Friday, October 16, 2009

Gaming Sony announces 250GB PlayStation 3, due November 3

F
ollowing the successful launch of a slimmer PlayStation 3 model back in September, Sony has announced a beefier 250GB variant of the console is due to hit U.S. stores next month priced at $350. Besides upping storage capacity
, the new system will be otherwise identical to the existing 120GB version which sells for $50 less.



The move comes as expected after leaks suggesting a larger-capacity PS3 would arrive sometime in October. Contrary to some rumors, however, for now the 250GB console has not been announced as part of any bundle like we've seen elsewhere -- Japan will be getting a Final Fantasy XIII bundle in December, for example, while customers in Europe can now get the new 250GB model packed alongside Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2. Hopefully Sony will announce a similar deal for U.S. customers in time for the holiday season.

Those who recently bought the 120GB version, and PS3 owners in general, might be interested to know that you can also swap out the 2.5-inch SATA drive yourself without voiding the warranty on your PlayStation 3. A quick search online shows that a 320GB hard disk drive can be had for around $56 and a 400GB model for $70, so you'll have to pay a little a premium assuming you even need more storage capacity.

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Monday, October 5, 2009

Fake antivirus software posing large security threat to users


W
ith the Internet evolving, the security risks users face on a day-to-day basis have become increasingly complicated. Security vendors are the most aware of this, challenged with protecting people's PCs from ever-expanding threats without turning a computer into an inert hunk of plastic. Their most difficult challenge yet may be one that has began to emerge relatively recently, in the form of fake anti-virus suites that try to convince people they are real -- usually to bleed money from them.

Just how big of a problem are fake anti-virus programs, though? Comparing 2008 to 2009, there has been a reported five-fold increase in the number of fake A/V detections. The primary reason for this right now is cited as a constant-changing checksum on a tainted piece of software, leading to hundreds of thousands of variants -- making it more difficult to detect amongst a wide array of machines. One particular security group, APWG, believes that as this evolution of fake software continues, the demand placed on real anti-virus scanners may become overwhelming.

One of the real problems, they noted, is that most software today relies on signature-based detections. Software which changes itself on a per-download basis is easily able sneak past this. It's further complicated because many of these fake programs often try to use a bit of social engineering to accomplish their goals -- convincing people they are real, which would get past virtually any software protection. APWG also indicated that the number of machines being infected year by year is actually going up, as opposed to going down. Are malicious software writers getting that much better, or are security vendors slipping? It has always been an interesting battle to watch -- unfortunately, end users are caught in the middle.

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AVG touts faster scans and new features with AVG 9.0


H
ot on the heels of Microsoft's Security Essentials launch last week, AVG Technologies is unveiling a major update to its free and paid internet security products which the company claims brings much faster scan times as well as a number of under-the-hood improvements.

Responding to customer feedback the security firm has reportedly put special focus on improving the user experience and ease of use. As a result, version 9.0 is said to be "up to 50 percent" faster than its predecessor, thanks to more sophisticated caching techniques and memory use. Boot times have also been reduced by around 10 to 15 percent and overall the installation process on the full-fledged suite has been shortened from 22 screens to 11.

In addition to the anti-phishing protection offered through LinkScanner, AVG 9.0 now also includes additional protection against identity theft in the physical world (for US customers only) with the AVG Identity Theft Recovery Unit (ITRU). Meanwhile, firewall enhancements include a complete redesign and a new cloud-based white listing database to reduce the amount of user input required to secure a PC.

Both AVG Internet Security 9 and AVG Anti-Virus are available now for a one-year license of $49.99 and $34.99, respectively. The main difference between the two is that AVG Anti-Virus lacks the firewall, identity protection, anti-spam, and system tools that come in AVG Internet Security. As always, a cut-down free version will also be available but starting from mid-October.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Pioneer console Sega Dreamcast turns 10

C
onsoles have come a long way in a short time, evolving alongside computers as one of the center pieces for video game entertainment. As the line between computer and console begins to blur, it's easy to forget just how far the console has journeyed. A good reminder of that came this week, when the Sega Dreamcast turned ten years old.

The much-hyped console was highly anticipated by gaming communities all over the world, but it ended up proving to be a disaster for Sega as a company, as it was their last console endeavor. Even though it was a commercial failure, the console pioneered many of the ideas that are common among modern consoles.




The idea of an Internet-connected gaming console was first realized with the Dreamcast, which came stock with a built-in dial-up modem and featured one of the first console web browsers. Along with the PC, it was one of a very few hardware devices that allowed people to play games with each other online. The Dreamcast also had a controller design that is suspiciously similar to the Xbox 360's -- though that may be just a coincidence.

Though other consoles quickly surpassed the Dreamcast, including the current most popular console in the world (PlayStation 2), it was an example of high technology at the time and is curious to look back on.

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Russia drops Microsoft antitrust probe over Windows XP

R
ussia's competition regulator, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), has dropped a probe launched against Microsoft back in June over alleged violations to the country's laws. The agency had accused Redmond of having unfair pricing policies and restricting Windows XP sales to retailers and OEMs, even though there was continued demand for the older operating system, forcing customers to use Vista instead.

As noted in our previous coverage, Microsoft is obviously keen to move customers on to its newest operating systems not just to increase sales but also to reduce support costs. Despite this the company reportedly supplied evidence to the FAS that XP was in fact still available and that it had sold over a million Russian language copies of the operating system in fiscal 2008 (which ended on June 30, 2008).

As part of the agreement to drop the case, Microsoft said it will give Russian users the option of exchanging their copies of Vista Home Basic or Home Premium for Windows XP Home, free of charge. The exchange program will kick off in the next three weeks and will last until the end of 2009.

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Apple updates iPod lineup, nano gets video camera

A
s expected, Apple unveiled new iPod models across the board today which bring added functionality and lower prices. A recovered Steve Jobs took the stage for the first time in almost a year to announce that over 225 million iPods have been sold since its introduction in 2001, with the iPod touch representing 20 million of that number and contributing to an overwhelming 74% market share.


Starting at the high end, Apple touted an update to the iPod touch line that will see it packing the same processing platform as the recently introduced iPhone 3GS -- meaning they now support improved graphics with Open GL ES 2.0. This is true for both the 32 and new 64GB models, priced at $299 and $399 respectively, while the last-gen 8GB iPod touch will remain available for just $199. There doesn't appear to be a built-in camera, however, contrary to all the rumors.

Moving on the iPod classic was updated with a 160GB HDD but kept its $249 price tag. On the other end of the spectrum, the shuffles are now at $59 for 2GB, $79 for 4GB and come in black, silver, pink, green and blue. There's also a polished aluminum 4GB version for $99.



Last but not least, Apple's iPod nano got a revamp and is now available in capacities up to 16GB. Its design remains mostly unchanged from the previous model, if not for the larger 2.2-inch display, but gains a built-in camera and mic for recording 640 by 480 pixels, 30 FPS video -- apparently it does not take still photos. After years of dismissing the feature, Apple has also added an FM radio tuner to the nano, as well as pedometer and voice over functionality. The 8GB iPod nano is priced at $149 while the 16GB model goes for $179.

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Intel Core i5 750 Processor Review

I
t has been 10 months since Intel unleashed its Nehalem architecture and we showed you the Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Extreme Edition. Not much has changed in the high-end sector during this timeframe, as Core i7 processors are still brutally fast and equally expensive.

The new Intel Core i5 750 is the first release in a series of processors based on a mainstream version of the Core i7 platform. It is a quad-core part based on the "Lynnfield" architecture, fabricated using a 45nm process and utilizing the new LGA1156 platform. The Core i5 750 is set to cost just $199, it will operate at a healthy 2.66GHz and feature a whopping 8MB L3 cache, but no Hyper-Threading support will be present.


In our review we will go into more detail about Intel's reworked desktop CPU line-up, the new P55 chipset (LGA1156), and our usual load of benchmarks comparing this new processor against current Core 2 Quad offerings, the Core i7 920 and the AMD Athlon II X4 965.

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Zero-day Windows Vista, 7 vulnerability discovered

M
icrosoft is looking into a zero-day vulnerability today, which reportedly affects systems running Windows Vista and 7. Researcher Laurent Gaffie said that a hacker could exploit the flaw on Windows 7 to cause a critical system error. The flaw lies in a Server Message Block 2 (SMB2) driver.

Gaffie said in a blog post yesterday, "SRV2.SYS fails to handle malformed SMB headers for the NEGOTIATE PROTOCOL REQUEST functionality." People who have commented on his blog post are reporting that the exploit can not only lead to denial of service, but also remote code execution.


Gaffie has contacted Microsoft, and it has since responded by saying that it is investigating the issue but that it is "unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact." The H has successfully tested the proof-of-concept code, which caused a reboot on Vista -- but did not work on Windows 7.

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Firefox 3.6 to arrive this year, 4.0 in late 2010

A
lthough Mozilla released Firefox version 3.5 not long ago, the team has been showing mockups of future designs. In addition to embracing glass on Windows Vista and 7, future versions will have reorganized interfaces. Previews of Firefox 4.0 suggest that it may have a combined and relocated reload, stop and go buttons, as well as a tab sidebar, tabs on top, and many other UI tweaks -- none of which are set in stone.


Mozilla is now indicating that we may see the launch of Firefox 4.0 next October or November. It has also reportedly updated its roadmap for the release of Firefox 3.6 and 3.7, with the former expected to debut later this year and the latter to arrive in the second quarter of next year. There are also reports that Fennec 1.0 -- the mobile version of Firefox -- will be made available at the same time as Firefox 3.6, and Fennec 2.0 with Firefox 4.0.

If the suspense is killing you, fear not; pre-release builds are available. Feel free to download Firefox 3.6 and 3.7 at your own risk.

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Worm attacks WordPress blog software

S
erving as a stern reminder of why it's important to keep desktop as well as server software up to date, a new worm can reportedly infect certain versions of the WordPress blog software. WordPress announced the discovery today, saying that a security bug which has already been fixed is now being exploited in the wild.

The worm is able to attack versions of WordPress prior to 2.8.4 and its immediate predecessor. Version 2.8.4 was released in early August to specifically address this flaw, which results in a password reset of WordPress accounts and allows someone to take control of the admin account. Doing so would give the person access to further information, as well as the ability to wreak havoc on the blog itself.

Though the vulnerability was initially published several weeks ago, this is the first report of malware specifically identifying and trying to exploit it. The WordPress developer is concerned that many servers are still running old versions, which puts them at risk. If you're maintaining a WordPress server that's behind on updates, consider this a heads up.

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Monday, September 7, 2009

Samsung hopes to launch OLED laptops next year

S
amsung is hoping to launch OLED-equipped laptops by the third quarter of next year. According the company's head of worldwide sales and marketing, Kyu Uhm, Samsung is the largest OLED screen manufacturer. Uhm added that Samsung will adopt OLED displays as soon as they are commercially available for laptops.

Research firm Gartner believes that mainstream OLED notebooks will have an increasing presence over the next five years. Samsung is surely sold on the technology, having already shown off an AMOLED notebook prototype. Introducing an OLED laptop toward the end of 2010 woul


In October of 2007, the company said it planned to have 3.5" to 7" panels prepared for ultra-portable systems in 2008, which would be followed by 14", 15", and 21" displays for laptop and desktop computers in 2009. It predicted that it would have full 40" and 42" HD OLED panels by 2010 and Flexible OLED (FOLED) displays by 2012 at the latest.

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Toshiba announces Blu-ray-equipped Satellite P500

T
oshiba has announced its new media-centric notebook, the Satellite P500. The Satellite P500 features an 18.4" 16:9 (1680x945 or 1920x1080) LCD display, an Intel Core 2 Duo, up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, an Nvidia GeForce G210M (512MB VRAM) or 230M GT (1GB VRAM), and two 500GB HDDs.

Equipped with a Blu-ray drive and focused on entertainment, the P500 ships with more than just the expected trimmings. Additional specs include a TV tuner card, VGA and HDMI-out, a remote control, 802.11a/b/g/n, an HD webcam, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, three USB 2.0 as well as Firewire and eSATA ports, S/PDIF digital audio interfacing, an Express Card slot, a 5-in-1 Bridge Media port, and Harmon Kardon speakers.


Toshiba boasts that the Satellite P500 is Energy Star 5.0 certified -- but that seems moot with an 18.4" display, an Nvidia G210/230M GT and dual HDDs. The P500 will hit shelves in the fourth quarter of this year, which likely means you can expect to see Windows 7 installed. Pricing wasn't disclosed. Catch a video after the jump.

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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Philips announces pricey Wireless HDMI solution

C

omputer and gadget lovers like us are no strangers to the rat's nest of hanging cables that usually forms behind our desks. But this isn't the only place where electronic components are wired together; more and more our living rooms have morphed into media centers with at least a mid-sized TV, several audio / video components and typically a gaming console.
Fortunately there has been some development aimed at wirelessly connecting HDTVs to our entertainment setups, particularly with Wireless HDMI and WirelessHD. The bad news: it's expensive and not entirely practical for now. Nevertheless, looking to gain an early foothold on the market, Philips has announced a pair of Wireless HDMI boxes which aim to let users connect audio and video devices to their TVs without all the clutter.


The Wireless HDTV link will let you relocate or even hide your components up to 20 meters away while still sending a 1080p/30 HD signal. But getting rid of wires will come at the cost of adding two separate boxes; the image source (Blu-ray player, for example) is connected to a transmitter box and the TV or projector is connected to a smaller receiver box. 
This setup makes more sense if the two devices are not located next to each other, but eventually Wireless HDMI technology will be built into home electronic products -- thus obviating the need for transmitter and receiver boxes. Phillips' solution includes two digital HDMI connections, two component connections, and a hefty 600 Euro ($850) price tag.

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YouTube to offer movie rentals for $4?


Still trying to turn lucrative, YouTube is reportedly working on a movie rental service. The online video sharing site has been almost entirely reliant on user-submitted content, but it is in talks with various film studios about securing licenses to host motion pictures. Among the names in the discussion are Sony Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., and Warner Bros. Studios.


Speculation has it that while some movies will be viewable for free on an ad-supported basis, others will cost $4 to rent. This shouldn't come as a surprise as YouTube has been working to catalog more premium content. Turning to feature films may bring Google a welcomed profit, having failed thus far to earn a buck off their $1.65 billion investment.
I get the feeling that many people will condemn the thought of YouTube offering paid content. With a slogan like "Broadcast Yourself," it's easy to call YouTube a sellout and think that it's becoming a little less about you, and a little more about pushing mainstream media. I ask you, though, if the current system remains unaffected, is there really a problem?

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OnLive cloud-based gaming service now in public beta

O
nLive's cloud-based gaming service has just rolled into open beta, so if you've been patiently awaiting its release, now might be a great time to test it out. According to OnLive's official blog, to gain entry to the public beta you must sign up on their site.

After signing up, you will have to provide general information about your ISP, computer specs and your location. OnLive uses this information to organize beta testers into groups. If you fit into a particular test group, OnLive will email you and request that you run a detailed performance test on your network connection and system configuration. They will review that information and may choose your setup to install the OnLive browser plug-in.


For the unfamiliar, OnLive is an on-demand video game service which takes the computational load of running today's high end games off of your PC, and places it onto their servers. Games are synchronized, rendered, and stored remotely and delivered via broadband Internet. The service allows you to play games on low-end systems running Windows XP, Vista (and presumably 7), as well as any Intel-based Mac with OS X.

You're probably thinking that the service will host the typical lame browser-based games, but it has numerous big names on-board, including Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Atari, Codemasters, THQ, Warner Bros., 2D Boy and Eidos Interactive. It has a library of top-end games you would expect to see on the shelves of your local GameStop.


OnLive will also be selling a router-sized "MicroConsole" which has USB, HDMI, and Ethernet ports. By hooking the MicroConsole up to your TV and broadband line, you can play OnLive games sans computer. The service will require you to pay, but OnLive CEO Steve Perlman believes the console, controller, and subscription fee will be cheaper than the cheapest of consoles.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sony announces 11.1" ultraportable VAIO X notebook

S
Sony has introduced the new ultra-thin VAIO X laptop series today in Berlin at the IFA 2009 electronics event. There aren't too many details available yet, but based on reports from outfits attending the gathering, it's a premium ultra-portable with a non-glossy 11.1" display, a carbon fiber .55" chassis, and weighs a mere 1.5lbs.




According to Engadget (who is on site), the system will tout an "all-day" battery life, and will set a new standard for stamina. There is nothing official about what will power the VAIO X at launch, but Engadget is reporting that they hear it packs an Intel Atom. That said, nothing is locked in and there's no telling if CULV-based models will be available.


After watching a video shot by NetbookNews, I have to admit that while attractive, the model they handled was looking a little fragile (watch the display as it's opened). Sony is expected to announce an official spec sheet next month, and the VAIO X will hit stores about a week after Windows 7's October 22 launch. Does anyone want to take a stab at the MSRP?

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Nokia reveals full specs and price of Booklet 3G

E
arly last week, Nokia announced its much-expected entry into the netbook space with the Booklet 3G. The company hyped the device's 3G connectivity, lightweight design and alleged 12 hours of battery life; but for the most part hardware details were kept under wraps. Now, with its Nokia World Conference currently underway in Germany, the Finnish manufacturer has shed some additional light on its netbook.

The Booklet 3G is constructed from a single piece of machined aluminum, weighs 2.75 pounds, and is just 0.78 inches thick. Color options at launch will be black, ice (white) and azure (blue). The device has a 10-inch screen with a 1280x720 pixel resolution, and can connect to bigger displays using an HDMI port, according to Nokia. It also sports an almost unheard of 16-cell user-removable battery to accomplish the promised half-day runtime.



Under the hood there is an Intel Atom Z530 running at 1.6 GHz and Poulsbo US15W chipset with a fanless design, as well as 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive (1.8-inch, 4200RPM). As expected of a Nokia device, there are plenty connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and 3G/HSPA cellular data network access thanks to a modem and hot-swappable SIM card slot. Other specs include a 1.3-megapixel webcam with integrated microphone, 3 USB ports, Bluetooth, assisted GPS, SD card reader and even an accelerometer.

On the software side, the netbook will come pre-loaded with Microsoft's Windows 7 (Starter, Home Premium or Professional editions) and Nokia services like Ovi Suite 2.0, Nokia Music for PC and Ovi Maps. The Nokia Booklet 3G will retail for 570 Euros (about $810) in Q4 2009, which seems quite pricey for a netbook, but Nokia is expecting the device to be heavily subsidized by phone carriers globally.

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USB 3.0 certification begins, devices closer to debut

Y
esterday the new SuperSpeed USB standard, USB 3.0, took another step closer to becoming a reality for consumers as the USB Implementers Forum announced the availability of its compliance and certification program. Interested companies can register for testing on USB-IF's site.

Those products that pass the tests will carry a SuperSpeed USB logo that promises interoperability with existing USB 2.0 products and the 3.0 improvements, naturally. Announced as far back as 2007, the next-gen interface is expected to provide users with up to 5Gbps transfer speeds, or roughly ten times the speed of USB 2.0. Unfortunately, USB 3.0 devices are not expected to reach its full potential at launch, with speeds probably reaching only 1.2Gbps initially and improving as the standard matures.

Hardware featuring SuperSpeed USB should arrive towards the end of the year -- we already saw a USB 3.0-packing motherboard from Asus back in July but it reportedly got canceled shortly thereafter. Widespread adoption is still far off, however. According to estimates from research firm IDC, the new standard is expected to grab 30 percent of the USB market share by 2013.

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EVGA intros enthusiast four-way SLI X58 motherboard

E
VGA has pulled back the curtain on the world's first four-way GTX 285 SLI capable X58-based motherboard. Simply christened "EVGA X58 Classified 4-Way SLI," the board supports the use of up to four single-PCB GPUs simultaneously. To accompany it, EVGA has also introduced a Classified-branded GTX 285 video card.

EVGA's has built their new motherboard around the XL-ATX form factor, and houses seven PCI-E slots with support for two, three, and four-way SLI or CrossFireX configurations. It features a 10 phase digital PWM with a switching frequency of 1333KHz, low ESR/ESL film capacitor, 100% solid state capacitors, and 300% more gold content on the LGA1366 socket.



Other specs include support for 24GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM, nine SATA II host adapters with support for RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, and JBOD, dual gigabit Ethernet, twelve USB 2.0 ports, and more. The board's complementary GTX 285 features an 8 phase digital PWM, low ESR/ESL film capacitor, X-Cool jumper, three PCI-E 6-pin connectors, and dedicated voltage read points.

EVGA's impressive offering is said to have broken four 3DMark world records during the Motor City Overclocking Event. The company recommends that the X58 Classified motherboard be used with a chassis that has nine or more expansion slots. Note that the board is quite large at 13.5" x 10.3", so be sure to break out a measuring tape before placing your order.


EVGA is obviously targeting the extreme enthusiast community, and as such, you can expect to pay for it. The X58 Classified 4-Way SLI motherboard is stamped with an MSRP of $450, and the GTX 285 Classified GPU is equally pricey at $380.

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Sony rolls out PlayStation 3 firmware 3.0

P
layStation 3 firmware 3.0 has gone live, and owners of the console can expect to see a wide variety of changes. Firmware 3.0 reportedly delivers a host of updates and modifications. Among the additions is a new interactive news section, a status indicator bar, a tweaked friends list, a reworked Trophy system and more.

Sony has replaced the "Information Board" with a "What's New" section, which contains interactive news as well as your recently played games. They have positioned a status indicator in the top right corner, which displays user, friend and new message icons, as well as the number of friends online. The indicator bar also includes a scrolling ticker with PlayStation Network news.

They have polished the friends list, which now displays friends in a slightly redesigned format, and messages are now viewable from your friends' profile. The update places PlayStation Store shortcuts in the Game and Video categories. It also improves upon personalization with new dynamic custom themes and avatars, and has a revamped Trophy system.

Naturally, opinions of the changes will vary. Share your thoughts on the firmware update in the comments. Watch a preview of the firmware update after the jump.

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Windows Mobile 6.5 phones to arrive on October 6

P
hones running Microsoft's new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system will hit the market in exactly five weeks, according to a recent press release. The October 6 launch will mark the debut of the new "Windows Phone" brand, along with the new My Phone synchronization service and the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft's attempt to rival Apple's App Store for the iPhone.

The company has not specified which handsets will be available on launch date, but said HP, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Toshiba are all committed to the OS. The first phone offerings in the U.S. will be on carriers AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, as well as Bell Mobility and TELUS. Devices will also debut on Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone in Europe; and several other carriers in Asia Pacific and Latin America.

With everyone trying to duplicate the iPhone's experience these days, it's easy to forget Windows Mobile is still the third-most used system behind Symbian and RIM's BlackBerry platform. That said, they are facing increased pressure from Apple's iPhone, Google's Android, and Palm's webOS; and it seems to me that this relatively minor update which touts document editing with Windows Office Mobile and a "redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser" among its selling points won't do much to stop the market share bleeding.

The new version also improves the user interface to make it finger-friendly, includes improved notifications and updates from e-mail, text and calendar, as well as an App Store-like hub for software downloads -- although Microsoft hasn't confirmed how many apps will be available for download at launch.

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Firefox continues to swallow IE's market share

O
ver the years, Mozilla Firefox has steadily chipped away at Internet Explorer's market share. Last month, Microsoft's browser lost its greatest slice of the pie since November 2008 -- and Firefox ate most of it. Internet Explorer's share dropped 1.1% to 66.6% during August, and slipped 8.6% in the last 12 months. All the while, Firefox's cut grew .8% to 23.8% in August.

Within the ranks of Internet Explorer, IE6 lost 2.4%, slipping to 24.8%, IE7 dropped 1.9% to 21.2%, and IE8 rose 2.7%, claiming 15.2% of the browser's total share. Apple's Safari gained slightly, up to 4.1%, Google's Chrome saw a .3% rise to 2.9%, and Opera grew .1% to 2.1%. These figures may change significantly in the months to come, though.

Following a suit in the EU, Microsoft has proposed to include a "ballot screen" with its upcoming operating system, Windows 7. Slated for an October 22 launch, European versions of Windows 7 will prompt users with a list of major web browsers. The ballot will contain the top five web browsers, and market share will determine their position on the list.

In addition, Google recently landed a deal with Sony which will have Chrome pre-installed on Vaio-branded laptops sold in the US. Where do you think the shares will stand a year from now?

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Sony to pre-install Chrome browser on Vaio laptops

G
oogle is stepping up its efforts to nab some additional browser market share from leader Internet Explorer and second-placed Firefox. As promised earlier this year, the company has now formalized and revealed an agreement that will see Chrome pre-installed on all Sony Vaio-brand laptops sold in the U.S.

Although specific terms of the deal are not being disclosed, it probably includes some form of search advertising revenue sharing between the two. Google says it is actively pursuing other manufacturers to try and get its browser included on more machines. Indeed, OEM deals may be a key tool in the next generation of browser wars -- and Google is one of the few companies with the financial strength to pick off Microsoft.

The company even has plans to develop its own operating system, which is aimed primarily at low-power machines and netbooks, and will act as an access point for its web-based services.

The deal is not expected to include European markets. With the advent of Windows 7, Microsoft has already announced plans to introduce a web browser ballot screen for all current Windows versions in that region, giving users a choice of which software to use. Nevertheless, the move marks an important development for Chrome a year after it was first launched. Currently, Google's browser has around 30 million active users or around 2-3 percent of the global market, making it the fourth most-popular browser after Apple's Safari.

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Opera 10 complete, waiting to be downloaded

A
s expected, Opera has finally released the completed tenth version of their browser. Opera 10 delivers a revamped interface, a "turbo mode" for those with slower connections, automatic updates and more. Those who are using the release candidate build rolled out a week back may not notice a dramatic difference; the company only lists a few minor changes.


The newest Opera build boasts a 40% speed increase when running web applications (Gmail for instance). Opera Mail has seen numerous improvements and an inline spellchecker has been implemented. Other additions include resizable thumbnail tabs, and Speed Dial has been given personalization features. If you're one of the many who have been awaiting the arrival of Opera 10, grab your download for Windows here.

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Monday, August 31, 2009

Samsung to launch app store September 14

T
he mobile application scene has exploded, and Samsung wants a piece of the pie. The company is anticipating a September 14 launch for their mobile app store entry. The store, shrewdly dubbed "Samsung Application Store," will initially appear in the UK, France, and Italy, but the company eventually expects it to be available in more than 30 countries including Germany and Spain.

To begin with, users of Samsung's Omnia and I8910 HD devices will have access to the store, but it will expand to include other models such as the Omnia II and OmniaLITE. The Samsung Application Store, like any other, will contain a variety of software including utilities for reference, social networking, health, and e-books. Like most similar services, the store will encompass one-click downloading.


At launch, Samsung will provide around 300 approved applications. The company expects that number to swell beyond 2,000 by the year's end. Among the new store's application providers are Gameloft, Electronic Arts, Handmark, TAITO, Paragon SW, Capcom, Com2us, Prompt, Pearson Longman, Bokan Tech and Diotek.

Users of the supported handsets will need to upgrade their devices in order to activate the service. Omnia owners can reportedly download and install the mobile client here, and I8910 HD customers can update via the "Application Download" icon on their phone.

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Apple confirms iPod-related event for September 9

A
s expected, Apple has officially confirmed that it will host a music-themed event next Wednesday, September 9, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An invitation sent out to media outfits and blogs today suggests the gathering will be iPod-related (just like in previous years) and references a classic Rolling Stones lyric with the typical iPod ad silhouette stating "It's only rock and roll, but we like it."

The Cupertino-based company has hosted a new product introduction of its iPods every September for the past few years, and this year doesn't look to be any different. Apple is expected to introduce new versions of its iPod nano
and iPod touch featuring cameras and (at least on the latter) a microphone; transforming the touch-enabled media player into a nifty VoIP phone wherever a Wi-Fi connection is available.


Besides new iPod models Apple may also discuss a new interactive album format, known as Cocktail, and could possibly introduce a new version of iTunes with social networking features. Some expect an Apple tablet to be announced as well, which perhaps isn't too far-fetched considering the slew of rumors and 'evidence' on the company's own software, but this seems rather unlikely for now - most are betting on a release early 2010.

Last but not least, the September 9 date has also fueled rumors that The Beatles' discography could finally make its appearance on iTunes. That Wednesday is the same day the band's remastered digital albums and Rock Band video game will be released. Whatever Apple has in store, we'll be filling you in with the details next week.

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Wikipedia to begin coloring unverified text

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Wikipedia is undoubtedly one of the most interesting, useful and controversial services of the modern web. A conglomerate of user-generated and individually researched articles, it has become a nearly ubiquitous aspect of Internet-based information gathering.

For the very same reason, it has earned a lot of criticism - namely by people who feel its anonymous nature makes it too unreliable and inaccurate. Many have accused the reference site of this, and as a result, Wikipedia has often found itself fighting an uphill battle to prove its credibility.

In an effort to help passersby distinguish the verified material from the untrustworthy, Wikipedia is preparing to introduce a new tool. A new proposal, made possible through an extension to the MediaWiki software that Wikipedia is based upon, will see unreliable text highlighted in color.

The new system will give contributors a reputation score between zero and nine. When someone makes an edit, the resulting text is then highlighted with a shade of orange - the brighter it is, the less trustworthy. An editor's reputation is influenced by the performance of their contributions. As articles become more stable and presumably verified further, text would revert to the norm.

The new system isn't foolproof - it still relies upon anonymous editing, and assumes that editors who have been around longer are more likely to give you accurate information. That may be a safe assumption - the overwhelming majority of vandalism to Wikipedia comes from shadowy sources.

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Microsoft Office Build 4417 leaked

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s usual, when Microsoft has a new operating system or productivity suite on the assembly line, the public domain has a front seat show. Microsoft Office 2010 Build 4417 has reportedly hit the Web with some minor tweaks and improved stability.

According to Neowin, the most noteworthy change to Build 4417 is that Redmond has fine-tuned and polished the Back-Stage view feature. The latest leak packs a new upload center to store and share documents online, a new activation system, and updated icons. Users are reporting that the uninstall issues of a previously leaked Mondo build have been corrected, and the current version can be uninstalled.


Microsoft Office 2010 first leaked to torrent sites back in May, and Microsoft pushed out a technical preview on July 13. I have no doubt there will be many more unofficial builds to come. If you're going to partake in that scene, be careful of shady sources -- it's not uncommon for these leaks to be laced with malware.

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Sunday, August 30, 2009

China to account for 15-20% of iPhone shipments next year?

A
ccording to a Wall Street analyst, Apple will ship five to seven million iPhones in China during 2010, after striking a three-year agreement with China Unicom. Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall estimates that the Chinese market will account for 15% to 20% of Apple's global iPhone sales next year.

China Unicom's 140 million subscribers make it the second largest carrier in the country, only topped by China Mobile, which has 460 million customers. Interestingly, Marshall noted only about half of China Unicom's customers are pre-paid, compared to 80% of China Mobile's.

Naturally, pre-paid customers are of little use to Apple, and the number of post-paid customers the two companies have are on a similar plane. China Unicom has about 70 million post-paid customers, and China Mobile has around 92 million.

China Unicom has been adamantly building its 3G network -- an obvious requisite to host the iPhone. The carrier will begin shipping iPhones in the fourth quarter of this year. On a side note, unconfirmed reports have claimed that the Chinese iPhone will lack Wi-Fi capabilities.

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gScreen shows off dual-display laptop, Spacebook

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Using a laptop has distinct advantages over desktops, most prominently in the mobility department. To gain that boost in portability, though, sacrifices must be made. As a whole, laptops lack the computing muscle offered by their clunky counterparts. That shows in more areas than one - not least in precious screen real estate.

Acknowledging this, a little-known company named gScreen has earned a seat in the limelight with its dual-display-packing notebook. Called "Spacebook," gScreen is working on models that house two 13, 15.4, 16, or 17-inch LED-backlit LCD displays. With a specifically tailored sliding mechanism, the Spacebook's secondary display can be slipped out when needed, and tucked away when not.

In an interview with Gizmodo, gScreen said the Spacebook's specifications will include an Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GF900M, a 7200RPM HDD, DVD drive, six or nine-cell battery and Windows 7. The company's website has more details, listing a Core 2 Duo P8400, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 320GB 7200RPM HDD, 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M GT or Quadro FX 1700M, and VGA/HDMI-out.



Given the slightly dated specifications, I assume the Spacebook's hardware will be revamped in the models to come. As attractive as a laptop with two displays may be, the complete package probably weighs in excess of 12lbs, not to mention the elevated power consumption. Just something to keep in mind before you plunk down your hard earned dollars.

The company is pressing for December 2009 launch -- probably to snag a few holiday sales -- and plans to have the first units sold via Amazon. Although there is no official price established, gScreen is reportedly trying to keep it below $3,000.

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Friday, August 28, 2009

Dell hits rough patch, but is optimistic about future

D
espite Dell's sharp decline in revenue during the second quarter, the PC maker said things are looking up. The company reported a profit decline of 23% to $472 million ($.24 per share), and 22% less sales during the May-July period. Sales to corporations fell 32% year-over-year to $3.3 billion, meanwhile consumer PC shipments rose 17% - mostly due to price cuts.

Dell's outlook is similar to other big names in the industry, including HP and Intel. They have all reported that consumers are making their way back to the stores, but corporations are still penny-pinching. Dell believes that may not change until 2010. Analysts are looking to next year for renewed company budgets and hope Windows 7 will stimulate sales.


About 80% of Dell's business comes from sales to corporations, government agencies, and other institutions. Company CEO Michael Dell expects things to look a bit brighter in the second half of the year, if the current demand trends continue. However, Dell's profits will continue to be subject to aggressive pricing and rising component costs.

Given Dell's dependency on corporate sales, rivals like HP and Acer who place more emphasis on the consumer market have fared better. HP and Acer have gained market share, while Dell has lost footing. In an effort to reduce spending and regain its ground, the company has trimmed its staff by some 9,300 and has restructured its business units.

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TV providers to test online broadcasts

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crambling to protect their subscription revenue, TV providers Time Warner Cable and Verizon are planning to offer their paying customers shows on the Web. The old broadcast model could face a serious threat if cable shows became widely available on the Internet. The collective traditional media is already feeling the Web's presence, and it seems they are looking to nip it in the bud.

Dubbed TV Everywhere, Time Warner's trial of the online TV service will include shows from the NBC Universal-owned Syfy channel; Time Warner's TNT, HBO and TBS; Cablevision System's AMC, IFC and Sundance Channel; and BBC's BBC America. CBS and Discovery are also involved in the test. The trial of TV Everywhere is expected to be made available to 5,000 households. Verizon will roll out its flavor of the TV Everywhere trial, making TNT and TBS available online for FiOS customers.



Recognizing the threat at hand, other companies are also moving to safeguard the subscription model of old. DirecTV is reportedly working on a version of TV Everywhere. While their attempts may woo some, I have one question: Will the TV Everywhere online broadcasts be crammed full of ads?

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Microsoft: Xbox 360 failures "well behind us"

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icrosoft has responded to the recent survey being passed around the Web. Consisting of 5,000 Consumerist readers, the controversial poll suggested that around 54% of the participants experienced at least one Xbox 360 failure - 41.2% said they had at least two go kaput.


According to Xbox Live and Xbox 360 director of product management Aaron Greenberg, while issues inundated the early 360 production lines, things have since improved. "I can tell you the consoles we're making today have lower-heat chips and better cooling, and we're seeing fantastic quality in those consoles today," Greenberg said.

He said that the early problems were acknowledged, and Microsoft responded by introducing an extended three-year warranty for anyone who is faced with the infamous Red Ring of Death or E74 error. Greenberg continued by adding that with the strides taken by Microsoft, he feels like most of the problems are well behind them.

What have your experiences been with the newer Xbox 360 models?

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Apple discontinues all iPod SKUs, rumors of refresh surface

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he iPod has greatly assisted Apple in maintaining their MP3 player market dominance. As it stands, "MP3 player" is nearly synonymous with iPod - much to Microsoft's chagrin. That doesn't mean Apple has been resting on their laurels, even if it seems that way to resellers. Numerous resellers are apparently concerned over a drop in stock volume, reporting low quantities of iPods available for resale.

That's just the tip of the iceberg though, with Cupertino announcing even more harrowing news. The company has discontinued all existing iPod SKUs, demonstrating that it is preparing to cease manufacture (and hence sales) of every existing iPod model. Is the iPod becoming stale? Perhaps, depending on your point of view - but it is still a blisteringly successful device.

Why would Apple put a stop to all their existing SKUs? Rumor has it that Apple is planning to refresh iPods across the board. This move seems to coincide with the widespread anticipation of a rumored September event. Though it's obvious they are planning something big for the iPod, Apple is tight-lipped as usual.

In the meantime, the halt may indicate a temporary shortage of iPods as existing supplies run dry. We'll post more as we hear official news from Apple.

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Nokia unveils Linux-based smartphone, N900

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n addition to elbowing its way into the netbook scene, Nokia has unveiled a new smartphone, the N900. Keeping its Internet Tablet devices close to heart, the company has given life to a tablet-smartphone-Frankenstein. The company sees its new handset as an evolution from its tablets - which, naturally, lacked cellular functionality.
The N900 will run Maemo 5, and feature a 3G cellular connection (WCDMA and HSPA at 900/1700/2100 MHz), a WVGA touchscreen display and hardware QWERTY keyboard. It will pack an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (expandable up to 48GB via microSD), and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. Nokia's new smartphone will be capable of multitasking, it will run a browser made by Mozilla, and will support Adobe Flash 9.4.

Opinions of the N900 are mixed. Most seem to believe it will be a niche product only purchased by early adopters. Research firm CCS Insight considers the device as an experiment, and said, "Its uninspiring design further reflects its experimental nature." They also feel that its appeal will largely lie in its software platform.

Experimental or otherwise, the N900 has quite the feature-set. Nokia's Franken-phone will be available in early October with an asking price of $712 before taxes and subsides. See the Nokia N900 and Maemo 5 in action after the jump.

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YouTube to pony up for popular content

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ouTube has modified the policy of its partnership program in a way that they hope will make money for both them and content submitters. The site is planning to increase the number of ads that accompany its viral videos. Just yesterday, we reported that the popular video sharing service was looking to turn a profit by baiting new advertisers.

The updated model looks simple on paper. YouTube will contact owners of videos that explode in popularity and ask if they'd like to show ads on the content. YouTube will then split the revenue with the content owner. The exact ratio for the split hasn't been disclosed, but according to YouTube spokesman Aaron Zamost, "very popular videos can make thousands of dollars a month."

Prior to this plan, only the most prolific users were invited to participate in the YouTube Partnership Program. Under that program, select users are raking it in. Back Stage mentions a 16-year-old boy known as "Fred," who earns six figures a year. The change makes it possible for one-hit wonders to profit considerably.

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New attack cracks WPA Wi-Fi encryption in just a minute

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ncryption systems used by wireless routers have had a long history of security problems. The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) system was cracked and rendered effectively pointless within a few years of its introduction in 1997. Now, it looks like its WPA successor may soon suffer the same fate, with a pair of Japanese researchers developing a way to break it in just one minute.


The attack builds on the so-called "Becks-Tews method" unveiled last year by researchers Martin Beck and Erik Tews. However, that method worked on a smaller range of WPA devices and took between 12 and 15 minutes to carry out. Both attacks work on WPA systems that use the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) algorithm. They aren't key-recovery attacks -- but give hackers a way to read encrypted traffic sent between computers and certain types of routers that use the outdated encryption system.

The Wi-Fi Alliance has required since 2006 that Wi-Fi-certified products support WPA 2, a much more powerful encryption system that is not vulnerable to these attacks, but users have been slow to upgrade.

The two researchers, Toshihiro Ohigashi of Hiroshima University and Masakatu Morii of Kobe University, are to discuss their findings at a conference in Hiroshima this September 25 but you can read some details now in their paper, "A Practical Message Falsification Attack on WPA" (PDF).

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

reSTART, first US Internet addiction clinic opens

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he first US gaming and texting addiction clinic is now open for business. Positioned 13 miles away from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the reSTART Internet Addiction Recover Program provides a 45-day intensive care program for Internet and game addicts. The package comes complete with psychotherapy, 12-step group counseling, nutritional education, personalized fitness plans, and "high adventure outings."

According to the clinic's mission statement, it is "specifically oriented toward launching tech dependent youth and adults back into the real world." The program is designed to help people break their Internet and/or computer-based cycle of dependency. Participants will engage activities that are often avoided because of excessive computer, video game, and Internet use.

For only $14,500 (or the cost of an 80.6-year WoW subscription as noted by ZDNet) you can hop on the path to recovery, and kick your Web abuse for good. Who's in line?

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Microsoft increases Office anti-piracy measures

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ear after year, Office turns out to be Microsoft's biggest software cash producer. Beyond Windows and any other single suite, Office is what makes Microsoft scads of dough. Given the relative high cost of the suite, it's no surprise that Office is also one of the most pirated pieces of software in the world. Hoping to curb losses incurred from rampant piracy, Microsoft is introducing some new countermeasures to the newest versions of Office.

The new anti-piracy measures aren't aimed at single users, however. Microsoft isn't losing sleep over the people torrenting Office or pilfering a burned copy from a friend - instead, it is the counterfeiting involved. The software giant is concerned about knockoff copies in cloned packaging. As pirates get more professional, black market copies of Office look more like the real thing - preventing people from determining whether or not a piece of software is genuine.

To accomplish this, Microsoft is expanding "Office Genuine Advantage," a branch of the same anti-piracy arm that most Windows users are familiar with. Primarily, they are increasing how far OGA is available worldwide, and will pass it off as a Windows Update. While at first that may seem like a small act, it's actually a pretty large one - since counterfeiting is a worldwide issue, and Microsoft has largely focused on only certain regions of the world.

Whether or not nagging users with duped software is effective, Microsoft doesn't say. However, their anti-piracy efforts have increased exponentially with time. How much farther will Microsoft (or any software vendor, for that matter) go to prevent their code from being stolen?

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Anti-malware feature quietly slipped into Snow Leopard?

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ue Friday the 28, Apple's next version of OS X, 10.6 Snow Leopard, may contain an antimalware function of sorts. A report from Mac security firm Intego came yesterday that early testers of the new OS have unearthed some form of bundled-in malware prevention tool.
Neither the firm or users are entirely sure how the function works, but a screenshot shows the feature working with a file downloaded via Safari. The antimalware tool detected a version of the RSPlug Trojan horse in a downloaded disk image.



This is an interesting discovery, considering Apple's long-held stance that PCs are insecure and virus-riddled, whereas Macs "just work." This message is endlessly propagated in Cupertino's "Get a Mac" campaign, where they portray Macs as being trouble-free in the malware department.

While that may be largely true, most would argue that OS X is no more secure than any other operating system, it's just less circulated. With Microsoft Windows installed on 90-plus-percent of computers, it's the obvious target of malware authors.

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Opera 10 release candidate available

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pera Software has completed its first release candidate of Opera 10, a browser that the company says has better performance, a Turbo mode for slow Internet connections, support for a variety of Web standards such as Web fonts, and improvements to the Opera Mail feature.

"Now, we are very close to releasing the best browser in Opera's long history," Jan Standal, Opera's vice president of desktop products, said in a statement. "We hope everyone who has helped us test our browser thus far will put the release candidate through its paces."


The new Carakan JavaScript engine, which is used to run Web-based applications such as Google Docs, isn't done yet.

"It won't be ready for (Opera) 10 final, but rest assured that it will be impressive when it comes," spokesman Thomas Ford said. He said Opera won't comment on the timing of the new engine's release until it enters alpha testing.

Firefox, Safari, and Chrome also all are working furiously on better JavaScript performance too, in an effort to make the Web a better foundation for applications.

The new Opera release candidate is available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Opera has been available for years as an alternative to the dominant Microsoft Internet Explorer, the second-ranked Firefox, and Apple's Safari. It was pushed into fifth place with the arrival of Google Chrome. The Opera browser often charts new territory, though. For example, its Speed Dial feature, which presents an array of Web site thumbnails when a person opens a new browser tab, was first introduced in 2007. A similar feature can now be found in Chrome and Safari, and Firefox may add something comparable.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Nokia enters netbook market with Booklet 3G

We’ve been hearing rumors about a Nokia netbook for some months now, but today the Finnish company has actually made it official with the “Booklet 3G” — a stylish Intel/Microsoft-based netbook that promises an ambitious 12-hour battery life, a weight of just 2.75 pounds, and the kind of extras you would expect from a cell phone manufacturer.

The Booklet 3G is a Windows machine powered by an Atom processor and, according to Nokia, will have close ties to the company's Ovi suite of online services and mobile applications currently available to Nokia handset owners. Its thin (0.7 inches) aluminum case holds an HDMI-out port, along with the usual webcam, Bluetooth, SD card reader and 10.1-inch display.

As you might have guessed, the device can connect to the Internet either by a built-in 3G card or Wi-Fi, but Nokia ups the ante with a hot-swappable SIM card slot and Assisted GPS integrated out of the box. Pricing and availability information for the Nokia Booklet 3G is not yet available; the company said it will be releasing more details about the device next week at Nokia World.

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Google fixes two critical Chrome flaws

Without much fanfare, Google has pushed out an update for Chrome that will seal up two vulnerabilities which could have posed a serious risk. The flaws, present in the V8 JavaScript engine that Chrome relies upon, could result in data compromise or even worse, total system compromise through code execution.

One flaw pertained to potentially fraudulent HTTPS sessions, and the more dangerous of the two could be triggered simply by visiting a maliciously-crafted page with certain XML content. Google has pushed out version 2.0.172.43 of Chrome already, making it available for download to anyone who uses Chrome. If you haven't updated already, it's a good idea to snag it.


Interestingly, Google is crediting how they discovered the flaws. Mozilla's security team was apparently responsible for alerting Google to one problem, and a security researcher was credited with discovering the other. That may be only a small note, but it is encouraging to see browser developers working together in some fashion.

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YouTube to turn lucrative soon?

In 2006, Google paid a handsome $1.65 billion for video sharing site YouTube. Now three years later, the company has yet to turn a profit from its acquisition - but that may change soon. The search giant is looking at YouTube's not-so-distant future and it sees a lucrative business, according to CFO Patrick Pichette.

This year alone, analysts expect Google to lose between $70 million and $500 million on its grossly popular video site. Despite being in the red, YouTube has seen an explosion in popularity and viewership. That wide userbase may eventually turn a nice penny for the search company, as they work to coax new advertisers to the site.


Google has been working more closely with Hollywood, inking deals with Time Warner and Walt Disney. By signing those agreements, they hope the additional professional content will lure more advertisers. Although the company seems optimistic about YouTube's future, analysts offer a polarized outlook about the service's ability to generate profit.

"These are not signs of what I call a smart acquisition, these are signs of a dumb acquisition," said Global Equities Research analyst Chip Chowdhry. Bernstein Research believes that even if the company begins turning a profit, it won't be enough to cover costs associated with bandwidth and data storage.

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Yahoo to acquire Maktoob for rumored $75-$80 million

Yahoo is preparing to acquire Arab portal Maktoob for a rumored sum of approximately $75 million to $80 million. Established in 2000, the Jordan-based business was the world's first free Arabic/English web-based email service. Today, it has grown to be the region's leading Arab online community.

Internet use in the Middle East has grown more than tenfold since Maktoob's inception, and there are more than 320 million Arabic speakers worldwide - yet, less than 1% of all online content is in Arabic. The agreement with Yahoo is expected to change that, uniting Yahoo's 20 million Arab users with Maktoob's 16 million. The search player's content will soon be Arabized, starting with mail and messenger services.

Other parts of Maktoob group, Araby.com, Cashu.com, Souq.com, Tahadi MMO games are not packaged in the deal, and will instead be a separate company called Jabbar Internet Group. Products resulting from the agreement will be co-branded Yahoo and Maktoob. The companies are looking to close the deal by quarter four.

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Wolfenstein Graphics Performance In-Depth

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olfenstein is id Software's latest gaming title having just hit shelves last week. Upon its release Wolfenstein has received generally favorable reviews from critics. The game has been praised for its exciting single player campaign, while the multiplayer component has received the most criticism, considered by some to be a letdown when compared to its predecessor Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.



Regardless of how you feel about playing solo or multiplayer, there is no denying that Wolfenstein is a great looking game. Based on a highly modified version of the id Tech 4 engine, the game is able to deliver cutting edge graphics that rival more recently developed engines. The modifications to the engine include depth of field effects, post processing effects, Havok physics, soft shadowing, as well as the addition of a supernatural realm called 'The Veil'.

As with any new game release there is always the chance it may not run on your current setup, or at the very least, not run well. That's the reason we like to bring you a complete set of tests based on new games such as Wolfenstein using a range of current graphics cards and some other not so current ones.

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