http://www.techspot.com/vb/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:18:40 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.techspot.com/vb/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.techspot.com/vb/ http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138357.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:51:54 GMT Why Chrome OS will fail -- big time @ InfoWorld

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/37046-news-around-the-web-why-chrome-os-will-fail.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Erik http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138357.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138230.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:08:19 GMT Update - Now also available to the public: Microsoft has taken another step forward by releasing the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta to the general public today. So if you are wanting to take a taste at the new Office suite, you can download that here. In addition you can also download betas for... Update - Now also available to the public: Microsoft has taken another step forward by releasing the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta to the general public today. So if you are wanting to take a taste at the new Office suite, you can download that here. In addition you can also download betas for Project 2010, Visio 2010, and SharePoint 2010.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/37014-latest-office-2010-beta-available-to-members-of-msdn-and-technet.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138230.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138223.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:17:54 GMT AMD officially lifted the curtain today on its much-anticipated Radeon HD 5970, a dual-GPU solution which as of today has become the world's fastest graphics card on the market. Packed with some pretty impressive specs, the new card outclasses the competition in every benchmark thrown at it with ease, and puts AMD at the head of the high-end graphics segment for the first time in a long while.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/37010-nvidia-teases-first-fermibased-geforce-graphics-card.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Jos http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138223.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138131.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:00 GMT Activision is celebrating many successes with Modern Warfare 2 in general. The game opened up to amazing sales and helped contribute to a record-breaking number of Xbox Live connections. It's not gravy worldwide, however, following some recent trouble the game is dealing with in Russia. Despite an initial passing grade, MW2 is now facing an outright ban in Russia due to controversial content.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36979-russia-threatens-to-ban-mw2-pulls-game-from-stores.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138131.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138084.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:31:29 GMT Potential fix for 1 million banned Xbox 360's has arrived A fix appears to have arrived, according to some of the forums, but it is rather complex and requires access to either an Xbox 360 you know the CPU key of, or did not update over the summer. DailyTech

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36970-weekend-tech-reading-potential-fix-for-1-million-banned-xbox-360s.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic138084.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137986.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:10:44 GMT Sony's introduction of the $300 PlayStation 3 Slim landed it a top spot in September's console sales, ousting the Wii. Things have turned around for Nintendo, though, as the Wii reclaimed the number one sales position last month, according to research conducted by NPD.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36960-nintendo-wii-reclaims-top-sales-position-during-october.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137986.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137933.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:04:02 GMT Microsoft has reportedly unleashed a second wave of bans, bringing the total count of banned Xbox 360s to around 1 million -- about five percent of some 20 million Live-connected consoles. There is also some uncertainty now as to whether or not the bans are permanent. It is safe to assume that they... Microsoft has reportedly unleashed a second wave of bans, bringing the total count of banned Xbox 360s to around 1 million -- about five percent of some 20 million Live-connected consoles. There is also some uncertainty now as to whether or not the bans are permanent. It is safe to assume that they are, as Microsoft specifically targeted consoles as opposed to Gamertags. However, there is no guarantee Microsoft won't go even further and nail Gamertags associated with those banned consoles as well.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36949-xbox-360-bans-rise-to-1-million-banned-consoles-go-up-for-sale.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137933.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137924.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:53:27 GMT Microsoft today began sending out invites for the beta of Office Starter 2010 to users of Office Live Workspace. According to the blog I Think Different, potential enrollees must complete a survey and are contacted later if they meet the eligibility requirements. The survey is straightforward and... Microsoft today began sending out invites for the beta of Office Starter 2010 to users of Office Live Workspace. According to the blog I Think Different, potential enrollees must complete a survey and are contacted later if they meet the eligibility requirements. The survey is straightforward and asks questions about the productivity software and operating system you currently use.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36945-microsoft-starts-sending-invites-for-office-starter-2010-beta.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137924.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137911.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:25 GMT Modern Warfare 2 sells 5 million in a day @ ArsTechnica

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36937-news-around-the-web-modern-warfare-2-sells-5-million.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Erik http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137911.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137778.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:00 GMT The Internet may be 40 years old, but one of the most infamous aspects of both the Web and personal computing in general is quite a bit younger. It was 26 years ago when the first known proof of concept code for a computer virus was demonstrated in a public venue, following up on theories and other... The Internet may be 40 years old, but one of the most infamous aspects of both the Web and personal computing in general is quite a bit younger. It was 26 years ago when the first known proof of concept code for a computer virus was demonstrated in a public venue, following up on theories and other attempts to produce self-replicating code. The first official "virus" was born then, giving way to a fundamental change in computer security.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36893-the-computer-virus-turns-26-today.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137778.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137779.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:08:21 GMT If you had some shred of hope that the StarCraft II beta would arrive this year after being delayed from this summer -- it's not happening. During a presentation at Russian games expo IgroMir, StarCraft II producer Chris Sigaty made it known that the game's multiplayer beta has been pushed back to 2010.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36894-blizzard-delays-starcraft-ii-beta-until-2010.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137779.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137781.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:10:37 GMT Lenovo's IdeaPad U150 is now shipping in the US, and is available in two models. The IdeaPad U150 690968U is red with a base configuration that consists of an 11.6" 1366x768 display, 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Pentium SU4100 processor, Intel integrated X4500 graphics, 3GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM, a 250GB 5400RPM HDD, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a six-cell Li-ion battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. It starts at $699, and ships in "more than 4 weeks" with a basic one-year warranty.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36896-lenovo-ideapad-u150-now-available-in-the-us-starts-at-699.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137781.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137777.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:06:05 GMT People in the console modding community are well aware that in general, console manufacturers look down upon them. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all stated numerous times they do not endorse modding, and with the advent of online play becoming so important, keeping the playing field equal for... People in the console modding community are well aware that in general, console manufacturers look down upon them. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all stated numerous times they do not endorse modding, and with the advent of online play becoming so important, keeping the playing field equal for everybody is an important concern. Instead of "Punkbuster for the console," the typical approach is to ban people from service. As of this week, Microsoft has done just that on a mass scale, banning over 600,000 Xbox Live accounts in the U.S. and Canada.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36892-microsoft-bans-600000-360s-from-live-plans-for-more.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137777.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137744.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:20:01 GMT Microsoft released a firmware update for its Zune HD over the weekend. In addition to various bug fixes, firmware version 4.3 delivers new tweaks and features, such as support for 3D games and applications (which are rumored to arrive as early as November 17). According to the forum thread... Microsoft released a firmware update for its Zune HD over the weekend. In addition to various bug fixes, firmware version 4.3 delivers new tweaks and features, such as support for 3D games and applications (which are rumored to arrive as early as November 17). According to the forum thread dedicated to the latest Zune HD firmware version, these are the changes:

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36879-zune-hd-firmware-v43-is-now-available.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137744.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137733.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:19:20 GMT One of the primary reasons many people initially switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox in the early days was security. Internet Explorer has often been ridiculed as one of the least secure browser platforms around, and several years back that was most likely true. ActiveX was considered by... One of the primary reasons many people initially switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox in the early days was security. Internet Explorer has often been ridiculed as one of the least secure browser platforms around, and several years back that was most likely true. ActiveX was considered by many to be a dangerous technology, and Firefox enjoyed a substantial user growth in part due to that.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36876-firefox-tops-list-for-reported-vulnerabilities-in-2009.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137733.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137722.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:29:48 GMT Nokia is facing a bit of bitter music this week, following an announcement from the company that they are issuing a recall for a substantial number of chargers for their mobile phones. A decent number of chargers manufactured earlier this year have a potential defect in which the cover could slip... Nokia is facing a bit of bitter music this week, following an announcement from the company that they are issuing a recall for a substantial number of chargers for their mobile phones. A decent number of chargers manufactured earlier this year have a potential defect in which the cover could slip off, posing an electrical hazard.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36872-nokia-issues-recall-for-faulty-cell-chargers.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137722.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137726.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:07:20 GMT Intel has started production of a new wireless chipset called "Kilmer Peak" that will bring support for three versions of WiMAX to notebooks -- something many operators and users have been awaiting.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36873-intel-to-bring-23ghz-25ghz-and-35ghz-wimax-support-with-kilmer-peak.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137726.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137717.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:01:30 GMT Google announced today that it has agreed to acquire the mobile display advertising startup AdMob for some $750 million in stock. Founded in 2006, the AdMob is a mobile advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with mobile publishers. ... Google announced today that it has agreed to acquire the mobile display advertising startup AdMob for some $750 million in stock. Founded in 2006, the AdMob is a mobile advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with mobile publishers.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36870-google-agrees-to-buy-admob-for-750-million-in-stock.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137717.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137713.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:27:31 GMT Following a lengthy period at the heart of pretty much every netbook computer on the market, Intel is finally getting ready to drop its current generation N270 and N280 Atom processors in favor of the new Pine Trail platform. According to X-bit labs, a soft launch is scheduled to take place on... Following a lengthy period at the heart of pretty much every netbook computer on the market, Intel is finally getting ready to drop its current generation N270 and N280 Atom processors in favor of the new Pine Trail platform. According to X-bit labs, a soft launch is scheduled to take place on December 21, with a raft of netbooks based on the new chips hitting the CES show floor in January.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36866-intel-to-softlaunch-pine-trail-platform-in-december.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Jos http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137713.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137711.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:55:34 GMT Despite a recent flurry of rumors suggesting otherwise, Nvidia's chief executive says the company is not working on an x86-compatible chip to go against Intel. Speaking after an earnings conference call, Jen-Hsun Huang said their focus is still "very, very clear" and that is to concentrate their efforts on the graphics processors field and closely related parallel computing cards like the Tesla line.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36865-nvidia-ceo-dismisses-x86-chip-development-rumors.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Jos http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137711.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137568.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:14:52 GMT According to a post on its support forum, Intel has managed to reproduce the nasty bug that's been bricking SSDs. Intel replicated the issue on Windows 7 X64 with version 1.3 of the firmware upgrade tool and a 34nm X25-M SSD. The company has placed the bug as a high priority and will deliver a fix as soon as possible.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36855-intel-finds-x25m-firmware-bug.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137568.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137558.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:15:25 GMT DFI has announced the world's first P55-based mini-ITX motherboard, the MI P55-T36. The company's new system board will allow users to cram the power of Intel's Lynnfield processors into a tiny package, and is aimed at overclockers and DIY enthusiasts. Unfortunately, no price or availability have been disclosed.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36851-dfi-intros-mi-p55t36-the-worlds-first-p55based-miniitx-board.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137558.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137439.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:13:26 GMT Walmart is gearing up for a pre-Black Friday sale of sorts this weekend, which will offer a significant discount on Microsoft's Xbox 360 Arcade. The console package, which sells for $199, will be accompanied by a free $100 gift card, effectively cutting the 360's price to $99. The Arcade unit comes with a wireless controller, 512MB of memory, and an HDMI port (no cable, though).

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36822-walmarts-preblack-friday-sale-99-xbox-360-arcade-more.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137439.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137380.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:57:32 GMT Kingston has signed an agreement with Paramount Digital Entertainment to deliver full-length motion picture films on flash devices. The movies will be stored on Kingston's SD and USB flash memory products, and will be available to consumers for a reasonable price -- all things considered. To boot, the companies are offering Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on a 4GB Kingston DataTraveler USB drive for $29.99

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36804-kingston-paramount-to-deliver-movies-on-flash-drives.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137380.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137315.html Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:22:37 GMT Firefox 3.6 finally hit its first beta milestone during the weekend, so those of you who were holding off until a more mature build of the upcoming browser became available will be glad to know this is it, no more test candidates or nightly builds needed. ... Firefox 3.6 finally hit its first beta milestone during the weekend, so those of you who were holding off until a more mature build of the upcoming browser became available will be glad to know this is it, no more test candidates or nightly builds needed.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36796-firefox-36-beta-1-available-for-download.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Julio http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137315.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137197.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:02:25 GMT Nvidia has released GeForce 195.39 beta drivers, its first to support the OpenCL 1.0 specification. The version also brings over 200 bug fixes, support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 (which will be released in the coming weeks), and SLI support for various titles including Borderlands, Cloudy with a Chance... Nvidia has released GeForce 195.39 beta drivers, its first to support the OpenCL 1.0 specification. The version also brings over 200 bug fixes, support for CUDA Toolkit 3.0 (which will be released in the coming weeks), and SLI support for various titles including Borderlands, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, G-Force, FIFA Soccer 2010, League of Legends: Clash of Fates, NHL 2009, Order of War, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, Race On, and Star Trek: D-A-C, along with a boost in SLI performance for Champions Online and Dragon-Age: Origins.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36792-geforce-19539-beta-brings-opencl-10-support-over-200-bug-fixes.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137197.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137193.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:20:29 GMT As HP seeks to reinforce their top spot for global PC shipments, the company is planning to cut prices all around, especially in the very low-cost laptop arena. Acer isn't far behind them, and is prepared to initiate a price war with HP over the coming year.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36790-acer-prepares-to-initiate-price-war-with-hp.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Justin http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137193.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137169.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:48:38 GMT Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, recently confirmed it has run into new issues with their 40nm process technology that have sent yield rates down to 40%. Major customers for TSMC's 40nm processes include AMD, which just released its Radeon HD 5000 series, and Nvidia, who is expected to launch the GT300 series in December.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36781-tsmc-40nm-yield-issues-to-affect-amd-and-nvidia.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Jos http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137169.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137135.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:18:52 GMT Acer has introduced a new multitouch monitor, the perfect complement to a fresh copy of Windows 7. At 23", the T230H is a bit larger than competing units from HP and Dell, and it has some respectable specifications. With multitouch support, the monitor will recognize both one and two-finger gestures, like pinch-zoom.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36776-acer-intros-23-t230h-multitouch-monitor.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137135.html http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137122.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:23:21 GMT Toshiba and Hitachi have joined Sony in an antitrust investigation. The US Department of Justice will probe the companies' optical disc drive businesses, Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology and Hitachi-LG Data Storage. Sony's Optiarc America was subpoenaed yesterday.

[URL="http://www.techspot.com/news/36770-toshiba-and-hitachi-join-sony-in-antitrust-investigation.html"][U]Read the whole story[/U][/URL] ]]> Matthew http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic137122.html