IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 4/11/2012

Epic Games are working on a PC-exclusive game
Epic Games seem to be getting back to their roots, developing a game for PC, and exclusive to the platform. Creative lead Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski and president Mike Capps announced during the PAX East panel "we might be working on a PC-only title".

CliffyB took the mic and said "Let me say that again: we are working on a PC game." After the panel, Epic Games president Mike Capps told Joystiq that the unannounced PC project is currently underway, and the current plans are to keep the game exclusive to the PC platform.

Excited? I am. Let's just hope they keep it exclusive to the PC, and push the engine as far as it can go. Release a next-gen Unreal Engine-based game, and release it with the next Unreal game. That would be, well, unreal. Excitement is now forming within my body.

RIM employee that was stabbed at BBM party dies of wounds
We reported on this as it happened, where a RIM employee was stabbed at a party for BlackBerry Messenger, has died from his wounds. Philip Sherriff, one of RIM's UK employees, died on Sunday. His attacker is believed to be Ashley Charles and has already been charged with attempted murder.

What motivated Charles to stab Sherriff is not known, and the court hasn't made this clear, either. RIM has said in a statement through Twitter, where they gave condolences:

Our thoughts are with his family and those close to him and we ask for the respect of their privacy at this difficult time.

Our thoughts go out to Sherriff's friends, family and colleagues. Such an avoidable, yet unescapable event where a life was taken when it didn't need to be. Let's hope they find closure, and justice, soon.

Former Intel engineer, newly-hired AMD employee, pleads guilty to stealing sensitive Intel documents
Biswamohan Pani, a former Intel engineer and newly-hired AMD employee has plead guilty to fraud that is centered around the theft of sensitive Intel documents. The stolen information is considered to be worth approximately $1 billion, which includes chip-related design and manufacturing data.

It's thought that Pani intended to use the information for career advancement, but AMD has denied any knowledge of Pani's wrongdoing, and has fully cooperated with federal investigators. Pani had previously worked at Intel's Hudson-based chip making plant located in Massachusetts before submitting his resignation on May 29, 2008. Pani's last day at Intel was June 11, but little did Intel know he had actually begun working at AMD on June 2, while simultaneously retaining access to Intel's network.

It is thought that during this time, Pani had been downloading sensitive documents that held information on Intel's manufacturing and chip designs. Corporate espionage and intellectual property theft, in the form of trade secrets, schematics, or other proprietary information can be extremely lucrative in the right hands. Investigators have found no links between Pani and AMD.

Intel learnt quickly of the breach and stopped Pani from pilfering documents before he could "use them to Intel's disadvantage". With Intel's help, federal investigators recovered $200-$400 million worth of stolen information from Pani's home. Pani was originally charged in 2008, and he could be facing 20 years prison for each of the 5 counts of fraud against him. Sentencing is scheduled for August 8.

Isn't it funny, there's more jail time for this case, than there would be a drunk driver killing a family? 20 years for each of the 5 counts! That's insane.

Microsoft to drop Windows Vista, Office 2007 mainstream support, XP's head arrives on the chopping block in two years time
We all knew this day was coming, mainstream support for Windows Vista will end on April 10 with Office 2007 receiving the same fate today. Windows XP and Office 2003 will enjoy another two years before being cut.

Microsoft divides its support lifecycle in two stages: "Mainstream" and "Extended". Within Mainstream, software receives the full range of free security updates, stability improvements, bug fixes, and occasional new features. Within the Extended phase, only security updates are made available, though companies with paid support contracts can receive other fixes.

Currently, Windows XP and Office 2003 are in their "Extended" support phase, which ends in 2014. Once this hits, they'll cease receiving even security updates, leaving anyone still running that software open to whatever malware the Internet throws upon them. Windows Vista and Office 2007 will be in Extended support from now until April 2017.

RumorTT: Grand Theft Auto V is coming in October, according to a developer's CV
Big time rumor here, but according to a Rockstar North developer's CV, the upcoming sure-fire-hit Grand Theft Auto V will arrive in October. Since the news popped up on the Internet, the developer's CV has been removed and Rockstar are yet to comment.

We all know its coming, we all know its on its way, but how long until it launches? Rockstar's other big AAA release is Max Payne 3 which is due in just over a month's time. Rockstar would have enough of a gap (nearly six months) in AAA releases, which is fine in my books.

Just give me the games already, give me Max Payne 3 and I'll play that for a month or so and then give me GTA V. Just make it run at over 20 fps unlike the original, and I'll be happy. I do have to admit, I put this as a rumor because I don't see it coming out this year. If anything, I'd be impressed if Rockstar pushed it back and unleashed next-gen GTA upon us with next-gen consoles, and showed us a ported version for current-gen consoles. Now that, would be very, very cool.

ROCCAT Kone Plus Max Customization Laser Gaming Mouse Review

Introduction

roccat_kone_max_customization_laser_gaming_mouse_review

As I was scrambling around South Hall at CES and I had ROCCAT on my list of people to go and have a meeting with to see the latest and greatest of what ROCCAT was offering this year. I had already had my first look at this company with the Kova[+] mouse that I got really friendly with and up until just recently with the need to always be swapping out mice for reviews, had a long stay on my desktop.

The only real drawback in my time with this ROCCAT device, if you can even call it that, is once I got used to the Easy Shift feature included with their mice. When it came time to switch mice or work on a PC without a ROCCAT mouse attached, I got so used to the feature that I expected it to be on all mice and had do dedicate some time to relearning the usual suspects as far as mice go.

As I sat at the table at their booth and went through the details, new tricks in the software and just anything I could absorb about the company, I was shown two specific products that were on display. There was a new keyboard, the ISKU, which I will be bringing to you in just a couple of days, but there was also a mouse on the table that offered all of what the Kova[+] had to offer, but this time the design is a little more over the top with the move to as laser sensor, lighting features, a cool logo placement and a new intercommunication between ROCCAT's mice and keyboards with Talk FX technology.

What does this do for you? Well, it allows you to use the Easy Shift on the mouse to work the keyboard controls and the other way around as well. Not exactly a must have in mice, but if you are going to be taking the Easy Shift to keyboards as well, the ability to use either of them to help control the other is full of win in my book.

The mouse in question we are going to look at today from ROCCAT is the Kone[+]. This right hand only mouse offers styling to the hilt, with some really cool lighting features that will allow this mouse to match with any decor or do things that will make all of your friends green with envy. Since I have the ability to jump ahead and check things out before I deliver the review to you, I can assure you that as long as you are a right hander, there isn't a thing that can't be changed or addressed in some fashion to completely customize the look, feel and functionality of the Kone[+] via the included driver and software you must download to get the full effect of what ROCCAT is trying to do here. That is simply to offer things in a way that haven't been thought of and make the time you do spend with your peripherals as enjoyable as possible. I say we run the Kone[+] through the gamut of tests and see just how well they did this time.
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Available Tags:Intel , AMD , Intel , Microsoft , Windows , Gaming ,

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 4/11/2012

Introduction

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