of its Firefox browser that contains fixes for two critical security bugs in the software that were reported over the past week. According to a Secunia vulnerability report, this still leaves Firefox with 3 out of 23 unpatched advisories
• Microsoft Anti-phishing White Paper - The focus of this white paper is to describe the basic workings of a new capability, the Microsoft Phishing Filter, which will be included in the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 7, and as an add-in to the MSN Search Toolbar
• PayPal Glitch Sparks Customer Anger - Online payments company PayPal is working to fix a glitch that has been causing duplicate debit card withdrawals and deposits on some customer accounts since the beginning of September. The problem first surfaced on Sept. 6, when some PayPal customers noticed duplicate withdrawals from their debit cards that sent their accounts into the red. Two weeks later, more PayPal customers also reported duplicate withdrawals and deposits into their accounts.
• Apple plugs ten 'critical' security holes - Apple has released a security update for its OS X 10.3 and OS X 10.4 operating systems.

OFF-TOPIC

• The History of Microsoft Internet Explorer - The first version of Internet Explorer was not included with Windows 95 when the operating system was officially launched on August 24, 1995. Rather, we were introduced to Microsoft's first Web browser when the Windows 95 Plus! Pack was released.
• Microsoft 30th Anniversary Factoids - 40 years ago, in 1965, a 2311 Disk Drive sold for $2,057 per Mb. In 1971, it went for $300 per Mb. In 2003, one Mb cost $0.005...more facts.
• Grand Theft sales to resume in October - Take-Two's Rockstar Games publishing house said that starting Oct. 18, it would sell a special edition of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" for Sony's PlayStation 2 console system. It will include a DVD with a backstory to the game and a documentary film called "Sunday Driver."
• Nintendo to cut 10% off DS price - Nintendo UK is to knock a tenner off the price of its DS handheld console, the videogames company announced this morning. The cut will come on 7 October and leave the standard DS retailing for £90.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Vista Graphics Drivers to be More Stable Than XP Drivers - Graphics drivers developed for Vista, Microsoft's next generation operating system, will be far more stable than their Windows XP-based counterparts, and will not crash the operating system anymore, said an ATI executive.
• New Virtual Earth Website - Virtual Earth is a new map and search system released by Microsoft; Special: trace Hurricane Rita  
• MSN to Close Adult, Mature Groups - BetaNews has learned that MSN plans to remove mature and adult rated communities from its MSN Groups service in late November. The groups would be moved to a third-party site, WorldGroups, who will handle mature and adult categorized groups for the service after the transition.
• 2GB iPod nano Only Costs $100 to Make - After disassembling the iPod nano, iSuppli discovered something that’s bound to make iPod nano owners angry. The entire cost of materials inside the nano adds up to a measly 90.18 and if you add 8 dollars per unit for labor, Apple still makes $100.82 per 2GB iPod nano sold.
• iPod Nano Owners in Screen Scratch Trauma - People slavering to get Apple's "impossibly small" iPod Nano into their sticky hands may want to pause a moment: those ahead of them in the queue have discovered that it's also unbelievably easy to scratch the screen, nixing its photo-displaying abilities
• Gigabyte attempts quad-SLI  - The board is powered by NVIDIA's new nForce4 SLI x16 chipset, whose 40 PCI Express lanes are more than enough to provide each graphics card with eight lanes of PCI-E.
• Acer to deliver 24-inch wide screen LCD monitors in October - Set to be priced at NT$ 28,800 (US$871) in Taiwan, the new 6ms response time 24-inch widescreen model features a native resolution of 1920×1200, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 / AMD64 3700+ San Diego S939 2.2GHz  / AMD Athlon64-X2-3800+ CPU / Dual Core Computer Processors: Luxury or Necessity?
• Memory - Apacer DDR2/667 Memory / Corsair TWIN2X1024-8000UL Memory Modules / Kingmax DDR2/667 Memory / OCZ EL DDR PC-3500 Gold GX RAM / OCZ PC4800 Platinum / OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 2GB Gold Edition / OCZ DDR Booster Mod
• Motherboard - nVidia GeForce 6100 and nForce 400 Chipset Family || Asus P5LD2-Deluxe WiFi-TV Edition / Biostar I945P-A7 / ECS PF21 Extreme / Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 / Gigabyte GA-K8NSC-939 Socket 939 / Three Premium nForce4 Motherboards from Gigabyte, Jetway, and MSI
• Complete / SFF Systems - FIC Ice Cube HU61 Barebones / Shuttle SD31P XPC SFF PC
• Storage - Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 Hard Drive / Maxtor Shared Storage Drive 200 GB HDD || AOpen DUW1608/ARR DVD±RW Dual Layer Burner
• Video - AOpen Aeolus 7800GTX-DVD256 / Asus Extreme N7800GT  / nVidia GeForce 7800 GT / PixelView GeForce 7800 GTX / Radeon X700 vs GeForce 6600 Comparison (AGP & PCIe) / Sapphire X800XL & X700 Hybrid AGP
• Cooling - Cooler Master Cooldrive 4 / SilenX IXTREMA Pro Fan Series  / SilverStone FM82 & FM121 Fans / Thermaltake Blue Orb II / ThermalRight V-1 GPU Cooler
• WaterCooling - Asetek WaterChill Water Cooler
• Case - AeroCool Masstige and AeroEngine II ATX Case / Asetek VapoChill Micro Showdown / SilverStone LC17 HTPC Case / Thermaltake Tai-Chi Super Tower
• Modding - A Fan Controller For $240?
• PSU - PSU Roundup / Hiper Type-R Modular 580W PSU / MGE XG Vortec 600 Watt Power Supply
• Sound - Edifier e3100 Speaker
• Peripheral - Hiper Clavier Keyboard  / Logisys 4-Direction LED Gaming Mouse / Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3000 / Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000 / Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse
• Misc - Transcend Digital Album
• Printer/Scanner - Canon Unveils 15 New Imaging and Printing Products / Seiko Smart Label Printer
• Notebook - Acer Ferrari 4000 4005WLMi Notebook / Panasonic ToughBook CF-51 Notebook || Jetart Xcool NP6900 Foldable Notebook Cooler
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players/recorders - Joytech AV Control Centre 2 / Nikon D70s Digital Camera / Pioneer DVR-633H-S DVR/PVR / Vantec AVOX Jukebox Multimedia Player

GUIDES...

• What To Look For When Buying a Computer Case - TechZone will show you what to look for when buying a new computer case.
• AMD64 Overclocking Guide - It's a visual guide aimed to increase your system performance without killing your rig.
• Sharky Extreme's September value gaming PC buyer's guide - check it out!
• BIOS for Beginners - Here is a step-by-step guide to setting BIOS parameters, using a popular Asus motherboard as an example.
• Firefox Tweak Guide (updated) - The guide is designed specifically for those running Firefox on Windows XP, however most of the tweaks in this guide apply to Firefox on other platforms

SOFTWARE...

• Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 - Internet Explorer 6 SP1, the latest version of Internet Explorer for users not running Windows XP, provides a flexible and reliable browsing experience with enhanced Web privacy features for all Windows users. This version includes a full installation of the Web browser and the most recent version of Outlook Express, the e-mail client that is included with Internet Explorer.
• Mozilla Suite 1.7.12 - Mozilla is an open-source Web browser, designed for standards compliance, performance and portability.
• PHP-Nuke 7.9 Final - This version (download) includes a new variables validation and filtering system more effective and more secure, potential security vulnerabilities generated from the wysiwyg editor has been fixed, BBtoNuke 2.0.17, added banned IP edit function, improved search module internals, and more.
• 7-Zip 4.27 Beta - 7-Zip (download) is a free file archiver with high compression ratio. This new beta allows to unpack CHM/HXS (MS HTML HELP) archives, multivolume CAB archives and deletes files to the Recycle Bin by default.
• AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic 6.31.00.07 - A pretty decent free antivirus package...
• Google Talk 1.0.0.70 Beta - Google Talk (download) enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free-anytime, anywhere in the world.
• YPOPs! 0.7.7 - YPOPs! (download) is an application that provides POP3 access to Yahoo! Mail. It is available o­n the Windows, Linux, Solaris and Mac platforms.
• AIM Fix (9/23/05) - AIM Fix was created to remove all known AIM viruses in one consolidated removal tool.
• Picasa 2.1.0 Build 27.54  - Picasa (download) is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC
• HyperSnap-DX 5.63.01 - HyperSnap-DX 5 (dowload trial) is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. It captures screens from standard desktop programs and even those hard-to-grab DirectX, Direct3D, 3Dfx Voodoo and Glide mode games.
• VirtualDub-MPEG2 1.6.10 build 23784 - VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP), licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
• AutoGK (Auto Gordian Knot) 2.18 beta - AutoGK (Auto Gordian Knot) is a DivX / XviD backup utility. With support of DVD sources and other MPEG2 sources (such as DVB captures and transport streams) encoding into your favorite MPEG4 format was never as easy as now.
• VSO PhotoDVD 2.0.11 - VSO Software has released a newer version of the program PhotoDVD bringing it up to 2.0.11 (download)
• DVD Region+CSS Free 5.9.4.5 fixes a problem with external drives - A new version of DVD Region+CSS Free fixes a problem with external USB and Firewire drives and DVDFab lets you now choose the write type of DVD-R media.
• AnyDVD 5.4.4.1 - This program runs in the background automatically unprotecting DVD-Movies and removes pesky region coding as well. Once in this state, you can use any of your Windows applications you wish with the movie. When coupled with CloneDVD, Pinnacle Instant Copy, InterVideo DVD-Copy, etc. you are now able to copy CSS protected movies. This new version adds support for a new protection as found on "Lords of Dogtown" R1 (US) to the option to remove "Protection based on unreadable Sectors"
• VSO Inspector 1.1.0..47 - VSO-Inspector is a free add-on to report various information about your hardware configuration.
• NvTempLogger - This is a simple program that is used to watch the temperature (Core and Ambient) of Nvidia Based GPUs. You Have the options to check the graph for the last 10 mins approx. and/or make a log file for as long as you like.
• XTreme-G WarCats 5.9 PRO  - WarAnakin took what he developed in the WarCat 5.8 drivers and applied it to the Catalyst 5.9 drivers and out came a great set of WarCats.
• Creative Audigy 2/ZS/4 Beta Drivers - This beta driver is recommended for gamers who want full OpenAL support for their audio devices. Try only at your own risk!
• nForceRemix 2.5.1 - Windows 2000/XP - This remix package is primarily for users of the NVIDIA nForce1 and 2 Platforms
• nForce Drivers 6.67 WHQL - Here's a new set of nForce4 Drivers version 6.67 WHQL (microsoft tested and approved) for Windows 2000/XP
• NEC 3540A firmware v1.03 - Liggy has patched the official firmware and published a unmodified, riplock removed and rpc1 version of the original firmware together with bitsetting firmwares on the Liggy & Dee website.

SECURITY...

• Worm creates fake Google site - A worm that modifies a user's HOSTS file to redirect visitors of Google.com to a spoof website has been discovered. The worm was found by Panda Labs and is currently circulating on P2P networks Shareaza and Imesh. It is masquerading as an executable of popular Star Wars game Knights Of The Old Republic 2. If infected, several Google domain names will be redirected to an unofficial German version of the search engine. Although the site looks identical to the original, the results have been modified in such a way that certain companies will gain an unfair higher ranking, and therefore will appear at the top of search results
• New Trojan rides into town - Experts at SophosLabs said that the spammed out email messages, which have no subject line, typically carry the message text "new price" and an attached file which can have one of several names, including "09_price.zip", "price_new.zip", and "price2.zip".  The attached ZIP files all contain the malicious BagleDl-U Trojan horse. If launched, the Trojan horse makes changes to the registry, and attempts to turn off anti-virus and security-related software on the infected computer, opening the door for attack by remote hackers.
• Symantec: Mozilla browsers more vulnerable than IE - But the report, released Monday, also found that hackers are still focusing their efforts on IE.
• MasterCard To Distribute RFID Credit Cards - Reuters is reporting that MasterCard expects to have 4 million "pay pass" cards in circulation by year's end. These new cards will be equipped with a radio-frequency chip that allows customers to pay for purchases by simply waving their cards at readers posted near cash registers or gas pumps.
• AVIRA Antivirus ACE Archive Handling Buffer Overflow - The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error when reading the filename of a compressed file from an ACE archive. This can be exploited to cause a stack-based buffer overflow when an ACE archive containing a compressed file with an overly long filename is scanned. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution, but requires that archive scanning is enabled.

CRIME

• Microsoft Accuses Eight of Piracy - The software giant filed suits against BWT Industry Technology Service (also called Computer Max) in Arizona; Data Day USA, MicroCity4Less.com, and Winvtech Solutions in California; Global Computing in Illinois; Ion Technologies in Minnesota; and Compustar and Chips & Techs in New York.
• Chinese search engine fined for file sharing - A Chinese "court" has decided the homegrown search engine Baidu.com will have to pay an EMI partner for allowing free downloads through its web site.
• X-Box pirate gets jail time and huge fine - The owner of a major retailer of pirated games and modded Xboxes called Pandora's Cube has been caught by Washington authorities and was sentenced to five months of prison with three years of supervised release, including five months of home confinement. Besides that he was also fined nearly $250.000 and has to complete 80 hours of community service.

OFF-TOPIC

• NASA going back to the moon in 2018 - NASA going back to the moon in 2018 for "only" 100 billion dollars spread over 14 years. A huge amount of money but still half of what the Apollo program costs. NASA saves money by reusing Apollo and Space Shuttle techniques and experience. There will be two rockets, 1 for the to moon transport vehicle and 1 for the crew. BTW: Check out this QuickTime animation
• Commodore Geeks re-release Quantum Link - Commodore geeks has relaunched the Quantum Link which was the pre-AOL service for Commodore 64 and 128 personal computers. The new Q-Link, or Quantum Link Reloaded runs on the Internet which replaced it. It can be accessed using the VICE Commodore 64 emulator on Windows or Linux or else on original Commodore hardware or PC.
• Inventor of the laser dies at 85 - Mr. Gould died at the age of 85, and he left a lot of money due the payments of royalties by those enormous amount of companies who use lasers

TECHNOLOGY...

• Toshiba preps Cell mobo for developers - Sony appears to have exclusive usage of the Cell processor until the PlayStation 3 console ships next March. Toshiba - with Sony and IBM one of the chip's co-developers - said today it would offer Cell-based hardware development kits in April 2006.
• China-only version of HD-DVD revealed - In a bid to cut costs for local electronics makers, Chinese researchers plan to develop a version of the next-generation HD-DVD optical disc format specifically for China, according to a researcher involved with the project. The DVD Forum, which oversees the development of HD-DVD as a next-generation DVD format, gave its approval last week for a feasibility study to be conducted on the proposed China-only HD-DVD standard. The specification will include support for a locally developed video compression technology, called AVS (Audio Video Coding Standard)
• Lite-On IT to produce 16x Super-Multi DVD burners in October - Lite-On IT plans to begin production of 16x Super-Multi DVD burners next month, the second such maker in Taiwan, following BenQ, which started shipping such burners in August, according to local industry, sources.
• Nvidia GeForce Go 7800GTX to launch 29 September - The slides claim the 7800GTX will ship with support from notebook makers Dell, Alienware, Voodoo, Sager, Falcon, Evesham, ABS, ProStar and HyperSonic.
• NVIDIA announces GeForce 6100 integrated graphics - Today NVIDIA is announcing a new K8 chipset family that brings GeForce 6 graphics to the nForce4 platform. The chipset family is made up of a pair of interchangeable north and south bridge chips, with the former sporting DirectX 9-glass integrated graphics derived from NVIDIA's GeForce 6 series
• Microsoft Buys Smart Card Maker - Microsoft has acquired Alacris, which makes of certificate management and identity verification technology used in smart cards
• Google offers clues to its own Wi-Fi service - Internet search leader Google is preparing to launch its own wireless Internet service, according to several pages found on the company's Web site on Tuesday. The Google site refers to a product called "Google Secure Access," which is designed to "establish a more secure connection while using Google WiFi," according to a FAQ page. A separate page offers a free download of Google Secure Access.
• Peerflix DVD exchange gives old discs new life - Launched by two friends in Menlo Park, California, Peerflix went live a year ago last summer and has grown to 40,000 users in the six months or so that it has been widely available. Peerflix is a trading platform that asks users to make lists of DVDs they want and DVDs they want to get rid of, then matches "wants" with "haves" for 99 cents a trade.
• Dell Laptops To Support Verizon 3G Service - Dell will start by selling standalone 3G modems but eventually will build support for the Verizon Wireless 3G service directly into its laptops.
• First Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone in US - Device (PPC-6700), the first PDA/phone-combination handset in the country to offer the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 software. The PPC-6700 sports a 416 MHz Intel processor, a 1.3-megapixel megapixel camera and camcorder, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi data capabilities. This CMDA device also has EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) built in, ready to support Sprint Wireless High Speed Data capabilities where available.
• Opera 8.50: Now completely free of charge - Opera Software today permanently removed the ad banner and licensing fee from its award-winning Web browser. The ad-free, full-featured Opera browser is now available for download - completely free of charge - at http://www.opera.com.
• Opera announces 'Merlin' - According to a source, Opera will release a new version of its desktop browser, which will contain major modifications to the browser's User Interface (UI). The new version will sport a simpler look. Merlin is the name of a small falcon, an Ancient, and as Olli mentioned, the code name of the next major release.
• BitTorrent flaw allows ratio cheating - Many of today's BitTorrent trackers rely on a ratio system to ensure leechers (P2P users who download data but do not share) to a minimum. The ratio system basically tracks a user's upload and download amounts and ensures a fair minimum upload ratio is maintained. Now it looks like an exploit has been found which would allow users to "cheat" a tracker into thinking they had a more favourable ratio than they actually did.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD vs. Intel: 64-bit Windows Dual-Core Shootout / AMD Sempron 3400+ CPU
• Memory - OCZ EL DDR PC-3500 Gold GX Dual Channel RAM
• Motherboard - ABIT NI8 SLI (NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition) / Albatron K8SLI / ASrock K8NF4G-SATA2 / Gigabyte K8N Pro SLi nForce4 SLI / Intel Pentium M 750 + i915PM Express Performance
• Complete / SFF Systems - The Mini-ITX Project
• Storage - Crucial Gizmo! 1GB USB Drive || Samsung SE-W164 DVD Writer
• Video - R520 and Others / AOpen Aeolus PCX6600-DV128LP / Asus Extreme N6600GT Silencer (1) / Asus Extreme N6600GT Silencer (2) / HIS X800GT IceQ II Turbo 256mb PCI-E / Leadtek WinFast PX7800GT TDH MyVIVO Extreme SLI / MSI RX700Pro-TD128E / nVidia GeForce 7800 GT / GeForce 6100 and nForce 400 preview
• Cooling - Asetek VapoChill Micro / Asetek VapoChill Micro Extreme CPU Cooler
• WaterCooling - Koolance ICM 505 / Thermaltake AquaBay M3 Water Cooled Heatsink
• Case - Atrix Lexicon Series Case / Ahanix D.Vine Home Theater case / Lian Li External HDD Enclosure EX-125
• Modding - Akasa AlIinOne 21 function panel
• PSU - Arrowmax PSX-550AL-24 Aluminum 550W PSU  / Noiseless Power Supplies from FSP and Topower  / Sintek 500 Watt Premium SLI Ready Computer PSU / Thermaltake PurePower Power Station 520w PSU
• Sound - Altec Lansing XT1 Laptop Speaker / Klipsch iFi iPod Speaker System / Steel Sound 5H Headphones
• Peripheral - BlueIce Optical Mouse / Logitech Cordless DesktopR MX 3000 Laser  / Razer Diamondback Plasma Edition Gaming Mouse / United Keys LCD Keyboard || HipGear Universal Racing Wheel
• Misc - Microsoft Fingerprint Reader / Jackson Armor backup card
• Printer - HP Photosmart 8250
• Network - Buffalo AirStation G54 - Wireless Router / Logitech Play Link Wireless Network Extender / OCZ Rally High Performance USB2
• Cell phones/PDA - Nokia N90 / Orange SPV C550 Windows Smartphone / Toshiba TS 921 3G mobile phone / Logitech Mobile Freedom Bluetooth Headset

GUIDES...

• How to Detect 64-bit Sempron CPUs - Learn how to detect if your socket 754 Sempron CPU has the AMD 64-bit instruction set (x86-64) or not.
• Hey, take a look at my 15-inch $2,300 TV - I had to buy a TV tuner from AVerMedia for $70, whereas my $700 TV has two built in, so I can do PIP on it, but on my $2,300 TV I can watch TV and surf the web, so that's pretty cool, huh? And I think I could add a ADS Tech USB tuner and do PIP too, I just haven't tried it yet.
• ATI Avivo Video and Display Engine - Technology Discussion - This is an article about brand new display and video controller technology about to debut on upcoming ATI graphics products
• Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP - This download includes a comprehensive, 107-page Handbook in PDF format. The Handbook can be browsed online on TechNet.
• Forceware 81.26 comparison - check it out (in German)

SOFTWARE...

• Office 12 Beta Invite & Video Preview  - Nominate yourself to be a beta tester for the upcoming Microsoft Office 12. The official name for the new Office is not yet known. The invite ID is "PDCOffice". For other beta ID's and instructions on how to use the ID to be a beta tester, visit the Beta Invites List link here // Office 12 Previewed at PDC (video ~ 618MB) / In related news, Rafael Rivera managed to snag a few interesting yet rediculously blurry photos though before getting forcefully removed from the area...
• AutoPatcher XP September 2005 - This release (162MB) is based on the all-new AutoPatcher 5.1. Although it was made with Windows XP SP2 English in mind, it will load on any (English) Windows version, showing only the items which match the running environment.
• Microsoft Windows Messenger 5.1.0.701 - Windows Messenger 5.1 (download) replaces Windows Messenger 5.0 and is the required version of Windows Messenger to take advantage of certain new features in Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005.
• Opera 8.50 FREE - download
• ExplorerXP 1.07 - ExplorerXP (download) is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non - commercial use) file manager for Windows 2000.
• QuickTime Alternative 1.62 & 1.51 - QuickTime Alternative 1.62 is based on QuickTime 7.0.2.120, which adds support for H.264 and more, but it does not support Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME any longer. QuickTime Alternative 1.51 is compatible with Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME because it is based on QuickTime 6.5.2.10.
• K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.38 - This package (23MB) is a combination of three codec packs: K-Lite Codec Pack Full (a slew of different codecs like Divx, etc.), QuickTime Alternative, Real Alternative and other encoders/decoders. Plus some extra features like: BSplayer and Media Player Classic (Open Source not Microsoft's)
• CloneAD avi.NET 1.1 - avi.NET (download) is an MPEG1/MPEG2 to AVI converter using AVS scripts. avi.NET is a 'AutoGK' type program but has a top priority of making AVI files that are Standalone Player Compatible.
• GMail Drive 1.0.8 - GMail Drive creates a virtual filesystem on top of your Google GMail account and enables you to save and retrieve files stored on your GMail account directly from inside Windows Explorer.
• Shareaza 2.2 - After almost a year of development, Shareaza version 2.2 has been released.
• Win32Pad 1.5.9.1 - Win32Pad (download) is a feature filled text editor that is written with a programmer in mind. Its main purpose is to provide enough functionality that is missing from notepad without sacrificing file size and performance.
• Google Earth 3.0.0616 Beta - Google Earth is free for personal use. No registration is required. You may (optionally) choose to upgrade to Google Earth Plus.
• SpamPal 1.72x Beta  - SpamPal (download) is a mail classification program that can help separate your spam from the mail you really want to read.
• RightMark RAMTester Utility - The RAMTester tool checks reliability of memory modules under MS Windows (x86 and x64), working with virtual addresses. It writes various bit patterns into memory cells and then reads them and compares with reference.
• DVD Identifier 4.1.1 - DVD Identifier retrieves and interprets the pre-recorded information that is present on all DVD+R/+RW and DVD-R/-RW and DVD-RAM media.
• PCI Latency Tool 2.7 - Utility to set PCI Latency and possibly prevent game stutter or improve FPS. This version of the PCI Latency Tool is compatible with Windows XP x64. You must be logged in as an administrator for the tool to install. Most devices support latency values which are multiples of 8 (which means any other value will be rounded).
• NVIDIA ForceWare 81.26 -  A brand new ForceWare release this time coming from AsROCK (Driver is not WHQL)

SECURITY...

• IE flaw puts Windows XP SP2 at risk - A flaw has been discovered in Microsoft's Internet Explorer that could launch a remote attack on systems running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, according to an advisory issued Thursday by security firm eEye Digital Security. The flaw, which also affects systems running Windows XP, is found in the default installations of IE, according to eEye's advisory
• Security Vendor Warns of Google-Spoofing Worm - The worm, called P2Load.A, is being spread on P-to-P (peer-to-peer) programs like Shareaza and Imesh, masquerading as a free version of the Lucasfilm game Knights of the Old Republic II, says Forrest Clark, senior manager of consumer product marketing with antivirus vendor Panda Software. P2Load.A first began spreading on Wednesday and is most widely spread in the United States and Chile, Clark says.
• Spybot Search and Destroy Detection Update - Don't forget to update your Spybot S&D detections!
• Huge surge in ID theft using spyware - A study of the top 2,000 known spyware threats, conducted by security firm Aladdin, has revealed that spying techniques are increasingly being used for ID theft. The report noted that 15 per cent of spyware threats are now designed to log keystrokes, as well as steal user passwords, logged-on user names, administrator passwords, instant messaging content and email addresses.
• Steganos Internet Anonym 2006 Review - Techgage News published a new review on the updated version of Steganos Internet Anonym.
• Microsoft Scraps Old Encryption in New Code - Microsoft is banning functions that use algorithms that have become creaky at the edges
• Microsoft talks up Longhorn Server security  - The software maker shares more details on security, identity management features planned for upcoming Windows Server

CRIME

• Calif. laptop with personal data of 98,000 recovered - A stolen laptop computer holding personal information of more than 98,000 California university students and applicants has been recovered, but it uncertain whether the information had been tapped, the University of California, Berkeley said on Thursday.
• Paris Hilton hacker sent to jail - A 17 year-old who earlier this year hacked into Paris Hilton's mobile phone has been convicted to an 11-month jail term in juvenile prison, the US Attorney of the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. In the high-profile hack last January, the computer whiz-kid gained access to Hilton's mobile device by hacking into the operator's computer systems.
• RIAA claims P2P-operators to take actions against illegal music download - Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has send out a cease and desist order to several filesharing platforms. Operators like LimeWire, WinMX and BearShare should immediately take care that thier users are not longer able to share copyright protectet contents.

OFF-TOPIC

• .Tiniest remote-controlled robot - The tiniest mobile robot ever has been created by US researchers. It is a sliver of silicon one hundredth of a millimetre thick that can be precisely steered like a remote-control car to move in any direction across the surface of a special plate. Powered by a grid of electrodes underneath a surface layer and steered by its tiny silicon paddle, the bot crawls around at a speed of about 200 micrometres per second and can push specks of dust, or other 'dead' robots.
• Dune Tunes...the greatest hits - It might not knock Coldplay or Kanye West off the top of charts, but physicists who say they have cracked the riddle of "singing" sand dunes are compiling a CD of sand music. The team say their new theory allows them to predict the notes that different dunes will make
• Website seeks 2,000 men called Pete - Enter Pete Trainor, a 'Pete' seeking to bring the record to the UK. His Pete Collective calls on all Petes to register their interest in meeting up next year in a mass joining of 2,000 Petes. He is also planning something of a rehearsal at Christmas with a meeting of 99 Petes.
• U.N.: Antarctic ozone hole nears record size - The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has grown to near record size this year, suggesting 20 years of pollution controls have so far had little effect, the United Nations said on Friday.

TECHNOLOGY...

• $100 Million Marketing Push For Vista - Microsoft is touting a $100 million marketing campaign promoting Windows Vista and encouraging software developers to build new programs. In related news, Flexbeta has some Windows Vista PDC videos.
• Intel Celeron to gain improved AMD64 compatibility - According to Intel documentation, Celeron model numbers 326, 331, 336, 341, 346 and 351 will switch from today's E-0 core to the updated G-1 core on 2 December. The G-1 core stepping will not only be compliant with European Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, courtesy of a "lead-free second level interconnect", but add two new instructions to Intel's AMD64-like EM64T 64-bit addressing system.
• Wi-Fi camera emails pictures without a PC - Kodak is to offer consumers a Wi-Fi enabled camera that can take high-quality digital pictures, then email them to friends and store them automatically in an online image bank - all without the need to use a PC.  The new EasyShare-one camera is a pocket emailer, with direct connection to the internet via a public Wi-Fi hotspot or a home Wi-Fi system.
• Handmark now brings TV to your Palm with MobiTV - Handmark and MobiTV today announced that Handmark will be the exclusive North America distribution partner for online sales of MobiTV for the Palm Treo. MobiTV turns the Palm Treo into a portable TV, allowing users to watch live television right in the palm of their hand. With a wide variety of top channels to choose from, covering news, sports, entertainment, comedy, cartoons, and more, MobiTV subscribers can always find something to watch anytime, anywhere.
• USB for your car - Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, is thus making the USB connection an option on its Golf, Golf Plus and Touran models in December and on remaining models next year. Just plug your device into a built-in console in the center armrest. The option comes in two varieties, one for the iPod, another for other USB-based players.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - Intel Roadmap / SPEC CPU2000 part 21: AMD Opteron: dual-way and "dual-way - dual-core" systems
• Memory - Memory Market Overview: September 2005 / 1GB Patriot PDC1G3200+XBLK dual channel memory / Geil ONE Series Memory / OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Gold RAM / OCZ EL-DDR PC3500 Gold GX RAM
• Motherboard - 3-way i955x motherboard shootout / ABIT AL8 (Intel Socket775) / Asus P5LD2 Deluxe i945P / DFI LAN Party UT NF4 SLI-DR nForce4 SLI / ECS Elitegroup KN1 SLI Extreme nForce4 SLI / EPoX 5NVA+ SLI NF4 nForce4 SLI / Gigabyte G8I945P i945P / MSI P4N Diamond NF4-SLI nForce4 SLI
• Complete / SFF Systems - Sony Vaio VGC-RA304 PC
• Storage - Seagate Momentus 5400.2 2." 120GB HDD / Western Digital Caviar RE SATA 320 GB Hard Drive / Western Digital Caviar RE2 Hard Drive || Transcend JetFlash 110 2GB Flash Drive || LG GSA-2166D & GSA-2164D External Super Multi DVD Rewriters / Plextor PX-740A 16x DVD±RW
• Video - AOpen GeForce 7800 GTX PCIe / ASUS 7800GTX TOP VGA / GeCube Radeon X800 GTO / Gigabyte 7800GT  / Gigabyte GeForce 6600GT Silent Pipe / MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E SLI / NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT (1) / NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT (2) / Quadro FX 4500 vs. Quadro FX 4500 in SLI Mode
• Cooling - Scythe SCKTN-1000 Katana Universal Heatpipe CPU Cooler
• WaterCooling - NEC Water-Cooled Desktop PC Launch Event / Thermaltake Tai-Chi Luxury Tower w/Water-Cooling / Thermaltake Tribe Mods Water Cooler / Titan Robela Watercooling Case
• Case - Aerocool Masstige Mid-Tower Case  / Antec Performance One P180 ATX Case / AOpen Nouveau B-350B Case / RaidMax X1 ATX Gaming Case
• Modding - Sunbeam Silent Anodized LED Fans / SunbeamTech LED Screws / Sunbeam Dual CCFL Kit
• PSU - Casebuy EZ Power Supply Tester 2 / Jou Jye JJ-350PPBA 350W Power Supply / Sunbeamtech NUUO 550watt SLI Modular Power Supply
• Sound - Ear Force HPA-5.1 Surround Sound Headphones / Logitech Wireless Headphones for iPod / MMGear Headphone and 5.1 Amplifier / PlayGear Amp PSP Speaker System
• Peripheral - Apple Mighty Mouse / Logitech Cordless Mini Optical Mouse / Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Comfort / WACOM Volito 2 Graphics Tablet
• Printer - Epson Stylus DX4800 MFD printer
• Notebook - Notebook TV Tuner Head-To-Head / Rockdirect Pegasus 650 laptop
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - Canon EOS-20D SLR Digital Camera / Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
• Cell phones/PDA - BenQ A500 GSM phone / CoPilot Live GPS for PocketPC 5 / Motorola SLVR L7 / Nokia 6822 on Orange / Nokia N90 GSM/UMTS smartphone / Nokia 9300 GSM Smartphone / Orange SPV M500 / O2 Xda Mini Pro Info
• Misc - D-Skin Protective Disc Skins / Logitech Harmony 880 Remote Control

GUIDES...

• How to Overclock a Socket 775 Pentium 4 - Overclocking socket 775 Pentium 4 processors has some particularities, comparing to overclocking done in other platforms.
• X800 GTO² to X850 XT Mod - Sapphire's special version of the X800 GTO is called X800 GTO². As you can see in the following picture it uses an R480 core, which is also used on the X850 Pro, XT and XT PE. The GTO² comes with 12 pipelines enabled by default, but the only lock which limits it to this number of pipelines is located in the Bios. No cards with defective pipelines have been found yet, which means (so far) the success rate is 100%.
• Destroy Your Computer in 7 Easy Steps - Every time you open your computer case, new risks arise. There is always the danger of you doing something wrong (knowingly or unknowingly) that can cause major, and usually permanent, damage to the computer. It is a horrible feeling to find out that something you did has now ruined your computer. So in order to reduce the number of stupid mistakes people make, we need to educate the people.
• SLI Optimized games  - check it out
• Solving Problems in Windows XP File System - Learn how to solve Windows XP file system problems.
• BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 8.3.1 - Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted 2 new BIOS options for the BIOS Optimization Guide. This release features these 2 new BIOS features: L1 Data Cache Context Mode and PCIE Spread Spectrum.
• Optimize XP - A Windows XP Optimization Guide v2.0.5 - This guide is not designed to be used in combination with other Windows tweaking guides or other Windows tweaking software. It is also not designed to be used in parts. Read and Follow the instructions Carefully.

SOFTWARE...

• Slackware 10.2 - The final version of Slack 10.2 (download) has been released
• Automated Deployment Service 1.1 - Microsoft released yesterday Automated Deployment Service (ADS) 1.1. It now includes Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) and the package is in fact called ADS_VSMT_1.1.exe
• Unofficial Windows XP SP3 Preview Pack #2 Released - The unofficial Windows XP SP3 Preview Pack #2 has now been released.
• Java 2 Runtime Environment Standard Edition 5.0 Update 5 - download
• PSP Video 9 v1.71 - PSP Video 9 is a free PSP video conversion and management application. It can convert regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into PSP video files, as well as manage/copy these PSP video files between your PC and PSP.
• Intervideo WinDVD 7.0 B27.115 - As the world's most popular software DVD player, WinDVD 7 continues the tradition of excellence by including the latest in high definition audio & video technologies, TrimensionDNM for the smoothest motion playback, and fun new features such as Quick Clip and Reverse Playback, to create the ultimate DVD experience.
• LAME MP3 Encoder 3.97 beta 1 - LAME MP3 Encoder is the best mp3 encoder and is available for free! LAME originally stood for L AME A in't an M p3 E ncoder. LAME is an educational tool to be used for learning about MP3 encoding.
• SpamPal 1.72v Beta - SpamPal (download) is a (free) mail classification program that can help separate your spam from the mail you really want to read.
• Pdf995 7.54 - Pdf995 makes it easy and affordable to create professional-quality documents in the popular PDF file format. Its easy-to-use interface helps you to create PDF files by simply selecting the "print" command from any application, creating documents which can be viewed on any computer with a PDF viewer.
• Foxit Reader 1.3 - Foxit Reader (1MB only!) is a free reader for PDF (eBook) documents.
• XPize 4.0 MCE - XPize is a GUI enhancer for Windows XP and above. It replaces most of the non-XP icons, avis and bmps that Microsoft has always overlooked
• Actual Title Buttons 3.7 - Actual Title Buttons (download) is intended both for home and corporate users who would like to optimize common windows management activities by utilizing hidden power of modern operating systems with just one mouse-click.
• xpy 0.9 - xpy is a small tool which disables the default threats of a windows xp installation.
• HD Tune 2.50 - HD Tune is a Hard Disk utility which measures the performance,checks the health status by using SMART Error Scan: scans the surface for errors and more.
• NVIDIA nForce 4 - 6.67 64-Bit - This nForce WinXP 64-bit driver package contains the below components: Audio driver version 4.62 (WHQL), Audio utility version 4.51, Ethernet NRM driver version 4.82 (WHQL), Network management tools version 4.85, SMBus driver version 4.48 (WHQL), Installer version 4.77, WinXP IDE PATARAID driver version 5.52, WinXP IDE SATARAID driver version 5.52 (WHQL), WinXP IDE SATA_IDE driver version 5.52 (WHQL), WinXP RAIDTOOL application version 4.82.
• VIA AC97 Vinyl Audio driver 6.20m - The latest audio driver for VIA chipset motherboards with integrated sound.
• Realtek AC'97 Drivers 3.76a WHQL - This driver supports all ALC series audio chipsets from ALC101 up to ALC861.

SECURITY...

• Security Patch Watch: Apple Plugs Mac OS X Java Holes - Apple Computer Inc. late Tuesday posted a Java security update for Mac OS X to plug five vulnerabilities that could cause system hijack, security bypass, data manipulation and privilege escalation attacks.
• Windows XP Firewall Bypassing (Registry Based) - Microsoft Windows XP SP2 comes bundled with a Firewall. Direct access to Firewall's registry keys allow local attackers to bypass the Firewall blocking list and allow malicious program to connect the network.
• Counter Strike 2D DoS (Exploit) - By sending crafted packets will cause Counter Strike 2D to enter to a DoS condition.
• Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 Rollup 1 Updated (KB891861) - This update resolves earlier issues with Rollup 1, enjoy.
• MR Tech's Recommended Mozilla/Firefox Blocking Ads Methods - check it out!

CRIME

• Fake DVDs worth £1m seized in raid at west London home - They took away £400,000 worth of counterfeit stock and equipment as well as more than 50,000 CDs and DVDs which included Bollywood hits Salaam Namaste and My Wife's Murder. Also seized were 24 multi DVD burners, three photocopiers, three computers, a labelling machine and thousands of blank CDs and DVDs, said police.
• Mass. teen pleads guilty in ISP, telecom hacking case - A Massachusetts teenager has pleaded guilty in federal court to hacking into the networks of Internet and telephone service providers, stealing someone's personal information and posting it online, according to a statement from Michael Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Bill Gates takes on Google - Gates said: "So Google is not offering development capabilities yet. Of course, I expect they will. But they're not in that game at all today. In fact, they have this slogan that they are going to organize the world's information. Our slogan is that we are going to give people tools to let them organize the world's information. It's a slightly different approach, based on the platform-ization of all of our capabilities and not thinking of ourselves as the organizer.
• Microsoft gets into the gadget business - Microsoft announced at PDC today that it is getting into the "gadget" business putting it in direct competition from a feature stand point with Apple's Dashboard and Yahoo's Widgets (Konfabulator). Gadgets, like widgets, are mini-applications that typically provide useful information or perform very simple desktop functionality. However, unlike widgets, they do not require a widget enabling program (i.e. such as Konfabulator, DesktopX Standard, Kapsules, etc.). They are stand-alone programs requiring on additional downloads.
• Microsoft Demos with 'Expression' Design Tool Suite - Developers get a look at the Expression Studio Suite, which includes 'Acrylic' for graphic design, 'Sparkle' for animation and 'Quartz' for Web design.
• New Yahoo Mail beta to be unveiled - Yahoo was set to unveil on Wednesday a limited public beta of its new Yahoo Mail service, featuring a new interface more like that of a desktop e-mail application and faster response time.
• Google Launches New Blog Search Tool - The new search service, called Blog Search, went live on Wednesday in test (beta) form. Users can access it through various Web addresses, including one through Google and one through Blogger.com.
• AMD64 Longevity Program - AMD has announced the addition of two new processors to its AMD64 Longevity program for embedded systems. The AMD64 Longevity program guarantees processor availability for five years, and currently covers several single- and dual-core Opteron processors.
• TiVo 7.2 OS adds content protection, blocks transfers, and auto-deletes some shows - PVRblog has a story about TiVo's addition of content protectionin to its latest OS update.
• AnandTech's R520, RV530 and RV515 Pre-NDA Extravaganza - Despite rumors that R520 may have as many as 32 pixel pipelines, AnandTech maintains that cards will launch with 16 pipes. These R520 cards will carry a Radeon X1800 moniker, and high-end XT and XL variants will be equipped with 512MB of memory. For the mid-range market, cards based on the RV530 will be known as the Radeon X1600 series. Equipped with 12 pixel pipelines, a 128-bit memory bus, and between 128MB and 512MB of memory, these cards are purported to have very low power consumption.
• Intel gets licenses for both SLI and CrossFire - Intel's forthcoming high-end 975X chipset, which is expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year, will support both Nvidia's SLI and ATI Technologies' "CrossFire" dual-graphics technology, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - VIA C7-M Processor
• Memory - Corsair Twin2X1024-8000UL RAM / Geil ONE Series RAM / OCZ DDR PC-3500 Gold Gamer eXtreme / OCZ PC-4000 1024MB Gold Edition Dual Channel (2GB)
• Motherboard - 6-way AMD SLI motherboard group test  / Albatron K8 SLI  / AN8 Fatal1ty SLI  / EPoX 8NPA SLi / Foxconn nForce 4 SLI / SiS 756: PCI Express for AMD Socket 939
• Complete / SFF Systems -Biostar iDEQ 350G SFF PC / Small Factor and 64bit CPUs?
• Storage - MSI DR16-B3 announcement (16x16 DVD Dual Drive)
• Video - ASUS GeForce 7800GTX Top / GeForce 7800 GTX Head-to-Head / Gigabyte GV-NX78T256V-B / HIS X800GT IceQII Turbo 256MB PCI Express(1) / HIS Radeon X800 GT IceQ II (2) / NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT / XFX GeForce 6200TC
• Monitor/TV - 20-inch BenQ FP202W 8ms unveiled / Samsung SyncMaster 920T 19 Inch Digital/Analog LCD
• Cooling - Cooler Master Aerogate II Thermal Controller / Scythe SCKTN-1000 Katana Universal Heatpipe CPU Cooler / Thermaltake Golden Shower II / Thermalright SI-120 Heatsink / Zalman CNPS9500 LED Heatsink
• WaterCooling - Corsair Water Cooling Kit / Titan Robela Watercooling Case
• Case - CaseBuy A.I-01 series PC Case / Ahanix MCE 601 HTPC Case / Lian-Li PC-65B / NZXT Trinity Classic Series Case / Six System Cases from Thermaltake / Thermaltake Muse 3.5" External Hard Drive Enclosure
• PSU - Coolmax CXI 400W Power Supply / E-Power Technology Silent Engine Tiger 550W Modular PSU / EZ PowerSupply Tester 2 / Hiper Type-R Series Modular 580W PSU / MGE Magnum 500W Power Supply / Sunbeamtech NUUO 550watt SLI Modular Power Supply
• Sound - Altec Lansing MX5021 2.1 Speaker System / Grado RS2 Headphones / Koss KSC75 Headphones
• Peripheral - Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000 / Saitek 1600 DPI Desktop Gaming Mouse
• Printer - Lexmark's P450 printer with built-in CD burner
• Notebook - Rockdirect Pegasus 650 laptop / Toshiba Libretto U100-S213 Notebook
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - Axis Communications 207 Network Camera / Apple iPod nano MP3 Player / Logitech Harmony 688 Remote / Olympus µ [mju] 800 Digital Camera / Transcend T-Sonic 610 512MB MP3 Player

GUIDES...

• 64-Bit Windows' Performance on Dual-Core - For this first installation of a two-part series investigating the performance of 64-bit Windows, ExtremeTech loaded up a test system with 2GB of RAM, an Athlon 64 X2 4800+, and a bunch of applications and benchmarks in both 64- and 32-bit flavors
• Microsoft Knowledge Base article to help search the Knowledge Base! - Using keywords and query words in Knowledge Base articles may help you find the content that you are looking for more quickly. This article lists some of the most frequently used keywords and query words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
• MR Tech's Recommended Mozilla/Firefox Blocking Ads Methods - check it out!

SOFTWARE...

• Microsoft Codename Max - Microsoft Max (Requires WinFX Runtime Components 3.0 Beta 2) lets you make lists of your photos and turn them into beautiful slide shows to share with your family and friends. Max is the codename for Microsoft's flagship application based on WinFX and Microsoft's new user experience.
• phpMyAdmin 2.6.4 - phpMyAdmin can manage a whole MySQL-server (needs a super-user) but also a single database. To accomplish the latter you`ll need a properly set up MySQL-user who can read/write only the desired database.
• Firefox 1.6 Alpha 1 - Please note this is a nightly/test version ~ download
• FileZilla 2.2.16 - FileZilla is a fast FTP and SFTP client for Windows with a lot of features. Fixed bugs: - Fix parsing of URLs of the form ftp://user@host in the quickconnect bar; - Create empty directories if dropping files from Windows Explorer into FileZilla.
• Macromedia Flash Player 8.0.22.0 - Macromedia Flash Player is the standard for delivering high-impact, rich Web content. Designs, animation, and application user interfaces are deployed immediately across all browsers and platforms, attracting and engaging users with a rich Web experience.
• Macromedia Dreamweaver 8, Fireworks 8, Flash 8 Trials - download trial versions
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.25 Beta - FastStone Image Viewer 2.25 (download) is an image browser, viewer, converter and editor with an easy to use interface and a nice array of features that include resizing, renaming, cropping, color adjustments and more.
• PSP Video 9 1.71 - PSP Video 9 is a free PSP video conversion and management application. It can convert regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into PSP video files, as well as manage/copy these PSP video files between your PC and PSP.
• SpeedFan 4.26 - SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitoring chips.
• Rage3D Tweak CCC v1.1 - Rage3D Tweak CCC is a brand new tweak application that integrates directly into ATI's Catalyst Control Center (CCC) driver application and adds key tweak functions to the existing interface.
• Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS and Audigy 4 Pro series driver 2.08.0002 WHQL - download - Changelog? We can only guess :(
• Omega Catalyst 5.8 Drivers - After a long wait, the newest Omega Drivers for ATI have been released. For those of you who aren't familiar with these drivers, they are basically modified versions of the official ATI drivers to include more options and performance optimizations.

SECURITY...

• Mozilla offers temporary fix for Firefox flaw - The downloadable fix protects (download) against attacks that take advantage of a new, unpatched flaw that could let attackers secretly run malicious software on users' PCs. The flaw was disclosed late Thursday by security researcher Tom Ferris, sending Mozilla staff into damage-control mode.
• Securing Mac OS X Tiger - Corsaire has released a guide to Securing Mac OS X Tiger (PDF) which addresses the new security features introduced through Tiger and presents some security good practice guidelines
• Microsoft Windows CSRSS Local Privileges Escalation exploit - CSRSS is the user-mode part of the Win32 subsystem. Win32.sys is the kernel-mode portion of the Win32 subsystem. An attacker may gain a local elevated privileges by exploiting a vulnerability in CSRSS.

OFF-TOPIC...

• Murder blamed on MMORPG - According to the Beijing Morning Post a young woman has been charged with murdering her fiancé for "too much time playing online games." Though the culpable title wasn't identified, the motive was. On August 6, the woman in question apparently got fed up with her unemployed significant other for spending more time online than looking for a job so he could pay for their wedding.
• UK Scientists to Create Embryo From Two Women - UK scientists have won permission to create a human embryo that will have genetic material from two mothers.
• WolframTones - 'An Experiment in A New Kind of Music' - check it out

TECHNOLOGY...

• Windows Vista Product Editions  - There will be two general categories of Windows Vista editions, which map closely to the two that exist today for XP ("Home," which comprises Starter, Home, and Media Center Editions, Pro, which includes Professional, Professional x64, and Tablet PC Editions). In Windows Vista, the two categories are Home and Business. In the Home category, Microsoft will create four product editions: Windows Vista Starter Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (previously known as "Uber" Edition). In the Business category, there will are three editions: Windows Vista Small Business Edition, Windows Vista Professional Edition, and Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. In all, there are 7 product editions planned for Windows Vista.
• The CPU's next 20 years - The road ahead isn't about 8-GHz Xeons or 32-core Opterons. It won't be about hardware at all. It will be about the $100,000 commercial development suites that will perform automated, distributed build, run, observe and optimize cycles until native code flows through every possible combination of processor types.
• British nanotech to revolutionise chips - The new design has computing nodes linked by nano-wires in a structure similar to neurons and axons in the human brain. In research published in the journal Science the researchers claim that the chip will combine the storage capability of a hard drive with the low cost of memory cards, potentially increasing memory capacity by 200 times from an average of 500MB to around 100GB.
• Chaintech to exit motherboard business - Second-tier motherboard maker Chaintech Computer plans to phase out its motherboard business and introduce a new memory module product line in October, as IC testing and packaging house Walton Advanced Engineering has become Chaintech's largest shareholder with a 25% stake, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times report today.
• IBC 2005 - Day 1 Coverage - Exhibition Introduction / European move to HD TV looks unstoppable / Welcome to the real world of the jet-setting journo
• Radeon X1800LE aka R520LE has 12 pipelines - This card will be the cheapest version of the R520 core on the market and will be there to fight 6800 LE cards. The Radeon X1800 LE will be twelve pipelines part while its core will work at 450MHz.
• Microsoft and Taiwan throw dust in HD, Blu-ray faces - Confused by HD and Blu-ray DVD formats? Wondering which player you'll want to buy? Worry a little more, because according to a report in today's Taiwan Economic News, Microsoft and the Isle of Taiwan want to develop a third format and the unlikely partnership is throwing millions at the project.
• China Telecom said to block Skype - China Telecom has started blocking access to a popular Internet telephone service that is threatening its long-distance revenue, according to local media reports and Internet postings.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - Intel 670 Pentium 4 3.8Ghz 64Bit Processor / Sempron vs. Celeron D
• Memory - OCZ Gold 4000 2 GB Memory / OCZ PC-2 DDR4200 Value Pro RAM
• Motherboard - Albatron 7800 GTX / Foxconn WinFast NF4SK8AA / Gigabyte GA-8N-SLI Pro
• Storage - Western Digital Essential NetCenter / USB Drive Roundup
• Video - The Fastest Graphics Cards of Summer 2005 (17 GPUs in 30 Games) / Albatron 7800 GTX / AOpen Aeolus 7800 GTX-DVD256 (GeForce 7800 GTX) / ASUS 7800 GTX "T.O.P." in SLI  / Gigabyte Dual GPU / HIS X800GT IceQ II Turbo 256MB PCI-Express / Leadtek - dual 6600 on a single card / MSI NX7800GTX SLI / NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT vs. ATi Radeon X800GT / NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 GPU / NVIDIA NV4X Reference / PowerColor Radeon X800 GT / Sapphire Radeon X550 / Sapphire X850 XT PE / XFX GeForce 7800 GTX
• Monitor/TV - Panasonic VIERA 32 TC-32LX50 LCD TV / Samsung SyncMaster 930BF 19" LCD monitor
• Cooling - Evercool HPC Ice Man Cooler / Scythe Katana Heatpipe CPU Cooler / Spire SP495S11-U QuieTude VI Intel CPU cooler / Titan Vanessa S & L-Type and Thermaltake Big Typhoon vs. Zalman CNPS9500 LED
• WaterCooling - Thermaltake Aquabay M3 watercooling reservoir / Titan TWC-A88 Robela Water Case
• Case - Antec Sonata II Case / CM Praetorian 730 Case & Musketeer 3 Front Panel  / Coolermaster Praetorian 730 case / MGE Titanium Case / Sansun BAT Case SN-C001 / SilverStone Temjin TJ05 PC Case / Thermaltake Tai-Chi case
• Sound - Creative SoundBlaster X-FI Xtreme Music / Klipsch Audio iFi iPod Speaker System / Pioneer SE-DIR800 Headphones
• Peripheral - ButtKicker Gamer Ass Rattler / Logitech MX 3000 Cordless Desktop | PD Scientific World Claw FPS Gaming Keyboard Type II / Zboard Keyboard with Battlefield 2 Limited Edition Keyset || Flexglow Cyber Snipa Gamepad and Mouse Pad / Func F10S - F30R Gaming Mouse Pads / Mouse Pad Roundup / Ulti-Mat Teflon Coated Mousepad
• Network - Western Digital Essential NetCenter
• Modding - A.C.Ryan RoundFX2 Cable / CompUSA Blue Cold Cathode Fan
• Notebook - HP's Pavilion ZE2000Z Laptop / Laptop Desk 2
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - DVX-POD Model DP7010 Personal Media Center / iPod nano (1)  / iPod nano (2) / iPod Nano (3) / Olympus m:robe MR-100 Digital Audio Player(1) / Olympus m:robe MR-100 - MP3 Player(2) / Pentax Optio SVi Digital Camera

GUIDES...

• BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 8.3 - This guide serves as a repository of knowledge on various BIOS options. It also serves as a guide on how best to optimize your BIOS.
• ATI Shimmering - The shimmering issue rages on and ATI's new Catalyst 5.8 drivers are no exception.
• How to avoid of detection of server application on Windows XP SP2 firewall - This trick use only modification of registry keys.Windows Xp SP2 firewall have list of allowed program in register which are not blocked.If you add new key to it,your server (malware or trojane) can run freely.

SOFTWARE...

• Kernel 2.6.13.1 Final - Linux Kernel (changelog) has been updated again
• Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 - download  ~ also known as the 1.8 Beta 4 milestone, this is the first beta release of the next major Firefox update and is aimed at testers, extension/theme authors and Web developers.
• Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 Beta 1 - Mozilla Thunderbird is a redesign of the Mozilla mail component. In related news, Phoronix has just posted a new article on the beta.
• QuickTime Alternative 1.61 - QuickTime Alternative 1.61 is released today. This new version is based on QuickTime 7.0.2.120, which adds support for H.264 and more, but it does not support Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME any longer.

• FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 20050909 - ffdshow is a DirectShow decoding filter for decompressing DIVX movies.

• Azureus for Windows 2.3.0.5 Beta 23 - Azureus (homepage) is a Java based BitTorrent client that offers multiple torrent downloads, queuing/priority systems (on torrents and files), start/stop seeding options and instant access to numerous pieces of information about your torrents.
• Shareaza 2.2.0.0 - Shareaza is a Gnutella file sharing program, allowing you to find and share audio, video, images, books, software and more on the net's coolest peer-to-peer network.
• RivaTuner 2.0 RC 15.7 - Rivatuner is one of the (if not the) best Tweak Utilities available for NVIDIA GeForce and ATI Radeon based videocards.
• zer0point Catalyst 0.5.8 - Based on The ATI Catalyst 5.8 Drivers ~ download.
• NGO ATI Optimized Driver v2.5.8 - The NGO ATI Optimized Driver is a tweaked version of the ATI Catalyst driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with a better performance and better image quality. The Driver has support for all Radeon cards. This new version adds PCI Latency Tool by Audiotrak.

SECURITY...

• Symantec Patches Security Flaw - Symantec has issued a patch for a vulnerability in its corporate antivirus software that could allow an unauthorized person to access a company's servers. The flaw, in version 9 of its AntiVirus Corporate Edition product, exposes the server login name and password used by the administrator who authorizes updates to the software, Symantec says.
• Microsoft Windows keybd_event validation vulnerability - As is Known, with the current Microsoft Security Model, applications that share the destkop are able to send messages between them. Every Desktop application is able to obtain the handle of every process executed in the same desktop. This feature and the possibility of any application to emulate a virtual keyboard by sending key strokes, allows every process to send messages and keys as if there were an interactive user.
• Cisco IOS Firewall Authentication Proxy for FTP and Telnet Sessions Buffer Overflow - The Cisco IOS Firewall Authentication Proxy for FTP and/or Telnet Sessions feature in specific versions of Cisco IOS software is vulnerable to a remotely-exploitable buffer overflow condition. Devices that do not support, or are not configured for Firewall  Authentication Proxy for FTP and/or Telnet Services are not affected. Devices configured with only Authentication Proxy for HTTP and/or HTTPS are not affected. Only devices running certain versions of Cisco IOS are affected. Affected devices are those running IOS versions 12.2ZH and 12.2ZL, 12.3, 12.3T, 12.4 and 12.4T. Users can log-on to their Cisco device and enter the 'show version' command to determine which version of IOS it is running.
• Internet satellite imagery under fire over security concerns  - Asian governments have expressed security concerns about easy access to detailed satellite images on the Internet, such as those used by rescuers in New Orleans, saying the technology could endanger sensitive sites.

OFF-TOPIC...

• News Corporation buys game sites for $650 million - IGN Entertainment, the owners of super-popular gaming website IGN.com, has signed a definitive agreement to be bought out by Murdoch's News Corporation. News Corp will pay $650 million for a set of sites. For those not in the know, sites under the IGN network include IGN.com, GameSpy, GameSpy Arena, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, 3D Gamers, Direct2Drive, GameStats.com and a handful of sites under the Vault and Planet networks.
• Scientists develop 'clever' artificial hand - Scientists have developed a new ultra-light limb that can mimic the movement in a real hand better than any currently available. The new hand, called the 'Southampton Remedi-Hand', can be connected to muscles in the arm via a small processing unit and is controlled by small contractions of the muscles which move the wrist.
• $1bn pirates - The music industry will push for more than $1 billion in damages after its landmark court victory over internet music pirates Kazaa. The Sydney-based internet file-sharing company has had $30 million of its assets frozen as record companies try to recoup some of the estimated $3 billion lost in pirated music.
• The BBC releases early videos for public use - The BBC has finally made good on its long standing promise to release its video archives on the internet - for free. Almost 100 clips, mostly from documentaries and science shows, were made available to the UK public for free - with an encouragement to viewers to mix and match the old footage for new creative endeavours.

TECHNOLOGY...

• ATI Radeon X1800 "R520" - Interestingly, there are 16, 24 and 32 pipes versions but there are only 10 pieces of the 32 pipes versions exist currently. The core clock of the card is 650Mhz+ and memory at 1400Mhz. The R520 card uses 1.26ns GDDR3 memories. The 32 pipes R520 performance will exceed the GeForce 7800GTX. Another quick look at a REV02 sample of ATI's upcoming R520 graphics chip can be found on HKEPC
• S3 Graphics Announces Chrome20 Series - The Chrome20 series of products use 90nm process technology. S3G have gone for low voltage and cool operating temperatures with Chrome20. They're also claiming the 'highest core clock of any GPU to date'...heh.
• Logitech Unveils Smart Mouse - The new fangled mouse is capable of two-way communication with the PC, it can inform users when their mouse battery is low, and notify them when they receive an email or instant message. Other features include laser tracking, 10 buttons, volume control and probably too many other things.
• Hefty hardware requirements for Windows Vista - Hardware vendors are going to love the news that Windows Vista is going to need very beefy hardware to run well. Nigel Page is a strategist with Microsoft Australia. He told APC that Vista would work best on a video card with more than 256MB RAM, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a S-ATA 2 hard drive.
• Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer webcasts from Microsoft Business Summit - Bill Gates Shares Microsoft's Vision for Helping Midsize Businesses (56 Kbps / 100 Kbps / 300 Kbps)  / Steve Ballmer on Delivering Business Value to Midsize Companies (56 Kbps / 100 Kbps / 300 Kbps)
• iTunes 5 announced - iTunes 5: Available today the player that has 85% market share globally will come with a new refined look. Users will be able to organise folders of playlists, Sync with Microsoft Outlook for contacts/calendar, parental tags and album reviews amongst the many new features.
• iTunes Phone announced -  iTunes phone: Available in the US today with Cingular and due to hit globally by the end of September the iTunes Phone (Motorola ROKR) features an iTunes client inside. The phone has quad band GSM, camera, 100 song capacity and instant access to iTunes.
• Harry Potter iPod announced - Available today the latest addition to the iPod family is the "potter pod". The iPod has the crest engraved on the back and Apple are exclusively distributing Harry Potter audio books via the iTunes Music Store.
• iPod nano announced - Available today Jobs has announced a new flash based iPod Mini. The iPod nanois equiped with a color display and can support photos, uses a grey click wheel, and is 80 percent smaller in volume than the original iPod. The new device is flash based and will plug-in to existing iPod accessories. The device will include a 14hr battery and will be released in a 4GB version ($249) and a 2GB version ($199).
• D-Link unveils wireless 'G' DVD player with Flash reader - The D-Link DSM-320RD supports component video, optical digital audio and coaxial digital audio connections. The MediaLounge DVD Player also sports a Multi-format Flash Card Reader. The device can play DVD, DVD±R/RW, Video CD, Kodak Picture CD, Music CD, MP3 and WMA audio files on CD-R/RW.
• Father of Athlon 64 leaves AMD - Fred Weber, the chief technology officer at AMD and one of the executives often cited as being behind the company's turnaround, is leaving to invest in start-ups.
• DVD reaches speed barrier - Panasonic and Hitachi-LG Data Storage have introduced 16x DVD-Ram drives for PCs, while Panasonic and Hitachi Maxell have introduced 16x DVD-Ram media. However, this looks to be the upper limit of DVD recording speeds for the time being.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 / CPU decoder ring updated
• Motherboard - AOpen i945Pa-PLF Black Limited / ASRock 939Dual-SATA2: First Retail ULi PCIe/AGP / ECS KN1 SLI Extreme(1) / ECS KN1 Extreme (2) / NVIDIA C51Chipset has Faster Graphics than RS480 / TYAN Tomcat K8E (S2865)
• Memory - ASUS DDR-400 Memory Battle - Crucial vs. Geil vs. Mushkin at Tweak Town / Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 (BL2KIT6464AA1005) Memory Modules / Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR PC4000 / OCZ EL DDR PC-4800 Platinum Elite Memory
• Complete / SFF Systems - Tom's Hardware Guide's Fall Extreme Gamer System Shootout + part#2 / Iwill ZPC64
• Storage - Seagate Momentus 120GB  / Hitachi's Deskstar 7K500 hard drive || Crucial Technologies Flash Memory Roundup || BenQ 1640 DVD Writer
• Video - ATi Radeon X800GT vs. Radeon X800XL/X800 Pro / EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX / HIS X700 IceQ 128MB GDDR3 AGP / Leadtek WinFast PX7800 TDH MyVIVO Extreme (GeForce 7800 GTX) / PowerColor Radeon X800 GT / X800GT All in Wonder / XFX GeForce 6200 TurboCache
• Cooling - Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 6 Rev. 2 / Asetek VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Cooler(1) / Asetek VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Cooler(2) / Evercool K803-925CA CPU Cooler / Evercool Nighthawk VGA Cooler VC-F117 / FrozenCPU Bucky Edition V1000 Cooler / Four CPU Coolers from Thermaltake Tested  / Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 80mm Fan / Titan Vanessa S & L-Type and Thermaltake Big Typhoon vs. Zalman CNPS9500 LED / VapoChill XE II / Zalman CNPS9500Cu-Led CPU Cooler
• WaterCooling - asetek WaterChill Kit (KT12A-12VX) / Thermaltake Tribe AMD Athlon & Intel Pentium 4 water coolersystem / Titan Robela WaterCase Deluxe Water-Cooling Chassis
• Case - Mid-Tower Mega Roundup / Antec Sonata II Case  / Cooler Master Wave Master TAC-T01-E1C ATX Case / Gigabyte's 3D AURORA / Gigabyte 3D Aurora Aluminum Case
• PSU/UPS - Akasa PowerPlus PSU / Enermax EG651AX-VH 550 Watt Power Supply
• Sound - Creative Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) / Gamer's Audio - Part 2 / SoundStorm 2: SoundStorm Strikes Back?
• Peripheral - Logitech G5 Laser Mouse / Optorite ML100 1600 DPI Laser Mouse || Flexglow Cyber Snipa Gamepad and Mouse Pad / Ulti-mat Add n Slide Mouse Feet
• Printer - Lexmark P6350 Multi Function Device
• Miscelanous - Jackson Armor Card / Plextor ConvertX PVR PX-TV100U
• Notebook - Alienware Area-51m 7700 / Fujitsu-Siemens AMILO M3438G gaming laptop
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - Canon PowerShot SD500 / Frontier Labs NEX 3+ MP3 Player / Goodmans G-Shot 3027TFT Digital Camera / Mobiblu DAH i mp3 player / Pentax Optio SVi 5 megapixel digital camera / Samsung DVD–D5500 Combo DVD-VCR Player
• Cell/VOIP phones/PDAs - Apple iPod Nano / GN Netcom GN 6210 Bluetooth Headset / Jabra BT800 Headset / Orange Mobile Office Card / Sony Ericsson W800i Triband 2 mpixel Camera Phone

GUIDES...

• Everything You Need to Know About Chipsets - Everything you need to know about chipsets is covered in this tutorial.
• PCI Express Bus Tutorial - Everything you need to know about PCI Express bus.
• Putting together a system for Media Center - Bit-Tech has published a 7-page guide to putting together a self-build system to run Windows Media Center.
• Benefits of Upgrading Notebook Memory  - With memory being quite cheap at the moment compared to times of the past, now is a good time to consider adding extra memory to your notebook or desktop system.
• The Different Levels Of RAID & What They Do - Techzone list all the RAID levels available and explain what they do.
• Audio Restoration 101 - If you have dusty vinyl, crusty cassettes, disco-era 8-tracks, reel-to-reel tapes, or any other music media that need a digital face-lift, fear not; breathing new life into old formats is easier than ever.
• VoIP 101 - At this point most people have probably heard of VoIP, and many may have used it, but they may not fully understand the basics of this rapidly expanding technology. This Tech Tip will take a look at some of the basic features, modes of operation, and other background information on one of the latest ways technology can be used to connect people.
• Battlefield 2 Optimization Guide - The range of cards used in the guide is completely different this time around. Battlefield 2 is a very graphically intensive game requiring a fairly powerful CPU, a good amount of memory, and a strong graphics subsystem.

SOFTWARE...

• PHP 5.0.5 Final - PHP 5.0.5 is now available for download. This version is a maintenance release, that contains numerous bug fixes, including security fixes to vulnerabilities found in the XMLRPC package.
• Fiddler 1.0.1 - Fiddler is a HTTP Debugging Proxy which logs all HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you to inspect all HTTP Traffic, set breakpoints, and "fiddle" with incoming or outgoing data. Fiddler is designed to be much simpler than using NetMon or Achilles, and includes a simple but powerful JScript.NET event-based scripting subsystem.
• Paint.NET 2.2 Alpha 2 - Paint.NET is a photo and image editing tool designed for computers running Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000.
• Remote Printer Manager ($50) - Remote Printer Manager (demo) is a sophisticated network management tool that allows network administrators to add, modify and remove printers on any Windows-based computer on their network.
• ACDSee 8.0 (shw) - ACDSee (download) digital photo software makes it easy to import, view, organize, print, enhance, share and archive your digital photos.
• XnView for Windows 1.80.3 - XnView is an efficient multimedia viewer, browser, and converter. It supports more than 400 graphic file formats (PNG, JPEG, TARGA, TIFF, GIF, BMP, and more). This utility also supports animated GIF, multipage TIFF, multiimage icon and MPEG, AVI, WAV, AIFF, and QuickTime files.
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.24 Beta Build 2005-09-06 - FastStone Image Viewer (download) is an image browser, viewer, converter and editor with an easy to use interface and a nice array of features that include resizing, renaming, cropping, color adjustments and more.
• QuickTime 7.02 - QuickTime 7 (download) is Apple's cutting-edge digital media software for both Mac and Windows-based computers delivers unparalleled quality for creating, playing and streaming audio and video content over the Internet. Besides playing MPEG-4 and MP3 content, it supports timecode tracks as well as MIDI standards such as the Roland Sound Canvas and GS format extensions
• Apple iTunes 5.0 - iTunes 5 (download) lets you enjoy all sorts of sounds, from podcasts of your favorite radio shows to new music to bestselling audiobooks.
• Jet-Audio 6.22 - Jet-Audio (release notes / download) features an impressive home audio system interface, including independent A/V components for Digital Signal Processor, Audio CD Player, Digital Audio (MP3, RA, etc.), MIDI (MID, MOD etc.), and Digital Video (AVI, MPG, MOV, etc.), along with a Mixer and a Remote Controller.
• DVD Region+CSS Free 5.9.4.0 - DVD Region+CSS Free enables you to watch and copy any region code CSS-encrypted DVD movies on any DVD drive! It fully supports region-protected (RPC2) DVD drives, and does not require any firmware modifications. It will work, even if you can not change the DVD drive's region anymore.
• ratDVD v0.76 - ratDVD is rapidly becoming popular on the internet. The software takes a full featured DVD movie and puts it into a highly compressed .ratDVD container format file - while preserving all the features of the original DVD. This release adds an ISO Image Plug-In, new playback components and of course some bug fixes.
• Winamp 5.1 Surround Edition - In this release they have added 5.1 surround sound, aswell as new encoders (ACCPlus & WMA). Also they have added a new playlist generator
• ZoneAlarm Free 6.0.667.000 - ZoneAlarm includes five interlocking security services that deliver easy-to-use, comprehensive protection. Unlike any other security utility, it incorporates a firewall, Application Control, an Internet Lock, dynamically assigned Security Levels and Zones. Combined, these elements yield the strongest security possible

SECURITY...

• Arabic Trojan butts into porn surfing  - Security experts today issued a warning after detecting a malicious Trojan horse which tries to interrupt the surfing of adult websites by displaying messages from the Koran. The Yusufali-A Trojan monitors users' surfing habits by examining the title bar of the active window. If the Trojan finds a key word such as 'teen', 'xx', 'sex' or 'penis', it minimises the window so that the user cannot see its content and displays a message from the Koran instead.
• New technology may increase ID theft, scientist says - Identity cards and chip and pin technology for credit cards will force fraudsters to be more creative and are unlikely to alleviate the problem.
• OpenSSH Two Security Issues - Two security issues have been reported in OpenSSH, which can be exploited malicious users to gain escalated privileges or bypass certain security restrictions.
• mod_ssl "SSLVerifyClient" Security Bypass Security Issue - A security issue has been reported in mod_ssl, which potentially can be exploited by malicious people to bypass certain security restrictions
• OpenSSH 4.2 - OpenSSH 4.2 has been released. OpenSSH is a 100% complete SSH protocol version 1.3, 1.5 and 2.0 implementation and includes sftp client and server support.

TECHNOLOGY...

• ECS Editors' Day Coverage - @ Bjorn3D / @ Legit Reviews
• Via Announces the P4M800 Pro - Via announced the launch of the Via P4M800 Pro chipset, providing affordable and scalable IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) solutions, with multimedia and connectivity features for the mainstream and fast-growing entry-level PC markets
• Intel's 65nm Pentium Extreme Edition to get 1066MHz FSB - Intel's dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition will gain support for the chip maker's 1066MHz frontside bus when it enters the 65nm era, if a company roadmap slide leaked onto the Web is to be believed.
• Europe is not ready for HD TV - So why has HDTV been so long in taking off in Europe? Thomas Wrede, VP of product management for SES Astra, speaking at the HDTV DisplayForum in Berlin argues that consumers need confidence that new HDTV devices can really display high defiition pictures and are fully interoperable. This was far from clear two years ago, when existing HDTV in Europe via satellite had a vast difference in quality on some of the displays, with apparently HD ready devices only having around 576p resolution or below.
• Kazaa hit by file-sharing ruling - An Australian court has ruled that the popular file-swapping program Kazaa urged its users to breach copyright. The Federal Court ordered Kazaa's owners, Sharman Networks, to modify the software to prevent further piracy.
• Macrovision Attacks P2P Networks - The recording, movie and game industries are hoping to disrupt activities on P2P networks by flooding them with fake files and corrupted search results: Welcome to the world of Hawkeye - Macrovision's latest weapon in the War on File-Sharing.
• Microsoft and Google: Anything you can do...- UK newspaper The Times has reported that Microsoft has bought Teleo, a provider of Internet telephony software and services. Microsoft plans to 'incorporate and expand' on Teleo products, linking them into the software behind its MSN portal. Microsoft could now add 'click-to-call' features to Outlook or Internet Explorer, its Internet browser, so users can call online contacts.
• Skype gets first mobile users - Skype has signed its first ever deal with a mobile phone company in a move that integrates VoIP calls with a traditional cellular mobile phone service.
• Mini-projector Prototype Developed - Epson has announced that it has succeeded in developing a prototype postcard-sized mini-projector using an LED light source. With a footprint of 13.8 by 10.3 centimeters, the 500-gram prototype can fit into the palm of a hand.

HARDWARE... 

• Motherboard - Abit AW8-MAX Intel / ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe WiFi+TV / DFI Lanparty UT nF4 SLI-D / Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RX480

• Complete / SFF Systems - Alienware Aurora 7500 PC
• Storage - Maxtor OneTouch II External Hard Drive with FireWire 800 Interface / SilentMaxx Aluminum Hard Drive Silencer || Five DVD-ROM Drives Roundup / BenQ DW1620 DVDR / Optorite TED80Y1 Portable CD-DVD Writer
• Video - ATI RADEON X800 GT / Albatron GeForce 7800 GT / Gigabyte GV-NX78T256V-B / XFX 7800 GTX OC / XFX 7800GTX
• Monitor - Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW LCD(1) / Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW Monitor(2) / Samsung 915N Monitor
• Cooling - AMD Athlon 64 Heatsink Roundup / Alphacool Starter Kit / Evercool K803-925CA CPU Cooler / Zalman CNPS9500Cu-Led CPU Cooler
• WaterCooling - Asetek Xtreme WaterChill Water Cooling Kit / Thermaltake AquaBay M1 Heatsink Reservoir / Zalman Reserator 1 Plus water cooler
• Case - Asus S-Presso Deluxe HTPC Case / SilverStone SG01 Case / XGbox X-Case
• PSU/UPS - Hiper Type-R Modular 580W / XG Magnum 500W PSU
• Sound - Sennheiser PC155 vs Icemat Black Siberia Headphones / $200 High-End Earphones for Audiophiles 
• Peripheral - Cyber Snipa Gaming Peripherals / Logitech G5 gaming mouse / Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 Media Remote / Logitech and Razer 1600 DPI Gaming Mouse / Saitek X52 Flight Control System / Zboard Gaming Keyboard with Battlefield 2 Keyset || fUnc Industries F-30R, F-10S Competitive Gaming Surface
• Network - APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router
• Miscelanous - USB to IRDA Dongle
• Notebook / Bluetooth - Titan Serina Notebook Cooling Pad
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - Apple iPod 20GB MP3 Player / HP Photosmart M517 & R817 Digital Camera / MSI StarCam 370i  / Kodak EasyShare V550
• Cell/VOIP phones/PDAs - Sony PlayStation Portable PSP-1000 / Motorola C975 GSM/UMTS phone / Samsung PM-A840  / Samsung D550 GSM phone

GUIDES...

• How to Upgrade your Notebook Memory - A step-by-step guide on how to upgrade your notebook memory.
• ECS SDGE Technology - Hardware Secrets take a look at the ECS SDGE Technology that will enable Crossfire and SLI video cards to run on the same motherboard.
• How To Set Up A Wireless Home Network - The TechZone gives the step by step to setting up a wireless home network - from what to buy to securing it.
• Geforce 7 driver comparison - Check it out  (in German)
• Forceware "bug-fix" driver 78.03 perfomance- The driver has two specific fixes, one for texture filtering issues in High Quality mode and one for their profiles system where global profile settings had to be used instead of per-executable fixes. The difference in performance is less than 5% in High Quality mode at 1600x1200, with a performance drop similar at the other two resolutions. The difference in real-world gameplay, tested using a couple of titles including Half-Life 2, is undetectable. The image quality difference in HQ mode is like night and day, however.

SOFTWARE...

• OpenSSH 4.2 - OpenSSH 4.2 has been released. OpenSSH is a 100% complete SSH protocol version 1.3, 1.5 and 2.0 implementation and includes sftp client and server support.
• FreePortScanner v2.0 - Free Port Scanner (download) is a small, fast, easy-to-use and robust port scanner for the Win32 platform. You can scan ports on fast machines in a few seconds and can perform scan on predefined port ranges.The tool is designed with a user-friendly interface and is easy to use. FileZillla Server 0.9.10 - FileZilla Server is a reliable FTP server.
• KeePass Password Safe 1.02 - KeePass Password Safe (download) is a free/open-source password safe or manager which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk.
• BSPlayer 1.36 Build 825 - BSplayer is a Windows player that plays back all kinds of media files ( avi / mpg / asf / wmv / wav / mp3...) and specialises in video and divx playback
• DHzer0point 0.7803 (based on the Nvidia 7803 Beta Drivers) - The DHzer0point philosophy is Quality First, Last and Always. Image quality, Driver quality and Performance quality. You're games should run as fast and look as good as possible, with as few problems as you've ever seen.

SECURITY...

• Virus Top Twenty for August 2005 - NetSky.q and Mytob.c have been fighting for first place in our ratings for several months now. These worms are very different: they exploit different vulnerabilities and were created a year apart. NetSky.q was fighting for supremacy against Mydoom and Bagle versions: judging by the results, NetSky seems to have won this war.
• Phone virus spreads through Scandinavian company - A mobile phone virus recently hit a small company in Scandinavia and spread from one handset to another, according to security vendor F-Secure Corp. It was the first time F-Secure has seen a mobile virus make serious headway into an enterprise after showing up on an employee's phone, said Ero Carrera, an antivirus researcher at Helsinki, Finland-based F-Secure. The outbreak lasted about a day as dozens of employees received the virus and about 20 of them opened it on their phones, causing it to spread, according to a Web log entry on F-Secure's site.
• IIS Information Disclosure - It is possible to remotely spoof the "SERVER_NAME" Microsoft Internet Information Server 5.0, 5.1 and 6.0 server variable by doing a modified HTTP request. Thus potentially revealing sensitive ASP code through the IIS 500-100.asp error page, the spoof also opens up a potential range of exploits in third party web applications and web services.
• [!] Update for Windows XP (KB897663) - Install this update (direct link) to ensure that a firewall exception created via the registry (yesteday story) is listed in the Windows Firewall interface the same as if the exception was created in the interface itself. After you install this update, you may have to restart your computer.
• A Wormy Zen - Creative has shipped approximately 3,700 Zen Neeons that are infected with a worm in their file system. According to the company's site, the problem has affected the 5GB Creative Zen Neeon with serial numbers between 1230528000001 and 1230533001680.
• Symantec Anti-Virus Tool Puts Server Passwords in Danger - Symantec is investigating a report of a security hole in a version of its corporate anti-virus product that could expose sensitive username and password information, the company acknowledged. The reported security hole affects Symantec Anti Virus Corporate Edition Version 9 and could allow an attacker or nonprivileged user to obtain sensitive server log-in information. Details of the vulnerability were posted on the Bugtraq mailing list Wednesday.
• Fake Yahoo site phishes for identities -  A web site designed to look like an official Yahoo service offering free games, but is most likely designed to facilitate ID theft, has been discovered by Internet security firm Trend Micro.
• DVD Jon hacks Media Player file encryption - Norway's best known IT expert, DVD Jon, has hacked encryption coding in Microsoft's Windows Media Player, opening up content broadcast for the multimedia player to alternative devices on multiple platforms.Jon Lech Johansen has reverse engineered a proprietary algorithm, which is used to wrap Media Player NSC files and ostensibly protect them from hackers sniffing for the media's source IP address, port or stream format. He has also made a decoder available.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Billion-Dollar Baby Dot-Coms? Uh-Oh, Not Again - Jim Breyer, a top Silicon Valley venture capitalist, knows that the $12.2 million his firm paid for a modest stake in Facebook, an online service immensely popular with the college set, is a lot of money.  So he's not surprised that some are pointing to that deal as proof that inflation is back in the venture world - a development that can't help but stir memories of the late 1990's.
• Virgin launches new digital music service - Sir Richard Branson today appeared in London via a hologram recording beamed to his flagship store as he launched Virgin's new digital music download service in the UK.
• Gateway Ships Easy-Care PCs - The new systems are available in several configurations on Gateway's Web site. For example, the S-5000S desktop costs $449 with Intel's Celeron D 331 processor, 256MB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a CD-RW drive.
• Toshiba May Delay HD-DVD Launch - Toshiba is reviewing the launch schedule for HD-DVD, a next-generation optical disc format for high-definition video, and could delay its U.S. launch until sometime next year, it says.
• T-Mobile EDGE Network Nearly Complete - T-Mobile today said they have already launched EDGE data on 90% of their GPRS network. Yesterday changes on the carrier's website revealed they expected to complete their EDGE network by the end of September.
• Cordless videophone for broadband - Philips is to launch a cordless home videophone designed for making live video and Voice over IP calls via broadband Internet. The VP5500 looks like a type of DECT phone, but works by sending and receiving wifi-signals to and from an ADSL or cable modem. The phone, which cannot be used for regular GSM calls, has an integrated VGA video camera capable of rotating through 240-degrees so that users can see what they are filming. The Privacy Cam Key ensures privacy, and users can easily select between just voice or video calling.
• Microsoft to Stop Releasing Services for Unix -  Microsoft will stop releasing any new versions of Services for Unix - from what the article hints at, Microsoft wants Unix interoperability integrated into the OS. Microsoft says that this integration couldn't be done with past architectures.
• Firefox 1.5 beta due next week - Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 will be available next Thursday, according to a posting in the section of the foundation's Web site devoted to developer news.
• World's First Built-In Wi-Fi -Enabled Digital Cameras - Nikon is redefining the digital camera shooting experience with the announcement of two new revolutionary Wi-Fi enabled models. The Coolpix P1 and P2 are the world's first built-in Wi-Fi-enabled (IEEE802.11b/g) digital cameras to hit the marketplace
• Philips to unveil "rollable display" at IFA 2005 - Readius is the world's first prototype of a functional electronic-document reader that can unroll its display to a scale larger than the device itself. With four gray levels, the monochrome, 5-inch QVGA (320×240 pixels) display provides paper-like viewing with a high contrast ratio for reading-intensive applications, including text, graphics, and electronic maps. Using a bi-stable electrophoretic display effect from E-Ink, the display consumes little power and is easy to read, even in bright daylight. Once the user has finished reading, the display can be rolled back into the pocket-size (100×60×20 mm) device.
• BFG to make PhysX cards - AGEIA has announced that BFG Technologies will build physics cards based on the PhysX PPU.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+

• Motherboard - Intel 955X SLI / ABIT AN8-SLI (NF4 SLI) / ASrock 939Dual-SATA2 P1.20 BIOS / ECS KN1 SLI Extreme / Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 / Foxconn WinFast NF4K8AC nForce4 / MSI's P4N Diamond

• Complete / SFF Systems - Silverstone LC11M HTPC Case
• RAM - Kingston HyperX DDR2 750MHz / OCZ EL DDR PC-3500 Gold GX Dual Channel
• Storage - OCZ releases speedy USB stick / Synology Disk Station DS-101g+ / Samsung WriteMaster SE-W164 16x16x DVD-RW
/ NEC ND-3540A 16x DVD±RW
• Video - Albatron 7800GTX / Galaxy Dual BIOS GeForce 6600 GT / GeForce 7800 GT: XFX Overclocked / Gigabyte 7800 GTX GV-NX78X256V-B / MSI ATI Theater 550 Pro PCI / PowerColor Radeon X800GT / XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked
• Monitor - Dual Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1" LCD Monitor
• Cooling - asetek VapoChill Micro(1) / Asetek Vapochill Micro Family of CPU Coolers(2) / Thermalright V-1
• WaterCooling - Asetek WaterChill AMD & Intel water cooler system / Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 Water Cooling
• Case - Antec P180 / Lian Li PC-767 Aluminum Case (1) / Lian Li PC-767 Case (2) / Case gallery @ TechPoweUp / Vantec NexStar 3 USB2.0 HDD Enclosure / Zalman CNPS7700-Cu CPU Heatsink-Fan
• PSU/UPS - Calmer Fanless 300 Watt PSU / Enermax Whisper II 2.0 NVIDIA SLi Certified 535W Power Supply / MGE Magnum 500W
• Sound - Creative Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) / Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS Notebook / HDA Digital X Mystique 7.1 Gold Sound Card / JavoEdge JAVOeBuds / Sharkoon Audics 5.1 Speakers
• Peripheral - A4Tech Wireless Battery-Free Optical Mouse / Logitech V200 Mouse
• Printer - Xerox Phaser 8550DP Printer
• Network - Synology Disk Station DS-101g+
• Modding - Silverstone SST-FP52S Fancontroller / ThermalTake Xray
• Notebook / Bluetooth - Jabra - BlueTooth headset shootout (1) / Jabra BT250v Bluetooth Headset (2)
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players - Archos' AV700 PVP / Creative Zen Vision and Muvo Vidz Launch / Samsung DigiCam SC-D455 Digital Camera
• Cell/VOIP phones/PDAs - Hyundai H-MP728 GSM phone /  Archos PMA430 PDA / Palmax GDA

GUIDES...

• Real Gaming Challenge: Intel vs. AMD - ExtremeTech put a variety of games across several different genres on similar Intel- and AMD-based systems, and then measured performance during real playing.
• Gaming System Buyers Guide August 2005 - Zombienexus.com has an article on buying the best parts for a good gaming system.
• Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Operations Guide 2.0 - Comprehensive guidance on the major tasks involved in administering and troubleshooting Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), including synchronization and managing computers and computer groups, as well as viewing, approving, testing, and storing updates, and running reports.
• Microsoft WS-I Basic Security Profile 1.0 Reference Implementation - The Microsoft WS-I Basic Security Profile 1.0 Reference Implementation is a preview release of the work being done by the WS-I Sample Application Working Group members to demonstrate interoperability of secure Web services
• PodCasting 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started - BonaFideReviews has posted a new article on PodCasting.
• Delete Hiberfil.sys in Windows XP before defragmenting - If you use the Windows XP's Hibernation feature on your laptop, you may want to delete the Hiberfil.sys file from the hard disk before defragmenting.
• Hacking Firefox: Speed Up Your Browser - This is an excerpt from the ExtremeTech book, Hacking Firefox: More Than 150 Hacks, Mods, and Customizations. This chapter shows you how to speed up page rendering, tune Firefox to your CPU, optimize memory and caching, and more.

SOFTWARE...

• DTCPing.exe 3.0 - This tool is designed to assist with troubleshooting MS DTC Firewall Issues.
• MS Products Key Finder v1.0 - This little utility will let you find the CD-Keys (download) of some of Microsoft products installed on your computer. This tool comes handy when you lose your CD cover and there is no way to know CD-Key.
• WinAmp 5.1 Final - Nullsoft Winamp (download full / lite) is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity media player for Windows. Winamp supports playback of many audio (MP3, OGG, AAC, WAV, MOD, XM, S3M, IT, MIDI, etc) and video types (AVI,ASF,MPEG,NSV), etc. This new version includes CodingTechnologies AACPlus encoder.
• JetAudio Basic v6.2.2 - JetAudio (download free basic version) is integrated, multimedia software made of a single compact rack. Not only does it play various music and video files, it also has features such as CD burning, recording, and conversion to other file formats. You can create your own Internet broadcast by using JetCast, provided with JetAudio, and you can play all major file formats, including WAV, MP3, MP3Pro, OGG, WMA, MPEG, AVI, WMV, MIDI, RM, and video and audio CD tracks.
• Fresh UI v7.42 - Fresh UI is the fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows.
• DVDFab Decrypter 2.9.3.8 - DVDFab Decrypter - previously named DVDFab Express (Free Edition) - is a simple version of DVDFab Express.
• CleanCache 3.1 - CleanCache is a free, very powerful Internet Explorer 6.0, Mozilla, Netscape, Firefox and Windows 2000/XP cleaner.
• Win32Pad 1.5.9 - Win32Pad (download) is a feature filled text editor that is written with a programmer in mind.
• WinZip 10.0 Beta - The first WinZip 10.0 beta adds Explorer style view Navigate your Zip files in the familiar Explorer-style view, making it much easier to work with large, multi-folder archives and  improves compression.
• Skype 1.4.0.47 Beta - A new beta is out.
• XTreme-G Drivers - TweaksRUs released two XTreme-G drivers sets: XG 77.56-HD based on nVidia Forceware 77.56 WHQL and XG 78.11-HD based on Forceware 78.11.

SECURITY...

• Cyber-cops arrest 16 more Zotob suspects - Experts at SophosLabs, the security firm's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centres, have welcomed the news that the FBI and Turkish authorities have identified 16 more individuals suspected of assisting in the Zotob and Mytob worm outbreaks. In related news, the teenager arrested on suspicion of writing and distributing the Zotob Windows 2000 worm may have authored more than 20 other viruses, it has emerged.
• Man pleads guilty to selling Windows code - William P. Genovese Jr., 28, of Meriden, Conn., entered his plea Monday in a Manhattan federal court to charges that he unlawfully sold and attempted to sell portions of Microsoft's source code for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
• HP Warns About Flaw in Network Management Product - Enterprises using a key network management product from Hewlett-Packard may be vulnerable to a serious flaw allowing remote attacks, the company has warned
• Flaws Revealed in Adobe Creative Suite's File Manager - Both flaws allow local attackers to gain root privileges to a machine through Version Cue, according to Michael Sutton, director of IDefense Labs at IDefense, a VeriSign company.
• Secunia: Malware may hide behind long names in Windows registry - According to a security advisory by Denmark-based IT security company Secunia, the weakness is caused by an error in the Windows Registry Editor Utility's handling of long string names. A malicious program could hide itself in a registry key by creating a string with a long name, which would allow the malicious string and any created after it in the same key to remain hidden, according to Secunia. Keys are stored in the Windows Registry, which saves a PC's configuration settings.
• Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 v2 beta released - Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 V2 beta is released to beta testers, Microsoft plans to release the new pack September 13th.

TECHNOLOGY...

• MSN Toolbar Roaming Favorites First Look - Released to beta testers earlier today, the MSN Toolbar Roaming Favorites Add-In Beta 1 is Microsoft's first attempt at allowing users to access their internet bookmarks (a.k.a. Favorites) remotely without having to be signed up to the MSN Internet service. Because the MSN Toolbar is free, anyone will be able to install this addition once it's released.
• Hollywood, Microsoft align on new Windows - Although ordinary MP3 files and DVDs will play without any difference, the deep changes in the way the operating system handles some entertainment content will come with costs. The most obvious of these may be the risk of compatibility problems between some older monitors or TVs and Vista computers, particularly when trying to play high-quality video. Vista may also make it harder to do some casual copying, such as recording Internet audio.
• Valve Names Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition the Preferred Development Environment for "Half-Life 2" Modifications - Microsoft announced that Valve has named the upcoming Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition as the preferred development environment for hobbyist Windows developers creating modifications for Source, the engine on which "Half-Life 2" is built.
• Nokia Releases New N-Gage Arena Launcher for Global Gaming - Nokia today announced that it has released a new version of the N-Gage Arena launcher for the over 400,000 valued N-Gage Arena members. The new version 2.5 includes new features and functionality, as well as updates to the existing services. N-Gage Arena members can now download a free copy of the new launcher at http://arena.n-gage.com/launcher
• T-Mobile MDA Pro now shipping - Brimming with features, the MDA Pro measures in at a considerable 128 x 81 x 25 mm and 285 g with a clamshell form factor which opens to allow access to its thumbboard and 65K colour display with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The device can be used in either palmtop or tablet configurations, as the screen half swivels 180 degrees and closes to cover the thumbboard.
• Creative awarded MP3 player interface patent  - Creative has been awarded a patent for an MP3 player interface similar to that of Apple's iPod.
• Cisco adds 'self-healing' tech to Cat 6500 - Cisco has unveiled plans to rejig the software on its flagship enterprise switch, the Catalyst 6500, to support patching and updating of sub-sections of the switch's operating system without having to schedule downtime.
• ATI R580 taped out - The R520 chip is delayed for a whole quarter now and this has given ATI enough time to prepare for its next step, the R580 chip. The R580 is done by a separate team from the one making R520, with both teams working independently. The R580 won't be just a clock speed upgrade. It will be a slightly different chip with some marchitectural differences but we don’t know all the details yet.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Sempron 3400+

• Motherboard - Intel 975X Chipset / Abit AW8 / Abit AN8-SLi / Abit AL8 / ASUS P5WD2 / DFI nF4-DAGF / EPoX 5NVA SLI / Gigabyte G-Power Pro GH-PDU21-MF / Sapphire PURE Innovation A9RX480 S939 / Sapphire Radeon X850XT Platinum Edition AGP

• Complete / SFF Systems - Alienware Area 51 5300 SFF System / Dell Precision 380 Workstation / Shuttle SD31P SD31P Barebone Dual Core / Shuttle XPC SD31P Barebone Dual Core Ready SFF PC
• RAM - Kingmax Mars DDR2-667 / OCZ PC2-6400 Gold 2x512MB
• Storage - CompactFlash Card 1 GB Roundup / SanDisk 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo / TraxData EZ DriveTwister Dragon Style 512MB || Maxtor ULTRA 16 - 300GB SATA HDD / Hitachi Deskstar 7K500 Hard Drive || ASUS SDRW-0804P-D DVD±R Burner / ASUS DRW-1608P DL Burner / Samsung WriteMaster SE-W164 16x16x External DVD Writer
• Video - ATI Theater 550 PRO / Gainward Ultra 3500 PCX 7800 GTX Golden Shower: Single & SLI / Galaxy GeForce 6600 GT Dual BIOS Video Card / Gigabyte 6600 256 Mb Turbo Force / NVIDIA 7800 GT / Leadtek 7800 GTX SLI / NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT vs GeForce 7800 GTX Video Cards / NVIDIA 7800GTX Video Card Comparison / Sapphire Radeon X800XL Ultimate videocard / Sapphire X850XT Platinum Edition / Sapphire Radeon X850XT Platinum Edition AGP
• Monitor - Dell 2405FPW Monitor / BenQ FP71+ / NEC MultiSync LCD1980FXi
• Cooling - Akasa EVO 120 Cooler / Coolermaster Musketeer 3 Cooler / Gigabyte G-Power Pro GH-PDU21-MF Cooler / Silenx iExtrema 92mm 14dBA Fans / Scythe Katana CPU Cooler / Thermalright XP-90C Heatsink
• WaterCooling - Koolance Aquain ICM-505 Liquid Cooling System / Swiftech H20-80-S/120-F water cooler / Thermaltake Aquabay M1 / Zalman Reserator 1 Plus Fanless Watercooling System
• Case - Aerocool Masstige Computer Case / Antec Sonata II Silent ATX Case / Lian Li PC-767 Aluminum Case
• PSU/UPS - FSP BlueStorm AX500-A Power Supply / Hiper HPU-4B580 Modular Power Supply (580 Watts) / MGE Magnum 500W PSU / RAIDMAX LP-6100E 500W PSU
• Sound - Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi and the Elite Pro Sound Cards / Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headset / Neutac S21114
• Peripheral - Egrodex DX1 Input Device / Hiper Clavier Keyboard / Logitech G5 Laser Mouse / Logitech V200 Cordless Mouse / Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 5000 / Razer Copperhead mouse / Saitek X52 HOTAS / Saitek P3000 Wireless Controller / XTracPads Zoom Mouse Pad
• Network - Evesham Technology SilverSTOR XS - NAS Appliance / Synology Disk Station DS-101g+
• Modding - CoolerMaster Musketeer 3 Sound Controller / Sunbeam Technology Products Roundup
• Miscelanous - Apacer 15-n-1 Card Reader / Plextor ConvertX PX-TV100U USB Personal Video Converter
• Notebook / Bluetooth - Alienware Area-51M 7700 Notebook / Asus Z80K Laptop / Jetart NP6600 Foldable Notebook Cooler / Vantec LapCool3 Notebook Cooler / Sony VAIO VGN-S4M / Jabra - BlueTooth headset shootout
• Cameras, MP3 players - Samsung YH-820 5Gb Digital MP3 Player / Hitachi DZ-GX20A Camcorder / Olympus Stylus 800 Digital Camera / Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-M1 Digital Camera
• Cell/VOIP phones - New Motorola iDEN Phones / Hyundai H-MP728 GSM phone / Swivel Cell Phone

GUIDES...

• How To Lock Down Your Wireless Network - The Techzone have prepared a step by step how to on locking down your network from unwanted attacks.
• All Celeron Models - Learn about all Celeron models released so far, including detailed specs.
• Amiga Emulation Guide - Using the software and tips in this guide, you should be able to get an almost-perfect emulation of an Amiga 500 on your PC.

SOFTWARE...

• Free Opera Registration Key until 12 a.m. August 31 - Opera celebrates 10 years, giveaways free registrations just for one day!
• Kernel 2.6.13 Final - Linux Kernel 2.6.13 has been released, the usual bunch of minor fixes and updates included.
• OpenOffice 2.0 Beta 2 - OpenOffice.org 2.0 sports a redesigned interface and better interoperability with other file formats, including Microsoft Office.
• Yahoo! Toolbar for Firefox 1.0.1 - download
• Google Talk 1.0.0.66 Beta - Google Talk is a lightweight Jabber-based instant messaging client with voice capabilities. Google Talk is easy and intuitive to use. All you need to make free calls is an Internet connection, a microphone, and a speaker.
• CCleaner 1.23.160 - CCleaner (download) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history.
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.23 Beta Build 2005-08-31 - FastStone Image Viewer (download) is an image browser, viewer, converter and editor with an easy to use interface and a nice array of features that include resizing, renaming, cropping, color adjustments and more.
• Paint.NET v2.2 Alpha 1 - Paint.NET (download) has many of the powerful features that expensive commercial applications have, including the ability to use layers.
• PhotoFiltre 6.1.3 - PhotoFiltre (download) is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to do simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it.
• DVD Rebuilder 0.94 Free - This tool helps you to do a full dvd backup(movie, extras, menus) of your DVD9s to one DVDR using one of the best video encoder available, CinemaCraft Encoder.
• 3d Traceroute 2.1.8:18 - 3d Traceroute is a replacement for your ping plotters and traceroute programs. It is a full blown three dimensional traceroute program.
• TightVNC for Windows 1.3dev7 - TightVNC is a client/server software package allowing remote network access to graphical desktops. You may allow yourself to access your machine from everywhere provided that your machine is connected to the Internet. It is optimized to work over slow network connections such as low-speed modem links. Can work remotely almost in real time in most environments.
• DNA-Force 2.0.7777 - These are modified NVIDIA ForceWare drivers for Windows 2000 & XP. Modified drivers simply means that the author takes official or beta drivers from the manufacturer and starts to tweak them for either better image quality and or performance.

SECURITY...

• Suspected computer worm authors arrested, FBI says - Authorities in Morocco and Turkey have arrested two men for unleashing computer worms that disrupted networks across the United States last week, the FBI said on Friday. Farid Essebar, 18, of Morocco, and Atilla Ekici, 21, of Turkey, are believed to have been responsible for the Zotob worm that hit the Internet less than two weeks ago, along with predecessors called Rbot and Mytob released earlier, the FBI said.
• Simple PHP Blog File Upload and User Credentials Exposure - Simple PHP Blog suffers from insecure default permissions and lack of validation on uploaded images. Proof of concept code included.
• Web of crime: Internet gangs go global - Many intelligent, tech-savvy criminals now "work as mercenaries for the highest bidder," says Tom Kellerman, until recently a specialist in data risk management for the World Bank. He calls organized Web crime "the cocaine of the new millennium," likening its mystique of lawlessness and easy money to that surrounding drug trafficking in the United States during the 1980s.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Fall IDF 2005 - More Details on VIIV and Next-Gen Architecture / Pat Gelsinger Reveals Intel's Server Plans / IDF Fall 2005. Day 2 @ X-Bit Labs / IDF Fall 2005 Coverage @ HardwareSecrets
• DoCoMo Speeds Up Infrafred - NTT DoCoMo, Sharp and Waseda University have developed a new standard that can speed up Infrared (IR) communication 4 to 10 times.
• Google - the new Microsoft? - Google is the new Microsoft, reckons author Gary Rivlin in a New York Times article provocatively titled Relax, Bill Gates; It's Google's Turn as the Villain.
• Light bulbs could face extinction - The report predicts that the market for LED lighting will show an annual growth rate of over 50 per cent and be worth $850 million by 2010. The bulk of this will be in lighting for electronics but, in the longer term, LED lighting could move into the home.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - Intel Pentium-M 780 (2.26 GHz) / Intel Pentium 4 670 & Pentium D 820 CPU / Pentium 4 670 and Pentium D 820 CPUs
• Motherboard - Abit AL8 945P / Abit AW8 / ABIT NI8 SLI / ASrock 775Dual-Pro880 / EPoX 5NVA+SLi / Epox EP-9NPA+ SLI / Foxconn NF4UK8AA-8EKRS / Foxconn WinFast NF4K8AC / Jetway 939GT4-SLI
• Complete / SFF Systems: mCubed HFX Media PC (German)
• RAM - PC2-5400 DDR memory comparison
• Storage - Western Digital Raptor 74GB SATA HDD, BenQ DW1640 16x DVD±RW / Thermaltake Max 4, 3.5" HDD USB external enclosure
• Video - ASUS Extreme N7800 GTX 256MB (1) / ASUS Extreme N7800GTX (2) / ATI All-in-Wonder X800XT | ATI ALL-IN-WONDER X800 GT PCI Express (1) / ATI RADEON All-in-Wonder X800GT 128 MB PCIe (2) / Nvidia Geforce 7800GT (1) / NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT (2) / MSI NX 7800 GTX ./ NVIDIA 6600LE in SLI / Sapphire Radeon X550
• Cooling - Acousti Products Dust Proof Fans / Akasa EVO 120 heat sink/fan (HSF) CPU cooler / Copper Silent 3 (Copper Lite) Socket A Heatsink CPU cooler / Evercool Neon Crab Memory Cooler / SilverStone FM82 & FM121 fans / Thermaltake Golden Orb II Cooler / TTIC NPH-2 Socket A Heatsink
• WaterCooling - Asetek WaterChill Xtreme 12V Pump-Reservoir / Thermaltake Symphony / Thermaltake Bigwater SE Water Cooling Kit / Wintsch Labs Arctic Web w-437W TEC Water Block / XSPC Passive Aluminium Reservoir / Zalman Reserator 1 Plus Water Cooling
• Case - Cooler Master Praetorian PAC-T01 case / Lian Li PC-777 case / Logisys Blue Acrylic Yin Yang Case / Nextherm ICS 8200 AC case / Silverstone SST-TJ05 case / Thermaltake Tenor Designer Home Theater ATX Computer Case
• PSU/UPS - SLI Ready Power Supply Roundup / Antec Smart Power 2.0 500W / AOpen Prima Power AO700-12ALN 700W PSU / HEC WinPower Win 550UB PSU / Logisys 500w Mesh PSU / OCZ 1,100 Watts Power Supply Prototype / XG Magnum 500w PSU
• Sound - Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music Edition Sound Card / Icemat Siberia Headset
• Peripheral - Hiper Clavier Aluminum Keyboard / Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3000 mouse / Saitek Cyborg Evo Force joystick / Saitek Eclipse Illuminated Keyboard / SunBeamTech EL-KB-05-AC Acrylic Lite-Up Slim Keyboard / Wolf Claw Type II Keyboard
• Printer - Epson EPL-6200 Laser Printer
• Network - Compex 80.211G 108Mbps Super-G XR USB 2.0 Adapter
• Modding - SunBeamTech Chameleon / V.L. System M-Play 202 Indicator & Remote Controller / The Tonkputer by Nev@Lehmä
• Miscelanous - Jackson Armor Card / eMagin Z800 3DVisor
• Notebook / Bluetooth -Logitech V200 cordless optical notebook mouse
• Cameras, MP3 players - Fujifilm FinePix F10 Digital Camera / Kodak EasyShare Z740 Digital Camera Bundle / MobiBLU DAH-1500i MP3 Player / Samsung YP-T7Z 1 GB MP3 Player
• Cell/VOIP phones - SE-VOIP USB Skype Phones / Mio Technology Mio A701 / Samsung X620 GSM phone / Samsung X800 GSM phone / Siemens AX75 GSM phone / Siemens A75 GSM phone

GUIDES...

• $2000 Q3-05 system guide - HardOCP took a $2000 budget and applied it to four different build scenarios.
• Recording and Producing Your Podcast - THG explains how to record and produce your own podcasts. Podcasting allows you to convey your message to a wide audience in a personal way.
• The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide Revision 8.2.2 - Adrian Rojak has updated his premier BIOS optimization guide.
• Trialling Microsoft Windows XP x64 - What is the difference between Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows XP x64? What are the benefits? How compatible is it with hardware and software? These questions and more, in this article.
• Windows 64bit Compatibility Guide - Check it out!

SOFTWARE...

• First Debian/kFreeBSD Live-CD Appears - The first Live-CD based on Debian GNU/kFreeBSD has appeared. Its name is Ging (for Ging Is Not Ging) and it includes a GNOME 2.10 desktop, Abiword, and a complete toolchain with gcc 4.0.
• MySQL 4.1.14 - MySQL (download / changelog) is the world`s most popular open source database, recognized for its speed and reliability.
• Longhorn Visual Styles Pack 3.0 - TCMagazine have posted working download link
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.22 - FastStone Image Viewer 2.22 (download) is an image browser, viewer, converter and editor with an easy to use interface and a nice array of features that include resizing, renaming, cropping, color adjustments and more.
• Anti Trojan Elite 3.1.9 - Anti Trojan Elite is a trojan/keylogger remover.
• AutoHotkey 1.0.37.07 - Customize your keyboard, joystick and mouse with an open source automation and hotkey utility that is backward compatible with AutoIt.
• nLite 1.0 beta 6 - Works for every version of Windows XP installation, tested with SP2 build 2180. To avoid confusion, this is for pre-installation, not like XPlite which is post installation customizer.
• Free Download Manager 1.9 Build 334 - Free Download Manager (download) is a full-featured download accelerator and manager. It is absolutely free! Using this software product you can easily download a list of files and whole web sites from any remote server via HTTP, HTTPS and FTP.
• FlashGot 0.5.9.9 - FlashGot (download) is a free Mozilla/Firefox extension, meant exploit the popular FlashGet download manager.
• Skype 1.3.0.66 - Skype (download / release_notes) is the next phenomenon from the people who brought you KaZaA. Just like KaZaA, Skype uses P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to connect you to other users – not to share files this time, but to talk for free with your friends.
• Yahoo! Messenger 7.0.0.437 - download
• K-Lite Codec Pack 2.53 - The K-Lite Codec Pack is a free collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video. The very user-friendly installation is fully customizable, which means that you can install only those components that you want.
• Hmonitor 4.2.2.1 - Hmonitor has much more functions than MotherBoard Monitor, for example, including thermocontrol features and COM/PerfMon API support.
• ATITool 0.25 Beta 4 - ATITool is an overclocking utility designed for ATI video cards.
• Intel Chipset Installation Utility 7.2.1.1006 - The Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility (mirror1 / mirror2) installs to the target system the Windows* INF files that outline to the operating system how the chipset components will be configured. This release adds Intel® Lakeport Chipset & Intel Glenwood Chipset & Intel Mukilteo Chipset support.
• Creative Labs X-Fi drivers - For those who may have misplaced the Sound Blaster X-Fi Installation CD. This package includes updates and fixes for Sound Blaster X-Fi
• NVIDIA SVX StarStorm (77.77) - These are modified NVIDIA ForceWare drivers for Windows 2000 & XP. Modified drivers simply means that the author takes official or beta drivers from the manufacturer and starts to tweak them for either better image quality and or performance. Please bare in mind that the driver manufacturer, in this case NVIDIA, does not support drivers like these. You use them at your own risk.
• Forceware 78.01 Win2000/XP WHQL (BETA) - The driver is compatible with GeForce Series 6 and 7 graphics cards. The drivers have been recompressed to save on file-size as they where 27 MB big. They are now 18 MB. Of course these drivers are WHQL certified yet to be considered beta.
• 56x BIOS and 10x Firmware updates - Lot's of new motherboard BIOS updates from last week.

SECURITY...

• IM worm speaks your language - The worm, dubbed Kelvir.HI, tailors the language of its attack message to the compromised system. It can send messages in English, Dutch, French, German, Greek (English alphabet), Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish and Turkish.
• Zotob worm hole also affects Windows XP - Vulnerability that downed Windows 2000 computers last week also holds a serious risk for some Windows XP users
• Bypassing Windows Heap Protections - Nicolas Falliere posted an article explaining how to bypass Windows heap protections (PDF) and to perform heap overflow in general. In this article Nicolas presents a new way to exploit heap-based buffer overflows..
• Remote IIS 5.x and IIS 6.0 Server Name Spoof - It is possible to remotely spoof the "SERVER_NAME" Microsoft Internet Information Server® 5.0, 5.1 and 6.0 server variable by doing a modified HTTP request.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Fall IDF 2005 coverage: Day 1: Coverage of Everything @ AnandTech | Day 1 Highlights & LegitReviews | Coverage. Day 1 @ XbitLabs | Intel to move to common CPU architecture @ Techreport |  Day 2: Intel Introduces their VIIV Brand @ AnandTech | 802.11n - Next Gen Wifi @ Hexus | 955, X800GT, X800GTO - Crossfired @ Hexus | ATI to validate 955X chipset for CrossFire @ TechReport | Intel unveils 'Golden Gate' Pentium M system for VIIV @ Bit-Tech | DDR3 confirmed for 2007, ramps to 1.6GHz @ Bit-Tech
• AMD stealth launches x54 - Strange though it may be, AMD seems to have stealth launched the latest in single core chips. The 2.8GHz x54 models are out with nary a press release, much less a dog and pony show.
• Google Talk Beta review - Google is working on inviting more people to join Gmail and therefore making more people available to chat to using Google Talk beta. Starting today, anyone in the U.S. who has a phone with SMS text capabilities can visit the Gmail site, enter their phone number, and receive a text invite and code from Google for a Gmail account.
• Sony adds Web browser to PSP - The firmware 2.0 upgrade is designed to let users surf the Internet from hotspots using the device's built-in Wi-Fi functions. In addition, the upgrade features Wi-Fi security, tools for photo sharing and enhanced video and audio playback. The software can be downloaded from the PSP Web site directly to the PSP via a wireless connection, or downloaded to a PC and transferred through a USB cable.
• Windows 95 Turns 10 - Twelve million dollars was spent simply securing the rights to a theme song for the hoopla, the opening chords of the Rolling Stones hit "Start Me Up." The music will accompany Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates as he boots up the new program in a ceremony at company headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to be broadcast today live via satellite at launch events and retail outlets nationwide.
• New notebook battery to deliver 8 hours of power - Intel and Panasonic announced at IDF a newly designed notebook battery that promises to dramatically improve the operation time of notebooks. The device increases overall capacity from a typical 2.0 ampere hours (Ah) in mainstream batteries to 2.9 Ah

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Athlon 64 FX-57
• Motherboard - ABIT AW8-MAX i955x | ECS KN1 Extreme (AVault) | ECS KN1 Extreme Motherboard (Extreme Resources) | EPoX 5NVA+SLI (NF4 SLI Intel edition) | eVGA nForce 4 SLI Motherboard | Foxconn 925XE7AA | Foxconn NF4SK8AA-8EKRS | Jetway 939GT4-SLI: Gem with a New SLI Twist
• Complete / SFF Systems: 3 HSF Investigated  | AOpen i915GMm-HFS
• RAM - DDR2 SDRAM DDR2-1067 and DDR2-800
• Storage - HP dvd640e External DVD Writer with LightScribe | Luxurae Hard Drive Silencing Solution
• Video - ASUS Extreme N7800GTX TOP/2DHTV | BFG Tech GeForce 7800 GT OC  | eVGA 7800 GT PCI-E 256MB | GeForce 7800 GT from ASUS and eVGA | GeCube X800GT | Gigabyte X700 Pro | MSI Geforce 7800 GTX | MSI NX7800 GTX Video Cards (SLI) | NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE in SLI
• Cooling - Asetek VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Heatsink Fan | Copper Silent 3 (Copper Lite) Socket A Heatsink CPU cooler
• WaterCooling - Water Cooling Madness - Corsair vs. Thermaltake vs. Gigabyte | Corsair COOL Water-Cooling Kit | Thermaltake Symphony | Vapochill Micro Ultra Low Noise Water Cooling
• Case - Antec Overture 2 ATX Desktop Case | Antec TX1050B SOHO File Server Case | Chenbro Gaming Bomb II | Thermalrock Eclipse Silver Case W- Side Window
• PSU/UPS - SLI Ready Power Supply Roundup | Akasa PowerPlus AK-P550FF 550 Watt PSU | Antec Phantom 500 PSU | Hiper Type R 480 Watt PSU | MGE Magnum 500 PSU | OCZ Preps 750W PSU for Enthusiasts | OCZ 520w ModStream PSU
• Sound - Creative Labs X-Fi | Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music and X-Fi Elite Pro | Icemat Siberia Multi-Headset | SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatality FPS | Speed Link Medusa 5.1 Surround Headset
• Peripheral - Ergodex DX1 Input System (Gamers' Dream) | Flexiglow Cyber Snipa Game pad | Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse
• Network - Netgear FVS318v3 Prosafe VPN Router 
• Modding - Matrix Orbital MX6 Series PLED Kit
• Miscelanous - Timex Bodylink System with Data Recorder
• Notebook / Bluetooth -BlueTake BT510 Bluetooth Mini Mouse & BT009Si Bluetooth USB Adapter
• Cameras, MP3 players - Fujifilm Z1 Digital Camera | MobiBLU DAH-1500i  Digital Music Player | VL System M-Play 202 Media Center VFD
• Cell phones - Nokia N90 | Panasonic VS3

GUIDES...

• CE-ATA Standard - Learn about the new CE-ATA standard, a new hard disk drive standard targeted to consumer electronics products.
• Setting Up a Dual Display Desktop - Displaying your desktop on multiple monitors is natively supported by Windows XP, 2000, ME, and 98, as well as in the popular distributions of Linux. Although this Tech Tip will focus on configuring a dual display setup in Windows, it is possible to go much higher than two monitors if your needs and budget should allow
• Rojak Pot's BIOS optimization guide rev. 8.21 - This guide serves as a repository of knowledge on various BIOS options. It also serves as a guide on how best to optimize your BIOS.
• Configuring Internet Authentication Service for Network Access Protection (NAP) in Windows Server "Longhorn" Beta 1 - You configure NAP health requirements and enforcement behaviors with Internet Authentication Service in Windows Server 'Longhorn.'
• How to quickly improve your computer's performance - BonaFideReviews has posted a guide about How to quickly improve your computer's performance.

SOFTWARE...

• ERUNT & NTREGOPT 1.1i - ERUNT (includes NTREGOPT!): The Emergency Recovery Utility NT: Registry Backup and Restore for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP.
• AVG Free Edition 7.344 - A free, reliable tool for computer protection against viruses.
• Vcleaner 0.995 - Vcleaner removal utility will detect and remove following viruses: BackDoor.Agent.A-Z, AA-BG, ownloader.Agent.AS, I-Worm/Atak.A-I, I-Worm/Bagle.A-Z, AA-BA, I-Worm/Bugbear.D, I-Worm/Netsky.A-Z, AA-AD, I-Worm/Sasser.A-F, I-Worm/Zafi.A-D, PSW.Bispy.A-.
• Microsoft Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail Filter (August 2005) - This optional update (download) provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail. This update was released in August 2005.
• Google Talk 1.0.0.64 Beta - Call or send instant messages (download) to your friends for free–anytime. Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.
• Morpheus 5.0.0.737 Beta - Morpheus (download beta) ushers in a new era in file-sharing technology. A completely redesigned Smart User Interface makes it quick and easy to search, discover, download and play all types of media files including MP3 audio, music, movies, videos, games, photos, documents and more
• MSN Messenger 7.5 Build 0299 Final - Microsoft has released for download an updated version of MSN Messenger - this is the final version 7.5 (build 0299). Among the new features are Dymanic Backgrounds and Voice Clips. Dynamic Backgrounds fill your MSN Messenger conversations and subtly animate during the conversation. Voice Clips allow you to send short audio clips (15 secs max) to your friends on MSN Messenger.
• PSPad UNICODE 4.5.0 (2125) Beta - PSPad (download package + installator) is a text and code editor.
  Futuris Imager 5.3.1 - Futuris Imager (download / plugins) is a compact and simple image viewer. It is capable of opening more then 30 graphical formats, including all popular ones (GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, JPEG2000 and so on).
• K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.37 - This new version adds three BSplayer skins and includes ffdshow build 2005-08-22, MP4 splitter build 2005-08-18, Matroska splitter (Haali) build 2005-08-18, CoreAAC version 1.2.0.573, CoreVorbis version 1.1.0.79, DC-DSP Filter version 1.03.
• RatDVD 0.75 - The new version gives you more control about the encoded video. DVDs can be analyzed and the new "Constant Average Bitrate" mode allows users to specify the bitrate of the encoded ratDVDs and thus the size of the encoded ratDVD.
• PlexTools Professional v2.25 - With PlexTools you can perform various tasks, using your Plextor optical drive, ranging from digital audio extraction, burning CD/DVD compilations and advanced quality measurements. Users who have an original PlexTools installation CD can install the upgrade for free, if you haven't got this CD you can purchase the software online :]
• Microsoft IntelliPoint 5.2
• Firmware R 4.3.2 for THOMSON Speedtouch 500v4 Series (510 & 530) - This latest official version adds support for advanced firewall configuration, gaming & application NAPT assignment, dynamic DNS, user mgnt, local network mgnt, advanced remote mgnt, advanced diagnostic tools, easy task selection GUI. (thanks Siegfried)

This dual-core CPU design will support an array of Intel technologies, including 64-bit EM64T compatibility, virtualization, enhanced security, and active management capabilities. Intel says the new chips will deliver big improvements in performance per watt, especially compared to its Netburst-based offerings.

At 14 stages, the main pipeline will be a little bit longer than current Pentium M processors. The cores will be a wider, more parallel design capable of issuing, executing, and retiring four instructions at once. (Current x86 processors are generally three-issue.) The CPU will, of course, feature out-of-order instruction execution and will also have deeper buffers than current Intel processors. These design changes should give the new architecture significantly more performance per clock, and somewhat consequently, higher performance per watt.

Unlike Intel's current dual-core CPU designs, which don't really share resources or communicate with one another except over the front-side bus, this new design looks to be a much more intentionally multicore design. The on-die L2 cache will be shared between the two cores, and Intel says the relative bandwidth per core will be higher than its current chips. L2 cache size is widely scalable to different sizes for different products. The L1 caches will remain separate and tied to a specific core, but the CPU will be able to transfer data directly from one core's L1 cache to another. Naturally, these CPUs will thus have two cores on a single die.

The first implementation of the architecture will not include Hyper-Threading, but Intel (somewhat cryptically) says to expect additional threads over time. I don't believe that means HT capability will be built into silicon but not initially made active, because Intel expressly cited transistor budget as a reason for excluding HT.

On the memory front, the new architecture is slated to have the ever-present "improved pre-fetch" of data into cache, and it will also include what Intel calls "memory disambiguation." That sounds an awful lot like a NUMA arrangement similar to what's found on AMD's Opteron, but I don't believe it is. This feature seems to be related to a speculative load capability instead..

SECURITY...

• IE Workarounds For Zero-Day Exploit - Microsoft has offered a number of workaround in its advisory to further mitigate risk. In related news, Liston, however, warned that once the "killbit" is set to prevent the use of Msdds.dll as an ActiveX, all applications that use the COM object utility will break.
• Microsoft UPnP MS05-039 Vulnerability Detection Utility - MS05-039 Scan 1.0 is a Windows based detection and analysis utility that can quickly and accurately identify Microsoft operating systems that are vulnerable to the multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities released in the
  MS05-039 bulletin.
• Hacker Hits Air Force Officer Database - An online intruder has disappeared into the wild blue yonder with personal data on approximately half of the US Air Force's 70,000 officers.
• Web of Crime Series - In this five-part series, PCWorld show you the global scope of the problem and how innocent PCs are turned into zombie armies to threaten and extort money from businesses.
• Hotel hacking could pump smut into every room - During a stay in a hotel belonging to an unnamed worldwide chain, a SecureTest staffer paid for internet connectivity. He found TCP port 5001 open on the in-room IP enabled TV providing the service. Connecting to this port a full TV maintenance menu was displayed over which it was possible to carry out test procedures, change channels or turn the TV on and off.
• WindowsXP SP3 Fixes and Features Preview *Updated* - Here's the unofficial fix list for Windows XP SP3. The SP3 isn't even close to beta yet, so this by no means is the final list and new fixes are added almost daily.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Google Prepares to Take On Microsoft on the Desktop  - Google on Monday launched a beta version of the forthcoming upgrade of its desktop search tool, and on Wednesday the company is expected to unveil a "communications tool" that is said to be a step beyond the company's current search-related business focus.
• Apple Demands French Web Site Remove OS X on Intel Videos - It has confirmed by eWEEK that Apple sent a letter to the French Web site MacBidouille asking the site's owners to remove posted videos and torrent files for the videos. These videos showed a version of Mac OS X for Intel running on generic PCs, rather than on the Intel-based developer kits Apple made available to developers for a fee.
• MSDN users to get early access to Visual Studio 2005 tools - Subscribers to MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) will get early access to the general availability releases of the Visual Studio 2005 developer toolset and SQL Server 2005 database.
• IDF August 2005: ATi - Multi Graphics - Hexus.net has posted their IDF coverage with word from San Francisco on ATI's multi graphics solution.
• AMD adds faster 25W Turions - AMD has added Turion 64 MT-37 and MT-40 processors to its mobile lineup. The MT-37 clocks in at 2.0GHz and will sell for $268 in 1,000-unit quantities, while the MT-40 runs at 2.2GHz and has a $359 price tag.
• Intel Takes Cool to the Core - This week Intel will reveal details about a new chip architecture that will allow the company to put a lid on the runaway power consumption of its Pentium 4 and Xeon chips and to create chips with more than one processing core.
• Albatron debuts PC6600 LE SLI graphics card - Albatron Technology today unveiled its Nvidia NV43 based graphics cards (PC6600LE and PC6600LEQ) for the entry-level market. The products will first be released in Taiwan and then be shipped globally in a few months time
• Laptops Ready for American 3G - Sierra Wireless today announced they have a PCI Express Mini HSDPA modem, in addition to a CDMA EV-DO. model announced previously. These modems are designed to be factory installed in laptops to provide high speed cellular data without additional PC cards

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - Intel Pentium D 840 Dual-Core LGA775 CPU
• Motherboard - Socket 939 Motherboard Roundup | ABIT AN8-SLI nForce4-SLI | Abit Fatal1ty AN8-SLI AMD / ABIT AW8-MAX i955X | ECS PF21 Extreme 925XE | ECS RS-480M | EPoX 5LDA+GLi | EPoX 5NVA+SLI (NF4 SLI Intel edition) | Foxconn 925XE7AA | MSI RD480 Neo2 | Sapphire Pure K8 | Sapphire's PI-A9RX480
• RAM - OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 1024MB Gold Edition Dual Channel (2GB) Memory Kit | PowerColor GameFX Radeon X800 GT 256MB PCIe
• Storage - BenQ DW1640 16x DVD+-RW Double Layer DVD Writer | HP dvd640e External DVD Writer
• Video - 7800GTX round-up | ATI Graphics complete round-up | ASUS Extreme N7800GTX TOP/2DHTV | ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Mac & PC Edition: One Card for All | ATI TV Wonder Elite Video Card | BFG Tech GeForce 7800 GT OC | GeForce 7800 GT from ASUS and eVGA | MSI NC7800GTX | NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT | NVIDIA GeForce FX5700VE 256MB
• Monitor - Samsung SyncMaster 243T LCD Monitor
• Cooling - asetek VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Blue Ice Northbridge Chipset Cooler | Noiseblocker NB-UltraSilentFan Series Blue | TITAN TWC-A05 Bianca Water Cooler | Zalman CNPS9500 vs Asetek Microchill Coolers | Zalman VF700-cu LED VGA Cooler
• WaterCooling - Kingwin AquaStar AS3000 Liquid Cooling Kit
• Case - Antec P180 Advanced Super Mid-Tower Case | Antec Sonata II Case | Lian Li PC-777 20th Anniversary Memorial Case | Sunbeam Trio Case | Thermaltake Muse 3.5 HDD Enclosure
• PSU/UPS - 1 Kilowatt PSU | Seasonic S12 330W, 120mm PSU
• Sound - Sound Blaster X-Fi
• Peripheral - Hiper Clavier Aluminum Keyboard | Microsoft Remote Keyboard | Sunbeamtech Pro-Series Illuminated Keyboard | Qpad Gamer LowSense | XTrac Mad Dotz and InstaGlide
• Network - D-Link DGL4300 Gaming Router
• Modding - 15 great mods from QuakeCon 2005 | Boogie Bug Modding Accessories | Darth Vader Mini-ITX Mod | Sunbeam Trio Case
• Miscelanous - DoubleSight PC Expanion (allow the user to connect a monitor, PS2 mouse and keyboard, and speakers to a remote machine via only an Ethernet cable) / Ultra-Cord retractable USB 1.1 cable /  Tech Toys roundup (backlit EL keyboard, a dual-tuner TV card and a new modular PSU from Tagan, as well as some PSP accessories) | TomTom GO 700 GPS receiver
• Notebook - Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi AMD Turion64 ML-37 Laptop | Recommended Laptop Accessories | Winbook X530 (X series-model) Notebook
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players- Creative Zen Touch | FujiFilm Finepix F10 Digital Camera (ByteSector) | FujiFilm Finepix F10 Digital Camera (Designtechnica) | Philips DVP 642 DVD Player | Sony Walkman Bean MP3 player
• Cell phones -   Motorola L2/L6 (v270/v280) GSM phone

GUIDES...

• Windows Keyboard Shortcuts - This Tech Tip is going to follow a different format than the norm and will list a few dozen of these hot keys that can be used to make working in Microsoft Windows even easier.

SOFTWARE...

• AutoPatcher XP August 2005 - AutoPatcher is a comprehensive collection of patches, addons and registry tweaks that give you peace of mind in the knowledge that your Windows system is up to date, even before you connect it to the Internet. It's designed to quickly patch a system with the most current updates and tweaks available, and requires no user interaction once you have selected what to install.
• Google Desktop Search 2.0 Beta (With Sidebar) - Google Desktop Search provides full text search over your email, computer files, chats, and the web pages you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, it puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails, and bookmarks.
• Port Monster - With Port Monster, you can not only be protected from Internet offenses and attacks, but also, you can know for sure if anyone is trying to connect to your computer.
• 3d Traceroute 2.1.5:11 - 3d Traceroute is a replacement for your ping plotters and traceroute programs. It is a full blown three dimensional traceroute program.
• BitTorrent 4.0.4 - Another original BiTorrent (download) release...
• FileZilla 2.2.15 - FileZilla (download) is a fast FTP and SFTP client for Windows with a lot of features. FileZilla Server is a reliable FTP server.
• VisualCron 2.5.0 - VisualCron (download) is windowsbased program that works like the integrated task scheduler but have more features and flexibility. VisualCron is based on the Unix/Linux version of cron.
• EVEREST Home Edition v2.20 - It offers accurate hardware information and diagnostics capabilities, including online features, memory benchmarks, hardware monitoring, and low-level hardware information.
• Delete Locked Files - Unlocker 1.71 - Helps delete locked files with error messages like: Cannot delete file: Access is denied, There has been a sharing violation, etc.
• New Audio Software for Audigy 1 - 2 ZS - Creative Labs have released a new Audio Software for Audigy 1 and Audigy 2 ZS

SECURITY...

• Microsoft IE Remote Code Execution Exploit (0day) - Critical - FrSIRT have identified a critical vulnerability with Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP SP1 and SP2.
• Microsoft offers Zotob removal tool - Microsoft on Wednesday made available a free software tool to help victims of the worms that hit Windows computers in the past days clean their systems.
• Hackers fight to create world's largest Botnet - Experts are warning that the sharp rise in malware activity this week is being caused by hacking groups competing with each other to create large botnets of remote controlled PCs.
• How To Create An Uncrackable Password - The TechZone shows you how to create a password that can't be crack

TECHNOLOGY...

• DVDShrink is no more? *Forum update* - It appears that DVDShrink has finally been taken down. After losing DVD Decrypter, this is devastating blow...checkout this thread.
• Game Boy Micro due in September - Nintendo said Thursday it will launch Game Boy Micro, a new mobile-phone-size game console, in Japan on Sept. 13 with a price tag of 12,000 yen-- just under $110--about a week before the U.S. launch.
• Free cell phone games big, paid ones not - Cell phone companies, carriers and software developers are betting big on the future of mobile gaming, wagering that consumers will drop big bucks to play videogames on their cell phones. But new research indicates that the market may need a power-up.
• Dave Matthews Band tells users a DRM workaround for its CD - The Dave Matthews Band has decided to provide its listeners with a way to get around the DRM on its latest album "Stand Up" in order to transfer their CD to an iPod.
• World's First 3D Display Revealed - The world's first interactive 3D display has been developed by IO2 Technology. HelioDisplay creates 3D displays in the air using lasers, drawing input from computers, TVs and DVDs. It also allows interactive applications to be controlled by a finger, instead of a mouse.
• VIA unveils new VN800 chipset for mobile apps - VIA is back with the new VN800 core-logic silicon for mobile processors, including the Pentium M and VIA's own C7-M CPU.
• XFX offers "Double Lifetime" warranty coverage - XFX has beefed up its warranties, offering "Double Lifetime" coverage for all GeForce 6- and 7-series graphics cards

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - Dual-core Pentium Platform Comparison | AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice CPU | Intel Pentium D 820
• Motherboard - Albatron K8SLI | ASUS Extreme N7800 GTX TOP | ASUS P5WD2 Premium 955X Motherboard | ASRock 775Dual-880Pro | ECS KN1 Extreme nForce4 Ultra (Bjorn3D) | ECS KN1 Extreme nForce 4 Ultra (PCPer) | Gigabyte 8VT880P Combo | Shuttle SN26P with SLI
• RAM - Corsair XMS2-5400UL | OCZ EL DDR PC-3500 Gold GX Dual Channel Memory | OCZ Platinum EL PC-4800 Elite Dual Channel DDR Memory Kit
• Storage -  Maxtor OneTouch II FireWire 800 Edition | Seagate Barracuda 400GB SATA | Western Digital Raptor WD740GD HDD
• Video - ATI Graphics round-up | AOpen 6600GT | ASUS Extreme N7800 GTX TOP | ATI X800XT All In Wonder | BFG GeForce 7800 GTX OC | EVGA e-GeForce 6800 GT | MSI GeForce 7800 GTX cards SLI | NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT (SLI) | Sapphire Radeon X550 | XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked
• Monitor  - BenQ FP91V 19-inch 4ms TFT LCD at HWZ | NEC MultiSync FE992-BK 19" CRT Monitor
• Water Cooling - Asetek Power Kit w-Triple Radiator Water Cooling | astek WaterChill 12volt Pump | Evercool WC-202 Watercooling Kit | Kingwin AquaStar Liquid Cooler Kit
• Cooling - Jetart HCA05 HDD Guard 3.5" Bay Hard Disk Cooler | Spire SP503S0-1 Intel Pentium 4 Heatsink
• Case - Ahanix D-Vine MCE601 HTPC Case | NZXT Nemesis Elite Edition ATX PC Case | ThermalRock Mystic desktop computer case
• PSU/UPS - HIPER HPU-4B580MU 580Watt PSU
• Sound - Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 4 Pro Sound Card | Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Preview | M-Audio StudioPro 4 Speakers | Steelpad Steel Sound 5H Headset
• Peripheral - Hiper Clavier Aluminum Keyboard | Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse | Microsoft Media Center Edition Keyboard | Sunbeamtech Acrylic Lite-Up Keyboard | Titan Serina Cooling Pad | Ulti-mat Precison Mouse Pad | Wireless optical desktop and Bluetooth mouse | XTrac Mad Dotz and InstaGlide
• Network -
• Modding - XSPC 20x4 Blue Character LCD
• Miscelanous -
• Notebook - Evesham Quest Roma MT 37 Turion Notebook
• Cameras, MP3 players- iRiver H340 Media Player | Olympus mrobe MR-100 Portable Media Player | Pentax Optio S5z Digital Camera | Samsung YEPP YH-925 MP3 Player
• Cell phones - Motorola SLVR L7 | Samsung X700 | ZYXEL P-2000W v2 VoIP Wi-Fi phone

GUIDES...

• NVIDIA SLI GeForce 6600GT performance - Elitebastards take a look at  the kind of performance that can be garnered from a GeForce 6600GT-based SLI setup over using a single 6600GT board.
• Asus's PEG Link Mode investigated - Adrijan Rojak's Pot tested the PEG Link Mode using the NVIDIA GeForce 6800GT PCIe graphics card: The effect on the 6800 Ultra was minimal, with a variance of only about 2%. That's probably because PEG Link Mode only overclocked its memory bus. Evidently, the 6800 Ultra has plenty of memory bandwidth. The difference would be more evident in cards with limited memory bandwidth. When it comes to the ATI X300, PEG Link Mode definitely improved its performance by 8-9% in the benchmarks we ran! That's a significant boost in performance.
• Power Supply Tutorial - Everything you need to know about power supplies, including types, how to calculate its true power, efficiency, power factor correction (PFC) and more.
• Windows Genuine Advantage, Two Weeks Later - Here's a consolidated list of what works and doesn't work
• XP Myths - Myths Regarding Windows XP v1.2.4 - There are numerous Myths floating around the Internet regarding Windows XP, especially relating to Optimizations and Security. Hopefully this site will debunk some of these.

SOFTWARE...

• Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 7.0.3 Update - The update fixes a security flaw - download
• ChrisTV Lite 4.60 - ChrisTV Lite - The best way to control your TV Card - TV on your PC with High quality image and sound- developed by Chris P.C. srl for TV Tuners with WDM Drivers installed
• FireTune 1.06 - FireTune for Mozilla Firefox v1.x was developed for an easy and fast optimization of your browsing experience with Firefox.
• McAfee AVERT Stinger 2.5.6 - Stinger (download) is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system.
• EliteToolbar Remover 2.0.1 - The new EliteToolbar Remover (download) deletes any traces of many persistent malwares.
• Sysinternal's Process Explorer 9.21 - Process Explorer (download) shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
• Google Toolbar 3.0.125.1 - The Google Toolbar (Win2k/XP / Win9x/ME) increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web and takes only seconds to install
• WinAce 2.6 Final (shw) - WinAce (download) is not just another archiving shell. With it's own powerful compression format ACE and built-in support for other popular compression types like ZIP, RAR and MS-CAB (to name a few), WinAce could actually become the only archiver you need.
• BSPlayer 1.35.823 -  BSplayer is windows player for playing back avi/asf/mpeg video files. It can also display subtitles.
• NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) v2.4 - MVKTech has just released a new version of NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) software. NiBiTor is the original and defenitive BIOS tweaker that supports the latest NVIDIA graphics cards.
• ATI Tray Tools v1.0.3.730 - ATI Tray Tools is a small utility that can be found in the windows tray which then allows instant access to options and settings
• Audio Console for Creative Sound Blaster Audigy audio cards 1.20.22 - This web release installs the Audio Console application for the following Creative Sound Blaster series audio devices only: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy, Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum and Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX series; Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 including Platinum, Platinum eX and Value series; Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS including Platinum and Platinum Pro series; Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro.
• Forceware 77.79 Windows x64 - A new beta ForceWare driver has been leaked by OSNN. You have to install it manually through the Device Manager because of the lack of an installer.
• ForceWare 78.11 Win2000/XP 32-bit - Dell released a new ForceWare driver today intended for their mobile quadro platform. In it's official form the driver did not support many GeForce graphics cards. This version includes a modified .inf file.
• ATi Linux Drivers 8.16.20 - ATi has released an updated suite of drivers for Linux.

SECURITY...

• Microsoft Security Advisory (899588) updated for exploit - Microsoft is actively analyzing and providing guidance on a malicious worm identified as "Worm:Win32/Zotob.A", which is currently circulating on the Internet. The worm is a malicious attack which exploits the Windows Plug and Play vulnerability addressed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-039 on August 9, 2005. The worm creates 16 threads to scan for infectable systems. The worm targets random class B IP addresses, sending SYN packets to TCP Port 445. When a vulnerable system is found, buffer overflow and shellcode is sent to the remote system, creating an FTP script and launching FTP.EXE to download and execute the worm from the source system.
• Windows 2000 Plug and Play Universal Exploit - A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Plug and Play (PnP) that allows an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability to take complete control of the affected system, the following exploit code can be used to test your system for the mentioned vulnerability.

TECHNOLOGY...

• Xbox 360 may not always have a hard drive, confirms Allard - Speaking in the September issue of US magazine Game Informer, Allard said that the company isn't yet ready to announce details of possible multiple models of the Xbox 360, with the presence of a hard drive being touted as one potential difference between models.
• Windows Mobile Smartphones Get Wi-Fi - Qtek has announced two new Windows Mobile Smartphones with built-in Wi-Fi, the Qtek 8300 and 8310. The phones run Windows Mobile 5, which is the first Smartphone version to support Wi-Fi in addition to cellular protocols. In addition to Wi-Fi and quad-band GSM / GPRS with EDGE, both handsets have a 2.2" QVGA display, 1.3 Megapixel camera and MiniSD slot. The 8300 features dedicated media playback buttons, while the 8310 has 2 application keys.
• Boost Mobile Announces Two GPS Games - In Swordfish, players must use the GPS to move to schools of fish and cast the phone towards them. Once a swordfish is hooked, the game becomes a standard arcade fishing game. Torpedo Bay is more actively location based. Players move the streets hunting for enemy subs (other players) as well as other targets and bonus items. Each game costs $5.99 for the first month and 2.99 for following months.
• Google Halts Scanning of Copyrighted Books - Google has halted its efforts to scan copyrighted books from some of the nation's largest university libraries so the material can be indexed in its leading Internet search engine.
• Scientists invent pee-powered battery - Researchers in Singapore have developed a paper battery that is powered by urine. The battery is composed of paper, soaked in copper chloride, sandwiched between layers of magnesium and copper. The whole thing, once laminated in plastic, is just a millimetre thick, and 6cm by 3cm in size. The researchers report that with just 0.2 millilitres of urine the battery will provide around 1.5 volts, with a maximum power output of 1.5 milli-Watts
• Intel slashes Pentium 4 6xx prices - All five 6xx-class processors had their prices cut. The 3.8GHz 670 fell from $851 to $605, a fall of 28.9 per cent. The 3.6GHz 660 was cut to $401, 33.7 per cent off its previous price, $605. The 3.4GHz 650 now costs $273, down from $401, a cut of 31.9 per cent. The 3.2GHz 640 dropped 20.2 per cent, from $273 to $218. And the 3GHz 630 now costs $178, down 20.5 per cent from $224.
• Design issues delay R520 launch - In a recent investors Q&A session ATI’s Senior Vice President of the PC Business Unit, Rick Bergman, on the subject of R520 said "We had hoped to have that product in the June timeframe, but unfortunately due to a variety of design issues it has moved out to the September / October timeframe for launch". This is more or less in-line with the late summer launch previously mentioned by Dave Orton.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Athlon 3800+
• Motherboard - ECS KN1 Extreme nForce 4 Ultra | ECS RS400-A | Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 | MSI Socket 775 Motherboard Shootout
• RAM - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 667 DDR2 PC2-5300 memory | Mushkin DDR2 6400 Memory
• Storage - Western Digital Essential NetCenter 320GB NAS Box
• Video - AOpen 6600-DV128LP | BFG 7800 GT OC (GameSpot) | BFG GeForce 7800 GTX OC (NVNews) | e-Geforce 7800GT 256MB PCIe VIVO | eVGA GeForce 7800GT videocard | EVGA e-GeForce 6800 GT | SAPPHIRE X800 GT Hybrid 256MB PCI-Express | VisionTek Xtasy Theater 550 Pro | XFX GeForce 7800GT SLI
• Monitor  - Samsung SyncMaster 930MP 19-inch LCD Monitor
• Water Cooling - Asetek WaterChill 3/8" ID Power Kit, CPU/GPU/NB Waterblocks | Gigabyte 3D Galaxy water cooling kit | Thermaltake BigWater Computer Water Cooling System
• Cooling - Antec Vcool VGA Cooler | Coolermaster RF-5AD Musketeer 3 | Evercool PT03-9232CP CPU cooler | Evercool LGA77 CPU cooler | Jetart HCA05 HDD Guard 3.5" Bay HDD cooler | Nexus AXP-3200 SkiveTek CPU Cooler | Sharkoon Silent Eagle Case Fan | Thermaltake Golden Orb II heatsink | TTIC NPH-K8-2 Cooler
• Case - Lian Li PC-V1200 Plus Case | Lian Li PC-V2100 Full Tower | ThermalRock Eclipse ATX | Yeong Yang Aquarius YY-5604 middle tower
  
• PSU/UPS -Aerocool AeroPower II+SE PSU | Hiper Typer R 580W PSU | Hiper HPU-4M480 / 480 Watt Power Supply | Thermaltake TWV500W 500W PSU
• Sound - Altec Lansing inMotion iM3 iPod Speaker System | Chaintech AV-710 Audio Card | Steelpad Steel Sound 5H Professional Gaming Headset (videoreview)
• Peripheral - Bluetake BT510 Bluetooth Mouse and BT009Si Bluetooth Adapter | Optorite ML100 Laser Mouse | Razer Diamondback Plasma Gaming Mouse | Saitek X52 joystick | Ulti-Mat Peripherals Mouse Pad | SunbeamTech Pro Series Illuminated Keyboard
• Network - Western Digital Essential NetCenter 320GB NAS Box
• Modding - Battlefield 2 case mods
• Miscelanous - Playseat Deriving Chair
• Notebook - Amacrox NB Kit | Dell Inspiron 700m Notebook
• Cameras, MP3 players- iRiver H340 Media Player | Olympus mrobe MR-100 Portable Media Player
• Cell phones - Orange SPV C550 / Voxtel VS400 GSM phone

GUIDES...

• WiFi - Wireless networking explained - The underlying principle of WiFi is that computers communicate with one another over a radio frequency in much the same way that handheld transceiver are used by friends to chat with one another on the road. One key difference, though, is the bandwidths each uses.
• CoDecs Guide - CoDecs compress and decompress data. The word CoDec is a shortening of the term Compressor/Decompressor. Compressing a data stream or a file reduces its data rate.
• How To Reinstall Windows XP - This purpose of this guide is to give you a checklist to follow so that a reloading of Windows goes smoothly the first time.
• Catalyst 5.7 drivers: memory limited performance improvements - Another not-so-great thing about the new drivers is that some of the performance increase claims in the driver release notes are slightly misleading. While we did see a lot of the gains that they mentioned in most of the games, we found many of these increases to be with cards so limited (performance-wise) that they didn't matter.
• NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) Guide - NiBiTor, offers the latest in uber tweaking, gaining full control over the latest releases of supported GPU's. The latest release allows full manipulation over the Geometric Delta clocks of the latest video card technology found on supporting cards

SOFTWARE...

• Aircrack - 802.11 Sniffer and WEP/WPA Key Cracker - download
• Fraps 2.6.4 - Fraps (download) is designed as a generic tool for DirectX and OpenGL games. In its current form Fraps performs many tasks and can best be described as: Benchmarking Software, Screen Capture Software and Realtime Video Capture Software.
• DeepBurner Portable - DeepBurner Portable works straight from your removable media, whether it's a USB flash drive, compact flash card, or even a good old floppy.
• BenQ DW1640 firmware - BenQ QSuite 2.0 improves writing quality for DVD+R & DVD-R media., add SolidBurn Technology and Overspeed ability.  The download link for the firmware is here.
• Wireless Vista BETA drivers - Intel  PRO/Wireless 2100 (Release Notes / Drivers) / Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG / 2915ABG (Release Notes / Drivers)
• ForceWare 78.10 Win 2000/XP - Pieter over at laptopvideo2go found these drivers at Fujitsu Siemens, for their Amilo laptop series. Try only at your own risk.