Microsoft VISTA launched officially

Today microsoft has launched its most awaited OS to public.
see this for more info:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/
default.mspx?pill=-1&WT.mc_id=?MSF601A

Xbox 360 Laptop Mod

Tired of the Xbox 360’s “look-how-hard-I’m-trying-to-look-hip” aesthetics? Mod it, young man. That’s what Ben Heckendorn did, transforming the Xbox 360 into a much smaller, laptop-like fun adapter. Something like that. The laptop mod incorporates a 17-inch high definition LCD along with a built-in keyboard and Wi-Fi and stuffed into a shell that’s no more than 2.8-inches deep.

The laptop 360 is water-cooled and cools more efficiently than a regular Xbox 360. Maybe Microsoft should’ve put Mr. Heck on the 360’s development team.

1) Uses a 17″ wide (diagonal) 1280×720 progressive-scan LCD VGA monitor (for HD-level resolutions) Thus you can actually read the text in Dead Rising.
2) Water-cooled with custom-built radiator. Allows for a slimmer main body versus the mammoth heat sinks in a stock 360.
3) Built-in keyboard and Wi-Fi.
4) USB hub allows original number of 3 USB ports for user.
5) All-aluminum case, except for plastic keyboard / ring of light / screen control area.
6) Uses single customized “expanded” power supply brick for both screen and Xbox 360.
7) Breakout ports on back allow hookup to component TV, VGA monitor, sound system (analog or TOSlink) and even crummy composite video.
Size: 16.75″ x 10.75″ x 2.8″ Weight: 14 pounds (with water loaded)

With all the troubleshooting done I could finally assemble the last bits of the unit, seal it up and complete it. FINALLY. This mostly involved installing the front plates such as the keyboard, ring of light and screen controls. Here are several photos of the completed unit:

Photo behind the 360 laptop, with super power plug.
Click image for larger version.

The finished unit, loaded with distilled water, weighs about 14 lbs, according to my bathroom scale.

Xbox 360 laptop, closed, on table.
Click image for larger version.

The total thickness of the final unit is 2.8 inches. goal was for it to be under 3.

Front detail, with controller.
Click image for larger version.

Here you can see the eject button for the lid (front, near the Ring of Light) and front exhaust holes which have their own fan. Inside one of the holes is the “Bind” button for the controllers.

The DVD tray, in “eject position” Note the lid open button and front USB port on the right. Noted? Great.

The DVD tray BARELY fit through the hole I had cut, even after I hand-Dremeled an extra bit of room at the top. Oh well, I’ll take barely fits over DOESN’T fit any day!

The Coolest Video cards for PC Gaming

There are a remarkable variety of graphics cards on the market aimed at gamers. While the very latest technology is always expensive, there are also solutions for those who don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend. These video cards were selected because they are good values in their class, and they are ordered roughly from fastest (most expensive) to slowest (most affordable). I can’t include every quality card, but I do update the list when I can, so your suggestions are welcome.

3) nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX

The GeForce 7900 is nVidia’s premium chipset for gamers, and has several improvements over the 7800. As well as better performance, it’s smaller, has fewer transistors, and generates less heat. Subsequently, it should cost less to manufacture cards using the 7900 than the 7800 in the long run. To be sure, the 7900 GTX is a force to be reckoned with and keeps up to the Radeon X1900 XTX on most benchmarks.

2) ATI Radeon X1900 XT

ATI’s X1900 cards, which so far come in GT, XT, XTX, and Crossfire versions, are at the top of ATI’s current product line for gamers. The performance is very similar to that of GeForce 7 cards. The XTX with 512 MB of memory and 48 shader units is the most powerful of the X1900 cards, followed by the 256 MB XT, which is at a particularly attractive price point right now

1) nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2

If hefty price tags aren’t a problem, the Geforce 7950 GX2 packs two 7900 GPUs onto a single card, giving you the performance of a dual card system. Although you won’t see a lot of benefit from this right now unless you’re running games at high resolutions (1600×1200 or greater), they do go nicely with a 24 inch monitor. For extreme overkill, you can have quad graphics processors by placing two GX2 cards in one system!

Intel news

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC)(SEHK: 4335) is the world’s largest semiconductor company and the leading manufacturer of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processor found in many personal computers. Founded in 1968 as Integrated Electronics Corporation and based in Santa Clara, California, USA, Intel also makes motherboard chipsets, network cards and ICs, flash memory, embedded processors, and other devices related to communications and computing. Founded by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, Intel combines advanced chip design capability with a leading-edge manufacturing capability. Originally known primarily to engineers and technologists, Intel’s successful “Intel Inside” advertising campaign of the 1990s made it and its Pentium processor household names.

Intel was an early developer of SRAM and DRAM memory chips, and this represented the majority of its business until the early 1980s. While Intel created the first commercial microprocessor chip in 1971, it was not until the creation of the personal computer (PC) that this became their primary business. During the 1990s, Intel invested heavily in new microprocessor designs and in fostering the rapid growth of the PC industry. During this period Intel became the de facto monopoly supplier of microprocessors for PCs, and was known for aggressive tactics in defense of its market position, as well as a struggle with Microsoft for control over the direction of the PC industry.

By the early 2000s, Microsoft had passed Intel in power in the PC industry, and competitors had emerged in the advanced microprocessor market. Intel’s November 2006 stock market capitalization was less than one-quarter of its 2000 high, and only 40% of Microsoft’s.

Intel was founded in 1968 by Gordon E. Moore (a chemist and physicist) and Robert Noyce (a physicist and co-inventor of the integrated circuit) when they left Fairchild Semiconductor. A number of other Fairchild employees also went on to participate in other Silicon Valley companies. Intel’s fourth employee was Andy Grove (a chemical engineer), who ran the company through much of the 1980s and the high-growth 1990s. Grove is now remembered as the company’s key business and strategic leader. By the end of the 1990s, Intel was one of the largest and most successful businesses in the world, though fierce competition within the semiconductor industry has since diminished its position.

Intel has grown through several distinct phases. At its founding, Intel was distinguished simply by its ability to make semiconductors, and its primary product were static random access memory (SRAM) chips. Intel’s business grew during the 1970s as it expanded and improved its manufacturing processes and produced a wider range of products, still dominated by various memory devices. While Intel created the first microprocessor in 1971, by the early 1980s its business was dominated by Dynamic random access memory chips. However, increased competition from Japanese semiconductor manufacturers had by 1983 dramatically reduced the profitability of this market, and the sudden success of the IBM personal computer convinced then-CEO Grove to shift the company’s focus to microprocessors and to change fundamental aspects of that business model. By the end of the 1980s this decision had proven successful, and Intel embarked on a 10-year period of unprecedented growth as the primary (and most profitable) hardware supplier to the PC industry. After 2000, growth in demand for high-end microprocessors slowed and competitors garnered significant market share, initially in low-end and mid-range processors but ultimately across the product range, and Intel’s dominant position was reduced. In the early 2000s then-CEO Craig Barrett attempted to diversify the company’s business beyond semiconductors, but few of these activities were ultimately successful. In 2005, CEO Paul Otellini reorganized the company to refocus its core processor and chipset business on platforms (enterprise, digital home, digital health, and mobility) which led to the hiring of over 10,000 new employees. In September of 2006 due to falling profits, the company announced a restructuring that resulted in a layoff of 10,500 employees or about 10 percent of its workforce by July of 2007.

In September 2006, Intel had nearly 100,000 employees and 200 facilities world wide. Its 2005 revenues were $38.8 billion and its Fortune 500 ranking was 49th. Its stoc

AMD going to render Intel’s multibillion dollar

When it looked like AMD was going to render Intel’s multibillion dollar IA64 effort (aka Itanium) irrelevant with its brassy push into 64-bit computing using an extended x86 architecture, Intel responded with EM64T. When it was first revealed that Intel had an x86-64 project in the works, codenamed Yamhill, the company at first denied the project’s existence. Eventually, though, EM64T surfaced, and it proved to be a near-clone of AMD’s x86-64. There are some subtle differences in calling conventions between the two processors, but the differences are slight enough that compatibility isn’t usually a worry.

Last week in Part I, we took a look at the AMD dual-core Athlon 64 X2 4800’s performance on 64-bit Windows. As it turned out, Windows XP Pro X64 ran most 32-bit applications just fine on the X2 4800, and 64-bit code showed a few modest performance gains.

Despite what the company called significant gains in shipments of its processors, the acquisition of ATI in 2006 and its price war with Intel took a toll on the company’s bottom line.

AMD Pushes New Motherboard Format

Playing to the popularity of small-form-factor PCs, AMD unveils the DTX standard, a new ATX-derivative motherboard. (PCMag.com)

AMD Looks to Be ‘Better’

The chip maker is looking to differentiate itself from Intel by offering a package that the company says will allow PCs to take full advantage of Microsoft’s Vista.

Intel Adds 3 Quad-core Chips to the Mix

Updated: At the CES expo in Las Vegas, Intel demonstrates its Core 2 Quad processor for mainstream PCs and announces two additions to its server line.

Multicore Computing, Virtualization Will Grow in Importance in 2007

While innovation in the server market looks to be on an uptick for 2007, analysts suspect the PC business will remain flat with enterprises and customers adjusting to Microsoft’s Vista.

AMD’s Live Comes to Notebooks

The chip maker will bring its consumer and multimedia platform to notebooks with a formal announcement at CES.

Intel to Announce Quad-Core Processors for Servers at CES

The chip maker is looking to make news within the enterprise space at CES by detailing two new Xeon quad-core processors that are specifically designed for servers.

Source: Intel’s Core 2 Quad to Debut at CES

The processor will be marketed for consumer PCs and will add to Intel’s lineup of quad-core processors that includes five chips for enterprise servers and an extreme chip for high-end computers.

PC Platforms: Looking Back at 2006 and Ahead to 2007

Feature: It’s been a banner year for processors, chip sets, and memory. We take a look at 2006, and then gaze into our crystal ball to try to predict what will happen in 2007. (ExtremeTech)

AMD Rolls Out New Athlon Processors

The chip maker announced that it would add to its Athlon 64 X2 dual-core offerings with the 5400+ and the 5600+.

AMD to Roll Out Powerful, Energy-Efficient 65-nm Chips

The move to a 65-nm process is part of the preparation for the chip maker’s native quad-core processors, which are due out later in 2007.

AMD Offers a Quad-core Tease

The chip maker is offering analysts a look at its quad-core processor.

Intel Brings Quad-Core Chips to Market

HP and Gateway are among the systems makers adopting the new line of processors, aimed at both the server and high-end desktop markets.

Intel Offering Software Suite for SMBs

This software Internet suite will offer RSS, blogging and wiki services for small and a midsize businesses and Intel will distribute it through its channel program and its OEM partners.

AMD Offers Graphics Chips for Older Macs

The chip maker says the ATI Radeon X1900 will help Mac users with gaming, photo editing, video and graphics.

Dell Offers AMD-Based Notebook on Its Web Site

Updated: The Texas PC maker is advertising an AMD-based notebook on its Web site, although no formal announcement has been made.

AMD Completes $5.4 Billion ATI Acquisition

With its purchase, AMD is positioning itself to offer better chips for business computers as well as opening new markets to reach more consumers.

Intel Profit Falls 35 Percent in Third Quarter

The world’s largest maker of microprocessors was forced the compete with AMD for market share and has to endured price cuts and layoffs.

Dell’s First AMD System: Good Performance at a Good Price

Review: The Dell Dimension C521 offers a good mix of value, features, and performance. (PCMag.com)

Doubts Persist Despite the Intel Hype

Opinion: There’s plenty of good news coming out of the Intel Developer Forum, but system vendors and partners may be listening to Intel with one ear and AMD with the other.

Intel Says vPro Tames Business PC Management

The chip maker’s new platform aims to bolster security and remote management for business desktops; PC makers are stepping up to carry it.

Intel to Lay Off 10% of Work Force

Updated: The chip maker hopes to see savings of $2 billion in 2007 and $3 billion in 2008 through the restructuring program.

Layoffs Loom at Intel

The conclusion of Intel’s ongoing efficiency review could lead to layoffs of 10,000 or more at the chip maker in September, reports say.

Targeting Opteron: Adopting Intel’s ‘Tulsa’ Chip

The new high-end Xeon processor offers massive 16MB cache and twice the performance of the current “Paxville MP” model, according to the chip maker.

Intel Readies Official ‘Tulsa’ Launch

The dual-core Xeon MP will be the last processor in the chip maker’s NetBurst architecture.

Intel’s Core 2 Makes Notebook Debut

Updated: Dell, Alienware, Toshiba and other PC makers begin offering Intel’s Core 2 Duo chip for notebooks.

Dell to Offer More Desktops with AMD Inside

Updated: Dell is set to broaden its relationship with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices as it works to firm up its position in the PC market.

Dell to Sport AMD PCs?

Analysts say Dell could announce plans to deliver AMD-based PC

Top 10 Strangest Custom Gaming Systems

10. Colecovision Portable

Yes, this will play all your old school Colecovision games like “Donkey Kong”, “Galaxian”, and “Zaxxon” in all their 16 color glory. Ben Heckendorn, creator of the NES Micro, made a custom case, tore apart an old Colecovision system, designed his own controller, and put it all together into the sleek package you see above. It features A/V outputs, an auxiliary power input, and a reflective black vinyl case with brushed aluminum accents. Unfortunately, this one-of-a-kind system was built by request and has already been sold.

[Source]

9. NEStation

The NEStation is one of the most unique custom systems we’ve ever come across. A French modder painted his NES completely black with blue accents, created a custom vertical stand, installed four blue LEDs, and than carved in a PS2-style logo on its side.

[Source]

8. The nPod

The nPod is Ben Heck’s latest gaming console, featuring a 3.5-inch LCD display, custom machined case (only 41mm thick), and a rear-loading cartridge slot. It’s powered by 4 AA batteries and can play any NES game.

[Source]

7. Portable Sega CDX

Most of you may not remember the CDX, it combined the Sega Genesis and Sega CD into one console. SegaSonicFan’s portable CDX sports a 5″ display, JP/US import switch, second headphone jack, S-Video output, external controller switch, and a built-in automatic scan FM radio. It even plays 32X games.

6. Gamecube-to-Go

Gamelver spent a great deal of time constructing this portable Gamecube — especially the case. It looks to feature external controller ports for multiplayer action, along with a pair speakers. Other specifications have not yet been released.

5. NESPlusSega

This all-in-one machine can play both Sega Genesis and NES games. The case was made from custom molded ABS plastic and features controller ports for both systems.

[Source]

4. Handheld Atari Jaguar

The Jaguar was the world’s first gaming system with two 32-bit processors. Unfortunately, the system met its demise in early 1996 due to poor sales. Well Dave decided to pay tribute with this portable Jaguar.

3. Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Mini

Kotomi took one of those 6-in-1 Sega TV game devices and turned it into a Genesis/Mega Drive mini, complete with cartridge slot. One potential drawback, he doesn’t mention if the cartridge slot is functional — it’s an interesting project none the less. One more picture after the jump.

2. Dreamcast Portable

Dave took on an ambitous project when he created this portable Dreamcast from scratch. It features a custom designed case, 5″ LCD display, and a built-in 16MB memory card. Powered by two rechargeable batteries, its good for up to 1 1/2 hours of playtime.

1) PS2 portable

Google online services

Google has provided online word and spreadsheets,that everyone know but it seems that google is storing our valuable personal info on their vast database each time we click “Save” to save our document.
If this is true ,then its high risk to use these services.

Microsoft Woos Bloggers With Free Computers, Vista

Microsoft’s efforts to woo influential bloggers by sending them free computers loaded with the Vista operating system is generating controversy, with some online writers attacking would-be Vista reviewers for taking what were tantamount to bribes, while recipients defend their editorial independence, arguing that journalism-style rules prohibiting such gifts are outdated.

Bloggers who acknowledged receiving the computers as part of the joint Microsoft and AMD marketing program include Mary Jo Foley, Om Malik, Michael Arrington, Ed Bott and others.

In total, Microsoft and AMD gave away 90 PCs, all loaded with the highest-end version of Windows Vista, the 64-bit Ultimate edition. Most received Acer Ferrari laptops that list for between US$2,000 (AUD$2537) and US$2,400 at retail stores. Others received media centre desktops made by Velocity Micro.

In letters accompanying the computers, which arrived last week, bloggers were given the option of returning the hardware to Microsoft, keeping it or disposing of it in some other way. “Microsoft has been very open and transparent,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. “There is no expectation of any editorial payback.”

Jason Calacanis, founder of blog network Weblogs and an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Sequoia Capital venture capital firm, called the PC giveaways “payola” and “bribes” that respectable bloggers should refuse.

“Any free product or service is a bribe, with very few exceptions,” he wrote in an online posting. “It’s wrong, and bloggers are simply new to the space and they don’t know what to make of this very, very obvious situation. The bloggers who go down the road of free products will learn, over time, that their credibility takes a hit…. At the end of the day your reputation is all you have, and life is too short to blow it on some free stuff.”

Skepticism also reigned at Slashdot, an aggregator of tech news, where 303 mostly-negative comments about the Microsoft-AMD program were posted.

Long Zheng, an Australian college student and blogger who received a Velocity Micro computer, had received 199 mostly-negative comments at his blog. He plans to donate the PC, after reviewing it, to his former high school.

Bott, a computer magazine editor-turned blogger who plans to return his laptop to Microsoft, argued that traditional journalism strictures against keeping expensive gifts shouldn’t apply universally to all bloggers.

“I’m a journalist by training and by profession, and that dictates my decision,” Bott wrote. “But what if I were a starving student or an MVP who started a blog because I was passionate about technology and wanted to share that passion with a community? Everyone in the community wins when that person gets the chance to play with new technology. In that case, Microsoft is just doing some smart marketing, seeding the market and increasing mind share. They could spend the same amount of money hiring people to write white papers or running ads in the Wall Street Journal. But the world will get a lot more valuable feedback if that information comes from real people actually using this technology.”

Foley, who writes the All About Microsoft blog, wrote that accepting the Acer laptop from Microsoft made sense for her because she had no plans to upgrade her existing PC running Windows XP. Nevertheless, she told Microsoft that she is treating the Acer laptop as a “loaner, not a gift.”

The Microsoft spokeswoman said the computer giveaways were the latest aspect of a three-year program to work with independent bloggers whose musings on Windows and other Microsoft products are widely read by techies online. She did not immediately comment on reports that as part of the program, Microsoft also pays the expenses of some bloggers to travel to Microsoft events or trade shows.

How Microsoft Fights Off 100,000 Attacks Per Month

Microsoft, of course, maintains valuable intellectual property on its internal network, including the source code to all its operating systems and applications. These are constant targets for hackers, and Microsoft tries to protect its most valuable assets with defenses in depth; they are behind firewalls and on networks segmented with IPsec. In addition, the entire network is monitored for suspicious activity, scanned for malware and so on.

What do I mean by a constant target? Last year, Microsoft IT said it was the target of more than 100,000 intrusion attempts per month. Currently, Microsoft filters out about 9 million spam and virus e-mails a day out of 10 million received. Yes, that means that roughly 90% of incoming e-mails are spam.

Blu-ray cracked too?

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
It’s still early on to tell whether this is actually true, but HD DVD cracker muslix64 is back, and with the help of another anti-DRM cracker, Janvitos, claims to have also broken the Blu-ray’s implementation of AACS. Although their protection does not yet account for BD+ copy-protection, they claim to have been able to implement the same key-grabbing known-plaintext attack as muslix64 used to crack HD DVD in order to successfully to crack Blu-ray without even using a disc or drive (apparently they just used a raw encrypted data file and nothing more). Unfortunately they haven’t yet posted code for us to test this out, so we’ll have to take their word for it for the time being.

sounds good to me, i cant afford a blu-ray dvd burner, nor blanks.