Cities Go Crazy In Order To Get Google's Attention For 1Gbps Internet
Last month, Google shook up the ISP landscape in a big way, and all with the stroke of the (digital) pen. The company announced that they would soon begin testing a 1Gbps home fiber network, which could provide home Internet speeds that could only be realized in one's imagination before. Needless to say, Americans began to get hopeful, and local politicians saw opportunity. Having Google's name (and 1Gbps Internet access) stamped on your town is probably a surefire way to get you in the news (and maybe even
Read More ...
Olive Communications Launches AAA Battery-Powered Cellphone
Right now, smartphones are all the rage. Every new phone that comes out seems like a smartphone, and if it's not, it gets overlooked and brushed aside within hours of being announced. Put simply, if a phone can't check your e-mail or update your Twitter status, it really has no place in American society right now. It's an interesting situation, and it has only recently become a reality. We're crediting the iPhone with putting the smartphone so firmly on the map of "must-have" devices, and now that the smartphone
Read More ...
Four In Five Feel Internet Access "Is A Right"
Broadband Internet. It's a luxury that many of us take for granted, and if it goes out even for a few minutes, we get up in arms about the outage. We expect it to always be there, and we expect it to always work perfectly. Frankly, we don't give a single thought as to how life was pre-broadband. In fact, we probably complain more often than not that our upload speeds are too limited and our ping times are still too high. My, how spoiled we have become. Or have we?According to a new global survey of 27,000 adults
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AT&T Finally Offers Android On Their Shelves With Motorola BACKFLIP
We aren't sure what took so long, but we're very glad that the wait is over. Google's Android operating system has made an indelible mark on the smartphone market segment, and it's the first major OS to rival the iPhone in a serious way. Palm's webOS was certainly revolutionary, but not enough mainstream consumers have bought in for Apple to really feel the pressure. Android, on the other hand, seems to be stealing away potential market share month after month, and it's clear that Google has a winner with some
Read More ...
Panasonic Introduces Lumix DMC-G2 And DMC-G10 Micro Four Thirds Camera
For the longest time, there were two main choices when it came to selecting a digital camera. You either purchased a DSLR, or you purchased a point and shoot. Needless to say, both of these options provided drastically different results, and there has been little in the middle to satisfy those who didn't want to jump into one camp or the other. And then, the Micro Four Thirds system was introduced. This solution packs DSLR-like image quality into a camera that's just barely larger than a typical point and shoot.
Read More ...
Apple Rolls Out First iPad Commerical On Oscar Night
Apple decided it would take Oscar night as its opportunity to unveil its first official iPad commercial for the world, for their sake, to hopefully covet. There is little question Apple certainly knows how to dress up a product sexy but with the harsh criticism the iPad has gotten in the press during this pre-launch time window, it's hard not to wonder how effective their media blitz for the product might be. Let's roll the footage and let you ponder the situation a bit for yourself...Alright then,
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NVIDIA Yanks Latest Forceware Drivers Amid Complaints Of GPU Failure
It's not often that we hear credible reports that a driver may have caused actual, physical harm to a video card, but that's precisely what an unhappy group of users has done. According to reports, the latest series of Forceware (196.75) caused certain cards to overheat or fail altogether due to a fan control problem. NVIDIA has pulled the driver and issued the following statement: We are aware that some customers have reported fan speed issues with the latest 196.75 WHQL drivers on NVIDIA.com. Until we can
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We Confirm: Ubisoft's DRM Scheme Cracked In Hours
Ubisoft's eagerly awaited Silent Hunter 5 was released last week as the first title carrying the company's new DRM system. That system, as we've previously discussed, requires that gamers maintain a constant Internet connection or be kicked from the game. One of the major flaws in that system was the fact that the game wasn't saved before you were dumped out; Ubisoft has since corrected this with a patch. Less than 24 hours after Silent Hunter 5 shipped, several hacking groups claimed to have completely disabled
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Newegg Ships Fake Intel Chips; Supplier Threatens Journalists For Reporting It
You know what's even better than weird news? Weird news well-flavored with legal stupididy, that's what. Our saga today starts with a shipping oddity; specifically the fact that Overclockers.com forum member Dreadrok ordered a Core i7 920 from Newegg and received a completely fake processor. It's a good fake, too—if it weren't for a few misspellings on the outside of the box, we'd believe it was completely legit, particularly if we didn't take the time to scour the box looking for the telltales. This is a fake
Read More ...
Ars Strikes A Chord: Ad Blocking Will Kill Your Favorite Sites
We've been good friends with the folks at Ars Technica for many years now. Not only does their fearless leader Ken Fisher, hail originally from the Boston area (which of course makes us a bit partial), where HotHardware also had its start, but there is little arguing that the Ars team punches out high quality, informative and engaging coverage in the Tech space, week in and week out. So, it's no surprise that we caught something rather riveting over at Ars recently that we'd like to share with you
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Sceptre Introduces 27" 1080p LCD Monitor For Just $399
Here's a name you haven't heard in awhile: Sceptre. The company has been making LCDs, TVs and other monitors for years now, but it has definitely been awhile since it was able to product something to take on the offerings out now from Dell, Samsung, Sharp and the rest of the gang. Making a play for business in the "my current LCD is too tiny" sector, Sceptre has introduced a new 27" high-def LCD monitor with a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and an ultra-fast 2ms response time.The display has a Full HD (1080p, or 1920x1080)
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AT&T Finally Offers Android On Their Shelves With Motorola BACKFLIP
We aren't sure what took so long, but we're very glad that the wait isover. Google's Android operating system has made an indelible mark onthe smartphone market segment, and it's the first major OS to rival theiPhone in a serious way. Palm's webOS was certainly revolutionary, butnot enough mainstream consumers have bought in for Apple to really feelthe pressure. Android, on the other hand, seems to be stealing awaypotential market share month after month, and it's clear that Googlehas a winner with some longevity on its hands here.
Motorola, which was all but dead in the eyes of cellphone buyers just acouple of years ago, revitalized itself last year with the introductionof the DROID on Verizon Wireless and the CLIQ on T-Mobile. It's clearthat Motorola has attached their hope of a future to Android, and it'sproving to be a smart move so far. The Backflip is easily one of themost unique handset designs we have ever seen. The actual QWERTYkeyboard is on the rear of the phone, and the flipping motion happensin reverse of what you would normally expect. Whatever the case, it'san eye-catching premise and Android is beneath the screen (along withMotorola's 'Blur' user interface), making this one quite appealing.
We're thrilled to see AT&T users finally get an option for Android,but we are beginning to wonder if the carrier and Motorola have thispriced right. It's available now in stores and online for $99.99 aftera two-year contract signing and a mail-in rebate; that's also the exactsame price as an iPhone 3G, so we have to wonder how many people willbe eager to try their luck with a new form factor when they know theiPhone is what everyone raves about. Time will tell, but either way,we're glad to see Motorola step into AT&T's stores with Android.Here's to hoping that this is just the first of many choices to come.
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NVIDIA Yanks Latest Forceware Drivers Amid Complaints Of GPU Failure
It's not often that we hear credible reports that a driver may have caused actual, physical harm to a video card, but that's precisely what an unhappy group of users has done. According to reports, the latest series of Forceware (196.75) caused certain cards to overheat or fail altogether due to a fan control problem. NVIDIA has pulled the driver and issued the following statement: We are aware that some customers have reported fan speed issues with the latest 196.75 WHQL drivers on NVIDIA.com. Until we can verify and root cause this issue, we recommend that customers do not download this driver. Instead, please stay with, or return to 196.21 WHQL drivers. Release 196.75 drivers have been temporarily removed from our website and we also are asking our partners and others to remove temporarily this 196.75 WHQL driver as well.Obviously we recommend you fall back to whatever driver release you were running before, but we also wanted to see if we could demonstrate the difference between the 195.62 drivers (the set I was personally using) and the 196.75 series. To this end, we uninstalled the 195.62 drivers, ran DriverSweeper (from Safe Mode), and then installed the newer problematic driver series. We measured temperatures using Furmark 1.8 for OpenGL and World of Warcraft for Direct3D. GPU temperatures were measured using SpeedFan.
Furmark is a GPU heating utility that both tracks and graphs temperature; our GTX 295 hit a maximum temp of 105-106C while running the utility. Here's what we saw:
Forceware 195.62
Forceware 196.75
As you can see, swapping from 195.62 to 196.75 made no difference to either the steepness of the temperature rise or the maximum temperature value. Our World of Warcraft tests were similar—in both cases, the GPUs hit a maximum temperature of ~100C with a 2-4 C variation between them. The glitched Forceware's were only online for about 48 hours, but we'd still recommend double-checking if you recently updated. There's been no reports that any series besides 196.75 were affected, so anything else should be safe.
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Four In Five Feel Internet Access "Is A Right"
Broadband Internet. It's a luxury that many of us take for granted, and if it goes out even for a few minutes, we get up in arms about the outage. We expect it to always be there, and we expect it to always work perfectly. Frankly, we don't give a single thought as to how life was pre-broadband. In fact, we probably complain more often than not that our upload speeds are too limited and our ping times are still too high. My, how spoiled we have become. Or have we?According to a new global survey of 27,000 adults in 26 countries for the BBC World Service, just under 80% of Internet users believed that the Web gave them "greater freedom," while 90% said it was "a good place to learn." What's more amazing is this one: four in five felt that access to the Internet was "a fundamental right," with those feelings being particularly strong in places where access is either limited or restricted in some way (South Korea and China were named in the article).
Residents of the United States were quick to jump on the same bandwagon, while those in Japan tended to be wary of how beneficial being online all of the time really was. Mostly, they weren't confident that it was completely safe to express their opinions online, which was a feeling shared in France, Germany and China.
The real kicker? Of the 27,000 who were polled, over half agreed that the "Internet should never be regulated by any level of government anywhere," which is sure saying a lot given just how regulated it really is in many nations. As for those who thought they might pass out and faint if their Ethernet cord were cut and their Wi-Fi adapter disabled? Over 70% of respondents in Japan, Mexico and Russia said they could not live without the Internet, and we're guessing that 100% of America agreed. For what it's worth, we're in total agreement for the Internet being a right. Power to the surfers!
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Newegg Ships Fake Intel Chips; Supplier Threatens Journalists For Reporting It
You know what's even better than weird news? Weird news well-flavored with legal stupididy, that's what. Our saga today starts with a shipping oddity; specifically the fact that Overclockers.com forum member Dreadrok ordered a Core i7 920 from Newegg and received a completely fake processor. It's a good fake, too—if it weren't for a few misspellings on the outside of the box, we'd believe it was completely legit, particularly if we didn't take the time to scour the box looking for the telltales.
This is a fake box, not a real one. You have 10 seconds to find the differences. Go!
Dreadrok initially faced skepticism over the veracity of his claim so he put up a YouTube video that captures all the products in question, including his "heatsink/fan," by which we mean the block of something wrapped in masking tape with a sticker on top to make it look like there's a fan in t he box from the outside. You can watch the video below:
Intel has been notified of the problem, as has Newegg; it appears that the well-known and well-trusted company bought a lot of 300 fake processors in a shipment of 2000 ships total. All 300 of the fake processors came from the supplier D&H Distribution. Newegg has claimed that the fake processors were actually 'demo units', implying that Intel shipped out 300 entirely fake kits complete with fake processor, heatsink, fan, packaging, and a freakin' fake installation guide that consisted of a bunch of sheets of paper held together by a single staple. We won't even go into the misspellings.
This situation already qualifies as unusual given Newegg's longstanding reputation, but here's where it takes a left-hand turn and plunges straight into weird. As of today, the two websites that reported on the problem—
ardOCP and Icrontic—have been hit by a cease-and-desist letter courtesy of D&H Distributing. From the letter: It has recently been brought to our attention that you are responsible for publishing on the internet, and specifically on your websites, untrue statements respecting allegedly counterfeit Intel Core i7 processors which you allege were sold to Newegg by D&H. This letter places you on notice that these statements are false. You have no basis for publishing these false and malicious statements about D & H. These false allegations are defamatory and disparaging to D&Hâ€s business and business relations and have caused grave and irreparable damage to our client. [we] demand that you (i) cease and desist posting such defamatory material about D&H.; (ii) remove the contact and any reference to D&H from your website; and, (iii) post an immediate retraction and apology which shall remain posted for not less than thirty days."Right. Because threatening the press with noisy letters works so very well. Reports indicate that Newegg is arranging RMAs for any affected customers. If D&H did provide Newegg with fake CPUs you can bet Intel will be extremely interested in where those chips came from.
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Cities Go Crazy In Order To Get Google's Attention For 1Gbps Internet
Last month, Google shook up the ISP landscape in a big way, and all with the stroke of the (digital) pen. The company announced that they would soon begin testing a 1Gbps home fiber network, which could provide home Internet speeds that could only be realized in one's imagination before. Needless to say, Americans began to get hopeful, and local politicians saw opportunity. Having Google's name (and 1Gbps Internet access) stamped on your town is probably a surefire way to get you in the news (and maybe even add to the tax base), so it's no surprise to hear that city after city is going out of their way to make an impact and sway Google into making their town the first to get this new breed of high-speed Internet.First, we heard that the city of Seattle was pushing hard to be Google's first test market. Their reasoning was sound: Seattle is a techy city, it's close to Google's Northern California headquarters and there are tons and tons of potential customers. But that wasn't enough. We later heard that Topeka, Kansas was renaming itself "Google, Kansas" for the month of March, all in an effort to prove that it was willing to do whatever it takes to get 1Gbps Internet to the nation's heartland.
Now, we're seeing the most recent case of lunacy. Or determination, if you care to look at things through Rose-colored glasses. The mayor of Duluth, Minnesota recently got up the courage to jump into freezing Lake Superior wearing no wetsuit, and he did it all on video in order to get Google's attention. He arose from the frigid waters shouting: "I've laid down the gauntlet! All right, you other mayors! You want Google Fiber, you jump in Lake Superior!"
All of this craziness is happening for a reason. Google established a March 26 deadline for cities to express internet, and clearly cities know that a ton of interest will be shown. Google has yet to confess on when the building of these fiber networks will begin, but it's clear that the sooner will definitely be better. Check out the video of Mr. Ness below, and before you think of getting your own city to apply for access, you better think up a serious stunt.
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Panasonic Introduces Lumix DMC-G2 And DMC-G10 Micro Four Thirds Camera
For the longest time, there were two main choices when it came toselecting a digital camera. You either purchased a DSLR, or youpurchased a point and shoot. Needless to say, both of these optionsprovided drastically different results, and there has been little inthe middle to satisfy those who didn't want to jump into one camp orthe other. And then, the Micro Four Thirds system was introduced. Thissolution packs DSLR-like image quality into a camera that's just barelylarger than a typical point and shoot. Today, Panasonic has introducedtwo new cameras in their Micro Four Thirds lineup.The Lumix DMC-G2 is the G1's successor, and for the most part, it'salmost the same camera. Very little has changed from the G1 to the G2,but one standout feature is the tilt and swivel LCD which just sohappens to include a touch panel. This 3" screen allows users to frameand snap a picture with a simple finger press on the screen, making itthe first interchangable lens system camera with a touch-controlmovable LCD. Outside of that, there's a 12.1MP sensor, auto-focusadjust by finger touch, a 720p movie mode, and the Venus Engine HD IIprocessing technology.
With the touch-screen operation, users can even snap a photo by touching the LUMIX G2’s screen. Additionally, the touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting but also during playback. Users can touch one thumbnail viewed among many to quickly and easily see the full size of the desired photo. Also, to view images one-by-one, photos can be dragged across the screen to browse as though flipping the pages of a book.
“With the LUMIX G2, Panasonic is pleased to continue to lead the evolution of the Micro Four Thirds platform and also be the first in the industry to offer a touch-screen interchangeable lens system camera,†said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Touch-operation is a user interface with which many consumers are both familiar and expect, and we think the LUMIX G2’s touch-operation makes it easier and quicker to take photos and videos that have professional-like effects.â€
Using the touch-screen operation, once a user locks onto a subject, the LUMIX G2 enables AF Tracking and will track the subject as it moves within the frame. Then, with a touch on the screen, users can select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The Multi-area AF sets a group of AF points according to the composition. While using the manual focus, users can enlarge a subject by touching it and then choosing to enlarge it by 1x, 5x or 10x and then smoothly moving the part by dragging it on the screen. With this touch operation, menu settings can be changed quickly; cutting the time it takes to navigate using standard cursors. However, all setting changes can still be done using the control pad, if preferred.
The LUMIX G2 records 1280 x 720 HD videos in the AVCHD Lite format, which increases recording capacity and is highly compatible with audio-visual equipment. With a dedicated video record button, users can easily start recording a video. To complement its high-quality video capabilities, the LUMIX G2 features advanced audio options, as sound is recorded with Dolby Digital Creator and an optional accessory stereo microphone can be attached. A Wind Cut function further enhances the sound as it helps reduce noise caused from background wind.
The 3.0-inch touch-operation LCD has a wide-viewing angle and rotates 180° from side to side and tilts 270° up and down, providing approximately 100% of field of view. This free-angle LCD with a touch-screen operation makes it possible to both view and touch the screen from any angle. The double Live-View function offered by the high-resolution, 460,000-dot free-angle Intelligent LCD and 1,440,000-dot 1.4x (0.7x) Live View Finder allows users to see the settings’ results before pressing the shutter.
The Lumix DMC-G10, on the other hand, is the world's lightest digitalinterchangeable lens system camera with a viewfinder. It includes thesame 12.1MP sensor as the G2, and while the 3" LCD on the rear is stillthere, it's not touch-sensitive and it remains in place rather thanswiveling out. Adding to its lightweight body, the Lumix G10 will comeequipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatilezoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm). This one also shoots a 720p movie mode, but as with the G2, no price and release date are mentioned.
The LUMIX G10, with its incredible compact body and portable design, uses a mirrorless structure as part the Micro Four Thirds System standard, eliminating a number of components that are found in a conventional interchangeable lens camera, including the mirror box and optical viewfinder unit. This innovative structure allows for the LUMIX G10 to be the world’s lightest system camera in a compact digital camera design that is a desired feature for new users. Adding to its lightweight body, the LUMIX G10 will come equipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for shooting a wide-range of scenes, from dynamic landscape to portrait.
Panasonic designed the LUMIX G10 to be easy to use offers iA (Intelligent Auto) mode – with its shooting assist functions that have proven extremely popular in LUMIX compact cameras. Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto), an easy shooting mode with automatic optimization according to the scene in either photo and video recording, is helpful to beginner users unfamiliar with an interchangeable lens system camera. With the new dedicated iA button, which illuminates in blue when engaged, activating this mode is even easier and can be used to shoot both photos and videos.
When shooting still photos, iA offers the following: MEGA O.I.S., which helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motion blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves; Intelligent Exposure optimizes exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced properly; Intelligent Scene Selector detects the most common shooting situations – Portrait, Night Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery, Close-up and Sunset – and switches to the appropriate Scene mode automatically – no setting changes needed.
The LUMIX G10 can record 1280 x 720 HD video in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats. Users can enjoy recording HD videos while taking advantage of the high quality lens and the flexibility to change to other lenses. Even users new to recording videos will find the LUMIX G10 makes it easy. Panasonic’s iA for video offers the following: Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom; Face Detection** automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion; Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows; Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Close-up, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality.
With AF Tracking, the LUMIX G10 can lock onto any subject and keep it in focus even if it moves – making it easy to get beautiful, clear shots of moving subjects, such as children and pets. Simply aim, lock, and shoot. The Face Recognition function remembers registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face using Category Playback. The contrast AF system adopted by the LUMIX DMC-G10 is not only accurate and easy to use, but also very fast. Users can choose from a wide range of AF modes, including AF Tracking, 1-area AF, Face Detection AF/AE and 23-area AF.
The LUMIX G10’s Live View Finder, with a resolution of 202,000-dot equivalent, 1.04x (0.52x*) retains the viewability of an optical viewfinder and displays information about its settings that users can see without removing their eye from the subject. The 60 fps Live View is powered by the Live MOS sensor, which takes signals directly from the image sensor and sends them continuously to the LCD, in real time. Both the Live View Finder and LCD provide approximately 100% field of view. This allows the user, when composing a shot, to check the framing accurately from corner to corner. The 3.0-inch large 460,000-dot high-resolution LCD with wide viewing angle automatically controls the brightness according to the situation as an Intelligent LCD.Â
The 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor and the new Venus Engine HD II help to separate chromatic noise from luminance noise and apply the optimal noise reduction to each, so users can capture clear and beautiful images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels. The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which has been re-engineered to incorporate the new image processing technology, Intelligent Resolution, enables the recording of beautiful photo and HD video with high quality signal processing. With Intelligent Resolution technology, three areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation –are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges increased clarity, while simultaneously giving a moderate accentuation to the textured areas so they look finely detailed. For the soft gradation areas, the improved noise reduction system of the Venus Engine HD II is applied to achiever a smoother effect. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way, resulting in images that are naturally clear.
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Olive Communications Launches AAA Battery-Powered Cellphone
Right now, smartphones are all the rage. Every new phone that comes out seems like a smartphone, and if it's not, it gets overlooked and brushed aside within hours of being announced. Put simply, if a phone can't check your e-mail or update your Twitter status, it really has no place in American society right now. It's an interesting situation, and it has only recently become a reality. We're crediting the iPhone with putting the smartphone so firmly on the map of "must-have" devices, and now that the smartphone has advanced to include Android and webOS, using a non-smartphone just feels like a step back in time.Still, America isn't the only mobile market in the world, and there are many other needs to consider in other nations. Developing countries in particular have a growing desire to just be connected, so these less featured phones are perfect for those markets. It's one reason why those typical Nokia candybar cellphones are still hanging around, and it's the very reason why India's own Olive Communications has stepped up to the challenge and introduced a new phone of their own.
The new FrvrOn (which is shorthand for "Forever On") cellphone takes a very unique approach. The form factor isn't anything new or special, but unlike most every other phone out there that requires an AC outlet and working electricity to charge it, this phone can be operated by a simple AAA dry-cell battery. There's also a rechargeable Lithium-Ion pack in there for "standard charging," but in a pinch, a single AAA will allow you to make a few calls during an emergency.
The idea here is to compensate for "erratic" power outages and emergencies, with a single AAA battery able to provide life to the phone for an hour non-stop. The phone was obviously designed with India in mind, as the nation is gaining around 15 million new wireless subscribers each and every month. We're anxious to see how this all plays out, and we definitely hope that this enables more users to get connected even in areas where power isn't always something that can be counted on. And honestly, this doesn't seem like a bad emergency item to have in everyone's "rainy day" kit, regardless of nationality.
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Ars Strikes A Chord: Ad Blocking Will Kill Your Favorite Sites
We've been good friends with the folks at Ars Technica for many years now. Not only does their fearless leader Ken Fisher, hail originally from the Boston area (which of course makes us a bit partial), where HotHardware also had its start, but there is little arguing that the Ars team punches out high quality, informative and engaging coverage in the Tech space, week in and week out. So, it's no surprise that we caught something rather riveting over at Ars recently that we'd like to share with you but this time, the messaging Ken Fisher himself came across with, hit home like nothing we've read in a long while. We've been saying it all along to a few of you regulars around here at HotHardware.com but Ken put it quite precisely when he titled his piece: Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love.Fisher notes...
"There is an oft-stated misconception that if a user never clicks on ads, then blocking them won't hurt a site financially. This is wrong. Most sites, at least sites the size of ours, are paid on a per view basis. If you have an ad blocker running, and you load 10 pages on the site, you consume resources from us (bandwidth being only one of them), but provide us with no revenue. Because we are a technology site, we have a very large base of ad blockers. Imagine running a restaurant where 40% of the people who came and ate didn't pay. In a way, that's what ad blocking is doing to us. Just like a restaurant, we have to pay to staff, we have to pay for resources, and we have to pay when people consume those resources. The difference, of course, is that our visitors don't pay us directly but indirectly by viewing advertising."
A free lunch is tempting -- of course the quality might be directly proportional to what you paid.
In fact, we'd go one step further and offer that, especially here in the Tech segment, where etailers are big business and often times offer you better deals online than at brick and mortar shops, we'd encourage you to support the web advertising model more aggressively by researching products via ads here and other Tech sites, that you might be considering for purchase. And if you find a good deal, help your click through "convert" to an actual sale.
IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report – 2008, Published March 2009
In short, if you want the web's business model to continue to grow, evolve with more capabilities, power and resources for you as an end user, we'd suggest you do the right thing and support it properly. Don't block web site advertising. Thanks.
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Apple Rolls Out First iPad Commerical On Oscar Night
Apple decided it would take Oscar night as its opportunity to unveil its first official iPad commercial for the world, for their sake, to hopefully covet. There is little question Apple certainly knows how to dress up a product sexy but with the harsh criticism the iPad has gotten in the press during this pre-launch time window, it's hard not to wonder how effective their media blitz for the product might be. Let's roll the footage and let you ponder the situation a bit for yourself...Read More ...
OCZ Introduces Slate Series ExpressCards
OCZ Technology Introduces Slate Series ExpressCards for Notebooks – More Convenient and Less Power Consuming than Peripheral Storage Devices
Sunnyvale, Calif.—December 8, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Slate Series ExpressCard™, a storage expansion drive for the latest generation of performance notebooks. The integration of express card storage is ideal for mobile users who want the peace of mind knowing they will always have a backup option and experience the convenience of an internal solution that eliminates peripheral devices.
 
The Slate Series ExpressCard is ideal for the on-the-go notebook user that needs a backup storage method but does not want to carry a USB drive or external hard drive. The Slate series is an excellent solution for backing up your music, photos, and documents, and its low power consumption won’t deplete the life of your notebook’s battery when you’re on the go.
The Slate Series line comes in ample storage capacities of 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, and is fully compatible with all ExpressCard standards. The integration of a mini-USB port allows the Slate Series to be connected externally from a hub when transferring data between your primary desktop and mobile system. The Slate Series comes backed by a 2-year warranty and OCZ’s industry leading technical support for the ultimate peace of mind.
For more information on the OCZ Slate Series Express Card, please visit our product page
here.
Specifications:
- Fully compatible with ExpressCard standards
- Supports high-speed USB 2.0 specifications
- Read: Up to 18MB/sec
- Write: Up to 12.5MB/sec
- Dimensions: 75mm x 34mm x 5mm
- Voltage: 2.7V - 3.6V
- Operating Temp: 0° C - 70° C
- Mini USB Port
- Available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB capacities
- Includes mini USB cable
- 2-year Warranty
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We Confirm: Ubisoft's DRM Scheme Cracked In Hours
Ubisoft's eagerly awaited Silent Hunter 5 was released last week as the first title carrying the company's new DRM system. That system, as we've previously discussed, requires that gamers maintain a constant Internet connection or be kicked from the game. One of the major flaws in that system was the fact that the game wasn't saved before you were dumped out; Ubisoft has since corrected this with a patch.Less than 24 hours after Silent Hunter 5 shipped, several hacking groups claimed to have completely disabled Ubisoft's protection mechanism and began distributing the full game, the 1.1 update patch, and a cracked executable that allows users to install the game and play seamlessly without ever needing an Internet connection.
Actual game footage.
We at HH waited a couple of days after the initial crack was announced in order to verify both that the game had been cracked and that the version being passed around online contained the entire game. The answer the first question is unequivocally yes, the game is cracked. As to the second question we've been informed that if the game is incomplete it's the most complete incomplete game ever invented. Those of us who speculated that gamers might have to jump through a complex series of hoops in order to play the game sans Internet connection were wrong; SH5's crack is installed using what we'll call 'standard procedures.'
Not sure if this was rendered by the game engine but it sure is pretty. Blows up real good, too.
Ubisoft's claim that the cracked version of the game is less polished and/or missing content could be read as implying that game pirates won't have access to upcoming patches, new missions, full-blown expansion packs, or customer support. The "No customer support" clause is entirely fair but I've a sneaking suspicion that no amount of post-game patching will prevent hacker groups from stripping the DRM requirements out of the game again.The irony in all of this is that Ubisoft dismissed Steam as essentially being too pirate friendly. Had the company gone with Steam and allowed for standard offline play this entire brouhaha would have been avoided; reviewers and gamers would be discussing the quality of Silent Hunter 5 while looking forward to both Assassin's Creed and Settlers 7 Instead, the industry is standing around collectively sniggering at a bunch of suits that couldn't find the pulse of gaming with a stethoscope.
Meet Pickles and Peanut, the crack development team behind Ubisoft's new DRM scheme. Say hello, guys!
We at Hot Hardware don't recommend or endorse game piracy; we're not going to start now. We must admit, however, that we'd understand if a person bought Silent Hunter 5, Assassin's Creed 2, or Settlers 7 and then decided to use a cracked version of the program to avoid having to maintain a constant Internet connection. The sad truth of the situation is that once again, it's only the legitimate users of a program who are being punished by this DRM scheme.
Hopefully this latest snafu will convince Ubisoft that their current approach to digital content management is wrong-headed and extremely counter-productive. All this considered, however, we doubt it.
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First pick
Hey figure I'd give you guys first pic. Was suppose to build a system for my buddy with this stuff but it's been over a month and he won't commit so it's all up for grabs. I figure I give ya'll first dibs before I put it out on ebay. I need $ for my WC parts otherwise I wouldn't part with this stuff. Here it is, take it all together or part at a time.
Asus P7P55D motherboard=$235.00
i7 860 cpu= $235.00
FSP everest 800w modular psu=$85.00
Asus ENGTX 260 = $175.00
G. Skill DDR2133 2x2GB=$150.00
or I'll take $850 for everything.
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Sceptre Introduces 27" 1080p LCD Monitor For Just $399
Here's a name you haven't heard in awhile: Sceptre. The company has been making LCDs, TVs and other monitors for years now, but it has definitely been awhile since it was able to product something to take on the offerings out now from Dell, Samsung, Sharp and the rest of the gang. Making a play for business in the "my current LCD is too tiny" sector, Sceptre has introduced a new 27" high-def LCD monitor with a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and an ultra-fast 2ms response time.The display has a Full HD (1080p, or 1920x1080) resolution, along with an Energy Star 5.0 certification, 400cd/m2 brightness, 50000 hour lamp life, built-in speakers and VGA/DVI/HDMI/Audio Input ports. Best of all, the monitor is selling for just $399, which means the 27" of your dreams is now more accesible than ever.
SceptreUnveils State-of-the-Art 27-inch High-Def LCD Monitors withTechnologically Advanced 60,000:1 Contrast Ratio and Ultra-Fast 2 msResponse Time
World class PC gaming monitors deliver superior performance without compromising sleek aesthetic appeal and eco-conscious design
City of Industry, Calif. - (March 3, 2010) – Sceptre, world class manufacturers of high-quality TV and PC monitors, has just released its 27-inchtrue 1080p LCD widescreen PC monitors featuring industry-impressive60,000:1 contrast ratios and ultra-fast 2 ms response times for a morerealistic and advanced PC gaming experience.
“In the crowdedLCD display space, the jaw-dropping performance and stylish design ofour monitors are second to none,†said Cathy Chou, vice president ofoperations, Sceptre. “Specifically designed for the PC gamingcommunity, the unparalleled quality of our high-def monitors creates amore life-like gaming experience that is a cut above the rest. Plus,its energy saving attributes make gamers feel better about indulging intheir favorite pastime.â€
Perfect for the PC game enthusiast,these widescreen ultra high-resolution monitors keep action crisp andclear to maximize visual stimulation and offer users a top-of-the-linegaming experience – without sacrificing sleek stylish appeal andeco-conscious design. PC enthusiasts can game green with these EnergyStar 5.0 complied monitors, which reduce unnecessary energy usage toincrease environmental sustainability and prolong monitor life.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
- Contrast ratio 1000:1 (Native) / 60,000:1 (DCR)
- Response Time 2 ms (OD)
- Aspect Ratio 16:9 Wide ScreenÂ
- Resolution 1920 x 1080
- Energy Star 5.0 complied
- Brightness 400Â cd/m2
- 16.7 million colors
- 50,000 hours lamp life
- Viewing angle: 170° (horizontal) 160° (vertical)
- Connections port: VGA, DVI, HDMI, Audio In
- Built-in speakers: 3 watts per Channel
Thesesleek 27-inch LCD PC monitors are available in black for $399 MSRP atCostco and NewEgg.com. For more information, please visit www.sceptre.com.
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