General Gaming Article

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• Daily Deals: Cisco IP Camera, XPS 8500, and More
• FTC Wins $163 Million Judgment Against 'Scareware' Scammer
• Facebook: Over 1 Billion Served (Each Month)
• More Motorola Job Cuts Coming, Google Warns
• Acer Says Iconia W700 is a Performance PC in a Tablet's Body
• Chrome 23 Enters Beta with Improved HTML5 Video Support

Daily Deals: Cisco IP Camera, XPS 8500, and More Posted: 04 Oct 2012 12:25 PM PDT Top Deal: Today's top deal is the Cisco WVC210 Wireless-G Security IP Camera for $100. The device comes with free shipping and normally retails for $300.  The camera has numerous useful features such as support for recording in low-light environments, two-way audio, up to 10 simultaneous connections for remote viewing, and motion detection with event notifications. It's also awesome because it looks like an astronaught's helmet! Desktops: Dell XPS 8500 desktop with Core i7 Ivy Bridge quad-core, 2TB hard drive for $749 with free shipping (normally $999 - use coupon code: V48PR?HP99J3D?). Computing Hardware & Peripherals: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD for $185 with free shipping (normally $200). Dell IN2030M 20" 1600x900 LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $100 with free shipping (normally $140). Bose OE2 Audio Headphones for $108 with shipping (normally $200).

FTC Wins $163 Million Judgment Against 'Scareware' Scammer Posted: 04 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Kristy Ross, suspected ringleader of a "scareware" scam that tricked over a million consumers into buying software to remove malware detected by fake antivirus scans, has been ordered to pay more than $163 million in damages, the Federal Trade Commission announced. The court also permanently barred Ms. Ross from selling security software of any kind, as well as any software that might interfere with a consumer's computer use or engage in any from of deceptive marketing. Fake AV software is a common form of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate security program. Whether your PC is clean or not, it will report infections and urge the user to shell out credit card info to unlock the program so it can remove the viruses that supposedly reside on the PC. Some of the nastier forms will even disable certain elements of Windows, like the Task Manager, registry access, and even your AV program, making it particularly hard to remove. This is something we see every year when we conduct our annual antivirus roundups. "The FTC charged that the operation used elaborate and technologically sophisticated Internet advertisements placed with advertising networks and many popular commercial websites. These ads displayed to consumers a 'system scan' that invariably detected a host of malicious or otherwise dangerous files and programs on consumers' computers. The bogus 'scans' would then urge consumers to buy the defendants' software for $40 to $60 to clean off the malware," the FTC said. Image Credit: McAfee In related news, the FTC has been cracking down on massive tech support scams, the government agency announced in a separate statement. In doing so, the FTC has been targeting telemarketers who masquerade as major computer companies, conning consumers into thinking their PCs are infected and then charging hundreds of dollars to remotely access and fix their systems. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Facebook: Over 1 Billion Served (Each Month) Posted: 04 Oct 2012 10:28 AM PDT A million members isn't cool. Do you know what's cool? A billion members. Yes, we're semi-quoting from the movie The Social Network, in which Justin Timberlake, playing the part of Napster founder Sean Parker, talks about scaling to a billion dollars. Facebook's been there and done that, and now it can add to its list of achievements that it's now home to more than one billion people actively using the social networking service each and every month. "This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. If you're reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you," Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook today. "Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life. I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too." Getting to one billion monthly users has been a bumpy ride, especially after filing for an IPO. There have been numerous lawsuits and settlements along the way, a docudrama that painted Zuckerberg in an arrogant light, privacy concerns, and challenges related to transitioning from a private to a publicly traded company with investors to answer to. Challenges aside, Facebook continues to grow at a staggering rate, having now doubled the number of active monthly users in the past two years. More than half of Facebook's users access the site through a mobile device, which figures to play a prominent role in the company's future as it seeks to translate members in revenue. Are you using Facebook? If so, be sure to follow Maximum PC's official Facebook page. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

More Motorola Job Cuts Coming, Google Warns Posted: 04 Oct 2012 09:33 AM PDT Pink slips have been a near-constant worry for Motorola Mobility workers ever since Google entered the picture. Leading up to the acquisition, Motorola severed ties with around 800 employees and closed several facilities in an attempt to cut costs. More recently, Google in August said it would eliminate 4,000 jobs at Motorola Mobility, or 20 percent of the staff, and according to a K-8 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, more layoffs are coming. Most of the additional job cuts will take place outside of the U.S. "As previously reported on August 13, 2012, Google Inc. (Google) expects to incur certain charges in connection with planned restructuring actions at its wholly-owned subsidiary Motorola Mobility (Motorola). Motorola has continued to refine its planned restructuring actions and now expects to broaden those actions to include additional geographic regions outside of the U.S.," Google stated in the filing. Related to the layoffs, Google said it expects to incure about $300 in severance-related charges in the third quarter, $250 million of which will be paid in cash. The remaining $50 million is related to facility closures and market exits. All of this is aimed at returning Motorola Mobility to profitability after losing money in 14 of the last 16 quarters. The challenge Motorola faces is in competing with the likes of Apple (iOS) and Samsung (Android), the top two handset makers that account for the majority of smartphones sold. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer Says Iconia W700 is a Performance PC in a Tablet's Body Posted: 04 Oct 2012 08:04 AM PDT Microsoft has to be pleased as punch to see so many hardware partners unveil Windows 8-based products leading up to the next generation operating system's launch later this month. Today that entails Acer lifting the curtain from its Iconia W700 tablet PC. Or, as the company is pitching it, a high-performance mobile PC in a tablet PC form factor. The $800 price tag certainly matches that description, but what about the rest of the device? The Iconia W700 sports a Full HD 1080p IPS 11.6-inch display with a 1920x1080 resolution. There aren't many Ultrabooks that boast the same resolution on an 11.6-inch panel, save for Acer's upcoming Aspire S7 Series. Windows 8 is obviously part of the deal, and so are Intel Core i3 and Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) processor options with integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. "The Acer Iconia W700 brings the performance and productivity of a high-end PC to the tablet category," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing, Acer America. "Sporting a new style, innovative design and aluminum unibody construction, the new tablet PC is designed to reach new standards in ergonomics and user-friendliness, while providing the ideal platform for customers to take advantage of the many new features of Windows 8." Storage chores are handled by either a 64GB or 128GB solid state drive (SSD), which Acer says is largely responsible for ultra fast boot times of just 6 seconds (as well as instant-resume functionality in 1.5 seconds). Other features include a 5MP rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture, Dolby Home Theater v4 sound, and a bunch of accessories, such as a Bluetooth keyboard, micro-HDMI to VGA adapter, and protective case. The Icona W700 will be available on October 26 ranging in price from $800 to $1,000. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Chrome 23 Enters Beta with Improved HTML5 Video Support Posted: 04 Oct 2012 05:09 AM PDT Chrome 23 entered the beta channel this week, bringing with it a number of improvements and new features. The latest beta build of Google's flagship browser, according to Google software engineer Justin Uberti, has everything developers need "to take video engagement to the next level." This build includes the PeerConnection API, making it possible for developers to include real-time audio and video calling capabilities in their web apps without relying on browser plugins. In a blog post announcing the release of the latest Chrome beta, Google's Justin Uberti hailed the inclusion of PeerConnection API as a significant step in the overall progress of WebRTC, an open-source real-time communications initiative backed by Google. Also included in this Chrome beta update is support for the HTML5 <track> element, which is meant to "provide an easy, standard way to add subtitles, captions, descriptions, chapters, and metadata to videos." Support for the track element is all fine and dandy, but there are times when online video streaming can be a pain in the rear; a recent study found that nearly one in five US Internet users find it difficult to reliably stream HD video over their existing connections. To this end, this release packs the MediaSource API: "It provides a video playback solution that adapts video quality based on changing computer and network conditions to prevent excessive buffering and startup delays for videos -- in other words, your video will play silky smooth for users with no annoying stutters. Watch how smooth this demo video plays despite fluctuations in your network speed."

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