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 Gameguru Mania News - May,07 2003 - tech 
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:53 AM CEST - May,07 2003 - Post a comment
  • ICQ users at risk of having computers hacked says CORE security group - Two serious flaws in America Online's ICQ 2003a could allow an online attacker to take control of a person's PC, a Boston security firm warned in an advisory released Monday. Core Security Technologies described the vulnerabilities in an advisory released to several public security lists. While the company found a total of six flaws, it said only two have serious implications because they could allow an attacker to run code on the victim's computer.
  • Interview with Student Sued by RIAA - Jesse Jordan, owner of chewplastic.com, was on CNN this morning discussing the RIAA settlement. (thanks Slashdot.org)
  • Microsoft shows off security prototype  - Microsoft on Tuesday showed off a prototype of its controversial security technology at its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. The prototype of the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base, formerly known as Palladium, is based on real and emulated hardware, said Peter Biddle, product unit manager for the software giant. Small applications running on the technology demonstrated its security features.
  • Gates: Windows to call on phones - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says future versions of Windows will be more phone-friendly, as he demonstrates prototypes at a company-sponsored conference.
  • Chess Championship: Humans vs. Computer - During the last 10 years computers penetrated into various spheres of human life. In the today's article we will try to find out how well computers can play chess and if it would be correct to say that artificial intelligence is superior to human mind.
  • Indiana Jones coming to DVD in November -  The "Indiana Jones" trilogy, one of the most requested film series for the DVD format, is finally slated for worldwide release Nov. 4 as "The Adventures of Indiana Jones -- The Complete DVD Movie Collection," a box set that will include a fourth disc specifically dedicated to bonus materials.
  • AMD ships Athlon MP 2800+ - AMD today launched an ever-so-slightly redundant addition to its Athlon MP line. The 2800+, based on the Barton core, sits between existing MP parts and the new Opteron family of 64-bit server/workstation chips. The 2800+ is priced at $275 (in batches of 1000 chips), just under the $283 Opteron 240.
  • AMD Athlon XP 3000+ review - As stated, despite the rating system in most circumstances the Athlon XP 3000+ will not 'beat' the Pentium 4 3.06 GHz. It's close though. The Barton based core is a very good step in the 0.13-micron process based fabrication and is something they can build on for a while. Recently I heard some rumors that people got a Barton running at 3 GHz.
  • Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9700 PRO Ultimate Edition 128MB  - Well, the Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9700 PRO Ultimate Edition certainly makes for an interesting solution. Overall, as expected, the performance of the board largely remains unchanged from that of the standard ATI Radeon 9700 PRO, which has dropped back from being the ultimate in performance a little with the introduction of the 9800 PRO. However, 9800 PRO's are still thin on the ground in terms of availability, and they do carry a price premium.
  • Plextor PX-504a Review - The PX-504A is the drive that does it all, and more. The features are impressive, yet fairly self-explanatory. Enough of all these boring statistics, let's move on to the drive.
  • Notebooks Roundup -  PCMag reviews 31 notebooks, 9 of which have all or part of the Centrino platform. Their roundup is divided into four categories: desktop replacement notebooks, value notebooks, mainstream notebooks, and ultraportable notebooks.
  • Strip Poker for smartphones - Belgium-based AIM Productions has now unveiled a Smartphone 2002 port of its popular STRIPPOKER title for the Pocket PC platform. Sporting what the company describes as "extremely realistic high quality images in the most sexy Smartphone game", the title offers a background music track, live speech by the computer opponents, the option to pause and resume a game, a fast play mode (!), and the option to install and uninstall opponents separately. (thanks InfoSyncWorld)
  • Athlon Unlock site launched - Athlon Unlock is now open for business with Unlocking guides for AMD's Athlon XP Palimino , T'Bred and Baton's Processors.
  • 1by1 v1.36 - 1by1 is a very small sized player which is not only small: It plays whole directories without any playlist. Navigating through your tracks has never been so easy.
  • Dr. DivX Beta 1.0 - Dr. DivX can convert a multitude of video inputs into DivX encoded files with just a few clicks.
  • FlashFXP 2.1 RC4 - FlashFXP is the most powerful and popular FTP & FXP Client for Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP on the market today. The RC4 brings: 1)Corrected a small status display problem, even on a list error "List Complete" was shown, "List Error" is now shown instead. 2) On disconnect a segment of code was being called multiple times when it should of only been called once, it didn`t appear to cause any problems but this has been resolved.  3) I modifed the Delphi VCL to correct a problem with double clicking a column header. The new size wasn`t set correctly. 4) Improved handling for ftp servers behind routers reporting the incorrect IP in their PASV reply.
  • Avant Browser 8.0.0.1 Beta - Avant Browser is a custom Web browser application based on Internet Explorer with versatile multi-window support. It allows users to browse multiple Web sites simultaneously and block all unwanted pop-up pages.
 Gameguru Mania News - May,06 2003 - tech
Monday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 02:07 AM CEST - May,06 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Handheld aimed at older gamers -  Tapwave, based in Mountain View, says it will introduce its Helix device later this year. Byron Connell, co-founder and senior vice president of marketing, said it is aimed primarily at older gamers who have outgrown Nintendo's GameBoy Advance and also want the basic functions of a handheld organizer. Tapwave will face stiff competition from Nintendo, which has a corner on the market for portable games, and from a variety of other handhelds that include gaming as a feature. Prime among those is Nokia's upcoming N-Gage Game Deck debuting this fall.
  • Microsoft Set to Debut Xbox Live Upgrade - Microsoft is aiming to raise the stakes in the $30 billion global video game industry and strengthen its foothold in living rooms with major changes to its Xbox Live online gaming service, industry sources said on Monday. As game makers prepare for the E3 in LA, Microsoft is readying a new version of Xbox Live with advanced community features such as voice chat and locater services that operate independently of games in progress, said sources with knowledge of the software company's plans. After the upgrades, the sources said, players will be able to turn on their Xboxes, see who among their friends is online, and engage them in voice chats in community settings that do not even require a game to be inside the console. Other add-ons coming soon to the console include the ability to use the Xbox as a sort of media center, to listen to digital music and watch videos in their living rooms.
  • Apple web music beats expectations - Apple Computer Inc. exceeded pundit expectations by selling more than 1 million songs in a one-week period on its online music store. Songs are 99 cents per download, and the Apple services have little copy protection, meaning users can keep the songs indefinitely and share them on as many as three MacIntosh computers, as well as an indefinite number of iPod portable music players.
  • Is That a Computer Chip in Your Carpet? - Researchers at Germany's Infineon Technologies have demonstrated how a self-organizing network of chips woven into large textile surfaces, such as carpets, could someday be used to monitor buildings, provide directions in an emergency, and more. At the company's Emerging Technology Lab in Munich, the research team showed how robust chips embedded into industrial fabrics in the form of a checkerboard are able to monitor temperature, pressure, vibration, and motion, Infineon said
  • On the Edge: Interplanetary Internet - IPN researchers have already assigned Internet addresses to all the planets, satellites, and spacecraft in our solar system. Scientists are hoping to launch a series of IPN-equipped satellites, possibly as soon as 2005. With one or more IPN-equipped satellites in orbit around Mars, we would have a two-planet IPN network
  • Microsoft launches Windows hardware Web site - Microsoft Corp. has created a new engineering Web site focused on hardware issues for Windows server and desktop products. The new site to be announced at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference here Tuesday (May 6) will consist of specifications, white papers, tools and downloads for hardware engineers working on Windows-based PCs and servers or peripherals that link to them.
  • Dell recalls nearly 20,000 motherboards - Dell Computer has launched a service campaign to replace motherboards in nearly 20,000 Inspiron notebooks.  The Round Rock, Texas, company will replace the flawed motherboards inside nearly 20,000 Inspiron 2650 laptop models manufactured between the middle of November and the middle of December 2002, a company representative said Friday. The replacement program was introduced by Dell to remedy a bad component that could short out and render the notebook unable to power up, when turned on.
  • Adult content filter for MMS launched - The Irish software house, Telcotec has launched an adult content filter that can be plugged into MMSC's to provide a level of content filtering. People use picture phones to take pictures and send them to their friends and to get pictures from the internet. People who are concerned about the type of pictures their picture phones can receive will be able to protect themselves and their children from unwanted conte.
  • Nokia 6800 comes to Cingular Wireless - Cingular Wireless and Nokia today announced the availability of the Nokia 6800 messaging phone in Cingular's GSM/GPRS markets. The Nokia dual-band 850/1900 MHz 6800 messaging phone is designed with data and text messaging users in mind, with flip access to a full back-lit QWERTY keyboard. The mobile phone offers personal e-mail, personal information management (PIM) and rich-sounding polyphonic ringtones.
  • Gameloft unleashes Rayman 3 - It's a long way from being the darling of the Playstation platform to being one of the foremost champions of gaming on J2ME-enabled phones, but good old Rayman is holding up well. Following up on previous titles including Rayman 1 and 2, as well as Rayman Bowling and Rayman Golf, Rayman 3 for Nokia's 3650 and Sharp's GX-10 is now available from Gameloft. Rayman 3 is available now from the Gameloft web site for $3.99 USD for the Nokia 3650 and Sharp GX-10.
  • iRock 530 Review - The iRock 530 would be a great product 2 years ago, but the technology of MP3 players today has grown beyond what the iRock 530 offers. Use of USB 1.0, cheap feeling plastic in the housing and buttons, non-backlit display, and no support for ID3 Tags along with a price of $125 on the http://www.myirock.com site are negatives that outweigh the few positives.
  • Asustek releases SiS648FX-based motherboards - Asustek Computer on May 2 introduced its latest motherboard, the P4S800, for Intel's Pentium 4 platform.
  • VIA Chipsets Specifications Page featuring KT600 & VT8239 -  AMDboard is quietly releasing a complete VIA Socket A chipsets specifications page which include the latest datas for the VT8239 south bridge, and KT600, north bridge.
  • MSI FX5800 Ultra-TD8X Review - The box's design and the accessory pack are a good match for such an expensive card. The card itself is just a copy of the reference sample with MSI's logo. The card heats very much, the cooler works noisy in 3D and stands idle in 2D, that is why you should provide the proper ventilation.
  • Inno3D Tornado GeForce FX 5800 Card  - This card comes in a decent looking box with some great game bundles for the gamers. We have successfully overclocked the card to 500/1000Mhz core/memory clock reaching the speed of a GeForce FX 5800 Ultra card and also did some comparisons between the Detonator 43.45 and 43.51 WHQL drivers under 3DMark2003.
  • Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9800 Pro Review - The performance of the Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9800 Pro was equally as impressive, clearly improving upon the Radeon 9700 Pro on many different levels and in every test, all the while maintaining a relatively quiet cooling solution, contrary to the shelved GeForce FX 5800 Ultra.
  • MSI vs. Shuttle vs. Saintsong  - Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a review on 3 mini-PCs. Three different mini-PCs with still more different designs. Shuttle's bare-bones SB52G2 is another offering from the XPC series and focuses on use as a mini-server. MSI aims for the business market, and Saintsong puts out a micro-PC.
  • CenDyne DVR-105 4x DVD-RW review  - CDRLabs.com has published a new review of the CenDyne DVR-105 DVD-recorder. "It's hard not to like CenDyne's new DVD writer. With its 4x DVD-R and 2x DVD-RW writing speeds, the DVR-105 is one of the fastest DVD-RW drives currently available. If you're willing to shell out the money for 4x DVD-R media, it will take you less than 15 minutes to burn an entire DVD. Of course, the drive's 2x DVD-RW writing speeds aren't nearly as fast, but they are a big improvement over what earlier DVD-R/RW drives offered."
  • EluminiX Illuminated Keyboard Review - Overall, 3DXtreme found the EluminiX illuminated keyboard to be a solid product and a very high quality keyboard. The illumination is great for late night surfing or gaming and just looks damn cool!
  • Wi-LAN Broadband Wireless Access Systems  - Some of such broadband solutions were announced at the press conference held by Wi-LAN Inc (the world-wide manufacturer of such systems) and Diamond Communications on April 21 in Moscow. The company presented two base systems certified in Russia: Ultima3 and Libra 3000.
  • Another Keyboard Cleaning Article - VoidedWarranty.com has written an article on how to clean your keyboard.
  • Memory Types Guide - EliteGuild has published a Memory Types Guide. If you've been to a store looking for memory, you probably found many different types. It isn't as simple as it was a few years ago when you had PC800, PC133, PC100, and PC700. To complicate things further, enthusiasts have given new names to types of memory as well (ie DDR266 for PC2100).
  • Paint Shop Pro 8.0 Review - Jasc Software's Paint Shop Pro 8.0 ($99 direct) improves and expands on what was already the best value in image-editing software. Paint Shop Pro offers a complete suite of image-editing and special-effects tools at a fraction of the price of the competing Adobe Photoshop 7.0. Version 8.0 sports a revamped and simplified user interface and adds several new features that make the product more competitive with Adobe Photoshop 7.0, including a script editor, support for JPEG 2000, and improved multilayer image tools.
  • Video Codec Comparison - The contestants: 3ivX D4 4.0.3, Dicas mpegable AVI 2.0.3, DivX3 in the form of SBC, DivX5.05, RealVideo9 based on HelixProducer 9.1 M6 Gold , WMV V9 (VCM beta1), XviD (Isibaar's development build dated 4/24). All codecs were tested in a 2 pass setup where this was applicable (3ivX and mpegable AVI only offer 1 pass encoding).
  • Installing WindowsXP - Building & Deploying an Image - Neowin.net has offers the full transcript (direct link) for all the Q&A's from the hour long session with Microsoft experts.
  • The Worm Game - Wohoo, Catch the Worm :P (Flash req.)
  • BlindWrite v4.4 - VSO Software has released an update of their popular 1:1 recording software, the Blindwrite Suite. The update enables users to make backups of SafeDisc 2.9x protected games and introduces a changed image format.
  • IsoBuster v1.4 - IsoBuster lets you explore a CD's File System while by-passing Windows.
  • WinRAR 3.20 Beta 5 - WinRAR (download ~ changelog) has been updated to version 3.20 beta 5.
 Gameguru Mania News - May,05 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:10 AM CEST - May,05 2003 - Post a comment
  • Software Bullet Is Sought to Kill Musical Piracy - Some of the world's biggest record companies, facing rampant online piracy, are quietly financing the development and testing of software programs that would sabotage the computers and Internet connections of people who download pirated music, according to industry executives.
  • Ex-White House Security Adviser Joins eBay - Former White House cybersecurity adviser Howard Schmidt will join eBay as VP of security, eBay spokesman Chris Donlay confirmed. Schmidt officially left his White House post on Thursday after announcing his resignation on April 21. Donlay said Friday that Schmidt will start within the next few weeks.
  • Attention! Remarked AMD Athlon XP Processors On the Market - AMD has notified its distributors that there are some remarked AMD Athlon XP processors on the market. We suppose that there may be remarked chips in Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia, however, you may find such microprocessors in other countries as well. Reportedly, some smart guys learnt how to make "faster" Athlon XP CPUs from Thoroughbred B0 chips that are known for their overclocking capabilities and started to remark lower-end processors to higher-end devices. Such CPUs may be unstable and will probably lack any overclocking potential.
    A look inside ATI's HQ - The guys at DriverHeaven have visited ATI's Headquarters in Markham, Ontario.
  • How to build a "video sniffer" -  Radical Software Group has posted an article called  "how to build a video sniffer". They say they picked up their first image after walking half a block in NY city. X10's work on the same frequency as 802.11b. .. anyone want a combo WiFi/Video sniffer for Christmas?. (thanks Slashdot.org).
  • Intel's Pentium 4 "C" Comparison - If you're already the owner of a 533 MHz FSB Pentium 4 processor, there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to shell out the bucks for an upgrade. On a clock for clock basis, adding the 800 MHz FSB and Hyper-Threading elements generally can provide up to a 15% boost in processor performance in the best case. Most games and applications show around 3-5% difference. Not much, but still enough to give the processors a nice kick in the benchmark charts.
  • VIA KT400 Roundup - And as for choice for budget system , here it is real "death group". It includes Gigabyte 7VA, Epox 8K9A, Albatron KX400-8X, Elitegroup L7VTA, and, finally, "big guns" Asus A7V8X-X. All above-mentioned boards have a price less than 80$ and Elitegup L7VTA (~65$) and Gigabyte 7VA (~67$) are the cheapest ones. So Gigabyte is the best choice for users with limited financial position. However, if the difference of $10-$15 is not important then the choice is expanded to 5 boards: Asus, Epox and Albatron are included additionally.
  • SubZero4G Thermo-electric Cooling (video-review) - The SubZero4Gt Thermo-electric Cooling product is available for the Intel P4 478, AMD Athlon XP and Opteron K8. With CPU's getting faster and faster the need for effective, low noise cooling solutions is crucial and this product answers that call. It's easy to install, performs well, and is virtually silent. Watch the Video to find out more...
  • Zalman CNPS7000Cu vs. Thermalright SLK-900U - Despite the complexity of the heatsinks, the conclusion is quite clear. Both models provide excellent performance, even trudging into watercooling territory. You can't go wrong with either one, but each I would recommend to different groups. If you're looking for a better P4 heatsink with no mess, no fuss, and no work... and peace and quiet to boot... the 7000Cu is your man. If you like variety, if you like LED fans, if you like ultimate performance, if you like modding you case 'til you die... there's no other but the 900U.
  • HSF Preventative Maintenance - Most HSF's can be cleaned without removing the entire unit from the computer. Removing the 4 mounting screws from the top of the fan assembly will allow you to remove the fan for easy cleaning.
  • Web Server Setup Guide (part #1) - Taking the extra step by creating your own web server is not hard at all and is just an extra step in the web site creation process. Welcome to WinHQ's first installment of a web server setup guide. This article aims to get the average user up and running with capabilities of hosting dynamic web pages using various software. Let's get started.
  • MS Windows XP Media Center Edition - Tips & Tricks Collection - check it out.
  • OpenOffice.org For Windows 1.03.1 - OpenOffice.org (download) is the open source project through which Sun Microsystems is releasing the technology for the popular StarOffice productivity suite.
  • AntiVir Personal Edition 6.19.09.61 - 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.
  • Cool Edit Pro v2.1 - Cool Edit Pro, is an even more advanced application of Cool Edit 2000 that offers 64-track mixing, more than 34 DSP effects and tools, real-time preview, MIDI Time Code synchronization, DirectX plug-in support, and many more features for the audio professional or advanced hobbyist.
  • CladDVD .NET v3.3 - CladDVD XP is a 'DVD Ripper' (.NET Framework v1.1 Required), meaning it decrypts the encrypted VOB files off the DVD and saves them to your hard drive. The files can be ripped in a standard way preserving the original content along with the IFO, useful when you use or need to use a 3rd party application to process the VOB files.
  • CD-Text Manager and CD-Text Player - This program (Manager ~ Player) basically extracts the CD-Text from a CD in any drive on your computer. First, it displays the information on-screen. Then (if the user wishes) exports this information to all or selected third-party applications installed on the user's system. This will then allow CD-Text to be displayed from that application. And, if you don't know whether your drive(s) supports CD-Text, then this program will tell you. (thanks Neowin)
  • Passmark BurnInTest Professional 3.2 Build 1000 - BurnInTest is a software tool that allows all the major sub-systems of a computer to be simultaneously stress tested for endurance, reliability and stability.
  • Dr. DivX 1.0. -  It's a pretty comprehensive DivX encoding application supporting various input formats (MPEG1/2/4, AVI and WMV), contains resizing and deinterlacing / IVTC functionality, batch encoding and it can use third party filters like VirtualDub.
  • GordianKnot 0.28.1  - GordianKnot 0.28.1 works with the new VDubMod and includes the 2GB splitting and 2nd audio bugfixes.
  • MovieJack v3.08.010 - Engelmann Media has recently released an update of their MovieJack software, one of the fastest tools available when it comes to ripping DVD movies and converting them to Video Discs.
  • Joperman 0.71 Beta - Joperman is yet another browser based on the Internet Explorer core (thanks SavageNews).
  • 3dfx Driver & BIOS Sources leaked - 3dfx Driver & BIOS Sources leaked. You can download the sourcecode of all drivers & BIOS for 3Dfx and 3dfx cards now. (Mirrror1 ~ Mirror2 ~ Mirror3 ~ the latest compiled driver for 3dfx Voodoo Rampage).
  • CATALYST v3.3 driver cancelled - According to TechSpot, CATALYST 3.3 has been cancelled and will not be posted. ATI will jump over to CATALYST 3.4 this time and the time frame they are looking at right now is May 12th-15th. There is also a chat with Terry Makedon at ATI answering users questions regarding the CATALYST drivers. You can also check this CAT 3.4 Q&A thread.
 Gameguru Mania News - May,03 2003 - tech
Saturday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 05:06 PM CEST - May,03 2003 - Post a comment
  • Flash Memory Slides into Watches - Cartagena Handels, which sells watches under the Laks brand name, is offering three versions of the Laks Memory watch, each with a different memory capacity. A short USB cable is also built into the watch and can be tucked away in a groove and clip in the wristband when not in use. The cable is only a few centimeters long, so users have to remove the watch to connect it to a PC or use a supplied one-meter extension cord. The watch weighs 1.5 ounces and is available with several different storage capacities. A 32MB version is priced at $47; a 64MB device, $71; and a 128MB watch, $103. The memory works with computers running Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP, Mac OS 8.6 or higher, and Linux 2.4, according to the company. The watches are sold online from Laks.
  • Zone-H warning about the usage of the new Mastermind service released by DIVX codec creators  - Zone-H is SERIOUSLY concerned about the possible legal and privacy threat introduced by the installation and the usage of the newly released Mastermind service, created by the developers of the known DIVX codec package. In a few words, Mastermind is a memory resident client that continuosly delivers information about the media files presents on user's computer directly to DIVX Mastermind service. This information is stored in a centralized server allowing the user to get access to the full list of media files present on his various computers.
  • HTML Rendering Crashes IE - I probably mentioned this exploit a week ago or so, but anyway, there's a vulnerability in Microsoft Shell Light-Weight Utility Library ("shlwapi.dll"). If this is regarded as a serious risk, then don't view untrusted HTML documents. Use another browser that isn't linked to the vulnerable library when surfing the Internet.
  • Douglas Adams' Doctor Who - As you probably know, the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" author, Douglas Adams, wrote a number of Doctor Who episodes. The BBC in its wisdom has turned one of his stories "Shada" into a Flash animation. (thanks Slashdot.org).
  • NASA ramps nanotech to explore space - Micro-rovers that hop, fly or burrow; networks of ultrasmall probes dropped on a remote body such as an asteroid or planet; swarms of micro-spacecraft taking in massive amounts of data. Those are just some of the systems and applications envisioned by the researchers working at NASA's Center for Nanotechnology.
  • DVD Players in 43 Million U.S. Households - 23,000 Total DVD-Video Titles - According to AudioRevolution, the home entertainment industry experienced another record quarter shipping 231.7 million DVD titles to retail in the first three months of 2003, a 93 % increase over shipments in the first quarter of last year. According to figures compiled by Ernst & Young on behalf of the DVD Entertainment Group, the total number of units shipped in North America has reached nearly 1.6 billion since launch.
  • Microsoft moves to own DVD format - Microsoft has started to market their propertary HD-DVD format. The movies Shadowns of Motown and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, will be sold with 2 discs, one that can be played on a normal DVD-Forum approved DVD player, and one disc that can only be played on a home computer with Microsoft Windows Media player software installed.
  • Canon CanoScan 9900F Scanner Review - The Canon CanoScan 9900F ($400 street) is a versatile flatbed scanner designed primarily for imaging pros who require occasional negative and transparency scans. The 9900F offers several features not found on the low-cost scanners that have flooded the market. For example, Canon's FARE 2.0 (File Automatic Retouching and Enhancement) option can save damaged photos by minimizing dust and scratches, restoring original colors, or smoothing the grain. Another utility lets you scan directly to an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.
  • High-performance PCs born of new chips  - Right now, a PC fitted with a 2.53GHz Pentium 4, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive, a CD burner and a DVD drive as well as a 17-inch monitor and a 1-year warranty costs about $988 from Dell Computer. The price is before shipping, which is normally about $99, and it excludes rebates or other special offers.
  • 60GB NOMAD Zen Dwarfs iPod - The NOMAD Jukebox Zen sports a sleek aluminum case and USB 2.0 connectivity for fast song transfers. Creative has priced the Zen at $400, $100 cheaper than Apple's new 30GB iPod. Creative claims a battery life of 14 hours in the NOMAD Jukebox Zen, slightly higher than that of the iPod. The Zen offers the ability to edit playlists directly on the device, and a "Find" function to quality search thousands of songs. An optional FM Wired Remote is also available featuring an FM tuner and microphone.
  • Sony MZ-E10 MiniDisc Walkman Review - At just 9.9mm thick and weighing only 55g with a built-in battery, the MZ-E10 is really one of, if not the smallest player around. And along with its signature magnesium-alloy body, the MiniDisc walkman can easily pass off as a metallic cigarette case or a namecard holder.
  • 5 MegaPixels Digital Cameras - Hardware Extreme has posted a showcase of 5 MegaPixels Digital Cameras.
  • Intel to counter Athlon 3200+ with 3.2GHz P4 - AMD will launch its anticipated 400MHz frontside bus Athlon XP processor later this month ahead of the official debut of further 800MHz FSB Pentium 4 parts from Intel.  The AMD's 400MHz FSB chip is based on the company's Barton core.
  • nForce2-roundup - NordicHardware has published a nice roundup of nForce2 motherboards (ABIT NF7-S v1.0, ABIT NF7-S v1.2, ASUS A7N8X, MSI K7N2G-L, Soltek SL-75FRN-L).
  • Swiftech H20-8500 Water Cooling Kit Review - Viper's Lair has posted a Swiftech H20-8500 Water Cooling Kit review.
  • Gainward Ultra/800 Plus GeForce FX 5800 Review - Overclockers New Zealand has posted a review of Gainward Ultra/800 Plus GeForce FX 5800.
  • Corsair XMS3500C2 512MB Review - The Corsair XMS3500C2 did not disappoint. It's a great looking stick (also available in Platinum color) with it's jet black color and snazzy looking hologram spec sticker. The sticks were well packaged, easy to install and perform better than any other module I've ever laid hands on. It's performance results leave no question as to why this is one of the most talked about modules ever.
  • Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 200GB ATA/133 Review - Every gamer today needs a big hard drive, just like every case modder needs a flashing neon light (or so it would seem). If you want to have all the latest games and software on the same computer without ever having to face the disk cleanup message again, then it can't just be any drive, it needs to be a drive with huge space and top notch performance.
  • Bitspower Crystal Lighting & UV Sensitive Fans - If you are thinking of buying UV-sensitive fans, you might want to consider the Bitspower UV Sensitive Fan. It's a good choice for those who want good looking fans. And it sure beats buying a clear plastic fan and slapping UV-sensitive paint over it.
  • InnoPocket Custom Aluminum PDA/Pocket PC Case Review  - If your a Pocket PC or PDA owner, you quickly realize the importance of having a good case to protect your investment. These devices usually come with cheap bulky cases or pouches, and some don't even come with a case at all.
  • Creative I-Trigue 2.1 3300 Speakers - Given the price of the I-Trigue 2.1 3300 setup, this product's imperfections are easily forgiven. Even the 4.1 systems that compete directly on price with this 2.1 setup from Creative cannot outperform these speakers. In order to better the I-Trigue configuration, you will need to look at sets costing at least $100 more. So until the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers drop to under $100, the I-Trigue 2.1 3300 speakers have earned the AthlonXP.com Editor's Choice.
  • Lit Hard Drive Window How-to - GideonTech has published a Lit Hard Drive Window Guide.
  • Longhorn Alpha Preview 3: Build 4015 Review - SuperSite for Windows has published a review of Longhorn Alpha Preview 3.
  • Klient 2.0.15 - Klient (download) is an IRC application for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. Klient features a fully customizable interface, multiple server support, highly robust scripting, external .dll support, and much more.
  • DVD Cloner 1.95 - The software is able to create backups of your favorite DVD movies. The latest version is 1.95 (download) and features: Copying the menus of DVD movies with perfect quality; Enhanced identification of DVD-RW,DVD-R,DVD+R,DVD+RW,DVD-RAM; You can burn a DVD-9 DVD movie within 3 hours; Improvements in audio and video.
  • cladDVD .NET v3.2 - CladDVD XP is a 'DVD Ripper', meaning it decrypts the encrypted VOB files off the DVD and saves them to your hard drive.
  • Complete Audio Converter Lite/Pro 3.0 - Complete Audio Converter Lite/Pro (download) is a utility to convert or fast batch convert audio files from/to MP3 (including VBR), WMA, WAV, ADPCM, GSM, DSP, MP2, PCM (uncompressed Wave), OGG Vorbis, G721, G723, 726, A-LAW, U-LAW and RAW; you can even make your own formats.
  • Morpheus 3.0 - Morpheus 3.0 (download) has been completely redesigned inside and out with new technology and a new interface to make file sharing faster, easier, and safer.
  • nVHardPage v1.31.0b - Guru3D have released a new version of their tweak tool called nVHardPage.
 Gameguru Mania News - May,02 2003 - tech
Friday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:32 PM CEST - May,02 2003 - Post a comment
  • RIAA cashes in on file-swapping students - The RIAA has tacked on $59,500 to the amount four college students must pay in addition to their student loans. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) settled on this amount as part of a lawsuit it filed aginst the students last month. The music-label backed organization could have sought as much as $100 million from the students but let them off with individual fines ranging from $12,000 for one student, $15,000 for two and $17,500 for the last. The kids can stack these payments on top of their college loans, as the deal calls for them to make an installment on the lump sum each year from 2003 to 2006.
  • Old age's mental slowdown may be reversible  - The slowdown of the brain with old age is due to the lack of a brain chemical which helps neurons to be selective about what they respond to, reveals research involving the world's oldest monkeys. Higher brain functions, such as visual recognition or understanding language, require the processing of information in the brain but decline as people get older. This decline appears to be due to a reduction in a neurotransmitter called GABA, say researchers, which means neurons with specific tasks become more easily fired by some other stimulus.
  • New sub-atomic particle confounds theory  - A sub-atomic particle predicted to exist by physicists has been detected for the first time in a particle accelerator in California - but its properties do not fit with theory. The particle, called Ds (2317), was discovered in the debris of collisions between other sub-atomic particles. But it has baffled and intrigued the 500 physicists working on the project.
  • IBM Makes Breakthrough in Ever-Shrinking Computing  -  International Business Machines Corp. said on Thursday it used microscopic carbon molecules to emit light -- a breakthrough some scientists say might one day make faster and smaller computers. In the quest for ever-smaller computing devices, researchers are seeking to replace silicon as the foundation for chips. Researchers at IBM have been studying tiny carbon nanotubes -- molecules resembling rolls of chicken wire that are 50,000 times narrower than a human hair.
  • Lexar ships 2 GB CompactFlash card - Lexar Media has announced that the company is now shipping a new 2 GB 40X-speed Professional Series CompactFlash card. The card is guaranteed to be capable of a minimum sustained write speed of 6 MB/s, and may operate up to a maximum write speed of 7 MB/s or more. The 2GB Type I cards are expected to have a retail price of $699.99 USD.
  • Front projectors take center stage in home theaters - The convergence of consumer electronics and computing devices is spurring major growth in the front-projector home theater market, with unit sales expected to grow sevenfold from 2002 to 2007, iSuppli/Stanford Resources predicts.
  • AMD 400MHz FSB Athlon to be launched in mid-May, Intel 800MHz 3.2GHz P4 soon after - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is set to launch its new 400MHz FSB (front-side bus) Athlon XP processors in mid-May, shortly before rival Intel adds the top-end 3.2GHz Pentium 4 processor into its product line on May 21, motherboard makers revealed.
  • Asetek WaterChill Watercooling Kit Review - Performance-wise, the Asetek WaterChill didn't disappoint. Even when the radiator's fan was set to 7v via the control system, the performance exhibited toppled that of a premier air-cooling solution. Asetek have promised availability of graphics card and chipset blocks in the near future, thereby giving the user even greater appeal.
  • Samsung SyncMaster 241MP TFT LCD Monitor/TV -  MonkeyReview just posted a new review of Samsungs SyncMaster 241MP TFT LCD Monitor/TV.
  • The WD360 (alias Raptor with 10,000 rpm and Serial ATA Interface) Test - Although it only serves up a meager 36 GB, it offers a lot more than you'd normally expect from an IDE hard disk drive. The Raptor, alias WD360 is a new hard disk drive that is attracting considerable attention to itself due to two major new features: it spins at 10,000 rpm and comes complete with Serial ATA. The highlight: it's supposed to be good enough to stand up against SCSI in the lower and middle server segment.
  • Serial ATA Overview - What does SATA mean today? - According to this article, the serial ATA isn't quite the revolution many people expected - yet. While many people expected huge performance boosts, that simply isn't the case. However, serial ATA does provide a speed-up of anywhere from 5-25% in most cases with much power consumption (signaling voltage on SATA is 0.25v compared to 5v for PATA) and thinner, more flexible and attractive cables.
  • Slackware-Live CD 2.9.0.14 - Slackware-Live CD (download) is a bootable CD containing Linux operating system. It runs Linux directly from CDROM without installing. The live CD described here is based on Slackware Linux distribution and is downloadable from this website as an ISO. There are also available all scripts and source codes needed to build your own live CD.
  • Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks - Windows XP Setup boot disks (WinXP Pro ~ WinXP home) are available only by download from Microsoft. The Setup boot disks are available so that you can run Setup on computers that do not support a bootable CD-ROM. If your computer does support booting from a CD-ROM, or if network-based installation is available, Microsoft recommends that you use those installations methods instead.
  • Dashboard Since 1.0 public Beta - The first public beta of DashBoard (download) has been released. Just a snippet of some of the new nice features from a Quick launch of your favourite programs, new XP start menu (not shown), calculator, slideshow (not shown), New News Agrigator, Drive Watcher, Note Manager and many many more features. This is a beta build, so it may not be as stable or reliable as a production build. Use it at your own risk I've noticed it's still buggy :]
  • Quintessential Player 3.51 Plus - Quinnware has released new version of their Quintessential Player.
  • Fresh Diagnose 5.80 - 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.
  • AVI Preview 0.26a - AVI Preview (download) is capable of playing partially downloaded AVI movies. To make it unique, it is capable of playing files which are in the stage of downloading.
  • EPoX 8RDA+ BIOS 3501 *Beta* - EPoX Tech UK has posted a new BIOS beta version (download) of the famous EPoX 8RDA+ board.
  • Nvidia Detonator 50.06 - The driver has been released by Hewlett-Packard for their workstation models zx2000 and zx6000 and according to the release notes you must have the HP zx1 AGP GART driver installed. (thanks Warp2Search).
 Gameguru Mania News - May,01 2003 - tech
Thursday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 02:08 PM CEST - May,01 2003 - Post a comment
  • 'Fluffi Bunni' busted?  - British police have arrested a man suspected of hacking into high-profile corporate Web sites and defacing them with a distinct digital calling card: a "fluffy" pink bunny rabbit. New Scotland Yard said Wednesday it arrested 24-year-old Lynn Htun at a London convention center, the site of InfoSecurity Europe 2003, one of Europe's largest trade fairs for Internet and computer network security.
  • Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism - They were certainly geniuses, but did Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton also have autism? According to autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen, they might both have shown many signs of Asperger syndrome, a form of the condition that does not cause learning difficulties.
  • SARS suspends key Taiwan trade show - Computex, one of Asia's biggest computer shows and where all of Taiwan's mobo, chip and chipset vendors come together, has been postponed because of attendees' fears about the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. The Taipei-based show was due to run from 2-6 June, though whether it would take place or not has been open to question for some time.
  • Vendors to release WEP replacement by late May - The long-awaited replacement to Wi-Fi's weak built-in security algorithm has finally arrived, with several major vendors at the Networld+Interop trade show here announcing products or plans to support the upgrade in existing products through software upgrades. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that certifies interoperability between Wi-Fi products from different vendors, announced Tuesday that nine products from six vendors are the first to be certified under a new program. Atheros, Broadcom, Cisco, Intel, Intersil, and Symbol products meet specifications for the new security technology, called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
  • AMD loads bus for speedy desktop chip - The chipmaker is set to deliver its new Athlon XP 3200+ chip during the first half of the month. The chip will sport at least one new feature, a 400MHz system bus, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. The move to the faster bus, a step up from the company's current 333MHz bus, is intended to give the Athlon XP more performance by accelerating data traveling between the processor and system components such as memory.
  • Creative launches L40 USB Sound Blaster module - Creative has launched Sound Blaster MP3+, a USB-powered audio playback and recording system. The L39.99 unit is the size of a pack of cards and is essentially an alternative to a Sound Blaster add-in card. Suitable for notebook and desktop use, it packs in digital and analogue audio in and out, and can handle 16-bit sound sampled at up to 48kHz. Its headphone socket has its own volume control. A removable clip allows notebook users to hook the unit onto the back of their screens.
  • Fujitsu LifeBook S2010 Review - The new Fujitsu LifeBook S2010 features the Athlon XP-M 1700+. The Fujitsu LifeBook S6120 houses either the 1.4- or 1.6-GHz Intel Pentium M and is a full-fledged Centrino notebook (meaning it incorporates Intel's 802.11b wireless networking solution). The 1.6-GHz Intel machine we received for review won't be available until June; the 1.4-GHz system will be out by the time you read this. Comparing the 1.6-GHz Intel chip with the 1700+ is fair, since AMD's performance rating (the "1700+" in the chip's name) indicates that AMD is expecting the pep of a 1.7-GHz chip, even though the actual clock speed is 1.47 GHz.
  • Sony Vaio GT3/K Notebook Review - As for you typical user, the GT3/K might be a little "Over Kill" for your home camcorder usage. This computer / video camcorder hybrid circuitry uses Transmeta's 600 MHz Crusoe chip for fast performance and a battery life up to 17 hours with the (LLL) cell. The GT3/K comes with a large HDD, 30 GB hard drive (obviously to leave space for video recording). To enhance the video editing, it's also comes standard with an ATI Rage Mobility-M1 with 8mb VRAM. Standard ram on this is 128 but can be increased to 256 maximum.
  • VIA EPIA M9000 Review - The VIA EPIA series is an incredibly cheap and versatile platform. They have opened up a large modding opportunity that many people have leapt at to create some weird and wacky designs ranging from In-car systems to making an x86 G4 Cube! The M9000 and V9000 are virtually identical, however there are a few excellent additions in the M9000 inventory that make it even more appealing, especially for the price. To name a few - FireWire, MPEG2 Decoding, 6-channel sound, DDR Support.
  • Albatron's Gigi FX5200P Review - Tech-Report are looking at Albatron's Gigi FX5200P, which follows NVIDIA's GeForce FX 5200 reference design.
  • Powercolor Xabre 600 Pro Review - Techware Labs has finished up a review of Powercolor's Xabre 600 Pro based card.
  • Inno3D Tornado GeForceFX 5200 Review  - HardCOREware has posted an Inno3D Tornado GeForceFX 5200 review.
  • Zalman CNPS7000-CU and CNPS7000-ALCU Coolers Video Review - 3D Game Man has posted a Zalman CNPS7000-CU and CNPS7000-ALCU Coolers Video Review.
  • Water Cooling Kit Review - The LITTLEWHITEDOG gets his paws wet with a water cooling kit for under a hundred bucks. Sound too good to be true? Well in some ways it is, and in others it's not. Check out the review to find out why...
  • Water March: Gainward CoolFX  - Gainward is one of the first graphics card manufacturers to offer a complete watercooling kit in their program - suitable for most of the GeForce FX cards. In this article, we introduce you to the system and find out how it performs in practice.
  • Overclocking: 875 = 7205 + X - Tom's Hardware Guide has tried the old Intel 7204 chipset with a new Pentium 4 processor. "Our tests show that the old Intel 7204 chipset runs stably with a new P4 processor at an FSB clock of 200 MHz. This brings up the question of what advantages the new high-end 875 chipset really can offer over the old 7205."
  • OpenBSD 3.3 Released - OpenBSD 3.3 was released yesterday, as usually with many new features.
  • FlashFXP 2.1 RC2 - FlashFXP is the most powerful and popular FTP & FXP Client for Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP on the market today. What's new in this beta: 1) The toggle treeview option was reading the incorrect value from the ini file causing the state not restored on startup. 2) When clicking on a treeview item during an anti-idle LIST, FlashFXP will prevent the selected item from changing. As changing during a listing is not possible. 3) When starting FlashFXP with the treeview active the file/folder status bar wasn't properly updated. 4) RC2 now contains the SSL dlls, Many people contacted me regarding the missing dlls. I guess we forgot to tell them they need v2.0 installed before updating to the v2.1 .RC.
  • DH 3D Tranquillity ScreenSaver - The Tranquillity ScreenSaver was written by OpenGL guru Paolo Martella, better known to most as Bustard creator of GLEXCESS the renowned benchmark for OpenGL. The aim of this screensaver is to create a relaxed atmosphere while showing off that expensive hardware you may have!
  • Jet-Audio 5.13 - Jet-Audio (download ~ what's new) features an impressive home audio system interface, including independent A/V components for Digital Signal Processor, Audio CD Player, Digital Audio (MP3, RA, etc.), MIDI (MID, MOD etc.), and Digital Video (AVI, MPG, MOV, etc.), along with a Mixer and a Remote Controller.
  • ClonyXXL v2.0.1.5 - A new version of ClonyXXL (download), the copy-protection scanner, has been released a few days ago. This new version adds SafeDisc 2.9 recognition.
  • DVD Decrypter version 3.1.6.0 - A new version of DVD Decrypter (download), the easy-to-use tool to decrypt your DVD discs with, has been released.
  • Nero 5.5.10.28 - Nero (download ~ 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). This new version fixes: Improved detection of a corrupted session during import; a problem when erasing a media containing in-use multi-session compilation; a problem with some DVD-R drives which occurred while continuing multi-session; Improvement of getting the correct write speed in case of DVD+R/RW media for dual (+-) DVD drives.
  • Nero EasyWriteReader v1.0 - This tool (mirror) was developed to enable you to add CD-MRW support to your system and includes the UDF reader for Windows 95, 98 and ME.
  • NeroVision Express 1.0.4.6d - NeroVision Express (mirror) guides you through the whole process of creating DVDs, VCDs and SVCDs in an easy and innovative way.
  • NeroMIX 1.3.1.11a - NeroMIX (mirror) creates or copies anything you throw at it, in the slickest possible way. NeroMIX combines dynamic CD burning (data, audio, copying) with the newest Internet audio technology, all in one customizable interface.
  • VirtualDub 1.5.2 - VirtualDub (download ~ download optimized P4 version) is a video capture and processing program. It features fast capturing, process files larger than the 2 gigabyte limit, optimized for linear editing, support for Motion-JPEG, MPEG-1 video and layer 3 audio, real-time and near-realtime video processing, video job queues, and much more.
  • WinDVD Tweaker 4.22 - WinDVD Tweaker is designed to allow users of the WinDVD playback software to enable some hidden settings and allow for maximum playback pleasure.
  • TMPGEnc 2.511.51.160 - TMPGEnc (download) converts *.AVI file to MPEG1, the format which is used in VideoCD. Using variety of option in TMPGEnc, you can compress your video file in high quality. TMPGEnc enables us adjust bitrate, quantize matrix, GOP structure, Interlace and many other parameter so that you can create most appropriate movie file depends on your purpose.
  • Chipset Software Installation Utility 5.01.1015 BETA - The Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility installs to the target system the Windows* INF files that outline to the operating system how the chipset components will be configured. This release adds Windows 2003 Server support. It is unofficial so consider it beta, so try only at your own risk!
  • PowerStrip 3.40.388 - PowerStrip (download: English version ~ an International version) provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest SiS Xabre. It's the only program of its type to support multiple graphics cards from multiple chipset vendors, simultaneously, under every Windows operating system from Windows 95 to XP.
  • PortsLock 1.3  - PortsLock (download) is a firewall with user-level access controls for Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003. Once PortsLock is installed, administrators can assign permissions to TCP/IP connections, just as they would in managing permissions on an NTFS partition of a hard disk.
  • kX Project Drivers 5.00.3532 - The kX Audio Driver is an independent WDM (Windows Driver Model) driver for all EMU10K1 and EMU10K2-based soundcards manufactured by Creative Technology Ltd. and/or E-mu Sytems Inc., including the SoundBlaster Live! series, the E-mu Audio Production Studio (APS) card, and the Audigy series of cards.
  • Nvidia Detonator 43.51 WHQL - Guru3d sent word that they have just posted the 43.51 WHQL Detonator drivers.
Nightly Reading - tech
(hx) 04:01 AM CEST - May,01 2003 - Post a comment / read (3)
  • Tropico 2 Trailer - Take 2 released new trailer for Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. The DivX version can be found at Tiscali Games.
  • World of Warcraft Shots - Blizzard's official World of Warcraft website has now offers some screenshots with Night Elves, which are now a playable race in this upcoming MMORPG. The beta is expected to begin sometime in Q3 (Sometime between August and October). It will be done in stages.
    Priest Shots -     ShackNews has a couple new screenshots from the Priest,  a "MMORPG set in a twisted Lovecraftian vision of the American Wild West". The screenshots show the evil Heretics characters in the game.
  • Counter-Strike Xbox Shots -  Gaming Horizon have posted some new Counter-Strike Xbox screens.
  • America's Army v1.7 Update - Version 1.7 of America's Army: Operations (full ~ patch ~ 3DGamers) has been released, this revision features a new map and updated sound code, among other things.
  • Combat Flight Simulator 3 retail B-25H/J aircraft fix  - There is a small patch for Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe, fixing some aircraft issues in the latest version 3.1 of this World War II flight combat simulation by Microsoft.
  • Captain Scarlet Goes to E3 - Batfish Studios sent us a press release announcing that they will be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Batfish will be on stand 2340 demonstrating their PC strategy game based on Gerry Anderson's popular television series, Captain Scarlet.
  • Postal 2 Sells  - Whiptail Interactive let us know that POSTAL 2 is the # 1 selling PC game at Gamestop & Electronics Boutique.
  • UT2K4 to be announced? - Heh maybe.....Here is a GameStop listing for Unreal Tournament 2004, which has not been announced by Epic or Infogrames. The game is listed as shipping November 18. I don't trust an online gamestores anyway :)
  • New Nintendo hardware revealed - Specifically, a new version of e-Reader, a device that takes information to the GBA via small indented plastic cards, only available in Japan and the US at present, was revealed, carrying the name e-Reader Plus. The new device, which interestingly looks like it was designed for use with an Xbox, is able to link to either GameCube or other GBA systems and is capable of storing e-Card data, even if the GBA is powered down.
  • DOOM III & HL2 to save PC Gaming -  Two of the most-anticipated video games of 2003 put those much-maligned life forms back in the cross hairs of PC gamers in a pair of sequel games -- "Doom III" and "Half-Life 2." Some see those games acting as a catalyst that could recharge the fortunes of computer gaming after an unprecedented sales slump last year.
  • Prison Game Sim - According to the Australian web site The Age reports, the country's federal arts funding body has given $25,000 to a group that is making an accurate sim of Australian detention centers, including challenging the player to escape from the prison. (thanks Games.Slashdot).
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,30 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:15 AM CEST - Apr,30 2003 - Post a comment
  • Go Hunting for Spammers - U.S. Congresswoman plans to introduce an antispam bill that would pay a bounty to some who report spammers, and Stanford University law professor and cyberlaw author Lawrence Lessig said he's so sure the bill will cut the amount of spam sent that he'll quit his job if it doesn't. The bill, similar in some ways to a bill introduced by two U.S. senators earlier this month, introduces as a new wrinkle a bounty for the first person to report a spam offender, with a reward of 20 percent of the civil fine levied by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission against the spammer.
  • RIAA to file swappers: Let's chat  - The recording industry is turning file-swappers' own tools against them with a new campaign that will send warnings to people who are offering copyrighted materials online. "We're going to be sending messages to the very people who are offering music, in real time, as they do it," said Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA. "The hope is that, this way, we'll be reaching the people who need to know that they are not anonymous, that there are risks of legal consequences if they continue, and also that there are risks to privacy and security."
  • Vulnerabilities in Kerio Personal Firewall v2.1.4 - Core Security found two security vulnerabilities in KPF's remote administration system 1) A replay attack is possible against the authenticated/encrypted channel for remote administration. 2)  A remotely exploitable buffer overflow exists in the administrator authentication process.
  • Many NT apps won't run on Server 2003 - Less than three-quarters of Windows NT 4 applications are likely to run on Windows Server 2003, creating a significant barrier to adoption for administrators who still run NT 4--the very people that Microsoft wants to attract with the new operating system.  Microsoft is hoping that Windows Server 2003 will be the version that will persuade companies still using Windows NT4 to finally upgrade. Support for Windows NT 4 was due to be cancelled early this year, but pressure from customers forced Microsoft to put the date back to January 2005.
  • Microsoft Upgrades Windows Automotive - Microsoft upgraded its embedded operating system for automobiles on Monday, adding support for wireless networks such as Bluetooth and IEEE802.11. Windows Automotive 4.2 now supports Bluetooth Version 1.1 for voice and data services, and IEEE802.11 wireless networking, including the 802.1x extensible authentication protocol, Microsoft said.
  • Computer circuits made of genes may soon program bacteria -  In the past few years, scientists have taken the first steps towards creating a host of cellular robots that are programmed to carry out tasks such as detecting and cleaning up environmental pollutants, tracking down cancer cells in a body, and manufacturing antibiotics or molecular-scale electronic components. These researchers have imported notions of electrical engineering-digital logic, memory, and oscillators-into the realm of biology. Their plan: to create cells with computer programs hardwired into the DNA.
  • Web Site Tune-Up: 37 Tools and Tips - Keeping your Web presence in top condition can be more work than you'd like. To make it less of a hassle, PC Magazine have assembled 37 tools and tips that can help you tune up your Web site as quickly and painlessly as possible.
  • Hush Technologies Mini-ITX PC review  - Hexus has posted an exclusive review of Hush Technologies Mini-ITX PC. ~ "First impressions count for a lot and with the Hush I wasn't disappointed, the system came in a well packaged and protected box. Opening up the box for the first time I was very surprised when I took the Hush out, it was a very solid piece of metal giving an impression of excellent build quality. The cooling fins on the sides are especially sturdy chunks of aluminium."
  • X-Trac Pro HS Review - Accuracy is everything when your about to blow someone s head off on a FPS game that s why so many new mouse pads have been made available. Many new and many different mouse pads have been created over the years. Now, there's a new mouse pad who wants to jump in line. The X-Trac Pro HS gives you more accuracy if you have an optical mouse but still works great with a ball mouse.
  • PowerColor Radeon 9800 Pro Review - VR-Zone has tested the new Radeon 9800 Pro card from CP Technology or more commonly known as PowerColor. PowerColor as a close partner of ATi has been following ATi reference design very closely all along and no doubt this time, their Radeon 9800 Pro card looks exactly like the ATi reference card. However, their key difference lies in the speed of the memories as the PowerColor Radeon 9800 Pro is using some special 2ns DDR-I memory chips from Hynix that has has an effective memory clock speed of 500Mhz while the ATi reference and its competitors are using 2.8ns DDR-I memory.
  • VPR Matrix 200A5 Laptop review - The VPR Matrix 200A5 is a fantastic full featured laptop. It is packed with great components, looks sexy and is very innovative. While there are some problems that need to be addressed such as the integrated wireless networking and the digital sound, there is a lot the 200A5 has to offer. The 200A5 is as fast as an Intel 2GHz Pentium 4-m notebook can get and and just as rugged. For those wanting an Apple PowerBook feel with Windows OS and functionality, the 200A5 is about as close as you can get. Head to your local Best Buy and grab the 200A5 before it's too late.
  • AMD Barton XP3000+ (400) vs Intel Pentium 4 3.0G (800) - Both processors, AMD Barton XP3000+ (400) and the Intel Pentium 4 3.0G (800) has excellent performance in various categories. In fact, in most of the tests, the P4 leads the way. Well, this can be due to a number of reasons like a better chipset which is optimised for HT and multimedia applications. On the AXP3000+, as usual, we noticed faster response time and start time when using the system. That is how I feel when using the two systems during my comparative tests. As for the AMD platform, we should see more boards available using the new nForce2 Ultra 400 which will officially support this new processor Barton 400 as the current one still remains a bit buggy and hangs intermittently in some tests.
    Opteron Gaming Benchmarks - Ace's Hardware has posted some Unreal Tournament 2003 benchmark results on a 1.8 GHz Opteron 244.
  • ATI Radeon 9x00 series tweak guide - This guide will take you through configuring your system for best compatibility & performance with your ATI Radeon graphics cards as well as covering the options available in the latest Catalyst drivers. For reference sake, this guide was prepared using an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro AGP card, Abit NV7-133R nForce motherboard (AGP 4X) running Windows XP SP1 and Catalyst 3.2 drivers.
  • PHP 4.3.2RC2 - PHP 4.3.2RC2 (Linux ~ Win32) has been released. This is the second release candidate and should have no critical problems/bugs.
  • MotherBoard Monitor 5.3.2.0 - A new version of MotherBoard Monitor is available for download. MBM supports a wide range of Chipsets & Sensor Chip combinations.
  • 3DMark03 Patch Build #320 - Futuremark has released a new patch for its 3DMark03 benchmarking software.
  • n.player v1.2.0.2 - n.player is powerful media player. It is free without any limitation, ads or spyware.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,29 2003 - tech
Monday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 12:49 AM CEST - Apr,29 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Importers warned over GBA Pokemon titles - Nintendo has issued a warning to retailers importing copies of Pokemon Sapphire and Pokemon Ruby for the GBA, indicating that the company will take legal action if importing becomes widespread.  GBA cartridges carry no region protection, and with the UK launch of the eagerly awaited Pokemon titles still two months off, many gamers and indie retailers are turning to the US version of the games - which was released several weeks ago.
  • Microsoft makes strides on new Windows  - A more advanced test version of Windows XP's successor has leaked onto the Web, and it indicates that Microsoft has stepped up work to deliver the new operating system, said analysts. The operating system, code-named Longhorn, is expected to debut late next year or early in 2005. But analysts who examined the latest test release, dubbed "Milestone 5," which leaked onto the Web last week, said Microsoft appears to be slightly ahead of schedule.
  • Microsoft Reworks Win XP Patch - Microsoft is revising a security patch for Windows XP systems with Service Pack 1 installed after customers complained that installing the patch slowed their systems to a crawl. Originally released on April 16, the security bulletin addressed a buffer overrun vulnerability in the Windows kernel, which manages core services for the operating system such as allocating processor time and memory, as well as error handling.
  • Explorer 100% utilization in Windows XP - This from NTBugtraq: I have found a problem in Windows XP (screenshot) in that right clicking on a file in Windows Explorer causes 100% CPU utilization on Windows XP. This only happens on files that have not been selected first with a left mouse click. This problem is reproducible on Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 machines of varying speed, does not happen on Pentium 2 systems. (thanks Neowin)
  • Intel gives away lip-reading speech recognition code - Intel has released lip-reading visual speech recognition software under an open source licence. Called Audio Visual Speech Recognition (AVSR), the software is part of Intel's OpenCV computer vision and facial recognition code library. Essentially, it tracks the speaker's mouth movements as individual character and syllable sounds are formed. Intel reckons the technique to be far more accurate than traditional speech recognition algorithms, which analyse sounds rather than images.
  • Ikarus Piccolo Micro RC Helicopter -  Now this is a cool toy for the office or home! About 2 to 3 hour assembly time. 20" rotor diameter, 19" fuselage length, about 10oz. total flying weight. This version of Piccolo includes the more powerful G-310 "Tuning Motor" which has enough power to lift the heavier optional scale fuselages. Fixed pitch rotor, about 7 minutes flying time per battery charge. Tail rotor uses fixed pitch propeller which is controlled by a second motor controller in the Piccoboard PLUS. Main and tail rotor motors are included in Piccolo kit. The Piccoboard PLUS is necessary for flying this helicopter and contains 2 electronic motor controllers for the main and tail rotors, a gyro, electronic mixing functions, BEC for receiver and servo power from the motor batteries, and the entire equipment hookup method for a radio system and battery. (thanks Slashdot.org)
  • XM Satellite Radio comes to the PC - XM Satellite Radio made its 101 channels available to personal computers Monday, unleashing new competition for the recording industry, which is now streaming music into millions of homes via the Web. The world's largest satellite-radio provider began selling the $70 XM PC Receiver, which connects to most PCs and lets them access broadcasts from XM's two satellites, said XM spokesman Chance Patterson. The device is available at PC Connection or directly from XM.
  • Cisco Phone Calls on Wireless IP - Cisco Systems is offering a new mobile telephone for use with its IP Communications systems and voice-over-IP technology, the company said Monday. The Cisco Wireless IP Phone 7920 connects to an organization's IP network through wireless access points using the common 802.11b wireless communications protocol, and is being marketed for organizations with mobile workforces such as hospitals, retailers, and universities, Cisco said.
  • Power Vision introduces rechargeable CR-V3 lithium battery for DSCs  - Taiwan’s Power Vision has introduced a rechargeable CR-V3 lithium ion battery for digital still cameras (DSC), which the company claimed to be the first worldwide. To separate its product from traditional CR-V3 lithium ion batteries, Power Vision has named it the “RCR-V3.” The new product, in the size of two AA batteries, is compatible to the CR-V3 standard but can be charged and discharged 600-800 times, the company said.
  • How Much Does a High-End Graphics Processor from NVIDIA or ATI Cost? -  X-bit Labs have published an interesting article on some of the actual costs for GPUs. " It is interesting to note that the RADEON 9800 and the GeForce FX 5800 have nearly the same core-sizes of 190 square millimetres even despite of the fact that the chips are made using 0.15 and 0.13 micron fabrication processes respectively. Wafers made using 0.13 micron technology cost more than those made using less advanced 0.15 micron process; as a result, we may conclude that ATI may receive higher gross margins selling its high-end GPUs compared to NVIDIA at present"
    Intel slashes Celeron prices - Intel yesterday cut the prices (Reuters / Digitimes) of its 1.8GHz to 2.4GHz Celeron desktop chips. The Celeron prices fell by up to 23.9 per cent. The 2.4GHz chip fell from $127 to $103, a reduction of 18.9 per cent. The 2.3GHz fell from $117 to $89 (23.9 per cent), the 2.2GHz chip from $103 to $83 (19.4 per cent), the 2.1GHz part from $89 to $79 (11.2 per cent), the 2GHz Celeron from $83 to $69 (16.9 per cent) and the 1.8GHz chip from $69 to $64 (7.2 per cent). The 1.7GHz part will remain at $54.  The 11 May cuts are expected to see the 2.8GHz P4 fall in price from $375 to $262, a fall of 30 per cent. The 2.6GHz part falls from $241 to $193 (19.9 per cent) and the 2.4GHz part from $193 to $163 (15.5 per cent). The 3.06GHz P4 will stay at $401.
  • Apple takes iPod to 30GB - The updated iPod is available not only with 15GB and 30GB hard drives, as expected, but there's an entry-level model with a 10GB hard drive. Until the launch today, it had been assumed that Apple would continue to offer the 10GB second-generation iPod. US prices are $299 (10GB), $399 (15GB) and $499 (30GB).
  • Dell Dimension XPS Gaming PC - GamersDepot take a look at Dimension XPS Gaming PC ($4559) from Dell. "That said, the Dimension XPS is still a great-performing PC which brings a lot to the table for its respective price range. If Dell can fully support its XPS end-users with upgradeable hardware, and a BIOS revision which will allow for tweaking, then we're sure they'll start winning over some of the tough crowd who swear by using a system made of standard parts. Let's face it, a system being proprietary isn't too bad just as long as the manufacturer plans on supporting it, and helping you get upgrades for it along the way at reasonable costs. Whether or not Dell will do that remains to be seen - for now, however, it looks like they've built the best Dimension system we've laid eyes on." Another story can be found at TheRegister & IDG.
  • EverGlide's Announces The Revolutionary Zboard! - Designed by gamers for gamers, the Zboard system will give you a distinct competitive edge when playing your favorite PC games, will help serious players take their game play to the next level, and will enable beginner gamers to learn and enjoy their game much more quickly. The Zboard is comprised of two separate components: 1.) The Keyboard Base that connects to your personal computer, just like your present keyboard, and 2.) A variety of separate insertable Game Keyboard Interfaces, each specifically designed and programmed for many of today's most popular games (Madden, MoH, AoM, NWN, Civ3, UT2k3, etc).
  • Sony SDM-HS73 LCD Review - The LCD monitor market has matured rapidly in recent years-to the point where most of the products offer generally good viewing angles, brightness, contrast, and color, so manufacturers must find other differentiators. Some companies add features or lower prices. Sony has chosen to make the 17-inch Sony SDM-HS73 ($549 direct, after $50 rebate) easy on the eyes whether it's on or off.
  • Shuttle AB48PN i845PE 800FSB review - Hexus.net has posted a review of Shuttle AB48PN i845PE 800FSB. "In summary, a stable, potentially fast motherboard that should appeal to system integrators and budget-orientated enthusiasts. A little voltage adjustment and a slightly better package would have made it that much more appealing."
  • Mitsumi CR-485FTE (54/32/54) review - The CR-485FTE is the world's first 54/32/54 CD-RW. No, that's not a typo. The CR-485FTE reads and writes at 54x and rewrites at an amazing 32x. Mitsumi's new writer isn't just about speed either. The drive also offers features like ExacLink buffer underrun protection and Mitsumi's own AEGIS WRITING technology to ensure the best writing quality possible.
  • Inno3D Tornado Geforce FX 5200 128MB Review - In short, although the Geforce FX 5200 is the baby of the family it offers adequate performance for the casual gamer with good overclocking potential yielding a 10%-15% performance increase in most games on a typical P4 2.53Ghz. With an expected retail of around the €120-€140 euro mark, it represents very good value for money.
  • Spring Case Madness  - Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a review on 24 computer cases.
  • How to Watercooling - Extensive - SubZeroTech has posted a new article called "How to Watercooling - Extensive".
  • Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Review - The guys at ActiveWin have published an in-depth review of  Visual Studio .NET 2003. According to review, there is only minimal changes since the 2002 release.
  • TMPGEnc DVD Author Available - Pegays Inc, developers of TMPGEnc have introduced a new product called TMPGEnc DVD Author that should enable you to author MPEG-1 /MPEG-2 files and create DVD-Video structured files. Using MPEG files made by MPGEnc or captured from a MPEG capture device it outputs a file (.ifo, VOB) that can be burned to a DVD disc. (thanks CDFreaks.com)
  • Paint Shop Pro 8 - Paint Shop Pro (download trial), a part of the Paint Shop family of digital imaging and photography products, is the most complete, easy-to-use software for creating professional digital imaging results.
  • Easy CD-DA Extractor 5.1.0 - Easy CD-DA Extractor includes tools for direct digital audio copying from Audio CDs, file format conversions, and Audio CD recording. This new version adds recovery CD-reading mode (aka "Secure" mode) and improves methods reading contents from a "Copy Controlled" discs.
  • Microsoft PowerToys XP - PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after the product has been released to manufacturing, but before the next project has begun. These toys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience! These are available as individual files from Microsoft, but for this download, we have zipped them all up in one file for you.
  • FlashFXP 2.1 RC1 - FlashFXP is the most powerful and popular FTP & FXP Client for Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP on the market today. This RC will expire in July, we expect to have v2.1 released before then. This RC has been compiled without debug error handling, If some bugs come up that we can not isolate I will switch to debug error handling. So upgrade only at your own risk :P
  • CDex 1.50 - CDex  (download )is a utility of extraction (ripping) any audio files from an audio CD. The files can be ripped in either the plain WAV format or to a compressed file format (CDex supports many encoders). In addition, it has many additional options to convert between several audio file formats. CDex is released under the GPL terms.
  • XP Smoker 1.5.16 - XP Smoker is a tweaking program for Windows XP. It fully optimizes your hard drive and cd drive's read ahead and write behind cache, optimizes 56K, Cable, & DSL to get the most out of it. It also, optimizes the display settings, filesystem settings, even your mouse port refresh rate.
  • Riva Tuner v2.0 RC12.4 + SoftR9x00 - RivaTuner (download) is the most powerful tweaking utility for NVIDIA display adapters running under Windows 98 / Windows 98 SE / Windows ME / Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The purpose of this utility is to give you access to all the undocumented features of the Detonator drivers. All versions of the Detonator drivers have a lot of undocumented registry entries.
  • AMD-8000 Series Core Logic (Chipset) Drivers  - AMD has released new AMD-8000 Series Core Logic (Chipset) Drivers for Windows 2003 Server.
  • USB 2.0 Drivers - Both ALI (USB 2.0 driver v1.47) and VIA (USB 2.0 driver v2.54) have released an updated USB 2.0 drivers..
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,26 2003 - tech
Saturday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 09:31 PM CEST - Apr,26 2003 - Post a comment
  • THG reviews five games  -  Included in this review are: Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles; Beretta and House of the Living Dead III; Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield; Outlaw Golf; and Resident Evil Zero.
  • Russia to offer space mail - For as little as $20,000, you could soon have a letter sent to a new "post office" aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and back care of the Russian space agency.
  • Hard Drives Instead of Tapes? - While backing up data may be a minor chore for many, backing up vast quantities of data is a major operation. At the very top of the food chain, you generally have complex tape systems operated with automated robots. However, Dr. Koch Computertechnik AG has developed a cheaper, yet very flexible solution for the University of Tübingen: 70 TB backup capacity on standard IDE hard drives.
  • AMD Thorton Core Clocks Revealed - Unofficial sources originally said that the Thorton chips will be sold under Duron brand-name, however, with 333MHz PSB and 256KB of L2 cache the new processors will more resemble Athlon XP "Thoroughbred" CPUs rather than good-old Duron chips which stopped to develop more than a year ago. Furthermore, the Athlon XP "Thoroughbred" processors are still afloat and higher-end models, such as 2600+, 2700+ and 2800+ cost $151, $180 and $225 respectively, whereas prices on Duron chips hardly ever exceeded $100 mark per unit. I seriously doubt that AMD is ready to offer its 2600+ processors for below $100, sacrificing its ASPs and gross-margins in the near future, hence, it looks like Thorton will be sold as middle-end and lower-end Athlon XP CPUs, rather than as Duron chips.
  • Intel Celeron 2.2GHz Review - Black-Ash.net has posted a review of Intel Celeron 2.2GHz. They have benchmarked it to PIII-700MHz to see whether it would be worth using this CPU as an upgrade. "From my experience with a P4 1.6A processor, that is the first Northwood P4 with 400FSB and 512KB of L2 cache ,I would say that the Celeron 2.2GHz performs a little slower, maybe 5%.So, you are getting a 1.5GHz + P4, at a price of 75-85 USD compared to the P4 1.5GHz costing from 99-127 USD."
  • Samsung SyncMaster 172T 17" TFT Display Review - ExplosiveLabs has posted a review of the Samsung SyncMaster 172T 17" TFT Display. Appearance wise the SyncMaster 172T is identical to the 172w except non widescreen effect and there is no longer the 2 speakers integrated into the stand. Other then that the appearance and design of these displays are identical.
  • SyncMaster 172W LCD Review - EnvyNews has posted a review of SyncMaster 172W LCD Display.
  • Leadteks A300 Ultra TD MyVIVO Review - HotHardware has posted a review of Leadtek's A300 Ultra TD MyVIVO video card.
  • Samsung SM-352 52x24x52x16 CD-RW/DVD Review - PC Stats has posted a review of Samsung SM-352 52x24x52x16 CD-RW/DVD.
  • Windows 2003 Server Review - PC Mag has posted a review on Windows 2003 Server.
  • The Bat! 1.62r - The Bat! (download) is an e-mail application that features support for multiple POP accounts, true multithreading, MIME and UUencode standards, message notification, PGP support, APOP authorization, message sorting, message templates, minimization to the system tray, and multimedia support.
  • Coding Workshop Ringtone Convertor 4.2.2 - 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.
  • PowerStrip 3.40.386 - PowerStrip v3.40 provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest SiS Xabre and Radeon 9800. This new version adds GeForce FX support and VESA CVT timing support, improves Linux modeline support, revises G450/550 pixel clock search engine, updates predefined HDTV timings, enables gamma hotkeys for 3dmark03 and raises ceiling on Radeon clocks.
  • Gainward ExperTool v3.07 - Gainward has released a new version of their tweaking tool - ExperTool v3.07.
Friday Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 01:29 AM CEST - Apr,26 2003 - Post a comment
  • Million-user online game previewed - The first online computer game designed to accommodate a million simultaneous players will be previewed on Friday. The game, called Rekonstruction, is not scheduled for commercial release until autumn 2004. But some of the challenges involved with building it will be revealed at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference in Santa Clara, California. Creating a large virtual world that does not repeat itself is very time consuming and hence expensive, says Chris DiBona of Damage Studios, the company behind the game. The large multiplayer games currently online usually take one world and then repeat it. For example, the game Everquest supports 450,000 users, but is split into 32 segregated segments.
    Military robots to get swarm intelligence -  A battalion of 120 military robots is to be fitted with swarm intelligence software to enable them to mimic the organised behaviour of insects. The project, which received funding this week from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is aimed at developing ways to perform missions such as minesweeping and search and rescue with minimum intervention from human operators.
    Judge: File-swapping tools are legal -  A federal judge in Los Angeles has handed a stunning court victory to file-swapping services Streamcast Networks and Grokster, dismissing much of the record industry and movie studios' lawsuit against the two companies. In an almost complete reversal of previous victories for the record labels and movie studios, federal court Judge Stephen Wilson ruled that Streamcast--parent of the Morpheus software--and Grokster were not liable for copyright infringements that took place using their software. The ruling does not directly affect Kazaa, software distributed by Sharman Networks, which has also been targeted by the entertainment industry.
  • Ballmer on Windows Server 2003&Linux - Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, has given an interview to CNet about Windows Server 2003 and Linux.
  • Nvidia to launch NV35 in mid-May - Nvidia is set to formally introduce its new NV35 graphics chip at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), to be held in Los Angeles from May 14-16. Due to SARS concerns in the Asia-Pacific region, Nvidia will not hold a product launch conference in Taiwan. The chip adopts the same core as Nvidia's NV30 (GeForce FX 5800 series) but delivers much improved performance, sources said. According to graphics card makers, the NV35 will support the more popular DDR memory standard, rather than the DDRII architecture supported by the NV30. Using a 0.13-micron process, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the sole manufacturer of the NV35 chip, sources said. Quickly ramping up NV35 shipments would go far towards fortifying Nvidia's product line and alleviate the shortage in the high-end graphics chip market. For the past few months, limited supply of Nvidia's NV30 and NV31 (GeForce FX 5600 series) chips has boosted demand for high-end products from rival ATI Technologies. However, ATI has not been able to fully meet the increased demand.
  • Creative releases external Sound Blaster Digital Music  - Creative released an external USB1.1 soundcard, Sound Blaster Digital Music, for arrive for sale in May for $83. It features 2 RCA inputs, 1 mic jack, headphones jack, 2 RCA outputs, optical in/out. The card requires 160mA. The interface supports MP3, WAVE, WMA and MIDI recording and can be also plugged into a Dolby Digital (AC-3) home theater. Headphone or speaker 3D sound is provided by CMSS 3D (Creative Inspire Monitor M85-D, Creative TravelSound, Creative Inspire 5.1 5700 compatible.)
  • JVC Announces GR-HD1 -  Announced earlier today in Japan, the GR-HD1, is the world's first consumer camcorder to offer 750 line resolution progressive video at 30 frames per second, recording MPEG2 video to MiniDV tape. The High Definition GR-HD1 uses a 1/3 in. (quite large, which is good) 1.18 million pixel progressive scan CCD to record the high resolution video to MiniDV tape. The GR-HD1 is able to squeeze the higher resolution video onto the tape by recording it in MPEG-2 format, not the standard DV format. What kind of loss in quality this creates in unknown - but it will certainly be thoroughly investigated.
  • MSI Ti4800SE-VTD8X Review - Naming quirks aside, the MSI Ti4800SE-VTD8X is a very good card with an excellent bundle. If you're not ready to commit to a high-end Radeon or FX card, or just need a capable gaming card for a second PC, then the GeForce4 cards still offer great performance and stability at a reasonable price. They award the MSI Ti4800SE VTD8X a 9 out of 10 and the Golden Bear Award based on its core performance and features, the excellence of the bundle, and its ability to reliably overclock.
  • Via P4PB Ultra P4X400 Motherboard - The P4PB Ultra motherboard is Via's flagship (as of this date) motherboard and is manufactured to target the performance enthusiast genre of computer users. Like most motherboard manufacturers, the board is only part of your purchase. As a bonus, the consumer will receive a whole buffet of extras to compliment their new computer and to get it looking and performing at its best.
  • Hitachi 17" CML175B Display Review - Accelenation has posted a review on the Hitachi 17" CML175B Display.
  • Canon i320 Printer Review - Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a review of the Canon i320 printer.
  • HP OfficeJet 7130 All-in-One Review - The HP OfficeJet 7130 All-in-One ($500 street), roughly the size and shape of a desktop copier with a front panel that would look at home on a fax machine, offers far more than you might expect from a multifunction printer. Not only can it serve as your printer, scanner, copier, and fax, but plug your camera's memory card in, and you can print photos with or without your computer.
  • Casio Exilim EX-S2 Digital Camera - The EX-S2 sports a higher 2.0 mega pixel CCD imager than the EX-S1 and can take still images in 1600x1200, 1280x960 and 640x480 resolutions; large enough to produce a native 81/2x 11 picture. The EX-S2 also can take up to 30 second AVI movie files (with no sound) at 320x240 and has a 4x digital zoom. Pictures are taken using the beautiful 1.6 TFT/ 354x240 color LCD.
  • Zippy EL-610 Luminescence Mini Keyboard - In the past, all you could buy at your local computer store was a plain dull beige keyboard and now with all the technological advances, there are new different keyboards to choose from. Some of the main types of keyboards on the market are wireless, slim, colored, and many others. The best way to choose what kind of keyboard is right for you is to think about what you are going to use it for (typing, games, surfing the internet, ETC&).
  • Microsoft offers Windows security guide - Microsoft released on Friday a tutorial and templates to help system administrators lock down the security of computers running the company's newest operating system, Windows Server 2003. The tutorial consists of portable document files (PDFs) detailing the reasoning behind configuring the server software for various applications, from a Web server connected to the Internet to a domain controller on a company's internal network. Also included are examples of Microsoft-recommended configurations for specific applications.
  • Microsoft Security Bulletin 811493 (Updated 25th April) - Looks like Microsoft has updated the article on 811493 and recognize the performance issue :]
  • Windows XP Media Center Edition Update Q815487 - check it out.
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Evaluation - Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (64-bit) (eval.download) helps you build a powerful infrastructure for highly demanding uses. It's the recommended operating system for networking and business applications requiring the utmost in performance, scalability, and high availability. (Select this only if your server system includes 64-bit Itanium-based processors.)
  • ATI Catalyst 3.2 vs 6.14.10.6334 Driver Comparison - Hardware-Mag.de have posted a brief ATI Catalyst 3.2 vs 6.14.10.6334 Driver Comparison (translated). Another article can be found at 3DChipset.com.
    HyperSnap-DX 5.10.02 - HyperSnap-DX 5 (download) is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. It captures screens from standard desktop programs and even those hard-to-grab DirectX, Direct3D, 3Dfx Voodoo and Glide mode games. This new version fixes crashes and hangs on some systems and many others.
  • DivX 5.0.5 (Schizo) - DivX is a package 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.  (Changelog ~ DivX 5.0.5 Free ~ DivX 5.0.5 Pro Adware ~ DivX 5.0.5 Pro)
  • New NVIDIA Linux drivers - NVIDIA has released a new Linux Drivers version 1.0-4363 (IA32 => Standard).
  • Asus Motherboard Tools  - Asus has just released the latest versions of Asus LiveUpdate 5.05.01 and Asus PC Probe 2.20.03.
  • Fresh UI 5.80 - Fresh UI (download) is a fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows. Loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings this software covers the customizing and optimizing techniques that you'll be glad to know. This new version adds IE hidden settings.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,25 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 04:20 AM CEST - Apr,25 2003 - Post a comment
  • Europe gets new game rating system - A new pan-European age rating system for computer and video games is to be introduced to help protect kids from unsuitable content. Known as PEGI (Pan European Game Information), the new system will eventually replace existing age rating systems currently used in European countries.  Each game will feature an age rating (3 and over; 7 and over; 12 and over; 16 and over, and 18 and over) on the front cover of the title plus a brief description of the game's content.  The only exception to the new rating system - introduced by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) - are some minor local variations in Portugal and Finland.  Oh, and Germany won't be using it since will retain its own rating system - 'cos that's the law.
  • Microsoft hits delay on Office 2003 - Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that it is preparing the unexpected Office beta release for debut in June. A company representative said the release is intended to give customers a chance to try out changes made to the software as a result of testing. The release will not be a completely new test version. Instead, Microsoft said it will issue a "refresh" to the existing second beta test release.
  • IBM developing translation software - IBM is working on software that would bridge the spoken language gap for weary travelers and others who might need a personal translator in their pocket. Researchers at Big Blue are developing and testing translation software that would enable two people speaking different languages to communicate without either having to type.
  • Verizon gets 14 days to ID file-swapper - A U.S district court on Thursday ruled for a second time that Verizon Communications must give up the identity of an anonymous Internet subscriber accused of swapping music files online.
  • Australian music piracy site closed down  - Three students were arrested today for operating an Internet based site that the music industry claims cost it tens of millions of dollars. The site - MP3 WMA Land, allowed people to download video and music, alleges the Australian federal police force, which it said had investigated the site for some months.
  • Ballmer Unveils Windows Server 2003 - Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer officially launched the company's long-awaited and thrice-delayed Windows Server 2003 operating system Thursday, claiming it is the right product for businesses that want to "do more with less" in these tough economic times. Windows Server 2003 is available worldwide in five versions: Datacenter Edition, Enterprise Edition, Standard Edition, Web Edition, and Windows Small Business Server 2003.
  • Matrox introduces new Millennium P-Series graphics boards - Matrox Graphics today announced the Matrox Millennium P-Series graphics boards. Using the new Parhelia-LX chip, derived from Matrox Parhelia technology, the Millennium P650 and the Millennium P750 boards bring maximum productivity gains and real cost savings through the most advanced multi- display support in the industry. Another PR can be found here.
  • Microsoft Reworks Win XP Patch - Microsoft is revising a security patch for Windows XP systems with Service Pack 1 installed after customers complained that installing the patch slowed their systems to a crawl. Microsoft is working on a revised patch for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and will reissue that patch when it has been completed and fully tested, the Redmond, Washington, software maker said in a revised version of  its security bulletin MS03-013 posted late Wednesday. I strongly recommend you to uninstall this amazing slowdowner...ehrmm "patch" (#811493) from your PC.
  • Ace DivX Player 2.1 - Ace DivX Player is a Windows Media Player replacement that plays movie and music in formats including DivX, AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, MP3, CD, and Video-CD.
  • Xabre performance drivers - SIS released new 3.11.53 Performance Drivers (direct link) for their Xabre 3D-VGA cards
  • FlashFXP 2.0 Build 911 Beta 4 - FlashFXP is the most powerful and popular FTP & FXP Client for Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP on the market today.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,24 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:44 AM CEST - Apr,24 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Female characters infiltrate gaming world - According to Trais, a contributor to Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World, the topless women who do tricks on bikes in "BMX XXX" and the scantily-clad women who have a feel for each other in "Outlaw Golf" provide action which, she says, is a little over the top. However, the clothed leading lady, Cate Archer, in "No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'S Way" represents a different story. Trais feels Archer packs a skull full of brains alongside her toned body and that's not such a bad combination.
  • Microsoft patches holes in IE, Outlook  - Microsoft warned customers that they should apply updates for both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express to fix critical security vulnerabilities that could let attackers run programs on a victim's PC.  Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5 and 6.0 all have four flaws, the worst of which could allow an attacker to take control of a person's computer if a victim were follow links to a Web site or read an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) e-mail created by an attacker.
  • Email worm looks to capitalise on SARS fears - The mass-mailing worm, which has been named W32/Coronex-A, sends itself to all contacts in Outlook address books and attempts to dupe innocent computer users into opening an attachment offering details on the current SARS epidemic. The worm uses different subject lines, message bodies and attachment names to try and lure users into opening the attachments, including: "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome", "SARS Virus" and Hongkong.exe
  • Will Your Broadband Travel Over Power Lines? - Hailing the step as a "monumental moment," the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Wednesday to solicit public comment on broadband Internet service delivered over ordinary electric power lines, a step that could create widespread competition for cable modem and DSL services. Companies such as Amperion and Current Technologies are already planning to roll out limited BPL services by later this year, and they are allowed to do so as long as they stay within current FCC rules on unlicensed radio frequency emissions.
  • First Look at the Newest Palm PDAs - Both the camera-equipped Zire 71 and the Wi-Fi-enabled Tungsten C run the latest Palm operating system, version 5.2.1. The Zire 71 is available now, Palm says, and the Tungsten C is due to ship in early May. The Zire 71 is the second entry in Palm's consumer line of personal digital assistants launched last fall with the $99 Zire. But the original Zire was designed to appeal to a mass-market crowd; the $299 Zire 71 was created with a more upmarket multimedia buff in mind.
  • OPTERON VIA K8T400M Chipset specs - After posting the Opteron AMD 8000 (nForce3) Chipset specifications, AMDboard is publishing some information and charts about the brand new K8T400M south bridge chipset for Opteron and VIA VT8237 north bridge.
  • Tim Sweeney 64-bit Interview - FiringSquad's Brandon Bell has conducted an interview with Epic Games' Tim Sweeney as he talks about AMD's 64-bit Athlon processor!
  • Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (April 2003) - Thie April 2003, Cumulative patch for MSIE fixes all old and some new vulnerabilities in IE.
  • Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express (April 2003) - The "April 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express" eliminates all previously addressed security vulnerabilities affecting Outlook Express, as well as additional newly discovered vulnerabilities. This update includes the functionality of all previously released patches.
  • Yahoo! Messenger 5.5.0.1254 - Yahoo! Messenger is a freeware program that allows you to quickly exchange messages with others online. Tis new version features PC-to-Mobile Conversations, Super Webcam, New Emoticons and IMVironments.
  • VIA Audio drivers v3.50b - VIA Tech has released new drivers (rel.notes) for the internal AC97 sound in their chipsets i.e. south bridges VT686A, VT686B, VT8231, VT8233, VT8233A, VT8233C and VT8235.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,23 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 04:17 AM CEST - Apr,23 2003 - Post a comment / read (9)
  • Like a virgin - Madonna hacked for the very first time - A hacker decided to take revenge on Madonna after she flooded P2P networks with fake music files from her "American Life" album. Madonna had apparently laced the fake tracks with loops of her saying, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" The hacker scored a minor victory against Madonna by breaking into her site over the weekend and posting all of the tracks from "American Life" for download. According to The Smoking Gun, the site went offline after the attack and remained down for close to 15 hours. The hacker also left a message for Madonna saying, "This is what the fuck I think am doing."
  • Sony: PS2 processor and graphics in a single 90nm chip - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. informed that in Spring 2003 it plans to launch volume production of new 90nm integratred PlayStation 2 chip combining DRAM memory, EmotionEngine (EE) processor and Graphics Synthesizer (GS). Chip specifications: EE: 128-bit RISC processor, GS: parallel rendering and built-in DRAM, Process technology: 90nm, Transistors total: 53.5 million, Built-in DRAM: 4Mb, Memory cell size: 0.19um?, Clock rate: 294.912MHz , Energy consumption: 8W (vs. current 37W), Metallization: 5 layers, Crystal size: 86mm? (vs. current 413mm? of EE and GS), Package: 536-pin EBGA.
  • Crucial's End of April Discounts - Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted an article on Crucial's End of April Discounts. "Fancy some Crucial memory but don't want to burn a hole in your pocket? Well, the end of April is here and it's a good time to buy some Crucial memory! With discounts of up till $100, it's a deal you should not miss! Check our editorial on Crucial's End Of April Discounts to find out more!"
  • Opteron Available! - After nearly a year of hype and development, AMD has set loose its new 64-bit Opteron processors, designed to attract buyers who seek the power advantages of 64-bit computing but are leery of the costs involved in adopting other 64-bit architectures. Three models of the Opteron are available at launch: the Opteron 240, 242, and 244. AMD is using a model-rating system for the Opteron processor that uses three numbers. The first number represents the maximum number of processors that can be used in a system with that chip, and the last two numbers the relative performance of that chip. AMD started the performance numbering at 40 because it thought customers might correlate the last two numbers with the processor's clock speed, and 4-GHz processors are not on the market yet. In quantities of 1000 units, the Opteron 240 for two-way servers and workstations costs $283, the 242 costs $690, and the 244 costs $794. Some reviews of Opteron can be found at AMDBoard's Opteron page.
  • IBM, Microsoft announce support for world's first 64-bit x86 processor - IBM joined AMD at a New York City launch event to announce its plans to offer a server product for high-performance computing based on the AMD Opteron processor. At the same event, Microsoft reiterated its commitment to developing a 64-bit operating system for the processor, with a beta version available in mid-2003.
  • VIA unveils Opteron-optimised K8T400M chipset - VIA today joined Nvidia and AMD itself and launched a chipset designed to support the new Opteron 64-bit processor. VIA's Apollo K8T400M is a two-chip product, that's essentially a modified version of VIA's KT400A, adding HyperTransport to the North Bridge to allow it to communicate with the CPU. The connection to the South Bridge, VIA's regular VT8237, operates over the company's established 1.06GBps V-Link bus.
  • NVIDIA nForce3 Professional Introduced - NVIDIA today introduced NVIDIA nForce3 Professional, the Company's first single-chip, core-logic solution for professional computing environments. Optimized for the new 64-bit AMD Opteron processor announced earlier today, NVIDIA nForce3 Professional platform processors provide a compatible, stable, and reliable computing platform for professional workstation users who wish to exploit the benefits of both 32-bit and 64-bit computing environments.
  • Duel of the Titans: Opteron vs. Xeon  - The benchmarks (MySQL, Whetstone, ARC 2D, NPB, etc.) show quite clearly that the Dual Opteron puts the Dual Xeon in its place, especially in the server disciplines. In the workstation tests, however, the Dual Xeon has the lead.
  • Chieftec Case & Thermaltake Watercooling Kit Review  - The setup includes a black aluminum windowed case from Chieftec, a Thermaltake Aquarius II water-cooling system, and a green cold cathode lighting kit. This setup allows the appearance of a sleek, professional system, with fairly limited setup requirements. The products alone are each fairly impressive, so when they're combined, the result is amazing.
  • EluminX Illuminated Keyboard Video Review - 3DGameMan has posted an EluminX Illuminated Keyboard (ElectroLuminescent technology) video review. The EluminX Keyboard is illuminated by using flat panel ElectroLuminescent technology and has a very slim with an overall quality design. Currently there is only one color (Aqua Marine) but more will be available. This is a full sized keyboard with regular sized keys so it's great for gaming or just about anything. Watch the Video to find out more...
  • AMD 2500+ Barton Review - OCAddiction takes a look at the AMD 2500+ Barton.
  • Leadtek WinFast A340 Ultra TD MyVIVO Review - Subzerotech has posted a review on the Leadtek WinFast A340 Ultra TD MyVIVO - GeForceFX 5200 video card. "Equipped accordingly with a 5200 Ultra, Leadtek introduces their A340 Ultra TD. This is effectively the lower end of the GeForceFX family. The memory bandwidth for the GeForceFX 5200 Ultra is specified at 10.4GB/s, which is in stark contrast to the 5800 Ultra at 32GB/s. This 3 fold difference no doubt brings performance, as well as price, to mainstream and entry-level applications. As for Leadtek's A340 Ultra TD, Leadtek takes a new approach to the heatsink design, interestingly replacing the plate-like design with one similar to most stand alone coolers."
  • Panasonic SV-AV30 e-wear SD Multi AV Device Review - In much the way multifunction printers have become commonplace, multifunction entertainment devices are popping up and vying for consumers' attention. The sleek Panasonic SV-AV30 e-wear SD Multi AV Device ($400 street)-essentially an MP3 player that met up with a Swiss Army knife-is likely the best and most prodigious of the genre. The SV-AV30 can function as a still camera, a video recorder, a music player, and a voice recorder.
  • Overclocking Showdown: RADEON 9500 PRO vs. 9600 PRO - Currently, there are two utilities that offer overclocking support for the RADEON 9600 PRO: Rage3D Tweak, and RadClocker. For our testing, we chose to use RadClocker, as the 537MHz core frequency limit of Rage3D Tweak proved to be too tame for our RADEON 9600 PRO card. So how high were we able to overclock our RADEON 9600 PRO? How does a 547MHz core clock and 365MHz memory (730MHz effective) sound!
  • Microsoft issues Office 2k reg. bug patch - Microsoft has posted a patch to remedy the registration bug that has plagued Office 2000 users in some of the world's biggest organisations since 15 April.
  • Gaming and Linux in 2003 - It is no secret that the vast majority of current game titles will never see the light of day on Linux. With Loki dead and gone, and their old stock quickly running out, some would go as far as to say that Linux gaming is dead as well. However, in recent days, Linux users have been getting more titles than one would think, and many more are on the horizon for later this year. Which games will be coming out? Who is releasing them? Is this the start of something big?
  • CrossOver Office 2.0.0 - CrossOver Office allows you to install your favorite Windows productivity applications in Linux, without needing a Microsoft Operating System license. CrossOver includes an easy to use, single click interface, which makes installing a Windows application simple and fast.
  • CPU-Z 1.17 - Freeware CPU-Z is a program that provides detailed information on your CPU.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,22 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:26 AM CEST - Apr,22 2003 - Post a comment
  • Sony & Toshiba Disclose Cell Fab Plans -  Sony and Toshiba Monday each announced plans to build advanced semiconductor plants for the fabrication of faster and more complex chips as they look ahead to the next-generation PlayStation video gaming console and other broadband network products. The two companies each disclosed plans to build cutting-edge factories capable of handling 300-millimeter wafers at a production rule of 65 nanometers. The companies need such advanced production technology to produce the "Cell" microprocessor, which is being developed jointly by Toshiba, IBM and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) to form the basis of the PlayStation 3 video gaming console and other future consumer electronics products.  Announcing its plans on Monday, Sony said it will spend $1.7 billion over the next three years. Toshiba said it will spend a similar amount over the next four years in building 65-nanometer production lines. Another story can be fount at ZDNews & EETimes
  • Xbox Live hits 50,000 in Europe - Microsoft has signed up 50,000 Xbox Live users in Europe, spread across eight countries, just one month after launch. MS has also revealed a listing of the Xbox Live titles becoming available in the next eight weeks, many of which offer true multiplayer as well as online scoreboards or downloadable content: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - MP&Downloadable Content, Godzilla - Downloadable Content, MotoGP 2 - MP, Phantasy Star Online - MP, Burnout 2 - Online Scoreboards, Return to Castle Wolfenstein - MP & Downloadable Content, Midtown Madness - MP& Downloadable Content, Midnight Club 2 - MP, Brute Force - Downloadable Content.
  • The Navy wanted to harvest power from engine vibration - Robert and his colleague J.K. Huang have discovered how to use what they say is a unique combination of magnetoelastic and piezoelectric materials to efficiently convert tiny vibrations into electricity. The technology is sensitive enough to harness energy from the vibrations made by a pipe with air running though it; that means it could power sensors in ventilation systems.
  • Intel Cuts Some Processor Prices - Intel cut the prices of some of its microprocessors, including that of its most expensive desktop Pentium 4 processor, on Monday. The 3.06-GHz version of Intel's Pentium 4 chip with a 533-MHz front-side bus was reduced from $589 to $401. The reduction of around one third makes the chip a little cheaper than Intel's newest Pentium 4 chip, which has a clock speed of 3-GHz and a faster 800-MHz front-side bus.
  • Intel fixes 3GHz "anomaly" - The 3GHz chip was supposed to come out last week, but Intel discovered an anomaly with the processor in its labs on the eve of the launch and subsequently delayed the introduction. The problem has now been permanently fixed with a BIOS patch, said a company representative, and the chip is shipping in volume quantities. Although Intel already has been shipping a 3GHz chip for months, the new chip differs in that it is matched with a new chipset, called 875P, formerly code-named Canterwood. The chipset touts, among other performance-enhancing features, a faster 800MHz bus and a Serial ATA connection for hard drives.
  • AMD Opteron: 64-bit processors to be sold for the price of 32-bit (semi-official)  - So, AMD Opteron processors are almost announced. All of them are made using 0.13um process technology. Designed for new AMD Socket 940, CPUs will be separated into three general series: 100 for single-CPU systems, 200 for dual-CPU systems, and 800 for four to eight CPU systems. Initially each series will include three models with 1.4GHz, 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz clock rates. Shipments of Opteron 200 solutions have already been launched. 100 and 800 series will arrive in Q2. 1.4GHz Opteron 240 are shipped for $283 each, 1.6GHz Opteron 242 - for $690, 1.8GHz 244 - for $794. Rather aggressive, as you see, on the level of 32-bit server chips.

  • Elpida ships 1Gb DDR333 SDRAM SO-DIMM samples  - Elpida launched shipments of 1Gb DDR SO-DIMM (PC2700) samples with 2.7Gb/s throughput. Modules feature 0.11um 512Mbit DDR333 SDRAM chips with ?8 architecture. (thanks Digit-Life)

  • VIA updates 800MHz-based P4 chipset roadmap - Following its obtaining 800MHz FSB (front-side bus) technology licensing from Intel, VIA Technologies has readjusted its product roadmap, unveiling plans to introduce a complete line of new Pentium 4 chipsets.
  • NETGEAR WG602 54Mbps Wireless Access Point Review - Although NETGEAR was the first to launch the opening salvo in the tri-mode/ dual-band wireless LAN wars, its WG602 54Mbps Wireless Access Point that was announced a few months ago represents the first-available draft-802.11g Access Point shipped by the company. It made its way into TH's test lab pretty quickly, and they have posted an usual in-depth report.
  • AOPEN AX4C Max i875P Canterwood MB Review - The board supports the latest p4 800mhz cpu and uses an enhanced controller with 82875P memory controller hub (MCH) and ICH5R that supports RAID function. Canterwood is ready to support dual channel of DDR 400 and "Performance Acceleration Technology".
  • Plextor PX-504A review  - DesignTechnica has posted a Plextor PX-504A review. They say that the Plextor PX-504A is not a bad DVD writer by any means, but there are better options available on the market today.
  • Extreme PC 3500 Roundup - Nexus Hardware has posted a PC 3500 memory roundup.
  • HighSpeed PC's XP Unlocking Kit Review - Currently, there are two reasons to unlock the multiplier on your processor. The first, and most common, is to lower the multiplier so that the FSB can be raised to the max, yielding a better overall system overclock. But what about those of us who still have the KT133A chipset? The reason I wanted to unlock the multiplier on my 1700+ JIUHB Tbred B is so I could raise it and achieve as good of an overclock possible with my setup, since my FSB cannot go past 144. In comes the XP Unlocking Kit, an all-in-one solution provided by HighSpeed PC, which has all the tools necessary to unlock the multiplier.
  • Microsoft recommends disabling AV for rogue patch - You may or may not have seen an issue where after installing Q811493 the machine runs extremely slow. What we have determined so far is that it is an issue with the anti-virus on there machines. If the customer is running EZ Trust they will need to disable the file monitoring service and if they are running Norton they will need to disable the auto protect service and the installation of Q811493 and this will return to system functionality to normal.
  • Universal Brain Plugin for Winamp 2.x - The Brain is our ground-breaking intelligence module. It's not a playlist. It's not random shuffle. It's the way you listen to music. The Brain knows what you want and how you want it. It knows when you want it and it's going to give it to you. You've got to hear this.
  • YahooPOPs! 0.4.4 for Windows - This application (download) emulates a POP3 server and enables popular email clients like Outlook, Netscape, Eudora, Mozilla, Calypso, etc., to download email from Yahoo! accounts.
  • Advanced Call Recorder 1.5 - Advanced Call Recorder records telephone conversations to your computer's hard disk. It stores calls as standard Windows sound files. Advanced Call Recorder can record conversations as long as your hard disk can store.
  • XMovie v1.9.8  - XMovie is a reference movie player for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP3 audio, MP2 audio, WAV, AIFF, AC3 audio, Quicktime and DVD's on Linux boxes.
  • TVTool 7.0.3 Beta - With version 7.0.3 some smaller bugs have been fixed like the blackscreen which occured with DVI-TFT displays and GeForce4 cards. Also the icon restore function was improved and should work under all conditions.
  • Burnatonce 0.97a - Burnatonce is a free CD burning tool that can burn audio and data CDs, create ISO and CUE images, copy CDs on-the-fly, and more.
  • Zoom Player 3.00 Final -  Zoom Player (changelog ~ download) is a robust media and DVD front-end player.
  • WinRAR 3.20 beta 4 - The compression utility WinRAR (what's new ~ download) is a powerful archive manager with support for packing RAR and ZIP archives and unpacking RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR and ISO archives.
  • CPU ID 1.31 - CPU ID displays all the available information about your computers current processor.
  • Sony DRU-500CA/500AX & DRX-500UL/500ULX Firmware 2.0f - Sony has released a new DVD Writer Firmware 2.0f for DRU-500CA/500AX & DRX-500UL/500ULX. (thanks CDFreaks)
  • Xabre 1.10.02 BIOS - The new Xabre reference BIOS version 1.10.02 is now available for download.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,20 2003 - tech
AMD Athlon 64 Performance Preview - tech
(hx) 04:13 PM CEST - Apr,20 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
X-bit Labs have gotten their hands (thanks nitrox) on an engineering sample of the AMD Athlon 64 2800+ processor.  Here is a taster:
The major conclusion, which we can draw as a result of this test session, sounds as follows. Even though Athlon 64 processors have internal architecture very similar to that of Athlon XP processors, they still differ from their predecessors quite significantly from the practical point of view. We can’t give you a definite answer to the question, if Athlon 64 has become any faster than Athlon XP. In fact, this is just a different processor.
Moreover, there is also not much we could say about the performance of Athlon 64 in 64bit applications or at least in 64bit operation systems and 32bit applications. Supposedly, x86-64 will ensure a significant performance improvement, but it is also quite possible that x86-64 will not receive a warm welcome from the software developers. AMD has already tried to promote its own instructions set a while ago, and this experience could hardly be regarded as a success, to tell the truth. 3DNow! instructions set failed to become widely spread even though it proved to be very convenient to work with. So, we can only wait here for the first signs for or against these suppositions.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,19 2003 - tech
Morning Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:53 PM CEST - Apr,19 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Getting realistic in the war on hackers - The war on hackers is failing for the same reason the war on drugs failed: Most individuals can control themselves, but there is a substantial group of people for whom no legal penalties will be enough to discourage their behavior. The temptation to try and "beat the system" that is often felt by hackers and crackers, and even just regular computer users, can be enormous. People will succumb to the temptation to pirate copyrighted material, to disable copy protection on software, and to try and break into other people's computer systems.
  • What happens after death? - Everybody will die, that is one thing that we are absolutely certain of. What exactly is death, and what happens in the time after death?
  • Women need widescreen for virtual navigation - Microsoft has found that women tend to be about 20 per cent slower than men when working out where they are in a computer-generated world. A standard monitor gives a viewing angle of about 35°. With a larger screen, giving a viewing angle of 70°, women navigated better. And with two screens delivering a 100° angle, women matched men's spatial abilities.
  • Sony to Recall 20,000 More Vaio PCs Due to Glitch  - Sony Corp said on Friday it would recall 20,000 Vaio desktop personal computers sold in Japan between September 2002 and January 2003 to replace defective power supply parts. This is in addition to 20,000 Vaio PCs recalled in the United States and Canada last December due to a similar problem, a Sony spokesman said. A glitch in power supply parts used in three types of upscale Vaio desktop computers -- the PCV-RZ50, RZ60 and RZ70P -- was found to damage the power units and prevent the computers from being switched on, the spokesman said.
  • AMD Opteron benchmarked against Intel Xeon - The paper issue of fine German publication c't is now out and carries benchmarks of an Opteron 244.  The Opteron 244, equivalent in frequency terms to a 1.8GHz chip, is a Newisys 2100 dual CPU system, and the base values as posted are for SpecInt2000 1048 (1 CPU), SepFP2000 998 (1 CPU), SpecFPrate 18.4 (2 CPUs), and SpecINTrate 22.4 (2 CPUs). Meanwhile, the New York Times has an article on AMD's 64-bit technology, claiming Intel faces its strongest challenge in 10 years with the arrival of the Opteron.
  • Barton Compatibility In ABIT Motherboards - Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted an article on AMD Barton Compatibility. In ABIT Motherboards. "Worried about Barton support in ABIT motherboards? Well, there's no need to listen to all the rumours! We will dispel all those rumours in our editorial on Barton Compatibility In ABIT Motherboards!"
  • Sony DRU-510A and DRX-510UL - Sony updated its Dual RW series with another two models: internal DRU-510A and external DRX-510UL supporting 4x DVD+RW recording. Supporting most DVD standards, the 510 series can be used to burn DVD-Video, Video CD, audio and backup discs. At that recorded media will be supported by most DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. Similar to the 500 series, DRU-510A and DRX-510UL support DVD+RW/-RW and DVD+R/-R. The latter can be recorded and read at 4X; DVD-RW - recorded at 2X, read at 4X; DVD+RW - recorded and read at 4X. DVD-ROM are read at up to 12X. Finally, CD-RW formula is 24/16/32x. both drives have 8Mb buffer supporting Sony Power-Burn protection. CD-ROM access time is 160ms, DVD-ROM - 200ms. The internal DRU-510A Dual RW will arrive to retail early in May for about $350; external DRX-510UL - in June for less than $430. (thanks Digit-Life)
  • Hercules officially announces 3D Prophet 9800 Pro - 3D Prophet 9800 Pro bases on RADEON 9800 PRO, features 128Mb 256-bit DDR, <28dB blue-backlit copper cooling, memory heat-sinks, on GPU (on the other PCB side) and even on stabilizers. Nominal clock rates are 380/340MHz. The card has analog, DVI and TV connectors. 3D Prophet 9800 Pro retail box will include Rainbow Six Raven Shield game. Volume shipments are scheduled to late April. Pricing is unknown for now.
  • nVidia's GeForceFX 5600 Review - If you're a serious gamer on a budget, the Ti4600 or the ATI Radeon 9500/9600 cards are a much better bet, as they have a good bit more power for today's titles, and both have decent multi-texturing support, something which the GeForceFX 5600 is severely lacking in. As the Radeon 9500/9600 series cards should be available at nearly the same price point as the GeForceFX 5600, it's going to be a hard sell for nVidia to convince people that the FX5600 is superior.
  • Thinkpad T40 with Centrino Mobile Technology - Tom's Hardware Guide has published a review on the new IBM Thinkpad T40 with Centrino Mobile Technology.
  • nForce2 Dethroned? VIA's KT400A Chipset Reviewed  - Only a few months before the release of VIA's new dual-channel Athlon chipset, a new version of the KT400 was released. The KT400A comes with an improved memory interface called FastStream64, and aims for the Socket A crown. Is it fast enough to get it?
  • PDA Roundup - PCMagazine tested 13 PDAs and 8 with built-in phones.
  • AeroPlayer hits 2.0 (PDA) - Aerodrome Software's audio player for the Palm Tungsten T, AeroPlayer, has now reached 2.0 status. AeroPlayer, one of two third party audio players for the Tungsten T, supports Ogg Vorbis audio files and MP3 files via a plug-in. It is fully skinnable, and supports a graphical equializer and audio-boost function for louder playback (InfoSyncWorld)
  • Asheron's Call 2 Free Trial - Now you can try out AC2 for free, with no obligation and no credit card! Just download the Free Trial Setup (882MB), put in a fresh new account, and you'll soon be playing. After 15 days, if you like what you see, you can purchase AC2 from a store, enter the Product Key, and keep playing AC2 with your same characters.
  • Intel Chipset Identification Utility 2.82  - The Intel Chipset Identification Utility provides an easy way to identify the specific Intel chipset that is located on your motherboard. This information can be used to determine if your system supports the Intel Application Accelerator.
  • D-Force ATI Mobility Driver Modifier v2 - D-Force MobileMod 2 can automatically read an ATI driver INF file (Windows 2000 or XP format), see if it supports mobile cards, and if it doesn't, write the necessary keys.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,18 2003 - tech
Friday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:24 PM CEST - Apr,18 2003 - Post a comment
  • Genderplay: Successes and Failures in Character Designs for Videogames  - Game Girl Advance has posted an interesting article about the various female characters in videogames.
  • Should You Hire a Hacker? - Should corporations hire known hackers with criminal records to test and secure their networks? The question, posed to four panelists at the RSA Security Conference held at the Moscone Center today, pitted hacker Kevin Mitnick against Christopher Painter, who prosecuted Mitnick in 1995. Mitnick argued that hackers, if reformed, make excellent security consultants because of their nature of pushing technology to the limits and their skills in penetrating computer systems.
  • Opteron prices reflect AMD confidence - The Opteron 240 will run at 1.4GHz and cost around $340 in volume quantities, said sources, while the Opteron 242 and 244 will run at, respectively, 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz and cost around $800 and $900.
  • Nokia 3650 Review  - The Nokia 3650 (homepage) ($300 street), a high-style, high-speed data phone with integrated Bluetooth, blurs the line between feature-rich phones and PDA/phone combos. The 3650, which functions primarily as a phone and camera, is based on the Symbian operating system.
  • ABit NF7-S Version 2.0 Reviewed And Compared - Techseekers.net takes a look at 3 versions of the NF7-S. V1.0, V1.2 and V2.0 of the nForce2 mainboard.
  • How to install Media Center Update Beta1 on WinXP Home - Enjoy this guide, if you're doing exactly, there shouldn't be any error.
  • phpMyAdmin 2.5.0 RC1 - phpMyAdmin (changelog) can manage a whole MySQL-server (needs a super-user) but also a single database. To accomplish the latter you'll need a properly set up MySQL-user who can read/write only the desired database.
  • SecureCRT 4.0.6 - SecureCRT (download) gives you an encrypted SSH session with both SSH1 and SSH2t servers. SSH security goes far beyond the basic secure logon, rerouting data or local applications using TCP/IP ports through an encrypted channel. The VCP utility secures file transfers using SFTP.
  • DivX 5.0.4 (Schizo) Final  - DivX (changelog ~ Free ~ ProAdware ~ Pro) is a package 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.
  • WinAmp v2.91 - Nullsoft Winamp (full ~ standard ~ lite)  is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity music player for Windows. Winamp supports MP3, CD, Audiosoft, Audio Explosion, MOD, WAV and other audio formats, custom appearances called skins, plus audio visualization and audio effect plug-ins. Version 3 includes many additional features including free-form skins, a new decoder, built-in cross fade, and an advanced Media Library.
  • Fresh Download 5.60 - Fresh Download (download) is an easy-to-use and very fast download manager software that turbo charges downloading files from the Internet, such as your favorite software, mp3 files, video files, picture collections, etc. Unlike any other similar utilities, this software is 100% free, no charges, no banners in the software, no spyware.
  • VideoLAN 0.5.3 - VideoLAN plays lots of video formats, even without the proper codecs installed.
  • Zoom Player 3.00 RC3 - 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.
  • StyleXP v1.01o -  The software facility TGTSoft just released a new version "1.01o" of their product StyleXP. Style XP is theming software that helps customize the way your XP system looks. Style XP can manage and rotate themes, visual styles, backgrounds, and logons.
  • Rage3D Tweak v3.8c - Rage3D Tweak v3.8c now supports Radeon 9600 series cards. That is pretty much the only significant update from v3.8, but there will be some larger updates coming out in the near future.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,17 2003 - tech
Morning Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:59 PM CEST - Apr,17 2003 - Post a comment / read (3)
  • Carmack On Doom III - David Kushner over at Wired has a write-up on the progress of Doom III, hinting at a possible fall release, that is unless Microsoft convinces id to sit on the game until an Xbox version is completed. Though the article doesn't reveal that much new info about the game, and mostly deals with John Carmack's engine work, it's still worth checking out.
  • Will Genetic Engineering Kill Us?  - Bioethicists and scientists contemplating the future fear that genetic engineering and other technologies are going to divide human beings into classes that may one day try to destroy one another. ~ Good article especially to anyone who liked GATACA film.
  • Intel speeds up Pentium 4-M, Celerons  - The chipmaker on Wednesday launched a new 2.5GHz Pentium 4-M processor and two new Celerons running at 2.2GHz and 1.26GHz, respectively. The chips address several categories of notebook PCs and are the latest mobile processors from Intel since its new Pentium M debuted in March.  Gateway is among the first PC makers to adopt one of the chips. The Poway, Calif., company's new 600XL computer incorporates the 2.5GHz Pentium 4-M and sports a 15.7-inch screen and a DVD burner for a starting price of $2,499.
  • Intel and AMD cut prices - Intel and AMD have officially cut prices for their processors. Intel is to make 3GHz Pentium 4 with 400/533MHz FSB cost $401. After 2.8 and 2.6 GHz processors with 800MHz FSB are available, prices for 533MHz FSB chips are to go down as well. AMD plans to cut prices for Athlon XP 2000+ to Athlon XP 3000+, as 64-bit Opterons should be announced on April 22. Athlon XP 3000+ price will suffer the biggest, over 30% cut. (thanks DigiTimes)
  • Matrox to announce two new graphic cards - Matrox sends word that they'll announce two new professional graphic cards on April 23. The two new cards:  Matrox Millennium P650: DualHead solution, AGP 8X, 64MB  and Matrox Millennium P750: TripleHead solution, AGP 8X, 64MB.
  • Nokia camera sends a cell message - The Observation Camera will launch in July, executives for the Finnish phone giant said Tuesday. The sub-$500 device is among the first to use so-called machine-to-machine (M2M) technology, which lets machines use cellular telephone networks to communicate with computer systems or other machines.
  • Power Flaw Found in Sony Digicam - Sony has begun offering free check-ups and repair, where applicable, to owners of its DSC-P1 digital still camera after the company received a number of complaints regarding the battery life of the camera.
  • Burning Question For DVD: Which Format? - Yahoo News! has published a new article on the subject.
  • Samsung Adds WOW to New MP3 Player - Samsung Electronics has unveiled what it expects to be its most popular flash-memory based digital music player for 2003. The YP-55 will be available in two versions, one with 128MB of memory and one with 256MB of memory, and is the first MP3 player to include SRS Labs' WOW surround sound simulation technology, according to the company. The player also includes an FM radio and has a real-time encoding function that enables users to record both radio and audio from an external device, such as CD player or microphone, connected via a mini jack. There is a USB 1.1 socket to connect to a personal computer. A single AAA battery provides power for the device and should last through around 15 hours of playback, said Samsung.
  • Benq mini portable 6024DP DVD-ROM / DVD Player (DVD Gem) - The BenQ mini portable 6024DP DVD-ROM/DVD player (DVD Gem) is a great little 3-in-1 external drive. Small in size, but big in features it is truly a multi-faceted device - a DVD player, MP3 player and external DVD-ROM all in one mini-sized BenQ DVD player.
  • Crucial PC2700 DDR SDRAM DIMM Review - Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted the updated definitive review of the Crucial PC2700 DDR SDRAM DIMM. "Ever watched a PC2700 DDR SDRAM DIMM go 412MHz? You might, if you have a Crucial PC2700 DDR SDRAM DIMM! Check out our definitive review of this amazing memory module!"
  • P4 with 200 MHz Quad FSB & i875P Dual DDR400 Review - With its 875/ Canterwood, Intel increases its bandwidth to 6.4 GB/s through Dual DDR400. The Pentium 4 takes off with 200 MHz Quad-FSB and declasses Rambus to the lower ranks. Serial ATA is now integrated on the ICH5, and Gigabit LAN has migrated to the Northbridge.
  • Hercules 3DProphet Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB Review - Hercules definitely knows what the gamers and hardware enthusiasts really want and designed their 3DProphet Radeon 9800 Pro card with great cooling concept with nice copper ram sinks to cool more effectively, a nice blue LED on the cooler together with a cool blue PCB that will really enhance the overall effect. This card comes with excellent bundle as well as with all the converters, video cables and a Rainbow Six 3 Full Game for video enthusiasts and gamers.
  • The new 8x, 12x and 16x Anti-Aliasing on GeForceFX - 8xS anti-aliasing is the only mode that really exceeds the quality achieved with 4xS and it's the only mode that can compete with ATi's 6x anti-aliasing. Strangely enough nVidia's Detonator control panel only exposes this mode for OpenGL, and offers a clearly inferior 8x mode for Direct3D. A tweaking tool like aTuner is absolutely required to get the better one of the two 8x modes for Direct3D, at least at the moment.
  • How to cook a GF FX 5800 Ultra? - To make a GeForce FX 5800 Ultra card suffer great pain, apart from Detonators 43.45 (we will test other versions of Detonators during the night) you need a 3D screensaver. Even the OpenGL screensavers like Pipes that come with Windows are OK, but for some serious "firepower" (to make the card extra hot in no time) you need a screensaver like Matrix. Set up the screensaver to turn on itself after 1 minute, so you don't have to wait too long. After the screensaver starts, you'll hear the fan on the GF FX 5800 Ultra start spinning. Just wait around 5-10 secs and you'll hear the fan stop! The 3D screensaver will continue playing on the screen, and after some time (depending on the screensaver) you'll start seeing artifacts, or in the case of DiveVisions, the screen will look like the monitor was having some interference from a strong magnetic source. You can leave the screensaver running as long as you feel its safe, but don't overdo it. We tried this around 10 times and were cautious enough not to let it run to long, as the temperature on the card, according to the drivers, reached 95-100C. TRY ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK!
  • Get the Most from Your Software - PCMagazine put together this collection of top secrets and tips for the latest versions of more than 20 popular software applications, from adobe acrobat to wordperfect.
  • Office 2000 SR-1 registration bug strikes corporates - Microsoft has confirmed reports that Windows 2000 PCs running a specific version of Office 2000 have been hit by sudden, unexpected requests to continually register the software with Microsoft.  The glitch could leave thousands of Office users unable to continue using their software.
  • WinXP/2k Patch: Buffer Overrun in Windows Kernel Message Handling could Lead to Elevated Privileges -  If you restrict access between different users of your computer, you should install this update. If you are the only person who uses your computer, or if you do not use passwords or other measures to limit access to accounts on your computer, it is not important that you install this update (WinXP patch ~ Win2k patch).
  • Windows Messenger For Windows XP 4.7.2009 - Microsoft silently updated the build of Windows messenger for Windows XP to 4.7.2009.
  •  DVDXCopy v1.5.2 - 321 Studios has released a new version of their DVDXCopy software.
  • CyberLink PowerDVD patches - Dell released 2 patches for the CyberLink PowerDVD software. The patch versions are : CyberLink PowerDvd patch v4.0c.09 and CyberLink PowerDvd patch v4.0.09. This CyberLink PowerDVD v4.0c.09 patch should be used only when the Altec Lansing 995 speaker is used. If you dont use them or dont have those speakers then just use this patch : CyberLink PowerDVD patch v4.0.09.
  • HyperSnap-DX 5.10.01 - HyperSnap-DX (download) is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. It captures screens from standard desktop programs and even those hard-to-grab DirectX, Direct3D, 3Dfx, 3dfx, Voodoo and Glide mode games.
  • Style XP 1.0.1o - Style XP allows you to easily add new visual styles or themes to Windows XP. It is not a skinning engine. It uses Microsoft's built-in visual style engine, but enhances it by providing many useful tools. It can import, select, rotate, and manage Themes, Visual Styles, Wallpaper, and Logons.
  • Matrox Parhelia Drivers v1.04.00.078 - Matrox has released a new driver set for Parhelia 128 and 256Mbyte versions only. The driver is valid for Windows 2k/XP. This driver significantly improves 2D peformance.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,16 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:36 AM CEST - Apr,16 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Aussie court crackers on crackers - Lawyers and security firms have condemned a decision by an Australian court to release without punishment a man who admitted to breaking into ISP OptusNet's network. Stephen Craig Dendtler, 22, of Bankstown, New South Wales, escaped either a conviction or fine last week even though he admitted gaining access to thousands of sensitive customer details through a back door in OptusNet's network.
  • Xbox modded - without a mod chip - Following on from the news that it's possible to run unsigned applications on the Xbox by using a loophole in EA's Agent Under Fire, crackers have discovered how to mod the system without a physical modchip. The new system breaks open the Xbox for running third-party applications (including the Linux operating system) or pirated games just as effectively as standard mod chips, but the only physical alteration needed to the box is a very minor soldering task to link up two jumper points on the system board. This then allows the user to flash the original BIOS chip on the Xbox itself - rather than installing a replacement BIOS to bypass the original chip, as most Xbox mod chips do.
  • QCast Tuner Software for PS2  - QCast Tuner software turns the Sony PlayStation 2 into an even more indispensable home entertainment device. Now it's a powerful digital media player capable of decoding and playing digital media files on your television.
  • China develops own DVD technology - China has developed their own DVD technology according to an article on Eastday.com. The Chinese have developed their own Optical Head, which is a key component for DVD players. The technology has been patented by the Chinese and makes sure that the Chinese manufactures can now use their own Optical Head instead of importing them from other countries.
  • Novell unveils Netware 6.5  - Novell has unveiled the latest version of its Netware operating system, including new open source, business continuity and application development elements.  Netware 6.5, previously code-named Nakoma, is due this summer. As revealed last week, it includes open source technologies Apache, MySQL, Perl, PHP and Tomcat.
  • [Space] Delay to US Mars mission - The US space agency Nasa has been forced to delay the launch of the first of the two rovers it is sending to Mars this summer. The take-off has been put back by a week or so to allow electrical repairs to be made to the identical rovers. The rover will act as a 'robot geologist'. Pre-launch tests at the weekend raised concerns that they might be vulnerable to a computer glitch.
  • [Space] Parallel Universes - One of the many implications of recent cosmological observations is that the concept of parallel universes is no mere metaphor. Space appears to be infinite in size. If so, then somewhere out there, everything that is possible becomes real, no matter how improbable it is. Beyond the range of our telescopes are other regions of space that are identical to ours. Those regions are a type of parallel universe. Scientists can even calculate how distant these universes are, on average.
  • Nvidia NV35 Specs Leaked - Uttar made a post on NVNews.com forums revealing the full NV35 feature list: CineFX ( TM ) Shading Architecture / Support for the Microsoft DirectXR 9.0 Pixel Shader 2.0 / Support for the DirectX 9.0 Vertex Shader 2.0 / Long pixel programs up to 1,024 instructions / Long vertex programs up to 256 static instructions with up to 65,536 instructions executed / Dynamic, conditional execution and flow control / 256-bit advanced memory interface combines a wider memory data path with next generation controller technology for superior performance and throughput / Full 128-bit, studio-quality floating point precision through the entire rendering pipeline with native hardware support for 32 bpp, 64 bpp and 128 bpp rendering modes  / Accelerated pixel shaders allow for up to 12 pixel shader operations/clock
  • Plextor drive crams more data on a CD - Plextor has announced a new CD-rewritable drive that can squeeze 40 percent more data into standard blank discs. The Plextor Premium can pack in 980MB of data into a 700MB (80-minute) disc and 1.2GB into an 880MB (99-minute) disc, according to the CD gear maker. The GigaRec option in the bundled PlexTools software, working with the drive's hardware, can accomplish this. Compression is achieved by burning smaller-than-normal pits or holes into the surface of a blank disc--up to 40 percent smaller, thus allowing it to pack in 40 percent more data, according to enthusiast sites.
  • Gainward GeForce FX 5800 Ultra Review - It's late, gets too hot, makes too much noise, and is pricey. On top of that it has worse image quality than it's predecessor (and the competitors) and doesn't by far reach ATi's level. And in many cases, even the six months old Radeon 9700 Pro takes the cake! In short; nVidia has failed. What haunts us the most with the GeForce FX is that it kind of feels like a boosted GeForce4 Ti. What we heard, now almost a year ago, was that GeForce FX was going to be.
  • Leadtek Winfast A300 Ultra TD MyVIVO Review - The Leadtek 5800 Ultra will be in very limited supply. The MSRP for the card is $439.00 US Dollars and I am pretty sure you will not find it discounted. Leadtek has once again proved that they innovate. Their WinFast Twin Turbo II cooling solution on the A300 is likely enough to get me to choose the A300 over other models out there, especially if you're into cases with windows. The Twin Turbo II cooling is much quieter than the FX Flow that I have heard. They also include a nice bundle of software and cables. Leadtek's take on VIVO (MyVIVO) is also second to none.
  • Roxio PhotoSuite 5 Platinum Review - The new Roxio PhotoSuite 5 Platinum is an ambitious upgrade to the popular photo-editing-and-more program, delivering entry-level image-editing tools, project templates, cataloging capabilities, and even CD burning. It's a good choice for digital camera novices looking to put their images to use, though the workflow among the tasks could be more streamlined.
  • The 3DMark Tuning Guide - Part #1 - Systemcooling's Howard Weitzel has published part #1 of his The 3DMark Tuning Guide.
  • Solid Edge V12 Benchmark - The new benchmark runs on Microsoft Windows NT/2000 and Windows XP. The latest version increases the graphics and CPU workloads without requiring additional memory. EDS PLM Solutions nearly doubled the number of files in the well-head assembly model, and increased the triangle count from 1.3 to 3.8 million. The CPU tests now include a re-compute for a part with 500 features and a mass property calculation.
  • PowerStrip 3.40.384 Beta - PowerStrip 3.40 provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest SiS Xabre and Radeon 9800.
  • Kazaa Lite K++ 2.1.0 Build 2 Final - Kazaa Lite K++ 2.1.0 build 2 Final is released.
  • Intel Application Accelerator v3.0 RAID Edition - Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition provides support for Serial ATA RAID 0 on select Intel 875 chipset-based platforms on WindowsXP.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,15 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 03:52 AM CEST - Apr,15 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • Fantasy games 'not for geeks' - Dr Davies is one of 400,000 people worldwide who play the online computer game EverQuest, a fantasy world where people assume new identities and roam in a virtual environment.  Now he has combined his two passions - psychology and role-playing - to shatter many illusions about online gamers. With two colleagues at Nottingham Trent University, he has co-authored a study into people who play games online. The findings dismiss the stereotype of a pimple-faced teenager locked in his bedroom. Instead, today's player is just as likely to be a well-paid professional - male or female - aged in their 40s.
  • MS maps secure, spam-free Windows - Microsoft on Monday will detail a future version of Windows that will make it easier to detect and isolate viruses.  The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant will also show off new features in Microsoft Word 2003 and Exchange 2003 for fingering viruses and spam during this week's RSA Conference 2003 in San Francisco.  The Windows Filter Manager Architecture is a set of application protocol interfaces (APIs) and code that will be added to Windows to handle some of the basic operational tasks of antivirus applications, such as how the application sets up an ordinary hard drive scan, according to Jonathan Perera, senior director of Microsoft's security business unit. In a sense, Filter Manager is analogous to printer drivers, he said. In the past, printer makers did their own drivers. Now, they write to a common set of APIs.
  • [Science]  Mapping of human genome completed  - Scientists have completed work on mapping the human genome, the six governments coordinating the project have announced.
  • [Science] Tiny bubbles are key to liquid-cooled system for future computers - Researchers have made a discovery that may lead to the development of an innovative liquid-cooling system for future computer chips, which are expected to generate four times more heat than today's chips. Researchers had thought that bubbles might block the circulation of liquid forced to flow through "microchannels" only three times the width of a human hair.
  • Linux-based Internet/DVD set-top box Announced - Video Without Boundaries Inc has announced a new Linux-based set-top box. The VWB-3000 "MediaReady Internet/DVD Player" combines the functions of DVD player and Intenet access. The devices also includes a TV tuner, wireless keyboard and is based on a Pentium 266. It has 64 MB Flash storage and 128 MB RAM. The software is based on Linux kernel 2.4.
  • Intel officially unveils 800MHZ FSB, i875P chipset - Intel has announced its '800MHz' frontside bus, along with Pentium 4 chips and chipsets to go with it, as expected. So, we have a 3GHz Pentium 4 that incorporates HyperThreading and the i875P chipset (formerly known as Canterwood), comprising the 82875P North Bridge and the ICH5 South Bridge. The i875P brings in dual-channel DDR 400 support to deliver the same 6.4GBps throughput that the '800MHz' FSB provides. The bus actually operates at 200MHz, but data is 'quad-pumped', quadrupling the volume of data transmitted per clock cycle.
  • Intel Stops Shipments of New Chip - Shipments of Intel's new 3-GHz Pentium 4 processor have been halted Monday due to the discovery of an "anomaly," according to an Intel spokesperson. The new chip, which was announced Monday, was placed on what Intel called "ship hold" because the company detected a problem in "a very small number of the 3-GHz chips," said George Alfs, an Intel spokesperson. The new 875P chipset, with support for a 800-MHz front-side bus, is unaffected by the anomaly, he said.
  • Plextor Announces Plextor Premium 52x/32x/52x CDRW - Plextor, one of the leading companies for the development and production of CD-ROM drives, CD-Recorders, CD-ReWriters and media is expanding its range with the PlexWriter Premium, which writes CD's at 52-speed, rewrites at 32-speed and reads at 52-speed.
  • Intel i875P Canterwood review - Hexus.net has posted a new review Intel i875P Canterwood: "The Canterwood, in summary, gives the P4 a definitive performance advantage of its arch-rival. It's also both faster and more feature rich than the present Granite-Bay motherboard. High performance has never been so easy to obtain, albeit at some cost. The pricing of retail Canterwood boards isn't yet known, but we hope that with 4-layer construction the price isn't on the wrong side of Ł150. Expect them to ship soon, as should a number of 200FSB P4s." Another review can be found at Accelanation, MBReview
  • Intel's 3-GHz P4 and 875P Chip Set Tests - Intel's new 875P chip set provides Pentium 4 desktops with an 800-MHz frontside bus and dual-channel DDR-400 SDRAM main memory. Previously, high-end P4 systems used a 533-MHz frontside bus and RDRAM memory. However, PC World Labs tests of three of the first new systems show little performance gain in most cases, save some very demanding applications like AutoCAD.
  • Intel Pentium 4 3GHz w/ 800MHz FSB Review - Intel's new Pentium 4 3GHz with 800MHz System Bus takes flight tonight at HotHardware, along with the all new Canterwood chipset! Dual DDR400, AGP8X, SATA150 and RAID... sweetness.
  • ATI Remote Wonder - The remote software allows you to use all the features included and have some bonus characteristics. For one, all the ATI multimedia functions, there is a quick open button on the remote and if there is an application that you would like the remote to open, you can program one of the six buttons pictured above to open the program for you.
  • Opteron Special Coverage - AMDBoard informed us they have these sections up: Opteron Live News,  Opteron Fact, FAQ and Links, Opteron Motherboards (socket 940),  Opteron Chipsets(secrets), Opteron Integrators, Opteron Cooling.
  • UV Reactive Fans Review - As computer modding becomes more and more recognized; many advancements have evolved such as the beige case evolving into an orange case with a window on the side. Even fans have evolved from the old loud black fan to the new super quiet, different color, UV Reactive, LED fans.
  • LG GMA-4020B Super-Multi DVD-R/RW/RAM review - CDRlabs have tested the LG GMA-4020B DVD recorder. This drive is able to record CDs and DVD-R/DVD-RW and DVD-RAM discs. DVD discs are written with a maximum speed of 2x and CDs at 12x. CDs are read at a maximum of 32x and DVD discs at a maximum of 10 speed.
  • Plextor PX-504A (DVD+RW) review - Besides 4x DVD+R recording the Plextor PX-504A also supports 2.4x DVD+RW recording, 16x CD-R recording and 10x CD-RW re-writing speeds. Reading of DVD-ROM media is done at 12x maximum while normal CDs can be read at a maximum speed of 40x. In this review we'll see what these speeds mean in real terms and if the PX-504A drive can life up to the standards we've come to expect from Plextor...
  • AquaMark 3 Interview - Game2xs.com has posted an interview with Massive Development's Technical Director Ingo Frick as he talks about their benchmarking utility, Aquamark 3.
  • PKZip Plaintext Attack Using Pkcrack (Step by Step)  - We found on one of our backup CDs an old password protected zip archive, containing several important documents. Since the password for this file were long forgotten, we used ElcomSoft's excellent recovery tool (azpr) to brute force the password for up to 7 characters. After seeing we were facing 50 days of brute forcing, we decided to give known-plaintext attack a shot. Here's what happened.
  • Guide to Video Capture and Editing Part 2 (final) - ExtremeMhz has posted the second part of their  Extreme Guide to: Video Capture & Editing. This second part will show you how to encode videos to various formats and burn them on to CD's as standard VCD, SVCD and DVD. This will also cover Divx file playing and encoding.
  • Adding the DirectX 9.0 OPK to the Windows XP Professional w/ SP1 OPK - You need OPK versions of XP and DirectX to do this. Check this guide.
  • The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide Revision 7.6 -  Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted the new revision 7.6 BIOS Optimization Guide with 10 new or updated BIOS options. Covering a total of 190 BIOS options, this is the most comprehensive guide to BIOS tweaking... until the next revision, that is. :) Here is the list of new or updated BIOS options : Auto Turn Off PCI Clock Pin, Boot To OS/2, CPU Hyper-Threading, DBI Output For AGP Trans, Disable Unused PCI Clock, Hyper-Threading Technology, Primary Graphics Adapter, Delayed Transaction, PCI 2.1 Compliance, PCI Delay Transaction.
  • FireWire Networking Review - Voided Warranty has reviewed FireWire networking: "I was looking for an alternative to the standard 10/100 ethernet networking that would provide a substantial speed increase and would offer some added security to my network. I do a lot of video editing and transferring of large files across the network and figured that a FireWire network would fit the bill."
  • [Xbox] UnOfficial Visual Boy Advance X v0.21 - HIkaru has released a new version of his Game Boy Advance Emulator for Xbox.
  • Java for the GBA  - The aJile Systems JAMiD JAM-ID100C cartridge will turn your GBA or GBA SP system into a jammin' Java interactive gaming machine capable of playing those free Java games popping up all over the Internet. Based on Sun Microsystem's J2ME Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP), the JAMiD accelerated Java platform will run MIDP 1.0/2.0 games and other multimedia MIDlets.
  • Cell Phones: Lemonade Tycoon goes BREW - Airborne Entertainment today announced that it is bringing the hit Pocket PC game Lemonade Tycoon to Qualcomm's Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) platform. Lemonade Tycoon is the first in a series of premium branded titles Airborne plans to bring to BREW operators in the coming months. Lemonade Tycoon is a business simulation game where players must flex their entrepreneurial muscles and turn a sidewalk lemonade stand into a global mega-corporation. (thanks InfosyncWorld)
  • CloneDVD has been released but... - On CloneDVD.net we can read that CloneDVD has been released. And although many people might be happy with this news, it is not the CloneDVD where many of you have been waiting for. Many people are waiting for the release of CloneDVD from Elby, the company that is also behind CloneCD. However it seems that Elby wasn't quick enough with their domain registration....(thanks CDFreaks.com)
  • Visual Boy Advance v1.5 - 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
  • Zoom Player v3.00 RC2 - This new version contains a lot of tweaks, fixes and improvements. For the full change list since v2.90 open up the whatsnew.txt file that comes within the archive.
  • ZVolume Pro 3.44 - ZVolume Pro is a nice, powerful replacement to the standard Windows Volume Control. It can be vastly customized, including changing its look using skins. ZVolume Pro supports hotkeys and command-line parameters as well as all other functions the standard Windows Volume Control supports.
  • Defragmenter Pro Plus released  - Defragmenter Pro Plus (download) is a utility to automate the necessary steps for an efficient and problem-free disk defrag.
  • WinOnCD 6.0 SP1a -WinOnCD 6.01 is a maintenance release of WinOnCD 6. It also contains changes made in FixPack 1. This update features Multisession for DVD media formats, support for Plextor VariRec, DiscT@2 preview  and many improvements / bugfixes.
  • Intel Chipset Installation Utility 5.00.1012 - Intel has released an updated chipset installation utility 5.00.1012 which has support the Intel 82875P.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,13 2003 - tech
Sunday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 08:11 PM CEST - Apr,13 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Nintendo to Give Away 'Zelda' with GameCube - Struggling Japanese games company Nintendo Co. Ltd, having fallen well short of its sales goals for the GameCube video game console, said on Friday it will give away one of its most important games for free with the purchase of the hardware. Nintendo, which has been offering a free game from a small selection with the purchase of the $149.95 GameCube for a few months, said it will add "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker" to the giveaway pool as of May 4 and continuing through July.
  • Final Fantasy XI Public Beta Test - Square USA has updated its website with this announcement: "Welcome to the application for the PlayOnline, Tetra Master, and FINAL FANTASY XI Public Beta test. The goal of this Public Beta process is to test connectivity to the PlayOnline network as well as give a few lucky players a sneak peak at the FINAL FANTASY XI and the PlayOnline network. To be considered for participation in the Public Beta test program, you must completely fill out and submit the online application form below."
  • WEIRD:  Sex life of worms reveals Chernobyl effect - Worms contaminated by radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident have started having sex with each other instead of on their own. According to Ukrainian scientists, they may have changed their sexual behaviour to increase their chances of survival. It is one of the first pieces of direct evidence on how wildlife is affected by radioactive pollution.
  • AMD releases Opteron chips and prices through distribution - According to TheInquirer, Quantities of AMDs Opteron microprocessors have already become available through large US distributors for system integrators to buy, a week ahead of the official launch on the 22nd of April.
    Reliable sources tell the INQUIRER that both Bell and Avnet say chips are in stock with prices for the parts, in trays, available too. It appears that AMD will also offer boxed Opteron server microprocessors through its channel distributors as well. The distributor price for the Model 240 is $275, for the 242 $670, but the 244 won't be available through the channel until May. The OSA240BOX system, which AMD calls a "processor in a box", will cost $295, while the OSA242BOX will cost $690.
  • IBM Plans Sneak Attack On Microsoft Office - IBM, not exactly a powerhouse in desktop applications, has its own attack on the desktop planned for later this year. IBM Software and its Lotus Software Group have built J2EE-based spreadsheet, document and presentation graphics "applications" that will be bundled for free with the company's WebSphere portal, sources said.
  • Radeon 9800 Pro Boxshots - GZEasy has posted some boxshots of various Radeon 9800 Pro boxes including Powercolor, FIC and Sapphire.
  • Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160GB S-ATA Drive Review - VR-Zone saw the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160gb Serial ATA Hard Drive actually score up to 30% faster than the Seagate Barracuda V 120gb Serial ATA Hard Drive, essentially killing it in every benchmark except for HD Tach 2.61's minimum read speed benchmark.
  • Zonet Wireless USB Network Adapter  - Wireless networking might not seem like the most invigorating subject for a review, but its usefulness knows no bounds. When I decided Id rather be writing reviews in the garden during this fine spring, I set about looking at the various options open to me. The first and most obvious is to connect your modem to a wireless router and then have a PCI / PCMCIA daughter card which connects to said router. Due to the high cost of such a setup however, I decided to look into getting a more affordable peer to peer setup.
  • Mobile Athlon XP with Geforce4 Go420 and VIA KT266A - Tom's Hardware Guide has posted a review on the Sony Vaio NVR-23 notebook.  
  • Some more GeForce FX 5200 Go and Mobility 9200 numbers - Gamer's Depot has posted some benchmarks of the GeForce FX 5200 Go and Mobility 9200.
  • How to change a PSU fan - There is a beginner's guide to changing out a fan in a Power Supply Unit.
  • OpenOffice.org 1.0.3  - OpenOffice.org 1.0.3 (release notes) incorporates bugfixes and represents a micro enhancement. No new features are included. For new features, such as save to PDF, SWF, or RTL (right-to-left), and CTL, please download the stable beta.
  • WINner Tweak 1.3.2 - Freeware software for tweaking, optimizing, tuning Windows NT/2000/XP. With WINner Tweak you can easy increase performance and manage your system using utilities such as WINner Tweak Disk Cleaner and WINner Tweak Startup Manager.
  • PC Accelerator 4.5 - PCXL helps you optimize your computer to increase system performance. Improve Internet performance, and web security. Provide convenient tools to tune up and ease your computer use. PCXL also provides special security features to protect your system. Available in Standard, Deluxe, and Extreme versions.
  • DivX Player 2.1 - DivX has released the new DivX player with added fullstream support. DivX player 2.1 is bundled with the current DivX 5.03 bundle packages.
  • Nvidia Detonators 43.51 for Win2k/XP - Guru3D have got their hands on a new set of Nvidia Detonator Drivers 43.51 for Windows 2000/XP. The archive's files are dated 2 April 2003 which makes this the newest set available. Furthermore all nVIDIA graphics cards to date are compatible with these drivers which includes the new GeForceFX 5200, 5600 and 5800 series.
  • TV Wonder drivers and MMC   - ATI has released new TV Wonder drivers version 1.11 (WinXP ~ Win2k ~ WinME/9x), as well as a new version of the ATI Multimedia Center (version 7.9).
  • Logitech MouseWare 9.76 Build 046 - This is an automated self-installer of Logitech MouseWare. This release (03/26/2003) of MouseWare features support for Windows XP. For your convenience, Logitech has localized versions of this software.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,11 2003 - tech
Friday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 11:58 PM CEST - Apr,11 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Ethics and Video Game Reviews - Online Journalism has poted an interesting article on video game reviewers and the ethics of such a position.
  • Smart credit on UK cards. Will it cut fraud? - UK banks, building societies and retailers are to introduce a more secure method of authorising credit card payments. Designed to combat fraud, the Chip and PIN Programme will see the magnetic stripes on credit and debit cards replaced with smart chips. The huge project will see more than 850,000 retailer terminals, 122 million cards and 40,000 cash machines upgraded by 2005. To help combat credit card fraud in the future, consumers will verify their purchases by keying in a four-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) - rather than signing a receipt.
  • VIA unveils KM400 chipset for AMD platform - VIA Technologies on April 10 introduced its latest chipset, the KM400, for the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) platform market.
  • Western Digital announces 250Gb USB/FireWire hard drive  - Western Digital has again pleased users by releasing a special model of its external FireWire/USB2.0 hard drives - 250Gb in capacity. Similar to the previous 200Gb model, this one features 8Mb cache and 7200rpm speed. Besides, the drive is encased into a stylish body.
  • Intel to announce Canterwood on April 15 - According to InfoWorld, Intel might officially announce i875 chipset (Canterwood) next week. So, the company scheduled a conference in Taipei to April 15 to announce the chipset alongside 3GHz Pentium4 with 800MHz FSB.  So, 875 will be the first chipset to support 800MHz FSB. The second, Springdale, should be announced in May. Besides 800MHz FSB Springdale will feature 1Gbps Ethernet adapter.
    Intel Speeds Ultra Wideband  - Intel demonstrated a prototype Ultra Wideband radio system transmitting data at over 220 megabits per second on Friday, and claimed a world-first for the speed. The prototype was demonstrated by Kevin Kahn, head of Intel's communications and interconnect technology laboratory, as part of his keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum Japan event, which ended Friday at Maihama just outside Tokyo. The transmitter and receiver pair, which Kahn said were just out of the laboratory, achieved a sustained data rate of around 220 Mbps over a distance of about one meter for approximately 2 hours while on display on the IDF Japan stage.
  • Video Capture & Editing -  This extreme guide will cover mostly everything from video capture to encoding in your favorite format. We will share with you some of the best hardware capture devices and software tools available today.
  • Gainward FX Powerpack Ultra/1000 Golden Sample (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5800 Ultra) & Gainward FX Powerpack Pro/660 TV/DVI (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200) Video Cards Review - Today we are testing two cards: the top solution in the GeForce FX line - 5800 Ultra, and the lowest one - 5200. The former is meant for $350+ niche while the latter is positioned for the sub-$100 market sector. Both accelerators differ only in the speed characteristics (GeForce FX 5200 has only one restriction in AA - 4xS, in contrast to 8xS of 5800).
  • cd3o c300 Network MP3 Player Review - Six months ago, cd3o's media hub would have been a breathtaking product with a couple of quirks. Now, the cd3o c300 Network MP3 Player ($249 direct), which transports MP3, WMA, and WAV files from your PC to your stereo receiver, may get lost in the buzz about products from better-known names like Hewlett-Packard.
  • DVD Shrink 1.03 - DVD Shrink is software to backup DVD disks. You can use this software in conjunction with DVD burning software of your choice, to make a backup copy of any DVD video disk.
  • Official Logitech MouseWare Advanced Utility - This utility is designed to work with MouseWare 9.76 or above. Please verify you are using MouseWare 9.76 before downloading and using this utility.
  • Intel Hyperthreading Readiness Tool 1.2 - MSI Computer is offering an Intel tool that tests your computer hardware including CPU, motherboard, RAM and PCI devices for Hyperthreading support. It reads PCI registers as well as BIOS and CPU ID's and compare's them to Intel HT specifications.
  • TVTool Beta 7.0.2 - TVTool was developed to replace the poor support video card manufacturers had for TV-Out.
  • DivX Pro 5.0.4 Schizo Beta 4 - The DivX Schizo beta (download) release is a bug fix release for DivX 5.0.3, and includes the first version of the EKG (Electrokompressiongraph) application, a new gadget from the R&D labs of DARC. The EKG enables an advanced video compressionist to reallocate data to specific scenes within a video clip. This new beta fixes K6-2 CPU related crash, and many other bugs.
  • ACDSee 5.01 Leaked? - ACDSee 5.01 (direct link) digital camera software makes it easy to get, view, organize, print, enhance and share your digital photos super fast. Whether you're a digital photography beginner or a graphics professional, the picture viewer of choice for millions of people will make your digital photography experience more rewarding. The official ACDSee website still offers only 5.0.
  • Tweak-XP Pro 2.09 - Tweak-XP Pro bundles more than 42 different utilities in one: it was developed to combine both tweaking and optimizing features to increase the speed of your WindowsR XP system.
  • WinXP Hotfix for LapTops - The Processor Performance State Is Not Restored - The processor performance state may not be restored to the maximum state if the CPU runs at 100 percent. This problem occurs if the computer is 100 percent busy when the power policy changes. This problem may occur if the power policy changes because of an AC/DC transition while the computer is using the "Max Battery" power scheme. When the computer is running at 100 percent CPU usage, the computer never enters the idle loop in which the speed of the CPU is dynamically adjusted based on demand and current policy values. The fix is to set the timer so that Windows changes the speed of the CPU when the timer expires.
  • Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (VM) 5.00.3810 - Fixes a security vulnerability that affects the ByteCode Verifier component of the Microsoft VM. This VM build includes all previously released security fixes, as well as fixing a newly reported security vulnerability that affects the ByteCode Verifier and could allow an attacker to run code of his or her choice on a user's system.
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 04:12 AM CEST - Apr,11 2003 - Post a comment
  • Windows falls open to Java VM threat - The three warnings, all issued on Wednesday, involve the Microsoft Virtual Machine for running Java applets on Windows; a cross-site scripting bug in a component of Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0; and a denial-of-service bug affecting Proxy Server 2.0 and ISA Server.  With the three alerts, Microsoft has issued 12 new warnings so far this year. Late last month the company issued patches for Windows and IIS.
  • Hoaxster hacker discovers infinite-wealth algorithm - Hacker stunt-double and convicted financial fraudster Kim Schmitz (aka Kimble) is up to his old tricks, this time with a package of techno trickery for making a killing in the stock market. To satisfy the dreams of instant fortune common to those who believe in fairy tales, he's devised an "AI-based decision system" for share trading which scientifically "selects the optimal combination of trading strategies for current market conditions". It's called Trendax, "the money-making machine," and it "uses a complex combination of sophisticated technical analysis, real-time content analysis of news feeds, multi-dimensional statistical analysis and advanced proprietary mathematical techniques."
  • Concorde grounded for good - British Airways and Air France made simultaneous announcements that they would be permanently grounding the famous supersonic airliners this year. Passenger numbers have never recovered since the crash near Paris in 2000 and the aircraft no longer makes a profit.
  • Insat-3A pushed in orbit - Indian Space Research Organisation's multi-purpose satellite, INSAT-3A, was successfully placed in a Geosynchronise Transfer Orbit today. The satellite was put in its intended orbit by Ariane-5, 30 minutes after blast-off from Kourou, French Guyana at 4.22 am.
  • Western Digital offers glowing red 250GB hard drive - Western Digital has issued a special edition of its 250GB, 7200rpm, 8MB cache 1394/USB 2.0 external hard drive. The new model ships with a clear case and built-in LED illumination. The $449 Special Edition is available from WD's online store (though it's currently only flagged as a pre-order option), and will in initially be sold through CompUSA's US retail stores.
  • Power-Line Networking Leverages Wireless  - Power-line networking, which lets adapters use regular AC wiring in their home as the network conduit between machines, seemed like it would be pushed aside by cheap 802.11b wireless solutions, just like Wi-Fi helped kill HomeRF. But better second-generation products, lower prices, and a wireless twist may give power-line products a boost this year. For starters, the new crop of power-line Ethernet and USB adapters now typically cost around $100. And speed has nearly doubled since the first-generation products.
  • Plextor PX-504A DVD+R/RW CD-R/RW Review - Monkey Review has mixed feelings when it comes to this drive. On one hand you have an amazing new technology that allows you backup your data on one or two DVD+R s quickly. You also have the ability to create movies to play on a stand alone DVD player so you can watch your movies on the big screen. But, with the DVD+R/+RW standard there comes the pitfall of a more expensive media and a lower compatibility than the DVD-R/-RW standard.
  • FL100 Digital Media Player 256MB - The FL100 is equipped with MP3 / WMA playback capabilities, offers an FM radio receiver, is a voice recorder and a portable storage device with whopping 256MB built in memory all in one. But that's not all yet; the FL100 has powerful navigational features like unlimited folders, a backlit 3 line blue LCD display, USB connectivity, memory expansion capability via MultiMediaCard or SD Card and a whole lot more including a neat software package.  
  • Novell offers free networking software  - Novell is releasing new networking software aimed at small businesses and will make it available for free, the company said on Thursday. Provo, Utah-based Novell said the out-of-the-box software, called the Novell Small Business Suite Starter Pack, includes Web access, collaborative tools, e-mail, and security and management capabilities. The software will be available as a free bundled addition with applications from third-party developers, who are also receiving the product gratis.
  • MPEG-4 Video Comparison - Hardware players with MPEG-4 support are just starting to appear within the consumer marketplace, but this advanced standard has already enjoyed great success within the online community since a wide variety of software codecs and players are now available. All MPEG-4 codecs share a common specification, but the underlying code base can differ greatly among the different implementations. Accordingly, TechIMO is offering a comparison of several popular formats.
  • Matrix Reloaded Trailer - The full theatrical trailer for The Matrix Reloaded was released today. Its in Quicktime, 1000px by 540px, and weighs in at about 96MB. (or smaller DivX from Tiscali Games.
  • Official DivX Player 2.1 - DivX Networks have silently updated the official DivX player 2.1 (direct link) yesterday as part of the current DivX 5.03 bundle packages.
  • Opera Browser 7.10 Final -  Opera (with JAVA ~ w/o JAVA) has been hailed as the fastest browser on earth by users and press worldwide. Opera uses less memory and less space on your hard drive than competing browser applications, making you more productive on the Web.
  • Fresh UI 5.70 - Fresh UI (download) is a fresh solution for configuring and optimizing Windows. Loaded with hundreds of useful hidden settings this software covers the customizing and optimizing techniques that you'll be glad to know.
  • Alcohol 120% 1.4.3.410 - Alcohol 120% (download) is CD/DVD emulation and recording software that allows users to copy discs. Store your most used or important CDs as images on your computer and run them at 200x speed from up to 31 virtual CD or DVD drives. Alcohol is compatible with more than 99% of drives available. It supports the latest image file types including - MDS, CCD, BIN, CUE, ISO, CDI, BWT, BWI, BWS, BWA and many more.
  • Alcohol 52% -  Alcohol Software has now also released a slim version of Alcohol 120%. The version called Alcohol 52%, allows you to install several virtual CD/DVD.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,10 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:43 AM CEST - Apr,10 2003 - Post a comment
  • US mod chip retailer jailed and fined - A US man found guilty of selling mod chips on his website in breach of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act has been sentenced to five months imprisonment and a $28,500 fine. David Rocci, who sold the Enigmah mod chips for the Xbox from the site, Isonews.com (the domain was seized by the US Department of Justice last month, but the site is still operating here), pleaded guilty to breaching the DMCA by selling illegal copyright circumvention devices last December.  His full sentence is five months in prison, five months of home detention, three years of probation and a $28,500 fine - that's L18,355 in real money.
  • Microsoft Tracing Windows Server Code Leak  - Microsoft Corp. said it is tracing a key piece of code from its Windows Server 2003 software that was leaked onto the Internet, triggering concerns about piracy problems ahead of the company's scheduled product release later this month. Reports say the leaked code may be from a Microsoft corporate customer, which could be a subscriber to one of the company's volume-licensing programs. Microsoft would not confirm any details of its ongoing investigation, other than to say its legal department is looking into the source of the leak, which could reportedly work with three different versions of Windows Server 2003.
  • Windows variants set for 64-bit AMD chips - Microsoft will release a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP for AMD's forthcoming Opteron and Athlon64 processors, Microsoft announced Wednesday. Beta releases of the operating systems are expected in the middle of 2003. Most versions of Windows operating systems are written for the 32-bit x86 processor, so Microsoft needed to recode the operating system for Opteron or Athlon64 for IT managers that want to run Windows on computers with either chip.
  • LCD Adds Built-In Scanner - Imagine if personalizing the wallpaper on your computer or cell phone was as simple as holding your favorite photo against the screen, pressing a button, and waiting a few seconds for the image to appear on screen. Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology unveiled a prototype LCD panel Wednesday that does just that. The display with a built-in scanner was on show in Tokyo at the Electronic Display Expo. To make the display, engineers at Toshiba began with a 3.5-inch polysilicon thin film transistor LCD, similar to that found in devices such as consumer camcorders, and added image sensors among the display pixels. The display has a resolution of 320 pixels by 240 pixels (QVGA) and the scanner has a resolution of 960 pixels by 240 pixels, which means it can reproduce images of anything laid flat on its surface, in actual size. Demonstrations at EDEX involved business cards and photographs, and it took around 7 seconds for a scan to be completed.
  • Philips adds streaming to DVD recorder - The semiconductor division of Royal Philips Electronics announced Tuesday that it has enhanced its Nexperia DVD+RW reference design to include a media chip that will aid in the processing of multiple media formats, such as MPEG-4 and DivX, as well as adding the ability to connect to the Internet.
  • Hush Mini-ITX Info & Prices - The Hush Mini-ITX PC is the first of a family of products to be born of this search. "Our research indicated that silence leads to increased productivity, a better working environment, lower cost of ownership and longer shelf-life. It is as much at home in the office or the living room." commented Markus Kremer, General Manager of Hush Technologies."
  • Chieftec Matrix Case Review  - DeviantPC has just posted a review of the new Chieftec Matrix Case.
  • HP PSC 1210 all-in-one Review - Hewlett-Packard says that the HP PSC 1210 all-in-one ($150 street) is the smallest multifunction printer available-an important advantage in the home and student market, where desktop real estate is limited. Best described as a stylish box with a paper tray sticking out of it, the unit has a footprint of only 16.8 by 14.0 inches (WD) and overall measurements, including the paper tray, of 6.7 by 16.8 by 14.0 inches (HWD). With the paper tray pushed in, the depth is 10.2 inches. HP left the automatic document feeder and fax features out of this small device, but managed to shoehorn in a scanner and copier.
  • Fairway Radeon 9000 PRO 64MB Review - ATI's RV250 chipset is a derivative of the R200 -- from the R200's (originally known as the Radeon 8500) configuration of 2 Vertex Shaders (VS) and 4 pixel-pipes with 2 texture units each (commonly known as a 4x2 pixel-pipeline configuration), the RV250 has 1 VS and a 4x1 configuration. The RV250 is clocked at 275/550 (DDR) MHz core/memory.
  • Windows XP Embedded with SP1 Update - This update addresses a potential problem when using system cloning and FBRESEAL.EXE on Windows XP Embedded runtimes. When FBRESEAL.EXE is run on the embedded runtime, certain information can be reset, including domain membership, user-specific information such as start menu items, mounted drives, and network information. This update allows the OEM to decide which sets of information are retained or reset.
  • Security Patch: Flaw In Microsoft VM Could Enable System Compromise - The present Microsoft VM, which includes all previously released fixes to the VM, has been updated to include a fix for the newly reported security vulnerability. This new security vulnerability affects the ByteCode Verifier component of the Microsoft VM, and results because the ByteCode verifier does not correctly check for the presence of certain malicious code when a Java applet is being loaded. The attack vector for this new security issue would likely involve an attacker creating a malicious Java applet and inserting it into a web page that when opened, would exploit the vulnerability. An attacker could then host this malicious web page on a web site, or could send it to a user in e-mail. The updated Microsoft VM is currently only available via WindowsUpdate.
  • HyperSnap-DX 5.10.00 - HyperSnap-DX (download) is a screen capture and image editing tool for MS Windows. It captures screens from standard desktop programs and even those hard-to-grab DirectX, Direct3D, 3Dfx Voodoo and Glide mode games.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,09 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Madness - tech
(hx) 03:19 AM CEST - Apr,09 2003 - Post a comment / read (1)
  • Windows 2003 shows performance boost - Tests of final code show Microsoft's latest operating system is appreciably faster than its predecessor. File serving is an average 20 per cent faster with WS 2003 than with Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and the product's integrated IIS 6.0 Web server shows an 11 per cent improvement over previous versions, as well as better security.
  • Windows key leak threatens mass piracy - A key code for installing Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 has leaked onto the Internet, a loss that could lead to widespread piracy of the software. A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the leak late Monday and said Microsoft was investigating the matter. The code key leak comes more than two weeks before the software's scheduled release on April 24.  The leaked code appears to be from a Microsoft corporate customer subscribing to one of the company's volume-licensing programs, the spokeswoman said. Rumors circulating on enthusiast Web sites, such as Neowin and WinBeta, identified the leak as a 3-in-1 code, meaning that it would work with three different versions of Windows Server 2003.
  • Spyware: It's Lurking on Your Machine - Xupiter is an advertising and marketing program that launches pop-up ads. It adds bookmarks to your browser's menu. And, as Heatherington discovered, it hijacks your browser's home page. More disturbing, to serve ads and sites tailored for you, Xupiter transmits information about your PC and your surfing habits to xupiter.com; hence Heatherington's suspicious traffic.
  • Wired oven keeps food cool - Imagine being able to leave a meal in the fridge for the day but then send a command over the internet to cook it so that it is ready when you get home. The oven can be controlled over the net using power lines. A US company called Tonight's Menu Intelligent Ovens (TMIO) has come up with a refrigerated microwave that can be controlled over the net or by mobile phone.
  • Bullet Time was just the beginning. F/x guru John Gaeta reinvents cinematography with The Matrix Reloaded - check it out! ~ I'm totally pumped to see what they do now.
  • Maya 5 with Quadro FX Smashes Rendering Barrier - Alias Wavefrontt, an SGI company, revealed today an innovative new Hardware rendering capability in its recently announced Maya 5 software. With Maya 5, customers can produce broadcast quality images up to 20 times faster than ever before possible. Now artists can benefit from advances in programmable shading technology to render a range of resolutions and quality, which stand up to even high definition scrutiny.
  • Nvidia to debut NV35 at E3? - Scroll down the page to Nvidia's entry and you'll see it sports a 'First Looks' logo. According to the site, that means "this exhibitor plans on debuting one or more products at their E3booth".  A sign, we wonder, that the company plans to announce its NV35 chip, the follow-up to the NV30, aka GeForce FX 5800, at the show? (thanks TheRegister).
  • ATI Lenghtens Product Cycle To 24 Months - ATI, now with an estimated 19% of the market, and Nvidia, with 32%, are the only major specialized makers of graphics chips to survive. Intel holds a 28% share of the graphics-chips markets, and two smaller rivals own single-digit bites. That has given ATI the leeway to make a surprising decision: On Mar. 31, it confirmed that it will lengthen its product cycle to 24 months.
  • Sony Boosts Blue Laser Storage - Sony has announced development of a blue-laser based optical disc system for data storage and says it should be available by the end of this year. The system, which has yet to be named, is technically similar to the Blu-ray Disc format that was developed by a consortium of nine companies led by Sony, although it is incompatible. The data storage technology was announced Tuesday by Sony and is on display at the AIIM storage and content management conference in New York this week.
  • Pioneer unveils world's first multiple drive professional DVD-Video recorder - Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. strengthens its leadership role in DVD technology with the unveiling of its PRV-LX1 professional DVD-Video recorder at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference 2003 in Las Vegas. Building on the success of the PRV-9000 DVD-Video recorder launched at NAB 2002, the PRV-LX1 is a stand-alone unit with a significantly expanded feature set targeted at professional video users. A base PRV-LX1 is equipped with a standard DVD-R/RW recordable drive and 120GB internal hard disk drive. The PRV-LX1 is expected to begin shipping in June 2003 with a list price of US,995. The optional second DVD-R/RW drive will also be available at a list price of US5.
  • Fujitsu Labs develops miniature non-contact authentication system - Fujitsu Labs developed a new miniature non-contact biometric authentication system that reads blood vessel patterns. contact authentication system . The device includes a miniature sensor for reading blood vessel pattern and authentication software (as you know, human blood vessel patterns are unique and constant over time). According to the company, the precision is rather high: <1% of mistakes and 0.5% wrong authentications.
  • Acer unveils world's first Centrino-based Tablet PC - Acer's second Tablet PC - the TravelMate C110 - became the world's first Centrino-based Tablet PC at its announcement yesterday.
  • Acer AL707 announces new 17" monitor - Acer AL707 supports 1280x1024 (SXGA) at 0.264mm dot pitch; features 250cd/m2 brightness, 500:1 contrast, 20ms response time. Viewing angles are 125° vertical and 150° horizontal, line scan is 31-80kHz, frame scan - 55-75Hz. The model has analog connector and consumes up to 45W. Measured 407x173x434mm, the monitor weighs 5.8kg. According to provisional data, in Japan Acer AL707 will cost about $420.
  • Cell Phones Get Sports Reports - Up-to-the-minute sports scores should start showing up on U.S. cell-phone screens within the next month as information services from sports broadcaster ESPN go live on wireless mobile networks, according to UIEvolution, which makes the platform that will run the services. ESPN already has deals with U.S. mobile operators to deliver the services, Ruff said. He estimates the monthly customer fee will be in the range of $3 to $5.
  • First miniSD Card phone coming up - SanDisk today announced that it will supply miniSD cards for the first mobile phones that include a miniSD slot. Introduced by NTT DoCoMo earlier this week, 16 MB SanDisk miniSD cards will be bundled with certain editions of the NTT DoCoMo i-mode 505i series featuring a miniSD slot. SanDisk expects to start shipments of miniSD cards in the current quarter to several Japanese vendors that will bundle them in their 505i models supplied to NTT DoCoMo. At retail, SanDisk will initially offer miniSD cards in 32 and 64 MB capacities, with 128 MB available later this year and 256 MB available early next year. The miniSD cards will use SanDisk's NAND flash and SD controller technology. Suggested retail pricing for the 32 MB miniSD card is approximately 2800 JPY. Prices on higher capacities have not been set. (thanks InfoSyncWorld)
  • First Megapixel Camera Phones Debut - NTT DoCoMo will put the first handsets with megapixel-class image sensors on sale in the Japanese market within the next three months, it said Tuesday, while J-Phone said it plans to launch a similar handset in the middle of May. The three handsets are part of NTT DoCoMo's 505i range of cellular telephones, launched on Tuesday. Embedded cameras are standard across the entire range and resolution ranges from 310,000 pixels at the low end to 1.2 million pixels on the Fujitsu and Sony handsets.
  • Sony releases the VAIO bio Z and the VAIO bio U soon - According to Newsware.ws, The bio Z and the bio U will be released at spring this year. You can use the bio Z and the bio U in a lot of ways, it has a very nice shape and its easy to handle with. The multiple controller side and the groove of the base were adopted in order to raise the impression for the bio U. The Sony president thinks this should be a new market. The bio U uses a mobile Celeron 600AMHz processor and a nice ATI Mobility Radeon 16MB graphics card that has a screen area of 1024 E 768. For memory it will have DDR266 256MB..
  • EPoX releases new 800MHz FSB motherboards - EPoX released a new motherboard series - 845PE/GE – supporting 800MHz FSB. PE-based: EP-4PEA800, EP-4PEA800I; GE-based: EP-4GEA800, EP-4GEA800I, EP-4GEM800I.
  • Pentium 4 3.0GHz and Canterwood Benchmarks Revealed! - Both systems equipped with 1GB of PC3200 memory, a powerful graphics card (RADEON 9800 PRO or GeForce FX 5800 Ultra or something else?), a couple of fast HDDs in RAID massive performed extremely fast, just take a look at the results
  • First KT600 board specifications - AMDBoard let us know that Legend QDI announced first KT600 board! The first known VIA KT600 motherboard is coming from QDI and we are proud to have the short specs here: QDI K7V600-6A, QDI K7V600-F, QDI K7V600-L Chipet VIA KT600 (north) & VT 8237 (south) FSB 200/266/333/400MHz - 3 x DDR400/333 DIMMs, 5 x PCIs - 1 x CNR - AGP 8X - ATA 133 - Serial ATA, 8 USB v2.0 Ports. Availability: May 03. They promise more details&pictures soon.
  • New AMD Barebone from Acorp - AMDBoard has the specifications of the latest AMD based-barebone coming from Acorp. The CFI-S76 SFF barebone has a sober aluminum look and uses a SiS740 chipset with integrated 2D/3D graphics, video accelerator, MPEG1 encoder, USB 2.0, IEEE1394 and much more....
  • Samsung's 240T 24 Inch Widescreen Display Review - The Syncmaster 240T isn't necessarily "new", as it's been on the market for quite a long time. Nevertheless, this is a monitor GamePC have gotten many requests to review, and they have finally gotten around to giving a thorough review of this LCD panel. With 24 inches of widescreen LCD display area, digital connectivity, picture in picture, and an included remote control, the Syncmaster 240T really has no competition in the high-end LCD space.
  • Game Park GP32 Gamepad Review - You'll notice that it doesn't come with any games or media. You'll need to purchase a SmartMedia card (128Mb costs just under L30 if you know where to look), or a boxed game. The problem with boxed GP32 games is the somewhat heavy use of Korean. This restricts the appeal of the boxed games somewhat, but fear not - there's plenty more reasons to get one of these things.
  • D-Link's DVC-1000 i2eye Videophone Review - LittleWhiteDog just published an exclusive review of D-Link's DVC-1000 i2eye Videophone. Recently on display at CES2003, the DVC-1000 is a broadband videophone designed to be connected to your television, allowing you the ability to video conference from the comfort of your couch to anyone in the world. No PC is required and there are no phone charges or long distance fees incurred. Are we finally one step closer to living the Jetsons' lifestyle?
  • Watercooled GeForceFX - How about 550/1100 perfectly stable, at 30degreesC? (as opposed to the default of 500/1000 at 60ish?) this is one gorgeous looking cooler, and they have designed it to have the performance to match.
  • Athlon XP OC Database Updated - VR-Zone has updated their Athlon XP Thoroughbred Overclocking Database. The craze for XP 1700+ based on T'Bred "B" core continues as more people are getting that cheap chip to overclock for another 1Ghz at least. If you possess the magical XP1700+ DLT3C UPMW batch, you can be looking for even more impressive overclock out of it. Barton 2500+ overclocks nicely too with most attaining 2.5Ghz on air.
  • Quick Guide to Privacy in Windows XP - Windows XP made some advances in stability from its older Windows 9x client-base but this did not go without Microsoft wanting some sort of feedback on how the newer OS was going to be used in the field. Microsoft didn't stop with Windows Millennium when it came to PC Health and Help Centers, there are plenty of these hidden away in XP that at first glance look harmless, they are in fact -yet many users simply don't know the extent of Windows XP's "call home" features out of the box.
    Intel intros Pentium 4 hyperthreading bug tool -     Thread Checker 1.0 will track down threading problems in hours compared to what Intel said would otherwise take days or weeks. It works by finding particular lines of code causing threading bugs and then categorises them showing different types of information relating to the problem. The tool will become available this quarter for Windows XP Pro and Windows 200 systems and costs $1,198 for a single user licence.
  • MSN Messenger 5.0.0544  - MSN Messenger (WinXP ~ Win2k/NT ~ Win98/ME) is an instant messaging program that lets you send instant messages with cool emoticons, send pictures and other files to your friends, call a phone anywhere in the world from your computer.
  • DVD Shrink Released - DVD Shrink is software to backup DVD disks. You can use this software in conjunction with DVD burning software of your choice, to make a backup copy of any DVD video disk. DVD Shrink does not burn DVDs! The output from DVD Shrink is saved as files on your hard drive, which you can then burn to a DVD-R using separate burning software, such as the software provided with your DVD-R drive.
  • MyIE2 0.7.829 beta - MyIE2 is a powerful multi-page browser based on the IE core (IE5.x or IE 6.0 required). It can open multiple web pages in just one window. And it only takes a little system resource when surfing with a greatly integrated user interface.
  • Opera 7.10 beta 3 - Opera has been hailed as the fastest browser on earth by users and press worldwide. Opera uses less memory and less space on your hard drive than competing browser applications, making you more productive on the Web. Opera 7.1 is going final soon. Now you can download beta 3.
  • HijackThis 1.93 - HijackThis, a general homepage hijackers detector and remover. Initially based on the article Hijacked!, but expanded with almost a dozen other checks against hijacker tricks. It is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs/URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites. As a result, false positives are imminent and unless you are sure what you're doing, you should always consult with knowledgable folks (e.g. the forums) before deleting anything.
  • Uxtheme.dll patch for Windows Server 2003 - Windows Server 2003 is shipped default with the themes service disabled. Neowin made an article enabling these services (Uxtheme.dll) and more.
  • K-Lite Codec Pack 2.02 FINAL - The Final Builds of K-Lite Codec Pack 2.02 are available. Release notes: "The TFM Audio Filter and the Morgan Multimedia Stream Switcher are not fully compatable. It is recommended not to install both of them. Morgan Multimedia Stream Switcher can be used to switch between two audio streams in a video file that has two audio streams. Those are not very common. TFM Audio Filter can be used to amplify the sound of a video file. It also has an equalizer. Vobsub is a tool for displaying subtitles. FourCC Code Changer is a program for changing the FourCC code of a video file. The FourCC code is used to identify which codec should be used to decode the file. This tool is for expert users only. GSpot is a tool that can tell you exactly which codecs are needed to play a certain video file. This is very helpfull when you have troubles playing a video file."
  • QuickTime Alternative 1.00 Final - QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime (.mov .qt) files. This way there is no need to install the offical QuickTime player. As a bonus, Internet Explorer will play all QuickTime movies that are embedded in a webpage.
  • PowerStrip beta 3.40.383 - PowerStrip provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest SiS Xabre. It's the only program of its type to support multiple graphics cards from multiple chipset vendors, simultaneously, under every Windows operating system from Windows 95 to XP.
  • Creative Disc Detector Patch - This is a driver update for the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum for users running Windows XP.  This patch is for products bundled with Creative Disc Detector. When Disc Detector is installed in your computer, the Autorun or Autoplay feature in Windows may become disabled. Download this patch only if the Autorun or Autoplay feature is disabled; there is no need to download it otherwise.
  • Intel Pro 100 / 1000 WHQL NIC Drivers - This driver release (Intel Pro 100 / Intel Pro 1000)  is WHQL certified and a multilanguage release. This pack includes 10,100 and gigabit adapter base drivers and PROSet for Intel PRO network adapters for Win2k/XP. This software may also apply to 8255x, 82562, and 8254x Intel Ethernet controllers
  • Realtek ALC Drivers  - Realtek released driver version 3.42 for their ALC-Series soundchips.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,08 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:54 AM CEST - Apr,08 2003 - Post a comment
  • Adobe Releases Acrobat 6  - Adobe Systems Incorporated, the leader in network publishing, today introduced the AdobeR AcrobatR 6.0 product line, a major upgrade and expansion of the company's cornerstone software application and a critical component of its solutions for integrating documents into business processes. The company also announced Adobe Reader 6.0 software (expected to be available in by the end of May 2003), an upgrade and re-naming of the widely distributed, free Acrobat Reader.
  • Maya 5 Announced - Not to be outdone (version number wise) by Discreet, the folks at Alias|wavefront have announced Maya 5, with all sorts of new goodies to be had, including an interesting new vector renderer. I know you're itching for more, so why take my word for it?  (thanks PolyCount).
  • ATI Unleashes New All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro Graphics Card - ATI Technologies Inc. today announced the ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO. Available this spring, ATI's newest multimedia video card combines the world's fastest graphics engine featuring full precision cinematic rendering with the best in intelligent TV-on-the-PC and video editing features. The ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO is ideal for home theater applications thanks to EAZYLOOKt, an on-screen display for home theater settings, which is included in the product with a new version of ATI's MULTIMEDIA CENTER software. ATI's new flagship multimedia video card, the ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 PRO, will be available this spring for USD $449.
  • GeForce FX 5600 Ultra Preview - Like NV30 though, NV31 is based on TSMC's 130nm process technology. With about 80 Million transistors required to facilitate the CineFX feature set in NV31's configuration, this means the chip is even more complex than NV25, and so the decrease in process size should offset the increased die size required to house all those transistors. However, at present TSMC's 130nm process is still relatively immature, despite both major graphics firms basing the mid range/volume parts on it, and its quite possible that initial NV31 chips will be more expensive to NVIDIA than the low end NV25 chips that its replacing.
  • Leadtek A300TD Ultra Graphics Card - WinFast A300 TD powered by nVIDIA's GeForce FX 5800 GPU, which using the advanced 0.13 micro process technology for higher levels of integration and higher operating clock speeds. The GeForce FX 5800 is the fastest memory with speeds up to 800MHz DDR2 and the first GPU to delivery cinematic effects beyond your imagination for desktop users.
  • Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headset Review - Adrian's Rojak Pot just posted a 17-page in-depth review of the Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headset!  "In a world where we are constantly being bombarded by noise, silence is a precious commodity indeed. More so when we are sitting in front of an overclocked system with monstrous coolers drowning out the rest of the world! So, how on earth can you hear your virtual enemy creeping up behind you if you can't even hear yourself fart?!"
  • Edimensional 3D Glasses review - F1Gamers have posted review of Edimensional 3D Glasses. They say "Play your favorite racing games in true 3D with Edimensional wireless 3D Glasses!"
  • The One Ring 3D ScreenSaver - 3DPlanesoft is offering a free DX 8 based screensaver based on JRR Tolkiens LoTR saga.
  • Blindwrite Suite 4.3.1 - Blindwrite Suite is a 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. Blindwrite Suite can also create CD audio from MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, WMA, monkey's audio and be use with a CD-rom emulator like Daemon Tools. This updated version reduces CPU usage.
  • Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility 5.5 - This version of the Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility has been updated to support the new Intel Pentium M processor, while continuing to support the Intel Xeont, Pentium 4, Mobile Pentium 4, Pentium III processors, Mobile Pentium III processors with Intel SpeedStep technology, Pentium III Xeon and Intel Celeron processors. Each of the products listed above have multiple system memory bus speeds that are also supported including 66, 100, 133, 400, 533 and 800 MHz system memory bus products.
  • D-Force ATI Mobility Driver Modifier v1.1.1  - Force MobileMod 1.1.1 can automatically read an ATI driver INF file (Windows 2000 or XP format), see if it supports mobile cards, and if it doesn't, write the neccesary keys.  This release adds an updated GUI as well as a couple of bugfixes. 
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,07 2003 - tech
Sunday Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 12:32 AM CEST - Apr,07 2003 - Post a comment / read (2)
  • UT2003 demo version 2206 DoS fix - All server admins running version 2206 demo servers should download this replacement IpDrv.dll (62KB) which addresses a denial-of-service attack. Demo clients should also apply the patch, as it is possible for malicious servers to cause clients to crash. Epic promised fix for Linux version in the next day or two.
  • Doom III Xbox exclusive? - HomeLAN Fed has posted some info found in a Wired print article about DOOM 3.  According to what they've read, "Microsoft is offering lots of money to id to make an exclusive Doom III Xbox port (id hasn't decided yet if they will do so) and in addition to the already announced multiplayer add-on there will also be a single player mission pack for Doom III. There is also the possibility of a program that could generate unique Doom III levels on the fly, according to the article. The article also contains a number of new screenshots from the game." Well, read Carmack's latest .plan update. He optimizes DOOM3 for GL_ARB_FRAGMENT_PROGRAM capable GPUs (R300/NV30). XBOX is based on NV25 chip. Enough said. 
  • FBI Computers Enter the 21st Century - The FBI, hoping to shred its paper-swamped reputation and maximize its crime fighting, has unveiled the biggest change in its workflow in 50 years: a $600 million computer network called Trilogy that will help the agency sift the massive amounts of data it collects. A new database already used by 300 FBI agents and analysts will draw relationships between 26 million agency records, according to Wilson Lowery, an executive assistant director with the FBI. The agency aims to make its Virtual Case File, which tracks terrorists and other criminals, available to all appropriate employees by December. The database is expected to store 100 terabytes of information drawn from state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies as well as the news media. The system also accommodates multimedia elements such as audio, video, and 3D mapping.
  • 50 million historical documents posted on Web - Researchers, genealogists and the plain curious can now use the Internet to check more than 50 million historical records (AAD) at the National Archives, from Civil War battles to family immigration files. Before the system became available, people had to either visit the Archives and spend hours combing through documents or request the files by phone and pay to have them mailed.
  • Web goes down the toilet - An internet toilet roll browser and a net-enabled chopping board are among cutting edge designs at the Ideal Home Show.  The show, which runs at London's Earls Court exhibition centre until 6 April, is home to a variety of strange gadgets.  Brunel University design graduates came up with five of the 15 products showcased in the Future Concepts gallery. Design graduate Andrew Cubitt has taken the humble toilet roll and turned it into a hi-tech news and information service. A unit installed in front of a toilet on the cubicle wall provides up-to-the-minute information on products, stocks and shares and lottery results. People can even print off the information on a standard toilet roll.
  • Wear your cell phone on your wrist - Japan's cell phone giant NTT DoCoMo will soon start selling a mobile phone that's worn around the wrist and snaps off to become a regular handset.  Dubbed the "Wristomo," the watch opens up to become a phone, and users can talk while wearing it like Dick Tracy, the comic-book hero who debuted in the 1930's.  The Wristomo, manufactured by Seiko Instruments, weighs 4 ounces including batteries. It also hooks up to DoCoMo's hit "i-mode" Web-surfing service. The company plans to sell 5,000 Wristomo phones for between $250 and $330 each, Kono said. The new phone will only be usable in Japan. A competitor, Samsung Electronics of South Korea, plans to launch its wristwatch phone late this year.
  • MSI Technology & Solution Expo Spring 2003 - Explosive Labs has finished an article on MSI Technology & Solution Expo Spring 2003.
  • Kiss Technologies DP-450 DVD/MPEG4-DivX Player - Techseekers.net has reviewed the KiSS DVD player DP-450 with MPEG4(DivX) playback. They say "All in all, I was impressed with the DP-450. DivX and XviD playback was outstanding, with some high quality files, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between that and a DVD."
  • iAudio CW2000 Review - JetAudio recently released the iAudio CW2000 All-in-One Digital Audio Player. The device has 3 main functions: An MP3 player, an FM tuner, and a voice recorder.
  • GeForce FX 5800 Ultra w/ Detonator 43.45  - Interestingly, VR-Zone found that the 3DMark2003 performance improved with even more the new 43.45 drivers over the "performance" 42.68 drivers. The card itself is made of high quality 12 layers PCB and until now, NVIDIA has sticked to making the whole card themselves due to the stringent PCB requirements. There is no question that GeForce FX 5800 Ultra is the highest performing card now but availability of the card is still a question as we don't see any retail cards out there selling yet. GeForce FX 5800 Ultra overclocks quite decently with core/mem at 570/1140Mhz but the heat is still limiting better overclocking.
  • Online Security & Speed Tuneup Guide - APK Windows 2000/XP "Security & Speed" tuneup page & "Local System Performance" tuneup pages updated. For Cable or DSL users by default only in settings used for Windows 2000 or Windows XP only.
  • How to Install Plus! for Windows XP in Windows Server 2003 - Microsoft has unveiled a set of instructions to enable and install Plus! for Windows XP on Windows Server 2003.
  • SBLive/Audigy ---> Audigy2 guide to version 3.c - Futuremark's Smiro has updated his SoundBlaster SBLive/Audigy ---> Audigy2 guide to version 3.c.
  • Windows Compact Disk Management Script  - The script (changelog) will handle all the necessary file operations for slipstreaming a Windows 2000 single / multi-boot CD and integrating any hot-fixes in it. The script is written in batch code using a collection of utilities and Windows Command Extensions (won't work under Win 9X).
  • DirectX 9.0a Redistributable (Unofficial) - This MSFN's download (they repackaged the files from the websetup) provides the DirectX 9.0a end-user redistributable that developers can include with their product. (Mirror1 - Win2k ~ WinXP, Mirror2)
  • MSN Messenger 5.5.0544 - MSFN.org ripped latest MSN messenger out of the yesterday leaked MSN 8.5 beta.
  • Magic Utilities 2003 v2.10 - Magic Utilities (download) is a cute program designed to make your computer clean and more stable. These utilities include Uninstller Plus,StartUp Organizer,Process Killer.Magic Utilities enables you to easily and safely uninstall programs;inspect and manage the programs that automatically start when your turn on or logon to your computer;lists and controls all currently running processes(system and hidden processes are also shown).
  • Foobar2000 v0.6 Beta 7 - Foobar2000 (download) is a very recommendable media player. It is developed by Peter Pawlowski, who used to work on Winamp3.
  • Flexbeta Slipstreamer XP 1.0 - Slipstreamer XP is an application that will slipstream any Windows XP or Office XP Service Pack into your installation files. It has currently been tested to work for all Windows XP and Office XP Service Packs up to SP2 (SP2 1185 for Windows XP).
  • Fresh Diagnose 5.70 - 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.
  • WinRar v3.20 beta 3 - The compression utility WinRAR (download) is a powerful archive manager with support for packing RAR and ZIP archives and unpacking RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR and ISO archives. What's new since beta 2?  1.Successfully completed "Test" command reports "No errors found" not only in WinRAR shell, but also when activated from Explorer context menu. 2. Bugs fixed: a) word wrap option in "Settings/Viewer" did not work; b) previous versions displayed "Convert" and "Test" context menu items even if they had not been enabled in "Settings/Integration"; c) toolbar was not displayed in Windows 95 OSR2; d) -u and -f switches did not work correctly with 'x' command; e) "Rename" command in WinRAR shell could not rename encrypted files.
  • VCDEasy 1.1.5 - VCDEasy 1.1.5 features project saving and loading, reusable MPEG analyze information, an anti flickering option has been added to the MPEG stills option, additional compliance tests have been added and most settings not directly related to a VCD project have been moved to a settings dialogue.
  • Divx Mastermind Beta - Mastermind (download) gives you the ability to access your entire music and movie collection from anywhere with an Internet connection. Install the Mastermind application on every computer where you store your media files, then use the Mastermind web client to see a combined and organized view of your media. Play back your media from anywhere, to anywhere.
  • ZoomPlayer 3.0 RC1 - ZoomPlayer is now available in two flavors: Standard edition which is limited to file playback, and Professional edition which is a commercial DVD front-end.
  • D-Force MobileMod 1.0 - D-Force MobileMod 1.0 can automatically read an ATi Driver INF file (Windows 2000 or XP format), see if it supports mobile cards, and if it doesn't, write the neccesary keys. I've noticed that download has been taken down (temporary ) due to bugs.
  • OPN-462 - OPN-462 (download) is an intelligent program designed specifically to translate the three codes found on, or around the core of all Socket-A, AMD CPU's, what you can expect the program to do, can be found in either or the screenshots in the screenshots section.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,05 2003 - tech
Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 02:17 AM CEST - Apr,05 2003 - Post a comment
  • The cell phone is 30 years old - Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the first public telephone call placed on a portable cellular phone. Martin Cooper, ArrayComm's chairman, CEO and co-founder, placed that call on April 3, 1973, while general manager of Motorola's Communications Systems Division. It was the incarnation of his vision for personal wireless communications, distinct from cellular car phones.
  • Secret UK stealth plane project revealed - The craft pictured is full-scale model and was completed in 1999, after five years of work. The L20 million programme, codenamed Replica, was jointly funded by BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence.  Replica was never intended to be as difficult to detect as the exotic and extremely expensive pure stealth aircraft such as the US F-117a and B-2. But UK stealth specialists are said to have achieved their goal of striking a balance between low observability and cost. It also demonstrated British expertise in the complex world of stealth technology.
  • Athlon XP 3000+, AMD closing in on Intel - The new Athlon XP 3000+ is based on AMD's new 0.13-micron process which will also be used in manufacturing the upcoming Athlon-64. The Athlon XP 3000+ is based on a new core, codename Barton, which has a number of advantages over the previous, Thoroughbred, Athlon XP core. The biggest advantage, from looking at the specifications, obviously is the larger cache memory.
  • Microsoft to tweak XP after DOJ complaints - Microsoft will give more prominent display to a button in Windows that allows computer users to remove the company's Internet Explorer browser, company spokesman Jim Desler said.  The company believes the button's original placement complied with the settlement, Desler said. But he said the company agreed to change its position in the Windows "start menu" after talking with the Justice Department.
  • Spammers attack wireless networks - Nearly three-quarters of malicious connections to wireless networks are used for sending spam, according to new research. Security consultant Z/Yen set up two wireless local area networks (Lans) on behalf of RSA Security to monitor unauthorised connections - a so-called 'honeypot' trap.
  • PentaWare Ships File Manager - PentaWare, a company best known for its PentaZip compression program, is entering the file manager arena with the release of PentaSuite.  In addition to common file manager features like file viewing and compression, PentaSuite offers something very new: It can write to CDs and even span them, saving files across several discs. When combined with the scripting and scheduling abilities borrowed from PentaZip, this could make it a reasonable backup program. Many users, however, may find its $100 price tag steep.
  • OpenOffice gets programming kit - The OpenOffice.org group on Friday announced a kit that lets programmers build new modules for open-source alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite. The free software development kit lets programmers add features such as new spreadsheet calculation formulas. It includes program samples and a 900-page guide that describes components such as macro programs that automate word processing tasks and the standard interfaces that add-on modules can use to plug in to OpenOffice.org.
  • SMS 2.0 SP5 - With the introduction of Systems Management Server 2.0 Service Pack 5 (SMS 2.0 SP5), Microsoft continues to sustain and enhance the capabilities of SMS 2.0. For an overview of several key improvements, refer to List of Fixes in Systems Management Server 2.0 Service Pack 5 (Q816549) in the Knowledge Base on the Microsoft Product Support Services site.
  • FreeBSD 4.8 Now Available - FreeBSD's Murray Stokely announces the availability of FreeBSD 4.8, the latest FreeBSD-stable release, which has dealt with known security issues, and added initial support for Firewire, HyperThreading, and other new hardware technologies.
  • Red Hat 9.0 Download Links -  Red Hat, Inc today announced the availability of Red Hat Linux 9.  -> CD1 (MD5SUM, CD1: 400c7fb292c73b793fb722532abd09ad) ~ CD2 (MD5SUM, CD2: 6b8ba42f56b397d536826c78c9679c0a) ~ CD3 (MD5SUM, CD3: af38ac4316ba20df2dec5f990913396d).
  • The Animatrix Movie #3  - The latest Animatrix episode has been released, you can grab the high-res .MOV version from the official page.
  • Seismovision Demo Player v2.21 - Seismovision is a versatile demo player for Quake 1, Quake World, Quake 2, Quake 3 Arena, Half-Life, Counter-Strike Retail, Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2003, Star Trek Voyager Elite Force, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 and Soldier of Fortune 2.  The AVA (Auto-Version Adaptation) 'technology' makes Seismovision the best demo player every professional gamer.
  • Duke3D runs natively on Linux - So it took four days, but Duke3d now runs in Linux, courtesy of Icculus.org. Ironically, a win32 port has yet to be released. (thanks Slashdot.org).
  • DUP-DVD v2.2.0  - DUP-DVD is a powerful tool to convert a DVD movie to SVCD/VCD - easily, quickly, effortlessly. With DUP-DVD you can make a DVD backup to SVCD with just a click.
  • DameWare NT Utilities 3.70 - DameWare NT Utilities is an enterprise system management application for Windows NT/2000/XP, which provides an integrated collection of Microsoft Windows NT administration utilities incorporating a centralized interface for remote management of Windows NT/2000/XP Servers and Workstations.
  • Remote Task Manager 3.7.6 - SmartLine, Inc. has released a new version (3.7.6) of their network management solution, Remote Task Manager for Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003.
  • Ad Muncher 4.5 Build 5911 Beta - Ad Muncher (download) is a program for Windows systems which removes adverts, popups and general browsing annoyances from all popular browsers and web-utilizing programs (as well as most banner displaying and popup generating programs.
  • Detonator 43.45 Driver Benchmarks - BitBender has benchmarked Nvidia's latest Detonator driver release, 43.45.
 Gameguru Mania News - Apr,04 2003 - tech
Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:24 AM CEST - Apr,04 2003 - Post a comment / read (3)
  • Half-Life 2 to be NVIDIA-only game? - Spong.com is reporting that Valve is currently looking at making its massively anticipated FPS sequel Half-Life 2 exclusive to nVidia graphics cards, in what will be the first deal of its kind in the PC gaming sector. This massive story comes from insiders at nVidia, who are boasting that this will be the first of many such deals for exclusive content, bespoke to its cards.
  • RIAA sues campus file-swappers - The recording industry has stepped up its campaign against campus music swapping, filing suit against four university students who operated file-search services on their school's internal networks. The lawsuits, filed against two students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and one each at Princeton University and Michigan Technological University, ratchet up the pressure that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently has been putting on universities to block campus file-trading. The trade group still has not filed suit against average file-swappers who use more common services such as Kazaa, however.
  • Apache patch to thwart DoS attack - Apache, which makes the popular open-source Web server application, released version 2.0.45 to fix a denial-of-service (DoS) problem. A DoS attack floods a network with data, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate queries. The vulnerability in version 2.0.44 affects all operating systems, according to the advisory. But Apache issued a specific warning for OS/2 users, noting that for them the new patch still had a DoS vulnerability.
  • NV35 to Be Formally Announced Next Month. - According to X-bit Labs, Taiwanese media-sources revealed that NVIDIA's next-generation NV35 graphics processor will be formally announced next-month with actual graphics cards appearing shortly afterwards. NV35 GPU is going to be a considerably improved GeForce FX 5800 (NV30) graphics processor with several modifications made in order to boost performance, yield and other obstacles that presently do not let NVIDIA to start selling its GeForce FX 5800 solutions in mass quantities. The graphics cards based on the new graphics processor will utilise DDR SDRAM memory and feature 256-bit bus, providing more bandwidth than the current DDR-II memory with 128-bit bus on the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra.
  • AMD plan to offer 400MHz FSB Athon XP slips out - AMD will indeed release a version of its Athlon XP with a 400MHz frontside bus, mobo maker Abit announced this morning.  AMD has yet to announce such a part itself.  However, Abit's press release, issued today and headed "Abit engineered motherboards support the new AMD Athlon XP 333 and 400MHz Barton CPUs", says the company has unveiled "the 400MHz FSB Barton 3000+ and 3200+". So expect an announcement from AMD shortly..
  • Zalman ZM-80A Passive Video Cooler Review  - With video cards now generating as much heat as some CPU's, it's no wonder that there's a market for aftermarket video heatsinks. While this was happening, though, another trend has been arising: quiet computing. The video card is a whole different beast compared to a CPU, though. You can't just slap on a mega-heatsink... unless you don't need your PCI slots. Zalman was one of the first to try and make a good passive video card heatsink that didn't intrude into another PCI card's real estate.
  • Samsung DVD-V2500 DVD/VCR Combo - TweakNews has published a review on the Samsung DVD-V2500 DVD/VCR Combo Unit.
  • Dell Inspiron 5100 Review -  Thus the system came with a 2.4-GHz Pentium 4-the slowest of four processors Dell offers, but still adequate-and 256MB of RAM. The monitor was the midlevel Inspiron offering, 15 inches instead of 14, and XGA not SXGA+. All laptops in the 5100 line have a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, and an S-Video output for a TV set. Ours included 802.11b wireless Ethernet in addition to standard wired Ethernet and a modem, a fixed DVD/CD-RW drive, and a 16MB USB memory key instead of a floppy disk drive. For the price, the Inspiron 5100 is a good deal, and you're better served by picking the more fully equipped model than the $1,099 entry-level model. Conversely, those who do little more than Web browsing, e-mailing, and word processing can save $200 with the $899 Celeron-based Inspiron 1100.
  • Canon i550 Bubble Jet Printer Review - With decent speed and print quality for around S$319, the Canon i550 proves that it has what it takes to meet the demands of families or small-business folks who want decent text printing and acceptable photo quality prints any time of the day. With good paper support and a respectable software bundle, it should be able to last most users a reasonably long time before they need a new one.
  • HP Photosmart 7350 Review - The 7350 may have card readers and turn out magnificent photos, but it still leaves something to be desired. Read on for the pros and cons we found with HP's version of direct printing.
  • GP32 Super-emulator! - GP32 (fansite) is capable of emulating the GBA, Super Nintendo, Commodore 64, etc. plus there's a SCUMMVM engine for Monkey Island games and a Java VM. Seems to have a huge online following. It runs its own OS, and there are programs capable of playing divx/mp3 files, though there's also a Linux port on the way. Not too expensive either. (99UKP / 149USD) That's a UK supplier; they ship worldwide, though I found this more expensive American supplier too. (179USD)" Gotta catch 'em all! (thanks SlashDot.org)
  • AM:3D DieselPower for Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin  - The module, DieselPower 3D audio, enhances your ability to hear enemy footsteps, door slamming, talk, doves flapping their wings while ascending into the skies and much more, from any direction. "We have worked with the creators, IO Interactive, to ensure nothing but success in helping 47 take out targets. Hitman 2 has native support for DieselPower which gives you natural smooth 3D sound with full spherical directional perception, giving you the ability to completely pin-point your friends and foes with a blistering accuracy. Even though DieselPower supports other playback setups, all you require is a set of standard headphones to perceive true 3D sound in all directions."
  • Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit 3.0 - The Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 3.0 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contains the tools and documentation you need to design, deploy, and support applications on these platforms.
  • Apache 2.0.45 - The Apache Project (changelog ~ download) is a collaborative software development effort aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade, featureful, and freely-available source code implementation of an HTTP (Web) server.
  • DVD2SVCD 1.1.3 Build 1 - DVD2SVCD is a completely automated frontend for converting DVD, PVA and AVI files to SVCD.
  • cladDVD XP 3.0 - cladDVD XP is a DVD ripper that can pretty much rip any DVD just the way you want it as it uses vStrip for the decryption. This means you can rip a single file, complete title set or main movie as is, or, even better, initiate IFO Parsing (default) and rip the exact selected ProGram Chain (PGC).
  • AC3Filter 0.68b - AC3Filter (download) is DirectShow filter for AC3 decoding to play .AVI with AC3 audio tracks and MPEG2 (DVD).
  • Media Player Classic 6.4.4.1 - Media Player Classic (download) is similar to windows media player 6.4 but with features pertained to minimalist advanced users.
  • WinAMP 2.90 Final - Nullsoft has silently updated its winamp v2 to v2.90.
  • Quintessential Player 3.50 Plus - Quinnware has released new version of their Quintessential Player. This new version finally fixed seek bug.
  • BlindWrite Suite 4.3.1 - 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.
  • SecureCRT 4.0.5 - SecureCRT (download) gives you an encrypted SSH session with both SSH1 and SSH2 servers. SSH security goes far beyond the basic secure logon, rerouting data or local applications using TCP/IP ports through an encrypted channel.
  • PowerStrip 3.31 Beta Build 380 - 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.
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