Geek News

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

NVIDIA's Twelve Days Of Deals Christmas Promotion

Popular graphics card manufacture NVIDIA has announced their 12 Days Of Deals Christmas promotion.

Each day starting December 11TH and continuing all the way through December 22ND, NVIDIA will feature 12 fantastic offers that you cannot afford to miss! Check back each day to discover what new holiday bargains are in store for you. Each offer is good from the day is revealed through December 23RD. Some offers require a promo code to be entered upon checkout.

Since the deals start tomorrow nothing has been revealed yet but ohiohockeyguy over at slickdeals.net posted some spoilers

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day1r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day2r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day3r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day5r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day6r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day7r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day8r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day9r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day10r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day11r.jpg

http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/63433/day12r.jpg

These aren't verified or confirmed but it looks like it might be the real deal.

Koobface Worm Reaches Out To More Sites

Researchers at security vendor F-Secure said yesterday in a blog about the Koobface worm that the new infection is designed to spread to other popular social networking sites, including MySpace.com, MyYearbook.com, BlackPlanet.com, and Friendster.com.

The Koobface worm has been spreading like wildfire through Facebook since it was first reported last week by McAfee Avert Labs. The virus uses Facebook's private messaging system to spread itself across the social networking site. Facebook users receive a message from an infected profile that offers them a video link paired with the message, "You look just awesome in this new movie." The link takes users to a separate Website that recommends installing an update to watch the video. But the download is actually the virus itself, and installing it leads to another infected computer.

"Facebook is already aware of this [new] threat and is purging the spammed links from their system. But with dozens of Koobface variants known to exist, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better," Craig Schmugar of McAfee Avert Labs wrote on the company's blog. "It's important to note that spammed links leading to Koobface are likely to come from infected friends, reminiscent of early mass-mailing worms."

The newest version of Koobface (W32/Koobface.CZ) is actually a resurgence of an older version of the same virus which was reported by Kaspersky Labs in July. Kaspersky warned users then that the two variants the new worm, Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.a. and Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.b, where capable of attacks on both MySpace and Facebook.

If the virus is not properly removed it will turn affected computers into "zombies" or bots, allowing hackers to control those infected computers to either spread more malicious code or ro carry out attacks on other systems.

Facebook has posted generic instructions for it's users to follow on how to remove the infection. Essentially they tell users to change their passwords and immediately run a virus scan using one of these sites:

Even if you haven't been hit with the virus I'd suggest you take a proactive approach and download one of the several free antivirus programs such as AVG, Avira or Avast. And as I always point out a little common sense browsing goes a long way. If you reach a site that tells you you need to update your software its always best to leave and go directly to the software vendor's site.

Google Zeitgesit 2008 Highlights Top Searchs Of The Year

Today Google released the 2008 Year-End Google Zeitgeist, a list comprised of Google's fastest-rising searches of the year. Since 2001 Google has been creating the list, that compile data bu studying the aggregation of the billions of search queries that people type into the Google search box.

Google’s Fastest Rising Search Terms for 2008(Global)

sarah palin
beijing 2008
facebook login
tuenti (a Spanish site similar to FaceBook)
heath ledger
obama
nasza klasa (a Polish social networking site)
wer kennt wen (a German social networking site)
euro 2008
jonas brothers

Google's Fastest Rising Terms For The U.S.

obama
facebook
att
iphone
youtube
fox news
palin
beijing 2008
david cook
surf the channel

Social Networks*

facebook
myspace
hi5
orkut
linkedin
nasza klasa
netlog
mixi (Japaneses social networking site)
meetup
odnoklassniki (Russian social networking site)

*Networking around the world: nearly half the list is comprised of sites based outside of the U.S.

There are several more lists that comprise varies aspects of search, such as the top "who is", top "how to", top "diy" and many many more. You can check out the complete list as well as results from other countries at the Zeitgesit 2008 homepage, you can also find more information and some great links at the Official Google Blog Post: The global Zeitgeist.

Office Depot Closing Stores Cutting 2,200 jobs

Office Depot has announced it will close 112 stores and cut nearly 2,200 jobs over the next three months in what it is calling an "Update of Strategic Review".

The stores to be closed are located all across the country, including 45 in the Central U.S., 40 in the Northeast and Canada, 19 in the West and eight in the South. Additionally, 14 stores will be closed through 2009 as their leases expire or other lease arrangements are finalized. The company also plans to close six of its 33 distribution facilities in North America.

The Company anticipates taking charges in the fourth quarter 2008 and in 2009 for these actions totaling in a range from $270 million to $300 million. The cash component of these charges is projected to be approximately $40 million over the next twelve months and is comprised of continuing lease payments on closed stores; and severance for store, headquarters and field sales staffing; partially offset by cash received for liquidated inventory and assets. The remaining non-cash and future cash charges of approximately $230 million to $260 million are comprised principally of fixed asset write-offs and lease reserves on closed stores.

Office Depot says these actions should benefit 2009 EBIT and cash flow by approximately $90 million and $70 million respectively. The benefit to cash flow is primarily a result of lower 2009 capital spending, payroll savings and operational improvements from store closures. Further actions are being contemplated and are expected to result in additional charges to be recognized in the fourth quarter of 2008 and into 2009. These actions include the assessment of tangible and intangible assets, including the annual goodwill evaluation, and potentially restructuring businesses."

OpenSolaris 2008.11 Released

Sun's open-source version of the Solaris operating system has received a fairly good sized update packed with new features and updated versions of older software.

"This release adds some new functionality for our users that are deploying in production or in the data center," said Charlie Boyle, Sun's director of OpenSolaris marketing.

New Toys For Users
Some of the new features added to OpenSolaris 2008.11 include, GNOME 2.24, OpenOffice.org 3, FireFox 3, an an easy-to-use BitTorrent client, music support with Songbird and suspend and resume to RAM support. Here is a full list of what's new in OpenSolaris 2008.11.

Tools For Developers
The new release also features Distro Constructor for customizing Solaris deployments. The distribution constructor is a command-line tool for building pre-configured, bootable OpenSolaris images. The tool takes an install manifest file as input, and outputs an ISO image that is based on the parameters specified in the manifest. Developers can modify the content of the ISO image, selecting and adding additional packages to the image, and changing the default system settings in order to create a custom, redistributable ISO or USB image. Check out the Getting Started with the Distribution Constructor guide for more details.

"This allows people to take their own custom set of packages for OpenSolaris and basically build the stack that they want. Distro Constructor takes that stack with all their software and settings and builds a new bootable [image]," Boyle said. The tool saves users from unnecessary overhead and is beneficial for update management.

To simplify your OpenSolaris development the team new disto comes with NetBeans IDE 6.5! Featuring support for C/C++, Java, and numerous dynamic language, Sun's award-winning open source IDE enables developers to rapidly create web, enterprise, and desktop applications on or for OpenSolaris.

Alternatively developers will have the option of installing and using Eclipse IDE, The open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software.

For more details on OpenSolaris 2008.11 checkout the links below:

Release Notes for the OpenSolaris 2008.11

Press Release: Sun Microsystems Launches Latest Version of OpenSolaris

OpenSolaris 2008.11 Download Page

Getting Started With OpenSolaris 2008.11

Open Handset Alliance Gains 14 Members

Google's Android mobile operating system gained a little more muscle when it was announced that the Open Handset Alliance added 14 new members this week.

The Open Handset Alliance, which promotes the use of Google's Android mobile operating system is backed by a total of 47 technology and mobile companies. Adding AKM Semiconductor Inc., ARM, ASUSTek Computer Inc., Atheros Communications, Borqs, Ericsson, Garmin International Inc., Huawei Technologies, Omron Software Co. Ltd, Softbank Mobile Corporation, Sony Ericsson, Teleca AB, Toshiba Corporation and Vodafone to that list this week.

New members will either deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices. With these commitments, the Open Handset Alliance will continue to drive greater and faster innovation for the benefit of mobile users and everyone in the industry.

Several companies including ASUS and Sony Ericsson are already promising Android based projects.

"ASUS is a leading handset manufacturer that will soon deliver high quality, innovative Android devices and technology for world class carriers and consumers," HC Hung, General Manager of Personal Mobile Device, BU, ASUSTek Computer Inc.

"Sony Ericsson is excited to announce its membership of the Open Handset Alliance and confirm its intention to develop a handset based on the Android platform We believe Sony Ericsson can bring a wealth of experience in making consumer focused multimedia handsets with new user experience to the Alliance drawing on the successes of the Walkman and Cyber-shot sub-brands. Sony Ericsson is a strong supporter of open operating systems and we believe the Open Handset Alliance offers an exciting opportunity for a new and unique user experience only Sony Ericsson can deliver." Rikko Sakaguchi, CVP and head of Creation and Development, Sony Ericsson

Google Desktop Adds YouTube Gadget

YouTube and the Google Desktop team have announced the release of a YouTube gadget for Google Desktop. Once installed the gadget provides user with a built in search for videos (hint: pressing the shift key twice brings up all your hidden Desktop gadgets). The videos will play directly inside the gadget, which also shows a feed of the day's most popular clips.

The gadget currently only works on Linux and Windows, sorry Mac fans you get the cold shoulder.

In related YouTube news according to comScore Video Metrix YouTube had almost 100 million viewers in October 2008, easily making it the no. 1 online video property by unique viewers (99.5 million) and total videos streamed (5.3 billion).

Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 520 million videos (3.8 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 363 million (2.7 percent), and Viacom Digital with 305 million (2.3 percent). Hulu, a joint venture of NBC and Fox featuring full-length broadcast TV programs, ranked sixth with 235 million videos viewed (1.7 percent).

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Force FireFox Extesion Compatibility

If like me you love checking out the newest offerings from FireFox but you hate living without your extensions you can always try to "force compatibility" of your older extension.

Now I must warn that trying to force FireFox to use extensions meant for an older version of the browser can and often times will cause stability issues and might cause FireFox to not work at all. So be warned and be prepared for the worst.

If your extensions wreak havoc with your browser you'll need to start FireFox in Safe Mode to disable and possibly remove them. To do so from the start button click run and type firefox -safe-mode. From there you'll have a few options one of which is Disable all add-ons: If you select this box and then click Make Changes and Restart, Firefox will start back up in its normal mode, except all your extensions and themes (but not plugins) will be disabled. You'll then need to either temporarily disable or uninstall the suspected offender. (more on FireFox Safe Mode)

Now that we've got that out of the way here are the steps needed to remove the compatibility check.

Type about:config in the URL bar in Firefox, you'll get a little warning box telling you that you might break FireFox. Click accept, or whatever the option is.
Right click anywhere on the page, when the menu box appears select new - Boolean
For preference name type extensions.checkCompatibility then choose the value of False.
Restart Firefox and you should be able to install any Firefox extension.

This in no way means every extension will work, in my experience many of them do. Sometimes however there are just to many differences between FireFox builds and the old extensions just won't work right.

Dell Holiday Deals

Looking for the hottest deal from Dell? Look no further. Dell is featuring several great promotions this holiday season. One of which is Dell's 12 Days of Deals. Every day Dell will list up to four new deals.

You can also browse the Dell Home Gift Guide. The holiday gift guide is broken down into four categories, 1: Under $100, 2: Under $200, 3: Under $300 and the fourth "ultimate Gifts", which includes high end geek gadgets over $300.

More deals just in time for the holidays. Get free 2nd day shipping from Dell Home from the following categories: *For approved credit card or Dell Account orders placed on or before 12/19/2008 at 3pm CT. Order and shipment must be on a business day.

You'll also receive free 2nd day shipping on these great deals:

Recent Dell coupon codes to help sweeten those deals (Coupons exp 12/18):

Electronics:

Desktops and Laptops:

Search Magazines With Google Book Search

Google announced a partnership with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles from magazines such as New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Ebony to be included in Google's Book Search results.

Google hopes through their partnership they'll be able to bring more magazine archives and current magazines online. Google says, "Over time, as we scan more articles, you'll see more and more magazines appear in Google Book Search results. Eventually, we'll also begin blending magazine results into our main Google.com search results, so you may begin finding magazines you didn't even know you were looking for. For now you can restrict your search to magazines we've scanned by trying an advanced search."

You can search for magazines through Google Book Search. Try queries like [obama keynote convention], [hollywood brat pack] or [world's most challenging crossword] and you'll find magazine articles alongside books results. Magazine articles are tagged with the keyword "Magazine" on the search snippet.

More details are available on today's Official Google Blog posting Search and find magazines on Google Book Search

Dell Responds To XP Downgrade Pricing

In an article posted today on Computerworld.com Dell has responded to reports that they are charging customers $150 to "downgrade" to Windows XP.

"We have not increased the pricing, nor are we charging $150 for Windows XP," said Dell spokesman David Frink, reacting to a similar Computerworld story published yesterday. "For customers who order a system with Windows XP Professional via the downgrade rights program, Dell charges $20 to ... pre-install Windows XP Pro with all drivers on the system, include a reinstall CD and include a Vista Business install DVD, plus a CD with Vista drivers."

"The $130 difference between the $20 that Dell charges for the downgrade and the $150 price the company advertises on its Web site is what it costs buyers to upgrade Vista from the standard Home Premium edition and the Business edition," said Frink. "Microsoft mandates that customers who want to downgrade to XP must purchase the license to Vista Business or Vista Ultimate," Frink said. "[That's] typically about a $130 premium, though some retail outlets charge more."

Frink is correct, according to the Windows Vista Downgrade Rights reference sheet (PDF), Windows Vista downgrade rights are only extended to Vista Business and Vista Ultimate. As I previously mentioned you do receive licenses for both Operating systems which gives you the option of running XP now and transitioning to Vista when and if you are ready.

The problem here appears to be the $130 premium, which I now see is the standard upgrade price for any Dell system. Newegg offers OEM versions of Vista Home Basic at $89.99 and Vista Business at $139.99, that would be a $50 difference not the $130 difference that Dell would have you pay. The second problem is that Dell offers the Windows Vista Business bonus for $99 on the small business site.

It would appear that small business users get the package for $50 less and as advertised "Get Genuine Windows Vista Business Bonus with Windows XP Professional INSTALLED: FREE".

Dell might not be "charging $150 for Windows XP" but they are charging home users a hefty premium for the right to downgrade. Still even I can admit $150 for two licenses isn't bad at all, especially considering XP Professional and Vista Business are both $139.99. I'd take $280 worth of software for half price any day!

SIIA Files Piracy Lawsuits Against Amazon.com, iOffer Sellers

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) extended their online software Anti-Piracy Campaign today with what they are saying are the first-ever lawsuits against sellers on Amazon.com and iOffer.com.

In a press release released today (PDF), the SIAA announced the filing of eight new lawsuits against illegal software sellers. The new round includes SIIA’s first-ever lawsuits against illegal software sellers on Amazon.com and iOffer.com. These latest actions bring the total number of online auction site lawsuits the SIIA has filed this year on behalf of its member companies to 40.

“In the current economic climate, when consumer confidence is already low, it is essential that consumers are able to purchase software online knowing that it is legal and will function properly. Illegal sellers tempt consumers with low prices, but the software often doesn’t work and, of course, comes without the full range of customer support offered by manufacturers,” said Keith Kupferschmid, SIIA SVP of Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement.

“The new lawsuits are part of SIIA’s continued aggressive pursuit of online software pirates through both the civil and criminal processes,” Kupferschmid said. “We are sending a clear message about the lengths to which we will go to protect our member companies, unsuspecting consumers and legitimate software vendors.”

Earlier this year we reported that the SIAA had filed a total of 32 lawsuits against eBay sellers accused of selling counterfeit or pirated software. Scott Bain, SIIA's litigation counsel, has said several of those defendants have settled the cases, with many paying as much as five figure penalties.

Today's lawsuits charged all of the following with knowingly selling software, including Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Acrobat 8.0, illegally on auction sites eBay, Amazon.com, and iOffer:
Darwin Mieles, Miami, FL (Seller ID: “dm42017”); Aiden O’Connors, Santa Cruz, CA
(Seller ID: “blackwolfblooks”); La’Kieta Prosper, Orlando, FL (Seller ID: “lakieta”);
Adrian Garibaldi, Carrollton, TX (Seller ID: “abtechnology”); Manual Marmoletos, New
York, NY (Seller ID: “marmomn”); Randy Peek, Toledo, OH (Seller ID: “randy4112”);
Tony Kornrumpf, Lookout Mountain, TN (Seller ID: “cyberpcs”); and an unnamed seller
from Los Angeles, CA (Seller ID: “topsoftware1”).

In some cases, the software is counterfeit, and in other cases, sellers are selling software packaged for educational or OEM (original equipment manufacturer) use to other buyers.

Google Street View Doubles US Coverage

According to the Google Lat Long Blog Google has doubled the coverage of Street View imagery in the United Sates. Street View will now feature coverage in some new cities like Memphis, Birmingham, and Charleston (SC), and a few new states like Maine, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

From the images posted on today's post at the Official Google Blog it looks like they've filled in lots of gaps across the country.

(before)

(after)

The Google Street View team has had a busy year. Earlier this year they launched Street View internationally with the imagery of the Tour de France route. Street View now features seven countries including France, Japan, Australia, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, and of course the U.S. With Street View's international sites you can get a birds eye view of some of the world's most famous attractions and landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to Shibuya, Tokyo to the Pantheon.

Google says between today's launch and all the other launches this year, 2008 saw a 22-fold increase in the amount of Street View imagery available around the world.

Home Routers At Risk Of CSRF Attack

Security researchers warn that several home DSL routers used by AT&T's DSL service are vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks.

Nathan Hamiel, a consultant and founder of security think-tank Hexagon Security Group, discovered a CSRF vulnerability in the Motorola/Netopia 2210 DSL modem that, among other things, could let an attacker insert malware onto the victim's computer or recruit it as a bot for a botnet. "CSRF is one of the only vulnerabilities that can be either completely innocuous or completely devastating," Hamiel says.

The vulnerability isn't isolated to Motorola/Netopia DSL modems. It affects most DSL modems because they don't require authentication to access their configuration menu, he says. "I can take over Motorola/Netopia DSL modems with one request, and I can do it from MySpace and other social networks," Hamiel says. The attack uses HTTP POST and GET commands on the modems, he says.

CSRF vulnerabilities are nothing new; they are pervasive on many Websites and in many devices. "CSRF, in general, is a very old issue," says Hamiel, who blogged about the hack this week. "Most of the vulns found today are old. That's the point: Nobody seems to learn lessons anymore."

CSRF flaws in home routers have been exposed before, such as the Router Hacking Challenge by hacker PDP, notes Robert ("Rsnake") Hansen, principal with SecTheory. "Using CSRF to exploit routers, while not new, is an ever-present attack that few vendors appear to be protecting against sufficiently," he says.

A CSRF attack on a DSL router could be launched from a social networking site, Hamiel says, using an image tag on a MySpace page, for example. "Everyone who viewed my MySpace page with AT&T DSL and the Motorola/Netopia DSL modem would be owned," he says.

What can users do? The cure is as simple as logging in to your DSL modem/router and setting a password. For users of the Motorola/Netopia 2210 DSL modem (and most other netopia devices) enter http://192.168.1.254 in the URL Address text box. You'll be prompted to create a password for your modem. Enter a new password, repeat it, and click the Next button. For further assistance it's best to read your user manual or contact netopia support.

Source: Dark Reading

PC Magazine's "Best Of" 2008

The crew over at PC Magazine have come up with their Best Products of 2008, featuring everything from the best in HDTV's to the best in notebooks.

Needless to say there are plenty of gadgets for us Geeks to drool over. Here is the list broke down into categories:

There are a few surprises there, software gurus will be surprised to see there are only two selections with Norton Internet Security 2009 getting a nod. The networking section is also surprisingly sparse. I was surprised to see a $4k+ Alienware laptop on the list but not the Toshiba Qosmio which features the same price tag but superior specs to the Alienware listed.

Rumor: $99 Acer Aspire One At Radio Shack

Last month we reported the possibility of $99 subsidized netbooks, after rumors had surfaced that cell phone carriers might begin subsidizing the cost of netbooks in exchange for signing up for a monthly data plan. Today it looks like those rumors might be true, well that is if the leaked RadioShack flyer that has popped up on Engadget is legit, and it certainly does look it.

The flyer pretty much speaks for itself, stating that beginning December 14 RadioShack customers can get an originally $499 priced Acer Aspire One equipped with Intel Atom processor, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP for $99 after signing up for a 2-Year $60/month (or more) data plan through AT&T.

The product code list "AOA150-1987" doesn't match anything currently listed on RadioShack.com nor does it appear in any Google results, however the ad looks pretty convincing to me. I'd be the first to say the AT&T contract price of $60 a month for connectivity to only one device seems pretty steep.

If your netbook is going to be your primary mobile device then the fee might make a little more sense, but if you have another laptop you wouldn't be able to share the 3G connectivity with it. In that case it would probably make more sense to wait for a deal on the Aspire One and just grab a mobile broadband card.

Monday, December 08, 2008

FriendFeed Adds Additional Language Support

Popular social media tool FriendFeed announced today that they have added additional language support for their site. As of today, you can now select from English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, and simplified Chinese from a dropdown at the bottom of every page or from your Account settings page.

FriendFeed is a feed aggregator that consolidates the updates from social media and social networking sites such as Titter, YouTube and Linkedin. It also supports, social bookmarking websites like Delicious and Stumbleupon, as well as any other type of RSS/ Atom feed. Users can use this stream of information to create customized feeds to share (and comment) with friends.

SpyWare Program RemoteSpy "Legally" Goes Back On Sale

A U.S. federal court has ruled that CyberSpy Software can legally sale their RemoteSpy spyware program as long as they change their advertising tactics.

The FTC blocked the sale of RemoteSpy when they were granted a request for an injunction. The injunction claimed CyberSpy marketed RemoteSpy by giving detailed instructions on how to install the program on computers and secretively collect data. The judge in the case lifted the original injunction and granted a new one with new terms. The new injunction bars CyberSpy from suggesting the program can be secretly installed or that keyloggers can be passed on as innocuous programs.

U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell wrote in the latest injunction that "the ability of RemoteSpy to invade the privacy of an unsuspecting victim is, indeed, alarming. And it is to this use that defendants direct their promotional and instructional material."

CyberSpy contends it warns users that monitoring computers without a person's consent is illegal, terms that are also in the software's license agreement. The company also contends RemoteSpy has legal uses, such as monitoring children's or workers Internet browsing.

A trial is scheduled for June 15 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Dell Now Charging $150 For XP "Downgrade"

Dell customers wanting to "downgrade" their laptops or PCs from Windows Vista to Windows XP will now be hit with as much as a $150 surcharge, a fee which according to Computerworld.com is three times the maximum amount Dell charged last summer.

After XPs life cycle came to a close last summer Dell began offering XP downgrades to customers that were not ready to upgrade to Vista or were not fully satisfied with the new operating system. At that time the surcharge was $20 to $50 for XP. Today on the Dell site the option to downgrade from Windows Vista Business to Windows XP Professional will cost you anywhere from $120 to $150, depending on the system. For small business users wanting to avoid Vista Dell offers the Windows Vista Business bonus for $99. It should be noted that you do receive licenses for both Operating systems which gives customers the option of running XP now and transitioning to Vista when and if they’re ready.

Back in October we reported that Microsoft gave XP another reprieve allowing OEMs to offer an XP downgrade option for an additional 6 months. Those rights let OEM builders like Dell install Windows XP Professional instead of Vista, or along Vista giving the users the right to use either OS.

According to studies done last summer by market research firm Devil Mountain Software, nearly one third of all PCs purchased over the summer had been downgraded from Vista.

Wal-Mart To Offer "Thousands" Of Wii's Starting Monday

Looking to buy a Nintendo Wii this holiday but having a hard time finding one Wal-Mart has you covered.

According to Reuters "Wal-Mart Stores will offer "tens of thousands" of the hard-to-get video game consoles on its website starting on Monday." Walmart.com said it will offer the Nintendo Wii console for $249.24, and a "value bundle," which includes the console and other items like an extra set of controllers, for $329, while supplies last.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Wii console was sold out on most of the webistes we visited including Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, Newegg, Amazon and Buy.com.

Walmart.com also said that it will offer certain Wii video games at a price of two for $30, and certain accessories, like the Nintendo Wii Racing Wheel, starting under $10.

The Reuters article doesn't mention exactly how many Wii's will be offered nor does it mention if Wal-Mart will be offering them instore. My suggestion for anyone wanting to get their hands on one is to shop early

Friday, December 05, 2008

Microsoft Offers Free Xbox Live Games

Microsoft is offering free online play of several of its multiplayer arcade Xbox Live games during the month of December. According to Microsoft's Major Nelson:

"This month, Xbox LIVE kicks off the Friendship is Free program. Over the course of this month, multiplayer will be available for all Xbox LIVE members for eight Xbox LIVE Arcade games. The Xbox LIVE Arcade team will open up the multiplayer functionality for A Kingdom for Keflings, Aegis Wing, Bomberman Live, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, UNO, Small Arms and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. So round up your silver friends and get some free play on."

The program has already been hit with a little backlash with many Xbox Live members complaining that these games should already be free.And we should note that even though they are offering up free multi-player you still need to purchase the game to play.

Rumor: $99 iPhone Likely

The rumors of a $99 iPhone may or may not be true and Wal-Mart will neither confirm nor deny those rumors, but the rumored price, capacity and distributor all are sensible.

If you think about it it really make sense after all Wal-Mart has already been selling G1s for $148.88 and Apple already has a 4GB iPhone that could be upgraded to support 3G. So why wouldn't Apple want to further boost its growing share of the smartphone market to the point of almost total domination.

Analysts for Kaufman Bros. and Needham & Company feel its just a matter of time. "While we are not sure of exact timing, we think a $99 Apple-branded cell phone is inevitable," analyst Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. wrote. "As we mentioned in our initiation report, we believe one of the key things Apple needs to do to drive broader iPhone adoption is to build a more complete product line like it has done with the iPod."

According to AppleInsider, Wu feels Apple could easily absorb a modest $100 margin hit to drop a model based on today's design down to $99. It could be even more likely that the company's carrier partners (AT&T) would be willing to eat that cost on their own through additional subsidies due to the handset's ability to drive higher ARPU (average revenue per user) with $30-$45 data plans in addition to pricey voice plans.

"The payback period [for the carriers] is two to three months making this an easy economic decision," Wu told his clients. "We would like to note that already in some international markets, customers can get an iPhone for free or less than $199 USD when they sign up for a longer-term contract (three years) and a premium feature package."

A $99 iPhone would likely be a strong seller. The current price tag is a bit much for many users especially given the worsening economic climate. I could probably even been swayed to buy one at that price!

AT&T May Team With Symbian For Single SmartPhone OS

AT&T is looking to consolidate and standardize the operating system used for AT&T-branded smartphones, as part of a "dramatic consolidation" of its mobile platforms over the next few years, a company executive told NetworkWorld today.

According to Roger Smith, director of next generation services, data product realization at AT&T that single OS might very well become Symbian. Smith speaking at the Symbian Partner Event in San Francisco said Symbian is "a very credible and likely candidate".

AT&T believes smartphones will make up the largest portion of devices connecting to its network by about 2014, and it wants to avoid the fragmentation of platforms that has made it hard to develop mobile applications. There are currently several different Mobile Operating Systems all of which have different support levels. By consolidating that into a single OS AT&T could simplify application development. Which in turn could give third-party developers more opportunity to reach AT&T subscribers with mobile applications.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

GTA IV PC Edition Plagued With Problems

Complaints have been hitting forums everywhere about issues with the newly released PC edition of GTA IV.

Threads are popping up on forums on GameSpot, Steam, IGN, and elsewhere with loads of complaints from gamers about a host of performance issues. Poor frame rates even on powerful rigs, short draw distances, crashes, and missing textures are among the list of numerous issues gamers have with the title.

The technical support section of Rockstar's official site acknowledges a host of known issues.
Known issues related to video cards and drivers:

Owners of Nvidia 7900 Series Cards - Click here for critical information about graphics issues.
Owners of ATI cards and Nvidia cards that are not in the 7900 Series Cards - Click here if experiencing missing textures.
Owners of ATI Series Cards - Click here for a fix to image quality (blacked-out textures) with certain MipMap detail settings are used.
Owners of ATI 1900 Series - At present the shadows may flicker and form large triangles in some instances. A patch will be released soon to correct this issue.

As for performance issues on high-end rigs, Rockstar's tech support documentation contained the following explanation: "Most users using current PC hardware as of December 2008 are advised to use medium graphics settings. Higher settings are provided for future generations of PCs with higher specifications than are currently widely available."

As user Bahaa3000 said at GameSpot, "Why the hell would they do such thing ?? who is going to buy a game that his +2000$ can't even run it on high settings ???!!!"

GenTom, the first user posting in the GameSpot forums, said he was experiencing "quite poor performance in Grand Theft Auto 4". His rig features a Gigabyte x48 motherboard, Intel E8400 CPU @ 3.4ghz, 4gb DDR2 RAM and an ATI Radeon 4870x2 GPU.

Users at the Steam forums are trying to rally the troops together to forum a sort of boycott by posting negative reviews at sites like Amazon.com. Of the 58 current reviews at Amazon 47 have a single star and only 8 reviews have more than 3 stars.

Google Earth Now Available For Mac Users

Mac and Safari users rejoice as Google announced the release of the Google Earth Browser Plugin for Mac OS X 10.4+. The Mac plugin is supported on Safari 3.1+ and Firefox 3.0+. Mac fans can get the 47MB download from the Google Earth API page.

Google also announced a new Google Earth plug-in game, Puzzler. The object of the puzzler game is to slide the tiles around to form the correct geographic picture.

FireFox Users Hit With Targeted Malware

Researchers at BitDefender have discovered a new piece of malware that targets banking sites passwords and FireFox users.

The malware, which BitDefender dubbed "Trojan.PWS.ChromeInject.A" sits in Firefox's add-ons folder disguised at a "Greasemonkey" file. The malware lays in wait until FireFox is started and then utilizing JavaScript it tries to steal banking log in inforamtion.

According to BitDefender the malware can identify more than 100 financial and money transfer Web sites, including Barclays, Wachovia, Bank of America, and PayPal along with two dozen or so Italian and Spanish banks. When it recognizes a Web site, it will collect logins and passwords, forwarding that information to a server in Russia.

Source: BitDefinder

Ars Ultimate Home Theater PC Guide: 1080p HDMI Edition

If you're building a home theater PC (HTPC) this Christmas, and you won't settle for anything less than high definition, then checkout Brian Won's post over at Ars Technica.

The Ars Ultimate Home Theater PC Guide definitely earns two thumbs up from me. Brian breaks down the ins and outs of several key components, both software and hardware and makes some great suggestions. The guide is well written and fairly easy to follow, I strongly suggest checking it out.

The guide is broke up into three separate HTPC systems.

System one is described as the All-in-one HTPC:

This is what most people traditionally think of as the classic HTPC: a single box that sits next to your TV and plugs neatly into your TV, network (wired or wireless), and antenna/cable. This normally has at least two tuners in it, so you can watch and time-shift content at the same time as you record something else in the background. It also has enough space for most of your video files, and probably your pictures, music, DVD ripping, and whatever else you need to do.

The other two HTPC options come in the form of a one-two punch:

Lightweight front-end: this sits by your TV like a traditional HTPC does, except it offloads the storage and heavy lifting to the back-end. It streams all of the content off of the back-end, so the front-end can be very compact, low power, and unobtrusive. No tuners, only minimal storage, for minimal footprint in more ways than one. In fact, a media center extender might work here for those willing to explore the option.

Heavy Duty Back-end: in a two-part setup, this does the heavy lifting, containing the tuners and all of the media. Since it's out of the living room, it can be much bigger with significantly more emphasis on storage and performance, without costly burnt offerings at the altar of low-noise components. Cramming a stack of 1TB hard drives in a low-cost software RAID5 may be an exercise in overheating in the living-room-friendly chassis of an all-in-one box, but it's cake in most good quality conventional chassis.

PC Vendors Cut Orders By 50%

According to reports several of the top PC vendors including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and Asustek Computer are expected to reduce their PC order volumes by as much as 50% in the first quarter of 2009.

Citing sources at component makers and other channel vendors DigiTimes claims HP is planning to cut orders by around 50%, Dell 50-60%, and Acer and Asustek 40-50% each.

The sources pointed out that they originally thought that HP and Dell were trying to lower their costs by combining orders together and outsourcing to just a few makers, but after confirming with other channel sources, it became clear that the two vendors have actually significantly reduced their orders.

Although PC and notebook orders will see a large drop in the first quarter of 2009, orders for netbooks and LED notebooks are still seeing a surge growth.

CheckFree Hijacked, Used To Spread Malicious Software

On Tuesday hijackers took control of CheckFree's DNS records and redirected the site to their own servers.

The site was redirected at around 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday after someone logged into CheckFree's Network Solutions account and changed the domain's DNS settings, said Susan Wade, a Network Solutions spokeswoman. "Somebody got hold of the customer's login information," she said. "I don't know how they got access."

It took several hours for CheckFree to regain control, during which time the hijackers used the redirect and the Checkfree domain name to push malicious software on to victims' computers.

"During the incident, users would have seen a blank page if they were redirected to the non-CheckFree site. Those with up-to-date security software would likely have received a message indicating a malware download attempt had occurred," the company said. "If the user's anti-virus software was out of date or they did not have anti-virus software installed, they may have been subject to a malware software download."

It is advised that anyone that uses the Checkfree site or has visited it over the last few days run anti-virus scans, malware scans and double check for updates to their Adobe products.

News of the CheckFree hack was first reported in the Register after a reader noticed a problem with the Web site.

*Update*

For more information on the CheckFree hijacking checkout this article "Digging Deeper Into The The Checkfree Attack

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Amazon Releases Free iPhone App, Amazon Mobile

Amazon has announced the release of a new free application, Amazon Mobile, which is designed to work on the iPhone and iPod touch. Users wanting the new app can get it directly from the App Store.

The Amazon app offers an easy way for users to search and browse for products offered by Amazon and the thousands of retailers using Amazon like Target and Macy's. The app provides access to all of Amazon's features such as customer reviews, wish lists, existing shopping carts, order history and their traditional purchasing options including 1-Click Shopping and Amazon Prime.

The Amazon app for iPhone and iPod touch includes an experimental feature called "Amazon Remembers." Customers simply snap photos with their iPhone, the photos are automatically uploaded to Amazon.com, which then tries to find products similar to the ones in the photos. As soon as the customer receives the results, they can then purchase the item immediately or "remember it" for later in their Amazon account.

MacWorld's Eddy Winners

MacWorld's 24th annual Editors’ Choice Awards were announced today. The list is comprised of 20 products that were shipped between November 1, 2007 and November 1, 2008.

Eddy Winner: Nikon D300 digital camera
This Editors’ Choice Award winner is a serious camera for serious DSLR enthusiasts.

Eddy Winner: JamVox
Vox thought of nearly every aspect of what a Mac-using guitarist would want in amp-modeling software and then delivered it with JamVox.

Eddy Winner: Hulu
This online video service is reliable, easy-to-use, and, thanks to major improvements, an Editors’ Choice Award winner.

Eddy Winner: Kodak Zi6 HD mini camcorder
This Eddy Award-winning camcorder shoots good-looking video at 720p resolution—and its price tag is less than $200.

Eddy Winner: Ableton Live 7
Live has always been a capable application, and now the audio application from Ableton is even more so thanks to new features in version 7.

Eddy Winner: NEC MultiSync 3090WQXi display
For color pros who want a large canvas but don’t want to sacrifice color accuracy and performance, the NEC MultiSync 3090WQXi sets a new standard for big displays.

Eddy Winner: Airfoil 3.1
This Editors’ Choice Award winner unshackles you from iTunes so you can send audio from any application on your Mac to your remote speakers.

Eddy Winner: ScreenFlow 1.0.2
If you need to record what’s happening on your Mac’s screen, this Eddy Award winner is the best tool for the job.

Eddy Winner: VMware Fusion 2
If you want to run Windows, Linux, or other operating systems on your Intel-powered Mac, there’s no better choice than VMware Fusion 2.

Eddy Winner: BusySync 2.1.6
BusySync doesn’t quite get us all the way to calendar heaven, but it brought us a darn sight closer than Leopard did this year.

Eddy Winner: AppleJack 1.5
If your Mac starts misbehaving, this Eddy Award winner is the tool you need for tackling troubleshooting.

Eddy Winner: Canon EOS Rebel XSi digital camera
Canon continues to redefine the digital SLR market with the EOS REbel XSi, a winner of our Editors’ Choice Award for 2008.

Eddy Winner: Freeway 5 Pro
This Eddy Award-winning Web publishing tool lets you get professional-looking results without any of the hand-coding that Web pros rely on.

Eddy Winner: Canon Pixma MX850 multifunction printer
The Pixma MX850 from Canon offers everything you’d want in a multifunction device.

Eddy Winner: CSSEdit 2.6
CSSEdit may be a specialized tool, but this Editors’ Choice selection belongs in any Web designer’s tool kit.

Eddy Winner: Flock 2.0
It’s a Web 2.0 world, and Flock 2.0 has established itself as the browser of choice for people who actively participate in the increasingly social Net.

Eddy Winner: Photoshop Lightroom 2
The first version of Lightroom was a solid update when it came out in 2007, but this Eddy Award-winning update is even better.

Eddy Winner: iPhone 2.1 software update
Apple delivered new versions of the iPhone and iPod touch this year, but it was the software update that captured our Editors’ Choice Award.

Eddy Winner: Logitech diNovo Edge Mac Edition keyboard
People have been waiting for a Mac-compatible version of Logitech’s acclaimed diNovo Edge keyboard since the Windows model was released back in 2006. They finally got it in 2008.

Eddy Winner: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 inkjet printer
Epson’s Eddy Award-winning inkjet produces the best glossy photos we’ve seen from any printer priced under $1,000.

It is good to see two of our personal favorites listed, Hulu and Flock. Being comprised of Mac gear and products its not surprising to see several other items missing but it is a bit surprising to see two high end digital cameras on the list.

Rumor: Windows 7 Beta Available In January

Windows fans wanting to get their hands on the first release of Windows 7 Beta 1 might want to checkout the MSDN Developers Conference. According to the MSDN Developer Conference website "All attendees will receive a Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD."

Keith Combs confirmed the information in a blog posting on Microsoft's Technet site. Later adding, "My understanding is that the DVD will not be ready for the first few show dates but will be mailed to each attendee. We are targeting to have the DVD's in the materials from 1/13/2009 on. So I would imagine the folks attending the Houston, Orlando and Atlanta shows this month will receive their DVD's around mid January as well. That's an assumption on my part. Could be earlier or later, but they will get them. Make sure you Microsoft profile has the correct address. Might come in handy for this event."

This was confirmed later on Twitter with a tweet stating "All MDC attendees will receive a Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD! For events scheduled for December, DVDs will be mailed after the event."

In late October Microsoft handed out alpha editions of Windows 7 to developers who attended the Professional Developers Conference (PDC). The company confirmed at that time it would expand testing to the general public by releasing a beta version in early 2009. Microsoft has not publicly confirmed the Jan. 13 date or provide more information about the beta it has promised MDC attendees.

Unfortunately the closest MDC for us is the last one on Feb. 19th in San Fransisco. By then the beta would hopefully be made public or at the very least will be available via torrent. The $99 attendance fee might well be worth it however, if not for the Windows 7 beta then for the other cool giveaways.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

YouTube Wants A "G" Rating

In a blog posting posted today YouTube has said it will be enforcing stricter standards for what constitutes mature or sexually suggestive content and demoting videos off the "Most Viewed" or "Top Favorited" lists.

Note there are no plans at this time to remove the videos entirely, just push them out of the spot light. YouTube also said it would step up enforcement of rules banning misleading descriptions in the tags and titles of a video.

Stricter standard for mature content - While videos featuring pornographic images or sex acts are always removed from the site when they're flagged, we're tightening the standard for what is considered "sexually suggestive." Videos with sexually suggestive (but not prohibited) content will be age-restricted, which means they'll be available only to viewers who are 18 or older. To learn more about what constitutes "sexually suggestive" content, click here.

Demotion of sexually suggestive content and profanity - Videos that are considered sexually suggestive, or that contain profanity, will be algorithmically demoted on our 'Most Viewed,' 'Top Favorited,' and other browse pages. The classification of these types of videos is based on a number of factors, including video content and descriptions. In testing, we've found that out of the thousands of videos on these pages, only several each day are automatically demoted for being too graphic or explicit. However, those videos are often the ones which end up being repeatedly flagged by the community as being inappropriate.

Improved thumbnails - To make sure your thumbnail represents your video, your choices will now be selected algorithmically. You'll still have three thumbnails to choose from, but they will no longer be auto-generated from the 25/50/75 points in the video index.

More accurate video information - Our Community Guidelines have always prohibited folks from attempting to game view counts by entering misleading information in video descriptions, tags, titles, and other metadata. We remain serious about enforcing these rules. Remember, violations of these guidelines could result in removal of your video and repeated violations will lead to termination of your account.

If the comments on the blog post are any indication of how the majority of users feel then YouTube may be facing a big back lash. Many YouTube users feel the new standards will contribute to stifling free speech and could kill the nature of what they feel YouTube was founded upon.

Vista SP2 Beta Released

Today Microsoft announced it has released Vista SP2 beta to testers. Mike Nash Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management, at Microsoft writes:

Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta to begin testing.

Beginning Thursday Dec. 4^th, we will be making the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with their applications prior to final release. For most customers, our best advice would be to wait until the final release prior to installing this service pack.
Windows Vista SP2 builds on the solid foundation of Windows Vista SP1, and represents our ongoing commitment to Windows Vista today. Windows Vista SP2 includes all of the updates that have been delivered since the release of Windows Vista SP1, and incorporates improvements discovered through automated feedback from the Customer Experience Improvement Program (where users voluntarily opt-in to sending Microsoft error reports from their systems). In addition to these updates, SP2 also includes support for new types of hardware and emerging standards that will grow in importance in the coming months. For specific changes in Windows Vista SP2 - see my previous post on Windows Vista SP2 or check out the notable changes document.

Your feedback from testing will help us deliver the highest quality release possible. As of today, we are tracking to ship Windows Vista SP2 in the first half of 2009.

Service Pack Information

SP2 Beta is pre-release code which will change before the final release of SP2
Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Beta is time-limited software that will operate until May 1^st, 2010 - Un-install Windows Server 2008 SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Beta before May 1^st, 2010
- After SP2 installation your desktop may display the text “Evaluation Copy”. This does not mean that your system is no longer “Genuine”, only that you have installed a test version of software which is time-limited
- After installing the service pack, the “Evaluation Copy” text may show up on the 2^nd boot
- After un-installing the services pack, the "Evaluation Copy" text may remain during the first boot, but will disappear after the next reboot
Starting any Windows Server 2008 SP2 or Windows Vista SP2 installations will result in Microsoft collecting information about the installation process.

As always with beta software it is suggested you create backups of your main programs and any sensitive material before testing. I'd suggest anyone wanting to test the software create a separate install, thus minimizing the risk of issues with your main installation.

For more details and the download link (when it goes live) checkout TechNet.

Liquid Cooling For MacBooks Maybe Even iPhones

Apple has filed for patents on two separate liquid cooling technologies, which might be intended for use on future notebooks and possibly even mobile devices like the iPhone.

MacNN reports, on Thanksgiving Day 2008, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s patent application titled Liquid-cooled portable computer - (patent number 20080291629).

Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention:

“The computational performance of electronic devices has increased significantly in recent years. This increased performance has been accompanied by an increase in power consumption and associated heat generation. Furthermore, this additional heat generation has made it harder to maintain acceptable internal and external operational temperatures in these devices.

“Portable devices, such as laptop computers (notebook PCs), cellular telephones, and personal digital assistants have additional design constraints which make it even harder to manage thermal load. In particular, size and weight limitations in such devices can make it difficult to achieve desired operational temperatures. For example, in many portable devices the size and weight of metal heat sinks may be prohibitive. Furthermore, battery life constraints in such devices may limit the available power for active cooling mechanisms, such as fans.

“Hence what is needed are cooling mechanisms that overcome the problems listed above.

“One embodiment of the present invention provides a computer system that includes a power source that is coupled to a heat pipe, where the power source includes an integrated circuit. This heat pipe may contain a liquid coolant that has a density greater than a first pre-determined value at room temperature. A pump is coupled to the heat pipe is configured to circulate the liquid coolant through the heat pipe. Furthermore, a heat exchanger coupled to the heat pipe is configured to transfer heat from the heat pipe to an environment external to the computer system.
 ”In some embodiments, the integrated circuit includes a processor. In some embodiments, the liquid coolant includes: water, a coolant in an R133 group of coolants, and/or a coolant in an R134 group of coolants. Furthermore, in some embodiments the liquid coolant includes two phases of matter. For example, the two phases may include a gaseous phase in bubbles, and nucleation of the bubbles may be used to increase the heat-transfer coefficient of the liquid coolant. In another example, latent heat may be used to increase the heat-transfer coefficient of the liquid coolant. And in some embodiments the liquid coolant includes metal particles to increase the heat-transfer coefficient of the liquid coolant.

“In some embodiments, the liquid coolant has a thermal conductivity greater than a second pre-determined value. In some embodiments, the pump includes a mechanical pump and/or an electrostatic pump. Furthermore, in some embodiments the pump is configured to circulate the liquid coolant using mechanical vibration of a membrane.

“In some embodiments, the computer system includes a laptop computer. In some embodiments, the heat exchanger includes a forced-fluid driver and a heat coupling-mechanism coupled to the forced-fluid driver. This forced-fluid driver may be configured to pump heat from inside the computer system to the environment. Furthermore, in some embodiments the heat coupling-mechanism includes convective-cooling fins.

‘In some embodiments, the computer system includes a cold plate coupled to the power source and the heat pipe. This cold plate includes channels which increase a surface area wetted by the liquid coolant, thereby increasing a heat-transfer coefficient of the cold plate.

“Another embodiment provides a method for cooling a portable computer system. During this method, the liquid coolant is circulated in the heat pipe. Then, heat is transferred from the heat pipe to an environment external to the portable computer system using the heat exchanger. Note that the heat is generated by an integrated circuit in the portable computer system.”

According to MacNN Apple’s patent generally relates to heat-transfer techniques and more specifically to the use of liquid coolants to transport heat in future MacBooks. The new cooling systems may eventually, according to Apple, go beyond the laptop and into their other portables such as the iPhone, iPod touch or even a yet unseen gaming console. With Quad-core processors coming to market in the coming year, cooling systems are going to be paramount in keeping desktops, laptops and other devices cool.

Nokia N97 Unveiled

Today at the Nokia World 2008 conference in Barcelona, Spain Nokia announced the N97. The new handset from Nokia isn't expected until spring of next year, but that doesn't stop Nokia from hyping it up as the next iPhone killer today.

The N97 features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.5" - 16:9 aspect ratio - touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and dual LED flash. The phone also comes packed with 32GB of onboard memory and if that isn't enough it can be expanded with a 16GB microSD card.

For connectivity the N97 is a 3G phone that can also do HSDPA speeds of 7.2Mb/s (obviously, if your carrier can handle it) and features integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There is also A-GPS (assisted GPS) with an electronic compass.

For software the N97 runs on Symbian S50 5th Edition. Users will see the addition of home screen widgets that enable you to update social networks automatically with your status and location as well as related pictures or video. The N97 will also be fully compatible with Nokia's Ovi Internet services, which include the Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and the N-Gage gaming platform--though these services have yet to fully launch in the United States.

The down side to the N97 is going to be the estimated price tag which is reported to be about $700 before carrier subsidies. The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009, so we'll have to wait until then to see how low the subsidies will bring it.

Top 10 iPhone App Downloads Of 2008

Apple has released a series of lists outlining which applications scored the most downloads since the App Store’s launch back in July. For a full overview of the list checkout the Top Apps category in iTunes.

Top Paid Apps (Overall):

Koi Pond
Texas Hold’em
Moto Chaser
Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart 3d
Super Monkey Ball
Cro-Mag Rally
Enigmo (Pangea)
Pocket Guitar
Recorder
iBeer

Top 10 Free Downloads (Overall)

Pandora Radio
Facebook
Tap Tap Revenge
Shazam
Labryinth Lite Edition
Remote
Google Earth
Lightsaber Unleashed
AIM
Urban Spoon

Top Paid Games:

Texas Hold’em
Moto Chaser
Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart 3d
Super Monkey Ball
Cro-Mag Rally
Enigmo
Air Hockey
Bejeweled 2
Flick Bowling
Line Rider iRide

Top Free Games:

Tap Tap Revenge
Labrynth Lite Edition
Sol Free Solitaire
iBowl
Pac-Man Lite
Touch Hockey:FS5
Cannon Challenge
Audi A4 Driving Challenge
Sudoku
reMovem

Top Paid Entertainment:

Koi Pond
iBeer
iChalky
Face Melter
iFish
TouchScan
What’s on TV?
Pocket Piano
Sketches
OneTap Movies

Top Free Entertainment:

Remote
Lightsaber Unleashed
i.TV
BubbleWrap
Movies
iDoodle 2 lite
Showtimes
Now Playing
Scribble
Crazy Pumpkin

Top Paid Utilities:

Units (crossroad solutions)
A Level
Air Mouse
Fake Calls
Voice Record
Clinometer
Spell Check
Speed Dial
FileMagnet
iNetwork Speed Test

Top Free Utilities

Flashlight
myLite Flashlight
Say Who - Dialer
Units (TheMacBox)
Compass Free
Alarm Free
A Free Level
Molecules
Speed Test
myLighter

Top Paid Social Networking:

MobileChat
BeejiveIM
Quip
Rooms - Your Mobile Chat Client
Twitterific Premium
Flutter
Twittelator Pro
mBoxMail
Secrets
hiCard - Suite

Top Free Social Networking:

Facebook
AIM
Myspace Mobile
IM+ Lite
Loopt
Fring
Palringo IM
Earthscape
Twitterific
Avatar

Top Paid Music:

PocketGuitar
Drum Kit
Ocarina
Pianist
Band
Tuner Internet Radio
Beat Maker
Guitar Toolkit
Harmonica
Guitarist

Top Free Music:

Pandora Radio
Shazam
AOL Radio
Midomi
Mini Piano
iheart Radio
MixMeister Scratch
FlyCast Mobile Radio
Last.FM
DigiDrummer Lite

I'm still refusing to break down and buy an iPhone so I can't comment on any of these rankings but Koi Pond for number 1? If the app is anything like its name then I'm a little shocked there. Maybe one of these days I'll run out and buy me an iPhone so I can test these apps first hand, then again maybe Santa Claus will bring me one for X-mas.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Live Search To Provide Instant Cashback On Some Purchases

One of my personal gripes about using the Live Search Cashback program and eBay is that you are typically stuck waiting 60 days to get your cashback reward. Apparently I'm not alone. According to the Live Search Blog one of the most requested improvements was for users to receive cashback instantly instead of waiting for 60 days.

Live Search has listened and responded, sort of. Today they announced the Instant cashback feature with eBay (currently at 30%). Instant cashback will be eligible for some, but not all users. We aren't exactly sure what "some" means as there are no guidelines, but we are certain that it seems to be a completely random selection.

According to Live Search here's how it works:

When you search for a product on Live Search — say an Xbox — within the results returned you'll see an eBay ad with the gold coin cashback icon and "Live Search cashback."
Click the eBay ad to go to http://www.ebay.com/ and make your purchase.
After completing the payment with PayPal, if you are eligible, you'll receive a message saying "you've just earned instant cashback."
The cashback amount is automatically deposited into your Paypal account and posted to your cashback account.

From the description we are left with several questions: Do we know it will be instant cashback prior to checking out? What makes a purchase eligible for instant cash back vs waiting for 60 days? Is it dependent on the buyers account or the sellers account? Is there anything I can do to qualify for instant cashback?

Personally I think Live Search needs to specify some guidelines. I'd like to know if it depends on the sellers I buy from or if its just my account. I also feel that if there isn't already some sort of notification before completing the transaction that we'll be eligible for instant cashback then there should be. That way I'll have the option of trying another seller, or another item.

What I'd like to see is all transaction moved to instant cashback, I doubt that would happen but I'm pretty sure random eligibility is not what us users had in mind when we asked for INSTANT cash back! If they aren't going to do that then they should cut the wait time down to less than 30 days. Most eBayer sellers don't offer warranties past 30 days so there shouldn't be a concern over refunds. I never really understood why 60 days was chosen to begin with, it seems like a trivial number.

Mac And FireFox Internet Shares Hit New High

New research data released today from Net Applications has revealed both Apple and Mozilla are gaining ground and bringing Microsoft's share of the web to historic lows.

Net Applications provides statistical data including monthly information on key statistics such as browser trends (e.g. Internet Explorer vs. Firefox market share), search engine referral data (e.g. Yahoo vs. MSN vs. Google traffic market share) and operating system share (Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux market share or even the iPhone market share vs. Windows Mobile).

The data is compiled from approximately 160 million visitors per month. The information published is an aggregate of the data from this network of hosted website statistics. The site unique visitor and referral information is summarized on a monthly basis.

Firefox Share Tops 20% for November

For the first time since Net Applications began tracking, the Firefox browser has exceeded 20% share for a full month. Mozilla's CEO, John Lilly, gives credit to the Mozilla community and shared his thoughts with Net Applications on this accomplishment:

"Reaching 20 percent worldwide market share is a significant milestone for Firefox and Mozilla. It's a huge achievement by the global Mozilla community, one that just a few years ago most would have considered impossible. The open web is more vibrant than ever, and the thousands of Mozilla contributors around the world have played a major role in making it that way."

According to Net Applications Firefox's share jumped about eight tenths of a percent in November, which is much higher than average. Why the big jump? In addition to the steady gains Firefox has shown over the years, their analysis shows three other major reasons:

The U.S. election. Firefox usage share increased significantly in the days surrounding November 4th (especially in some non-U.S. countries, like Japan), then held roughly steady until:
The Thanksgiving holiday. Firefox share jumped starting on Wednesday the 26th until the end of the month.
Extra weekend days. The average 30-day month has 8.57 weekend days. November had 10.

All three reasons increase Firefox share since Firefox has a much larger residential share than corporate share (to be detailed in a future analysis). So, all the above factors led to increased residential browsing and a higher Firefox share.

Mac Nears 9% Market Share, Windows Falls Below 90%

Mac and the iPhone hit record numbers according the November Net Applications Web survey, at the same time Microsoft’s Web presence dropped below 90% for the first time.

The Mac’s share of Web hits grew approximately 8.04% in November to a record 8.87%, while the iPhone’s gains were up sharper by 12.12% to 0.37%. Linux grew even faster for the month, up nearly 16.9% to 0.83%. The Linux market share had dropped nearly 25% from its high in Aug '08 of 0.93%.

While the numbers show Microsoft still has a rather large market share the trending graph shows some positive results for Apple as both the Mac and iPhone's market share shows steady growth throughout the year.

One other point of interest on the graph is the "other" category, which shows a steady increase and a new high at 0.26%. It is unclear at to what OS might fit into "other" but any cuts into the armor of Microsoft can be seen as a positive for Apple and Linux lovers

Possible AMD 45nm CPU Schedule

More details have emerged on the possible release schedule of AMD's new 45nm CPUs. Both DigiTimes and HKepc.com have reported tentative launch dates for the new Phenom II CPUs.

AMD is expected to launch the 45nm AM2+ Phenom II X4 900 series on January 8, '09. That launch will be followed by the launch of six 45nm AM3 CPUs in February: the quad-core Phenom II X4 925 and 910 with 6MB L3 Cache, the quad-core Phenom II X4 810 and 805 with 4MB L3 Cache, and the triple-core Phenom II X3 720 and 710 with 6MB L3 Cache.

In April it is expected that AMD will launch what looks to be a new budget line of 45nm CPUs under its Athlon brand, which does not include the L3 Cache feature. These will be the Athlon X4 600 family and triple-core Athlon X3 400 family. We'll see another "budget" offering by way of the 45nm dual-core Athlon X2 200 family in June of '09.

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