PATREONItems tagged with AV
Google has been ordered to turn over their logs of user activity on their YouTube site to Viacom. Viacom is suing Google over copyright infringement, and wishes to see how many YouTube users actually look at Viacom copyrighted material on the video service, then compare it to the amount of traffic any given non-copyrighted video might garner, in order to prove that Google is making money off Viacom's Intellectual Property, and assess potential damages. As you might expect, privacy mavens are up in arms over a judge ordering that usernames, IP addresses and logs of videos viewed for everyone who's ever logged onto YouTube. When it initiated legal action in March 2007 the firm {Viacom]said it had...
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Have you heard of DMP? Microsoft is applying for a patent to equip devices with a "Digital Manners Policy," a polite euphemism for a kill switch or jammer in your electronic equipment. It doesn't stop at stopping things like using a flash camera in a museum, either; OnStar is implementing the same sort of device to shut off your car remotely. If you've ever become peeved when someone sitting next to you starts yammering on their cellphone in the movie theater, you've probably wished there was some sort of method to make it impossible. Be careful what you wish for, says Bruce Schneier at Wired; who will decide who's allowed to do what, where, and with what is a very important question. Once we...
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Microsoft's security updates for June seem to be having a profound effect in the ongoing battle against crooks who steal passwords and usernames, then use their ill-gotten info to cash in the imaginary gold MMORPG players accumulate for real money. One password stealer, called Taterf, was detected on 700,000 computers in the first day after the update. That's twice as many infections as were spotted during the entire month after Microsoft began detecting the notorious Storm Worm malware last September."These are ridiculous numbers of infections my friends, absolutely mind-boggling," wrote Matt McCormack, a spokesman with Microsoft's Malware Response Center, in a Friday blog posting.Between June...
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Upon first glance, today's press release from AMD, "AMD and Havok to Optimize Physics for Gaming," caused us to do a double take. Considering the long-time feud between AMD and Intel, it seemed surprising that any sort of amicable partnership could develop between AMD and an Intel-owned company, such as Havok: "AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Havok today announced plans to jointly investigate the optimization of physics effects utilizing AMD's full line of products. With over 100 developers and 300 leading titles already using Havok’s physics engine -- Havok Physics -- the company has clearly defined its position as the leading developer of game physics. By working together, both companies are demonstrating...
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You'll recall when OCZ unveiled their Do-It-Yourself Gaming Notebook, they left out an important thing: when. But you can buy the bare-bones version of the laptop now (at least, if you hurry), courtesy of Buy.com.At least at the time of this writing (Buy.com says they are almost out-of-stock) you can get the bare-bones version for $669 (after $50 mail-in-rebate); shipping is free. Yes, yes, don't forget the sales tax if you "qualify!" Building your own gaming desktop can be complicated and meticulous so who would think that building your own gaming notebook would be any easier or even possible. OCZ introduces this exciting initiative to the enthusiast, gamer, and IT professional with...
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Freescale Semiconductor has a new kind of Random Access Memory they'd like you to consider soon: MRAM. They've spun off the part of their business that's been developing MRAM chips and gotten $20 million in funding from a handful of VCs to push the technology forward enough to make it commercially available. What's MRAM, you ask?MRAM stands for magnetoresistive Random Access Memory. MRAM uses tiny magnets combined with conventional silicon circuits to create a combo memory. It is a single chip with the speed of static RAM and the permanence, or non-volatility, of flash memory. Typically, flash is slow and permanent, while SRAM is fast but temporary.With MRAM powering a portable device, you could...
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Microsoft has released a new DirectX redistributable package into the wild for virtually all versions of Windows, including Vista. This is a DX9.0c / DX10 update that's not going to show up on the Windows Update website, but it is an official release."This download provides the DirectX end-user multi-languaged redistributable that developers can include with their product. The DirectX redist installation includes all the latest and previous released DirectX runtime. This includes the bi-monthly D3DX, XInput, and Managed DirectX components." This is not going to make your Vista framerates jump all that much, if at all, but with the relative immaturity of Vista and graphics drivers...
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CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE VARIETY MAP PACK AVAILABLE NOW FOR WINDOWS PCNVIDIA Offering New Maps as a Free Download through nZone.com Santa Monica, CA – June 5, 2008 – New battle zones are emerging on the Windows® PC front and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is putting out the call for new recruits starting today as Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare™ Variety Map Pack for Windows PC is now available online. Sponsored by NVIDIA, the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack is available for download, free of charge. For updates about download destinations, visit: www.charlieoscardelta.com or www.nzone.com.The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack...
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SEAGATE INTRODUCES SAVVIO 10K.3 SMALL FORM FACTOR ENTERPRISE DRIVE, DELIVERING RECORD-SETTING CAPACITY, RELIABILITY AND POWER SAVINGSIndustry’s only third-generation small form factor enterprise drive also first with self-encrypting option for enterprise servers and storage arrays SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. — June 2, 2008 — To meet the growing demand for higher-capacity, more efficient enterprise storage systems, Seagate (NYSE:STX) today introduced the Savvio 10K.3 hard drive – the world’s highest-capacity, small form factor 2.5-inch enterprise hard drive built for the demands of enterprise servers and storage arrays. This latest generation of 2.5-inch drive offers 70% lower power and greater than...
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Following up on their February promise to release a free version of their award-winning physics and animation software product – Havok Complete - Havok's website now has the download available.Havok announced in February an Intel sponsored PC version of our award-winning physics and animation products for dowload at no charge. The products are now available!The No-Charge Havok PC download is a binary-only bundle that includes all of the standard features and functionality of both the Havok™ Physics and Havok™ Animation products. The download includes Havok SDK libraries, samples, and technical documentation for software developers; as well as Havok's Content Tools for preparation...
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Ever lose your saved games? Frustrating, right? On Thursday Valve Software announced a solution, the Steam Cloud. It will be an an upcoming update to their Steam download service and it will not only store saved games, but also graphics settings, and key binding in the "cloud," or server-side.The biggest news is that game-generated data will now be stored with your Steam accounts in Valve servers. This includes game profiles, configuration settings, and even savegames! Valve will first be rolling this feature out to existing games like the Half-Life franchise, TF2, Counter-Strike. Left4Dead will be the first new game to remotely save your progress.This system will be completely transparent...
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It isn’t just a coincidence that Intel decided to start manufacturing solid state drives (SSDs), nor was it simply a sign that the devices might soon be in high demand. Intel is planning on manufacturing that demand by featuring them as part of a bundle with their upcoming Centrino 2 platform.“Initial shipments of Intel High Performance SSDs will come in two versions – Client X25-M and Client X18-M – the former having a physical size of 2.5-inch and later 1.8-inch. Both will feature 80GB capacity and a SATA interface.Intel plans to increase storage capacities up to 160GB by the end of the fourth quarter, and to 250GB and above in 2009, the sources added.”We are eager to see how many major players...
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Hypersonic PC Unveils Avenger Notebooks, Their First 12-inch Mobile Solution that Offers High Performance without Sacrificing PortabilitySunnyvale, Calif.—May 22, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, components, and system builds, today announced Hypersonic PC is making their solution more mobile than ever. Geared toward the enthusiast who wants their go-anywhere notebook to be powerful, the Avenger AG2 Notebook series feature unparalleled performance in a sleek, colorful, and compact 12-inch size for superb mobility. The AG2 may be small, but packs in the performance and energy-efficiency of Intel® Core™ 2...
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While Bill Gates claims that Vista is selling well, the big question is how many customers out there are requesting software with Vista specific technology. The answer came in a recent survey of developers claimed that less than 1 in 12 developers were actively developing software that was Vista-specific.Is the continued existence of XP causing this? Or is it something deeper? The answer probably has a lot to do with both."None of our customers are saying, 'G******it, we need those WPF controls now!'" said Julian Bucknall, CTO for Windows programming tools maker Developer Express Inc. , referring to one of Vista's most highly-touted features, its new graphical subsystem, Windows Presentation...
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There are plenty of hybrid cars on the road, but hybrid boats? They haven't been seen. Until now.The super-fast, super-sleek 25-foot speedboat uses a combination of electric and diesel engines to produce a low-emission vessel that should warm the hearts of the greenest motorboat sailor. "Everybody knows about hybrid cars, but hybrid boats are different," said Michael Frauscher, managing director of the company that built the boat. Most air pollution from motor boats comes in the harbor, when the boat is idling or running at low speed, said Michael Chrisman, California's secretary of resources, who went for a demonstration ride on the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. The hybrid...
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California's hands-free mobile phone law goes into effect on July 1st. Starting on that date, California drivers will no longer be able to use hand-held phones, but will instead either need to use a hands-free device, whether it's a headset or integrated into the car.A study released Monday by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) estimates that California will have 300 fewer traffic fatalities a year once the law goes into effect. According to Jed Kolko, PPIC research fellow and study author, if such a ban were extended across the U.S., thousands of lives could be saved.In a study released Monday, Jed Kolko, a fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California,...
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ASUS Eee PC 900 Now Available for Pre-Order at Exclusive ASUS Authorized Retailers in the United States FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (May 5th, 2008)-ASUS North American headquarters today announced the availability of the long-awaited ASUS Eee PC 900. The US is the 3rd in-line to offer the 8.9-inch ASUS Eee PC following its release in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Both Linux and Microsoft Windows operation system will be available for the pre-order. This new generation of ASUS Eee PC includes a package of new features. The new 8.9-inch (1024 x 600) is equipped with a 1.3 Mega Pixel webcam, 1GB of memory, and has a FigerGlide feature which enables users to zoom in and out of pictures with simple finger...
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Grand Theft Auto IV has created a frenzy of news stories, including rave reviews and record sales, but the one that has gamers hot under the collar: freezes.Last month, the launch of Rockstar Games' Bully on the Xbox 360 was marred by a bevy of crash bugs and other glitches. With this morning's heavily anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Rockstar finds itself dealing with still more troubleshooting trouble, as online forums are buzzing with reports of crashes.Reports are that the 60GB PS3 is most likely to see this issue. Rockstar's only workaround for now, deleting the game data and reinstalling, also isn't working for all. More to come....
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If you thought your own passwords were secure, then you haven’t seen anything yet. There is an interesting bug in Windows 2000 SP1 and Advanced Server that occasionally produces (and enforces!) the following error:“Your password must be at least 18770 characters and cannot repeat any of your previous 30689 passwords. Please type a different password. Type a password that meets these requirements in both text boxes.”Luckily there is already a fix in place, but this one is certainly worth a laugh. If you happen to know anyone out there running either of these products, you can give them a heart attack by logging into an MIT realm, pressing CTL + ALT + DELETE and changing your password to something...
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Wi-Fi availability at Starbucks is nothing new. But this last February, AT&T announced that it will be replacing T-Mobile as the Wi-Fi provider for all company-operated Starbucks locations. The transition is now underway with Starbucks stores in San Antonio, Texas already outfitted with Wi-Fi hotspots from AT&T. A press release from AT&T states: "... as of May 1, qualifying AT&T high speed Internet and Wi-Fi customers will have complimentary Wi-Fi access at more than 7,000 Starbucks locations nationwide. For millions of AT&T customers, that means more speed in more places--and for free--is on its way." For Frappuccino drinkers who don't live or work near the initial 7,000...
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Hopefully you read that title the way Steve Ballmer probably meant to say it on Thursday. You know, emphasis on the "HAVE" in a sarcastic way. Although we're sure he didn't say it that way, he probably wanted to.Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer offered a glimmer of hope on Thursday to fans of the company's Windows XP operating system, saying the company may reconsider its decision to stop selling it soon.But Ballmer was adamant that most people who buy PCs today buy them with XP's successor, Vista."That's the statistical truth," he told reporters at a news conference at Louvain-La-Neuve University. "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter."We hope they wake up soon, period. ...
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Good news, for those of you looking for a better deal in CPUs, came across the wire today from Intel. New price reductions have been announced and one could say they're taking price points down to bargain-basement levels in some spots, with cost savings ranging from 12% to a whopping 50% on the Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.66GHz processor. This pricing represents major reductions across both 45nm and 65nm CPU families in both their desktop, value and workstation/server lineup. This move will definitely turn up the burners on rival AMD. Read 'em and weep... Previous Price New Price Cost Savings Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q6700 (8M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) $530 $266...
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