IT News Head Lines (TechSpot) 15/04/2013

Weekend Open Forum: Is PC gaming really dying? We’ve been hearing for years that PC gaming is on its deathbed. Next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony are just around the corner while Nintendo’s Wii U is already on the market (although it’s hardly a threat). The more pressing matter, however, is the influx of mobile games on... Read More ...

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FAA shoots down hijacking demonstration via Android app Those preparing to fly the friendly skies can breathe a sigh of relief today as the Federal Aviation Administration has shot down widely-reported claims that a security researcher could theoretically hack into an airplane’s computer system and effectively hijack it using an Android app. Read More ...

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Tablet sales set to soar 28% this year to $64 billion As numerous industry analysts have long predicted, tablets continue to expand in popularity even as PC sales hit an all-time slump. ABI Research is the latest firm to lend its voice to the chorus singing of tablet growth, forecasting a 28 percent bump in tablet sales for 2013. Consequently, worldwide... Read More ...

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Microsoft pulls the plug on buggy security update Microsoft has pulled the plug on a buggy security update released as part of Patch Tuesday earlier this week. The issue first came to light a couple of days ago when some PCs in Brazil were rendered unbootable after installing update 2823324. Read More ...

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Weekend game deals: Tomb Raider $35, Assassin's Creed III $25 If you've been waiting for a few bucks off Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed III or Dishonored, now's your chance. Amazon has cut 30% off the Lara Croft reboot, pricing it at $35, while Steam has Dishonored for half off at $30 and Get Games offers ACIII for $25. You'll also... Read More ...

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Samsung announces Series 9 Premium ultrabook for $1,400 Samsung has added a premium variant to its Series 9 ultrabook lineup that packs a full HD (1920 x 1080) matte display and Core i7 processor for $1,399. The 13.3-inch machine is viewed as a competitor to the MacBook Air, and at that price it does manage to outclass the... Read More ...

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Analyst: Netflix would be most-watched "cable network" Netflix CEO Reed Hastings noted on Facebook that his company served up some four billion hours of streaming video in 2013 -- and we're not even done with April. He also plugged an upcoming Netflix original series named Hemlock Grove, a horror-genre show directed by Eli Roth. Read More ...

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Verizon launches budget-minded $35 prepaid plan with 500 minutes Verizon recently launched a new prepaid plan designed to offer significant savings for those not interested in a smartphone. The no-contract plan includes 500 anytime talk minutes in addition to unlimited text and Internet usage for just $35 per month – a solid value for someone that doesn’t spend a... Read More ...

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Apple to settle water damage warranty lawsuit for $53 million Apple has agreed to pay a $53 million settlement on a class action accusing the company of denying repairs for some of its mobile devices while they were still under warranty. The payout covers the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the 3GS, along with the first three generations of... Read More ...

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Nvidia demonstrates next generation Kepler Mobile graphics Nvidia’s recent investor day was the perfect platform for CEO Jen-Hsun Huang to showcase the firm’s next generation mobile chip. Known as Kepler Mobile, the upcoming mobile hardware is derived from the high-end Kepler architecture that Nvidia uses for current-generation notebook and desktop GPUs. Read More ...

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IBM to invest $1 billion in flash storage research and development Solid state drives could soon become a staple in the enterprise sector thanks to a recent commitment from IBM. Big Blue announced plans yesterday to invest $1 billion in the research and development of flash storage to help design and build servers, storage systems and middleware for better flash storage integration. Read More ...

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Study says Bing is five times more likely to find malware than Google An 18-month study has concluded that searches on Bing are five times more likely to link users to malicious websites than searches through Google. The study, conducted by German independent testing firm AV-Test, noted that although strides have been made to curb malware-infested websites, they still manage to appear among... Read More ...

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EA cleans house at Montreal studio, most staff members laid off EA has reportedly handed out another wave of pink slips to several unfortunately employees. Specifically, we are hearing that nearly the entire staff of EA Mobile Montreal is out of work. EA has confirmed layoffs have taken place but didn’t delve into just how many employees were let go or... Read More ...

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Infographic: Looking back at Gmail on its 9th birthday It's hard to imagine Google without its spaghetti bowl of web services, but less than a decade ago it didn't even provide email. Gmail shook up the Internet when it entered beta on April Fool's Day, 2004, offering handy features such as threaded conversations as well as a whole gig...... Read More ...

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Next generation iPhone, iPad mini reportedly facing production delays Apple’s next iPhone is widely expected to debut sometime this summer but according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo, the handset and the next iPad mini have been met with production difficulties that could result in delayed launches. Read More ...

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Judge: Apple, Google using courts as "business strategy" to "mop up mess" Displeased with a lengthy, ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Motorola Mobility (i.e. Google), a Florida-based federal judge has accused both companies of misusing the court system as just another business strategy. Bloomberg published the original scoop yesterday. Read More ...

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Iranian scientist says he has built a machine that can predict the future A scientist from Tehran, Iran, claims to have invented a machine that can predict the future of an individual with 98 percent accuracy. 27-year-old Ali Razeghi, managing director of Iran’s Centre for Strategic Inventions, said the device uses a complex set of algorithms to predict anywhere between five and eight... Read More ...

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Google Inactive Account Manager helps you plan your digital afterlife Ever wonder what will happen with all the data tied to your online accounts after you’re no longer around? Perhaps that’s not something many of us have given much thought to, but as more of our data lives online, it’s a genuine concern that Google hopes to address. Today the... Read More ...

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Use Secretbook to encode hidden messages in Facebook photos A browser extension called Secretbook allows anyone using Google Chrome to secretly embed a message in a JPEG image uploaded to Facebook. The contents of the 140 character message can only be viewed if you know the corresponding password, according to the program’s creator. Read More ...

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Mozilla CEO steps down to pursue something more commercial Gary Kovacs intends to step down from his post as Mozilla's CEO, the foundation's blog reveals. Kovacs is just one of a number of leadership changes being made at Mozilla as it begins "gearing up for the next chapter" -- a chapter which is ostensibly focused on mobile. ... Read More ...

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Windows Update bug renders some Win7 PCs unbootable in Brazil If your computer is running the 32-bit of Windows 7 and you just so happen to be reading this from Brazil, you may want to disable automatic Windows Updates if you haven't already downloaded and installed the latest round of patches released a couple of days ago. According to a... Read More ...

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Surprise: Internet connection not required to play 'Xbox 720' games There’s been no shortage of Xbox rumors as we move closer to the console’s unveiling next month -- well, technically, that’s also a rumor. Although I was hoping to steer clear of further hearsay until official details were shared, I couldn’t help but bring to your attention an updated Xbox... Read More ...

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Survey finds people are less polite on social media than in person Here’s a statement that’s likely to surprise nobody: people are less polite online than they are in person. The revelation comes as part of a recent survey from VitalSmarts which found that 88 percent of respondents agreed with the aforementioned statement while 75 percent say they have seen “good manners”... Read More ...

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Hacker demonstrates how to hijack an airplane using an Android app A security consultant by the name of Hugo Teso claims he has created an Android app called PlaneSploit that would allow him to remotely attack and hijack commercial aircraft. He recently presented his findings at the Hack in the Box security conference in Amsterdam where, among other things, he exposed... Read More ...

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Samsung intros Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3 phones, coming next month Confirming previous rumors, Samsung has announced its largest smartphones to date, the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and 6.3. With the latter spanning nearly an inch larger than the company's 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2, the oversized touch devices straddle the line between being smartphones and tablets -- phablets if you can stomach the term. Read More ...

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History of the Modern Graphics Processor, Part 2

Voodoo Graphics revolutionized personal computer graphics nearly overnight and rendered many other designs obsolete, including a vast swathe of 2D-only graphics producers. The 3D landscape in 1996 favoured S3 with around 50% of the market. That was to change soon, however. It was estimated that 3Dfx accounted for 80-85% of the 3D accelerator market during the heyday of Voodoo's reign. Read More ...

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BioShock Infinite Performance, Benchmarked

Along with DX11 effects, folks playing Bioshock Infinite on PC can look forward to higher resolution textures and a healthy range of customization. Infinite comes with six graphical presets that cover a broad performance spectrum, not to mention individual control over settings like anti-aliasing, texture detail and filtering, dynamic shadows, post-processing, and so on. Read More ...

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Razer Edge Pro Gaming Tablet Review

Like many PC gamers, I've often wished a machine capable of putting the power of a gaming rig in a portable device. After a week with Razer's new Edge gaming tablet, I realize what I really wanted was to play Bioshock Infinite in the bathroom without burning my thighs. All hail Razer, deliverer of dreams. Read More ...

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The History of the Modern Graphics Processor

While 3D graphics turned a fairly dull PC industry into a light and magic show, they owe their existence to generations of innovative endeavour. Over the next few weeks we'll be taking an extensive look at the history of the GPU, going from the early days of 3D consumer graphics, to the 3Dfx Voodoo game-changer, the industry's consolidation at the turn of the century, and today's modern GPGPU. Read More ...

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BioShock Infinite Review

You haven't been to a place like this before. The fictional floating city where Infinite is set is all clockwork platforms and brass gears, its many sections populated with hucksters, strivers, lovers and schoolchildren. One minute, you're walking past a sheer drop, the next a park swings down into the open space. Read More ...

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AMD Radeon HD 7790 Review

The latest member of the Southern Islands family, the new Radeon HD 7790 is designed to fill the gap between the Radeon HD 7770 and 7850. Set to precisely target the $150 price tag, the HD 7790 should be an affordable solution that provides good value to gamers on a budget. Read More ...

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SimCity Performance, Benchmarked

A city with few sims will see graphics cards such as the GeForce Titan or GTX 680 render massive frame rates because they are not being capped by the CPU (yet). As with most simulation and strategy games, SimCity is CPU dependent and overclocking should result in a healthy boost if needed. SimCity is not a game for showing off high-end GPUs as the cheaper 660 Ti and 7870 alternatives can work just as well for the most part. Read More ...

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StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Review

The game - not the interactive story, but the set of rules and conditions that form the basis of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm - has grown into a classic, an eternally replayable e-sport that you could seriously compare to chess or even football without making people snicker. Read More ...

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Acer Iconia W510 Hybrid Tablet Review

Hybrids are the optimal home for Windows 8 as both aspects of the OS are in use and get to shine as they were designed to. That brings us to the Acer Iconia W510 hybrid tablet, which can be essentially converted into a full-fledged PC with its keyboard dock - no Windows RT here, folks. Read More ...

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Tomb Raider Performance Test: Graphics & CPU

Tomb Raider on the PC supports DirectX 11, which brings access to advanced rendering technologies absent on current-gen consoles such as depth of field, HD ambient occlusion, hardware tessellation. Additionally, compared to the diluted console versions, the PC build offers better textures as well as AMD's TressFX real-time hair physics system. Read More ...

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SimCity Review

This brave new multiplayer SimCity grants me the focus I need to once again lose myself in the minutiae of running a virtual town. Maxis' latest creation is easily the most compelling SimCity I've played since the 1989 original. It's also a disaster. Read More ...

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Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Review

After wearing the single-GPU performance crown for 12 months, the GTX 680 has been dethroned by the new GTX Titan. The Titan carries a GK110 GPU with a transistor count that has more than doubled from the GTX 680's to a staggering 7.1 billion The part has 25% to 50% more resources at its disposal, including 2688 stream processors (up 75%), 224 texture units (also up 75%) and 48 raster operations (a healthy 50% boost). Read More ...

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Tablets of 2013: Nexus vs. Surface vs. iPad

The tablet market doesn't look very different than it did a year ago from the perspective of who's doing well and who's not. Perhaps the most exciting developments came towards the end of 2012: Google released the Nexus 10 and updated the Nexus 7, Apple launched a smaller and cheaper iPad mini, while Microsoft went all in with the Surface RT and Pro. Read More ...

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Crysis 3 Performance Test: Graphics & CPU

Crytek has given us another opportunity to hammer some hardware with the arrival of Crysis 3. Though this time PC gamers won't have to wait for graphical extras. Crysis 3 boasts of high-resolution textures, DX11 support and plenty of customization options that set it apart from the diluted consoles builds. The result looks incredible. Read More ...

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Crysis 3 Review

I've always had a soft spot for the Crysis series. Crysis 3, unfortunately, spends most of its time lost in the weeds. There's plenty of hunting, but it's sporadic, and changes made to the formula combine with dodgy AI and odd level-design to make the whole thing feel uncomfortable and ungainly. Read More ...

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Pebble Smartwatch Review

Pebble, a humble Kickstarter project embraced by nearly 70,000 backers, is the most buzzed-about smartwatch yet. Have those early believers been vindicated by the release of a phenomenal product or are they just another cautionary tale of what happens when reality doesn't meet the hype? Read More ...

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Triple Monitor Gaming on a Budget

Instead of using AMD or Nvidia's ultra-pricey dual-GPU card (or the new $999 Titan), we're going to see how more affordable Crossfire and SLI setups handle triple-monitor gaming compared to today's single-GPU flagships. Read More ...

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Dead Space 3 PC Graphics Test

Dead Space 3 might be a direct console port but it's done right, at least as far as I can tell after a few hours of gameplay. The game might not have DirectX 11 features or a high resolution texture pack, but I personally found it to be quite enjoyable. Read More ...

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BlackBerry Z10 Review

The BlackBerry Z10 debuts at a time when smartphones are as much about play as they are productivity, and this phone can thrive in this era only if it can strike a balance between entertainment and enterprise. Is this the savior that BlackBerry - the company and operating system - so desperately needs? Read More ...

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Cooler Master HAF XB Review

Mixing things up, Cooler Master's latest mid-size enclosure breaks the conventional mold with boxier dimensions -- in fact, the company describes it as a LAN box. Given the HAF XB's cube-like figure, it's no surprise that Cooler Master is pushing the LAN-friendly angle as well as pitching the HAF XB as the ideal test bed. Read More ...

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The Best PC Game Mods You Can Play Today

Thanks to mods, your entire PC gaming experience can be improved by the work of dedicated fans. Because some mods are so extensive, transforming almost everything about the source title, we felt it was only fair to list 12 of the best of them here, since they may as well count as their own new games. Read More ...

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Most Anticipated PC Games of 2013

It's an exciting year for gamers as we approach the next console generation and new software projects inevitably hit the PC as well. We've assembled a list of the hottest PC games expected to hit shelves over the next 12 months. Our selection includes 35 games and 10 bonus mentions we're lukewarm about. Read More ...

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MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook Review

The MSI GX60 aims to deliver a solid gaming experience on the go without breaking the bank. The GX60 packs a quad-core AMD A10-4600M CPU alongside the very speedy Radeon HD 7970M discrete graphics, 15.6-inch Full HD display and SSD/HDD storage options for a very attractive price. Read More ...

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Facebook Messenger for Android 2.4.2 Text your friends for free. Get Facebook Messenger to instantly reach friends on their smart phones, feature phones or desktop computers. Read More ...

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PaperScan Free 1.8.5 PaperScan Scanner Software is a powerful TWAIN & WIA scanning application with an OCR engine centered on one idea: making document acquisition an unparalleled easy task for anyone. Read More ...

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MacTracker 7.1.2 for Mac OS X Mactracker provides detailed information on every Apple, Motorola, PowerComputing, and UMAX Mac OS computer ever made. Read More ...

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Kik Messenger for Mobile Phones 6.3.1 50 million users love Kik! It's the fast, simple, and personal smartphone messenger that connects you to everyone you love to talk to. Read More ...

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McAfee Rootkit Remover 0.8.9 McAfee Rootkit Remover is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove complex rootkits and associated malware. Read More ...

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Handy Backup Free 7.3.4 Handy Backup™ Free is a free edition with a basic set of features. It lets you back up your files and folders locally, or to our Online Backup service. Read More ...

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Acme CAD Converter 8.5.1 Acme CAD Converter is a format conversion software for batch and vector files. Read More ...

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GRBackPro 8.0.0 A professional data backup program for Windows. Read More ...

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PC Image Editor 5.2 PC Image Editor is a free graphics editor with many of the features of a professional product. Read More ...

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Burn4Free 6.4 The new free burning solution and dvd copy. Read More ...

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Combofix 13-04-12 Scan your computer for known malware, and clean these infections automatically. Read More ...

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Actual Transparent Window 7.5.1 Awesome semi-transparent desktop will inspire you at work! Learn more. Read More ...

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Actual Window Rollup 7.5.1 Roll Up is the best way to minimize windows. No more innumerable icons. Read More ...

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Actual Title Buttons 7.5.1 Minimize to Tray, Roll up, Stay on Top. Read More ...

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True Launch Bar 6.5 Replacement for the standard Quick Launch bar. All functions presented in Quick Launch are also in True Launch Bar. Read More ...

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Actual Window Manager 7.5.1 Get rid of mess on your desktop. It's time to work quickly and brilliantly. Read More ...

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Zortam Mp3 Media Studio 15.70 All-in-one Mp3 application and organizer. Read More ...

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BitTorrent 7.8.29534 The most popular P2P application of current times on its original form. Read More ...

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Kaspersky RectorDecryptor 2.5.33.0 Cybercriminals use Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Rector for disrupting normal performance of computers and for unauthorized modification of data making it unusable. Read More ...

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Kaspersky XoristDecryptor 2.3.10.0 Fight malware from the Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Xorist family. Read More ...

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Kaspersky TDSSKiller 2.8.17.0 A rootkit is a program or a program kit that hides the presence of malware in the system, TDSSKiller eliminates them. Read More ...

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uTorrent 3.3.29533 (utorrent) uTorrent is an efficient and feature rich BitTorrent client for Windows sporting a very small footprint. Read More ...

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VirtualBox 4.2.12 VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. Read More ...

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iCloud Control Panel for Windows 2.1.2 The iCloud Control Panel makes it easy to keep your contacts, calendars, and bookmarks up to date automatically between your iOS devices and Windows PC. Read More ...

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Mozilla Firefox for Android 20.0.1 Get Firefox for your Android device. 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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