News

I think I had a news post on this awhile ago. By Q3 of this year, 1000 mbit cards will be only $10. I wouldn't mind switching to gigabit speeds now that I got my fileserver with a 180GB hard drive. Yummy.

[QUOTE]Peter Pan, senior vice president of Edimax Technology, said Realtek will launch its GbE MAC/PHY single-chip solution in the coming weeks at an estimated quote price of around US$4-5. The pricing is half the US$8-10 charged by Marvell Semiconductor and Broadcom, according to sources. It is estimated that in the third quarter the quote price of a GbE card powered by Realtek’s single chip will dip below US$10 from the current US$20.[/QUOTE

I couldn't believe how WiFi is doing so well until I got a wireless router at home. You can have many people on one node, without wires. And I think it just crashed, I had to un/replug it.

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In January, Microsoft was on a roll, passing NetGear and D-Link in U.S. retail sales. As measured in dollars, Linksys led the market with 51 percent share, followed by Microsoft at 13.5 percent and NetGear and D-Link in a dead heat at 12.5 percent. Belkin pulled up the rear with 4.5 percent share, according to NPD Intelect.

Wow, this is news to me even. I doubt the copy protection scheme will remain secure for long anyway. People always finds ways around things.

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However, previous versions of the antipiracy technologies from SunnComm, Macrovision and others have proven flawed. CDs protected with the technology have been unable to play in some CD players or computers, potentially even damaging some machines. Hackers have been able to break through much of the protection technologies using techniques as simple as drawing on the CD with a felt-tipped pen.

This sucks if you live in CA, but it is just as bad if it goes through for the rest of the country. Once CA has a tax, other states will follow. Contact your local politicians and tell them NO INTERNET SALES TAX!

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A tax committee of California's Senate on Wednesday approved two bills that would clear the way for the state to collect sales tax on goods sold by out-of-state vendors to its residents via the Web, a move that could help it recoup an estimated $1.75 billion in lost annual tax revenue.

It looks like the new modular Windows is finalized. We won't see on in-store copies for another month. Remember, updates will come with more features added.

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RTM closes only the first chapter in a long release cycle. Microsoft plans to release several more major Windows Server 2003 components during the next six months or so. Upcoming updates include: Greenwich, Microsoft's new business-class instant messaging technology; Group Policy Management Console; Windows Team Services, a collaboration tool; Windows Rights Management Services (RMS), a security enhancement; and Windows Systems Resource Manager (WSRM), among others.

The Linux company is embracing new technologies as fast as they come out. When will we see linux on the desktop? Not for awhile .

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In addition, Mandrake 9.1 can be installed on a computer that has Windows 2000 or Windows XP installed. Those operating systems format hard disks with Microsoft's NTFS file system, which Linux is only beginning to support. Mandrake can carve off a piece of an NTFS, or NT file system, disk partition for its own use and read data from an NTFS partition, said Mandrake co-founder Gael Duval in an e-mail interview. However, it can't yet write files on the NTFS partition.

You know the old saying. Well, I wouldn't say that is exactly true. In single player games, you win don't you?

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Haden Blackman, the producer at LucasArts responsible for "Star Wars Galaxies," an online game now being tested by 5,000 users, said that preventing cheating was one of the biggest challenges of creating a virtual world.

Flash memory will become nearly impossible to make denser, faster than CPUs will. The current projections are around 2005-2007. Don't worry, companies always find a way to make money (meaning they will find a way to make the memory denser).

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Flash memory--the chip technology used to store data and applications inside cell phones, industrial equipment and portable memory cards--is facing a growing crisis, say engineers, analysts and semiconductor executives. Although demand is strong, it will become increasingly difficult to shrink flash memory chips after 2005.And if flash chips can't shrink, profits likely will. As a result, companies are experimenting with new materials and semiconductor designs that could enhance or eventually displace one of the weirdest semiconductors ever produced.

Sunday, that is the final day of the ASEville beta test. I'm not only looking for bugs, I want your input on the layout as well. Tell me how to improve it, or even add features! Let me know.

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You'll no longer need a webbrowser to view flash. I wonder if this will take off. The plugin in simple enough already.

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Macromedia last year began a wide-reaching campaign to expand the role of Flash in Web design, promoting the software as a broad platform for designing Web applications and building user interfaces. Macromedia has made noticeable inroads with the push, with many sites rebuilt around Flash, but the Flash experience still has to happen inside a browser window.

Time for your dose of some things happening outside Earth.

An unsupernova star.

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The star, named V838 Monocerotis for its location in the constellation of the same name, suddenly grew 600,000 times brighter than the sun in January 2002. The flash temporarily made the star -- in the constellation also known as The Unicorn -- the brightest light in the Milky Way.

Black holes spew stuff out fast.

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Theory had predicted the fast-moving exodus of stuff, but no one had ever seen it happening. A new study found evidence of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and iron rushing out from the vicinities of two separate black holes in winds of material moving at some 40 percent the speed of light, faster than astronomers expected.

Mission to Mars this year.

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The US space agency (Nasa) is sending two Mars rovers on the 100-million-kilometre journey to Mars in May and June. The identical robots have six wheels and should be able to travel about a kilometre from where they touch down. They are called Rover 1 and Rover 2 for now, but will eventually be named by US schoolchildren taking part in a competition.

Okay, now let me get this straight. I'm going to pay $7 more for internet access because they are compression the data at their end? It may seem faster, but it isn't.

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EarthLink Plus improves download speeds up to five times over standard dial-up, the Atlanta-based company said. It costs $28.95 per month, $7 more than standard dial-up, comes with a guarantee that help calls will be answered within five minutes. By comparison, EarthLink's Cable Internet, a broadband service powered by ComCast, starts at $45.95 per month, plus a $3 per month modem lease fee.

Since when did you buy something and not expect a full product? Microsoft wants you to do just that. They'll force you to update Windows to add new features that aren't ready at launch. Why do people put up with this crap?

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The Redmond, Wash.-based company is taking a more modular approach to shipping the OS compared with earlier Windows Server versions. That could translate into greater flexibility delivering additional components over a longer period of time. The strategy will also let Microsoft release technologies that simply won't be ready in time for Windows Server 2003's April 24 launch.

Wow. nVidia wants to move some of their product lines to IBM's fabs in NY. Made in the USA for real.

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As previously reported, Nvidia had to delay the introduction of the top-of-the-line GeForce FX processor in part due to TSMC, its only manufacturer at the time, making a transition from a 180-nanometer manufacturing process to a new 130-nanometer process. The change to a new process allows chipmakers to produce smaller, faster and less power-hungry chips.

More and more bug fixes to ASEville. The Systems should be working fully I think. TEST IT!!!

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Dell has decided to spread itself into the printing market by coming out with it's own line of printers and cartidges. As part of their printing system, when the printer is running low on ink or toner, the printer will let you know, and allow you to connect to their website in order to order more ink. Prices are said to be competitively priced to HP printers and I'm interested to see how good the quality of the printers will be.Check out the printers themselves at Dell's Printer Page.

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Dell, which is a close second to HP in the personal computer market, said it will sell one inkjet printer and three laser printers priced from $139 to $839. It will also sell ink cartridges starting at $29.95 and toner cartridges from $75.

"We look at the total delivery of the system -- not just the printer. It's the cartridge, the services, everything," said Tim Peters, general manager of Dell imaging and printing.

Peters said that Dell will make it easier for customers to use its printers because it has created an online replenishment system in which the printer warns that toner is getting low and then prompts the user to order more over the Internet. Dell will ship the cartridges out without charging for handling.

Imagine viewing a TV in 3D. I can see the couch potatoe* goodness. Just use a bunch of mirrors and you've got it.

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Researchers from the University of Texas have devised a three-dimensional video system that cuts down the compute power needed to project three-dimensional images by using an 800,000-mirror device designed for two-dimensional digital projectors as a sort of holographic film.

*potato is spelled with an e for purposes of stupidity.

Via took way too long with the KT400A. I'd buy a board with an Nvidia chipset if it was me, unless the KT400A is flawless when it comes out. Via better hope there's no delays on the KT600 either since it would hurt their dwindling reputation. This DigiTimes article has some good release dates and arguments.

[QUOTE]Due to the schedule, motherboard companies such as Asustek Computer and Abit Computer said that they are still evaluating when to introduce KT400A-based boards, though they both have finished product design.

As a newcomer in the K7 chipset market, Nvidia has been trying to expand its market share through a full range of products as well. Though its nForce2 chipsets have been rising in popularity, Nvidia is said to have started experiencing tight supply lately, which the market suspects may cloud the company’s prospects to expand market share.[/QUOTE

Intel developed a method for detecting an overclocked processor, and then can reduce the clock rate on the processor. It isn't clear whether or not Intel actually plans to use this in the future, but nonetheless they now own the patent. While a larger portion of the overclockin community overclocks AMD processsors, it's still not great news for anyone wishing to overclocka Intel chip in the future. Hopefully AMD won't follow in Intel's path.
[QUOTE]CHIP GIANT INTEL appears to have invented a cunning method which after detecting overclocking on a microprocessor can then prevent such overclocking by reducing the clock rate on a microprocessor.
The patent, 6,535,988 – was granted to Intel on March 18th last, and was invented by David L. Poisner at the Folsom, California site.

It claims to detect and deter overclocking of a signal for microprocessors which includes a detection circuit and a prevention circuit, which limits or reduces the performance of the processor when the circuit detects an overclocked signal.[/QUOTE

I want some of these things when they work. Get me a soda and then walk the dog. And then the dog would be robotic, so the fake dog can walk the real dog!

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But now, when it senses that it's about to fall, the SDR-4X II will attempt to correct itself. Failing that, it will attempt to curl up so as to protect its more delicate components from damage, said the report. The robot now also sports sensors and motors that can detect something--a finger, perhaps--is trapped in its joints and stops it from compressing that object.

Both these companies will no longer be active in the web standards group. You got to love Sun. They take shots where ever they can.

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Sun issued a statement condemning the move, saying that "IBM and (Microsoft) have now moved away from a leadership position in Web services standards and become a disruptive force in the industry." On the subject of choreography standards, Microsoft and IBM said earlier this month that they intend to repeat their actions regarding security and reliability: Later this year, they will publish details of their proposal and submit it for consideration as a standard.

Nice, I can feel the power of ASEville coming. Can't you? I'm working out all the bugs, I've made a lot of progress today. TEST IT!!

Harbinger @ Monkeyreview.
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Microsoft has just released DX9.0a. The stand alone version isn't released yet, so you'll need the web installer. Grab that here. I still wonder when OpenGL 2.0 will come hmm?

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Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and rich audio. DirectX 9.0 includes security and performance updates, along with many new features across all technologies, which can be accessed by applications using the DirectX 9.0 APIs. This release also resolves an issue with DirectX 9.0 where some multiplayer games or MSN Messenger may not work correctly. A number of minor bugs were also resolved.

I guess this shouldn't be real suprising, Centrino for Linux. Looks like it'll be a few months though.

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Intel is working on Linux support for Centrino, its package of chips for mobile computers with wireless networking abilities, but the company hasn't yet decided how or when to release it.

This is the first time that I've heard of that spam is good for something. Bombarding cell phone numbers used in illegal stuff can put a plug on it. Think about it, if you're getting junk calls every 20 seconds, how can you get any business through?

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This is because the postcard-sized stickers, which promote everything from fake identity cards to counterfeit academic certifications, are cheap to produce and offer some anonymity. The new system rings the mobile phone numbers of illegal advertisers at 20-second intervals, said the People's Daily.

I ment customers, not Time Warner. They are looking to introduce AOL Plus. I mean, you should get what you pay for, and I think the premium that AOL demands is high enough already.

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The Plus package, at the standard price of $23.90, will include firewall, antivirus software and parental controls that will function on the PC itself rather than within the AOL client. The service also includes the company's advanced e-mail software, Communicator; the ability to share AOL Radio with other AOL subscribers via instant messenger; and, for broadband users, a redesign of its Welcome Screen.

AOL will charge subscribers a slightly higher price--$24.95--for a version of the service that lets a single account have seven screen names that can dial in simultaneously, targeting homes with multiple computers. Up to now, the company permitted only one screen name to have access at any one time.

Samsung has started mass production on the first GB module of DDR-2 RAM. It is based on 512 Mbit chips meaning 16 chips, 8 per side.

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DDR-II delivers twice the external bandwidth of a standard DDR solution for the same internal frequency. The 1.8-volt device features a high-speed data transfer rate of 533Mbps that can be extended to 667Mbps for networks and special system environments.

As you know, people just like to cause chaos no matter what turmoil the world is in today. Be aware of the stuff you get in your email. Stick to trusted news sources.

[QUOTE]The Ganda worm comes as an e-mail attachment with a variety of subject lines such as "Spy pics" and "GO USA !!!!". Some of these claim to contain pictures of Iraq taken by US spy satellites and others offer screensavers mocking President Bush. “The author of this virus is exploiting interest in current affairs by deliberately presenting his virus in this way,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos.[/QUOTE:104853934

Look up top for the latest reviews from us. I'm too lazy to post a link. I'm going to finish up ASEville this week and do the last wipe of the database, then all bugs found after will be dealt with normally. Seriously, hammer that site. I want everything found. I'm looking to get some actual hardware to review, but that isn't working out so well. I'll see what I can get though!

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Chip supply is in ATI's favor while nVidia struggles to get the new FX chips out. This cuts nVidia's business and ATI is pushing ahead.

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With ATI releasing its Radeon 9800 (R350), Radeon 9600 (RV350) and Radeon 9200 (RV280) series chips in early March, card makers such as Gigabyte Technology and CP Technology have seen their graphics card sales continue to rise in March. Sales of Nvidia-based graphics cards, however, have been hampered by overall chip supply. Though Nvidia unveiled its lower-end GeForce FX 5600 (NV31) and 5200 (NV34) chips in early March as well, volume shipments of NV31 and NV34 chips will not be available until April. Makers of Nvidia-based cards may face pressure even after chip supply improves. Manufacturers of ATI-based cards said they are planning to introduce updated products in April and May just as their competitors’ new products are reaching the channel.

New ATI graphics chips... Yummy