IT News HeadLines (Tech Report) 27/08/2010

Zotac's Zbox HD-ND22 barebones mini PC
Atom-based nettops easily get bogged down, but Zotac's latest Zbox pairs a capable CULV Celeron with an Ion chipset. Let's see what this budget barebones is like.
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THQ unapologetic for locking used-game buyers out of multiplayer
A battle is brewing over used-game sales. THQ has begun gating multiplayer access to some new games with one-time codes that effectively lock out second-hand buyers. Cory Ledesma, one of the publisher's creative directors, was unapologetic when questioned about the issue by CVG: I don't think we...
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TR BBQ attendees: Claim your digital after-swag!
We didn't manage to ship any T-shirts or other goodies to the organizers of the TR BBQ in time for the event this year, but we have do a nice after-prize: each household represented at the BBQ will receive a free copy of Metro 2033, courtesy of MSI. ...
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Catalyst drivers include next-gen GPU code names
With 6000-series Radeons rumored to be scheduled for November, it's about time we started getting some juicy leaked tidbits. Surprisingly, one of those leaks might have come directly from AMD itself. According to VR-Zone, the freshly released Catalyst 10.8 graphics drivers include code names for a large number...
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Likely IE9 screenshot shows sleek new user interface
We got our first glimpses of the Firefox 4 interface months before the first beta even came out, but Internet Explorer 9 has remained comparatively shrouded in secrecy—even with four Platform Previews out and a public beta due in mid-September. The shroud might have finally (if accidentally) come off, however....
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National Dog Day Shortbread
Eight is Enough Telegraph: Computers that read minds are being developed by Intel Computerworld reports AMD Fusion-based laptops set to ship early next year PCMag reports IBM describes fastest microprocessor ever InfoWorld reports ARM's next chip design will support virtualization software Ars Technica reports Apple confirms music-focused...
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Catalyst 10.8 drivers improve performance, support WebGL
Radeon users, time to take a short break and install the latest Catalyst drivers. AMD has just put up this month's Catalyst package, numbered 10.8, and it promises a handful of performance improvements and some new functionality, like prettier video playback and support for hardware-accelerated 3D in web browsers. Let's...
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Poll: Will Bulldozer deliver?
In case you missed it yesterday, AMD revealed a great many details about the new Bulldozer architecture that will underpin the company's next generation of desktop and server CPUs. This bold new design appears to have loads of potential, but then so did Barcelona, and we all know...
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Google slate said to support stylus- and finger-based input
Whether in smartphones, slates, convertible tablets, all-in-one desktops, or even your coffee table, you'll probably see a lot more of touchscreens in the coming years. Most of the screens currently on the market use capacitive technology designed for finger-based input. However, while these displays are great for multitouch...
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Yahoo flips the switch, transitions to Bing search
Just like that, the universe of web search engines has collapsed into itself a little more. Yahoo announced on its official Search Blog yesterday that the "transition of organic search between Yahoo! and Microsoft is complete." In other words, Yahoo's web, image, and video searches in the U.S. and...
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Updated: Gmail gets phone calling functionality
If there's any truth to the latest story over at CNet News, you might be able to make phone calls directly from Gmail before too long. Although the site doesn't mention a source, it claims to have "learned" of Google's plans, and it has a few screenshots with pixelated...
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