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 Gameguru Mania News - Aug,01 2003 - tech 
Friday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 05:18 PM CEST - Aug,01 2003 - Post a comment / read (3)
  • EA Sees Countdown to Next-Generation Game Consoles - In an interview with Reuters, EA CEO Larry Probst also said he expected industry leader Sony Corp to make a decision in the next 30 to 45 days on whether to cut the price of its PlayStation 2 console again this fiscal year.
  • Hackers turn to Google to find weakest links -Computer hackers have adopted a startling strategy in their attempts to break into websites. By using the popular search engine Google, they do not have to visit a site to plan an attack. Instead, they can get all the information they need from Google's cached versions of web pages, say experts in the US. One way that hackers can break into a website is by hunting for private pages that contain the usernames and passwords required to access secure parts of the site. These pages are usually hidden from the casual browser because there are no hyperlinks to them on the web.
  • U.S. gives warning about hackers - The U.S. government has issued a stern warning that computer hackers may be preparing to launch a sweeping attack that could potentially compromise millions of computers running Microsoft Corp.'s popular Windows operating systems. The SANS Institute, an Internet security firm based in Bethesda, Md., estimates that about 2,000 computers around the world are at work scanning for vulnerabilities. Johannes Ullrich, SANS chief technology officer, estimates that about 20 per cent of the world's computers have been searched for flaws and thousands of users probably are unaware their systems have been successfully breached.
  • Europe Battles Insiders-Turned-Hackers - The security adviser for the European Electronic Crimes Task Force in Milan, Italy, warned this week that Europe is dealing with a growing problem that has already had ramifications for governments and businesses around the world: insiders who become hackers for profit.
  • Network Solutions glitch darkens sites - A software glitch in Network Solutions' hosted Web addressing system knocked what may have been as many as 30,000 Web sites and e-mail addresses offline for several hours Thursday morning. The problem with the company's hosted domain name service, which provides links from sites' domain names to the numbered Internet addresses where data is actually reached, affected only Web sites which had allowed Network Solutions to take over this address-book service for them. The company had recently touted the near-infallibility of its addressing system as a core selling point for new customers.
  • UK P2P users may face legal action - The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is waiting until the new European Union copyright directive is implemented before it decides whether to take legal action against UK peer-to-peer (P2P) users. The BPI has no current plans to follow the actions of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sue individuals who download music from P2P sites, saying that it prefers to educate people rather than take a heavy handed approach.
  • Virtual reality conquers sense of taste - Already, virtual reality devices have been built that try to simulate experiences for four of our five senses - vision, hearing, touch and smell. But the complexity of the sense of taste has made it difficult for computers to conquer. Taste combines the feel of food in the mouth with chemical and even auditory cues. Before simulating a foodstuff, the team first measures and records various phenomena associated with chewing it. One such parameter is the force required to bite through a piece of the food. A thin-film force sensor placed in a subject's mouth records these forces. Biological sensors made of lipid and polymer membranes record the major chemical constituents of the food's taste. And a microphone records the audible vibrations produced in the jawbone while chewing.
  • Intel Celeron price cuts revealed - Intel is expected to cut the prices of its Celeron desktop processors on 24 August, but until now the extent to which those prices will be reduced has not leaked out of the chip giant. The Celeron price cuts will be accompanied by the launch of a 2.7GHz chip at $103.
  • Broadcom Debuts 10 Gb Ethernet Switch  - The Irvine, Calif.-based company said its new Broadcom BCM5673 is a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) multi-layer switch with a HiGig uplink port that delivers wire-speed Layer 2 through Layer 7 switching and routing capabilities over copper already found in most data centers -- 10GBASE-CX4 specifically.
  • AOL delivers AOL 9.0 Optimized  - America Online Inc. (AOL) is ready to deliver AOL 9.0 Optimized (first look), touting it as its "most compelling upgrade" ever, beginning with broadband users who can get the software starting Friday. The AOL 9.0 Optimized client software offers enhancements in spam filters and parental control as well as new features such as a blogging tool and shared family calendaring, among a host of other updates, AOL said in a statement Thursday.
  • K8 AXP 3100 processor on Socket 754 photo - OCWorkbench has posted a photo of the K8 AXP 3100 processor on Socket 754.
  • Xeon vs Opteron: Memories Of The cache battle? - The most often cited aspect of the competition between Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron is the extra 64-bitness of the AMD platform, at a price competitive with the Xeons. Fine, yes, Opteron extends the X86 architecture to true 64-bit level in a reasonably elegant manner, knowing all the quirks of the 20 yeards old platform and its zillion patch-ups over time. And it still keeps full native 32-bit performance along the way. But what about something that is equally important in both 32-bit and 64-bit scenarios? The memory and I/O hierarchy? Is there a genuine threat for Xeon there, and does the launch of 1 MB L3 cache XeonDP surprise us then? If you look within the CPUs, "Prestonia" Xeon has 512K L2 cache coupled with 16 KB L1 data cache plus trace cache, just like its mirror image, the Northwood Pentium 4. Opteron has a larger 1 MB cache, coupled with 2 x 64 KB L1 caches.
  • AMD Opteron 2.0GHz "Benchmarks" Revealed - AMD confirmed the upcoming Opteron 2.0GHz processor release by publishing the Composite Theoretical Performance (CTP) calculations for AMD Opteron microprocessors, including x40, x42, x44 and x46 chips with 1.40, 1.60, 1.80 and 2.0GHz core-clocks respectively. The CTP calculations are stated in Millions of Theoretical Operations Per Second (MTOPS) and are based upon a formula in the United States Department of Commerce Export Administration Regulations 15 CFR 774 (Advisory Note 4 for Category 4).
  • Corsair TwinX1024-4000 Troubleshooting - Viper's Lair has posted some useful informations about Corsair TwinX1024-4000 memory.
  • HW reviews GFX Round-up - 3DLabs Wildcat VP990 | ATi & Nvidia Video Card Roundup | ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB | Explorer Technology GeForce FX5200 | FIC A96P Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB | Leadtek WinFast A350 TDH MyVIVO | MSI FX5900-VTD128 | Solarism Flex-View LM-1730 17in LCD Monitor | Acer AL716 17” LCD Display
  • HW reviews MB/CPU/RAM Round-up  - Intel Pentium M 1.4GHz CPU | Kingmax PC3500 Memor | ASUS & Gigabyte i875P/i865PE | Epox 8K9A9I | FIC Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB | Gigabyte 7VAX1394-A KT400A
  • HW reviews Storage Round-up - Compact Flash 1 GB RAM Comparison | Lite-On LTR-52327S 52/32/52 CD-RW
  • HW reviews Case/Cooling Round-up  - A+GPB - CA-AP107 Case | AOpen A600 Case | Athenatech A747-SS Case | iCute 0314TL-BS Case | Nexus PHT-3600 P4 Heatsink | Thermaltake Fireball Fan
  • HW Reviews Sound - M-Audio Revolution 7.1 Sound Card | iRock 730i MP3 Player
  • HW Reviews Network Round-up - Buffalo Tech WLA2-G54 AirStation 54-Mbps Wireless Compact Repeater Bridge-g | Linksys EG008W Gigabit 8-Port Workgroup Switch | SMC EZ Connect 2642W WiFi Adapter
  • HW Reviews Misc Round-up -  Eumax Transfer Panel | HP iPAQ h2210 | NEC e606 & Three Network | Gateway 200XL Laptop Review
  • Stereo VU Meter Guide - The LM 3916 is an integrated circuit (IC) that takes analog voltage levels and drives 10 LEDs, LCDs, or vacuum fluorescent displays to represent digital voltage levels just like a VU meter. An LM3916 IC will take one signal source. Thus if you want to display a stereo representation of your audio, you must install 2 LM3916 ICs.
  • Windows XP Refresh Guide - Tweak3D has posted a Windows XP Refresh Guide on making your aging Windows XP installation run like new. Reinstalling the OS usually takes too much time and effort, so for now we'll just 'refresh' our Windows XP install with a few tricks of the trade.
  • 3DMark 03 Performance Factors -  Aces Hardware has posted a nice editorial which will make you see 3DMark 03 in a different light. "While doing some research on an old 350 MHz Pentium II system, Johan came across some interesting results while benchmarking 3DMark03. When equipped with a high-end video card, like a Radeon 9700 Pro, the 350 MHz Pentium II was able to more than keep pace with a 1.4 GHz Pentium III Celeron and even a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 in several of the 3DMark03 game tests. Perhaps this should not come as a suprise, since 3DMark03 is, after all, primarily a video card benchmark. But how much of one? Given the sheer magnitude of difference between the 350 MHz Pentium II and more modern hardware, we decided to investigate further."
  • Nero 6 Recode introduces "bug" that could wipe hard drive - German online magazine PCwelt.de reports that Nero 6 contains a 'bug' that could delete your entire harddrive. The bug is introduced with the Nero 6 Recode project. Bug might even not be the correct word for it, it seems more that Ahead forgot to limit the feature to empty the destination folder for temporarily files. If this destination directory is set to the root of a disc (e.g C : ) and if the question: "Destination folder is not empty, do you wish to clear it" is answered with yes, all files will be deleted. Description (badly translated with Babelfish): Who clicks now over-hurried on "Yes" and had selected as goal file a root listing, short time experiences later its blue miracle: not only a "Video_ts" file put on in the goal file in former times is deleted, but also all other files and file on the partition concerned are deseamed within seconds by the plate. The user is nevertheless asked still whether he wants to delete the files. A "Design error" is not however nevertheless. Because actually the user should assume "Nero Recode" means the existing "Video_ts" file in under "the target folder" indicated drive assembly and/or listing.
  • Java Runtime Does Not Initialize the WMP Fix- If you use a version of Netscape Navigator that has an embedded tag for the Windows Media Player 9 Series OCX control, the Java Runtime may not initialize the control. This problem occurs because the Windows Media Player 9 Series OCX control uses methods that are no longer supported by Netscape -> download fix
  • Windows Memory Diagnostic - The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard. Windows Memory Diagnostic is designed to be easy and fast. On most configurations, you can download the diagnostic, read the documentation, run the test and complete the first test pass in less than 30 minutes.
  • Windows Services For UNIX 3.5 beta - Before you continue, it is important to understand that the Beta release of any product will not display the stability of a shipped Microsoft product. You may encounter problems with beta release of Services for UNIX version 3.5 (download), which could possibly result in a loss or destruction of data. This release is not appropriate for production use, and we suggest that you back up your existing data before you install and run this software.
  • B-Free 0.0.20 - The B-Free project is a collaborative work aimed at creating a BTRON operating system from scratch, with free distribution. It is a preemptive multitasking operating system constructed through micro-kernel technology, which assumes 32-bit or higher CPUs.
  • PHP 4.3.3RC2  - PHP 4.3.3RC2 has been released for testing. This is the first release candidate and should have a very low number of problems and/or bugs.
  • phpMyAdmin 2.5.3 RC1 and 2.5.2pl1 - phpMyAdmin (changelog) can manage a whole MySQL-server (needs a super-user) but also a single database.
  • Diet Kaza (formerly KaZaA Tap) v2.51 - Diet Kazaa is a utility that removes all advertising, speeds up searches, gives more results and takes out useless icons (i.e. Shopping).
  • VideoLAN 0.6.1  - The VideoLAN Client can read the stream from the network and display it. It can also be used to display video read locally on the computer : DVDs, VCDs, MPEG and DivX files and from a satellite card. It is multi-plaform: Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, BeOS, BSD, Solaris, QNX, iPaq... The VideoLAN Client and Server now have a full IPv6 support.
  • XMark 7 Final - XMark 7.0 is a highly comprehensive distributed system benchmarking and optimization suite. It supports client-server benchmarking, system information, and optimization, reducing the amount of time required to test or optimize an entire network of systems by using distributed benchmarking.
  • PlexTools Professional v2.06 - Plextor has released the PlexTools Professional software version 2.06.
  • Outertech Cacheman 5.50.30 - This build will repair registry tweak settings which have been damaged by other tweak programs (wrong datatypes, values out of range etc).
  • CPUInfo 2.01 - CPUInfo shows detailed informations about the processors on the mainboard. It detects the processor type and manufacturer, the clock ratio, level 1 and level 2 cache and the processor instruction set extensions.
  • Asus PCProbe 2.21.02  - Asus PCProbe is a convenient utility to monitor the computer's vital components.
  • AVM FRITZ!Card DSL Driver v03.07.04 - AVM Germany released a new driver (Win98/ME ~ XP/2k) version for the internal PCI card DSL modemFRITZ!Card DSL (thanks Warp2Search)
  • Matrox Parhelia, 650 & 750 Drivers - Matrox has released a new drivers for their Parhelia, 650 & 750 line of graphics cards for Windows XP and 2000.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,31 2003 - tech
Morning Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 01:54 PM CEST - Jul,31 2003 - Post a comment / read (5)
  • Microsoft Fixing Another Faulty Patch - Microsoft acknowledged Tuesday that a recent security patch is causing problems on machines running the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. The patch, released July 23 and described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-029, causes the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) on NT 4.0 machines to fail, Microsoft said.
  • Canadian, French and Croatian hackers use Kentucky state computers to store pirated files - Investigators believe French and Canadian hackers have been using Kentucky state government computers to store pirated computer files, including newly released movies and video games. State Auditor Ed Hatchett said he believes the hackers entered the system April 2 and have been using it since. Because the hackers also gained access to the system's administrator and user-password files, they could be able to manipulate any state file on the infected network, Hatchett said. "These unknown person or persons have as much control over the Transportation Cabinet's system as those users of the system who are authorized in the department," Hatchett said.
  • I'm working for the FBI, claims accused hacker - Self-styled grey hat hacker Jesse Tuttle is fighting charges that he broke into his local council's computer network with a claim that he only did it as part of his work with the FBI.
  • FTC warns about file trading, spyware - The Federal Trade Commission issued a brief consumer warning Wednesday about potential privacy concerns surrounding file-swapping software and spyware. In the latest of a series of consumer privacy alerts, the agency stopped short of warning consumers not to use free file-trading software, but it said computer users should take care to understand and prevent a range of potentially unpleasant consequences for doing so.
  • Sony wins Aussie mod- chip sales ban - Australia is now officially under the thumb of the mod-chip banners, after the Court of Appeal, accepted its argument that mod-chips should be made illegal. Another story can be found here.
  • 'Safe' alternative to depleted uranium revealed - Controversial anti-tank shells tipped with depleted uranium may be phased out if an alternative material proves its worth. The US Army is expected to award a contract this week for the manufacture of prototype ammunition incorporating a "liquid metal" alloy. The new rounds could be in service within two years. Amorphous tungsten alloy has many of the properties that make DU such an effective penetrator: it is self-sharpening and it should also be pyrophoric, says Steve Collier, president of Liquidmetal's defence arm.
  • Print a hologram? Almost, Xerox says  - On Thursday, the company is unveiling a new technology it calls "Glossmark," which can use ordinary office printers to superimpose a glossy image on an ordinary printed document in a way that can't be photocopied or otherwise easily reproduced.  Taking advantage of eccentricities in laser printing processes, once viewed as flaws, the Xerox scientists think they've found a way to authenticate hard copies of printed documents in much the same way that holographic stickers prove the validity of credit cards and drivers licenses.
  • Titania nanotubes make supersensitive hydrogen sensors - Titania nanotubes are 1500 times better than the next best material for sensing hydrogen and may be one of the first examples of materials properties changing dramatically when crossing the border between real world sizes and nanoscopic dimensions, according to a Penn State materials scientist.  Hydrogen entering an array of titania nanotubes flows around all the surfaces, but it also splits into individually charged atoms and permeates the surface of the nanotubes. These hydrogen ions provide electrons for conductivity. The change in conductance signals that hydrogen, above the background level, is present.
  • IBM pre- announces AMD Opteron 246 - IBM's Opteron-based eServer 325 will power the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's new Linux-based supercomputing cluster - set to be the world's third most powerful supercomputer. The system will comprise 1058 dual-processor 1U rack-mounted eServer 325s. Each server is based on a pair of AMD Opteron 200-series CPUs, including the Opteron 246, IBM said.
  • Orange to deliver Wearaphone by Christmas - According to Orange's Imagineering website, the company plans offer a shoulder bag that doubles as a handsfree phone interface. Developed by Clothing+ and OrangeImagineering, the Wearaphone is a shoulder bag that can be used as a complete handsfree phone interface. A user will need to simply plug the phone into a pocket on the Wearaphone. Making and receiving calls can then be accomplished by using a speaker and microphone integrated into the bag. Unlike ordinary handsfree accessories, there is no need for external wires or headphones.
  • Shure In-Ear Earphones Review - According to Shure, these earphones can attenuate external noise by 10-15Db SPL, and a custom-fitted earpiece can get you as much as 20dB of attenuation. There are environments, such as noisy airports, airplanes, trains or buses, where the attenuation brings welcome relief to allow you to enjoy your music in peace. But there are also environments where, because of the attenuation, these headphones are a really bad idea. That would include riding a bike, or driving a car.
  • HW Reviews GFX Roundup - Gigabyte Radeon9800Pro 256MB | Gainward 256MB GeForce FX 5600 | Gainward GeForce FX5200 Ultra | Gigacube Radeon 9600 Pro | SIGGRAPH Roundup | Zalman ZM80A-HP VGA HSF | How to install a graphics card
  • HW Reviews MB/RAM/CPU Roundup - Intel P4 3.2GHz | 1GB Kit Corsair XMS4000 Memory | Albatron PX865PE Pro II i865 | AOpen AK79D-400 Max nForce2 | DFI LANParty nForce2 | Epox 4PCA3+ i875P | Falcon FragBox SFF PC
  • HW Reviews Storage Roundup - Portable Device Roundup | Four SATA RAID Controllers Shootout | Highpoint RocketRAID 1520 Card | Samsung SP1614N & SP1614C HDD | Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160GB SATA HDD
  • HW Reviews Case/PSU Roundup - Athenactech A747-SS Case | RaidMax's Scorpio-668 Silver Case | P4ATX55F 500W Server PSU | Samlex America 320 W PSU | Nexus NX-4000 400Watt Silent PSU | Cobalt3 Pyramid V Fan Silence
  • HW Reviews Misc Roundup - Auravision's EluminX Keyboard | QuietPC QuietFeet Vibration Anti Noise Device | Polaroid PhotoMAX PDC 2150 Digital Camera | Samsung yepp YP-35H Digital Audio Player
  • Quick guide to cleaning your PC - If you have a PC you know how dirty and filthy it gets after couple months of use. It doesn't have that shiny new look when you first bought it. You see dust particles hanging off the motherboard, heatsink, fans etc. Maybe you spilled coffee on the keyboard and now every key on your keyboard is brown. Maybe your mouse has stains on it. The list goes on and on forever. There is no end to dirtiness especially when it comes to computers.
  • The Windows XP Survival Guide - If you're just getting ready to make the move to Win XP, or if you're anxious to dig beneath the surface and find some cool new tools, or if you've been using Win XP for a while and it's time for some serious maintenance, you'll find what you need to know in this guide.
  • OpenGL 1.5 Specs - SGI and OpenGL ARB just announced the OpenGL 1.5 specification, introducing support for a new OGL Shading Language.
  • XMPEG v5.0 RC 3 build 3  (free) -  This program decodes MPEG1 (Audio & Video) and MPEG2 streams and offers you the possibillity to re-encode them in the format you want. Actual evolutions makes Xmpeg faster, more stable, and offers more options.
  • SynthMark XP - SynthMARK is a synthetic benchmarking tool designed to accurately test the performace your apps receive from your system. It performs the following tests: CPU / Memory Benchmark, FPU / Integer Benchmark, IdleWild Operating System Benchmark, 3D Accellerated Graphics Benchmark (requires DirectX8 or higher). Results can be saved and compared to other systems.
  • DVDxCopy Gold updated to version 3.0.1 (non-free) - Besides an update for DVDxCopy XPRESS has 321 Studios also released an update for DVDxCopy Gold. DVDxCopy Gold is the complete DVD backup solution from 321 Studios and contains both DVDxCopy and DVDxCopy XPRESS.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.20.19.51 - The private and individual use of the AntiVir Personal Edition is completely free of charge.
  • InboxShield 2.0.3 - InboxShield (download) filters your incoming mail and separates good mail from Spam mail.
  • Google Toolbar 2.0.92 Beta - The Google Toolbar (download) increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web and takes only seconds to install. When the Google Toolbar is installed, it automatically appears along with the Internet Explorer toolbar.
  • foobar2000 v0.7 Beta 28 - This is ugly but very small audio player made by WinAMP's Peter Pawlowski (changelog ~ download).
  • PowerStrip 3.43 Build 405 Beta - PowerStrip 3.43 provides advanced, multi-monitor, programable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest SiS Xabre and Radeon 9800.
  • A-Tuner 1.5.35.4490  - A-tuner is a small tool for changing Anti-Aliasing (including all unofficial modes), Anisotropic Filtering, Vsync and MipMap LOD (Level Of Detail) Bias settings on your Nvidia card and should work with Nvidia Detonators 23.11 - 44.90.
  • Rage3D Tweak 3.9 - Rage3D Tweaker (download) is a Radeon Tweaker program designed to fit right in with the other ATi option tabs in the Advanced Display Properties accessed through the Control Panel. This new verison adds support for 9800 series and other new cards.
  • CPU-Z 1.19 - Freeware CPU-Z is a program that provides most of the information on your CPU.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,30 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:05 AM CEST - Jul,30 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Sony Hand-Held PlayStation Offers Wireless Network - Sony said on Tuesday its new hand-held PlayStation console would be equipped with a wireless network system which allows users within a close area to play games together and download game characters. PSP is scheduled to debut in the fourth quarter of 2004.
  • 'Point-and-connect' links for wireless devices - Linking devices via a wireless network could be considerably simplified using a "point-and-connect" technology being developed by Sony. The camera-based system, developed by researchers at Sony's Interaction Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, lets users instantly transfer data from a laptop or handheld computer to a device in close proximity connected to the same wireless network.
  • Hackers pounce on latest Microsoft flaw - Hackers have moved quickly to exploit the critical flaw in Microsoft's Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) Remote Procedure Call (RPC) interface. Workable exploit code is now in circulation on hacking mailing lists. Earlier versions were ineffective but the latest code seems to be working. Microsoft released a patch for the critical flaw on 16 July.  The vulnerability involves the RPC protocol, which deals with inter-computer communications. Microsoft warned that, under certain circumstances, the RPC might not properly check messages sent to the PC. If you didn't upgrade yet, I strongly recommend you to upgrade your immediately!
  • RIAA prepares hundreds of lawsuits - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will file the first lawsuits against alleged file swappers by the end of August. Rather than press one or two token cases, the RIAA plans to sue hundreds of people unless they settle out of court, it said. Over the past few weeks, the RIAA has sent nearly 1,000 subpoenas to internet service providers and universities to obtain the identities of suspected file traders.
  • AUO chairman Lee: Global LCD TV market to take off in 2005 - The realization of sixth- or seventh-generation (7G) TFT LCD line production, which will greatly expand large-size panel capacity, will be the major driving force behind the take-off of the global LCD TV market and will most likely take place in 2005, commented AU Optronics (AUO) chairman and CEO Kuen-yao Lee.
  • AMD drops chip prices  - AMD lopped as much as 31 percent off its list prices for Athlon XP-M processors and reduced prices on a handful of Opteron server chips by as much as 35 percent. The Opteron cuts, the first for the chip line, follow recent reductions by Intel on the price of its Xeon server chip. AMD lowered the price of the Opteron 144, its top Opteron chip for single-processor workstations and servers, by 35 percent, cutting it from $669 to $438. AMD trimmed the price of its top Opteron for dual-processor machines, the Opteron 244, by 13 percent, taking it from $794 to $690.  The company also lowered prices on its Opteron 142, Opteron 240 and Opteron 242 models by between 10 percent and 34 percent. The chips now sell for $292, $256 and $455, respectively.
  • Intel to begin 848P chipset shipments in mid-August -  Intel will begin shipping its first batch of 848P chipsets to motherboard makers from August 11-22, according to Taiwan-based motherboard makers.
  • ATI brings Radeon 9800, 9600 to FireGL line -  The T2-128 ships with 128MB of DDR and is based on the FGL 9600, aka the Radeon 9600 Pro - ie. its got four parallel rendering pipelines and two parallel geometry pipelines. It too offers dual display support, but through a single DVI-I connector and a VGA port.
  • Samsung selects Ulead digital media software for its camcorder lineup - Samsung Electronics has selected a software package provided by Taiwan-based Ulead Systems to bundle with Samsung's lineup of camcorders worldwide, according to a press release from Ulead today.
  • Dell Inspiron 5150 Review - PCMag looked at the Dell Inspiron 5150 ($2,129 direct)-the first notebook they could acquire with a 3.06-GHz Mobile P4. Of the three available new chipsets that Intel introduced with the processor, the Inspiron 5150 uses the one most interesting to power users: the 852PM. This supports a 533-MHz FSB, up to 2GB of 333-MHz DDR SDRAM, and external AGP 4X graphics (paired in our unit with the robust 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 solution).
  • P707 Photo Jetprinter Review  - The sticker price on the Lexmark P707 Photo Jetprinter ($100 street) immediately makes you wonder whether you can really get true photo-quality output-or something close to it-from a printer that costs so little. The answer is yes, but you'll have to wait for it. In fact, you can watch almost a full episode of your favorite TV sitcom in the roughly 25 minutes an 8- by 10-inch photo takes to print at best quality. The P707 is dressed in industrial-design tones of dark grays and black, surprisingly compact, and, at 4.5 pounds, light. Four memory-card slots on the right-hand side simplify the transfer of photos to your computer from most memory cards, including Type I and II CompactFlash, IBM Microdrives, MultiMediaCards, Secure Digital, SmartMedia, and Sony Memory Sticks. Note, however, that you cannot print from a memory card without connecting to a computer.
  • Xoxide 12in Dual Blue CCFL Kit Review - "This particular pair of cathodes it nothing to wet your pants over, but at the same time it's a fine product that generally works as advertised (except for the mysterious blink mode function). Aside from knocking a buck or two off the sticker price and extending the sound box wire for external placement there's not much I'd change. They're bright and they look cool, which is why you'd buy them in the first place. The ability to mix and match colors to your preference is even more food for thought."
  • Rechargeable Batteries - Yes or No? - Slashdot.org has an interesting thread on "What Batteries are the best".
  • PuTTY for the Sony Ericsson P800 - Currently this is not a really usable product. This is mainly because you are a bit limited in input on the P800. Things like ctrl and esc doesn't work yet. If you have any smart idea how to implement this (In the UI). Please drop him a mail.
  • KDE 3.1.3 (Linux) - KDE v3.1.3 is a powerful Open Source graphical desktop environment for Unix workstations. It combines ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Unix operating system.
  • Mozilla Firebird 0.6.1 - Mozilla Firebird is a speedy, full-featured browser for Microsoft Windows that makes browsing more efficient than ever before.
  • MultiEx Commander DLL - Xentax announced the release of the MultiEx DLL. MultiEx Commander is a tool designed to load and extract data from a wide number of popular game archive formats. The DLL release now allows developers to integrate that functionality into their own programs.
  • CPU RightMark 2003B (0.3) - The CPU RightMark (CPU RM) benchmark is meant for objective performance measurement of modern and future CPUs in various computational tasks such as computational modeling of physical processes and solving of 3D graphics problems. The emphasis is placed on testing under the load of a CPU-RAM link and FPU/SIMD units.
  • NVClock 0.7 -  NVClock is a small utility that allows users to overclock NVIDIA based video cards running on the Linux platform.
  • NVIDIA Linux Drivers 1.0-4496 (IA32 => Standard)  - The NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Driver Set brings both accelerated 2D functionality and high performance OpenGL support to Linux x86 with the use of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs).
  • Official nForce Drivers v2.45 - WHQL certified kit for nForce and nForce2 is now available for download /direct links -> International 24MB ~ English   10MB / The package includes support for nForce2 400 and nForce2 Ultra 400, EAX fixes and compatibility improvements in Operation Flashpoint, Neverwinter Nights, The Matrix Reloaded, Grand Theft Auto: ViceCity, Mafia, Battlefield 1942, Updated audicontrol panel and  3D audiperformance improvements.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,29 2003 - tech
Monday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:25 AM CEST - Jul,29 2003 - Post a comment / read (15)
  • Gates: Dot-com dreams to come true - The Microsoft chairman said Monday that most of the advances promised during the Internet boom will eventually come true. "Virtually everything that was discussed, even the most hyped thing" will happen, Gates told a crowd of researchers gathered at its headquarters here for the company's yearly Microsoft Research Faculty Summit. "It just takes more time."
  • U.S. shrugs off world's address shortage  - As much of the world nears an Internet address crunch, North America stands as an island apart, threatening to fragment plans for the biggest overhaul of the Web in decades. Global momentum is growing for a new address system, known as IPv6, which promises to vastly expand the pool of unique numbers available for connecting PCs and other devices to the Net. The standard is widely seen as a necessary successor to the current IPv4 system, which some fear could run short of addresses in Asia and Europe within the next few years.
  • Napster 2.0 Ready for Holiday Relaunch - Napster is set to rise like a phoenix from the ashes this Christmas holiday season, but this time with its legal affairs in check, Napster owner Roxio said Monday. The fallen song-swapping service, which was knocked offline last year after a prolonged legal battle with the record industry over copyright infringement allegations, will re-emerge as a legal paid music service Napster 2.0.
  • So what info does WinXP really send to MS? - Germany's tecChannel has launched an English-language version of its site, and has celebrated with a seriously trainspotter analysis of the interaction between Windows XP's product activation and Redmond central control. Despite (or possibly because of) Microsoft's insistence that the WPA process is completely harmless and doesn't send the company any of your personal data, the system has since its introduction been the subject of much paranoid speculation.
  • Dell announces fix for handheld glitch  - Dell has announced a fix for its underperforming Axim X5 handhelds. The Round Rock, Texas, company said on Monday that it will offer a software update that improves the performance of Axim X5 models installed with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PC. Dell expects to post the update, a whopping 28MB file that updates the Axim's read-only memory, on its Web site by Wednesday. The company will also contact customers with affected Axim X5 models to inform them of the update, a company representative said.
  • Hong Kong firm offers 'Chinese' CPU for Linux PCs - Culturecom Holdings Ltd., a publisher of Chinese language "fighting" comics that migrated into information technology in the 1990s, has begun selling its V-Dragon microprocessor for use in Chinese PCs. The V-Dragon CPU incorporates support for Chinese-language characters, according to the company. It was unveiled at an event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the company said.
  • nVidia GeForce FX 5200 vs. ATI Radeon 9200 - OCAddiction have compared these two cards and here is a result:"So does the R9200 ever win? Sure, I think it has better 4X AA quality, but even that is debatable as we all have different preferences. In any case, 4X AA is a joke with these cards, and renders any further AA discussion pointless. I guess if you're a fan of ATI and looking for a cheap video accelerator, the 9200 will certainly give you its money's worth, but for certain, the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 is the final winner. Remember though, these are bottom of the barrel graphics cards, so even though the FX5200 is better than the R9200, it's still not all that impressive. But for around $60, who's complaining? (Besides me?)"
  • Pen Drive USA Pen Drive 2.0 Review  - The Pen Drive 2.0 comes to us in a nicely done package which sports the actual pen Drive, contained within a clear plastic shell in the center of the box. Once we opened the box and pulled out the contents, all of which are enclosed in a plastic container, we had a chance to examine the extras. Below is a full list of the contents.
  • 3DS Max 6 Announced - Discreet today announced the newest version of its acclaimed 3D modelling, animation and rendering solution 3ds max 6 at the SIGGRAPH Exhibition in San Diego, California. 3ds max 6 is expected to be available in Autumn 2003, in English, with pricing at L2695 (VAT not included). German, French, Spanish, Italian versions will be available later in 2003.
  • Cyberlink PowerDVD 5 Deluxe Review - Warp2Search have finished their review about the brand new PowerDVD 5 Deluxe software.
  • Linux Kernel 2.6.0 test2 - The second test version of Linux Kernel 2.6 has been released
  • jv16 PowerTools 1.4.0.238  - This release (download trial version) contains one bug fix - the directory tool froze if you tried to remove certain directories, this issue is now solved.
  • PC Inspector Smart Recovery v4.0 (freeware) - PC Inspector smart recovery (download) is, at present, the only data recovery program for Flash Card, Smart Media, SONY Memory Stick, IBM Micro Drive, Multimedia Card, Secure Digital Card or any other data carrier for digital cameras.
  • Bandwidth Monitor Pro 1.20 - Bandwidth Monitor Pro (download) is a utility that displays and logs your network adapters bandwidth usage. It supports logging of all your network adapters at once and has a detailed transfer history.
  • Lite-On CD-RW Firmware  - LiteOn have released a new CD-RW firmware updates for Lite-On LTR-52327S, Lite-On LTC-48161H and  
    • Lite-On LTR-48126S
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,28 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:36 AM CEST - Jul,28 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Nikon's D2H Camera Preview - The D2H raises the bar even further, it has a brand new Nikon designed 4.1 million pixel 'JFET sensor' and is capable of capturing eight frames per second for up to 40 frames (five seconds of continuous shooting at 8 fps). The D2H also adds a whole lot more including a new eleven area AF module (Multi-Cam 2000), 38 ms shutter lag and just 80 ms viewfinder blackout, a new ambient external WB sensor, an orientation sensor, RAW + JPEG format, a huge 2.5" 211,000 pixel LCD monitor, a new lightweight Lithium-Ion battery (with detailed in-camera readout) and USB 2.0. The other 'big news' about the D2H system is the new WT-1 802.11b wireless transmission add-on which allows you to FTP images back to a server as you shoot them.
  • Macromedia Flash MX2/2004 Preview - According to the sources closed to ieXbeta, the next products package of Macromedia will have 2004 or MX2 in the end of each product like Macromedia Flash 2004 rather than Macromedia Flash 7. During the beta testing process, the code name for Dreamweaver is Rockford. Apparently Flash will be cut in two versions: Matador: for the Web designer, interactive media professional, or subject matter expert developing multimedia content. Emphasis is on creation, import, and manipulation of many types of media (audio, video, bitmaps, vectors, text, and data). Toreador: for advanced Web designers and application builders. Toreador includes everything that is in Matador along with several powerful new tools. It provides project management tools for optimizing the workflow between the members of a web team made up of both designers and developers. External scripting, databinding, along with other features, make it particularly useful for large scale, complex projects that will be deployed using Flash Player along with a hybrid of HTML content.
  • DriverHeaven 9500 mod - The easiest way to hack, or unlock a Radeon 9500 non pro is to install the Omega Drivers... I will be using these today to show you what happens to a 9500 np that is unlocked, and overclocked... as these drivers have both the ability to overclock, and to unlock the Radeon 9500 non pro.
  • Catalyst 3.6 and Omega 2474 Tests - Check this german article (->BabelFish translator)
  • OpenOffice 1.1 RC2 - OpenOffice.org (Win32 ~ Linux) is the open source project through which Sun Microsystems is releasing the technology for the popular StarOffice productivity suite. It is an international office suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access to all functionality and data through open-component based APIs and an XML-based file format. The OpenOffice.org project establishes the necessary facilities to make this open source technology available to the developer community. OpenOffice.org 1.1 RC2 provides some minor updates to OpenOffice.org RC.
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002 Connector - Microsoft Outlook 2002 Connector enables you to use Microsoft Outlook 2002 to access your e-mail messages, calendar, address book, and To Do (task) items on an IBM Lotus Domino Release 5 server.
  • Neowin UXTheme Multi Patcher v1.01 - The Neowin UXTheme Multi Patcher allows you to use any 3rd party theme on Windows XP/SP1 or Windows Server 2003 (with Themes enabled) by patching the uxtheme.dll (dynamic link library). The process can be reversed but it should be noted that patching the themes service will break Windows File Protection on that single file. If you are prompted to "insert your Windows CD" and you intend to patch Windows to allow 3rd party themes you should click cancel and reboot.
  • Microsoft 3° Build 1.0.0352.0  -3° is software that connects a small group of family and close friends, people who know and trust one another, so they can do fun things together in a whole new way. 3° is a beta test of an innovative application that lets users connect online, extending real-world social interactions.
  • DivX Pro Manihi Beta 1 -The beta version (download) of DivX Pro Manihi offers huge quality improvement and lots of exciting new features. Because the Manihi beta release includes DivX Pro level features, this is a time-limited release. It will expire 30 days after installation. If you own DivX Pro (Paid For) it will work indefinitely.
  • Coding Workshop Ringtone Convertor 4.4.9 - The Ringtone Converter (download) is a software program for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac systems that allows you to add new ringtones to your mobile phone without the need for cables or expensive premium rate SMS services.
  • NetCaptor 7.2.1 Final - The small IE based browser NetCaptor has been updated to version 7.2.1 Final.
  • MyIE2 v0.8.220 (free) - MyIE2 (combo ~ lite) is a multi-tabbed browser based on the IE core (IE5.x or above required). It can open multiple web pages within one browser window, and uses little system resources. MyIE2 has a greatly integrated & customizable interface which supports Skins, Plug-Ins, IE Extensions, & specific toolbars. 
  • XP AntiSpy v3.72 - XP-AntiSpy (what's new ~ download) is a little utility that let's you disable some built-in update and authentication 'features' in Windows XP.
    For example, there's a service running in the background wich is called 'Automatic Updates'. I don't know what this service transfers from my machine to other machines on the internet, especially the MS ones.
  • ASUS SmartDoctor 2 2.76 - ASUS SmartDoctor2 is designed to satisfy two major goals. One is to monitor graphic chip Status, altering users about abnormal events, such as fan malfunction or chip overheat. The other, as the name SmartDoctor implies, is to cool down the graphic chip smartly when it is not necessary for it to be kept running at full speed. SmartDoctor2 includes AGP Power Level Monitoring, Fan RPM Monitoring, Overheated protection, Smartcooling technology, and Manual Overclocking.
  • Pioneer DVD+/-R Firmware - Pioneer have released a new firmware for their DVR-A05 / DVR-105 and DVR-A06 / DVR-106 DVD-R/RW drives.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,26 2003 - tech
Saturady Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 01:24 PM CEST - Jul,26 2003 - Post a comment / read (21)
  • Hacker code could unleash Windows worm  - A hacker group released code designed to exploit a widespread Windows flaw, paving the way for a major worm attack as soon as this weekend, security researchers warned. The warning came Friday, after hackers from the Chinese X Focus security group forwarded source code to several public security lists. The code is for a program designed to allow an intruder to enter Windows computers. The X Focus program takes advantage of a hole in the Microsoft operating system that lets attackers break in remotely. The flaw has been characterized by some security experts as the most widespread ever found in Windows. Another story can be found at ZDNet.
  • SA police arrest man in Absa Net bank fraud case - South African police have arrested a man on suspicion of the fraud involving the illegal transfers of hundreds of thousands of rand from Internet accounts held at Absa, the country's largest bank. The case involves the unauthorised removal of R500,000 (L41,300) from bank accounts run by an estimated ten separate Absa customers in South Africa's Western Cape province.
  • Credit card hackers swap tricks online - Groups using internet relay chat (IRC) are playing a growing role in online credit card fraud. A report by the Honeynet Project, which monitors criminal activity on the internet, shows that online thieves are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The credit card details are not only used to purchase products but to clone the card owner's identity. In order to monitor and record this activity, the Honeynet researchers set up computer systems, called 'honeynets' or 'honeypots', intended to be easy targets for hackers. The researchers then tracked the hackers to the IRC channels. Dr Bill McCarty and his students at Azusa Pacific University monitored activities on more than a dozen IRC channels relating to credit card fraud after a hacker infiltrated one of their traps.
  • RIAA declares war on silver surfers - Parents and grandparents are in the firing line as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ramps up its fight against the downloading of music files from peer-to-peer (P2P) sites.  According to Associated Press, one 50 year-old grandfather in California was shocked to learn this week that the RIAA had subpoenaed his ISP to provide his name and address for downloading songs from the internet. But the man was not the downloader - it was a member of his family.
  • Off-topic: Researcher publishes measurements of 'free-base' nicotine in cigarette smoke - When it comes to nicotine content, all cigarettes are not created equal, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. In fact, the study finds that some commercial cigarette brands contain 10 to 20 times higher percentages of nicotine in the so-called "free-base" form -- the form thought to be most addictive -- than believed up to now.
  • Off-topic: Cyborgs among People - I believe that all of you watch those thrilling Hollywood movies about the Matrix, Terminator, and the like, where the technology goes beyond all possible and impossible borders and cyber-people live and act side-by-side with humans. But have you ever thought how close we are to this "reality"?
  • Codename ORCAS: Visual Studio .NET 2005 - According to Bink.nu, The Whidbey release of Visual Studio and the .NET Framework will represent a significant milestone in the Microsoft developer tools roadmap. Following the SQL Server Yukon and Visual Studio Whidbey wave of products, the next major platform update will be the Windows operating system release codenamed Longhorn. The Whidbey release of Visual Studio and the .NET Framework will run on this landmark operating system release, as will applications built with Visual Studio Whidbey. In addition, the subsequent release to Whidbey, Visual Studio Orcas, will support the managed interfaces, enhanced UI features, and other new capabilities of the Longhorn operating system. These include the Longhorn trustworthy computing and security model, new application model, improved communication and collaboration, integrated data storage, and innovations in presentation and media.
  • Microsoft Virtual Server details - Bink.nu is reporting that Microsoft purchased Connectix assets, Virtual Server, Virtual PC for Windows, Virtual PC for Mac. Connectix will sell/support VPC until 8/15, the VM development team will be added to the Windows Core OS team. It's old new now, but they have posted Virtual Server architecture: - Up to 32-way, 64GB RAM, with up to 64 VMs per system, - Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003, - Runs as system service, exposes COM APIs, -Remote management via Web console Capabilities, -Isolation: run multiple OSes in isolated VMs on single server, -Compatibility: runs every major x86 operating system. -Portability: configure on laptop, deploy on big Intel Iron, -Extensibility: scripted/programmatic VM automation, -Manageability: integrates with Windows Server 2003 Version 1.0, -Optimized for Windows Server 2003 Enterprise (<32GB).
  • Windows Will be Different - Longhorn, the next version of Microsoft Windows, will be so different from its predecessors that users may not like it right away, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates says. "Longhorn is a bit scary. ... We have been willing to change things," Gates said while trying to eat a fruit salad and drink a Diet Coke during lunch at Microsoft's annual financial analyst meeting Thursday at its corporate offices. "It (Longhorn) should drive a whole range of upgrades, but that could be sort of delayed," Gates said. Because of differences with the previous versions of Windows, it could be a year or two after its release before computer users really pick up Longhorn, he said.
  • China, AMD team on Opteron supercomputer - China plans to create the world's third most powerful supercomputer, which will also be among the first such machines to use the Opteron processor from U.S. chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices. According to China's People's Daily, Chinese supercomputer maker Dawning Information Industry will use 2,000 of these chips to make the Dawning 4000A, with help from AMD. The 4000A will be a cluster comprised of computers that run a Chinese-designed Linux operating system and mainboard chips, the report said, and will aim to hit 10 teraflops in computing power.
  • Fujifilm announces 1Gb USB 2.0 drive - Fujifilm announced new 1Gb Fujifilm USB Drive 2.0 to arrive to retail in August. Now the model line includes 128, 256, 512 Mb and 1Gb solutions. According to the company, the device provides 4Mb/s read and 3Mb/s write speeds. The model works under Win98SE/Me/2000/XP, Mac OS 8.6, Mac OS 9+. Dimensions are 3.86x0.99x0.72 cm. MRSP is about $500.  
  • Canon's Back to School Salvo  - Canon has launched four new multi-purpose printers. In addition to the i550 and i850 that are still featured in the catalog, Canon stands ready to introduce the i250, i350, i450 and i470D - they are less expensive, faster and simply better, all around. Here is a preview of what awaits you once the summer vacation is over, in September, just in time for back to school.
  • Sony CLIÉ PEG-UX50  - Adrian's Rojak Pot let us know they have posted the New Sony CLIÉ PEG-UX50 - Evolution of the PDA article.
  • Archos Video AV320 Review - What is the AV320? Imagine an Apple iPod on steroids, one big enough (4.4 by 3.2 by 1.2 inches, HWD) to hold a color LCD, so you can watch video as well as play audio. The silver case contains a 20GB USB 2.0 hard drive (you can get the 40GB AV340 for $30 more), and the device, which uses a Linux operating system, can record, store, and play back MPEG-4 video, MP3 music, spoken audio, and JPEG photos. At 12 ounces and 17 cubic inches, the AV320 ($599.95 direct) is just under twice as heavy as a 30GB iPod and a little more than twice as bulky. The multimedia player is both dazzling for what it does well and maddening for what it does clumsily.  Another review can be found at ExtremeTech.
  • Digitalway MPIO FL100 MP3/FM/Voice Recorder Review - Mikhailtech has posted a review of Digitalway's MPIO FL100, the uber-sleek MP3 player that s also a radio, a storage drive and voice/FM recorder.
  • DirectX 9 To Go, Part I: Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 with nVIDIA's GeForce FX Go 5600  - DirectX 9-capable GPUs for notebooks? As early as CeBIT (March 13, 2003), ATi introduced its DirectX 9-capable GPU with Mobility Radeon 9600, as did nVIDIA with its GeForce FX Go 5600. However, plagued by power consumption issues and heat problems, they've been slow in getting to market. In this piece, THG tests the Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 with nVIDIA's GeForce FX Go 5600.
  • Connect3D Radeon 9800Pro 256MB - The performance of this card is very high, and consequently so is the price. In a way I wished I had saved some money and gone for the 128MB but maybe this extra memory could prove benificial towards some newer games yet to be released such as Halflife2. But you cannot make decisions based on "maybes" so my recommendation is save some money and go for the 128MB version.
  • Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9800 Pro Ultimate Reviews - Sapphire's RADEON 9800 Atlantis Pro Ultimate is unique, it is innovative, it is fast, and most importantly, it is silent. However, it is also very expensive. If silence means a lot to you and you're using a roomy enclosure, such as Coolermaster's ATC-620 (which fits in a home entertainment stereo rack), the Ultimate may be right up your alley. However, if you're running a small form factor system, there's a good chance the card won't fit properly. Or, if you have a standard ATX case, your processor fan is likely louder than your graphics card anyway. Another reviews can be found at Beyond3D, GotApex, HotHardware, Tweak3D and ExtremeOverclocking.
  • Plextor 52x32x52 "Premium" CDRW Review - Need a reliable workhorse that can make solid copies and backups? Need a drive that can bypass annoying CD security features? Need a drive that you can make CDs with your own security features? Need a drive that allows you to tweak to your hearts content? Need a drive that's going to last a few years? Need a drive made by a company that doesn't make you jump through hoops for support? Then the Plextor Premium is worth every penny you spend on it.
  • Ten DVD-Burners Roundup - Despite its pretty high price, X-bit Labs would recommend the SONY DW-U12A DVD-burner. It boasts very high performance and can be considered a true universal solution for all needs. While the battle of DVD-formats is still going on, you will feel absolutely independent and will be able to work with any types of discs if you make up your mind on SONY DW-U12A drive.
  • Samsung SyncMaster 213T Review - PCMag has posted a review of Samsung SyncMaster 213T monitor.
  • Creating an Unattended Windows XP CD - Have you ever wanted a Windows XP CD that would install Windows XP by automatically putting in your name, product key, timezone and regional settings? Followed by silently installing all your favourite applications along with DirectX 9.0a, .Net Framework 1.1 and then all the Pre-SP2 hotfixes, updated drivers, registry tweaks, and a readily patched UXTheme.dll without any user interaction whatsoever? Then this guide will show you how you can do just that!
  • Nvidia vs ATI Image Quality Comparison - The guys overt at Korean website DarkCrow have published an image quality comparison (BabelFish translation) of the newly leaked 44.90 Detonators driver.
  • Keyser Soze's Unofficial XP Security Pack 1.002 - The package (download) is not meant as a replacement for Windows Update, it has been compiled so that you quickly and easily update your system after a reinstall of Windows. A total of 8 hotfixes have been added since the latest version of the Security Pack was released.
  • GIMP 1.3.17  - GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
  • Sonique v2.0 Alpha (July 25) - Sonique is a windows audio player capable of handling Microsoft Windows Media files, MP3 files, audio CDs, and more.
  • Messenger Helper 2.60 Build 30720 - Messenger Helper (download) is designed to add functionalities to the Instant Chat program from Microsoft called MSN Messenger.
  • Nero 6 Ultra Officially - Nero 6.0 Ultra Edition (Nero 6.0.0.9 ~ Nero Media Player ~ NeroMix ~ Nero VisionExpress  ~ InCD ~ CNET review) is the most comprehensive, versatile CD- and DVD-mastering and packet-writing suite on the market today. In fact, calling it a disc-authoring app is a disservice, because the suite also offers a very capable backup program, a DVD-authoring app that compares favorably with all but its pro-level competitors, and even a VCD/DVD movie playback program that includes support for MPEG-4.
  • DUP-DVD 2.3.0 - DUP-DVD is a powerful tool to backup DVD movies to VCD/SVCD.
  • Detonators FX 45.20 (BETA) for Win2k/XP - French website Station Drivers has now offers some new beta Detonator 45.20 drivers for Win2k/XP. These are beta so use them at your own risk. Mirror: Guru3D.
  • ALI Integrated 2.05 & 1.52 USB2.0 Driver - ALI released the new All-in-One driver Integrated driver package v2.05 containing Chipset , IDE, Audio, LAN, FIR, USB and other drivers, as well as the standalone v1.52 USB2.0 driver. (thanks Warp2Search)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,25 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:54 AM CEST - Jul,25 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • XBox Live gets chatty in Japan - Microsoft is seeking to broaden the appeal of its Xbox video game console in Japan by adding chat functions to its online gaming service. The attachment for its Xbox Live service will go on sale later this year for 3,500 yen ($44), with a free two-month trial subscription, Microsoft said. Since the service was launched in January, users have gone head-to-head in car racing and speed skating over broadband connections. But they haven't been able to talk to each other because the required software wasn't ready.  The chat service can handle up to 16 players at a time, said Peter Moore, vice president of Microsoft's home entertainment division
  • Robotic Nation Any Soon? - What if we extrapolate another 20 years after that, to 2040? A typical home machine at that point will be 1,000 times faster than the 2020 machine. Human brains are thought to be able to process at a rate of approximately one quadrillion operations per second. A CPU in the 2040 time frame could have the processing power of a human brain, and it will cost $1,000. It will have a petabyte (one quadrillion bytes) of RAM. It will have one exabyte of storage space. An exabyte is 1,000 quadrillion bytes. That's what Moore's law predicts. .
  • Flaw in Windows Function Could Allow Denial of Service  -A flaw exists in a Windows NT 4.0 Server file management function that can cause a denial of service vulnerability. The flaw results because the affected function can cause memory that it does not own to be freed when a specially crafted request is passed to it. If the application making the request to the function does not carry out any user input validation and allows the specially crafted request to be passed to the function, the function may free memory that it does not own. As a result, the application passing the request could fail.
  • Wheelchair moves at the speed of thought  - Severely disabled people who cannot operate a motorised wheelchair may one day get their independence, thanks to a system that lets them steer a wheelchair using only their thoughts. Unlike previous thought-communication devices, the system does not use surgical implants. Instead a skullcap peppered with electrodes monitors the electrical activity of its wearer's brain. Early trials using a steerable robot indicate that with just two days training it is as easy to control the robot with the human mind as it is manually.
  • Palm's New PDA Gets Rave Reviews  - As part of its Tungsten line of products, Palm just launched a new handheld computer that is already receiving a vote of confidence from business users. The Tungsten T2 is an improvement over Palm's original Tungsten T in that it has a brighter screen, twice as much memory, more multimedia capabilities and -- at $400 -- is $100 cheaper than the original Tungsten T.  
  • X-Micro Bluetooth Modem and Dongles Review -  If you need a dongle to connect your PC to your mobile phone, bluetooth enabled PDA or access to other compatable hardware like printers and keyboards, the X-micro USB Bluetooth dongles will be of interest. Also, if you are still stuck on 56k, or want a convenient emergency connection to the internet then their 56k modem will also be right up your street.
  • Beginners Guides: Installing Windows XP - PC Stats has published a new beginners guide called "Installing Windows XP".
  • Cumulative Patch for Microsoft SQL Server - This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of all previously released patches for SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, MSDE 1.0, and MSDE 2000. In addition, it eliminates three newly discovered vulnerabilities.
  • Google Toolbar 2.0.88 Beta -  Google toolbar 2.0 is exactly what IE needed. The popup blocker is the missing key.. Screw mozilla, screw opera, screw everything.. The popup blocker and the other new features of this makes IE complete.
  • Real Alternative 1.01 - Real Alternative will allow you to play RealMedia files. This way you can play RealAudio and RealVideo files without having to install RealPlayer. You do need a player that is capable of playing RealMedia. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well. Supported: RealAudio (.ra .rpm), RealMedia (.rm .ram .rmvb .rpx .smi .smil), RealText (.rt), ReadPix (.rp), RealMedia embedded in webpages. .smi and .smil files sometimes only play the first part of a clip. This is a limitation of the current Media Player Classic.
  • Hmonitor 4.1.3.2 - Hardware Sensors Monitor (download) has been updated to version 4.1.3.2. Hmonitor has much more functions than MotherBoard Monitor, for example, including thermocontrol features and COM/PerfMon API support.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,24 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:49 AM CEST - Jul,24 2003 - Post a comment / read (8)
  • Spam clients outed, credit card details published - Anti-spam activists have upped the ante in their fight against junk email by publishing the details - including credit card information - of people who've ordered spamming services online. Activists published details from order forms left on a monumentally insecure spam services Web site (http://202.63.201.239), run by notorious American spammer Robert Soloway, on the newsgroup news.admin.net-abuse.email (NANAE). Names, addresses, phone numbers of seven "would-be spammers" were published on the newsgroup last week. Three of those who ordered a $129 spam run or bulk mailing lists from the site come from the UK, three from the US and one from Germany.
  • Kinko's spy case: Risks of renting PCs - For more than a year, unbeknownst to people who used Internet terminals at Kinko's stores in New York, Juju Jiang was recording what they typed, paying particular attention to their passwords.  Jiang had secretly installed, in at least 14 Kinko's copy shops, software that logs individual keystrokes. He captured more than 450 user names and passwords, and used them to access and open bank accounts online.
  • US passports to carry digitally signed images  - US citizens will be issued with "smart" passports carrying a digitally signed photograph by late 2004. Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary for Passport Services at the US Department of State, says the first digital passports will be issued in the US by 26 October 2004. Moss announced details of the plans at the Smart Card Alliance Government Conference and Expo in Virginia last Tuesday. The new passports will include an embedded microchip that stores a compressed image of its owner's face. These microchips will be designed to prevent tampering and each digital image will be cryptographically signed to guarantee its authenticity.
  • Taipei Computex 2003 expected to be largest ever - The Computex 2003 exhibition, which will be held from September 22-26, is expected to be the largest ever, according to organizers Taipei Computer Association (TCA) and China External Trade Development Council (CETRA)
  • Microsoft Office 2003 Beta Build 5507 -  According to Xbetas.com, Office 2003 Professional Edition build 5507 has been sent to specific beta testers. This update contains minor updates to the VBA engine from the B2TR build.
  • Advanced Networking Pack For Windows XP - The Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP updates IPv6 and installs the Internet connection firewall for IPv6. By default, no ports are automatically opened in the firewall after the update is installed. Use the Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP if you have software that requires this functionality or if you want to develop custom programs that use the Windows Peer-to-Peer networking infrastructure.
  • (!)DirectX 9.0b End-User Runtime - In earlier versions of DirectX, there is a security issue in DirectShow. This vulnerablity (Unchecked Buffer in DirectX Could Enable System Compromise) allows an attacker to execute code on a user's system. Microsoft has fixed that issue in DirectX 9.0b. This is a buffer overrun vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could, in the worst case, run code of his or her choice on a user's system. The attacker's code would run with the same privileges as the user: any restrictions on the user's ability to change the system would apply to the attacker's code. There are two ways to obtain that fix, either you download a small download package which fixes the security issue in DirectShow or you can download the whole DirectX 9.0b End-user runtime package (official download link). In both cases, your DirectX version will be updated to 9.0b and build number will be updated to 4.90.00.0902. The only difference is that DirectX 9.0b can not be uninstalled while DirectX 9.0a patch can be uninstalled if you want to restore your previous version of DirectX.
  • MySQL 4.0.14 - MySQL 4.0.14 (download ~ changelog) has been released.
  • AIM v5.2.3281 - AOL Instant Messanger has been updated to version 5.2.3281.
  • VMware 4.0.1 Build 5289 - VMware Workstation (history ~ Win32 ~ Linux.tar ~ Linux.RPM)  is virtual machine software for technical professionals. It lets you run multiple versions of operating systems simultaneously on a single computer.
  • Avant Browser 8.02 Build 007 - Avant Browser (download) is an upgrade to Internet Explorer. Avant Browser is a fast, stable, user-friendly, versatile multi-window browser. Avant Browser is freeware.
  • TVTool 8.0 - TVTool (download) was developed to replace the poor support video card manufacturers had for TV_OUT. TVTool works with most NVIDIA based cards such as TNT, TNT2, TNT2 Ultra, GeForce cards with BT86x (e.g. Viper 550, Erazor 3, Xentor 32, 3D Prophet, etc.). The main problem is the black borders around the picture on the TV screen. This new version adds support for MV TV encoder (internal encoder from NVIDIA), and GF-FX/GF4-MX 420,440,460/GF4Go, GF-FX Go and more.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,23 2003 - tech
Wednesday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 12:28 PM CEST - Jul,23 2003 - Post a comment / read (7)
  • Cracking Windows passwords in seconds - Swiss researchers released a paper on Tuesday outlining a way to speed the cracking of alphanumeric Windows passwords, reducing the time to break such codes to an average of 13.6 seconds from 1 minute 41 seconds. The method involves using large lookup tables to match encoded passwords to the original text entered by a user, thus speeding the calculations required to break the codes. Called a time-memory trade-off, the situation means that an attacker with an abundance of computer memory can reduce the time it takes to break a secret code.
  • AOL launches teen Visa card  - America Online said Tuesday it will team up with Visa to offer cash cards targeting teens and young adults as part of the unveiling of its refurbished online service this summer. The AOL Visa Buxx Cash Card looks like a credit or debit card and can be used to withdraw money from ATMs or buy items where Visa is accepted. The difference is that the cash card is prepaid by a parent or guardian who has control over how much a teen can spend using the card. AOL will offer the card at no extra cost to its members in conjunction with its upcoming release of AOL 9.0 Optimized and AOL for Broadband.
  • Field Guide Reveals Spammers' Tricks - The new guide was conceived by ActiveState Antispam Research Director John Graham-Cumming to quantify spam techniques. The Field Guide provides a comprehensive listing and explanation of techniques that administrators can use to keep abreast of the ever-changing tricks used by spammers, according to ActiveState. More than 20 different spam techniques are documented. Each is named and rated for popularity and complexity. ActiveState researchers categorized the techniques as either "common" or "rare," and assigned complexity ratings that range from "dumb" to "dastardly."
  • Lindows unveils HDD-less $169 Linux appliance - Consumer Linux company Lindows.com is getting into the information appliance business, the company said today. It has begun offering the WebStation, a small office/home office-oriented PC, for a mere $169. Of course, that doesn't buy you a top-spec. system. You don't even get a monitor. The WebStation is based on a VIA C3 733MHz processor and comes with 256MB of PC133 memory (which Lindows mistakenly describes as "DDR"), a 24x CD-ROM drive, keyboard, mouse and a pair of speakers. Each unit sports a couple of USB ports.
  • DDR 400 prices up 14 per cent - Top-end DDR SDRAM prices are on the rise, Taiwanese online DRAM trader DRAMeXchange has reported. Contract prices for 400MHz DDR rose almost 14 per cent last week over the first two weeks of July, the trader's figures reveal.  According to DRAMeXchange, contract prices for 256Mb DDR 400 chips are now at between $4.90 and $5.40, while 256Mb DDR 333 chips are going for $4.40-4.80, up 13.95 per cent and 12.31 per cent, respectively.
  • Iomega inches closer to mini-storage  - Iomega has unveiled details of a small, detachable storage drive it is developing for portable electronics gadgets. The 1.5GB device, dubbed Digital Capture Technology, or DCT, uses a combination of hard drive technology created by Iomega and technology licensed from partner Fuji Photo Film, a digital camera maker.
  • Samsung unveils fastest handheld chip  - Korean electronics giant Samsung has beaten Intel to take the crown in handheld processor speed. The company said it has developed the world's fastest mobile CPU, the S3C2440, which runs at a core speed of 533MHz. The S3C2440 uses the ARM920T, a microprocessor based on a chip architecture devised by ARM Holdings of Cambridge, England, which has a low power requirement of only 1.3 volts. The new CPU features integrated flash memory and supports handheld features such as a came
  • ra interface, memory-card expansion and USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectivity.
  • Nikon Unveils High-End Digital Camera - The D2H can continuously shoot eight frames per second and buffers up to 40 JPEG images. It incorporates an 11-sensor autofocus system with nine cross-type sensors and Wi-Fi capabilities for 802.11b wireless transmission of images. The camera comes with Nikon Capture 4.0, NikonView 6.1, and three new lenses. The lenses include the extreme wide-angle AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED lens, the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, and the super-telephoto AF-S VR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED lens with Nikon's advanced Vibration Reduction technology.
  • Hard-disk drive industry braces for technology changes - Most industry executives said the advent of perpendicular recording is still two to five years away. Although working prototypes have been developed, they were at less than desirable recording densities.  "Perpendicular recording holds promise for the future," said Chuck Nielson, chief technologist at Fujitsu America Ltd. "The difficulty is that it is an entirely different phenomenon. It requires a whole new approach to head and media designs. This adds to the uncertainty of when it can happen."
  • Gigabyte to release DVD-Dual drive - Although Gigabyte Technology was the last among first-tier motherboard makers to enter the optical storage arena, it will be the first to release a DVD-Dual drive, supporting 4x burning for both the DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW formats, according to the company.
  • Quadro FX 3000 Announced - NVIDIA has announced two professional graphics workstation-based products - the Quadro FX 3000 and Quadro FX 3000G.
  • Creative Expands Award-Winning I-Trigue Speaker Line - Creative Technology Ltd. today announced immediate shipment of the slender, cool-looking Creative I-Trigue(TM) L3500 and the August shipment of the Creative I-Trigue L3450 2.1 speaker systems at an ESP of only US$149.99.  With killer looks and an exceptional 100 watts of system power, the Creative I-Trigue L3500 and L3450 incorporate a winning combination of design and technology, building upon the acclaim for their award-winning Creative I-Trigue predecessors. Each new Creative I-Trigue speaker system features bi-amplification for optimum performance in specific frequency ranges and more accurate sound reproduction.
  • Dual Display capabilities on the ATI All In Wonder Video Cards - 3DGameMan has posted an article about Dual Display capabilities on the ATI All In Wonder Video Cards.
  • ASUS SK8N + AMD Opteron 144 - AMD Opteron based platforms become more and more popular. X-bit Labs tested a workstation featuring ASUS SK8N mainboard based on NVIDIA nForce3 Pro 150 chipset and one AMD Opteron processor working at 1.8GHz. The whole lot of benchmarks in comparison with AMD Athlon XP and Intel Pentium 4 are included.
  • AMD Opteron 244 LN2 Cooling - Katsumi from Japan has overclocked his Opteron 244 (1.8Ghz) to over 2.2GHz on LN2 cooling using the ASUS SK8N nForce3 Pro board. Perhaps the 2.2Ghz CPU should be named Opteron 148 like the RedStorm supercomputer built by Cray comprises of 10368 Opteron 148.
  • Epox 4PCA3+ i875P Motherboard Review - Stock performance of the Epox 4PCA3+ was very good; it outperformed both the AOpen AX4C Max and MSI 875 Neo-FIS2R motherboards in almost all the benchmarks, sometimes by more than 5%! Unfortunately our overclocking adventures didn't go very well. The maximum FSB we could run was 216 MHz FSB. For those of you with more powerful cooling solutions, a 1.6V maximum CPU voltage may limit your overclocks as well. In general the layout of the board was good but there were a few quirks that we didn't like. The Northbridge is very close to the AGP slot, if you're using a larger third party videocard cooler you may have to modify the heatsink to make it fit properly. If you're looking for a new P4 motherboard for non-overclocking environments and require many IDE channels then the Epox 4PCA3+ is more than ideal.
  • PNY GeForce FX 5900 Ultra - As far as this PNY card goes, it is not very feature rich. It has VIVO and a DVI connector but there is no software or utilities that are provided besides some stuff for your desktop. It is nothing like what we have seen in the past from companies like MSI. For $500 dollars, one would expect to get a few extra features in the bundle but the one with the PNY card is somewhat weak. The card is backed by PNY's limited lifetime warranty. The wording on the warranty is tricky but basically if the card is not being made anymore, you are out of luck.
  • OCZ 2x256MB PC3200 Dual Channel Platinum Memory Review - Keptech has posted an OCZ 2x256MB PC3200 Dual Channel Platinum Memory review.
  • OCZ EL DDR PC3700 Gold Memory Sticks Review - The Canterwood and Springdale have radically changed the high end memory market. When the i845PE was king, even PC3500 was mostly overkill, as most boards had the proper 4:5 memory ratio for DDR 333, so even at 160mhz FSB, which is near limit for most P4B processors, memory speed would still be only hitting 400mhz. The new chipsets and the new 800mhz bus Pentium4s have changed all that. PC3500 went from overkill to necessary for serious overclocking, and even faster memory has been introduced. Today well be looking at one of the new PC3700 Gold series from OCZ.
  • Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 Sound Card Review - The Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 sound card based on the Envy24HT chip with the Wolfson 8-channel codec is a good solution for music listening and playback of DVD movies, as well as for professional applications for music composing in entry-level home studios. The NSP (Native Sound Processor) can apply VST plugins to the card's inputs and outputs, that makes up for a hardware effect processor. The sound quality in music corresponds to that of professional audio cards of the same category. Although there are not surprises, there are no disappointing angles as well. In gaming applications this card is superior to other identical Envy24HT based cards with the Sensaura 3D sound because of the updated algorithms.
  • Samsung SM-348 Combo Drive 48x24x48x16 - The SM-348 is currently the fastest combo drive available and at L65 offers amazing value for money. There is also a black version available for the same price for those who don't want to spoil the look of their black case. The fastest CD-ROM stand-alone drives hit 56x, the fastest CD-RW stand-alone drives hit 52x and the fastest DVD-ROM stand-alone drives hit 16x. The SM-348 is only marginally behind with CD performance and is right at the top for DVD performance.
  • Samsung Spinpoint SP1604N Review -  MonkeyReview has posted a review of Samsung Spinpoint SP1604N HDD. "I truly feel that the SP1604N is a great drive for just about any environment. I wish we had found the 8MB buffer but to be fair, it would have come at a higher price. Samsungs attempts to reduce audible noise has really come through for them and it's managed to impress me yet again. I feel the SP1604N is a great recipient for our Editors Choice award and we commend Samsung on a job well done. Check out our site over the next week to see this drive square off against the S-ATA interface".
  • Maxtor DiamondPlus 9 200GB SATA Review - Serial-ATA is far from the undisputed winner when it comes to performance, but its other advantages such as ease of installation of efficiency make it a worthy interface. If you decide SATA is for you, then you will have quite a few quality drives to chose from, and although the Western Digital Raptor drive offers the best performance, it isn't very practical for someone who requires a whole heap of storage capacity. The Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 200GB SATA, on the other hand, offers great performance with loads of space, making it our favorite all round SATA drive to grace our labs to date.
  • Aopen HP-590 Headphones Review - AOpen has developed a very unique feature with their HP-590 headphones, dubbed "Vibration Bass." Basically, this pair of headphones features a second 30mm "vibration" driver that is specially designed to translate low frequency sounds into vibrations. This is designed to add to the overall audio sensation by accenting bass with a tactile response.
  • "nVidia, UT2003, and a mip-map mess..." - EliteBastards' Hanners has posted a little editorial on the nVidia & UT2003 thing. Nearly 100% informational, but gives you some food for thought.
  • Nvidia confirms PS 2.0 driver problems - Developers at the Meltdown Microsoft DirectX conference heard Nvidia make an interesting comment about its drivers. One of the developers using FX 5900 hardware for an upcoming title tested the new shaders 2.0 and made a comment that he'd had problems with them. Apparently, some shaders 2.0 simply do not work making Nvidia's claim that this card is DirectX 9 hardware puzzling, as Pixel Shader 2.0 is one of the essences of DX 9. Subsequently, Nvidia staff at the conference agreed the shaders are not feeling very well, and that the recent drivers are quite buggy. But hey! They run Quake, UT and 3Dmark just fine.
  • Mozilla 1.5 Alpha - An alpha version of Mozzila is available for download directly from the official FTP
  • XP Smoker 3.0 - XP Smoker 3.0 has been released. It's a tweaking utility for Windows XP. 
  • phpMyAdmin 2.5.2 Final - phpMyAdmin (changelog) can manage a whole MySQL-server (needs a super-user) but also a single database.
  • AtomTime Synchronizer 3.2.2.0 - AtomTime Synchronizer is a useful and handy utility to keep your PC clock accurate. It can periodically check and synchronize your computer time with a NIST atomic time server, synchronize time between computers and act as a time server.
  • ZoneAlarm Free 3.7.202 - ZoneAlarm makes it easy. Unlike other personal firewalls, ZoneAlarm protects automatically from the moment it's installed - no programming required. ZoneAlarm barricades your PC with immediate and complete port blocking.
  • Radeon Omega Drivers v3.6 based - Omega has released a new drivers for Radeon cards, based on the cat 3.6 drivers.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,22 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 04:01 AM CEST - Jul,22 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Feds Settle With Young ID Thief - The Federal Trade Commission has settled a civil action against a 17-year-old California boy who was allegedly tricking Internet users into giving him their credit card numbers and other personal information on a bogus Web site meant to look like America Online's billing center. The settlement, announced Monday, will bar the defendant from sending spam and force him to give up about $3500 in profits from his venture, which ran from July to December 2002, before the FBI confiscated his computer. A federal court in central California must formally approve the settlement.
  • French police break alleged Internet counterfeiting ring - French police have arrested 110 people and seized tens of thousands of illegally copied movies as part of a probe into an alleged Internet-based counterfeiting ring. The nationwide sweep, carried out over 11 days, came after authorities identified a Web site offering movies copied from DVDs, police Lt. Jean-Luc Sauvage said Saturday.
  • Messenger 6.0 Buffer Overflow Vulnerability - A certain Bahaa Naamneh reported a bug in MSN Messenger 6.0.0501 and prior builds that makes it possible to crash someone's MSN by sending bad, incomplete pictures. If you send an image file to one of your contacts, MSN shows a thumbnail even before the destination accepts the transfer. Now when u send an incomplete file image the thumbnailer will lose the default size, cause a buffer overflow and crash the client. To fix this problem, Microsoft recommends to upgrade to latest build 6.0. (thanks Neowin.net)
  • Samsung Shows Feature-Packed PDA - Besides phone, camera, TV, and camcorder capabilities, it also has an MP3 player, and serves as a two-way radio and has wireless infrared links for exchanging data with other devices. The MITs M400 will sell for one million won, or approximately $800, a spokesperson for the company said. The handset has a 3.5 inch TFT-LCD that can be adjusted for portrait or landscape viewing. The 300,000-pixel camera and camcorder can also be swiveled 270 degrees for taking still shots or clips. The device comes with 128MB of memory, expandable to 512 MB and is based around Intel's PXA250 XScale processor running at 300 MHz.
  • Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60  - Having fun at the beach with a camera is as American as apple pie, but you sure can ruin your day if you accidentally drop your camera in the sand or water. The nifty 2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60 ($250 list) is cleverly designed for maximum fun and shooting on the beach or under the waves without worrying-and it even takes great pictures. The U60 has only two resolutions, 1,632-by-1,224 and 640-by-480, and one compression level. You can set the camera's fixed focal length, semi-wide-angle lens (which acts as a normal lens underwater) to auto- or manual focus. The four-mode flash illuminated up to 6 feet out of water and about 4 feet under the surface in our tests. The U60 can capture up to 15 seconds of video but doesn't have audio capability or a video-out port.
  • FX5900 vs Radeon9800Pro Review - While FX5800 in due time was unable to outrun Radeon9700Pro, this time FX5900 in most tests lags behind Radeon9800Pro a little bit. But nVidia has the Ultra option in stock and things may change about it. At least, Gainward's FX5900 whose frequencies (440/900) strongly differ from the canonical (425/800Mhz) already demonstrates some advantages and things are not the way they seem. This is to say that frequencies in the Ultra version will be much higher.
  • ATI Radeon 9800 All In Wonder Pro Review - Gaming, TV Viewing and Capture, TIVO Features, Remote Control the All In Wonder 9800 Pro certainly lives up to its name. This card isn't for the casual computer user. It's the ultimate enthusiast's card. Retailing at around $449 you will need to break your piggy bank open to afford it but as we all know, quality comes at a cost :) Overall I can highly recommend the Radeon 9800 All In Wonder Pro, the best just got better. If I could give a double Editor's Choice award I would. What will ATI have in store for us next?
  • ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 256MB - The major plus points of the Radeon 9800, being its all round high performance, relatively high DX9 performance and great FSAA quality, are relatively well known now. The 256MB board takes all these and makes some of them that little more useable and adds a little more future proofing it, but it all comes at a price.
  • ATI All in Wonder 9800 PRO  - The All In Wonder 9800 PRO is the best 9800 PRO on the market, even compared against the limited edition 256MB version. It's versatility, features and performance all add up to make it the most compelling video card we have seen to date.
  • Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 (Intel 865PE)  - Priced attractively at S$199, the Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 is indeed a good buy for budget conscious users who just want to have a no-frills ATX board. Backed by Gigabyte's quality seal, you won't go very wrong if you're thinking of using this for your next upgrade.
  • Epox 4PCA3+ i875P Motherboard Review - Stock performance of the Epox 4PCA3+ was very good; it outperformed both the AOpen AX4C Max and MSI 875 Neo-FIS2R motherboards in almost all the benchmarks, sometimes by more than 5%! Unfortunately our overclocking adventures didn't go very well. The maximum FSB we could run was 216 MHz FSB. For those of you with more powerful cooling solutions, a 1.6V maximum CPU voltage may limit your overclocks as well.
  • InCoder Slim Metal Combo Drive - INcoder's brand-new portable storage Combo drives (CD-Rewriters/ DVD-Rom) right now are available. Burn your 650Mb/ 74min CDs faster and better with buffer under run Botect technology (Just Link). Easy Plug and play function while you connect these drives to Laptop (Notebook) and desktop PC.
  • Corsair TWINX1024-3700 Review - The Corsair XMS3700 modules are designed to take advantage of higher front side bus speeds while using a relaxed timing that will allow for stability at these higher frequencies. The XMS3700 series using a timing of 3-4-4-8 to accomplish usage at DDR466 or a front side bus speed of 233 mhz. Something that should be mentioned is that while this ram is designed for usage at a 233 mhz front side bus there aren't any P4 CPU's selling that run on a 233 mhz fsb.
  • 10 mobos with the nForce2 Ultra400 - The graphics specialist nVIDIA still offers the fastest platform for the Athlon XP. With an FSB clock rate of up to 200 MHz, the latest version, which goes by the name of nForce2 Ultra 400, can serve even the fastest Athlon XP 3200+. THG ran a total of ten motherboards through their tests. The Shuttle XPC Mini-PC was also there at the starting.
  • Ultimate Thermal Paste Round up - So there you have it 3000+ hours of work, 20+ pastes and still no clear winner. The Nanotherm PCM+ leads the pack with a slim margin, and it is great for those that don't want to take the time to make sure that the paste is thin and even. Arctic Silver's Ceramique also put up a great showing, keeping pace with the PCM+ and Shin Etsu pastes. The Ceramique is probably a little easier to find. Seems I see it at every online retail outlet. OCZ Ultra and Radio Shack also deserve a mention. Both pastes are very inexpensive and perform very, very well.
  • Installing Windows Server 2003 Guide - If you're looking at installing Windows 2003 Server you might want to check out this article over on Informit.com. In this hour, the following topics are covered:Planning Windows Server 2003 installations, Windows Server 2003 hardware requirements, How to check Windows Server 2003 hardware and software compatibility on a serve to be upgraded, Working with server licensing, Installing Windows Server 2003, Upgrading a server to Windows Server 2003. (tnx WinOSCentral)
  • Red Hat Linux 9.0.93  - A new Red Hat Linux beta (codename Severn) is now available. As shown on the schedule, the beta 1 testing period will last from July 21 to mid-August.
  • SlimBrowser 3.71 Build 002 - SlimBrowser is a multiple-site browser based on tab-page interface. It incorporates a large collection of wonderful features like recoverable popup killer, skinned window frame, form filler, site group, quick-search, auto login, hidden sites, built-in commands and scripting, online translation, script error suppression, blacklist / whitelist filtering. It brings you convenient and comfortable browsing.
  • CPUCooL 7.2.6 - CPUCooL (download) has been updated. What is CPUCool? CPUCooL is a program that monitors temperature, fan speed, and voltages for many motherboards.
  • PHPEdit 0.7.1.131 - PHPEdit (download) is one of the best IDE under Windows to work with PHP. It offer a bunch of tools which allow you to work easier and faster on your eash day work.
  • Desktop Sidebar v1.03 - The aim of Desktop Sidebar (download) is provide you with instant access to some of your most important daily information. It displays e-mails, appointments, task, notes, Messenger contacts, stock quotes, weather forecasts and constantly updated news from blogs, RSS newsfeeds and web pages.  This new version includes a POP3 Mail Checker panel, Longhorn Clock, Network Monitor, support for RSS Auto-discovery and automatic HTML to RSS conversion in Newsroom panel and many more small enhancements and bug fixes.
  • XMPEG v5.0 RC 3 - This program decodes MPEG1 (Audio & Video) and MPEG2 streams and offers you the possibillity to re-encode them in the format you want. Actual evolutions makes Xmpeg faster, more stable, and offers more options.
  • Windows XP BootVis.exe 1.3.37 - BootVis.exe is a performance trace visualization tool for use with Microsoft Windows XP systems.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,20 2003 - tech
Sunday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 11:16 PM CEST - Jul,20 2003 - Post a comment / read (21)
  • Latest Xbox figures revealed - Software giant Microsoft has announced its financial results for the quarter and financial year ended June 31, revealing firm figures for the global installed base of Xbox and its targets for the coming year. By the end of the financial year, Microsoft had sold 9.4 million Xbox consoles worldwide - far, far lower than some estimates recently, which had put the figure well north of the 10 million mark, with one piece of research suggesting that it was as high as 13 million.
  • French Government Bans Term 'E-Mail' - Goodbye "e-mail," the French government says, and hello "courriel" - the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using to refer to electronic mail in official documents. The Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the latest step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon. The ministry's General Commission on Terminology and Neology insists Internet surfers in France are broadly using the term "courrier electronique" (electronic mail) instead of e-mail - a claim some industry experts dispute. "Courriel" is a fusion of the two words.
  • DVD-R is The Most Compatible DVD Format - CDR-Info, has determined that DVD-R is clearly the most compatible DVD recording format on the market. To assess the compatibility level of DVD Formats we created video content on a DVD writer using DVD-R/RW and +R/RW media. These discs were then played back in other DVD players and DVD-ROM drives -over a 1,000 combinations of drive, media and player were tested. The content created on a DVD-R/RW writer using a write once DVD-R disc played back in virtually all (96.1 percent) of the DVD players and DVD-ROM drives used in the research. DVD+R discs played back in 87.6 percent of the devices tested.
  • RADEON 9200 SE Specifications Unleashed - Evidently, the RADEON 9200 SE is a RADEON 9200-derivative designed for value-minded customers who can afford a graphics card at very low price-point or simply do not need a powerful solution. RADEON 9200 SE graphics processor is clocked at 200MHz, memory of the product is clocked at 333MHz, but there is no information whether 64-bit or 128-bit memory bus is implemented.
  • NV36 Specs? - Nvnews.com has posted some possible NV36 specs: "Made on IBM 0.13u, 82M transistors, 500Mhz core clock, 256-bit memory bus, 325Mhz RAW memory (128MB & 256MB versions as the NV31, probably), Just as the NV35, marketing says it's twice a NV31: thus, half the shader pipes of the NV35 (no FX12, as in the NV35), Named GeForceFX 5700, taped-out in May, availability dates unknown."
  • Crucial GIZMO(tm) 128Meg USB Flash Drive Review  - TweakNews has posted a review of Crucial GIZMO 128Meg USB Flash Drive.
  • Corsair 1GB TwinX-4000 Memory Review - ipKonfig.com has checked a new Corsair TwinX4000 DDR500 memory modules in their latest review.
  • WinDVD Platinum v5.0.26.33 - WinDVD Platinum 5 is InterVideo's latest version of WinDVD. It features DivX support, Dolby Virtual Speaker and Video Effect, and more.
  • TMPGEnc v2.520.54.163  - TMPEGenc (download ~ changelog) converts *.AVI file to MPEG1, the format which is used in VideoCD. Using a variety of options in TMPEGenc, you can compress your video file in high quality.
  • Microsoft DirectX 9.0b Build 4.09.0000.0902 - Neowin.net has now offers Microsoft's DirectX 9.0b Build 4.09.0000.0902 for download. It has been released as part of the SDK update, so it shouldn't be to long until we see it in public too. This release includes the all of the DirectX 9.0b Developer runtime enhancements. Note: this is a new runtime that has not yet been released externally. It includes security and performance updates only.
  • GAIM 0.66 - Gaim (download) is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM (Oscar and TOC protocols), ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr networks.
  • TaskInfo 2003 v.5.0.0.94 - TaskInfo2003 (download) is combination of Task Manager and System Information Utility, It visually monitors different types of System information in Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. This new version fixes some minor bugs.
  • NVIDIA-based Graphics Cards Will Have a Bug in Half-Life 2? - According a Valve officials quoted in forums at HalfLife2.net website, there are problems with the way that current hardware implements FSAA. If you enable it, you will see a lot of artifacts on polygon boundaries due to the way that current graphics processors sample texture subjects with FSAA enabled. Valve continued that this is a problem for any application that packs small textures into larger textures. The small textures will bleed into each other if you have multi-sample FSAA enabled.  Currently both leading graphics chips designers use multi-sampling or hybrid multi-sampling + super-sampling methods to for FSAA. The developers of the legendary Half-Life game said that drivers are not likely to solve the problem, however, it still can be solved for graphics cards based on VPUs from ATI Technologies, such as RADEON 9500-, 9600-, 9700- and 9800-series. As for NVIDIA GeForce and GeForce FX-series, there are practically no chances to find a workaround, according to Valve.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,19 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 02:43 AM CEST - Jul,19 2003 - Post a comment / read (4)
  • Off-topic: Hydrogen-fueled Cars Not Best Way To Cut Pollution, Greenhouse Gases And Oil Dependency - In a paper appearing in the July 18 issue of Science magazine, Alex Farrell, assistant professor of energy and resources at UC Berkeley, and David Keith, associate professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, present various short- and long-term strategies that they say would achieve the same results as switching from gasoline-powered vehicles to hydrogen cars. "Hydrogen cars are a poor short-term strategy, and it's not even clear that they are a good idea in the long term," said Farrell. "Because the prospects for hydrogen cars are so uncertain, we need to think carefully before we invest all this money and all this public effort in one area."
  • Off-topic: Tech Tool Aims to Translate Cat Talk - You and your cat could be on the verge of becoming a lot closer. After the success of a device designed to interpret a dog's moods and feelings, Japan's Takara is planning a similar gadget for cats. The Meowlingual is still under development and few details are available. However, Tokyo-based Takara says the gadget will have some of the same functions as the Bowlingual translator. Among them: the capability to "translate" cat calls into one of around 200 phrases that are displayed on a built-in LCD.
  • Off-topic: New Sensor Can Detect DNA in One Step - Imagine that your doctor, using a small hand-held sensor, could detect from a drop of your blood if you carry the gene for cystic fibrosis, or whether or not you have HIV. Or on the battlefield, a soldier could wear a small sensor that detects the smallest amount of anthrax in the air. In the food industry the same type of sensor could check for the DNA signature of salmonella.
  • Cisco IOS DoS exploit released in the wild  - As I reported yesterday, The DoS vulnerability arises from a bug in Cisco's core IOS software which means vulnerable devices to stop processing inbound packets on receipt of maliciously constructed IPv4 packets. Normal service would be restored only with a manual reboot. No alarms will be triggered, nor will the router reload to correct itself. Cisco IOS versions 11.x and 12.x prior to 12.3 are affected by the vulnerability. That means almost everybody is affected.  Cisco has released a fix but the concern is how much mischief could be wrought before admins get a chance to upgrade router software. The situation was already bad and just got a whole lot worse with the release of exploit code into the wild. (Cisco o Advisory)
  • IBM to launch 12.1-inch Tablet PC - Computer giant IBM expects to launch its first Tablet PC, featuring a 12.1-inch display and both handwriting and keyboard input, in the fourth quarter of this year, according to sources. According to sources, the Tablet PC will be produced by South Korea-based LG-IBM, with shipments starting in November at the earliest. Although IBM has worked with Microsoft on Tablet PC development, it will use self-developed Tablet PC handwriting software, sources said.
  • Intel to launch notebook Celeron processors with Banias core in early 2004 - Intel is set to start launching notebook-use Celeron processors featuring the Banias core design in the first quarter of 2004, which should encourage the roll-out of low-priced Centrino notebooks and Tablet PCs, according to sources at notebook makers in Taiwan.
  • New Sony handheld to use Sony chip - Unsatisfied with existing microprocessors, Sony Corp. announced Friday a new handheld computer that for the first time will use a Sony-made chip. Sony's new CLIE personal digital assistant, due to ship in September, will have a chip optimized for multimedia applications - functions for which Sony's handhelds are known - while draining as little battery power as possible, said Masanobu Yoshida, president of Sony's handheld computing company. Video will run more smoothly at 30 frames per second, he said. Battery life will last 16 hours with continuous playback of music, or five hours of video. An attachable battery accessory more than doubles that performance, he said.
  • Nokia N-Gage Pre-Orders - According to CnetNews, Nokia will begin taking preorders at GameStop and Electronics Boutique stores and web sites on Saturday for the N-Gage. The $299 game console-phone-PDA-MP3 player and more will begin selling to stores on Oct. 7.
  • Closer Look at 17" LCD Monitors Features: Pixel Response Time - X-bit Labs have reviewed thirteen 17" LCD displays in order to figure out not only their evident highs and lows, but also their real pixel response time, which definitely affects the image quality. Find out the best 17" LCD now.
  • Samsung SyncMaster 153B 15 inch Black LCD Monitor - One major questions brought forward by most computer enthusiasts in today's market is "Does it game well?". Testing this monitor with a quick game of Quake 3 proved that you can easily game with this monitor, but you will have to get used to the slight ghosting present. If you want to reduce the ghosting even more, enabling your videocard's vsync will smooth things out considerably.
  • Albatron Gigi GeForce FX 5900PV 128MB Video Card Review - Let me point it out once again that the FX 5900 and RADEON 9800 PRO cards are approximately equal. It's for you to choose. In future complicated shader-filled games ATI's cards can have more prospects, but when should we expect such games? When the FX 5900 and R9800PRO become the mainstream solutions? At that time the difference will be lacking at all. Besides, the pricecut rates should be also accounted for. If the FX 5900 is cheaper than the RADEON 9800 PRO, the choice won't be so difficult.
  • ATI RADEON 9800 Review - So where are the differences in performance? Does the card overclock as well as e.g. the Tyan Tachyon 9700 did? We had no problems in 3DMark2001SE to push way beyond the 20,000 points score but what else is new?
  • PalitDaytona GeForce FX 5200 Ultra 128MB Review - Will the card be able to keep up with the next generation of games coming out in the Fall? I don't see the FX 5200 Ultra being enough to feed the hunger of an avid game player who enjoys the latest and greatest on the store shelves. What I do see is this card providing a great entry-level card with performance that matches the price.
  • Pioneer DVR-A06 DVD+RW recorder Review - Pioneer DVR-A06 is possibly the most consistent and powerful dual burner currently in the market today. The drive delivered top performance in most of the benchmarks and strengtheners the company's position in the optical storage market. Pioneer continues its tradition of producing quality DVD burners. The retail package is available in the market at an estimated "e-street" price of $240-250.
  • Three Ultra320 Hard Drives at 10,000 RPM - They are very fast, relatively affordable and form the backbone of untold business systems. Customers can choose between 36, 73 or 147 GB and an LVD or an SCA-2 interface. Every model has 8 MB cache. The main differences between the 10,000 rpm drives are found in the details that make them perfect choices for certain applications.
  • Warp Pipe Project - GameCube Online - "The Warp Pipe Project", an open source project to bring LAN-based GameCube games online, recently released a specification detailing how GameCubes communicate over a network. The Warp Pipe Project is aggressively seeking out developers who would be interested in this project. (Slashdot.org)
  • Creative SoundBlaster Cards SoftMods Guide - Three different ways to make your SBLive or Audigy utilize the applications and the new features (if hardware supports them) that Audigy2 offers, or unlock features of your SBLive, Audigy or Audigy2 card that official drivers neither enable nor use!
  • Apache 1.3.28 - The Apache Group has released Apache 1.3.28.
  • GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner 3 Build 20030715 - GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner (download) checks your network for all potential methods that a hacker might use to attack your network.
  • jv16 PowerTools 1.4 Final - Jv16 PowerTools (download ~ this is only trial version, this program is not free anymore) is the next generation of RegCleaner. A full set of tools to keep your computer and your LAN up and running.
  • WinDVD Platinum 5.0 B26.033 - WinDVD Platinum 5 (download) is the ultimate DVD software player, providing you with the finest quality video and audio playback.
  • WinOnCD 6.0 Service Pack 2 - WinOnCD 6.02 is a maintenance release of WinOnCD 6 PE and DVD. There have been numerous improvements and fixes. The following list contains a selection of the most important changes that have been made in WinOnCD 6.02.
  • BootVis.exe Tool Updated - BootVis.exe is a performance trace visualization tool for use with WinXP systems. This new version resolves a compatibility issue when running on Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading Technology enabled (note: In order to correct a problem with Bootvis tracing on systems with Hyper-Threading Technology, a kernel hot fix is required. Refer to Knowledge Base article Q821581 for more details and to obtain the fix) and resolves a compatibility issue when using third-party IDE drivers.
  • TracePlusR/Ethernet 2.95.000 - This TracePlus product (download) obtains its information directly from the network subsystem of Windows, and can see ALL network traffic generated from your PC as well as all other PCs on your segment of the network. (thanks SavageNews)
  • PowerStrip 3.43 Beta Build 401 - PowerStrip (download) provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest Radeon 9700DV and Matrox Parhelia.
  • CMedia 9738/9739 Audio Drivers - CMedia officially released a new driver for their 9738/9739 4-/6-channel AC97 audio codecs widely used as OnBoard sound solution on many mainboards.
  • Drivers: DNA Drivers 1.5.3.6HFSU  -  These drivers have been optimized for better Image Quality and more/stable frames per second compared to the official Catalyst drivers from ATI, at least this are the claims.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,18 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:48 AM CEST - Jul,18 2003 - Post a comment / read (11)
  • US plans to outlaw file-sharing - A bill that will make it a crime to swap files produced without the permission of the copyright owners has been introduced into the US House of Representatives. The move to make it illegal to upload files to peer-to-peer (P2P) sites comes only two weeks after the Recording Industry Association of America threatened to file civil lawsuits against thousands of individual computer users who download the files. Another story can be found here.
  • Router bug threatens 'internet backbone'  -  A critical software bug affecting many key internet routers could be used to derail net traffic, computer experts have warned. Routers are the hubs of the internet, directing traffic to its destination. The software flaw affects the most common internet routers, those running the Cisco IOS operating system (Major Flaw Found In Cisco IOS Devices). Repeatedly sending specially crafted data packets to a vulnerable router will cause it to attempt to restart over and over again, making it unavailable to direct legitimate traffic.
  • SMS Spam blocker - bmd wireless has announced commercial availability of a solution to effectively detect, filter and block SMS spam and unwanted messages from any mobile network. The SMS Spam Filtering (SSF) platform enables mobile operators to define specific rules that are applied to block SMS spam at the network level while allowing customers to easily provision SMS filtering rules for their own subscription service.
  • Is the End Near for Netscape? - The death knell is sounding for the Netscape browser, industry observers said, following America Online's decision Tuesday to lay off about 50 Netscape software developers and end development work on the Mozilla browser technology. According to industry observers and research managers, Netscape is dead.
  • Sony unveils new Net-capable, palm-sized PDA - Sony Marketing (Japan) Inc on Thursday took the wraps off a new Internet-savvy, palm-sized personal digital assistant (PDA) whose horizontal color screen and keyboard fold like those of a notebook computer. The "CLIE PEG-UX50" - measuring 10.3 centimeters in width and 8.7 cm in height - will hit store shelves on Aug 9, said Sony Marketing, a sales arm of Sony Corp.
  • Nikon Ships New Coolpix Models - Nikon is releasing this week three new 3x optical zoom-Nikkor digital cameras--the Nikon Coolpix 2100, Nikon Coolpix 3100 and the Nikon Coolpix SQ; plus a new 5.1-megapixel model, the Coolpix 5400, not previously seen. Now available are the 2-megapixel Coolpix 2100, priced at $249.95; the $349.95, 3.2-megapixel Coolpix 3100; and the 3.1-megapixel Coolpix SQ, which costs $499.95. The Coolpix 5400, also shipping, is priced at $799.95. With a maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200, the Coolpix 2100 can print pictures at sizes of up to 8 by 10 inches. The Coolpix 3100 produces a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 and will make larger prints of up to 11 by 14 inches. The Coolpix 2100 has a zoom range of 36-108mm while the Nikon Coolpix 3100 features a 38-115mm lens (both 35mm equivalents).
  • Kodak Camera Delivers 14 Megapixels - The 14-megapixel Kodak Professional DCS Pro 14n digital SLR camera ($5,000 street) isn't for everyone. But for professionals who need extremely high-resolution digital images, it's a relative bargain. For the rest of us, the Pro 14n offers a peek into the next generation of digital cameras.
  • Gateway Launches Flat-Screen TVs - Gateway is growing its line of flat-panel TVs, unveiling its first LCD TVs along with two new plasma models. One of the two new plasma models does support 720p-format HDTV. The 50-inch, 1366-by-788 model becomes available on July 24 priced at $6999. The other new plasma unit is a 46-inch 852-by-480 model that, like Gateway's 42-inch unit, can accept HDTV input but can't deliver a true HDTV image (Gateway calls it an Enhanced-Definition TV, or EDTV). The 46-inch model is due to ship on July 25 priced at $3799.
  • Ogg Vorbis is ready for a market - FineArch, Inc., Tokyo Japan based semiconductor LSI design company, developed the system IP to decode the next generation digital music compression format, Ogg Vorbis. FineArch successfully completed the Ogg vorbis sytstem IP to run at 12 Mhz. This is about 1/6 of the clock speed required to decode Ogg Vorbis with a single CPU system. This ultra low power IP fits well with the today_fs portable music player market where battery life is critical factor.
  • P4 3.2ghz vs. 3200+ review - OcPrices.com has posted a shoot out between the P4 3.2C GHz and the AMD Athlon XP 3200+.
  • GAIM 0.65  - Gaim (download) is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM (Oscar and TOC protocols), ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr networks.
  • foobar2000 v0.7 Beta 22 - A new beta version of foobar2000 (changelog ~ direct download link) is out.
  • Real Alternative 1.00 - Real Alternative will allow you to play RealMedia files. This way you can play RealAudio and RealVideo files without having to install RealPlayer. You do need a player that is capable of playing RealMedia. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well. Supported: RealAudio (.ra .rpm), RealMedia (.rm .ram .rmvb .rpx .smi .smil), RealText (.rt), ReadPix (.rp), RealMedia embedded in webpages. .smi and .smil files sometimes only play the first part of a clip. This is a limitation of the current Media Player Classic.
  • K-Lite Codec Pack 2.04 Final - The K-Lite Codec Pack contains everything you need to be able to playback the most popular audio and video formats. The basic version contains all the codecs that are needed for playing most movies that can be downloaded from the Internet. The full version has some extra codecs which are used less often and includes a media player.
  • WinOnCD 6.0 Service Pack 2 (6.02) - WinOnCD 6's second Service Pack (changelog) has been released by Roxio (thanks SavageNews).
  • MyIE2 v0.8.130 Beta -  MyIE2 (download) is a multi-tabbed browser based on the IE core (IE5.x or above required). It can open multiple web pages within one browser window, and uses little system resources. This new beta adds Favicon support; ALL current IE encoding support; New script commands for plugin developer; URL aliases; better download manager support, and more.
  • Radiator 1.8.0.6 - For listening to and recording (download) from popular radiocards: AimsLab RadioTrack, RadioTrack II, Reveal RA300, SoundForte SF16 - FMP2, SoundForte SF16 - FMI, Aztech / Packard Bell, Comp - Express, GemTek RadioCard, SoundForte SF16 - FMR2, SoundForte SF16 - FMD2, Zoltrix RadioPlus 108, serial port adapters GemTek RadioMan, GemTek Wizard Radio, Justy Radion-maru, Unit Rajikoma, AverMedia TV98 series (BT878), GemTek FMRadio 21 USB, MediaForte SF64PCE2_02, MediaForte SF64PCE2_03, MediaForte SF64PCP, MediaForte M56VAP, MediaForte SF256PCS, MediaForte SF256PCR, SoundForte SF16-FMR, SoundForte SF16-FMX. Also works on D-Link USB radio DSB-R100 (see below). Thanks to various plugins it is possible to work with even more tv/radio cards.
  • Fresh UI 6.20 - Fresh UI (download) is the fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows. Loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings, this software covers the customizing and optimizing technique that you'll be glad to know: Customizing Windows User Interface, Optimizing system settings, Optimizing hardware settings, Customizing Windows application settings, and Control user environment with policies.
  • Windows XP PowerToys Updated - PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released to manufacturing. They add fun and functionality to the Windows experience.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,17 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:34 AM CEST - Jul,17 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • "Webber" - A Trojan Program That Turns Innocent Computers Into Spam Machines - Kaspersky Labs reports the mass mailing of the new trojan program "Webber" (aka"Heloc"). Webber was spread over the Internet via a mass mailing conducted on July 16, 2003. The message containing Webber has the following subject line: "Re: Your credit application", and a file attachment named "web.da.us.citi.heloc.pif". This file name is similar to a Web address and therefore can at times confuse users and lead them to execute the infected file. Once run, Webber clandestinely downloads its additional components from a remote Web-server and installs them on the now infected computer. Collateral damage attributed to this trojan includes the sending of a list of passwords dug out of a victim machine's cach memory to its 'master' (the hacker controlling its actions).
  • Hackers exploit lax home worker security - Hackers are gaining access to corporate networks by exploiting lax security on over 350,000 home workers' PCs connected to their work IT systems, a recent survey has claimed. According to the study from assurance company NCC Group, one in six PCs tested at testmysecurity.com were completely without protection. With over two million UK employees using their home PC to access work networks, it is possible that 350,000 employee PCs are acting as back doors for hackers to attack business networks.
  • Microsoft admits critical flaw in nearly all Windows software - Microsoft Corp. acknowledged a critical vulnerability Wednesday in nearly all versions of its flagship Windows (BugTraq ~ Security Advisory) operating system software, the first such design flaw to affect its latest Windows Server 2003 software. Microsoft said the vulnerability could allow hackers to seize control of a victim's Windows computer over the Internet, stealing data, deleting files or eavesdropping on e-mails. The company urged customers to immediately apply a free software repairing patch available from Microsoft's Web site.
  • Viral marketing spreads nasty message - Antivirus company Sophos has warned that its Australian technical support have been receiving reports from people who receive an e-mail inviting them to visit a Web site--run by Avenue Media NV, based on Curacao in the Caribbean--containing free comic video clips, including on of Bill Gates copping a pie in the face. Users who visit the site and view a video clip begin sending the e-mail invitation to their friends. The site achieves this because the video clip is not downloaded directly, but instead an ActiveX control is launched which not only displays the video, but also downloads and additional software component named "Internet Optimizer" onto the computer, which sends the e-mails.
  • MSN Messenger 6.0 Launched - The Redmond, Washington, company released a public preview release of Messenger 6.0 (it's final build 6.0.0602) on June 18, and said that it is celebrating the release of the final version with a "Fast Cash Friday" offer that gives randomly selected U.S. entrants $1000. The contest runs each Friday between July 25 and August 15, during which the company will award a $1000 prize each hour for ten hours to one user logged onto the new software.
  • Color Laser Delivers Banner Output -  The new Lexmark C912dn ($5,500 street) is in a class by itself, period. That's because the C912 lineup offers something rare for a laser or LED color printer: banner printing on pages up to 11.7 by 36 inches. With its near-photo-quality output for photos, the results can be spectacular. PCMagazine tested the C912dn version, which includes a duplexer and a network card. The unit also comes with two 550-sheet paper drawers and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. For more heavy-duty needs, you can configure a C912dn with a 5,300-sheet capacity and an optional finisher with a stapler, a hole punch, and offset stacking.
  • Apple Shows Speedy G5 Desktop - Joswiak described the G5's specs as follows: a 2-GHz processor, a 1-GHz bus, 400-MHz DDR 128-bit memory, 1.5-Gbps Serial ATA, high-performance I/O, and optical digital audio input and output, priced at $2999 for the high-end system. He said that price is almost $1000 less than a computer from Dell with similar attributes.
  • Nvidia Adds TV Tuner Cards  - Nvidia Corp. said Tuesday that it will produce PCI-based TV tuner cards and special software that takes advantage of Microsoft's new Windows XP Media Center Edition. The products will include a TV tuner card with hardware MPEG-2 encoding, and a Media Center interface that gives users control of display and audio settings from the Windows XP Media Center interface. Nvidia also added a "Nvidia Karaoke" feature, to boot.
  • DVD Burner round-up: Plextor, Panasonic & Pioneer drives tested - TechSpot has posted a DVD Burner round-up  "If I was to elect a sole winner of this contest on DVD read speed alone, the Panasonic takes the cake. The Panasonic drive beat both the Pioneer and Plextor in both Sandra and Nero speed checks. DVD read speed is one thing, DVD record speed is another."
  • Enermax UC-A07FATR2 Multifunction Panel Review - MikhailTech has posted a review of UC-A07FATR2, Enermax's all-inclusive 5.25 panel.
  • Promise FastTrak SX4000 Review - For starters, the SX4000 supports up to four Ultra ATA-133 drives (backwards compatible and with everything running on Master). It boasts of a maximum of 266MB/sec bandwidth all thanks to its 32-bit 66MHz PCI interface. It can do RAID 0 striping on up to four drives, RAID 1 mirroring on two drives, RAID 0+1 mirrored stripe on four drives and RAID 5 data and parity striping on at least three drives. For the RAID 5 XOR computations, the controller has a co-processor that requires at least 64MB of SDRAM to run (the controller has a memory slot for it). The co-processor offloads the calculations, making the array run faster and eases the load on the CPU.
  • MSI FX5900-VTD128 Review - While the performance level stays close to the 9800 Pro at the default speeds, overclocking it elevates it to entirely new heights. There's no reason to look anywhere else if you're seeking an NVIDIA-based solution which does a great job of running today's games with enough horsepower under the hood (spelled overclocking) for the games of tomorrow.
  • Gigabyte Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB  - Gigabyte made an extremely fast and versatile product for the gamer here. The layout of the PCB is like 99% ATI reference and the R350 core is likely the last of it's kind on the 0.15 Micron fabrication process. With this videocard you'll receive an excellent software package and a graphics card that is ready for the latest and hottest games.
  • ATi Radeon 9800 Pro Review - ATI is without a doubt fighting to stay on top. The 9800 Pro put out some serious numbers in all of the benchmarks.
  • Portable USB Battery Extender Guide  - Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted a Portable USB Battery Extender Guide.
  • Microsoft Security Updates - Summary : Flaw in ISA Server Error Pages Could Allow Cross-Site Scripting Attack ~ Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Could Enable System Compromise ~ Buffer Overrun In RPC Interface Could Allow Code Execution
  • Tray Helper 3.6 - Tray Helper it's compact award winning application with many features (f/e: email checker, auto mail responder, anti-spam, popup-killer, event reminder and more).
  • WindowBlinds 4.1  - WindowBlinds extends Windows XP, Windows 98, ME, NT, and 2000 to have a fully skinnable user interface.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.20.16.40 - The AntiVir Personal Edition (download) offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation. In order to make possible an easy operation, the AntiVir Personal Edition is developed to the essential points.
  • Logitech MouseWare 9.78.034 - The release is dated 07/15/2003 and works for the complete range of Logitech mouse products. Note that the Advanced Settings Utility works for MouseWare 9.76 and above.
  • Plextor PX-W4012TS firmware v1.03 -  Plextor Japan has released a new firmware version for their PX-W4012TS SCSI CD-recorder (thanks mr.koe)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,16 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 03:52 AM CEST - Jul,16 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Tomb Raider developer chief quits Eidos board - Games publisher Eidos today announced the immediate departure of Jeremy Heath-Smith from the company's board. Heath-Smith has also stepped down from Core Design's board.
  • 'Reloaded' Video Arrives with 3rd 'Matrix'  - In an industry first, Warner Home Video is releasing "The Matrix Reloaded" on home video three weeks before the theatrical release of the third film in the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions." "Reloaded," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, is slated for release Oct. 14 on DVD and VHS at a retail price of about $22, Warners executives said.
  • Superfast, supercheap DSL for the masses - Softbank has spent close to $2 billion building out a gigabit Ethernet network and leasing copper wire from Japanese telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. The result is a service, offered under the Yahoo! BB brand, that provides Internet access to Japanese homes at 12 megabits per second - eight times faster than what Americans are used to - for about $21 a month. Every day, as many as 7,000 new subscribers fire up their plug-and-play DSL modems, making Yahoo! BB the world's fastest-growing broadband service.
  • New Soyo SY-KT600 specifications and photo - New Soyo SY-KT600's specifications and photo are now posted at AMDboard. This KT600 baby is intended to compete with the latest nVidia champ nForce2 Ultra 400. With the VT8237, the motherboard deals with a front side bus (FSB) ranging from 200 to 400MHz and accept all AMD socket A processors a.k.a. Athlon, Athlon XP and Duron.
  • Leadtek A350TDH MyViVO Edition 128MB GeForce FX5900 VGA Review - There is nothing special about Leadtek A350TDH, standard PCB and heatsink are used; it is just a standard Nvidia FX5900 graphics card. At its current price (~$800NZ), Leadtek A350TDH is one of the cheapest FX5900 around and should compete quite well with ATi's R9800Pro 128MB.
  • Xabre 200 graphics card Review - Is the Xabre AG200 (AT64 X-200) worth parting with your hard-earned cash for, or best avoided? Read the review to find out.
  • Albatron Gigi Geforce FX5600EQ review - As you can see from the benchmark results, the Albatron Gigi FX5600EQ didn't really have the steam to deliver the kind of marks we had half expected to see.
  • Plextor Premium 52X CD-RW Review - HotHardware has posted a review of the Plextor Premium 52X CD-RW.
  • Koss KSC-35 headphone review  - DesignTechnica has posted a Koss KSC-35 headphone review  " For use in games, Quake 3, Tribes 2, and Jedi Knight 2 were used. The overpowering bass was great for games. We could feel every rocket in out molars it was so deep. Localization of sound was acceptable. Cloaked player in Tribes 2 were easily identified, players in adjoining rooms could be anticipated with decent accuracy, and deflected blaster shots in JKII came across clean. Using Force Push and Pull in JKII was even more fun, since the sound could be felt. Unfortunately, after 45 minutes the discomfort took over, and testing halted."
  • Jazz J9938 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System (video-review) - The Jazz J9938 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System is an ideal setup for most people's audio needs offering 5.1 Channel Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Surround Pro Logic II & AAC. It also has 45 watts of total power and is magnetically shielded. The overall sound quality is good and it's well priced. Watch the Video to find out more...
  • Minolta-QMS ships Magicolor 7300 EN color laser printer - Minolta-QMS has introduced the Magicolor 7300 EN, a large-format color laser printer that supports up to 11-by-17-inch paper. The new Magicolor 7300 EN carries a suggested street price of $3199. It's compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux systems, and is PostScript 3-compatible. The printer can produce up to 20 pages of letter-size output per minute in either black-and-white or color, according to Minolta-QMS. It incorporates 10/100BaseTX Ethernet and USB and parallel interfaces, and it features multibit 600-by-600-dpi resolution
  • VGA Card Buyer's Guide 07/2003  - Choosing a new graphics card is not an easy decision. THG have put together the THG VGA Buyer's Guide to help you with that decision.
  • Mini VGA Guide - The purpose of this article is not to be a comprehensive guide to video cards; it is a succinct summary of performance and value for a few of the best selling video cards available today.
  • OpenOffice 1.1 RC Available - OpenOffice 1.1 RC (Win32 / Linux) replaces the legacy build 1.0.3.1, which lacks the new features making OpenOffice 1.1 the best office suite for free. OpenOffice 1.1 RC not only includes those features introduced in 1.1 beta, such as export to PDF, SWF, DocBook, PDA Office file formats, improved on-line Help, and more.
  • phpMyAdmin 2.5.2 RC2 - phpMyAdmin (changelog) can manage a whole MySQL-server (needs a super-user) but also a single database.
  • Another Internet Explorer 6 SP1 Update - An error message may be displayed that IE cannot download a file when the content disposition header for the file stream is greater than approximately 150 bytes and the Latin character set is equal to 150 characters. This behavior may occur if the content disposition header is formatted with a non-Latin character set, such as Japanese or Russian. The hotfix updates the file wininet.dll to build 6.0.2800.1193.
  • Intel Chipset Identification Utility 2.84 - The Intel Chipset Identification Utility (download) provides an easy way to identify the specific Intel chipset that is located on your motherboard.
  • WINner Tweak - The simplest reason to use it is to optimize performance and keep your utilities in order. (Disk Cleaner and Startup Manager are two features.)
  • XMark 7.0 Beta 2 - XMark 7.0 provides a huge variety of system performance tests and optimizations, using the latest technologies such as DirectX 9. It is designed from the ground up to be a program that accurately measures how fast real-life tasks are performed on personal computer systems, and business workstations and servers.
  • KaZaA P2P 2.5.1 - The KaZaa Media Desktop (download) is a second-generation peer-to-peer file-sharing service with which you can search and download media files from other KaZaa users.
  • ASUS SmartDoctor 2 2.75  - ASUS SmartDoctor2 is designed to satisfy two major goals. One is to monitor graphic chip Status, altering users about abnormal events, such as fan malfunction or chip overheat. The other, as the name SmartDoctor implies, is to cool down the graphic chip smartly when it is not necessary for it to be kept running at full speed. SmartDoctor2 includes AGP Power Level Monitoring, Fan RPM Monitoring, Overheated protection, Smartcooling technology, and Manual Overclocking.
  • VIA Onboard Sound Drivers 3.70b - This driver (relnotes) supports all VIA southbridges with integrated sound, including VT8231 / VT82C686A / VT82C686B, VT8233 / VT8233A / VT8233C / VT8235 and VT8237.
ATI Catalyst Drivers v3.6 - tech
(hx) 03:14 AM CEST - Jul,16 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
The Catalyst software suite 3.6 contains Radeon display driver 7.91, Multimedia Center 8.5, HydraVision 3.21, Remote Wonder 1.5  The new release resolves some issues, including problems with the games Second Life, UT2003, and NWN:
  • Switching to the program Second Life using the ALT-Tab command no longer results in the system not responding or looping indefinitely.
  • Running the demo game Lord of the Realms 3 under Windows XP with a RADEON 9000 series card installed no longer results in the system not responding when a 3 stage effect is used.
  • The game Unreal Tournament 2003 no longer hangs when loading the CTF-December level.
  • The geometry flashing throughout the background of Second Life is now resolved.
  • Flickering and display corruption in the game Neverwinter Nights is now resolved.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,15 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:11 AM CEST - Jul,15 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Russia-Linked Porn Hackers Target PCs - Russian hackers are believed to be peddling porn through hijacked personal computers using a sophisticated "trojan" program that could make you the unsuspecting purveyor of naked kiddy pics.  In late June, spam-fighters noticed that a certain hacker was able to move his web sites around at will, "minute-by-minute," according to Joe Stewart, an Internet security expert at Chicago-based company LURHQ. This made it impossible to track down the true location of the hacker's web site.  Stewart said a thousand systems appeared to be infected by a web server trojan making it possible for the hacker to change his domain name every 10 minutes as he rotated through a catalogue of domains he "owned." Stewart has dubbed the trojan Migmaf, or Migrating Mafia.
  • Meet the DoJ's 'Anti-Piracy' Lawyers - This week's Slashdot interview guests are the 'point people' for Federal criminal actions against online file-traders and software misapproprators. They know some Slashdot readers may have little sympathy for what they do all day. Be that as it may, this is a great chance to understand what it's like on the enforcement side of the intellectual property coin. They have a special set of 'ground rules' for this interview supplied by the Department of Justice that we must ask you to read before submitting questions.
  • Gladiator-style 'wars' select out weak programs - Computer scientists have found the ultimate way to debug their programs - let them compete against other programs in a gladiator-style tournament. Dubbed Grid Wars II, the contest held at the ClusterWorld conference in San Jose, California, last month was like a software version of television's Robot Wars and Battle Bots. In each battle, programs fought to gain control of processing power in a huge parallel computer. The contest began with 236 different programs, submitted by universities, government research departments and software companies from around the world. The objective of each entrant was to fight for control of 2500 computer processors.
  • AOL 9 to include Web log tools - America Online will integrate Web log software into the next version of its service this summer, giving its 34 million subscribers a way into the increasingly popular medium. The online personal journals known as Web logs, or "blogs," have taken off in popularity over the past few months. AOL's software will take advantage of recent developments in the technology to allow people to "audioblog" over the telephone. Subscribers will also be able to update their blogs, which typically include references and links to other Web sites and blogs, via AOL Instant Messenger.
  • Commodore 64 Makes a Comeback - Tulip Computers, which owns the Commodore brand name, plans to relaunch the brand to take advantage in an upsurge of interest in the obsolete Commodore 64 (C64) computer and its 1980s-era games, the company said in a statement Friday. Tulip estimates that there are still 6 million Commodore users, who can choose from a range of 6,000 games which were developed for the system. Tulip is working with Ironstone Partners, which will handle all sales of Commodore 64-related products worldwide and take over the main C64 Web portal. Enthusiasts have made over 10 million game downloads, the site owners have said.
  • AMD, Fujitsu unveil their flash memory company - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Fujitsu took the wraps off their flash memory joint venture, which will sell flash memory chips under the Spansion brand, the companies said on Monday.
  • Denon and Dolby announce 1st audio product with Dolby Virtual Speaker Surround Sound - Denon Electronics and Dolby Laboratories, two industry leaders in home entertainment technology, have announced the U.S. debut of Denon's D-M71DVXP, a DVD receiver system that is the world's first audio/video product to incorporate Dolby Virtual Speaker surround sound technology. Dolby Virtual Speaker ensures the integrity of the virtual 5.1 sound field by reproducing the entire sonic signature, and its multiple reflection tails, which can often vary significantly in level and spectral balance from the direct sound. The further addition of crosstalk cancellation maintains the integrity of each processed signal, thereby insuring a highly realistic and natural sounding 360-degree sonic environment.
  • Samsung's 0.10-micron 1Gbit DDR in volume production - Samsung Electronics today announced volume production of its 1Gbit DDR component, the first Intel-validated DDR SDRAM. The high-density 1Gbit DDR SDRAM devices are produced on 12-inch wafers utilizing 0.10-micron process technology. Samsung's 1Gbit DDR SDRAM component supports bank configurations of x4/8/16 in a single design and are available in DDR266 and DDR333 speeds.
  • Intel launches new Xeon with expanded cache - The 3.06GHz Xeon DP processor now comes with 1MB of Level 3 cache. The rest of Intel's Xeon DP processors, including another 3.06GHz chip, have 512KB of cache. The new Xeon keeps the 533MHz front-side bus found on the other Xeon processors.
  • Lite-On IT debuts 4x DVD+RW drive - Taiwan-based Lite-On IT recently debuted its first half-height 4x DVD+RW drive, the LDW-401S. The drive enables 4x writing speed with DVD+R and DVD+RW discs, taking about 15 minutes to back up 4.7GB of data, and 12x reading speed with DVD-ROM discs, according to Lite-On IT. In addition, the drive allows writing speeds of 40x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW and a reading speed of 40x for CD-ROM discs, the company said.
  • LaCie Unveils Dual-Format DVD drive - Storage peripheral maker LaCie Group has announced a new DVD+/-RW drive that is compatible with both Macs and PCs. The drives come in two configurations: one drive supports USB 2.0 and FireWire, while the other drive is equipped with only a FireWire interface. The LaCie Dual DVD+/-RW Drive is available this month through authorized resellers, specialty stores, and mail order companies with prices beginning at $299. Drives ship with a USB 2.0 or FireWire cable, a power adapter, and DVD utilities CD-ROM. It also comes with Sonic MyDVD Video Suite, Arcsoft Showbiz, Roxio EasyCDCreator, Intervideo WinDVD, Roxio Toast Lite, and LaCie's CaptyDVD.
  • HP iPaq H1910 review -The HP iPAQ h190 is even overclockable. Yes it is possible to overclock a Pocket PC. This can be done with programs like Clear Speed or Pocket Hackmaster. So how far can you push the 200MHz processor? How does an extra 100MHz sound? Suddenly the h190 is starting to look really good against the more expensive 300MHz and 400Mhz Pocket PCs on the market.
  • OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 Gold Dual Channel Memory review - Hexus.net has posted a review of OCZ EL DDR PC-3700 Gold Dual Channel Memory. "This review's primary objective was to investigate whether OCZ's impressive claims held true. It's nice when products work just as they were intended to. OCZ's EL DDR PC-3700 Gold memory is about as good as we've seen if high RAM MHz is your thing. The next real performance step, we feel, is to have PC3700 speeds with 2-6-2-2 timings. Is any memory manufacturer brave enough to oblige us ?????."
  • KingMAX PC3200 256MB Color Modules - Although these modules are not the absolute fastest performing modules around, they are damn close to it. They actually performed well above my expectations suprisingly close to the Corsair PC3200LL despite the loose memory timings, which goes to show that at high FSB these settings amount to only a little improvement. The system itself remained extremely stable at all speeds up to 225MHz.
  • Leadtek K7NCR18D Pro II Deluxe Limited review - Hexus.net also let us know they have done a review of the Leadtek K7NCR18D Pro II Deluxe Limited.
  • NETWORKING 102: NAT & PAT Guide - As you can see using NAT & PAT is really pretty easy once you understand the basics on how it works. Also by using a combination of NAT & PAT you can help conserve IP address, save money and still have many computers access the internet and run servers on the internet with out the need for all of the IP address you would other wise use. Just remember when doing more than basic NATing you need to sit down and draw out how you want the network to look and work. By just doing that simple step you can quickly and easily set up your network regardless of which router your using.
  • OMEGA drivers Interview - OCAddiction has conducted an interview with OMEGA of OmegaCorner.com. OMEGADRIVERS have been developing great drivers for both NVIDIA and ATi based cards, but recently nVidia lawyers contacted OMEGADRIVERS to request they take down their logo's and the drivers from the OmegaCorner website.
  • Ahead Nero InCD version 4.0 and Ahead Nero 6 Manuals - Ahead Software has released Nero 6 Ultra Edition manuals. Linux Kernel 2.6.0-test1 Released - Linus Torvalds released on late Sunday the first test (-pre) kernel of the upcoming Linux Kernel 2.6. Download or get more information here and make sure you report any bugs you might find on the way.
  • Throttle 5.7.13.2003  - Throttle is a tool for all that allows you to modify your modem settings to increase internet performance up to 200% or higher Throttle on the other hand has been tried and tested and proven to work. Whether you use a 14.4/28.8/33.6/56k modem, cable modem, or DSL modem, Throttle will boost your internet connection speed.
  • KlipFolio 2.1.1 - Serencet KlipFolio (download) is a free information delivery and notification application that lets you view and manage Klipt information services right on your desktop.
  • Ad-aware Standard 6.00 build 181 - Ad-aware Standard 6.00 build 181 is now available for download. This new version brings better speed, it should be up to 400% faster than any previous 6x release.
  • Driver Cleaner + Cab Cleaner - Driver Cleaner is a program which helps you to remove parts of drivers that are left after uninstalling the old drivers. The program is for ATI and nVidia drivers. First you need to uninstall the drivers from the control panel than reboot and after that run the program.
  • DNA Drivers (based on the Catalyst 3.5 ATI) - This release comes with an nice installer/uninstaller and lot's of other cool stuff check it out yourself :)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,13 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:53 AM CEST - Jul,13 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Trojan Hijacks PCs to Peddle Porn - Spammers based in Russia are using stealth and a sophisticated new Trojan horse program to turn home workstations into unwitting hosts in a pornography and spam distribution ring, say security experts. The deceptive and potentially illegal practice came to the attention of experts in late June and has been a topic of conversation among spam fighters on Internet discussion groups since then, says Joe Stewart, senior intrusion analyst with LURHQ, a Chicago-based managed security services company.
  • Technical Analysis of 007: Agent Under Fire save game hack - There is an excellent article at the XBox Linux Project that describes exactly how the XBox savegame hack works. (thanks Slashdot.org)
  • "Phantom" game console is really a copyright protection device - Over the last few months computer and gaming-related publications) have gotten stacks of press releases from a company called Infinium Labs touting its upcoming Phantom game console. "Let's start by saying the console is real, not vaporware. I've seen a working prototype in action. Inside the spacy-looking case it's just a PC running Windows XP that has no CD or floppy drive, and uses a proprietary encryption scheme for data stored on its hard drive."
  • PluggedIn: for PC Power Gamers, Money Is No Object - For the dedicated PC gamer who spends more time playing games than sleeping and working combined, nothing is more important than having a computer souped up with the latest and greatest technology. No surprise, then, that there are a number of companies across the country willing help those gamers part with significant chunks of cash. For example, Alienware's "Custom" system starts at $2,679 in a base configuration, but a few quick upgrades add $1,000 to the price, while fully tricked-out Voodoo systems can easily top $8,000.
  • Olympus D-390 review - Overall, the new Olympus D-390 camera ($150 street) is just about right for novice users. Judged strictly by the numbers, however, this camera could be a little more impressive. With only 2 megapixels and no zoom lens, it isn't as sophisticated as cameras like the Samsung Digimax V4, and it doesn't have the zoom-in-on-a-gnat's-eye lens of its cousin, the Olympus C-740UZ. Numbers aren't everything, hough, and at its modest price, the D-390 is a great value.
  • Gainward FX Powerpack Ultra/760XP 5600 Ultra Review - Techseekers.net has posted a review of the 5600 Ultra card from Gainward.
  • ASUS V9950 GeForce FX5900 review - Hexus.net has posted a review of the ASUS V9950 GeForce FX5900.
  • Soltek GeForce FX 5200 review - NVNews.net  has posted a review of Soltek GeForce FX 5200.
  • H3003 Super Mini Optical Mouse review - Mikhailtech have posted a review of the H3003 mini optical mouse.
  • Samsung 172B 17" LCD review - Although this is an analog only LCD monitor, that does not take away from how it fared.
  • Anachronox: The Movie Released - Anachronox: The Movie is a tour-de-force (Anachronox: The Movie Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13) One of the finest Machinima films produced to date, and probably the most accomplished Machinima feature to date. Fans will also be excited to hear that there are plans underway at Machinima.com to release the entire movie as a high-res DVD Special Edition, complete with unseen footage from the film, artwork from the project, and more. We'll have more information on that as it arrives. (thanks Warp2Search)
  • ScreenSaverMax Demo  - ScreenSaverMax is a plug-in  for Discreet's 3ds Max 4 and 5 that allows you to export 3D screen savers for WinAll. ScreensaverMax v1.0 can generate three types of screen saver: Dynamic - a number of 3D models are duplicated and bounced and tumbled around the screen, Movie - the screen saver plays back animation of your model or scene and Logo - a single model travels spinning around the screen.
  • GSpot v2.21 Build 030711 - GSpot (download) determine what codec a video/audio file uses and what codec your system will use to play it.
  • Media Player Classic 6.4.5.8 - Media Player Classic (download) is similar to windows media player 6.4 but with features pertained to minimalist advanced users.
  • Coding Workshop Ringtone Convertor 4.4.6 - The Ringtone Converter (download) is a software program for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac systems that allows you to add new ringtones to your mobile phone without the need for cables or expensive premium rate SMS services. The Ringtone Converter supports most makes and models of phone including Audiovox, Alcatel, Ericsson, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sony, Sendo, Sharp and Siemens handsets, with more added every month.
  • Alcohol 120% v1.4.6.711 - Alcohol 120% (download) is a combination of both Alcohol 52% and Alcohol 68%. It enables users to both copy and emulate real or virtual CDs & DVDs. Alcohol 120% can handle the creation of 31 virtual CD & DVD-ROMs, allowing the user to play discs whithout needing the physical disc. It also allows users to make copy CD & DVD to CD-R / CD-RW / DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD-RAM / DVD+RW.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,11 2003 - tech
Friday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:33 PM CEST - Jul,11 2003 - Post a comment / read (4)
  • IBM, Adobe Tighten Acrobat Security - Adobe Systems has tweaked the cryptography features in its Acrobat 6.0 software to let users take advantage of a security chip included with IBM's newer notebook and desktop computers, the companies say. Documents created with Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) can already make use of public key infrastructure (PKI) technologies that let users add a digital signature to a form, and control who can open it. Adding support for IBM's hardware-based Embedded Security Subsystem is supposed to boost that level of security further.
  • PDAs pose potential privacy problems - Companies are risking legal action by failing to protect data held on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smartphones, according to a survey. While there are no official statistics about the number of these devices that have been stolen, as many as a quarter of staff surveyed on PDA usage by mobile security firm Pointsec Mobile Technologies claimed to have either lost or had their PDA stolen.
  • DVD 'ripper' pre-empts DMCA ruling - Studio 321 is awaiting a ruling over its DVD X Copy software, which includes a facility that allows users to rip backups of movie DVDs. If the ruling goes against Studio 321, the company says this new version of the copying software will ship without the "ripper" module, which decrypts DVDs and allows them to be copied. Other products in the new line-up include a DVD editing and authoring application that allows conversions to and from standard DV video, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 formats. The company is also creating an add-in that converts Microsoft PowerPoint, as well as a CD/CDRW/DVD utility that enables data to be recovered from damaged or defective discs.
  • PS2 gaming service browser hacked - PlayStation 2 owner has figured out how to access non-Sony web pages using the browser software provided with the console's online gaming service. The PS2 typically points to a Sony server, and displays pages minus the web navigation tools computer owners are accustomed to using to surf the Net. Brook's self-confessed "hack" involves modifying the IP address the PS2 connects to when seeking out web pages, according to a BBC report. The PS2 typically points to a Sony server, and displays pages minus the web navigation tools computer owners are accustomed to using to surf the Net. Brook's self-confessed "hack" involves modifying the IP address the PS2 connects to when seeking out web pages, according to a BBC report.
  • Lindows offers easier-to-install Linux - Lindows.com, which tries to make the Linux operating system more consumer-friendly, has introduced a version of the OS that runs directly from a CD-ROM.  The San Diego-based company said Thursday that its new product, LindowsCD, is targeted at people who want to try Linux without altering or removing other operating systems running on their computers. The Linux OS CD is free for those who purchase or already own LindowsOS 4.0, the full-featured version of the company's software. The CD can also be purchased separately for $29.95.
  • Corporate e-mail to call on cell phones  - Japanese cell phone carrier NTT DoCoMo next week will launch a new corporate e-mail service that could pose a threat to manufacturers of handhelds for mobile professionals. Starting July 17, NTT DoCoMo will give ordinary cell phones access to Microsoft and Lotus e-mail, contacts and calendar items. Most carriers already sell similar services but require customers to purchase specially made handhelds from Research In Motion, Good Technology, NEC and other manufacturers. Such devices can cost more than $200 each, whereas cell phones are often free when customers sign up with a carrier.
  • Lowering CD prices won't work according to US official - In an effort to combat piracy, the Malaysian goverment had introduced the idea of lowering prices of original discs. The country is suffering from a high piracy rate and most inhabitants are not able to purchase original discs because of their price. The Malaysian goverment wanted to cut the prices of the originals to have them compete with the much cheaper pirated versions, but according to the US assistant secretary of commerce for market access and compliance is this not a good idea.
  • Pirated CDs now 1/3 of global market - Production of pirated recordings of music increased by 14 percent last year and now account for a third of all CDs sold around the globe, an industry group reported Thursday. The estimated value of pirated recordings last year reached $4.6 billion, and included some 1.1 billion CDs, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, representing 1,500 record companies in 70 countries. IFPI President Jay Berman said the group would focus its enforcement efforts on 10 major producers of pirated recordings: Brazil, China, Mexico, Paraguay, Poland, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Ukraine.
  • Sony to replace 18,000 damaged DVD+RW (DPW47L1) discs - Customers of the Sony DRU-500AX and/or DRX-500ULX DVD recorders might have received damaged DVD+RW discs with their recorder. The discs included in the packages of these drives contain a memory layer that may oxidize after some time. The discs become unreadable and/or unwriteable due to this malfunction.
  • PATA Hard Drive Roundup - This will likely be the last PATA roundup you see anywhere, as the PATA interface will certainly become a dying breed, being replaced with the more future-friendly SATA interface. However, currently there is not much reason to warrant purchase of a SATA drive, especially if your current platform doesn't support it. Today, we'll look at the newest, fastest, biggest hard drives from most of the big HDD manufacturers. Let's find out who comes out on top!
  • Enermax CS-528 X-Point Review - LittleWhiteDog has published a new review of the Enermax CS-528 X-Point case. This case offers many sought after base-line features, such as an included 300-Watt power supply, a removeable motherboard tray, pre-installed case window with a 4 LED fan, front mounted media ports, and room for pleny of cooling fans. It does however lack a few "luxury" features, such as thumbscrews, modular drive bays, intake fan filters, and the inclusion of more than one cooling fan.
  • GigaByte GA-8S648FX Motherboard Review - NextGen Electronics now checks in once again with GigaByte to see their newest motherboard, the GA-8S648FX, which supports the SIS 648FX and the SIS 963 AGPset chipset. Boasting 8X AGP, DDR 400+, Hyper-Threading Technology, and AC97 6-channel audio onboard, this is one motherboard that packs a punch - especially at under $100.
  • Norton Anti-Virus 2004 Beta 4 - A new beta is available - many improvements - sign-up for key ~ beta4
  • BlindWrite Suite 4.5.3 - Blindwrite Suite (download) is the best set of tools to reproduce or clone any CD, even protected ones. Blindwrite Suite is the most powerfull tool to create a perfect copy from your original CD for personal private copy.
  • NuSphere phpED 3.2 - NuSphere phpED is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that integrates a comprehensive set of editing, debugging and deployment tools that can speed development time by up to 75 percent and significantly reduce time-to-market. And when you're done, you can take advantage of multiple platform deployment options including Windows, Linux, and UNIX.
  • Alcoholer 4.0b - Alcoholer (download) combines ClonyXXL with Alcohol 120%. It will set right settings for each protection.
  • SecureFX 2.1.6 - The SecureFX (download) client application lets you choose between SFTP or FTP over an encrypted SSH2 connection for secure transfers, or standard FTP for non-secure transfers. It has a simple Explorer-like interface, so it's easy to learn and use.
  • Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.0  - Kazaa K++ is an enhanced Kazaa (KMD) with a lot of new features only available with K++.
  • ReactOS 0.1.2 - ReactOS is an Open Source effort to develop a quality operating system that is compatible with Windows NT applications and drivers.  Relationship with the WINE project ReactOS has always planned to work with the WINE project to share as much programming effort as possible. This will mainly concern User Mode DLLs and will happen once ReactOS's Kernel Mode areas are more complete, as those areas form the underlying infrastructure. Other areas of cooperation lie in applications and testing suites.
  • MSN Messenger 6 Build 6.0.0503 - A new version (WinXP ~ Win9x/ME ~NT4) of Microsoft's popular instant messaging client has been released today.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,10 2003 - tech
Thursday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 05:40 PM CEST - Jul,10 2003 - Post a comment / read (7)
  • Microsoft Patches 'Critical' Windows Hole - Microsoft is warning of a critical security flaw (patch) that affects all supported versions of its Windows operating system and could enable a remote attacker to run malicious code on unpatched Windows systems. The security hole is due to a buffer overrun vulnerability in the Windows HTML converter. This Windows component enables the operating system to convert files from Rich Text Format to HyperText Markup Language, which is used to display documents on the Web.
  • FBI investigates cyberscam that lured 'winners' to fake site - Scam artists have spoofed the Web site of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission in an attempt to steal personal and financial information from lottery players across the country. The fake lottery Web site, www.mass-lottery.org, which was hosted by Clifton, New York-based HostRocket.com, was taken down by Wednesday afternoon. But the site, which was registered on June 13, was nearly identical to the Massachusetts Lottery Commission's official site, www.masslottery.com, according to lottery spokesperson Amy Morris.
  • Police and FSB Listen In on Mobile Phone Calls - Mobile phone providers switched off their encryption systems for 24 hours on a government order, allowing the Federal Security Service and the police to eavesdrop on all calls. An alert notifying callers that their conversations could be listened in on popped up on cellphones around Moscow at 9 p.m. Tuesday and lasted until 9 p.m. Wednesday on an order by the Communications Ministry. The alert, depending on the model of cellphone, is usually either an exclamation point or an unlocked padlock.
  • Scientists unlock secrets of largest human chromosome - Scientists have finished unravelling the largest human chromosome to be studied in detail so far. Chromosome 7 has been linked to human diseases including cystic fibrosis, hereditary deafness and cancer. The new data, which is over 99% complete, shows the chromosome contains 153 million genetic code letters - the DNA component chemicals whose sequences dictate what we are. Among these are 1,150 genes, stretches of DNA that provide the instructions for making proteins. Scientists also found 940 pseudo-genes - pieces of DNA that look like genes but appear not to function.

  • New software allows you to log on by laughing  - Computer scientists at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, wanted to make it easier for staff to log onto networked computers. So they came up with SoundHunters, a program that recognises someone's voice or laughter and works out which computer is nearest to them. It could then be used to automatically log them on to the computer. Microphones on each computer pick up a person's voice. The software recognises them and calculates where they are, using flocks of intelligent agents - pieces of discrete computer code that are programmed to move around a network from computer to computer. The agents close in on those computers where the person's voice is loudest, until they pinpoint the nearest one.

  • Fuji Unveils Mini-Digicam - A credit-card-size, 1.3-megapixel camera offering print-quality images is being released in Japan this month by Fuji Axia, a division of Fuji Photo Film. Fuji's Eyeplate Mega, measuring 8 millimeters in thickness, is based on the Ultra-Pocket reference camera design developed by Smal Camera Technologies. It is priced at $109 and is expected to become commercially available later in the U.S. and Europe, says Romney Williams, executive director of business development with Smal.
  • AMD to replace Duron with Athlon FX? - The Athlon FX will be based on the Thorton core, essentially a version of the top-end Athlon XP's Barton core with half the cache: 256KB instead of 512KB. Said sources claim AMD is already pumping the chips out, at 2000+ to 2600+ performance ratings. That's interesting, since the recently leaked AMD press schedule, which pinpointed upcoming Athlon 64 and faster Opteron chip launches appear not to have mentioned the FX.
  • Abit Launches The KV7 KT600 Motherboard - ABIT is announced their latest motherboard for the AMD platform, the KV7. The KV7 is powered by the long-awaited VIA KT600 chipset, which features both support for DDR 400 and a 400 MHz front side bus, making it ready for the latest games and applications. And of course the KV7 comes with serial ATA RAID 0/1 and is loaded with ABIT Engineered features for overclocking fanatics, like Softmenut MAX FID and TweakGuard
  • Ali chipset targets 800MHz FSB Pentium 4 - ALi has launched a North Bridge part that supports the Pentium 4's 800MHz effective bit rate frontside bus, courtesy of the company's ULi subsidiary. The chip, dubbed the M1683, provides support for up to 400MHz DDR SDRAM - installed on no more than three modules - in a single-channel configuration. It also provides an AGP 8x graphics bus. Aimed at mainstream to high-end systems, the chip will support PC133 SDRAM and Celeron processors with a 400MHz effective bit rate FSB.
  • Kingston targets gamers with 500MHz DDR - Memory specialist Kingston Technology yesterday began offering memory modules based on 466MHz and 500MHz DDR SDRAM. The latter, built to meet PC4000 specifications, is the first of its kind, Kingston claims. The lower-clocked part is a PC3700 module. DDR is typically clocked to 400MHz for inclusion in PC3200 modules. Kingston already offers 434MHz, PC3500 modules.
  • OCZ PC3200 EL DDR DUAL Channel Memory - First things first. The modules do exactly what they're specified to. The 2-2-3-6 timings caused no problems when tested in both AMD and Intel dual-channel motherboards. We're still not sure how valid certain manufacturers' claims are regarding optimisations for dual channel. All we can say is that the OCZ PC3200 EL DDR behaved impeccably through arduous testing.
  • XDR Memory Preview - Gamer PC has a preview of a technology that everyone's favourite company "Rambus" is now touting to the public.
  • Analysis: x86 Vs PPC - The x86 family of CPUs began life in 1978 as the 8086, an extension to the 8 bit 8080 CPU. It was a 16bit CISC (Complex instruction Set Computing) processor. In the following year the 8088 was introduced which was used in the original IBM PC. It is this computer which lead to todays PCs which are still compatible with the 8086 instruction set from 1978. The PowerPC family began life with the PowerPC 601 in 1993, the result of a collaboration started in 1991 between Apple, IBM and Motorola. The family was designed to be a low cost RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) CPU, it was based on the existing IBM POWER CPU used in the RS/6000 workstations so it would have an existing software base.
  • ATI Interview - HomeLAN has posted an interview with ATI's Patricia Mikula as she talks about their graphics products and their support of game development.
  • Falcon Northwest - Mach V Review - The Mach V is Falcon Northwest's flagship model. Each machine is hand-built and tuned, and represents the pinnacle of PC performance. The machine we looked at was absolutely stuffed with high-end gear, and we were very excited at the prospect of putting it through its paces.
  • The Springdale Showdown Which board should you "spring" for? - This is the kind of article that reviewers live for. Not a simple one-on-one comparison, but a full-blown, knock-em-down, street fight for bragging rights.
  • Abit IC7-G vs Gigabyte 8KNXP - Abit IC7-G lives up with its claim and this board is built for overclockers. The overclocking result is impressive with extensive BIOS tweaks. The performance is on par with other Canterwood motherboards but not as fast as Gigabyte's 8KNXP. Abit IC7-G somehow lacks of the features that 8KNXP could offer while competing at a similar price range. I think for the die-hard overlcockers, IC7 is probably a better choice than IC7-G which comes with the same Core overclocking power at a much lower price.
  • Corsair TWINX Platinum Series PC-3200 512MB DDR Memory Review - As you can see the ram when at 200MHz (400MHz DDR) did not reach 3000 MB/s. It did when at 203MHz FSB. It could be because of the motherboard because when I booted at 200MHz FSB the motherboard read it at 199MHz. Although WCPUID read it correctly at 200MHz. Another possible reason why it did not reach 3000 is because maybe it needs more conditioning. I don't really know yet. When I do I will put it in the forums...see below. The memory is fast anyhow and had no problems.
  • VIA PT800 Motherboards - Although one of VIA's goals for the PT800 chipset is to offer value to the consumer this is by no means a no frills solution. Supporting the new 800MHz front side bus processors and Intel Hyper-Threading technology the PT800 implements VIA's advanced FastStream64 DDR400 Memory Controller. The same memory controller will be found lurking on the KT400A chipset. This optimized memory controller offered excellent single channel performance for the Athlon XP processor. Supporting DDR266/333/400 you can expect the same impressive single channel performance for the Pentium 4 processor.
  • MSI NBox N5900 ULTRA - With the NBox N5900 ULTRA featuring so many goodies, you would think that you had to pay a premium for an already expensive gaming card. Fortunately, you need only top-up S$50 more than a normal MSI FX5900Ultra-VTD256 to enjoy all that the NBox had to offer. Think about it: the special packaging, three irresistibly good games and an optical mouse all worth a total of S$200 going at only S$50 more is actually a pretty fantastic deal. No doubt the NBox N5900 Ultra's price tag of S$1,059 is an expensive amount to set aside for a gaming card, if you had already set your sights for an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 Ultra graphics card, it is probably the wisest choice around as most others would be priced close to the S$1,000 mark. With even the normal MSI's FX5900Ultra-VTD256 set to retail for S$999, you would be hard pressed to find a better proposition than the tantalizing NBox package.
  • Fraps 2.0.0 Build 1787  - Fraps is a tool that lets you monitor current framerates in a corner of the screen for programs using DirectX or OpenGL technology.
  • MusicMatch Jukebox 8.0 Review - PCMag has posted a MusicMatch Jukebox 8.0 review.
  • Kingston PC3500 HyperX DDR Memory Review  - With a retail price of $230 CDN ($160 USD), the Kingston HyperX KHX3500/256 memory kit is decently priced. Two sticks of 256MB Corsair XMS3500 CAS2 would run you around the $260 range, and $255 for the OCZ PC3500EL DC DDR kit.
  • Beginners Guides: Internet Connection Sharing - PC Stats has posted a beginners guide about Internet Connection Sharing.
  • Hacking Your Nomad MP3 Player  - OK, call us curious. Call us dumb. Call us adventurous. Whatever, we decided to see if we could replace the hard drive in our Zen, and our Nomad Jukebox 3 to add more space for more music. And guess what? It worked. In this story we'll give you the details on what we learned, and pictures and instructions on how to do it yourself. This is not for the squeamish, but it is possible to add a bigger hard drive to your MP3 player.
  • Apache 2.0.47 - Apache 2.0 (download) offers numerous enhancements, improvements and performance boosts over the 1.3 codebase. The most visible and noteworthy addition is the ability to run Apache in a hybrid thread/process mode on any platform that supports both threads and processes. This has shown to improve the scalability of the Apache HTTP Server significantly in our testing.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.20.15.33 - The AntiVir Personal Edition (download) offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation.
  • PowerStrip beta 3.43 - PowerStrip provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards. This new beta fixes Wildact VP gamma correction, revises NV3X clock control, updates multilanguage support, sync'd MGA G-series support with latest drivers, changes Radeon PLL calculator, added desk/pointer hotkeys, revises timing refresh procedure,adds preliminary support for Radeon DVI interlacing, enables SiS6326 gamma correction and adds R350/RV350 support.
  • Visual Boy Advance v1.6 Beta 2 - Visual Boy Advance is a Game Boy Advance and Game Boy emulator that runs with Windows systems. There are two versions available - DirectX and SDL.
  • Dr. DivX 1.0.2 - Dr.DivX is the first and only official DivX Encoding application. Just as DivX and DivX Pro have enabled anyone, anywhere to watch and distribute great looking digital video, this now makes the act of creating DivX video as easy as the act of watching it.
  • AC3Filter 0.69b - AC3Filter (download) is free DirectShow filter for AC3 decoding to play .AVI with AC3 audio tracks and MPEG2 (DVD).
  • DivX Subtitle Displayer 4.53 - DivX Subtitle Displayer (download) is a program that can display subtitles while playing DivX movies.
  • VCool 2.0 Alpha 6 - This little utility will cool your Athlon/Duron processor on any VIA KT133 or KX133(A) (VT8363, VT8361, VT82C691/693A/694 or VT8371 +VT82C686x) chipsets during idle. (thanks Warp2Search)
  • Leaked nVidia Driver Doubles 3DMark03 Score  - ExtremeTech ran the GeForceFX 5900 through 3DMark03, first with the current 44.03 driver, and then with this new 44.67 driver. The performance increases seen in 3DMark03 were substantial, almost double on one of the tests. We also tested three of the games we usually use for 3D testing. They found essentially no performance difference between the two builds there.
    Detonators 44.71 *unofficial* - Station-drivers has posted Nvidia Detonator 44.71 (modified INF files) for Windows 2000/XP.
  • Omega Nvidia Drivers Cancelled - "Well, as most of you have heard by now, I will not be releasing any more Omega drivers for nvidia cards. I know this must come as a surprise for many since there are a lot of people who trust my work and know that I'm doing all of this to help people. This is what REALLY happened: I received an E-Mail from nvidia on June 17, it was from one of their attorneys, and he wanted to speak with me personally on the phone. The mail seemed friendly, but since it was coming from the nvidia law offices, I was worried of some kind of lawsuit because of my work."
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,09 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 03:30 AM CEST - Jul,09 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Users alerted to fake PayPal site scam - Fraudsters obtain valid SSL certificate to dupe users with fake e-wallet scheme.  US internet monitor Internet Storm Centre (ISC) has warned web users of a fake website capitalising on the PayPal e-wallet system. The fake site uses a valid secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate to dupe visitors into believing they are accessing a bona fide secure site.
  • Julia Roberts sexes down UK PCs - A new variant of the highly destructive MyLife worm has been detected and is deleting data from computers across the UK. The worm arrives in an attachment that purports to offer pictures of Julia Roberts or Colombian pop singer Shakira. But when executed the worm checks the PC clock and, if the number of minutes past the hour is 50 or more, the worm activates. It deletes all of the vital SYS files from the Windows folder, all files from the Windows system folder and all files and folders from drives D, E and F. It also attempts to mail itself to all email addresses in Outlook.
  • US Security Compromised by Grad Student? - This George Mason University graduate student, Sean Gorman, has mapped every business and industrial sector in the American economy, layering on top the fiber-optic network that connects them. He can click on a bank in Manhattan and see who has communication lines running into it and where. He can drill into a cable trench between Kansas and Colorado and determine how to create the most havoc with a hedge clipper. Using mathematical formulas, he probes for critical links, trying to answer the question: "If I were Osama bin Laden, where would I want to attack?"
  • Thailand's online gamers face curfew  - Thailand is to impose a night curfew on online gaming to curb rising rates of addiction by young players, Information and Communications Technology Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said on Tuesday.  Game servers, both local and overseas, will be blocked from 10.00pm to 6.00am daily from July 15 to Sept 30, while Internet cafes will also have their hours curbed to those times, Mr Surapong told reporters.
  • Via's New Processor Goes Mobile - Called Antaur, the new processor runs at a clock speed of 1GHz (PR) and is based on the low-power architecture of Via's Nehemiah processor core, which is used in the company's flagship C3 processor for desktop computers. The chip consumes as little as 11 watts when running at 1GHz and includes additional power management capabilities that allow it to reduce the power it requires by up to 50 percent, a feature which can extend notebook battery life, the company said. The Antaur chip is coupled with Via's UniChrome CLE266 chipset, which includes an integrated MPEG2 decoder, support for DDR memory, and support for 10/100 Fast Ethernet.
  • Nanotechnology may create new organs  -  Scientists have built a minute, functioning vascular system - the branching network of blood vessels which supply nutrients and oxygen to tissues - in a significant step towards building whole organs. Conventional tissue engineering methods have successfully grown structural tissues such as skin and cartilage in the lab. But not being able to create the supporting vascular system has proved a major stumbling block preventing scientists from creating large functioning organs such as liver or kidneys. Now, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School have used computers to design branching networks of venous and arterial capillaries, which start at three millimetres wide and reach a fineness of just 10 microns.
  • Windows Voyager smartphone ready for Xmas  - The crucial feature of the new phone is bluetooth, meaning that you can connect it to a standard wireless headset, as well as use it as a wireless modem connected to your PC, for data over GPRS.
  • GlobalStreams Unveils Web-Based Video Phone - PC users can move another step closer to having a Jetsons-style video phone with the release of Vibe Phone, a service that combines instant messaging technology with video over broadband. The service is priced similar to cell phone plans. Vibe Phone borrows its pricing model from cellular phones. The basic $5 option allows 100 minutes of communications. More-extensive plans are available: You can pay $10 for 250 minutes of use, or $20 for 650 minutes. GlobalStreams does not offer unlimited-use plans, and the charges are in addition to Internet access fees.
  • P2P's little secret - File swappers hoping to share music and other works online without exposing their identity to the prying eyes of copyright enforcers face a tough choice. Hiding on a file-sharing system is hard for a very simple reason: Peer-to-peer networks are designed for efficiency, not anonymity.  On a peer-to-peer network, files are directly swapped between computers, each of which has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address that can be traced back to the Internet service provider, corporation or university to which it belongs. Because computers on a peer-to-peer network transfer files without going through an intermediary, the IP address of one person on the network is generally available to everyone else. Another Kazaa article called "Judge: Kazaa can't pursue lawsuit" can be found at CNN.
  • VIA Launches New Generation PT800 Chipset for the Intel Pentium 4 - VIA Technologies today announced the new generation VIA PT800 chipset, optimized for the Intel Pentium 4 processor platform. The PT800 is paired with VIA's most advanced South Bridge architecture, the VT8237, and is targeted specifically at professionals and PC enthusiasts requiring the very latest performance features and a full arsenal of connectivity and I/O options in a mainstream configuration.
  • HeatlaneZen NCU-1000 Fanless CPU Radiator - MonkeyReview has just posted a new review of HeatlaneZen NCU-1000 from one of their forum users.
  • MSI i865PE Neo2 FIS2R review -  Another decent board from the MSI Deluxe stable. Brimming full of usable features and having a BIOS that's a tad scary, it does most things right. This MSI is for those that want every conceivable extra on their boards, and who want to use those extras immediately. If there's one word to sum up the MSI 865PE Neo2 FIS2R (don't you just love long names) it would have to be 'impressive package. Wait .... that's two.
  • Scoop : Intel Desktop Control Centre - Intel are about to launch a new application which will enable the enthusiast to make changes to their Intel desktop board from within Windows. This of course is not necessarily good news for everyone, but if you have an Intel D875PBZ, or D865PERL mainboard you are in luck.

  • Detonator 44.67 vs 44.03 Performance Comparison - DarkCrow has done up a performance comparison of the newly released 44.67 Detonators drivers: They tested Detonator 44.67 against the 44.03 running on a GeForce FX 5900 Ultra using 3DMark 03 build 330. (thanks Warp2Search)

  • FolderIcon XP 1.00 Final - FolderIcon XP (download) allows you to change an icon for any folder. Left-click on a folder and choose its icon, mark it as a "hot" or make it look gray.
  • Windows Media Video 9 VCM - The Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series codecs offer the best experience when delivered using the ASF file container. To offer the flexibility MS customers have asked for, new licensing terms allow for these codecs to be used in other file containers as well.
  • GetRight 5.0.2 Final - GetRight (download) is a Download Manager program to help you download files from the Internet.
  • Coding Workshop Ringtone Convertor 4.4.3 - The Ringtone Converter (download) is a software program for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac systems that allows you to add new ringtones to your mobile phone without the need for cables or expensive premium rate SMS services.
  • InboxShield 2.0.2 - InboxShield (download) filters your incoming mail and separates good mail from Spam mail.
  • VIA Audio drivers v3.70a - VIA Tech has released new drivers v3.70a (changelog) for the internal AC97 sound in their chipsets including south bridges VT686A, VT686B, VT8231, VT8233, VT8233A, VT8233C and VT8235.
  • nForce Drivers 3.44 Beta Win2k/XP - Station-Drivers have posted an _unofficial_ nForce 1/2 ( 220/230/415/420/430) drivers version 3.44 WHQL. This is not a full driver release but includes audio, ethernet, IDE and GART drivers.
  • eVGA Full Reference Detonator 44.67 - eVGA has released a full reference Nvidia Detonator driver 44.67 (mirror) for Windows 2000 and XP.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,08 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:06 AM CEST - Jul,08 2003 - Post a comment / read (6)
  • Consumers not ready for online gaming - Nintendo - George Harrison, Nintendo of America VP of marketing, has hinted strongly that Nintendo will not be rolling out any online strategy in this generation of hardware, although the company is looking into it for N5.  In an interview with the Puget Sound Business Journal, Harrison commented that "we just don't believe consumers are ready for [online gaming]. Right now, no one's paying for subscriptions. The real test comes when you have to start coughing up $15 a month."
  • Playstation Portable ships in 2004, PS3 doesn't - According to Afterdawn.com, the Playstation Portable, which will challenge old-timer Nintendo GBA and newcomer Nokia N-Gage, will ship to retailers late 2004.
  • ICQ 2003a Password Bypass - How it works? Simple! You may use EnableWindow API to enable ICQ contact list window. After enabling the window you can set your status to online and the UIN will be connected no matter how high is your security level.
  • Hacker Challenge Fizzles - A weekend competition to test the skills of malicious hackers fell apart after poor planning by contest organizers and infighting among different hacker groups crippled the Web site responsible for keeping score in the competition.
  • Samsung to ban camera phones - Samsung is to ban camera phones from its semiconductor, flat-panel and electronics factories because of industrial espionage fears. The ban, due to come into effect from 14 July, will apply to both workers and visitors to the factories.
  • Fossil delays US Wrist PDA shipment - Fossil's Palm OS-based Wrist PDA watch did not shipped in the US on 30 June as promised and has slipped back until 21 July.  Fossil's own web site confirms the delay, but simply notes that the 'dress' watches will ship "in July", and the other two "in early July". Fossil's low-cost brand, Abacus, is also releasing the Wrist PDA with metal and plastic straps. According to Amazon.com, both versions will ship on 31 July. The Wrist PDA contains a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ processor, 2MB of ROM and 2MB of RAM, IrDA port, a synchronisation port, and a 160 x 160 16-greyscale display. The 'dress' and 'casual' versions cost $295, and the 'sport' watch costs $275. The Abacus versions are priced at $200 for the metal strap and $180 for the plastic strap.
  • Intel Prescott 3.40GHz Pricing Unveiled - The initial pricing of Intel code-named Prescott processor was revealed by an unofficial source here today. The fastest Socket 478 chip from Intel with 800MHz Quad Pumped Bus and 1MB of L2 cache in addition to loads of other improvements will cost you $640 in quantities starting from 1000 units at launch this year.
  • Realtek GbE chip production to be delayed until 4Q, sources say - Realtek Semiconductor's first Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) MAC/PHY single chip did not complete first-cut sampling due to a technical bug between the chip and motherboards, said first-tier motherboard makers and competing IC design firms.
  • Sony Ships Business LCDs - Sony has released a new line of flat-panel displays that are aimed at corporate and government customers. The new 15-inch SDM-X53 ($430), 17-inch SDM-X73 ($600), and 19-inch SDM-X93 ($800) models are Mac- and Windows-compatible via an analog input connector.
  • Motorola puts nanotubes in screens - Motorola is researching a new type of large flat-panel display that the company says has the potential to be cheaper than plasma or liquid-crystal display screens. The new screen technology uses carbon nanotubes, which are long, thin strands of specialized carbon molecules. The material is popular with researchers who are investigating its use in everything from optic cabling to antibacteria coatings. The screen, dubbed a "nano emissive display" or NED, is being developed by Motorola Labs, the research arm of the electronics giant.
  • Intel to launch 848P and 865GV chipsets - Intel plans to release two new Pentium 4 chipsets supporting single-channel DDR400 and an 800Mhz FSB (front-side bus), Taiwanese motherboard sources said. The 848P, formerly rumored as the 865PL, will be marketed for the value-line end-user market, while the 865GV will target OEM customers.
  • Thermaltake Introduces Silent Boost Cooler - It is categorized in Thermaltake's high performance Volcano Series line for AMD Athlon XP 3400+ application. Heat sink's design greatly increased the surface area to dissipate more efficiently with following dimension: 82mm x 70mm x 49mm. High-density fins (41 fins) also allow heat to be distributed even across the heat sink.
  • Iwill Produces World's Smallest P4 SFF Barebone - Iwill's ZPC comes with a slim and light box as a book-sized P4 barebone. The dimension is ultra-compact as 18.4 x 26.3 x 5.4(cm) which perfectly matches even the smallest of spaces in home or office
  • AMD Athlon FX Processor - Adrian's Rojak Pot has posted a scoop on the new AMD Athlon FX processor. "Has anyone heard of the new AMD Athlon FX? No? That wouldn't be surprising since I have never heard of it until now! Athlon FX is apparently going to be AMD's official name for the new Athlon XP Thorton core!"
  • Apple G4 Powerbook review - Currently retailing at L2299.00 this beautiful work of engineering at its best does not come cheaply. But I ask my self, has the switch been worth it? Hell yea! I would do it again if I have to, and I seriously plan to follow the Apple way of life for the next couple of years.
  • Kingston 128mb USB Drive Review - The DataTraveler is about the size of a stick of gum and 3-4 sticks thick. Mac users will be delighted to know that they too can use this in their computer. Which also makes it handy for transferring files between platforms. 10 years of listed data retention means you'll probably lose it before it dies.
  • Scythe Ergo Diver Keyboard And Mouse Pad Review - OcPrices.com has released a review of Scythe Ergo Diver keyboard and mouse pad.
  • How-To Fill and Bleed an Inline Water Cooling System  - Let me lay out a little scenario for you. You finish installing all your water cooling gear. Your water block is mounted on the mobo, and everything looks fantastic! Only one problem .... there is no water in there!
  • Upgrading to Peltier Cooling - OCAddiction has posted an interesting article about upgrading to Peltier Cooling.
  • Wireless home networking Guide - PC Stats has posted a Wireless home networking guide.
  • Building The Ultimate Gaming PC Guide - If money was not a factor, how would you design the Ultimate Gaming PC?
  • Unwinder's Detection Script: Catalyst 3.5 On Test  -  EliteBastards taking a look at a host of frequently used benchmarks, running them on ATi's latest Catalyst 3.5 drivers both with and without Unwinder's script running.
  • GIMP v1.3.16 - The GIMP (GNU/Image Manipulation Program) is a very nice graphics manipulation application that works on many operating systems, in many languages, on many file formats and is used for a variety of computer imagery purposes.
  • Klient 2.0.16 - Klient (download) is an IRC application for WinAll. Klient features a fully customizable interface, multiple server support, highly robust scripting, external .dll support, and much more.
  • AnyDVD 1.3.1.1 - This baby allows you to decrypt CSS encrypted DVDs on the fly and has been developed by Elaborate Bytes (CloneCD/DVD).
  • foobar2000 v0.7 Beta 12 - foobar2000 (download ~ changelog) is nice&very small audio player made by WinAMP's Peter Pawlowski.
  • CopyToDVD 2.2.4 - CopyToDVD is the easiest way to backup your files. Integrated to the shell or used as a normal application, CopyToDVD works with all CD & DVD Writers to create the cd type of your choice.
  • OpenGL 2.0 Enabled Drivers - MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, and currently runs 1800+ classic (and even some not so classic) arcade games!
  • TVTool 7.2.5 beta -  The main purpose of this update is to fix some bugs, especially an incompatibility with Win98/Me and a possible blackscreen after turning off TV mode on some systems. Besides that it has some new features, especially the sound options have been renewed and support SPDIF now.
  • My Drivers 2.21 - My Drivers enables easy and fast detection, backup and restore of all hardware device drivers currently on your system.
  • Lite-On CD-RW Firmware - LiteOn have released some new CD-RW firmware updates for the following drives: Lite-On LTR-52327S ( 52X 32X 52X ), Lite-On LTR-48126S ( 48X 12X 48X ), Lite-On LTR-40125S ( 40X 12X 48X ), Lite-On LXR-40243A / B ( 40X 24X 40X ). (thanks Warp2Search)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,06 2003 - tech
Sunday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 05:13 PM CEST - Jul,06 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Adobe Tests Anti-Piracy Technique - Adobe Systems Inc. has begun testing online activation of its Photoshop 7.0 application in Australia as a way of stemming the illegal use of its software. If the pilot is successful, and so far it is, the developer plans to begin using software activation in the United States later this year or early next, beginning with Photoshop and then expanding to other apps.
  • Science faction - Imagine a gun that uses fingerprint scanning to prevent you firing a shot, brain implants that let you tap into people's memories and a newspaper that updates itself when a big story breaks. It's not science fiction, it's science fact, as technologists catch up with - and surpass - the benchmarks set by sci-fi writers and filmmakers.
  • NEC NR-9300A CD-R/RW Drive Review - The NEC's CD-R/RW drive performs pretty well. The company has finally overcome its dislike for such useful features as Overburning. Actually, I have nothing bad to say about it and can recommend it both for office and home use.
  • Thermaltake SubZero4G Thermo-Electric Cooling -  The SubZero4G is a smart system that incorporates a dynamically controlled thermo-electric cooling unit. The complete kit includes a PCI card based power supply with integral microprocessor and one variable speed 80 mm case fan. What is really unique about this system is that it uses an imbedded microprocessor controller to regulate CPU temperature and minimize fan noise.
  • X-Micro 128MB Apex flash stick review - Don't you just hate it when you have a 2 MB file that you need to move from one machine to another? Too big for a floppy, yet a total waste of one of your 700MB CDs. You could of course invest in a ZIP drive, or another large capacity removable storage medium, but the disks are always overpriced, and only useful if both machines have a drive. X-Micro have the perfect solution for you, their Apex Flash stick.
  • HeatlaneZen CPU Radiator NCU-1000 - This is an effective product for those who wish to have less noise pollution when working on their PC. This product is not intended to push your CPU beyond its limits. So for those who are extreme overclockers, or gamers, it is recommended you stay with active cooling.
  • Gigabyte GV-R96P128D Radeon 9600 Pro Review  - With the release of the Radeon 9600 Pro, ATi now has an economical counter to nVIDIA's GeForceFX 5600. With an approximate retail price of $207 CDN ($155 US), the Gigabyte Radeon 9600 Pro is clearly one of the best value videocards on the market.
  • ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Review - The ATi 9600 Pro has been considered by several media sites to be the "middle class" card. Without going to technical details, this will be a short and sweet evaluation of the ATi 9600 Pro, against my GF4 Ti4200.  This is an updated reviews, they now added 4x FSAA results, and as a result changed the conclusion to reflect these added results.
  • Albatron FX5200 Ultra 128MB Review - Albatron has come up with the goods once again and produced a card of outstanding quality and overclocking potential. This consistent excellence has been what has brought them from zero to hero so rapidly and I hope the trend continues.
  • Connect3D RADEON 9600 PRO - Conclusion on graphics cards can on the surface be a simple task of re-hashing the benchmarks. In this case the benchmarks points towards a card that produces good result considering the price bracket that it is in. It is not exceptional, but it is on the same account not poor. In simple terms a good little card.
  • EluminX Slim-Series Illuminated Keyboard Review - XtReMoDs has posted an EluminX Slim-Series Illuminated Keyboard review.
  • Vantec Ion 400 Watt PSU Review - ExtensionTech has posted a Vantec Ion 400 Watt PSU review.
  • Ad-aware referencefile R150 05.07.2003 - This new reference file adds signatures for Winlogon Hijacker, EasyDates (Dialer), Searchbus.com hijacker, MSUpdatesMSCache Malware (SKoobieDoo.com), Adult Material (Dialer), Scbar Hijacker and Several tracking cookies.
  • WinDVD Platinum 5.0.26.23 - WinDVD Platinum 5 (download) is the ultimate DVD software player, providing you with the finest quality video and audio playback.
  • iuVCR v4.7.4.293 - iuVCR is a Windows 2k/XP intended video recording program. Have a TV tuner or a video capture card installed on your Windows 2000 or XP system? Now you can easily record your favorite TV programs and videos in *.AVI or *.WMV format.
  • DivX Pro Kauehi - DivX is a package (download) that includes all the DivX codec, player, utilities, and documentation that you need to play DivX files. DivX codec is based on the MPEG-4 compression standard. This codec can reduce an MPEG-2 video (DVD format) to ten percent of its original size. DivX is a digital video compression technology based on the ISO MPEG-4 standard.
  • Hmonitor 4.1.3.1 - Hmonitor has much more functions than MotherBoard Monitor, for example, including thermocontrol features and COM/PerfMon API support.
  • Fresh UI 6.15 - Fresh UI (download) is the fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows. Loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings.
  • Windows Server 2003 SP1 build 1023 leaked - For those interested in beta testing this 117 MB gem, grab yourself a copy from Flexbeta Note: Please back up all your work when installing any beta software, Flexbeta holds no responsibility for damage to you or your files.
  • New Omega Drivers based on ATI's Catalysts 3.5 - Omegadrive has released a new Omega Drivers version 2.6.09 based on ATI's Catalysts 3.5.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,04 2003 - tech
"The Independent" Tech Reading :) - tech
(hx) 11:42 PM CEST - Jul,04 2003 - Post a comment / read (3)
  • Cracker competition could cause chaos - IT managers are bracing themselves for a flood of web defacement attacks this weekend as vandals take part in this year's run of The Defacers' Challenge.  The annual hacking competition involves players scoring points for defacing up to 6,000 websites, or inserting their own pages, in the shortest possible time. This year's event starts on Sunday 6 July and security professionals are already seeing increased hacking activity in the run up.
  • Software pirate jailed - A 23-year-old trainee accountant has been sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined L15,000 for selling thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit software. Lewisham-based Bilal Khan pleaded guilty to five offences under the Trademarks Act and asked for 11 others to be taken into consideration. He was sentenced to an additional three months for skipping bail and going on the run for nine months. Half of the total sentence was suspended. Khan had been selling pirate software, primarily copies of Adobe, Macromedia and Microsoft products, via online auction sites such as eBay and QXL.
  • T3: Rise of the Machines Review -The Terminator movie series offers explosions and cyborgs galore, but you knew that already. Guns too, and cool special effects involving R-rated nude people in electrified spheres, but you probably guessed that too. So you've seen the trailer and are wondering whether "T3: Rise of the Machines" is worth seeing. Short answer: eh, whatever, it's big and dumb. For the long answer, keep reading. (No real spoilers.)
  • Mitsumi announces dual-format DVD-recorder, the DW-7802TE - Mitsumi announced their latest DVD-recorder, the DW-7802TE. The drive will support DVD both recording formats (plus and minus) at a maximum write speed of 4x. DVD-RW media can be burned at 2x, DVD+RW media at 2.4x and last but not least, CD-R media can be written at 16x.
  • AMD to launch Opteron 246 on 4 August - AMD will also reveal the Athlon 64 logo on 28 July, according to the email, which contained a press release schedule.  As for the Opteron 246, it is expected to operate at 2GHz - the current top-of-the-line model, the 244, is clocked at 1.8GHz.
  • ATI Hops On the 800-MHz Bus - Graphics chip maker ATI Technologies has extended a patent cross-licensing deal with Intel, and has also secured rights to build integrated graphics chips that will work with Intel's Pentium 4 800-MHz frontside bus.
  • Four High-Speed CD-RW Drives  - The Asus CRW-5224A drive is a compact external CD-RW drive that connects to a PC via USB 2.0. The CyberDrive CW099D CD-R/RW is very much a standard CD-RW drive with no real bells and whistles, but was the fastest on our read tests. The most intriguing thing about the Plextor PlexWriter Premium is its ability to write up to 1GB on standard recordable CDs, versus the normal 650MB. It also has a feature called SecuRec that lets you password protect CD-Rs. The Samsung SM-352BRNS DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive can read DVD-ROMs, play DVD movies (with a software DVD player), and act as a 52X CD-RW drive.
  • Sony DRU-500AX DVD+/- Writer Review - HardwareZoom has posted a review of Sony DRU-500AX DVD+/- Writer.
  • Intel Pentium 4 3.0C 800FSB Processor Review - It's fast, it's stable and it is terribly expensive. With a price point that is more than twice the cost of the 2.4C, you really have to do a price to speed comparison to see if the extra US$150+ dollars is really worth the 600Mhz increase. If the retail version of 3.0C overclocks in the same manner as it's slower siblings, reaching the 3.7-4.0Ghz range should not be a problem.
  • Pentium 4 800MHz FSB CPU Round-up - OCAddiction takes on three of Intel's more famous Pentium 4 CPU's to see which one may give you the best bang for your money.
  • Crucial 3200 1GB Kit Review - Bjorn3D has posted a Crucial 3200 1GB Kit memory review.
  • Albatron PX865PE-PROII Review - Guru3D has checked out the Albatron PX865PE-PROII motherboard.
  • Matrox Millennium P750 Review - All in all this is a very awesome card. Anyone who needs a multi-monitor or editing solution would do well to pick this one up. Designed for speed and streamlined for the intermediate workstation, the Matrox Millenium P750 has so much flexibility in it, that it will be our card of choice for the office here for some time to come.
  • 8-Way nVidia nForce 2 Motherboard Roundup  - And Gigabyte 7NNXP is the winner. The 7NNXP for the first nForce2 board from the Gigabyte labs is a must have. Performance is fantastic, brilliant overclocking ability hitting a max of 252MHz FSB, additional add-on features are all that you could want, and the use of the APU produces great sound all round.
  • Gigabyte 7NNXP NForce2 Motherboard Review - Gigabyte's 7NNXP NFORCE2 motherboard pulls away from the competition. The 7NNXP beat out the enthusiast's favorite, the ASUS A7N8X, in 15 out of 19 of Short-Media's benchmark tests. Gigabyte continues to produce motherboards that challenge the leaders for performance. Their NFORCE2 platform brings a few unique additions including a Dual Power Voltage Regulator Module (DPVRM) and Dual Channel DDR across four DIMMs. Gigabyte also throws in their patented Dual BIOS and EasyTune4 along with Dual LAN and 6-Channel sound (NVIDIA SoundStorm including Dolby Digital 5.1).
  • Cooler Master CoolDrive 3 Hard Disk Cooler Review - Adrian's Rojak Pot  just posted the Cooler Master CoolDrive 3 Hard Disk Cooler review.
  • AV Plus Budget MP3 Player Review - If your credit card is anything like mine, it will hide behind the sofa at the thought of spending L400 for a 30GB iPod. Even the lower spec MP3 players can be a bit painful at L140 for 128mb. So how does 256MB worth of player for L80 sound?
  • DOOM III Fan Movies - Doomvision have offer a great DOOM III fan movies #1, #2,  #3. They were made with the leaked version but who cares.
  • Opera 7.20 Beta 1 - Opera (changelog ~ download Win32-Java / Win32-w/o-Java) uses less memory and less space on your hard drive than competing browser applications, making you more productive on the Web.
  • CopyToDVD 2.2.3 - CopyToDVD is the easiest way to backup your files. Integrated to the shell or used as a normal application, CopyToDVD works with all CD & DVD Writers to create the cd type of your choice.
  • WinDVD Platinum 5.0.26.23  - WinDVD Platinum  (download)is the ultimate DVD player with advanced audio and video functions, not found anywhere else.
  • Easy CD-DA Extractor 6.0.0 - Poikosoft Easy CD-DA extractor, best known for its capabilities to handle copy protected audio CDs has been updated to version 6.0.
  • I Hate This Key 2.2 - This program (download) will help you to save your nerves when you're playing full-screen games or working in full-screen Terminal Services sessions by eliminating the accidental pressings of the Windows logo key.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.20.14.30  - The AntiVir Personal Edition (download) offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation. In order to make possible an easy operation, the AntiVir Personal Edition is developed to the essential points.
  • Dell's GO Detonators Drivers 44.24 - Dell have released a new sets of Nvidia Detonators 44.24 Drivers for the Quadro FX Go700.
  • Kiss Technology DP-450/DP-500 Firmware 2.6.8 - KiSS Technology have released a firmware v2.6.8. for DP-450 and DP-500. The new version fixes issue with "Wrong region code" on DVD, subtitles synchronization after search in MPEG 4 and an issue with DVD discs which have a lot of PC content in the root.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,03 2003 - tech
Thursday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 05:41 PM CEST - Jul,03 2003 - Post a comment
  • Nintendo's Yamauchi speaks - Former Nintendo chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi has given an interview with Nihon Keizai Shimbun, with the legendary industry veteran giving his views on a wide range of topics with his trademark bluntness. On the topic of Sony's forthcoming PlayStation Portable, Yamauchi-san broke the ice in typical style - stating that analysts who "think Nintendo has a monopoly over the handheld market and Sony may be able to break it" simply don't understand the games business.
  • Solar sailing 'breaks laws of physics'  -  The next generation of spacecraft propulsion systems could be dead in the water before they are even launched. A physicist is claiming that solar sailing - the idea of using sunlight to blow spacecraft across the solar system - is at odds with the laws of thermal physics.  Both NASA and the European Space Agency are developing solar sails and, although never tested, the concept is quite simple. A solar sail is essentially a giant mirror that reflects photons of sunlight back in the direction they came from.  Although photons do not have mass, they are considered to have momentum, so according to the law of conservation of momentum, the photon loses some of its energy to the sail as it bounces off, giving the sail a shove in the opposite direction.
  • Microsoft offers free e-book downloads  - As part of the five-month promotion, users can download three e-books a week from Microsoft's Web site via a Pocket PC, a Tablet PC, a laptop or a desktop. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and Fear Itself by Walter Mosley are among the titles offered.
  • Hacker defacement contest -  A call for online vandals to take part in a Web site defacement contest has some companies warning clients to beware over the holiday weekend.  The contest awards points to vandal groups for defacing Web sites, with higher points awarded for sites that are run on less common servers. The winner of the contest will be the group that defaces 6,000 servers in the shortest amount of time.
  • MSI announces Nbox FX family of graphics cards - Micro-star International (MSI) will provide an added incentive for gamers buying its FX graphics cards by introducing its NBox graphics card series, which bundles three popular hit computers games of 2003 as well as an aluminum, 800dpi optical mouse.
  • No more pins? Intel LGA and Tejas Scoop - Well Intel are moving away from the 'socket' interface and on to a LAND GRID ARRAY format - this is 775 push-pin style contacts. This will be introduced at the same time as Intel launch the new Grantsdale core logic. There is photos of the new interface, the reference board, and also the weird new mounting bracket for the LGA.
  • First AMD Opteron Supercomputer in Europe - Manchester University in the UK has selected ClusterVision, specialist in Linux supercomputer clusters, to install a 70 processor supercomputer cluster using the new 64-bit AMD Opteron processor. This will be the first public, production-ready AMD Opteron processor based cluster for chemistry applications in Europe.
  • HP Unveils Linux PC -  Hewlett-Packard has announced a new low-end desktop PC designed for small businesses and featuring a version of the Linux operating system. The Compaq D220 PC ($349) will be available July 7 as a user-configurable system, according to HP. The base configuration includes a 2.0-GHz Celeron processor, 128MB of DDR SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive.
  • Fujitsu LifeBook P5010 review - Users who want the latest CPU technology in the smallest package should make a beeline for the Fujitsu LifeBook P5010 ($1,700 street) notebook. Intel's Centrino platform and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive fit handily in a 3.8-pound package. Just make sure you can live with the small keyboard, fonts, and screen.
  • Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse review - Feeling tied down by your mouse? The $80 (street) Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse frees you. This unique device uses a dual-axis gyroscope to detect a wide range of motion. Within 25 feet of the USB radio-frequency (RF) receiver, moving the mouse pointer on-screen is as simple as waving your hand in the air. Should you want to sit at a desk, though, the Gyration Ultra also acts as an optical mouse.
  • Cooler Master CoolDrive 3 Hard Disk Cooler review  - Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted the Cooler Master CoolDrive 3 Hard Disk Cooler review.  "Don't you just love 7200 RPM hard disks? They are blazing fast! Too bad they are also so HOT!!! As a result, most hardware enthusiasts now rely on a variety of fans and hard disk coolers to keep their ultra-fast hard disks running cool."
  • EpoX 4PDA2+ i865PE Springdale review - This 4PDA2+ sample was a prodigious FSB overclocker, a features champion and a paradigm of stability. As long as EPoX launch a BIOS that corrects the Vcore failings found on the 6/18 update, we're confident that this board will sell well. One has to ask themselves exactly what they need from a prospective motherboard. This EPoX seems to have most of the bases covered.
  • DVD Video Copy Software On Test - EliteBastards.net let us know they have compared three of them: DVD X Copy Xpress, DVD2One, and the newest of the bunch, Elaborate Bytes' CloneDVD.
  • Messenger Plus! 2.20.43 - Messenger Plus! Extension (download) is a program that adds functionalities to the MSN Messenger/Windows Messenger chat program. Some of the added features are logging, personalized Away Messages, transparency effects, and a feature to minimize all MSN Messenger windows to the system tray.
  • Alcoholer 4.0a - Alcoholer 4.0a has been released. With this tool first you scan your copy protected CDs for their protections using ClonyXXL and then Alcoholer kicks in to make sure the right settings are passed trough to Alcohol 120%.
  • ATV2000 v2.0.20.1 - ATV2000 (Freeware ) is new generation of TV viewing and capture application based on old ATV, but with reworked core.
  • FolderIcon XP 1.0 RC - FolderIcon XP (download) allows you to change an icon for any folder. Left-click on a folder and choose its icon, mark it as a "hot" or make it look gray.
  • Avant Browser 8.02 Build 001 - Avant Browser (download) is an upgrade to Internet Explorer. Avant Browser is a fast, stable, user-friendly, versatile multi-window browser.
  • CuteFTP Pro 3.2 - CuteFTP Pro 3.2 (download) integrates state-of-the-art security standards including SSL via FTP and HTTP, SSH2 and advanced S/KEY password encryption to ensure that confidential business data stays that way. However CuteFTP 3.x Pro costs +$60 :(, if you prefer a freeware (I do), try WinSCP2!
  • ICQ Lite Build #1253 - ICQ Lite Build #1253 (download ~ changelog) has been released.
  • Creative Sound Blaster Live & Audigy 1 Driver 5.12.4.285 WHQL - Station-Drivers.com have posted a new Creative Sound Blaster Live & Audigy Driver version 512.12.4.285 WHQL.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,02 2003 - tech
Morning Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:45 PM CEST - Jul,02 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • 'Terminator 3' worth the wait - "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" is darker and slicker than its predecessors, 1984's "The Terminator" and 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," both directed and co-written by James Cameron. It also contains hundreds, if not thousands, more computer-generated images than either of those movies.
  • US plans hypersonic bomber - The United States is planning to build an unmanned hypersonic aircraft capable of striking any target in the world within two hours.  The initial description of the concept - called the Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) - has recently been placed on the website of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), the central research and development organisation of the Pentagon.  The idea is that the HCV would take off from a conventional airfield in the continental United States carrying a 12,000-pound (5,500-kilogram) payload. This payload would be made up from a variety of munitions, including cruise missiles and a new glide bomb dropped from space, called a Common Aero Vehicle (Cav).
  • Xbox prices axed in Asia (except Japan) - All of the Asia-Pacific territories where Microsoft sells the Xbox, with the sole exception of Japan, have seen the price of the console and its software slashed this week in an attempt to compete more strongly with the PS2. In South Korea, the Xbox console sees a price cut of just over 10 per cent, bringing the system to 249,800 Won, below the price of the PS2 which retails for 272,800 Won.
  • Pentagon Pushes Next Version of IP - The next version of the Internet Protocol, which provides a 128-bit standard to transmit data, is getting a jump-start for adoption with its endorsement by the Department of Defense. The result: A boost in the number of available Internet addresses, to eventually number as many as an address for every cell in every person on the planet. The DOD is requiring all contractors involved in its Global Information Grid program to support the new Internet Protocol version 6 as of October 1, 2003. IPv6 is expected to replace the current 32-bit IP version 4 (IPv4) for nearly all Internet traffic by 2008. The replacement is necessary because the number of available of IP addresses is dwindling, say the standard's developers.
  • Microsoft Patches Passport - Microsoft patched a hole in it's .Net Passport identity management service last night after a security researcher disclosed a potentially serious flaw that could enable attackers to hijack Passport accounts. The vulnerability was in the code for a "Secret Question" feature that helped users who had forgotten their Passport password, according to a message posted by Victor Manuel Alvarez Castro, who identified himself as a security consultant.
  • Wi-Fi networks get safer with downloadable firmware - If you've delayed setting up a wireless network because of security concerns, help is at hand. Around the time you read this, improved security technology for all variants of 802.11 should be available as free firmware downloads from most equipment vendors.  The new technology--known as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)--replaces the existing and largely discredited Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security algorithm that is part of the 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g standards.
  • Firewire interface jumps to 800 mbps - Want faster external storage? Third-generation FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) claims to provide it, boasting a maximum data transfer rate of 800 megabits per second (about 100 megabytes per second). In our tests of the $449 LaCie D2 200GB external drive--which works with FireWire 800 as well as with the older 50-MBps FireWire 400 and 60-MBps USB 2.0--FireWire 800 outpaced the other interfaces, but often by less than you might expect from the spec. Data-read operations, such as playing back or editing multimedia files, showed the most benefit in our testing.
  • Nvidia ships nForce 3 Pro - The nForce 3 Pro is a single-chip implementation of Nvidia's Athlon XP-oriented nForce 2 product. The Opteron's built-in memory controller has forced Nvidia to dispense with its own controller, allowing it to fold the North Bridge's AGP controller into its South Bridge part.  The processor connects to the nForce 3 Pro chip across a 3.6GBps HyperTransport point-to-point serial link. The 150nm (0.15 micron) nForce 3 Pro chip provides AGP 8x; Serial ATA support with RAID levels 0, 1 and 0+1; ATA 133 support; 10/100 Ethernet with network boot, wake on LAN and hardware firewall; and USB 2.0.
  • SiS preps DirectX 9 integrated chipset - SiS has launched what it claims is the first integrated chipset designed to support the Pentium 4's effective 800MHz frontside bus frequency, the SiS661FX. But since the part won't ship in volume until August, with mobo availability in September, it's possible a rival will get a similar product out the door first.  SiS' chipset provides single-channel 400MHz DDR SDRAM support. It also offers an AGP 8x graphics card bus, over which its DirectX 9-compatible graphics core operates. The graphics core contains two pixel rendering pipelines and can apply four textures per cycle. LCD resolutions of up to 1600x1200 are supported, but CRTs can be supported at up to 2048x1536. The chipset provides TV-out, and dual-screen output.
  • Samsung VoiceYepp VY-H200S 64MB review - EnvyNews has posted a review of VoiceYepp VY-H200S 64MB recorder. Digital sound recorder or MP3 player?
  • Sony VAIO PCV-RS220 Review - When there are so many desktop options in the $999 market, it is hard to recommend the Sony VAIO PCV-RS220 system as the one to go with. With no video expansion possibilities and very little in the way of expansion ports and bays, the PCV-RS220 should be priced lower than what it currently is. Once you add a monitor to the system, the overall price will raise significantly. A quick search on the internet or your local electronics store will reveal better alternatives from the likes of DELL and Gateway, complete with monitor and more expansion for the same price. There is no doubt that the PCV-RS220 system will be a hot seller with Sonys nameplate on the front of the system, and if you absolutely must have a Sony, pay a little more and get a RZ series system.
  • Tophead SuperMonitor -  The TopHead SuperMonitor adds the convenience of a second 6.4" LCD screen on top of a 15" LCD screen. This "sub-screen" allows for a second VGA source or even TV with the help of an optional TV tuner. Watching the TV or surfing the Internet while hard at work (yeah right) has never been easier thanks to TopHead.
  • VisionTek Xtasy 9800 Pro 128MB AGP review - The VisionTek XTasy 9800 Pro 128MB proved to be the solid performer that we expected. Compared to the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, the 9800 Pro was in command, especially when we enabled various strengths of Anisotropic Filtering and Antialiasing. When you factor in that the FX card we used had DDR2, this says a lot for the XTasy 9800 Pro 128MB.
  • AMD releases Opteron math software -  AMD Core Math Library (ACML), developed by AMD and the Numerical Algorithms Group, speeds many algebraic and signal-processing operations. Version 1.0 of the ACML has an interface for Fortran programs and supports 32-bit Windows, 32-bit Linux and 64-bit Linux. The software will be available as a free download, the company said.
  • Super XP Tweak Guide - TweakHound's Super XP Tweaking Guide has been updated to version 2.0.
  • Norton AntiVirus 2004 beta - Norton AntiVirus 2004 Beta Version (sign-up for key) for Windows 98/2000/Millennium/XP Now Available from Symantec FTP. Many new improvements and new features have been added to Norton AntiVirus 2004.  They will give away 50 FREE copies of Norton AntiVirus 2004 to the first 50 beta users that submit undocumented bugs. Winners will be notified via e-mail.
  • NERO Mania -  Nero Burning Rom 5.5.10.42 ~ NeroMIX 1.3.1.12a ~ NeroVision Express 1.0.4.6f ~ Nero InCD 4.0.1.7
  • Tag and Rename 3.0 Beta 9 - Tag&Rename (download) is a powerful, easy-to-use program for organizing and archiving your library of music files. Its solid design handles both the .mp3 and .vqf music formats.
  • Mp3tag 2.12 - Mp3tag (download) is a powerful and yet easy-to-use tool to edit ID3-tags and OGG Comments of MP3- and Ogg Vorbis files. Mp3tag can rename files based on the tag information, replace characters or words from tags and filenames, import/export tag information, create playlists, and more.
  • Zoom Player 3.10.1 Final - Zoom Player (download) is a robust media and DVD front-end player. It was designed to be simple at first glance while being remarkably dynamic and flexible when used to its full potential.
  • WinACE 2.5 RC2 - WinAce is an archiving utility with an easy-to-use interface for creating, extracting, and viewing archives. It includes built-in compression for ACE, ZIP, LHA, and MS-CAB formats, and built-in decompression for ACE, ZIP, LHA, MS-CAB, RAR, ARJ, ARC, GZIP, TAR, and ZOO formats. This new version adds BZIP2 format.
  • PowerArchiver v8.5 - PowerArchiver is an archive utility for Windows with built-in support for ZIP, CAB, LHA, LZH, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2 and BH archives. Can read and extract from RAR, ARJ, ACE, ARC, ZOO, GZIP and BZIP2 archives.
  • XPlayer 2.2.4 - XPlayer (download) uses much less memory and CPU Resources than Microsoft Media Player. If you are finding movies are playing slowly on your computer or have trouble staying sychronized with audio, this might be your solution. XPlayer supports Subtitles, VMR9 and various skins.
  • PlexTools Professional v2.05 - Plextor Japan has released the PlexTools Professional software version 2.05.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jul,01 2003 - tech
Monday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 03:02 AM CEST - Jul,01 2003 - Post a comment
  • Bill Gates Interview - In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY reporters, Microsoft founder and chief software architect Bill Gates shares his thoughts on controlling spam, competition from Linux, how Windows will evolve, software for wristwatches, what's worthwhile in life and whether Microsoft is boring.
  • NEC gasses up 40-hour notebook fuel cell -  Japanese chips-to-computers giant NEC said Monday that it has developed a small fuel cell that will dramatically improve the battery life of notebooks and that the company aims to test on the market within two years. The fuel cell would enable notebooks to operate for 40 consecutive hours, or around 10 times the life of regular lithium-ion batteries, a company representative said. NEC aims to test the market in 2004, introducing a notebook that has a built-in fuel-cell battery with a life of five hours, the representative said.  Another story can be found at Yahoo.
  • AOL Adds IM Encryption - America Online has shored up its enterprise messaging products, adding the ability to encrypt messages, files, and chat sessions over its network, which can then be logged and audited. The encryption capabilities are incorporated into the new 5.2 version of AOL's Instant Messenger client and into its AIM Enterprise Gateway 2.0. The encryption is enabled when users click on an option in the AIM client, prompting the deployment of a digital certificate from AOL using technology from VeriSign.
  • Mindjail worms way through IRC - Mindjail is a new variant of Backdoor.SdBot code that once activated installs a backdoor into infected systems. IRC channels are scanned by bots seeking users, who are then spammed with the following messages: 1. "EEEEEEETHHHOOOM! MINDJAIL!! HE IS TRAPPED!! GET HIM OUT!" 2. "Ever heard of a thing called mindjail? Check it" Both messages are followed by a link to a file called mindjail.zip. The zip file contains a HTML file, "mindjail.html" which executes JavaScript code on vulnerable systems.
  • ZoneAlarm bells ring over freeware vuln -  A recent post on Bugtraq has revealed a serious flaw in the core design of the freely-available personal firewall ZoneAlarm running on MS Windows. Thanks to the Win32 ShellExecute function in Windows, ZoneAlarm could theoretically be tweaked into opening an unsecured Internet connection and leaking information into web servers anywhere. By introducing a Trojan into a user computer, hackers could theoretically force an Internet connection bypassing the security of the freeware firewall, provided of course that the affected user, just idly clicked on the product's pop ups without reading them.
  • Windows links to new storage standard  - As it had pledged it would, the software giant released driver software to provide iSCSI compatibility within Windows. The iSCSI standard, approved earlier this year, makes it easier for computers to share and manage stored data over Ethernet networks. Microsoft's driver, which is available as a free download, works with the Win2k/XP/Win2k3 operating systems.
  • AMD ships eight-way 64-bit Opteron - AMD today began offering the four- to eight-way system-oriented Opteron 800 Series and the Opteron 100 Series for single-CPU servers and workstations.  The 800 series comprises the 840, 842 and 844, matching the performance characteristics of the 200 series. The initial '8' refers to the maximum number of CPUs the system can contain. The 100 series is also available in 140, 142 and 144 flavours. All six new processors are available immediately, AMD said.
  • Key sub-atomic particle slips away again  - Current understanding of the Universe is summarised in physicists' standard model, but this lacks any explanation for why things have mass. The popular Higgs theory says that a gooey "Higgs field" pervades the Universe and endows matter with mass through the effect of Higgs particles.
  • Motherboards - The Designing Process - Have you ever just looked at a motherboard and wondered how it was designed? How did the design engineers decide where to place certain chips, or components? What are these strange components placed all over the board? Why do motherboard manufacturers make a big deal out of multi-layer PCB's? MBReview . This article is based off of both personal research, and aid from Rob Bruckner, a Senior Motherboard Design Engineer at Intel Corporation. What do I hope you'll take away from this article? Simple, a new found respect for the immense amount of thought and work that goes into designing all that is a motherboard.
  • AMD Ready To Rock MML2 With Athlon 64! - THG got a chance to spend some time with both desktop and notebook flavors of Athlon64 prior to AMD's evening presenation. In addition, they sit down with AMD VP Henri Richard and talk about gaming, LAN parties, and the future of 64-bit computing.
  • iRock! 730i mp3 player review - The 730i is an amazing mp3 player and is a positive innovation from previous mp3 players. The 730i is listed at $139.99 which is a fair price is considering all of the features that come with the 730i. The 730i does everything and much, much more than many mp3 players can do. The 730i is a great innovation and it has dramatically increased my enjoyment of mp3 players.
  • Mega X-Key 32MB Memory Card for Xbox - It serves as a "Mega" memory card with 32 MB of storage that plugs into the USB port of your PC and allows you to transfer Saves on your PC to the Mega X-Key. The Mega X-Key can then be connected to the Xbox to load. One of the biggest advantages of using the Mega X-Key product instead of Xbox-Saves Manager is that it does not require a 'modchip' to transfer saves. However, since a 'modchip' is not required, that means the Mega X-Key will not work with Trainers, Patches, or Hacked Default.xbe Saves unless you have a 'modchip'.
  • WD Raptor 10k-RPM HDD in RAID 0x2 and RAID 0x4 - The 10,000 rpm Western Digital Raptor is a "must have" for the performance oriented desktop PC enthusiast. The 10,000 rpm Raptor is leaving any 7,200 disk be it SATA or PATA be as single disk or in Raid 0 far behind.
  • SharkaCorp New Innovatek Water-Cooling Eqpt Review - This new pump is the EHEIM 1046 model which has been modified by Innovatek. The pump has been modified so it will run off of a 12v power source and has a plug in the back for a 4-pin molex connection. The pump is regulated by microprocessor pump electronics so that it can provide maximum water flow, with minimum noise.
  • Shuttle AB60/RS (865PE) motherboard review - The 865PE chipset supports many nice features such as Serial ATA, 800 MHz FSB, and dual 64-bit memory controllers. So far, this chipset has been a great success for motherboard manufacturers as well as Intel.
  • EPoX EP-4PCA3+ (Intel 875P) review  - Coupled with the IDE RAID controller that supports RAID 5, the EP-4PCA3+ will make a good SOHO two-in-one web/file server. Priced at about S$375, the board's cost is quite steep for a 2nd-tier brand especially if you compare it with other more well-known 875P-based motherboards but if you look at what you're getting with the product, we think it pretty much justifies its price point.
  • 11 nForce2 MB Roundup - PCStats have published a nice 11 nForce2 motherboard roundup. This includes motherboards that are based on the new nForce2 and Nforce2 IGP.
  • Corsair TWINX 512 Meg XMS PC 3200LL Kit  - This kit is comprised of 2 256 meg PC 3200 (DDR 400) RAM modules. These modules are tested at the factory in dual channel configuration on an Asus A7N8X to ensure that they work correctly with each other. These modules are also low latency (LL) modules that come running stock at 2-2-2-6 timings. They also come with the standard heat spreaders with the Corsair XMS logo printed on them.
  • Everglide - DKT Gaming Surface review - To conclude, this mouse pad is great because of the size, then again, you wouldn't want to take it to a LAN because you may not have the space. The movement is very smooth (especially for light mice or ones that have bigger mouse contact points), and the design is very cool.
  • Belkin Wireless Keyboard Mouse Combo - The keyboard is a solid black with a silver patch on the top where the nine function keys are located. I was extremely satisfied with the look of the keyboard; the black gave it that professional look that can be hard to find in this price range. The use of the QuietType keyboard technology makes it feel more like a laptop's keyboard rather then a normal keyboard. I have found that it is up to personal preference on this one, if you like harder yet quiet keys then this one is perfect for you. But for those of you who like the sound of the keyboard clicking this one will not be up your alley.
  • Building A Home Network From Scratch - First, you have to consider the pipe into your house. Normally, your choices are either DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or Cable modem; but as many have discovered to their dismay after they have signed on the dotted line of the purchase contract, neither of these options may be available. Generally speaking, the further the home is located from a metropolitan area, the fewer options for Internet connectivity there are. While satellite and ISDN options do exist, they are probably the least desirable solutions. ..read more
  • 3D Performance with Unreal Tournament 2003 - The GeForce FX cards get off to a fast start in high quality mode, sweeping the tests at all resolutions. The RADEON 9800 PRO is definitely able to keep up with them though, at 1600x1200 it only falls short of the reference FX 5900 Ultra card by 4%. Once AA is enabled, both cards draw even closer to each other, by 1600x1200 we're basically looking at a photo finish in the case of the 256MB RADEON 9800 PRO, the 128MB card actually outperforms GeForce FX 5900 128MB.
  • MySQL 3.23.57  - MySQL (relnotes) is the world's most popular open source database, recognized for its speed and reliability.
  • PHP 5.0.0 Beta 1 - The PHP development community today announced the release of PHP 5 Beta 1 (bugtracker) This new beta features the Zend Engine 2, completely revamped XML support, SQLite has been bundled with PHP., etc. This is a beta version. It should not be used in production or even semi-production web sites.
  • Mozilla 1.4 -  The new version (download) is pretty similar to today's Netscape 7.1, which is based on the same code, but lacks Netscape's proprietary features. More information can be found in the release notes.
  • Netscape 7.1 - Netscape has just released Netscape v7.1 (download ~ FTP) for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Netscape 7.1 features many improvements over 7.02 including even better CSS support, spam filters, find-as-you-type, automatic image resizing, more customization via about:config, Web development tools, Palm synchronization and more.
  • Nero 5.5.10.42 - Nero (mirror1 ~ mirror2 ~ mirror3) is a flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use application designed to write both data and CD audio to CD-R and CD-RW discs. It supports ISO 9660 images as well as ISO mode 1 and XA mode 2, and allows for on-the-fly disc recording in addition to overburning (if supported by hardware).
  • Dashboard v1.1 Final  - This version of Dashboard went thru 12 successful beta stages and had over 50 bugs fixed. Bugs ranging from Crash Bugs to Interface glitches that the designer missed on the long nights and days they worked on this. 
  • Zoom Player 3.10 Final - Zoom Player (download) is a robust media and DVD front-end player. It was designed to be simple at first glance while being remarkably dynamic and flexible when used to its full potential.
  • Coding Workshop Ringtone Convertor 4.4.2 - The Ringtone Converter (download) is a software program for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac systems that allows you to add new ringtones to your mobile phone without the need for cables or expensive premium rate SMS services. The Ringtone Converter supports most makes and models of phone including Audiovox, Alcatel, Ericsson, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sony, Sendo, Sharp and Siemens handsets, with more added every month.
  • Fresh Diagnose 6.00 - Fresh Diagnose (download) is an utility designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system. It can analyze and benchmark many kinds of hardware, such as CPU performance, hard disk performance, video system information, mainboard information and more.
  • CPU-Z 1.18c - CPU-Z is a freeware utility that provides some information on your CPU.
 Gameguru Mania News - Jun,29 2003 - tech
Sunday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:24 PM CEST - Jun,29 2003 - Post a comment
  • $180 Million for Piracy Conspiracy - According to an AP story printed in the Orlando Sentinel, Steven R. Frazier has been ordered to pay $180 million restitution for attempting to sell a device that would decrypt the satellite signals sent into everyone's homes. In addition to spending the next 5 years in Federal prison, Frazier will have to pay $500 a month for the next 30,000 years, though no one really expects him to live long enough to make all the payments. (thanks Slashdot.org)
  • Video Game Industry to Change Ratings System  - The video game industry has unveiled a revised rating system featuring more prominent rating displays on game boxes and more detailed information on the kinds of violence featured in some titles. The ESRB said that as of Sept. 15, it will require new, more descriptive rating information on the backs of game boxes. Also as of that date, the "Mature" and "Adults Only" will be changed to show the minimum recommended ages for each of those categories. The ESRB said its "cartoon violence" label will apply to games in which violent acts happen to animated characters, while "fantasy violence" will apply in cases in which a scenario clearly distinguishable from reality. The ESRB defines "intense violence" as bloody, gory and realistic-looking depictions of human injury or death, while "sexual violence" covers the depiction of rape.
  • AOL backtracks on Winamp media player  - In a setback to Nullsoft's plans, Winamp3 in March gave way to the earlier Winamp 2.x version, pending a broader overhaul that will incorporate aspects of both in Winamp 5. In the meantime, AOL has discontinued supporting plug-ins developed using Wasabi and will instead fold Winamp3 graphical interface designs, or "skins," into Winamp 2.x. In a setback to Nullsoft's plans, Winamp3 in March gave way to the earlier Winamp 2.x version, pending a broader overhaul that will incorporate aspects of both in Winamp 5. In the meantime, AOL has discontinued supporting plug-ins developed using Wasabi and will instead fold Winamp3 graphical interface designs, or "skins," into Winamp 2.x.
  • Sun squashes over 2400 Java bugs - People "into java" know that previous 1.4.0 and 1.4.1 were full of bugs that caused many, users and developers alike, to pull their hair, including this now bald writer. In fact, according to Sun, over 2400 bugs have been fixed since the original 1.4.0 release.
  • Too Much Booze While Watching Star Trek! editorial - "I get loads of spam mail everyday and my spam filter gets most of them. But for some reason, this one caught my eye before it went into the dustbin. And why not? It was an eye-catching title - "Dimensional Warp Generator Needed". :) Let's check it out!"
  • NetBIOS: Ins & Outs  - NetBIOS stands for Network Basic Input Output System. It was originally developed by IBM and Sytek as an Application Programming Interface (API) for client software to access LAN resources. If you have experience working on a LAN using Microsoft Windows Operating Systems you must have clicked on "Network Neighborhood" to access the computers attached to your network. After clicking on the icon you would have seen the names of the computers on the network.
  • Asus SK8N nForce3 Pro150 Review - Hardware Mania has posted a review of Asus SK8N nForce3 Pro150.
  • MSI GeForce FX5900 Review - Hexus has posted a review of the MSI GeForce FX5900. "So, is it quicker than 9800 Pro? Is it quicker than 9700 Pro? Well, yes to both for the most part. On the tests that I consider to be the most relevant in terms of current game performance, it's about as equal with 9800 Pro as I'd like to call it."
  • K9 1.07  - K9 is an email filtering program that works in conjunction with most popular email applications that use the standard POP3 email protocol. Messages pass through K9 on their way to your email program and as K9 processes them it can learn to identify the difference between Spam and Good emails, marking Spam emails so that your email application can file them away or delete them.
  • FolderIcon XP 1.0 beta 3 - FolderIcon XP (download) allows you to change an icon for any folder. Left-click on a folder and choose its icon, mark it as a "hot" or make it look gray. Collection of unique icons included (colored and marked XP-style icons) as well as a customizable set of links to external (system) icons, specially chosen for marking folders.
  • DivX 5.0.5b (Silent Update) - DivX (free ~ adware ~ profi ~ Linux) is a package that includes all the DivX codec, player, utilities, and documentation that you need to play DivX files. This silent update contains an updated DivX Player.
  • Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Drivers v 4193 - A new Turtle Beach Santa Cruz drivers has been released.
  • ATi CATALYST 3.5 Patches - ATi found that the OpenGL acceleration is unavailable when using a Radeon 9100 product with Catalyst 3.5 and also there is Display corruption or flickering around in-game objects in NeverWinter Nights for all RADEONs. (thanks Warp2Search)
 Gameguru Mania News - Jun,27 2003 - tech
GeForce FX 5900 Ultra vs. Radeon 9800 Pro - tech
(hx) 10:32 PM CEST - Jun,27 2003 - Post a comment / read (15)
GF FX 5900 Ultra
R9800 Pro
OCAddiction gets a chance to test both the GF FX 5900 Ultra ($499) and the Radeon 9800 Pro ($399) video cards and live to tell which one comes out on top. I It's pretty extensive and useful article with many benchmarks, check it out! Here is a taster:
Better cooling is essential for newer and faster hardware. Even with a .13 and .15 micron process, these cards are getting hot. Which manufacturer is to be commended for a better cooling system? I would have to say the FX 5900 Ultra. These particular cards are manufactured directly by nVidia to keep strict adherence to their standards, then pieced out to the individual manufacturers for resale. Not only does the FX 5900 Ultra have great GPU cooling, the memory chips are cooled with gargantuan sized sinks that are mounted separately from the GPU cooler. Add to this the fact that you can overclock the 5900 at both the 2D and 3D level, you can keep your card cooler while not running in 3D Apps if your the type to keep your card overclocked day in, day out. Memory chips get hot on the R9800 Pro yet this particular model does not have any sinks on the memory. Fortunately, ATi implemented them on their newer R9800 Pro 256MB model which has DDR II that can get very hot.

Conclusion
Let's break down performance of both cards and see which one comes out on top.

UT2k3 - FX 5900 Ultra - While both cards perform well, the FX 5900 comes out on top

AquaMark - R9800 Pro - The R9800 takes home the gold in this real-world benchmark

Comanche 4 - R9800 Pro - The R9800 also wins out by an edge for this nearly obsolete benchmark

Specviewperf 7.0 - R9800 Pro - This one is really close but the #'s lean to the R9800

Code Creatures - FX 5900 Ultra - The 5900 beats up the R9800 pretty good in this intensive benchmark

Splinter Cell - R9800 Pro - Hands down, the R9800 takes it in this awesome game from UBISoft

ShaderMark - R9800 Pro - While the FX 5900 Ultra makes a good showing, the R9800 wins this one

3DMark 01 SE Build 330 - R9800 Pro - The R9800 takes top honors with this tried and true synthetic benchmark

3DMark 03 Build 320 - FX 5900 Ultra - Should we include this? Possibly not, however the FX 5900 wins with WHQL Det Drivers

3D Visual Quality - R9800 Pro hands down

And the winner is.........The FIC ATi Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB. We compared these cards in every category we could think of and in the end, we saw better performance overall from the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Did the FX 5900 fail to impress us? No, not at all. We believe both cards are worthy of any good system but we do have to tip our hats to the excellent performance that the Radeon 9800 Pro has showed us here today.
Friday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 10:15 PM CEST - Jun,27 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Latest Sobig variant getting bigger - The latest variant of the Sobig virus continued to spread Thursday, underscoring how mass-mailing computer viruses can still be a nuisance.  In the past 24 hours, the virus, known as Sobig.E, mainly has affected U.S. computer users, according to e-mail service provider MessageLabs. The company, which filters e-mail messages and removes viruses and spam for clients, reported 70 percent of the Sobig.E-infected messages came from the United States. Another 18 percent came from U.K. sources .Sobig-E normally spreads via emails with randomised subject lines (such as Re: Documents and Re: Re: Movie) and . zip attachments containing infectious .scr and .pif files. Like its predecessors, Sobig-E has a built-in expiry date - in this case 14 July. Click on the infectious attachments and you catch the pox.
  • Group claims Linux advance on Xbox  - A group of Xbox security researchers say they have found a way to run Linux on the Xbox game console without a so-called mod chip and will go public with the technique if Microsoft won't talk to them about releasing an official Linux boot loader. The group, which has asked not to be named in this article, approached ZDNet Australia after repeated attempts to contact Microsoft independently failed. The researchers say they want Microsoft to release a "signed" Linux boot loader--software that runs when a computer starts up to load and give control to the operating system--that would allow Xbox users to run the open-source operating system on the console without installing a chip.
  • Expert slams outlandish hacker claims - Security expert Neil Barrett has poured scorn on research released this week claiming that hackers are in control of at least three million servers around the world. Intrusion prevention system vendor Trustcorps said that it had "scientific and anecdotal" research indicating that the average hacker 'owns' between 600 and 800 systems at any time. The company estimated that there are at least 1,000 hacker groups, with an average of five hackers per group each owning at least 600 systems. Each hacker will own a compromised system for six months on average.
  • Solar airplane crashes on test flight - The remotely piloted, one-of-a-kind Helios Prototype crashed off Kauai within the testing area of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a news release. The $15 million, solar-electric, propeller-driven Helios had a wingspan of 247 feet and looked more like a flying wing than a conventional plane.
  • 'Polypill' could slash heart attacks and strokes - The "Polypill" would contain a cocktail of six existing drugs and should be given to everybody over the age of 55, the researchers argue. It could potentially save 200,000 lives every year in the UK alone, they say. "There's probably no other preventative measure which would have greater impact on public health in the Western world," says Nicholas Wald, research leader and an expert in preventative medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, London. "In people who start taking it at 55, about a third would expect to benefit," he says. "Each of these individuals would gain about 12 years extra life - that is enormous." In some cases the increase in longevity might be as much as 20 years, says the proposal.
  • Microsoft Office System To Launch in October - Microsoft will launch its Office System 2003 suite of products in New York in October, say sources close to the company.The October date is considerably later than the June launch that many expected earlier this year. But when Microsoft announced in April that it was adding an unexpected beta refresh to its Office 2003 lineup, many expected the final rollout date for the desktop suite and the growing family of related products would slip to fall. Microsoft officials have continued to insist that Office 2003 will be a "late summer" deliverable.
  • Dell Readies New PDA, Smartphone - Dell has revealed that the next generation of its Axim handheld will include both Wi-Fi and triband radios, signaling a new wave of mobile productivity. In addition, an executive says Dell plans to develop a device based on Microsoft's Smartphone platform. The next-generation Axim personal digital assistant will allow users to switch between Wi-Fi networks and CDMA or GSM networks. Due out in 2004, the device will likely support 802.11g, which offers backward compatibility with 802.11b and speeds of up to 31Mbps.
  • Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 Notebook Review - With portable PCs doing so many tasks once reserved for desktops, it was only a matter of time before a notebook computer doubled as a Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) PC. First out is the Toshiba Satellite 5205-S705 ($2,699 direct).
  • Intel PAT Enabled 865PE Boards Roundup - No doubt the boards that we are going to look at today are the best performing 865PE boards around and these are the boards that consumers should be considering seriously. Among the candidates are ABIT IS7-G, ASUS P4P800 Deluxe, AOpen AX4SPE Max, Albatron PX865PE Pro II, EPoX 4PDA2+ and MSI 865PE Neo2. VR-Zone takes a close look at the board features, BIOS features, performance and most importantly their overclockability.
  • Iceberq 4 Pro VGA Cooling Kit Review - The Tech Lounge has posted a review on the Iceberq 4 Pro VGA Cooling Kit.
  • Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 USB Bugfixes - USBMan has published a list of USB Bug Fixes corrected by Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
  • Shuttle AN35N nForce2 Ultra Review - Bar the odd latency issue, the AN35N is another solid if unexciting board. The trouble for Shuttle is that most of the major players have excellent boards already, so a 'lesser known' manufacturer has to work that much harder to establish themselves amongst the usual suspects. The AN35N is much like an accountant; it's dependable and a little boring.
  • ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro Review - The 3D performance of this card was not bad, but it was not the fastest card tested. In OpenGL it did well, besting its competitor, the MX 440 in Serious Sam SE, but it also lost to the MX 440 in Jedi Knight II testing. The Jedi Knight test proves that nVidia definitely has better drivers for some things, such as Jedi Knight. In Direct X, the AiW 9000 Pro does much better, beating the MX 440 both in Max Payne and UT2003 by a greater margin, over 18% in both games and all the tests with those games.
  • Samsung LTM295W LCD Monitor Review - The looks of the Samsung LTM295W deserve recognition themselves, it's without a doubt a display which is worthy of the many compliments it's received around here as well as from myself. It's only significant drawback is of course the price tag, but, to be fair, you get every cents worth!
  • NOD32 Antivirus version 2 Review - NOD32 is a first-class antivirus program with an unprecented 22 100% awards from Virus Bulletin. The recently released version 2 takes a great program and makes it even better, eliminating a few quirks the previous version had. Anybody who cares about the reliability and detection capabilities of their antivirus software should take a close look at NOD32 before spending money on any other AV software. PC911 has the details.
  • PocoMail 3.0 build 1640 - PocoMail is a refreshingly different award-winning e-mail application, with a specific focus: to allow you to take full potential of e-mail, whether you get one or one hundred messages a day. It will save you time and enable you to do things with e-mail you never thought possible before. Put simply, PocoMail is an e-mail tool like no other.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.20.11.20 - The AntiVir Personal Edition (download) offers the effective protection against computer viruses for the individual and private use on a single PC-workstation. In order to make possible an easy operation, the AntiVir Personal Edition is developed to the essential points. The private and individual use of the AntiVir Personal Edition is completely free of charge.
  • Microsoft SQL Server Accelerator v1.2 - The 1.2 version supports SQL Server 2000 Standard and Enterprise editions, as well as Microsoft Office 2003 and includes the capability to generate a solution from an XML file. Other additions include separation of the application generation and deployment processes so that applications can be put into production faster, and support for the drill-through actions in count measures which enhances the reporting capabilities of the generated application.
  • MBM-Net v1.1 - MBM-Net is a companion program to Motherboard Monitor 5. It allows you to monitor computers on your network and display information such as CPU temperature, system temperature, and fan speeds. That way you can see the status of your machines in one convenient window instead of remote desktop"ing" into each machine and checking! You can monitor any computer on your home network or over the internet using MBM-Net! Up to 255 machines are supported.
  • Server Monitor Lite 3.3 - Server Monitor Lite is an advanced, powerful, and feature rich network server monitor which monitors your servers and notifies you when a problem occurs.
  • SiSoftware Sandra MAX3  - SiSoftware have released their newest installment of their popular synthetic benchmarking program, Sandra MAX3. This new version adds support for AMD Opteron multi-processor architecture (AMD Athlon 64/Opteron CPUs; AMD 8131, SiS 755/760, VIA K8T400/M chipsets; AMD 8111, SiS 963/S/L south bridges; NUMA up to 32/64 nodes; ACPI 2.0; SMBus 2.0), Intel Pentium 4 400MHz architecture (Intel P4 2.4-3.2GHz CPUs; Intel 875P, 865P/PE/G chipsets; ICH5/5R south bridges), Intel Itanium 2 architecture (Intel E8870 chipset; NUMA up to 64 nodes; ACPI 2.0), USB 2.0 HiSpeed USB controllers (enhanced EHCI; USB hubs), and much more!
  • CPU Burn-in 1.01  - CPU Burn-in v1.01 by Michal Mienik is the ultimate stability testing tool for overclockers. The program heats up any x86 CPU to the maximum possible operating temperature that is achievable by using ordinary software. This allows the user to adjust the CPU speed up to the practical maximum while still being sure that stability is achieved even under the most stressful conditions. The program continuously monitors for erroneous calculations and errors ensuring the CPU does not generate errors during calculations performed under overclocking conditions.
  • Software Mod For Turning Your Radeon 9500 Non-Pro Into A 9700 - Software Mod For Turning Your Radeon 9500 Non-Pro Into A 9700 guide has been updated for combination with the Catalyst 3.5 drivers.
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