IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (TechConnect Magazine) 07/09/2009

innovatek introduces new 'universal' GPU waterblock
The chilly Germans at innovatek have rolled out a fresh GPU waterblock for graphics cards that have a 53.2 mm spacing between the cooler mounting holes. Seen below, the block measures 60 (L) x 75 (W) x 25 (H) mm, weights about 260 grams, has a copper base and G 1/4" fittings.

innovatek's new waterblock is compatible with GeForce 6200, 7300, 8400, GTS 250 and AMD Radeon HD 3000 and HD 4000 series cards, and is priced at 39.90 Euro.

Philips goes combo with speaker-equipped laptop cushion
At IFA 2009, Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics has showcased a new line-up of notebook accessories which includes a little 2-in-1 action in the form of the CushionSpeaker. Seen below held by Olivia, the product won't help cool your laptop but it will make for a comfortable stand that protects you from the heat generated by the portable PC.

As its name suggests, the CushionSpeaker also includes a built-in speaker which is powered via USB. Philips has yet to mention the CushionSpeaker's price or release date unfortunately so we'll just have to wait for it.

GeForce 300 series cards mentioned in 186.91 driver
Courtesy of Microsoft (Microsoft Update to be exact) comes a new WHQL-certified GeForce driver that includes support for a heap of Nvidia cards, including some that haven't been released or announced. Available for Windows Vista and 7, the GeForce 186.91 is dated September 1st and provides support for Quadro cards, ION, various other IGPs, GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200 series models and these previously-unknown (hopefully DirectX 11-ready) babies:

- NVIDIA_DEV.0A29.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0A2B.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0A66.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce 310"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0A6E.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce 305M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0A75.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce 310M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0CAF.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0CB0.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTS 350M"
- NVIDIA_DEV.0CB1.01 = "NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M"

By the looks of it Nvidia is preparing the introduction of just one low-end 300 series desktop card and seven mobile models in the relatively near future. It's certainly not much on the desktop side considering the expected AMD DX11 line-up but the Green Goblin may have more up its sleeve. If not, Radeon HD 5800s for everyone, right?

If you want to play around with the GeForce 186.91 simply follow the links below:

- GeForce 186.91 (Windows Vista & 7 32bit) WHQL
- GeForce 186.91 (Windows Vista & 7 64bit) WHQL

Xigmatek to release the Asgard mid tower case
With its first PC case, the Midgard, out and looking pretty on store shelves, Xigmatek now currently preparing the introduction of a another mid tower chassis. Painted black both inside and out, the Asgard measures 185 (W) x 475 (D) x 408 (H) mm, has four exposed 5.25-inch bays, front placed audio and USB ports (two of each), a tool-less design, and a dust filter behind the front panel.

The case also boasts one 120mm fan in front and will be available soon in three versions - without a PSU (for about 30 Euro), with a 400W PSU (55 Euro) and with a 500W PSU (65 Euro).

Picture courtesy of TheLab.gr.

TiVo scores another win in DVR patent case, war still far from over
Dish Network and EchoStar have again been found guilty of infringing on TiVo's 'time-warping system' patent and were ordered by the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas to pay the latter damages of almost $200 million.

Still going strong after five years, the legal battle between the TiVo and Dish/Echostar has already seen the former being awarded $192 million for the infringement done up until April 2008, with this latest decision 'covering' the period that followed. TiVo asked for a compensation of almost $1 billion for the continuous violation but the case judge, David Folsom, trashed that demand because the infringement wasn't willful and because Dish/Echostar did try to make the necessary changes to move around TiVo's patent.

"We are pleased by the Court's ruling to impose contempt sanctions of approximately $200 million against EchoStar for its continued violation of a Court-ordered permanent injunction, and to award TiVo its attorney fees and costs incurred during the contempt proceedings," said TiVo in a statement. "This brings total damages and sanctions in this case to approximately $400 million through July 1, 2009, plus attorney fees, and is exclusive of potential further damages and sanctions."

As you'd expect, while TiVo felt good about the ruling, Dish wasn't as happy and announced that it will appeal. And the war continues...

Spotify apps for iPhone and Android now available
The increasingly successful UK-based music service known as Spotify has went mobile, with both its iPhone/iPod touch and Android apps being released and awaiting use and abuse. Available via the Apple App Store and the Android market, the Spotify apps can be downloaded for free only by premium subscribers, with those using the service on an ad-supported basis being left out (at least for now).

The newly-released mobile apps enable access to your Spotify account, provides on-the-fly sync, stream over WiFi or 3G, and has an offline mode that enables the making of playlists even when no connection is available.

Fujitsu readies the Esprimo Q1500 SFF PC
Fujitsu is thinking small with the Esprimo Q1500, a new desktop PC that measures 165 x 165 x 50 mm, weights 1.7kg, but manages to pack quite a bit of processing punch. The SFF (small form factor) PC features a 2.2 GHz Celeron 900 or 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo P8700 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a DVD writer or Blu-Ray drive.

The Esprimo Q1500 is loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium and is expected to become available later this month.

GlobalFoundries shareholder ATIC to acquire Chartered
Abu Dhabi's own Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), who holds 65.8% of GlobalFoundries, has announced an agreement that would see it acquire Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing. Through the upcoming deal ATIC will pay S$2.68 ($1.87) per Chartered share, making for an equity value of about S$2.5 billion (US$1.8 billion).

"We believe that by having access to ATIC's long-term capital and related assets, Chartered has an opportunity to bring its skills, capabilities and leadership to the next level," said Waleed Al Mokarrab, Chairman of ATIC. "By acquiring Chartered, ATIC is expanding its investments in the semiconductor industry which currently consist of a GlobalFoundries leading facility in Dresden, Germany and a new, state-of-the-art facility under construction in upstate New York."

Following the closure of the acquisition, which is planned for closure in Q4, Doug Grose, GlobalFoundries' CEO will serve as CEO of the combined operations, with Chia Song Hwee, CEO of Chartered, serving as chief operating officer.

"Chartered and GlobalFoundries will be able to draw on each other's strengths to enable the next generation of semiconductor innovation, utilizing the value of both companies and the intellectual capital of thousands of skilled employees," said Ibrahim Ajami, CEO of ATIC. "Chartered and GlobalFoundries are well positioned to meet the growing chip demand to come from billions of new mobile phones, cars, televisions, computers and other devices."

Making things even more interesting, ATIC said that a merger between GlobalFoundries and Chartered is possible so be sure to stick around for updates on this major move from the Abu Dhabi investors.

vReveal video enhancement software updated to v1.1
Released back in March, the CUDA-enabled vReveal software from MotionDSP, which is supposed to make use of CSI-style super-resolution technology in order to improve the quality of videos recorded with phones, digital cameras and other devices, has received its first update. According to the devs, the 1.1 version of vReveal includes:

- Even better stabilization
- Direct upload to Facebook - In the first vReveal release, you could upload right to your YouTube account from vReveal. Now you can easily upload your enhanced videos to Facebook from vReveal, too.
- Output to DivX - The popular DivX format offers high-quality compression and lots of control over saved video properties. There's also an MJPEG AVI output option that will create videos that take up much less space than ucompressed AVI, but provide beautiful uncompressed-looking results.
- Expanded Nvidia GPU support - vReveal now supports the popular G80 line of Nvidia graphics cards (GPUs) for optional GPU acceleration of the software.

To get the new and improved vReveal 1.1 visit this page.

Google App Engine SDK 1.2.5 gets its IM on
Google has recently introduced the 1.2.5 version of the App Engine SDK for both Python and Java, this being the first simultaneous release across both runtimes. According to the G-men that worked on it, the updated SDK includes support for XMPP (Jabber is in the house), the open standard for instant messaging.

"This new API allows your app to exchange messages with users on any XMPP-based network, including (but not limited to!) Google Talk. If you're currently participating in the Google Wave developer preview, you can also use the XMPP API to build bots that interact with your waves," said Google.

The 1.2.5 SDK also includes support for creating Tasks and Queues in our Java runtime, and a Windows version of the Google App Engine Launcher. For the full scoop on the new SDK version check out this page.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

IT News HeadLines (TechConnect Magazine) 07/09/2009

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