IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (TechConnect Magazine) 20/08/2009

Alleged AMD DirectX 11 card pictured
In the absence of anything official we can start dreaming of an Evergreen Q4 while contemplating some pictures that are claimed to be of an AMD DirectX 11-supporting graphics card. Seen below bearing an all-black version of the Radeon HD 4770 reference cooler, the card boasts dual DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, is CrossFireX-ready, has memory chips on both sides suggesting it has at least 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and requires extra power via one 6-pin PCIe plug.

By the looks of it, this one is a lower mid-range product, possibly even the successor of the Radeon HD 4770. The card's specs and performance are unknown so the overall picture is still a blur but it's likely we won't have to be 'confused' for too long as there are two more months to go until Windows 7's release and AMD will launch its DX11 line-up before then.

Photos courtesy of ChipHell.

New Opera 10 browser builds available for download
It's that time of the week again, time to get a brand new (unfinished) browsing toy from Opera Software. Today's releases are two snapshots - Opera 10.0 and Opera 10.10 with Unite which are available here (for Windows, Mac OS and Linux) and feature the following:

User Interface

- Various fixes to the paddings and margins of the skin. Sorted out some errors
- Dont schedule new check on startup if timer not timed out
- Increased autoupdate check interval to 3 hours
- Fix the layout of the "Configure Speed Dial" button in small windows
- Fixed Bug DSK-195906 (Opera error page selects URL field when displayed, also when focus is already inside URL field)
- Fixed Bug DSK-229231 (Favicon disappears a while after clicking a boomark on the personal bar)
- Fixed Bug DSK-239430 (Pressing Enter to select an item in a dropdown box submits a form)
- Fixed Bug DSK-253672 (Visual tabs do not reflect Speed Dial if selection is canceled)
- Fixed Bug DSK-257223 (Update dialog, new version download size value does not fit)
- Fixed Bug DSK-258007 ([nb] Strings don't fit on crash logging dialog)
- Fixed Bug DSK-259154 (Crash when closing tab)
- Fixed Bug DSK-259498 (Crash when removing Speed Dial or changing background image)
- Fixed Bug DSK-259986 (Opera crashes if you cancel the dictionary wizard before downloading)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261223 (Quick find in dictionary wizard list not working)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261250 (Opera will not close when disabling and enabling history)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261471 (Crash related to automatic updates)

Core

- Fixed Bug DSK-244670 (Server redirects and Opera reports address as invalid even though there's a custom handler to handle that protocol): Fixes Spotify link conversion issue
- Fixed Bug DSK-257016 (FileSystem.browseFor
method callback executed with automated call to method.)
- Fixed Bug DSK-257269 (webfont with local src not working)
- Fixed Bug DSK-257612 (Freeze when loading hulu.com)
- Fixed Bug DSK-258378 (Crash with some Flash sites)
- Fixed Bug DSK-258624 (Middle click doesn't paste in compose after first left clicking)
- Fixed Bug DSK-260601 (Words in mail and feeds are cut off by the vertical scrollbar)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261037 (calling fileObject.refresh() if fileObject.exists is false creates the folders forming the path of fileObject)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261386 (Unable to complete secure transaction)

Opera Mail/Chat

- Fix to prevent the consistency check running without first asking the user
- Ask about the mail database check if the user has feeds as well
- Fixed Bug DSK-245600 (Mail imported into account with no downloading of message bodies loses bodies)
- Fixed Bug DSK-258117 (Checking "import contacts" in import mail dialog doesn't actually import any contacts)
- Fixed Bug DSK-257202 (String don't fit on IRC password dialog)

Opera Unite

- Fixes to activity feeds for improved Fridge usability
- Minor fixes to the lounge service
- Fixed Bug DSK-256752 (Double-clicking the home service often opens /home/)
- Fixed Bug DSK-261475 (Upgrading services that use fileio is not possible)

Windows

- Fixed Bug DSK-256039 (Alt+down, left or right arrow in address bar or find box produces strange characters)

Mac

- Fixed Bug DSK-259542 (Mac crash with some plugins)

Unix

- Added "Enter = Select item" to dropdown section in unix_keyboard.ini
- Fixed Bug DSK-259949 (Crash when an icon can't be loaded)
- Fixed Bug DSK-260718 (Make Opera run on FreeBSD 8)
- Fixed problems with drag-n-drop after a popup is closed with the mouse in Qt4
0 Reverted Fix to Bug DSK-243508 (Opera tray icon transparency issue in Qt4 builds with dark themes): Caused other issues. An alternative solution will be found.
- Fixed Bug DSK-261436 (Qt Native skin in Qt4 builds): Skin temporarily removed

Thermaltake announces the WingRS 301 mid-tower case
Thermaltake is going bask to basics for a day to introduce a new PC chassis, the portable and affordable WingRS 301. Seen below, the upcoming mid-tower case measures 485 x 190 x 490 mm, has a black paintjob, and features four exposed 5.25-inch bays, a top-mounted handle for the 'get up and go', and a tool-lees design which enables easy installation for most components.

The WingRS 301 also boasts a front I/O panel with two audio and two USB ports, and a 120mm TurboFan working at 1300 RPM at the back and, is set to be available in two versions, with or without a 430W power supply.

Canon PowerShot G11 packs 10MP sensor, vari-angle LCD
Canon is in an update mood this week, with it having announced no less than six new models PowerShot digital cameras coming out in the next couple of months. Among the future releases is a fresh PowerShot flagship, the G11, which, interestingly enough has a sensor 'with' less megapixels than its predecessor, 10.0 MP to be exact, but aims to balance things out with other features.

As revealed by its maker, the PowerShot G11 comes with a 2.8-inch vari-angle LCD screen with 461,000 dots, a DIGIC 4 processor, 5x optical zoom with optical image stabilization, support for SD/SDHC, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus and HC MMCplus memory cards, the ability to shoot in RAW format, a USB 2.0 port and a mini-HDMI connector.

The Canon PowerShot G11 is expected to become available in October for $500.

Windows 7 to work without activation for up to 120 days
Just like Vista, its predecessor, Windows 7 can be used 'for free', without being activated for up to 120 days thanks to a cvasi-workaround that is known by Microsoft but hasn't been limited or 'deactivated' for the new operating system.

By 'default', Windows 7 lets people use it, feature complete, for up to 30 days without entering the registration code which validates the install as being legitimate but the grace period can be extended to 120 days with a few quick runs of Command Prompt. Basically, the user can start CMD.exe (Start > Run > cmd.exe) and enter 'slmgr -rearm' as the activation period draws to a close in order to reset the counter and continue working with Windows 7.

The method described above, which has been confirmed to work with the Windows 7 RTM, can only be used for up to three times so activation is still required, still it's good to know you can play around with the OS without pirating it for a longer period.

Windows 7 is set to be officially launched on October 22nd.

Asus Eee Keyboard said to reach Europe in October
It was back in January, at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, when Asus first showcased the all-in-wonder that is the Eee Keyboard and now, in the second half of August, this product is still nowwhere to be found. The last cvasi-confirmed delay was supposed to see the Eee Keyboard start selling this month but according to a new report, the system won't arrive until Q4, with Europe set to get it around mid- or late October.

Equipped with a 5-inch (800x480 pixels) touchscreen LCD, the Eee Keyboard weights in 1.1kg, is powered by a 1.6 GHz Atom N270 CPU, and has 1GB of RAM, a 16 or 32GB solid state drive, GMA 950 integrated graphics, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, plus a HDMI output. The starting price of the keyboard PC on the Old Continent is said to be of around 500 Euro.

Sapphire to deliver new, custom-cooled Radeon HD 4770 too
While HIS is gearing up to release the iCooler III model, Sapphire is preparing to introduce a custom-cooled Radeon HD 4770 of its own, the little card seen just below. Boasting a dual-slot Arctic Cooling fansink, the upcoming card packs a 40nm GPU with 640 Stream processors, clocked at 750 MHz, 512MB of GDDR5 memory @ 3200 MHz, has a 128-bit memory interface, and support for DirectX 10.1, CrossFireX and ATI Stream.

Sapphire's new RV740 card also provides D-Sub, DVI and HDMI outputs and is set to become available very soon at about 90 Euro.

Picture courtesy of Hexus.

Time Warner and YouTube sign video distribution deal
Media heavyweight Time Warner and the number one video sharing site on the interwebz, YouTube, have just reached an agreement which will see the former provide a heap of short-form content like clips from movies, TV shows and such, for viewing, on YouTube.

According to the signed agreement, the videos coming from Time Warner will be available on YouTube and across Google's product suite via a proprietary embeddable player, with the ad time for each clip set to be sold by Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting System. The resulting ad revenue will be shared by TW with YouTube.

"This partnership with Time Warner will provide our community with some of the most popular video content produced," said Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO of YouTube. "We hope to build on this deal and look forward to a long and productive relationship."

This deal is expected to start taking effect later this year and it apparently only covers the US.

HIS readies the Radeon HD 4770 iCooler III
Hightech Information System aka HIS is currently gearing up to introduce a new Radeon HD 4770 card, one that comes equipped with its proprietary iCooler III fansink. Seen below, the black and blue RV740-powered card has 640 Stream processors, a 128-bit memory interface and 512MB of GDDR5 memory, has CrossFireX support, D-Sub, DVI and HDMI outputs, and the dual-slot iCooler III we mentioned which is supported to provide 'excellent' performance while keeping the sound levels at 24dB.

In terms of clocks the new Radeon is all stock, and has its GPU and memory set to 750 MHz and 3200 MHz, respectively. Also, the card will come bundled with the BumpTop 3D desktop environment. Pricing is yet unconfirmed.

Bose releases the QuietComfort 15 headphones
Decibel-loving Bose Corp. has now introduced the QuietComfort 15, aka "its best-performing, quietest headphones" like, ever. Seen below, the new phones features microphones both inside and outside the earcup that, depending on the noise level of the environment, automatically react by producing opposing cancellation signals. This system is also backed by a new ear cushion technology that provides additional passive attenuation so as to block as much noise as possible.

"We believe the QuietComfort 15 headphones offer a combination of benefits unmatched in the industry," said Sean Garrett, general manager of the Bose Noise Reduction Technology Group. "We've applied our research in noise reduction using an integrated systems approach - an approach as proprietary as our technologies. It requires meticulous engineering to ensure all elements of the headphone work together to achieve our very ambitious performance requirements."

Powered by one AAA battery, the QuietComfort 15 also boasts active equalization technology that electronically tunes the frequency response of the headphone, enabling a more accurate reproduction of instruments and vocals, and makes use of the TriPort acoustic structure that comes with small ports in the earcups to dramatically increase the low-frequency output of the system.

The QuietComfort 15 headphones comes only in silver and cost $300.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

IT News HeadLines (TechConnect Magazine) 20/08/2009

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