IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 07/07/2012

EU court rules that digital downloads can be resold
One of the things that sucks about digital media is the fact that until now, once it was downloaded, that was it. No trade-ins, no selling them to friends or someone over the Internet. But, the Court of Justice of the European Union thinks you should be able to resell those games.

The court thinks consumers should be able to resell any software they buy, no matter if it was physical media, or in a downloadable form. Where did this judgment pop up from? A case involving UsedSoft, who is a company that resells Oracle licenses acquired from previous owners. Oracle tried to stop UsedSoft from selling licenses, but it didn't fare well for Oracle. You can check out the full ruling here, as well as the official press release, a snippet can be seen below:

Under that directive, the first sale in the EU of a copy of a computer program by the copyright holder or with his consent exhausts the right of distribution of that copy in the EU. A rightholder who has marketed a copy in the territory of a Member State of the EU thus loses the right to rely on his monopoly of exploitation in order to oppose the resale of that copy. In the present case, Oracle claims that the principle of exhaustion laid down by the directive does not apply to user licences for computer programs downloaded from the internet.
By its judgment delivered today, the Court explains that the principle of exhaustion of the distribution right applies not only where the copyright holder markets copies of his software on a material medium (CD-ROM or DVD) but also where he distributes them by means of downloads from his website.

Where the copyright holder makes available to his customer a copy - tangible or intangible - and at the same time concludes, in return form payment of a fee, a licence agreement granting the customer the right to use that copy for an unlimited period, that rightholder sells the copy to the customer and thus exhausts his exclusive distribution right. Such a transaction involves a transfer of the right of ownership of the copy. Therefore, even if the licence agreement prohibits a further transfer, the rightholder can no longer oppose the resale of that copy.

WikiLeaks set to unleash 2.4 million Syrian e-mails
WikiLeaks are back in the news this week, with reports saying the whistle-blowing website is set to unleash 2.4 million e-mails from Syrian officials and government accounts. The e-mails would likely reveal communication between the Syrian government and Western companies, that would put them in a spot of controversy over the alleged collusion between the Syrian regime and its supposed "enemies".

Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks told journalists that the leak will cause embarrassment to both Syria and its opponents, with e-mails dating back to as far as August 2006, and as recent as March of this year, with some of the e-mails originating in Syria's Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

Of course, the source of the leak hasn't been confirmed, but Harrison claims that WikiLeaks is confident that they are genuine. WikiLeaks have begun posting some of these e-mails online, with the rest of them to follow.

Microsoft says their top 4 franchises "outsell like the top 11 Sony franchises"
Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer, has some words to say against his competitors Nintendo and Sony. First off he has stated that the Wii U is graphically equivalent to the current-generation Xbox 360, and he's got some even nicer words for Sony, saying that Microsoft's top 4 franchises outsell the top 11 franchises from Sony.

He told GamesIndustry:

We have always been about trying to create hits that really push our platform and reach millions of people. I've never looked at our first-party mandate as trying to simply pump out content that only a few select people will go out and buy. If you look at our top franchises in our first-party, they do incredibly well relative to other first-party franchises. If you rank our top four franchises against the other franchises, our top 4 outsell like the top 11 Sony franchises or something like that. In the end, it's about creating something to scale and something that matters.

What do you think? Sony have some powerful IP, but I personally think Microsoft have it this generation. Halo, Gears of War, etc. Sony will need to try very hard to win with the next-gen of console wars, as Microsoft seem to be on a roll right now with Windows 8, making hardware (tablets), and more.

The interview with GamesIndustry is quite good, so I definitely suggest you take a look at it.

GIGABYTE announces world's first dual-port Thunderbolt motherboards
GIGABYTE have just announced the very latest 7-series motherboards that are the first to offer fully certified dual on-board Thunderbolt ports. The motherboards allow you to connect up to 12 devies, plus 3 digital displays simultaneously.

The Thunderbolt-powered motherboards allow users to daisy chain up to 12 devices simultaneously through an incredible bi-directional 10Gbps data pipeline that features both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic. GIGABYTE has worked closely with some of the world's largest device partners, including Promise® Technology, LaCie, BlackMagic, Western Digital, Seagate, Elgato, CalDigit and cable manufacturer Sumitomo.

Thunderbolt is no slouch when it comes to performance, meaning that these GIGABYTE dual-port Thunderbolt motherboards transferring at their top speed of 10Gbps, could transfer a full HD 1080p movie in under 30 seconds - imagine that!

The three motherboards to sport dual Thunderbolt ports are, the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH, Z77X-UP4 TH, and finally, the Z77MX-D3H TH.

Facebook adds gay marriage icons, Apple follows suit with iOS 6
Up until the weekend, if you were to declare you were married on Facebook, it would show the traditional cake-topper style icon of a male and a female together. Well, with the whole gay marriage debacle going on across the world, Facebook have gotten with the times and updated the options for marriage.

Considering the social networking site features more than 900 million users, it is a move that should've been done a while ago. In the U.S. over the weekend, users started to notice new icons, either two males, or two females. James Lazar, a 38-year-old Chicago man was married to a man, but refused to change his status due to the male-female cake-topper style icons. He says "I don't like being forced into typical gender roles -- because we aren't. I think it's offensive".

Eventually, he changed his relationship status on Facebook to married and shortly after his icon changed to two men. He said in an interview with CNN, "I honestly didn't realize it was going to show up in my feed. I have 80,000 people 'liking' it and congratulating me and I'm like, 'Well, it was seven years ago!'"

Apple have also joined in by adopting gay couples expressing various affectionate gestures in iOS 6's canned text message image responses.

Lian Li PC-V355-B Mini Tower Chassis Review

Introduction

I have been reviewing long enough to remember a couple of the older HTPC or Mini-Tower cases that Lian Li brought forth in my time. Thinking back to cases like the PC-A series and PC-600F, they were still more like cases than the tiny boxes that quite a few of the later samples I've received. I also saw a few of the Mini-Q cases where I had started to see things like easy to pop on and off doors that no longer needed thumbscrews, ventilation and tunneling to allow good sized fans to work as intake as well as exhaust in tight spaces and the addition to having the option to have an optical drive mounted on the side rather than through the front bezel of these sleek designs.
As I looked to Lian Li to keep up to speed with what this chassis was all about, I noticed the mention of this being from the Magic-Box series of cases. I would assume this and the PC-V354 are both part of this group, but oddly there was no mention on that product page or any other page for that matter. At this point I would assume this to be the start of that chassis series and judging from what I have seen, the term Magic-Box is very appropriate for this design. Outside as well as internally, this latest submission has quite a few things that everyone will appreciate and only one major issue that needs some looking into in my opinion.
The chassis we are going to be looking at today is the PC-V355 Mini-Tower chassis from Lian Li. While the outside isn't anything radically new, it does offer an elegant approach to keeping things tidy and sleek on your desktop. We all know that with a Lian Li chassis, no matter the size, there is always the demand for top dollar investments to obtain one.
This one in my opinion isn't all that bad though, with pricing right in the range of a well equipped Mid-Tower chassis, but I can guarantee this one will look much better and have much less of an environmental foot print. All this while still giving you ample room to pack quite a bit of power into this area-challenged Mini-Tower.
... Read the rest in your browser!

GIGABYTE Launches World's First Fully Certified Dual Port Thunderbolt™ Motherboards
GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, todayannounced the latest GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards, the very first to offer fully certified dual onboard Thunderbolt ports. Capable of connecting up to 12 devices plus 3 digital displays simultaneously, with breathtaking data transfer speeds that can transfer 1TB of data in only five minutes, GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards offer the fastest connection interface ever on the desktop PC.

Compatibility may vary according to system configuration and device specifications

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards allow users to daisy chain up to 12 devices simultaneously via an incredible bi-directional 10Gbps data pipeline that includes both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic. GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards redefine desktop PC connectivity to make it far easier to connect multiple high speed storage devices and HD displays to your PC than ever before.

Performance may vary according to system configuration and device specifications

"It's easy to see how our unique dual port Thunderbolt implementation simply offers more," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "We're the only motherboard vendor currently offering DIY PC builders the absolute maximum in terms of device connectivity."

"Thunderbolt technology represents a leap in performance and simplicity for media creators and entertainment enthusiasts," says Jason Ziller, Intel's director of Thunderbolt marketing. "We are pleased to be working with GIGABYTE as they bring the first dual Thunderbolt port motherboard to market. It's a great example of what Thunderbolt makes possible."

GIGABYTE Dual Thunderbolt motherboards open up a wealth of new possibilities regarding high-performance storage devices. GIGABYTE has worked closely with several leading device partners, including Promise® Technology, LaCie, BlackMagic, Western Digital, Seagate, Elgato, CalDigit and cable manufacturer Sumitomo:

"Working with GIGABYTE has been very exciting," said Kosta Panagos, Director of Creative Marketing, at CalDigit. "GIGABYTE's new line of Intel 7 series motherboards featuring dual Thunderbolt ports, will usher in a new era of flexibility to the PC platform. It is also a perfect match with CalDigit's new T1 and T2 Thunderbolt drives which provide professional level performance on all platforms at consumer prices, a feat that was previously unattainable, thanks to GIGABYTE and Thunderbolt technology."

"GIGABYTE's new dual port Thunderbolt motherboards are an exciting innovation, giving incredible performance and are perfect for video and film professionals using Thunderbolt and the PC," said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. "Customers using our wide range of Thunderbolt devices will now be able to choose to work in whatever format they need, giving them the flexibility to build whatever production and post production workflow they need."

"In line with GIGABYTE and its dual on board Thunderbolt ports, WD's My Book® Thunderbolt Duo offers dual Thunderbolt ports for amazing creative flexibility while allowing daisy-chaining of up to six My Book Thunderbolt Duo drives or other high performance peripherals for fast and efficient workflow," said Craig Davis, Director Sales & Marketing, Retail Division, Western Digital Asia Pacific & Japan Region.

"Thunderbolt technology is a fantastic way to deliver both data and display via one interface. It provides unparalleled performance and plenty of flexibility," said Leo Paskin, Product Marketing Manager at Seagate. "With the ability to daisy chain up to 12 devices on GIGABYTE's new dual port Thunderbolt motherboards, you can turn a desktop PC into a central device hub by plugging in a single cable!"

"As the first Intel certified cable vendor, Sumitomo is delighted to see GIGABYTE bring the first dual port Thunderbolt motherboard to market, creating the ultimate connectivity for desktop PCs, commented Motoi Matsuo. "These new Thunderbolt motherboards are also the perfect fit for Sumitomo's exclusive high speed 20m optical cables."

"Thanks to their dual Thunderbolt ports, Gigabyte's new 7 series motherboards deliver unbeatable flexibility", says Adam Steinberg, Vice President Marketing at Elgato. "The unique dual port feature enables users to combine multiple portable Thunderbolt devices like the powerful Elgato Thunderbolt SSD."

"LaCie is pleased to see GIGABYTE announce Thunderbolt technology on their lasted motherboards," said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager, LaCie. "The time is now for demanding PC users, especially digital content creators, to experience the unprecedented speeds and advantages enabled by Thunderbolt Technology. The desire for computers and peripherals to keep up with their work flow is a concern of the past."

Dual Thunderbolt - Fast, Flexible and Simple Connectivity for your Motherboard

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards are the first to be certified by Intel featuring dual Thunderbolt ports directly on the motherboard back panel I/O, with each Thunderbolt port supporting a maximum data transfer speeds with simultaneous bi-directional data transfer at speeds of up to 10Gbps - this means you can transfer a full HD 1080p movie in under 30 seconds.

GIGABYTE's dual port Thunderbolt implementation ensures the absolute maximum potential connectivity, with support to connect up to 12 individual devices simultaneously, with each port offering full 10Gbps bandwidth.

Thunderbolt combines both DisplayPort and PCI Express protocols over a single cable so that users can connect a multitude of device types in tandem with HD streaming video and 8-channel audio, simultaneously in one specially developed cable. Users can also enjoy improved flexibility by 'daisy-chaining' several devices while still enjoying low latency and industry-leading data transfer speeds.

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt Motherboards Models

Dual Thunderbolt Ports are featured on the following GIGABYTE motherboard models:

Ultra Durable 5

The GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH and Z77X-UP4 TH both employ award winning GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 technology that includes high current capable components for the CPU power zone including IR3550 PowIRstage® ICs from International Rectifier, 2X Copper PCB and high current Ferrite Core Chokes rated up to 60A, which together are able to deliver up to 60°C* cooler temperatures than traditional motherboards. Featured on a range of new motherboards based the Intel® X79 and Z77 Express Chipsets, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 technology is the next evolution in quality motherboard design.

BIOSTAR announces the world's first AMD FM2 motherboard approved by Microsoft Windows 8
BIOSTAR, major manufacturer of motherboards, VGA cards, industrial computer systems and other peripherals, today announces that its' AMD FM2 motherboard "Hi-Fi A85X" has received the Windows 8 hardware certification from Microsoft.

With the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) certification, BIOSTAR guarantees to deliver the most reliable, performance-driven solutions to power Microsoft Windows 8 and setting a standard for future Windows 8 certified motherboards.

You can enjoy the benefits and features of Microsoft new generation operating system, while having access to easy upgradability without any compatibility from BIOSTAR products. Please visit http://www.biostar.com.tw to learn more about us.

Available Tags:WikiLeaks , Microsoft , Sony , GIGABYTE , Thunderbolt , motherboards , Facebook , Apple , iOS , Windows 8 , AMD , Windows ,

Saturday, July 7, 2012

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 07/07/2012

Introduction

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