Legit Reviews News History
Taiwan accounts for more than 25% of Intel revenues in 2008
While Intel's sales were flat in 2008, Taiwan was one of the few geographic regions where sales increased. According to the chipmaker's recently released annual report, revenues from Taiwan increased about 15% in 2008 to US$9.9 billion, while the company's overall sales of US$37.6 billion were down a slight 2%. Leading the way in terms of sales growth in 2008 for all geographic regions was the Americas (outside of the US), where sales were up 16.5%. Japan was the only other sales region that saw growth in 2008, at a slight 1.5%.
Operating revenues for Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, which includes desktop and nettop computers, enterprise computing servers and workstations and embedded applications were down 3% in 2008, while the company's Mobility Group saw its sales increase 7%. However, in terms of operating profits, the Mobility Group saw a drop of 7% from the previous year, while profits were up 22% for the Digital Enterprise Group. The Digital Enterprise Group accounted for 55% of the company's revenues and more than 70% of its profits.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 24, 2009 - 08:53 AM
CoolIT Systems Denies Working on Deal With Delphi
It looks like the rumor or Delphi and CoolIT working on a price for Delphi Thermal's Electronic Cooling engineering, products, patents and facilities in Mexico and China can be put on the back burner. I got an e-mail from CoolIT Systems this morning saying the following.
CoolIT has worked with Delphi for quite a long time on the Dell liquid cooling system and recently CoolIT has taken over the supply of the H2C unit independent of Delphi. As far as acquiring Delphi's liquid cooling capabilities, at this stage, CoolIT is a bit too busy managing the successful worldwide roll out of the Domino ALC.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 23, 2009 - 08:25 AM
Microsoft wants refund from some laid-off workers
Microsoft says it made an accounting error when it laid off some employees last month and now feels the best way to correct the error is with what will likely add up to a public relations blunder. The software giant, which recently laid off 1,400 employees, sent letters this past week week to some of those former workers letting them know that their severance payouts were a bit too "generous" and respectfully requested that the former employees pay back that money, according to a report Saturday on TechCrunch.
While the payroll error must be irritating in and of itself to these laid off workers (severance is a sensitive subject), it appears that Microsoft HR isn’t even bothering to explain how it happened (employees are instructed to call the office, which is closed for the weekend, if they want to know the details). Given that it was Microsoft HR that screwed this up in the first place, you’d think they’d at least include the calculations they made and point out where the error took place.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 23, 2009 - 08:17 AM
CoolIT Systems Ready To Acquire All of Delphi Electronics Cooling
One of our readers tipped me off over the weekend that Delphi was visiting Calgary, Alberta, CA last week and the reason why might come as a shock to many of you. If our source is correct Delphi was there last week to make a final deal to sell and turn over all of Delphi Thermal's Electronic Cooling engineering, products, patents and facilities in Mexico and China. This will make CoolIT Systems the number one OEM supplier in electronics cooling and a strong leader in the retail enthusiast market too since they will have all of Delphi's technology and patents!
Just think, not more than five years ago, CoolIT wanted Delphi to acquire them. Funny how things change over time. Delphi is shedding no-core businesses so GM can acquire them back into the fold. It's the only way for GM not to lose it's parts making ability here in North America. CoolIt may get the entire Delphi Electronics Cooling for less than pennies on the dollar. This will make CoolIT the #1 OEM supplier in electronics cooling and a strong leader in the retail enthusiast market too.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 23, 2009 - 06:19 AM
SSD-based 8.9-inch netbooks seeing sharp price drops
Netbook vendors are dropping prices of their 8.9-inch netbooks models to clear inventory, and solid state drive-based (SSD-based) models are seeing the sharpest drops, according to sources at channel vendors.
The loosening of netbook hard drive restrictions from 80GB to 160GB, and the higher cost of SSDs are causing demand for SSD netbooks to drop. Acer's 8GB SSD version 8.9-inch Aspire one has dropped to NT$6,999 (US$202.27) in the Taiwan market, while Asustek Computer's 7-inch Eee PC now costs around NT$6,500-7,500 and the 20GB SSD version 8.9-inch Eee PC is around NT$8,999, the sources noted.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 23, 2009 - 06:10 AM
California's violent video-game law for minors is struck down
A federal appeals court Friday struck down a California law that sought to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2005 law violates minors' rights under the First and 14th amendments to the Constitution. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel upholds an earlier ruling in U.S. District Court. The state law was authored by Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco, a child psychologist. Yee said he wants Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Posted by | Sat, Feb 21, 2009 - 06:02 AM
February 20 News from Around the Web
Cooler Master Black Label Limited Edition Cosmos Review @ Motherboards.org and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
It's rather hard to make a judgment on a product that is a 1 out of 500 in the world item. How can you put a price on an item that is only available to a select few people? The nice thing about this case is it is a complete package with a CPU cooler and a Power Supply included for good measure. Some would balk at the price of $600 for a case, but this case takes workmanship to the next level. This case is one of only 500 in the world meaning that this case will be impossible to buy even at $600 as they are likely to have sold already or given to partners. Where this case excels is in the all black construction, the bundling of the CPU cooler and PSU making this a package deal. Cooler Master has done a great job with this package and hopefully they will do other cases in the Black Label line in the future. A serious Editors Choice Product.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 20, 2009 - 05:42 PM
WirelessHD to come to market in a few months!
At CES 2009, we saw ASUS show off the Eee Keyboard that was to have Ultra-Wideband (UWB) capabilities to stream HD content wirelessly to your HDTV. However, it appears a competing technology from SiBeam will win the race to be first to market with their WirelessHD (WiHD). A third competing technology is Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI). Looks like some exciting times ahead for wireless HD content!
Over five years and with about $75 million in venture capital funding (raised from Foundation Capital, New Enterprise Associates and US Venture Partners as well as a strategic investment in December from Panasonic and Samsung), SiBeam has built 60 GHz chips using standard chip fabrication materials and techniques. What that means is that in a few months, for a few hundred dollars, you'll be able to beam almost as much data wirelessly across your living room as the Navy does across the ocean. It's even better in some respects than what the Navy has. While the Navy requires a line of sight with no obstructions to make its wireless connection, with SiBeam's gear you can get up to get a beer and walk in between the TV and the transmitter and the signal gets bounced off the walls without interrupting the program.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 20, 2009 - 09:08 AM
Universal Remote Control Roundup
CNET has posted up their comparison of universal remotes. The included much of Logitech's Harmony series along with a few other options out there. Check it out if you are tired of your 5 or 6 remotes and would like to consolidate them into one without losing functionality.
It's long been known that the remedy for a common case of remote clutter is the universal remote. However, when it comes to turning five remotes--or even more--into a single uber-controller for all that equipment stacked beneath your TV or in your towering audio rack, you have a lot of choices. Yes, they're supposed to do the same thing, yet they all seem to go about it slightly differently and offer a variety of interfaces and designs. These remotes represent the best of the bunch, so you can find the perfect remote that lets you banish all those clickers to a drawer--forever.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 20, 2009 - 08:55 AM
AMD/ATI Catalyst Software Suite 9.2 Released
AMD has released the ATI Catalyst Software Suite 9.2 drivers. As always, there are a number of fixes and enhancements to be had. Check out the list of changes in our forums and see if you should download the updated drivers today!
Performance Improvements Catalyst™ 9.2 brings performance benefits in several cases where frame-rates are CPU-limited. Some measured examples are:
• Crysis DX10 gains up to 20%
• Crysis Warhead DX10 gains up to 20%
• World in Conflict gains up to 5%
Posted by | Fri, Feb 20, 2009 - 08:48 AM
NVIDIA RESPONDS TO INTEL COURT FILING
NVIDIA responded to a court filing in which Intel alleged that the four-year-old chipset license agreement the companies signed does not extend to Intel’s future generation CPUs with “integrated” memory controllers, such as Nehalem. The filing does not impact NVIDIA chipsets that are currently being shipped. Intel is trying to delay the inevitable value shift from the CPU to the GPU. NVIDIA believes that our bus license with Intel clearly enables us to build chipsets for Intel CPUs with integrated memory controllers. We are aggressively developing new products for Intel’s current front side bus (MCP79 and MCP89) and for Intel’s future bus, DMI.
The soul of the PC has become the GPU and the CPU is becoming less relevant. Intel is trying to prevent GPU adoption since the evidence is undeniable that the CPU has run its course. The rapid shift to the smallest and lowest price CPUs like Atom is a clear reflection of this trend. NVIDIA has delivered significant platform innovations to the market over the last few years such as SLI, Hybrid Power, and CUDA. ION, our most recent platform innovation, has tipped the industry to favoring the GPU. When paired with a low cost CPU, it is a 2 chip platform offering 10x the performance of Intel’s current three chip design using the same low cost CPU. This is a clear attempt by Intel to slow the broad adoption of NVIDIA platforms and to protect a decaying CPU business.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 20, 2009 - 06:07 AM
EPIC says Facebook privacy issues may not be over
The advocacy group, EPIC, says the privacy issues Facebook brought up earlier this week with it's short-lived Terms of Service Agreement update may not just go away. While they are happy that Facebook made a step in the right direction by voluntarily reverting to their previous Terms of Service Agreement, they said that until official privacy laws are in place, this will still be a major issue in the social-networking arena.
For privacy advocate group EPIC, a victory isn't yet so clear. "It's great that Facebook has responded, and I think that’s a step in the right direction--but these issues don’t go away, and it's going to be an ongoing concern for users of new network-based services until we get comprehensive privacy laws in place," Rotenberg says. In the immediate future, EPIC plans to keep a close eye on Facebook's progress and the rights of its users. Rotenberg promises he and his colleagues will step in if the need arises--and won't hesitate to appeal to the FTC if it becomes necessary, either.
Posted by | Thu, Feb 19, 2009 - 08:24 AM
February 19 News from Around the Web
Sapphire HD 4670 Ultimate Edition Review @ OCC and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"The heatsink used on the Ultimate Edition HD 4670 is a passive design. This means that its sole means of discharging the thermal load, is to rely on the temperature differential between the air in the chassis and the heatsink itself. Of course better case airflow will allow the heatsink to be more effective. Sapphire has come up with creative solutions for cooling ATI based video cards over the past year with the Toxic and Atomic series of video cards. Vapor Chamber cooling and water cooling are two of the avenues they have explored successfully. But now on the Ultimate Edition, the silent heatsink uses two heatpipes attached to a copper plate to and aluminum block and fin array. As large as the heatsink is, it should prove to be effective at cooling this series of cards."
Posted by | Thu, Feb 19, 2009 - 08:11 AM
Dell's Mini 10 Netbook to Debut on QVC
Dell showed it off to a select few at CES and now Dell's Mini 10 Netbook is really almost here. With it's 10.1" widescreen display, HDMI out and 160GB HDD, this netbook looks to give the benefits of higher-end netbooks for a fraction of the cost. You can pick yours up on February 26th for an MSRP of $399!
The Mini 10 is scheduled to debut for advance orders (February 19) on QVC at 9 p.m. Eastern. A full Mini 10 overview is available at Dell.com, and the system will be available for purchase directly from Dell in the U.S. and other countries beginning February 26. Yes, that's right--if you want to be among the first to preorder the Dell Mini 10 (which starts at $399), you'll have to tune in to QVC.
Posted by | Thu, Feb 19, 2009 - 08:05 AM
Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking is Illegal
Seems that Apple says that using the Jailbrake program to open up the iPhone and iPod Touch to use approved apps and do non approved things violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Apple has always been very keen on protecting its property — some would say to the point of being a bully. In this case, it puts the company up against a community of software developers and users who would prefer everything to be open.
Posted by | Thu, Feb 19, 2009 - 07:04 AM
Intel Takes Dispute with NVIDIA to Court
Intel has sued NVIDIA over its right to create and sell motherboard chipsets that support Intel's Nehalem (aka Core i7)-class of desktop processors. This isn't exactly a new fight and since the release of Nehalem, Intel has been the only manufacturer to support the chipset. The suit is actually asking the court for an injunction to stop NVIDIA from manufacturing a Nehalem chipset.
Nvidia says the dispute does not affect its chipsets for Intel’s current CPU bus interface; Intel said its hope is that the dispute will not impact the company’s other working relationships.
Posted by | Wed, Feb 18, 2009 - 01:16 PM
Nintendo DSi Launches April 5th in US
Nintendo's latest revision to the ever-popular Nintendo DS, the DSi, will be released on April 5th in the US. Nintendo has added features like dual cameras with interactive "lenses" to manipulate your photos. The DSi looks like it should be another hit and could give enough of a reason for current DS owners to shell out $169 to upgrade.
Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras – one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive "lenses" that can manipulate your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.
Posted by | Wed, Feb 18, 2009 - 09:03 AM
Transcend hopes to set monthly shipping record!
Memory maker Transcend hopes to break their monthly shipping record of 9.96 million units in December 2008 this month by breaking the 10M mark! This is a very impressive feat given the tough economic times in this recession. Kudos to Transcend for giving companies that are hurting badly hope!
Memory-module maker Transcend Information stands a good chance of seeing monthly unit shipments break the 10 million mark this month, company sources have estimated. The company shipped 7.21 million memory modules in January, down 25.4% sequentially. Its strategic product line enjoyed the most significant growth in shipments last month, with an on-year increase of 64.4%, according to the company. Sales contributions from the strategic products, including digital photo frames, portable hard drives and digital music players, climbed to 15.9% in January, compared to single digits for previous months, the company said. In January, Transcend shipped 30,000 solid-state drives (SSDs), a company record, it added.
Posted by | Wed, Feb 18, 2009 - 08:27 AM
February 18 News from Around the Web
Xigmatek Thors Hammer S126384 H.D.T. CPU Cooler @ TweakTown and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"Today’s sample is the Xigmatek Thor’s Hammer S126384, a variation on their four heat-pipe cooling solution. The Thor’s Hammer is a complete re-think of a bunch of the features of the previously released four-pipe coolers. Thor’s Hammer introduces dual layered heat-pipe cooling, as well as a unique take on the fin design. The dual layered heat-pipes consist of a total of seven pipes of two varying dimensions. The fins (or body) of Thor’s Hammer are black nickel coated and have an unusual stager and shape, both of which are to aid in airflow through the cooler which will reduce temperatures. Thor’s Hammer made its debut during CES 2009 and everyone had gotten their hands all over that sample. Our preview, however, didn’t show what the cooler really has to offer. It was horribly tarnished from all the handling during the exhibition. That makes me really anxious to see what this cooler looks like fresh from the factory floor."
Posted by | Wed, Feb 18, 2009 - 08:16 AM
Facebook Reverses New Policy in a 24-Hour Turnaround
After just 24 hours of changing their policy to allow Facebook to use information, wall posts and photos posted on their site even after users close their accounts, Facebook listened to the feedback of tens of thousands of users and reversed their decision for now. The company spokesman, Barry Schnitt, tried to calm the angry online "mob" through a blog post yesterday. He said that Facebook is currently trying to reword the Terms of Use to make the company's rights easier to understand. He also wrote the following:
As Mark expressed in his blog post on Monday, it was never our intention to confuse people or make them uneasy about sharing on Facebook...I also want to be very clear that Facebook does not, nor have we ever, claimed ownership over people's content. Your content belongs to you.
Posted by | Wed, Feb 18, 2009 - 07:26 AM
Bluetooth Over Wi-Fi
The ease of Bluetooth with the speeds of Wi-Fi... now that sounds like a winner to me.
The new Bluetooth specification—technically denominated alternate MAC/PHY—will be official this April. And unlike other technologies, it won't be in limbo for a while before reaching consumers. In fact, your phone may support it right now, according to Broadcom's Mukul Suth: Some of their current production chips already have this ability and they will only require a software upgrade to implement it.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 11:15 AM
BlizzCon 2009 Announced
Blizzard Entertainment announced that it will bring its fourth BlizzCon gaming convention back to Southern California to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22. As many know, BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard's Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes. Legit Reviews will have on the floor coverage once again as this year's BlizzCon has expanded now taking up four halls of the convention center.
"We've been amazed by the incredible response to each of our previous BlizzCon events," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're pleased to be bringing the convention back to Anaheim this year, and we look forward to this new opportunity to meet Blizzard gamers from around the world." Further details, including ticket availability and pricing, will be announced on the official BlizzCon website, www.blizzcon.com, as the event draws closer.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 10:38 AM
NVIDIA Enables World's First $99 HD Mobile Internet Device
NVIDIA has introduced a new platform, based on the NVIDIA Tegra™ 600 Series computer-on-a-chip that enables a $99, always-on, always-connected HD mobile internet device (MID) that can go days between battery charges.
This platform will enable OEMs to quickly build and bring to market devices that carriers can offer for as low as $99 —bringing broadband connectivity and all of the Web’s HD content to the masses. “Mobile internet devices have evolved to provide consumers with the performance and connectivity required by today’s lifestyle,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of the mobile business unit at NVIDIA. “Until now, consumers could get just another ‘gadget’ with limited functionality or a PC that’s not ‘always on’. A Tegra-based platform combines the best of both worlds.”
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 10:30 AM
Facebook Tries to Calm Privacy Fears
Who owns and controls your Facebook information? Many have wondered this and the question was debated over the holiday weekend when Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerman addressed the question in a blog post. He sort of gave us an answer when he noted that the 5-year old Facebook's Terms of Service had undergone a major revision.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, replied yesterday in a blog post: "Our philosophy is that people own their information and control whom they share it with. When a person shares information on Facebook, they first need to grant Facebook a license to use that information so that we can show it to the other people they've asked us to share it with. Without this license, we couldn't help people share that information."
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 10:09 AM
Obsolete File Formats to be Saved by Emulation
The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) in Europe, is attempting to create an emulator that aims to be able to open all electronic file formats since the 70's. The project is called KEEP, and new file formats will be able to be added retroactively once the project is done.
KEEP (Keeping Emulation Environments Portable) will develop an Emulation Access Platform to enable accurate rendering of both static and dynamic digital objects: text, sound, and image files; multimedia documents, websites, databases, videogames etc. The overall aim of the project is to facilitate universal access to our cultural heritage by developing flexible tools for accessing and storing a wide range of digital objects.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 08:04 AM
What is the Fate of Plasma TVs? Can Panasonic Save Plasma?
CNET has a nice article on how Panasonic can save Plasma TVs. Vizio and Pioneer have already stopped selling Plasmas. CNET Editor David Carnoy feels it is important that consumers continue to have more than one TV technology option when it comes to flat panel televisions and lists out a number of suggestions to Panasonic. Some may think it is okay for Plasma to exit the market, but the article raises some good points.
3. Launch a marketing campaign that touts plasma's advantages over LCD and negates its disadvantages. Panasonic's new line of more energy-efficient NEO PDP panels will go a long way toward leveling the playing field with LCD in terms of energy burn rates. But Panasonic also must put the burn-in issue to rest, putting its money where its mouth is with a lifetime guarantee against burn-in. It needs to do something bold there while touting plasma's strengths. Yes, LCD performance continues to improve, but entry-level plasmas still tend to outperform their LCD counterparts and offer better off-axis viewing (if you sit off to the side, the picture doesn't degrade as it does with many LCD models).
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 07:58 AM
Nokia to sell phones with Skype software
Nokia will be selling phones with a Skype client that is more integrated into the phone's address book than the typical client that can be downloaded to your mobile phone. Skype has been averaging about 1 million minutes of Skype to Skype mobile calls a day!
Internet calling company Skype has secured a deal with Nokia under which the world's biggest phone maker will preload Skype software into some of its new smartphones starting from the third quarter of this year. Skype, whose technology has allowed legions of consumers to make practically free long-distance calls over the Internet on fixed lines, has been moving into the mobile arena with deals with operators such as Hutchison Whampoa's 3.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 07:47 AM
February 17 News from Around the Web
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Quad SLI @ [H]ardOCP and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 Quad SLI - We take a close look at gameplay performance with the GeForce GTX 295 Quad SLI and compare it to Radeon HD 4870 X2 CrossFireX. The results may surprise you and make you question whether Quad SLI or CrossFireX are worth investing in for gaming at this time. You will want to see what happened with GTA4.
Posted by | Tue, Feb 17, 2009 - 07:25 AM
IC distributors developing white-box notebook reference designs
Some IC distributors are aggressively setting up their own R&D teams to provide reference designs to notebook designers and manufacturers targeting China's white-box notebook market, which they believe will grow fast, according to industry sources. These IC distributors believe that the white-box notebook market will repeat the success seen in the white-box handset market, the sources noted.
The reference designs can be readily adopted by white-box clients who only need to develop their own chassis, the sources said, adding many module and system makers have expressed interest in white-box notebook reference designs. VIA Technologies' CPU is adopted in the white-box notebook reference designs due to the cost concern. The first such reference designs are expected to be available in the first half of 2009, with white-box notebooks based on the designs to start shipping by the third quarter, the sources added.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 16, 2009 - 08:08 PM
Twitter To Get Bigger With Venture Capital Funding
A Reuters Blogger has dug into the story that the social networking and micro-blogging site, Twitter, has received somewhere around US$35 million in venture capital from Benchmark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners. The exact amount of the funding has been unconfirmed. It sounds like Twitter plans on using some of the funding to produce a way to generate revenue.
Venture capitalists are stingy with their money right now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t shell out a few dollars for a hot Internet startup like Twitter. The micro-blogging website announced on its blog it had received new funding from venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners, although they didn’t say how much. Some folks are reporting it’s in the neighborhood of $35 million.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 16, 2009 - 08:13 AM
Japanese Elpida DRAM companies to receive Taiwanese Aid
In Taiwan's effort to consolidate the DRAM industry, the Taiwanese government plans to invest around US$2 billion in a new DRAM company that will include DRAM chip maker Elpida! Micron will not be part of this new company, but is receiving aid itself from Formosa Plastics Group (which includes Nanya and Inotera Memories). Looks like we will see how all of this consolidation in the DRAM industry will effect prices in the coming months.
The Taiwan government has already worked out a DRAM industry consolidation plan, which will be unveiled at the end of this month, industry sources have claimed. Under the plan, Elpida and its Taiwan subsidiary Rexchip Electronics – its joint venture with Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) – will form a new DRAM company with a new brand, the sources said. The Taiwan government plans to inject around NT$70 billion (US$2 billion) to help establish the new company and will become its largest shareholder, according to the sources.
Posted by | Mon, Feb 16, 2009 - 07:59 AM
February 16 News from Around the Web
OCZ 6GB Triple-Channel 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory Kit @ BmR and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
System memory is one of the most over-looked hardware components in computer systems, and with applications demanding greater memory overhead it is best to use as much memory as allowed. But not all memory is made the same; and even memory of the same speed can have different consumer targets. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of an entry-level triple-channel product for the Intel Core i7 platform. The OCZ 6GB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory kit OCZ3P1333LV6GK will be compared against several other products and benchmarked for bandwidth and gaming performance. Are the higher speeds worth the money, or can this memory kit overclock to their level?
Posted by | Mon, Feb 16, 2009 - 07:38 AM
$250,000 Bounty for Creators of Conficker Worm
The Conficker/Downadup worm has been spreading like wildfire across the internet with over an estimated 10million computers infected by it. It's been deemed such a nuisance that a group of companies (Headed by Microsoft) are now offering a $250,000 bounty for information which leads to the arrest of the creators of the worm.
The spreading Conficker/Downadup worm is now viewed as such a significant threat that it's inspired the formation of a posse to stop it, with Microsoft leading the charge by offering a $250,000 reward to bring the Conficker malware bad guys to justice. The money will be paid for 'information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally launching the Conficker malicious code on the Internet,'
Posted by | Mon, Feb 16, 2009 - 05:56 AM
U.S. tweaks Internet privacy guidelines
Federal regulators tweaked recommendations for how websites should collect, save and share information about users, extending them to Internet service providers and mobile users.
The Federal Trade Commission issued new guidance on Thursday for the self-regulated industry that urges websites to tell consumers that data is being collected during their searches and to allow them to opt out. This guidance recommends that mobile companies and Internet service providers also inform customers about data collection and allow users to decline.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 13, 2009 - 10:53 AM
Midway Games presses reset with bankruptcy
Midway Games has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A recent "change in ownership triggered accelerated repurchase obligations relating to two classes of Midway debt, which Midway anticipated it would be unable to satisfy," the company said Thursday in a statement. In December, Midway announced that investor Sumner Redstone sold an 87 percent stake in the company to Mark Thomas in exchange for $100,000 and the assumption of $70 million in debt.
"This was a difficult but necessary decision," Midway CEO Matt Booty said in a statement of the bankruptcy filing. "We have been focused on realigning our operations and improving our execution, and this filing will relieve the immediate pressure from our creditors and provide us time for an orderly exploration of our strategic alternatives. This Chapter 11 filing is the next logical step in an ongoing process to address our capital structure."
Posted by | Fri, Feb 13, 2009 - 10:51 AM
Asustek and MSI to cut workforce
Asustek Computer and Micro-Star International (MSI) are both planning to lay off around 10% of their workforce. Asustek its focusing cuts on its handset, optical drive and monitor departments, with an estimated 460 staff likely to be affected, according to industry sources. MSI is expected to lay off around 1,000 employees globally, with around 200 jobs affected in Taiwan.
Asustek commented that the company does have plans to trim excess workforce with the aim of lowering costs. MSI commented that workforce reductions are part of its regular operational process, and stressed that no large scale layoffs are planned.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 13, 2009 - 10:50 AM
February 13 News from Around the Web
Cooler Master Storm Sniper ATX Case Review @ Hardware Canucks and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
To put it plainly, the Sniper is not your average mid-tower case. With two massive 200mm fans, a military grade appearance and tons of convenience features, it is pretty clear what kind of buyers reside in the crosshairs of the Sniper.
Posted by | Fri, Feb 13, 2009 - 07:33 AM
Charter to File Bankruptcy as Part of Restructuring
Charter Communications Inc., the money-losing cable-television company, said it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of a financial restructuring on or before April 1. Through the first three quarters of 2008, Charter lost almost $1 billion, so this shouldn't come as a shock.
Charter said today in a statement that it reached an agreement with a committee of some debt holders to reduce its obligations by about $8 billion. Controlled by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen and based in St. Louis, Charter has about 5.6 million customers in 28 states, according to its Web site.
Posted by | Thu, Feb 12, 2009 - 10:47 PM
AMD share of motherboard channel market expected to climb back to 30% in 1H09
With AMD's new 45nm Phenom II processor boosting demand for the AMD platform, motherboard makers expect AMD's share of the motherboard channel market will go back up to 30% in the first half of 2009, according to industry sources.
Since AMD-based motherboards support all AMD CPU lines, allowing users to replace CPUs without changing other components, the AMD platform is attractive to consumers in terms of price/performance ratio, noted the sources with motherboard makers. Although AM3-based motherboard has already appeared in the channel, the high prices of DDR3 memory modules are limiting its growth, the sources said. Therefore AM2+-based motherboard currently is still the mainstream product for AMD, the sources added.
Posted by | Thu, Feb 12, 2009 - 08:59 AM
February 12 News from Around the Web
Antec Sonata Elite Review @ OCC and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"Looking around the rest of the case, there is a 120mm normal exhaust fan with its own molex power adapter neatly wrapped up like its blower style counterpart. The fan also has a three-speed speed switch built into the back of the case again with the H, M, and L labels. Behind where the hard drives are installed is the main and only air intake slot, as you might have seen in the drive picture. The fact that it is passive is an impressive statement on Antec's part, and I am really interested to see what kind of temperatures this case achieves. As advertised on the display box, there is a dust filter over the intake that can be easily cleaned by simply pulling it out with the built in grips."
Posted by | Thu, Feb 12, 2009 - 07:47 AM
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