IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 24/04/2014

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 24/04/2014

TweakTown

Iowa State University data breach could affect up to 30,000
Iowa State University recently confirmed it suffered a data breach and the personal information of up to 30,000 current and former students is now at risk. Particularly, the Social Security Numbers of students enrolled at ISU between 1995 and 2012 were vulnerable, though it doesn't appear cyberattackers accessed the information.

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Instead, those responsible for the attack decided to mine for bitcoins using the school's servers - with ISU believing five network attached storage drives manufactured by Synology are at fault.
"We don't believe our students' personal information was a target in this incident, but it was exposed," said Jonathan Wickert, Senior VP and Provost, in a press statement. "We have notified law enforcement, and we are contacting and encouraging those whose Social Security numbers were on the compromised servers to monitor their financial reports."

Founder of Russian social media site VKontakte fired, flees country
The founder of VKontakte (VK), Pavel Durov, has been fired and reportedly has fled the country as Moscow takes control of his website. Durov faced pressure from the Federal Security Service (FSB) to reveal user information about political activists, which he routinely rejected.

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"Judging by the news, I was fired today as the general director of VKontakte," Durov wrote in an online post. "Interestingly, the shareholders did not have the courage to do it directly and I learned about my mysterious dismissal from the press."
There has been a continued fight between VK's owners, after the United Capital Partners (UCP) purchased 48 percent of the company - and has battled with Mail.Ru, a company that owns 52 percent. Meanwhile, Durov said he has left the country and likely won't go back due to the Russian government's incompatibility with Internet businesses.
Not too long after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden interviewed Vladimir Putin about spying and snooping, this Internet social media takeover occurred.

HTC is eyeballing Nokia's India-based manufacturing facility
With Microsoft closing its acquisition deal with Nokia this week, HTC has began eyeballing some of the Nokia-owned assets that will not be transferring over in the deal. A new report from CNET says that HTC is looking to purchase Nokia's manufacturing facility located in Chennai, India. The news comes from HTC's CFO, Chialin Chang, who said that his company was looking into a possible purchase of the facility.

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Unfortunately for HTC, the plat has been mixed up in a tax debate in which the Indian government says Nokia owes $500 million in back taxes on the facility. This is one of the major reasons that Microsoft has no interest in the facility, and has expressly avoided adding it into its acquisition deal with Nokia. This could turn out to be a major win for HTC though as the Indian Government could seize the facility and sell it to HTC for pennies on the dollar.

Codemasters announces Grid Autosport for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
Codemasters announced Grid Autosport and is all for release on 27th June for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, along with a teaser video of its upcoming game. The games designer wanted to produce a more authentic motorsport racing game, and emphasized that they have made implementations based on the feedback received by fans for Grid 2.

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The cars will be ranging from Indycars to supercars, and will be bringing back drift. The game brings back a lot of content from the original Grid as the in-game campaign will lets you acquire sponsors and teammates.

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The game will also be bringing back cockpit view. There are two options within cockpit view- view with driver's hands and another will be closer to the track.

When asked upon the absence of game for Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Codemasters' Clive Moody said,"We're working really hard on our next-gen Ego engine right now - and when we roll it out, we want it to be the best racing engine out there. That takes time, and it's not as if we haven't been working on it for some time. It wasn't really where wanted it to be, I don't think, to produce what I would class as a truly competitive next-gen game coming out in the window we're coming out."
It is implied however that the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are not based on its next-gen Ego engine.
It was also added that while motorsport magazine 'Autosport' doesn't have an official partnership with Codemasters for this game, they have given their expert advice to enhance the development of the game-play. You can also race alongside with BTCC drivers Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan.

Silicon Power unveils new 240GB Thunder T11 External Thunderbolt Drive
Today Silicon Power unveiled an updated version of its popular Thunder T11 external Thunderbolt solid state drive. The new Thunder T11 features an enlarged capacity and is now capable of storing up to 240GB of data and deliver it back as blazing Thunderbolt speeds. Silicon Power says that the Thunderbolt T11 is capable of read speeds up to 380MB/s and write speeds of 340MB/s.

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Along with evolving technology development and increasing demands for data storage efficiency, Silicon Power introduces the pioneering Thunderbolt external SSD - Thunder T11, which enhances storage solution with Thunderbolt SuperSpeed I/O technology and delivers astonishing transfer rates up to Read/Write 380 MB/340 MB/sec. With such incredibly high transfer speed that is three times that of USB 3.0 HDD, Thunder T11 is ideal for professionals who attach importance to speed performance, such as photographers, videographers, video gamers and businessmen. Moreover, Thunder T11 stands out by its stunning look with extremely tiny and featherweight design. Only weighting 65g and having half the size of ordinary storage devices, Thunder T11 is not only the lightest but also the smallest Thunderbolt SSD on the market. Accompanied with exquisite Aluminum enclosure, Thunder T11 creates a truly hi-tech product with high fashion design and is perfect for trendy professionals on the go.

AT&T puts $500 million into creating the next Netflix
Media streaming has been slowly replacing cable subscriptions for people for the last few years, and in the past 12 months, it has exploded with help from set-top boxes and HDMI dongles such as Google's Chromecast. As such, media streaming apps and services have been popping up left and right, and now it appears that AT&T wants its cut of the action as well.

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Today AT&T announced that it has partnered up with the Chernin Group to develop the next major media streaming service that would be a direct competitor to the current number one, Netflix. AT&T says that together, the partnership has committed $500 million in funding the new service, and are currently working out how the service would work. Luckily for AT&T, the Chernin Group already owns such a service, called Crunchroll.
"A critical part of The Chernin Group's strategy has been our significant focus on the online video industry, and joining forces with AT&T only further underscores our strategic commitment in this area as operators, investors and programmers," said Peter Chernin, Chairman and CEO, The Chernin Group. "Consumers are increasingly viewing video content on their phones, tablets, computers, game consoles and connected TVs on mobile and broadband networks. AT&T's massive reach on those platforms across mobile and broadband and their commitment to the online video space make them the perfect fit for this venture with us."

Micron announces release of its new M500DC SSD for data centers
Today Micron announced the launch of a new enterprise-class solid state drive that has been custom designed for use in data center storage platforms. Micron says that its new MD500DC SATA SSD fills a growing need for high-performing, enterprise-class solid state storage at an affordable price.

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"System administrators are realizing that there is a need for an SSD that delivers more enterprise-features than a client drive at a more affordable price than most enterprise drives," said Greg Wong, founder and principal analyst at Forward Insights. "Products such as Micron's M500DC SSD offer data centers the optimal balance of enterprise class features, performance and price for demanding 24/7 enterprise workloads."
Micron's new MD500DC is built on a 20nm MLC NAND Flash design and utilizes the company's fifth-generation custom firmware. The M500DC ensures high reliability in this advanced media by integrating its Extended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology (XPERT) feature suite. The M500DC is available in 120, 240, 480 and 800GB capacities and 1.8-inch, 5-millimeter (mm) and 2.5-inch, 7mm SATA form factors. The drive is currently in production and is sold direct to OEMs and through Micron's distribution channels.

Airwolf 3D launches first hot-end for Polycarbonate and Nylon printing
Airwolf 3D has just announced the launch of its first hot-end for 3D printers that allows customers to print in engineering-grade materials such as polycarbonate, Bridge Nylon and Nylon 645. The new JRx Hot-End is patent pending and not only allows users to print in the hotter temperature range of Nylon and PC, but also retains printing capabilities in the ABS and PLA ranges as well.

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"Printing polycarbonate is the holy grail for prosumer 3D printers," stated Erick Wolf, president and founder of Airwolf 3D. "Personally, however, I think printing nylon is going to explode because it is incredibly strong and has almost unlimited applications. You can even dye different layers to get multi-colored products. Bridge nylon, for example, has been reformulated to meet the growing demand for the material. At 270 degrees Celsius (518 degrees Fahrenheit) we find the layer-to-layer adhesion is superb and the prints stick uniformly to our heated bed. When dealing with nylon at lower temperatures there tends to be trial and error to achieve ideal layer strength. That won't happen with our new JRx hot end."

Airwolf 3D says that it utilizes Teflon and a proprietary thermal barrier to prevent thermal creep from happening between the heater element and the PTFE liner. This allows the hot-end to reach temperatures as high as 270C and printing of Nylon and Polycarbonate. Airwolf 3D says that the JRx hotend is featured in 2 models with compatibility for the AW3D Xl and 5.5 3D printers for $195, while the JRx for the AW3D HD will cost consumers $295.

Obama must explain drone strikes against US citizens overseas
The U.S. Department of Justice must hand over information that justified the launch of drone attacks, including at least two cases in which U.S. citizens were killed abroad. Of note, there has been significant concern over the legality of killing U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike while hiding in Yemen in 2011.

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"Whatever protection the legal analysis might once have had has been lost by virtue of public statements of public officials at the highest levels and official disclosure of the DOJ White Paper," wrote New York Circuit Judge Jon Newman.
The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York has told the federal government to release a Justice Department memo from 2010 that discussed the legality of drone attacks on U.S. citizens overseas.
Drone strikes will continue to be a valuable asset for the U.S. military, as U.S. and Yemeni forces continue a three-day siege against al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Google begins selling its Nest Thermostat on Google Play
For those of you not in the know, today is Earth Day, a crowd-sourced holiday in which everyone is supposed to pause and think about how our daily lives are affecting the earth. This week Google, Apple and other tech giants have released statements, and held events to make their consumers more Earth conscious, and today coincidentally Google began selling its Nest smart thermostat on its Google Play Store.

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Again, unless you have been living under a rock, you will recognize the Nest Thermostat as one of the early entries into the Internet of Things, and one of the first so-called intelligent thermostats to hit the market. Nest learns your heating and cooling schedule, and automatically adjust things to keep your home at the perfect temperature when you are home. Nest Thermostat owners can also make adjustments from their smartphone or tablet anywhere that has an internet connection. This allows users to turn the HVAC off while away and to turn it on before arriving home, and that saves a lot of money and lessens the owners carbon footprint.

TSMC unlikely to make 20nm GPU chips for AMD and NVIDIA
It looks like TSMC is now facing an issue which would affect the supply of 20nm technology for video cards with AMD or NVIDIA chips. The Taiwan-based foundry is having difficulties to meet both the chipmaker's demand for the new process, therefore delaying the productions until December 2014.

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NVIDIA wanted to release high-end 20nm based Maxwell GPUs, but because of this the graphics chipmaker is forced to re-engineer its GM204 and GM206 chipsets to work with the existing 28nm process.
Because of this delay, we shouldn't be expected any newer video cards until December 2014.
It was also thought that the GM104 was supposed to be meant for 20nm process, with 7.9 billion transistors and 3,200 CUDA cores. Later, NVIDIA had no choice but to move towards 28nm process. AMD on the other hand said that they will continue to use 28nm process till the end of 2014 and after that, they'll move on to 20nm and FinFET process. After this statement, one can speculate that the next gen AMD Radeon architecture could be based on 28nm process.
Meanwhile, Intel is not facing any issue with its existing 22nm process and plans to push towards 14nm process in the future. GlobalFoundries is also trying to push towards 14nm process on paper, possibly with Samsung's help. Intel CEO Briand Krzanich said during its annual investor day that the company made plans to rent out space on its foundry lines due to weak demand for desktop processors. Seeing that AMD and NVIDIA are facing frustrations with TSMC, it may consider the possibility to switch over.
Intel on the other hand did not give any further details of any interested clients.

VESA announces new display stream compression standard
Today the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) and the MIPI Alliance announced the finalization and release of the new Display Stream Compression (DSC) Standard version 1.0. DSC is designed to be a low latency, and lossless performance compression standard for today's high-bandwidth video content. DEC has been adopted into VESA's embedded DisplayPort v1.4 and into MIPI Display Serial Interface (DSI) Specification v1.2 technologies.

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"VESA recognized the need for display interface compression in mobile devices to extend battery life without compromising visual quality," said Dale Stolitzka, VESA Display Stream Compression Task Group Chairman and member of Samsung Display America Laboratory. "In addition, on-going development of DisplayPort standards, which includes 8K resolution support, foresaw the need for compression because of inherent limits in the existing display interface cables. VESA realized that compression was becoming a common need in the industry, and that a standard compression coding system could meet these common display interface needs."

Increasing display resolution and higher refresh rates present challenges for small-display mobile devices and laptops, as well as large external displays. As display resolutions increase, the interface payload capacity must increase either with more power-consuming bandwidth, video data compression, or both. Displays going beyond 4K resolutions will push the video data rate beyond the current limits of the interface standards. For example, standard 1080p displays require a video data rate of 3.5 gigabits/sec; 4K displays at 60Hz require 14 gigabits/sec; and future 8K displays will require over 50 gigabits/sec. VESA's DSC standard version 1.0 enables up to 66 percent data rate reduction, extending battery life in mobile systems and laptops, while simplifying the electrical interface requirements for future 4K and 8K displays, VESA said in a release.

"We are pleased to have contributed to the development of the DSC standard through our liaison agreement with VESA," said Joel Huloux, Chairman of the Board, MIPI Alliance. "We came to the same conclusion, regarding the need for a video interface compression standard, and realized that both organizations and the industry would benefit through this collaborative effort. DSC enables a single codec for system chips that have multiple interfaces."

Pulse by Sengled LED light bulb offers lighting and music in any room
A company called Sengled has unveiled an interesting new LED light bulb called the Pulse. The bulb will fit into most light sockets and provides green LED lighting good for thousands and thousands of hours. Pulse also has another cool feature; it allows you to stream music to an internal speaker.

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That means you can add energy efficient lighting to any room and wireless audio capability at the same time. Bluetooth is used to synchronize the Pulse bulb to your smartphone or tablet for streaming music. JBL multi channel speakers are used inside the bulb for high quality sound.
Music is controlled via an app that is available for Android or iOS devices. You can also stream music to the bulb from your PC. Pulse comes in sets of two bulbs with a master bulb and a satellite bulb. The set of two sells for $169.99 and are good for 25,000 hours. Sengled plans to upgrade the master in the future to support seven satellite bulbs.

Sanyo unveils new 2014 HDTVs with 65-inch set in the mix
Sanyo has pulled the wraps off its new 2014 line of HDTVs. The entire line supports 1080p resolution. Sanyo offers no 720p TVs or 4K TVs this year. All of the TVs in the line are LED backlit making them more power efficient than older CCFL TVs.

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The new range includes sets that run from 24-inches up to 65-inches. Sanyo is selling the new line through Walmart and Sam's Club around the country. Features are shared across the entire range with the big difference being screen size. All of the TVs have three HDMI inputs.
All of the TVs also have analog and digital optical audio outputs. Most of the new TVs are fitted with a MHL port that makes the TVs Roku Ready. Rounding out the hardware features are a USB port for viewing images on the screen and a VGA input for PC connectivity. Pricing on the TVs is unannounced at this time.
"This new series of LED TVs can make a dramatic impact in the home with their slim design and easy set-up, excellent clarity of images and high-quality sound," said Yoshikuni Tamura, Product Planning Team Manager, SANYO TV division. "All models are designed with a beautiful high-gloss frame and a brilliant LED screen, making them ideal to enhance your viewing experience and take it to the next level."

Compton, CA spied on using drone aircraft by Sheriff's department
A report is making the rounds that the police in Compton, California carried out a secret experiment in 2013 that involved the use of surveillance drones. The drone aircraft was equipped with a HD video camera and allows operators to zoom in on any point within the municipality. Compton spans about 10-square miles.

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The demonstration was conducted by a company called Persistence Surveillance Systems and one of its workers named Ross McNutt says, "We literally watched all of Compton during the times that we were flying, so we could zoom in anywhere within the city of Compton and follow cars and see people."

The drone used can stay in the air for six hours. It produces feeds that are similar to Google Earth where the operators can zoom in on specific areas. The cameras are said to not have the resolution to identify faces.
LA County Sheriff's office sergeant Douglas Iketani says that the agency kept the experiment quiet to avoid upsetting residents. "This system was kind of kept confidential from everybody in the public," he said. "A lot of people do have a problem with the eye in the sky, the Big Brother, so to mitigate those kinds of complaints we basically kept it pretty hush hush."

Logitech Ultrathin keyboard for iPad air and iPad mini debuts
Logitech has announced a new keyboard cover for the iPad that is an updated version of the keyboard cover unveiled in February 2013. The keyboard cover is called the Logitech Ultrathin and it is offered for the iPad air, iPad mini, and iPad mini with Retina tablets.

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Logitech updated the keyboard with a new multi angle slot that lets the user adjust the angle of the tablet screen to whatever is most comfortable for their use. The design of the keyboard is also thinner at 6.4 mm thick. Logitech doesn't give a specific weight, but says the keyboard cover is about 2/3 of the weight of the tablet itself.
A magnetic clip still holds the keyboard in place and it has the same aluminum finish as the tablet for good looks. Connectivity to the iPad is via Bluetooth. Keys for iOS shortcuts are integrated and normal keys are spaced well for comfortable typing. The Ultrathin for iPad air is $99.99 and for iPad mini and mini with Retina is $89.99.

NZXT Phantom 240 mid-tower case offers a window and budget price
If you have ever bought the parts to build up a new PC, you know that the case can be one of the more expensive parts. Most of us want a case that looks cool and has plenty of cooling, but we don't want to spend a fortune. NZXT has unveiled a new case that ticks all the boxes for most system builders.

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The PC chassis is called the Phantom 240 and it sells for $69.99. It comes in white with black trim and has a standard side window. Cooling hardware inside the case includes a pair of the new 120mm FN V2 case fans from NZXT that have better performance and quiet operation.
Other features include external USB 3.0 and audio connectors. NZXT also builds in 17mm of cable management space with seven routing holes and over 20 zip tie points. That should make management of your wires very easy. The hard drive cage is removable for easy install and the case supports full size video cards.
Drive bays available include three 5.25-inch internal bays, six 2.5-inch internal bays, and six 3.5-inch internal bays. Construction for the Phantom 240 is steel and plastic.

Multi-state tax scam aimed at medical professionals causing headaches
Medical professionals have become victims of identity theft, with Social Security Numbers and other personal information used to help process fraudulent tax returns, according to recent reports. The victims, less than 1,000 total so far, didn't know about the breach until they tried to file their returns and found that someone else already had beaten them to the punch.

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Victims were found in the following states: Colorado, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, North Carolina, South Dakota, Maine, Indiana, and New Hampshire. The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) sent a memo to healthcare professionals in the state to be aware of the tax scam.
"The DOR is viewing this as a large problem and officials are very concerned," said Julie Reed, ISMA general council, during a recent conversation. "While their investigation has not yet identified the source of the presumed breach, they are tracking all the cases, looking for patterns, and actively investigating and pursuing leads."

Parents need to learn to put down smartphones for benefit of the kids
Smartphones and tablets are seemingly everywhere, and while they often help us complete work tasks and stay entertained, there is a growing issue of smartphone overuse. This is even more problematic for parents that are glued to their smartphones, inadvertently missing critical communication and interaction lessons for their kids, according to researchers.

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"They learn language, they learn about their own emotions, they learn how to regulate them," said Dr. Jenny Radesky, a Boston Medical Center researcher, in a statement to NPR. "They learn by watching us how to have a conversation, how to read other people's facial expressions. And if that's not happening, children are missing out on important development milestones."
Although Dr. Radesky's study, which found 40 of 55 parents in an informal study used a mobile device and were so absorbed that they didn't interact with their kids during a meal. Unfortunately, playing on Facebook and watching YouTube videos can be detrimental for child development, as kids learn by face-to-face interaction.

LG's G Watch will feature an always-on, water-resistant screen
LG has been teasing its G Watch smartwatch for quite sometime now, but more details continue to leak out about the Android Wear-powered device. Now we're hearing it will come in two colors: stealth black and champagne gold.

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Not only that, but the display will be an always-on screen, with the G Watch being both dust and water-resistant. The always-on screen should be the biggest thing to take away from this news, as it would make sense to have it always-on, and always-listening thanks to the "OK Google" commands that you can use.

Retail stores can use NEC technology to conduct facial recognition
NEC Hong Kong is currently developing a new facial recognition technology that can be used by stores, hotels, and other retail establishments to quickly identify customers. Retailers have tried to use smartphones to help monitor customer activity, especially if guests log onto free, open Wi-Fi hotspots, though customers found ways to disable such features.

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When most people think of facial recognition, it's in regards to security and possible privacy issues - but NEC and companies have a more unique reasoning behind why stores, hotels, and other establishments might want to adopt the technology:
"Everyone loves to feel special. That's why any organization that can greet a customer by name and start helping them the minute they walk in to a shop, bank or hotel will have a tremendous advantage over one that relies on ID cards or other impersonal procedures," said Elsa Wong, NEC Hong Kong Managing Director, in a press statement.

LG G3 mini rumored to feature 720p display, 8-megapixel rear camera
According to leaked documents that My LG Cell Phones has gotten its hands-on, we should be expecting the G3 mini smartphone unveiled by LG in the near future.

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LG's smaller G3 mini smartphone will reportedly come with a 720p display - which should be sized at around 4.7 inches - and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. There's not much else known on the G3 mini right now, but it should launch shortly after the G3 smartphone, which will be an important launch for the South Korean-based LG.

Samsung drops the price of the Galaxy S5 in India
The Galaxy S5 is one of the freshest smartphones on the market, but Samsung is already cutting the price of its latest flagship in the third largest smartphone market in the world, India.

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Samsung has cut the price from $860 to $775, close to $100 off its original off-contract price. The Galaxy S5 is selling well, so one of the main reasons for the price drop is to be on an even more offensive stance because of the release of HTC's One M8 smartphone.

AMD launches Catalyst 14.4 RC drivers, compatible the R9 295X2
The AMD Radeon R9 295X2 is now available, but what good is the fastest GPU on the planet without some compatible drivers? Well, it's good timing that AMD has just made its new Catalyst 14.4 drivers available, compatible with the dual-Hawaii-based GPU.

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The new Catalyst 14.4 drivers are from a new driver branch - 14.100 - which include some new features. We have OpenGL 4.4 support for AMD GPUs, support for sparse textures, and buffer storage objects that can be used with processors that sport unified memory between the CPU and GPU - such as AMD's Kaveri range of chips.
We have the usual CrossFire improvements, with performance boosts for Crysis 3, Titanfall, Metro: Last Light and more. The Mantle side of things has been improved, fixing up some edge cases in Battlefield 4, as well as performance hits when you alt-tab. These new drivers are in the Release Candidate variety, so use them at your own risk. They're also 301MB, marking the first time an AMD driver has been over 300MB. You can download them here.

You can now use Google Wallet on Android to order Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza now accepts payments for orders through Google Wallet, with the new payment method now baked into the company's Android-based application. Once you're in the check out with your pizza order, you can select "Buy with Google" to complete the order.

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In order to promote the new payment method, Domino's is offering a free order of its specialty chicken to anyone who places an order of $10 or more, and pays through Google Wallet. This deal is all good until June 15, so get your Google Wallet ready, and order yourself some pizza!

D-Link DCS-825L Wi-Fi Baby Monitor Camera Review

Introduction

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If you are new to parenting or are on your second or third child, then you know baby monitors have long been a mainstay letting you know when your child has woke from a nap. Traditionally, baby monitors have been an audio-only solution, but today we will take a look at D-Link's twist on the technology in the form of the DCS-825L Wi-Fi Baby Camera.
This newly released camera from D-Link builds off their great knowledge in building network surveillance solutions such as the 2330L and 2332L we have reviewed previously. This time around, D-Link designed the solution from the ground up to take advantage of features like a room temperature monitor, motion sensing, and a built-in speaker that can play lullabies.
In addition to those features, D-Link has integrated a 720p capable image sensor along with night vision capabilities and an onboard microSD slot for recording H.264 video.

Pricing, Availability and Specifications

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Pricing of the DCS-825L at this time is set at $179.99, with a one-year warranty. Availability is quite high with several retailer carrying stock.
PRICING: You can find the D-Link 825L 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 D-Link 825L retails for $179.99 at Amazon.
Canada: The D-Link 825L retails for CDN$179.99 at Amazon Canada.
... Read the rest in your browser!

HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5-inch Consumer HDD Review

Introduction

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Over the last few months, I have been running both of my NAS appliances with purpose-built drives. One NAS has a set of WD Reds and the other has the Seagate NAS solution. While each of these drives are great in terms of reliability, they do lack in one area: performance.
Now, I am not saying the performance of the above solutions is terrible by any means, but what if you could increase the performance of your NAS at the offset of a bit more power consumption? If you are one that is willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of power savings, HGST may have a solution for you in the Deskstar NAS.

Specifications, Pricing and Availability

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The Deskstar NAS, available in both 3TB and 4TB capacities, carries a 7200RPM spindle speed with 64MB of cache. Areal density is listed at 446 Gbits for the 4TB model and 425 Gbits for the 3TB model with load/unload cycles set at 600,000. In addition, we have a 10^14 BER with a MTBF of 1 million hours.
Idle power consumption of the drive is listed at 6.9 watts with a peak startup current of 1A for 5V and 2A for 12V. The HGST Deskstar NAS carries an MSRP of $229.99 for the 4TB capacity and $169.99 for the 3TB capacity.
PRICING: You can find the HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB HDD 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 HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB HDD retails for $233.99 at Amazon.
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Kingston Digital Releases Larger Capacity mSATA Drives
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the addition of 240 GB and 480 GB capacities to the existing SSDNow mS200 mSATA SSD line. Kingston's SSDNow mS200 mSATA solid state drive allows system builders and enthusiasts a cost-effective performance boost with quicker boot time and application loads while requiring less power than HDDs.

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The mS200's small-form factor is perfect for notebook, tablet and Ultrabook PCs, as well as a variety of embedded systems. It can also be used as a caching device with motherboards that support Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT) to improve system performance. mS200 has read speeds up to 550 MB/s and write speeds up to 520 MB/s.

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The 30 GB, 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB mS200 mSATA SSDs have a caseless, PCB-only design with no moving parts and are backed by a two- or three-year warranty, free technical support and legendary Kingston reliability.
SSDNow mS200 mSATAFeatures & Specifications:

LSI SandForce 2241 (30 GB, 60 GB, 120 GB) and 2281 (240 GB, 480 GB) controller with SATA Rev. 3.0 (6 Gb/s) interface: twice as fast as the previous generation, yet more cost-efficient
mSATA interface: fully compliant with industry standard, easy to fit, guaranteed to work
NAND Flash memory based: shock-resistant with low power consumption
Supports Intel's SRT: combines capacity advantage of HDD with performance improvements of SSD in dual-storage configuration
Supports S.M.A.R.T.: monitors the status of your drive
Supports TRIM: maintains maximum performance on compatible operating systems
Interface: SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s), SATA Rev. 1.0 (1.5Gb/s)
Capacities1: 30GB, 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB
Automatic Encryption (AES 128-bit): Password at the drive level ensures secure data protection

Sequential Read/Write:

30 GB - 550 MB/s / 510 MB/s
60GB - 550 MB/s / 520 MB/s
120 GB - 550 MB/s / 520 MB/s
240 GB - 540 MB/s / 530 MB/s
480GB - 530 MB/s / 340 MB/s

Maximum 4k Read/Write:

30 GB - up to 86,000/ up to 77,000 IOPS
60 GB - up to 86,000/ up to 79,000 IOPS
120 GB - up to 86,000/ up to 48,000 IOPS
240 GB - up to 72,000/up to 40,000 IOPS
480 GB - up to 72,000/up to 18,000 IOPS

Random 4k Read/Write:

30 GB - up to 7,500/71,000 IOPS
60GB - up to 14,000/77,000 IOPS
120 GB - up to 17,000/45,000 IOPS
240 GB - up to 21,000/41,000 IOPS
480 GB - up to 21,000/13,000 IOPS

PCMARK Vantage HDD Suite Score: 60,000

Power Consumption: 0.4W Idle / 1.2 (TYP) Read / 1.8W (TYP) Write
Storage temperature: -40C ~ 85C
Operating temperature: 0C ~ 70C
Dimensions: 50.88 mm x 30 mm
Weight: 6.86g
TRIM Supported
Vibration operating: 2.17G
Vibration non-operating: 20G
MTTF: 1,000,000 Hrs

Warranty/support:

30 GB - two-year warranty with free technical support
60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB - three-year warranty with free technical support

Total Bytes Written (TBW):

30 GB: 121 TB
60 GB: 218 TB
120 GB: 337 TBW
240 GB: 585 TBW
480 GB: 1562 TBW

AMD Energizes "Never Settle Forever"
AMD today announced a refresh of "Never Settle Forever", the popular game bundle program for AMD Radeon products. Starting today, the "Never Settle Forever" promotion will be available to a wider range of AMD Radeon video cards, spanning the R7 Series graphics to the ultra-enthusiast AMD Radeon R9 295X2 video card. For the first time ever, the "Never Settle Forever" program will be rolled out to AMD's entry-level graphics products: the AMD Radeon R7 250X, R7 250 and R7 240 GPUs.

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AMD's "Never Settle Forever" is dedicated to letting gamers select from a strong line-up of in-demand games as a reward for choosing AMD Radeon graphics. Users will receive up to three choices of free games when they redeem their AMD Radeon Reward coupon. The actual number of available choices will vary by Rewards tier: Gold, Silver or Bronze.
"We're happy to introduce this next chapter for our highly successful 'Never Settle Forever' program, delivering on the promise we made a year ago with our Unified Gaming Strategy," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. "AMD's unrivaled graphics technology, combined with our ever-growing game developer partnerships, demonstrates that we are leading and shaping the gaming industry."
Square Enix's upcoming title, "Murdered: Soul Suspect", will be available in the Radeon Gold and Silver Rewards of "Never Settle Forever" for the first time. Optimized for the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, gamers can secure an early code for the game that may be redeemed when the title launches in June 2014.
"With 'Murdered: Soul Suspect', we're looking forward to continuing the tradition of collaboration between Square Enix and AMD," said Naoto Sugiyama, executive producer, "Murdered: Soul Suspect". "We're dedicated to bringing world-class experiences for PC gamers and look forward to the launch of our game in AMD's 'Never Settle Forever' program."
For the first time ever, AMD is also pleased to announce the inclusion of PC titles from independent game developers to the "Never Settle Forever" program as one of the redemption options. Bundled in sets as an "indie pack," gamers may choose one indie pack consisting of two indie titles as one of their game selection choices. The roster of titles includes:

"The Banner Saga", developed by Stoic Studio and published by Versus Evil
"Dyad", developed and published by ][, (Right Square Bracket Left Square Bracket)
"Guacamelee!" -- developed and published by Drinkbox Studios
"Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack" -- developed and published by Drinkbox Studios

"We're excited to have 'The Banner Saga' as one of the first ever titles from an independent game developer to be offered through AMD's 'Never Settle Forever' program," said Steve Escalante, GM, Versus Evil. "We're looking forward to the new audiences that our game can reach with Radeon users across the globe."
"Our acclaimed titles are gaining serious momentum among gamers of all ages," said Graham Smith, co-founder, Drinkbox Studios. "The introduction of indie packs to 'Never Settle Forever' is a great collaboration for AMD and Drinkbox Studios as entry-level AMD Radeon video cards can provide solid performance in both of our popular games."
The new Radeon Reward levels, benefits and eligible products for "Never Settle Forever" are as follows:
This "Never Settle Forever" offer will be available starting today at participating retailers and e-tailers. Gamers can redeem right away or save their codes in anticipation of upcoming titles until the promotion ends Aug. 31, 2014. For more information, please visit: http://www.amd.com/neversettleforever

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