Walmart Teams With Oodle For Classified Ads

Walmart has began adding classified ads listing to their site thanks to services provided by Silicon Valley startup Oodle.



For now the listings are free, which means Walmart is likely doing the deal to generate page views and advertising impressions. The classifieds listing’s went up quietly last week on Walmart’s site. By adding the new service Walmart and Oodle are putting themselves in direct competition with widely popular Craigslist and the not so well known eBay-owned classified service Kijiji.

Another Bank Loses Customer Data, 4.5 Million Affected

Computerworld reports that officials at the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. are confirming the loss of a box of unencrypted data storage tapes holding personal information of more than 4.5 million individuals.

The bank informed the Connecticut State Attorney General's Office that the tapes belonging to its BNY Mellon Shareowner Services division were lost in transport by off-site storage firm Archive America on Feb. 27. The missing backup tapes include names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and other personal information from customers of BNY Mellon and the People's United Bank in Bridgeport, Conn., according to a statement by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

"We'd like to provide people with a more current characterization [of what happened], but we are not yet in a position to make that available," said BNY Mellon spokesman Ron Sommer. "Our intention is to make it available as soon as we can."

Attorney General Blumenthal said that the bank's offer of a year of free credit monitoring to those affected by the breach is "grossly inadequate." He also slammed the bank for not promptly notifying customers of the security breach.

Source: Computerworld.com

Robo-Monkey Brings Hope To Amputees

Researchers have created a brain implant that allows monkeys to feed themselves using a robotic arm just by thinking about it. The device could one day be used to help paralyzed people to operate prosthetic limbs that might enable them to eat, drink or use other utensils for themselves.

The research recently published in the scientific journal Nature, is the first to show that an interface that converts brain signals directly into actions is sophisticated enough to perform a practical function: eating.

Researchers who led the work have just begun human tests of a related technology.

"It's the first time a monkey--or a human--is directly, with their brain, controlling a real prosthetic arm," says Krishna Shenoy, a neuroscientist at Stanford University who was not involved in the research.

The arm is controlled by a network of tiny electrodes called a brain–machine interface, implanted into the motor cortex of the monkeys' brains — the region that controls movement. It picks up the signals of brain cells as they generate commands to move, and converts those into directional signals for the robotic arm.

Source: Nature.com

More info

• Monkey Thinks Robot into Action
• Monkey Think, Monkey Do--With a Robotic Arm

Mozilla Shooting For World Record With Firefox 3

Mozilla has started a campaign asking users to pledge to download the next full release of Firefox 3 on the day it is available so the release can set a Guinness world record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours.

While Mozilla has not yet revealed exactly when Firefox 3 will be available, it has said that it could be as early as mid-June. Firefox 3 will be the first major upgrade to the browser since October 2006. Just last week Mozilla developers confirmed they would be releasing FireFox RC 2 close to June 6 for a new round of tests by Firefox users. Depending on whether a new critical bug is found or not, a third RC could be necessary or RC2 will become Firefox 3 final.

In the mean time anyone wanting to checkout Firefox 3 can download RC1 on the Firefox website

MySpace Message Center To Use Google Gears

MySpace announced they are offering new functionality in their MySpace Message Center by adding in the use of Google Gears.

MySpace has been lacking the ability for users to actually search their MySpace messages. To go through mail, users have to page through all of their messages until their find the right one. Now when users download and install Gears, they'll be able to quickly search their in-boxes for specific terms or sort messages.

Google's Gears project is an open-source plug-in, which endows browsers with a number of useful features to make them a better foundation for running elaborate software. Gears hasn't caught on widely, but MySpace gives the project more clout. And Google thinks some of Gears' success is actually measured in its influence over the new HTML 5 standard for describing Web pages.

More on Gears:

• Gears API Blog
• Google Gears API
• Google Gears Developer Forum
• Reuters- Google to provide search software to MySpace email

Caught In The Act Dell Releases "Mini Inspiron" Photos

Gizmodo’s Brian Lam caught Michael Dell hauling around a mini laptop at the All Things D conference, the notebook just happened to be the new "Mini Inspiron".

Lam snapped a few photos which were immediately placed on Gizmodo leaving Dell no choice but to come clean. Shortly after Gizmodo spilled the beans on the tiny notebook, the Direct2Dell blog site went ahead and released two more images of the sub-$500 Mini Inspiron in all of its Candy Red glory.




It's hard to get an idea of how large the screen is, but everyone is guessing that it's likely 9" running at a resolution of 1024x600. The keyboard also looks to be a bit on the small side and lacks function keys on the top row. And although official specifications for the device haven't been announced, it's almost a given that the Mini Inspiron will feature a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and a 945G chipset. The Mini Inspiron will be available with Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux.

For the real world shots Brian Lam took of the Mini Inspiron, head over to Gizmodo.

Inaugural Kavli Prizes Awarded

Seven pioneering scientists who have transformed human knowledge in the fields of nanoscience, neuroscience and astrophysics have become the first recipients of the million-dollar Kavli prizes. The President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Ole Didrik Lærum, announced the names of the prize-winners at the Academy in Oslo today, 28 May.

The astrophysics prize was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University.

Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan, share the nanoscience prize.

The neuroscience prize goes to three scientists: Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, US, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, US, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The webcast of the 2008 Kavli Price announcement is produced i cooperation with Smartcom. Watch the transmission on Smartcom's webcast page.

Read more

Windows 7 Debuts To The Press At D6

Microsoft has been keeping a tight lid on details about its successor to Windows Vista, that is until they decided to give the press a little sneak peek at the D Conference in Carlsbad, Calif.

Microsoft's VP for Windows Experience Program Management, Julie Larson-Green , briefly demoed Windows 7, which showed off Microsoft's attempt at bringing multitouch capabilities to the masses. Using a current generation Dell Latitude XT Julie demonstrated the multitouch capabilities which accepts multiple finger inputs, hence the "multi" part of the "multi-touch" technology title.

The new multi-touch technology will deploy on "all sizes and shapes of computers" according to Julie, but you would need the appropriate digitizer hardware. Touching is "not complete replacement of the mouse", rather it’s a way to further your experience, she says.

While details about the rest of the new operating system are still scarce Microsoft officials have already confirmed that they will not be using a new OS kernel for Windows 7. They've also been confirming that they will have Windows 7 ready in time to ship in 2009.

Microsoft Wants To Pay You To Use Their Search

Microsoft Corp. today announced it will offer ad-funded cash rebates to customers who find and purchase their favorite products through a new program called Microsoft Live Search cashback. Key partners including eBay, Barnes & Noble.com, Overstock.com, Sears, Zappos.com, and WPP joined Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at advance08, Microsoft’s annual advertising customer event, to announce their participation in the new program.

The complete Live Search cashback product portfolio includes more than 10 million product offers from more than 700 merchants, including more than 13 of the top 40 U.S. retailers. The company also announced it has delivered a new Live Search travel destination, Live Search Farecast, making it easy for searchers to find the best travel deals on the Web.

“We believe search can offer much more value to consumers and advertisers than it does today, and we see Live Search cashback as an important opportunity to deliver additional value,” Gates said. “Our goal is to make Live Search the most rewarding commercial search destination on the Web. Live Search cashback will help advertisers drive more online sales while giving consumers a new way to stretch their dollars.”

Read the full press release at Microsoft.com

Guitar Hero World Tour Details Emerge

Activision finally confirms several rumors fliying around about the upcoming forth version of Guitar Hero. The new game officially titled Guitar Hero World Tour will feature multiple wireless peripherals and music-composing program.

Earlier this week Activision confirmed the game will feature a microphone and a "genuine" electronic drum kit, along with a redesigned guitar peripheral.

Of the three new instruments, Activision is particularly touting its drum kit, which will have three drum pads, two raised cymbals, and a bass kick pedal. Apparently, it will have "velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back."

Activision also boasts that Guitar Hero World Tour will have "the biggest on-disc selection" of music, and that all of the tunes available to take on will be master tracks. So far, no particular songs have been named, but the company has promised that offerings from artists Van Halen, Linkin Park, Sublime, and the Eagles will be included.

Along with the new peripherals the game will see a few software changes adding in Battle of the Bands player mode. Battle of the Bands allows up to eight players, two teams of four, to compete online to see which band rocks the hardest. Guitar Hero World Tour also adds a Music Studio music creator tool that lets you compose, record and edit your own songs, using all of the instruments if desired, and then importing these tunes into the game. You can also share your masterpieces with others through an online service called GHTunes.

Guitar Hero World Tour should hit shelves sometime this fall.

LifeLock CEO Still Defends Service

Apparently running hundreds of ads showing off your Social Security Number isn't as bright and idea as originally thought. Todd Davis, CEO of the identity-theft protection service LifeLock, had to learn his lesson the hard way when someone successfully stole his ID.

Davis who has ran several ads appearing on TV, radio, billboards and the internet, featuring his actual Social Security Number was daring somebody to take it, so it shouldn't have been a big surprise when someone did just that.

Davis acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that his stunt has led to at least 87 instances in which people have tried to steal his identity, and one succeeded: a guy in Texas who duped an online payday loan operation last year into giving him $500 using Davis' Social Security number.

But Davis says it just proves that his LifeLock identity protection service works. Stating, "My Social Security number has been out there for two years, and there’s only been one instance where someone was successful in trying to turn my identity into money."

LifeLock's customers seem to disagree with Mr. Davis, filling several lawsuits. Attorney Davis Paris has filed a class action lawsuit in Maryland, West Virginia and New Jersey saying that Davis and LifeLock engage in false advertising by seeming to offer absolute protection against identity theft in their ubiquitous ads.

Another lawsuit in Arizona alleges that his $1 million “service guarantee” is misleading and covers only defects in LifeLock services and not actual identity theft. The credit-reporting agency Experian has also filled a suit, alleging that Davis’ company deceives customers about the depth of its service. Experian claims LifeLock doesn’t give consumers any more protection for its $10 monthly fee than they can get for free on their own.

It would appear Davis' advertising gimmick might land him in hotter water than just a minor incident with ID theft.

Next Gen iPhone May Launch June 9th

According to Gizmodo inside sources are confirming the June 9 date for the release of the next generation 3G iPhone, which is also when Steve Jobs' keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is scheduled.

Eric Zeman at InformationWeek however seems skeptical, "I am going to caution that everyone take this news with a small grain of salt. True, all indicators over the last four weeks have pointed to a launch on or near June 9, but Gizmodo did not reveal exactly who the sources are. Also, remember that the 3G iPhone hasn't been cleared by the FCC yet. With only three weeks to go before the keynote, that's cutting it awfully close."

Without FCC approval legally, the iPhone cannot be sold in the United States. If the FCC doesn't get around to its approval by June 9 then Apple and Steve Job's might be stuck holding the bag.

Supplies of the first-generation iPhone have been dwindling, which has led to lots of speculation about the release of the second generation phone. Its clear Apple needs to get something onto store shelves soon, but will it be the 3G iPhone?

AT&T Gives Free Wi-Fi To LaptopConnect Customers

AT&T announced today that its LaptopConnect customers, who pay $60 or more a month for wide area wireless data connections, will also be able to access more than 17,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots in the U.S. for free.

Back in Feburary we announced AT&T's plans to give free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hot spots some AT&T broadband customers with wired connections. The carrier has since said it plans to expand free Wi-Fi access to additional wireless customers. AT&T's Wi-Fi connection policies have also been important to Apple iPhone users whom for a limited time were also granted free Wi-Fi.

Napster Offers DRM Free Music At Their New All MP3 Download Store

Napster looks to take on iTunes as it opens up its new DRM-free music store.

Napster claims to have the largest selection of music among online music services, with over 6 million tracks, today they announced they will be making them all them available for purchase in standard MP3 format, playable on any device, including iPods.

The DRM-free tracks cost $0.99 and albums cost $9.95, which is comparable with Apple's iTunes Plus DRM-free songs. The Apple DRM-free tracks are also in the less-compatible AAC format, which Windows Media Player can't play. Both companies' DRM-free files are encoded at a high-quality, 256Kbps bitrate.

"It's great that we have finally gotten here," said Chris Gorog, Napster's chairman and chief executive. "It is really the beginning of a level playing field, which I think is essential for Napster, but also for the health of the digital music business in general."

Unlike their regular services Napster's new DRM-free service does not require any monthly membership fee. They will still be offering their $12.95 per month on-demand streaming service as well as their $14.95 Napster-to-Go portable syncing service.

The new service will not require the use of any new software, it will be a Web based interface that works on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux running Firefox 2.x or Internet Explorer 7.x (which is recommended).

Napster faces tough competition as Amazon is already offering better-than-iTunes quality for less-than-iTunes prices without the proprietary DRM (Digital Rights Management) software. Amazons music service has been up and running for some time now and reaches millions of existing Amazon users whom can buy downloads using their current account details. This would make Amazon the obvious first choice however Napster's pure volume of music available should create a better draw.

Intel Price Cuts Expected In The Third Quarter

DigiTimes has reported that Intel is planning to cut the prices of its desktop processors in the 3Q08. Along with the price cuts will come the launch of more quad-core and dual-core models, according to sources.

The performance-level Core 2 Quad Q9650 with a core frequency of 3GHz will launch priced at $530, while the Core 2 Quad Q9550 will drop around 40% from its original price of $530 to $316.

The Core 2 Quad 9450, currently priced at US$316, will be phased out and replaced by the Core 2 Quad 9400 at 2.66GHz priced at $266. The Core 2 Quad Q9300 and Q6700 will both be phased out at the same time too, leaving the Q6600 as the only 65nm quad-core CPU left in Intel's lineup, and which will drop from US$224 to US$203. (The Q6600 can currently be found sub $200 at microcenter)

For dual-core CPUs, Intel will launch the Core 2 Duo E8600 at 3.33GHz and US$266, and will phase out the Core 2 Duo E8300. The company will also drop pricing for the Core 2 Duo E8500 and E8400 from US$266 and US$183 to US$183 and US$163, respectively.

Intel will also add the Core 2 Duo E7300 at 2.66GHz and US$133 to its entry-level line and to drop the price of its Core 2 Duo E7200 from US$133 to US$113.

Source: DigiTimes

Google Announces Android Developers Top 50 Applications

Android Developers Blog: The Top 50 Applications
As you may have heard, the results from Android Developer Challenge Part 1, Round 1 were announced to all the participants late last week. We're still working on pulling together a more extensive listing for each application that made it into the top 50, but in the spirit of releasing early and often, here's a list containing the name of the application and its author(s):

• AndroidScan - Jeffrey Sharkey
• Beetaun - Sergey Gritsyuk and Dmitri Shipilov
• BioWallet - Jose Luis Huertas Fernandez
• BreadCrumbz - Amos Yoffe
• CallACab - Konrad Huebner and Henning Boeger
• City Slikkers - PoroCity Media and Virtual Logic Systems
• Commandro - Alex Pisarev, Andrey Tapekha
• Cooking Capsules - Mary Ann Cotter and Muthuselvam Ramadoss
• Diggin - Daniel Johansson, Aramis Waernbaum, Andreas Hedin
• Dyno - Virachat Boondharigaputra
• e-ventr - Michael Zitzelsberger
• Eco2go - Taneem Talukdar, Gary Pong, Jeff Kao and Robert Lam
• Em-Radar - Jack Kwok
• fingerprint - Robert Mickle
• FreeFamilyWatch - Navee Technologies LLC
• goCart - Rylan Barnes
• GolfPlay - Inizziativa Networks
• gWalk - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus ten Hagen, Christian Klinger, Marko Modsching, Rene Scholze
• HandWx - Weathertop Consulting LLC
• IMEasy - Yan Shi
• Jigsaw - Mikhail Ksenzov
• JOYity - Zelfi AG
• LifeAware - Gregory Moore, Aaron L. Obrien, Jawad Akhtar
• Locale - Clare Bayley, Christina Wright, Jasper Lin, Carter Jernigan
• LReady Emergency Manager - Chris Hulls, Dilpreet Singh, Luis Carvalho, Phuong Nguyen
• Marvin - Pontier Laurent
• Mobeedo - Sengaro GmbH
• Multiple Facets Instant Messenger - Virgil Dobjanschi
• MyCloset - Mamoru Tokashiki
• PedNav - RouteMe2 Technologies Inc.
• Phonebook 2.0 - Voxmobili
• PicSay - Eric Wijngaard
• PiggyBack - Christophe Petit and Sebastien Petit
• Pocket Journey - Anthony Stevens and Rosie Pongracz
• Rayfarla - Stephen Oldmeadow
• Safety Net - Michael DeJadon
• SocialMonster - Ben Siu-Lung Hui and Tommy Ng
• SplashPlay
• Sustain- Keeping Your Social Network Alive - Niraj Swami
• SynchroSpot - Shaun Terry
• Talkplay - Sung Suh Park
• Teradesk - José Augusto Athayde Ferrarini
• The Weather Channel for Android - The Weather Channel Interactive Inc.
• TuneWiki - TuneWiki Inc.
• Wikitude-the Mobile Travel Guide - Philipp Breuss
• Writing Pad - ShapeWriter Inc

Those of you following along carefully at home (or who bothered to read this far) will notice that there's only 46 in this list. 4 winners opted to continue their efforts in secret and so while we congratulate them too, we can't list them here.

Wii Fit Launches In U.S.

Nintendo launches its Wii Fit today, the popular expansion to its Wii gaming system that has already sold more than 2 million Wii Fit units in Japan.

Its American launch came today at the Nintendo World store in New York. The system will be available through U.S. retailers beginning Wednesday May 21. Online resellers are already taking pre-sale orders with many sites already showing as out of stock.

Users use a balance board similar to the platform used for step aerobics. You can ride a virtual snowboard, do yoga, twirl virtual hula hoops, or do other exercises on the Wii Balance Board. The board connects with the Wii console through wireless signals. Mii caricatures reflect players' changing fitness levels as they improve.


"Wii Fit will get you moving whether you've been playing video games for years or this is your first time," Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing, said in an announcement. "Wii Fit is easy for anyone to try and is yet another example of how Nintendo continues to expand the world of video games to new audiences."


The wireless accessory basically is a sophisticated, floor-based game controller. It senses your weight and movement as you step on it and uses that data to control onscreen games and exercises designed to improve your balance, posture and fitness. The system will offer more than 40 activities and stores users' records. Virtual trainers guide users and make suggestions for improvement.

The suggested retail price for Wii Fit is $89.99 and online pre-orders can be made at Circuit City, Best Buy, K-Mart and Walmart/

FireFox 3.0 Reaches Release Candidate Status

According to Mozilla developers Firefox 3.0 RC1 edges closer to final code. This milestone is focused on testing the core functionality provided by many new features and changes to the platform scheduled for Firefox 3.

Firefox 3.0 is built on the Gecko 1.9 Web rendering platform and includes better memory management, improved performance, enhanced security features, and improved usability. Other new features include built-in antivirus protection, easier password management, a new download manager and improved integration with Windows and OS X.

According to Mozilla, changes specifically attributable to the latest release of Firefox 3.0 include:

• Improvements to the user interface based on user feedback, including changes to the look and feel on Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X and Linux.
• Changes and fixes for new features such as the location bar autocomplete, bookmark backup and restore, full page zoom, and others, based on feedback from our community.
• Fixes and improvements to platform features to improve security, web compatibility and stability.
• Continued performance improvements: changes to our JavaScript engine as well as profile guided optimization continues to improve performance over previous releases as measured by the popular SunSpider test from Apple, and in the speed of web applications like Google Mail and Zoho Office.

Firefox 3.0 RC1 is currently available for download in multiple languages for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.

My thoughts:
I've been trying it out over the weekend and so far I'm not highly impressed. Some of my plug-ins aren't functional, I can't find a theme I like that will actually work, and the overall feel just doesn't fit for me. The first two are more an issue for the developers of the plug-ins and themes but its still an annoyance.

While page load times do seem to be faster, I see little to no change in memory usage. In fact if anything it almost looks like I'm using more memory now than with the latest version of FireFox 2. The new looks and feel of the address bar is great, you don't just get the url but a quick title for the page. Bookmark handling has also been upgraded nicely.

I can say I don't see anything majorly wrong, I've had no crashes and little to no issues. I just really don't see anything that is all that impressive. Maybe I'll need more than a day or two of surfing to spot a few extras that I haven't found yet.

AMD Announces "Game"

Today AMD has announced AMD GAME!, their new branding program designed to help consumers select PCs or components for high-definition gaming.

The minimum requirements for GAME! are an AMD Athlon X2 5600+ processor, ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics card, and AMD 770 or NVIDIA nForce 500 chipset, making for a system that is capable, but not extraordinary. To qualify for GAME! Ultra a system will need a Phenom X4 9650 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics card, and an AMD 770 chipset.

AMD’s 780G integrated graphics platform will not qualify for the Game! program, as it is was only meant to handle entry-level gaming.

AMD GAME! Enables Console-like Simplicity for Mainstream PCs
AMD GAME! platforms combine the powerful balance of multi-core processors, exceptional HD digital media2, and next-generation graphics processing power. Industry leaders including Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft are joining AMD to ensure consumers can easily identify PCs that deliver HD gaming and entertainment experiences out of the box.

“With the support of industry leaders in PC gaming, AMD GAME! ensures consumers don’t need an enthusiast-level knowledge of PC hardware for an optimal gaming system,” said Nigel Dessau, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, AMD. “We in the PC industry owe consumers the same predictability, simplicity and affordability in finding a PC for gaming that the console industry currently provides.”

According to Jon Peddie Research, of all desktop and notebook PCs sold last year, two-thirds had only the most basic of capabilities, lacking the technology needed to drive a great gaming experience. AMD recognizes this and is working to provide a consistent source of reliable and accurate information before and at the point of purchase for gaming consumers.

“AMD GAME! is a new initiative focused on delivering a novel experience for consumers, addressing a problem that has long existed in the PC industry until now,” said Dr. Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research in Tiburon, California. “Our research has shown that PC gaming is on the rise and this effort from AMD not only rallies industry support for PC gaming but also acknowledges that computer gaming needs balanced systems for the best consumer experience.”

Gaming and HD Entertainment Support
AMD believes consumers should have a balanced platform with matched and tested components that meet their needs – not compromise their overall computing experience by choosing which components and software are more valuable. Computers should have the power to surge through the demanding moments of gaming action or HD entertainment without stutter or lag. The AMD GAME! initiative helps ensure that the computer system has been optimized for gaming with the right graphics and processor components. Hardware and PC components that carry the AMD GAME! logo let PC buyers and do-it-yourself gamers know they will have a customized and exceptional gaming experience.

“AMD and Microsoft share the vision of delivering better gaming experiences on PCs running Microsoft® Windows® operating systems,” said Kevin Unangst, Microsoft’s senior global director of Games for Windows. “Microsoft’s Games for Windows program and AMD are both working to expand gaming accessibility and ease of use to consumers. Games for Windows titles and Microsoft’s gaming hardware, along with the AMD GAME! initiative, are great examples of how we can bring more value to PC gamers across the industry.” 

As part of the AMD GAME! initiative, AMD is dedicated to working closely with industry leaders to help create personal computer configurations that are optimized for all types of users.

“AMD GAME! is a great initiative that will help Acer drive consumers toward the best solution for their gaming needs,” said Brian Bogaard, product business manager – EMEA desktop PC, Acer. “PC gaming is an important area for Acer and with AMD’s help, we can meet the expectations of consumers with a solid gaming experience.” 

“We are happy to see the growing interest in PC gaming and now AMD is adding a much needed program to help continue that trend,” Patrick Cooper, director of product group, Alienware. “The AMD GAME! Experience enables Alienware to quickly and easily help consumers identify the experience that is right for them and the high performance Alienware solution that delivers it.”

“AMD GAME! is a great program to help consumers easily identify a solution that addresses their gaming needs,” said David Reid, vice president of marketing at NCsoft North America. “With this partnership, we hope to ensure consumers will enjoy our titles at the highest levels of quality possible.”

AMD GAME! Availability
AMD GAME! systems combine proven AMD technology including AMD Phenom™ processors, the upcoming AMD Turion™ Ultra processors, AMD Athlon™ processors, ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 series graphics, and AMD chipsets to deliver an enhanced and simplified mainstream PC gaming experience.

AMD GAME! platforms are available immediately on-line from system builders such as Alienware, Cyberpower, iBuypower, Maingear and Velocity Micro; retail availability is expected in the second half of 2008.

Information about AMD GAME! can be found at http://game.amd.com, the central source for PC gaming information. Supporting more than three million visitors per month, this website provides product information, contests, spotlights on industry partners, informative articles and purchasing information.

The AMD GAME! press kit offers additional information and collateral material for this launch and can be found at http://www.amd.com/GAME/presskit/.

Fake Grand Theft Auto IV Torrents Contain Viruses

According to DriveSentry hundreds of users have been infected when trying to download Grand Theft Auto IV via P2P.

Hackers having been planting Trojans and other viruses in bogus game files, masking them as torrents that contain the files for GTA 4. The torrents are then being downloaded from P2P networks by those trying to illegally experience the game without purchasing it.

John Safa, chief technical officer of DriveSentry, said: "People are exploiting the popularity of GTA IV in a way which could bring mayhem to the internet."

Former hacker Safa highlighted that within two minutes of logging on to P2P network Limewire he found evidence of Trojan viruses disguised at GTA IV files.

We all know the huge risk involved in using P2P, and Geek-News.Net does not condone the action of illegally downloading files. But a few words of caution here:

Tread very carefully around these files, if you are going to download them do so from a good source. If you are hit with a link to a site that says it has a download chances are its a fake. Always check the main sites first. Invest in a good anti-virus Avast and AVG are great products that are free. Make sure you have the latest updates, viruses definitions are updated constantly and it does little to no good to use an outdated AV program.