Legit Reviews News History
PC games getting red-carpet launches
The video game business is always chasing Hollywood. Now it wants Hollywood's big paydays. So video game marketers are staging more and more blockbuster events that can upstage even the biggest movie debuts. I think it's great to see video games take the red carpet. I just hope to some day be at one of the events!
The rallying cry of game marketing is the $125 million ``Halo 2'' Xbox video game generated on its launch day in November 2004. Microsoft touts that as the ``biggest day in entertainment history,'' as the game's sales in a 24-hour period topped the biggest opening day for any movie. That ambition to surpass movies was on display at the MI6 game marketing conference this week at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The small gathering of game marketing professionals is the first of its kind and is aimed at bringing the best marketers in the industry together in the same way other events connect movie marketers and advertisers.
Posted by | Fri, Jun 30, 2006 - 10:12 AM
Outlook Sinks ATI Shares, But Today is a New Day
Shares of ATI Technologies plunged more than 12% Thursday after the graphics chipmaker offered a disappointing outlook for its current, or fourth, quarter and missed revenue estimates for the just-completed period. Shares of ATI (ATYT) have bounced back a bit today and is currently trading at $14.09 per share, which is up 3.22% for the day.
The second half of the company's just-completed quarter was weaker than expected, said ATI CEO Dave Orton in an interview with TheStreet.com. The company expects its results to rebound later this year as Intel's introduction of new chips and Microsoft's introduction of its Vista update to its Windows operating system spur PC sales, Orton said. But the company isn't certain when sales will pick back up, he said. "We're excited about the back half of the year, but we don't know exactly the timing of the ramp," he said. "We thought it was prudent to be cautious."
Posted by | Fri, Jun 30, 2006 - 07:48 AM
Intel to launch dual-core Itanium 2 CPUs on July 18
Intel plans to add its dual-core Itanium 2 CPU line, dubbed "Montecito," to to its current Xeon 5100 series (codenamed Woodcrest) and Dempsey processor offerings on July 18, according to sources at Taiwan server makers.
The dual-core "Montecito" processor line will feature more advanced specifications for the high-end market, compared to the "Woodcrest" seres under the new Intel Core microarchitecture (65-80W in power consumption) and the "Dempsey" under the NetBurst microarchitecture (95-130W in power consumption), indicated the sources.
Posted by | Fri, Jun 30, 2006 - 07:43 AM
Young Adults To Be Hurt By Federal USF Phone Tax Changes
If you are over the age of 45, you have a home phone and possibly a cell phone. But if you are under the age of 25, you may very well have four, five or even more connections: a home phone, one or more cell phones, an IM or Blackberry-style device, a broadband data connection and maybe even a separate line for online video gaming and/or a digital video recorder (DVR). That is why the Keep Universal Service Fund (USF) Fair Coalition is warning today that younger adults are among those who would fare the worst under a controversial plan now under discussion in Washington, D.C., to shift the Universal Service Fund tax on phone bills.
Under the proposed change, the USF tax would shift from the current percentage of actual long-distance calls to a flat, monthly tax of $1-$2 on all connections including non-voice data lines regardless of whether the connections are used for any long-distance calls. To show the potential cost to young adults of changing the USF funding formula, the Keep USF Fair Coalition is launching http://www.phonetaxcalculator.com, which allows young adults to estimate their current USF tax burden and how much it would go up under the widely criticized per-connection approach.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 09:10 AM
ATI Reports Results for Third Quarter of Fiscal 2006
ATI Technologies Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2006 ended May 31, 2006. Revenues for the third quarter were $652.3 million. Gross margin percentage was 30.1%. Net income determined in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for the quarter was $31.9 million ($0.12 per diluted share). Non-GAAP adjusted net income for the quarter was $42.5 million ($0.16 per diluted share). Shares of ATI (ATYT) are down for the day trading at $14.31 per share, which is down -$1.19 (-7.68%).
PC revenues increased 8.5% year-over-year to $499.7 million. Sales of desktop and notebook integrated products increased more than 200% year-over-year with the continued success of the Radeon Xpress 200 product line. The increase in sales of integrated products was partially offset by an approximate 15% decline in sales of desktop discrete products due to lower average selling prices resulting from a mix shift towards mainstream and value products in the add-in-board (AIB) channel. On a sequential basis, desktop discrete sales declined approximately 10% reflecting a seasonal decline in the market for discrete GPUs. Sales of notebook discrete solutions were also lower year-over-year as a result of the increased use of integrated graphics in notebook platforms.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 08:33 AM
Senate deals blow to Net neutrality
By an 11-11 tie, the Senate Commerce Committee failed to approve a Democrat-backed amendment that would have ensured all Internet traffic is treated the same no matter what its "source" or "destination" might be. My thoughts on this bill were mixed, so I'm not sure what to think of this failure.
The concept of network neutrality, which generally means that all Internet sites must be treated equally, has drawn a list of high-profile backers, from actress Alyssa Milano to Vint Cerf, one of the technical pioneers of the Internet. It's also led to a political rift between big Internet companies such as Google and Yahoo that back it--and telecom companies that oppose what they view as onerous new federal regulations. By a 12-10 vote, senators also rejected a second amendment that was broader. The amendment, proposed by Hawaii Democrat Daniel Inouye, included not just Net neutrality anti-discrimination language but also addressed topics such as video franchising and universal service.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:22 AM
Prototype Software Creates 100% Undetectable Malware On Vista
A security researcher in Singapore with expertise in rootkits has created a working prototype of new technology that is capable of creating undetectable malware, which could affect even the most-secure Windows Vista x64 systems. Thank AMD Pacifica and one smart guy to put it together.
Joanna Rutkowska, a stealth malware researcher at Singapore-based IT security firm COSEINC, says the new Blue Pill concept uses AMD's SVM/Pacifica virtualization technology to create an ultra-thin hypervisor that takes complete control of the underlying operating system. Rutkowska plans to discuss the idea and demonstrate a working prototype for Windows Vista x64 at the SyScan Conference in Singapore on July 21 and at the Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas on Aug. 3.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:15 AM
Judge approves Yahoo "click fraud" settlement
A federal judge on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a settlement in a lawsuit that accused Yahoo Inc. of not adequately protecting advertisers from a practice known as "click fraud," the Wall Street Journal reported. Once again it looks like the legal team walks away with the cash!
Under the terms of the settlement, Yahoo would pay about $5 million in legal fees and extend its period for reviewing advertiser click fraud complaints to include disputed charges since January 2004, rather than addressing complaints received only within the past 60 days, the newspaper said. The preliminary approval was granted by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:11 AM
Analyst predicts Apple vPod delayed till 2007
Apple Computer Inc. might delay introduction of its newest iPod music and video players, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu wrote in a report. The delay moves the Apple vPod from 2006 to 2007, which means that the device misses the holiday rush! Uh oh!!
Release of the wide-screen vPod might be put off until the first half of 2007 from the fourth quarter of this year as Apple tries to improve battery life, Wu wrote. The nano music player could be delayed until the fourth quarter from the third because of a technical change, he wrote. The increased risk of a postponement led him to reduce his 12-month target price for Apple shares to $75 from $101. Apple hasn't said when it will release the newest iPods. Shares of the Cupertino, Calif.-based company fell $1.41, or 2.5 percent, to $56.02
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:07 AM
Dell to offer free recycling for products
Consumers wanting to ditch old printers, personal computers or other electronics gear made by Dell Inc. will soon be able to recycle them for free, chairman Michael Dell announced Wednesday. Dell gets the thumbs up from LR on this move torwards being green!
"We don't think the consumer should have to pay for the responsible retirement of used computer equipment," Dell said. The new recycling policy, already available in Europe, is slated to launch in the United States by September and the rest of the world by November. Industrywide, companies have begun adopting more affordable recycling policies to prevent cadmium, mercury and lead and other hazardous materials contained in many electronics from ending up in landfills as so-called "e-waste."
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:04 AM
Tyan introduces the Typhoon PSC personal Super Computer
Tyan Computer, a specialist high-end motherboard and system maker, has introduced the Typhoon PSC personal supercomputer range, delivering supercomputer power in a mobile, desk-side unit. Typhoon models can accommodate up to eight processors and 64GB of memory, delivering up to 70 Gigaflops performance in a unit no bigger than two desktop PCs, according to Tyan. It was only a matter of time, but someone finally did it!
The company said two models are available immediately, based on AMD Opteron 200 series processors or Pentium D processors. Each is configured as four cluster nodes with two processors each. The AMD model accommodates up to 64GB of DDR400/333 registered memory, with the Intel model taking up to 32GB of DDR2-667/533 unbuffered memory. There are eight Gigabit Ethernet ports and capacity for four Serial ATA HDD devices. Tyan is developing further Typhoon PSC models based on the Pentium 4 and the recently-announced Intel Xeon 5100 series processors (Woodcrest), with high performance FBD registered memory. Availability is expected at the end of the third quarter of 2006. The Typhoon PSC supports Linux and Microsoft's Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003. In addition, multiple Typhoon PSC systems can be daisy-chained to form a super cluster.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 05:01 AM
Micron Beats Earnings Estimates
Micron's diversification efforts resulted in a larger-than-expected profit in its third quarter, although sales fell short of Wall Street expectations. The Boise, Idaho, company said it earned $89 million, or 12 cents a share, in the three months ended June 1, with total sales of $1.31 billion.
Sales of NAND flash memory represented 5% of total sales during the quarter, while imaging chips used in cell phone cameras made up 16% of overall sales. The rising prices for DRAM also helped the bottom line. According to Micron, the average selling prices per megabit for DDR and DDR2 memory products increased 20%. Overall megabit DRAM sales however declined approximately 15% sequentially as production resources were shifted to flash and imaging chip production. Micron's gross margin during the third quarter was 25%, compared with 19% in the second quarter.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 04:58 AM
WGA XP killswitch tentatively set for Autumn
After years of being "helpless" against casual pirates, Microsoft is considering making WGA required beginning this fall. In short, if you don't install it, your copy of Windows XP will shutdown. Of course, as far as existing users go, it seems a bit of a chicken and egg issue. If you don't install the update that enables WGA, how can it shut you down? Will Microsoft force the installation of the WGA update? What repercussions and exploits could be had if such an event took place? Either way, this is beginning to look like the whole XP Activation mess we had only a few short years ago.
"in the fall, having the latest WGA will become mandatory and if its not installed, Windows will give a 30 day warning and when the 30 days is up and WGA isn't installed, Windows will stop working, so you might as well install WGA now."
Posted by | Thu, Jun 29, 2006 - 01:45 AM
Corsair Launches PC2-6400 C4 Memory in Pro & Expert Series
Corsair Memory today announced the introduction of two new DDR2-800 low latency 2GB kits. Designed with the advanced users in mind who demand performance, aesthetics and functionary in one package, the new TWIN2X2048-6400C4PRO and TWIN2XP2048-6400C4 memory kits are optimized for the current AMD socket AM2 platform and the upcoming Intel platform.
"The new XMS DDR2 PRO and XPERT modules not only operate at fast 800MHz speeds and low latency, they feature Corsair's highly reviewed activity LEDs and parametric displays," commented Richard Hashim, Director of Product Marketing at Corsair Memory. "Corsair will continue to develop and offer cutting edge memory technology with features demanded by the enthusiast community," continued Hashim.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 27, 2006 - 08:53 AM
Conroe Platforms WIll Not Be Able To Run SLI Graphics
Fudo over at The Inq. says that Intel is not supporting SLI on its Conroe-supporting motherboards. Up until now, he, and his, sources have blamed it all on Nvidia but it turns out that Fudo might be wrong about that. There is a chance that Intel doesn't want to allow Nvidia to run SLI, as it doesn't want to make a big thing about SLI on its own Conroe machines. Interesting news, but we knew this was the case as SLI doesn't work on any Intel 975 Bad Axe motherboards now.
Intel is in the bed with ATI and signed a cross-licensing agreement quite some time ago, the upshot of which is that it officially supports ATI's Crossfire on Intel 975/965 boards. We hear that Intel doesn?t want to let Nvidia's SLI to run on its boards, at least not officially. There will no-doubt be a leaked driver that will allow such a scenario, but even if the high-end tweakers society might be happy about it, none of the system integrators or OEMs will make such a machine as the driver would never be official and WHQL.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 27, 2006 - 08:39 AM
Computers break down less often: survey
Computers have become more reliable in recent years as manufacturers have improved designs, but one in every six new notebooks still needs to be repaired within a year after purchase, a survey found on Tuesday. Failure rates of both desktop and portable notebook computers have improved in the 2005-2006 period compared with 2003-2004, market research group Gartner found.
Five percent of desktop computers need to have a component replaced within the first year, compared with 7 percent two years ago. Four years after purchase the chance that a desktop computer needs to be repaired is 12 percent, compared with 15 percent in 2003-2004. For notebooks the first year failure rate was 15 percent, compared with 20 percent two years earlier. A failure is defined as a repair incident in which a component needs to be replaced, ranging from something as trivial as a notebook latch or as significant as a motherboard.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 27, 2006 - 08:36 AM
Marvell Buys Intel Processor Unit For $600 Million
Intel agreed to sell a division that makes processors for handheld devices to Marvell for $600 million. Not a small chuck of money by any means. Watch out Intel is trying to turn into a lean fighting machine to take on AMD!
The price is expected to be all cash, although Intel has an option to receive up to $100 million of it in Marvell common stock. Intel's communication and application processor business employs about 1,400 people, the "vast majority" of which will be transferred to Marvell. The deal should close within five months, the companies said. Intel's operation manufactures processors used in Research in Motion's BlackBerry 8700, the Palm Treo and the Motorola Q, among other things.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 27, 2006 - 08:35 AM
PC users 'want greener machines' and are willing to pay
Consumers are willing to pay up to an extra 108 ($197) for a PC containing fewer chemicals, a survey has found. People also feel manufacturers should take responsibility for the disposal of old machines, the research shows. I'd pay $200 extra for a green friendly PC, but they do need to become less toxic.
The study by Ipsos-Mori for Greenpeace coincides with an announcement by PC maker Dell to phase out a number of toxic chemicals in its products. The nine-nation research found that UK computer users were willing to pay an extra 64 ($117), while people in China were prepared for spend up to 108 ($197) for a more environmentally sound PC.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 27, 2006 - 08:30 AM
Spanish Wi-Fi Company Sells Wireless Routers For Five Dollars
FON, a Spanish start-up on an ambitious crusade to turn home Wi-Fi connections into wireless "hotspots" for nearby users, is set to unveil Monday a plan to hand out 1 million wireless routers for just $5 apiece. I wonder if FON is planning on coming to America with an offer like that.
FON, which aims to create a network of home users and small businesses to resell wireless access to passersby, said Sunday it will subsidize $60 Cisco Linksys or Buffalo routers for $5 in the United States or 5 euros in Europe. Routers are small boxes users connect to cable or telephone Internet connections to broadcast wireless signals to nearby devices, inside a home, business or surrounding neighborhood.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 26, 2006 - 07:05 AM
Pentagon developing supersonic shape-shifting assassin: Switchblade
For years, the U.S. military has wanted a plane that could loiter just outside enemy territory for more than a dozen hours and, on command, hurtle toward a target faster than the speed of sound. And then level it. In the mean time the economy will continue to fall apart and Americans will have problems paying high gas prices...
When completed (target date: 2020), it will cruise with its 200-foot-long wing perpendicular to its engines like a normal airplane. But just before the craft breaks the sound barrier, its single wing will swivel around 60 degrees (hence the name) so that one end points forward and the other back. This oblique configuration redistributes the shock waves that pile up in front of a plane at Mach speeds and cause drag. When the Switchblade returns to subsonic speeds, the wing will rotate back to perpendicular.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 26, 2006 - 07:03 AM