General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Intel's Buying Nvidia, The Pirate Bay's Going Legit, and 8 Other Tech Stories We All Got Wrong

Posted: 07 May 2012 11:02 AM PDT

If there's one thing that those of us in the tech media love, it's to whip ourselves into a frenzy over a juicy rumor. It doesn't matter that the source of the rumor is someone's second cousin who knows a guy who works in an Apple Store in Tuscon, Arizona; all that matters is that nobody wants to miss out on the next big story.

The predictable downside is that a lot of the time those rumors turn out to be false. Presented here, for your consideration, are 10 tech rumors from the last few years that created a huge commotion--before they turned out to be BS.

Adios, DDR3: Micron Says Its DDR4 DRAM Modules Are Coming In 2013

Posted: 07 May 2012 10:57 AM PDT

What's the future of memory look like? NAND flash? Hybrid memory cubes? The memory makers over at Micron have their hands in both of those technologies, but they're also banking on a third form hitting the streets before too long, bearing a striking resemblance to the DDR3 we all know and love. This weekend, the company announced that "its first fully functional DDR4 DRAM module" is up and running and should make it to market in 2013.

DDR4 has higher clock speeds and data transfer rates than DDR3 while simultaneously using less voltage than its predecessor, although the final standard for the DDR4 format isn't expected to be formalized until later this year. Micron wants to have its foot in the DDR4 door the second it opens; the 4GB DRAM modules being developed currently are based off Micron's 30nm manufacturing technology and were designed in conjunction with Nanya, another memory company. Select Micron customers already have the DDR4 module in hand for testing and feedback.

Micron plans on rolling out DDR4 RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, 3DS, SODIMMs and UDIMMs -- is that enough acronyms for you? -- with initial buyers coming from the enterprise and server markets, then trickling down into consumer and mobile technology. Micron hopes to kick the 4GB DDR4 modules into full-on production in the fourth quarter of 2012.

AMD Readies Radeon 7970 GHz Edition

Posted: 07 May 2012 10:39 AM PDT

Funny thing about the Radeon 7970; despite being a flagship graphics card, the reference model doesn't come clocked at 1GHz out of the box, even though the lower-priced 7770 and 7870 (and, um, the GTX 680) do. Well, that's going to end soon: a new report says AMD is prepping a "GHz Edition" version of the Radeon 7970 to better compete with Nvidia's top-end beast.

The Radeon 7970 GHz Edition will come with a core clock of 1,000MHz rather than the 925MHz found in the 7970s on shelves now. Australia's Atomic Maximum Power Computing magazine -- no relation to the MPC you all know and love, by the way -- broke the news and says that it's been in contact with AMD sources, who told the publication that improved yields have led to "much lower" voltages being needed to hit the stock 925MHz. In fact, AMD told AMPC that most Radeon 7970 GPUs can easily hit 1,250MHz now.

Why are they stopping at 1GHz, then? Who knows? But the extra oomph under the hood can only bring better performance to 7970 cards that stick to reference designs rather than going for a factory overclock.

Thanks to HotHardware for pointing this out!

Malware Scammers Scare Europeans Into Paying Fake Copyright Infringement Fines

Posted: 07 May 2012 10:14 AM PDT

Some of the ways scammers part fools and their money sure are deviously ingenuitive. A new variation of scareware is making the rounds in Europe, but rather than sticking to the age-old "Your computer is infected, buy this antivirus program now!" trope, this malware claims that the government is locking down your PC until you pay a fine for downloading music illegally.

As told by Roman Hussy on the abuse.ch blog (and reported by PC World), the scareware locks the users out of their computers and pops up an official-looking splash page littered with logos from local police and royalty collection groups (the equivalent of the RIAA), such as the Performing Right Society and the Metropolitan Police in the U.K.-based screenshot above.

The malware claims that your computer will remain useless until you pay a £50 fine (that's $80 to U.S. folks) through the web page using a prepaid Paysafecard. Don't know where to pick up a Paysafecard? The malware even helpfully points out local sellers.

Of course, you're not off the hook even after making a payment -- Hussy says a component of the program can also steal banking credentials and participate in DDoS attacks.

Some malware author's been paying attention to recent headlines -- late last month, the makers of the movie "The Hurt Locker" sued yet another 2,514 anonymous BitTorrent users for illegally downloading the film.

Image credit: abuse.ch

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE Smartphone Officially Sets Sail for Verizon

Posted: 07 May 2012 07:33 AM PDT

It's official, the smartphone with a baker's dozen syllables -- otherwise known as the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE -- is headed for Big Red, Verizon Wireless revealed today at the International CTIA Wireless 2012 show in New Orleans, Louisiana. HTC's Droid Incredible 4G LTE will bring the number of 4G LTE-enabled devices on VZW's network to 23, but high-speed Internet access isn't the only thing this smartphone brings to the table.

It's also an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) device topped with Sense 4.0, HTC's latest UI overlay. It also features Beats Audio, which seems to be getting around these days. As for the nitty gritty:

  • 4-inch super LCD qHD display
  • 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
  • 8MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, BSI, f/2.2, and 28mm lens
  • Front-facing camera for video chat
  • Support for up to 32GB microSD memory card
  • Mobile Hotspot capable to share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices
  • 1,700 mAh lithium ion battery (removable!)

One of the unique features of HTC's latest smartphone is the ability to snap photos and record video simultaneously using HTC Video Pic. The phone is also NFC capable.

VZW didn't say how much the device will cost, revealing only that it will be available in stores and online "in the coming weeks."

Image Credit: Verizon

Adobe Now Shipping Creative Suite 6; Cloud Service Later This Week

Posted: 07 May 2012 07:11 AM PDT

Adobe today announced that its Creative Suite 6 (CS6) software set announced in April is now available to purchase. Included in the CS6 product line are new releases of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Adobe Premier Pro, After Effects, Flash Professional and more, as well as four new suite versions -- Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium, Creative Suite 6 Design Standard, Creative Suite 6 Production Premium, and Creative Suite 6 Master Collection.

"We announced Creative Cloud and CS6 two weeks ago and these releases have caught the imagination of creatives everywhere," said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media Business, Adobe. "Today we're shipping CS6 and look forward to the beginning of an exciting new era as we introduce Creative Cloud later this week."

Adobe Creative Cloud will be available this Friday, May 11, and is a subscription-based hub for making, sharing, and delivering content centered around CS6, Adobe says. Subscribers will be able to download and install all CS6 applications and new HTML5 desktop productions, as well as store and share content across various platforms. Is it worth it? Here are some numbers to digest:

  • CS6 Master Collection: $2,599
  • CS6 Production Premium: $1,899
  • CS6 Design & Web Premium: $1,899
  • CS6 Design Standard: $1,299

Alternately, Creative Cloud memberships run $50/month for an annual subscription or $75 for month-to-month billing. CS3, CS4, CS5, and CS5.5 customers are eligible for a special introductory offer of $30 per month, Adobe says.

Image Credit: Adobe

LG's Veep Tips Google TV Launch for Mid-May

Posted: 07 May 2012 06:28 AM PDT

Are you ready for the second coming of Google's Internet-enabled TV platform? Well, ready or not, Google TV is once again on the horizon, and this time it will be LG making a big push to promote the platform, not Logitech, which had some harsh words for the service after being burned by weak sales and left holding millions of dollars in unsold inventory. That's all in the past as far as LG is concerned, and the future starts in mid-May.

"Production of Google TVs will start from May 17 from our factory in Mexico and U.S. consumers will be able to buy the product from the week of May 21," Ro Seogho, a senior LG executive, recently told a handful of reporters, according to Silicon Valley's Mercury News.

Google's first attempt to capture an audience in the living room proved abysmal to the point where the platform had been all but forgotten on the consumer side. Logitech called its participation a "gigantic" mistake, one that cost the company "well over $100 million in operating profits" for what was ultimately a "beta" product, and while Logitech wouldn't rule out the platform being successful one day, the company said it would be a "grandchild of Google TV."

Whether or not enough has changed since then remains to be seen, and is apparently a gamble LG is willing to take, in the U.S. at first, and then depending on sales performance, in Europe and Asia sometime down the line.

"LG has constantly strived to provide consumers with wider choices in home entertainment that bring the highest level of sophistication and convenience," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company, when introducing Google TV at CES earlier this year. "Through Google TV, LG has merged Google's established Android operating system with LG's proven 3D and Smart TV technologies, offering consumers a new and enthralling TV experience."

Along with Google TV, LG said it will continue to advance its own Smart TV platform based on NetCast, which will be thrust into 60 percent of LG's flat panel TVs scheduled to come out in 2012.

Image Credit: LG

Production May Have Started on Microsoft's Next Xbox Console

Posted: 07 May 2012 06:06 AM PDT

Ask Microsoft about its future console plans and the company will pretend that the world revolves around the Xbox 360, that it "found new ways to extend its lifecycle" through the Kinect and other enhancements, and that any talk of an Xbox 720 is merely rumors and speculation, which the company doesn't comment on. Unofficially, however, Microsoft's next console may have entered the production phase.

Call it the Xbox 720, Durango, or the 'new Xbox' (to borrow a page from Apple) if you wish, the point is that this electronic creature, which Microsoft refuses to acknowledge, is being assembled by Flextronics at one of its facilities in Texas, IGN reports. Flextronics is the same company that built the original Xbox and is currently building Xbox 360 hardware, and citing un-named sources, IGN claims Flextronics recently moved beyond the test-group phase and is now building Xbox 720 / Durango / new Xbox hardware.

That doesn't mean you'll be able to buy a next generation Xbox console this summer or even in time for the holiday shopping season. IGN believes these early production units will end up as development kits for game designers to get familiar with the new hardware, and they'll have at least a year, if not longer, to do so.

It's also highly unlikely Microsoft would unveil any new hardware anytime soon. Microsoft already squashed rumors that it would announce another console at E3, and if recent reports prove accurate, Microsoft will soon be promoting a subsidized $99 Xbox 360 4GB + Kinect bundle with a 2-year subscription agreement that includes Xbox Live Gold service and other perks, plus an extended warranty.

Flash Player Update Addresses Critical Flash Zero-Day Bug

Posted: 07 May 2012 05:27 AM PDT

Adobe issued a security update to address a "critical" zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2012-0779) in its Flash Player browser plugin this past Friday. The said vulnerability, according to a security advisory issued by Adobe, is already being exploited in the wild, with attackers tricking their unsuspecting victims into clicking on a malicious file inside email messages. However, the attack only targets Flash Player for Internet Explorer on Windows.

"These updates address an object confusion vulnerability (CVE-2012-0779) that could cause the application to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system," reads Adobe's security advisory. There are reports that the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild in active targeted attacks designed to trick the user into clicking on a malicious file delivered in an email message. The exploit targets Flash Player on Internet Explorer for Windows only.

Users of Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.233 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and Linux should update to Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.235 (those running Flash Player 11.2.x with the automatic update option enabled will receive the update automatically). Users running Adobe Flash Player 11.1.115.7 and earlier versions on Android 4.x devices and Adobe Flash Player 11.1.111.8 and earlier versions for Android 3.x and earlier are also advised to update.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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