Orbit Downloader is devoted to new generation web (web2.0) downloading, such as video/ music/ streaming media from Myspace, YouTube, Imeem, Pandora, Rapidshare, support RTMP. And to make general downloading easier and faster.
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29 February 2008
Orbit Downloader
Japanese cellphones to turn into 'robot' buddies
TOKYO (AFP) -- For those who feel a bit lonely just talking on the phone, a Japanese company is offering a cellphone that turns into a robot buddy ready to chat.
Softbank Mobile Corp.'s new mobile line looks like a small humanoid with attachable arms and legs, with the screen showing various faces. full story
Softbank Mobile Corp.'s new mobile line looks like a small humanoid with attachable arms and legs, with the screen showing various faces. full story
Do Microbes Make Snow?
Scientists discover microbes in snows sampled from different parts of the world--and show how
MICROBIAL SNOW: Pseudomonas syringae cellsencased withinan ice lattice show how microbes can make
snow--and potentially hitch a ride.
(SciAm.com) -- Microbes may be responsible for snow—and rain for that matter. They are certainly involved in much of the man-made snow that ski resorts use to cover for Mother Nature's winter lapses. Microorganisms, particularly bacteria, produce proteins in their cell walls that bind water—even if they are dead. In fact, they bind water in such an orderly fashion that water droplets freezing around a microbe almost mirror the natural lattice formation of ice. As a result, bacteria can help snow form at warmer temperatures than would otherwise be the case, which explains why some ski resorts add dead microbes to the mix in their snowmaking machines. And now scientists have discovered such biological precipitation catalysts in natural snows—in such far-flung locations as Montana and Antarctica. full story Read More......
4D experience? ..Head Tracking using the Wii Remote
(johnnylee.net) -- Using the infrared camera in the Wii remote and a head mounted sensor bar (two IR LEDs), you can accurately track the location of your head and render view dependent images on the screen. This effectively transforms your display into a portal to a virtual environment. The display properly reacts to head and body movement as if it were a real window creating a realistic illusion of depth and space.
28 February 2008
New Firefox Extension: Personas
One of the features Firefox users seem to love is the themes, right? I mean, we all get tired of the same old boring Windows colors after awhile. However, having a lot of themes installed in Firefox can sometimes slow it down as well. Even more, when Firefox has to update, it may have to update 10 to 15 themes, which can take a long time as well. So, how would you like a quick and easy alternative? Well, allow me to introduce you to Personas! What is Personas, you ask? Personas is a single Firefox extension that comes bundled with many Firefox themes for your browser. It updates and shuffles them around so that you have a fresh variety of themes every time you check. Sound good? Then let’s jump right in!
1.) Download the Personas add on from this link (scroll down and click on Install Now). You can then start the download by selecting Install Now again.
2.) After Firefox restarts, the Personas page will open. You’ll also notice a little fox in the bottom right hand corner.
3.) Click on the fox and a little list will appear with different categories listed, such as Most Popular, New, etc.
5.) Almost instantly, your new theme will be applied. Check it out!
6.) If you look under All, there are several different themes to choose from. If you’re into sports, you can check out some of those themes. There's definitely something for everyone!
There are also some nice patterns, as you can see here:
There is something in Personas for everyone's style and I invite you to find yours. Enjoy!
Read More......27 February 2008
Avoid Win XP Re-activation
The time may come that you'll need to reinstall your Windows XP. It could happen. Maybe you'll add a new motherboard or hard drive. Maybe you'll get constant errors and problems that just won't go away. Or perhaps you're a neat freak who wants to rid yourself of clutter and start fresh with a clean operating system. If you do reinstall Windows XP, then you'll need to re-activate it too—that is, unless you keep this tip handy ;-)
See, the first time you activated XP it created a file called "wpa.dbl" that lives in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. By creating a backup of this file on disk, you can simply put it back into the folder after reinstalling XP and avoid the whole re-activation hassle. Here's how...
Go to My Computer then select your Hard Drive (usually drive C). Go to the WINDOWS\system32 folder and scroll way down until you find the wpa.dbl file.
Right-click and choose "Send To" then either Floppy Drive (make sure you have a disk in) or CD-R/RW.
Now, when you reinstall Windows XP you'll come to the activation screen—decline to activate and let the install finish.
Restart your computer in Safe Mode (keep hitting F8 at start-up then when the Advanced Boot Options menu appears arrow down to Safe Mode).
Find your way back to the WINDOWS\system32 folder. It's a good idea to rename the wpa.dbl file you're replacing just in case you run into problems, so call it something like "wpa.nothing".
Get the backup disk and copy the old wpa.dbl file back to the WINDOWS\system32 folder and reboot.
There you go—XP is up and running again.
Read More......IE 7 Cache Limit
Do you use Internet Explorer 7 for all of your Web browsing needs? Are you a new Internet Explorer 7 user? Either way, among other things, you have probably noticed some changes in IE 7's cache size, compared to version 6. And that makes sense, because there is a huge difference! Microsoft basically revamped the cache feature in IE 7 and they did it all for your own good. Keep reading and I promise I'll explain everything!
First of all, in Internet Explorer 6, the default cache limit was set to 10 percent of your overall hard drive size. I know that may not seem like a whole lot, but when you consider how big hard drives are made these days, it adds up rather quickly. If you have a large hard drive, your 10 percent will also be a big number and the more you fill up that space, the more it will slow down your computer. Do you now see where I'm going with this? Luckily, you can set your own cache limit in IE 7 so that you won't ever have to worry about any slowdowns.
To create your own default cache size in Internet Explorer 7, go to Tools, Internet Options and then click on the General tab. Next, click on the Settings button, located under the Browsing History section. You can then set your cache limit under the heading of "Disk space to use." You can tap out at 1 GB, but it's recommended that you don't go higher than 250 MB. Microsoft suggests you set it to 50 MB, but that's up to you. Just remember, the bigger your cache limit, the more you put yourself at risk for slowdowns and corruptions. Reset yours today!
Read More......Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - single player hands-on
True sequel... or pricey expansion pack?
The setting's the same. The story's the same. The good guys and bad guys are the same. Most of the weapons, armor and gadgets are the same. You're still in Vegas. You're still with teammates Michael Walter and Jung Park. You're still rappelling through windows and snaking cameras under doors. Heck, even the time and day haven't changed.
What, then, makes Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - the anticipated follow up to 2006's tactical terrorist shooter - a real sequel? What makes it truly new? Based on our recent hands-on time with the single player campaign, the differences are in the details. [more...]
IBM Reaffirms Its Faith in Mainframes
IBM employees in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., prepare a z10 mainframe computerfor shipment. (By Bob Goldberg -- Feature Photo Service)
(WP) -- IBM introduced a mainframe computer yesterday that it said would boost performance by 50 percent and significantly lower energy costs compared with its predecessor. The System z10, with a starting price of about $1 million, comes as IBM focuses on lowering the cost of running its data-crunching workhorses. full story Read More......
Sony Announces Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Bundle
Sony has just announced a PS3 bundle, which will include an 80GB PS3, a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and a DualShock 3 wireless controller for $499. [more...]
Report Confirms Rumored Xbox 360 Failure Rate: 16%
SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider, has issued a report that confirms the actual failure rate of the Xbox 360 system is way above what Microsoft claims and it is in fact the percentage that has been rumored for a while. This report only tracks this test group for a period of 6 to 10 months after warranty purchase (ending January 31, 2007). Once this same test group is tracked for 24 or 36 months, the fail rate is certain to go up. Our data shows that failures spike in the third month after warranty purchase but remain fairly steady after that, with only incremental drop-off until the eighth month. This pattern is fairly consistent with all electronics failures. [more...]
Canon HV30 Camcorder
(WP) -- The Canon HV30 replaces one of the most popular camcorders in recent memory, the Canon HV20. Winner of multiple awards, the HV20 wowed critics with outstanding video quality and a great set of manual controls, all in an easy to use package that retailed for under $1000. Canon wisely decided not to mess with a winning formula. The HV30 offers a few simple upgrades, but remains faithful to its predecessor. full story
Nokia N82 Cell Phone
(WP) -- The Nokia N82 is a candybar all-in-one handset with an array of high-end features. The N82 has a 2.4-inch display and a small, fiddly keypad that is prone to errors, as is the directional pad. On the back is a 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with a Xenon flash. The N82 is not currently available from Nokia USA, but is available from various importers for around $550. As a GSM handset, the N82 works on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the United States. full story
Samsung SC-HMX10 Camcorder
(WP) -- The SC-HMX10 is Samsung’s first attempt at a high definition (HD) camcorder, and it's done a good job. Samsung, for all its strength in other electronics areas, simply has not been able to compete in camcorders with juggernauts like Sony, Canon, and Panasonic. It wisely decided to aim a little lower and create the best “budget HD” camcorder it could. The result is a great little point-and-shoot that will satisfy those looking chiefly for simplicity, portability, and style. More advanced users should strongly consider upgrading to juggernaut-status. full story
U.S. Spies Want to Find Terrorists in World of Warcraft
Be careful who you frag. Having eliminated all terrorism in the real world, the U.S. intelligence community is working to develop software that will detect violent extremists infiltrating World of Warcraft and other massive multiplayer games, according to a data-mining report from the Director of National Intelligence.
The Reynard project will begin by profiling online gaming behavior, then potentially move on to its ultimate goal of "automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world." full story
This original Game Boy survived the Gulf War
(doobybrain.com) -- There’s an interesting discussion going on over at Slashdot about whether the original Nintendo Game Boy is one of the toughest gadgets ever made.
There are stories about people still owning the original Game Boy
Latest E-Mail Scam Offers Reprieve -- at a Price -- From Killer-for-Hire
If only real hit men were so courteous.
In recent months, authorities said, about a dozen Fairfax and Stafford county residents have received e-mails telling them that they are about to be killed. There is a twist: The killer offers a way out.
"The sender tells the receiver, 'I've been hired to kill you, it's one of your friends, I'm watching you. However . . . I don't believe you did what they said, and I'm going to give you a chance to pay me, and I won't kill you,' " Fairfax police spokeswoman Camille Neville said.
The e-mails are extortion for the electronic age, Fairfax and Stafford authorities said -- scams to intimidate recipients into divulging personal information.
"What the sender is hoping to 'hit' is an individual's bank account," Bill Kennedy, a Stafford County sheriff's office spokesman, said about the scheme.
The content of the messages varies, including the sum demanded, authorities said. The messages are often rife with spelling and grammar errors, Kennedy said. Authorities said they could detect no connection or pattern among the people who have received the e-mails, many of which were sent to work addresses.
Manassas resident Jessica Walker, 28, got one of e-mails at work last week. The message told her that for $15,000, she could have audiotapes of conversations between the hit man and the person who wanted her killed.
Walker, a cash-management specialist at a Fairfax bank, called police, but she said the e-mail gave her pause.
"You sit there and start racking your brain and thinking, 'Who would want to do it?' " Walker said. "Say that e-mail went to 10,000 people. Five percent of people probably responded to it, if for no other reason than to ask what was going on."
The hit man e-mails are not new. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, which tracks e-mail scam trends, warned of an increase in such threats in December 2006.
In recent months, the center has issued several alerts about the growing creativity in online scams. Aside from the usual requests for information on credit cards and debit cards, Web crooks have impersonated FBI agents who have demanded bribes or made threats; claimed to be State Department officials who discovered recipients' inheritances abroad; and called themselves U.S. soldiers in need of help, usually involving banking information.
The senders are often not sticklers for spelling. Another recent e-mail scheme comes from "Amando M. Tetangco, the Governot of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas," and tells recipients that they are the beneficiaries of a "large sum of money."
The e-mails all ask for personal or financial information. All are scams, the center said.
"The Department of State does not make unsolicited contact with individuals regarding matters such as inheritances," the center said in an alert.
Local authorities said those who receive such e-mails should not reply but should instead report them to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, at http:/
26 February 2008
Humanscale’s Eight-Monitor Mount Is Huge. Seriously.
(rgadget) -- Sometimes one display isn’t enough. Sometimes you need two. Sometimes you need eight. When you need eight, you’ll probably want to contact the folks over at Humanscale — an ironically named company that creates mounts that are decidedly inhuman.
Take the Paramount Parabolic Multi-Monitor Display, for instance: a rack for your bank of eight monitors that’s a guaranteed must-have for your elaborate array of “stalking” screens in the basement of your creepy estate. We’re sure there are uses for this beyond tracking the every movement of your house-guests, but we don’t want to know what they are.
Scientists collect mysterious creatures in Antarctic waters including giant sea spiders
In this photo released by the Australian Antarctic Division,tunicates,an animal that is stalk like in structure and looks like glass
tulips are seen in Antarctic waters in January 2008.
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica said Tuesday they have collected mysterious creatures including giant sea spiders and huge worms in the murky depths. full story Read More......
Cliffy B confirms the inevitable sequel; Marcus Fenix and the COGs heading to Xbox 360 in just a matter of months...
It had to be. With the a double-pronged onslaught of shooters scheduled for release exclusively on PlayStation 3 by the end of 2008 in the form of Resistance: Fall of Man 2 and KillZone 2, Microsoft needed something to bolster what is otherwise a shooter-less first-party line-up for the Holiday '08 period. At the platform holder's GDC Keynote Speech tonight, that something was unveiled in the form of the inevitable Gears of War 2 from Epic Games.
Following a presentation of a technology update to Epic's much-licensed Unreal Engine 3, which featured Fenix showing off new specular lighting techniques, high density crowds (featuring Locusts, naturally), and new fluid effects, Lead Designer on the first Gears Cliffy B, jumped on stage to reveal that not only was the Gears sequel in the works - but that it would also be heading to Xbox 360 in November.
"To our team the original game was just a tease, the appetizer to the 'Gears of War' characters and new style of gameplay. We were so amped to get to the next chapter, and dig deeper into the universe of this franchise," said Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer for Epic Games. "'Gears of War 2' is an even bigger, better, and more badass experience than the first game, and we can't wait to get it in the hands of eager gamers this November."
Little is known about the finer details surrounding the sequel, but one thing is for sure - there'll be several Xbox execs breathing a sigh of relief now they won't have to rely on largely original IP to combat the Helghast and Chimera this Holiday.
The teaser trailer for the game is now live on Xbox Live Marketplace. (www.totalvideogames.com)
Grand Theft Auto 2 Free Game Download
In 1999, Rockstar Games and Rockstar North (then known as DMA Design) furthered the groundbreaking gameplay concepts established just two years prior in the original Grand Theft Auto - with the release of GTA2.
GTA2 expanded on the top-down, open-ended crime world gameplay formula with a host of new features including the advent of multiple rival gangs – seven, to be exact, including the Yakuza, Scientists, Looneys, Rednecks, Zaibatsu, the Russian Mob and Hare Krishnas. Earn your respect with each gang.
Reap the benefits with all manner of shady work-for-hire gigs contracted your way. And climb your way to the top of the criminal pile.
Now, longtime Grand Theft Auto fans can revisit this classic entry in the series - and new jacks who missed out on this early franchise title can further discover Grand Theft Auto’s roots - absolutely free.
GTA2 has been completely optimized for play on modern PCs and is available free for all registrants to the Rockstar Games mailing list (rest assured your information will not be shared with any third parties, you will only receive information from Rockstar). Simply fill out the form and check your email for a direct link to the file (353 MB .zip file, includes install .exe, readme .txt file, and a .pdf of the original PC game manual).
Rockstar Games has released another game to it's Rockstar Classics line which includes the Original GTA, Wild Metal and now this Grand Theft Auto 2. All are available for free once you read and agree to the waiver/disclaimer from Rockstar, on their site. The game has been slightly modified so it is compatible with Windows XP. Their site also includes download and installation instructions.
Download Link:
Rockstar Classics Volume 3: GTA 2
Grand Theft Auto Free Game Download
In 1997, a band of developers that would come to be known as Rockstar North and Rockstar Games released the original Grand Theft Auto on an unsuspecting public. The groundbreaking non-linear urban crime game shook up a complacent game industry with its irreverent gameplay, humor and style- and a phenomenon was born. "We are now offering this classic progenitor of the Rockstar Games lineage as the first in a recurring series of Rockstar PC game downloads, absolutely free of charge. It's a chance for new fans to experience the roots of Rockstar as well as our way of saying thank you to our long-time supporters feeling that pang of nostalgia. Simply fill out the form to the right and check your email for a direct link to the file - we've even optimized the game for play on the latest and greatest computers. Now, don't say we never gave you anything." - Rockstar Games *Please note that you must fill out the form on the Rockstar website in order to download this game. Size: 328MB
Crysis Cheats - PC
Editing Crysis game files to cheat.
There are a couple of different ways to cheat in Crysis; either by console commands, editing the game files, or using a trainer. Since trainer sites are seldom reliable (and I cannot host trainers), and many people have indicated that they have trouble bringing up the console to enter the codes, below I will describe how to edit the game files to enable cheats in Crysis.
Note that you can also find more basic information on editing game files to cheat by looking in the PC cheats area.
Editing Crysis Config Files
The first step is locating the game config files, they are located in the game's config folder, generally they will be somewhere on your PC like this:
C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\Crytek\Crysis\Game\Config
Inside this folder you will find .cfg files for each difficulty of the game (diff_easy.cfg, diff_normal.cfg, etc.).
Select the config file that corresponds to the difficulty level you are playing, and before doing anything make a backup of it. You can save a backup right in that config folder, just name something descriptive so you'll know, such as BACKUP_diff_easy.cfg, or something similar. If you are running Vista you will need to have admin rights to do this.Now open the original in a text editor such as notepad, add one or more of the codes below to the end of the file, and save it. Then you can play Crysis on the difficulty level you edited, and whatever cheat codes you have at the end of this file will be activated. Note: each cheat code is entered on a new line, and you only need to enter the cheat code and toggle, not the descriptions I have listed.
For example, if you just want to activate God Mode in Crysis, you would add the following line to the file, save it, and play.
g_godMode = 1
Most requested codes for Crysis
God Mode
Cheat code: g_godMode = 1
Unlimited Ammunition
Cheat code: i_unlimitedammo = 1
Have Enemies Ignore You
Cheat code: ai_IgnorePlayer = 1
Carry Unlimited Weapons
Cheat code: i_noweaponlimit = 1
This is a continuation of the main Crysis Cheats page, please begin from the previous page if you arrived via search.
Rate of Time in Game
Cheat code: time_scale = 1 (any #)
AI Ignores Player
Cheat code: ai_IgnorePlayer = 1
Amount of energy consumed in speed mode while sprinting.
Cheat code: g_suitSpeedEnergyConsumption = 110 (any #)
Infinite health for all vehicles in the game.
Cheat code: v_goliathmode = 1
Enables melee attacks while sprinting.
Cheat code: g_meleeWhileSprinting = 1
Immediate energy regen.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitEnergyRechargeDelay = 0
Extra health.
Cheat code: g_playerHealthValue = 900.0
Fall speed at which you die.
Cheat code: pl_fallDamage_SpeedFatal = 13.7 (any #)
God mode.
Cheat code: g_godMode = 1
How fast you can swim.
Cheat code: pl_swimBaseSpeed = 4 (any #)
How much damage armor mode energy shields take.
Cheat code: g_suitarmorhealthvalue = 200 (any #)
How quickly you can jump out of the water.
Cheat code: pl_swimJumpSpeedBaseMul = 1 (any #).
Instant energy.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitEnergyRechargeTimeArmor = 0
Instant energy while moving.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitEnergyRechargeTimeArmorMoving = 0
Instant health regen.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitArmorModeHealthRegenTime = 0
Instant health regen while moving.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitArmorModeHealthRegenTimeMoving = 0
Maximum speed at which you take no damage.
Cheat code: pl_fallDamage_SpeedSafe = 8 (any #)
Movement speed in speed mode is multiplied by this number.
Cheat code: g_suitSpeedMult = 1.75 (any #)
Multiplies energy consumption of cloaking by this number.
Cheat code: g_suitCloakEnergyDrainAdjuster = 1 (any #)
Multiplies energy consumption of each shot fired in strength mode.
Cheat code: g_suitRecoilEnergyCost = 15 (any #)
Multiplies punch strength by this number.
Cheat code: cl_strengthscale = 1 (any #)
Multiply player movement speed by this number.
Cheat code: g_walkmultiplier = 1 (any #)
No waiting until regen starts.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitHealthRegenDelay = 0
No weapon limit.
Cheat code: i_noweaponlimit = 1
Set difficulty (1-4, 4 is hardest)
Cheat code: g_difficultyLevel = 1
Set energy regen time to zero.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitEnergyRechargeTime = 0
Set health regen time to zero.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitHealthRegenTime = 0
Set regen time while walking to zero.
Cheat code: g_playerSuitHealthRegenTimeMoving = 0
Unlimited Ammunition.
Cheat code: i_unlimitedammo = 1
(http://vgstrategies.about.com)
Read More......
Microsoft to clamp down on Vista cracks
One of the cracks, "Grace Timer," extends Vista's activation grace period, which is normally 30 days, until the year 2099. The other, called OEM BIOS, modifies system files and the PC's BIOS to mimic the product activation done by computer-makers at the factory. Both will be blocked by Vista SP1, the major update that will hit WU as an optional download in mid-March and automatically download and install the next month. February's Vista update, however, will only detect cracks, notify the user and offer up a solution, said Alex Kochis, senior product manager for Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage programme, in a post to the team's blog. It will not disable, block or cripple the cracks. "It's important to note that this update does not disable the exploits it finds," said Kochis. "It simply alerts customers that exploits exist." At the same time it rolls out the crack-detection update, Microsoft will also post a separate removal tool for download, Kochis added. "In the future, we will integrate the removal of the exploits with the detection," he said. If the crack sniffer detects an activation hack, it will pop up a warning that includes a link to the removal tool. People whose PCs don't have Grace Timer or OEM BIOS on their PCs will not see the pop-up. Kochis also detailed what happens when users upgrade to SP1 if they take no action after being told a crack has been found. People who used Grace Timer to scam the system will start seeing Vista's new dunning messages immediately, he said; those who relied on OEM BIOS will begin receiving the alerts about 15 days later. Currently, Vista SP1 is in limbo, since Microsoft yanked a prerequisite update - not associated with the crack-detection add-on that Kochis touted - from distribution after users reported it sent their PCs into an endless loop of reboots. That update must be in place before Microsoft can send SP1 to users via Windows Update. Today, a company spokeswoman said that the snafu would not delay SP1's March debut. "This will not affect the SP1 release schedule," the spokeswoman said. "We are on schedule to release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update and the download centre in mid-March and to users using Automatic Update in mid-April."
Microsoft is set to feed Windows Vista users an update to finger illegal copies installed with cracks that the company will bust when it rolls out Service Pack 1 (SP1) in mid-March.
The just-announced update, which will go out via Windows Update (WU) and install automatically on most Vista machines sometime this week, will detect two cracks commonly used to activate pirated copies of the operating system. The cracks evade Vista's built-in counterfeit-detection technology by sidestepping product activation and spoofing a legitimate installation.
25 February 2008
ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 Video Card Review
(Legit Reviews) -- The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 video card (known internally as the R680) was first seen by the world right here on Legit Reviews a few months ago and was again spotted at CES 2008, where the the retail card was seen. Everyone knew that the launch was close, but today is the day that the card is officially announced. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 is a single-board with multiple-GPUs on it, which is why the card is so interesting. ATI took two RV670 cores (Radeon HD 3870) and put them on the same PCB with the same amount of memory with the bridge chip already on the video card that enabled CrossFire automatically. The result is a graphics card that has two RV670 cores with 1GB of GDDR3 memory at a price point of $449, which puts it in competition with the GeForce 8800 GTX and the GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics cards by NVIDIA.
The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card delivers up to twice the Gigaflops per watt of previous generations of high-end AMD GPUs as it is basically two ATI Radeon HD 3870 cores on one card. This means that the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 video card should deliver twice as much performance and all the specifications remain the same. It should be noted that the Radeon HD 3870 X2 has enough math processing muscle to break the 1 TeraFLOPS mark!
Just looking at the video card one can tell just how beefy the cooling system is and see that it must consume some power as it has two power connectors located along the top edge of the card. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card requires a minimum 500W or greater system power supply for single card operation. Since the board power usage is less than 225W only the two 2x3 PCI Express power connectors are requierd in normal operation. The 2x4 PCI Express power connector may be needed for overclocking, so keep this in mind if you plan on overclocking. For running a pair in CrossFireX it is unknown what the requirements will be as ATI has not made this information public since the CrossFireX drivers are still in development.
The core frequency on the R680 is higher than that on an RV670, which is a shocking move. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 has a core clock of 775 MHz while the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 has been increased up to 825 MHz. This might have been down as the memory clock was decreased from 2.25GHz GDDR4 to 1.8GHz GDDR3. (note the above slide is dated and that the memory clock frequencies have changed) This slide does point out that the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2's cooling fan operates at 36dBA, which is just slighting higher than the 34dBA seen on the Radeon HD 3870. The boards peak power usage is also 91W higher than the Radeon HD 3870 at 196W under full load. Having two RV670 cores on one board doubles many things like the frame buffer size and the math processing power, but the power consumption does not double.
Read More......GeForce 9600 GT Hands-On Preview
Nvidia released the GeForce 8 GPU series in late 2006 and reigned over the enthusiast graphics world essentially undisputed until AMD responded with the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series, all of which threaten the GeForce in more price-conscious segments. AMD's assaults on Nvidia's bread-and-butter midrange cards forced the GeForce-makers into action. The company's response to these new threats is the GeForce 9600 GT 512MB. With an MSRP close to $180, the GeForce 9600 GT 512MB slides into the mainstream category with some seriously great performance at an affordable price.
The GeForce 9600 GT 512MB comes with 64 stream processors, double the number found in the GeForce 8600 GTS but not quite as many as in the original GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB. To make up for the shortfall in stream processors, Nvidia gave the GeForce 9600 GT quicker clock speeds, pairing the 650MHz core clock with a speedy 1.62GHz shader clock. The 512MB of GDDR3 memory has an effective speed of 1.8GHz. Nvidia states that the card uses 95W of power and recommends a 400W power supply for the standard GeForce 9600 GT 512MB.
| GeForce 9600 GT | GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB | GeForce 8600 GTS | |
| Price | $169-$189 | $220 | $135 |
| DirectX | DirectX 10, SM4 | DirectX 10, SM4 | DirectX 10, SM4 |
| Core Speed | 650MHz | 500MHz | 675MHz |
| Stream Processors | 64 | 96 | 32 |
| Shader Speed | 1.62GHz | 1.2GHz | 1.45GHz |
| Memory | 512MB | 320MB | 256MB |
| Memory Speed | 900MHz (1.8GHz GDDR3) | 800MHz (1.6GHz GDDR3) | 1GHz (2GHz GDDR3) |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit | 320-bit | 128-bit |
Expect to see several GeForce 9600 GT 512MB variants out there, because video card manufacturers can adjust memory and GPU clock speeds to create premium models with higher prices.
The introduction of the GeForce 9600 GT 512MB does not bring with it a whole new architecture or feature set. However, according to Nvidia, the new GPU benefits from process and architectural improvements that allow it to handily outperform an equivalent older-model GeForce 8 GPU, and it also comes with compatibility for PCI Express 2.0.
The GeForce 9600 GT 512MB comes with the same accoutrements as other GeForce 8 series GPUs. You'll get the unified shader architecture, full DirectX 10 compatibility, as well as hardware accelleration and image-quality improvements for H.264 and VC-1 high-definition video content.
Conclusion
The GeForce 9600 GT 512MB performs spectacularly for a card in the mainstream category. It thoroughly trounced prior-generation parts like the GeForce 8600 GTS and Radeon HD 2600 XT, outperformed the more expensive Radeon HD 3870 in Crysis and Call of Duty 4, and waltzed past the comparably priced Radeon HD 3850 in all of our tests. The GeForce 9600 GT didn't beat the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB card or XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition, which is considerably more expensive and overclocked.
The competition in this price range is fierce, as ATI just announced price cuts for both of their competing GPUs. Choosing a video card got a little harder, as it depends on how the price war plays out. Regardless of card, you win. Lower prices and higher performance doesn't exactly hurt the consumer.
Learn The Easy Way To Find Free PSP Downloads - Find New Games, Movies and Music For Your PSP by Dave Freeman
Sony has sure had a winner with the PSP! It's quickly become the number one selling portable gaming system and keeps picking up new fans each day. We have been getting a number of emails from people wondering where they can find free PSP downloads so we thought we would put together a quick article outlining your options.
If you have a PSP you can actually download games, movies and music right on your own computer and then use them on your PSP. This is a great feature that can save you a lot of cash and let you find a new game whenever you feel like it!
There are three options that you have for finding PSP downloads. We're going to list them one-by-one for you:
Option #1 - Finding Free PSP Downloads
Many people will head over to Google and punch in "free PSP downloads" hoping to find something they can use.
Does this actually work?
Unfortunately, it doesn't usually bring up anything worthwhile. You will find some websites that claim to offer "free PSP game downloads" but there's a few problems you need to know about first.
The first thing to keep in mind is that these websites have picked up a bad reputation of being full of all kinds of viruses and spyware. Since the files can be shared by anyone many of the games you download end up being nothing but a virus. Not good!
Another big complaint about these websites has to do with the download speeds. Since the websites don't make any money the technology behind them is very low end. The download speeds are incredibly slow because of this.
One more problem that can leave you pulling your hair out - many of the games you download don't even work! There are all sorts of "corrupt" files on these sites which means you won't be able to use them at all.
This option isn't one that we ever recommend. There are just too many problems with these websites and much better options available.
Option #2 - How To Find PSP Game Downloads
This next option is a lot safer and more reliable than the first.
You can find PSP download websites that let you download games and movies when you register on their site as a member. There is a monthly membership fee of about $30 for these websites. This monthly charge lets you download as many games as you want directly on your computer.
We aren't going to spend a lot of time talking about this option simply because the next one is much cheaper and gives you the same type of unlimited access to PSP game downloads.
Option #3 - How To Find PSP Downloads
This final option is the choice we recommend to all PSP owners that are hoping to use PSP game downloads on their system.
There are PSP game download membership sites that offer unlimited downloads for a one-time only membership fee. Instead of having to pay each month, you are only billed once and can then download games or movies whenever you want for as long as you have your PSP.
You can expect to pay about $40 for this kind of membership. It's not expensive considering you will be able to download as many games and movies as you want for as long as you use your PSP. Your membership includes the software to transfer files onto your PSP at no extra cost.
If you want to try a free trial at some of the highest rated PSP game download websites you can use the link that we have included at the bottom of this article. This way you can see exactly how this type of service works.
The nice thing about using these websites is that you are sure to find the newest games and be able to download quickly on your computer. The businesses that run these websites are in it to make some money so they do what it takes to keep their customers satisfied. This means fast downloads, up-to-date game selections and downloads that are guaranteed to work.
The PSP is a great entertainment system that you can always have with you while you're 'on the go'. Using PSP downloads is the best way to make sure you can always find new games or movies without having to spend a fortune. A quick warning though - it's easy to get addicted!
Go to www.pspmaxed.com to learn how to start a free trial at a few of the top ranked PSP game download websites.
It's the best way to download psp games whenever you want a new game!
Read More......New Windows XP SP3 RC2 Build 3311 Available - Direct Download Link
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 was released following the RTM of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1 in the first week of February. Microsoft failed to diverge from the strategy of synchronized development milestones for the two service packs and the latest Windows server platform, with the only difference being in the nature of the builds. While Vista SP1 and XP SP3 had been virtually joined at at the hip throughout their development in 2007, the service packs diverged in February. Vista SP1 moved from RC1 Refresh 2 directly into RTM, while XP SP3 evolved from RC1 Refresh 2 to Release Candidate 2 with no release to manufacturing date in sight.
As the initial build of XP SP3 RC2 was released only to a selected pool of 15,000 Microsoft testers, the company subsequently opened up the Release Candidate 2 testing process to all XP users on February 19, 2008. XP SP3 RC2 was dropped via Windows Update, accessible via a registry script designed to permit copies of XP SP2 to detect the third and last service pack for XP on the WU servers.
One small detail that Microsoft neglected to make public was the direct download link of XP SP3 RC2. This is now available, and users will not have to integrate the RC2 build via Windows Update. The XP SP3 RC2 bits are up for grabs via this link and it will offer Build 3311. The initial XP SP3 RC2 version offered through Windows Update was Build 3300, and this means that Microsoft has pushed onward with the service pack compared with the release of last week, which essentially delivered only the Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate 2.exe registry script. The official release notes for XP SP3 RC2 remain unchanged.
Download Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate 2 (RC2) via this link.
Japanese Satellite to Provide Hyper-speed Wireless Internet Service
KIZUNA hyper-internet satellite
Japan's KIZUNA satellite, successfully launched from the Tanegashima Island Space Centre on a domestically developed, Mitsubishi H-2A rocket will introduce a new era of hyper-speed data communications across Asia. How fast is hyper-speed? Try 1.2 Gbps... the "G" stands for Giga (billion).
Mitsubishi H2A rocket
Let's put things in perspective here: 1.2 Gbps is 150 times faster than the average high-speed ADSL connection rate (around 8 Mbps). It's also 12 times faster than FTTP, or fibre-optic communication delivery. What this means is that students, researchers or company employees in different Asian cities will be able to communicate with each other without experiencing any time lag. Now THAT, is awesome... and so is the launch of KIZUNA, viewable here but previously watched live by millions in Japan over the Internet. Naturally.
According to JAXA, Japan's Space Agency, the type of societal breakthrough enabled by KIZUNA isn't the main reason why the experimental satellite was designed and launched - though it's still a darned good one. We're talking super-high speed wireless Internet communication in a country that experiences dozens of moderate to major earthquakes each year, every year.
Super Earthquake Power! Niigata, Japan, 1964
The bigger quakes cause widespread destruction to roads, gas & water mains, and - wait for it - wired communication services. With KIZUNA orbiting above, uninterrupted communication can be maintained when a ground-based network is disrupted by an earthquake or any other natural disaster. Not only in Japan, mind you, but in almost any Asian country - the service will be available at 19 different locations across Southeast Asia.
KIZUNA (which means "winds" in Japanese) was developed at a cost of $342 million and is expected to function for 5 years once it begins service this coming July.While it's up there, the satellite will be the test-bed for about 100 experiments. One of the most anticipated will be a test broadcast of the next generation of high-definition television.
Even disregarding its usefulness in the event of a disaster, the existence of low cost, super-high speed wireless Internet service throughout the length and breadth of Japan may inaugurate a new era of techno-culture in what is arguably the world's most technologically advanced nation. (via JAXA) JAP
JAP (called JonDo in the scope of the new commercial service JonDonym - AN.ON remains free of charge) makes it possible to surf the internet anonymously and unobservably.
Without Anonymization, every computer in the internet communicates using a traceable Address. That means:
- the website visited,
- the internet service provider (ISP),
- and any eavesdropper on the internet connection
Download JAP Read More......
Deep Freeze
Deep Freeze instantly protects and preserves original workstation configurations. Deep Freeze is 100% successful at restoring the computer on every restart down to the last bit or byte. Deep Freeze completely eliminates software support issues.
Mozilla seeks growth and tie-ups in China market
By Sophie Taylor
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Mozilla, which develops open-source Web browser Firefox, the biggest alternative to Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Internet Explorer, aims to at least double its share in China this year, which is set to become the world's largest Web market.
California-based Mozilla expects the going to be tough in a country where consumers are largely unaware of open-source and businesses typically base their services solely on Explorer, Gong Li, chief executive of Mozilla Online, said on Monday.
Mozilla Online -- known as "mou zhi," or "seek wisdom" in Chinese -- now has around 4.5 million regular users in China, said Gong, who previously worked at Sun Microsystems Inc (JAVA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Microsoft's MSN unit.
"It's going to be a challenge raising our market share to our global average (of around 20 percent), since a lot of Chinese services are constructed on an Explorer platform," he added.
"Five percent is not enough, but it's our target for the second half of the year," Gong added. Its current market share in China is about 2 percent.
Mozilla Online, the foundation's China unit, makes its revenue through donations as well as tie-ups with third parties, such as one struck late last year with Baidu.com Inc (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to embed Baidu's search engine in Chinese versions of Firefox.
"Our main advantage is that we are more creative, and can move more quickly. Once Microsoft beat out Netscape, it basically didn't roll out anything new on the browser front for a long time," said Gong.
This lull, he said, is giving Mozilla's Firefox a chance to catch up and increase its popularity by offering more ways for users to personalize the software to their liking.
Open-source software is free to the public to be used, revised and shared, unlike proprietary software made by the likes of Microsoft, which has been criticized for bundling programs with its Windows operating system.
But in China, widespread piracy means most consumers are able to obtain proprietary software at low prices, making the relative affordability of open-source software such as Firefox moot.
Mozilla Online will continue seeking partnerships in China, Gong said, and hopes it will break even in two to three years' time.
"Revenue from tie-ups would help give Mozilla a greater degree of independence than if it relied purely on donations," Gong said.
China was the second-largest Web market with 210 million Internet users at the end of 2007, trailing only the United States, and was set to become the world's largest early this year, the official Xinhua news agency said in January. (www.reuters.com)
Corsair Makes Its DRAM Memory Speedy
Corsair, a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced that new record-breaking speeds have been achieved within the Corsair DDR2 and DDR3 lines of DRAM memory.[More...]
US Department of Defense Releases Unmanned Systems Roadmap: 2007-2032
(gorobotics) -- The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released a report detailing the future of robotic military equipment and how the US military should proceed. The 188 page report (pdf) covers the next 25 years of unmanned military systems in the air, and sea, and on land. full story
Close your non-responsive programs automatically
Normally you end tasks the non-responsive programs manually using windows task manager with (CTRL + ALT +DELETE) keys. Sometimes these non-responsive programs creates problem to run windows and others programs properly. You can configure your computer to manage these non-responsive programs automatically. Windows has a feature that will close all non responding program automatically. If you have little knowledge about editing windows registry then you can configure your computer for this purpose.
Follow the given steps to configure windows registry for auto end task:
1. First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option. Here locate the location to:
2. Go to Hkey_Current_User\Control Panel\Desktop
3. Here in right side panel, double click on AutoEndTasks and here its default value is 0. Now change it to 1. Now windows will close your all non-responsive programs automatically.
4. Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.
How to set auto shutdown for your computer?
A cool tip to manage your computer shutdown process automatically. You can set your computer to shutting down at any convenient time (daily, weekly and when my computer starts) when you are not there.
A simple shutdown command set your computer to close all running applications and shutdown properly after predefined time. This tip is very useful to save energy and time. After the execution of command, a small window will appear to count time of system shutdown. You can cancel this auto shutdown process using same command.
1. Follow the given steps to schedule the shut down process:
2. Click on start button then go to Run option.
3. Type shutdown.exe -s -t yyyy then press ok button.
4.
Here yyyy mean time in second, for example if you want your computer will shutdown automatically after 5 minute then the command will be shutdown -s -t 300.
5.
But after execution you can cancel this command any time, simple type shutdown.exe -a in Run option and Press ok. Your auto shutdown command will remove and your computer will work properly. (www.computerfreetips.com)
EA tries to buy Take-Two to keep its top spot
In a startling bit of news, Electronic Arts announced Sunday morning that it has launched an uninvited bid to buy Grand Theft Auto video game franchise publisher Take-Two Interactive Software for $26 a share, or what could be a $2 billion deal.
And while EA, in its press release, did not make any reference to Vivendi's December agreement to purchase Activision, there can be no doubt that this is the response EA had to make to keep its spot as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the video games business. read more...
Laptop Wipes Own Hard Drive to Beat Thieves
A new laptop-protection system can automatically wipe hard disk data on machines taken from authorized locations.
(Techworld.com) -- A U.K. company has come up with a nifty laptop-protection system that can automatically wipe hard disk data on machines taken from authorized locations.
Sold as a hosted service, Virtuity's BackStopp server monitors a protected laptop using any medium available, including the Internet, or locally using Wi-Fi or GSM.
If a laptop is reported stolen -- or even just moved from a designated space - the system can reach out and execute a file deletion routine that clears the laptop of all important data.
For laptops stolen while switched off, the location system can use RFID tags to make a judgement about whether that movement is within allowed parameters. A full log of all deletions is sent back to the service center once completed.
Its makers even boast that BackStopp can use a webcam, if one is installed, to take pictures of the thieves, sending these back for analysis without the offenders knowing.
"There are millions of laptops out there that contain valuable data. The vast majority are not stolen for their data, but the ultimate recipient will often come across the data and use it for criminal purposes. This solution prevents that illicit use," said Virtuity's CTO, Dean Bates.
Data destruction routines met standards set down by the U.S. Department of Defense's National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, the company said, ensuring that it could not be resurrected. An important aspect of the system is that a thief would not know it was in operation until after data had been wiped, making it extremely hard to circumvent.
BackStopp was designed to be used in conjunction with encryption, and was not therefore a replacement for that form of protection, the company said. The system also protected data such as network and web logins and VPN connections -- often data companies forgot to protect - as well as static file data.
Laptop theft is now firmly entrenched as the number one data worry for corporates, with numerous examples of unencrypted data going missing on stolen laptops to embarrass organizations of every ilk in the last year.
Prices for BackStopp start at $19 per month for each laptop being protected.