General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Charter Champions Net Neutrality as Regulators Ponder Time Warner Merger

Posted: 27 May 2015 01:41 PM PDT

Saying the right things

Charter Van

I'm going to make a prediction: Charter's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable will clear regulatory approval even though the FCC recently squashed Comcast's attempt to do the same. Why? For one, Charter is a smaller company than Comcast, so the same monopolistic concerns don't apply (not to the same extent, anyway). And secondly, Charter has publicly vowed not to implement so-called paid Internet fast lanes, even if the FCC's net neutrality rules end up being overturned in court.

That's a big deal. The FCC has fought with cable companies and telecoms over the issue of net neutrality for some time now, and only recently came out victorious by having broadband Internet reclassified as a utility under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. This gave the FCC the power it needed to implement government regulated net neutrality rules.

Ever since the FCC issued its Open Internet Order, cable companies and telecoms have been fighting back. It's a divided issue, and whether or not you agree with the FCC's strategy isn't the point here. Charter's vow to honor certain stipulations no matter how things turn out, however, is the point.

The Verge reports that Charter boss Tom Rutledge stated during an interview yesterday that his cable company will "not block, throttle, or engage in paid prioritization of Internet traffic" no matter how things shake out. While probably not a legally binding promise, it is something that the FCC could bring up if the Open Internet Order is overturned in court and Charter proceeds to break its promise.

It's also worth pointing out that Charter doesn't own any TV networks. One of the things that worked against Comcast's proposed merger with TWC was its ownership of NBCUniversal. Had the deal gone through, Comcast would have been in better position to promote its own content over that of rivals, creating an uneven playing field. The same concern doesn't apply to Charter.

Unlikely Supporter

In related news, Comcast chief Brian Roberts is apparently in favor of Charter's merger with TWC. Rather than play the part of sore loser, Roberts issued a pretty strong statement backing the move.

"This deal makes all the sense in the world," Roberts said, according to Engadget. "I would like to congratulate all the parties."

Whether or not he's being sincere or perhaps has an ulterior motive isn't known, but at least publicly, he harbors no ill-will at Charter for swooping in.

How To Safely Share Your Home Wi-Fi with Friends and Family

Posted: 27 May 2015 11:00 AM PDT

Sharing your Wi-Fi doesn't mean giving up security

When family and friends come over, the first thing they inevitably want to do is connect their mobile devices to your home network, especially if they're staying for an extended visit. Picture a holiday like Thanksgiving. Your sister Suzy and her husband Jim both have mobile phones that get crummy service in your area, and their kids – your nieces and nephews – want to watch Netflix on their tablets. If you haven't configured your wireless router to accommodate visitors who want to tap into your home's Wi-Fi, then you have to choose between denying everyone access or sharing your main password.

Luckily there's another way. Every modern day router should have an option for sharing your Wi-Fi on a guest account with limited or restricted access to knobs and dials that visitors have no business playing with. We'll show you how to set this up, as well as make recommendations on how to secure your connection.

Setup a Guest Network

Setting up a guest account is rather easy. It starts with logging into your router, which is many cases involves opening your browser and navigating to 192.168.1.1. This can vary by router model and manufacturer, and since we can't read your mind or spy on your connection like the NSA, you'll have to refer to your router's user manual or look it up on Google, Bing, etc.

Router Login

Once you've typed in the appropriate address, you should see a pop-up asking for a username and password. In most cases, a default username is Admin. Your password will be whatever you set when first configuring your router, or if you're setting it up for the first time, check the router for a label that has the default login information.

We'll assume this is all a piece of cake and you're able to log into your router. Once you're inside, look for a Guest Network option. Again, the location and steps to get there will vary by router. On most Asus routers, like the RT-AC68U we're using for this guide, you'll find the option in the left-hand column.

Turn on the Guest Network for either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, or for both. The 2.4GHz band is supported by more devices and is better at penetrating obstacles like walls and doors, whereas the 5GHz band will likely be less congested. It also offers more throughput, though this shouldn't be much of an issue for a friend or family member that's temporarily tapping into your network to surf the web.

Router Freeloaders

Give the guest network a name and be sure to select a security protocol – we recommend WPA2 Personal. Select a password that isn't easy to guess, yet isn't so complex that it's going to take everyone dozens of tries to input correctly. Since this is a guest network with presumably limited access to the router's mission critical controls, you can be slightly less vigilant here (though still avoid easy to guess passwords like "password" or "123456"). Otherwise, if you're intent on selecting an overly complex password, you can print it on a business card or piece of paper before your guests arrive and then pass it around. Afterwards, destroy the card, change the guest password, or disable guest access.

On the Asus RT-AC68U, we also have the option of limiting the amount of time guests can be logged in, and whether or not we want to allow access to the Intranet, which is your local network. If your router gives you the option of restricting local access, take advantage of it. This ensures that your nieces and nephews can do things like check Facebook, but not tap into your NAS box.

Keep It on the Down Low

Some routers give you the option of hiding the SSID, which is the name of the network you configured. In our above example, the guest SSID is "Freeloaders" though on many Asus routers, there's no easy to way to stop it from broadcasting the SSID like there is with the main SSID(s).

If your particular router has an option to disable broadcasting your guest network, you can enable it to keep the SSID hidden. Keep in mind that determined hackers can still sniff it out, so this doesn't add a lot of security, though it will prevent casual snoops like a neighbor from knowing it's there and trying to leech off of your Wi-Fi.

Continue on for more tips and tricks.

Hey Mac, Where's the Filter?

Yet another option that adds a slim layer of protection is MAC (Media Access Control) filtering. Each Internet-connected device has a unique MAC address associated with its network adapter or network interface card (NIC), and by taking advantage of MAC filtering, you can limit which gadgets are allowed to connect to your network.

Here's the rub – it's not totally secure. As with hiding the SSID, a determined hacker can thwart your efforts, in this case by spoofing the MAC address of a device that you've allowed access. However, it's yet another method to prevent casual leeches from sucking your bandwidth.

It's also a bit of a pain to setup, especially when you're dealing with multiple devices. But if you're determined to go this route, you'll need to know the MAC address of the PC or mobile device requesting access.

CMD MAC Address

In Windows XP, 7, and Vista, click Start, select Run, type CMD and hit enter (if you're rocking Windows 8, right-click the Start button and follow the same instructions). In the Command prompt that opens, type ipconfig /all and press enter. What you're looking for is a set of six two-character entries separated by dashes. You'll find this under the Ethernet adapter section next to Physical Address.

MAC Address

Alternately, you can open up the Control Panel, select Network and Internet, click Network and Sharing Center, and select Change adapter settings in the left-hand side. Right-click on the connection that you're trying to look up a MAC address for and select Properties. Finally, hover your mouse cursor over the "Connect using" text box and the MAC address will appear.

To find the MAC address on an Android device, tap Menu > Settings > About Phone > Status. Scroll down until you see WiFi MAC address. Or you can navigate to Menu > Settings > Wireless and network > WiFi Settings. TheMAC address will be listed under the Advanced section.

Finally, for iOS devices, tap Settings > General > About to see the MAC address.

MAC Filter

Once you have the MAC addresses of the devices you want to allow, go into your router's settings, find the MAC filtering option, and input them one at a time. The process for this varies by router, so once again, you'll have to refer to your router's documentation if you can't find the option for MAC filtering on your own.

Create a QR Code for Easy Access

This final tip isn't necessarily a security feature, but is intended for the convenience of your guests (and it will increase your geek cred among family and friends). By creating a QR code for your wireless connection, you can avoid having to repeat your SSID password to Android users. It also makes it more feasible to create stronger passwords, though this won't be much benefit to iOS or Windows users.

InstaWiFi

In any event, there are multiple programs out there. Two that we recommend are InstaWifi and Wifi QR Code Generator. Both do essentially the same thing – fire up the app, input your guest network credentials, and then print out the QR code it generates. When your Android device-wielding friends arrive, they can simply scan the QR code you printed out and connect to your Wi-Fi.

Newegg Daily Deals: Storage, Storage, and More Storage!

Posted: 27 May 2015 10:22 AM PDT

Toshiba Drive

Top Deal:

Solid state drives are where the performance is at, but when it comes to bulk storage, mechanical hard drives still offer the best bang for buck. Just ask yourself, can you configure 3TB of SSD storage for under a C-note? Yeah, right. But on the flip side, check out today's top deal for a Toshiba 3TB Internal Hard Drive for $90 with free shipping (normally $105 - use coupon code: [ESCASNT45]). This is a fast drive with a 7200 RPM spindle speed and 64MB of cache, and it's backed by a 3-year warranty.

Other Deals:

HGST Deskstar NAS 6TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch High-Performance Hard Drive for Desktop for $260 with free shipping (normally $290 - use coupon code: [ESCASNT46])

Toshiba 500GB 32MB 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $40 with free shipping (normally $45 - use coupon code: [ESCASNT47])

Seagate Constellation ES.3 2TB 7200 RPM 128MB Cache 3.5-inch Enterprise Internal Hard Drive for $130 with free shipping (normally $145 - use coupon code: [ESCASNT48])

WD Black 750GB 7200 RPM 2.5-inch Internal Notebook Hard Drive Bare Drive for $55 with free shipping (normally $62 - use coupon code: [ESCASNT49])

Pic of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 980 Ti Leaks to Web

Posted: 27 May 2015 10:12 AM PDT

Computex can't get here fast enough

GTX 980 Ti Leaked

The annual Computex convention kicks off next week (June 2) and one of the highlights could be Nvidia's new graphics card, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. First pics of the forthcoming card have found their way to the web, along with a few specs.

Both Videocardz.com and WCCFTech.com posted separate images of the card, including full body shots. Nothing particularly wild stands out about the card from an aesthetic standpoint -- it uses what looks like a traditional Nvidia heatsink cooler with the "GTX 980 Ti" branding imprinted along the edge.

According to the former source, early benchmarks show the card rendering double the amount of hair on Witcher's chest compared to the GTX 980.

As for the hardware specs, it has two power connectors, 8-pin + 6-pin, and the same display connectors as the Titan X—DVI, HDMI, and three DisplayPorts.

Based on previous rumors and leaked info, it's also believed the GTX 980 Ti will feature 2,816 CUDA cores, 176 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 1,000MHz core clock, 1,079MHz boost clock, and 6GB of GDDR5 clocked at  1,753MHz on a 384-bit bus. Naturally, you'll want to take all those with a pinch of salt.

Pricing for the card is expected to be in the range of $700 to $750.

Microsoft Convinces LG and Sony to Pre-install Office and Skype on Android Tablets

Posted: 27 May 2015 09:51 AM PDT

Android partners line up for Office

Windows Android

Part of the reason Steve Ballmer stepped down as CEO of Microsoft was so that fresh blood could navigate Redmond in the mobile era that we now find ourselves in. Enter Satya Nadella, current boss of Microsoft, who continues to push an aggressive multi-platform strategy for the company's top applications. That includes Office, and in the coming months, you're going to see it pre-installed on several new Android tablets.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced an additional 20 Android tablet makers that have agreed to pre-load select services and apps on their slates, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype.

Several of them are likely to be unfamiliar names to anyone living in the U.S., such as Grupo Nucleo (Argentina), Inco (Mexico), Cube (China), and Postivo (Brazil), to list just a few. However, there are few familiar faces in the crowd -- Haier (China), LG (Global), and Sony (Global).

In particular, LG will pre-load the aforementioned apps on its forthcoming tablet and Sony has promised to do the same with its Xpera Z4 tablet within the next 90 days. Together with 11 other manufacturers including Dell and Samsung, Microsoft now has 31 hardware partners around the world that have agreed to pimp its apps on Android slates.

Cross-platform support is the key to Microsoft's strategy as it transitions to a Windows as a service business model. It remains to be seen what the long term costs for Windows will be, but however that shakes out, the company will continue to push its accompanying software on alternate platforms, namely Android and iOS. Incidentally, Microsoft also just recently announced that separate Cortana apps will be available for Android and iOS when Windows 10 ships.

Researchers Make Green Pitch for Wooden Semiconductors

Posted: 27 May 2015 09:20 AM PDT

A semiconductor Mother Nature would approve of

Green Semiconductor

U.S. and Chinese researchers have come up with a potential solution for all the electronic waste that's created by obsolete semiconductors -- wooden chips. No, not the kind you decorate your yard with or use to fuel a camp fire, but biodegradable computer chips made out of cellulose nanofibril (CNF), an eco-friendly material that's derived almost entirely from wood.

Taking into consideration the rapid advances in technology and subsequent short lifespan of electronic devices due to frequent upgrades, the researchers claim that using a wood-based CNF substrate "is clearly an ideal substitution for electronics that exist today."

Since pure CNF film is vulnerable to water and moisture, the researchers coat the substrate with a special epoxy resin to make it much more hydrophobic.

"You don't want it to expand or shrink too much. Wood is a natural hydroscopic material and could attract moisture from the air and expand," project leader Zhiyong Cai said, according to New Electronics. "With an epoxy coating on the surface of the CNF, we solved both the surface smoothness and the moisture barrier."

One of the other benefits to wood-based chips is that they don't require the use of gallium arsenide (GaAs), a toxic material containing arsenic that's commonly found in high-speed communication devices like mobile phones and tablets.

As for the cost of these eco-friendly semiconductors, it would depend on the application.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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