IT News Head Lines (TechSpot) 06/01/2013

Weekend Open Forum: Fair price for unlimited wireless data? Wireless carriers tend to be among the worst when it comes to consumer friendlyness. At least that has been my experience with four or five providers in three different countries -- whether it's expensive data plans, restrictive and lengthy contracts, awful reception, or an utter disregard for customer satisfaction post-sale.... Read More ...

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Jelly Bean is now on 10 percent of Android devices Google has updated its Android Developer Dashboard site with data about the percentage of active devices running a given version of its mobile operating system. Unsurprisingly, the holiday season marked a few shifts in the version distribution of the platform, with Android 4.2 and 4.1 -- both named Jelly Bean... Read More ...

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Leaked roadmap shows Intel 530 SSDs with SandForce controllers VR-Zone has once again shared (Chinese) a possible leaked Intel roadmap, this time showing an Intel "530 series" SSD on the horizon. According to the leaked slide, 80GB and 180GB 530 models could appear as soon as Q1 this year. 2.5" and mSATA models should arrive during Q2, 2013. Meanwhile, the... Read More ...

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Google developer shares original Android mascot artwork We’ve seen Google’s Android mascot dressed in a number of different outfits over the years to commemorate each new operating system release. Visions of delicious jelly beans, an ice cream sandwich and gingerbread immediately come to mind but odds are you’ve never seen the original Android mascot until now. ... Read More ...

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Weekend game deals: Sleeping Dogs $17, Rage $5, Fallout: NV $5 Although holiday promotions are petering out (particularly at GOG, GameFly and GameStop), a handful of digital distributors are keeping the festivities alive this weekend. Steam's year-end event continues with discounts across hundreds of titles and new special deals every day, with today's offers including Sleeping Dogs for $17, Rage for... Read More ...

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US music sales up 3.1 percent in 2012 thanks to digital single sales Digital music is now responsible for more than half of all music sales in the US, according to figures recently released by Nielsen. It’s a milestone for the industry as it’s the first time that digital sales have topped physical stores with regards to album sales. If we had to... Read More ...

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"Cam" movie pirate issued record 5-year prison sentence Four members of prolific illegal file sharing group iMAGiNE have been ordered to serve prison terms after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. The group's leader Jeramiah Perkins, 40, managed to receive the longest sentence ever handed to a convicted file sharer -- five years in federal prison. ... Read More ...

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Apple may release an iPhone mini priced under $250 this summer The latest Apple rumor to surface suggests the company is planning to release a budget version of the popular iPhone handset known as the iPhone mini. Such a rumor would have easily been squashed previously but since Cupertino released a smaller and more affordable version of the iPad late last... Read More ...

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Qualcomm's StreamBoost to improve home network performance With the rise of connected devices at home downloading and streaming content it's getting increasingly easy to choke the average network when working simultaneously. The new 802.11ac standard is expected to address some of this starting in 2013, offering up to three times faster bandwidth and somewhere between 40 to... Read More ...

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Additional Intel Bay Trail details surface courtesy of leaked slides Additional details concerning Intel’s next generation Atom processor platform have surfaced online more than a year ahead of its scheduled arrival. Codenamed Bay Trail, the new platform will be a true single chip SoC built on Intel’s latest 22-nanometer process with Tri-gate transistor technology, according presentation slides posted to German... Read More ...

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Corning to demonstrate tougher Gorilla Glass 3 at CES 2013 Corning has announced plans to introduce the next generation of its high durability glass for mobile devices and other products at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. Dubbed Gorilla Glass 3, the new gadget glass has been improved at the molecular level, incorporating a proprietary feature called Native Damage Resistance... Read More ...

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iPhone 5S to debut this spring? May feature less input lag, colors The latest crop of Apple-related rumors suggest the iPhone 5's successor could make an appearance as soon as this spring. In addition, whispers from anonymous Chinese sources indicate that Apple is exploring a new touch display technology (Chinese) developed by display-maker (and Foxconn subsidiary) Chimei Innolux. Known as "Touch On", the company's approach... Read More ...

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Samsung unveils 24-inch touch monitor optimized for Windows 8 Samsung has announced a new series of monitors just days ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show. The 24-inch Series 7 SC770 utilizes a 10-point multi-touch panel that is optimized specifically for use with Windows 8 – the first display designed for Microsoft’s new operating system. This will allow users to... Read More ...

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Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Case Review It's been four years since Cooler Master unveiled its "CM Storm" sub-brand, which is now home to a strong lineup of enthusiast-oriented products including keyboards, mice, mouse pads, headsets and, of course, cases. Currently, the CM Storm chassis family includes the Sniper, Scout, Stryker, Enforcer and Trooper -- the last... Read More ...

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Sony applies for RFID DRM patent that would block used games Sony has applied for a patent on a hardware-based DRM technology that would let the company block second-hand games. Filed last September, the application (PDF) hadn't been published until this week and it's unclear if or when the patent will be awarded. The document outlines an "electronic content processing system, electronic... Read More ...

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Asus, Acer kill off netbooks as Chromebook tops popularity chart on Amazon Once the rising stars of the personal computing industry, netbooks have fallen out of grace in the last few years, replaced in consumer's hearts by tablets or more powerful ultra-slim laptops. Samsung, Dell and Toshiba already walked out of this market as far back as 2011 in favor of higher-margin... Read More ...

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MSI's Slidebook S20 Windows 8 convertible coming soon for $1,200 Unveiled last summer at Computex, MSI's Slidebook S20 fell off the radar after missing its initial release date in October. With CES coming up next week, the company has announced that its new Windows 8 convertible is finally approaching the airstrip with a landing date scheduled for some time this... Read More ...

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Nokia Lumia 920 successor will be constructed of aluminum Nokia is planning to update their line of Lumia Windows Phone devices for 2013 and at least one of them will be built around an aluminum shell. The new phone, codenamed Catwalk, is expected to be much lighter and thinner than current offerings thanks to the new building material, according... Read More ...

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Optical Thunderbolt cables on the way, prices expected to drop As rumored nearly a year ago, it appears optical Thunderbolt cables will be making their debut in 2013. The move to fiber-optic will bring a number of changes, but most importantly should allow for greater speeds (possibly up to 100Gbps) and far longer cables (roughly 30 meters in length). Currently,... Read More ...

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BluTracker helps find things within a half mile radius using your phone StickNFind, LLC has launched a campaign on indiegogo for a new product called BluTracker. As the name suggests, BluTracker is a long range Bluetooth GPS tracking device that features a line-of-sight range of up to 2,500 feet that’s suitable for all sorts of tracking applications. Best of all, there are... Read More ...

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Microsoft acquires R2 Studios to bolster Xbox 360 capabilities Microsoft has reportedly purchased Silicon Valley home entertainment technology startup R2 Studios and will likely use the new acquisition to bolster the Xbox 360 console, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The company had been in talks with Apple and Google before closing the deal with Redmond. Read More ...

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Apple may acquire Waze, the popular crowdsourced GPS app Multiple sources have been cited in this report, claiming Apple is engaged in acquisition talks with Waze, a popular crowdsourced GPS app capable of providing turn-by-turn voice navigation. One pot hole in the road though is Waze's asking price of $750 million -- about $250 million more than Apple is willing to... Read More ...

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Sprint to launch prepaid service with four handsets on January 25 Sprint is preparing to launch a prepaid service called Sprint As You Go later this month for individuals that aren’t keen on signing a two-year service agreement. The wireless provider will have four participating handsets available when the new service kicks gets rolling on January 25. Read More ...

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Asus to bundle Leap Motion's gesture control system with laptops and all-in-ones Leap Motion, the San Francisco based startup behind a new 3D gesture control system for computers has revealed its first OEM bundling deal this morning. Starting this year, select high-end notebooks and premium All-in-One PCs from Asus will let users control Windows by gesturing with their hands and fingers in... Read More ...

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Velocity Micro launches NoteMagix ultrabooks starting at $799.99 Boutique system builder Velocity Micro has expanded its mobile offerings with a new ultrabook range that includes three machines: the NoteMagix U430, U450 and U470. On the most affordable end of things, the U430 starts at $799.99 and offers a 14-inch 1366x768 anti-glare display, an Intel Core i3-3217U processor, 4GB... Read More ...

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Nokia Lumia 920 Review

In the Nokia Lumia 920, Windows Phone 8 has a worthy competitor to iOS and Android. It also features brand new software that is faster and more robust than its predecessor. Will a winning hardware foundation and vastly improved software secure the Lumia 920 a place among the elite? Read More ...

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The Best Gaming GIFs of 2012

Video games and gaming in general had its highs and lows during 2012, but more importantly, we've all turned those highs and lows into animated GIFs for the rest of the internet to behold. Read More ...

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Best Gadgets and Tech Products of 2012

Before we move on to the latest and greatest devices of 2013, we figure it's worth revisiting some of 2012's most popular devices as suggested by our Product Finder, which includes reviews by hundreds of seasoned specialists across the Web. We've included 59 products across 14 categories along with their aggregate review score and a brief commentary that explains why they're special. Read More ...

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Lenovo Yoga 13 Review

Lenovo is looking to capitalize early and often with the do-it-all Yoga 13. Priced from $999, this system was one of the first portable systems to launch alongside Windows 8. Without jumping right to the conclusion from the get-go, I will let you know that it's a very capable all-around system that doesn't compromise on that it is first and foremost: a notebook. Lenovo Yoga 13 Review. Read More ...

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The Fear is Gone: My PC is my Next-Gen Console

In September, I got myself a gaming laptop (yes, yes, I know, but it's a powerful one). I installed Steam and started downloading games. These games started updating themselves, snatching whatever files they needed, installing DirectX and god knows what else. I was trusting Steam and it was making my return to PC gaming a cinch. Read More ...

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Western Digital Black 4TB Hard Drive Review

The Black 4TB has a 7200RPM spindle speed with an average access time of 4.2ms. WD says it has a drive to drive throughput of 154MB/s, making it the fastest Black hard drive yet. This in addition to dual-actuator technology, 64MB of cache, 6Gb/s SATA support and a Marvell dual-core controller. Read More ...

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Acer C7 Chromebook Review

A $200 laptop is a difficult thing to assess. On one hand, the Acer C7 Chromebook has that shockingly low price tag, on the other, there is weak build quality and a netbook-grade processor. The trade-offs are not trivial and thatÂ’s before we acknowledge that the Acer C7 runs Chrome OS. Read More ...

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The Best PC Game Mods of 2012

This year was a big one for PC mods, with two - DayZ and Black Mesa - rivalling commercial products for public awareness and, perhaps more importantly, quality. Here's a shortlist of the best mods released during 2012. Read More ...

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Corsair Vengeance C70 Military Green vs. Thermaltake Level 10 GT Battle Edition Review

Despite the prevalence of military-themed motherboards, enthusiasts haven't had a whole lot of stock options for matching cases. Hoping to fill that void, Corsair updated its Vengeance gaming lineup with the C70 series in Military Green while Thermaltake launched the Level 10 GT Battle Edition. Read More ...

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Adobe's Flash Updater: Bloated, Confusing & Shady

Being one of the most prolific sources of security vulnerabilities in Windows and other platforms, Adobe Flash Player needs no introduction. In spite of that reputation, and the fact that the rest of the industry is moving away from Flash, it'd just seem Adobe is making all possible efforts to make its software more bloated and less attractive to all consumers alike. Read More ...

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Far Cry 3 Performance Test: Graphics & CPU

Like the original game, Far Cry 3 is set on a tropical island found somewhere at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. We'll be testing FC3's open world environment using 29 DirectX 11 graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia. Read More ...

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Far Cry 3 Review

Far Cry 3 is an open-world shooter through and through. The setup is simple: You're set loose on a massive island in the south pacific and tasked with gradually conquering it. Here's a gun. Have fun. It's an exhilarating and empowering adventure that combines player freedom with shiny technical polish. Read More ...

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Apple iPad Keyboard Folio Round-up

Modern tablets were designed primarily as media consumption devices. But more recently, units like the Microsoft Surface are challenging this idea with optional keyboards for tablets. Unsurprisingly, accessory makers have come up with a few units for the iPad as well. We checked out three of them. Read More ...

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Hitman: Absolution GPU/CPU Performance Review

Hitman: Absolution is the first game to be developed using the new Glacier 2 engine, specifically built to have a strong emphasis on enabling very dense crowds and allowing players to not only interact with characters but also to influence their behavior. The engine is said to be able to handle up to crowds of 1200 characters, which makes Absolution unlike any other game. Read More ...

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Hitman: Absolution Review

Absolution picks up the Hitman story where the last game in the series, 2006's Blood Money, left off. Yes, the last Hitman game was released more than half a decade ago. That's a long time between sequels, even in the relatively slow-moving video game world. But that extended time in development likely accounts for a lot of what makes Hitman such a sprawling, interesting game. Read More ...

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OCZ Vector 256GB SSD Review

OCZ is finally ready to unveil its first truly in-house SSD controller. It's been three years since Indilinx released a brand new controller and they are doing so today with the Barefoot 3, which is to be featured in OCZÂ’s latest SSD series known as Vector. Read More ...

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The Best Graphics Cards: Nvidia vs. AMD Current-Gen Comparison

With updated pricing, drivers, and performance across the board, we are revisiting today's AMD and Nvidia graphics card offerings to see where you should spend your hard-earned cash this holiday season and into early next year. Read More ...

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Sony Xperia TL Review

Each iteration of Sony's flagship device has improved and been better than the previous version, but no single attempt has been just right. The Xperia TL, available now on AT&T, is as close as the company has come to finding the smartphone sweet spot, but is that good enough? Read More ...

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The Rise and Fall of AMD

AMD has long been subject of polarizing debate among technology enthusiasts. Considering that it was once considered equal to Intel, many wonder why AMD is failing. However, it's probably fairer to ask how the company has survived so for long -- a question we intend to explore as we revisit the company's past, examine its present and gaze into its future. Read More ...

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TechSpot Holiday Gift Guide 2012

Although you're working against the clock, the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales make this a fairly sensible time to dive in and ensure your loved ones are sufficiently showered in silicon-laced trinkets and baubles on the morning of December 25. As it happens, we have a soft spot for said gadgets and we've compiled a list of over two dozen things spanning all budgets that we'd love to find under the tree this year. Read More ...

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Is There a Touchable Windows 8 Laptop For You?

While manufacturers havenÂ’t exactly flooded the market with touch-enabled laptops, there are some good options out there already. Expect a crush of touchable Windows 8 machines at CES early next year, but for those shopping this holiday, we have cherry picked the best touch-enabled, Windows 8 laptops. Read More ...

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Nintendo Wii U Review

The Wii U meets the standards of modern console gaming, while also supporting Wii Remotes and therefore serving as an HD version of the Wii. It does all of these things and introduces some well-realized new features to modern console gaming. Read More ...

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Call of Duty: Black Ops II GPU & CPU Performance

For Call of Duty fans, developer Treyarch just delivered an early Christmas present when they released Black Ops II this week. As the ninth game in the Call of Duty franchise and the sequel to the 2010 game Black Ops, we are hoping to see something meaningfully new from Black Ops II. Read More ...

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BitDefender Free Edition 1.0.13.862 BitDefender Free Edition is your chance to use one of the world's most effective antivirus engines for free. Read More ...

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Actual Window Menu 7.4.1 Roll up, window transparency, minimize to tray etc. Try these tools for free. Read More ...

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GoodSync 9.4.1.5 GoodSync is an easy and reliable file backup and file synchronization software. Read More ...

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WinPatrol 26.1.2013.0 Detects attacks and violations of your computer environment. Read More ...

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SafeIP 2.0.0.120 Hide your IP address and protect your online identity with SafeIP. Read More ...

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RegSeeker 2.1b RegSeeker is a companion for your Windows registry. Read More ...

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Listen N Write 1.12.0.3 Listen N Write can be used to play and transcribe ordinary audio and video recordings (WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA, AVI, MPG, WMV, OGV, FLV, VOB, TS, etc). Read More ...

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Port Triggering Initiator 1.0.0 Use this application as an on/off switch for port forwarding. Read More ...

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Drive Speedometer 1.1.0 Drive Speedometer is a program made to help monitor the current read and writes speeds of you hard drives. Read More ...

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Database .NET 7.7.4752 Database .NET is an innovative, powerful and intuitive multiple database management tool Browse objects, design tables, edit rows, export data and run queries with a consistent interface . Read More ...

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Picasa Photo Organizer 3.9.136.12 Automatically finds and organizes all of your pictures. Read More ...

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CoolNovo (formerly ChromePlus) 2.0.5.20 CoolNovo has all the functionalities that Google Chrome has. More, CoolNovo added some useful features such as Mouse gesture, Super drag, IE tab, etc. Read More ...

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Dropbox 1.6.12 Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically. Read More ...

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xpy 1.2.6 Small tool which disables the default threats of a windows xp installation. Read More ...

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8StartButton 1.0.10 Somebody removed it, we bring it back: a Windows 8 start button + start menu. Read More ...

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Zortam Mp3 Media Studio 14.65 All-in-one Mp3 application and organizer. Read More ...

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ZoneAlarm Pro 11.0.038 Block hackers and intruders from accessing your PC. Read More ...

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ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 11.0.038 Get multilayered security that keeps your PC safe. Read More ...

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ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 11.0.038 Tightly integrated set of advanced security layers that, together, create the most secure protection in the industry Read More ...

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Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool 1.4.2013 The Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool application was designed to be another virus scanner and detection software from Kaspersky Read More ...

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Norton AntiVirus X 9.x-10.x Defs 01/03/13 for Mac OS X Keep your Norton Anti-Virus updated. Read More ...

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Dropbox 1.6.12 for Mac OS X Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync and share your files online and between multiple computers. Read More ...

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Calibre 0.9.13 calibre is a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books. Read More ...

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Newzie 0.99.9 Newzie is a news aggregator, which can be used to monitor RSS and ATOM formatted feeds, as well as normal webpages. Read More ...

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Wise Memory Optimizer 3.17 Wise Memory Optimizer helps you free up and tune up the physical memory taken up by some useless applications to enhance PC performance. Read More ...

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AMD Mobility Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows Vista/7 64-bit Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 64-bit Read More ...

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AMD Mobility Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows Vista/7 32-bit Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 Read More ...

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AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows Vista/7 64-bit Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 64-bit Read More ...

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AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows Vista/7 32-bit Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 Read More ...

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AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows XP 64-bit Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows XP 64-bit Read More ...

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AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.4 for Windows XP Driver Date: 4/25/2012 OS Support: Windows XP Read More ...

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Realtek 10/100M Fast Ethernet PCI Express Driver 7.053 for Windows 7 Driver Date: 3/22/2012 OS Support: Windows 7 Read More ...

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Realtek 10/100/100M Gigabit Ethernet PCI Driver 5.719 for Windows XP Driver Date: 3/22/2012 OS Support: Windows 2000/XP Read More ...

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Realtek Wireless LAN ICs IEEE 802.11b/g/n RTL8188SU Driver 1086.48 Driver Date: 4/19/2012 OS Support: Windows XP/Vista/7 Read More ...

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Realtek Wireless LAN ICs IEEE 802.11b/g/n RTL8192SU Driver 1086.48 Driver Date: 4/19/2012 OS Support: Windows XP/Vista/7 Read More ...

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Realtek Wireless LAN ICs IEEE 802.11b/g/n RTL8191SU Driver 1086.48 Driver Date: 4/19/2012 OS Support: Windows XP/Vista/7 Read More ...

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Cisco Linksys E1500 Firmware 1.0.04 Driver Date: 3/28/2012 OS Support: Windows XP/Vista/7 Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows 7 32-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows XP 64-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows XP 64-bit Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Notebook Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows Vista/7 32-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows 7 64-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 64-bit Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows XP 32-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows XP Read More ...

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Nvidia GeForce Notebook Graphics Driver 301.24 Beta for Windows Vista/7 64-bit Driver Date: 4/10/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 64-bit Read More ...

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Cisco Linksys E2500 Firmware 1.0.04 Driver Date: 4/9/2012 OS Support: Windows (all) Read More ...

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Realtek PCIe FE GBE Family Controller Series Driver 6.250 for Windows Vista Driver Date: 4/3/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista Read More ...

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Realtek PCIe FE GBE Family Controller Series Driver 7.053 for Windows 7 Driver Date: 4/3/2012 OS Support: Windows 7 Read More ...

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Realtek PCIe FE GBE Family Controller Series Driver 5.794 for Windows 2000/XP Driver Date: 4/3/2012 OS Support: Windows 2000/XP Read More ...

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Realtek HD ALC 880 Audio CODECs R2.68 for Windows Vista/7 64-bit Driver Date: 4/2/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 64-bit Read More ...

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Realtek HD ALC 880 Audio CODECs R2.68 for Windows Vista/7 32-bit Driver Date: 4/2/2012 OS Support: Windows Vista / 7 Read More ...

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Realtek HD ALC 880 Audio CODECs R2.68 for Windows 2000/XP (32/64 bits) Driver Date: 4/2/2012 OS Support: Windows 2000/XP Read More ...

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