| FBI Preparing to Shut Down Temporary DNS Servers, Kill Unknown Number of Internet Connections Posted: 16 Feb 2012 02:52 PM PST  The FBI is currently scheduled to take several temporary DNS servers offline on March 8th; an action that could result in the disconnection of millions of Internet users. This dilemma stems from a nasty trojan that was circulating back in 2011 called DNSChanger. This bug was used to alter a user's DNS settings, and law enforcement used temporary DNS servers to give everyone time to fix the problem. Experts fear that many systems are still infected, and risk failure on March 8th.
DNSChanger used the modified DNS server settings to route users to malicious (and possibly illegal) domains instead of the ones they intended to visit. The feds worked with Estonian authorities to apprehend the creators of DNSChnager, but that left millions of computers still infected. The fix was to set up a few DNS servers to intercept the traffic from these systems and keep the data flowing. Now that the servers are due to be taken offline, some people might suddenly have busted connections. DNSChanger was a surprisingly widespread infection that wormed its way into half of all Fortune 500 companies and nearly that proportion of government agencies. There is still a chance that the FBI will be allowed to leave the servers in place a little longer, but no guarantees. Do you think DNSChanger will have one final laugh on March 8th? |
| Leaked Recording Industry Document Threatens Google Lawsuit Posted: 16 Feb 2012 02:31 PM PST  The recording industry has long been critical of Google's handling of its search results, and several months ago, the RIAA and IFPI accused Google of profiting from piracy, and throwing up roadblocks to prevent copyright holders from removing infringing material. According to a leaked document, this war of words might be headed to court soon. Industry groups have obtained confidential legal opinions on the viability of a lawsuit against Google.
For its part, Google has always said it is only indexing the Internet as it exists. To proactively weed out everything that could be copyright infringing would break search and be nearly impossible anyway. The document details the ways Google has been cooperating with the industry, including providing a batch search interface to assist in tracking down infringing sites, and compliance in shutting down a number of Blogger sites hosting copyrighted content. The legal document claims that is not enough. A lawsuit would seek to force Google to stop providing links to pirate websites in search results. The RIAA and IFPI would essentially be arguing on antitrust grounds that Google's market position should require it to censor its search results. If the case is filed as explained in the document, it would be truly unprecedented. |
| Lego Minecraft Micro World Available For Preorder Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:45 AM PST Can you tell we're pumped about Minecraft-themed Legos? We've been anxiously following their development, breathlessly reporting when the petition to create the set passed the needed 10,000 signature mark -- and when the project got the official green light. Lego and Mojang must be pumped about the Minecraft Micro World, too; in less than a month, the set has flown through the design process and is headed to the production line. In fact, Lego started selling preorders for the set yesterday. 
Just because you're able to preorder the set through Jinx today won't mean Minecraft Micro World will show up on your doorstep tomorrow, though; the $35, 480-piece kit isn't due to ship until the nebulous "summer 2012." How about a description from the product page? Help Steve survive his first night in a strange new world. Avoid the creeper and start mining for resources that will help you survive and thrive. Configure your four micro-scale LEGO Minecraft modules any way you like. Build your own mines and hills, and expand your world with multiple sets. Includes four LEGO Minecraft modules, hidden resources, extra pieces for wood, dirt, and stone, two "Micro Mobs;" Steve and a creeper. "The surface of the modules comes off to reveal mines and hidden resources beneath," the Lego CUUSOO team said on its blog. Check out the blog post for more details about the design process, or just drool over the picture above like we did. |
| iFixIt Performs a PlayStation Vita Autopsy Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:10 AM PST  The electronic surgeons at iFixIt point out that they don't break gadgets, they tear them apart. We love when they do, because then we can spy the innards of expensive tech gear laid bare without ruining our own equipment, allowing us to live vicariously through their teardowns. This week iFixIt took apart Sony's new PlayStation Vita handheld console, which turned out to be surprisingly easy to service.
It didn't take much for iFixIt to crack open the PS Vita and expose the four-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, SGX543MP4+ GPU, 512MB of RAM, and other internal tech organs. After taking everything apart, iFixIt gave the PS Vita a score of 8 out of 10 on its repairability score. Reasons that led to the high score include the use of only Phillips #00 screws (no security or proprietary bits), a modular design that equates to lower repair costs since parts can be replaced individually, and the fact that Sony used only a conservative amount of adhesive. Follow the teardown pic by pic right here. |
| Razer Unveils Mass Effect 3-Branded Peripherals Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:06 AM PST  Oh man, is it March 6th yet? BioWare teased us with a taste of old friends on Valentine's Day -- Krogans and Turians and Reapers, oh my! -- but the official launch of Mass Effect 3 is still weeks away. At least we'll have some cool ME3 peripherals to gaze at between now and then, thanks to the newly unveiled Mass Effect 3 gear lineup by the folks over at Razer. They do more than just look pretty, too: Razer promises each piece of hardware will unlock an "exclusive in-game bonus."
The only bonus mentioned in Razer's announcement is a Collector assault rifle, but the company doesn't say which specific peripheral will be bundled with it. All types of peripherals are available with a fresh coat of ME3 paint, too, including an Imperator mouse, a BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard, a sleek-looking Onza Tournament Edition gamepad, and a Chimaera 5.1 headset. A few non-electrical accessories are available too: a ME3-branded Vespula mouse pad, a protective case for the iPhone 4, and a messenger bag sporting the N7 logo. Check them out or preorder the gear over at Razer's Mass Effect 3 page. No news on the shipping date, although it would almost assuredly have to be before March 6. Now, pardon us while we replay the Suicide Run on the Collector ship with our cut-throat female biotic. |
| Hulu Plus Now Available on the Nintendo Wii Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:53 AM PST  Hulu Plus found a new way to be streamed into your living room. Nintendo today announced it has teamed up with the streaming video service so that Wii owners can now subscribe to and access Hulu Plus for $8/month and instantly stream popular TV shows like Family Guy, Glee, The Office, Modern Family, and more, as well as hundreds of movies, on their Wii console.
"Wii offers the most entertainment fun for everyone in the family, with an impressive selection of streaming movies and TV shows in addition to an unparalleled lineup of games that can't be played anywhere else," said Tony Elison, Nintendo of America's senior director and general manager of Network Business. "The Wii console is the hub of the living room, and with the addition of Hulu Plus, millions of households now have even more options for streaming premium TV shows and movies." Wii owners with a broadband Internet connection can access Hulu Plus by visiting the Wii Shop Channel and downloading the Hulu Plus app. Users who don't already have a Hulu Plus account will be eligible for a two-week free trial. Nintendo also announced that Hulu Plus will be coming to the 3DS handheld console sometime later this year. |
| Mass Shipments of Intel's Ivy Bridge Reportedly Delayed Until Summer Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:38 AM PST  It's looking as though Intel's initial Ivy Bridge roll out might end being mostly a paper launch with just a small volume of processors being made available in early April. If that's the case, you can expect what little stock is put out there to sell out quick, possibly at inflated prices, especially in the second-hand market (places like eBay and Craigslist, for example).
DigiTimes claims to have heard from its sources that Intel won't begin mass shipping Ivy Bridge processors until sometime after June, and supposedly the Santa Clara chip maker has already made its hardware partners aware of this. Even more frustrating is that this is reportedly an intentional delay. DigiTimes says notebook vendors are having trouble clearing their existing stock of Sandy Bridge notebooks, while Intel has a surplus of Sandy Bridge chips it wants to unload. So, the decision was made to delay Ivy Bridge, at least in full force, to minimize the impact. Image Credit: Lenzfire |
| Maingear Now Makes an 'Epic' Thermal Paste Posted: 16 Feb 2012 08:56 AM PST  It hasn't even been a full month since we ran our massive thermal paste roundup in which we tested 17 premium tubes of goo to find out if your choice of paste makes a lick of difference (it does), and wouldn't you know it, there's a brand new thermal paste that enters the fray today. It's from Maingear, the boutique system builder based in New Jersey, and it's supposedly up to three times better than the best silver-filled greases.
Maingear describes its new Epic T1000 thermal paste as an ultra-performing phase change metal alloy thermal interface material (TIM) with high bulk conductivity. "The Epic T1000 is unmatched by any other materials except solders, and unlike solders, the Epic T1000 can be used between materials without matching Coefficients of Thermal Expansion (CTEs) such as between silicon dies and metal heat sinks," Maingear explains. "With the big reduction in thermal resistance EPIC T1000 provides, the demands on heat sinks and fans are relaxed, leading to many desirable results: decreased costs, quieter operation, and form-factor reductions." Maingear says its Epic T1000 paste allows you to reach maximum thermal conductivity with zero cure time, so you can slap it on your CPU and start overclocking like a banshee right off the bat. Installation is a bit different than with your average thermal paste. There's a liner that needs to be installed on your CPU, along with a re-flow process, all of which LegitReviews detailed in a nifty YouTube video here. The Maingear Epic T1000 kit comes with a pair of Nitrile gloves, a bottle of cleaning solution, two lint-free wipes, a three-page instruction manual, and two CPU specific installation liners. Prices are as follows: - Intel socket 1155/1155: $20
- Intel socket 2011: $30
- AMD -- all open lid: $20
Image Credit: Maingear |
| Twitter Admits Plucking Contacts from Smartphones, Promises Better Transparency Posted: 16 Feb 2012 08:26 AM PST  Do you use Twitter's "Find Friends" feature on your Android smartphone or iPhone device? If so, you may have been agreeing to more than you bargained for. Privacy advocates are up in arms after it was discovered that Twitter has been harvesting address books from smartphones that use this feature, in many cases without proper disclosure or the user's explicit permission.
Twitter acknowledged this was the case and said it would update its app to be more clear about user contacts being transmitted and stored, the L.A. Times reports. "We want to be clear and transparent in our communications with users," Twitter told the L.A. Times in an email. "Along those lines, in our next app updates, which are coming soon, we are updating the language associated with Find Friends -- to be more explicit." Two members of Congress, G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif) took it a step further and wrote a letter to Apple asking why it allows such data mining on its iPhone when it runs afoul of developer guidelines. Apple acknowledged that apps that do this are, in fact, "in violation of our guidelines," and claims it wasn't aware this was going on. |
| Nvidia's Annual Revenue Up 12.8 Percent, Falls Short of Estimates Posted: 16 Feb 2012 07:46 AM PST  Nvidia's fourth quarter financial results were a bit of a mixed bag, and despite reporting revenue growth for the company's full fiscal year, investors reacted negatively to Nvidia's outlook for the first fiscal quarter of 2013. First things first -- the GPU maker reported revenue of $4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2011, up 12.8 percent from $3.54 billion in fiscal 2011, but down 10.6 percent from the previous quarter.
In a prepared statement, Nvidia president and chief executive officer, Jen-Hsun Huang, said he was happy with how things were going and where the company stands. "I am pleased with our achievements last year. Our GPU business grew sharply. And, with the success of Tegra, we established our position in the mobile market," Huang said. "We expect continued growth ahead, as Tegra 3 powers a new wave of quad-core super phones and Kepler, our next-generation GPU architecture, sets new standards in visual and parallel computing." Investors, however, weren't as optimistic after Nvidia said revenue in the first quarter of 2013 is expected to be between $900 million and $930 million. Analysts who responded to a Bloomberg survey had estimated $940.4 million on average, which might explain why shares of Nvidia fell 4.4 percent to $15.46 early this morning. According to Bloomberg, it was the biggest intraday decline since October 20, 2011, and the third biggest drop on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index today. At the time of this writing, shares of Nvidia are trading at $15.78. |
