http://www.techspott.com/ Computers and Technology Forums. Webmasters, Software, Drivers and many more discussions! en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:51:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.techspott.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.techspott.com/ http://www.techspott.com/news/12721-uk-government-stick-ie6.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:24:38 GMT Quote


The UK government announced that it will stick with using Internet Explorer 6 on its networks for now. It doesn't see any security benefit in upgrading to a more modern browser and plans to repel any attacks with firewalls and anti-malware solutions.





Source: Softpedia News

]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12721-uk-government-stick-ie6.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12720-chatroulette-logging-ip-addresses-screengrabbing-users.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:39:34 GMT Pantsless videocreeps (and anyone who puts a premium on privacy), beware: Chatroulette founder Andrey Ternovskiy recently announced on the official... Pantsless videocreeps (and anyone who puts a premium on privacy), beware: Chatroulette founder Andrey Ternovskiy recently announced on the official Chatroulette company blog that they've been logging data about users:

Quote

Recently I decided to seriously look into issue again, and I've had a breakthrough.
Luckily we all live in a real world, and we can easily apply the laws of a real world even on an internet application. With the help of a few good developers we've started collecting information, such as IP addresses, logs and screen captures of offenders who actually break US/UN laws by broadcasting inappropriate content in a specific situations. We've captured and saved thousands of IP addresses of alleged offenders, along with logs and screenshots which prove wrong behavior. We are initiating a conversation with enforcement agencies and we are willing to provide all the information we have. I hope that with help of a Criminal law we can finally get the problem out of our shoulders and get existing organizations which usually solve these kind of problems to help us.

What's now?

We've blocked thousands of IP addresses, reported offenders and service seems to be much cleaner than before. That is cool. Now give us some time to put new features in place.



More on ITNews

Source ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12720-chatroulette-logging-ip-addresses-screengrabbing-users.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12719-microsoft-internet-explorer-9-beta-due-september.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:34:52 GMT Microsoft is readying a beta of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser that it will roll out in September, according to Microsoft Chief Operating... Microsoft is readying a beta of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser that it will roll out in September, according to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner.

Turner shared the beta date during his morning keynote at the annual Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) on July 29.

According to several recent leaks, Microsoft had been targeting August as its beta delivery target for IE 9. This beta is expected to be public (as the test previews have been), and to feature more of the user interface elements.

On July 29, Neowin.net reposted some screen shots from what they believe to be a newly leaked test build of IE 9. That build includes a new download manager, but doesn’t yet feature the new user interface.

Microsoft has been making good on its promise to deliver new technology preview builds of IE 9 every eight weeks. The first IE 9 developer preview went live in mid-March. The latest IE 9 test build was released in June.

The IE 9 builds Microsoft has released so far have been developer-targeted. They include the plumbing, specifically the new Microsoft Javascript engine (which is codenamed “Chakra”) and the new graphics subsystem, coupled with a home page full of test sites. There’s no back button and no built-in security. It’s basically the IE 9 rendering engine and early tools.

Microsoft officials have not shared a target release-to-Web date for the final version of IE9, but it is expected by many Microsoft watchers in 2011.

Source : ZDNet ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12719-microsoft-internet-explorer-9-beta-due-september.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12718-ati-overtakes-nvidia-discrete-gpu-shipments.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:49:49 GMT ATI overtakes NVIDIA in discrete GPU shipments

You'd think with ATI having the performance, value and power efficiency lead for so long -- at least since the Radeon HD 4000 series -- NVIDIA would be in all kinds of trouble, but it's only now that AMD's graphics division has finally taken the lead in quarterly shipments. This is according to Mercury Research, whose analysts place the split at 51 to 49 percent in favor of ATI -- still a tightly contested thing, but it compares very favorably to the Red Team's 41% share in the same quarter last year. This data is concerned with discrete GPU shipments only (laptops included), whereas on the integrated front Intel continues to reign supreme with 54 percent of the market shipping its cheap and cheerful IGP units. ATI has made forward strides there as well, however, with 24.5% ranking ahead of NVIDIA's 19.8%. If Apple shifting its iMac and Mac Pro lines away from the Green livery wasn't enough, perhaps these numbers will finally start ringing some alarm bells over at NV HQ.

Source: Engadget ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12718-ati-overtakes-nvidia-discrete-gpu-shipments.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12717-vlc-1-1-2-a.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:40:12 GMT http://www.videolan.org/ Quote VideoLAN and the VLC development team are proud to present VLC 1.1.2, the second bugfix release of the VLC 1.1.x... http://www.videolan.org/

Quote

VideoLAN and the VLC development team are proud to present VLC 1.1.2, the second bugfix release of the VLC 1.1.x branch.
After just ten days of 1.1.1, some more bugs were squashed, hence a new release. This release introduces small fixes and improvements over VLC 1.1.1, notably on Windows.
Source code and binaries for Windows and Mac (Intel) are available.
See the release notes for more information. ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12717-vlc-1-1-2-a.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12716-intel-preps-next-generation-platforms-ces-2011-a.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:17:23 GMT Quote

There has been a fair bit of talk about Intel's upcoming series of processors and platforms, with practically all rumors implying that they should all come out, or at least be officially unveiled, as early as October this year. Still, some won't debut before early 2011, and reports have now emerged to apparently confirm this, even stating that, predictably, the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show will be the site where the so-called Post-Cougar Point platforms will be showcased.

Cougar Point is the codename of the 6 series of chipsets. This line will be officially launched in October 2010 and will be followed up by the Sugar Bay, slated to show up in early January, 2011. This platform will be released alongside a Sandy Bridge quad-core central processing unit with an integrated graphics. Motherboards powered by the P67 chipset should also make an appearance around the same time, in order to address the needs of the mainstream.

Sugar Bay will support Hyper-threading and Advanced Turbo Boost technology and will welcome new Sandy bridge CPUs. Intel is also expected to unleash the Waimea Bay platform, intended for high-end markets. It includes a Sandy Bridge E CPU (with built-in memory controller, support for DDR3 2666 frequencies and PCI Express connection) and motherboards constructed around the Patsburg chipset. As for the server market, the Bromolov platform should also welcome Sandy Bridge processors. Finally, the Huron River will start shipping this very year and notebooks based on it will appear as early as the second half of January.

These are, according to Digitimes, the short to mid-term plans of the Santa Clara, California-based chip giant. As for the long-term, Intel supposedly intends to bring out the Ivy bridge processor, based on 22nm process technology, in 2012. Predictably, the chip maker declined to comment on rumors about unannounced products.




source ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12716-intel-preps-next-generation-platforms-ces-2011-a.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12715-shotty-another-screenshot-tool-vista-7-a.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:13:20 GMT Quote Windows: Shotty is a lightweight and portable screen capture tool that captures screenshots in Windows Vista and 7 while preserving the... Quote

Windows: Shotty is a lightweight and portable screen capture tool that captures screenshots in Windows Vista and 7 while preserving the transparency of Aero-Glass effects.

If all you need is to capture windows with the transparency intact, Shotty does a great job. On top of eye-candy preserving capture, however, it also includes a built-in editor for easy highlighting and annotation. Shotty has support for easy screenshot sharing via quick uploads to popular image sharing services like ImageShack and TwitPic.

It comes packaged in an installer but you can opt to install it as a system or portable application. Shotty is freeware, Windows only.



Download
(via Lifehacker) ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12715-shotty-another-screenshot-tool-vista-7-a.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12714-ipad-owners-selfish-elites.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:57:20 GMT iPad Owners Are ‘Selfish Elites.’ Critics Are ‘Independent Geeks ... iPad Owners Are ‘Selfish Elites.’ Critics Are ‘Independent Geeks

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/...rce=Feedburner

It’s not exactly official, but should also surprise no one: According to a new study the psychological profile of iPad owners can be summed up as “selfish elites” while have-not critics are “independent geeks.”

Of course the “haves” would probably call the “have nots” “cheap wannabes” to which the “have nots” would retort: “FANBOI!!”

Which is why we should stick to the science.

Consumer research firm MyType conducted the study, in which opinions of 20,000 people were analyzed between March and May. The firm’s conclusion was that iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, “selfish elites.” ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12714-ipad-owners-selfish-elites.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12713-youtube-increase-upload-limit-10-15-minutes.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:34:56 GMT Quote Sources at YouTube tell us that online video giant will soon increase the maximum duration of uploaded video clips from 10 minutes to 15... Quote

Sources at YouTube tell us that online video giant will soon increase the maximum duration of uploaded video clips from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. The move may not mean much to some, but if you're a YouTube uploader, the increase would mean significantly less chopped-up installments of longer form works, and subtly redefine the medium, given that YouTube is the largest video hosting service online.

YouTube Partners (online video companies like us and other content owners who have agreements with the company involving shared ad revenue) are already able to upload videos longer than 10 minutes, but it's a fairly big deal for the rest of the ecosystem— and amateur folk make up a huge portion of that ecosystem.

Just think about it: the move would bring 50% more "haul videos," from shopaholic teen girls; 50% more crazytime rants from random dudes; 50% more hamster montages; and 50% more double (whoah that's almost a triple) rainbows.

Why now? I don't know. Why not? But I'd put my money partially on the company's recent win in the Viacom case, and a sense that they've now figured out more effectively how to help the big content owners (labels, movie studios, TV networks) identify infringing uploads, which might tend to fall largely in that longer-form category.

We're hearing something about a "15 minutes of fame" contest to celebrate the expanded video duration, in which winning uploads will be featured on the YouTube homepage in a future spotlight.



Source: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/07/29/youtube-to-increase.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=fee d&utm_campaign=Feed: +boingboing/iBag+(Boing+Boing) ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12713-youtube-increase-upload-limit-10-15-minutes.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12712-new-amazon-kindle-announced.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:53:08 GMT *New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only version and $189 3G model available August 27th in the US and UK* Image:... New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only version and $189 3G model available August 27th in the US and UK



Let's be honest -- you saw this one coming, didn't you? Today Amazon is introducing a new reading device for e-book aficionados dubbed simply... the Kindle. The new handheld -- slated to be released on August 27th -- is 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, has a 20 percent faster refresh rate on its E Ink (yep, still E Ink) screen, and will now come in two colors (graphite, like its big brother the DX, and the original white). In addition to the color changes, there will be two radio configurations available: a $139 WiFi only version, and a $189 3G version (utilizing AT&T's network, just like the last model). The screen will remain the same 6-inch size as the last two Kindles, though the company claims page turns are faster and contrast is improved. The internal storage on the device has been cranked to 4GB, and the battery life is now rated at a month with no wireless, and 10 days with wireless switched on. The company also announced plans for a UK-localized version at £109 and £149, respectively, as well as a UK e-book store.

Source and full article: Engadget ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12712-new-amazon-kindle-announced.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12711-people-sue-apple-over-overheating-ipads.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:31:03 GMT (ArsTechnica) -- Three iPad users claim that because the iPad will shut itself off after remaining in direct sunlight for long enough, it fails to... (ArsTechnica) -- Three iPad users claim that because the iPad will shut itself off after remaining in direct sunlight for long enough, it fails to meet the promises Apple made about using the device as an e-book reader.

The group has filed a federal class-action lawsuit in the Northern California district to "redress and end this pattern of unlawful conduct."

When the iPad's operating temperature reaches a critical level, it will force itself to shut down and display a message warning the user to let the device cool down before trying use it again. This warning is the same that iPhones and iPod Touches give before shutting down when they overheat, often after being left in direct sunlight.

The lawsuit alleges that the iPad "does not live up to reasonable consumer's expectations created by Apple insofar as the iPad overheats so quickly under common weather conditions." Apple lists the iPad's operating temperature as 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C), so it's not hard to see that using it out in the hot sun can quickly heat up the device over the maximum temperature.

The plaintiffs seem to take particular issue with Apple claiming that "reading on the iPad is just like reading a book." This claim is patently false, according to the lawsuit, because a real book can be used in "the sunlight or other normal environmental conditions" without shutting off.

Most consumer electronic devices can be damaged from overheating if used in direct sunlight for long periods of time; not all of them have the automatic shutoff capability that the iPad does.

more ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12711-people-sue-apple-over-overheating-ipads.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12710-dev-channel-google-chrome-6-0-472-11-linux-mac-os-x-windows.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:17:01 GMT *Dev Channel Update* The Dev channel has been updated to 6.0.472.11 for all platforms. *This release contains* * *UI tweaks and clean up* *... Dev Channel Update

The Dev channel has been updated to 6.0.472.11 for all platforms.

This release contains

• UI tweaks and clean up
• Additional stability fixes

Known Issues

• PDF plugin does not load on Linux (Issue 49702) and Mac (Issue 49800)

More details about additional changes are available in the svn log of all revisions.

You can find out about getting on the Dev channel here: http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel.

If you find new issues, please let us know by filing a bug at http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/entry.

Jason Kersey
Google Chrome

Source: Google Chrome Releases blog
Direct download link for the Windows build ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12710-dev-channel-google-chrome-6-0-472-11-linux-mac-os-x-windows.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12709-rumor-google-create-facebook-rival.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:34:42 GMT Quote Google is currently in talks with several developers of popular online games to create a “broader” social-networking website that could... Quote

Google is currently in talks with several developers of popular online games to create a “broader” social-networking website that could compete with Facebook. Google recently took stake in Zynga Game Network Inc., one of the developers that is negotiating with.

It is uncertain when Google plans to launch the gaming offering, and the plans are not finalized, but sources close say that the games and its developers will have something to do with a social-networking project that the Mountain View, California company is working on.



http://www.iwinux.net/google-2/rumor...acebook-rival/ ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12709-rumor-google-create-facebook-rival.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12708-sopho-releases-windows-shortcut-exploit-protection-tool.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:09 GMT *Sophos has released a protection tool for the Windows Shortcut Exploit while we wait for an official patch from Microsoft.* Website ... Sophos has released a protection tool for the Windows Shortcut Exploit while we wait for an official patch from Microsoft.



Website

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-...tion-tool.html

Download

http://downloads.sophos.com/custom-t...ion%20Tool.msi

Thanks to VRam for the heads up.

Yes I know I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum, waiting for it to get moved. ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12708-sopho-releases-windows-shortcut-exploit-protection-tool.html http://www.techspott.com/news/12707-fbi-says-mastermind-botnet-nabbed.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:11:21 GMT *WASHINGTON* — International authorities have arrested a computer hacker believed responsible for creating the malicious computer code that infected... WASHINGTON — International authorities have arrested a computer hacker believed responsible for creating the malicious computer code that infected as many as 12 million computers, invading major banks and corporations around the world, FBI officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

A 23-year-old Slovenian known as Iserdo was snagged in Maribor, Slovenia, after a lengthy investigation by Slovenian Criminal Police there along with FBI and Spanish authorities.

His arrest comes about five months after Spanish police broke up the massive cyber scam, arresting three of the alleged ringleaders who operated the so-called Mariposa botnet, stealing credit cards and online banking credentials. The botnet — a network of infected computers — appeared in December 2008 and infected more than half of the Fortune 1,000 companies and at least 40 major banks.

Botnets are networks of infected PCs that have been hijacked from their owners, often without their knowledge, and put into the control of criminals.

Jeffrey Troy, the FBI's deputy assistant director for the cyber division, said Tuesday that Iserdo's arrest is a major break in the investigation. He said it will take the alleged cyber mastermind off the street and prevent him from updating the malicious software code or somehow regaining control of computers that are still infected.

Officials declined to release Iserdo's real name and the exact charges filed against him, but said the arrest took place about 10 days ago and the man has been released on bond.

"To use an analogy here," said Troy, "as opposed to arresting the guy who broke into your home, we've arrested the guy that gave him the crowbar, the map and the best houses in the neighborhood. And that is a huge break in the investigation of cyber crimes."

source ]]> News News Bot http://www.techspott.com/news/12707-fbi-says-mastermind-botnet-nabbed.html