News Archive for 07/12/24

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CardRaider 2 restores data from camera memory cards

12/24, 7:05pm

CardRaider 2 for digicams

Ecamm Network today unveiled CardRaider 2.0, an update to its utility for recovering data from digital camera memory cards, adding the ability to restore movie data as well as photos. The application is designed to retrieve images and movies that were either accidentally deleted or lost, and features a one-click scan and recover mode. Once the data has been recovered, it can be directly sent to iPhoto. The update is available for free to existing users, while new copies of the software are available for $20, with a free demo located on Ecamm's website.

Apple files anti-piracy DRM patent

12/24, 6:25pm

Apple files DRM patent

After many years of having its software not subject to copy protection or digital rights management, Apple may be looking to correct this with a new patent application entitled "Run-Time Code Injection To Perform Checks". PC World reports that the patent, dated December 13th, would be some sort of digital rights management system that would "restrict execution of that application to specific hardware platforms." Apple notes that some users that are proficient at circumventing protection methods could easily bypass dongles or encrypting software if it is worth enough to them, so Apple's approach relies on hardware-embedded cryptographic key mechanism that would inject bits of code into the application's execution stream, generating data that compares the digitally signed code with the DRM module.

Enhance unveils 4/8-drive JBOD/RAID storage

12/24, 5:50pm

Enhance 4/8-drive storage

Enhance Technology has unveiled the new EnhanceBOX E4 MS and E8 MS series external host card (HBA) dependent desktop SAS/SATA storage arrays. The new storage devices offer support for high capacity SAS and SATA I/II 3Gbps hard drives using the latest Mini-SAS SFF-8088 connectivity, and depending on the host cards are configurable as JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) or RAID to sustain data transfer rates of up to 500MB/sec. The EnhanceBOX E4 MS is priced at $375, while the EnhanceBOX E8 MS is available for $650.

Google effect generates billions in economic activity

12/24, 5:35pm

The Google effect

The internet has become a very profitable place to run business, especially since Google's IPO in 2004, when a mass amount of money started flowing through the virtual economy, causing some to coin the term "the Google effect". As Google's stock took off, employees began cashing in options, prompting some to buy luxuries like $15,000 custom bikes, and $650,00 boats. Dispatch.com reports that Mercury News recently unveiled an analysis of company documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that Google generated more than $19 billion from 2004 to 2006, which could have exceeded $50 billion, due to the multiplier effect – every dollar of spending theoretically creates two or three dollars in economic activity.

ActiveTcl 8.5, ActivePerl 5.10.0 (1001) released

12/24, 5:00pm

ActiveTcl, ActivePerl

ActiveState has released ActiveTcl 8.5 and ActivePerl 5.10.0 Build 1001. The latest release of ActiveTcl comes in conjunction with the official release by the Tcl Core Team of version 8.5.0 of the Tcl dynamic language and the Tk GUI toolkit. Tcl (pronounced 'tickle') is a powerful and easy to learn dynamic programming language suitable for a wade array of uses -- from Web and desktop applications to networking and administration. ActiveTcl is available for Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, and Microsoft Windows.

Big Medium 2 brings WYSIWYG CMS to web designers

12/24, 3:25pm

Big Medium 2 CM system

Developer Josh Clark and Global Moxie have unveiled Big Medium 2, a Mac OS X- and UNIX-based web content management system. Big Medium is designed to provide content management features such as version control, workflow, a search engine, content syndication, granular editing privileges, and Unicode support. The software also supports many features for content sites, like pullquotes, image galleries, podcasts, scheduled publication, visitor comments, w WSIWYG CSS style editor, and more. Current Big Medium customers can upgrade to v2.0 for no additional charge, while new users will look to pay $185 per server installation, with a 30-day free trial available as well.

USBFever launches iPod speaker, earphones

12/24, 12:50pm

iPod speaker, earphones

USBFever.com has launched four new iPod accessories ranging from a tiny portable speaker earphones. The company's Fingertip Mini Cube Speaker serves as a tiny sound system that works with all iPod models. The speaker is small enough to hang on a keychain, and features built-in amplification via a Lithium-Ion battery that users recharge via USB. The Fingertip Mini Cube Speaker ($10) offers 0.8W power output, weighs 17 grams, and includes an on/off button.

AMD Phenom processors hit delays

12/24, 12:35pm

Phenom CPU delays

In another setback for AMD, a forthcoming pair of its new Phenom processors have been delayed, sources out of Taiwan indicate. The company had been hoping to ship its quad-core 9700 and 9900 CPUs in early 2008, but these will now purportedly arrive sometime in the second quarter of the year. There is also a possibility the company's triple-core Toliman chip may be delayed, but as of press time, it was still expected to ship on schedule.

Mozilla announces Weave sync service

12/24, 12:10pm

Mozilla Weave sync service

Mozilla, developers of the popular Firefox web browser, have launched a new related service, Weave. Currently available only as a test version associated with the latest Firefox 3 beta, it should allow users to carry history and bookmarks from one computer to another, as well as share the information with select friends and family; users need only create a Weave account to download the add-on and get started. To prevent the natural threat of privacy invasion, Weave accounts are password-protected, and encrypted as a client sends or receives information.

Windows antivirus measures failing?

12/24, 11:50am

Windows Antivirus Failure

The third-party antivirus software for Windows PCs is buckling under the load of advanced security threats, German computer magazine c't reports in its latest issue. A comparison of 17 different antivirus tools show that while a few programs are adept at picking up known trojans viruses, such as AVG and BitDefender, most have seen a degraded ability to recognize malware that does not fit existing patterns. With the exceptions of F-Secure and NOD32, most halved their detection rates of unknown from 40-50 percent in January to just 20-30 percent. This places most Windows PCs at risk of catching a 'wild' virus before the antivirus software firms have a chance to update their signatures to recognize it, c't warns.

Slipper Case, power station headed for iPhone

12/24, 11:20am

iPhone Slipper Case, power

Das Blau has announced a new protective cover for the iPhone and iPod touch, the Slipper Case. A luxury model, the case is made of lambskin leather, and is lined internally with suede, as well as shock-absorbing padding. It also has a belt clip like many of its rivals, but the case is distinguished by the presence of an additional front pocket, which can be used to hold things like earbuds or business cards. Brown and red colors are available, each for $35; the Slipper Case is not shipping online until January 8th, but may appear sooner (or later) at Apple Stores.

Samsung readying 2 new touchscreen phones for 2008?

12/24, 11:10am

Samsung F490 and P720 Leak

Samsung is gearing up for at least two new touchscreen phones early next year, a visitor to a Ukraine press event has noted. The F490 should be a silver version of the Croix that strips out the physical keyboard entirely, relying instead on a virtual keyboard for all its input. It should still preserve the unusually tall 240x432 screen, 5-megapixel camera, and HSDPA access, though whether it will support North American networks at 3G speeds is unknown. The F490 recently appeared in an FCC filing and suggests at least basic support in the US.

UltraStor 16-drive iSCSI storage unveiled

12/24, 10:45am

16-drive iSCSI storage

Enhance Technology has unveiled its next generation UltraStor RS16 IP-4, a rack-mount 3U 16-drive Quad Gigabit iSCSI independent RAID storage system. The new RS16 IP-4 is the latest addition to Enhance's UltraStor RS series family with a built-in 64-bit RAID controller for mission critical applications. Key UltraStor RS16 IP-4 features include Snapshot, N-way Mirror, RAID-6 data protection, automatic background data regeneration, dynamic online volume expansion, and Multi-Path I/O support for Windows workstations & servers (pricing was unavailable).

Notebooks to sport 4GB RAM in early 2008?

12/24, 10:35am

Notebooks with 4GB RAM

Several notebook makers will make 4GB of RAM standard on their systems at the start of the new year, say companies in Taiwan producing the memory in question. A number of "top-tier" system builders, including Dell, HP, and Toshiba, will completely fill out the memory capacity of their portables as the cost of RAM drops to the point where 4GB becomes affordable: by the start of 2008, bulk prices for two 2GB sticks will cost less than $60, the suppliers note. This would account for less than six percent of the cost of a $1,000 portable computer where less memory would have taken up 10 percent of the cost in the past.

iPhone PlayStation emulator goes public

12/24, 10:30am

iPhone PSX emulator public

A PlayStation 1 emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch, whose development was revealed just two weeks ago, is now available in its first public version. The software is installed directly to jailbroken devices, and utilizes images of PS1 discs converted to ISO, IMG, BIN, Z or ZNX formats. Users can also increase the performance of the emulator by installing a specific PlayStation BIOS file, and excuting hidden commands to increase the clock cycle and/or speed of their handhelds.

NVIDIA readies GeForce 9600 GT for February

12/24, 10:05am

GeForce 9600 GT for Feb

NVIDIA will have at least one mid-range video card in the lineup when it releases the GeForce 9-series early next year, says a leak from Expreview. Hosting what is claimed to be a presentation graphic for the launch, the site explains that the graphics card maker will release the GeForce 9600 GT as its first mainstream entry and will be built on the same 65-nanometer manufacturing process as recent cards such as the GeForce 8800 GT; this will keep cooling and power requirements low while allowing a 500MHz core clock speed and an effective 2GHz memory speed.

US Army seeks to integrate Macs

12/24, 9:40am

US Army seeks Macs

The US Army is turning to Macs in face of increasing security threats, reports say. Following Internet attacks on the likes of the Pentagon -- and other members of the military-industrial complex, such as Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman -- the Army has been working to increase its defenses against hackers, and Macs are forming a portion of this because there are said to be far fewer exploits for Mac OS X than there are for Windows. Of the Army's approximately 700,000 desktops and servers, 20,000 are made by Apple.

ASUS rolls out U2 luxury ultraportable

12/24, 9:25am

ASUS U2 Notebook

Preempting the large volume of computers expected next month, ASUS has provided an early look at its U2 subnotebook. The 11-inch ultraportable is built for the same audience as the Sony VAIO TZ and uses exotic materials to add a sense of luxury: the U2 has a leather-bound shell as well as copper etching and a stainless steel frame, according to ASUS. The system is nonetheless as light as 2.8 pounds thanks to a thin, LED-lit LCD and the option of a 32GB solid-state drive that simultaneously improves load times and guards against shock damage.

Nokia prepping N95 8GB with US 3G, N82 8GB?

12/24, 9:00am

Nokia N95 8GB NAM Leak

Nokia is developing both a US-oriented version of the N95 8GB and a version of the N82 with a similar amount of storage, an unintentional leak through the Finnish company's Nseries US portal reveals. Visiting the site with a Nokia phone reveals both "N95 8GB NAM" and "N82 8GB" models, neither of which have been announced by the company. The company has to date only used the NAM label to refer to a North American model of the original N95, which added support for faster HSDPA Internet access on US frequencies as well as extra system memory and a larger battery.

NPD: Media player sales down save for iPod

12/24, 8:35am

NPD on Media Player Sales

Sales of most handheld media players have dropped during the holiday season just as sales for nearly every other consumer electronics category is climbing upwards, according to a new report from The NPD Group. Tracking sales between November 18th and December 9th -- typically regarded the first half of the holiday shopping period -- the research firm noted that the portable media market declined on average by 16 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. The lone exception is the iPod line, NPD says. Though growth is not as strong as for past years, the Apple device is believed to be countering the downward trend. The group has not published figures for iPod sales.