IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 11/07/2012

WD announce new WD Red NAS HDD range
Western Digital have just announced a fresh new series of HDDs, this time bound for Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. Enter the WD Red NAS HDDs, designed specifically for SOHO NAS systems with one to five bays. WD have had the Red series of HDDs compatibility-tested with top NAS box manufacturers for power and performance, which is something that is perfect for NAS setups.

WD's Red NAS drives come in 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB capacities, all in the 3.5-inch form factor. WD's Red line sports NASware technology, which is designed to improve reliability and system performance, reduce customer downtime and to simplify the integration process. WD's Red customers also get something special, free premium 24x7 dedicated support, and a three-year warranty.

Western Digital's Red line of HDDs is their fourth color to enter the market from the company, with the other colors being Black, Blue and Green. WD puts this down to the "Power of Choice", with their storage solutions clear and easy to identify. Blue for "solid performance and reliability for everyday computing", Green for "cool, quiet, eco-friendly", and then we have Black which features "maximum performance for power computing", and of course, Red for "home and small office NAS".

Pricing on the drives is not too bad, with MSRP for the 1TB, 2TB and 3TB being $109, $139 and $189, respectively.

Apple have a nice $74 billion stashed overseas
Just a quick one for Apple, according to an analyst at Moody's Investor Services, Apple are at the very top of the list of technology companies who are hoarding money overseas. It has been reported that the company behind the iPad, iPhone and many other money-makers, has $74 billion overseas.

Twelve months ago, Apple had $64 billion sitting overseas, but in the past year this number has expanded by $10 billion to $74 billion total. Tech companies with $2 billion or more in cash and liquid investments are said to hold around $227.5 billion overseas.

The second company to Apple with money overseas? Microsoft with $50 billion. Cisco comes in third with $42.3 billion, and Oracle in fourth place with $25.1 billion.

Apple OS X Mountain Lion Golden Master gets seeded to developers
Good news for Apple is that they have released the Golden Master (GM) version of their upcoming next-gen OS X Mountain Lion to developers. The "GM" version of the OS indicates this is the version of software that is destined for customers.

The build of the GM version if 12A269. Apple previewed Mountain Lion back in February of this year, highlighting a bunch of new features that are found in their mobile OS, iOS. This includes Messages, Reminders, Notes, Notification Center, Game CEnter, and more.

Just recently, at WWDC, the company showed off some new features including Dictation, iCloud Tabs, and 'Power Nap'. Apple's OS X Mountain Lion will be priced at $19.99 and should hit the Mac App Store later this month.

Assassin's Creed movie gets its main role taken by Michael Fassbender
We did promise more news on the Assassin's Creed movie when it hits, and today that has happened. The movie has just received a massive injection of awesomeness in the form of Michael Fassbender in the leading role.

Fassbender has signed on not only for the leading role, but as a co-producer. Fassbender will star as Desmond Miles, who explores the lives of his assassin ancestors through the Animus machine, letting him experience the time periods of the Crusades, the Renaissance, and in the upcoming third outing of the game, the American Revolution.

Fassbender is known for his roles in X-Men: First Class as Magneto, and recently in Prometheus, and the Quentin Tarantino-directed Inglourious Basterds. There's no details on the rest of the cast, or a release date, but you shouldn't expect the movie for another 2-3 years at least.

Kim Dotcom's extradition hearing gets pushed back to March 2013
The U.S. government wants Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom back on U.S. soil pretty bad, but have just experienced a bit of bad luck: a New Zealand court has rescheduled the impending August extradition hearing until March of next year.

Last week we reported that the raid on Dotcom's mansion was ruled illegal by an N.Z. judge, and it looks like this is the main reason the extradition hearing has been postponed, and so it should have. But, that seems to be just one, in a number of issues that the judge has pointed out. The BBC reports that Judge Helen Winkelmann said "the warrants did not adequately describe the offences to which they related".

Judge Winkelmann also ruled that the FBI's process of cloning Dotcom's hard drive in order to get evidence to the U.S. was unlawful. Dotcom has chimed in, where he recently claimed that U.S. Vice President, Joe Biden was the man responsible for closing down of Megaupload, Dotcom told TorrentFreak:

I do know from a credible source that it was Joe Biden, the best friend of former Senator and MPAA boss Chris Dodd, who ordered his former lawyer and now state attorney Neil MacBride to take Mega down.

OCZ Vertex 3 480GB Solid State Drive Review

Final Thoughts

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As we said earlier, there are two versions of SandForce 480GB drives manufactured with the SF-228X and synchronous flash. The first we reviewed today that uses 16 NAND ICs, but a few other companies went with a slightly modified controller (SF-2282) and 32 NAND ICs. We have two 480GB drives here now with the 16 NAND IC configuration and several more on the way with unknown configurations. By this time next month, we'll have stacks of 480GB and 512GB drive with and without SandForce controllers.

Back when 480/512GB drives cost over $1000, many companies were reluctant to ship these high dollar products. With flash prices coming down, retail prices are starting to look good and the 480/512GB products are the new 256GB drives. They still cost more than the 128GB and 240GB drives of course, but many enthusiasts are willing to speed $300 to $500 on a good SSD. Before long, we'll have 19nm and 20nm flash so the prices could drop another 10% to 15% before Christmas.

Back to the task at hand, the Vertex 3 480GB. This drive isn't the cheapest large capacity SSD on the market, but there are some add-on, value added goodies that should be weighed in before letting price become a deterrent. One of the biggest right now is the firmware that is still shipping on these drives. We know many companies have moved over to the new 5 series firmware and you really can't go back to 3.3.4 once you go 5. If you spent $400 to $500 on a drive and you lose half of the performance in two months because TRIM isn't working right, well that is an issue. As far as we can tell, the 480GB V3 drives are still shipping with the 3 series firmware, so you don't have to worry about the drop off in performance due to TRIM issues.

OCZ also has a solid support network that works well when you need it, too. On top of the support network is the info we found over the last couple of days with the length of time OCZ offers their drives. When you need a RAID pair, it looks like you'll be able to find a match, even a year or two down the line.

All things considered, I like the Vertex 3, but I don't really care for the current price. This is where OCZ has a problem and it isn't just a Vertex 3 problem. If they drop the price too much then it eats into Vertex 4 sales. If they keep the price where it is then we have to talk about the Mushkin DX 480GB and that isn't where OCZ wants to be at either. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

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Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes PC Review

Who knew? Who knew that Lego could produce so many games in so many universes and be popular? Who knew that a company could produce as many games as Call of Duty and still be somewhat seen as fresh and original? Who knew Lego would translate so well into a game? Travellers Tales. This isn't their first foray into the Lego video gaming space, in fact by now they are veterans and this shines through in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.

This game is probably the best Lego based game they have produced so far because it takes all the best bits of previous Lego games in terms of mechanics and throws out the rubbish that people don't like.

Lego Batman 2 is set in Gotham City as you would expect, on the evening of the Man of the Year awards. The two front runners Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor gather at the awards event and whilst the city is in lull, inmates escape from Arkham Asylum including the Joker to cause havoc on the streets of Gotham. With Lex running for President and voters falling for him, it is up to Batman and friends to show the people what Lex is really like and save Gotham City from itself.

Lego Batman 2 in many ways keeps the tried and true Lego mechanics of the previous game. Generally you are in a mission, have to solve a few puzzles with the environment and take on a boss character. Where Lego Batman 2 differs is how you reach those missions and this is where the crux of the game exists. The main missions and storyline is only a taste test for what the game is really all about. Open world exploration.

Once you have finished the game you are free to traverse the open world of Gotham City how you see fit (and with whatever characters you have unlocked). This may sound like nothing new, but in a Lego game, it's a nice refreshing change. You can find Golden Bricks and new characters to unlock as you explore the world and there is many nods to the Batman universe present throughout.

As the name implies Batman is not alone this time around and a number of his friends come along for the ride. We won't mention any but Superman because that would spoil a large section of the end game, but what we can say is that the mechanics of the game and missions are such that is very obvious which character fits where. You have characters that can bend metal, fly, breath fire or ice or are just super strong to take down objects. As well as this, Batman and Robin can obtain suits that change their abilities. Knowing which suit to have at the right time is key to progressing far in the game.

Multiplayer is handled as it has been in the past with drop in/drop out gameplay allowing anyone to join the game at any time and end the game at any time. One thing we noticed is that the world itself generally does not change when in multiplayer, you just have to work a lot more as a team and communicate to solve puzzles; whilst in the single player you can easily just switch characters. One nice thing the local co-op play does is split the screen as characters move away from each other. If both are present on the one screen, one is shown, but if you explore the world separately then that separation is clearly shown by splitting the world into two visual windows. This is very handy for local multiplayer.

Although the game is clearly targeted towards the younger market, there is enough in here to get adults somewhat excited. First of all the universe is represented extremely well, even in Lego form and the humour is biting and funny. More than once we laughed out loud at what was happening on the screen although Travellers Tales have somewhat toned down the level of humour in this game. They have tried to go for a more serious take in this game and it works. One interesting fact is that the Lego characters talk this time around. This leads to strong story development and much more interest in what is going on. This is the first Lego game I have actually wanted to finish and see through rather than feel like I had to finish it.

In terms of its visuals, the cuteness of the Legos shine through again. Travellers Tales have turned taking a game universe and turn it into Lego into a fine art and that again rings true with Lego Batman 2. The characters are cute and the world is represented well. One thing we would have liked to see is a bit more variety in the mission structure as well as the world itself. Considering the action takes place over a single night, it's hard to see how they could achieve that, but it can lead to repetitive gameplay. The voice acting is well done and as mentioned before is surprisingly good for a Lego game.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is no doubt the best Lego game that Travellers Tales has made so far. They have learnt a lot from the multitude of Lego games that have come before this one and it shows. Lego Batman 2 is the game where the formula really comes together. Where the elements combine to make a fantastic game and one you should definitely have a look at.

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Valve Announces Steam Greenlight
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Steam Greenlight, a new platform feature that enlists the community's help in selecting some of the next games to be released on Steam.

Steam Greenlight will allow developers and publishers to post information and media about their game in an effort to convince the Community that their game should be released on Steam. Greenlight piggybacks on Steam Workshop's flexible system that organizes content and lets customers rate and leave feedback.
As well as serving as a clearing house for game submissions, Greenlight will provide an incredible level of added exposure for new games and an opportunity to connect directly with potential customers and fans.

"Making the call to publish or not publish a title isn't fun," said Anna Sweet, at Valve. "Many times opinions vary and our internal jury is hung on a decision. But with the introduction of the Steam Workshop we realized an opportunity to enlist the community's help as we review certain titles and, hopefully, increase the volume and quality of creative submissions."

Steam Greenlight will be released August 30.

For more information, please visit this page.

Microsoft to Acquire Perceptive Pixel Inc.
Microsoft Corp. and Perceptive Pixel Inc. (PPI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire PPI, a recognized leader in research, development and production of large-scale, multi-touch display solutions.

"The acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we're excited to accelerate this market evolution," said Kurt DelBene, president, Office Division for Microsoft. "PPI's large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration."

Founded in 2006 by Jeff Han, a renowned pioneer in multi-touch technology, PPI shipped its first multi-touch workstation and large wall solutions in early 2007. In 2008 its technology gained widespread recognition for transforming the way CNN and other broadcasters covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In 2009 the Smithsonian awarded the company the National Design Award in the inaugural category of Interaction Design. PPI's patented technologies are used across a wide variety of industries such as government, defense, broadcast, energy exploration, engineering and higher education, and its expertise in both software and hardware will contribute to success in broad scenarios such as collaboration, meetings and presentations.

"We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion to build technologies that enable people to collaborate and communicate," Han said. "By joining Microsoft, we will be able to take advantage of the tremendous momentum of the Microsoft Office Division, tightly interoperate with its products, and deliver this technology to a very broad set of customers."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

AMD Announces Preliminary Second Quarter Results
AMD today announced that revenue for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012 is expected to decrease approximately 11 percent sequentially. The company previously forecasted second quarter 2012 revenue to increase 3 percent, plus or minus 3 percent sequentially. The lower preliminary revenue results are primarily due to business conditions that materialized late in the second quarter, specifically softer-than-expected channel sales in China and Europe as well as a weaker consumer buying environment impacting the company's Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) business.

The company expects second quarter gross margin to be approximately in line with prior guidance. Operating expenses for the second quarter are expected to improve and to be approximately 8 percent less than prior guidance of approximately $605 million, a result of tightly controlled expenses in the quarter.

AMD will report second quarter 2012 results after market close on Thursday, July 19, 2012. AMD will hold a conference call for the financial community at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) that day to discuss second quarter financial results and to provide information regarding expected third quarter results. AMD will provide a real-time audio broadcast of the teleconference on the Investor Relations page at http://www.amd.com. The webcast will be available for 10 days after the conference call.

AVADirect Now Offers Personal Supercomputer with Dual 8-Core Xeon CPUs, 192GB Memory and 4 GPUs
AVADirect, a leading provider of custom computer systems, offers the first personal supercomputer workstation with Dual 8-Core Xeon CPUs, 192GB Memory and Four Graphics Cards. Because of the close partnership with EVGA, AVADirect now offers ground breaking capabilities based on new EVGA SR-X motherboard with wide variety of component combinations to meet the needs of the most demanding professionals or enthusiasts.

Within the past month, manufacturers began to release new motherboards based on the E5 2600 XEON processors. End-users have seen them offered in rackmount and tower configurations from Supermicro, Asus, and Intel. Now, AVADirect is proud to announce that EVGA has released an enthusiast series motherboard that AVADirect offers in a custom configuration. Supported by the EVGA Classified SR-X dual-socket 2011 motherboard, the configuration boasts a whole new level of performance and expandability, including 7x PCI e expansion slots (with PCI-E 16x 3.0 support), 6x USB 3.0 ports, and 8x internal SATA ports; 4 being SATA III 6Gb/s. More importantly, the system will support up to 192GB of certified, Quad-Channel ECC RAM.

A configuration of this magnitude can utilize applications such as:

Photoshop / Adobe Products

AutoCAD

Lightroom

RevIt

Reason

Cubase

ProTools

Other applications this configuration can increase productivity on are:

Multiphysics 4.3

ALE3D

ANSYS

Various linear system of equations solvers like PARDISO and MUMPS

When asked about the combined efforts of EVGA and AVADirect to create such a solution, Joe Darwin; Director of Technical Marketing at EVGA, had this to say: "EVGA Is proud to partner with AVADirect to bring a powerhouse that boasts an extraordinary 192 GB of memory on the most capable 4-Way SLI and dual processor setups" Misha Troshin, co-owner and CMO of AVADirect, also had this to add: "AVADirect has built a standard based on providing custom solutions for those with custom projects and unique requirements that typically cannot be met by pre-built workstation configurations. Partnerships with EVGA, aid us in our goal to provide unmatched solutions that professionals or enthusiasts need to get the job done right".

SR-X Dual-Socketed Personal Supercomputer offers a new level of performance yet to be explored by any other manufacturer than EVGA. This is a huge step into the serious performance bracket and AVADirect is excited to be right behind EVGA with their mission to break down walls and create a whole new standard for bleeding-edge products available today.

WD® DESIGNS FIRST HARD DRIVES FOR SOHO NAS SYSTEMS
July 10, 2012 - WD® (NASDAQ: WDC), a storage industry leader, today announced the debut of WD Red NAS hard drives, an innovative line of SATA hard drives specifically designed for home and small office NAS (network attached storage) systems with one to five drive bays. Compatibility-tested with top NAS box manufacturers and optimized for power and performance, WD Red hard drives are now shipping in 3.5-inch 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB capacities.

The WD Red line features NASware technology, designed to improve reliability and system performance, reduce customer downtime and to simplify the integration process. This new product line addresses the unique environment of NAS and the growing demand for affordable, reliable and compatible storage that reduces customer total cost of ownership. WD Red hard drives also feature 3D Active Balance Plus, an enhanced balance control technology, which significantly improves the overall drive performance and reliability. In an exclusive for WD Red customers, WD is offering free premium 24x7 dedicated support and a three-year limited warranty.

The addition of WD Red expands WD's "Power of Choice" client hard drive solutions. WD recognizes that customers and their applications are diverse and they should be empowered to choose the drives that best suit their specific storage needs. With distinguishable colors, the "Power of Choice" storage solutions are clear and easy to identify: WD Blue (solid performance and reliability for everyday computing), WD Green (cool, quiet, eco-friendly), WD Black (maximum performance for power computing) and WD Red (home and small office NAS). The four colors enable quick selection of the best WD drive for customers' application or usage requirements.

"The network attached entry level storage market is poised to grow at an 86.2 percent 2011-2016 CAGR ," according to John Rydning, IDC's research vice president for hard disk drives. "WD's new WD Red hard disk drives offer a unique combination of product features and customer support for users seeking to expand the capacity of their entry-level network attached storage solutions."

"Until now, customers had to choose between using desktop or high-end server drives for their home or small office NAS systems - neither of which were both cost effective for consumer solutions and fully NAS compatible," said Melyssa Banda, senior director of product marketing for WD. "WD saw this challenge as a perfect opportunity to design a better solution so we developed WD Red drives, an optimized product for this rapidly growing segment."

WD Red hard drives integrate seamlessly with WD NAS solutions and are qualified to work with a wide array of WD OEM partners. An updated list of WD Red-qualified products and manufacturers is available on the WD website at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810.

Availability and Pricing

WD Red hard drives are available now at select resellers and distributors. Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the WD Red 1 TB drive (model #: WD10EFRX) is $109.00 USD, the 2 TB drive (model #: WD20EFRX) is $139.00 USD and the 3 TB drive (model #: WD30EFRX) is $189.00 USD. More information about WD Red hard drives including terms of the limited warranty may be found on the company website at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 11/07/2012

Final Thoughts

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