Legit Reviews News History

Dell starts free computer recycling program in the U.S.

Dell Inc. said Thursday it will launch a free computer recycling program in the U.S. on Friday. It only works on Dell systems and Legit Reviews fully supports Dell's latest move to become green!

Dell owners can visit the company's Web site, enter product information numbers of used Dell computers and printers, print a prepaid shipping label and schedule free home pick-up with DHL. The service is not tied to the purchase of new Dell equipment.

BusinessWeek

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:30 AM

Only a 'moron' would buy YouTube: Mark Cuban

Billionaire investor and dot-com veteran Mark Cuban had harsh words on Thursday for YouTube, the online site that lets people share video clips, saying only a "moron" would purchase the wildly popular start-up. Pretty harsh words from Mark Cuban, but I guess he does have a point!

Cuban, co-founder of HDNet and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, also said YouTube would eventually be "sued into oblivion" because of copyright violations. "They are just breaking the law," Cuban told a group of advertisers in New York. "The only reason it hasn't been sued yet is because there is nobody with big money to sue."

Reuters Technology News

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:25 AM

PayPal pays $5.2M to settle lawsuits

EBay's PayPal payment division will pay $3.5 million to consumers and $1.7 million to 28 states in settlements for two different actions regarding its notification of users regarding their rights, the company said Thursday.

The online payment company will establish a $3.5 million settlement fund to conclude a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, in 2005. The settlement is still pending court approval. Consumers filed the suit on the basis that PayPal did not make clear its policies on certain types of transactions, the company said.The company will also pay $1.7 million to the attorneys general of 28 states to settle suits there.

InfoWorld

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:23 AM

Verizon sues data brokers linked to HP

Verizon Wireless sued 20 unnamed data brokers for fraudulently obtaining private telephone records belonging to Hewlett-Packard board members and journalists as part of an HP investigation into boardroom leaks.

The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Trenton, N.J. on the same day current and former HP executives were questioned by a congressional committee about the techniques used in the investigation. The president and vice chairman of Verizon, Larry Babbio, is also a member of the HP board of directors. The lawsuit did not indicate if his call records were among those accessed by the data brokers. "Despite the precautions taken by Verizon Wireless to preserve the confidentiality of its customers' information, defendants used fraud, trickery and deceit to access confidential customer information," Verizon said in documents filed with the court.

CNET News

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:21 AM

US still leads in electronic design influence

The United States in 2006 is expected to maintain its lead in the worldwide electronic equipment design business, with the nation's activities in this area driving the most semiconductor purchasing of any country on earth, according research firm iSuppli. However, China's rapid growth in electronic-design-generated semiconductor purchasing activity is continuing and the country is closing in on the United States and the other top nations, noted the research firm.

Electronic system design in the United States is expected to drive 34.9 percent of global semiconductor purchasing in 2006, amounting to US$62.1 billion worth of chip sales for the year. This represents a 6.6 percent increase from US$58.3 billion in 2005."The fact the United States is the largest nation for electronic design contrasts sharply with the country's propensity to outsource actual manufacturing to other countries," Moon said. "While actual production of electronic equipment is decreasing in the United States, the nation's design activity that drives semiconductor spending is on the rise. However, as a percentage of worldwide semiconductor spending, the United States' design-inspired chip purchasing will actually decline slightly in 2006, decreasing from 35.2 percent in 2005." Japan is expected to maintain its second-place ranking in 2006, with its design activity generating 24.9 percent of worldwide chip sales, followed by third-placed Taiwan at 8.6 percent.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:19 AM

More Problems for Sony Over Batteries

So you thought the scare with Dell, Apple, and Lenovo/IBM laptop batteries was over? Think again. On Friday, Toshiba and Fujitsu said it would recall 830,000 laptop computer batteries made by Sony. Dell, meanwhile expanded its earlier recall and said owners should recheck their batteries if they haven't received a replacement.

Toshiba said it would recall 830,000 laptop computer batteries made by Sony as part of Sony's newly launched global replacement program. Dell, meanwhile, increased the number of batteries in its recall to about 4.2 million units from 4.1 million, the company announced on Friday.

CNET News

Posted by | Fri, Sep 29, 2006 - 08:17 AM

HP to Acquire VoodooPC

HP today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire VoodooPC, a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance and personalized gaming computer systems. Following the close of the transaction, HP will form a separate business unit within its Personal Systems Group focused on the gaming industry. VoodooPC co-owner Rahul Sood will become chief technologist for the unit and co-owner Ravi Sood will become the unit's director of strategy.

HP plans to maintain VoodooPC's current distribution model and brand name along with its marketing, sales, support and development operations. "Our passion at VoodooPC has been to design the highest performance, personalized PCs for our customers' entertainment," said Rahul Sood, founder and president, VoodooPC. "Customers should continue to expect the highest level of personalized configurations, service and quality. The benefits of this acquisition to VoodooPC are immense, not least of which is having a direct conduit to HP's unparalleled innovation and international presence." The acquisition is expected to close by November 2006. Terms of the deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, were not disclosed.

The Street

Posted by | Thu, Sep 28, 2006 - 10:10 PM

Creator of Morpheus Is Found Liable

In a ruling that is sure to depress users and fans of peer-to-peer (P2P) networking, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled Wednesday against the creators of the Morpheus file-swapping software. The judge said that StreamCast Networks Inc., the distributor of Morpheus software, actively encouraged millions of users to break the law.

The ruling was a sweeping victory for a coalition of Hollywood movie studios, record companies and music publishers who sued Los Angeles-based StreamCast Networks and similar firms in 2001. The case led to a landmark copyright ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

Wired News

Posted by | Thu, Sep 28, 2006 - 07:42 AM

Microsoft Signs 'Rings' Director for 'Halo'

The director of LOTR is set to help Microsoft develop future game titles, like the next Halo, for the XBox 360 and XBox LIVE. Sounds like a good deal from a marketing perspective, but I'd be interested to see if the end result justifies such a deal!

Peter Jackson, the creator of Lord of the Rings and King Kong, will work with Microsoft to develop the next versions of Halo, a popular adventure game, the software giant announced Wednesday. Jackson and Microsoft will also develop a second series of games with new characters, plots and settings, but the company did not release any other details.

The Street

Posted by | Thu, Sep 28, 2006 - 05:52 AM

Sharp develops triple-vision LCD panel

I remember hearing rumors about this... it looks like a normal LCD when it is turned off, but as you walk past it, the image changes! Imagine billboard companies investing in this technology!

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Japan's Sharp Corp. said on Wednesday it has developed the world's first liquid crystal display (LCD) panel that allows the viewing of three different images on one screen at the same time. The new LCD panel would, for example, allow the driver of a car to view a navigation system, the passenger to look at shopping and restaurant information and a person in the back seat to watch a movie, Sharp said in a press release.

CNN

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 02:20 PM

AGEIA Joins Futuremark's 3DMark Benchmark Team

AGEIA has officially joined the 3DMark Benchmark Development Program and wants the world to know as they just sent out a press release. Futuremark created the 3DMark Benchmark Development Program (BDP) to build partnerships with leading PC and gaming industry stakeholders that have an interest in the development unbiased benchmark software that accurately measures the performance of next generation technology and hardware. Futuremark provides all its BDP Members with specifications and pre-production versions of its benchmarks and, in turn, evaluates the feedback provided by those members. Looks like we will be seeing the AGEIA SDK more and more these days.

Futuremark is pleased to welcome AGEIA to the 3DMark BDP. AGEIA brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in hardware acceleration of real-time physics to the BDP, and their advances in the marketplace offer great promise to the PC gaming environment" said Oliver Baltuch, Futuremark's VP of Sales and Marketing, North America. "AGEIA is fully committed to the development of fair and objective benchmarks and understands that as a result; consumers will get better performing hardware and software, and a more exciting gaming experience.

Legit Forums

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 11:01 AM

French surgeons perform zero-gravity operation on plane

French surgeons performed the first zero-gravity operation on Wednesday aboard a plane free-falling to create weightless conditions in what they hope can be a trial run for surgery on astronauts in space.

The operation lasted around 11 minutes and was performed in 32 sequences, during which an Airbus 300 Zero G aircraft flew in arcs putting it into free fall and creating weightless conditions for 22 seconds each time. In a specially-developed operating theater, measuring two meters by two meters, surgical instruments were held in place by powerful magnets and the surgeons by harnesses.

Reuters Technology News

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 10:54 AM

AMD Opens New Chip Design Center in Fort Collins Colorado

AMD today announced the opening of an advanced microprocessor development facility in Fort Collins, CO. Dubbed the "Mile High Design Center" (MHDC), the facility is the latest in AMD's growing international network of chip design hubs. AMD plans to use the increased flexibility and efficiency provided by the MHDC to accelerate the introduction of next-generation microprocessors that are more closely aligned with the evolving priorities of customers, partners and end-users worldwide.

The opening of the Mile High Design Center is a testament to our ongoing commitment to customers. By growing the flexibility and agility of our chip design network, we can continue to efficiently deliver innovative solutions that help customers bring the right products to market at the right time," Jeff VerHeul, Corporate Vice President, Silicon Design Engineering said. AMD was welcomed into the Fort Collins community at a recent reception hosted by the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation and the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, and attended by elected officials, academics, business and community leaders.

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 10:47 AM

GE laptop theft exposes data on thousands

General Electric said on Tuesday that a company laptop containing the names and Social Security numbers of 50,000 current and former employees was stolen in early September. The laptop, issued to a GE official who was authorized to have the data, was stolen from a locked hotel room, the company said.

The Connecticut-based company began mailing letters earlier this week to the people whose names and Social Security numbers were on the laptop, to notify them of the breach and to offer a year's free access to a credit-monitoring service, GE spokesman Russell Wilkerson said. Wilkerson declined to give further details, such as where and when the theft took place or whether the company official was still with General Electric.

The Street

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 10:44 AM

Intel Helps Drive The Dell To Near Record Highs

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearing the level of its best-ever finish Wednesday, as investor optimism was overcoming concerns about sluggishness in the economy. Advances of 2% or more in McDonald's, General Motors and Intel were driving the Dow.

Lately, the Dow was adding 34 points, or 0.3%, at 11,703. The S&P 500 was up 2 points, or 0.2%, at 1339, and the Nasdaq Composite was higher by 8 points, or 0.4%, at 2269. For the Dow, its highest close was just below 11,723 on Jan. 14, 2000. The best intraday point was 11,751.82, set two days before the record finish.

The Street

Posted by | Wed, Sep 27, 2006 - 10:42 AM

ATI CATALYST Drivers WHQL Certified for Windows Vista

Underlining the company's leadership in developing hardware and drivers to support Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista operating system, ATI Technologies Inc. today announced that its driver has been granted the graphics industry's first Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) certification for Windows Vista by Microsoft. WHQL certification sets a high bar for quality and reliability, and is considered essential by many business and home users.

ATI is working closely with Microsoft to ensure the best performance and most reliable Vista experience through our top-to-bottom line of graphics processors," said Ben Bar-Haim, vice president of software, ATI Technologies Inc. "With Windows Vista, 3D graphics now matter to everyone and ATI's WHQL certification gives businesses and consumers alike the confidence that their ATI system is ready for Vista.

Legit Forums

Posted by | Tue, Sep 26, 2006 - 03:40 PM

Intel's Quad Core Coming Sooner Than Later

News from the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco reports that PC makers are ready to launch new systems featuring the upcoming quad-core Core 2 Extreme processor (that's a mouthful). These chips - rated about 70% faster than the current duo-core - are right around the corner hitting the streets in November!

Intel will ship its first quad core PC and server processors in November, aimed at the high-end PC gamer and content creation market, and will follow up with quad core processors for the masses in the first quarter of 2007.

vnunet.com

Posted by | Tue, Sep 26, 2006 - 03:20 PM

AMD to counter Intel QX6700 with 3 new A64 FX CPUs in mid-November

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) plans to launch three 90nm Athlon 64 FX processors intended for its 4x4 platform (a two-socket board, each containing a dual-core processor) in mid-November, with an aim to counter Intel's planned launched of its Core 2 Extreme QX6700 CPU, according to sources at Taiwan motherboard makers who are familiar with AMD's latest roadmap.

The three Athlon 64 FX processors will be marketed under the FX-70, FX-72 and FX-74 names and have clock frequencies of 2.6GHz, 2.8GHz and 3.0GHz, respectively, with all models having 2MB (2x1MB) L2 cache and a TDP (thermal design point) of 125W, the sources indicated. The new Athlon 64 FX CPUs will utilize the Socket 1207 connector being used in AMD's server processors, instead of the Socket AM2 or the Socket 939, the sources noted.

DigiTimes Daily IT News

Posted by | Tue, Sep 26, 2006 - 07:32 AM

All Microsoft Vista versions to ship on single disc

Microsoft has confirmed that all versions of Vista will be shipped on a single DVD, in a feature called Windows Anytime Upgrade. The idea, said a company representative, is to let customers more easily and directly upgrade to a higher edition of Windows Vista from within their current edition. Vista is scheduled to reach consumers in January. This makes sense as RC1 is able to fit on a single DVD!

Users would be installing only the version of the operating system that they had purchased, as the product key would be version-specific. Versions range from Starter to Ultimate editions. Asked if this system meant upgrades would be cheaper, as production and retail costs for Microsoft will be lowered, the representative declined to give pricing details.

CNET News

Posted by | Fri, Sep 22, 2006 - 02:30 PM

Hewlett-Packard Gets Humble About Their Conduct

Speaking to the press at Hewlett-Packard's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters, CEO Mark Hurd apologized for the company's conduct in spying on board members and journalists, and outlined a series of actions the company was taking as various government inquiries into the affair gain steam. H-P Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who initiated the investigation, will resign effective immediately, said Hurd. Earlier this month, H-P had said Dunn would resign in early 2007

Hurd provided a timeline of H-P's leak investigation, which he said consisted of two distinct phases between 2005 and 2006, and his personal involvement. He said he attended a couple of meetings during which updates of the investigation were provided. Hurd also acknowledged that he approved an infamous email sent to a reporter at CNET that was embedded with spying technology. Hurd said he approved of the concept and content of the email, which was designed to appear as if it were from a disgruntled senior executive at H-P. But Hurd said he did not know about the tracing mechanism hidden within the message. After more than two weeks of being rocked by an incessant string of revelations about its controversial efforts to find leakers within the company, H-P sought to shift from defensive mode to offense and wrest some degree of control over the story.

The Street

Posted by | Fri, Sep 22, 2006 - 02:29 PM

NEXT