Legit Reviews News History
Sony recalls PC batteries - HP, Toshiba, Dell, Acer and Lenovo Impacted
Sony Corp said five PC makers including Hewlett-Packard Co and Toshiba Corp will recall 100,000 computer battery packs made by the Japanese electronics maker due to a fire hazard. The recall is a fraction of a much bigger recall of 9.6 million Sony PC batteries in 2006, which cost the company around 35.5 billion yen ($360 million).
The U.S. government issued on Thursday a recall of 35,000 Sony batteries and the Tokyo-based company said it would recall a further 65,000 batteries worldwide. The recall affects around 74,000 notebook PCs sold by HP and 14,400 from Toshiba. The faulty batteries are also used in laptop PCs from Dell Inc, Acer Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd, Sony said.
Posted by | Fri, Oct 31, 2008 - 08:44 AM
1 Trojan + 3 years = 500,000 online financial accounts
RSA FraudAction Research Lab has discovered log-in information for about 300,000 online bank accounts and 250,000 credit and debit card accounts that have been gathered by a cybercrime gang over the past three years using the Sinowal Trojan.
The Sinowal Trojan infects computers without the owner knowing it by surrepticiously planting itself onto the computer while the owner is Web surfing in an attack dubbed a "drive-by download." The malicious code is typically hidden on an unfamiliar Web site, often related to porn or gambling, but can also be found lurking on legitimate Web sites, says Sean Brady, manager of identity protection at RSA. The Trojan is programmed to execute when the victim visits a particular banking or financial Web site; it is triggered by more than 2,700 specific URLs, according to RSA.
Posted by | Fri, Oct 31, 2008 - 08:41 AM
Electronic Arts cutting up to 600 jobs
Video game publisher Electronic Arts posted a wider quarterly net loss yesterday and said it is laying off about 6 percent of its workforce to cut costs as it heads into the most lucrative season for the games industry. Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown said the company remains "cautiously optimistic" about the holidays.
Higher development and marketing costs led to the bigger loss for the July-September period. The quarter's revenue surpassed Wall Street's forecast thanks to the success of games like "Spore" and "Madden NFL 09," but the company did not exude the cheery optimism that has characterized the video game industry in the past few months even amid the economic turmoil.
Posted by | Fri, Oct 31, 2008 - 08:40 AM
Asustek expects to ship $200 Eee PC in 2009
Asustek Computer has announced consolidated revenues are down 14.2% on year, but they are up 13% on quarter. ASUS has shipped an estimated 17 million motherboards under the ASUS brand name alone, which is very impressive when you consider everything else that they make. Looking ahead ASUS has forecast a shipments goal of 20 million notebooks and netbooks in 2009! To put that into perspective the goal this year is just 5 million! The $200 ASUS Eee PC they are planning next year might help move more notebooks though!
Shen expects annual notebook shipments growth in 2009 to be higher than the industry's 10-20%, while the motherboard's percentage will be less than 10%. The company expects to grab a 30% share in the netbook market in 2009 – shipments of 6-7.5 million units out of an estimated 2009 netbook market scale of 20-25 million units. Shen detailed that the company has adjusted its mid-range and entry-level Eee PC's pricing and market position, and expects to launch an Eee PC priced at US$200 in 2009.
Posted by | Fri, Oct 31, 2008 - 08:38 AM
October 31 News from Around the Web
Happy Halloween everyone! Find reviews like Scythe Musashi VGA Cooler Review @ High Techreviews.com from around the web by visiting our forums!
The Scythe Musashi VGA cooler is unique in it's design featuring a pair of 100x100x 10mm fans and dual heatpipe cooling which is usually reserved for CPU heatsink. Scythe has applied this proven cooling method to VGA cooler that takes only one slot from your computer when installed, but it is well worth the minor inconvenience.
Posted by | Fri, Oct 31, 2008 - 06:59 AM
Dell Updates Battery Replacement Program - 300 Bad Batteries On The Loose
Dell is updating its previous battery-replacement program based on additional information that the company has received from lithium-ion battery supplier Sony. It seems that 300 systems contain a battery that needs to be recalled, so you might want to check your laptop again as it might be faulty even though it passed in the past.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that certain notebook batteries manufactured by Sony have been recalled and Dell is listed among other system manufacturers in that announcement because it received some affected units – fewer than 300 worldwide. According to Sony, the 300 batteries may present a fire and burn hazard. The battery packs were manufactured by Sony on Nov. 9, 2004 and April 11, 2005 and were shipped shortly thereafter with Latitude and Inspiron laptop systems or as service replacements.
Posted by | Thu, Oct 30, 2008 - 06:12 PM
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky V1.5.06 Patch Includes DirectX 10.1 Support
Those of you with late model ATI Radeon HD graphics cards are in for a treat if you happen to own the game title S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky as a patch that includes DirectX 10.1 is finally available! The patch for the full retail version of the game is just 53MB, so you have no excuse not to download it and try it out!
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the player assumes the role of Scar, a mercenary s.t.a.l.k.e.r. In a unique mixture of first-person shooter and complex role- playing game, Scar fights for survival within the Zone and its hostile sectors. The new Zone territories are explored by s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s scattered in groups - and these individual factions soon engage in relentless battle. As a mercenary, Scar quickly finds himself in the middle of a war of factions over territory, artifacts, and power. It is up to the player to find out on whose side Scar has the greatest chance of prevailing.
Posted by | Thu, Oct 30, 2008 - 08:59 AM
Foxconn rumored to be quitting branded motherboard market
Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is planning to quit the branded motherboard market, according rumors circulating from sources at channel vendors in China. Foxconn responded in saying it has heard nothing regarding the speculation. With the growth Foxconn has had in recent years it would seem highly unlikely that Foxconn would get out now when they are seeing 30% growth year over year in an economy like this.
The sources commented that Foxconn recently told its sales department to stop taking orders for some motherboard models, and to stop gathering order volume forecasts for all new models, implying that the company is clearing out its inventory. The sources also added that Foxconn is making the adjustments with a very low profile and will not make an announcement since that could impact its inventory clearing.
Posted by | Thu, Oct 30, 2008 - 08:55 AM
October 30 News from Around the Web
Find reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following is from OCC's OCZ Gladiator MAX Review:
"The OCZ Gladiator MAX takes the OCZ name to a new level with the usage of the direct heatpipe contact, which allowed it to cool the Q9450 to a nice level. The towering look, which seems to be very popular, seems to be how every cooler out on the market is designed here lately. I really liked the fact that OCZ decided to use a large 120mm fan for the active cooling part of the cooler and the fact that it is powered by a 4 pin PWM connector, allowing the cooler to adapt to the heat load being pushed on it, for those who want a quiet case. I really liked the usage of the push-pin mounting hardware, as this makes changing the cooler you have installed quite easy, as well as making sure it's sturdy and locked onto the motherboard. There is the lever design mounting hardware for the AMD side of things, which adds more value to the cooler. The amount of heatpipes is sufficient for the load, but some of the coolers out there are using more and more heatpipes to cool the processor. However, four have been proven to work quite well."
Posted by | Thu, Oct 30, 2008 - 08:36 AM
Microsoft Windows 7 uses DirectX 10.1
I just found a blog entry that was posted yesterday about a recent Microsoft conference that is pretty interesting. According to this slide Windows 7 DWM uses the DirectX3D10.1 API! That would be a win for AMD and ATI! Since Windows 7 can use the GPU beter with DirectX 10.1 memory consumption is cut by 50% a window, which is nuts!
If you didn’t think the performance benefits of using Aero Glass could get any better, then see this. At PDC 2008, Anantha Kancherla presented a session on “Windows 7: Writing Your Application to Shine on Modern Graphics Hardware” where he presented a mindblowing fact about the Windows 7 Desktop Window Manager. Because Windows 7 can take better advantage of the GPU and uses the Direct3D 10.1 API, it is able to reduce reduce memory consumption (in the graphics system) by 50% per each window rendered. On top of that, this is also what enables the much richer animation and styling of the interface like the “color hot-track” feature. Pretty cool huh.
Posted by | Thu, Oct 30, 2008 - 08:13 AM
Asustek to launch Android handset in 1H09
Asustek Computer plans to launch its first Android-based Google phone in the first half of 2009, according to company sources. Asustek may initially sell the Android-powered handsets under its own brand in the Taiwan market before also launching customized models for overseas clients, said market sources close to the company.
In other news, the company sources also noted that Asustek plans to gradually phase out EMP-based handsets and instead will switch to handset platforms from Qualcomm and Marvell. While launching its 3.5G P552w PDA phone in the Taiwan market on October 28, Asustek plans to launch one 3G handset model built using Qualcomm's dual-core solutions in the first quarter of next year, the sources noted.
Posted by | Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 08:42 AM
Kingston Launches HyperX DDR3 2GHz Triple-Channel Memory Kits
Kingston Technology just issed a press release announcing their new HyperX Triple Channel Memory kits for Intel's Core i7/X58 platform. Kingston has achieved 2GHz in its triple-channel kits using the ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard and to prove that they have Kingston has posted a video to YouTube showing the kit and results. Kingston was able to reach the 2GHz threshold with its KHX16000D3K3/3GX part, which will retail for $334 for the 3GB kit.
"Kingston is excited to bring the fastest DDR3 triple channel memory products to market as we are the first to deliver 2000MHz gaming kits of three with Intel's reduced voltage,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston. "All of our triple-channel kits can be overclocked manually or by using XMP-ready profiles. The 2GHz modules have been tested to support up to that speed on ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboards while the Intel DX58SO motherboards have been tested up to 1600MHz.”
Posted by | Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 07:55 AM
October 29 News from Around the Web
Tweaknews.net posted their review of the Aerocool Aeroracer Pro Mid-Tower ATX Case. Find this and other reviews from around the web by visiting our forums!
"AeroCool's AeroRacer Pro turned out to be a mixed bag. I like the exterior finish treatment and the overall look of the case. The cooling performance was very good although I think a few minor tweaks could enhance the airflow while reducing audible noise. I even like the large power button with its chrome bezel and blue backlighting, but the “ENGINE START” business seems a bit gratuitous to me."
Posted by | Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 06:18 AM
Super Talent Announces 18-Carat Solid Gold USB Drive
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced a limited edition 18-carat solid gold USB drive that comes with a serialized Certificate of Authenticity. the price on this 8GB Pico-C drive is $599, so it's not for the faint of heart.
The Pico-C has become the hallmark of style and quality in USB drives. Prized for its beautiful design and incredibly small size, the Pico-C is also water resistant and fast, supporting up to 200X (30MB/sec) data transfer speeds. The Pico-Cs amazing qualities account for the scores of prestigious Awards the Pico-C has amassed, including being featured on the July-08 cover of Popular Science and being named as a Top 10 Record-Breaking Consumer Gadget by Gizmodo.
Posted by | Tue, Oct 28, 2008 - 03:27 PM
Intel Recognized as EPA Green Power Partner of the Year
At an award ceremony hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last evening, Intel Corporation received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award and was also named a Green Power Partner of the Year. The EPA recognized the company’s voluntary efforts to address climate change through green power purchases and its impact in advancing the renewable energy market.
In early 2008, Intel signed a multi-year commitment to purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates (REC) per year – enough power to meet approximately 47 percent of its purchased electricity use – and putting the company at the No. 1 spot on the EPA Fortune 500 Green Power Partners List. With a combination of RECs from Sterling Planet, Austin Energy and PNM, Intel’s wide-ranging renewable energy portfolio includes wind projects in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest as well as solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in California. The EPA estimates that Intel's record purchase has the equivalent environmental impact of taking more than 185,000 cars off the road, or avoiding the amount of electricity needed to power more than 130,000 average American homes annually.
Posted by | Tue, Oct 28, 2008 - 11:25 AM
AMD Completes Sale of Digital TV Business to Broadcom
AMD today announced completion of the sale of its Digital TV (DTV) processor business to Broadcom Corporation. Another chapter in the history of AMD comes to a close, but whatever it takes to be a lean mean company right?
AMD announced a definitive agreement to sell its DTV business on August 25 as part of its strategy to become leaner and more focused, while seeking to create a business model to deliver sustainable profitability and leadership in core x86 computing and graphics businesses. In connection with the business sale, AMD received approximately $141.5 million in cash, subject to certain escrows and adjustments pursuant to the terms of the definitive asset purchase agreement.
Posted by | Tue, Oct 28, 2008 - 11:24 AM
October 28 News from Around the Web
MSI's P45 Platinum and Diamond Motherboards @ HotHardware.com and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
A few months back, Intel released the P45 Chipset, which at the time was considered to be their mainstream offering, playing second fiddle to the X48 Express. With official support of a 1333MHz FSB, PCI-E 2.0, ATI CrossFire, and support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, there's a lot of roads to go down with the construction of one of these motherboards, and MSI went down all of them. MSI fleshed out a complete top-to-bottom assortment of boards, which means that they have a P45 motherboard that suits just about every potential buyer's needs. Two of these, the P45 Diamond and P45 Platinum are found towards the top end of their food chain, and we'll be taking a look at them today...
Posted by | Tue, Oct 28, 2008 - 07:34 AM
Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server Coming October 30
Ubuntu 8.10 will be available to download on October 30. Both the desktop and server editions will be free.
London, October 27, 2008: Canonical Ltd. announced the upcoming availability of Ubuntu® 8.10 Desktop Edition for free download on 30 October. In related news, Canonical also announced the simultaneous release of Ubuntu 8.10 Server Edition. Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition is designed for the pervasively connected digital lifestyle. With new 3G network support, users can move smoothly from wired and WiFi networks onto 3G cellphone networks while traveling. Ubuntu 8.10 is also built to be shared - users can start a quick "guest session" on the fly and let someone use their computer to surf the web or check email, while maintaining the security and integrity of their own data. And if that person really enjoys their brief session as an Ubuntu guest, they can put Ubuntu on any USB key and take it home to install on their own computer rather than having to burn a CD.
Posted by | Mon, Oct 27, 2008 - 11:45 PM
Software unlock for iPhone 3G coming soon?
The iPhone Dev team says that they have gained access to the base band processor (the chip that controls the phones connection to a network) in an Apple iPhone 3G, meaning that a way to unlock your 3G could hit the internet very soon.
The baseband chip is what controls the connection between the phone and the mobile phone network, meaning that a software download that could let you use your iPhone 3G on a carrier network other than the ones officially designated by Apple could be released soon.
Posted by | Mon, Oct 27, 2008 - 07:14 PM
Dell Introduces the Inspiron Mini 12
Dell today introduced the Inspiron Mini 12, a small, easy-to-carry Internet companion that you can fine tune to fit your specific needs and deeds. Like its counterpart the Inspiron Mini 9, the Mini 12 is ideal for teens, tweens, travelers and “Tweeters” to surf the Web*, chat with friends, blog, stream content, upload photos or enjoy online videos, music and games.
The Inspiron Mini 12 is available initially only in Japan through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap stores and other retail outlets. It will launch online globally by late November with configurations starting under $600 (U.S.). Ubuntu and Windows XP operating systems also will be available before the end of the year.
Posted by | Mon, Oct 27, 2008 - 01:48 PM