IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 19/03/2014

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 19/03/2014

TweakTown

Unity 5 game engine unveiled, includes 'enhanced real-time lighting'
Some news broke a little earlier than it should, with Unity Technologies revealing its next iteration of its cross-platform game engine, known as Unity 5. The updated game engine has some new tricks up its sleeve, too.

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The team has described Unity 5 as a "massive update," with the new engine featuring a "completely overhauled audio system," physical shaders and enhanced real-time lighting. The updated engine will also include an ad-sharing network that should make it easier for developers using Unity 5 to cross-promote their mobile games.
Unity Technologies is hoping to attract more developers, and praise, with its support for the WebGL graphics API. Unity 5 will be available for pre-order sometime today, directly from Unity Technologies.

Sally Beauty Supply said less than 25,000 customers hit in data theft
Sally Beauty said less than 25,000 customer records were compromised during a data breach the store recently confirmed.

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The company is still waiting for Verizon to continue its forensic investigation before releasing full details of the breach, though the company said customers are its top priority and will continue to provide updates following the breach.
"We take this criminal activity very seriously,"the company said in a press statement. "We continue to work diligently with Verizon on this investigation and are taking necessary actions and precautions to mitigate and remediate the issues caused by this security incident.
The retailer also is working with the U.S. Secret Service to investigate the data breach - as the FBI and Secret Service have been frequently tasked with helping to investigate security breaches.

Google's Chromecast will finally arrive in the UK later this week
Google's Chromecast is one of the better HDMI streaming dongle's to hit the market in the last year, and now our friends across the pond are going to be able to experience the awesomeness that is Chromecast! Today a new rumor has emerged that the Google will finally launch the Chromecast in the UK on Wednesday March, 19th.

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If true, this launch will see an end to an eight month long delay that has seen the Chromecast waiting in the wings for its UK debut. In those eight months, Google has seen several competitors emerge and launch in the UK, including Roku's Streaming Stick. This could lead to less than stellar sells for the Chromecast in the UK, or it could some how boost sales with people who are curious as to what all the hype is over a $35 media dongle. Only time will tell, but I am putting my money on lower sales as a result of the delay.

Microsoft's Surface 2 with LTE is here, retails for $679 at AT&T
After quite a long wait, Microsoft has finally released its Surface 2 tablet with LTE support. The next-generation Surface table features 64GB of storage space, 200GB of free OneCloud storage for two years, and a free year of Skype calling. Windows RT 8.1 and an ARM-based processor handle computational duties, and now 4G LTE from AT&T in the US and UK as well as Vodafone keeps you connected when you venture away from a Wi-Fi connection.

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The Microsoft Surface 2 with LTE support will retail for $679 at AT&T retailers later this week, but has Microsoft priced it too far out of most peoples price range? A 32GB version of Nokia's Lumia 252 cost just over half of what a Surface 2 runs, and has most of the same features. I think Microsoft should have came in at a $499 pricing point, and these tablets would have flown off the shelf until demand outpaced supply.

Vodafone locks in Gold Samsung Galaxy S5 exclusive
The gold-colored smartphone craze is something that still baffles me, and I am having a hard time understanding why anyone would want a gold-colored device. My personal queries aside, Vodafone announced today that it will the the exclusive dealer of the new gold-colored Samsung Galaxy S5 in the UK region.

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Samsung will release the Galaxy S5 in the UK on April 11th and with this new announcement, the only place to get a gold version in the UK is to visit a Vodafone store. Vodafone says that it will begin pre-orders for the yellowish-brown device starting next week on March 28th, but the company failed to disclose any price points for the 32GB and 64GB versions.
"It's a real tribute to the engineering prowess that we have within Samsung that our R&D guys have managed to increase the screen size in the Galaxy S5 to 5.1-inches without increasing the footprint. That's really important: when it's in your pocket or in your hand there's no increase in size, yet you've got a bigger screen to enjoy the range of services at your fingertips," said Samsung's James White. "And on that score, looking at the way that Samsung and Vodafone are working together is great," James adds. "The services that Vodafone offers, such as Spotify and Sky Sports Mobile TV, really leverage the 4G network and come to life on the Galaxy S5. In that respect, increasing the screen size has to be benefit-driven."

Around 200 groups help police YouTube, flagging videos in bulk
Around 200 people now have the unique ability to flag up to 20 videos at once for review by YouTube violations, including the UK Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit.

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A report last week revealed the UK police unit had been granted "super flagger" ability, which allows for up to 20 videos to be reported at a single time, which was a pilot program launched in 2012.
The company said most of the participants are those responsible for spending a large amount of time flagging videos that violate YouTube's ToC. Less than 10 are reportedly government agencies or advocacy groups, such as anti-hate groups, according to media reports.
There is obvious concern of the British governments flagging videos it doesn't agree with, which is why Google chose to disclose more details of the program.
YouTube is the No. 1 video site in the world, with an average of 100 hours of video added to the video site every minute, according to Google statistics.

RumorTT: Apple could launch an 8GB iPhone 5C as early as tomorrow
With reports of millions of iPhone 5C units sitting in storage collecting dust, a new rumor has emerged about a new iPhone 5C model that may emerge as early as tomorrow. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on an 8GB model of its colorful plastic smartphone, and that it will release at some point this week with Tuesday, March 17th being the most likely date.

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The 8GB iPhone 5C will reported be aimed at those looking for an entry-level iPhone that is significantly cheaper than the iPhone 5S, but still retains all the hardware except storage of the current 16GB iPhone 5C. Unfortunately something tells me that the claims of a "significantly cheaper iPhone" will not be true and Apple will once again mark the iPhone 5C at a much higher pricing point than anyone expects. What would make much more sense for the company would be to mark the existing iPhone 5C models down to a $99 pricing point and attempt to generate a new market tier for itself.

OCZ partners with AMD at GDC14 to show off SSD-powered systems
Today OCZ Storage Solutions announced that it has partnered with AMD to showcase the benefits of using high-performance solid state drives in gaming systems. The team is showing off several professional-class gaming systems built around OCZ's line of high-performance SSD's and AMD's high-end gaming hardware at the 2014 Game Developers Conference being held this week in San Francisco, California.

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"We are excited to partner with AMD for the upcoming Game Developers Conference to support the fast growing interactive game development industry," said Alex Mei, CMO for OCZ Storage Solutions. "OCZ is dedicated to delivering premium solid state storage solutions that are not only a useful tool for developers, but also meet the unique demands of enthusiasts and gamers on all levels."

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"Our presence at the 2014 Game Developer Conference will feature a number of high-performance gaming systems running 24/7 in harsh conditions," said Darren McPhee, director of product marketing, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. "We knew that OCZ Vector SSDs were uniquely ready to meet the reliability requirements of our gaming installations. Between the high performance graphics of AMD Radeon GPUs and the fast load times of OCZ Vector SSDs, visitors to AMD's booth in the South Hall are in for a great gaming experience!"
OCZ's premium Vector 150 Series solid state drives will be featuredin AMD systems that promote improved CPU and GPU performance at the event, and will showcase enhanced rendering, speed, and overall system performance. OCZ says that "professional developer applications demand peak transfer speeds and ultra-high performance; OCZ SSDs offer 100 times faster access to data, quicker boot ups, faster file transfers, and a more responsive computing experience than hard drives."

Google updates Play Store, adds batch install feature and more
Google's Play Store got an update today that improves both security and functionally when installing and using apps. Version 4.6.16 of the Google Play Store brings forth better in-app purchase protection, as well a password protecting purchases from within the Google Play Store itself. Users now have the option to set password requirements for every purchase made, or unlock purchasing for 30 minutes at a time, or you can never require a password at all.

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The update also brings in a new batch install feature that allows users to quickly install multiple apps on a new device without the need for a 3rd party app. This will let users who have upgraded, or changed devices quickly install their most used apps at once, which greatly speeds up the process of setting up a new device. Google has also tweaked the UI a bit as well as fixed several minor bugs.

Dice explains the new Carrier Assault mode for Battlefield 4
Battlefield 4's upcoming Naval Strike DLC is one of the most anticipated expansion packs to hit the Battlefield franchise in quite some time now, mainly due to the return of "Titan Mode" in the form of a new mode called Carrier Assault. In this new game mode teams will be pitted against each other with one single goal, destroy the other teams aircraft carrier before they destroy yours.

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In Carrier Assault, teams will need to take control of key points on the map that when captured, release a torrent of missile attacks on the rival teams aircraft carrier. Once enough of these missiles reach their target, the carrier will have suffered enough damage to allow enemies to breach its hull and enter the ship. Once the rival team has entered the carrier, the objective shifts to arming two M-Com stations placed within the carrier. When both M-Coms have been destroyed for either team, the round is over. Alternatively, users can continue the missile barrage and bring the ships hull health down to zero percent which also ends the match.

Battlefield 2142 and Titan mode veterans will feel right at home with Carrier Assault, with the unique focus of giving players several options to win the match - either through map control or close quarter fighting inside the enemy HQ. The differences in setting and time period do however make Carrier Assault a fresh experience, and we hope you will get the same thrill out of parachute-spawning down to a carrier as you did when blasting off in a rocket pod towards a Titan.

Carrier Assault has been a fun challenge to develop, with many important aspects to be aware of. As fans of the old Titan mode, we really wanted to nail the end game part of the game mode, where both teams are attacking each other's carriers. From a design point of view, it was important to create that special feeling of excitement that the potential different outcomes of a match generates.We also wanted to keep control of the map important, so a team which is having trouble pushing through inside the enemies' carrier can still win the level by defending their own carrier while controlling the missile launchers.

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The Naval Strike expansion launches later this month for Battlefield 4 Premium members, and to the rest of the world in April. The DLC will launch simultaneously across consoles and PCs. No word has been released on how big of a download Naval Strike will be, but if any of the previous Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 expansions are any indication, you may want to free up 30GB-50GB on your install drive just in case.

Phishing attacks aimed at Google Docs, Drive users
Security researchers see a large volume of daily phishing attacks each day, but a recent phishing attempt to compromise Google Docs users has sent up red flags, according to a blog recently published by Symantec.

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The e-mail has a title of "Documents" and tricks users to view "an important document" via Google Docs by clicking an included link. Instead of going to the traditional Google Docs login page, a convincing fake Google Docs login page is where users end up. Even worse, the phishers are running the fake page on Google servers with SSL support, and when a user enters information, a compromised server receives the PHP script.
Following a compromised user logging in, a redirected page takes users to an authentic Google Docs file - a very convincing phishing effort.
Cybercriminals created the phony page using a folder inside a Google Drive account, which was set to public, then uploaded a file. Compromised Google credentials provide access to Gmail, Google Play, and other Google accounts, so this is a major security issue that users need to be aware of.

Battle against fake, malicious apps a global fight
The battle against fake and malicious mobile apps is a global effort, with the United States, Japan, South Korea, and a few other nations dealing with advanced fake apps.

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Researchers from RiskIQ found that malicious apps in the Android Google Play store increased by almost 400 percent from 2011 to 2013.
In Japan, fake business apps are unknowingly installed, then are updated so they are able to steal personal information and user credentials. Drugstore chain Matsumotokiyoshi has had to deal with a fake app, dubbed e! Matsumotokiyoshi, used the company's logo sending users to the company's official website - but the malicious app accepts user payments to place orders, with financial data stolen.
South Korea, where smartphone penetration has reached 70 percent of the population, researchers are finding increasingly advanced fraud tactics used to steal information and frustrate users.
Companies must work to ensure their logos and other corporate information isn't being used by these types of malicious apps.

This 5-minute video of Yosemite National Park will blow your mind
Time-lapse videos of nature are one of my favorite genres of internet video to watch, especially when shot the right way. A new video released recently by Project Yosemite is just the type of time-lapse that I love. The video features expansive views from deep within Yosemite National Park during both the day and the night. Breathtaking shots of the Sierra Nevada mountain range framed by a very bright and sharp Milky Way take this video above and beyond.

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Project Yosemite is a coloration between Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill, two videographers who met through Vimeo that decided to shoot the undeniable beauty that is Yosemite National Park. The videos are a compilation of more than 45 days spread over ten months of work to generate the five minute video. The pair hiked over 200 miles to get the shots seen in the video and had to carry more than 70lbs of camera gear with them. The video below is simply amazing. I highly recommend setting it to HD, cranking up the sound and going full screen when viewing it for the first time.

"The best known places in Yosemite National Park are located in Yosemite Valley. When you drive into the valley, sheer granite monoliths tower overhead and waterfalls cascade thousands of feet down to the valley floor. From Glacier Point and other stations along the rim of the valley, you can see deep into the Sierra Nevada. In our video, you can see locations like the Cathedral Range at sunrise, dotting the horizon with jagged edges... It takes a lot of work to get to most of the locations we shoot. In total, we've hiked more than 200 miles to capture our footage with packs that weigh an average of 70 lbs." A shorter four minute version is on Vimeo as well and it is no less spectacular than the first. Do you know of any other amazing time-lapse videos that are breathtaking? Share them in the comments below!

Metadata reveals a large amount of information about users: study
Mobile phone metadata is more valuable than the National Security Agency (NSA) tries to imply, and it's possible to find sensitive information with phone metadata, using social media, and pattern matching, according to Stanford University researchers.

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Computer science graduate students learned, using 546 volunteers, that 57 percent of volunteers made at least one medical-related call, with 40 percent calling financial services. In total, the callers made 33,688 unique numbers and were able to make corroborations related to medical conditions and firearm ownership.
"At the outset of this study, we shared the same hypothesis as our computer science colleagues - we thought phone metadata could be very sensitive," the researchers found.
Further research showed a troubling trend in regards to phone metadata, with researchers raising alarm bells:
"We did not anticipate finding much evidence one way or the other, however, since the MetaPhone participant population is small and participants only provide a few months of phone activity on average. We were wrong. We found that phone metadata is unambiguously sensitive, even in a small population and over a short time window. We were able to infer medical conditions, firearm ownership, and more, using solely phone metadata."
President Obama said the NSA isn't looking at people's names or content, though with metadata so sensitive, strong corroborations and assumptions can be made based on a user's personal phone metadata.

Microsoft launches OneNote for Mac for free, includes new features
A little over 10 years ago, Microsoft released its revolutionary note-taking program, OneNote, and today the service is hitting a new mile stone. Today Microsoft announced that it has released the Mac version of OneNote and is offering it to all Mac users for free. OneNote for Mac features the same interface and functionality as its Windows counterpart, but the programs UI design is just a little different to better align with other Microsoft programs featured on Mac.

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Microsoft has also released the Windows, Web, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone versions of the application for free as well in hopes of becoming the number one note taking app in the world. There will be a premium version that offers integration with SharePoint and Outlook though, but all of the software's core features are free. Additionally, Microsoft has released a new cloud API that will enable developers to integrate OneNote into their apps easily.

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Microsoft has already put this new API to use and created a feature called OneNote Clipper, a feature that is similar to Evernote's clipper that lets users save webpages to OneNote from all major browsers. Perhaps the biggest new feature is the integration of Microsoft's new Office Lens for Windows Phone app that lets users take snapshots of notes on whiteboards and optimizes them for viewing. OneNote can now recognize the text in the photo and create entries from the image.

Top 10 TweakTown News Stories from the past week [17 March 2014]
Here are our top 10 news posts from the past week!

AMD rumored to call its dual R9 290X GPU the Radeon R9 295X2
We're hearing more and more about AMD's upcoming dual Hawaii-based GPU, but right now there's no name for it. Dutch tech site BouweenPC.nl is reporting that AMD might call it the "Radeon R9 295X2."

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The report states that the core clocks on the R9 295X2 would be under 1GHz, and that the company is working on a hybrid air+water cooling solution for the card. The cooler will reportedly feature heat sinks with airflow to the RAM, VRM and other hot components, while two liquid cooling blocks would take the head away from the GPUs.
If this is the case, the Radeon R9 295X2, or whatever AMD call it, would not be a simple installation. I'm hoping this report isn't true, and that whatever AMD releases, it is a simple plug-and-play card. The image above is of the ASUS ARES II GPU, which has a similar cooling setup for comparison.

Cheap Ultra HD monitors are on the way, mid-2014 for cheap 4K
Right now, Ultra HD monitors are out of most consumers' reach as they are priced too high. 4K-capable displays range from nearly $1000 to close to $5000, depending on what you are after.

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NPD DisplaySearch is now reporting that the industry will ship around 2 million Ultra HD monitors by the end of the year, with display makers paving the way for "affordable" 4K monitors at around 28 inches by the middle of the year. Normally cheap means crap quality, but Samsung and LG are both diving into the "affordable" 4K race, which should have users excited.
So if you're in the market for a monitor with a massive 3840x2160 resolution, you might want to wait a few more months as there should be more monitors to choose from.

Scientists to announce a "major discovery" later tonight
Later on today, scientists will announce a "major discovery" at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. There will be a press conference held, which will begin at 11:55am EDT, something you can watch here.

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What should we expect to be announced? The Guardian is reporting on speculation that the discovery involves the discovery of primordial gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of spacetime that were produced in the early universe. The imprint they left behind goes back to when the universe was created, some 13.82 billion years ago.
The Guardian said: "The signal is rumoured to have been found by a specialised telescope called Bicep (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) at the south pole." Hiranya Peiris, a Cosmologist from the University College London told The Guardian: "It's been called the Holy Grail of cosmology. It would be a real major, major, major discovery."

Thief's upcoming patch will add Mantle, TrueAudio support from AMD
The Thief reboot is set to receive a patch tomorrow that will have AMD users smiling from ear-to-ear. The new patch will add support for the company's TrueAudio and Mantle.

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TrueAudio will see the world of Thief enjoy an effect dubbed "convolution reverb," which will simulate the echoes you'd normally hear in a similar real-life location. The effect works by recording an impulse response of a real location, which is then used by the game as an echo characteristic to manipulate the audio into sounding much more realistic.
This new feature is something gamers can tweak on their system, where they can have the option enabled to be run off their CPUs, which will increase gamers' CPU utilization, and on some systems, negatively impact performance. Alternatively, Thief gamers can offload the audio to their TrueAudio-enabled Radeon GPU. For this to happen, you'll need AMD's Radeon R9 290X, R9 290 or R7 260X.
As for actual performance within the game, Mantle support should see some nice increases in performance for those with CPU-bound systems.

Respawn is testing Titanfall with the Oculus Rift
Respawn Entertainment has teased that it has been playing Titanfall with Oculus VR's virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift. The developer's Community Manager, Abbie Heppe told Digital Spy: "We've been so busy just trying to get the game out. That is one of those things that we will evaluate post launch. We have them in the office, we've definitely played around with them, but that was more a side project for some of our coders."

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Heppe continued: "After launch we will have probably a little more time when we are not totally crazy trying to get a game out. I've walked through a couple of the demos and it's pretty neat, especially with the cool stuff we have in Titanfall, there is a lot of possibilities. I'm always a little bit sceptical when it comes to stuff that's wearable because you've seen people attempt to do it in the past and it's never caught on large-scale. But it's so much fun to play with, so we'll see"
So there you have it, we could expect some virtual reality goodness in Titanfall, but I wouldn't hold your breath, it could be a while.

Catch Fire in our latest Hunger Games Blu-ray competition
To celebrate this week's release of the 2013 blockbuster sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on home video formats, thanks to our friends at Roadshow Home Entertainment we have three copies of the film on Blu-ray to give away to some lucky readers. Filled with extra features offering even more Jennifer Lawrence goodness than before and a superb digital and audio transfer, fans will no doubt be clamoring to take this release home.

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To go into the running to take one copy home, simply answer the following question in 35 words or less:
What is the most devious and challenging level of the Hunger Games you could possible devise?
Send your answers, along with your postal address to ben at TweakTown.com before the competition closes on March 20th.

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is available on Blu-ray + UltraViolet digital copy double play, DVD & Digital from Australian retailers from March 19th.

Watch Dogs will feature around 100 hours of playtime
Watch Dogs is still a few months away, but now we know just how long people will be wandering around in the open-world title from Ubisoft if they plan on finishing the main story line: 35-40 hours.

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The news comes from Jonathan Morin, Ubisoft Montreal's Creative Director. He tweeted a response to a question asking how big Watch Dogs is, story wise - as in the amount of hours required to complete the main story. Morin replied with: "I would say the average player which does free roam a bit tend to reach the end within 35-40h. But doing everything is close to 100h."
The last time we heard about Watch Dogs, was when we found out that it would be running at 1080p at 30FPS on the PS4, 960p at 30FPS on the Xbox One and on the PC, up to 4K and beyond with variable FPS. Watch Dogs is set for release on May 27, 2014.

EU approves draft law for universal mobile charger
Members of European Parliament called for an effort to develop a common charger standard for mobile phones to reduce waste and therefore reduce the hassle to find compatible chargers. The MEPs have drafted a Radio Equipment Directive which points out the need to bring harmonized rules for 'radio equipment' such as mobiles phones and modems.

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The draft law was amended to emphasize the need to have universal charging port for phones, though it will be up to the EU to decide which type of smartphones will need to use universal charging port.
The draft also makes sure that the increasing the range of particular devices will not interfere with other devices, followed by new health and safety requirements. Part of the draft emphasizes on reducing waste.
One of the MEPs Barbara Weiler said that this proposal is an efficient tool to prevent interference between different devices. She added,"I am especially pleased that we agreed on the introduction of a common charger. This serves the interests both of consumers and the environment. It will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually."
One of the proposed designs for a universal charger is a Micro USB connector that many mobile users have been using for a while.
The end result is that the draft law was approved by a landslide majority of 550 votes against 12. Once its formally approved by the Council and its member states, it would take up to two years to integrate the rule as national laws, followed by a period of one year for manufacturers to comply with the law and the guidelines. Once everything is ready, the universal charger law should be effective in 2016.

Gameplay details and screenshots of Batman: Arkham Knight revealved
The latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine revealed exclusive information such as gameplay detail and screenshots, including the new Batmobile design.

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The game has a function where gamers will be able to call the Batmobile while gliding towards the spot you have chosen to land. All elements of the location can get affected when hit by the vehicle. You can drive through the city at high speeds, drifting around corners using boost function. Rocksteady Studios did not reveal any information regarding upgrades of the vehicle, if possible.
It is also being known that Batman can use some of his gadgets while gliding. When using gadgets in mid-air, it will trigger a slow-motion effect.
Some of the screenshots are as follows:

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Batman: Arkham Knight will hit the retail shelves this October for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

LUXA2 TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station Review

Introduction & Specifications

LUXA2's collection of mobile devices is growing, and it's growing in the right direction with the TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station. LUXA2's Dual Wireless Charging Station is capable of charging two compatible devices at once, for wireless charging domination.

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The wireless charging part of it comes courtesy of the Qi standard, making compatible devices plentiful in the wild, such as the Nexus line of devices, some of Nokia's devices, and more; the full list is listed in the screenshot above.
Inside of the box, we'll find the TX-200 charger, travel adapter, and user manual. It's surprisingly light on contents, but what more could you want?

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Moving onto power input, the TX-200 takes DC power at 5V3A. Output wise, it has a USB port that pushes out 5V1A and two wireless charging pads that also push 5V1A but require Qi-compatible devices, something we listed above.

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It is made from plastic and silicone and has a nice metallic touch to it. It weighs in at 188g and measures in at 188 x 97 x 14.5mm, or 7.1 x 3.8 x 0.5 inches. It's not big at all; it's actually quite small considering it can charge two devices at once.
The LUXA2 PX-200 is priced at $99, which is not too bad at all. There are cheaper wireless chargers on the market, but they only charge a single device. So for $99, you're getting some great value for your money from LUXA2.

Using the LUXA2 TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station

I live on wireless chargers now for my desk and bedside table. When I'm out and about, it's wired chargers--the portable ones I have reviewed many of now--but at my desk, wireless charging is just the only way to do it. Once you've gone wireless, you never go back.
Using the TX-200 is simple; plug it into power and place your device on top of one of the charging pads. Once you place it down, there is a very loud audible 'beep' to let you know it is charging. This beep is incredibly loud with no reasoning behind it. From a near-perfect device, it is something I didn't like to hear late at night when I first started my testing.
Charging up two devices at once is easy, as you just place them onto the charging pads and, voila, wireless charging begins!

What's Hot

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Wireless Charging, Oh So Good - As I said previously, wireless charging--once you've started to use it--makes it hard to think of charging your devices any other way. I happen to use devices that are capable of being charged through wireless chargers, which helps. This is something I want to see more of.
Charging Two Devices at Once - Being able to charge two devices at once is great, but isn't for everyone. Most people barely have one device that can be charged wirelessly, let alone two, but LUXA2 including two is just a pure bonus.
It's Sleek and Looks Great - LUXA2's design team strikes up another winner with the TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station. It looks great, performs perfectly, and does it all without taking up a huge space on your desk.

What's Not

It Beeps When Charging Starts - This is something that should have an option to turn off. It's annoying and not required. Sure, I like to know when my device starts to charge, but usually the screen is off on my device and will turn on when charging commences... I don't need a massively loud 'beep!!!' to alert me.

Final Thoughts

LUXA2 has one of the best-looking wireless chargers on the market with its TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station. It's thin, light, doesn't take up much room on the desk and does all of this while looking great.
The ability to charge two devices wirelessly at once is great; I was able to charge my Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet at the same time without having to plug any cables in, something I've come to love and got used to way too quickly.
If you have a compatible device, you should definitely consider the LUXA2 TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station as your new desktop companion.
PRICING: You can find the LUXA2 TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: The LUXA2 TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station retails for $79.85 at Amazon.

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Top 10 TweakTown Content from the past week [17 March 2014]
Here are our top 10 articles, reviews and guides from the past week!

GAMDIAS Zeus Esport Edition Laser Gaming Mouse Review

Introduction

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GAMEDIAS is new to us, and I don't even recall previous writers working on their products, but they are here now with their latest mouse offering from their lineup. As we look at their site to get a feel for what they are all about, we find two important things. First off is the naming, which breaks down to the GAM referencing gaming and the DIAS being Latin for god; by referring to your company as the gaming gods of the industry, this sets the bar pretty high.
The second part I found as a fundamental must for anyone offering peripherals: they should be built for gamers by gamers, and GAMDIAs does exactly that. Right out of the gate, expectations may be elevated, but we will still look at this mouse through objective eyes and try not to let the god-like naming or all of the mythological naming associated with them play with our minds too much.
The only issue we have up front is that we have not had the pleasure or even the displeasure of seeing anything previous to this new mouse, so we have little to go from as to if improvements are being made over time or if the Esport Edition really offers anything over the original release of the mouse carrying the same name.
We do, however, have many mice that have arrived at our lab previous to this as the "standard" to compare this product to. As we have always said, if a product is great and truly worthy of praise, it will rise to the top of the crowd all on its own anyways, with or without any previous history.
Today, GAMDIAS has sent over the ZEUS Esport Edition mouse for us to test. While being based off another very similar design carrying the ZEUS name, this time things are not that much different at first glance. Obviously, the coloration of the outside has changed, but they kept all the lighting effects, customizability, and comfort that were associated with the original.
We even still received a laser-based mouse that has some pretty top-end software to go along with it. That and plenty of onboard memory make the GAMDIAS ZEUS Esport Edition a real contender on paper, but we are soon to find out how it does in the real-world, not just in images and specifications found on the Internet.
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EK Introduces ASUS R9 290(X) DirectCU II Water Block
EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana-based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce the full-cover water cooling solution for the ASUS engineered Direct CU II series AMD Radeon R9 290X video card.

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EK-FC R9-290X DCII water block directly cools the GPU, RAM as well as VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the video card and its VRM to remain stable under high overclocks.

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Base is made of nickel-plated electrolytic copper - depending on the variant) while the top is made of quality cast acrylic material or POM Acetal (depending on the variant). Screw-in brass standoffs are pre-installed and allow for safe installation procedure. The cooling engine uses refined, 0.6 mm wide microchannel structure to even further improve the heat transfer while not sacrificing the famous low hydraulic restriction design.
Up to four EK-FC R9-290X DCII series water blocks can be interconnected using various methods (EK-FC Terminal, EK-HD Tube & Adapter System or EK-FC Bridge CSQ - depending on the water block variant) which allows for hassle-free piping job. The product is available in a three variants, an aesthetic retention backplate is also available:

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AOC Debuts Four New Widescreen Monitors
AOC, a worldwide leader in monitor display technology, today announces four new Trade Agreement Act (TAA) approved monitors ideal for home office, government and education environments. Ranging from 20 to 24 inches, the user-friendly LED displays feature AOC's exclusive productivity enhancing and energy-saving software that allows users to customize power consumption configuration and viewing conditions. Not only are the monitors eco-friendly and Energy Star certified, they also offer slim and modern designs, and can be mounted to the wall for maximum space efficiency.

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The four AOC TAA approved monitors include the 20-inch class e2060Swda-TAA display, the 22-inch class e2260Swda-TAA and e2260Swdn-TAA models, and the 24-inch e2460Sd-TAA display. Now available, the displays are backed by AOC's three-year warranty as well as the EASE Program with advanced exchange.
The new TAA approved monitors feature three unique AOC software programs for enhanced productivity and efficiency. Screen+ software allows users to divide the display into up to four self-contained work areas so that multiple documents or programs can be viewed simultaneously. This is particularly useful for the 24-inch widescreen display. The TAA approved monitors are all equipped with iMenu software as well, which allows access of the easy-to-use On Screen Display menu with the mouse for increased ergonomics. The monitors also include e-Saver software that enables users to set a low power configuration for the on/off, in sleep, or screen saver modes. It also allows users choose a scheduled time to turn the monitor off in order to reduce power consumption. Additionally, the monitors' Eco-mode provides five display settings (text, Internet, game, movie and sport) to optimize for different viewing conditions.
AOC's TAA approved monitors deliver stellar performance with 16.7 million color depth display, 5 ms response time and a 20,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, which reveals darker image areas in greater depth. All four displays also feature a Kensington Security Slot for added anti-theft security.
Both the 20-inch e2060Swda-TAA and the 22-inch e2260Swda-TAA monitors earned EPA Energy Star and EPEAT Gold certifications for their green packaging and production. Additionally, the monitors' LED backlights are completely free of toxic Mercury. The models feature a hair-line textured finish for a clean look and feel, and are equipped with built-in speakers for multimedia needs.
The 22-inch e2260Swdn-TAA and 24-inch e2460Sd-TAA models both offer full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. They feature a fine textured black finish and also earned EPA Energy Star certification.
Specifications
e2060Swda-TAA

19.5" viewable image size; 16:9 aspect ratio
5 ms response time (typical)
20,000,000:1 contrast ratio
1600x900@60Hz recommended resolution
16.7 million colors supported
Brightness 220 cd/m² (typical)
VGA, DVI-D with HDCP inputs
Screen+, iMenu and e-Saver software
EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold
Kensington Security Slot
Two 2-watt built-in speakers
$159.99

e2260Swda-TAA

21.5" viewable image size; 16:9 aspect ratio
5 ms response time (typical)
20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
1920x1080@60Hz recommended resolution
16.7 million colors supported
Brightness 250 cd/m² (typical)
DVI-D with HDCP input
Screen+, iMenu and e-Saver software
EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold
Kensington Security Slot
Two 2-watt built-in speakers
$189.99

e2260Swdn-TAA

21.5" viewable image size; 16:9 aspect ratio
5 ms response time (typical)
20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
1920x1080@60Hz recommended resolution
16.7 million colors supported
Brightness 200 cd/m² (typical)
DVI-D with HDCP input
Screen+, iMenu and e-Saver software
Energy Star, EPEAT Gold
Kensington Security Slot
$179.99

e2460Sd-TAA

24" viewable image size; 16:9 aspect ratio
5 ms response time (typical)
20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
1920x1080@60Hz recommended resolution
16.7 million colors supported
Brightness 250 cd/m² (typical)
DVI-D with HDCP input
Screen+, iMenu and e-Saver software
EPA Energy Star
Kensington Security Slot
$199.99

MSI Announce GS70 Stealth Pro Laptop with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M
MSI, the leading gaming computer innovator and manufacturer, now announce the upgraded version of GS70 Stealth gaming notebook. With the cutting-edge designed and featured lethal arsenal components, it's been the world-wild award winner of stylish gaming laptop since it launched in 2013. In 2014, what interested the market was not only the latest generation of Intel Core i7 processor and powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M graphics, but also equipped with the exclusive Super Raid 2 technology, Killer Networking and SteelSeries full color gaming keyboard with SSE. The ultra-thin and light exterior appearance and blush aluminum chassis, measuring less than 22 mm thick and weighting only 2.66 kg, the GS70 is definitely the world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch ultra mobile gaming solution.

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Eric Kuo, vice president of global sales & marketing, MSI Notebook, pointed out that the innovative GS70 Stealth features the new generation of enthusiast GTX 870M discrete video card and hot new ultra-high speed solid state hard drive with 3x M.2 interface comes optional to give the system read/write speeds in excess of 1500 MB/s. MSI gaming notebooks are the top choice for top gamers around the world (Top player, top choice!). What's more, the SteelSeries keyboard, designed specifically for the professional gamers in mind, offers better feel and durability than any other keyboard on any other type of laptop out there. These laptops offer a wide range of other envelope pushing features, including the high speed Killer Gaming Networking chip and Audio Boost headset sound enhancement technology, at a reasonable price, making these dream machines for the extreme gamer.
Ultra performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M and 4th generation Intel Core i7 CPU
The GS70 Stealth packs high performance 4th generation Intel Core i7-4700HQ quad-core processor and latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M with 3 GB DDR5 VRAM, the 3D Mark 11 Performance score over 35% faster than GTX 770M graphics. With powerful CPU inside the machine, the GS70 Stealth can do more with base frequency 2.4 GHz and turbo boost speeds up to 3.4 GHz. Meanwhile the latest GPU allows the users to experience more FPS of each graphic-intensive games and delivers smoother cinematic effect and better visual quality.
The overall design and performance of MSI gaming notebooks is winning over more and more serious gamers. MSI, which has worked with many gaming teams in all kinds of gaming activities and competitions, including world-renowned FNATIC. Patrik, under whose leadership the team has won over a dozen first places in CS world gaming competitions in a decade, points out on a regular basis, "The superior gaming experience, performance, and durability of MSI gaming notebook computers have made them our team's only choice, because you can really depend on them when the bullets start flying. In fact, not only are they great for gaming, they are the ideal choice for multimedia, too. No matter where we go in the world to compete or take part in activities, our laptops can be up and ready and we can be practicing in Full HD in no time at all. One major reason FNATIC has done so well as a team is our MSI machines."
Latest 5 features for better gaming experience!

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XSplit Gamecaster: The Recording & Streaming App for Gamers
MSI GS70 Stealth comes with the latest online streaming software, the XSplit Gamecaster. The XSplit Gamecaster lets you easily record your gaming moments and broadcast your live gameplay sessions to Twitch, YouTube, UStream and more. It's simple, easy to use and ideal for sharing your gameplay with friends family, or the world - Or for capturing those perfect gaming moments, just for the heck of it. So what are you waiting for? Join the revolution and start streaming and recording with XSplit Gamecaster today. Use XSplit Gamecaster with all of your Notebook game streaming, the first debut only on MSI gaming notebooks.
Steelseries Engine: Create your game style
SteelSeries Engine is the Apps to combine all frequent functions for gamers in order to easily customize every individual key and functions to personalize every gamer's play style, including KLM, multiple devices management (for example, headset, mouse, and keyboard), keypress macros, and text macros. It's the unique features only on MSI gaming notebooks with SteelSeries keyboards.
Super RAID 2 brings 15x faster speed than single HDD
MSI's exclusive Super RAID 2 on GS70 Stealth employs 3 SSDs with M.2 interface, kicking up access speeds from 1350 MB/s to more than 1500 MB/s - 3 times faster than high performance single SSD notebooks produced by other brands, and more than 15 times faster than conventional laptops packing hard drives with 7200 RPM. It is best design in the industry for booting up and handling files.
Matrix Display multi-display presents 2+1 monitors usage
The GS70 Stealth features MSI's Matrix Display multi-display output with three built-in I/O display interfaces, including the latest 2x Mini DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4. Mini DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 both feature AV sync output to handle 4K*2K Ultra HD TV. With two output interfaces and the notebook's own screen, GS70 Stealth NB offers the most choices in terms of 3 external displays or 2 external + 1 built-in displays, present the best screen resolution and performance in the industry.
MSI only Gaming keyboard by SteelSeries with full color backlit and SSE
When designing GS gaming series, MSI worked with world leader in competition gaming peripherals SteelSeries to incorporate a competition gaming keyboard with adjustable multihued backlighting. Keyboard feedback and durability were also greatly enhanced and the Windows Start key was relocated to the right side of the keyboard to prevent gamers from hitting it accidentally when gaming. The keyboard comes with five backlighting scenarios--normal, gaming, wave, breathing, and dual color, as well as variable zone lighting and seven types of light changes, which together offer over 1000 possible lighting combos. Depressing the Gaming Mode hotkey switches on the LED backlight on the left side of the keyboard while keeping the rest of the keyboard dark, so you can quickly find gaming keys and stay focused on the battle at hand.
Best 5 features for multimedia
With Killer Networking, you call the shots
MSI's top-of-the-line GS Series of gaming notebooks packs Killer Networking, a feature designed with gamers in mind, the powerful Killer Ethernet. The Killer Networking adapter provides serious gamers with an outstanding online gaming experience with lower latency (ping). The Advanced Stream Detect automatically classifies and prioritizes data streams, greatly enhancing data stream flow and reducing lag time. In addition to boosting online gaming performance, this feature enhances video viewing on YouTube or other websites with Full HD videos and downloads them in less than half the time.
Audio Boost for better gaming headset sound detail
MSI's Audio Boost enhances 30% sound quality and comes with AMP (Audio Power Amplifier), a program designed to greatly enhance headphone performance and amperage in medium to high-end competition gaming and HiFi headsets and enhancing wrap around sound. All sound jacks are gold plated, because gold is the best conductive material known to man and does not oxidize. Christened "gold flash audio jacks," they increase transmission efficiency and reduce noise, so that GS Series laptops reproduce each acoustic detail crisply, cleanly, faithfully.
Super-efficient Cooler Boost 2 cooling system--better performance, less noise
Power users will also be amazing with the impressive thermal design on GS70 Stealth, which 2 quiet slim fans were embedded in. It offers better cooling performance by using a thermal bridge between CPU and GPU, so heat quickly dissipates through the vent that is cooler at any given time, enhancing cooling performance better than previous generation. Fan and temperature control performance have also been improved so that temperatures are reduced much more quickly and with less noise. The best thermal solution on the market, it supports Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M ultra level graphics for a better user experience in the form of more power, lower temperature and less noise.
Dynaudio sound system for faithful reproduction
MSI worked with Dynaudio, world-class name in sound system design from Denmark, studying electrical circuits, dozens of speaker drivers, and how to best arrange internal parts and components to optimize sound. For over a year, they tweaked the sound and developed electrical circuits and materials with the best sound response. The GS70, the only slim gaming laptops in the industry with a Dynaudio sound system, clearly leads the industry not simply in terms of volume, but also in terms of stereo and crisp, clear sound for a more enjoyable gaming and multimedia experience.
Sound Blaster 2 Cinema's enhanced wrap around sound
All MSI gaming laptops this year feature upgraded Sound Blaster Cinema 2 wrap around sound, making the already cutting-edge Sound By Dynaudio dual channel sound system, even better with optimized software solutions in particular for wrap around sound, human voices, virtual bass, and low quality audio sources. Sound Blaster Cinema 2 and MSI's superior sound system complement each other exceptionally well.
More information on MSI Dragon Army website
MSI continues to work in cooperation with well-known gaming teams around the world, including FNATIC from Europe and teams from Asia. MSI actively participates in a variety of gaming activities to increase name exposure, to improve on product functions, and to enhance user experience. What's more, for its new platform, this year, MSI set up the Dragoon Army website and forum for MSI gaming laptop users and competition gamers around the world. For more on competition gaming products and gaming info, please go to dragonarmy.msi.com.

Top 10 TweakTown Press Releases from the past week [17 March 2014]
Here are our top 10 posted press releases from the past week!

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