OCZ Technology to Deliver Optimized Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus SSDs

OCZ Technology announces an exciting refresh of the renowned first generation Vertex and Colossus SSD Series. Called the Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus, the new SATA II solutions continue to implement the proven Indilinx technology while delivering significantly improved performance at their distinctively affordable price points.

OCZ continues to work diligently with the latest technology providers in flash storage with the goal of maintaining affordability for consumers that demand a faster, more responsive PC experience. Pricing and availability of the Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus series will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The original Vertex and Colossus series of Solid State Drives set the benchmark for performance and reliability, and quickly became top-selling solutions for customers seeking all the benefits of SSD technology over traditional rotational media both in mobile and desktop computing,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. “The new Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus further improve on already popular products by delivering higher performance with the latest NAND technology, and make SSDs even more accessible to customers with a lower cost per gigabyte.”

In combination with the latest flash memory, the Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus are based on optimized firmware that boosts performance to new, competitive levels. Additionally, thanks to cost effective NAND and controller technology, the Vertex Plus and Colossus Plus offer lower cost per gigabyte configurations than competing drives on the market, making them excellent starting points into the world of SSDs.

Compared to its predecessor, Vertex Plus features higher sequential speeds along with improved 4KB random write IOPS, while offering excellent uncompressed data performance. Available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, the 2.5-inch Vertex Plus Series is an ideal upgrade option for system boot drives, RAID arrays, or as primary laptop storage at an ultra-attractive price point.

Likewise, the Colossus Plus features an internal RAID-0 design with new Indilinx technology that offers superior sequential speeds and over 20,000 4KB random write IOPS, offering incredible performance and instantaneous access compared to traditional hard drive storage. The Colossus will be offered with up to a 1TB (1024GB) of capacity in a 3.5-inch form factor that easily integrates into desktop systems.

NVIDIA Answers Questions About the Surprise GeForce GTX 460 SE

It even hit many of the ‘in the know’ industry analysts by surprise, this morning NVIDIA launched a rather confusing product, the GeForce GTX 460 SE model and with such a similar price point to the GTX 460 768MB, this new mid-range graphics card is leaving consumers a bit perplexed.

On news of the launch, we contacted NVIDIA who provided answers to some questions that should hopefully give you a little better understanding of the card’s market position.

What exactly is the 460 SE?
The GTX 460 SE is the latest great gaming GPU from NVIDIA, designed to provide an outstanding gaming experience for the price.

Why are you launching this?
We are launching the GTX 460 SE to provide more options for our customers.  Many consumers love the price/performance offered by the GTX 460 768MB but would prefer a larger frame buffer.  The GTX 460 SE provides this option.

What is the performance?  How does it compare to other 460 products?
In general, the GeForce GTX 460 SE performs similarly to the GTX 460 768MB. The GTX 460 768MB is the best choice for shader or tessellation heavy applications. The GTX 460 SE is a better choice for applications that are more memory bandwidth intensive.

What are the specs?
The GeForce GTX 460 SE has 288 CUDA cores running at 650MHz graphics clock and 1300MHz processor clock.  It has a 256bit frame buffer interface with 1GB GDDR5 running at 3.4Gbps.

What is the price?
You will see prices similar to the GTX 460 768MB. Check your favorite e-tailer for availability and pricing.

What product does this replace?
It does not replace a product.  It is an addition to our product line-up.

Are you adjusting the prices of other 460 products?
No.
What is happening to the GTX 460 768MB?
It will remain in the marketplace.

Why did you call this product GTX 460 SE instead of using a new number like GTX 455
The GTX 460 SE will deliver a GTX 460 class gaming experience.  Using a number like 455 would imply a worse gaming experience which is not really accurate.

For more information – visit the NVIDIA GeForce Product Page here .

NVIDIA Silently Launches GTX 460 SE Graphics Card

Without any fanfare what so ever, NVIDIA has launched a new budget mid-range graphics card, the GeForce GTX 460 SE.

Initial pricing from EVGA, suggest the new model will compete – at least in price – directly against the GTX 460 768MB, with a listed MSRP of $179.99 USD. The card offers an interesting blend of features,  with 1GB of GDDR5 memory with 256-bit memory bus, exactly like the GTX 460 1GB, however, it is cut down to 288 CUDA cores, and slightly slower speeds of 650MHz Core, 1300MHz Processor, and 1700MHz memory.

Overall, it is a very interesting contender, and we will await the first set of benchmarks to be able to truly gauge the worthiness of an “SE” graphics card.

Updated (12:06PM): New pricing details reveal that card actually will be slightly more expensive than the GTX 460 768MB.

SPECH HERE:

GPU-Z Able To Disable GTX 580 Power Throttling

Less than a week after release, a W1zzard over at TechPowerUp has released a “feature” for GPU-Z that prevents GTX 580 throttling from occurring when running programs like FurMark, Kombustor, and OCCT. The results are temporary, and the throttling mechanism is enabled once again upon system reboot. Full details can be found here.

Man Conned Out of Millions for ''Virus Protection''

That's some real-life malware.

Computer viruses are serious business. Like real viruses, infections must be dealt with quickly and thoroughly. Sadly, just like real-life healers of viruses, sometimes there are crooks out there.

Such goes the story of 58-year-old Roger C. Davidson from Mount Kisco, NY, who has been cheated out of millions after bringing his computer into a repair shop for fear that his machine had been infected with a virus.

In August 2004, he brought his computer to a shop on Main Street. There, Vickram Bedi, 36, the owner of the shop, told Davidson that he indeed had a virus. This wasn't just any computer virus – oh, no – it was a particularly vicious one that had infected all the computers in the shop.

Thankfully, Bedi's uncle was a military officer in India and was put on the mission to retrieve the source of this virus on a hard drive located in Honduras. From there, Bedi learned that the virus was linked to Polish priests who were tied to the conservative Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei. This organization had plans to harm Mr. Davidson.

Naturally, Bedi persuaded Davidson to not only pay for removal of the virus, but also for personal protection. Davidson paid Bedi's shop through credit card payments over the years, which have totaled to over $6 million.

While all of this sounds impossible and a very simple scam to steer clear of, Mr. Davidson was in no way a computer expert. His specialty is in music and he wanted to save his compositions that he stored on his computer.

Danger Den First To Market With GTX 580 Water Blocks

Enthusiasts need not wait for high-end cooling of their new high-end tessellation monster.


Danger Den, a consistent presence in the field of cutting-edge cooling, has been working with NVIDIA for some time on a full-coverage water block for the new GTX 580. Dubbed the DD-GTX580, the block has a monolithic copper base with black chrome finish on top. Two base finishes are available; mirrored at $146.95 USD, and satin copper at $134.95 USD.

This monster block weighs in at nearly 1500 grams and is designed to cool the GPU, RAM, and VRMs.

No word yet on whether or not a forklift and steel support beams will be necessary to install your newly-upgraded GTX 580.

AMD Shows Radeon Roadmap for Early 2011

There's a Radeon HD 6990 waiting for you in 2011.
Although Nvidia is now wearing the crown for having the fastest DirectX 11 graphics part on the planet, AMD isn't going to sit idly and let the competition keep the lead.
In a recent investor conference, AMD showed what its plans are for the Radeon for the near future.
In early 2011, we'll see the Radeon HD 6990 become the new flagship model for the graphics lineup, as well as new entry-level or value-oriented Turks and Caicos GPUs.

Those on the go will also find new Mobility Radeons from the new Vancouver series, which features codenames from the area in British Columbia.

NVIDIA Delivers World’s Fastest DX11 GPU… Again!

NVIDIA today announced the latest consumer GPU based on the NVIDIA Fermi architecture, the GeForce GTX 580, which has been reengineered from the transistor-level up to deliver increased power efficiency and performance over previous generation products.

The GeForce GTX 580 GPU delivers the world’s fastest performance for DirectX 11 (DX11) games, and support for NVIDIA 3D Vision™, Surround, PhysX , SLI and CUDA™ technologies, further entrenching GeForce-based PCs as the most robust gaming platforms in the world. The combination of an innovative vapor chamber thermal solution and new architectural enhancements make the GTX 580 the fastest and quietest GPU in its class, delivering an increase of up to 35 percent in performance per watt(i), and performance that is up to 30 percent faster than the original GeForce GTX 480(ii).

For the most recent games that feature tessellation — the key feature of DX11 — the 512-core GeForce GTX 580 is up to 160 percent faster(iii) than the closest competitive product. Even in previous-generation DX9 and DX10 games, the GeForce GTX 580 is faster by up to 62 percent(iv), including in the blockbuster PC title StarCraft II.

“For Crysis 2, we’ll take advantage of what NVIDIA’s new GeForce GTX 580 GPUs bring,” said Cevat Yerli, president and CEO of Crytek. “A supersoldier that needs to save NYC from an alien invasion needs the best tech possible. That’s not only his Nanosuit, but also stunning DX11 geometric realism that a GPU like the GeForce GTX 580 can offer for our PC gamers.”

“At Epic, we’ve standardized on NVIDIA GeForce GPUs for Unreal Engine 3 development,” said Tim Sweeney, Founder, Epic Games. “The GTX 580 offers even more rendering and compute power than NVIDIA’s previous high end GeForce GPU but thanks to its new cooling system it’s also much more quiet. Whether you’re an engineer working with the Unreal Technology or a gamer who wants the ultimate Bulletstorm experience, the GTX 580 delivers.”

With full support for NVIDIA 3D Vision and NVIDIA Surround technologies, the GeForce GTX 580 GPU also provides the graphics horsepower and video bandwidth needed to experience games and high-definition Blu-ray movies in eye-popping stereoscopic 3D on a single display or spanning across three screens for an immersive gaming environment. And with NVIDIA SLI™ technology, the industry’s most scalable multi-GPU platform, gamers will be delighted by the sheer increase in gaming performance by adding a second or third GeForce GTX 580 to their PC.

The GeForce GTX 580 is available starting today from the world’s leading add-in card partners, including ASL, ASUS, Colorful, ECS, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, Jetway, Leadtek, MSI, Palit, Point of View, PNY, Sparkle, Zotac and others.

Summary Highlights of New GeForce GTX 580 GPU:

• 512 cores and 16 PolyMorph engines deliver massive tessellation and compute firepower for games
• Hard launch with immediate availability at an estimated SEP of $499 USD.
• Up to 35 percent improvement in performance/watt efficiency
• New vapor chamber thermal solution results in the quietest GPU in its class
• New level of geometric realism — 2 billion triangles/second
• Provides game developers total creative freedom to create cutting-edge DX11 games

Nvidia launches a massive, intuitive new site for GeForce users and gamers alike.

Presently, GeForce users who head over to NVIDIA’s main site get bombarded by everything from Tesla to Quadro to ION.  It is without a doubt a well-designed corporate site but as their product portfolio has increased in both size and complexity, navigation has become a bit difficult.  So to make things a bit easier on what is their largest yet highest maintenance customer base, NVIDIA has designed a new site dedicated to GeForce customers.

Christened GeForce.com, it is frankly one of the slickest websites I have had the pleasure of browsing through and it meshes well with NVIDIA’s current direction.  Not only does it offer the usual drivers and marketing materials one would expect to find but delving a bit deeper uncovers a wealth of information covering everything from game settings, to demo downloads, to benchmark results.



One of the more interesting aspects of this new site is that it brings a real sense of true interactivity to most of its functions.  Searching for drivers is particularly easy since the driver and software download page is the first section available to anyone who browses GeForce.com.

Most of this may sound a lot like a “been there, done that” experience but it is the Optimize section that really gives wings to GeForce.com.  NVIDIA has also implemented a vast knowledge base (that will be expanding as more content is added) which can help gamers tweak games for the best possible results and even give some quick guides explaining certain in-game technologies.  In the Optimize section there is also the option to see maximum playable graphics settings for a number of NVIDIA cards in a large cross section of today’s most popular games.  This could prove to be an invaluable tool for people looking for easy access to some basic benchmark and framerate numbers so an informed purchasing decision can be made.

The Hardware area meanwhile is simply one of the best resources available for everything and anything GeForce related.  Here you can compare the performance of cards against one another in nearly every current PC game, read reviews, and download product pictures.  This is also where you will find the usual long lists for tech specs and features.

There are of course other sections like a Games & Apps area where the latest demos and trailers can be downloaded and a revamped forum.  The download section in particular is a great addition but we’re hoping that it get fleshed out in the future with a few more game demos and benchmarks as they become more widely available.



With this news article, we have only begun to scratch the surface of what GeForce.com currently offers and what it will likely feature as it matures.  Remember, it is still in its infancy but what it currently offers is impressive to say the least.   It’s quite obvious that NVIDIA has put a ton of time, effort, resources and thought into the new GeForce.com and they should be commended for it.  This is envisioned as an ever-evolving site that will continue featuring the best of what gamers are looking for in an easy to navigate page format and that is quite a lofty goal considering how quickly the gaming market changes.   Nonetheless, we wish them all the best because this could become an excellent resource for all gamers and not only NVIDIA’s customers.

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Patriot Memory Extends Viper Xtreme Series of High-Performance DDR3 Modules

Patriot Memory today expanded the product lineup of their recently announced Viper Xtreme Series of DDR3 memory solutions. New Sector 7 (tri-channel) kits are available in 12GB and 6GB capacities with speeds of 2000MHz and 1600MHz. New Sector 5 (dual-channel) kits are available in 8GB and 4GB capacities with 1600MHz speed. The Viper Xtreme Series of products utilize a custom developed aluminum and copper heat shield to achieve improved cooling and stability.

Patriot Viper Xtreme Series modules have a custom designed heatshield with a hefty copper insert (6 grams) across the DRAM chips and a slim profile extruded anodized aluminum outer piece. This unique design offers enhanced thermal performance in heat dissipation over aluminum based heatshields. Viper Xtreme modules pass a thorough qualification and screening process on multiple high-performance motherboards to ensure performance and reliability for overclocking. These modules are targeted and designed specifically for performance enthusiasts and overclockers looking for an edge in benchmark efforts and to push the boundaries of computing performance.

“Today we introduce new speeds and capacities to our flagship heatshield design”, says Les Henry, Patriot’s VP of Engineering. “Now enthusiasts using either the Intel P55 or X58 platforms have a variety of options in terms of capacity and speeds with our new high performance heatshield design. Our Viper Xtreme Series showcases our expertise in developing and delivering performance solutions for the enthusiast market.”

Product Description                                        Viper Xtreme 12GB (3 x 4GB)  2000MHz DDR3 memory kit   Model #PX7312G2000ELK Timings:9-10-9-27 Viper Xtreme 12GB (3 x 4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 memory kit              Model #PX7312G1600LLK  Timings:7-9-7-21 Viper Xtreme 6GB (3 x 2GB) 2000MHz DDR3 memory kit      Model #PX736G2000ELK   Timings:9-10-9-27 Viper Xtreme 6GB (3 x 2GB) 1600MHz DDR3 memory kit      Model #PX736G1600LLK  Timings:8-8-8-24 Viper Xtreme 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600MHzDDR3 memory kit       Model #PX538G1600LLK   Timings:7-9-7-21 Viper Xtreme 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1600MHz DDR3 memory kit      Model #PX534G1600LLK   Timings:8-8-8-24

Dell Staff Get Win Phone 7 to Ditch BlackBerrys

Microsoft made headlines back in July when it gave out over 90,000 Windows Phone 7 phones to its staff. Now it looks like Dell is taking a leaf out of Redmond's book while supporting its own product at the same time.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dell has revealed plans to move its 25,000 employees over to its own line of smartphones, giving them all Windows Phone 7-equipped Venue Pros in exchange for handing in their BlackBerrys.
CFO Brian Gladden said the company would be working with T-Mobile to hash out a deal that would allow Dell to purchase minutes and data in bulk rather than buying individual plans for employees. Unused data and minutes would carryover, and the switch itself would eliminate the need for BlackBerry servers, saving Dell 25 percent in mobile communication costs.
Though this obviously shows Dell's confidence in its own product, the company also has plans to aggressively market a service to help other companies make the same switch. No doubt Dell plans to use its own experiences as an example of how great things could turn out. There is one problem, however. With Dell handing out 25,000 Venue Pros (the company will also offer employees Dell-brand Android phones in the future), there's going to be 25,000 BlackBerrys lying in a heap in Dell's office. Dell doesn't seem to be quite sure how it's going to get rid of the phones yet, but the company's definitely been brainstorming to come up with a solution.
"We actually had a conversation last night around creating a site on eBay where we can actually sell these BlackBerry devices, Mr. Gladden told the Wall Street Journal.

Google Instant Search Availble On-The-Go

Google Instant search comes to iPhone and Android mobile devices

Google Instant, a search feature desktop users have enjoyed since Sept., is now available in beta form on iOS 4 and Android 2.2 Froyo devices. Google searchers can point their mobile browser to www.google.com to turn on the Google Instant to let Google instantly present the first predicted search results. Users expecting Google Instant access from the search function integrated into the operating system will be disappointed.

“With Google Instant on mobile, we’re pushing the limits of mobile browsers and wireless networks. You will probably notice a big improvement in speed when you search thanks to a new AJAX and HTML5 implementation for mobile that dynamically updates the page with new results and eliminates the need to load a new page for each query,” posted by Google Software Engineer Steve Kanefsky, on the Official Google Blog.

Unfortunately, Google Instant only supports English for users in the U.S. Nevertheless, Google promises support for additional countries and languages in the future.

As with Google Instant on desktops, words Google deemed naughty are blacklisted on your iOS 4 and Android devices too.

LG Now Makes the World's Thinnest Bezel LCD

I could take nine of those.
You've gotta love those multi-monitor set ups that take many LCD screens to make a giant video wall. Be it your home setup of Eyefinity 3 or 6, you want the thinnest bezel possible so that you're not dealing with big, black borders around each display.
If it's the thinnest you want, then LG now has the title for the thinnest bezel with a 37-inch screen with a gap between the panels from just 4 mm left/right 1.5 mm, top/bottom 2.5 mm.
The displays have actually been engineered to stack to create massive screens for commercial use. They'll be on demo next week in Japan in a 3x3 111-inch arrangement as picture above.

Google Invested $3 Million in Cree LED Lightbulbs

Google's investing in bright ideas.
Dean Kamen, the man best known for Segway, was at TEDMED 2010 talking about all sorts of cool things.

The one that's closest to being here today is a new LED lightbulb that features lighting technology created by Cree, and produces 450 lumens from a power draw of just 7 watts. It'll retail for $25 and be sold door-to-door through Kamen's FIRST youth program.
Several hundred thousand of these bulbs are already produced, thanks to Google's support of a $3 million investment. It's not quite the Google Lightbulb, but now we know the search giant wants to help you find your stuff with better lighting.

iPhone 3GS Gets HD Video Recording Hack

Apple didn't want you to have this one, but you can hack it in yourself.

One of the new features that Apple introduced in the iPhone 4 was HD video recording, allowing users to capture 720p video from their handsets. It's a great new feature, but hackers have found a way to enable that feature on the iPhone 3GS.
It seems that iPhone 3GS with its similar CPU and GPU has enough power to pull HD video from the 3 megapixel sensor in the main camera.
Those who have iPhone 3GS and are adventurous enough to jailbreak and dive into the system files can turn on video recording at 1080×800 at 30fps at up to 20Mbps, which is a huge jump over the default 640×480 at 3Mbps.
Check out Redmond Pie for the procedure if you want to get some new tricks from that older iPho

HAPPY HALLOWEEEN!

SO...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Im late because got party to go :D.
I hope u got fun!
i was drunk! :V
U?Home?Party?Somewere? :d Answer me!

Samsung ''Nexus Two'' Gets Its First Hands-on

A mystery source goes hands-on with Samsung's upcoming Nexus Two.
So we've heard rumors that the Nexus Two will be made by Samsung, and we've also heard reports that Motorola will produce the device. Considering Samsung already has an Android event planned for November 8, we were more inclined to believe the Samsung reports, and it looks like our inclinations were correct.

Gizmodo reports that the Samsung Nexus Two is real and says they've spoken to someone who got a hands-on with the device. The Nexus Two is said to be quite similar to the Galaxy S and though tapering around the edges makes it feel slimmer, Gizmodo's source says it's probably the same thickness.
Specswise, this person didn't get much details but he or she believes they saw a 4-inch AMOLED display on a slightly curved body with a front-facing camera. Though the device appeared to be running a stock version of Android, the front-facing camera could be indicative of Gingerbread, considering video chat is one of the features being talked about. Still, it's also possible that the Nexus Two may launch with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Google will release a Gingerbead update once 2.3 is finished.
There's just over a week until Samsung's event so I guess we'll know for sure one way or another on the 8th. In the mean time, check out the full details of the Gizmodo source's hands-on.
*Image is a mockup by Gizmodo

PSP2 Will Pack More Horses Than Xbox 360

Sony's rumored PSP2 will supposedly pack more horses and RAM than Microsoft's Xbox 360 stable.

As if to completely annihilate any theories that the PSP2 and PlayStation Phone could be the same device, new rumors have surfaced indicating that the PSP2 will pack more  processing power than Microsoft's current Xbox 360.

There's good reason why the PSP2 is a hot topic--it could pose as a serious threat to Apple's iOS platform. As reported Thursday, the PSP platform is backed by Sony's PlayStation Network service offering games, movies, and television shows. The only thing it lacks is music, productive apps, and a device that can access the store anywhere.
Friday's rumors surrounding the PSP2 centers on three factors--that it won't feature a UMD drive (even though Sony said it wasn't abandoning the format), the device's alleged codename "Veta," and hardware specs that will supposedly rival the Xbox 360 console in terms of pure processing.
As a comparison, the PSPgo and PSP 3000 use a MIPS R4000 CPU clocked up to 333 MHz and a mere 64 MB of RAM. The Xbox 360 features a 3.2 GHz CPU and 512 MB of RAM. The upcoming PSP 2 handheld will supposedly feature 1 GB of RAM-- that's just insane when compared to the previous model's specs.
Right now Sony is supposedly deciding over how PSP2 owners will store games. Without a UMD drive, the install load should be massive at best-- single layer UMD discs contain 900 MB whereas the dual layer discs contain 1.8 GB. New PSP2 games should require significantly more storage space, possibly around 5 GB or more (that's a guess). There also needs to be room for movies, TV shows, digital comics and whatever else Sony plans to throw on the PlayStation Network.
Could the PSP2 and PlayStation Phone still be the same device? At this point it's still possible. The phone is slated to feature a 1 GHz Qualcomm CP

Publish Post

U, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of internal storage, and an HD-capable screen ranging from 3.7 to 4.1-inches. The lack of a UMD actually works in this theory's favor, however the CPU aspect just doesn't pan out, especially if the new Sony unit will surpass the Xbox 360.
Then again, there are reports that two form factors were shown during the Tokyo Game Show. Perhaps Sony plans to offer two versions with the same base smartphone features--one that plays the new PSP2 games (long form factor) and one that doesn't (slide-out form factor), offering only "minis" on the gaming side.
Still, if the PSP2/PSPhone device is more powerful than the Xbox 360, wouldn't that diminish the value of Sony's other platform, the PlayStation 3? Where's Mystery, Inc. when we need them? Jinkies!

Happy 10th Birthday, PlayStation 2

You're a classic, PS2.

Sony has always boasted that its PlayStation 2 had a 10-year lifespan. This was a bold statement when consoles typically hang around for five years before fading into obsolesce.

The PlayStation 2 hit North American stores in October of 2000.
A decade later, the PlayStation 2 still on store shelves in a very slim form factor for $99. It still has one of the best game libraries, which cater to more than 140 million of them around the world today.
Then tell us what your top 3 favorite PS2 games are in the comments below!

Google Staff Can Get Laundry Done for Them

Google was just named the number one place to work in America, and really, is it any wonder when they have people cleaning employees' apartments and doing laundry?

Between 20 percent time projects, fantastic cafeterias and scooters to get around the building, it's easy to see why the work environment at Google is envied by many. And, if you thought you were green with envy before, how about we turn you into a green-eyed monster with this next one? Google has teamed up with TaskRabbit, an online service that brokers odd jobs in selected major cities around the country, to do employees' chores outside the office. Tasks they'll do range from assembling IKEA furniture, doing your laundry and walking your dog. Having someone do your odd jobs couldn't be easier. You just pick a task and state how much you're willing to pay to have it done. Then, one of TaskRabbits 'runners' accepts the job, and you pay once they're finished. Easy-peasy!
However handy this service may be for individuals, Gawker reports that Google is using it in a whole new way: as a perk for employees. Yes, the search giant is apparently awarding staff TaskRabbit credits. Founder Leah Busque spoke to Gawker and while she didn't go into details (such as how much Google is paying for jobs), she did confirm that they have a partnership with Google to provide staff with this perk and said Google isn't alone in offering this service to employees.
"We are working with other companies to roll out the deal to their employees as well," Busque told Gawker. "The perks are obvious - employees get the extra help they need and some work life balance, while companies get happy and loyal employees that are more focused on their work (without the stresses of the 'little' stuff)."
And I thought I had it good because working from home means I can do laundry at lunch. Guess I'll just have to console myself by napping at lunchtime instead.

Desk Lamp Fashioned from Old Pipes

It's time to shed some light on your indoor plumbing.
Some things just don't warrant recycling. Old metal pipes come to mind. Sure, they can get melted down for scrap, but that's a bit too much effort just to minimize landfill space. One artist has come up with a solution: fashion the pipes into something else entirely. In this case, he used them to bring a little light into this world.

The lamp pictured here is a part of a series of light fixtures constructed entirely out of old metal pipe. The use of indoor plumbing gives it a rather unique industrial look. Sadly, aside from these marvelous looking pictures, there's little else to tell. The artist hasn't put up any of these creations for purchase. Hopefully we can get more information down the (what else?) pipeline.

Razer Says It Has ''World's First' MMO Keyboard

It's a keyboard designed with MMO gamers in mind.

Tuesday Razer revealed the "world's first" MMO gaming keyboard called the Razer Anansi. The company said that the new keyboard shares the same design philosophy as its Naga gaming mice line, cramming a load of MMO-specific functions and features into the peripheral including dedicated thumb modifier keys and macro capabilities.
Obviously this isn't be your typical PC keyboard, offering gamers over one hundred programmable "Hyperesponse" keys with on-the-fly macro recording. Seven thumb modifier keys allow users to perform seven times more commands and abilities than the current twelve ability keys assigned to the average keyboard. Users can even store up to twenty profiles and shift through them using a one-button profile switch.
"The Razer Anansi gaming keyboard is the new weapon of choice for MMO gamers," said Robert "RazerGuy" Krakoff, president, Razer USA. "Let's face it, the regular keyboard that came with your PC was designed and built for typing, not for MMO gaming. With its revolutionary seven thumb modifier keys, every key combination that you had before is now multiplied by seven times. The Razer Anansi allows you to use every spell, ability or custom macro in your arsenal--both instantly and in complete comfort."
Razer's Anansi sports other features including sixteen million color backlight illumination, five additional gaming keys, an option to deactivate the Windows key, minimized ghosting and more. The keyboard was also designed to be used seamlessly with the twelve-button mouse keypad on the Razer Naga and Naga Epic MMO gaming mice.
The Razer Anansi is expected to go retail in December for $99.99 here in the States and euro $99.99 over in Europe.

Looks Sick!

Seagate Says Future is Hybrid HDD, Not Pure SSD

Seagate's placing bets that people still want big, capacious HDDs, not just pure SSD speed.

When Steve Jobs debuted the new MacBook Air laptops last week, he said that the new products were what Apple felt were the future of the notebook. Likely he meant that laptops would be shipping with SSD rather than HDD storage.
We love SSDs and we think that they're quite at home inside mobile computing devices, but Seagate doesn't see the industry moving to full solid-state storage.
During a Seagate conference call, CEO Steve Luczo, said that he doesn't see SSDs as being the future. While that sounds funny coming from the leader of a storage company, remember that Seagate isn't heavily invested in SSD technology as some other companies who have feet deep in flash memory.
Luzco also said that he owns a previous-generation MacBook Air with an SSD, but he's frustrated at the lack of storage capacity inside the machine.
Check out the Seeking Alpha transcript for the full call.

Well look, I mean obviously Steve sits in a position that only Steve sits in, in terms of the offering that they provide to their customers and its obviously pretty [compelling]. I would say though that from what we know of the offering for example Apple, the percentage of their units that they sell with SSDs versus HDDs is a tiny fraction. I think it’s under 3%, certainly under 5%. Obviously this isn’t the first product that they’ve had. I have an Air book with an SSD unit that I’ve had for I guess a year and half now. And I think, there are certain things that are certainly very nice about it. And other things that are little bit frustrating and a little bit frustrating parts are the cost and the lack of capacity.
I spend a lot of time cleaning out files so I can make room for not a lot of content to be honest with you. I think are there some users that can operate net environment and be happy, I think the answer is yes but I think as Seagate introduced hybrid drive last quarter, you get basically the features and function of SSD at more like disc drive cost and capacity. And in fact with the additional layer of cashing we believe that, downstream from a product perspective there will be performance advantages to SSD whether or not that has to do with instant on or application load or what a load looks like year or two after you, you have your product versus that day you buy it.
I can tell you that my SSD drive takes about 25, 30 seconds to boot now versus the 12 seconds when I bought it. And that’s just an issue more related to OS than it is specifically to the technology but again with the hybrid there is things that you can do it alleviate that so your boot times are actually as compelling one and two, three and four years down the road.
So I think that’s where mainstream notebook computing is going if that’s what your question is no I don’t, do I think that Apple will be [successful] with that product absolutely, because Apple is successful with all their products. And so it’s a very compelling company and a compelling value proposition within their value chain. But again we just view it as more devices that are computing in eating data and if they’re low capacity on the edge that means they need a lot of storage pipe and down close to the edge and whether not that’s in a mash box or code in the cloud or in a local cloud. Those are all markets that we serve. So the more that people do creative things with computers and devices were all four and Steve certainly at the forefront of that.

I Think this disk have too small SSD capacity...U?

Firefox Add-On Can Hijack Facebook, Twitter

A freelance software developer has created a Firefox plug-in that allows the user to scan a network and steal cookies for hijacking user accounts.

Monday at the ToorCon 12 security conference, Seattle-based freelance software developer Eric Butler a announced the release of Firesheep,Firefox plug-in that allows a user to scan a Wi-Fi network and hijack another user's access to Twitter, Facebook and many other websites.
According to Butler, the plug-in was created to show how popular websites still leave users exposed despite their "privacy" feature upgrades.
"It's extremely common for websites to protect your password by encrypting the initial login, but surprisingly uncommon for websites to encrypt everything else," he said. "This leaves the cookie (and the user) vulnerable. HTTP session hijacking (sometimes called "sidejacking") is when an attacker gets a hold of a user's cookie, allowing them to do anything the user can do on a particular website. On an open wireless network, cookies are basically shouted through the air, making these attacks extremely easy."
Butler suggested that it was pointless to roll out new privacy features when someone can take over the account by accessing cookies. He said that the only real way to resolve the issue is for Facebook and other sites to offer full end-to-end encryption via HTTPS or SSL. "When it comes to user privacy, SSL is the elephant in the room," he added.
Firesheep appears frighteningly simple. After the initial installation, users will see a new sidebar in the Firefox browser located to the left. This area provides a "Start Capturing" button they can press after connecting to an open network. Once another unsuspecting network user accesses a known insecure website, the plug-in will display their name and photo under the button. The Firesheep user can then click on the name and log onto their account.
Currently Firesheep can be downloaded here for Windows and OS X, however Windows users will need to install WinPcap first.
Tuesday Butler said that Firesheep had become the #10 trending search on Google in the U.S. The plug-in has also been downloaded 129,000 over the past twenty-four hours and has become one of the “Top Tweets” on Twitter. "I’ve received a ton of great messages from people who are happy that this issue has finally received widespread attention, so after day one I’m happy with the result," he said.

Google Snooped Emails & Passwords From Cars

They got away with more than just a view of your street.
Canadian privacy watchdogs last week confirmed that Google had stopped collecting wireless data in its Street View cars. The issue was of much debate as the cars were previously sponges for wireless data.
While Google is no longer tapping into wireless signals, the company admitted that the information collected was more detailed that originally thought. Google wrote in a blog post that it had also collected entire emails, URLs, and even passwords that were flying around the Wi-Fi networks.
Alan Eustace, Senior VP, Engineering & Research at Google wrote:

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to update one point in my May blog post. When I wrote it, no one inside Google had analyzed in detail the data we had mistakenly collected, so we did not know for sure what the disks contained. Since then a number of external regulators have inspected the data as part of their investigations (seven of which have now been concluded). It’s clear from those inspections that while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords. We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and I would like to apologize again for the fact that we collected it in the first place. We are mortified by what happened, but confident that these changes to our processes and structure will significantly improve our internal privacy and security practices for the benefit of all our users.

This admission could have privacy folks even more skeptical of what happens at Google.
"We work hard at Google to earn your trust, and we’re acutely aware that we failed badly here," Eustace said.

All Apple Products Forbidden in Bill Gates' Family

All Apples are bad Apples, according to the Gates family.

Even though Bill Gates is no longer the CEO of Microsoft, he and his family are still attached to the legacy of products that he helped bring to the market are the company that he founded.
One of Bill's new focuses is with his wife in work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The New York Times had a chance to briefly talk with Melinda Gates, and one of the topics she was asked about was whether or not Apple products exist inside the Gates' household. In a word, the answer is a stern "No." Here's the entire exchange:

Do you own an iPod, which is made by Apple?
No, I have a Zune.
What if one of your children says, “Mom, I have to have an iPod?”
I have gotten that argument — “You may have a Zune.”
Do you have an iPad?
Of course not.
Is it true that Bill works on an Apple laptop?
False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep.
Isn’t there room in this world for both Apple and Microsoft?
Microsoft certainly makes products for the Macintosh. Go talk to Bill.

We don't expect there to be any Windows PC products inside Steve Jobs' home, so this isn't all that surprising.

12-Year-Old Hunts Firefox Flaw, Gets $3,000

This is way better than mowing lawns.

When most of us were 12, we'd be doing small manual labor jobs for some spare cash. Maybe it was mowing the lawn or shovelling snow, but seventh-grader Alex Miller isn't your typical 12-year-old.
He's just taken a check from Mozilla for $3,000 after collecting one of the bug bounties. Miller found a security flaw in Firefox that Mozilla deemed valuable enough to reward with a $3,000 bounty – a sum that's up from the previous amount of $500. (Mozilla said that it has increased the bounty amount to reflect the change in the economy… but I'm still waiting for my salary to go up six-fold.)
Alex found the bug and sent in a report to Mozilla, but that wasn't enough to qualify for the money. He had to dig deeper. So, he spent 90 minutes a day for 10 days until he found the bug in the memory.
The 12-year-old said that he was "really, really, really, really, really happy," when the check came in.
His first use of his money? It was a donation of $100 to his neighbor's nonprofit organization of Unconditional Love Animal Rescue.

Nvidia Releases 3DTV Play Software

Now consumers can connect their 3D Vision-ready desktops and laptops to a 3DTV.
Nvidia Announced Thoursday that its Nvidia 3DTV Play software is now available for Nvidia 3D Vision-enabled desktops and notebooks. The software will allow users to connect their rigs to HDMI 1.4 3D HDTVs "for the ultimate high-definition, big-screen entertainment experience."

The software can be acquired in a variety ways—as a free upgrade to current Nvidia 3D Vision PCs via the latest Release 260 GeForce desktop drivers and Release 260 Verde Notebooks drivers, and as part of pre-configured PCs and notebooks including models from Dell, ASRock, Zotec and more. Consumers can also purchase the software in November as an upgrade for existing PCs with GeForce GPUs and windows7.
"3D Games, video and photos on a big screen 3D HDTV is an amazing experience," said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at NVIDIA. "GeForce PCs with 3DTV Play software enable users to play nearly 500 games on a 3D TV. That's far more than any other platform."
In addition to native HDMI 1.4 support, Nvidia’s software package is compatible with 3D glasses from all major TV manufacturers. "With the addition of compatible playback software and A/V receivers,
Nvidia Fermi architecture-based GeForce GPUs users can experience HD 24-bit multi-channel audio at up to 192 KHz, or lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio bit streaming," the company added.
Nvidia has uploaded a list of 3D HDTVs and A/V receivers that are compatible with the new Nvidia 3DTV Play software which can be accessed here. Additionally, Dell announced ane family of XPS DELL LAPTOPS that come bundled with Nvidia’s software, allowing owners to watch 3D Blu-ray movies, play 3D games, and browse 3D photos and more by connecting to a 3D HDTV.

Microsoft Making New PC Games DL Marketplace

A Steam competitor?
                                                
For PC gamers, the most popular way to buy games digitally is through Steam. And where there's action, Microsoft wants to be there.
Microsoft today announced the overhaul of Games for Windows Marketplace, which will have Games on Demand online distribution. Launching Nov. 15, the Games for Windows Marketplace will sell

PC games,and like the Xbox Live Marketplace, will have recurring specials such as Deal of the Week.
"With Games for Windows Marketplace, we set out to create a digital store built for PC gamers end-to-end," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director, PC and Mobile Gaming, at Microsoft. "And by integrating with our existing Xbox Live and Windows Live services, we've made it easier than ever for millions of gamers to see for themselves how easy buying PC games can be."
Logging into Games for Windows Marketplace requires any form of Windows Live ID, such as Windows Live, Xbox Live, Games for Windows – LIVE or Zune account. The new store also supports Microsoft Points, as well as credit card purchasing.

2,500,000 PlayStation Moves Sold Already

PlayStation Move may look a bit strange, but looks aren't everything and it seems people are flocking to stores to buy the device.


                         
Sony's motion-sensing peripheral was launched a little over a month ago, on September 19, and in the month since launch, the company has sold one million units in the Americas. Reuters cites Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, as saying the company does not expect to have the supply to meet demand until February 2011.
"We had to go back and increase production twice, we're absolutely maxed out right now," he said.
However, Move isn't just selling well in the United States and Latin America. No, European gamers are loving it too. According to Reuters, the first month of sales saw 1.5 million units shifted in Europe.
We were never really that impressed by Move, but it seems Microsoft will have its work cut out when it comes to selling Kinect for Xbox 360. The Kinect launch is scheduled for November 4 and Reuters reports that Redmond hopes to sell 3 million before they ring in the new year. This means Microsoft needs to see Kinect sell as fast as Sony is selling the Move to meet its target.
Did you buy Move? Or are you holding out for Microsoft's Kinect? Let us know in the comments below!

Nintendo Sees Red for 25th Anniversary Consoles

Red consoles should be the standard color.
It's the 25^th anniversary of Nintendo's entry into the North American market, and the video game company wants you to see red.
Launching next month are red-colored versions of the Wii and DSi XL, and we'd have to say that they look pretty spiffy.

The Red Wii Bundle celebrates the 25^th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports and a red Nunchuk controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of $199.99.

For portable gamers looking for the biggest DS they can get, there will be a Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle that's branded with iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart DS and will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of $179.99.
Nintendo also announced that the new Wii Remote Plus with built in MotionPlus will be available from now on in all Wii hardware packages and bundles, as well as sold separately at a suggested retail price of $39.99. Nintendo will also have a bundle for the new Wiimote as well, packing in FlingSmash for $10 more to a price of $49.99.

Android 3.0 Sample Tablets Available by Dec. '10

If these rumors are to be believed Android 3.0 is all but finished and we'll see tablets running the OS at the beginning of January.
We already know that Android 3.0, AKA Gingerbread, is supposed to hit before the year is out, but other than that, we don't know much else. This week Phandroid changed all that, revealing that users can expect built-in support for video calling; increased speed; a cleaner, greener (in color) UI; improvements to Google Apps, which should make them feel more like an extension of the OS rather than just apps; and the Google Voice app is getting SIP support so you can receive calls to your Google Voice number over WiFi and cellular data.

That all sounds very wonderful, but Phandroid's sources gave no indication as to when we would actually see Gingerbread. However, Digitimes seems to believe Gingerbread samples will hit by December.
The Taiwan-based site today cites sources from notebook vendors who say Google has notified its partners that Android 3.0 will be finished and engineer sample tablets will show up in December. It's with this time frame in mind that several major electronicsmanufacturers are planning to launch their Android 3.0 tablets at CES 2011, in January. According to Digitimes we'll see Android 3.0 devices from Acer, Asus, MSI, HTC and Motorola. Also expected to make an appearance is an Android 3.0-updated Galaxy Tab from Samsung.
That's all they had to say about Android 3.0, but they also mentioned that Android 4.0 (Ice Cream) would hit in the second half of 2011, something we didn’t know before. Digitimes sources say they think the OS will be able to gradually increase its marketshare in the tablet market once Android 3.0 is launched.