Microsoft certifications are getting more expensive.

According to an announcement made by Microsoft, the retail price of mid-range Microsoft Certification exams will increase worldwide. The exams in line for a price increase are: Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA).  However, the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM), Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), and Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams are expected to remain the same.

Today students in high school and universities pay $60 for Microsoft’s Certification exam.  After July 1^st. of this year, the cost will be $83, showing a 22% increase. For non-students it goes from $125 to $150, or an even 20% increase. All increases are said to differ by region. Microsoft states that the price increase will let the company improve testing flexibility, security, and to develop new certification tiers.  Mostly Microsoft say’s they want to provide better certifications and support to customers but the price does seem steep, but looking at it today an A+ certification is just the tip of the iceberg.

Triumph of the nerds!

If anyone has seen this film, you already know how funny it is...informative but funny, they did however work very hard and sacrifice alot of time to thier cause, but there were always rivals and ego's that got in way too, like Steve Jobs...enough said.  If you havent seen it you should especially if you want to pursue a career to in the field of computers.

The T-Mobile Bobsled

T-Mobile has launched Bobsled, a new brand that provides a cloud-based communications services over the Internet by bridging telecommunications with Internet-based voice and data services. The first product under the Bobsled by T-Mobile is actually a Facebook application that offers free voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calls, and because this new brand isn’t limited to just T-Mobile’s network or just its devices, anyone can use it.
To use it, you’ll need to install the new Bobsled application on Facebook.  The application lets you make free calls worldwide to any of your Facebook friends. It requires a computer, an Internet connection, and Facebook Chat.  Once downloaded and installed, the application eliminates the need for dialing: you simply click on a friend’s name to start a conversation. There’s also no need to remember screen names or to input numbers: you just need to know which Facebook friend you want to talk to.

Real-time, online communications

Communications have grown over the past few years with social networking sites like MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook devouring the Internet.  But it appears a new step has emerged going beyond text communications.  “Tout” a mobile video tool designed for capturing and sharing short video status updates via Twitter or Facebook is available for free in the iPhone app store, the app allows the user to point and shoot 15-second clips to send to the social networks.

The current state of the Internets primary based networks are specifically aimed at engagement and relationship building.  However, video brings about a whole new level of engagement within these social networks, in what Tout describes as a "visual conversation." CEO Micheal Downing states "Some moments in life just can’t be reflected in text. Tout delivers ‘life as it happens’ in full-motion color and sound, as opposed to 'life as it’s written in 140 characters or less.  Twitter and Facebook will most see more of these video sharing tools, as many more creative minds develop new ways to engage with others.”

Is this smart or is it not?   As the picture on the article shows a woman using the app driving a car, all I can think is “Great!, people can hardly drive and speak on a cell phone at the same time, while most deaths occur from texting and driving, and now we’ve got them updating their status by video and driving, well at least well know who wasn’t watching the road when that accident happens, thanks Tout."  Downing also claims though apps like BubbleTweet and Zkatter currently exist, those, along with Tout, may run into problems down the line as Twitter threatens to restrict third party engagement within the site. With hopes of providing their own exclusive app.  We’ll have to see if there’s enough room for these apps in the future.

FYI: Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale, in which materials and devices are built from molecular components which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition.  Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional devices in physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly.  From developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

There is however much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create new materials and devices with a wide range of applications, within medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology would, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials,  and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among support groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted

The first use of the concepts found in nano-technology was in December 1959 by Richard Feynman. Others made headlines of nanotechnology from newspapers and books from 1974 through 1986 to the year 2000. While in the early 1980s two major developments were made; the birth of cluster science and the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope. This development led to the discovery of fullerenes in 1985 and carbon nanotubes a few years later. In another development, the synthesis and properties of semiconductor nanocrystals were studied; this led to a fast increasing number of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots. The atomic force microscope was invented six years after.  Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale, covering both current work and concepts that are more advanced. In its original sense.  Nanotechnology refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products.

Japan’s New Horror

The author begins with “as if Japan didn’t have enough on its hands”.  Sad but true, the new horror facing japan; are the 1,000 bodies near the shore of the leaking Fukushima plant, leaving the bodies contaminated with radiation.  So contaminated in fact that they are highly dangerous to handle or move.  He also states; that most tsunami and earthquake victims are usually retrieved, cremated then returned to their family members, but japans government is baffled, proclaiming this situation will require a solution with decisive action and a high degree of delicacy.  What was stated was that they were not ready to make a decision for a plan of action, since struggling to cool the plant’s reactors and prevent a catastrophic meltdown, with several explosions. Creating fires carrying polluted gasses and discharged water from the plant have released radiation into the air and ocean near the plant, affecting anyone who remains in the area including the dead   If a plan has been made then it has not been made public,   For a country that has been prepared for disasters of this kind, Japan is seeing a lot of new problems setting an entirely different magnitude of disaster.

The new mile high club

The future of gaming has become airborne.  Consoles may include a full-sized monitor, surround sound and plenty of legroom, if you've got the cash to drop on a plush, "Not For Wimps" airline seat of course.  The seat, designed by Contour Aerospace and Factorydesign, is among the future design concepts being
shown off at the Aircraft Interiors Expo at the Hamburg Messe in Germany this week.

The Not For Wimps prototype, designed specifically for in-flight gaming, includes speakers integrated into the top edges of the seat, the ability to create a bubble of active noise cancellation around the gamer and a large monitor suspended in front of each seat by a Kevlar-coated carbon fiber arm.   The seat is currently only at the concept stage, which means that if gamers make enough noise maybe they could add or tweak a few of the design choices. What would you want added, removed or changed to a seat designed for gaming? Me? I'd want an over-sized table to hold a sturdy laptop, a dedicated power point, LAN access and a separate side table for food and drinks. It would also be great if the seats sported multiple consoles, or the ability to rent a PS3 or 360 mid-flight, for the duration of the trip.  Other concepts being shown off at the week's show include a seat with a built in iPad, another with a built-in Playstation Portable and a beverage trolley designed to dispense a multitude of drinks with the push of a single button.

This just seems to me like another example of how we are getting more and more dependent on electronic
devices.  A lot of people can't go a few hours, let alone a day or more without checking their phones, looking at their computer, or playing games. Plane rides can be long and boring, certainly, and I'm not against bringing a portable game even, but this chair seems like a big waste of resources.  It essentially amounts to creating an environment as close to home as possible, further ostracizing us from each other and creating emotional dependencies on these things.  No doubt it does look cool, but would people really waste a massive amount of money for a few hours of game play, let alone on a plane? I know I wouldn’t.  I'd
be too worried about dieing first. Cause hieghts freak me out.

Blog Assignment for Digital Nation

1. Multitasking versus Single Tasking - In the movie there were arguments between those that constantly multitask and whether it is good or not. What is your opinion?

Response: I think multitasking seems to take away from the initial information a person is trying to absorb.  Single tasking may seem too slow or boring to most, but I believe it helps some focus and center their attention on what matters most at the moment, aside from multitasking which can keep you from maintaining one single though.

2. Addiction to computer games - Children in South Korea are being treated for addiction to gaming. Some are even sent away to a camp to "kick their habit". What is your opinion of this? Do you know anyone showing an addiction to gaming?

Response: Not really.  The people I know of; being a gamer myself, tend to be off and on daily, not really focusing my time and attention on them for too long.  I know the hazards, dangers, and addictions that come with them, so I like to try and spend the rest of my time on other daily duties.  I do feel bad for the children however, who stray away from reality looking for a new one, and given the right or wrong influence are unable to distinguish the two.

3. Multitasking hurting Education - Some teachers say the students are not able to write more than a paragraph at a time and that the paragraphs do not connect in any way about a single subject, but instead are each unrelated. Is this a good thing or?

Response: Multitasking defiantly hurts the student, especially having a PC in the classroom, because when they get bored with their teacher or work they turn to the internet for videos, music, and social network sites drowning out all they’ve learned within that time due to effects of short-term memory.

4. Long term versus short term concentration - When print became available; our memories became shorter because we did not need to remember as much. Therefore, long term memory was lost because of the gain in the use of a new technology, print. Is short term concentration simply the new technology?

Response: No.  I know some complain about “Print” but I believe it’s how you use it. Given the right environment some can focus and absorb the material, but others given the right environment tend to focus on their surroundings then the material.  I would blame the user not the print.

5. Value of computers in education - A school in the Bronx, New York changed the way they teach students by issuing them all laptops. Dropout rates improved as well as math and reading scores. Is this the answer to America's education problem?

Response: Not really, although I agree with the issuing of laptops to help the students with their work, even those whom can’t afford them, but again it comes down to the distraction it can make, with the internet at their finger tips at the moment of boredom. With the help of a parent/guardian or companion I guess with the type of management towards work and recreation could put that worry to rest though.

Tell me what You think!

Microsoft Is Looking For Testers To Try A New Disc Format For The Xbox 360.

Microsoft Corp. reportedly plans to implement a new "disc format" for Xbox 360 game console along with the next release of the system update for the system. At present the details are scarce, but since the software giant is looking for multiple thousands of participants of the update preview program, the system software upgrade may be a major one.  This is an important update as they continually strive to improve their products.  As a part of the preview program, volunteers will receive a copy of Halo: Reach along with other possible rewards," said Microsoft's Major Nelson.

“No new information about the updated Xbox 360 disc format is available at present.”  Sates the author, given the fact that implementation of a Blu-ray disc drives requires change of the hardware, Microsoft might incorporate a new recording technology for games distributed using DVD-ROM discs to boost capacity, tackle software piracy or cut its own costs a bit.  A few years ago, Microsoft used to sell a standalone HD DVD drive for Xbox 360 game console, which allowed gamers to watch high-definition movies. Since the HD DVD lost the war against competing Blu-ray disc (BD), Microsoft discontinued the accessory. Potentially, the company might come up with a discrete BD drive for Xbox 360, but that drive will be used for movies only and not for games.

Unfortunately opportunities like these always come out too little to late, the article I read was released March 29^th.  But the actual update was released a week ago. So, sad for most opportunity goers, hopefully someday articles like these can be a little more up to speed to help gamers track them more accurately.

SCCM 2012

At Microsoft Management Summit (MMS), Microsoft announced availability of a new beta of one of many products in its System Center family: System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2012.
Apparently SCCM 2012, is going to enable management for iPads, iPhones, Symbian devices, Android devices and Windows Phone 7 devices. That’s quite an expansion, given that SCCM 2007 only managed Windows Mobile devices.
Microsoft made it available for download as of March 23, the second beta of SCCM 2012. (System Center Configuration Manager “assesses, deploys, and updates your servers, clients, and devices—across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments,” as Microsoft explains it.) Microsoft also announced this week at MMS 2011 a beta of its System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012 product.
Microsoft is positioning SCCM 2012 as a product that epitomizes the “consumerization of IT” trend in which Microsoft execs are big believers.  This being the new works of Microsoft may fix many problems with many devices, probably making windows the number one product with consumers and manufactures, being universal may even defeat the majority of its competition.

Microsoft and Zune Update!

It’s official! Microsoft has dropped Zune, but when you hear it you hit you think Zune is dead in the water, unfortunately that is not the case, Microsoft says “it’s all about the software”, though the Zune hardware will be chucked, the software lives on through Microsoft’s XBOX 360 and Windows 7 phone.  However with those you will still spend money or money for Microsoft points to buy or rent movies, music, or music videos, which I really haven’t done yet to suggest.  It seems Microsoft saw the flaw in 2006 when it was launched with its design and integrity, especially against Apple’s iPod but continued with its production, with the problems and incompatibility problems like; PC’s and laptops unrecognizing them to deleting entire libraries on a whim that the Zune had, it’s a wonder the device wasn’t scrapped in 2007, even when advertising wasn’t helping it’s success. Microsoft hopes someday for the app to be picked up by other stand-alone devices but none have picked it up yet.  Personally, I do hope to warm-up to The Zune App on my own 360 console, but thanks to RedBox today or tomorrow will not be that day.

Microsoft’s IE9

Microsoft introduced Internet explorer 9 at PDC (professional developers conference) in December of 2009, though they didn’t show much, mainly a few benchmarks, but some talked about the technologies that the browser would use, and a little information about the direction that development would take. But it was a significant event nonetheless. After years of playing catch-up, the stopgap Internet Explorer 7 added tab support, and then the solid Internet Explorer 8, which offered little in the way of support for new Web innovations—Microsoft was starting to position its browser not only as good, but able to take on the competition and be best in class. With the release today of Internet Explorer 9, the company has gone on to say just that “IE9 is the most modern browser there is.”
We know Microsoft set out to do four things with IE9. The browser had to be fast, it had to be standards-compliant, it had to be trustworthy, and it had to put the focus on sites and Web content, rather than the browser. Ars technica, a technology news and information website has been following the browser's development since the first public preview in March 2010, with extensive coverage of the beta and release candidate, but those major points are still worth looking at.  Mainly it was to compare IE9 to IE7 and chrome and strip its interface down to make it cleaner and simpler, intending the site to be the major focus and not the frame. 

The end results were the tabs have moved alongside the address bar (though they can be moved below it if desired), the status and menu bars are gone by default, the toolbars are gone by default, and the icons on the buttons use new artwork, and also includes a download manager, and private browsing.  Feedback say’s “It has a new slimline interface”, “It’s much less annoying”, and some are even upset they had to wait so long for it. I personally do see a difference and wouldn’t mind downloading it and putting it to use right away.

Criminals already take advantage of Japan!

Criminals have already jumped on Japan's twin earthquake and tsunami disasters at record speed, security experts said today. Scams range from links to fake anti-virus downloads and phony donation sites to classic online swindles that rely on greed.  Authorities say "What's surprising this time is how quickly they picked up on the news," said Chet Wisniewski, a security researcher with U.K.-based Sophos. "We knew [scams] were coming, but they started appearing in record-breaking time, less than three hours after the earthquake."

Facebook has been used by cyber-crooks to collect information when users click on a link posing as CNN video footage of the tsunami that struck the eastern cost of Japan Friday, said Sophos in a blog post Sunday.  A record 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan mid-afternoon Friday, and a powerful tsunami struck its northeastern coast minutes later. The death toll may reach in the tens of thousands, according to recent reports.

Scammers are also flooding e-mail inboxes with messages asking recipients to donate money to relief efforts, said Eric Park, a Symantec researcher with the company's anti-spam team.  A Symantec researcher noted that other scams have appeared taking advantage of news of the earthquake and tsunami. "Symantec has observed a classic 419 message targeting the Japanese disaster," said researcher Samir Patil in a post to the company's security blog today. "The message is a bogus 'next of kin' story that purports to settle millions of dollars owing to an earthquake and tsunami victim."

A "419" scam is a long-used con -- named for a section in the Nigerian criminal code -- that tries to convince victims to advance funds in the hope of realizing a much larger return.  Crooks have also registered a large number of domains with URLs that may fool users into thinking that they're legitimate donation or relief sites, said Patil, a tactic that can also push those sites higher on search results.  It’s sad to see how quick people take advantage of a disaster an other peoples tragedy and good will, shows how little remorse people show towards the types of situations. So Beware!!!

Anonymous does it again!

If anyone has heard of the hacker group anonymous, then you’ve probably heard they started a ruckus last year, the "OP(operation payback)" produced an international series of attacks on pro-copyright trade groups and enforcement companies like RIAA (US), BPI (UK), MPAA (US), AFACT (Australia), BREIN (Netherlands), Aiplex (India), and Websheriff (UK). One of the smaller sites actually yielded the biggest bounty; the UK "P2P settlement letter factory" ACS: Law gave up several hundred megabytes of private e-maills after being taken offline by the attack, and the firm has since collapsed.

Also in the fall of  2010, WikiLeaks came along, bursting into the media like a second sun, when it released a huge cache of US diplomatic cables. Anonymous reacted quickly.  When companies like Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal made it more difficult to donate to WikiLeaks, and they redirected Operation Payback towards payment processors.  The attacks were not wholly successful, but they did stir police in multiple countries to action. The FBI seized servers in December, then executed 40 search warrants early this year, while the UK made 5 arrests and the Dutch picked up at least one man. In all of the excitement, Operation Payback's initial goals were forgotten and the operation died out.
Well though they may have been foiled, they haven’t been broken.  This time taking down the website for Broadcast Music International (BMI). They have been talking about it in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) rooms for weeks, even releasing graphics to stir the hearts of the faithful. "Copywrong" would be vanquished by the the "legion" of Anons, though it was never quite clear what this entailed, but BMI eventually fell under the load.  They leave with the promise; “More attacks are on the way.”  Though the writer ends with “This could be a long fight” It seems like authorities are doing all they can too take them down, but we’ll see in time. Engaurd.

Lenovo's Thinking Now!

Lenovo’s releasing a new laptop, called the ThinkPad X220.  The second generation X series laptop from Lenovo, offers quite a bit wit this baby, Sized at a decent 12.5 inches, this fresh piece of machinery will feature a new "buttonless" touchpad also retaining mouse keys in support of the TrackPoint navigator, while offering the sweet bliss of a 1366 x 768 IPS (Inches Per Second) display, up to a 2.7GHz Core i7-2620M CPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a choice of Intel SSD’s ranging up to 160GB. The 9-cell battery is rated to last you 15 hours and there's an additional external battery pack that will keep you tether-free for 23 hours. I found the full specs Lenovo provided within a PDF file and saw a decent amount of features and components, The ThinkPad will be released very shortly Lenovo stated but as of when and pricing is still yet to be determined, I however look forward to it and I’ve been in the market for a new laptop, this ThinkPad may be the one I’m looking for.

The iPad 2

Its said that the second-generation iPad will have an Apple A5 processor that will provide more speed and power while not consuming more power than the original iPad's A4 chip, giving it faster performance than its predecessor, even though the current iPad has excellent performance and is already pretty thin and light as well as support for high-definition video output thanks to a new adapter. It’s also supposed to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor. With a release in April while all of the changes I've read about will be welcome, I don't expect them to be dramatic improvements.  It seems there's nothing in the iPad 2 that's going to make the original model obsolete. The only current iPad owners who should be seriously considering an upgrade are ones who really want to do video conferencing.   Either way I have been out of the iPod/iPad movement and don’t really expect to see my way into it, I can’t really find anything appealing about them either, they’re too pricey and flashy.  Is it for me? definitely not.  Would I recommend it? probably not,  It's all up to you and your notes.

Interesting Thing About MAC's OS X Lion.

Developers noted an interesting feature in progress within the Mac OS X Lion release, dubbing it the Crash or continue app, an writers exploit aid.  It has the ability to continue an application poised to crash.  When Lion encounters an app that raises an exception and fails to properly handle it (essentially, it's like throwing an object in the air and failing to catch it), it now offers the user the choice of either allowing the app to crash or a new option of continuing to allow the app to run.  While results in the app running in an inconsistent state, it does allow the user at least an attempt at saving data in any open files before quitting the app are restarting it fresh. The error dialog below indicates how an app that suffers a internal error presents the option to the user, providing a look at what caused the problem.  In closing I think, not only is a pretty damn good feature, but helpful toward consumers as well when looking for that right dependable tool on your itool (PC, phone, pad, or car stereo...wherever MAC wants to utilize it sounds just fine).

HP's Comin' Up!

HP has unveiled three new webOS devices, including a pint-sized smartphone known as the Veer, a beefier business phone dubbed the Pre³, and, yes, the first Palm tablet: the HP TouchPad.  The devices are designed to work in concert, and to dovetail with myriad "cloud-based" services, consolidating your calendar appointments, contacts, photos, email, SMS, and other messages.  Weighing little more than a pound and a half and measuring 13mm thick, the HP TouchPad includes an iPad-esque 9.7-inch capacitive multitouch display, 1.3-megapixel front-facing webcam, 1.2GHz ARM-based Qualcomm dual-core processor, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and stereo speakers. HP will offer one version of the tablet with 16GB of storage and one with 32GB.  Also the device does video calling, and it's specifically designed for multitasking. It ships with a full version of Amazon’s Kindle app and QuickOffice, which lets you view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents, but it's also designed to work with Google's online word processor and spreadsheet app, Google Docs. You can adjust the size of the keys on the device's software keyboard, but you also have the option of using an external hardware keyboard. You can dock and charge the device on an optional HP Touchstone wireless charging contraption, which works even when the TouchPad is in its case.  The Touchstone has been upgraded to automatically set docked devices to an "exhibition mode", displaying photos or serving up other applications suitable for use when the device is docked. HP's Touchstone technology also lets you share URLs between webOS devices. To share a URL (uniform resource locator), you simply touch a phone to the TouchPad, Via Bluetooth, you can also share SMS messages between phone and tablet and send voice call alerts from phone to tablet. In the future, an HP spokesman told us, the company plans to offer other sharing between devices, either through Bluetooth or Touchstone. HP said that a Wi-Fi only version of the tablet will be available "this summer," with 3G and 4G versions following. A webOS tablet SDK (software development kit) will be made available to developers on Wednesday evening.

Lastly, we find the smart phones; HP's Veer smartphone is no wider or longer than a credit card. It offers a 2.6-inch 320x400 display, a five-megapixel camera, 802.11 b/g, 8GB of storage, and an 800MHz Snapdragon processor. There's also a slide-out keyboard, and the device can serve as a mobile hotspot. The device will be available "this spring."  Meanwhile, the Pre³ offers a 3.6-inch 480x800 display, a five-megapixel camera, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a 1.44GHz Snapdragon processor, and full QWERTY slide-out keyboard. Like the HP Touchpad, the Pre³ is said to be available this summer. “Finally HP is getting it, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” I’ts always been about the toys and what they can do, we live by the tips of our fingers now and for one of the top hardware competitors to develop their own type I think helps ensure their success in the field of touchpads and smartphones.

Namibia's Extension

In Namibia an undersea telecoms fiber-optic cable laid along the West African coast went live on Tuesday, allowing high bandwidth connectivity for the country and its neighbors, officials said.   "The 14,900 kilometer West African Cable Systems (WACS) will bring direct connectivity between Namibia, West Africa and the United Kingdom,"  The cable which landed in Swakopmund beach, some 370 kilometers west of capital Windhoek was developed by Telecom Namibia and French partner Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks for $600 million dollars.  The cable will provide an Internet speed of at least 5120 gigabits (= 5.12 Terabits).  Other landing points are in several African countries and in Britain, Portugal and Spain's Canary Islands.  The arrival of the cable which will also be extended to Botswana is expected to bring down prices for Internet users and broadband connectivity.  Marc Gregan, the manager of Internet services provider AfricaOnline Namibia say’s  "The investors would want some return on their investments, so I expect prices to fall only later, not immediately.”

Plextor Unleashed!!

Plextor; a company known for manufaturing optical disc recorders, has announced that it is about to storm the UK with a range of fast, long life stable solid state disks (SSDs), its first of SSD units. Plextor say’s the M2S series SSDs have SATA III 6Gb/sec interfaces and come in a range of three capacities - 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. The long life, in Plextor's view, is 10 years, which I would like to assume is pretty long, and Plextor added that the SSDs' performance won’t degrade over time.

Although this does suggest that suddenly after 10 years the unit will simply cease to function, Plextor say’s it is unlikely. The three SSDs have read speeds of up to 480MB/sec and write speeds of up to 330MB/sec, on the biggest unit, and according to Plextor have performed well in benchmark tests. Plextor claims it performed so well that the M2S series are the fastest on the market. They are 2.5 inches in size and offer instant restore technology which is designed to improve stability, a 128GB DDR3 cache for improved data transfer speeds, Acronis True Image software for easy data migration, Windows data wiping tools, a server grade Marvell 88SS9174 control chip, which is the industry's most advanced, giving the unit an edge, and a three-year warranty.  The units, and pricing information, will be released in the UK in March.  U.S releases haven’t been posted yet but my interest is peaked and will remain monitoring its process as I hope you do as well.

Maxell's Hot Keyboard!

 

Maxell has a new HTPC keyboard. There are many features to choose from and many unlisted strengths and weaknesses that can't be described, but Maxell has adopted an old style with a new look and a good mixture of features. The Super Slim RF Home Theatre Keyboard has a number great features and power that make it an ideal tool for all applications. The keyboard also has a functional smart multi-touch pad that can make surfing on your big screen T.V. even easier then from a desk and a mouse. I think without a desk surface, the way we’re used to using a computer becomes a bore. The Super Slim RF Keyboard is USB compatible and fits comfortably in one hand and has many programmable buttons and multi-touch gestures that make one handed operation seem breezy. It’s said to be one of the top functional HTPC keyboards ever to seen hit the scene.

It sounds to me like this keyboard would be mainly for the power user, it has high gaming quality and net-surfing quality as well, it’s definatley one of the coolest looking keyboard I’ve seen.  It’s available by a company named Cleankeys whom specialize in making aseptic  (wipeable, waterproof) keyboards.  It is a little more geeky but very impressive as well is the Art. They can be hard to come by so far talks of  prices range from $24.95-$59.95 mostly it seems like a supply and demand situation, but they really do look like a really good way to show off your toys.

The Kin’s A Foul

The KIN series of smart phone devices have been nothing but a colossal fail for Microsoft. After being pulled from store shelves after dismal sales, and then reemerging several months later, KIN Studio is now officially closed.

The pulling of the plug on the service is effectively killing the device as much of its original services no longer function. Features including photo sharing, search near me, social media integration are all no longer working on the devices which renders them essentially useless for anything other than making phone calls or texting.  Although WPcentral is reporting that Zune pass still appears to be working over 3G despite originally being told that the service would only work over WiFi. 

This officially marks the end of the Kin program for Microsoft. When it was unveiled it was aimed at teens and was originally supposed to be offered with data plan below that cost less than a plan for a smartphone. But when the monthly pricing was the exact same as a smartphone, the Kin was dead before it ever hit the store shelves. While rumors that Microsoft missed Verizon's deadline for launching the device and that's why they gave it a higher data price point surfaced.

So agian as a result of KIN Studio’s termination, these following services stopped working:

-News Feed Reader

-Posting photos or status updates to social sites

-Search Near Me

-Loop

-Social network contacts

In other words, nearly every feature the social-oriented KIN was built around stopped working. On the upside, Verizon gave anyone who had the misfortune of nabbing a KIN during its 48 day lifespan a 3G device of their choosing, free of cost.

Microsoft Asks Intel for a 16-core Atom Server Chip

"The Intel Atom processor line is associated with low power usage in devices such as a netbook or nettop computer. The emphasis is definitely not on performance, it's on pushing up battery life on a device with a small display and mid-range graphics requirements while still managing a decent desktop experience. Microsoft thinks Atom can do more, though, and wants to use it in servers. With that in mind it is calling on Intel to up the cores in an Atom chip to 16, and deploying it as a low power server chip solution." 

That call comes from distinguished engineer Dr. Dileep Bhandarkar, of Microsoft Global Foundation Services, a core part of the team that looks after Microsoft’s data centers. So you can assume he knows what he’s talking about in their server space and that Intel will take his request seriously.

Although not suitable for all server workloads, Bhandarkar believes Atom is better suited than Xeon chips for specific tasks. He thinks the power savings would make Atom servers worth deploying for the overall cost savings they would offer. He also believes the same is true of AMD’s low-power Bobcat chips.  There’s hope for ARM chips appearing in Microsoft data centers in the future too. Windows is going to get support for ARM, and Bhandarkar says ARM just needs to prove its performance worth.  For the moment, Intel says it has no plans for a server version of its low power processor, but with Microsoft executives as enthusiastic as Bhandarkar putting the pressure on, it may just happen in the next few years.

Intel's Chip Issue

Intel's Sandy Bridge chipset Issue

Last week customers started telling Intel that there was an issue in Sandy Bridge's Cougar Point chipset. As intel confirmed, but not in the main Sandy Bridge processor. Most Sandy Bridge systems sold to date are quad-core laptops. Potentially affected systems have been shipping only since January 9.  The issues were Affecting SATA ports 2 through 5, not ports 0 and 1. Most laptops have two SATA devices, such as a hard disk drive and optical drive that would be using the unaffected ports 0 and 1. That said; Sandy Bridge-based systems with more than a couple of SATA devices could potentially be affected.  As Intel stressed the part, then Intel's labs started seeing a failure to access ports 2 through 5. The Intel stress test simulated time passing and it showed that over time this issue could come up.  8 million chips were reported.  But Intel claims relatively few are in customers' hands. Most of those are in the sales channel and will be pulled out of the channel. Intel is supporting PC makers in this effort. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the chipset which will resolve the issue. Intel estimates that the full financial cost of the error will be around $700 million, with $300 million of that incurred during the first quarter due to the production interruption. Intel expects to begin delivering the updated version of the chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery in April.

“It appears like another consumer test at its best.  I believe it affects the consumer more than corporate.  Which is good, being able to catch it at its test stages help to ensure it will be flawless when it’s finally launched?”

Nintendo has blown it...

Nintendo Has Blown It, They Will Never Recover.

Sales of Wii Will Only Continue to Drop, Says Market Observer

With the release of Microsoft Kinect and Sony Move motion-sensing technologies for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the stir towards Nintendo Wii game console by casual gamers started to decline. Technologies by Microsoft and Sony are not worse than Nintendo's, but Xbox 360 and PS3 have better graphics and a number of other capabilities. An analyst believes that sales of Wii will quickly drop and the company will not be able to recover easily.

Nintendo has been long rumored to release a successor for the Wii game console with high-definition graphics support as well as better quality of content overall. However, Nintendo relied on its Wii - which had exclusive motion-sensing game controller, but had outdated graphics core and underperforming microprocessor - and did not release anything new to offer quality of experience similar to PS3 or Xbox 360. Now that the motion-sensing controllers are available for all three current-generation systems, Nintendo has lost its only trump and naturally sales of its Wii started to decline gradually. Since Kinect and Move were announced over a year ahead of release, Nintendo had a lot of time to finalize a successor for Wii (at the end, it had enough time to develop a decent console) and release it in 2010. But the company failed to do so.

“I think it’s pretty sad when one of the top brand names in gaming begins to lack what it takes to move forward these days, granted Nintendo has been out longer but it has always been simpler too.  2-D graphics, side scrollers, and plat formers, not to mention their lack of storytelling have always been their main craze, but the lack of graphics and low-budget motion sensorsing will be its downfall, especially against Microsoft and Sony whom specialize in blowing today’s gamers away with 3-D CGI, deep storytelling, and first person shooters dominating the scene.  Good luck Nintendo!”

The Hammerhead

Hammerhead takes PC design in new directions

Matthew Kim’s case design takes a page from the Thermaltake Level 10 and the Antec Skeleton chassis, which turn things inside out, exposing the components instead of hiding them in a big box. But it’s less monolithic than the Level 10 and more sculptural than the Skeleton, no surprise given Kim’s training as an architect (busy guy). He’s hand-building each of his Hammerheads and is working on numbers three and four. These will be constructed with black brushed anodize and “quattro carbon” trim. The specs on version HMR98902 included Intel Core i7-860 processor, 4GB of RAM, 40GB SSD and 640GB hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 graphics card. The parts are all attached to a central frame that also works as a heatsink, making it unnecessary to have any other case fans.
Of course, it helps that the Hammerhead isn’t equipped with the highest heat-generating parts that you might expect on a system that’s selling for $2,899. On the other hand, you’re getting a unique piece of craftsmanship, one that Kim believes buyers will continue to use over the years, upgrading with new components along the way. It might not help you win any overclocking contests, but it will certainly draw a lot of attention sitting on your desk. You can learn more at the Darwin Machine Website.

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"Today a desktop that looks like it was designed by NASA but hand-crafted by engineer and race car designer; Matthew Kim. That’s the story behind this mean machine. A gaming rig that’s built by a one-man crew,   Then what??, I look forward to seeing the results."

A Device that could revolutionize computer memory

Device could revolutionize computer memory

By: Emma Woollacott

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new device that they say represents a big advance for computer memory, making server farms more energy efficient and allowing computers to start more quickly.  The team has developed a single unified device that can perform both volatile and nonvolatile memory operation and which can be used in the main memory. Traditionally, slow memory - nonvolatile - devices are used in persistent data storage technologies such as flash drives and can save information for extended periods of time.
Fast memory like DRAM allows computers to operate more quickly, but aren’t able to save data when the computers are turned off.  The NC device, though, can perform both volatile and nonvolatile memory operation. The double floating-gate FET could allow computers to start immediately. They wouldn’t have to retrieve start-up data from their hard drive, as it would be stored in main memory.

My ideas are it sound like they are making great process in speeding up the booting process of a computer and utilizing more options for the memory towards the OS. Great job guys!!

3 Secure VPN's

Comuterworld say's "It's a truth universally acknowledged that public Wi-Fi hotspots aren't secure, but they're so convenient that most of us use them anyway. That's why there was something of a panic last year when Eric Butler showed everyone how easy it is to hijack Facebook, Twitter and PayPal accounts on open Wi-Fi networks via his FireSheep, a Firefox add-on."

I say "Finding out that the most common VPN (Virtual Private Network) is no longer safe from its add-on to its source is kind of  troubling even to find these are the more popular places that you would assume would break for the real deal and not what works for them and their pockets. As everyone goes about their day to day at their local coffee shop or other hot spot location with the feeling of being secure, little do we know we’re still at risk.  Three VPN’s have been found that remain secure are; HotSpotVPN, StrongVPN and WiTopia.  Hopefully these companies fix the problem soon and spend an extra buck to keep their customers secure and satisfied.  Hopefully."

Intel's X-Lab

Intel Employees are working on making sure that when you want fast service from your cloud service provider (whether that’s OnLive, Amazon, or Google), the speed is there.  When you want to transfer half of a terabyte over your LAN. thier work is part of why that process doesn’t take several days. Cars, tanks, slot machines, space shuttles, TVs, and others all share the common thread of Ethernet. Which takes place in sever rooms at the facility.  The fact that they are all working on the same hardware shows promise that the project will succeed.,