IT-Code-News: IT News HeadLines (HotHardware) 12/11/2009

New Invention Could Prevent Lithium Ion Battery Fires
Over the past few years, we've seen a number of recalls involving faulty batteries that can overheat and cause a fire. Now there's a new technology called Stoba that could be on the market as soon as the first quarter of next year that could help prevent lithium-ion batteries from catching fire or exploding in devices such as laptops and mobile phones. Stoba was developed at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan's national research organization. When lithium-ion batteries develop internal
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Panda's Cloud Antivirus Exits Beta
Panda's new cloud-based antivirus software, Panda Cloud Antivirus, has reached version 1.0 and has exited beta, the company announced on Tuesday. That said, there are already new bugs filed against 1.0 on the Panda Cloud Antivirus support forum. Panda's Cloud Antivirus doesn't use locally installed virus definition files. Rather, the definitions, and the detection, are done in the Cloud. Theoretically, this means an end user, as long as he is connected, will always have the latest scanning engine and the latest
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What Happened To Apple's Software Quality?
Apple is a funny beast. We say "beast" because it's hard to deny that this company is ripping through the tech world like no other that we've seen in the last decade. Our television programs are laden with Apple ads poking fun at Windows and seducing you into buying yet another iPod, and every quarterly earnings report is filled with optimism. Even in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, Apple was breaking profit records left and right. The company has continued to sell millions of iPhones,
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Intel Pays AMD $1.25 Billion To End All Antitrust and IP Disputes
AMD and Intel haven't been the best of friends over the years. Like any true rivalry, the two have seen things differently for about as long as we can remember, and today things have seemingly come to a head. Way back in 2005, AMD filed an antitrust case against Intel for their anti-competitive actions in the processor market. Of course, that's not the only battle the two outfits have seen in court, and it looks as if Intel is just tired of paying its lawyers as this whole debate draws out.Today, the two companies
Read More ...

Dell's Inspiron Zino HD Is Small But Mighty
Dell's pulling out all of the stops as it rolls into the holiday season of 2009, first with the Adamo XPS and now with the most powerful mini PC we've ever seen. The Inspiron Zino HD is small in stature but remarkably powerful, with options for up to 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, a Blu-ray drive, TV tuner and HDMI out. The measurements are right at 7.75" x 7.75" x 3.5", and while it starts at just $229, things can get pricey if you start piling on the extras. It's available to order today, with the full
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Sprint Offering NFL Network Games Free To Customers
Like the NFL? Who doesn't, right? Evidently Sprint is certainly expecting its own customers to dig it, as it has today announced that it will be the only wireless carrier to offer live NFL Network game telecasts via its exclusive NFL Mobile Live application and on Sprint TV beginning Nov. 12 when NFL Network televises the first of its eight-game Thursday Night Football schedule.Sprint has always embraced mobile TV more seriously than the other carriers, but this type of partnership could actually get more than
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Sanyo's Eneloop Stick Booster Provides Anytime/Anywhere Juice To USB Gizmos
Let's face it: just about any gizmo worth using these days has a USB connector, and more often than not, it's actually charged over USB as well. But also, battery life has sunk in recent years as devices are made to be slimmer and hold less spacious batteries. The solution to this quandary? Sanyo's Eneloop Stick Booster, of course!For those unaware, the Eneloop line of rechargeable batteries have been around for a little while, and those that use them tend to swear by them. If you're alread on the Eneloop bandwagon,
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Some Universities Dissing Kindle DX Due To Blind-Unfriendliness
The first thing that popped to mind when Amazon issued its Kindle DX was this: textbooks! The size makes it perfect for using in place of those dusty old books, and we're guessing that most students would much rather lug around a single electronic device versus a sack full of heavy books that they'll only read a page or two from in any given class (after class is another story, right kids?). But it seems as if not everyone is too keen on the Kindle DX replacing the textbook, and the National Federation of the
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Nokia's N900 Starts Shipping: Can Maemo 5 Topple The iPhone?
It has been quite some time since Nokia issued a smartphone that was reasonably competitive with the slew of Android handsets on the market, Apple's iPhone and Palm's Pre. Granted, the company has never really had a huge foothold in the North American smartphone market, but with market share slipping away in other parts of the world, it's apparently looking to pick things back up with the N900.The N900 represents a huge leap of faith for Nokia. It's the company's first smartphone based around the new Maemo 5
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AMD's Analyst Day, Part I: Product Focus And Design Roadmaps Through 2010
At its Analyst Day event today, AMD revealed its product roadmaps and goals for 2010 and 2011. Given the depth and scope of the eight-hour briefing, we've broken the data into two posts. In Part I, we'll cover AMD's competitive strategy and CPU/GPU roadmaps as currently envisioned. Part II will examine GlobalFoundries' performance and that company's future plans.The Future Is (Still) Fusion:One of the major themes of the event was AMD's concept of heterogeneous computing. In heterogeneous computing, workloads
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New iPhone App Keeps You Connected With Your House
Protection One is now offering an iPhone application that lets you access your home's security panels and receive real-time security updates from an iPhone or iPod Touch. The new eSecure application allows users to confirm that their security system is armed while away from home. Should you need to send a contractor or someone else into the home unexpectedly, you can turn off the alarm remotely from the application. When your system is armed, the eSecure system will send text or email messages if motion is detected,
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Lucid Hydra 200 Multi GPU Performance Revealed
About a year ago, semiconductor startup Lucid Logix began making waves in the graphics space with claims of being able to revolutionize multi-GPU computing, promising consumers the ability to pair any graphics card, unrestricted by model or vendor, to another card and achieve highly efficient load balancing with near linear performance increases. This option presumably provides consumers the flexibility to buy an ATI graphics card, install it next to an NVIDIA model on the same motherboard, and see a boost in
Read More ...

iBUYPOWER Introduces First Core i7 Notebook
iBUYPOWER is launching its first Core i7 notebook today. The new Battalion 101 W870CU is a 17.3-inch notebook with a Full HD 1920x1080 widescreen LCD and NVIDIA GTX280 graphics. The W870CU is customizable, offering three Core i7 CPUs to choose from including the 2.00GHz 920XM Mobile Processor Extreme and up to 8GB DDR3 memory. The Battalion 101 W870CU starts at $2,114 and is available from iBUYPOWER's website. iBUYPOWER Launches Powerful Core i7 Gaming Notebook – Battalion 101 W870CU 17.3” W870CU features full
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Das Keyboard Presents First-Ever Ultimate Typing Championship
“Game On” – Das Keyboard Presents First-Ever Ultimate Typing Championship Nationwide Typing Competition to Award $2,000 Grand Prize to Fastest Typist; Final Bout to Take Place at SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas AUSTIN, TEXAS (November 11, 2009) – Das Keyboard has launched its search for the nation’s fastest fingers on a keyboard, announcing today the launch of the first-ever Ultimate Typing Championship. From geeks and gamers to soccer moms and plumbers, the Ultimate Typing Championship
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G.Skill Announces Falcon II Solid State Drives
G.Skill Announces Falcon II SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Taipei, Taiwan - 11 November, 2009 - G.Skill International Co. Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid-state storage with solid quality, has today released its Falcon II SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD). Featuring the new Indilinx ECO controller, the Falcon II SSD can be perfectly matched with the latest 34nm NAND flash memory, which has a greater data density for a positive impact on affordability for the customer. Along
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Intel Reader To Help Visually Disabled
Intel on Tuesday introduced a new e-book reader, one designed for the visually impaired, which can read digital files of books aloud, as well as capture images from printed material via a 5-megapixel digital camera and similarly read the text aloud at a variety of listening speeds. Additionally, the Intel Reader, as its called, has a 4" display that will show the text in large fonts, for those impaired, and not blind. The $1,499 device may seem expensive when compared to the Kindle 2, which can also read aloud,
Read More ...

Intel Pays AMD $1.25 Billion To End All Antitrust and IP Disputes

AMD and Intel haven't been the best of friends over the years. Like any true rivalry, the two have seen things differently for about as long as we can remember, and today things have seemingly come to a head. Way back in 2005, AMD filed an antitrust case against Intel for their anti-competitive actions in the processor market. Of course, that's not the only battle the two outfits have seen in court, and it looks as if Intel is just tired of paying its lawyers as this whole debate draws out.

Today, the two companies are announcing that "all" antitrust and IP disputes between the two are done and over with. Just like that. The reason? Intel has agreed to pay AMD a staggering $1.25 billion dollars, and while we've heard that money won't buy happiness, it obviously solves major legal problems with ease. According to AMD's release, the two have "announced a comprehensive agreement to end all outstanding legal disputes between the companies, including antitrust litigation and patent cross license disputes." That sounds pretty clear-cut to us, and in some weird way, we're a little sad that this battle is over. What will the world do with AMD and Intel not punching each other in front of a judge? Here is the full announcement from both companies:

AMD and Intel Announce Settlement of All Antitrust and IP Disputes
SUNNYVALE/SANTA CLARA, Calif. --11/12/2009
Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) todayannounced a comprehensive agreement to end all outstanding legaldisputes between the companies, including antitrust litigation andpatent cross license disputes.

In a joint statement the two companies commented, "While therelationship between the two companies has been difficult in the past,this agreement ends the legal disputes and enables the companies tofocus all of our efforts on product innovation and development."

Under terms of the agreement, AMD and Intel obtain patent rightsfrom a new 5-year cross license agreement, Intel and AMD will give upany claims of breach from the previous license agreement, and Intelwill pay AMD $1.25 billion. Intel has also agreed to abide by a set ofbusiness practice provisions. As a result, AMD will drop all pendinglitigation including the case in U.S. District Court in Delaware andtwo cases pending in Japan. AMD will also withdraw all of itsregulatory complaints worldwide. The agreement will be made public infilings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technologycompany dedicated to collaborating with customers and technologypartners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphicssolutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation,develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advancehow people work and live. Additional information about Intel isavailable at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Expiration Interval for Password: Need Advice

Hi...I have a laptop that goes between networks. This laptop has been displaying a message that appears in the system tray area as a bubble: "Your password will expire in 4 days." As I get closer to the date the number gets smaller. You can see that I am getting close. From what I can tell it has something to do with changing networks and it should be an easy change. I have no idea what happens when this date is reached but I imagine I will not be able to log on any more.

Below I have pasted what looks like very easy instructions (found online) for turning off this password change interval. However, there is no step 6 for me...the Local Security Policy. Until that point I can navigate as directed without problem. Does anyone have an insight here?

OS is Windows Vista Home Premium.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

How to Change the Expiration Interval

Click Start
Select Settings
Select Control Panel
Select System and Maintenance
Double Click on Administrative Tools
Double Click on Local Security Policy (grant permission)
On the Left panel, under Security Settings, click the little arrow next to Account Policies, to drop down and view the folder options.
Click on the Password Policy folder
On the right panel, RIGHT-CLICK on Maximum password age
Select Properties
Under the Local Security Setting Tab, Find Password will expire in: (Select number of days between expirations)
Click Apply
Click OK
Click the red X's to close all the windows properly.

What Happened To Apple's Software Quality?

Apple is a funny beast. We say "beast" because it's hard to deny that this company is ripping through the tech world like no other that we've seen in the last decade. Our television programs are laden with Apple ads poking fun at Windows and seducing you into buying yet another iPod, and every quarterly earnings report is filled with optimism. Even in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, Apple was breaking profit records left and right. The company has continued to sell millions of iPhones, millions of iPods and even millions of Macs.

And remember, it wasn't that long ago that the industry at large considered Apple a sitting duck. The outfit's share price was abysmal, the management in disarray and the product line nothing short of woeful. Of course, we all know that Steve Jobs returned to his chair in the CEO corner office in order to turn things around, and things have gradually improved ever since...

What Happened To Apple's Software Quality?

Dell's Inspiron Zino HD Is Small But Mighty

Dell's pulling out all of the stops as it rolls into the holiday season of 2009, first with the Adamo XPS and now with the most powerful mini PC we've ever seen. The Inspiron Zino HD is small in stature but remarkably powerful, with options for up to 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, a Blu-ray drive, TV tuner and HDMI out. The measurements are right at 7.75" x 7.75" x 3.5", and while it starts at just $229, things can get pricey if you start piling on the extras. It's available to order today, with the full details below.

DELL INSPIRON ZINO HD PUTS DESKTOP COMPUTING BACK ON THE DESK

· BringsCompact Size, Versatility and Power to Home Computing

· Expandsto a powerful High-Definition home media center

· Personalizedwith different lid colors, range of options

ROUND ROCK, Texas,Nov. 12, 2009 – Dell today introduced the mini-sized Inspiron Zino HD,which is versatile enough to handle tasks from basic computing chores todriving a big-screen, High-Definition video media center. With a choice ofcolors, the Inspiron Zino HD can be easily personalized to add flare to any roomin the home.

The News:

Starting at $229, the Inspiron Zino HD includes standardHD-capable integrated graphics, HDMI output and built-in networking that makeit smart for typical home and student computing activities such as wordprocessing, e-mail, organizing photos and music, and surfing the Internet.

The economical Inspiron Zino HD with optional additionalmemory, hard drive storage, combo Blu-ray disc player, wireless remote controland Windows 7 Media Player and turns into a powerful home media center computer.In that capacity the Inspiron Zino HD display high-definition content from theInternet, and store and deliver music, video and photos very well.

The Inspiron Zino HD is also ideal as an additional householdPC that can fit in tight spaces and make home networking a cinch. It measuresabout 7.75 inches square and 3.5 inches tall. While small in size, the InspironZino HD is a big performer with:

· Ultra-small form factor designed to fit almostanywhere.

· Easy personalization with nine color choices forInspiron Zino HD.

· Choice of AMD processors or dual core Athlon NeoX2 6850e.

· Up to 8GB dual channel DDR 2 memory.

· Up to 1TB internal hard disk storage.

· Combo DVD/CD RW drive with optional Blu-ray Disccombo.

· Integrated 10/100/1000 networking with wirelessoption.

· Optional wireless keyboard and mouse.

· Built in 2.1 high-definition audio and 4-in-onemedia card reader.

· Integrated ATI graphics adapter with standardHDMI and VGA video connections, and optional 512MB discrete graphics adapter.

· Four USB ports (2 front/2 rear); two eSATA ports(rear).

· Energy-Star 5.0 compliant.

Abasic Inspiron Zino without High-Definition capability or upgrade options willbe offered in some regions.

Quote:

“The Inspiron Zino HD proves again that great things can reallycome in small packages,” said John Terwilliger, Director of consumer products.“It is a fashionable and functional computer that is small enough to fit almostanywhere in the home and can be personalized for the style-minded.”

The Inspiron Zino HD is available today directly from Dell atwww.dell.com with a choice of operatingsystems from Windows Vista Home Basic through Windows 7 Professional.

New iPhone App Keeps You Connected With Your House

Protection One is now offering an iPhone application that lets you access your home's security panels and receive real-time security updates from an iPhone or iPod Touch. The new eSecure application allows users to confirm that their security system is armed while away from home. Should you need to send a contractor or someone else into the home unexpectedly, you can turn off the alarm remotely from the application.

When your system is armed, the eSecure system will send text or email messages if motion is detected, a particular door is opened, in the event of a flood, if high carbon-monoxide levels are recorded, and even when a liquor or medicine cabinet, safe, or other sensitive area is accessed.

By providing the application, Protection One hopes to deliver peace of mind to users whenever they are away from home. “No one wants to spend a vacation or business trip worrying about leaving the garage door open or if the security alarm is set,” says Protection One President and CEO Richard Ginsburg. “This application puts security at your fingertips and keeps you connected, even when you’re away.”

The application uses multiple layers of password protection to maintain safety and security. A standard Protection One keypad code is required for access to the eSecure keypad, which is not stored on the device or visible to anyone looking at the screen.

The new eSecure iPhone application is free with the eSecure service subscription and available for download at the iPhone App Store.

Lucid Hydra 200 Multi GPU Performance Revealed

About a year ago, semiconductor startup Lucid Logix began making waves in the graphics space with claims of being able to revolutionize multi-GPU computing, promising consumers the ability to pair any graphics card, unrestricted by model or vendor, to another card and achieve highly efficient load balancing with near linear performance increases. This option presumably provides consumers the flexibility to buy an ATI graphics card, install it next to an NVIDIA model on the same motherboard, and see a boost in graphics rendering performance close to the sum of both individual components. We recently got the chance to test a Hydra-enabled system with a number of graphics card, and have our results posted right here...

Lucid Hydra 200 Multi-GPU Performance Revealed

Intel Reader To Help Visually Disabled

Intel on Tuesday introduced a new e-book reader, one designed for the visually impaired, which can read digital files of books aloud, as well as capture images from printed material via a 5-megapixel digital camera and similarly read the text aloud at a variety of listening speeds.

Additionally, the Intel Reader, as its called, has a 4" display that will show the text in large fonts, for those impaired, and not blind. The $1,499 device may seem expensive when compared to the Kindle 2, which can also read aloud, though in a robotic voice, but this new device is designed specifically as a reader for the visually impaired, as opposed to a consumer device.

In fact, you may recall that the Kindle 2's "Read-to-Me" feature, brought it criticism by The Authors Guild, saying it poached on audiobook sales, despite its obvious negatives when compared to professionally read audtiobooks. Eventually Amazon.com backed down to the Guild and added functionality that would allow publishers to decide on a title by title basis whether they want Text-to-Speech enabled for any particular title.

Obviously, with its more narrow focus, the Intel Reader should not run afoul of this sort of criticism.

The Intel Reader will be sold by resellers such as CTL, Howard Technology Solutions and HumanWare. Intel also makes a "docking station" (the Intel Portable Capture Station) that can hold and power the device while it is scanning a large number of pages. The company will introduce a U.K. version of the Reader in a few days and plans to roll it out in other countries as well, with localized voices (yes, the U.K. version will have a British accent).

The Intel Reader has an Intel Atom CPU and 2 GB of storage (flash RAM). It can store about 500,000 pages of text or 600 scanned book pages. With a fully charged battery, the Reader can read continuously for four hours.

Ben Foss, who lead the project, noted that there are exceptions from copyright law for the visually and otherwise disabled, that will allow users to make copies of books, as well as access other repositories such as The Gutenberg Project. Interestingly, as a side note, Foss grew up with dyslexia, giving him a personal interest in the project's success.

Watch a video demo of the Intel Reader below:

AMD Phenom II...Ram Problem....

I' m not sure about the Ram.... Tongue Tied

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922

PSU: Chieftec Super CFT-1000G-DF

MoBo: MSI 790FX-GD70

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 965

CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 2

GPU: Gigabyte 5870 GV-R587D5-1GD-B

HDD: Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB

DVD-RW: LG GH22LS50

Ram: OCZ Black Edition AMD Ready 4GB Kit DDR3-1600 (OCZ3BE100C8LV4GK)

Ram: Dominator 4GB DDR3-1600 Intel Core i5/i7 Ram Kit (CMD4GX3M2A1600C8)

Ram: Dominator GT 4GB DDR3-1600 Intel Core i5/i7 Ram Kit ( CMG4GXM2A1600C7)

Any suggestions ???
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ASUS Xtreme Design contest entry: HTGPC (Home Theater Gaming PC), ultra-low profile

Xtreme Design Goal:

Everyone stares at their 42", 47", 50"+ LCD/Plasma TV and long to play their latest PC game on it, but when you put a PC in your living room, you always have to compromise between size (large and ugly BOX-type PC next to your thin LCD TV), components (and future upgradability), noise, and performance (most HTPCs can't run high gaming settings).

My concept is to build a ASUS powered PC that is a HYBRID between HTPC and Gaming machine. One that has all the performance and upgradability to run 1920x1080 (1080p) on the latest games at high graphics and physics detail settings. To get an idea of how slim this profile is, it is barely taller than the rear I/O panel on your motherboard, yet it houses a GTX260! (or potentially 2!!).

How would I build my system?

The system uses watercooling for its flexibility, utilizing a 240mm radiator, CPU and GPU water blocks, internal pump, as well as an internal resevoir. No external water cooling components are visible.

The system uses a flexible PCI-e x16 riser cable, allowing for multiple card configurations to be used. A second GTX 260 could be added in SLI (already modeled and did tolerance analysis), using a single slot bracket on the card, or a TV tuner card, etc, could be added to the system. Wireless-N adapter is used internally for Wi-Fi internet connectivity.

No fans, grilles, intakes, etc are visible on the front panel of the unit. The VR, motherboard and PSU are cooled by slightly modified centrifugal fans (PCI slot blower fans), which intake air from the bottom of the case (rubber standoffs keep an air gap on the bottom of the case). The radiator has 2 120mm fans sucking from the bottom of the case and exhausting straight out of the top of the case. There are there semi-separated compartments in my system design. This is used to compartmentalize heat of the components to improve heat dissipation and possible component failures. There is a radiator section, a power supply section, and the main section for the main computer components. The first build will use 6mm/.25" acrylic walls plated with thin aluminum (for EMI shielding), which will allow for rapid prototyping and allow me to paint the case, or leave the top cover clear/transparent to showoff the internal components, say... for CES?? Wink

How would ASUS Xtreme design features help my system?

By utilizing the hybrid design features of the Asus P55 motherboard, including the hybrid processor, hybrid phase, and hybrid OS, coupled with my hybrid computer component layout, would allow me to overclock reliably through the OS, maintain optimum power savings, and use the hybrid OS for extreme fast access for those times when I just need to access the internet, chat, or other basic computer functions, and don't need to wait to boot to Windows. The turboV remote can also be attached to my PC externally to allow instant overclock settings changes.

Why pick me?

Having years of professional experience in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering will allow me to ensure this system is built to high tolerance specifications and to run without sacrificing reliability or performance.

I have painstakingly measured and CAD modeled (in Solidworks) nearly all of the components required for my setup, to ensure that everything will fit and be delivered as promised. I have also used my 3D CAD model to calculate the total costs of all the additional components required for my system. All components modeled are from actual part specifications, so I already know which components to purchase.

The fact that I have taken all this time to model all of the components and the system (took many many hours) in CAD goes to show that I will actually spend the time (and money) build this system, instead of just winning the components and never building the system itself. I have a strong personal and professional interest in attending CES, so that is just more motivation for me to get my system built.

This isn't just another cookie cutter system built with off the shelf parts and components, but rather a one-off system that catches both the eye and the interest of the attendees of the show. Hopefully I will have some important people in the industry take notice of my unique system, and in my imagination and engineering abilities (who knows where it might lead..). Wink

Now for the 3D CAD renders!

Note some components (such as the CPU water block, or case panels) are hidden for clarity:

First, this is looking at the top/front of the system, front panel and top cover are hidden:

Here shows the bottom/rear of the unit, you can see the centrifugal fan intakes and the water cooling radiator inlet, both will have dust filters to ensure minimal system maintenance. You can also see the power supply, motherboard I/O panel, and GTX 260 video card (oriented horizontally thanks to the PCIe x16 ribbon cable/riser) Note that since the card is water cooled now, the vents on the GTX260 panel now act as the motherboard compartment exhaust port:

Here you can see the Top cover/rear of the system, you see the 2 radiator 120mm puller fans are basically flush with the cover. Fan grilles are used (obviously):

Thickness comparison (height) to PS3:

Here is a good size comparison to a modeled PS3.

Of course it doesn't NEED to be a home theater gaming PC, it could just be a powerful ultra-slim desktop PC or add handles to make it a sleek LAN party machine.

I'm open to suggestions comments and criticism!

So that's it for now! Hope you guys like my idea!

Nokia's N900 Starts Shipping: Can Maemo 5 Topple The iPhone?

It has been quite some time since Nokia issued a smartphone that was reasonably competitive with the slew of Android handsets on the market, Apple's iPhone and Palm's Pre. Granted, the company has never really had a huge foothold in the North American smartphone market, but with market share slipping away in other parts of the world, it's apparently looking to pick things back up with the N900.

The N900 represents a huge leap of faith for Nokia. It's the company's first smartphone based around the new Maemo 5 operating system, and it's the first OS that has been designed to really rival the other modern-day systems on phones today. In fact, Nokia calls this a "mobile computer," and starting right now, consumers can find 'em in stores for around 500 Euros (without a contract). The real question is how will this do without support from a carrier? No major operating in the US will be subsidizing this phone, so folks will have to spring for an unlocked (expensive) version to use on either T-Mobile or AT&T. We're guessing it won't be as well as the iPhone, but it's not like that's a big stretch.

At the heart of the Nokia N900 is its powerful ARMCortex-A8 processor and up to 1GB of total application memory. Userscan browse the internet the way they would on any computer and keepdozens of application windows open simultaneously on the dashboard. Thepanoramic desktops in the Nokia N900 can be personalized with widgets,contacts and shortcuts. Pictures and videos taken with the 5Mpx CarlZeiss camera automatically show where they were taken, and users canadd their own description tags to make searching the photos eveneasier. SMS and instant messages are organized as chat flow and peoplecan convenienty switch between the multiple conversation windows. Thebuilt-in 32 GB storage is big enough to store up to 7,000 songs or 40hours of DVD-quality video, and it can be expanded up to 48GB with anexternal microSD card.

Nokiaworks closely with the developer community and has recently seensignificant innovation happening with Maemo. As a result, people willbe able to discover a wide range of games, utilities, themes, panoramicwallpapers and service plug-ins for photo-sharing and messaging for theNokia N900 through Ovi Store and Maemo Select, starting later in theyear. In October Nokia announced official Qt port to Maemo 5. Thismeans developers can use Qt software to target the Nokia N900 and thatapplications can be easily ported to all Qt's supported platformsincluding the next Maemo 6 release as well as Symbian.

TheNokia N900 will initially be available in Europe, Middle-East, Russiaand North America. It is also possible to order the device from theNokia Online Store: http://europe.nokia.com/buy-online

AMD's Analyst Day, Part I: Product Focus And Design Roadmaps Through 2010

At its Analyst Day event today, AMD revealed its product roadmaps and goals for 2010 and 2011. Given the depth and scope of the eight-hour briefing, we've broken the data into two posts. In Part I, we'll cover AMD's competitive strategy and CPU/GPU roadmaps as currently envisioned. Part II will examine GlobalFoundries' performance and that company's future plans.

The Future Is (Still) Fusion:

One of the major themes of the event was AMD's concept of heterogeneous computing. In heterogeneous computing, workloads are divided between the CPU and GPU, regardless of whether the graphics processor is on-die, integrated into the motherboard, or a discrete card. The process of splitting and directing a given workload to the processor best-equipped to execute it is presumed to be intelligent in order to ensure GPU-centric tasks don't end up being run on the CPU or vice versa.

According to corporate vice-president Chekib Akrout, the amount of additional performance that can be achieved by focusing on single-threaded or multi-threaded performance is quite low. Heterogeneous computing on the other hand, has only begun to ramp, making it the logical focus for AMD going forward. While the term "Fusion" is often used to refer to a processor with a GPU on-package, AMD sees it as an overarching term for CPU+GPU execution. In the diagram below, APU stands for accelerated processing unit and represents the combined capabilities of the two separate processors.

For all AMD's discussion of heterogeneous computing today, however, its actual execution has lagged considerably when compared to NVIDIA. Where the latter has sunk millions of dollars into promoting the idea of the GPU as a processing unit, AMD has generally sat back and focused on the more traditional appeal of improved 3D graphics and frame rates. There's nothing stopping AMD from turning its focus towards GPGPU development, but there's little evidence that this has been a top priority to date.

Server, Desktop, and Mobile Updates

The graph above represents AMD's current server performance and the projected performance of both Magny-Cours and Interlagos. Magny-Cours is an Istanbul derivative presumably built on 45nm. The new processor will use AMD's upcoming Maranello platform, which sports four memory channels instead of two. When Interlagos launches in 2011, it'll be based on AMD's all-new "Bulldozer" architecture. Core counts are also going up—Magny-Cours is an 8-12 core processor, while Interlagos will feature 12-16 cores. In both cases, hexa-core and quad-core derivatives of these CPUs will be available for the 1P and 2P markets.

There aren't a whole lot of surprises on AMD's desktop roadmap for 2010. As we've previously reported, the hexa-core Thuban processor (aka Istanbul) will drop into the enthusiast market accompanied by a new chipset. Mainstream systems will continue using dual-core or quad-core Athlon II's, but should shift over to DDR3 by the end of the year. Dorado's integrated GPU won't be DX11-capable—we won't see that feature until 2011—but should be at least as fast as the current 785G. In 2011, AMD will roll out Bulldozer-based quad and octal cores in the enthusiast market. The mainstream segment will feature Llano, AMD's first CPU+GPU hybrid. Llano will be built on 32nm technology, and the integrated GPU will apparently be DX11-capable.

AMD has long struggled in the mobile segment, but the company's 2010 roadmap is potentially strong enough to change its fortunes. AMD will migrate to 45nm-derived mobile processors across all mobile markets next year, while simultaneously shifting to DDR3. Mobile DX11 GPUs will be available within the next 12 months, as will quad-core "Champlain"-class processors. Sunnyvale is scarcely guaranteed more market share in the next year, especially given Intel's shift to 32nm processors, but the company should see an uptick thanks to 45nm mobile Turion's presumably lower power consumption and better performance-per-watt.

Conclusion:

AMD's roadmap is currently an odd mixture of solid predictions and relative unknowns. Over the next twelve months, AMD generally plans to accelerate/improve already proven technology across both its CPU and GPU product divisions. In 2011, the emphasis is decidedly different. In the past, AMD has generally introduced new architectures in the server market first, with desktop parts launching 6-9 months later and mobile parts appearing last. The roadmaps AMD released today indicate that Bulldozer and Bobcat—the company's two all-new architectures—may launch across all product segments over a much shorter period of time.

If the two designs ramp as quickly as indicated, AMD's competitive position vs. Intel could shift dramatically within a relatively short period of time. Heading into 2010, AMD is generally better positioned than it was a year ago, but the company still has precious little room for error. For the next twelve months, at least, Intel looks to hold the performance high ground; whether or not AMD can change that farther on will depend on just how good Bobcat and Bulldozer turn out to be.

iBUYPOWER Introduces First Core i7 Notebook

iBUYPOWER is launching its first Core i7 notebook today. The new Battalion 101 W870CU is a 17.3-inch notebook with a Full HD 1920x1080 widescreen LCD and NVIDIA GTX280 graphics. The W870CU is customizable, offering three Core i7 CPUs to choose from including the 2.00GHz 920XM Mobile Processor Extreme and up to 8GB DDR3 memory. The Battalion 101 W870CU starts at $2,114 and is available from iBUYPOWER's website.

iBUYPOWER Launches Powerful Core i7 Gaming Notebook – Battalion 101 W870CU

17.3” W870CU features full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD, NVIDIA GTX280 graphics card and up to 8GB of DDR3 Memory

El Monte, CA – November 11, 2009 - iBUYPOWER, one of the leading gaming systems manufacturers in the world, is excited to announce its first Intel® Core™ i7 based notebook – Battalion 101 W870CU. Starting at $2,114, the W870CU offers gamers three Core i7 CPUs to choose from, including the 2.00GHz 920XM Mobile Processor Extreme, up to 8GB DDR3 memory, and a breathtaking 17.3” Full HD 1920x1080 widescreen LCD high definition resolution.

iBUYPOWER paired the HD display with the NVIDIA GTX280 graphics card, the highest performing notebook GPU ever. The GTX280 takes full advantage of the NVIDIA’s PhysX Technology and the ultra realistic gaming environments it provides. The GTX280 can also be paired with a Blu-ray drive to enhance the movie watching experience on the W870CU with sharp images, vibrant colors, and smooth playback.

Gamers looking for a slightly larger display can go with the similar Battalion 101 M980NU and its 18.4-inch Full HD display, starting at $2505.

The Battalion 101 W870CU Gaming Notebook is available now exclusively at www.iBUYPOWER.com. iBUYPOWER systems come standard with a 1 year limited warranty and lifetime technical support.

Battalion 101 W870CU
LCD	17.3” Full HD 1920x1080 Widescreen LCD
Processor	Up to Intel® Core™ i7-920XM Mobile Processor Extreme Edition (4x 2.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Memory	Up to 8GB [4GB x 2] 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Video Card	Mobility DDR3 1GB NVIDIA GTX280 PCI-Express 3D Video
Hard Drive	Up to 500 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
Optical Drive	Up to 2X Blu-Ray-R/8x Dual Format DVD±R/±RW + 16x CD-R/RW Combo Drive
Card Reader	Built-in 7-in-1 Media Card Reader/Writer
Sound Card	3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card	Built-in 10/100/1000 Network LAN
Wireless Network Adapter	Intel Pro/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link Half-MiniCard
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

Need a high quality and easy to use DVD Ripper

Sometimes when you want to watch a DVD video but not on DVD player, all you need is a DVD converter to help you to rip it to another portable video players like ipod, iphone touch, etc.

Also if your friend borrowed your DVD and you may like to watch it as well then again a DVD converter will assist you solve this problem. I would appreciate if someone here can recommend me some good dvd rippers.Thax in advance!

Das Keyboard Presents First-Ever Ultimate Typing Championship

“Game On” – Das Keyboard Presents First-Ever Ultimate Typing Championship

Nationwide Typing Competition to Award $2,000 Grand Prize to Fastest Typist; Final Bout to Take Place at SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, TEXAS (November 11, 2009) – Das Keyboard has launched its search for the nation’s fastest fingers on a keyboard, announcing today the launch of the first-ever Ultimate Typing Championship.

From geeks and gamers to soccer moms and plumbers, the Ultimate Typing Championship (UTC) is an opportunity for individuals to prove they have the fiercest typing skills around. Conceived by the makers of the award-winning Das Keyboard, the UTC will award $2,000 to the competition’s fastest typist—a person who also will receive the distinct honor of being crowned as the nation’s first Ultimate Typing Champion.

“Typing may not yet be considered a competitive sport, but we think that perception will start to change once everyone begins to experience the intensity that this competition promises to deliver,” said Daniel Guermeur, founder of Das Keyboard and brainchild of the Ultimate Typing Championship. “We expect to see competitors sweating like gladiators engaged in the heat of battle. And even though trash talking is perfectly acceptable, we really prefer that participants let their keystrokes do the talking for them.”

Competing in the UTC
The UTC is open to individuals who are at least 18-years-old and legal residents of the United States at the time that they register for the competition. The general UTC online competition runs through December 31, followed by a semi-final “Round of Six” that happens online in early January 2010. The final round will take place in person at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, during which two individuals will compete head-to-head for the grand prize and UTC crown.

An online typing application called TyprX was created specifically for the UTC and will be used to conduct the competition’s typing races. The application tracks an individual’s progress as they type through a random paragraph of text, then calculates their final words-per-minute (WPM) typing speed once they’ve completed a race. Individuals can take a typing test as many times as they’d like during the general UTC online competition. Top race results will be shared on the UTC website’s leader board in near real-time, enabling participants to track their performance and keep a close eye on their competition.

“People are going to get hooked once they start competing in the UTC,” added Guermeur. “Their fingers will ache; they’ll dream about winning; they’ll become attached to their keyboards like they never have before. Let the typing begin, and may the best typist win!”

For more details on the Ultimate Typing Championship and to participate in the competition, please visit

www.ultimatetypingchampionship.com.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

IT News HeadLines (HotHardware) 12/11/2009

AMD and Intel Announce Settlement of All Antitrust and IP Disputes

About AMD

About Intel

Below I have pasted what looks like very easy instructions (found online) for turning off this password change interval. However, there is no step 6 for me...the Local Security Policy. Until that point I can navigate as directed without problem. Does anyone have an insight here?

OS is Windows Vista Home Premium.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Xtreme Design Goal:

How would I build my system?

How would ASUS Xtreme design features help my system?

Why pick me?

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