Taps | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 28 May 2012 14:33:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Taps | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Kaspersky discover huge Cyberattack: ‘Flame’ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/kaspersky-discover-huge-cyberattack-flame/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/kaspersky-discover-huge-cyberattack-flame/#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 14:33:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=92619 Kaspersky Labs have uncovered a massive cyber attack codenamed the ‘Flame', which has been operating since 2010. They say it has collected private data from countries such as Israel and Iran. Kaspersky spoke to BBC news this afternoon and they said the malware was ‘state sponsored', but weren't sure of the origins. They said the …

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Kaspersky Labs have uncovered a massive cyber attack codenamed the ‘Flame', which has been operating since 2010. They say it has collected private data from countries such as Israel and Iran.

Kaspersky spoke to BBC news this afternoon and they said the malware was ‘state sponsored', but weren't sure of the origins. They said the Flame was one of the most complex threats ever discovered. The previous targeted malware, called Stuxnet targeted the nuclear infrastructure in Iran.

This new threat is designed to gather a lot of sensitive information, according to Kaspersky's malware expert Vitaly Kamluk.

He said “Once a system is infected, Flame begins a complex set of operations, including sniffing the network traffic, taking screenshots, recording audio conversations, intercepting the keyboard, and so on.”

He claims that more than 600 targets were hit including businesses, academic institutions and government systems and individuals.

It is so serious that the Iranian National Computer Emergency Response Team posted a security alert which said that they believed the Flame was responsible for ‘recent incidents of mass data loss'.

Kamluk from Kaspersky says that the sophistication of the attack would suggest that it has been government backed and likely not the work of independent cybercriminals, although he can't prove it. Yet, anyway.

He said “Currently there are three known classes of players who develop malware and spyware: hacktivists, cybercriminals and nation states.

Flame is not designed to steal money from bank accounts. It is also different from rather simple hack tools and malware used by the hacktivists. So by excluding cybercriminals and hacktivists, we come to conclusion that it most likely belongs to the third group.”

Kitguru says: Another government funded piece of malware code? Imagine all the things we never hear about.

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35GB Max Payne 3 hitting PC platform in a week https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/taps/35gb-max-payne-3-hitting-pc-platform-in-a-week/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/taps/35gb-max-payne-3-hitting-pc-platform-in-a-week/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 08:21:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=92009 The first two Max Payne games were brilliant so we have high hopes that the PC version will recapture of the magic of the original games. The game seems to have been well received on the console platform so far, but we are much more interested in the PC version. Millions of copies have already …

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The first two Max Payne games were brilliant so we have high hopes that the PC version will recapture of the magic of the original games. The game seems to have been well received on the console platform so far, but we are much more interested in the PC version.

Millions of copies have already shipped for the consoles and we would expect the PC starved gamers will be jumping on this from a great height. The good news is we only have another week to wait.

Gamers queuing for Max Payne 3 in Mumbai - image courtesy of MCV

The game is said to ship on four DVD's with a 35 GB minimum storage requirement, according to Italian distributor E-Xpress. We aren't looking forward to this download on Steam and it has to be one of the biggest PC games ever released.

Kitguru says: Will it be worth the wait? we hope so.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook jets into China for PR mission https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/taps/apple-ceo-tim-cook-jets-into-china-for-pr-mission/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/taps/apple-ceo-tim-cook-jets-into-china-for-pr-mission/#respond Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:28:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=84573 Apple CEO Tim Cook has traveled to China to talk with government officials as he tries to clear up a raft of problems in this heavy growth market. Cook has never been to China, since taking over from the late Steve Jobs last year. He is keeping to a guarded agenda that included talks yesterday …

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has traveled to China to talk with government officials as he tries to clear up a raft of problems in this heavy growth market.

Cook has never been to China, since taking over from the late Steve Jobs last year. He is keeping to a guarded agenda that included talks yesterday with Beijing's mayor and a visit to the Apple flagship store in the capital.

Carolyn Wu, China spokeswoman for Apple said “Tim is in China meeting with government officials. China is very important to us and we look forward to even greater investment and growth there.” She declined to give details of his agenda this week, saying only that he would meet government officials on Tuesday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in China flagship store (image Reuters)

Cook was in the store, smiling at photographers and customers who were in the store. Some of these images hit blog sites shortly afterwards, ensuring the visit was well received by Apple fans.

There is no doubt that Cook's visit is to build public relations in one of the quickest growing markets, Apple's most important manufacturing hub and biggest potential market. They are already the biggest mobile market and Apple's second biggest market overall although Samsung are eating into their smartphone dominance lately. They have yet to launch their iPad3 in this market and are dealing with a Chinese firm, Proview over the local rights to the iPad trademark. This could damage sales if the issue isn't resolved soon.

Kitguru says: Tim Cook is a man on a mission. To revitalise Apple in China.

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Microsoft try to take down Zeus Botnets https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/microsoft-try-to-take-down-zeus-botnets/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/microsoft-try-to-take-down-zeus-botnets/#respond Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:24:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=84384 Reports indicate that Microsoft, with an escort of U.S. Marshals seized control of command and control servers on Friday in two states in America. This is an ongoing campaign by Microsoft to take down botnets involving 13 million computers infected with the Zeus Malware. Microsoft announced last night that “some of the worst known Zeus …

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Reports indicate that Microsoft, with an escort of U.S. Marshals seized control of command and control servers on Friday in two states in America. This is an ongoing campaign by Microsoft to take down botnets involving 13 million computers infected with the Zeus Malware.

Microsoft announced last night that “some of the worst known Zeus botnets were disrupted by Microsoft and our partners worldwide.”

They added “In our most complex effort to disrupt botnets to date, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit – in collaboration with Financial Services – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association, as well as Kyrus Tech Inc. – has executed a coordinated global action against some of the worst known cybercrime operations fueling online fraud and identity theft today. With this legal and technical action, a number of the most harmful botnets using the Zeus family of malware worldwide have been disrupted in an unprecedented, proactive cross-industry operation against this cybercriminal organization.”

The court's seizure order said “The United States Marshals and their deputies shall be accompanied by plaintiffs' attorneys and forensic experts a the foregoing described seizure, to assit with identifying, inventorying, taking possession of, and isolating defandants' computer resources, command and control software, and other software components that are seized.”

It also stated that the U.S. Marshalls would hold up to four hours of internet traffic before disconnecting the computers from the internet. Microsoft issued a suit against 39 unnamed defendants with nicknames such as iceIX, Veggi Roma, susanneon, JabberZeus Crew, and h4x0rdz.

We have reported on similar events before as Microsoft try to stamp down on bot attacks. The Zeus Malware is very serious as it can run in the background of an infected computer, logging keystrokes and allowing the hackers to transfer money from bank accounts and engage in identity theft. Taking down the command and control servers is important as they run networks of infected machines which are called ‘botnets'.

Microsoft have already targeted the Waledac, Rustock and Kelihos botnets. Microsoft said “Due to the unique complexity of these particular targets, unlike our prior botnet takedown operations, the goal here was not the permanent shutdown of all impacted targets. Rather, our goal was a strategic disruption of operations to mitigate the threat in order to cause long-term damage to the cybercriminal organization that relies on these botnets for illicit gain.”

Microsoft are taking the matter seriously saying “Zeus is especially dangerous because it is sold in the criminal underground as a crimeware kit, which allows criminals to set up new command and control servers and create their own individual Zeus botnets, These crimeware kits sell for anywhere between $700 to $15,000, depending on the version and features of the kit.”

You can read more about this, here.

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PC market set to grow in Q3/Q4 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/pc-market-set-to-grow-in-q3q4/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/pc-market-set-to-grow-in-q3q4/#respond Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:52:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=83767 The Worldwide PC market is set to experience growth in the latter part of the year, thanks in part to the release of the Windows 8 Operating System. The new Microsoft operating system always fuels PC sales and many system builders are hoping that this is the case later this year. Bob O'Donnell, vice president …

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The Worldwide PC market is set to experience growth in the latter part of the year, thanks in part to the release of the Windows 8 Operating System. The new Microsoft operating system always fuels PC sales and many system builders are hoping that this is the case later this year.

Bob O'Donnell, vice president of Clients and Displays at IDC said in a report published yesterday “Many consumers are holding off making PC purchases at the moment because tablet devices like Apple's iPad are proving to be a powerful distraction.”

He added “However, end user surveys tell us that few people consider media tablets as replacements for their PCs, so later this year when there is a new Microsoft operating system, available in sleek new PC form factors, we believe consumer interest in PCs will begin to rebound.”

Dell are expecting sales to explode when Windows 8 hits the market later this year

IDC are predicting that the PC market worldwide will grow from 353.3 million units in 2011 to 518.3 million by 2016. Much of the growth will come from emerging and developing markets such as the Middle East and Africa.

Bloomberg also published a report yesterday which says that Microsoft are putting the finishing touches to their new operating system in the summer for a Q3 launch.

Jay Chou, senior research analyst in WorldWide PC Tracker said “Windows 8 and ultrabooks are a definitive step in the right direction to recapturing the relevance of the PC, but its promise of meshing a tablet experience in a PC body will likely entail a period of trial and error, thus the market will likely see modest growth in the near term.”

Kitguru says: Will you be an early Windows 8 adopter?

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Big Brother is watching you. ISP’s to spy on USA downloaders https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/taps/big-brother-is-watching-you-isps-to-spy-on-usa-downloaders/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/taps/big-brother-is-watching-you-isps-to-spy-on-usa-downloaders/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:43:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=83203 Things may change for heavy bandwidth net users in America from July 12th. Major Internet providers will start to take action against their customers who are suspected of downloading copyright material. Cary Sherman, the chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) says that by this date the major US ISPs will voluntarily …

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Things may change for heavy bandwidth net users in America from July 12th. Major Internet providers will start to take action against their customers who are suspected of downloading copyright material.

Cary Sherman, the chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) says that by this date the major US ISPs will voluntarily begin to monitor their customers, acting as copyright police for the entertainment industry.

They are launching a ‘six strikes' system, which looks to be one of the most effective anti piracy programs to target the US audience.

Digitaltrends say “The “gradual response” program works like this: ISPs will automatically monitor the Web activity of their customers. If a subscriber is found to be downloading copyrighted content illegally, their ISP will send them an “educational” notice saying such activity has been detected from IP addresses linked to their account. If that customer continues to download content illegally, the ISP will send “confirmation notices” to make sure they received the original notices. If copyright infringing activity continues still, the ISP then reserves the right to throttle Web access speeds, or cut off a subscriber’s Internet access altogether, at least until that user agrees to stop pirating copyrighted material. According to CNet, the ISPs have the option to skip these “mitigation measures,” and none have yet committed to completely cutting Internet access.”

Sherman spoke at a CNET event in New York this week and said “Each ISP has to develop their infrastructure for automating the system.” This will ensure they can “keep track of repeat infringers, so they know that this is the first notice or the third notice. Every ISP has to do it differently depending on the architecture of its particular network. Some are nearing completion and others are a little further from completion.”

Kitguru says: As this will start in America, many countries and worldwide ISP's will be watching the progress for possible implementation. We could however begin to see smaller providers deliberately avoiding the system with the intention of landing new customers unhappy with the monitoring service.

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Anonymous release special ‘fully loaded’ linux operating system https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/taps/anonymous-release-special-fully-loaded-linux-operating-system/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/taps/anonymous-release-special-fully-loaded-linux-operating-system/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:48:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=83172 Anonymous have released a new operating system based around Linux which offers a lot of security and sniffing tools. According to reports, more than 30,000 people have downloaded it already. Interestingly however, this appears to have been created by a few members, and the official Anonymous group are distancing themselves from the release. AnonOps have …

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Anonymous have released a new operating system based around Linux which offers a lot of security and sniffing tools. According to reports, more than 30,000 people have downloaded it already. Interestingly however, this appears to have been created by a few members, and the official Anonymous group are distancing themselves from the release.

AnonOps have posted on their twitter page which says that the release is infected.

The operating system isn't hard to find, anyone can snag it from the Source Forge channel, which hosts a variety of open projects. We would like to add however that we haven't tried this ourselves, so there is a chance it could be risky.

The 1.5GB download is formed around Ubuntu code, a great Linux operating system. In a rather clever move, the coders of the Anonymous version have said ‘not to use it to destroy webpages'. They say it can be used for educational purposes and to check the security of web pages.

AnonOps claim the operating system is infected, but the creators of the OS say that is not true and it contains ‘no viruses'.

The BBC report that Rik Ferguson, director of Trend Micro's European security research said it was a “a functional OS with a bunch of pre-installed tools that can be used for things like looking for [database] vulnerabilities or password cracking.”

Sophos senior researcher Graham Cluley said “Who would want to put their trust in a piece of unknown software written by unknown people on a webpage that they don't know is safe or not?”.

We would argue that many people will take the risk on a secondary box of no importance.

Kitguru says: Is this something you would use?

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Wikileaks release intelligence firm’s emails https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/wikileaks-release-intelligence-firms-emails/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/wikileaks-release-intelligence-firms-emails/#respond Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:57:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=80668 Wikileaks have started to publish more than five million emails from a U.S. based global security analysis company which has been likened to a shadow CIA. These emails have been taken by hackers and sources claim they could ‘unmask sensitive sources and throw light on the murky world of intelligence-gathering by the company known as …

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Wikileaks have started to publish more than five million emails from a U.S. based global security analysis company which has been likened to a shadow CIA. These emails have been taken by hackers and sources claim they could ‘unmask sensitive sources and throw light on the murky world of intelligence-gathering by the company known as Stratfor, which counts Fortune 500 companies among its subscribers.”

Stratfor said that the release of their stolen emails was an effort by the people to silence and intimidate them. Stratfor said they would not be silenced under the leadership of George Friedman, who has not resigned as CEO, contrary to a ‘bogus' email which was circulating online.

The company issued a statement which said that some of the emails being published “may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic.” They added “We will not validate either. Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimized twice by submitting to questioning about them.”

Wikileaks won't say how they got the emails from the company, formally known as Strategic Forecasting Inc.

You can read more on this over here.

Kitguru says: An embarrassing situation for the company, even if they claim that some of the emails are forged.

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Does porn offend you? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/does-porn-offend-you/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/does-porn-offend-you/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:15:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=80517 The subject of porn is a delicate topic for many people. Teenage men may build up a large collection on their computers at home, but for other people it can be extremely offensive. I think the majority of people reading this will feel that there is a time and a place for everything. That said, …

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The subject of porn is a delicate topic for many people. Teenage men may build up a large collection on their computers at home, but for other people it can be extremely offensive.

I think the majority of people reading this will feel that there is a time and a place for everything. That said, how would you feel if you walked into a local electronics store and saw someone watching a pornographic movie or viewing explicit images in view of everyone?

This is a situation that faced customers in Best Buy. The company have even had to issue an apology for an incident which was witnessed by the public, including children. Best Buy in Greenville, US was the center of the incident.

According to reports, two people accessed the stores wireless signal to broadcast the explicit images on a ‘smart television display'.

One customer said “It was extremely, extremely pornographic image, I think even the word ‘pornographic' doesn't cover it.  I have never watched pornography, so I don't know what else you can see there, but to me, I really felt extremely violated.”

It took the management several minutes to take down the picture. We wonder why they couldn't just have pressed the ‘power' button? A family has filed a complaint with police for ‘dissemination of pornographic material.'

It leads us into a broader question however. Are people generally becoming desensitized when viewing sexually explicit imagery?

David Duchovny: star of Californication. considered 'bad taste' by many religious groups.

Religious groups are taking matters into their own hands, if you can excuse the pun. American television shows such as Californication staring David Duchovny (of X-Files fame), which often features sexually detailed dialogue and nudity is constantly under attack from religious groups who find the subject matter offensive. The show has featured sex with under age women, defecation on a car and death via asphyxiation during masturbation. The list is endless.

Where should the line be drawn? Should we expect more nudity on television and in mainstream life? Will there ever be a time when a sales executive in Curry's or Dixons can highlight the quality of a television's ‘skin tones' via explicit high definition video content to customers?

Kitguru says: Share your views with us!

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Angry Birds launching on Facebook on Valentines Day https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/taps/angry-birds-launching-on-facebook-on-valentines-day/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/taps/angry-birds-launching-on-facebook-on-valentines-day/#respond Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:48:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=76419 The Facebook version of Angry Birds is due for release on Facebook this Valentines Day, February 14th. In the past you may have taken your better half to the movies or to the theater, but now a romantic pairing of Angry Birds on Facebook is the way to celebrate your love. Rovio released a trailer …

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The Facebook version of Angry Birds is due for release on Facebook this Valentines Day, February 14th.

In the past you may have taken your better half to the movies or to the theater, but now a romantic pairing of Angry Birds on Facebook is the way to celebrate your love.

Rovio released a trailer which we have attached to this page. They are hinting that the game won't be exactly the same as the mobile versions. Rovio CEO Mikael Hed has said that the game will have new elements and a more ‘collaborative' feeling. It will also focus a little more on the pigs, whatever that means.

This physics based game has generated a huge amount of cash for Rovio, with a version available on almost every mobile device available today. Rovio CMO Peter Vesterbacka has said that the company is now worth $1.2 billion. The Facebook release is sure to target an even wider audience of gamers.

Kitguru says: Is this something you will be playing on Facebook, or are you finally sick of Angry Birds?

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Sony reveal new camera sensor which may be used in iPhone 5 https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/taps/sony-reveal-new-camera-sensor-which-may-be-used-in-iphone-5/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/taps/sony-reveal-new-camera-sensor-which-may-be-used-in-iphone-5/#respond Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:58:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=75390 Very few launches are being hyped as much as the upcoming iPhone from Apple. It would appear that they are working with Sony to release a stunning new camera sensor which could improve images in both bright and low light conditions. These new sensors promise faster response times, lower power consumption and 8 to 13 …

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Very few launches are being hyped as much as the upcoming iPhone from Apple. It would appear that they are working with Sony to release a stunning new camera sensor which could improve images in both bright and low light conditions. These new sensors promise faster response times, lower power consumption and 8 to 13 megapixel versions.

The new sensors feature ‘High Dynamic Range (HDR) Movie' capabilities and ‘RGBW Coding' options. The iPhone 4S features an 8 MP Sony sensor, so the improvements for the upcoming iPhone would be very beneficial for the customer base.

The RGB sensor which comprises Red-Green and Blue, adds white pixels to the configuration which improves the sensors light sensitivity.

Image courtesy of Sony.

This would mean much improved low light shooting as shown above. The details on the table for instance are much improved when compared to the older sensor. It may help ‘camera shake' under normal conditions too.

The addition of HDR movie mode is interesting. This technique is shown in the video above, and it is set to improve washed out highlights in a normal video when set against bright light in the background. It will also improve shadow detail in dark sections of image. The sensor works real time to adjust the balance of contrast. Sony say “setting two different exposure conditions within a single screen shooting and conducts the appropriate signal processing for the captured information under each optimal exposure condition.”

Kitguru says: Could this be the first phone with decent camera abilities? We will believe it when we see it.

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AMD sued by Quanta over heat related chip issues https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/amd-sued-by-quanta-over-heat-related-chip-issues/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/amd-sued-by-quanta-over-heat-related-chip-issues/#respond Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:05:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=72588 Quanta have filed a lawsuit against AMD in a California court due to claims of using faulty processors in some computers. AMD are disputing these claims. A news report by Bloomberg highlights that Quanta have accused AMD of selling chips that can not tolerate specific heat levels, making them unusable in some NEC laptops manufactured …

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Quanta have filed a lawsuit against AMD in a California court due to claims of using faulty processors in some computers. AMD are disputing these claims.

A news report by Bloomberg highlights that Quanta have accused AMD of selling chips that can not tolerate specific heat levels, making them unusable in some NEC laptops manufactured by Quanta. The problems have caused some machines to malfunction.

AMD spokesman Michael Silverman has said that the company have not been served with the complaint yet, but said that the allegations are without merit.

He said in an email “AMD is aware of no other customer reports of the alleged issues with the AMD chip that Quanta used, which AMD no longer sells. Quanta has itself acknowledged to AMD that it used the identical chip in large volumes in a different computer platform that it manufactured for NEC without such issues.

According to Bloomberg, the lawsuit also claims breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, civil fraud and interference with a contract.

Quanta also make notebooks for Dell, Acer and Hewlett Packard.

Kitguru says: AMD deny the claims, which seem quite serious.

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Amazon preparing update to improve Kindle Fire performance https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/taps/amazon-preparing-software-update-to-improve-kindle-fire-performance/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/taps/amazon-preparing-software-update-to-improve-kindle-fire-performance/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:19:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=70160 Amazon's Kindle Fire has been a huge success so far, thanks to the low cost and high standard of online store support. That said, many reviewers and consumers have been complaining about the lackluster performance. Amazon have taken the criticism on board and have announced they will release a software update shortly to address some …

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Amazon's Kindle Fire has been a huge success so far, thanks to the low cost and high standard of online store support. That said, many reviewers and consumers have been complaining about the lackluster performance.

Amazon have taken the criticism on board and have announced they will release a software update shortly to address some of the problems.

The New York Times were rather damning with their criticism saying that it lacked volume control buttons and very long load times for webpages. They also mentioned the poor placement of the off switch and that the device lacks privacy protection on a software level. Other publications have said that the Kindle Fire lacks parental controls, which is a concern for parents who want to block pornography from view.

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen was also very negative, giving the device an extremely poor user experience rating. He said “The most striking observation from testing the Fire is that everything is much too small on the screen, leading to frequent tap errors and accidental activation. You haven't seen the fat-finger problem in its full glory until you've watched users struggle to touch things on the Fire. One poor guy spent several minutes trying to log in to Facebook, but was repeatedly foiled by accidentally touching the wrong field or button — this on a page with only 2 text fields and 1 button.”

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

Amazon said they are aware of complaints and will release the ‘over the air' update within the next couple of weeks, probably in time for the Christmas holidays. This update will give performance enhancements and multitouch navigation. They are also added better privacy support, allowing users to edit the recent activity list.

Amazon have yet to supply detailed sales figures but they are claiming that it is their best selling product since pre orders began. CEO Jeff Bezos is very positive about the device, saying they are building millions of units, and more than initially planned.

Kitguru says: Have you bought a Kindle Fire yet? are you happy with the user experience?

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TomTom restructure – axing 10% of workforce https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/tomtom-restructure-axing-10-of-workforce/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/tomtom-restructure-axing-10-of-workforce/#respond Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:08:11 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=69896 TomTom, the well known Satellite navigation system manufacturer are undergoing a ‘restructuring' process which will mean that 10 percent of their workforce will be made redundant. They also plan to reorganise the R&D budget to speed up the time they take to get products to market. The firm wants to cut their costs by 50 …

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TomTom, the well known Satellite navigation system manufacturer are undergoing a ‘restructuring' process which will mean that 10 percent of their workforce will be made redundant. They also plan to reorganise the R&D budget to speed up the time they take to get products to market.

The firm wants to cut their costs by 50 million Euros to help stop a massive 23 percent drop in consumer sales which they reported in Q3.

Reaching for the Satnav: A good way to cause a road accident while driving.

TomTom sent out an advisory which was reported on by The Register “We will reduce the number of full time jobs by 457, which accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the total workforce. 255 roles will be made redundant, half of which are in The Netherlands. The remainder will be achieved through attrition. A restructuring charge of €14m will be booked in Q4 2011 in relation to the redundancies and rationalisation of office space.”

They are claiming that the speed of new product introductions will be noticeable in 2012 onwards.

Kitguru says: Hopefully they manage to remain profitable in 2012.

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UK government pumps £50m into graphene research https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/taps/uk-government-pumps-50m-into-graphene-research/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/taps/uk-government-pumps-50m-into-graphene-research/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:29:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=62418 If there's one thing we know for sure, then it's that politicians need absolutely no help whatsoever in standing next to successes and running like fury from anything that's likely to go wrong. So what have Clegg and Cameron decided to stand next to now?  KitGuru dons a lab coat and a portable electron scanning …

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If there's one thing we know for sure, then it's that politicians need absolutely no help whatsoever in standing next to successes and running like fury from anything that's likely to go wrong. So what have Clegg and Cameron decided to stand next to now?  KitGuru dons a lab coat and a portable electron scanning microscope before glancing toward a future where the UK leads the world in materials science.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that creating a sheet of graphite that's a single atom thick, might involve a well floured kitchen surface, some burnt out matches and a tasty roller. Not so. It's actually proven incredibly difficult to make the stuff. From the time the phrase ‘graphene' was first coined 24 years ago, it was 17 years before Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov completed their Nobel-winning research and actually managed to extract single atom thick graphene from regular graphite.

So why all the fuss and why a £50m government donation to back a ‘Britain is Great for Graphene' project?

Judging from the rumours, most of the tories attending the conservative conference this week will have been hoping that graphene makes better back stabbing knives

Well, at the most basic level, once it's much easier/cheaper to produce in bulk, it is extremely strong, very light, recyclable and has inherent anti-bacterial properties – making it perfect for milk cartons etc. Early research indicates that, overall, food will last longer in graphene packaging.

In related areas, it can help make DNA sequencing much quicker, allow engineers to build the greatest capacitors in the history of the world and create better solar cells that we ever thought possible.

And all of that is simply the ‘side show' to the main event.

In the middle of the summer, IBM managed to create an integrated circuit using graphene technology. Not only was it able to run, stable, at 10GHz – it was also happy to carry on working normally at 127 degrees.

We're still not there. Even though a completely stable IC at 10GHz is impressive, it's not nearly as impressive as the 100GHz transistor IBM gurus built last year [Yes, but can you make tennis rackets out of it? – Ed].

Dear Little Puppy, don't worry if Cameron's greasy ways make you feel ill, graphene is a natural anti-biotic

KitGuru says: Will graphene replace silicon as the ‘technology material of choice' for the next 30 years? It's hard to say with 100% certainty, but the government injecting a much needed dose of intelligent investment into graphene research is a great idea. Certainly a better use of tax payer's money than bailing out parasitic banks.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forum. More informed comment over on Optics.org.

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iPhone 4s launch and specifications confirmed https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/taps/iphone-4s-launch-and-specifications-confirmed/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/iphone/taps/iphone-4s-launch-and-specifications-confirmed/#respond Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:42:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=62266 KitGuru has been briefed on the latest Apple iPhone. Not only have we seen the detailed specifications, but also an overview of all the launches that are scheduled to follow. Here's the stuff that you will find most useful. First up, it seems that rumours about a ‘curved phone design' may well apply to the …

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KitGuru has been briefed on the latest Apple iPhone. Not only have we seen the detailed specifications, but also an overview of all the launches that are scheduled to follow. Here's the stuff that you will find most useful.

First up, it seems that rumours about a ‘curved phone design' may well apply to the iPhone 5 that's due to launch at the end of March 2012. With the iPhone 4s, the external shell shows little signs of an update.

Once you're under the bonnet, everything changes. Specifically that it comes with a powerful A5 dual core processor – which can process up to 4x quicker than the present iPhone 4 chip.

Yep, that's right, the little ‘S' on the product name will give you 4x the processing power. Nice.

While you have your eyes and jaw wide open, you will want to capture that expression forever – at a quality level never before dreamed of on an iPhone. The new camera system shoots a whopping 3264 x 2448 resolution (8 mega pixel) and the little light detectors themselves are more than 70% better than the existing iPhone 4's camera sensors.

That's a lot of data so, surely, there will be lag between the capture of one shot and the iPhone 4s' readiness to capture the next?  Nope. The engine is so much more powerful, that it can capture these ‘better quality images' over 30% quicker than the current camera.

For all the budding Paris Hiltons out there, you'll be glad to know that you can now capture ‘special sausage eating moments' in glorious Apple colour – at a full 1080p resolution – complete with image stabilisation and noise reduction (just in case you find yourself spasming and moaning).

Under the heading of ‘Dear God no', KitGuru was saddened to hear that it will include artificial intelligence and a little butler who you can ask to “Wake me up at 6am” and it will do so.

Steve Jobs lovers can stand outside their local stores this Friday to pre-order the brand new iPhone 4s.

Shipments will begin on 12th October.

iPhone 4s will represent good value for Apple lovers, going into the Xmas season

KitGuru says: If this minor update is 4x quicker than the previous generation and includes the AI, killer camera and HD video features – it makes you wonder what the iPhone 5 will bring to the table.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forum.

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Twitter announce 100 million user base globally https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/twitter-announce-100-million-user-base-globally/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/twitter-announce-100-million-user-base-globally/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:08:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=59454 Twitter are going from strength to strength. According to Dick Costolo, they have 100 million users now globally. Of those, more than half are active daily and 40 percent of them read the site without tweeting. Five billion tweets are made now every month and they have an audience of 400 million unique visitors each …

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Twitter are going from strength to strength. According to Dick Costolo, they have 100 million users now globally. Of those, more than half are active daily and 40 percent of them read the site without tweeting.

Five billion tweets are made now every month and they have an audience of 400 million unique visitors each month, with a 50 percent mobile user base. The statistics are incredible and show the stunning growth of the platform in the last 12 months.

Part of the appeal of the Twitter platform is the fact that many celebrities such as leading music and movie stars use the platform to interact with their fanbase, divulging up to the minute snippets of their lives. Leading UK footballers such as Wayne Rooney and Les Ferdinand also use it regularly to share their views on both the entertainment industry and to keep their supporters updated with personal details and behind the scenes information.

Reference site twitaholic have a list of the top stars, and right now the top two are US oriented pop stars Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, who have 13312280 and 12475485 followers respectively. The US president Barack Obama is in third place with 9968588 followers.

Kitguru says: Twitter has been seen in some negative light recently as it was one of the social media platforms used by rioters in the UK.

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Mars Mission for Minty Mouths @ i43 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/taps/mars-mission-for-minty-mouths-i43/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/taps/mars-mission-for-minty-mouths-i43/#respond Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:45:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57967 While the majority of the 3,000 gaming fanatics that poured into Telford International Centre over the Bank Holiday weekend were a reasonably well-bathed bunch, oral hygiene can be something completely different. KitGuru snapped a nice gesture from the Martians and wanted to share it with you. Without doubt, Multiplay i43 was the biggest UK LAN …

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While the majority of the 3,000 gaming fanatics that poured into Telford International Centre over the Bank Holiday weekend were a reasonably well-bathed bunch, oral hygiene can be something completely different. KitGuru snapped a nice gesture from the Martians and wanted to share it with you.

Without doubt, Multiplay i43 was the biggest UK LAN event of all time. Which is a good thing. But the universe is full of Ying-Yang moments.

With at least 2,500 people staying overnight in the vicinity, morning breath was always going to be a possibility.

If you're not sure what we mean by morning breath – or uncertain of how it can affect your life – trying kissing a dog and then speaking with a girl you like.

Knowing that this was a possibility, enter Mars, and its sibling brand, Wrigley to the rescue.

When we came into the main hall on Sunday morning, each and every seat was covered in mouth-freshening minty mints and Wrigley Extra chewing gum.

Small touch, and not likely to cause a dent in the confectioner's coffers, but KitGuru is a fan of intelligent marketing – and this gesture solved a very specific and real problem.

Imagine you are a Pro-Gamer that's spent an entire evening creating morning breath by playing a pub quiz with 600 of your mates. How much would you love Wrigley next day if AquaTuning lady asked you a product preference question?

KitGuru says: Wrigley, we salutes you!

Comment below or in the KitGuru forum.

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Iiyama shoots for fastest draw in the west at i43 https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/taps/iiyama-shoots-for-fastest-draw-in-the-west-at-i43/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/taps/iiyama-shoots-for-fastest-draw-in-the-west-at-i43/#respond Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:20:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57958 While more column inches are dedicated to graphic cards and processors than anything else, it's the keyboard, mouse, headset and screen that define the gamer's interface with their gaming rig. Iiyama had a new screen on display at i43 – and it's a bit of a monster. KitGuru spies got up close and personal with …

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While more column inches are dedicated to graphic cards and processors than anything else, it's the keyboard, mouse, headset and screen that define the gamer's interface with their gaming rig. Iiyama had a new screen on display at i43 – and it's a bit of a monster. KitGuru spies got up close and personal with an expert called Steve Kilroy on the Iiyama stand at Multiplay i43.

Weighing in at a whopping 27 inches, the ProLite E2773HDS-B is housed in Iiyama's trademark bezel, so you know that the design will be stylish and durable.

While the press shot is sharp, the continuous hands-on testing by pro-gamers told its own story. We chatted with some of them and they were all impressed with Iiyama's new screens. Will be interesting to see what price is set for the new 27" in the UK.

Naturally, it offers full HD resolution, but that's not the start of it. Nope.

This is a much smarter product than any of its predecessors. How so? Check these features and form your own opinion.

It is an LED backlit monitor, delivering the crispest images while using less power. How much less?  Well, KitGuru is led to believe [pun intended – Ed] that this new screen will draw almost 40% less juice than its predecessor.

Compared to the Iiyama ProLite B2712 HDS reviewed by KitGuru back in November 2010, the refresh time on this new screen has been halved to a minute single millisecond. Perfect improvement for those Battlefield 3 moments when the earlier you see the detail on a potential target – the better your chances of a win.

Finally, there is the price. While the US on sale is likely to be around $336, it's hard to know exactly where that will land in the UK. On a straight translation, at today's money, the screen would be £204 plus vat. So around £245. For a 27″ screen with a dynamic contrast ratio of 5 million to one – that's pretty impressive.

While pro-gamers can win tournaments with a 5ms response screen, when you're in the depths of a fire fight, desperately looking for the headshot needed to end the battle – the faster the better.

Steve Kilroy runs Iiyama's key UK accounts and we were impressed that he was as friendly at the end of i43 as he had been at the start – despite demonstrating for 10 hours straight each day. When asked about Iiyama's presence at the event, Steve said, “The Iiyama name holds much more significance within this industry than it ever has before”.

“We see that as we continue to work closely with partners such as Multiplay and Team Dignitas”, he said. “We're happy to continue to be part of this growing community”.

At thie stage, Steve had been going strong for around 72 hours. Can we imply Steve's as durable as his screens?

KitGuru says: While the whole world plus dog waits for the cheating to stop around 30″ production, this kind of high specification Iiyama screen being offered at such a low price is tempting to say the least.  If the Iiyama ProLite E2773HDS-B is not enough for you, Steve's engineering team will be releasing a more rugged/efficient version a little later with the code name B2776HDS-B.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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PC World makes surprising strategy announcement https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/taps/pc-world-makes-surprising-strategy-announcement/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-announcement/taps/pc-world-makes-surprising-strategy-announcement/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:00:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57900 With everyone expecting the overall outlook for electrical retail stores to remain fairly bleak, the main competitors are working to find new ways to deliver shareholder value and return a dividend. At Multiplay i43, there was a surprising announcement on the main stage. Here's what they said and a question: “Should other retailers be worried?” …

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With everyone expecting the overall outlook for electrical retail stores to remain fairly bleak, the main competitors are working to find new ways to deliver shareholder value and return a dividend. At Multiplay i43, there was a surprising announcement on the main stage. Here's what they said and a question: “Should other retailers be worried?”

In the same way that Thursday 26th August was dedicated to the setting up of a huge campsite for gamers that had travelled across the land toward i43, Sunday was dedicated to some monster finals. In between the best teams fragging each other to death on the huge main screen, sponsors came up with messages of support for the community – as well as huge bags of freebies which they liberally tossed into the fan's feeding frenzy.

PC World targets these people with new web site, lower prices and more event support. Happy campers indeed.

Apart from a few elbows thrown to ensure the rightful owners got the best stuff, the whole finals day ceremony passed without KitGuru's rat-like cunning being tripped once. That is, until Adam Chaplin from PC World took to the stage and gave his company's message of support.

PC World's Adam Chaplin, broadcasting to a packed hall, from the massive screens above the main stage

Almost verbatim, it went like this, “We love being here. You are a great crowd and I can guarantee you, right here, right now, that we will be back at Multiplay's Insomnia 12 months from now, standing on this stage in front of you. We are here to stay. We're here to stay and we're going to get better. We're changing everything. We're redesigning our web site and we're not going to be beaten by anyone on price or service”. Now them's fighting words.

Adam was on stage for quite a while, but this little speech tells us:-

  • That they know the other online retailers in the market have moved ahead – and they want to react by improving everything they do as a company
  • PC World is presently re-designing all of its back end systems to become much more competitive
  • It will utilise its size and relationships to become much more attractive on price
  • Gamers are serious influencers in the market and PC World knows that
  • PC World is saying that it understands that you cannot be ‘short term' with the enthusiast community
  • They have realised that Multiplay and its Insomnia gaming event holds a unique place in the UK market – and PC World is guaranteeing to support it through i44, i45 and i46

When they're not busy sleeping in their tents, this is what the world's gaming elite look like. A huge crowd of insomniacs gathered to hear PC World's declaration of endless support and undying love. Nice.

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With this kind of positioning statement, PC World is not only saying that it is ready to defend its turf against American giants like BestBuy, but that it's also looking to win head-to-head with major UK brands like eBuyer, Scan, Dabs and Overclockers. Interesting times.

KitGuru says: Every one of the thousands of gamers packed into the Telford International Centre over the weekend, had a powerful gaming rig with them. With this big/positive statement, PC World is showing just how seriously it takes those gamers. As a major corporate, it knows that  each of these gamers huge amounts of kit each year. It also knows that each of these gamers create a  ‘recommendation effect' into their friends and family – which increases the effectiveness of any marketing multiple times. Supporting Insomnia is an intelligent move by PC World and we wish them luck.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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BT raise prices again – but freeze them until 2013 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/bt-raise-prices-again-but-freeze-them-until-2013/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/bt-raise-prices-again-but-freeze-them-until-2013/#respond Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:38:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57803 BT are sure to be unpopular as they announce increasing charges for local calls, the second time this year. According to an article on TechEye, resident customers will have to deal with a five percent increase on the 3rd of December. This means a 7.95p a minute charge to make a landline call. Line rental …

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BT are sure to be unpopular as they announce increasing charges for local calls, the second time this year.

According to an article on TechEye, resident customers will have to deal with a five percent increase on the 3rd of December. This means a 7.95p a minute charge to make a landline call. Line rental prices are also going to increase to £14.60 a month (an increase of 70p).

This is not the first rise in recent times for BT as they raised the cost of a landline call 10 percent just a year ago. This year they cranked it further, by another 9 percent in April 2011.

BT - rising prices, and making huge profits

As a way to limit the hostile reactions from customers, they are claiming that prices will now be frozen until 2013.

Customers are complaining that BT are just looking to boost income even further as they netted profits of £533 million in the three months running up to June 30th. They aren't even close to breaking even.

BT say that many customers have reported falling costs because they had moved to specific package deals. Other customers have ditched the land lines completely, opting for a cut price mobile phone deal. For almost £15 a month, you can easily get a decent tariff with a mobile phone provider which includes calls and SMS messaging.

Kitguru says: Are you a happy (or unhappy) BT customer in the UK?

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Xigmatek’s next generation chassis – and a cool mod https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/taps/xigmateks-next-generation-chassis-and-a-cool-mod/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/taps/xigmateks-next-generation-chassis-and-a-cool-mod/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:28:02 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57469 While the vast majority of the 250,000 audience at GamesCom 2011 was hell-bent of hardcore gaming, some smart operators realised that games get played on hardware – so they made sure that there was lots on show for hungry eyes. KitGuru has operatives everywhere, and some of them were sneaking around Koln Messe Halle 6 …

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While the vast majority of the 250,000 audience at GamesCom 2011 was hell-bent of hardcore gaming, some smart operators realised that games get played on hardware – so they made sure that there was lots on show for hungry eyes. KitGuru has operatives everywhere, and some of them were sneaking around Koln Messe Halle 6 with 500mm telephoto lenses and paparazzi-like cunning. Here are the results, pixellated as they may be.

Creating a chassis as good as the Xigmatek Elysium is quite an impressive feat. From the first time we got hands-on in Computex, through to Zardon's in-depth 8 page review, it was clearly going to be something special. But should companies stop there, or should they carry the design through to its ultimate iteration.

We know where we stand. KitGuru always wants to see the extreme.

If you are of similar mind, take a look at this beauty (note that the spec sheet has been blown up artificially and is not the same size as the mod).

Big kudos to Xigmatek, Case King, BT-Custom PC and Stefan Blass

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Modding the SSD, now that's what we call attention to detail. We don't recommend it, but we like it

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Dim the lights and let the custom military glow hold your attention

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Poor Tony Sahin, sharing his personal space with Playboy Playmates for a week. Poor bloke.

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While the chassis was interesting – it is a custom job that only few will ever be lucky enough to order.

Launching a brand new mainstream chassis will affect a lot more enthusiasts and, at GamesCom 2011, we got a world exclusive peak at what Xigmatek will be pulling out of their design shorts next. Tony made us swear not to reveal too much at this stage, but here's a teaser.

Xigmatek Boffins crowd around the engineering sample, with its unique design and space aged materials. Nice.

..

KitGuru says: So there you have it. Customers with around £1,000 to spend on a hand crafted mod now have something in a Xigmatek style to lust after, and for those of us who prefer a much less wallet busting chassis – there will be a new chassis in town very soon.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forums.

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GamesCom Booth Babe Check – Part 2 https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/taps/gamescom-booth-babe-check-part-2/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/taps/gamescom-booth-babe-check-part-2/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:34:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57404 The world (of mostly Germans) has now had a chance to play Modern Warfare 3 alongside the latest iterations of all the most popular games, over at GamesCom 2011. But was it all about long queues and smiles of ‘I have and you have not' satisfaction? Not a chance. . While the game distribution bean …

The post GamesCom Booth Babe Check – Part 2 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The world (of mostly Germans) has now had a chance to play Modern Warfare 3 alongside the latest iterations of all the most popular games, over at GamesCom 2011.

But was it all about long queues and smiles of ‘I have and you have not' satisfaction?

Not a chance.
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While the game distribution bean counters sit in darkened caves, calculating just how many of your special, magic, money beans they will be able to lift out of your collective Christmas pockets, there was more than simple pixels on show in Cologne to make you happy.

There were the professional presentation teams, hired specially for the event.

Which company made the best choice?

Let us know.

Horrible. How could they? Double plus blonde ladies? Just nasty - never seen anything like it!

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This poor girl has suffered the ultimate DIY accident and ended up covered in a slap-dash mixture of emulsions.

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Spend enough time around Gert's ladies on the CM Storm stand and you'll need a master cooler

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Oh Dark Lord of all controllers gaming, just how does razer do it?

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Babes packing heat? Now that's got to give you the Edge, Shirley?

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We'd never consider spending time with 2 ladies at once - and neither should you. It's dangerous. OK?

KitGuru Says: So that was the second part of KitGuru's Robo-Babe-Watch, let us know what you think.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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GamesCom Booth Babe Check – Part 1 https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/taps/gamescom-booth-babe-check-part-1/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/taps/gamescom-booth-babe-check-part-1/#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:44:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57321 GamesCom 2011 was a MONSTER show, held in MONSTER halls in the MONSTER city of Cologne. Altogether, a great event, but a little nuts. We've already brought most of the key stories, but now it's time for some pure fun. Being a booth babe is big business in Cologne. The halls are not only massive, …

The post GamesCom Booth Babe Check – Part 1 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
GamesCom 2011 was a MONSTER show, held in MONSTER halls in the MONSTER city of Cologne. Altogether, a great event, but a little nuts. We've already brought most of the key stories, but now it's time for some pure fun.

Being a booth babe is big business in Cologne. The halls are not only massive, but there are shows booked throughout the year.

Anyone who's not sure quite how hard a job this is, needs to imagine just how many hundreds of thousands of time they need to smile enthusiastically over the course of the GamesCom event. Enough to cause you jaw ache!

KitGuru spies have sent in tons of pictures, here is the first batch of pics – which of these professionals would you hire to represent your brand on the global stage?

PlayStation lady was a personal fitness instructor - so watch out couch potatoes

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Have to say that this Hercules lady was one of the friendliest people at the event

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This young lady left her own stand to go play World of Tanks - cute and a hardcore gamer? Shirley Knot

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"So the 'Cute' button has a setting for 11 then?" - GamesCom Spinal Tap moment

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Tera is a massively multiplay game, and here's two of those players, well, playing

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World of Tanks had the biggest sound system and the dancers were not scared to boogie

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Last lady for part one is seen sporting the ubiquitous Razer headset - found everywhere at GamesCom 2011

KitGuru says: More to follow later!

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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US usurped by China in Q2: largest PC market https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/us-usurped-by-china-in-q2-largest-pc-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/us-usurped-by-china-in-q2-largest-pc-market/#respond Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:06:49 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57294 China has overtaken the US in Q2 to become the world's largest market for PC computers. The US market is declining while the Chinese market is growing. The International Data Corp released details earlier this week saying that 18.5 million units shipped in China, totaling $11.9 billion. This compares against 17.7 million units in the …

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China has overtaken the US in Q2 to become the world's largest market for PC computers. The US market is declining while the Chinese market is growing.

The International Data Corp released details earlier this week saying that 18.5 million units shipped in China, totaling $11.9 billion. This compares against 17.7 million units in the US, worth $11.7 billion.

China has claimed 22% of the global market, and the US is now resting at 21%. IDC however have added that they feel the US will remain the biggest market throughout 2011 as a whole, estimating sales of 73.5 million units, compared against 72.4 million in China.

IDC add however that 2012 could be the first year that China will outperform the US across the 12 months, detailing figures of 85.2 million against 76.6 million.

IDC Analyst Kitty Fok said that the 5 year plan in China “should help large enterprises in various infrastructure verticals to continue to move along, not to mention …  the ongoing efforts to increase consumer penetration in lower-tier cities.”

Kitguru says: Q2 shows the market potential in China, and we are sure it will continue to grow.

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AMD Fusion Black Edition ready to rock and roll https://www.kitguru.net/components/apu-components/taps/amd-fusion-black-edition-ready-to-rock-and-roll/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/apu-components/taps/amd-fusion-black-edition-ready-to-rock-and-roll/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:31:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=57034 For years, car companies have been souping up and turbo charging their smallest vehicles. On the one hand, it seems a little crazy, but on the other hand it is hugely appealing. KitGuru spies sniffed around the Alternate stand at GamesCom 2011 and got the whiff of something meaty. Take the A8 3850 and a …

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For years, car companies have been souping up and turbo charging their smallest vehicles. On the one hand, it seems a little crazy, but on the other hand it is hugely appealing. KitGuru spies sniffed around the Alternate stand at GamesCom 2011 and got the whiff of something meaty.

Take the A8 3850 and a weak-arsed mainboard, and you will still be able to clock the Fusion APU up by around 9%.

Invest in something a little more stylish, and the same processor will clock up to 3.5Ghz comfortably. That gives you a corresponding boost on every benchmark. How does that translate into a real world benefit?  Well, when Henry took the first A8-3850 for a spin on the Asus F1 A75 M Pro mainboard, the Dirt 3 scores jumped from 28 to 34 frames per second. As any hardcore technology journalist will tell you – it's the additional frames around the 30 mark that are the most noticeable. Closer to 25 and the game is irritating. Close to 35 and the game feels smooth. This measurable increase in frame rate when overclocking the A8 3850 delivers a massive, usable benefit to customers.

So, how can you improve that even further?

Simple. Black Edition of the Fusion APU. One where you have complete flexibility in the BIOS, to balance the settings exactly how you like them.

As 250,000 game-mad enthusiasts milled around the halls of Koln-Messe for GamesCom 2011, there was talk on the Alternate stand of a Black Edition APU that's already in production and ready to launch.

If the A8-3850 already offers a 20% OC, how much more would a Black Edition offer?

KitGuru says: No wonder there were so many stories about the drop off in production for AMD's traditional 2 and 4 core Phenom processors. All systems need graphics and these Fusion-class processors deliver gaming at a truly budget price. It will be fascinating to see just how far you can take Fusion with Black Edition options and the right BIOS.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Green smoke above Texas vatican as AMD chooses new CEO https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/green-smoke-above-texas-vatican-as-amd-chooses-new-ceo/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/taps/green-smoke-above-texas-vatican-as-amd-chooses-new-ceo/#comments Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:53:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=56827 It's done. AMD has lined up its new CEO and the massed ranks of Phenom followers must now wait patiently in Texan Vatican square for the lucky winner to be revealed. Ideally, the chip giant would not have been without a CEO for even a day, but – as it turned out – early front …

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It's done. AMD has lined up its new CEO and the massed ranks of Phenom followers must now wait patiently in Texan Vatican square for the lucky winner to be revealed.

Ideally, the chip giant would not have been without a CEO for even a day, but – as it turned out – early front runners were not keen to take on the role. But why not?

Well, within the industry, you have several layers of employee. At the low end, you can live out your life without anyone noticing who you are or what you do. Sudden changes of direction or a series of mistakes is neither here no there. No one really cares.

Once you start working for a major corporation, you suddenly become aware that love above the shadows comes with its own scrutinies. You can be a bad director and probably carry on drawing a salary.

You might even get away with being a marginal VP.

But once you take on the top spot, a company's fortunes become intrinsically linked with yours. You are the face of that company – with ultimate responsibility for all failures and successes.

AMD is such a high profile job that many weaker executives regard it as a poison chalice. What if you are not as smart as you think you are?  What happens if you steer a course and it becomes all to apparent that the final destination is oblivion?

In that instance, men with suspect egos should duck their heads down and make do with VP-hood. Only those with full-on cojones of steel should apply.

From what we're hearing out of South America, that seems to be the case at AMD. The new CEO is chomping at the bit, raring to go and has loads of experience in the PC World (global market, not local PC superstore).

KitGuru says: With the huge sea-change at HP, Apple's constant re-direction of the market, the launch of Fusion and Bulldozer – this is the perfect moment for a serious CEO to emerge, stamp their authority on the market and create a serious alternative to Intel in the system space. Failure might be met with derision, but let's not under estimate the difficulty of being a $6.5Bn company in a land of $50Bn giants. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to the winner ?

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Most desirable cars at GamesCom II – Alternative https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/taps/most-desirable-cars-at-gamescom-ii-alternative/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/taps/most-desirable-cars-at-gamescom-ii-alternative/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:32:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=56786 We've already posted shots of the tastiest cars from the massive games convention which took place over the last 4 days in Cologne. With choices ranging from American Muscle to German Fibre – the choice of ‘Which one is the most desirable' is not easy. Here at KitGuru, we're in the business of making it …

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We've already posted shots of the tastiest cars from the massive games convention which took place over the last 4 days in Cologne. With choices ranging from American Muscle to German Fibre – the choice of ‘Which one is the most desirable' is not easy. Here at KitGuru, we're in the business of making it harder. Check these out.

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While there's no doubting the mainstream desire of the racing and super cars, gamers are – by their very nature – fantasists. That means being able to move the paradigms of life and replacing them with a completely different set of rules.

Consider the tasty line up of cars we have already presented to you – and then consider if you would swap one of them for one of these in your ‘perfect car line up' ?

Starting with the more accessible forms of gamer transport - notebook simulators from Asus

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If you can forgive Kaspersky for hiring such miserable staff, then the F1 car has a certain charm

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For anyone who's had to drive behind a complete twat (for twat, please read 20 in a 30 zone or 50 on a motorway) - then this has to be the ultimate 'excuse me' device. One press of the paddle trigger and the source of your irritation is removed. For good.
OK - not stricty a car - but we've seen this kind of thing on Top Gear, so it counts. Big kudos to EA for having the front to load a stand with a Mig 21 from a private collector's stash at a cost of just $15,000 for transport, stickers and insurance

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KitGuru says: Well, there you have it. Some mighty tasty transport on show at GamesCom 2011 – and with an audience of 250,000 we know for sue that each of the 8 vehicles we've brought you, would have been the object of someone's desire.  But which one works best for you? Please vote in the latest KitGuru poll!

Comments below or in the KitGuru forum – votes on the right please.

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GamesCom’s most desirables cars? Carbon Fibre Overload! https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/taps/gamescoms-most-desirables-cars-carbon-fibre-overload/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-reviews/taps/gamescoms-most-desirables-cars-carbon-fibre-overload/#respond Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:06:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=56767 While most of the 250,000 people who have been attending GamesCom in the Cologne sunshine will have been there for the exceptional game play on offer, there's no doubt which were the most expensive toys on show. It was the cars. KitGuru lines up some snaps and, later, we'll ask you for your favourite. . …

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While most of the 250,000 people who have been attending GamesCom in the Cologne sunshine will have been there for the exceptional game play on offer, there's no doubt which were the most expensive toys on show. It was the cars.

KitGuru lines up some snaps and, later, we'll ask you for your favourite.

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If you could drive any car in the world – what would it be?

That's the kind of question that drivers across the globe have been asking themselves for more than 100 years.

Would you go with race-bred carbon fibre?  A standard supercar from Lamborghini? Or maybe something with classic lines and rotary machine guns. Tough call.

Which one rules? Here are a few choice snaps that have been sent it from Germany over the last couple of days. We'll start with the regular forms of transport and follow up shortly with a second set of pics – giving you some unusual alternatives.

If you were in the habit of naming inanimate objects - surely this would be the Event Horizon. This thing was a hands-on experience that came alive on its own system of virtual reality hydraulics. Tasty stuff.

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More carbon fibre, this time on the nose of a Need For Speed:World performance vehicle from Porsche

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Prefer the American muscle look? Then the NFS: World arena has exactly what you're looking for

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We'd squeeze in the juice of one Lamborghini but, to be honest, we're scare it will bite

KitGuru says: It's hard not to want carbon fibre goodness of the Sony-simulator. You just know what all that high-velocity roughage would do to your system – and you'd love it. Must be the only example in human history where the multi-million dollar sports car actually became significantly more expansive for a game – but space age hydraulics will do that for you.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Sony lines up massive new revenue stream for PSP https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/media-phone/taps/sony-lines-up-massive-new-revenue-stream-for-psp/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/media-phone/taps/sony-lines-up-massive-new-revenue-stream-for-psp/#respond Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:32:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=56665 Once the undisputed brand leader in the electronic entertainment space, Sony has seen its Walkman brand totally usurped by Apple's ability to deliver high-quality, high-priced multimedia devices – while at the same time, Nintendo's portable/affordable game playing systems has moved in to own the dedicated mobile play space. What next for Sony? The PlayStation Portable …

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Once the undisputed brand leader in the electronic entertainment space, Sony has seen its Walkman brand totally usurped by Apple's ability to deliver high-quality, high-priced multimedia devices – while at the same time, Nintendo's portable/affordable game playing systems has moved in to own the dedicated mobile play space. What next for Sony?

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was technologically ahead of its rivals at launch. By a huge margin. Nintendo went in totally the opposite direction – making a much lower specification device that was affordable, available in different colours and with nice-and-simple interactive Wi-Fi play.

Who won?

Nintendo. Hands-down.

But Sony is a serious competitor, used to losing and then regaining the lead.

Looking at the PlayStation space at GamesCom 2011, one idea shouted loud and clear above the rest – Sony's attempt to create a unique combination of virtual characters, the PSP and Panini stickers. Development guru Marco offered a simple, but powerful demonstration where the virtual 3D characters appear in a real world environment – as long as you're viewing them through the PSP's camera.

The idea is that the characters are intelligent and interactive.

So where do the Panini stickers fit in?  Well these will be Sony's preferred penetration method for the younger gamer. Already hugely popular, imagine if each sticker in a pack contained a virtual 3D character – and all you needed to bring it to life was a quick scan with a PSP?

Given the size of Sony's entertainment operations and Panini's licenses for the Olympics in 2011 as well as the NFL/NHL licenses in the USA – it's easy to see how this will create a massive revenue stream going forward, simply because sports provides the perfect bridge to cross-over from childhood to adulthood. Here are some shots of this new interactive world in action – and we share our vision of the future at the end of this article.

Cute, interactive, 3D character and PSP-loving Marco - but we're not sure which is which
Young lady in beach wear waves at cute character to get his attention - shirley not
Happy 3D chappy virtually grabs hold of the floatation device - interactive fun followed
Your very own 3D interactive friend is a simple PSP scan away with Marco's new Panini stickers

KitGuru says: The real challenge is simple, almost no one wants to buy a PSP. Once Sony integrates this kind of technology into its phones, the world looks set to become one large market for our Japanese friends. Where will that lead? In the old days, kids would bunch together to play with marbles or trump cards. In the future, we expect the same group of kids to be standing around, with mobiles outstretched in front of them, each viewing 4 virtual, 3D characters interacting with each other.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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