IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 27/03/2014

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 27/03/2014

TweakTown

Android corruption bug frightening security researchers
The recent Google Android bug discovered by security researcher Ibrahim Balic reveals a common technique could compromise the popular OS due to memory corruption - resulting in the device crashing.

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In extreme cases, it appears memory code corruption vulnerability could be boosted and lead to arbitrary code execution, with users at risk of operating a rooted device.
"Although it's true that this vulnerability is capable of crashing Android mobile devices, it's important to point out that at this time there are no known instances or infections of this particular vulnerability 'in the wild,'" said Ryan Smith, Mojave Networks Lead Threat Engineer, in a statement. "Mobile malware distributors are typically motivated by money and information, and are therefore unlikely to use their established distribution channels to disseminate malware an app that simply crashes the device and doesn't gain them anything."
Even so, it's frightening the large amount of malware targeted towards Android devices - and security experts recommend using anti-malware and anti-virus software at the very least.

New video details elegant watch bands for Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch
When Motorola and Google first announced the Moto 360 smartwatch, I was quick to point out that it was the new standard to beat in wearable technology. It appears that most of the tech world agrees with me on this as well, but the one thing I failed to hit on was the availability of high-end watch bands for the device.

Every watch aficionado knows that no matter how beautiful a watch may be, its beauty can be diminished by an unflattering watch band. It appears that Motorola knows this as well, and the company has just released a new video that shows off some of the stylish, and elegant bands that will be available for the new Moto 360. Gone is the bulky rubber watch band that is reminiscent of cheap department store watches, and in come leather and metal bands that are designed to go well with any outfit, setting, or event the wearer may attend.

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RumorTT: PS1 and PS2 games headed to Sony's PlayStation 4
According to an inside source, Sony is working hard at bringing PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 emulation software to its PlayStation 4 console, and the end product could arrive sooner rather than later. The industry insider says that the PS1 and PS2 emulation will not only bring old titles to the new flagship console, but it will upscale them to full 1080p resolution as well.

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This means that classic PS1 titles like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy V, Dark Stalkers 3 and more could arrive in full HD glory quite soon. No official word has been given on when the emulators might arrive, or what titles will be released. Another thing that is unclear is how Sony will offer the games, and if they will be sold or made available for free download. Some sources are saying that we can look forward to hearing an official announcement at E3 though, so at least we will not have to wait very long.

The new HTC One M8 could be waterproof if a new video is true
During this morning's HTC One M8 launch event, HTC talked in-depth about several of the new features that make the HTC One M8 stand out from the crowd. Not once though, did we hear any mention of the device being waterproof. This does not mean that it is not waterproof though, and a new video seems to indicate that the device is able to withstand submersion for more than an hour and still remain fully functional.

The video was posted to YouTube by TechSmartt, and it shows the author filling a bowl with water and then leaving the HTC One M8 submerged for well over an hour. The phone was turned on during the entire submersion, and it appears to not have suffered any damage from water entry into the device. While there is no official word on the phone being waterproof or water resistant, this video seems to show that it is in fact waterproof. While I would not go dunking my brand new M8 into the drink anytime soon, but I now feel more comfortable about accidental spills.

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The fallout begins over Facebook's acquisition of Oculus VR
The fallout has already begun over the acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook that was announced earlier today. Facebook's stock began to take a hit after the announcement, which closed on the positive side for the day, but has fallen below its opening price of $64.25. This means that Facebook has lost between $1.5 and $1.8 billion in market cap in the hour or so since the acquisition announcement was made.

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The fallout does not stop there though, and some developers are announcing their plans to stop development of their games for the Oculus Rift. Most notability is Markus Persson, AKA Notch, the creator of Minecraft, who tweeted that Facebook creeps him out and as a result he would be canceling development of Minecraft for the Oculus Rift. This leaves Minecraft in VR open to just Sony when the Minecraft for PS4 launches later this year. Although there is a mod out there that already enables Minecraft to the Oculus Rift, it is in no way as intuitive as native support would be.

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The fallout on social media has been well voiced also with many leaving comments asking why Oculus VR would let Facebook buy it. Others have been predicting the death of Oculus VR as we know it, and very few have spoken positively about the acquisition. Shortly after the announcement I received several messages asking me what my thoughts on the acquisition are, and personally, I am going to withhold judgement until I see what changes will be made. I still plan on buying a Oculus Rift DevKit 2, and will continue to use my DevKit 1.

Facebook announces plans to acquire Oculus VR for $2 billion
Facebook has just announced that it will move forward with plans to acquire the virtual reality headset maker, Oculus VR, for a cool $2 billion in cash and stock. This figure includes $400 million in cash and more than $1.6 billion in 23.1 million shares of Facebook's common stock. The agreement also features an additional $300 million in earn-out cash and stock if Oculus VR meets certain milestones Facebook as set for the company.

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"Mobile is the platform of today, and now we're also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow," said Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. "Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate."
"We are excited to work with Mark and the Facebook team to deliver the very best virtual reality platform in the world," said Brendan Iribe, co-founder and CEO of Oculus VR. "We believe virtual reality will be heavily defined by social experiences that connect people in magical, new ways. It is a transformative and disruptive technology, that enables the world to experience the impossible, and it's only just the beginning."
This news comes hot on the heals of Oculus VR's unveiling of its Oculus Rift DevKit 2 at last weeks Game Developers Conference, but what baffles me is the fact that Facebook just paid $2 billion for a company that does not even have a product on the retail market yet. Oculus has sold more than 75,000 development kits though, and that speaks volumes about the demands its retail VF headset will command. Oculus says that its headquarters will remain in Irvine, California, and development will continue on its Rift headset. Facebook says that it plans on extending the Oculus Rift past gaming, and into other areas including communication, education, and social media.

IRS: bitcoins are property and not real currency
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today said it would treat bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies as property, instead of monetary currency, so bitcoin supporters can expect to see the government try and cash in with taxes.

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Unlike US currency, which is issued and regulated by the US Federal Reserve Bank and printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, bitcoins are not backed by gold or any commodities - and only exists in the digital world.
"Virtual currency that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency, is referred to as 'convertible' virtual currency," the IRS notes. "Bitcoin is one example of a convertible virtual currency. Bitcoin can be digitally traded between users and can be purchased for, or exchanged into, U.S. dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies."
The IRS was expected to weigh in for quite some time, as the federal government wants to avoid an electronic black market from being created - and adds clarity for investors.
The popular bitcoin cryptocurrency won't go mainstream anytime soon, according to Forrester, but supporters hope bitcoin help generate a financial revolution.

Fitbit facing class-action lawsuit over rash caused by its Force band
When Fitbit's recall of its Force fitness tracking bands was taken over by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, things got serious. Over 1 million of the company's "Force" wearable fitness tracking bands were recalled in the US and Canada because they caused a rash after prolonged use to about 1.7-percent of customers. Despite this low number, Fitbit agreed to a voluntary recall, and began collecting the defective units.

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It appears that a recall is not enough for one customer though who has now filled a class-action lawsuit against the company over allegations that it did not do enough to inform consumers about the recall. The class-action lawsuit is hoping to force Fitbit to contact every Force owner in California and offer a $130+ refund that would include shipping and tax fees. Fitbit already offers a full refund and a free shipping kit to all those who wish to go that route, so I doubt the lawsuit will have much ground to stand on once court proceedings commence.
"Based on our initial review of the lawsuit, the complaint asks for a recall of Force and a refund to consumers. Fitbit took initiative long before this complaint was filed, publicly offered refunds, and worked closely with the CPSC on its voluntary recall program. We strongly disagree with the statements about the product and the Company," said Fitbit in a statement on the matter.

HTC's newly release One M8 priced at $199 on 2-year contract, $599 off
Over the last few weeks, there have been several rumors pop up on the internet that suggested that HTC would release the new HTC One M8 just hours after launch. As it turns out, those rumors were true, and during this mornings launch event, HTC said that you can buy your very own HTC One M8 right now. Verizon has an exclusive on the in-store purchases for the next 12 days, so that means that you can head over to a Verizon Wireless store right now and buy an HTC One for $199.99 on a 2-year contract or for $599.99 off contract.

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HTC says that all major US and Canada carriers are now offering the HTC One M8 on sale via their websites, but as of this writing, only Sprint and AT&T have the M8 listed for sale. Pricing is the same as Verizon, with $199 on contract being the norm and about $600 being listed as the going rate for off contract purchases. I was unable to find a M8 listing on T-Mobile, but I am sure it will show up there soon. AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon are all offering the phone on their respective payment plans as well, with the average monthly cost between $25 and $30.

Nokia MixRadio lands in China aiming at 500M mobile web users
Nokia has been operating its own music streaming service and trying to compete against the big dogs in the market like iTunes and Spotify. Nokia's service is called MixRadio and it has now launched in China.

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With the Chinese launch, Nokia has become the first global music streaming company to launch in the country. The launch gives Nokia access to half a billion internet users that access the web via a mobile device.
With the new launch, MixRadio is available in 31 countries around the world. To localize the service for Chinese users a bit, Nokia has teamed with Chinese musicians to create curated playlists. The artists include Khalil Fong, Tia Ray, and DJ Wordy.

Tumblr announces two-factor authentication to increase security
Security is a big deal for users of all sorts of services and applications online. When those services are blogging and photo platforms like Facebook, tumblr, and others, security is even more important since a hacker could gain access to information and images that could be harmful to the user. Tumblr has announced that it is introducing a new form of authentication.

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Users of Tumblr can now choose to activate two-factor authentication for their accounts. With the two-factor authentication activated, before you can access your account you need a password you type in and a code sent to your mobile device. If a hacker learns your password somehow, they will not be able to access your account without the ability to get the cell phone auth code.
If you aren't worried about hackers getting into your account and writing embarrassing things or stealing your photos, you can leave the new authentication method off. The downside is if you lose your mobile or leave it somewhere, you won't be able to get into your Tumblr account.

NVIDIA's next-gen mobile chip is Erista, based on Maxwell technology
GTC 2014 - NVIDIA has just unveiled its next-generation mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC), Erista. What makes Erista an important step, is the incredible power that NVIDIA have baked into the mobile chip.

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Erista isn't coming until 2015, but it will be based on the company's Maxwell architecture, which is the technology powering its next-gen GPUs on the desktop. Right now, we have Tegra K1 right around the corner, which is based on the Kepler architecture, and has around 40 GFLOPS of performance, but Erista drives that up to around 65-70 GFLOPS. We should hopefully hear more on that as 2014 comes to a close.

Panasonic HX-A500 is the first wearable 4K camcorder
Panasonic has show off an interesting new camcorder for those that want to be able to record 4K video hands free. The camera is called the HX-A500. This strange looking camera has the lens and main unit as separate pieces connected by a cable.

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This allows the lens of the camera to be placed at eye level so the user can record hands free. I can see that being a popular feature with people that are into action sports. However, the lens is too large to be worn inside a helmet, but perhaps it could be worn on the outside.
The camera is able to record in 4K UHD resolution at 30 frames per second. It can be connected to a smartphone making it easy to upload video recorded. Panasonic does ship the camera with a head mount and an armband case for the main unit.
When using the head mount the user can opt to put the camera on one of their ears or on the back of the head. Panasonic will offer accessories with other mounting options. The A500 is water and dust proof with the ability to survive submersion in ten feet of water for nearly 30 minutes. Panasonic will ship the A500 at the beginning of July at an undisclosed price.

NVIDIA shows off Unreal Engine 4 on its new GeForce GTX TITAN Z
GTC 2014 - NVIDIA just took the wraps off of its incredible new GPU, the GeForce GTX TITAN Z, but what better way to show it off by displaying Unreal Engine 4 running in real-time.

We have a video above, and while it's not super impressive in terms of physical destruction within the environment, the lighting and model detail is nothing short of impressive.

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NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX TITAN Z, 12GB of RAM and a $2999 price tag
GTC 2014 - Jen Hsun Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, has just unveiled the new GeForce GTX TITAN Z GPU. What does the Z variant of an already incredible GPU do?

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Well, how does 12GB of VRAM sound? GeForce GTX TITAN Z has 12GB of VRAM, 5,760 CUDA cores, 8 TeraFLOPS of performance and a price tag of $2999. We will have more on this soon, but I'm hoping I can score four of them before I go (please?).

First US counterfeit apps case leads to guilty pleas
The leader of the Appbucket group, which was responsible for trafficking pirated Google Android apps, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement.

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Nicholas Anthony Narbone from Florida pleaded guilty, while co-conspirator Thomas Allen Dye from Florida pleaded guilty earlier this month. Both Narbone and Dye will be sentenced in July, while two others have court dates scheduled for April.
"These men trampled on the intellectual property rights of others when they and other members of the Appbucket Group distributed more than one million copies of pirated apps," said David O'Neil, Justice Department attorney general, in a statement. "These mark the first convictions secured by the Justice Department against those who illegally distribute counterfeit mobile apps."
The group shared more than 1 million copies of pirated apps worth more than $700,000 before being shut down.
The steady popularity of smartphones and tablets has led to a rush to steal apps - and either distribute them freely - or offer them for sale.

MSI announces GS60 Ghost, GS70 Stealth gaming notebooks
Computer hardware company MSI today announced the GS60 Ghost and GS70 Stealth gaming notebooks, with 15-inch and 17-inch models available, as the gaming notebook market continues to heat up.

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The GS60 Ghost uses the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, while the GS70 Stealth ships with the GeForce GTX 870M. Powered by the Intel Core i7-4700HQ, 1920x1080 resolution, with 128GB mSATA HDD, plus either 750GB or 1TB of additional storage, with 12GB or 16GB DDR3L RAM. The machines run Microsoft Windows 8.1.
"The GS60 and GS70 Stealth answers portable gaming prayers by packing smoking speeds and deadly graphics into featherlike notebooks," said Andy Tung, MSI Pan America CEO, in a statement. "NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 800M Series graphics gives the GS Series incredible graphics processing ability, translating into an ultra-realistic and immersive gaming experience."

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Both gaming laptops have the SteelSeries full-color backlight keyboard utilizing the SteelSeries Engine with Anti-Ghosting capabilities.
The GS60 has a starting MSRP of $1699, while the GS70 will be available for $1899.

NVIDIA announces its tiny next-gen GPU, Pascal, with 3D Memory
GTC 2014 - NVIDIA has just unveiled its next generation GPU at its GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California - Pascal. Don't let the name fool you, there's some incredible technology that has made Pascal possible.

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Pascal has three key technologies that have made it possible, NVLink, 3D Memory and a new Module size - one-third the size of a PCIe card. NVLink provides some incredible bandwidth - where it will provide up to 5-12x the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0, which NVIDIA expects to see 1TB/sec memory bandwidth by 2016 thanks to the next technology, 3D Memory.

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3D Memory is something that has been coming for quite sometime, but it will provide 2-4x memory bandwidth, and its extremely small. This helps NVIDIA's next-gen Pascal GPU to be just one-third the size of standard GPU - such as the just-released GeForce GTX TITAN Black GPU.
NVIDIA co-founder and CEO, Jen Hsun Huang took the stage, announcing that this new Pascal GPU will arrive to PCs in the near future, and you can be sure we'll have more news on it as it happens.

HTC launches the HTC One M8, available online and in stores today
Today HTC officially launched it's next flagship, the completely refreshed HTC One M8. The new flagship is said to continue upon the path of excellence that HTC experienced with the 2013 edition of the One, and includes many new features that make this the best smartphone on the market. Boasting a new 5-inch full HD display, the phone features a powerful 2.3GHz quad-core processor from Qualcomm, and 2GB of RAM to keep things running smoothly.

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Unlike its predecessor, the HTC One M8 features an microSD card slot to augment the 16GB or 32GB of on-board storage. The new HTC One M8 does in fact feature the dual rear camera system we have seen in leaks over the past month, and the pair make for some awesome new photographic features. The larger main camera handles traditional photo duties while its smaller counterpart is tasked with figuring out what is where in the photograph. This depth perception feature allows the M8 to do some clever tricks such as refocusing images after they are taken, or even create that high-end Bokeh (background blur) effect that was previously only possible on high-end cameras.

The HTC One M8 comes with an entirely new sixth iteration of its Sense UI, which has cleverly been dubbed "Sixth Sense." This new version of HTCs Sense UI is more ascetically refined, and features a few interchangeable color schemes that causes stubble changes in the colors displayed on things like the phone dialer, gallery app, and the quick settings screen. BlinkFeed also gets a refresh and its API is now open to developers to allow deeper integration with more apps, feeds, and news. Overall BlinkFeed's UI has been redesigned as well, and features larger story blocks, and less clutter. BlinkFeed can also be turned off now, unlike its always-on version in Sense 5.5.

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Android 4.4.2 KitKat is installed from the factory, and brings forth a truly impressive experience that includes a less cluttered layout, and a much more feature rich integration with Google Now, Google Search, and Google Play. Finally, Boom Sound has returned, but the presence of any Beats By Dre branding has long been forgotten. The new HTC One M8 features the same stereo speaker setup of its predecessor, but with higher-quality audio components, and better software than on its predecessor. The M8 is louder, more crisp, and features better sounding bass than the previous iteration.

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The new HTC One M8 will be available in stores nation wide by the first week of April, but those who must have the device as soon as possible can head down to their nearest Verizon store today after 1PM Eastern and pick up an M8. Verizon has the in-store exclusive for the next 12 days, but HTC fans on other carriers, can have the phone as early as tomorrow by heading online and purchasing the device from their carrier of choice and choosing the next-day shipping option. No word was given on pricing, but you can expect it to retail similarly to what the 2013 HTC One sold for.

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Toshiba now shipping self-encrypting thin mobile hard drive
Toshiba has announced that it has a new hard drive to add to its line of internal storage products. The new hard drive is a self-encrypting unit that is validated to US Federal Information Processing Standards. That means that the drive is secure enough to use with sensitive government documents.

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The new drive is a thin-type HDD in the MQ01ABUxxxBW series. The drives are 7mm thick making the appropriate for use in mobile devices. They can be had with up to 500GB of storage capacity. The drive is also available in a 320GB version as well.
Both versions of the HDD use a NIST certified cryptographic module allowing them to meet federal standards. Toshiba also includes an Enhanced Secure Cryptographic Erase function. The FIPS certified cryptographic module of the drive also has tamper-evident labeling for more security.
That helps the drives be validated to Level 2 of the FIPS 140-2 standard. One big benefit of self-encrypting drives like this is that they are able to encrypt data at the drives full hardware interface speed. Encrypting with software as data is written to a drive can slow things up. The drives are shipping now and pricing is unannounced.

PS Vita update 3.10 adds Calendar app and more
Sony has announced that a new software update for the PS Vita portable game console is available for download right now. The new update brings the portable console to software version 3.10. If you are wondering what new features the update adds, they are some good ones.

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The new updates include the ability to get more than 100 apps on the home page of the console. Users will be able to get 500 apps on the home page after applying the update. Perhaps the biggest of the feature updates has to do with content management.
Users can browse content on the memory card by content type and delete content from the memory card. A new calendar application allows you to sync calendars with friend and with Google Calendar as well. The last of the new features is the ability to send and receive voice messages using the messages application on the portable console. Messages can be exchanged with other Vita users and PS4 users.

DICE launches Battlefield 4 Naval Strike on consoles, delays PC launch
This morning at 6AM, DICE officially released the Naval Strike expansion for Battlefield Premium members, but the launch did not go as expected. Only those on consoles got the update, and DICE says that the PC launch has been delayed due to a major bug that was found shortly before launch. DICE did not give any indication what the bug was, and did not give a timeline on when PC gamers can expect the expansion.

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"On March 25, Battlefield 4 Premium members on consoles will be able to experience the ultimate sea-to-sea warfare in the third expansion pack for Battlefield 4," DICE said in a statement. "Battlefield 4 Naval Strike takes the intense and dramatic water-based combat introduced in Battlefield 4 to four all-new maps set in the South China Sea while introducing a new game mode and vehicle."
"However, we are delaying the launch of Battlefield 4 Naval Strike on PC. We've detected an issue and it needs to be solved. Quality is our number one priority and we will not release Battlefield 4 Naval Strike on PC until we feel it meets the highest quality level possible," the release continued. "Once we have a confirmed date for PC, we'll be sure to update those players on our official channels. We appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing everyone on the Battlefield."
As someone who has been pumped up for over two weeks about Naval Strike releasing on PC, this news does annoy me slightly, but I would rather DICE fix the issues before release than issue a patch later. So on this one, I am giving DICE props for not releasing a broken DLC with a promise to fix it later, but choosing to not launch on the flagship platform until everything is perfect.

Das Keyboard 4 rocks mechanical keys with or without labels
Anyone who plays games or spends a lot of typing on a computer each day can tell you that not all keyboards are created equal. I've been typing on a super thin Logitech keyboard for years and find that I can't type nearly as fast on anything else. A lot of gamers and typists out there like mechanical keys.

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If you are one of those sorts of people, you will be interested in the new offering from Das Keyboard. You might recognize the Das Keyboard name, the company has been making keyboards for years now. In fact, we reviewed one back in 2012.

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The latest offering is called the Das Keyboard 4 Mechanical Keyboard and it has mechanical keys as you expect. You can get the keyboard in a version with names printed on all of the keys. If you are a touch typist, sure of the location of everything you can get it blank as well.
Das Keyboard claims best in class typing and it uses German engineering gold plated mechanical switches. The keyboard has an integrated USB 3.0 hub and N-key rollover over USB for faster gaming and no need for a PS2 adapter. This version also has controls for multimedia and a magnetic removable footbar. The keyboard will sell for $169 with shipping at the end of April.

Employee-only Xbox One white models up for sale for $1,800 on eBay
Microsoft gifted an employee-only Xbox One white 'Team Commemorative Special' models before its public launch in November 2013, but now its found in an eBay listing. There are at least ten units being found on eBay, but with a whopping price tag starting from $1,800 to as high as $3,566. Currently, Xbox One is sold for $500.

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Microsoft bundled these white edition consoles with one year of Xbox Live subscription, a white controller and a black Kinect sensor with the words 'I Made This' written on the front of the console to recognize efforts made by a particular employee.
But it seems they give more value to money than recognition, and selling a 'rare item' with a very large price tag. In any case, this is something that many collectors would love to get their hands-on. The bundles were given for free to Redmond's employees.

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Some of the eBay listings also offer bidding options, though at the time of writing nobody has made any biddings. The biddings ends at March 30th and its open for U.S. residents only.

Corsair Obsidian Series 450D PC case launches in April
Corsair is a company that has been making computer hardware and accessories for years. The company is well known for making some rather nice cases for gamers and PC enthusiasts. If you are in the market for a new chassis for your next build, Corsair has announced a new case called the Obsidian Series 450D.

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The case carries an MSRP of $119.99 and will hit the US in April. That makes the case rather affordable and it should have the quality expected of Corsair. The case measures 19.5" x 8.3" x 19.6" and weighs 15.4 pounds.

Corsair equips the case with thumbscrew side panels and tool-free drive bays for easy construction. The case also has dust filters in the front, rear, and top that are easy to access and clean. The cooling system has three 120mm fans included and can hold several more fans.
The chassis is also set up for radiators of various sizes up to 360mm for those who prefer to cool their hardware with liquid. Three 3.5"/2.5" convertible drive bays are inside the case with a pair of optical drive bays on the outside.

ROCCAT Ryos MK Advanced Mechanical Keyboard Review

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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We have seen what the Ryos MK Pro brought to the world of gaming and keyboards. The design was atypical; it used angles, thicker sections around the keys in the frame, a microdot printing to offer shine as well as being somewhat finger proof at the same time, along with all the things like Thumbster buttons, ROCCAT Talk, and excellent software. The Ryos MK Pro took the mechanical keyboard to a whole new level. While it is a tad rich for some pockets, the lighting schemes and the things that the keyboard could do would make you the envy of anyone who sees it.
For those who are more in the grouping of "there is no need for backlighting," ROCCAT also has a solution for you. Since most typists and gamers spend little time actually looking at the keys, or the keyboard will sit on the desk and not get much attention from the effects that are fun to watch, why pay for something you had no intention to use? Well, ROCCAT saw that segment in the market as well as a middle ground. For those that want lighting but not the full on package, they offer those users the Ryos MK Glow. For the users that see no need at all for that lighting, we have that exact solution for you today.
The Ryos MK in the vanilla form that we have received is not some super stripped down version of either of the previous solutions. This time, the lighting options have been removed from all but the Lock lights and the Thumbster buttons in this design. That does not mean that you cannot have a bit of color added, though, and ROCCAT took the steel plate that the switches and PCB are mounted to and painted it to allow a fair bit of color to be added and easily seen through the spacing of the keycaps.
We still get the full keyboard functionality of the original design along with the same software to take full control of these keys or even take on functionality from the mouse. Really anything you desire can be found within this design, other than, of course, the full LED backlighting that the rest of the Ryos MK series of keyboards has.

TweakTown image roccat_ryos_mk_advanced_mechanical_keyboard_review

The chart that ROCCAT has provided starts off with many of the key features of what makes the Ryos MK series of keyboards stand above the rest of the competition from a features and multi-functionality standpoint as well as being a very rugged device. The features include the Easy-Shift[+] system that offers a second layer for most, but not all, of the keys. It offers N-Key Rollover and anti-ghosting support. And with no mention of its limitations, we can record 10 keys at once, and without more fingers, why test more?
It has a 32-bit ARM Cortex processor onboard, keeps track of usage in the software, uses Cherry MX based switches in many layouts to suit the various markets, but there is no mention on optional choices for the switch type other then the blacks used in this sample. We already covered the micro-dot surfaces, the rugged design, and ROCCAT Talk, but we have not covered the cable management grooves offered under it.
On the more technical side of the chart, they do tell us that this is a 113 key layout and again cover the N-key Rollover and Cherry MX switches. It then tells us that we have three Thumbster keys to use as well as five Macro keys to the left side. Over the rest of the keyboard, using the Easy-Shift[+] button, the total of keys usable moves to 207. We also see that this Ryos MK comes with 1.8 meters of cable, but this time it is plain black rubber without a braided covering. The last bit they discuss is the polling rate of the keyboard at 1ms so that it can recognize all the keystrokes you can produce and not lag behind or plain miss keystrokes all together.
Finding any of these three keyboards is rather easy to do, and we found them in our fist stop at Amazon.com. There we see that the MK Pro is in the range of $170 and the Mk Glow is some $30 less than that. When it comes to the Ryos MK that we are about to see in this review, it can be had for less than $100 US dollars. That is before we add in any shipping costs, but at this price point, it can stand pretty tall amongst the other solutions out there in mechanical keyboards.
We have some six or so reviews worth of time on this, and we have also spent loads of hours with ROCCAT products in the past and have a good idea of what to look for. There is a certain level that their customers have come to expect. On paper, the lighting is the only thing that is removed in this version, so we still expect the same rugged design and the same software depth.
Stick it out as we test out mouse functionality through a keyboard, try to find an extra 94 functions to apply to the second layer, and tell you how we feel about the time we spent with the Ryos MK from ROCCAT.
PRICING: You can find the ROCCAT Ryos MK Advanced 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 ROCCAT Ryos MK Advanced retails for $99.99 at Amazon.
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LSI MegaRAID SAS3 9361-8i 12Gb/s RAID Controller Review

Introduction

TweakTown image lsi_megaraid_sas3_9361_8i_12gb_s_raid_controller_review

LSI flourished during the initial transition to 6Gb/s, and the 9260 paved the way for a period of dominating performance. The LSISAS2108 RoC was revolutionary, and the follow-up LSISAS2208 RoC on the 9265 provided even more dominance. LSI chose to stay with the same 2208 controller on the 9271 as they transitioned to support PCIe 3.0, which left performance roughly the same as the previous generation model. Adaptec, fresh off an acquisition by PMC, rushed in with a radical new 6Gb/s design that boosted native port counts and saturated the PCIe 3.0 bus. This left LSI in a position they are not accustomed to, and Adaptec took the performance crown.
Today, LSI answers as the long-awaited PCIe 3.0 LSISAS2308 makes its debut on the 12Gb/s MegaRAID 9361-8i. The 1.2GHz PowerPC 476 dual-core RoC is paired with 1GB of 1866MHz DDR3 SDRAM. The 9361-8i supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 and offers up a spate of strip sizes from 64KB up to 1MB.
The 9361-8i features 8 internal mini-SAS SFF-8643 ports that support up to 240 12Gb/s SAS3 or SATA devices with expanders. The 9361-8i also features backwards compatibility for 6Gb/s and 3Gb/s drives and comes in both 4 and 8 internal port configurations. The 9380-8e offers 8 ports of external connectivity. The 9341 is not outfitted with cache, but it comes with the option of either 4 or 8 internal ports.
The 9361-8i supports LSI's signature Advanced Software Solutions. Fast Path software is included free of charge, and MegaRAID CacheCade Pro 2.0 software is available for purchase. CacheCade Pro allows utilization of SSD volumes as a caching layer to speed up existing HDD infrastructure. SafeStor software creates and manages authentication keys for SED drives to provide an extra layer of security, and CacheVault provides protection for cached data on a flash device with a Battery Backup Unit (BBU).
The 12Gb/s MegaRAID controllers also feature new advanced drive diagnostic technology. In the event of a drive failure, the controller places the drive into a shield state as it performs diagnostics to determine if it is a permanent failure. In many cases, the drive has not actually failed and the MegaRAID controller can bring the drive back online if restoration is possible. This saves precious IT hours, money, and lost compute time from unnecessary RAID rebuild tasks.
One of many attractions of 12Gb/s technology is the doubling of data rates from 24GBps to 48GBps from a 4-lane cable. This enhanced bandwidth can boost existing infrastructure, and LSI provides support for DataBolt bandwidth optimizer technology. This new feature allows two 6Gb/s devices to function over one 12Gb/s connection to maximize ROI.
The 9361-8i's power consumption is 16.15 watts under a drive stress test, while the previous generation 9271-8i required only 11.7 watts. This bump in power consumption is matched with performance gains that should keep the power-per-IOPS threshold within reason. The competing Adaptec ASR-8885 pulls 14.73 watts for a 16-port model.
LSI has integrated Fusion-MPT architecture drivers in every major OS. The software features allow users to customize the solution to their environment, and the continuing evolution of the RoC provides even more speed and flexibility. The 9361-8i comes with a standard three-year warranty.
Today, we test the newest LSI flagship against its formidable competition, the 12Gb/s 16-port ASR-8885 from Adaptec by PMC.
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Lian Li PC-A79 Full-Tower Chassis Review

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

TweakTown image lian_li_pc_a79_full_tower_chassis_review

It has been a while since we have seen anything from Lian Li since they took on a new sampling policy that is a little less free with the amount of samples that go out to media. We did receive this chassis a couple of months ago, but the demand on us is high at all times, and we are sometime two to three months deep in samples; for the delay in getting this reviewed, we apologize.
However, seeing a couple of their larger cases last year has left an impression that Lian Li is sticking with exteriors that have worked for them for years. However, they seem to have finally gotten a grip on what it takes to allow for wire management to be done correctly. That had been a major sticking point to most of our early builds with Lian Li, but it seems the gripes we once had are now a thing of the past.
We were shipped one of their latest full-tower chassis designs to have a look at, and in it are some really cool features. There is that new wire trail design they had worked with in the past, but even that idea has been improved upon since last we saw it. This chassis also offers wheels in the back, so you can slide this chassis around rather than having to lift the chassis to move it. This is also the first time, I believe, we are looking at a Lian Li chassis that is 5.25-inch bay covers from top to bottom, and if not, it's the first to have them all clip in rather than being screwed into the chassis. There is a lot more to see, but we need to save some of the meat for the rest of this review.
The chassis we are speaking of is the PC-A79 full-tower case that we are about to see today. This chassis incorporates what we have already addressed as well as taking on more than the basic ATX motherboard. We will find room for water cooling, modularity in the design, as well as all of the sleek brushed aluminum, inside and out, that makes Lian Li cases so sought after in the first place. As we said, Lian Li has been making vast improvements to sort of catch back up to the market; it's time now to see what time has done for this PC-A79, as we get down and dirty building and testing our system in it.

TweakTown image lian_li_pc_a79_full_tower_chassis_review

The long narrow chart provided by Lian Li covers all aspects of what the PC-A79 has to offer. First, we see it is a full-tower design that stands 618mm tall, 230mm wide, and 596mm deep. There are two color choices as well, one being made of all natural brushed aluminum under the Silver naming and the one that we will be testing has an exterior that has been anodized black. Of course, just like with any Lian Li chassis, this one is also made of aluminum for the frame, supports, and drive bays, but also the exterior is completely aluminum keeping up with that high-end elegance that has been associated with the Lian Li name for years.
Inside of this chassis, we find the front offers twelve 5.25-inch bays, but nine of them are taken up with 3 three-bay cages that will allow for nine 3.5-inch drives or eight 2.5-inch drives to go into the front of the chassis. In front of these, drive bay racks also each have a 120mm fan for a total of three inducing air into this chassis. The motherboard tray will house anything from Micro-ATX on up to, and including, HPTX motherboards just like the DS6 we just looked at. This case weighs in at just over twenty-one pounds empty.
Around the rest of the chassis, Lian Li has stocked the chassis with three more fans other than what was in the front. There are two 120mm fans in the left side and one 120mm placed in the rear as exhaust. There are also options in the roof of this chassis to install either a pair of 120mm fans or 140mm fans, but nothing there are no fan mounts on the floor as there are drive options placed there.
With something made completely from aluminum, as well as offering a very full feature set, we also expect the pricing to be higher than if this were made of steel. Considering the price of the DS6 was over $200, and despite the PC-A79 not being sound proofed, we still expect this chassis to cost considerably more, and it does.
No matter where we were able to find this chassis, we found that you will need to spend in excess of $300 to obtain this chassis. That definitely places this well out of the reach of most, but then again, that is what makes Lian Li cases so prestigious in the first place. Even so, with such a high price set for this case, we will be going over it with a fine tooth comb to ensure you are getting what you pay for.
PRICING: You can find the Lian Li PC-A79B 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 Lian Li PC-A79B retails for $407.85 at Amazon.
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