General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Windows 10 Can Now Defend Against Cyber Attacks

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 11:43 AM PST

Windows 10 Wallpaper

Microsoft's Terry Myerson updated the Windows Blog on Tuesday with news that Windows 10 now includes Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection. He says that this new service will help detect, investigate, and respond to advanced attacks on company networks. For you, this means your personal data should be even more secure when companies switch to Windows 10 and use this new service.

According to Myerson, Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection builds on Windows 10's existing security defenses and adds to the security stack a new "post-breach layer of protection." The service combines a "robust" cloud service with Windows 10's client technology, and will supposedly detect attacks that will break through other defenses.

The new Windows 10 service will provide detailed information about what happened during an attack, including why it happened, when it happened, and by whom. Myerson says the service is powered by multiple ingredients: Windows behavioral sensors, threat intelligence, cloud-based security analytics, and Microsoft's own intelligent security graph.

"This immense security graph provides big-data security analytics that look across aggregate behaviors to identify anomalies – informed by anonymous information from over 1 billion Windows devices, 2.5 trillion indexed URLs on the Web, 600 million reputation look-ups online, and over 1 million suspicious files detonated every day," Myerson writes.

The new service will recommend responses based on detailed "file footprints" that are listed across an organization, examine what an attacker did on specific devices, and scan the entire network for signs of attacks. The service also examines the state of machines and their activities over the last six months to "maximize historical investigation capabilities." Simplified investigation tools make it possible to move beyond the need to explore raw logs.

Because this service is baked right into Windows 10, customers won't have to worry about manual updates and deployments, he says. There's also no ongoing maintenance or the need for an on-premise server infrastructure. Windows Defender Advanced Threat Detection also complements current Microsoft services like Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection.

Myerson says that a number of companies already utilize this new Windows 10 service in addition to Microsoft itself, and that the service will become available "more broadly" this year, although he didn't give an exact time frame. Naturally, he encourages companies to upgrade to Windows 10 to receive this security service along with other benefits of the new platform.

Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection now joins a number of security measures Microsoft has put into place with Windows 10 including Windows Hello, which requires a user to provide a finger print or eyeball scan to sign in instead of a password. The platform also includes the company's free anti-malware service, Windows Defender, plus Credential Guard, Device Guard, and more.

News of the service arrives as cyber-attacks against companies continue to rise. Myserson says that a company can take more than 200 days to detect a security breach, and around 80 days to actually contain it. During that time, hackers can gain access to sensitive personal information, steal corporate secrets, and essentially shatter the trust of a company's clients. Ultimately, an attack can be quite costly: an average of $12 million per incident, he says. Ouch.

Newegg Daily Deals: 2 x Kingston SSDNow V300 240GB SSDs, Intel Core i5-6600K, and More!

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 10:52 AM PST

Kingston SSDNOw

Top Deal:

Several years ago, it was justifiable to run a mechanical hard drive as your primary storage. SSDs were just emerging, they were pricey, and the first batches weren't all that speedy. And now? These days they're so affordable you can double down in RAID 0, if that's your thing. Case in point, today's top deal for 2x Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 2.5-inch 240GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive Combo for $120 with free shipping (normally $140). That's 480GB worth of SSD storage for $120!

Other Deals:

Intel Core i5-6600K 6M Skylake Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1151 91W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530 for $245 with free shipping (normally $255 - use coupon code: [EMCEHEF22])

Corsair 850W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 Plus Gold Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for $110 with free shipping (normally $129; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS for $120 with $3 shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [EMCEHEF65]; additional $15 Mail-in rebate)

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) 512Meg x 64 Memory Model for $31 with free shipping (normally $35 - use coupon code: [EMCEHEF29])

AMD Adds Two New Chips to Desktop Processor Family

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 10:41 AM PST

New chips and new coolers

AMD Slide

Around the beginning of last month, AMD launched a couple of new stock air cooling solutions designed to dissipate more heat while running quieter. Now AMD's adding a couple of new processors to the mix, both paired with its new coolers.

First up to bat is the new A10-7890K, AMD's fastest APU to date. Based on the company's Godavari architecture, it has four CPU cores clocked at 4.1GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) and eight GPU cores clocked at 866MHz. The chip also boats 4MB of L2 cache and 1.02 TFLOPS of theoretical compute performance.

AMD's pairing its flagship (and unlocked) APU with its Wraith cooler, making it the second processor to benefit from the new part. The Wraith is rated to cool CPUs up to 125W; the A10-7890K has a 95W TDP.

The second processor AMD introduced today is the Athlon X4 880K. This one also essentially represents a speed bump—it's a four-core chip clocked at 4GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) with 4MB of L2 cache and the same 95W TPD as the A10-7890K. It should offer similar performance, minus the onboard graphics, of course.

AMD is pairing the Athlon x4 880K with its new near-silent 125W stock air cooler. It's pretty much the same as the Wraith, minus the shroud and LEDs.

Finally, AMD says its A10-7870K now comes with its new cooler as well.

AMD has set pricing for the A10-7890K at $165, A10-7870K at $140, and the Athlon X4 880K at $95.

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Windows 10 Gains Ground, Approaches 13 Percent Market Share

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 09:58 AM PST

How high can Windows 10 go?

Windows 10 Wallpaper

It's now been just over half a year since Microsoft released Windows 10 to the public. In that time, it's shown steady growth month-to-month, including February, in which Windows 10's market share jumped a percentage point.

That doesn't sound like much to ballyhoo about, but the thing to keep in mind is that more and more users continue to upgrade and flock to Windows 10, which is precisely where Microsoft wants them to be. February was no exception, with Windows 10's share of the desktop market now at 12.82 percent, according to Net Applications.

That's up from 11.85 percent in January and 9.96 percent in December. In every month since Windows 10 debuted, it's increased its share of the market by at least around 1 percent.

Meanwhile, older versions of Windows are losing numbers. Windows 8.1 dropped from 10.4 percent in January to 9.83 percent in February, while Windows 7 dipped slightly from 52.47 percent to 52.34 percent in the same period. Same goes for Windows XP, which fell a hair from 11.42 percent to 11.24 percent.

Microsoft's goal is for there to be 1 billion Windows 10 devices some 2-3 years after launch. The last official count from Microsoft puts Windows 10 on over 200 million devices, or 20 percent of the way to its goal.

The reason any of this matters is because is betting its future on Windows 10. It's so confident in its strategy that it was willing to give Windows 10 away as a free upgrade for the first year, as having a large userbase to sell supplementary services like Office 365 and OneDrive was deemed more important that generating early Windows 10 revenue.

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Harmonix Seeks $1.5 Million from Crowdfunders to Bring Rock Band 4 to PC

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 09:28 AM PST

Pay to port

Rock Band 4 PC

Console gamers aren't the only ones who like to rock out with their virtual instruments out, but be that as it may, there's never been a Rock Band title for PC. That may change, but only if Harmonix is able to raise a cool $1.5 million through crowdfunding site Fig.

Harmonix estimates that the actual cost to bring a version of Rock Band 4 to PC will be $2 million. That leaves a shortfall of $500,000 from the crowdfund campaign, which Harmonix will kick in.

Why the crowdfunding effort in the first place? Harmonix explains that it was spun back out of Viacom just a few years ago and is now a completely independent studio. Rock Band 4 was its first new Rock Band release in five years and it was a "massive undertaking for us an indie studio, but we somehow pulled it off." Now it wants to answer to call for a Rock Band on PC.

"The past eight years have been all about building a community of music and game lovers who are as passionate about Rock Band as we are. But since the very first Rock Band release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in November 2007, there is something we keep getting requests for, something we've never had in the series' eight year history... a version of Rock Band for PC!," Harmonix explains on its crowdfunding page.

If this happens, Harmonix plans to hire Sumo Digital to build the PC version, freeing itself to focus on building out new features and content for Rock Band 4. That said, the PC version will have all of the fixes and updates that have already been released to console, and will stay up to date going forward.

Harmonix also promises that this won't be just a straight port, it plans to take advantage of the PC's unique capabilities. One way Harmonix will do that is by bringing back user generated content. Specifically, it will use the Steam Workshop to revive the Rock Band Network it launched several years ago.

There are a number of reward tiers available. The $49 tier is the least expensive one to get the full PC game with early access and 30 extra songs, plus some other goodies. It will support mouse and keyboard input, along with a host of instruments.

You can check it out here.

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San Bernardino Survivor's Husband Sides with Apple

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 08:41 AM PST

Iphone 5c Colors

Back in December, San Bernadino county employee Salihin Kondoker was shot three times during the attack, and managed to survive. She, too, was assigned an iPhone by the county, but reportedly didn't use it for personal communication. Now her husband, Anies Kondoker, is speaking out in the FBI versus Apple dispute, taking the company's side and arguing that there is probably nothing important on the controversial iPhone 5c previously assigned to shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.

Kondoker's testimony arrived in court on Monday as a friend-of-the-court brief. Addressing Judge Sheri Pym, he said that the two shooters destroyed their personal phones on purpose after the attack, and questioned why Farook would store "vital" contacts on a device that the county owned and could confiscate at any time. This is why he believes there's nothing important on the device, and that the FBI is wasting its time fighting with Apple.

"This was a work phone," he writes. "My wife also had an iPhone issued by the County and she did not use it for any personal communication. San Bernardino is one of the largest counties in the country. They can track the phone on GPS in case they needed to determine where people were. Second, both the iCloud account and carrier account were controlled by the county so they could track any communications. This was common knowledge among my wife and other employees."

Kondoker's wife is an Environmental Health Specialist for the county. In the letter to the court, her husband said that she was attending the Health Department's holiday party and went to the bathroom during a 10-minute break, leaving her handbag in her chair. She was shot three times in the hallway when returning from the bathroom.

Since December's tragic event, Anies Kondoker has attended the briefings held by the FBI for the victims and their families. He says that after learning about Apple's resistance, he feared another roadblock. So far, very few questions have been answered as to the motivation for the shootings. However, Mr. Kondoker said he understands Apple's position and shares the company's fear about creating GovtOS for the FBI.

"I support Apple in the decision they have made," Kondoker tells the court. "I don't believe Tim Cook or any Apple employee believes in supporting terrorism any more than I do. I think the vicious attacks I've read in the media against one of America's companies are terrible."

Many find Mr. Kondoker's stance surprising, as one might think that the husband of a survivor would want Apple to comply and build GovtOS to get more answers about the shooting. But as he points out in the friend-of-the-court letter, it's unlikely that Farook had any information on the iPhone 5c. Still, a possibility that there's something on the device exists, and the FBI is seemingly desperate to find out.

As reported over the last several weeks, the FBI can't get past the passcode security feature on the confiscated iPhone 5c, which will begin wiping data stored on the device after 10 failed attempts. The FBI wants to bypass this feature and break into the phone using a brute force method. The FBI insists that whatever tool Apple makes will be used with this specific iPhone, but the Department of Justice is said to already have twelve cases lined up for Apple to address.

"I believe privacy is important and Apple should stay firm in their decision," the letter concludes. "Neither I, nor my wife, want to raise our children in a world where privacy is a trade-off for security. I believe this case will have a huge impact all over the world. You will have agencies coming from all over the world to get access to the software the FBI is asking Apple for. It will be abused all over to spy on innocent people."

The letter points out one issue that's overshadowed by the FBI vs. Apple conflict: the call for stronger gun laws. It wasn't technology that killed innocent people in December, Kondoker says, it was guns.

Technolust: Eye of the Beholder

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PST

Feast your eyes on this

I love looking at good pictures—from old photos dating back to the first cameras, to Ansel Adams, to our modern frequently Photoshopped masterpieces. There's definitely an art to taking a great photo, and as the son of an artist [Shout out: Hi, Mom!], I appreciate seeing the results of the truly skilled photographers of the world. I am most definitely not an extremely skilled photographer, but I'd like to get better, and one thing that would certainly help would be stepping up from my smartphone and entry-level DSLR equipment. They get the job done, sure, but when it comes to family photos, reunions, and other events—not to mention trying to snap some high-quality photos of the technology I review—there are far better options. Technolust is where I can forget about cost and other constraints and dream of what might be.

Before I get into the picks, let me start by noting that the choice between the major professional DSLR vendors can be as passionate as debate about AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. I've used both Canon and Nikon over the past decade and more, switching teams when all of my equipment got snagged about five years back. The thing is, I'm not particularly beholden to either company, as I only have a kit lens and a 50mm prime for my current Nikon D3100. And since Alex went the Nikon route on his camera technolust, I'm going to take the other path. Let the flames commence….

A time-traveling camera body

The facts of the steady march of technology are that new products are always just around the corner, and no matter what you buy today, it will eventually become outdated. That doesn't mean your older camera equipment will actually stop taking good photos, but if I'm going to lust after the best camera money can buy, I don't want to start on soon-to-be-outdated tech. So I'm jumping forward in time and picking Canon's upcoming DSLR tour de force, the EOS-1D X Mark II, slated to launch on April 25, 2016.

The specs on this new model are pretty nuts, starting with a 20.2MP 3:2 full-frame sensor. Some of the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but the new model is a pretty sizable jump from the previous generation EOS1D X. The maximum resolution is now 5472x3648 (vs. 5184x3456), which isn't that big of a deal, but now you can also record 4K video, along with a variety of other formats. Using a DSLR for video will likely never match the quality of a dedicated video camcorder, but it's nice to have the option. The Mark II is also the first Canon DSLR to support CFast flash, which is another can of worms (it also has a second CF slot for up to UDMA 7 CF media). Using a new CFast 2.0 card allows for a burst rate of up to 170 RAW images at 14 fps, helped along by the new dual DIGIC 6+ processors—or you can capture in JPG format until you run out of storage space.

The ability to shoot the best quality images possible is the main draw here, but the video capabilities have been seriously upgraded. Canon lists 4K at 59.94fps (Motion JPEG) as an option, though that will chew through storage at a rate of nearly 6GB per minute (800 Mb/s bitrate). 4K at 29.97fps is also supported, again via Motion JPEG, with a 500 Mb/s bitrate, or if you're looking for other video formats, 1080p at 120fps (but apparently without audio) is available. It's enough to give a budding videographer a start, and it's nice to see the top-of-the-line Canon not force customers to choose photo or video as the primary focus.

There's a well-known adage that you'll spend more money on your glass (lenses) than on your camera body, but the EOS-1D X Mark II challenges that assumption by setting you back a stunning six grand. That's a lot of lenses, but by the time you get all of your other accessories together, the body will probably only be a small part of what you spend on equipment. If that's too much, you can always opt for one of the lesser Canon bodies—the EOS 6D is their least expensive full-frame offering, while the EOS 7D Mark II uses an APS-C sensor.

What does the EOS-1D Mark II get me?

I've snapped plenty of photos using a variety of DSLR cameras, and when you compare the image quality of a high-end full-frame camera to that of smartphones or even entry-level DSLRs, it's a huge jump in quality; but with great power comes great responsibility. This camera is frankly more than I really need, but that's sort of the point. I'm not a professional photographer, and this is very much in the professional realm of equipment. With a camera like this (and a few appropriate lenses plus other accessories), there would be no more excuses for crappy images other than my lack of skill. From stills to video, macro to landscape, and time-lapse to fast motion, the EOS-1D can do it all. And if you don't want to do it all, it's complete overkill—just stick with your smartphone until you have a better appreciation for interchangeable lenses and are willing to deal with carrying around a bunch of bulky equipment.

Canon EF 24-70mm f28L II USM Lens

Through the looking glass

In an ideal world, where you have infinite money and carrying capacity, not to mention the ability to instantly swap between lenses, I'd go for a complete set of prime lenses as my starting point for a camera like the EOS-1D X. Their fixed focal lengths generally mean superior image quality over zoom lenses set to a similar value, but they lack versatility. For most photos, I'd want a "one size fits most" lens, and the best option for that is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. Considering this is only one lens, the $1,750 asking price (which includes a convenient backpack, filters, and cleaning kit at no extra charge right now) is more than non-professionals are likely willing to pay, but it handles a great variety of shoots.

You can use the 24–70mm to capture intimate details from a distance, for portraits, or for group photos. The shallow f/2.8 depth of field allows for artistic shots and softening of non-critical details, and the wide aperture means you can often get by without a flash. It may not be able to match the overall quality of a quartet of prime lenses—I'd personally love to have a 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm—but each of those high-end primes costs nearly as much as the 24–70mm f/2.8L, and you'd have to swap lenses depending on the subject.

While this lens can do just about everything you might normally want, and in impressive fashion, there is one missing feature: image stabilization. Most of Canon's competing zoom lenses with IS stop at a maximum aperture of f/4.0, though, so it's generally an acceptable trade. If you need IS, the Canon EF 24–105mm f/4 L IS USM is a lower-priced alternative that's definitely worth a look. Or you could look at non-Canon brands like the Sigma 24–105mm f/4.0 DG OS HSM and Tamron 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD; they're not necessarily priced better, but some prefer the features. But you can never have too many lenses, and I'd also love to add in a great telephoto lens like the Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.

What does this lens get me?

I currently have two lenses for my Nikon D3100: the 18–55mm kit lens that does okay but generally fails to impress, and a 35mm prime f/1.8 lens. The latter takes better photos, but it also requires more work in terms of setting up shots, especially at trade shows. I've had the opportunity to use much better lenses in the past, and moving up to a high-end lens would elevate the quality of my photos, and I could probably start doing family pictures that would be worthy of printing. I've used my DSLR enough to know that once I leave home, swapping lenses is a pain that I don't usually want to deal with, so having a good jack-of-all-trades lens would be ideal for 90 percent of my shooting.

Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT

Big city lights

With a great camera body and a lens (or several) in hand, what could possibly be left to separate me from photography nerdvana? Well, a lot, actually. There are so many other items I'd like to have, including a good tripod, spare battery packs, more flash storage, diffusers, lightboxes, umbrellas, and more! I'd love to have a studio with the appropriate materials available as well, but that's probably more of a "fantasy" than a "technolust" item. One thing that I haven't covered yet that is super useful for getting better photos, however, is a good flash.

The built-in popup flash included in most cameras is, in a word, garbage. You can sometimes work around it if you get the right angle on a subject, but more often than not you'll end up with hot spots that ruin photos, whacked out shadows, or incorrect colors. The best start to getting around all of the issues with the popup flash is to get a dedicated flash, and the current crème de la crème is the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT.

Let's start with the name: the RT is for "Radio Transmission," which means in addition to the normal optical wireless transmission, the flash can be remotely controlled via radio (line-of-sight not required) from up to 98 feet away. You can angle the head 90 degrees up, 7 degrees down, and swivel in either direction 90 degrees, giving you full bounce flash coverage. The flash also includes a backlit LCD with pertinent details on flash status, wireless and other settings, making it easier to set up than previous models. And of course, you can still use the flash in the hot shoe mount.

If one Speedlite flash is good, more is better, and the 600XE-RT allows you to assign up to five flash groups with up to 15 Speedlites. Now, I'm not even going to suggest I need $7,000 worth of flashes, but it is technically possible, and there are many times where it would be handy to have two or three wireless flashes. But even one good flash paired with a diffuser can do wonders for getting usable photos as opposed to blown-out messes.

What can the 600EX-RT give me?

Remember at the start where I mentioned having a Canon DSLR and equipment that got stolen? (It's a long story, involving CES and a Las Vegas taxi cab, if you're wondering.) Well, I had an older model Speedlite in my backpack, and I've never quite gotten around to buying a replacement. I've tried to make do with using direct lighting, and I manage, but a good remote flash would work far better and be more convenient. Being able to detach the flash and set it at a different angle than where I'm shooting from makes for much better flash photography.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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