Rock Band 'OK Go' Creates Music Videos With Samsung NX100

If you don't really know who OK Go is, chances are you haven't seen their music videos. The American rock band has been around for many years, and their music video "Here It Goes Again" (with them dancing on the treadmills) has won a Grammy Award for "Best Short-Form Music Video" in 2007.

The band has recently partnered Samsung to create their latest music video, which is filmed using the Korean company's latest mirrorless camera, NX100. The teaser trailer shows the versatility of the camera as a creative tool with its revolutionary 20mm wide i-Function Lens. Check out all the videos, including the trailer and the forthcoming music videoat http://www.samsungimaging.com/campaign/nx100/

A series of behind-the-scenes episodes have also been produced using the Samsung NX100, following OK Go as they embark on this creative project. The clips show the creative brilliance of OK Go meeting the technical ingenuity of the i-Function Lens, as they create a piece of video art that will be viewed, downloaded, sent on and talked about across the world.

Here's one of the YouTube episode

Product Launch LG INFINIA Full LED Slim 3D HDTVs

In 2008, LG launched the world's slimmest LCD TV at just 44.7mm thin. In 2009, LG launched the world's largest OLED TV. Andin 2010, LG launched the world's first Full LED 3D TV.

Mr Nam Young Woo, President and CEO of LG Electronics Asia, was present at the event to unveil the flagship INFINIA LX9500.

After which, the media was taken through a detailed presentation of the INFINIA LX9500by Mr Arthur Huang, Chief Operating Officer of LG Electronics Singapore.

On theLX9500 55-inch model, there is apanel of 1200 LEDs directly behind the screen. Compared to traditional edge-lit LED panels, the LX9500 delivers exceptional brightness, clarity and uniformity. What's more, the 1200 LEDs are split into 240segments for detailed local dimming.

Also, the LX9500 series sports the latest TruMotion 400Hz technology, which serves to reduce image cross-talk.

Finally, the floor was opened to any questions from the media. Seated on stage for the Q&A session are Mr Arthur Huang and Mr Clive Chia, Sales Director for LG Electronics Singapore's business units.

During the Q&A session, Mr Huang mentioned about the use of uncompressed wireless transmission for the best picture quality possible.

At the closing stages, Mr Chia talked about the award-winning BORDERLESS design; he believes it is something unique and what makes LG TVs stand out from competiting brands.

The media was then taken for a tour to experience LG's INFINIA 3D TVs, TruMotion 400Hz, and some features that can be found in the series.

Besides the INFINIA series, LG also released the BX580, a 3D Network Blu-ray Disc and DVD player. The BX580 is bundled free with any LX6500 and LX9500 model purchased.

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Press releases, productproduct specifications, andmost importantlypricesto follow.

Play as an Asari Justicar, Geth in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer (DLC)

And it wont cost you a single penny - unless you decide to pay actual money for the character/equipment unlock packs, of course. Instead of redeeming them through fake Monopoly galactic money.

Kudos, Bioware, for giving your fans something to play with while they wait for Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut.

Currently, the undisputable top three characters to play as in Mass Effect 3 multiplayer are the Salarian Engineer, Salarian Infiltrator and Asari Adept.

But judging just from the trailer alone it looks like the Geth characters (Infiltrator, Engineer) and the Asari Justicar Adept might just give those current favourites a run for their credits. The Krogan Vanguard might be a strong contender, too.

Well find out when the free DLC pack comes out on April 10, available for all the platforms (Xbox 360, PC, PS3) Mass Effect 3 is on.A patch for various system glitches will also be released around the same period.

In the meantime, better level up your characters during this weekends Operation: Beachhead in-game event - theres a 25% EXP bonus - so you can start using the new ones at level 20 as soon as theyre released!

Source: Bioware blog

MSI DRE8 External DVD Dual Writer

Since notebooks are becoming more popular nowadays, the need to read andarchive huge data DVD and CD at anytime and anywhere has to be compliant withthe notebooks mobility functions.

To meet the mobility requirement of notebook users, MSI introduces the DRE8external DVD Dual Writer and XS24 external slim combo writer especially forthese users. With DRE8s powerful specifications, it allows users to work with 8different formats and speeds - DVD+R writing speed at 8x, DVD+RW rewriting speedat 4x, DVD-R writing speed at 8x, DVD-RW rewriting speed at 4x, DVD-ROM readingspeed at 16x, CD-R writing speed at 40x, CD-RW rewriting speed at 24x, andCD-ROM reading speed at 48x. Its also a DVD Dual writer supporting both DVD+R/+RWand DVD-R/-RW discs in just one drive. Thus, the DRE8 saves the user the troubleof choosing between two discs. The DRE8 features the ABS technology which canabsorb shock and reduce vibrations to make reading and writing of discs moreaccurate. It also works on silent mode powered by SoftBurn™ which means lessnoise whenever the drive operates. Moreover, DRE8 is designed with USB 2.0high-speed data transmission that will surely fulfill the demands of those whowant portable recording function.

And for those who want a slim drive for easy data access and archiving, theXS24 is a smart solution. Because of its super thin measurement of 18.5mm, itcan easily fit into a bag and be carried. The XS24 is a combo type drive thatcan work at 24x CD-R writing, 24x CD-RW rewriting, 24x CD-ROM reading and 8xDVD-ROM reading. It also features the ABS technology and SoftBurn™ that perfectsyour data access and reduces noise for quiet operation respectively. Theembedded high-speed USB 2.0 chip enhances the data transmission between thedrive and the notebook.

Together with DRE8 and XS24 is one of MSIs unique features V Live Update™ 3, aviable application for updating the latest firmware through the Internet. TheMSI Live Update™ 3 assures the drive media compatibility and enhances the driveperformance and stability, keeping your drive in its most favorable operatingcondition.

NZXT Releases Tempest EVO Camo Chassis

NZXT, well-known for their affordable quality PC chassis, has unveiled the Tempest EVO Camo.









Measuring 211.5 x 521.5 x 562mm and weighing 11.2kg, the steel chassisis almost similar to the Tempest EVO released in Nov 2009. Painted in an“arctic” camouflage pattern, the chassis has three 5.25” drive bays,six 3.5” bays, seven expansion slots, pre-drilled holes forwater-cooling tubes & cable management, and a top mounted I/O panelwith one eSATA, two USB 2.0 ports and audio connectors. With support forup to six fans (two 120mm blue LEDs fan front, one 120mm side, one120mm rear & two 140mm fans top), the Tempest EVO Camo is wellventilated. Backed by a one-year warranty, it can be purchased fromauthorized resellers and e-tailers at a MSRP of USD 150 (or USD 40 morethan the standard Tempest EVO).


News via [Techpowerup]

Intel's Woodcrest the First To Use Socket 771

After reviewing the latest Intel roadmaps, it would appear that Socket 771 finally has a purpose: high density and embedded CPU replacements.

Woodcrest will not show up exclusively on Socket 771. Embedded systems using PGA CPUs will be the only platforms affected -- and they are hardly consumer level components. Manufacturers had told us that Socket 771 was originally for Sossaman (server grade Yonah Core CPUs), but it appears those forecasts were a little premature.

Merom, the upcoming Intel mobile CPU set to replace Yonah, was also added to the Intel roadmaps for Low Voltage applications. However, Merom will stick to the traditional BGA and PGA packages.



Dual Socket 771

Marvell and Samsung Announce Shipment of New PDA Phone in Korea

December 21, 2007— Marvell, (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in storage, communications, and consumer silicon solutions, and Samsung, announced the availability of the Samsung SPH-M4650 PDA phone with the Marvell® PXA 300 application processor running on Korea’s LG Telecom network.The Marvell PXA 300 application processor enables high-end graphics, gaming, and multimedia capabilities for the Samsung SPH-M4650 as well as delivering optimal business applications while consuming ultra-low levels of power.The Samsung SPH-M4650 runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional operating system.

“The new Samsung SPH-M4650 is designed to offer outstanding multimedia capabilities as well as the advanced functions of a PDA phone.The attractive slim design and full LCD screen makes it an attractive device for work or play,” said Hun Bae Kim, senior vice president, Samsung Mobile CDMA Team. “Marvell’s PXA 300 application processor is designed to allow gaming and multimedia functions, while enabling business functionality and PC synchronization.”

The Samsung SPH-M4650 features terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) for mobile television, a 2.0 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth technology housed in a thin form factor with an LCD touch screen.

“The Samsung SPH-M4650 is an exciting new device that will provide a robust mobile experience for business functionality as well as gaming and multimedia for consumers,” said David Young, vice president and general manager of Marvell’s Mobile Cellular Business Group. “We are pleased that Samsung has chosen our PXA 300 application processor to enhance the consumer experience by providing optimal performance and power savings, enhancing the overall multimedia capabilities.”

The Marvell PXA 300 application processor family is designed for a balance of high performance and low-power efficiency and offers a broad roadmap that is architecturally consistent for maximum software reuse. All PXA 300 products feature frequency scalability to enable intelligent power management and performance. For further information about Marvell products please visit www.marvell.com.

Intel's Valley View Atom SoC leaks, said to have Ivy Bridge level graphics

Quite often Intel is the best source when it comes to its own product leaks and this time around its upcoming Valley View Atom SoC has leaked thanks to in part to the fact that Intel has had to submit graphics driver information in time for the upcoming Linux 3.4 kernel being set in stone. However, at the same time, details have also appeared on roadmaps from Advantech, a Taiwanese IPC maker that gives additional details as to what to expect.

The first details were spotted by Phoronix as they found details with regards to patches for the upcoming Linux 3.4 kernel that stated "ValleyView is a CedarView-like chip but with an Ivybridge graphics core." This in itself is very interesting, as it shows that at least on the desktop side, Intel is planning on moving away from the PowerVR graphics cores that the company has been relying on for its past couple of generations of Atom processors.

Other details unearthed by Phoronix include support for two DisplayPort interfaces (most likely eDP and a regular DisplayPort) and HDMI output, a new interrupt architecture and Turbo Boost support, albeit somehow done differently than on Ivy Bridge.

Shortly after Phoronix discoveries, The Verge managed to dig up some roadmaps from Advantech that gives us a few additional details as to what to expect. According to a few upcoming products from Advantech the Valley View Atom SoC will feature the Balboa Pier chipset – a bit of trivia here, Intels 440LX chipset was codenamed Balboa – although as Valley View is said to be a 22nm SoC, its very likely that the chipset will be integrated into the CPU package or the CPU itself.

The Advantech roadmap further details one to four cores, four times the graphics performance, although it doesnt really state compared to what, but wed presume the current Cedar Trail Atom processors, support for between 4 and 8GB of DDR3 memory and interestingly enough ECC support making Valley View a much more interesting solution for the IPC and entry level server market and finally what appears to be native USB 3.0 support.

Valley View isnt expected to launch until very late this year or early next year, but it could potentially be the most interesting Atom processor to date, especially as it seems like Intel has given up on pushing its Atom processors as a castrated, low-budget alternative. Judging by the rumoured specifications, we have a feeling that Valley View wont be as cheap as the current Atom processors, but itll likely depend a lot on whats available from the competition.

Source: Phoronix, The Verge

M1 customers stand to win tickets to Faye Wong concert

SingTel may have their Lady Gaga showcase (which happened last week), but rival telco operator M1 also has something in their sleeves. Well, if you are a fan of popular Chinese singer Faye Wong, and also an existing M1 customer, youre in for a treat. M1 customers stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to Faye Wongs concert which is happening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 29 October. All you need to do is simply redeem 50 SunPerks Points for a chance to win in the lucky draw. The ticket is priced at S$446 and there are altogether 400 pairs of tickets available for grabs.

From the official news release, the M1 presents Faye Wong 2011 Concert Tour SunPerks points redemption promotion will commence from 9am on 11 July and conclude at midnight of 10 August 2011. Results will be announced on 25 August 2011. For more details,visit www.m1.com.sg/faye

On top of that, according to SISTIC website, the official Faye Wong concert tee-shirt will also be given to the first 80 M1 customers, though whetherthat applies to the winners for the pair of tickets, it wasnt stated on the website.

Internet Explorer 7 Will Not Be Integrated into Windows

BusinessWeek is reporting that Microsoft's next release of Internet Explorer, version 7, will not be integrated into Windows. Breaking nearly ten years of tradition, Internet Explorer was always very tightly integrated into Windows, allowing users to do such things as launch a website directly from any Windows Explorer window, or save a live web page as the desktop wallpaper.

Security analysts have been telling Microsoft for a while now though, that doing so would cause significant security problems for Windows. Indeed this has been the case. Windows itself has been under much scrutiny over recent years by the security industry as well as the hacking and virus communities. Exploits that were found to exist in current versions of Internet Explorer, were used to attack the core operating system because of the tight integration.

Microsoft itself had claimed that Windows XP is its most secure OS, and while it may be true in some respects, the claim sparked an onslaught of attacks from all sorts of malicious software. Despite ongoing security updates by Microsoft, analysts believe that removing Internet Explorer from the core of Windows will improve the overall security of the OS more so than many of its small patches combined. Despite the move to improve OS security by Microsoft, Internet Explorer will still ship with Windows Vista.

iPhone snatchers beware pepper-spray case now available

It’s called the ‘Pepper Spray Phone Case,’ and although the name may not conjure up fear like facing el Diablo himself, it’ll get the job done—just like a normal point-n-shoot pepper-spray canister.

The deadly iPhone 4/4S add-on was developed by Scott McPherson of Arizona for the purpose of protecting his daughter who is in college.

“Most co-eds don’t go anywhere without their smartphone,” he said, “So the optimal solution was to combine her phone and a safety device.”

Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Operating the pepper-spray is as easy as unlocking the canister and turning the phone sideway then aim-and-shoot. According to McPherson, the spray is formulated using habanero pepper: “[It’s] one of the hottest peppers available.”

“We use what the police force does, TSA, FBI. We actually buy it at the same place they get it,” McPherson added.

The pepper-spray case is currently only available for the iPhone 4/4S, and can be bought for $39.95 via Spraytect. It comes in four colors: Black, pink, white, and turquoise. The maker is even kind enough to include a dummy canister so that you can practice operating the pepper-spray case.

LG Singapore Launches LG Mini (LG GD880)

Arthur Huang, Chief Operating Officer of LG Electronics Singapore, was at the event to introduce the new LG Mini phone.

"We are targeting (the LG Mini) for the age group between 18 to 34, which is quite a wide range; we want to go to the mass market. People are spending a lot of time on the Internet and searching for information. This is also in line with our fashion strategy in LG, for this category."

"The LG Mini is not just a small phone. Few years ago, people arejust lookingforsmall and slim phone, but the LG Miniis not only small but it also has great looks. Thereare no buttons like many regular phones in the market today.It alsohas a very narrow LCD bezel, so that consumer can utilize fully the 3.2-inch screen" says Huang.

The LG Mini (LG GD880) is indeed very sleek with a brushed metallic body and 3.2-inch full touchscreen display (480x854).

Going into the phone's main menu shows a neatly laid outicons whereby you can easily access the various apps and phone settings. However, we find the navigation isn't exactly very seamlesswhenwe flicked our fingers to move to the next home screen.

At the rear is the 5-megapixel camera and we also spotted a micro SD card slot on the right of the LG Mini for expansion.

Intel Nocona CPU Pic amp; Info

Nocona : 90nm, 800MHz FSB, 604 pins, 1MB L2 Cache, Prescott NewInstructions (PNI), SSE3, EM64T technology, DDR-II, PCI Express, PowerManagement Technology - Demand Based Switching (DBS), Vanderpool Technology

Intel Xeon Roadmap

Kingston Improves CompactFlash Cards Performance

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memoryproducts, today announced it is increasing the overall performance of itspopular CompactFlash® Elite Pro™ Flash memory cards to help amateur andprofessional photographers maximize the performance from their high-end imagingdevices and digital workflow applications. With transfer rates of 25MB/second(read) and 20MB/second (write), along with capacities up to 16GB*, photographerscan capture life as it happens for as long as it happens.

“Imaging pros have high expectations of their equipment and simply cannot affordto have memory cards limit productivity,” said Dave Lee, Flash Memory ProductManager, Asia Region, Kingston. “Kingston’s new CF Elite Pro card provides highcapacity and increased read and write speeds to help photographers work quicklyduring the capture and download processes.”

Kingston Flash memory consistently ranks among the highest in the industry forquality, performance and reliability, which is why many of the world’s mostrenowned and successful photographers rely on Kingston to perform when itmatters most. Available in 2-, 4-, 8- and 16GB capacities, Kingston’sCompactFlash Elite Pro card provides plenty of room for capturing and storinghigh volumes of images in RAW, JPEG, TIFF and other large file formats. As withall Kingston Flash memory cards, CompactFlash Elite Pro cards are backed by alifetime warranty† and free live technical support.

Part Number Capacity and Features
CF/2GB-S2FE 2GB CompactFlash Elite Pro card
CF/4GB-S2FE 4GB CompactFlash Elite Pro card
CF/8GB-S2FE 8GB CompactFlash Elite Pro card
CF/16GB-S2FE 16GB CompactFlash Elite Pro card

Kingston CompactFlash Elite Pro Features and Specifications:
• Capacities*††: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB
• Dimensions: 1.43 x 1.68 x 0.13 (36.4mm x 42.8mm x 3.3mm) - CF Type 1
• Speed Rating**: 25MB/sec. read rate and 20MB/sec. write rate
• Operating Temperature: 32º to 140º F (0º to 60º C)
• Storage Temperature: -4º to 185º F (-20º to 85º C)
• Standardized: complies with CompactFlash Association specification standards
• Easy: plug and play
• Guaranteed†: lifetime warranty
• Economical: autosleep mode preserves system battery life

*Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thusis not available for data storage.
**Speed may vary due to host and device configuration.
†10-year warranty in France, Germany and Austria.
†† CompactFlash Elite Pro 4-, 8- and 16GB cards work in newer cameras and otherdevices that are capable of utilizing a FAT32 file system.

LucidLogix announced XLR8 software for ARM GPUs and more

Weve already seen a lot of examples of what LucidLogix has managed to do with its Virtu software, but its latest software named XLR8 has us scratching our heads. The software is targeting the various GPUs youd find inside ARM processors, as well as integrated graphics in AMD and Intel processors and is not only said to be boosting the performance, but also lower the power usage of said GPUs.

According to the press release, XLR8 is compatible with AMDs Fusion APUs, ARMs Mali GPUs, Intels HD4000 and HD2500 IGPs in the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors and Nvidias various Tegra models. The idea here is that Lucids new software will optimize the system to help prevent things like tearing and artefacts, but its also meant to improve power efficiency and help improve playability of games.

Lucids president Offir Remez went as far as saying "If its got a GPU, we can improve the end user experience" which is quite a cocky statement. The company claims that XLR8 can improve certain configurations by as much as 200 percent in terms of performance by increasing GPU frame generation while preventing the GPU from performing redundant rendering tasks. It all sounds great, but as we all know, the proof is in the pudding and Lucid has as yet to offer the software for testing by third parties. It will be interesting to see if XLR8 lives up to Lucids claims, but for now, well remain sceptical.

Source: LucidLogix

Kontron Designs Tegra 3 Mini-ITX Motherboard

Computer-on-module (COM) and industrial PC (IPC) major Kontron designed the first NVIDIA Tegra 3 motherboard in the mini-ITX (slim) form-factor. The board measures 17 x 17 cm, and should fit in most ITX/ATX cases. The board is armed with most current and legacy connectivity, and a powerful SoC.

The Kontron KTT30/mITX makes use of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core (4 + 1 power-saving core) SoC. Its four CPU cores are built in theARM Cortex-A9 micro-architecture, and are clocked at 900 MHz. It features NVIDIA GeForce ULP GPU. The GPU is capable enough to handle 3D acceleration, 1080p video playback, and an LVDS link with 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution. The GPU also provides h.264, MPEG4 hardware encoding/decoding acceleration. The Tegra 3 SoC is backed by up to 2 GB of DDR3L system memory (RAM).

TheKTT30/mITX is filled to the brim with connectivity. For expansion, the board has a total of three mPCIe slots, of which one doubles up as mSATA, and another one as reserved for 3G HSDPA MODEM. The board has a SIM card slot on-board. Apart from the three, the board has two SD card slots, and a bootable eMMC module.

There are a plethora of peripheral interfaces, some more familiar to the PC crowd, others with embedded/COM designers. PC users will find a total of three USB 2.0 ports (two standard type A, one micro-USB), a gigabit Ethernet interface, stereo analog and multi-channel digital (SPDIF) audio outputs, and HDMI 1.4a display output supporting digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels. Embedded connectivity includes two RS232 (8-wire serial/COM), LVDS display output supporting up to 2048 x 1536 pixels @ 18 bpp, three MIPI connectors (1x DSI, 1x CSI,1x either DSI or CSI), eighteen GPIO connectors, a 2-pin DC power input, and 4-pin PWM fan output.

TheKTT30/mITX has a target power draw of less than 7 Watts, it should be able to run off a fairly light and compact AC adapter. It should be able to drive most Linux derivatives for the ARM machine architecture, including Android and Chrome OS. Find finer details in the datasheet.

I-O Data Readies New External Blu-ray writer

I-O Data has announced the BRP-U6X, an external Blu-ray writer with support for the BDXL standard. Measuring just 20mm thick and weighing 320g, the slim writer sports a USB 2.0 interface and supports write speeds up to "6x for BD-R (single- and dual-layer), 4x for 34-layer BD-R, 2x for BD-RE, 8x for DVD-R+R and DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-R+R DL and DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 24x for CD-R and 16x for CD-RW". Covered by a one year warranty, it comes bundled with WinDVD BD and Nero Express Essentials. The BRP-U6X is expected to hit store shelves in Japan in April at a MSRP of US$270.

News via [Techconnect]

Mach Xtreme Technology Launches MX-DS Series 2.5 quot; SSD

Taipei based Mach Xtreme Technology has unveiled its MX-DS Series 2.5” SSD.



Available in 100Gb (MXSSD2MDS-100G) and 200Gb (MXSSD2MDS-200G)capacities, they are built on the SandForce SF1222 chip and feature MLCNAND flash memory, SATA II interface, a MTBF of 1.5 million hours andsupports a data transfer rate of up to 250MB/s (read) and 230MB/s(write). Pricing has not been announced yet but the MX-DS Series areexpected to start shipping soon, covered by a two year limited warranty.


Features:

2.5” SATAII (2.6) MLC Solid State DriveMax. Read Performance up to 250MB/s (100G/200G)Max. Write Performance up to 230MB/s (100G/200G)Life expectancy: 1.5 million hours MTBFSustained Write up to 130MB/s and max. I/O per second of 30,000IOPSPower consumption: idle 0.5W / active 2.3WCapacity: 100GB (MXSSD2MDS-100G) and 200GB (MXSSD2MDS-200G)Warranty: 2 Years
News via [Tweaktown]

Megaupload lawyers aiming to have case thrown out

The lawyers for file-sharing firm Megaupload are attempting to get the copyright infringement case against the company quashed and assets unfrozen.

The companys legal team claims that US federal authorities have no right to charge the company, as it is outside their jurisdiction, since it is a Hong Kong-based firm. Lawyers also claim that no papers were formally served, which means Megaupload could get off on a technicality of law, rather than its proposed innocence."This case was flawed from the start, once this case gets dismissed it cannot be fixed," said Ira Rothken, US general counsel for Megaupload, who specialises in intellectual property lawsuits. He said the FBI had made a fatal mistake in its case against the file-sharing company by not following proper protocol.Rothken is also seeking for frozen assets, totalling millions of dollars, to be freed up. This was a strong criticism from the start, as lawyers for Megaupload claimed that it and its staff were being prevented from properly defending itself due to the freezing of its money.The popular storage website was shut down in January when the home of Kim Dotcom, Megauploads founder, was raided by New Zealand police. He and several of the companys executives were arrested and attempts to extradite them to the US were made. The situation caused panic throughout the file-sharing world, with many similar websites shutting down over fear of similar prosecution.Dotcom and other key employees face charges of racketeering, copyright infringement, and conspiring to commit money laundering. A judge ruled in March that the court order used to seize a number of Dotcoms belongings was unlawful, and this latest claim by the Megauploads lawyers suggests the entire case may become another farce in the history of botched lawsuits.Source: Reuters

Intel Revealed More Penryn Details

Intel revealed today that 45nm Penryn clocked above 3GHz, a higher FSB, newSSE4 and delivers more IPC than the current 65nm Merom. Micro-tweaks that reduceCPU latency on the Penryn includes a faster divider technique called Radix-16divider that enables 4 bits per cycle compared to 2 bits on the Merom and ashuffle engine that can perform 128-bit ops in a cycle.

Power savings features includes a new power state during idle called DeepPower Down Technology that allows core voltage to drop significantly and L1/L2caches to be turned off completely. Performance improvement on single-threadedapps through Enhanced Intel Dynamic Acceleration Technology that allows one coreto sleep while the other core gets a frequency boost.

Comparing quad core of the current generation which is Kentsfield againstquad core of the next generation which is Yorkfield, Intel claims that Yorkfieldwill be up to 45% faster than Kentsfield in bandwidth intensive applications.Yorkfield has 1600MHz FSB and 2x6MB of L2 cache comparing to 1333MHz FSB and2x4MB of L2 on the Kentsfield. When comparing dual core Conroe to dual coreWolfdale, the latter will deliver up to 20% increase in performance in thecurrent games.

Intel Pentium Extreme Edition amp; Pentium D Logos

McAfee warns of threat to energy grid security

Security firm McAfee has released details of a report into the security of energy grids, highlighting significant vulnerabilities in older systems to attack.

McAfee had a stark warning for those who are complacement about securing key infrastructure like the electrical power grid, which powers pretty much everything we use. It said that a single targeted attack could compromise lights and home appliances, heart monitors in hospitals, and air defence systems, among other things.The report found that extortion was the biggest cyber threat facing the energy sector, with criminals demonstrating their capability and demanding a ransom. Espionage and sabotage are two other big fears.McAfee discovered that roughly 70 percent of the existing energy grid in the US is over 30 years old. These have been connected to the internet with no encryption or security in mind. A decade ago this may not have been such a big issue, but with cyber attacks on the increase, this is a growing concern.The automation of systems, which has made lives easier for many workers, comes at the price of more openness to attack. The increasing use of generic software to operate these facilities means that any vulnerabilities found in that software immediately expose the infrastructure, whereas proprietary software was more commonly used in the past.“Security needs to be built into grid components at the planning and design phase,” said Tom Moore, VP of Embedded Security at McAfee. “Because the grid relies heavily on embedded systems it makes them ripe targets for intruders thus it is imperative to integrate security solutions natively in these devices. McAfee is working with its partners in industry and government to make great strides on the technical front to mitigate the threats to these critical systems we all rely on.”Image Credit: Geograph.org.uk

Microsoft will be launching Security Essentials Beta next week

Here's some of the features you can expect from the security software:-

- Real-time protection. Microsoft Security Essentials uses real-time protection to help address potential threats before they ever have an opportunity to become a problem.

- Dynamic Signature Service. In addition to taking advantage of daily signature downloads, Microsoft Security Essentials is able to validate suspicious files against newly identified malware in near-real time by querying the Dynamic Signature Service. Actions from unknown sources such as unexpected network connections, attempting to modify privileged parts of the system or downloading known malicious content all trigger requests for updates from the Dynamic Signature Service.

- Rootkit protection. Microsoft Security Essentials includes a number of new and improved technologies to provide additional defense against rootkits and other aggressive threats. These technologies include live kernel behavior monitoring for monitoring the integrity of kernel structures, support for direct file-system parsing to help identify and remove malicious programs and drivers hidden from the file system, and improved live rootkit removal that dynamically loads a new kernel mode driver as part of the cleaning process so that it can help successfully remove some of the more advanced rootkits.

- Lightweight design. Because Microsoft Security Essentials is core anti-malware only, it doesn't carry the weight of the suite products and has a much smaller download size.

- CPU throttling. CPU throttling helps ensure that the user's system remains responsive to those tasks the user is likely to be performing such as opening files or browser windows, launching programs, editing documents, saving files, etc.

- Idle-time scanning. Scans and updates are scheduled to run when the PC is idle and use a low-priority thread.

- Smart caching and active memory swapping. Signatures not in use don't take up space in the available memory, making Microsoft Security Essentials friendlier toward older PCs as well as today's smaller, less powerful form factors.

The Microsoft Security Essentialswillbe available for downloadedfrom Microsoft website on 23 Juneas a limited public beta for XP, Vista and Windows 7 users.

According to Microsoft, they will also discontinue their Windows Live OneCare later this year.

Source: Gizmodo, Reuters, AP

KiWi PC aims to sell Linux-loaded PCs to senior citizens

When it comes to building a PC meant to be used by an ageing senior citizen, it goes without saying that raw performance and power is no longer the top priority. Instead, youd want such a PC to be as user-friendly as possible, if only just to ensure that you do not receive phone calls late into the wee hours of the day from the user asking for help over simple issues such as how to press the Any key.

Needless to say, the OS used in such PCs play an extremely important part in ensuring that senior citizens feel right at home with their PCs at all times. And while most people will swear by Windows 7 or Mac OS X as the ideal operating system for such users, an American OEM which specializes in making PCs for aged users believes that there exists only one OS which is suitable for senior citizen use. Enter the KiWi PC, a senior citizen-friendly nettop PC which runs of....Linux. Or more specifically, a Linux distribution known as Ubuntu.

According to KiWi PC, the Linux-based PC which is currently being sold under the same name as the OEM which assembled it will be pre-loaded with a customized version of Ubuntu 10.10. The website goes on to claim that the customizations made to the operating system include a certain Me Menu which provides easy access to often-visited websites and programs straight from the desktop. KiWi PC also states that the Me Menu will be completely customizable, and that the font size has been increased to make onscreen text more readable for senior citizens.

On the hardware side, the KiWi PC does not feature impressive specs, although this is understandable if one takes into consideration its nettop nature and the variety of tasks its intended user base might use it for. Powering the nettop is Intels Atom processor clocked at 1.66GHz and 2GB of DDR3 memory, while the other essentials include a DVD-RW drive, a 250GB hard disk for storage purposes and onboard Intel GMA 3150 graphics. Internet connectivity is achieved via an Ethernet connection which is handled by the motherboards onboard Realtek controller.

Last but definitely not least, the KiWi PC comes bundled with a 19-inch monitor for complete out-of-the-box functionality, and 24/7 tech support ensures that senior citizens do not have to call up their children every few minutes just to learn how to navigate a Linux desktop.

That being said, the user interface found on the customized Ubuntu 10.10 Linux distribution does not appear to be anything more than a slightly tweaked version of the Unity desktop environment. Which, for those who are unfamiliar with the Ubuntu distribution, is currently an an experimental user interface ported over from the netbook versions of the operating system. While it is debatable as to just how much user-friendlier a PC can get by ditching Windows for a Linux distribution, users will be hard pressed to deny that they can rest easy at night knowing that they will not have to deal with phone calls from parents asking for help in disinfecting their PCs from various Windows-specific malware.

If that sounds like the kind of PC youd want to set up for your parents, perhaps youd want to start saving. This is because the KiWi PC is not going to be the cheapest nettop in the market with its retail price of US$499.99.

Source: KiWi PC

iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1 Review

iTunes 9.0 boasts new features and a slightly different feel in experience, bringing a slew of updates and tweaks as well.



If iTunes doesn't prompt you for an auto update, you can also click on Help-> Check For Updates to start it. Simply download and the process is rather straight forward.

For those who wanna try out iTunes, you may download it onto your Mac or PC from here. iTunes is free




On your first launch of iTunes 9.0, you will be flashed with a introduction screen to its new features and what you can expect in this awesome jukebox software. You might want to check it out as it is pretty helpful.

For those unfamiliar with the program, iTunes lets you play and manageyour music, videos, and other forms of media (e.g. Podcasts) and more all from the program itself in a easy to understand interface

Kingston expected to drop pricing on NAND flash storage products

With speculation that both motherboards and potentially DRAM will be increasing in price in the next few months, it looks like NAND flash based products arent following the same trend. Kingston is said to be dropping is pricing on at least some of its NAND flash based products by as much as 15 percent.

Digitimes is reporting that Kingston is considering a price drop for its SSDs, memory cards and USB flash drives by up to 15 percent due to more affordable NAND flash memory. Thanks to an almost industry wide move towards 2Xnm and sub 20nm manufacturing technology of NAND flash and a ramp in production has led to potential oversupply concerns. Moving from 3Xnm to 2Xnm allows for more chips per wafer and this in turn has also resulted in more affordable NAND flash.

Hopefully well be seeing others follow suite, as SSDs are still too expensive to garner mass market appeal despite their apparent performance advantages over regular hard disk drives. Were already starting to see the 120GB SSD market space sliding below US$150 in retail and if well see a market wide price reduction by as much as 15 percent, theres really very little reason for consumers to not adopt the technology. The mass market adoption point of SSDs has been said to be the time we hit sub US$1 per GB and were very close at hitting that point now.

Source: Digitimes

Intel's Upcoming Offerings for Mobile Platforms

Some tidbits on Intel's upcoming offerings on the mobile platform.It seems Merom based on the Santa Rosa Socket P platform will hit around 35wof TDP, with its models ranging from the T5500P at 1.66GHz to T7700 at 2.4GHz.Also some of the prices we can expect on the upcoming Merom CPUs on the SocketM.