Helpedia - User contributions [en]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-07-27T23:46:09Z

Mariush: /* Source code */

__NOTOC__

[[File:Icon information mini.png|left]] This project page was updated on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July, 2014. Please scroll down to see the new additions.

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built using the commonly available AD595 thermocouple amplifier and an 8bit PIC16F1519 microcontroller.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Digital Thermometer Revisited==

{{#ev:youtubehd|9hZq0LtX52I|480|right|Digital Thermometer Revisited}}

In this follow-up video, the author starts by describing some of the problems that were still present in the first version and explains how they were solved in this new version of the digital thermometer.

Several improvements (using LCD display to reduce power consumption, using coefficients of approximate inverse functions for better precision and data logging through serial port) are also explained.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer.revisited.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The source code for the second version of the digital thermometer is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 445 KB)]. You can also download an [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer_revisited_schematic.zip updated circuit schematic (ZIP, 75KB)] .

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Further Reading==

* [http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=80018 Why ADC/1024 is correct, and ADC/1023 is just plain wrong!]
* [http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/26356/how-can-high-temperatures-be-measured-with-arduino-uno-and-type-k-thermocouple-w AD595 related questions and answers, ADC impedance, using AD595 with microcontrollers]

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Main Page

2014-07-27T23:42:12Z

Mariush: /* Tutorials */

__NOTOC__
==Latest News==

* No current news posted at this time.

Browse all [[::Category:News | news]] articles...

==Reviews==
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Gembird car USB charger]] review, teardown and test of its performance, investigation regarding how well such product could be used as a general purpose DC-DC converter for hobby projects

==Tutorials==
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [http://www.helpedia.com/pages/Designing_and_building_a_digital_thermometer#Digital_Thermometer_Revisited Digital Thermometer Revisited] - a redesign of the digital thermometer, correcting some mistakes and adding a few features to the previous version
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a digital thermometer]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a digital thermometer using a PIC16 microcontroller and an AD595 thermocouple amplfier
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a 9v battery using supercapacitors and boost switching regulators
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Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-07-27T23:38:57Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__

[[File:Icon information mini.png|left]] This project page was updated on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July, 2014. Please scroll down to see the new additions.

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built using the commonly available AD595 thermocouple amplifier and an 8bit PIC16F1519 microcontroller.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Digital Thermometer Revisited==

{{#ev:youtubehd|9hZq0LtX52I|480|right|Digital Thermometer Revisited}}

In this follow-up video, the author starts by describing some of the problems that were still present in the first version and explains how they were solved in this new version of the digital thermometer.

Several improvements (using LCD display to reduce power consumption, using coefficients of approximate inverse functions for better precision and data logging through serial port) are also explained.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer.revisited.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The source code for the second version of the digital thermometer is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 445 KB)]. You can also download an [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer_revisited_schematic.zip updated circuit schematic (ZIP, 75KB)] .

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-07-27T23:38:30Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__

[[File:Icon information mini.png|left]] This project was updated on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July. Please scroll down to see the new additions.

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built using the commonly available AD595 thermocouple amplifier and an 8bit PIC16F1519 microcontroller.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Digital Thermometer Revisited==

{{#ev:youtubehd|9hZq0LtX52I|480|right|Digital Thermometer Revisited}}

In this follow-up video, the author starts by describing some of the problems that were still present in the first version and explains how they were solved in this new version of the digital thermometer.

Several improvements (using LCD display to reduce power consumption, using coefficients of approximate inverse functions for better precision and data logging through serial port) are also explained.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer.revisited.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The source code for the second version of the digital thermometer is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 445 KB)]. You can also download an [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer_revisited_schematic.zip updated circuit schematic (ZIP, 75KB)] .

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-07-27T23:38:12Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
[[File:Icon information mini.png|left]] This project was updated on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July. Please scroll down to see the new additions.

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built using the commonly available AD595 thermocouple amplifier and an 8bit PIC16F1519 microcontroller.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Digital Thermometer Revisited==

{{#ev:youtubehd|9hZq0LtX52I|480|right|Digital Thermometer Revisited}}

In this follow-up video, the author starts by describing some of the problems that were still present in the first version and explains how they were solved in this new version of the digital thermometer.

Several improvements (using LCD display to reduce power consumption, using coefficients of approximate inverse functions for better precision and data logging through serial port) are also explained.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer.revisited.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The source code for the second version of the digital thermometer is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 445 KB)]. You can also download an [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer_revisited_schematic.zip updated circuit schematic (ZIP, 75KB)] .

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-07-27T23:36:54Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
[[File:Icon information mini.png|left]] This project was updated on the 28<sup>th</sup> of July. Please scroll down to see the new additions.

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built using the commonly available AD595 thermocouple amplifier and an 8bit PIC16F1519 microcontroller.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Digital Thermometer Revisited==

{{#ev:youtubehd|9hZq0LtX52I|480|right|Digital Thermometer Revisited}}

In this follow-up video, the author starts by describing some of the problems that were still present in the first version and explains how they were solved in this new version of the digital thermometer.

Several improvements (using LCD display to reduce power consumption, using coefficients of approximate inverse functions for better precision and data logging through serial port) are also explained.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer.revisited.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The source code for the second version of the digital thermometer is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 445 KB)]. You can also download an [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/thermometer_revisited_schematic.zip updated circuit schematic (ZIP, 75KB)] .

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

File:Icon information mini.png

2014-07-27T23:09:53Z

Mariush:

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T20:22:25Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only suitable seven segment display recycled from other projects is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Source code==

The source code is available [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/digital_thermometer.zip here (ZIP, 263 KB)]. You can also view a basic [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/articles/digital_thermometer/circuit.png circuit schematic].

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T19:43:49Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which makes choosing a battery for this project a bit easier.

AD595 will simply amplify the small voltage, so its output will still be non-linear. A microcontroller takes care of the converting AD595's output voltage to the proper temperature value.

In order to have that 0.5°C precision (or better), a microcontroller with at least a 10bit ADC is needed. Also, as most power supplies are not stable enough, a voltage reference is needed.
Due to these requirements a Microchip [http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1519&treeid=57 PIC16F1519] was chosen for this project. This chip has a 10bit ADC and an internal voltage reference with configurable levels (1.024v, 2.048v, 4.096v), which allows output voltage measurements of approximately 2mV or 4mV per bit, making it capable of showing the actual temperatures with a precision better than 0.5°C.

It is possible to use other microcontrollers - for example Arduino - but an external voltage reference may be needed in that case, which increases complexity and cost of this project.

Instead of using cheap LCD 2x16 displays, a seven segment LED display is used, giving the opportunity to explain how these displays work and make the tutorial more interesting.

The only seven segment display found in the box of spare parts is an Avago Technologies HDSP-B03E 4-digit LED display. The clock style arrangement of the segments is just a minor inconvenience which can be worked around, the principles of operation are the same for other seven segment LED displays.

Four BC337-25 NPN transistors help the microcontroller switch each LED digit on or off, and a 5v ST Micro L7805ABP linear regulator makes sure the microcontroller receives clean power, no matter what type of battery is used to power the AD595 thermocouple amplifier chip.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

==Source code==

The source code is available here: (to be added later).

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Components==

This section contains the components used in the project, along with links to their datasheets

* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c
* Analog Devices [http://uk.farnell.com/analog-devices/ad595aq/amp-thermocouple-type-k-3-c-14dip/dp/409194 AD595AQ] - thermocouple amplifier, Type K, ± 3°C, 14DIP
* Microchip [http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pic16f1519-i-p/mcu-8bit-pic16-20mhz-dip-40/dp/1909425 PIC16F1519] - 8bit MCU, 20Mhz, 40DIP, 5V, 28KB Flash, 1KB RAM
* Avago Technologies [http://uk.farnell.com/avago-technologies/hdsp-b03e/led-display-4-digit-red-cc/dp/1003345 HDSP-B03E] - led display, 4-digit, red, common cathode
* Fairchild Semiconductor [http://uk.farnell.com/fairchild-semiconductor/bc337-25/transistor-npn-45v-to-92/dp/1228215 BC337-25] - NPN transistor, TO-92, 45V,
* STMicro [http://uk.farnell.com/stmicroelectronics/l7805abp/ic-reg-ldo-5v-1a-to220/dp/1564318 L7805ABP] - 5v linear regulator, 1.5A, TO-220

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T18:41:04Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial starts by introducing viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and why such a tool differs from other tools, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is 40.44 mV/°C. Such voltage is too low to be measured reliably using a regular multimeter and the output of a thermocouple so a thermocouple amplifier IC or a precision operational amplifier is required to boost this voltage to levels which can be measured easily.

The Analog Devices [http://www.analog.com/en/mems-sensors/digital-temperature-sensors/ad595/products/product.html AD595] used in this project is one of those thermocouple amplifiers.
As it was readily available as spare from other projects, its biggest disadvantage is the high price. Putting that aside, the IC has several features that make it a very good choice:
* it is available in DIP package, making it easy to solder onto a prototyping board
* it has built in ice point compensation, simplifying the design and improving the accuracy of the amplifier
* it amplifies thermocouple voltage to an easy to measure 10mV/°C
* it works powered from a simple, positive only power supply and with as little as 5V, if only positive temperatures need to be measured.

By design, the IC is only capable to output a voltage that's 2V lower than the power supply voltage - with a small 5V power supply, the AD595 would only be able to correctly report temperatures up to about 300°C. As the requirements call for a maximum of 500°C, the IC will have to be powered using at least 7.1V, which limits the choices when it comes to what type of batteries can be used to power the whole project.

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

(content to be added)

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

(content to be added)

==Source code==

The source code is available here: (to be added later).

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Datasheets==

This section contains datasheets for the components used by this project:

* Datasheet 1
* Datasheet 2

(content to be added)

==Components==
* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T17:34:40Z

Mariush:

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T17:34:01Z

Mariush:

Designing and building a digital thermometer

2014-06-04T17:31:00Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Introduction== In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built. ==Description== {{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}} '''Part 1''' of t..."

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a digital thermometer is designed and built.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|me1bqCAaraI|480|right|Part 1 of 3}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces viewers to the reasons why a digital thermometer is useful for a hobbyist and how such a tool differs from others, such as infrared thermometers.

Infrared thermometers have the advantage of being able to measure the temperature of a surface at a particular distance, but they some disadvantages:
* some materials are measured incorrectly due to their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity emissivity] - more expensive infrared thermometers allow user to adjust this value
* they measure a small area in front of the thermometer, which changes with the distance - it's difficult to measure tiny heat sinks or small ICs
* they often have a laser point that only accurately points to the measured area when the infrared thermometer is within a certain distance
* they can not be used in certain environments, for example when trying to measure the temperature inside a reflow oven

A lot of digital multimeters are currently capable of measuring temperature using cheap thermocouples, and there are also very cheap temperature meters available on eBay and other online stores. Prices for such a meter, including a K type thermocouple, can be as low as $10.
However, buying such a tool won't give you the pleasure of knowing you built your own tools and you don't learn anything by doing that. While the components chosen for this project are more expensive compared to a commercial tool, the knowledge gained by building one with your own hands makes up for it.

The design process starts off by defining the requirements for this thermometer:
* must be able to measure from 0 degrees Celsius up to at least 500 degrees Celcius
* must be able to measure as little as 0.5 degrees Celsius difference

The first requirement would make this thermometer very useful for measuring temperature of solder iron tips or temperatures inside reflow ovens, both use cases difficult otherwise for infrared thermometers.
The second requirement is simply a challenge, to insure that the thermometer will have a good accuracy within the temperature range.

For this project, a few components were chosen simply because they were already purchased as spares for other projects and because they met the requirements. The parts used may not be the cheapest available and there may be newer parts that have the same performance or functionality.
All parts for this project were purchased from [http://uk.farnell.com/ Farnell] because it is physically close to author's address and have reasonable shipping times and costs. Parts are available from other good part stores - please scroll down to the footer for a list of recommended online stores to buy from.

The first part chosen for this thermometer is a cheap [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Type_K K type thermocouple] supplied by Labfacility.

The part is only rated for up to 250°C but the author suspects this low rating is simply due to the isolating material used and due to the small diameter of the wire. For designing, testing and building this project, this thermocouple is good enough - if it turns out the thermocouple can not handle temperatures higher than 250°C, it's always possible to purchase one of those more expensive high temperature thermocouples that can measure up to 800-1350°C.

K type thermocouples output a small voltage as the temperature changes where the two different alloys are welded together - for K type thermocouples this voltage is about 41

(content to be added)

{{#ev:youtubehd|Vq3gZNG5loQ|480|right|Part 2 of 3}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers the build process along with explanations about various decisions made during the build process.
There are also some small additions to the design, such as a DC input jack and a current sense resistor, used to measure the current consumption of the completed project.

(content to be added)

{{#ev:youtubehd|5q9RHUS1HB4|480|right|Part 3 of 3}}

In '''Part 3''', the source code is explained in detail, along with suggestions regarding optimizing the project for use with other microcontrollers that may not have as many input-output pins or may have less resources available.

(content to be added)

==Source code==

The source code is available here: (to be added later).

The project was created using MPLAB X 2.05 and it uses the XC8 Free compiler, both available on [http://www.microchip.com/ Microchip]'s website.

Both MPLAB X and XC8 were installed in C:\Programs\Microchip (the project should not care about paths).

==Datasheets==

This section contains datasheets for the components used by this project:

* Datasheet 1
* Datasheet 2

(content to be added)

==Components==
* Labfacility [http://uk.farnell.com/labfacility/z2-k-1m-iec/sensor-thermocouple-k-1m-ptfe/dp/7076150 Z2-K-1M (IEC)] - K type thermocouple, 1m, PTFE, -75c - +250c

==Online Stores==
The following online stores have a good reputation between engineers and hobbyists:

* [http://www.digikey.com/ Digikey] (mostly US and Canada)
* [http://mouser.com Mouser]
* [http://farnell.com/ Farnell] ([http://www.newark.com/ Newark] in US)
* [http://www.rs-online.com/ RS Components]

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Main Page

2014-06-04T16:00:58Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Latest News==

* No current news posted at this time.

Browse all [[::Category:News | news]] articles...

==Reviews==
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Gembird car USB charger]] review, teardown and test of its performance, investigation regarding how well such product could be used as a general purpose DC-DC converter for hobby projects

==Tutorials==
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a digital thermometer]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a digital thermometer using a PIC16 microcontroller and an AD595 thermocouple amplfier
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a 9v battery using supercapacitors and boost switching regulators
* [[Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD]] - convert movies to Video CD and Super CD with optional subtitles, at the highest quality possible
* [[Ripping and Encoding Audio CD]] - rip an Audio CD and encode it in lossless or lossy audio formats

Browse all [[::Category:Tutorials | tutorials]]...

==Guides==

* [[Deinterlacing]] - information about Deinterlacing and how it can be done the right way
* [[All about BitTorrent]] - learn all about the BitTorrent protocol and how to configure and install BitComet

Browse all [[::Category:Guides | guides]]...

==Projects==

This section contains various programs or scripts written by various Helpedia contributors.

* [[File Splitter]] and [[File Merger]] - transfer large files between computers without network connectivity by splitting them into smaller files that fit standard media
* [[FLV Extract]] - extract audio and video tracks from FLV (Flash Video) files
* [[NFO to BMP]] and [[NFO to PNG]] - PHP scripts that convert ASCII art into monochrome images, requiring no external libraries or functions
* [[PHP Search Plugin]] - add a PHP function search to the Firefox search box, making developers' lives easier

See all [[::Category:Projects | programming projects and downloads]]...

Gembird car USB charger

2014-03-15T00:52:15Z

Mariush: /* Introduction */

==Introduction==

In this video, a Gembird MP3A-CAR-5P1 car USB charger is reviewed, repaired, tested and opened to analyze its internal circuitry. Its efficiency is analyzed and compared to linear regulators.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|loRv7HK_aLs|480|right|Gembird MP3A-CAR-5P1 car USB charger review and teardown}}

Taking advantage of a sale, the author purchases this USB card charger in order to investigate how easy it is to adapt this product into a general purpose DC-DC converter for various hobby projects.

As the charger is opened up, author determines it uses a very popular and cheap switching regulator [http://www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/product.do?id=MC34063A MC34063], which is manufactured by several companies all over the world. The design of the charger follows the typical step-down regulator schematic presented in various datasheets for this regulator IC.

As the main IC turns out to be faulty, the author resorts to replacing it with a compatible IC [http://www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/product.do?id=NCP3063 NCP3063] and then starts to investigate if the charger is actually capable of achieving the specifications on its label.

Several measurements are performed at various voltages and current loads in order to draw efficiency curves for the charger and prove one of the main advantages of using such DC-DC converters, much higher efficiency compared to regular linear regulators.

[[Category:Reviews]]
[[Category:Teardowns]]

Gembird car USB charger

2014-03-15T00:51:26Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Introduction== In this video, a Gembird MP3A-CAR-5P1 car USB charger is reviewed, repaired, tested and opened to analyze its internal circuitry. ==Description== {{#ev:yo..."

==Introduction==

In this video, a Gembird MP3A-CAR-5P1 car USB charger is reviewed, repaired, tested and opened to analyze its internal circuitry.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|loRv7HK_aLs|480|right|Gembird MP3A-CAR-5P1 car USB charger review and teardown}}

Taking advantage of a sale, the author purchases this USB card charger in order to investigate how easy it is to adapt this product into a general purpose DC-DC converter for various hobby projects.

As the charger is opened up, author determines it uses a very popular and cheap switching regulator [http://www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/product.do?id=MC34063A MC34063], which is manufactured by several companies all over the world. The design of the charger follows the typical step-down regulator schematic presented in various datasheets for this regulator IC.

As the main IC turns out to be faulty, the author resorts to replacing it with a compatible IC [http://www.onsemi.com/PowerSolutions/product.do?id=NCP3063 NCP3063] and then starts to investigate if the charger is actually capable of achieving the specifications on its label.

Several measurements are performed at various voltages and current loads in order to draw efficiency curves for the charger and prove one of the main advantages of using such DC-DC converters, much higher efficiency compared to regular linear regulators.

[[Category:Reviews]]
[[Category:Teardowns]]

Main Page

2014-03-15T00:35:17Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Latest News==

* No current news posted at this time.

Browse all [[::Category:News | news]] articles...

==Reviews==
* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Gembird car USB charger]] review, teardown and test of its performance, investigation regarding how well such product could be used as a general purpose DC-DC converter for hobby projects

==Tutorials==

* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a 9v battery using supercapacitors and boost switching regulators
* [[Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD]] - convert movies to Video CD and Super CD with optional subtitles, at the highest quality possible
* [[Ripping and Encoding Audio CD]] - rip an Audio CD and encode it in lossless or lossy audio formats

Browse all [[::Category:Tutorials | tutorials]]...

==Guides==

* [[Deinterlacing]] - information about Deinterlacing and how it can be done the right way
* [[All about BitTorrent]] - learn all about the BitTorrent protocol and how to configure and install BitComet

Browse all [[::Category:Guides | guides]]...

==Projects==

This section contains various programs or scripts written by various Helpedia contributors.

* [[File Splitter]] and [[File Merger]] - transfer large files between computers without network connectivity by splitting them into smaller files that fit standard media
* [[FLV Extract]] - extract audio and video tracks from FLV (Flash Video) files
* [[NFO to BMP]] and [[NFO to PNG]] - PHP scripts that convert ASCII art into monochrome images, requiring no external libraries or functions
* [[PHP Search Plugin]] - add a PHP function search to the Firefox search box, making developers' lives easier

See all [[::Category:Projects | programming projects and downloads]]...

Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors

2013-08-22T19:09:46Z

Mariush: /* Description */

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a 9v battery replacement circuit is planned, designed and built.

By using supercapacitors and a boost switching regulator, a "battery" which can power a digital multimeter for over one hour and can be recharged within one minute to the maximum capacity is created.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|V0RIeIPawt0|480|right|Part 1 of 4}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces the viewer to the reasons why the author of this tutorial wants to design and build such a battery replacement.

Several types of classic 9v batteries are described, showing how many hours of life they would provide to an average digital multimeter and comparing their efficiency from a price point of view.

The reasons why a 9v battery is used in a digital multimeter are presented and supercapacitors are introduced as a potential replacement for such bulky, inefficient (when it comes to providing energy to digital multimeters) batteries.

Supercapacitors are not ideal replacements though - several advantages and disadvantages are presented, along with possible "fixes" or "improvements" that alleviate some of the disadvantages.

# 00:10 Introduction
# 03:10 9v battery types, discharge rates
# 18:30 Why are 9v batteries used in digital multimeters?
# 23:00 Why supercapacitors?
# 26:30 Benefits & trade-offs

{{#ev:youtubehd|5see0HQA_bE|480|right|Part 2 of 4}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers how to select a boost switching regulator that would be most suitable for creating such battery replacement, one that would be able to take out as much energy from the surpercapacitors, generating the higher voltage digital multimeters expect, with a reasonably good efficiency.

Several factors that influence the selection of a boost regulator are explained: availability, package type, price, extra components required to complete the circuit being just a few of them.

Once a boost switching regulator is selected, the datasheet is browsed and the application circuit presented in the datasheet is altered to be more suitable for the footprint of a 9v battery.

The modified circuit is then re-created in the free circuit simulator software LTSpice IV, the basic simulation showing the efficiency and the limitations of the boost regulator in regard to minimum voltage required to obtain the desired output voltage and current.

# 00:10 Selecting a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 06:00 Things to look for when deciding on a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 14:00 LT1037 datasheet and application circuit
# 24:00 Adapting datasheet application circuit for the 9v battery footprint
# 28:00 Simulating the circuit using LTSpice IV

{{#ev:youtubehd|_YydU7Xru_o|480|right|Part 3 of 4}}

In '''Part 3''', the circuit is actually built. After a brief presentation of the components needed for the circuit, changes to the planned circuit are explained.

As the circuit is finalized, mistakes are detected and corrected and everything is ready to be tested using a home-made constant current load.

# 00:10 Components used to build the circuit
# 08:50 Building the circuit
# 16:40 Correcting mistakes
# 19:30 Testing the circuit using a constant current load

{{#ev:youtubehd|6x3tp_F5Ktk|480|right|Part 4 of 4}}

'''Part 4''' goes through selecting a linear regulator suitable for charging the supercapacitor at a safe maximum current, and building such regulator from scratch.

After the custom charger is built and tested, some suggestions for improving and refining the built battery design are made and conclusions are drawn.

The project is considered successful, after it was able to keep the digital multimeter powered for over one hour and ten minutes, using a single 25F 2.7v supercapacitor.

# 00:10 Selecting a suitable linear regulator IC, options for limiting charging current
# 14:50 Presenting and testing built custom charger
# 20:20 Problems experienced, changes made to planned design, suggestions and improvement suggestions
# 26:45 Conclusions

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Main Page

2013-08-19T20:11:25Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Latest News==

* No current news posted at this time.

Browse all [[::Category:News | news]] articles...

==Tutorials==

* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a 9v battery using supercapacitors and boost switching regulators
* [[Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD]] - convert movies to Video CD and Super CD with optional subtitles, at the highest quality possible
* [[Ripping and Encoding Audio CD]] - rip an Audio CD and encode it in lossless or lossy audio formats

Browse all [[::Category:Tutorials | tutorials]]...

==Guides==

* [[Deinterlacing]] - information about Deinterlacing and how it can be done the right way
* [[All about BitTorrent]] - learn all about the BitTorrent protocol and how to configure and install BitComet

Browse all [[::Category:Guides | guides]]...

==Projects==

This section contains various programs or scripts written by various Helpedia contributors.

* [[File Splitter]] and [[File Merger]] - transfer large files between computers without network connectivity by splitting them into smaller files that fit standard media
* [[FLV Extract]] - extract audio and video tracks from FLV (Flash Video) files
* [[NFO to BMP]] and [[NFO to PNG]] - PHP scripts that convert ASCII art into monochrome images, requiring no external libraries or functions
* [[PHP Search Plugin]] - add a PHP function search to the Firefox search box, making developers' lives easier

See all [[::Category:Projects | programming projects and downloads]]...

Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors

2013-08-19T04:56:04Z

Mariush:

==Introduction==

In this video tutorial, a 9v battery replacement circuit is planned, designed and built.

By using supercapacitors and a boost switching regulator, a "battery" which can power a digital multimeter for over one hour and can be recharged within one minute to the maximum capacity is created.

==Description==

{{#ev:youtubehd|V0RIeIPawt0|480|right|Part 1 of 4}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces the viewer to the reasons why the author of this tutorial wants to design and build such a battery replacement.

Several types of classic 9v batteries are described, showing how many hours of life they would provide to an average digital multimeter and comparing their efficiency from a price point of view.

The reasons why a 9v battery is used in a digital multimeter are presented and supercapacitors are introduced as a potential replacement for such bulky, inefficient (when it comes to providing energy to digital multimeters) batteries.

Supercapacitors are not ideal replacements though - several advantages and disadvantages are presented, along with possible "fixes" or "improvements" that alleviate some of the disadvantages.

# 00:10 Introduction
# 03:10 9v battery types, discharge rates
# 18:30 Why are 9v batteries used in digital multimeters?
# 23:00 Why supercapacitors?
# 26:30 Benefits & trade-offs

{{#ev:youtubehd|5see0HQA_bE|480|right|Part 2 of 4}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers how to select a boost switching regulator that would be most suitable for creating such battery replacement, one that would be able to take out as much energy from the surpercapacitors, generating the higher voltage digital multimeters expect, with a reasonably good efficiency.

Several factors that influence the selection of a boost regulator are explained: availability, package type, price, extra components required to complete the circuit being just a few of them.

Once a boost switching regulator is selected, the datasheet is browsed and the application circuit presented in the datasheet is altered to be more suitable for the footprint of a 9v battery.

The modified circuit is then re-created in the free circuit simulator software LTSpice IV, the basic simulation showing the efficiency and the limitations of the boost regulator in regard to minimum voltage required to obtain the desired output voltage and current.

# 00:10 Selecting a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 06:00 Things to look for when deciding on a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 14:00 LT1037 datasheet and application circuit
# 24:00 Adapting datasheet application circuit for the 9v battery footprint
# 28:00 Simulating the circuit using LTSpice IV

{{#ev:youtubehd|_YydU7Xru_o|480|right|Part 3 of 4}}

In '''Part 3''', the circuit is actually built. After a brief presentation of the components needed for the circuit, changes to the planned are explained.

As the circuit is finalized, mistakes are detected and corrected and everything is ready to be tested using a home-made constant current load.

# 00:10 Components used to build the circuit
# 08:50 Building the circuit
# 16:40 Correcting mistakes
# 19:30 Testing the circuit using a constant current load

{{#ev:youtubehd|6x3tp_F5Ktk|480|right|Part 4 of 4}}

'''Part 4''' goes through selecting a linear regulator suitable for charging the supercapacitor at a safe maximum current, and building such regulator from scratch.

After the custom charger is built and tested, some suggestions for improving and refining the built battery design are made and conclusions are drawn.

The project is considered successful, after it was able to keep the digital multimeter powered for over one hour and ten minutes, using a single 25F 2.7v supercapacitor.

# 00:10 Selecting a suitable linear regulator IC, options for limiting charging current
# 14:50 Presenting and testing built custom charger
# 20:20 Problems experienced, changes made to planned design, suggestions and improvement suggestions
# 26:45 Conclusions

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors

2013-08-18T23:25:57Z

Mariush:

==Introduction==

{{#ev:youtubehd|V0RIeIPawt0|480|right|Part 1 of 4}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces the viewer to the reasons why the author of this tutorial wants to design and build such a battery replacement.

Several types of classic 9v batteries are described, showing how many hours of life they would provide to an average digital multimeter and comparing their efficiency from a price point of view.

The reasons why a 9v battery is used in a digital multimeter are presented and supercapacitors are introduced as a potential replacement for such bulky, inefficient (when it comes to providing energy to digital multimeters) batteries.

Supercapacitors are not ideal replacements though - several advantages and disadvantages are presented, along with possible "fixes" or "improvements" that alleviate some of the disadvantages.

# 00:10 Introduction
# 03:10 9v battery types, discharge rates
# 18:30 Why are 9v batteries used in digital multimeters?
# 23:00 Why supercapacitors?
# 26:30 Benefits & trade-offs

{{#ev:youtubehd|5see0HQA_bE|480|right|Part 2 of 4}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers how to select a boost switching regulator that would be most suitable for creating such battery replacement, one that would be able to take out as much energy from the surpercapacitors, generating the higher voltage digital multimeters expect, with a reasonably good efficiency.

Several factors that influence the selection of a boost regulator are explained: availability, package type, price, extra components required to complete the circuit being just a few of them.

Once a boost switching regulator is selected, the datasheet is browsed and the application circuit presented in the datasheet is altered to be more suitable for the footprint of a 9v battery.

The modified circuit is then re-created in the free circuit simulator software LTSpice IV, the basic simulation showing the efficiency and the limitations of the boost regulator in regard to minimum voltage required to obtain the desired output voltage and current.

# 00:10 Selecting a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 06:00 Things to look for when deciding on a DC-DC boost switching regulator
# 14:00 LT1037 datasheet and application circuit
# 24:00 Adapting datasheet application circuit for the 9v battery footprint
# 28:00 Simulating the circuit using LTSpice IV

{{#ev:youtubehd|_YydU7Xru_o|480|right|Part 3 of 4}}

In '''Part 3''', the circuit is actually built. After a brief presentation of the components needed for the circuit, changes to the planned are explained.

As the circuit is finalized, mistakes are detected and corrected and everything is ready to be tested using a home-made constant current load
'''Incomplete'''

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors

2013-08-18T19:46:52Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Introduction== {{#ev:youtubehd|V0RIeIPawt0|480|right|Part 1 of 4}} '''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces the viewer to the reasons why the author of this tutorial..."

==Introduction==

{{#ev:youtubehd|V0RIeIPawt0|480|right|Part 1 of 4}}

'''Part 1''' of this video tutorial introduces the viewer to the reasons why the author of this tutorial wants to design and build such a battery replacement.

Several types of classic 9v batteries are described, showing how many hours of life they would provide to an average digital multimeter and comparing their efficiency from a price point of view.

The reasons why a 9v battery is used in a digital multimeter are presented and supercapacitors are introduced as a potential replacement for such bulky, inefficient (when it comes to providing energy to digital multimeters) batteries.

Supercapacitors are not ideal replacements though - several advantages and disadvantages are presented, along with possible "fixes" or "improvements" that alleviate some of the disadvantages.

# 00:10 Introduction
# 03:10 9v battery types, discharge rates
# 18:30 Why are 9v batteries used in digital multimeters?
# 23:00 Why supercapacitors?
# 26:30 Benefits & trade-offs

{{#ev:youtubehd|5see0HQA_bE|480|right|Part 2 of 4}}

'''Part 2''' shows viewers how to select a boost switching regulator that would be most suitable for creating such battery replacement, one that would be able to take out as much energy from the surpercapacitors, generating the higher voltage digital multimeters expect, with a reasonably good efficiency.

Several factors that influence the selection of a boost regulator are explained: availability, package type, price, extra components required to complete the circuit being just a few of them.

Once a boost switching regulator is selected, the datasheet is browsed and the application circuit presented in the datasheet is altered to be more suitable for the footprint of a 9v battery.

The modified circuit is then re-created in the free circuit simulator software LTSpice IV, the basic simulation showing the efficiency and the limitations of the boost regulator in regard to minimum voltage required to obtain the desired output voltage and current.

'''Incomplete'''

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Video Tutorials]]

Ripping and Encoding Audio CD

2013-08-18T19:46:07Z

Mariush:

==Introduction==

Each day while you work on your computer, you probably listen to music on an internet radio.

If you use file sharing programs, you may notice that, when downloading a song, there are usually different versions of the same song and, even if the file size is the same, they sound different. The quality varies, some even have annoying clicking and popping sounds at the end, because some people don't know how to properly extract the music from their audio CD's.

You should never settle for low quality, it only takes a few minutes from your time to learn how to do thing properly.

In this tutorial, I will try to show you how the professionals are obtaining the best quality audio files from audio CDs, the best way to rip and encode an audio CD.

I'll cover ripping of audio files from the audio CD and encoding them to lossless formats (in order to keep a perfect copy of the disc) or to a MP3 file (for the people that wish to obtain almost the best quality in less storage space).

==Copyright notes==

In the old days, before audio CD's were invented people used to listen to music on their audio cassette players.

People trying to copy the tapes often experienced what is called ==generational loss==, the copies of audio or video tapes did not sound exactly like the original, there was usually more background noise. Even more, because of the tape's permanent contact to the reading head of the cassette player, the original cassette would lose a bit of its quality with each playback.

On audio CD's, the music is stored in a digital format, with error correction and there is no reading head to touch the disc surface, if a person takes care not to scratch the disc, it will sound the same even after years of playback. With the right tools, people can create a perfect copy of the material on another disc or on a computer.

That is why copyright organizations are more concerned these days and this is why you should know what laws regarding this subject exist in your country.

Some countries do not allow ripping and encoding your legally owned discs, other countries have what is called [http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/ Fair Use Laws] which allow you to make a back-up copy of your disc (in case your original gets scratched or damaged) and possibly even share your music with close friends, as long as you don't make profit out of this.

If you are not sure about your country's laws stance regarding the legality of ripping & encoding legally-purchased CD audio music, you should '''seek legal advice''' from a qualified professional before doing anything this tutorial teaches you.

I do not condone piracy, the artists deserve to be paid for their music. I only believe the buyer should have the freedom to make a copy for safe keeping and to be able to listen to the music he/she likes without having to switch CDs for each favorite track.

==Tools of the trade==

In order to copy audio tracks from an audio CD, we need a CD ripper, a software that scans the disc, extracts the audio data and saves it in a normal computer audio file. In this tutorial the cd ripping software I will use is called [http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/ Exact Audio Copy]] (will call it from now on '''EAC''') and you will see why I chose this one before guiding you through its installation.

After the ripper copies the audio tracks on the hard drive in a standard basic audioformat, it can use an '''encoder''' (also called '''codec''') to encode the audio data in the audio format of your choice. This is in most cases needed because this basic format also takes a lot of space on your hard drive, after all it's a 1:1 copy of the disc.

There are two types of audio encoders, "lossless" and "lossy" encoders.

'''Lossless encoders''' analyze the audio data and compress the contents without losing audio information, just like normal file compressors. This is ideal for archiving purposes because the compressed content is exactly the same as the original ripped audio track. The size of compressed audio tracks is usually about 50% of the original track.

'''Lossy encoders''' analyze the audio data and remove parts that can barely be heard with a normal ear, for example a very low noise just before a loud noise or frequencies over 16 kHz, which usually can only be heard by young children. When this happens, it is said that encoders follow a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoacoustic_model psycho-acoustic model] to sort out what a normal person is able to heard and discard everything else, to keep the file smaller.

Two lossless encoders will be introduced in this tutorial - [http://www.monkeysaudio.com/ Monkey's Audio] and [http://flac.sourceforge.net/ FLAC] - and one lossy encoder, [http://lame.sourceforge.net/ LAME MP3 Encoder]. There are other lossy encoders, that encode in much better formats but these will be discussed in a later guide.
The Lame MP3 Encoder creates the best MP3 files and this is enough for the purpose of this tutorial.

Let's move on and install the applications.

First I show you how to install the Lame MP3 Encoder because, as you will see later in the tutorial, it simplifies the process of installing EAC. If you only wish to encode audio tracks with a lossless codec, you may skip the next page.

==Installing Lame MP3 Encoder==

This encoder has originally started as a source code written for studying audio compression technologies. In time, programmers all over the world added code and improved it. After lots and lots of blind tests and years of tweaks, LAME MP3 Encoder is considered better or at least at the same level as professional state of the art audio encoders.

The LAME web site does not contain any compiled version of the encoder, usually you would have to download the source code and compile it yourself. Fortunately, other people already did this and compiled versions of LAME can be downloaded from [http://www.rarewares.org/mp3.php Rarewares].

We are interested in either '''LAME 3.96.1''' or '''LAME 3.90.3''', these versions are tested a lot and certified to be in good working order. If you are still not sure what to download, click on the entry entitled ''LAME 3.90.3 , Bundle includes lame.exe, lame_enc.dll (--alt-preset standard & extreme with -Z option) (ICL4.5)'' or download [http://www.rarewares.org/mp3-lame-bundle.php the modified bundle].

These versions are of special interest because they contain some nice presets that make the configuration easier.

After you download the zip package, extract the contents of the archive in one folder, for example C:\LAME.

That's about it. Read the LAME documentation if you wish and them let's move on to installing EAC.

==Installing EAC (I)==

You probably wonder why I have chosen this particular CD ripper software when there are lots of other tools available and all should do the same thing, create a perfect copy of audio tracks on your hard drive.

Well, in most cases, it's not that simple.

Audio tracks are not stored on an audio CD like regular files. Their format is very basic, just enough for a regular CD player to understand where a track starts and where it ends. You need an application that can scan the disc and copy the contents of a track in a standard format your computer can understand. Because of this basic format the music is stored on an audio CD, there is just a very weak error correction on the disc.

If a CD is dirty or scratched, stand-alone CD players and regular CD rippers try to correct the erroneous information as much as possible but if they're not able to fix it in a short amount of time, they usually skip it, thus resulting a clicking or popping sound.

EAC is the only CD ripper at this moment that has a special ripping mode called [http://news.dmusic.com/article/6077 secure mode]. In this mode, if a scratch or a problem is detected on the disc, EAC will go back again and again, even for hours if needed and allowed, inspecting the surface of the disc and trying to reproduce as accurately as possible the audio tracks onto the hard drive.

A fast CD ripper usually makes one single pass over the surface, obtaining the audio content and saving it on your drive, it uses almost no error checking during transfer, that is why it is very fast. But being fast does not mean good in this case, we are more concerned about audio fidelity.

You can download EAC from the [http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/index.php/resources/download/ download section] of their site, any version is good, even if it's beta. Download the zip package, extract the whole content of the archive in a folder, I recommend C:\EAC.

[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall01.png|left|thumb]]As soon as you start Eac.exe from the location where you have extracted the files, you will be greeted with a wizard.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall02.png|left|thumb]] Click Next. In the next screen, the wizard will show you the units it is able to detect and allow you to check which ones you would like to use with the application.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall03.png|left|thumb]] As you see from the picture to the left, I have two units available, and I wish EAC to configure both of them automatically. For each unit, you will see at first the following image.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall04.png|left|thumb]] and after you click Next, it will either ask you to confirm the results...
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall05.png|left|thumb]] or it will ask you to insert an audio CD in the unknown unit and test it:
<div style="clear: both"></div>
==Installing EAC (II)==

After all drives are configured, the wizard will ask you if you wish to install the LAME MP3 encoder or not. If you did install it previously, leave the option checked, otherwise uncheck it or review the previous page, install the encoder and check the option.

[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall06.png|left|thumb]] If you chose to leave the option checked, in the next screen the wizard will automatically search your drives for the location of the encoder and it will find in C:\LAME, if you have followed my recommendation.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall07.png|left|thumb]] It's better to allow the encoder to use the recommended settings from the Hydrogen Audio forum, because the people there are specialists and involved in the development of this MP3 encoder.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall08.png|left|thumb]] If you wish to use the CDDB service (a free service that gives you the audio track information of the disc so that it relieves you from the trouble of writing the file names), you'll have to enter your e-mail or any e-mail you wish in this wizard page.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd eacinstall09.png|left|thumb]]This is the last screen of the configuration, it's ok to leave it as it is, to show the only the options that a beginner would understand.
<div style="clear: both"></div>
That concludes the installation of EAC, there are just a few more configuration options that we should browse through.

==Configuration and Ripping==

If you open the EAC Options panel by pressing '''F9''' or by clicking the option from the EAC menu, you will see lots of options. Most of them are self-explanatory but just a few are important and I feel the need to explain them.

In the '''Extraction''' tab, at the bottom left corner there is a combo box called '''Error recovery quality'''. This tells EAC how much to insist on a specific region of the disc trying to recover data, if the disc is damaged or scratched there. Usually, the default option is good, set it to High only if you have a very scratched disc.

In the '''Filename''' tab, you can set a pattern that EAC would use to save the files. For example, you can use "%N. %A - %T" to save files like this: "1. Artist - Title".

That's about it with this configuration panel, there is another one called '''Compression Options''' that can be accessed by pressing '''F11''' or by clicking the option with the same name in the EAC menu.

If you have selected to use the LAME MP3 Encoder, you can see its settings in the tab called '''External Compression'''. The codec is already configured to create top quality mp3 files with variable bitrate, averaging at about 192 kbps. This is the '''CD quality preset''', not the 128 kbps we were used for so long. If you want more quality, you can increase the bitrate, 256 is enough even for picky people and 320 often cause no noticeable differences.

In case you wish to encode the files using other codecs that may already be installed on your computer, you will have to uncheck the option '''Use external program for compression''' in this tab, go to the '''Waveform''' tab, select from the first combo list the codec you wish to use and then, from the second combo the quality level or any other option that codec may have.

From this point the configuration of EAC is complete, close the panel if it's still open.

If you have more than one unit, select the one you wish to use from the combo box in the left area of the main window, insert the audio CD, select the audio tracks you wish to store on your computer. Now we are ready to rip the files.

Click on the second button on the left, the one that has MP3 written on it, to rip the tracks and encode them using the external compression program we specified (LAME MP3 encoder) or click on the first button - the one that says WAV - to save the tracks in the standard basic WAV format.

In the first case, as soon as each audio track is ripped, the ripper starts the LAME MP3 encoder and waits for him to finish. If we wish to encode the tracks in lossless format, we are not really concerned with space, therefore it's better to rip the whole disc without pauses and then use the utilities that come with the lossless encoders to encode the audio tracks.

==Lossless encoding==

As I have already mentioned, lossless encoders are great because they compress the audio tracks and yet manage to keep it identical to the original, when played back.

I have decided to introduce you to Monkey's Audio and FLAC. Why 2 when they both do the same thing?

Well, the first has a very good compression and it's a very good idea to use it for archival purposes but it has poor seek abilities, meaning when you jump in different places in a file, usually everything pauses for about 2-3 seconds. FLAC has no problem with this but its compression is also a bit lower, usually a 100 MB FLAC file can be compressed in 92-95 MB using the Monkey's audio encoder.

Both codecs are very easy to install, they have a setup wizard. Monkey's Audio even asks you during setup if you wish to install a plugin that allows Winamp to play the encoded files. FLAC also has a plugin for Winamp but it must be downloaded separately.

Monkey's Audio can be downloaded from Monkey's Audio site , the download section.

FLAC can also be downloaded from the downloads section on their site, the one you are looking for is called FLAC 1.1.2 for Windows with installer at the time I am writing this tutorial.

A good FLAC Winamp plugin can be downloaded from Winamp's site.

Once you install the codecs, you can open them from the Programs menu.

Let's start with Monkey's Audio.

[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd monkey.png]]

As you see the interface is very easy, adding files or folders can be achieved by clicking on the '''Add Files''' icon or the '''Add Folder''' icon. The level of compression can be set by clicking on the second icon in the toolbar. The fastest (and lowest) compression is the '''Fast''' option and the slowest (and strongest) compression is called '''Insane'''. When everything is set up, all you have to do is to click on the Compress icon. If you wish to decompress some ape files (the Monkey's Audio file extension), simply add the files and click on the arrow near the Compress icon and choose '''Decompress'''. The encoded or decoded files will be saved in the same folder where the originals are.

The FLAC encoder has a similar approach :

[[File:Ripping encoding audiocd flac.png]]

You can add files by clicking on the '''Add Files''' button, set the level of compression from the '''Level''' slider (0 means fast, less compression and 8 means slow, maximum compression) and specify where encoded or decoded files will be saved by clicking on the button on the bottom right part of the window and selecting the output folder. If you don't have a lot of free space on the drive, you can check the option to automatically '''Delete input files''' as soon as a track is encoded. You may have guessed already, click '''Encode''' to encode an audio track or '''Decode''' to decode it.

==Conclusion==

You have learned how to rip audio tracks from an audio CD and encode them in a lossless format, for archival purposes, or on the MP3 lossy format.

In this tutorial I have used MP3 compression as an example because everybody knows about it and almost all modern portable music players support it. What you should know is that technology evolves all the time and, as the MP3 format is already 10 years old, new lossy formats have appeared that sound better than this popular format. Just a few of these formats that come in mind right now are Ogg Vorbis ("ogg") , Mpeg Plus ("mpc") or the patented MPEG-4 audio encoder ("aac"). Feel free to search on the Internet for more information about these encoders and to experiment with different qualities and formats, only you can decide what is best for you. A guide about various audio compression codecs will be on this site at a later date.

[[Category:Tutorials]]

Main Page

2013-08-18T18:47:20Z

Mariush:

__NOTOC__
==Latest News==

* [[Study reveals employees ignore IT policies]]
* [[JEDEC approves DDR3 RAM standard]]

Browse all [[::Category:News | news]] articles...

==Tutorials==

* [[File:Icon_video.png|Contains video]] [[Designing and building a 9v battery replacement using supercapacitors]] - video tutorial showing how to design & build a 9v battery using supercapacitors and boost switching regulators
* [[Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD]] - convert movies to Video CD and Super CD with optional subtitles, at the highest quality possible
* [[Ripping and Encoding Audio CD]] - rip an Audio CD and encode it in lossless or lossy audio formats

Browse all [[::Category:Tutorials | tutorials]]...

==Guides==

* [[Deinterlacing]] - information about Deinterlacing and how it can be done the right way
* [[All about BitTorrent]] - learn all about the BitTorrent protocol and how to configure and install BitComet

Browse all [[::Category:Guides | guides]]...

==Projects==

This section contains various programs or scripts written by various Helpedia contributors.

* [[File Splitter]] and [[File Merger]] - transfer large files between computers without network connectivity by splitting them into smaller files that fit standard media
* [[FLV Extract]] - extract audio and video tracks from FLV (Flash Video) files
* [[NFO to BMP]] and [[NFO to PNG]] - PHP scripts that convert ASCII art into monochrome images, requiring no external libraries or functions
* [[PHP Search Plugin]] - add a PHP function search to the Firefox search box, making developers' lives easier

See all [[::Category:Projects | programming projects and downloads]]...

File:Icon video.png

2013-08-18T18:43:07Z

Mariush: Icon film.png from FamFamFam's Silk icon pack. Mark James [http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/ Silk] _________________________________________ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. [http://creativecommons.org/li...

Icon film.png from FamFamFam's Silk icon pack.

Mark James
[http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/ Silk]
_________________________________________

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ CC-By-2.5]

This means you may use it for any purpose, and make any changes you like.
All I ask is that you include a link back to this page in your credits.

All about BitTorrent

2013-08-16T22:37:10Z

Mariush:

[[File:Icon_exclamation.png|left]] This guide was originally published in August 2005 and is considered '''outdated'''.
Since this guide was written, the Bittorrent protocol had suffered some minor improvements but the information below should still be reasonably correct and give readers an overall view of the technology.

In addition, nowadays there are now much better freeware and open source applications available, such as μTorrent, Deluge or Azureus, so the software used in this guide is no longer recommended and the images probably no longer correspond to the software's interface.

==Introduction==

Every day, you are downloading files from the internet, sometimes without even knowing.

While downloading a document from the Internet is easy, most Internet browsers supporting downloads, it was not always easy to share files with other people. Usually, someone had to create a web site or a FTP and store the files there, just so that people had access to them.

File sharing programs like Napster and Audiogalaxy have simplified this whole process by allowing you to share your music with your friends or with other people. Other file sharing applications have appeared allowing you to share any kind of documents with other users of the application.

Everything was fine back then, downloading a MP3 file of some pictures was no problem, even if it was slow. Most users had only dial up connection or a cable modem, everyone considered the average speeds of 5-50 KB/second more than acceptable. As the world evolved, Internet connections have increased in speed but also the size of files a user would share also increased. It is now more and more common to see large files being offered for download on the Internet, for example the complete open source [http://www.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD operating system], 2 x 700 MB CD images in total.

There was a need for a better and smarter file sharing application, one that would shorten the time a file was delivered to a user, one that would take advantage of the modern Internet connections and computers.

BitTorrent is the new kid on the block.

In this guide, you will find everything you need to know about the BitTorrent protocol and information regarding the installation and configuration of a BitTorrent client titled Bitcomet.

First, a quick note about how BitTorrent works.

==The Traditional Way==

When you usually download a file from the internet, the download program connects to a remote server, sends your request and then the remote server sends you the file.

This transfer method, used by the HTTP and FTP protocols, is called client-server model, because the central server keeps the file prepared for others to download it, there is a permanent dialog and connection between the client and the server. The method is very good when downloading small files but you really get to see its negative site when you try to download a large, popular file, requested by lots of people.

For example, if you start downloading a recently released CD image of a Linux operating system you will get a reasonable speed at the start, but, as time goes by and more users request that file from the central server, the speed drops because the central server has to divide its attention and its Internet connection with all the users - in rare cases it can even crash under the load. Also, as all people are downloading from the central server, if there is a networking problem or a hardware failure, all 300 people would remain with partial downloads because they all rely on this server to send them the file. This is partially solved with download mirrors but this is often not a viable solution due to the high costs in network connectivity, hosting and equipment.

[[File:All_about_bittorrent_clientserver.jpg|The central server (in the middle) sends the file to each computer (client-server model)]]

The central server (in the middle) sends the file to each computer (client-server model)

Most people don't think about how much bandwidth is used by this central server. In most countries, companies do not pay by the minutes the computer is online (as in dial-up), they are charged for the data that is sent through the line (usually fiber optics). For a large company, 1.4 GB (2 CD Images) times 300 (users downloading the images) may not be much but for a small company or a simple person, this is very hard to swallow.

==The Modern Way==

The BitTorrent protocol was designed in such a way that it eliminates almost all the negative points of the method previously described.

Unlike the previous method, BitTorrent uses a central server just to keep track of the users downloading the files, therefore it can scale to a very large number of users downloading the files (even thousands) and that actual files can even be stored on other server.

The BitTorrent central server (also called "tracker") simply sends a small file called "torrent file" (after the file extension, ".torrent") to each user, a file that contains just the list of files distributed and a small packet of data containing informations about the files (size, error correction checksums). After the initial download of this torrent file, the users' download program connects to the server to receive a list of users that are downloading or have downloaded the content described in the torrent file. From time to time, the download program reports back to the tracker telling what parts of the files they managed to download already and in return they obtain information about other users that have started downloading the files since the last time a connection was established with the tracker.

As you see in the picture below, the central server sends information about the files to the users (in the picture below just two users receive information from the tracker). Users learn about each other this way and, as soon as someone completes a small part of a file (called "chunk"), it offers the chunk to the other users.

[[File:All_about_bittorrent-bittorrent.jpg|The central server's only purpuse is to keep the users informed about each other]]

The central server's only purpuse is to keep the users informed about each other

As time passes, more and more users have at least one chunk of the torrent completed and will start exchanging the chunks between them, using the error correction information in the torrent file downloaded from the central server to check the chunks for errors during transfer.

If you check the picture, you will see that the central server only sends data to 2 computers in the group of users ("swarm"). Each download program only has to connect to the tracker once, to obtain the torrent file and the initial list of users downloading that particular torrent. This is great because if there are network problems or the tracker is no longer available, you can obtain all the files from the people in your swarm. You don't have to connect to the tracker again, although it is best to do it (and most BitTorrent programs do it for you) because it refreshes the list of users that are downloading the files and you have more users to connect which in turn results in increased download speeds.

In conclusion, using the BitTorrent protocol, people help each other download the files in the torrent by exchanging chunks of data between them as soon as those chunks are completed. The central server just keeps track of the swarm and helps users complete the torrent in a shorter amount of time by telling users what chunks are worst spread in the swarm and on what parts they should focus on.

==Introducing Bitcomet==

There are plenty of BitTorrent clients out there, most are modifications of the original BitTorrent client, created by the protocol's inventor, Briam Cohen. However, in this guide, I'm going to teach you how to use a popular BitTorrent client, called BitComet.

If you wonder why I will do that and not use the original BitTorrent implementation, it is because the original BitTorrent client is not really user friendly and there really isn't any good reason to not use better, alternative clients.

The original BitTorrent implementation is programmed in Python, a somewhat unknown but good programming language. In the Windows version of the application, the application uses some libraries (DLL files) that convert the programming code into code that can be run on the operating system. Because of this, the BitTorrent original client takes a bit more memory and cpu cycles to do the same things other clients do. Like this client, the open source Azureus client relies on Java to work.

So, in this guide, BitComet is the star, a client programmed in Visual C++. It is one of the fastest BitTorrent clients and contains a lot of useful functions to make things easier for the person using it.

The client is not open-source but it is free and a lot of people are using it all the time. Let's move on and install it...

==Installing Bitcomet==

BitComet can be downloaded from one of the mirrors listed on the BitComet Download Page. The installation process is straight forward.

After you select the language, you will see a welcome page, than a license agreement which you have to accept if you wish to install the software. After these three windows, you will get the following dialog:

[[File:All about bittorrent bcinstall01.png|Choosing Components]]

You may uncheck the shortcuts if you wish to do so. You should leave the last option checked because you will be able to open torrent files directly from the Internet browser this way.

[[File:All about bittorrent bcinstall02.png|Choosing the installation folder]]

Leave the default setting to save in the Program Files folder or choose another location, then click Next. You will see the files being copied and the final screen will appear:

[[File:All about bittorrent bcinstall03.png|Completed]]

You are now ready to start BitComet, check the first option to start it directly from the setup wizard, then click Finish.

==BitComet Preferences - Connection and Proxy==

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs01.png|Connection]]

Global Max Download Rate and Global Max Upload Rate represent the maximum download and upload speed that you allow BitComet to achieve. You should always remember that the speed of your downloads depends directly on your upload speed. If your client uploads a chunk of data to another user's computer, that other user will reward you and will try to give you more speed. If you limit the speed, so will the other user's computer, it will not be so happy to send you data. However, as mentioned in the dialog box , you should limit your upload speed in some cases, if you have a DSL or Cable connection, to just a bit under your maximum connection speed.

The Max Simultaneous Download Tasks option specifies how many torrent files BitComet should start processing at a time. This means that if the number of torrent files open in BitComet is more than the number listed there, the additional torrents will be placed on hold, until the previous torrent number decreases below the number you mention.

If you have a poor connection, for example Cable, it is wise to allow at most 4-5 torrents at a time. Each torrent may have even hundreds of connections to other user, if you have small bandwidth, this would be split among all those connections and everything would be very slow.

The Listen Port is used by BitComet to allow other users to connect directly to you and transfer files faster. If this works, it means you are connectable. The port number can be any value between 1 and 65535 but it is highly recommended to be higher than 1024.

By default, the BitTorrent protocol suggests you use a port between 6881 and 6889 but this is highly not recommended because your ISP may block or slow down the traffic on those ports. It may even have a policy against the BitTorrent protocol so you should really change it to some random number.

You should always read the Frequently Asked Questions of any site that stores torrent files, they may mention even other port ranges that you should not use. Ports that usually belong to other P2P networks, for example Direct Connect (411-413), Kazaa (1214), eDonkey (4662) or Gnutella (6346-6347) are usually not allowed.

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs02.png|Proxy]]

In this panel you can configure the Proxy Type, entry the proxy server ip and proxy port, if you have one. Optionally, you can also enter the username and password for the proxy, if needed.

==BitComet Preferences - Task==

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs03.png|Task]]

The Default Download Path option specifies the default location where BitComet will save the contents of the torrent files.

If you check the Allocate disk space before downloading, BitComet will create in advance the files, full with 0's. This is good if you want to be sure all torrents files will have space to download but also bad because, for example, if you are downloading a CD image at a slow speed, the space will be reserved for hours or days and you may wish to use it and free space just before BitComet needs it.

The Hash-check again when the download is finished should always be checked, it checks again all the downloaded content for errors. During transfers of large files it is possible that chunks of data to be damaged, these chunks will be discarded and BitComet will download only these chunks again after transfer.

You can hash-check a torrent any time by stopping it and selecting the option in the right click menu, in the BitComet interface.

==BitComet Preferences - Appearance, Chatting==

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs04.png|Appearance]]

These options are self-explanatory, the only one in particular that I feel it needs to be mentioned is Avoid system entering suspend mode when a task is running.

BitComet has an advanced cache system that can even store in memory incoming data for seconds, not accessing the hard drive and causing the system to believe it can go in suspend mode. If checked, BitComet will not allow a computer to enter the suspend mode, which is good because on a desktop, it prevents the shut down of the drive and its restart. The only time you should uncheck it is if you have a laptop running on batteries.

[[Chat]]

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs05.png|Chat]]

The chat feature is very rarely used, you will not lose anything if it remains unchecked.

==BitComet Preferences - Advanced Settings==

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs06.png|Advanced]]

The Set hash check thread to low priority sets BitComet at a lower priority while checking the already downloaded data for errors.

The next option, Add DHT Network as a backup tracker , if checked, gives permission to BitComet to tell other users what you are downloading and to ask them what they are downloading. You will basically exchange information about what you download with other users, on other torrent sites, in the hope that a user on another site may download the same file you are downloading from your site.

This is very good because it helps keep a torrent alive if the tracker server fails but, if you are on a private site that counts the data you transfer (I'll mention these later) this is bad. It is also a security risk because, if you happen to download something not quite legal, other users that have no connection to the private site you are on, may find out about you.

==BitComet Preferences - Connection, IP Rules, Disk Cache==

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs07.png|The BitTorrent Preferences Panel - Connection]]

The things I have mentioned in the previous page about DHT apply here to, in my opinion it is best to leave the Enable DHT network option unchecked.

The Maximum Connections per task specifies the number of computers your client can connect to, for one torrent file. If you have a high speed connection set is as high as you like, otherwise is should not exceed 200. Some operating systems are sensitive about the number of connections, if you experience problems, set the default option or even lower the value.

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs08.png|IP Rules]]

The Enable reporting LAN IP to Tracker is very useful if you are inside a local network, it provides the tracker with one method of differentiating you from the rest of the people in your network. Nowadays, a better method is used, passkeys, but this option can be left checked, in case the tracker does not support passkeys.

If you check the Enable IP filter file : ipfilter.dat (compatible with eMule) option, BitComet will look in its folder for a ipfilter.dat file, which contains rules that prevent or allow access of other computers to your computer. If, for example, you have a very poor connection outside your country and you prefer to only allow people from your country to receive files from you, you can add rules in that file that will block those people. The rules are beyond the scope of this guide, you will have to read about this somewhere else (the eMule documentation is a good start).

[[File:All about bittorrent bcprefs09.png|Disk Cache]]

BitComet uses a disk cache to temporarily keep frequently used data and to reduce the number of disk accesses.

Due to the fact that when downloading a torrent file you are usually downloading and uploading from lots of people at a time, you would be often faced with the problem of seeing the drive spinning and moving its heads all over the surface trying to write all the data it receives or trying to read what should be sent to other people.

The disk cache stores a lot of downloaded data and sends it to the drive in small bursts, reducing the disk access. It also loads in advance parts of files that need to be sent to others. It should be set as high as possible but you should not exceed 300 MB. Also, note that this amount is taken out of you computer memory (RAM), if you don't have at least 512 MB of RAM, the recommended setting would be between 50 and 150 MB.

==BitTorrent Terms==

During the small history of BitTorrent and the configuration of BitComet I have introduced a lot of new terms that may sound strange to you. I'll try to explain all those terms in more detail on this page.

A tracker is the software on a web server that keeps track of the users that are downloading something from a site. It's purpose is only this, to help users talk to each other. The tracker does not send you files, it only created the connection between you and the person that offers the files and the other users that are already downloading the files.

The set of files that are being offered are defined as a torrent, you get information about this set of files through a torrent file, a text file that contains the list of file names, their sizes and some error correction information. The torrent file does not contain parts of the files in the torrent.

In a torrent file, files are split in even size pieces called chunks, each chunk has an error correction code which is stored in the torrent file. This helps you a lot, if a chunk is detected as bad, you only have to download that chunk again and not a whole file or the whole torrent. Chunks are usually between 256 KB and 4 MB. The whole torrent file has another signature called hash which makes it different and unique. This also is stored in the torrent file.

After you download the torrent file, BitComet connects to the tracker and receives a list of other people that are also downloading the torrent. You and the rest of the people are from this moment considered a swarm, a group of people helping each other download the torrent faster.

In a swarm there are two types of users, seeders and lechers. The original user that offered the torrent is called seeder because he only uploads the files in the torrent to others. While you download files, even if you are also uploading parts to other users, you are called a leecher. As soon as you complete the torrent and start to only upload the torrent to other users, you are called just like the original users, a seeder.

There is a special type of leecher, a user that does not upload at all, for various reasons, because he doesn't like to share or because he is behind a firewall or for lots of other reasons. BitTorrent is based around the idea that users help each other by exchanging parts and has a lot of tweaks and algorithms to discourage you if you don't upload. The download speed increases a lot if you upload chunks to other users, this is why you must do the best you can to be able to upload to others.

There are a lot of Internet sites that offer torrent files for download and most have their own tracker to track the torrents files. Some sites do not require any registration and you are free to download anything at your own pace. In change, other sites try to form small communities and because of this they are private, you have to register to have access or you have to be invited by an already user of that site.

Because these small communities often have very interesting torrent files (while not alwas 100% legal), they are faced with the problem of many users downloading the hot torrent files and not helping other users in the community. This type of user downloads the torrent very fast and doesn't stay and help other users download the torrent when download is complete.

In order to encourage these leechers to stay and help other users by uploading files to them, the private sites have some restrictions or advantages, depending on the ratio you have, the ratio being the number of bytes uploaded / number of bytes downloaded. You should always have a ratio over 1, this means you upload more than you download. The disadvantages of having a low ratio can very from forcing you to wait 1-2 days before downloading anything new to allowing you to only download one torrent at a time. On some very private communities, if your ratio drops below a certain amount, for example 0.2, you are not even allowed to download, the only thing you can do is to upload what you have already downloaded.

If you are in a local network with other users that are using a tracker, that tracker can be confused and not count the ratio properly. This is why in almost all trackers that require registration and count the ratio a code called passkey is implemented. This code is unique to each user and is stored in each torrent file you download from that site. You should never share your torrent files with other users. If they're smart, they can extract the passkey from the torrent file and use it in such a way that the tracker will think you have downloaded what they download and you ratio will be affected. If you share your passkey or somebody finds it, you should change it as soon as you can (from your account's settings) or you should contact an administrator of that site to change it for you.

==Why should I be connectable ?==

If you are in a local network or behind a router or a firewall, the tracker and the other users usually can not connect to you. This means that the tracker can not send you updated information and other users can not request parts of the torrent from you, your download speed is slower because also your upload speed is smaller.

You should do everything in your powers to become connectable, that is to make it possible for other users to connect to you. However, you must be careful because this also implies a lot of risks, you should always have an antivirus running and perhaps a well configured firewall.

First thing you need to know in order to become connectable is if you have a static IP or a dynamic IP. A dynamic IP is assigned to your computer for example when you use a dial-up service to connect to the Internet or on very large networks, with hundreds of computers (because the IP's are managed by the server). The dynamic IP is dynamic because as soon as you turn of your computer, the IP is free and can be set to another computer and as soon as you turn on the computer you receive another IP. A static IP is set once in the control panel and it's yours, nobody can take it.

You can find your IP by accessing the site called What Is My IP.

If you are in a local network or behind a router, the IP shown on the site may not be yours, it may be the router's IP or the local network server's IP.

In Windows, you see the IP in the TCP/IP Properties Panel of your network card or modem :

[[File:All about bittorrent tcpip.png|Finding your IP]]

or by clicking the Start button, selecting run, opening a console by typing cmd and then typing there:

ipconfig -all

As you see in the picture, my local IP is 172.28.1.1 but the IP visible on the Internet is the router's IP, 193.220.17.1.

In this case, a port must be forwarded, this process is called port forwarding. You will have to ask the administrator of your network server in a very nice way to forward a port. If you have a router, you have to do it yourself but don't worry, you can find a lot of help on this following site: [http://www.portforward.com/ Port-Forward.com - lots of routers and configurations]

If you still have problems making yourself connectable, you should talk to the administrators or the users of the site you are on, they will usually help you out if you ask nicely.

==Other things you should know...==

Occasionally, more frequently with old torrents, you may see that the torrent you have started to download is no longer downloading anything. This often occurs because there is no user offering data to you and the only solution to this is to be patient and wait for someone to help you out. If time goes by and no help appears you could ask around (in the site forums for example) for someone to help you out, usually people are nice and glad to help you.

On other occasions, you may notice that you upload a lot but you are almost not downloading anything. This sometimes happens because there is no room in the upload channel to send to other users, confirming that you have received the previous chunk of the torrent and asking him to send you another chunk. If this happens, the only solution is to limit the maximum upload speed to a few kilobytes under the maximum upload speed you have.

==Legal issues==

The BitTorrent protocol was designed from the start to help people download very large files in short time and with no thought about each user's security. The protocol did not need to be burdened with encryption and protection for users, yet it is flexible enough to work even if several seeders or leechers send bad data in the network.

The point is you should know that you are not completely safe on the Internet, if you are downloading something illegal or copyrighted in your country, people can find your IP address and possibly even threat your ISP to find information about you.

While the BitTorrent protocol is legal in every way possible (no files are stored on the tracker, the torrent file is only a text file with information about the files), it is your responsibility, you have to judge what is legal and what is not and take the appropriate actions.

==Conclusion==

In this guide, I have only guided through the steps of installing and configuring a BitTorrent client and I have explained the protocol a bit, you have to decide for yourself if you use it to download an open source operating system , video trailers , freeware applications or pirated material.

[[Category:Guides]]

Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD

2013-08-16T21:59:28Z

Mariush:

[[File:Icon_exclamation.png|left]] This tutorial was originally published in December 2005 and is considered '''outdated'''.
Since then, quite a lot of software applications can achieve what this tutorial teaches in a more user-friendly and simple way, with at least the same degree of quality.

==Introduction==

Doctor Smith is a special guest at a medical conference, he's there to teach young doctors new techniques and ways to cure people. He has recorded his presentation and wishes to send it to a few hospitals in his area.

John has to go on a business trip, he wants to entertain himself during the flight. He wants to watch some movies on his portable video player.

Both people, fictional or not, have about the same problems. John needs to store the videos in a simple, basic format that a portable video player would easily understand and play. Doctor Smith needs to send the video from the conference to people that have computers in various configurations. He can't take chances and send the video in a format that a doctor with a Mac couldn't see. He also has to consider the fact that some doctors have slow, old computers, not capable of playing high resolution, highly compressed videos.

They both need a standardized video format that would run on almost operating systems, that would be fast enough to play on a portable video player of old computers. They don't need the quality of a DVD or the quality that a modern video codec would achieve.

At this moment the best standard for their needs is the '''Video CD''' or the better, less popular '''Super Video CD''' standard.

There are plenty of very easy to use applications that are designed for this purpose, to convert a video file to a Video CD or a Super Video CD but do you really have control over the quality of the output? Most applications try to reduce the quality of the output video file, in favor of speed, because usually people are not patient.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create your own Video CD's or Super Video CD's, using a couple of free, professional applications, aiming for the best quality possible. You will also learn how to add subtitles to the video, if desired. The learning curve is a bit steep but once you get the idea, everything will be easy, guaranteed.

Let's move on and see what we are going to work with.

==The Tools==

In this tutorial we're going to use just two applications and an optional third one.

* [http://www.virtualdub.org/ VirtualDub]

The open source application is a linear video editor, we're going to use it to prepare everything for the video encoder, the second application we're working with.

The application that converts the video in the Video CD format is specialized to do just that and works perfectly if it receives the video in exactly the right specifications for the desired conversion format.

The encoder has some basic processing functions that prepare the video but it makes more sense to leave these tasks to a specialized, fast, professional application like VirtualDub. It resizes the video, converts the frame rate, allows you to add subtitles to the video with the help of a plugin and, in the end, with the help of the integrated Frame Server, passes the video file to the video encoder.

You can download VirtualDub from [http://www.virtualdub.org/download VirtualDub's Downloads Page].

* [http://www.tmpgenc.net/ Tsunami MPEG Encoder]

The Tsunami MPEG Encoder is considered by lots of people the second best MPEG encoder in the world, after [http://www.cinemacraft.com/en/ Cinema Craft Encoder].

MPEG is the compression algorithm behind the Video CD format and MPEG 2 is the compression algorithm used by the Super Video CD format.

While the first best encoder is somewhat expensive, Tsunami MPEG Encoder's Video CD and Super Video CD encoding sections are free, you only have to pay if you wish to encode videos in the DVD format.

The MPEG encoder will receive the already processed and prepared video file from VirtualDub through its frame server and will do it's magic, converting the movie in the MPEG or MPEG v2 formats.

You can download Tsunami MPEG Encoder from [http://www.tmpgenc.net/e_download.html Tsunami MPEG Encoder's Download Page].

* [http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm VobSub] (optional)

VobSub is a collection of small application and plugins designed to offer support for subtitles.

From the whole package, we're going to use just one plugin designed for VirtualDub that lets us insert subtitles in the video. Because the original Video CD standard has no subtitle support, the subtitles have to be written directly on the image, a process also called "burn-in".

You only have to download this application if you plan to use subtitles in your projects.

You can download VobSub from [http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm AfterDawn's VobSub Download Page].

==Installation & Configuration==

Tsunami MPEG Encoder and VirtualDub are very easy to install, in fact all you have to do is to download the archives from their sites and extract the contents in two folders on your drive.
It's recommended to create a dedicated folder for you tools, for example create a folder called Projects on your C:\ drive.

If you plan to use subtitles in your videos, you will need to download VobSub and install it. During the setup sequence, make sure that the "VobSub For VirtualDub" and "TextSub for VirtualDub and AviSynth":

[[File:Convert vcd vobsub install 01.png]]

A few steps further in the setup sequence you will be asked to specify where VirtualDub is located, browse and select VirtualDub's folder, than click Next and the installation will be complete:

[[File:Convert vcd vobsub install 02.png]]

The last thing we have to do is to install VirtualDub's frame server.
The frame server is a driver that tricks applications into believing that a special file created by VirtualDub is a video file. This way, we can instruct VirtualDub to resize, crop, add subtitles and various other effects on the video and send the result directly to Tsunami MPEG Encoder, without the need of saving a new copy of the movie on the drive.

The frame server can be installed by double clicking on the application called AuxSetup, located in the VirtualDub folder. Click on the "Install handler" button and the driver will be installed:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver install.png]]

==Video Processing==

Now that the applications are installed and ready to use, we need to determine some information: the video resolution and frame rate.

Each video file has a width, height and frame rate - the number of pictures shown on the screen in one second. The resolution and frame rate of our video file can vary but, if we want to convert to Video CD, the video needs to have a specific resolution and frame rate.

If we start Tsunami MPEG Encoder, the first page of a wizard will ask you to choose the conversion format.

In this tutorial, I will encode the video to Video CD, PAL because I live in Europe and the standard for TV in Europe is PAL, with some small exceptions. This means the movie resolution will have to be in the end 352x288 (width x height) and the number of frames in one second will have to be 25.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard1.png]]

If you live in the United States Of America or other countries outside Europe, the NTSC profile may be more suitable. It has another resolution, 352x240 and 29.97 frames in a second.

However, most modern portable players have no problems decoding both NTSC and PAL, no matter what country you're in.

Please write down or memorize the resolution and frame rate as we're going to need these later. Click on Cancel and then close Tsunami MPEG Encoder.

Now that we know what resolution and frame rate our video has to be converted to, we need to know the resolution and frame rate of our movie.

Start VirtualDub and use the "Open video file" option from the File menu to open your movie.

If VirtualDub shows a message box about the sound of the video having a variable bitrate audio stream, we will have to decompress the whole audio track and replace the original audio track in the movie with the decompressed audio track.

The variable bitrate is a special method of encoding the audio information in the movie and VirtualDub doesn't like it.

For the moment, just click Ok. Later in the tutorial we'll go through the steps required to fix the sound.

Once you see the video file in VirtualDub, select the "File Information" option from the File menu and you will see the following screen:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub info.png]]

As you can see in the image, my video resolution is 480x276 and my video frame rate is 25. This means I will have to resize the video somehow to 352x288, the Video CD resolution defined in the standard, the PAL version. I won't have to change the number of frames per second because my movie already has 25 frames per second.

Go to the Video menu and select the "Full processing mode" option because we need to make changes to the video part of our movie.

The movie can be resized in VirtualDub using a filter called "Resize". Open the Filters window by selecting the "Filters" option in the Video menu. Then, click Add, select the "Resize" filter from the list and click Ok.

The filter's configuration panel will appear and you will be able to resize the video.

We can not resize directly to 352x288 because the video will be distorted, the aspect ratio will change. The new width and height must be proportional to the old values, that's why we'll use a simple rule:

If we know the original width and height and whish to resize the video to a new width, then the height equals is the division between the new width multiplied by the original height and the original width:

'''new height = ( new width * original height ) / original width'''

So, if my original width is 480 and my original height is 276, the new height will be :

'''x = ( 352 * 276 ) / 480 = 202.4'''

which means that in order to preserve the aspect ratio of the video, the new resolution should be 352x202, because the values are rounded to the closest number.

From the combo box available right below the two text fields, we can choose the resize algorithm available, from the lowest quality to the highest. The "Lanczos3" or "Precise Bicubic (A=0.60)" are the best resizing algorithms available.

In order to reach the desired resolution - 352x288 - we have to add black bars on the top and bottom of the frame so we will check the option called "Expand frame and letterbox image" and type in the two text fields the desired values, 352 and 288:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub resize.png]]

Click on "Show preview" if you wish to see how the video will look after the resize process or close the configuration panel and the Filters window, to see how the video looks in VirtualDub's window:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub panels.jpg]]

Now that our resolution is right, the next thing we need to take care of the frame rate. In my video, the frame rate is just right, I don't need to alter it.

If you do, select the "Frame Rate" option from the Video menu, click on the "Convert to fps:" radio button and then type the desired frame rate in the text box on the right:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub framerate.png]]

==Adding Subtitles==

This step is optional

If you wish to add subtitles to the video, open the Filters window, scroll down to the end of the list and select the TextSub filter.

This filter lets us add subtitles to the video:

[[File:Convert vcd textsub config.png]]

Click on "Open" to select the desired subtitle, then, only if you wish, click on "Styles" to change the subtitle text size, color, character set or lots of other options:

[[File:Convert vcd textsub styles.png]]

When you're ready, click on Ok to close the TextSub configuration panel, then close the Filters window and you will see the subtitle imprinted in the VirtualDub's output preview window (in this picture the output pewview panel is resized to 150%):

[[File:Convert vcd vdub previewsub.jpg]]

==Audio Processing==

I have mentioned at the start of the tutorial that VirtualDub has some problems with audio tracks encoded with variable bitrate.

If a message box appears complaining about the sound having variable bitrate, we have to make VirtualDub happy and process the audio track a bit.

We need to decompress the whole audio track on the drive and replace the original, variable bitrate track, with the decompressed track.

From the "Audio" menu, select "Full Processing Mode" to let VirtualDub know we want to process the audio track and not just copy it on the drive, as stored in the movie.

After the option is selected, select the "Compression" option from the same "Audio" menu, and make sure there is no audio codec selected.

Start saving the audio track in decompressed form by clicking the "Save WAV.." option from the "File" menu.

As soon as the process is completed, go to the "Audio" music and select "WAV audio..".

The last step is to go again to the "Audio" menu and select "Direct stream copy" because there is no processing required for the already decompressed audio track on your drive.

==The Final Steps==

We have prepared the video and audio parts of our movie, now it is time to send the prepared video file to our MPEG Encoder.

Before we do this, we need to make sure VirtualDub is configured to not encode the video or audio. There is no point to recompress the movie in another format because this will only slow down the MPEG encoder and lose quality.

Go to the Video menu, select the "Compression" option and select the first option in the list, "(Uncompressed RGB/YCbCr)".

Now we're finally ready to send everything to the Tsunami MPEG Encoder.

Go to the "File" menu and click on "Start frame server", you will see the following image:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver start.png]]

The text in the text field is an unique identifier for your movie, it must not have any punctuation signs or spaces.

Click Start and VirtualDub will ask you to save the video file that will trick applications into believing they open a real movie. Type a name and add the ".avi" extension at the end of the file name.

If you didn't forget to install the frame server at the start of the tutorial, you will see the following image after you click on Save:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver running.png]]

This means VirtualDub is ready to serve images and audio to any application we want, as long as those application support the frame server driver.

We're now ready to encode the movie in Video CD format.

==Encoding to MPEG==

As soon as we open Tsunami MPEG Encoder, we see the wizard that helps us start encoding to the desired format.

In this tutorial, we have prepared the video to be encoded as Video CD, PAL version so I'll select that option:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard1.png]]

In the next step, click on first "Browse" button and select the video file created with the frame server, in my case "BogusAviFile.avi":

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard2.png]]

You will notice the audio file is automatically set to your video file, which is good because it speeds things up.

The next screen lets us perform some basic operations and allows us to fine tune the encoding process:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard3.png]]

We don't need to encode just a range of the video and we don't need to cut the borders of the video using the "Clip frame" option but we can check the other settings that may improve the quality of the encoded file.

Click on the "Other settings" button, you will see the following window:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg other.png]]

There are not too many options that can be changed because a video encoded with other settings will not follow the Video CD standard that we have selected at the start.

You can check the other tabs of the window and see what options there are but when encoding to a strict format such as Video CD the only option that you can easily change is the option called "Motion search precision".

The next wizard window shows you how much space the encoded file will need.

On less strict formats such as Super Video CD or DVD, the video bitrate can be slightly adjusted so that the encoded file will fit exactly on the media you want to use.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard4.png]]

The last step of the wizard allows us to specify where the encoded file will be saved. If you leave the "Start encoding immediately" option checked, Tsunami MPEG Encoder will start encoding it as soon as you close the wizard by clicking Ok.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard5.png]]

As you can see in the picture below, Tsunami MPEG Encoder can show a preview of the video but it is recommended to disable it for faster speed. You can do this from the menu called "Option", the option is "Preview option".

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg preview small.jpg]]

==Conclusion==

In this tutorial we have learned how to encode our movies into the Video CD or Super Video CD format, the only difference between these two beeing the resolution and frame rate.

The whole process may sound difficult or complicated but, as I said at the start of the tutorial, it's really easy once you manage to create a couple of Video CD's.

You will also see that the quality of the movie is far better than any file created with shareware or commercial programs.

I hope it's easy for you to understand. If there are any problems I'll gladly answer all your questions on the site's forum. As usual, any comments, good or bad, are much appreciated.

In this tutorial I have used video trailers freely available to illustrate the processing steps.

The purpose of this tutorial is to educate and help people learn new things, not to encourage piracy of any kind.

You should only use what you have learned to encode movies for your personal use only, if the laws in your country allow you to do so.

[[Category:Tutorials]]

File:Icon exclamation.png

2013-08-16T21:58:34Z

Mariush: onebit_36.png, from Onebit icon package. Created by Stan Khodjaev and released under public domain. Page: [http://www.icojam.com/blog/?p=177 Icojam]

onebit_36.png, from Onebit icon package.
Created by Stan Khodjaev and released under public domain.
Page: [http://www.icojam.com/blog/?p=177 Icojam]

File:Icon error.png

2013-08-16T21:58:05Z

Mariush: onebit_35.png, from Onebit icon package. Created by Stan Khodjaev and released under public domain. Page: [http://www.icojam.com/blog/?p=177 Icojam]

onebit_35.png, from Onebit icon package.
Created by Stan Khodjaev and released under public domain.
Page: [http://www.icojam.com/blog/?p=177 Icojam]

Converting movies to Video CD or Super Video CD

2013-08-16T21:43:26Z

Mariush:

[[File:Icon_exclamation.png|left|32x32px]] This tutorial was originally published in December 2005 and is considered '''outdated'''.
Since then, quite a lot of software applications can achieve what this tutorial teaches in a more user-friendly and simple way, with at least the same degree of quality.

==Introduction==

Doctor Smith is a special guest at a medical conference, he's there to teach young doctors new techniques and ways to cure people. He has recorded his presentation and wishes to send it to a few hospitals in his area.

John has to go on a business trip, he wants to entertain himself during the flight. He wants to watch some movies on his portable video player.

Both people, fictional or not, have about the same problems. John needs to store the videos in a simple, basic format that a portable video player would easily understand and play. Doctor Smith needs to send the video from the conference to people that have computers in various configurations. He can't take chances and send the video in a format that a doctor with a Mac couldn't see. He also has to consider the fact that some doctors have slow, old computers, not capable of playing high resolution, highly compressed videos.

They both need a standardized video format that would run on almost operating systems, that would be fast enough to play on a portable video player of old computers. They don't need the quality of a DVD or the quality that a modern video codec would achieve.

At this moment the best standard for their needs is the '''Video CD''' or the better, less popular '''Super Video CD''' standard.

There are plenty of very easy to use applications that are designed for this purpose, to convert a video file to a Video CD or a Super Video CD but do you really have control over the quality of the output? Most applications try to reduce the quality of the output video file, in favor of speed, because usually people are not patient.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create your own Video CD's or Super Video CD's, using a couple of free, professional applications, aiming for the best quality possible. You will also learn how to add subtitles to the video, if desired. The learning curve is a bit steep but once you get the idea, everything will be easy, guaranteed.

Let's move on and see what we are going to work with.

==The Tools==

In this tutorial we're going to use just two applications and an optional third one.

* [http://www.virtualdub.org/ VirtualDub]

The open source application is a linear video editor, we're going to use it to prepare everything for the video encoder, the second application we're working with.

The application that converts the video in the Video CD format is specialized to do just that and works perfectly if it receives the video in exactly the right specifications for the desired conversion format.

The encoder has some basic processing functions that prepare the video but it makes more sense to leave these tasks to a specialized, fast, professional application like VirtualDub. It resizes the video, converts the frame rate, allows you to add subtitles to the video with the help of a plugin and, in the end, with the help of the integrated Frame Server, passes the video file to the video encoder.

You can download VirtualDub from [http://www.virtualdub.org/download VirtualDub's Downloads Page].

* [http://www.tmpgenc.net/ Tsunami MPEG Encoder]

The Tsunami MPEG Encoder is considered by lots of people the second best MPEG encoder in the world, after [http://www.cinemacraft.com/en/ Cinema Craft Encoder].

MPEG is the compression algorithm behind the Video CD format and MPEG 2 is the compression algorithm used by the Super Video CD format.

While the first best encoder is somewhat expensive, Tsunami MPEG Encoder's Video CD and Super Video CD encoding sections are free, you only have to pay if you wish to encode videos in the DVD format.

The MPEG encoder will receive the already processed and prepared video file from VirtualDub through its frame server and will do it's magic, converting the movie in the MPEG or MPEG v2 formats.

You can download Tsunami MPEG Encoder from [http://www.tmpgenc.net/e_download.html Tsunami MPEG Encoder's Download Page].

* [http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm VobSub] (optional)

VobSub is a collection of small application and plugins designed to offer support for subtitles.

From the whole package, we're going to use just one plugin designed for VirtualDub that lets us insert subtitles in the video. Because the original Video CD standard has no subtitle support, the subtitles have to be written directly on the image, a process also called "burn-in".

You only have to download this application if you plan to use subtitles in your projects.

You can download VobSub from [http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/subtitle_tools/vobsub.cfm AfterDawn's VobSub Download Page].

==Installation & Configuration==

Tsunami MPEG Encoder and VirtualDub are very easy to install, in fact all you have to do is to download the archives from their sites and extract the contents in two folders on your drive.
It's recommended to create a dedicated folder for you tools, for example create a folder called Projects on your C:\ drive.

If you plan to use subtitles in your videos, you will need to download VobSub and install it. During the setup sequence, make sure that the "VobSub For VirtualDub" and "TextSub for VirtualDub and AviSynth":

[[File:Convert vcd vobsub install 01.png]]

A few steps further in the setup sequence you will be asked to specify where VirtualDub is located, browse and select VirtualDub's folder, than click Next and the installation will be complete:

[[File:Convert vcd vobsub install 02.png]]

The last thing we have to do is to install VirtualDub's frame server.
The frame server is a driver that tricks applications into believing that a special file created by VirtualDub is a video file. This way, we can instruct VirtualDub to resize, crop, add subtitles and various other effects on the video and send the result directly to Tsunami MPEG Encoder, without the need of saving a new copy of the movie on the drive.

The frame server can be installed by double clicking on the application called AuxSetup, located in the VirtualDub folder. Click on the "Install handler" button and the driver will be installed:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver install.png]]

==Video Processing==

Now that the applications are installed and ready to use, we need to determine some information: the video resolution and frame rate.

Each video file has a width, height and frame rate - the number of pictures shown on the screen in one second. The resolution and frame rate of our video file can vary but, if we want to convert to Video CD, the video needs to have a specific resolution and frame rate.

If we start Tsunami MPEG Encoder, the first page of a wizard will ask you to choose the conversion format.

In this tutorial, I will encode the video to Video CD, PAL because I live in Europe and the standard for TV in Europe is PAL, with some small exceptions. This means the movie resolution will have to be in the end 352x288 (width x height) and the number of frames in one second will have to be 25.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard1.png]]

If you live in the United States Of America or other countries outside Europe, the NTSC profile may be more suitable. It has another resolution, 352x240 and 29.97 frames in a second.

However, most modern portable players have no problems decoding both NTSC and PAL, no matter what country you're in.

Please write down or memorize the resolution and frame rate as we're going to need these later. Click on Cancel and then close Tsunami MPEG Encoder.

Now that we know what resolution and frame rate our video has to be converted to, we need to know the resolution and frame rate of our movie.

Start VirtualDub and use the "Open video file" option from the File menu to open your movie.

If VirtualDub shows a message box about the sound of the video having a variable bitrate audio stream, we will have to decompress the whole audio track and replace the original audio track in the movie with the decompressed audio track.

The variable bitrate is a special method of encoding the audio information in the movie and VirtualDub doesn't like it.

For the moment, just click Ok. Later in the tutorial we'll go through the steps required to fix the sound.

Once you see the video file in VirtualDub, select the "File Information" option from the File menu and you will see the following screen:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub info.png]]

As you can see in the image, my video resolution is 480x276 and my video frame rate is 25. This means I will have to resize the video somehow to 352x288, the Video CD resolution defined in the standard, the PAL version. I won't have to change the number of frames per second because my movie already has 25 frames per second.

Go to the Video menu and select the "Full processing mode" option because we need to make changes to the video part of our movie.

The movie can be resized in VirtualDub using a filter called "Resize". Open the Filters window by selecting the "Filters" option in the Video menu. Then, click Add, select the "Resize" filter from the list and click Ok.

The filter's configuration panel will appear and you will be able to resize the video.

We can not resize directly to 352x288 because the video will be distorted, the aspect ratio will change. The new width and height must be proportional to the old values, that's why we'll use a simple rule:

If we know the original width and height and whish to resize the video to a new width, then the height equals is the division between the new width multiplied by the original height and the original width:

'''new height = ( new width * original height ) / original width'''

So, if my original width is 480 and my original height is 276, the new height will be :

'''x = ( 352 * 276 ) / 480 = 202.4'''

which means that in order to preserve the aspect ratio of the video, the new resolution should be 352x202, because the values are rounded to the closest number.

From the combo box available right below the two text fields, we can choose the resize algorithm available, from the lowest quality to the highest. The "Lanczos3" or "Precise Bicubic (A=0.60)" are the best resizing algorithms available.

In order to reach the desired resolution - 352x288 - we have to add black bars on the top and bottom of the frame so we will check the option called "Expand frame and letterbox image" and type in the two text fields the desired values, 352 and 288:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub resize.png]]

Click on "Show preview" if you wish to see how the video will look after the resize process or close the configuration panel and the Filters window, to see how the video looks in VirtualDub's window:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub panels.jpg]]

Now that our resolution is right, the next thing we need to take care of the frame rate. In my video, the frame rate is just right, I don't need to alter it.

If you do, select the "Frame Rate" option from the Video menu, click on the "Convert to fps:" radio button and then type the desired frame rate in the text box on the right:

[[File:Convert vcd vdub framerate.png]]

==Adding Subtitles==

This step is optional

If you wish to add subtitles to the video, open the Filters window, scroll down to the end of the list and select the TextSub filter.

This filter lets us add subtitles to the video:

[[File:Convert vcd textsub config.png]]

Click on "Open" to select the desired subtitle, then, only if you wish, click on "Styles" to change the subtitle text size, color, character set or lots of other options:

[[File:Convert vcd textsub styles.png]]

When you're ready, click on Ok to close the TextSub configuration panel, then close the Filters window and you will see the subtitle imprinted in the VirtualDub's output preview window (in this picture the output pewview panel is resized to 150%):

[[File:Convert vcd vdub previewsub.jpg]]

==Audio Processing==

I have mentioned at the start of the tutorial that VirtualDub has some problems with audio tracks encoded with variable bitrate.

If a message box appears complaining about the sound having variable bitrate, we have to make VirtualDub happy and process the audio track a bit.

We need to decompress the whole audio track on the drive and replace the original, variable bitrate track, with the decompressed track.

From the "Audio" menu, select "Full Processing Mode" to let VirtualDub know we want to process the audio track and not just copy it on the drive, as stored in the movie.

After the option is selected, select the "Compression" option from the same "Audio" menu, and make sure there is no audio codec selected.

Start saving the audio track in decompressed form by clicking the "Save WAV.." option from the "File" menu.

As soon as the process is completed, go to the "Audio" music and select "WAV audio..".

The last step is to go again to the "Audio" menu and select "Direct stream copy" because there is no processing required for the already decompressed audio track on your drive.

==The Final Steps==

We have prepared the video and audio parts of our movie, now it is time to send the prepared video file to our MPEG Encoder.

Before we do this, we need to make sure VirtualDub is configured to not encode the video or audio. There is no point to recompress the movie in another format because this will only slow down the MPEG encoder and lose quality.

Go to the Video menu, select the "Compression" option and select the first option in the list, "(Uncompressed RGB/YCbCr)".

Now we're finally ready to send everything to the Tsunami MPEG Encoder.

Go to the "File" menu and click on "Start frame server", you will see the following image:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver start.png]]

The text in the text field is an unique identifier for your movie, it must not have any punctuation signs or spaces.

Click Start and VirtualDub will ask you to save the video file that will trick applications into believing they open a real movie. Type a name and add the ".avi" extension at the end of the file name.

If you didn't forget to install the frame server at the start of the tutorial, you will see the following image after you click on Save:

[[File:Convert vcd frameserver running.png]]

This means VirtualDub is ready to serve images and audio to any application we want, as long as those application support the frame server driver.

We're now ready to encode the movie in Video CD format.

==Encoding to MPEG==

As soon as we open Tsunami MPEG Encoder, we see the wizard that helps us start encoding to the desired format.

In this tutorial, we have prepared the video to be encoded as Video CD, PAL version so I'll select that option:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard1.png]]

In the next step, click on first "Browse" button and select the video file created with the frame server, in my case "BogusAviFile.avi":

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard2.png]]

You will notice the audio file is automatically set to your video file, which is good because it speeds things up.

The next screen lets us perform some basic operations and allows us to fine tune the encoding process:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard3.png]]

We don't need to encode just a range of the video and we don't need to cut the borders of the video using the "Clip frame" option but we can check the other settings that may improve the quality of the encoded file.

Click on the "Other settings" button, you will see the following window:

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg other.png]]

There are not too many options that can be changed because a video encoded with other settings will not follow the Video CD standard that we have selected at the start.

You can check the other tabs of the window and see what options there are but when encoding to a strict format such as Video CD the only option that you can easily change is the option called "Motion search precision".

The next wizard window shows you how much space the encoded file will need.

On less strict formats such as Super Video CD or DVD, the video bitrate can be slightly adjusted so that the encoded file will fit exactly on the media you want to use.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard4.png]]

The last step of the wizard allows us to specify where the encoded file will be saved. If you leave the "Start encoding immediately" option checked, Tsunami MPEG Encoder will start encoding it as soon as you close the wizard by clicking Ok.

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg wizard5.png]]

As you can see in the picture below, Tsunami MPEG Encoder can show a preview of the video but it is recommended to disable it for faster speed. You can do this from the menu called "Option", the option is "Preview option".

[[File:Convert vcd tmpeg preview small.jpg]]

==Conclusion==

In this tutorial we have learned how to encode our movies into the Video CD or Super Video CD format, the only difference between these two beeing the resolution and frame rate.

The whole process may sound difficult or complicated but, as I said at the start of the tutorial, it's really easy once you manage to create a couple of Video CD's.

You will also see that the quality of the movie is far better than any file created with shareware or commercial programs.

I hope it's easy for you to understand. If there are any problems I'll gladly answer all your questions on the site's forum. As usual, any comments, good or bad, are much appreciated.

In this tutorial I have used video trailers freely available to illustrate the processing steps.

The purpose of this tutorial is to educate and help people learn new things, not to encourage piracy of any kind.

You should only use what you have learned to encode movies for your personal use only, if the laws in your country allow you to do so.

[[Category:Tutorials]]

MediaWiki:Disclaimers

2013-07-03T14:23:35Z

Mariush: Created page with "-"

MediaWiki:Privacy

2013-07-03T14:22:53Z

Mariush: Created page with "-"

MediaWiki:Privacypage

2013-07-03T14:22:40Z

Mariush:

Project:Privacy policy

MediaWiki:Privacypage

2013-07-03T14:22:24Z

Mariush: Created page with "-"

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2013-07-03T13:26:18Z

Mariush:

Category:Projects

2013-07-02T15:55:24Z

Mariush: Created page with "This category page lists all programming projects and downloads offered by Helpedia staff and various contributors."

This category page lists all programming projects and downloads offered by Helpedia staff and various contributors.

Category:Guides

2013-07-02T15:54:35Z

Mariush: Created page with "This page contains all the guides published so far."

This page contains all the guides published so far.

Category:Tutorials

2013-07-02T15:53:45Z

Mariush: Created page with "This page contains all the tutorials published so far."

This page contains all the tutorials published so far.

Category:News

2013-07-02T15:53:05Z

Mariush: Created page with "This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia. Very old news articles are archived into the following dedicated pages: * News Archive 2005 * [[News Archiv..."

This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia.

Very old news articles are archived into the following dedicated pages:

* [[News Archive 2005]]
* [[News Archive 2006]]
* [[News Archive 2007]]

News Archive 2007

2013-07-02T15:44:23Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Study reveals employees ignore IT policies== According to Net Security, more than a third of US employees ignore their companies' IT policies. John Pironti, member of ISACA..."

==Study reveals employees ignore IT policies==
According to Net Security, more than a third of US employees ignore their companies' IT policies.

John Pironti, member of ISACA’s Education Board, said that the most often broken policies are not using peer-to-peer networks while at work, causing breaches in the confidentiality and security of an entire corporate network.

According to the study, most employees do not really care, over 65% of the professionals said they are not very concerned or not concerned at all with their privacy. Over 63% said that they don't care about the security of their information while at work and over 74% think that downloading personal software on the work computer is not wrong.

The national study was commissioned by the nonprofit, independent organization ISACA.

This news article was written on November 1, 2007.

==Microsoft to release new version of Windows XP==

Microsoft has announced that it will release next month an updated version of Windows XP to OEMs.

The updated version of Windows XP will contain Service Pack 2c and will resolve the shortage of product keys caused by the unexpected longevity of the operating system. This update will allow OEMs to ship Windows XP Professional up to its end of life on the 31st of January, 2009.

The end of life date for Windows XP Professional is the 31st of January, 2008 but System Builders have 12 more months before they have to find an alternative operating system.

This news article was written on August 11, 2007.

==JEDEC approves DDR3 RAM standard==

The memory standard association JEDEC has completed the development and publication of the DDR3 standard.

The association hopes DDR3 will be accepted by companies due to its improvements in performance and reduced power consumption, compared to DDR1 and DDR2.

DDR3 uses a 1.5V power supply and can work at higher temperatures, among other features such as dynamic on-die terminations, output driver calibration and write leveling. The capacity of the DDR3 memory modules can reach 8Gb.

This news article was written on June 27, 2007.

==Microsoft buys Aquantive for $6 billion ==

Microsoft has purchased Aquantive for around $6 billion, paying $66.50 for each share, at a moment when the usual price on NASDAQ was $35.87.

Aquantive is based in Seattle and owns the Avenue A and Razorfish solutions.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer said the acquisition was intended to grow MSN and its other net offerings, including Windows Live, Office Live and Xbox Live.

This news article was written on May 20, 2007.

==Firefox 3 Alpha 4 released==

The Mozilla Foundation has released an alpha build of its upcoming FireFox 3.0, with the code name Gran Paradiso.

This alpha has the mark 3.0b4, and it is being distributed to web designers and developers, so that they can check to see if all the features or add-ons function in this new generation application.

This is a public build that is not meant to replace your current browser. However, it works really well and is very stable.

This news article was written on April 30, 2007.

==PS3 1.60 Firmware to add more features==

PlayStation 3 will receive new features with the next firmware upgrade, version 1.60.

The system update will give users the the ability to download files from the PlayStation Network in the background. Right now, PS3 stops any activity and stays focused on the download progress bar and does not allow downloads to be resumed. Users are often upset about this, considering the fact that games like Gran Turismo HD Concept can reach 625 MB.

The firmware will also include the Folding@home functionality, giving owners of a PS3 the opportunity to use their new game system to help find real-life cures to diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and many cancers.

Web browsing will also be better: users will be able to zoom pages and switch between resolutions for easier surfing.

This news article was written on March 20, 2007.

==FAIR USE Act may limit DCMA restrictions==

U.S. Representative Rick Boucher has proposed a new bill in the Congress that aims to allow consumers to copy and safely play digital material that they legally own, and to protect user rights for consumers of copyright material. The bill also aims to protect fair use in hardware devices, which The RIAA is strongly against as of this moment.

Under the Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship (FAIR USE) Act, users will be allowed to copy material they own, but will also be granted exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. Users will be allowed to make limited copies of copyrighted material for personal purposes as well as for reviews, news reporting and education. Also, manufacturers and service providers will not be held accountable for what customers do with their devices and services.

"The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) dramatically tilted the copyright balance toward complete copyright protection at the expense of the public's right to fair use," said U.S. Representative Rick Boucher.

A fragment from the FAIR USE doctrine, [http://action.eff.org/site/DocServer/boucher_hr_1201.pdf?docid=461 available online here], reads:

The court shall remit statutory damages for secondary infringement, except in a case in which the copyright owner sustains the burden of proving, and the court finds, that the act or acts constituting such secondary infringement were done under circumstances in which no reasonable person could have believed such conduct to be lawful.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), "the bill would loosen the grip of the DMCA, which restricts circumvention of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions even for lawful uses".

This news article was written on March 8, 2007.

==AMD releases final specs for DTX format==

After a first announcement in January, AMD has released the final DTX case format specifications.

DTX motherboards are designed to fit inside ATX cases and DTX cases will support mini-ITX motherboards, allowing full backwards compatibility.

The main advantage of this DTX case format is that it allows manufacturers to produce four boards on a standard manufacturing panel size. The DTX specification is slightly larger than Via's mini ATX form factor, but inlike the mini ATX form factor, DTX includes a mandatory two expansion slots - either PCI or PCI-Express.

The DTX motherboards will require a standard 24-pin power connector and an additional 2x2 power connector.

This news article was written on February 20, 2007.

==YouTube asked to remove Viacom videos==

Viacom has requested YouTube to remove almost 100.000 unauthorized video clips from the site after licensing negotiations have failed.

"It has become clear that YouTube is unwilling to come to a fair market agreement that would make Viacom content available to YouTube users," said Viacom in a public statement issued on Friday.

At this moment there is no information about future attempts to negociate another agreement in the near future. Viacom currently owns cable networks MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and also owns the Paramount Pictures movie studio.

YouTube has agreed to comply with Viacom's request and a spokesman said "it's unfortunate that Viacom will no longer be able to benefit from YouTube's passionate audience, which has helped to promote many of Viacom's shows".

This news article was written on February 4, 2007.

==RIAA sues AllOfMP3.com for $1.6 trillion==

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has started a lawsuit against the Russian online music site, AllOfMP3.com for $1.6 trillion.

Although it has been known that the RIAA intended to sue Mediaservices, which owns AllofMP3.com and allTunes.com, for illegally flogging copyrighted music, it was not clear how much or how the recording industry lobby group intended to do it.

According to Zeropaid.com, it seems that RIAA wants $150,000 for each of the 11 million songs allegedly pirated.

RIAA is taking its court action in New York and not in Russia where AllofMP3 operates. An AllofMP3 company spokesman pointed out that his company does not operate in New York so the suit is unjustified. The company obeys Russian copyright laws and even pays a chunk of its profits to the RIAA's equivalent in that country. It pays the standard 15 per cent Russian licensing fee that applies to online music to ROM, the Russian Organisation for Multimedia.

However, RIAA denies the right of ROM to exist, because the organisation has negotiated Internet deals that would weaken the RIAA's case if they were adopted globally and these fees are lower than RIAA deems acceptable to itself.

This news article was written on January 2, 2007.

[[Category:News]]

News Archive 2006

2013-07-02T01:04:21Z

Mariush:

This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2006.

For newer news items, please check the dedicated [[:Category:News|news]] page.

==Siemens breaks network speed record==

German Technology outfit Siemens claims to have set a new speed record for electrical processing of data through a fibre-optic cable.

Siemens has managed to process data using exclusively electrical means at 107 gigabits per second on a 100 mile-long US network.

The 107 gigabit speed is 2.5 times faster than a previous maximum transmission performance record.

Siemens told Reuters that the technique used electrical processing only and removed the need to split signals into multiple, lower data-rate signals to avoid bottlenecks which makes transmission slower and more expensive.

This news article was written on December 21, 2006.

==P2P Uploader jailed for piracy==

A Hong Kong Court of Appeal has upheld the landmark conviction of P2P uploader Chan Nai-ming, a person convicted for uploading files using the BitTorrent protocol. He would be the first person convicted for beeing a P2P uploader, the people before him were convited for other reasons. He will be jailed for three months.

He was arrested last year for using BitTorrent to upload Miss Congeniality, Red Planet and Daredevil. He advertised the movies on an online chatroom.

The original case ruled that there was not much of a difference between Chan's uploading the movies and someone manufacturing and distributing illegal DVDs.

Chan's case was that he had never actively distributed any copies of the movies online, he had just made them available for others. The argument was rejected by both courts.

This news article was written on December 16, 2006.

==Sony PlayStation 3 shipments are lower than expected==

According to research done by American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy, Sony's launch weekend had between 125,000 to 175,000 units available for the North American market, well below the expected shipment volume. Sony originally planned on having around 400,000 PS3 units shipped for the initial release and 1 million units before the end of the year.

After thousands of gamers across the country spent up to several days camping out in front of stores, the Sony PlayStation 3 sold out quickly and game stores and retailers are not sure when they will receive more shipments.

Nintendo, Sony's major competitor in the console market, has also recently released its latest console, and the Nintendo Wii game console also quickly sold out the first day it was introduced to the market however Nintendo is promising to replenish suppliers at a rate of 250,000 per week. They also hope to have up to 4 million consoles available to consumers by the end of the year.

This news article was written on November 27, 2006.

==China Lifts Ban on Wikipedia==

Wikipedia has been unblocked in China after being banned more than a year. The subdomain zh.wikipedia.org that contains the Chinese language version of Wikipedia is again fully accessible to users.

Before beeing banned in late 2005, Wikipedia was gaining popularity in China, a nation which has strict laws in place on Internet use.
The Chinese government gave users access to the English version of Wikipedia almost a month ago. Even with the site once again being allowed, keyword filters blocking specific events such as the Falun Gong movement and Tinanmen Square massacre will remain in place on Wikipedia.

This news article was written on November 17, 2006.

==Microsoft to release six critical updates on Tuesday==

Microsoft is expected to release six new security updates for Windows next week. According to the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification, all six patches are critical.

One of the critical security updates addresses the exploits currently found in Microsoft's XML Core Services. There isn't much detail on the other five security updates but Microsoft has marked all six patches with its maximum severity rating.

This news article was written on November 12, 2006.

==MIT researchers develope ethanol direct injection engine==

MIT researchers are developing an automotive power plant that promises up to 30% greater fuel economy than traditional gasoline engines. The new engine, which would be powered by ethanol, would be production ready within five years.

MIT says that it can boost fuel efficiency by directly injecting ethanol into the cylinder. Direct injection technology is already being used on a number of gasoline engine vehicles including the Lexus IS350 and Pontiac Solstice GXP.

The use of direct injection combined with ethanol is what allows for the 30% increase in fuel economy. MIT goes so far as to say that if every vehicle in the United States were equipped with such an engine, yearly automotive fuel consumption would drop from 140 billion gallons to 110 billion gallons.

This news article was written on October 29, 2006.

==ATI Shareholders Approve Acquisition by AMD==

ATI Technologies Inc. shareholders voted today to approve the proposed acquisition of all outstanding common shares of ATI by an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD). More than 99 per cent of the votes cast by shareholders were in favor of the transaction.

AMD and ATI announced plans to merge back in July, which was pending government and shareholder approval. The Canadian Goverment gave the merger a passing grade through its anti-trust laws and regulations early September.

ATI will seek final court approval for the arrangement at a hearing on October 17, 2006. The transaction is expected to be completed during the week of October 23, 2006.

This news article was written on October 15, 2006.

==Microsoft to offer upgrade coupons for Windows Vista==

According to Information Week, Microsoft is [http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193104532 planning an upgrade program] for the people who purchase new PCs this holiday season. The upgrade coupons will either be free or provide discounted pricing:

Customers who buy systems running Windows XP Home Edition can upgrade to Vista Home Basic Edition for a flat $49 fee and to the higher-end Windows Vista Home Premium Edition for a cost of $79.

The Windows Vista Technology Upgrade Program runs from Oct. 26, 2006, through March 15, 2007. Distributors are expected to have the new SKUs in house for system builders by Oct. 15.

Microsoft has not officially announced the coupon program, but mentioned that it is currently working with its partners on a plan for such an offer.

This news article was written on October 5, 2006.

==Seagate Delivers 750GB HDDs for DVD Recorders==

Seagate Technology [http://www.seagate.com/cda/newsinfo/newsroom/releases/article/0,1121,3308,00.html has announced] that its highest storage capacity DB35 Series hard drives are shipping to DVR and digital entertainment device manufacturers for the next generation of DVRs. Seagate now offers 750, 500, 400, 320, 250 GB HDDs.

"Seagate is thrilled to be providing technology that is the basic enabler to products driving such intense levels of customer satisfaction. Access to more and higher quality digital entertainment content is exploding," said Rob Pait, director of Global Consumer Electronics Marketing at Seagate. "The ability to store high definition content will continue to be at the heart of enabling simple and satisfying digital entertainment systems."

The drives would allow recording up to 750 hours of standard TV, 125 hours of high-definition TV recording and will support ten simultaneous standard TV streams.

This news article was written on September 25, 2006.

==Google.org founded, a for-profit philanthropy==

According to Slashdot, Google has set up a subsidiary called Google.org, a for-profit philanthropy with initial capital of a billion dollars.

Unlike most charities, Google.org will be a for-profit one, allowing it to fund start-up companies, form partnerships with venture capitalists and even lobby Congress. It will also pay taxes. One of Google.org's first projects is the development of a plug-in hybrid vehicle that achieves a mileage rating equivalent to 100 MPG.

This news article was written on September 20, 2006.

==Toshiba Announces New 1.8" HDD Family==

Toshiba has announced its new family of 1.8" hard drives which are 10% smaller than its first generation perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) HDD's.

The two new models introduced - the 40GB MK4009GAL and 80GB MK8009GAH - are both 4200RPM units which feature an areal density of 134 gigabits per square inch. Given their reduced footprint, the 40GB and 80GB drives now measure 54x71x5mm and 54x71x8mm respectively and weigh in at 48 grams and 59 grams respectively. The cache size was also increased to 8MB.

This news article was written on September 13, 2006.

==Vista may slow down the Internet==

Paul Mockapetris, one of the principal inventors of DNS is warning that Windows Vista [http://news.com.com/Will+Vista+stall+Net+traffic+-+page+2/2100-1016_3-6112338-2.html?tag=st.num might grind net traffic to a halt] if left unchecked.Because Vista supports two different versions of TCP/IP (v4 and v6), Mockapetris believes that the introduction of the new operating system will cause a significant increase in DNS traffic and may bring DNS servers already running near capacity to their knees. This would have a significant impact on the Internet's ability to function as DNS requests could become unanswered by the swamped servers.

Some experts disagree with Mockapetris and believe this might be a FUD campaign to stir up support for Nomium, a vendor of DNS products were Mockapetris works as chief scientist.

This news article was written on September 7, 2006.

==FairUse4WM Cracks Windows Media DRM, Again==

The makers of Fairuse4WM have [http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/02/fairuse4wm-peeps-stay-one-step-ahead-of-microsoft/ modified their application] in order to remove the restrictions on protected WMA and WMV files once again. This happens just days after Microsoft has issued a patch that prevented Fairuse4WM from removing DRM data from files.

Fairuse4WM works by stripping the DRM information from protected windows media files allowing users to freely manipulate the files and play them back as they see fit.

The apparently failed update from Microsoft changed the IBX in PlaysForSure rendering v.1.1 useless to users who were forced to update through their content provider. FairUse4WM v.1.2 is backwards compatible with files that have yet to be updated.Although it only took Microsoft 3 days to issue its first fix it appears that the FairUse4WM creators are still one step ahead of the software giant.

This news article was written on September 3, 2006.

==Chaintech Phases Out Motherboard Business==

According to Digitimes, Chaintech will [http://digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20060828PB203.html exit the motherboard market] and will focus on NAND flash memory business. Chaintech's current memory business accounts for half of its sales and is expected to rise as Chaintech expands its memory business.

Chaintech waits for flash memory prices to stabilize before it enters the memory business. Walton Chaintech representatives were quoted saying:"Walton Chaintech will wait until the NAND flash prices become stable before it enters the NAND flash market, with future testing, packaging and module assembly to be done by its parent company Walton Advanced Engineering, the company was quoted as saying."

This news article was written on August 28, 2006.

==Memorex ships HD DVD media==

Memorex, now a division of Imation Corp. , has launched and shipped their first HD DVD-R media.

The HD DVD-R discs can hold 15 GB of data or video and should already be on shelves.

Memorex states that with a single 15GB HD DVD-R can record up to 75 minutes of high-definition audio and video or up to 7 hours of standard DVD-quality video. Additionally, the HD-DVD standard allows recording of 7.1-channel audio along with the high-definition video.

The launch price is $19.99 for a 15GB HD DVD-R disc compared to about $19.99 for 25GB blu-ray media. Blu-ray has won the optical format war in pricing as far as Memorex is concerned. Memorex also plans to launch HD DVD-RW media by the end of the year.

This news article was written on August 23, 2006.

==Dell Orderes 2 Million AMD Based Desktops And Laptops==

According to a report by Bank of America, Dell [http://news.com.com/2061-10791_3-6106748.html has ordered 2 million systems with AMD processors] from their suppliers - 1.2 million desktops and 800,000 notebooks.

The estimations are that the machines will be arriving in late Q3 or early Q4 of this year and that the number of systems is roughly 16 percent of all Dell's desktop volume and roughly 19 percent of its notebook volume.

This news article was written on August 18, 2006.

==Intel Releases Open Source Drivers For GMA 3000 Video Cards==

Intel has released drivers for the company's G965 express family of chipsets under a tri-open source license to the OSS community. The open source drivers have been released under the X.org MIT License, the Mesa MIT License and the GPL v2 license. The drivers have full support for 2D and 3D features of Intel's GMA X3000 and GMA 3000 integrated graphics cores.

This is the first release of the 965 chipset code and the release still needs a significant amount of testing and fine tuning before production use. However this is a major step forward for Intel in the open source community.

This news article was written on August 12, 2006.

==RIAA Sues LimeWire Over Copyright Infringement==

RIAA has [http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,71545-0.html?tw=rss.index filed another lawsuit] in its crusade against peer-to-peer file sharing networks, this time targeting the popular LimeWire network.

In the complaint the RIAA alleges that Lime Group LLC and its associates "actively facilitating, encouraging and enticing" its users to steal music and that the company is doing nothing to block access to copyrighted works. The RIAA further alleges that Lime Group LLC has built a business model that allows them to directly profit from piracy.

LimeWire began operating in 2000 and has since become the program of choice among P2P users as other P2P companies have shut down or changed their business models to allow legal file trading. Last year the US Supreme Court ruled that P2P companies could be sued for copyright infringement if they were found to encourage piracy when the court ruled in the Gorkster case. The RIAA is seeking damages including at least $150,000 for each illegally downloaded song.

This news article was written on August 6, 2006.

==European Commision Launches Antitrust Probe Against Toshiba And Sony==

According to some reports, the European Commision believes that the companies backing the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats may have some licensing terms that breach European competition rules. An [http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20060728/tc_macworld/eu20060728 unnoficial antitrust probe] was already launched this month.

Toshiba, the leading company behind HD DVD and Sony the leading company behind Blu-ray both received letters from the European Commission earlier this month. According to a European Commission representative: "we sent a letter earlier this month to the makers of HD DVD and Blu-ray to request information about licensing." Toshiba did not respond to inquiries but Sony confirmed that it did receive a letter from the European Commission.

Sony will be shipping its first Blu-ray player will be shipping only slightly ahead of its PlayStation 3 console - currently scheduled for November 17th. On the HD DVD side, Toshiba announced earlier that it would be shipping its HD DVD players at a loss to gain a head start.

This news article was written on July 30, 2006.

==Toshiba Employee Awarded 87 Million Yen For Flash Invention==

Fuijo Masuoka, a Toshiba employee, was awarded ¥87 million ($749,225) by a Tokyo court as a result of winning a patent case.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said that while Masuoka had wanted 1.1 billion for inventing flash memory, the award is nevertheless the third biggest ever awarded in employee patent cases.

Masuoka, now a professor at Tohoku University, had registered 500 patents when he worked at Toshiba. Toshiba paid six million yen to him while he was working there to transfer the patents.

The flash patents represent a mere 41 out of the 500 he transferred.

This news article was written on July 27, 2006.

==High PS3 Price is Pushing Away Developers==

It seems the recent events and problems that surround PS3, such as issues with Blue-Ray support or the fallout from the $499-599 price structure, no longer turn away only customers but also developers.

According to GameDaily Biz, the support from 3rd party game developers may be questionable:

"In the PS3's native Japan, the reaction has been less than pleasant, with more than 90 percent of developers in a recent survey stating that the price of the console is just too high. And indeed it seems that this high price is affecting whether or not certain developers decide to develop for the PS3. Sony's PlayStation business has always been backed by incredibly strong third-party support, but now for the first time that could be in jeopardy."

This news article was written on July 23, 2006.

==Microsoft Buys Winternals and Sysinternals==

Microsoft announced this week that it has [http://www.winternals.com/Company/PressRelease92.aspx acquired Windows utility and recovery company Winternals].

The Microsoft team was also interested in Mark Russinovich, widely regarded as one of the industry's top kernel experts.

Microsoft co-president of platforms and services Jim Allchin said "I've had my eye on Mark for some time. The work he and Bryce have completed in system recovery and data protection illustrates the depth of thinking and skill they will bring to future versions of Windows."

Microsoft also announced that Russinovich will be appointed as a Microsoft Technical Fellow, a title "awarded to someone whose technical vision, expertise, and world-class leadership is widely recognized."

This news article was written on July 19, 2006.

==Microsoft Fined $365.4 Million In Antitrust Law Suit==

The European Commission fined Microsoft $375.4 million for failure to comply with antitrust rulings.

The European Union had previously fined Microsoft approximately $634.7 million in 2004 for taking advantage of its monopolistic position in the market. The amount of the fine comes from the number of days the EU waited for Microsoft to comply.

The EU had previously told Microsoft to open up its code as well as open up its Windows operating system to competitors.
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told reporters that "Microsoft has still not put an end to its illegal conduct.

I have no alternative but to levy penalty payments for this continued noncompliance." If Microsoft still does not comply by July 31st of 2006, it will be fined approximately $3.83 million per day.

This news article was written on July 12, 2006.

==Lexar Flash Drives To Be Recalled For Fire Hazard==

It seems that flash drives company Lexar will have to recall some of its models from the market because of fire hazard.
The drives affected are the JumpDrive FireFly and JumpDrive Secure II:

JumpDrive FireFly

* 256 MB (red) : JDFF256-431RU, JDFF256-264, JDFF256-445RU
* 512MB (lime green) : JDFF512-431EM
* 1GB (blue) : JDFF1GB-431TO
* 2GB (black) : JDFF2GB-431BK

JumpDrive Secure II

* 1GB : JDSE1GB-00-500 Rev H, 3052-1GBA-2006, 3052-1GBA-2106, 3052-1GBA-1906, 3052-1GBA-1806

The reason for the recall is overheating which could lead to burns and property damage.

The recall affects around 66,000 units that were sold between April and May of 2006. Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the devices and contact Lexar (via the web or by phone, (800) 248-2798) for replacement products.

This news article was written on July 8, 2006.

==NEC Opens Second Factory In Vietnam==

NEC announced this week that it has opened its second manufacturing facility in the Loteco Industrial Park in Vietnam.

The company says that the new facility will hold roughly 1,000 staff members and produce such products as transformers, integrated electronics, fiber optics and anti-magnetized parts for electronic use. Also, the new facility will help increase the company's overall capacity of parts from 14.7 million units to 20 million units annually.

This news article was written on July 2, 2006.

==Dell To Offer Free Computer Recycling Program==

Dell announced a new program to recycle Dell-branded computer components for returning and non-returning Dell customers free of charge. Dell already has a policy that the company will recycle any brand of computer or printer if you purchase a new Dell PC, with free pick-up.

The new policy will also extend Dell's recycling initiative to any Dell-brand computer, anytime. In essence, the new policy no longer just encourages users to purchase Dell as a value-add to remove the old PC. In most cities in the US it is illegal to throw away PC components and other devices - and many recycling companies charge a premium on older computer components that contain lead.

"We have a responsibility to our customers to recycle the products we make and sell," claimed Michael Dell. "Our direct relationships with consumers allow us to offer this easy and free service and we encourage others in our industry to do so as well."

This news article was written on June 29, 2006.

==Intel Opens 300mm Wafer Factory In Ireland==

Intel announced the opening of its newest 300mm wafer facility in Leixlip, Ireland. The new fab is called Fab 24-2, as the facility is essentially an expansion on the existing Fab 24 facility that was built in 2004.

Intel's Fab 12 in Chandler, Arizona and D1C/D1D fabs in Hillsboro, Oregon already compose of the majority of Intel's 300mm wafer production. Late last year, Intel representatives claimed a plan was on the table for a 300mm D1E facility in Hillsboro as well.

Intel also has plans to open another fab in Chandler, dubbed Fab 32, expected to produce 300mm wafers for 45nm CPUs. Fab 28 in Qiryat Gat, Israel is also expected to product 300mm wafers for 45nm processors when it is completed in 2008. Intel also has plans to build a massive facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that will even eclipse Fab 24-2 in size.

This news article was written on June 25, 2006.

== Frozen Chip from IBM reaches 350 Ghz==

According to an article at EETimes, IBM and Georiga Tech [http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189500692 have demonstrated] a 500 GHz Silicon-germanium (SiGe) chip, operating at 4.5 Kelvins. The 'frozen chip' was fabricated by IBM on 200mm wafers, and, at room temperature, the circuits operated at approximately 350 GHz.

By comparison, 500 GHz is more than 250 times faster than today's cell phones, which typically operate at approximately 2 GHz, according to the organizations.

The experiments, conducted jointly by IBM and Georgia Tech, are part of a project to explore the ultimate speed limits of silicon germanium (SiGe) devices, which are said to operate faster at cold temperatures.

This news article was written on June 20, 2006.

==Jack Thompson's Violent Game Bill Signed Into Law==

Louisiana Democratic Representative Roy Burrell's HB1381 bill, covering violent videogames, has been signed into law by Governor Kathleen Blanco.The law takes effect immediately, the latest in a very long line of video game-related bills specific to one U.S. State.

The measure proposed by HB 1381, which was drafted with the help of controversial Florida attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson, allows a judge to rule on whether or not a videogame meets established criteria for being inappropriate for minors and be subsequently pulled from store shelves. A person found guilty of selling such a game to a minor would face fines ranging from $100 to $2,000, plus a prison term of up to one year. Needless to say, the ESA will likely be mounting a legal challenge to this bill in the very near future.

This news article was written on June 16, 2006.

==Verbatim Announces HD DVD-R, 2X BD-R==

Verbatim Corporation, a Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) brand, announced July availability of HD DVD-R media in Japanese markets. The company then announced that it will be the first to offer 2X (72Mbps) single-layer 25GB Blu-Ray Recordable and Rewriteable media this July as well. Verbatim has not announced an estimated shp date for the US.

The 15GB HD DVD-R media will be thrown into production in the early part of July, however the press release says production of 30GB dual layer HD DVD-R media will begin this month.

Like its DVD-R counterparts, HD DVD-R media will feature the Metal AZO recording dye which Verbatim claims to be highly resistant to ultraviolet light and heat which can wear away at the media.

This news article was written on June 12, 2006.

==FBI Raids Over 20 Underground Servers==

According to [http://wiredfire.org/index.php?q=node/71 WiredFire], over 20 underground servers were seized in a raid at two hosting companies, Layer Tech and Server Matrix.

In total, boxes with hundreds of terabytes of data stored in total were taken away, 4 topsites were shut down directly because of the actions of the FBI, and the number of other sites that were slowed down, or shut down on their own, is not known.In response to the busts, several people in the scene are urging people to abandon using Layered Tech and Server Matrix to use as seedboxes, fearing it is only a matter of time until they are noticed taken down.

The release groups and affils most affected by this raid are : FLAMES, SAGA, DiAMOND, NBP, F4GC and TBE.

This news article was written on June 9, 2006.

==HP Cameras May Pose Fire Risk==

According to The Inquirer, THE US Consumer Product Safety Commission said HP has warned 700,000 Photosmart R707 digicams pose a fire risk when they're connected to an AC adaptor or docking station.

There is a report of one camera catching fire but there are no injuries reported. The cameras were sold between August 2004 and April 2006 and sold for between $250 and $400.

This news article was written on June 7, 2006.

==A-Data Will Announce DDR3 Modules At Computex==

A-Data will be announcing DDR3 modules at Computex 2006 on June 6, 2006, after only two weeks from the moment AMD launched its DDR2 supporting socket AM2 processors.

DDR3 is the DDR2 successor and promises greater bandwidth and lower power. DDR3-1066 MHz modules will be shown at Computex at the A-Data booth. DDR3 is not limited at 1066 MHz, it has a lot more headroom available. Modules are expected to ramp up to 1600 MHz in the future.

DDR3 Memory modules will have 240 pins , 120 on each side and one notch at the 48th pin from the left of the module. This way, the memory module will not be inserted by mistake in a DDR or DDR2 slot.

This news article was written on June 4, 2006.

==DVD Forum Approves HD-DVD Format For China==

The DVD Forum delegates, during the May 24th steering committee for the DVD, elected to pursue a physical HD-DVD format standard specifically for China.

The most pressing issue for all optical storage camps is piracy. With rampant piracy of DVD and VCD titles in China, the push to create an HD-DVD standard that only exists in China would force Chinese residents to buy players that conform to the new specification.

The logical progression is that Chinese residents would not be able to play HD-DVDs from the US and that newly pirated content would stay in the Chinese HD-DVD format rather than make its way into the US.

This news article was written on May 29, 2006.

==Chicken and Egg Problem Solved==

Scientists and philosophers now agree which came first: The Egg. From the CNN article: "Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life. Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg. Professor John Brookfield, a specialist in evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, told the UK Press Association the pecking order was clear".

This news article was written on May 27, 2006.

==.MOBI Domain Launched==

The new TLD will serve the purpose of guiding mobile users to made-for-mobile content formatted especially for mobile devices. As of right now, trademark holders in the mobile industry are allowed to register. General trademark holders can begin registering their trademarks on June 12 and the domain doors will be opened to the public for registration on August 28.

Despite the widespread adoption of mobile devices, the constantly changing data capabilities of these devices and standards can slow down its acceptance and make developing generalized services for mobile users a difficult proposition. However, ICANN has no stipulations on the .MOBI TLD, meaning the purchaser does not require WAP or light CSS support.

ICANN just approved the .TEL top level domain a few days ago, and the .EU TLD had its general availability launch last month. However, even in this spree of additional TLDs, ICANN continues to reject the .XXX TLD proposals.

This news article was written on May 24, 2006.

==Zero Day Microsoft Word Exploit On The Loose==
SANS Internet Storm Center today received reports that [http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?storyid=1345 a new zero-day exploit] in Microsoft Word is being used to compromise users' computers. The flaw in Word allows attackers to execute malicious code when the infected word document is opened.

"Michael," who reported the vulnerability, states:

"The exploit functioned as a dropper, extracting a Trojan byte-for-byte from the host file when executed. After extracting and launching the Trojan, the exploit then overwrote the original Word document with a "clean" (not infected) copy from payload in the original infected document. As a result of the exploit, Word crashes, informs the user of a problem, and offers to attempt to re-open the file. If the user agrees, the new "clean" file is opened without incident."

This news article was written on May 21, 2006.

==Samsung Launches First HSPDA Phone==

Samsung launched the first High-Speed Packet Downlink Access (HSPDA) based phone in Korea today modeled the SCH-W200.

The SCH-W200 is the first retail phone to support HSPDA which is a new mobile broadband standard capable of transmitting data at up to 1.8Mbpsec. The high-speed transfers will pave the way for high-quality audio and video streaming services aside from internet access from anywhere as long as cellular reception is available.

The SCH-W200 is a CDMA 2000 1X EVDO/HSPDA handset with a 2.12-inch 262K color TFT LCD screen at 240x320 resolution. It has a built-in 2-megapixel camera which is able to take pictures as well as record video in the MPEG4/H.263/H.264 formats and also support video conferencing and streaming as well as the ability to play MP3/AAC/AAC+ files.

Interfaces will include a USB port for connectivity with PCs for data transfers as well as an output to TV for viewing documents and possibly video. The SCH-W200 will also accept microSD flash media for storage which is currently available in capacities from 256MB to 1GB.

This news article was written on May 16, 2006.

==Cell Phones Explode In Brazil==

Cell phone users in San Paulo, Brazil are having problems with their phones exploding. There have been at least five cases in the past two months, all Motorola phones. This is only a problem among a small number of users among the 89 million cellular phones in Brazil.

"In the most recent incident on April 30, the 34-year-old victim in Formosa, Goias state, had surgery for burns on her thighs and arms. She was driving with the phone in her lap when it exploded."

Motorola states the cause is from the use of low quality knock offs. Motorola officials claim the issue is centralized only to Brazil and that existing customers should not be concerned if they have not already been contacted by the company.

This news article was written on May 13, 2006.

==NASA And Indian Space Agency Working Together==

The United States and India have been partners in space ever since the Indian space program began in 1972.

Unfortunately, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have temporarily ended plans to train an Indian astronaut that hoped to be on board a manned shuttle launch later this year.The reason for this was that NASA manned missions currently are being sent into space to either work on the International Space Station (ISS) or to do general repairs on the Hubble space telescope.

NASA and the ISRO have agreed to put two US built science instruments on board the Chandrayaan, which will be India's first unmanned moon explorer. The spacecraft may launch as early as 2008. One instrument will look for polar ice while the other will study the surface mineral composition on the moon.

This news article was written on May 9, 2006.

==Chinese Create Artificial Rain Over Beijing==

Chinese scientists from the Beijing Weather Modification Office successfully created artificially generated rainfall, in order to help wash a layer of sand and dust off Beijing due to drought.

The [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/05/content_4511250.htm artificial rainfall] brought a total of 9-11.2 mm (about four-tenths of an inch) of rain to Beijing. Earlier in the year, scientists also made another rainstorm which helped clear the air after massive dust storms. People are still very skeptical about the success and effectiveness of the artificial rainfall in China.
A total of 163 pieces of cigarette-like sticks containing silver iodide were burnt and seven rocket shells were launched in 6 districts and counties Thursday afternoon, which resulted in the heaviest rainfall in Beijing this spring.

This news article was written on May 7, 2006.

==Real Cloaking Device Material Invented==

Two mathematicians, Graeme Milton from Utah University and Nicolae-Alexandru Nicorovici from Sydney University of Technology have proposed calculations for [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1766219,00.html a real cloaking device].

The calculations require a new material they refer to as a "superlens". Objects that are placed close to the superlens appear invisible. The superlens is composed of newly found materials that cause light to behave abnormally. Instead of making light bend as it passes through, the superlens causes light to effectively travel backward.

Currently the proposal is simply mathematical calculations and no actual prototype has yet been developed.

This news article was written on May 4, 2006.

==MS's Steve Balmer Memo To Staff Revealed==

As Microsoft's shares plummeted last week, CEO Steve Ballmer issued a memo to employees to provide "some context" for the increased spending forecast that caused the negative response on Wall Street. At one point, he called it "a lesson that the entire leadership team at Microsoft will learn from."

Here's the original memo, as initially reported by Bloomberg News:

Throughout our history, Microsoft has won by making big, bold bets. We've always taken a long-term approach, striving to solve the hardest problems in computing and working to realize huge new opportunities in vast new markets through investments in innovation across the broad spectrum of human endeavor.

I believe that now is not the time to scale back the scope of our ambition or the scale of our investment. While our opportunities are greater than ever, we also face new competitors, faster-moving markets and new customer demands.

So what accounts for the negative reaction that we've seen from analysts and investors?

To ensure that we win where we see opportunities and can respond with speed when the marketplace changes, we made the decision to ramp up investments during Q3 in a number of key areas. In addition, the cost of producing Xbox 360 consoles was higher than expected, while at the same time we decided to manufacture and sell as many consoles as possible to build on our lead in the race to be number one in the video game business.

These investments will continue. As a result, we also provided guidance for Q4 of this fiscal year and for FY07 that indicates our willingness to be aggressive when making investments where they are strategic for future growth.

The bottom-line result of these investments created a shift in our near-term profitability that was a surprise. The change in our stock price reflects this.

But I've never been more confident that we are making the right investments. In addition to adding a third manufacturing facility to enable us to meet market demand for Xbox 360, we are investing heavily in our services strategy; in our readiness programs for the launch of Windows Vista, Office 2007 and other products in the pipeline; and in a number of other areas where we see opportunities for rapid growth. We've accelerated the pace of our hiring and increased spending to ensure that we continue to bring the world's brightest minds to Microsoft.

When you look across the array of businesses we are building, it is clear that we are in a position that no other company can match. We have made and we continue to make the investments needed to ensure strong growth for our core businesses, while delivering the innovation that is essential to establishing a leadership position where we see opportunities in businesses such as entertainment, mobile devices, search and software-based Internet services.

This news article was written on May 2, 2006.

==AMD Recalls 'Inconsistent' Opterons==

According to The Inquirer, AMD has decided to recall a few thousand Opteron x52s and x54s processors because the units may have a temperature induced FP bug.

When the chips get hot, and you are running FP heavy code, you get 'inconsistent' results.

AMD declared that there are a small number of chips - about 3000 - and it has a test that can identify the chips. If you are affected, it will replace the chips for free.

This news article was written on April 29, 2006.

==HRRC and EFF Oppose the PERFORM Act==

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Dianne Feinstein yesterday introduced the PERFORM Act (Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act of 2006), which would ensure that all streaming media services used protected formats. Because users can save songs on radio receivers without paying to download the content, this act would be a roadblock to prevent downloading in the future.
Ars Technica reports:

Under the rules set forth in the Act, you would be able to make automated sound recordings, but only based on "specific programs, time periods, or channels as selected by or for the user," but not on "specific sound recordings, albums, or artists." Once recorded, it would be illegal to process the recorded data in order to extract separate songs for later use.

The Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are preparing to battle the legislation. The HRRC and EFF both believe that consumers would no longer be able to enjoy the flexibility of digital technology because the legislation will destroy Internet radio.

This news article was written on April 28, 2006.

==IO-Data Japan Launches Blu-Ray Recorders==

The drives are manufactured by Matsushita (Panasonic). Pansonic has just announced that its own brand of Blu-ray PC recorders will be available within six weeks or so. Both Panasonic and IO-Data will ship retail production shipments in early June.

The [http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iodata.jp%2Fprod%2Fstorage%2Fblu-ray%2F2006%2Fbrd-um2%2F&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8 two IO-Data PC drives] consist of an internal PATA BRD-AM2B and an external USB 2.0 BRD-UM2. Both drives have a maximum write speed of 2x and can read/record to dual layer DVD+R, dual layer DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CDR and dual layer Blu-ray recordable media.

Panasonic has suggested a price of $850 for its Blu-ray recorders.

This news article was written on April 24, 2006.

==Person Fined For Fake Spyware Scam==

Zhijian Chen [http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=186100351 was fined $84.000] for running a bogus anti-spyware scam, after a court has decided in favour of Microsoft.

He would send bogus security alerts to users and encourage them to download an phony anti-spyware program. Then, he would then claim a share of the profits from Secure Computer, which makes the software.

Microsoft filed a charge against Chen's Secure Computer outfit in January. Two others were also involved in the scam Seth Traub, and Manoj Kumar, from Maharashtra, India. Chen admitted the charges.

Chen used the Windows' "Net send" command to put pop-ups on users' machines that mimicked official warnings. A user then clicked on an embedded link and were directed first to Chen's page, then to Secure Computer's own site.

They were offered a free scan which always detected spyware even if there was none there and were offered Spyware Cleaner for $49.99.

Chen collected a commission of 75 percent of the purchase price, or $37.46, for each copy of Spyware Cleaner he sold.

This news article was written on April 20, 2006.

==Apple Sued By Burst.com For Patent Infringement==

Apple is sued by a company called Burst.com that claims it owns patents in regards to content delivery technology used in iTunes.

The delivery mechanism used in iTunes is often found in other general purpose applications and do not exploit any special techniques.

Burst.com does not agree with this and mentions that in a previous trial, it has managed to receive a payment of about $60 million from Microsoft.

This news article was written on April 18, 2006.

==Microsoft Subpoenaed By AMD In Anti-trust Case==

Microsoft is the latest in the long list of companies subpoenaed by AMD in it's anti-trust case against Intel. AMD hopes to explore "Microsoft's decision to develop software for AMD's 64-bit CPUs, and the timing and schedule for development of that software". Information Week reports:

A Microsoft spokeswoman said the Redmond, Wash., software maker is not a party to the lawsuit. "We anticipate that both sides will be seeking documents and other evidence from Microsoft and many other participants in the PC industry," the spokeswoman said. "We will work with the parties in this case to respond to reasonable requests for documents and information."

This news article was written on April 16, 2006.

==Firefox 1.5.0.2==

Firefox 1.5.0.2 was released yesterday, 13th of April, solving several bugs and vulnerabilities.

"We're identifying this as a critical release, and we're strongly recommending that everyone update as soon as possible," Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering at Mozilla, said in a statement. "This is one of the most stable releases we have ever delivered. It proactively addresses a wide range of security, performance and stability issues we have identified, using the very latest tools and techniques," he said.

This news article was written on April 14, 2006.

==10GBaseT Standard Almost Complete==

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is set to ratify the 10GbaseT standard by July of this year. While the standard promises 10Gbit/second signal speeds, companies will need to upgrade their existing cabling to handle the additional bandwidth.

Existing Cat5e is not officially supported by the 10GbaseT standard while Cat6 cabling is limited to 37m - even that is not guaranteed and is down from the 55m target. Cabling specialist Systimax is confident that signals will be able to travel as far as 100 meter with augmented copper.

Cat7, Category 7, cabling is still slated to handle 10GbaseT speeds up to 100 meters (600MHz spectral bandwidth). However, Cat7 does not use the standard RJ45 interface -- the proposed IEEE specification relies on the Nexans GG45 cable jack. GG45 is backwards compatible with Cat6 RJ45 interfaces, but when in Cat7 mode the four pairs along the corners of the input are used opposed to the four along the top of the cable.

While 10GbaseT standard is almost complete, 100GbaseT is prepared:

Systimax hopes its involvement with the Ethernet Alliance can create a forum for the discussion of new technologies like 100 gigabit Ethernet, which has yet to make it to the project stage with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and is probably five to seven years away from commercial deployment.

This news article was written on April 13, 2006.

==Afghans Sell Flash Drives With Stolen Military Information==
Afghan cleaners, garbage collectors and other workers are able to [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-disks10apr10,0,7789909.story?coll=la-home-headlines walk off a U.S. military base] carrying sensitive information about military operations, which later end up on sale at Afghan bazaars. Deployment rosters with service member Social Security numbers, assessment of enemy targets, names of corrupt Afghan officials and base defenses are examples of some of the information that is being sold several hundred yards away from the base.Along with the sensitive information stored on USB flash memory drives, the workers are also able to steal knives, watches, packets of Viagra and refrigerators. The Los Angeles Times reports:

Workers are supposed to be frisked as they leave the base, but they have various ways of deceiving guards, such as hiding computer drives behind photo IDs that they wear in holders around their necks, shop owners said. Others claim that U.S. soldiers illegally sell military property and help move it off the base, saying they need the money to pay bills back home.

This news article was written on April 11, 2006.

==Russian Developers Conference Profitable For Ageia==

Ageia has recently announced that it has managed to sign deals with several russian game developers, at the Russian Developers Conference. The developers will support in their games support the Ageia PhysX chips.

Akella, Abyss Lights Studio and Buka Entertainment are just a few of the studios that have licence to use the chips.

This news article was written on April 9, 2006.

==Samsung Blu-ray Player Launch Delayed==

Samsung Electronics is following Japan's Toshiba Corporation in [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/05/content_4386342.htm delaying its set top products] which will be capable of playing next-generation optical media formats.

In an announcement by Samsung Electronics of South Korea the company states they will be rescheduling the launch date of its first Blu-ray disc player, the BD-P1000, from the original date of May 23rd to June 25th of this year.

This news article was written on April 6, 2006.

==Judge Rules: Banning Violent Games Is Unconstitutional==

Six states have tried to or are currently trying to place some sort of restriction or ban on video games with violence and sexually explicit material. Michigan is the latest state to have a judge claim that trying to criminalize the sale of violent video games is unconstitutional. US District Judge George Caram Steeh ruled that denying minors access to video games is against the constitution because they are protected by the First Amendment. The Associated Press reports:

"Video games contain creative, expressive free speech, inseparable from their interactive functional elements, and are therefore protected by the First Amendment," he said in his ruling.

This news article was written on April 4, 2006.

==Toshiba Announces First Commercially Available HD-DVD==

Toshiba has announced that it has launched the world's first commercially available HD-DVD player, the HD-XA1 model.

The company has mentioned that the demand for high-definition content is growing with each day and thus consumers are demanding HD players now more than ever. This is debatable though, because just a week ago, Toshiba has announced it will delay the launch of new players because they felt the market was not ready for them.

Movies on HD-DVD discs will be available to consumers by mid-April, this year.

The new players are immediately available for purchase in Japan. The HD-XA1 will launch with a price tag of $799 USD.

This news article was written on April 2, 2006.

==Soundstorm 2 May Appear in PSP 3==

NVIDIA's original SoundStorm released with the nForce2 chipset was considered a savior for PC audio. Delivering what it called Dolby Digital Live, NVIDIA's SoundStorm was able to encode a Dolby Digital 5.1 stream in real time from any source, and output it to your favorite multi-channel audio equipment.

Sony may have revealed the source of the PlayStation 3's audio processing capabilities. According to slides that Sony showed off at the Game Developer's Conference that just past, NVIDIA's RSX processor designed to accelerate graphics for the PS3 is also providing hardware accelerated audio.

According to an article on The Tech Report, NVIDIA indicated to it that its next evolution after SoundStorm would be delivered in an untraditional manner. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's CEO indicated that his company was looking at ways to evolve the graphics processing unit (GPU) to provide non-traditional features - he did not allude to the possibility of sound processing however.

Today, there are several sound products that offer Dolby Digital Live. Recent codecs from RealTek and C-Media all offer the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 support. Unfortunately, these products rely on the host processor and so use a lot more system resources than dedicated audio processors such as Creative Labs' Audigy 2, or X-Fi.

This news article was written on March 31, 2006.

==ASUS To Sell Ageia PhysX Card In May==

Asustek has announced that it will be the first company that will sell the high-end version of the Ageia PhysX board.

The add-on card will have 256 MB RAM and, as a totally new "cool thing", it will probably cost a lot.

This news article was written on March 29, 2006.

==Internet Explorer 7 Will Not Be Included In Windows Vista==

According to BusinessWeek, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 will not be integrated into Windows Vista.
Breaking nearly ten years of tradition, Internet Explorer was always very tightly integrated into Windows, allowing users to do such things as launch a website directly from any Windows Explorer window, or save a live web page as the desktop wallpaper.

Windows itself has been under much scrutiny over recent years by the security industry as well as the hacking and virus communities. Exploits that were found to exist in current versions of Internet Explorer, were used to attack the core operating system because of the tight integration.
Despite ongoing security updates by Microsoft, analysts believe that removing Internet Explorer from the core of Windows will improve the overall security of the OS more so than many of its small patches combined. Despite the move to improve OS security by Microsoft, Internet Explorer will still ship with Windows Vista.

This news article was written on March 26, 2006.

==Alienware Bought By Dell==

Alienware and Dell have announced an agreement to merge, with Dell buying the Miami company.Alienware has long been a very independent company with a strong focus on highly tuned customer support and customization. Alienware pioneered the custom PC business by doing such things as: customizing the manual in the customer's name; including benchmarks of the system, installing and tweaking drivers, and installing whatever games the customer wanted. Long story short, Alienware gave great individualized attention to its patrons.

We believe that this acquisition will offer our customers the best of both worlds â€” an Alienware that takes advantage of the world-class business practices and operational efficiencies that have made Dell one of the most respected companies in the world, while preserving the DNA of the Alienware brand and product strategy portfolio.

Alienware says that Dell executives have agreed to let Alienware operate independently, with its own marketing and product strategies. In the above statement however, it's clear that Alienware expects to embrace some of Dell's own strengths, which sit squarely in the realm of low cost, mass production, and offshore support. All of these traits give Dell its strength -- besides its sell direct approach, which Alienware already does.

This news article was written on March 23, 2006.

==Phishers Will Have Hard Time From Microsoft==

Microsoft will start more than [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,26909-2094996,00.html 100 legal proceedings] against alleged phishers in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

The Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative is designed to target international phishers, who are usually sending misleading URLs to users to try and get them to enter personal information such as bank account information, passwords and credit card details into a fake website. Some of the most popular sites that are hurt by phishers are Paypal, MSN, Amazon and Ebay.

The campaign will target phishing groups that flood inboxes with unsolicited e-mails requesting bank account details, passwords, credit card details or other personal details that can be used for identity theft and fraud.

This news article was written on March 21, 2006.

==Two US Senators Wish To Revive .XXX Domains==

Max Baucus of Montana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, two senate democrats, officially introduced the "[http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1594225.htm Cyber Safety for Kids Act of 2006]".

The new bill would push for the Bush administration to create an ".xxx" domain, which would be reserved specifically for pornographic web sites. The two senators believe that this way parents will be able to easily filter and eliminate what kids can and cannot view on the Internet.

"While the Internet is an exceptional learning tool, it allows children the same easy access to websites about space shuttles as it does for pornography," said Senator Baucus, adding that violators would be subject to a hefty fine.

The two senators hope that the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, can work together to make sure that minors are shielded from adult content. The legislation will have a hard road, especially with many public interest groups ready to rally against the creation of the virtual red-light district. During last summer, ICANN initially went along with an .xxx domain, but was met with heavy criticism that forced the organization to hold off any decisions since last December.

This news article was written on March 18, 2006.

==Windows XP On An Intel Mac Contest Won==

A programmer named Blanka was able to get past all of the EFI issues and has provided a working solution to natively run Windows XP on an a Mac. The programmer can now claim the $13,854 prize thanks to his video of the installation and booting of Microsoft's ubiquitous OS on an Intel-based iMac. Winxponmac.com posted this on its site:

Contest has been won - updates to follow shortly. All further donations will go into an account to sustain the open source project that will be launched with the initial solution.

This news article was written on March 17, 2006.

==Justice Department Will Receive Some Google Information==

Google will have to [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/14097003.htm open some of its Internet files] for the U.S Justice Department, after beeing order by a californian judge.

The judge is extremely cautious about forcing Google to turn over what users enter into the search engine. The government scaled back its request of information, which led to U.S. District Judge James Ware agreeing to open some of the files for the DOJ.

Google's strong protests have forced the government to scale back its request to a random samping of 50,000 web site addresses and the text of 5,000 random search requests. Only 10,000 of the web sites and 1,000 of the search requests will be analyzed by the government.

The judge said he didn't want to do anything to create the perception that Internet search engines and other large online databases could become tools for government surveillance. He seemed less concerned about requiring Google to supply the government with a random list of Web sites indexed by the company.

This news article was written on March 16, 2006.

==VIA Launches Powerful EPIA Mini-ITX Motherboard with Onboard C7 Processor==

VIA has announced its new EPIA EN-Series Mini-ITX motherboard which features a built-in 1.5GHz VIA C7 or 1.2GHz VIA Eden processor. Both processors are built on 90 nanometer technology and do not require fans. Both also feature average power consumption of less than 1 watt.

As for the VIA EPIA EN motherboard, it features a VIA CN700 IGP chipset which supports full hardware HDTV encoding up to 1080i, 720p output, hardware MPEG-2 acceleration, VIA Vinyl Audio, support for up to 1GB of DDR2 400/533MHz memory, SATA II RAID, an LVDS connector and Gigabit LAN.

"The VIA EPIA EN mainboard presents a tremendous opportunity for our customers to take a powerful yet highly efficient all-in-one platform and create their next generation systems quickly and easily", said Jerry Yeh, Associate Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. easy-to-use small form factors are driving the proliferation and diversity of the x86 platform into new and exciting markets, and our VIA EPIA mainboards continue to be an integral part of this evolution."

This news article was written on March 13, 2006.

==Supermicro May Ship AMD Motherboards To Google==

According to [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/11/supermicro_super_amd/ The Register], Supermicro has gotten into the AMD business and is already making friends in high places, such as Google.

The company officially launched its quad socket Opteron server board, capable of fitting into a 1U rackmount. The board sells for $1,300 to OEMs and requirers a 1,000W power supply for a standard system. Four HE dual core Opterons can fit in Supermicro's 1U server, meaning your standard 42U rack could hold 336 Opteron cores at once. The motherboard uses an nForce4 Pro 2200 Northbridge and the AMD 8132 PCI-X controller.

This news article was written on March 12, 2006.

==Microsoft Unveils The "Origami" Project==

Microsoft has officially announced its [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/mar06/03-09Mobile.mspx Origami] project today.

The new Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) feature 7" screens, weigh less than two pounds, get around three hours of use on a charge and run on variant of Windows XP TabletPC Edition. Models from Asus, Founder and Samsung are due to hit the market within the next few months.

"We believe that (ultra-mobile PCs) will eventually become as indispensable and ubiquitous as the mobile phone today," said Microsoft VP Bill Mitchell.

With a price tag of between $599 to $999, our guess is only the true gadget geeks will go for these.

This news article was written on March 10, 2006.

==iPods Detected In Vending Machines==

It looks like the popular music player is now being sold in [http://www.bearla.com/talk/?p=175 some vending machines]. A vending machine that provides consumers with iPods was found in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA. After a person puts in a credit card, a Video iPod, Shuffle, Nano, or a variety of accessories are available.

Although it is arguable whether or not this particular vending machine will sell a lot of iPods for Apple, it will certainly garner lots of attention. iPod vending machines have been in Macy's for approximately three months, but now that they are starting to crop up in airports and grocery stores, the iPod really has started to get its stride.

This news article was written on March 9, 2006.

==AMD Announces Three New Opteron CPUs==

AMD announced today three new 2.6GHz dual-core AMD Opteron processors.

The Opteron 185 is geared towards one-way/two-core servers and workstations, the Opteron 285 targets two-way/four-core servers and workstations while the Opteron 885 handles eight-way/16-core enterprise server duties.

"AMD integrates two AMD Opteron processor cores onto a single die, allowing them to communicate at full processor speed," said Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation Division, AMD. "That means Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors are the only native dual-core x86 systems available today for customers who want efficient solutions for their datacenters.

Datacenter managers can fill racks with dual-core platforms without worrying about increased electricity and cooling costs."

AMD has already lined up top-tier system manufacturers for its new processors including:

* BladeCenter LS20, e36m and Intellistation A Pro product lines from IBM
* Galaxy Sun Fire X4100/X4200 servers and Sun Ultra 40 workstations from Sun Microsystems
* ProLiant D 585, DL385, DL145 G2, BL45p, BL35p, BL25p servers and xw9300 workstations from HP

Pricing for the Opteron 885 and 285 is listed at $2,149 and $1,051 respectively in 1,000-unit quantities and the processors are immediately available. Opteron 185 processors on the other hand are expected to be available within the next 30 days - pricing will be revealed closer to the launch date.

This news article was written on March 6, 2006.

==Student Removed From University After An Attempt To Hack His Grades==

21-year old You Li, a former undergraduate at the University of Utah, has been indicted by a federal grand jury and [http://www.linuxelectrons.com/article.php/20060228000633110 kicked out of school] for hacking into the University's network to change his math grades.
The Chinese national was indicted on two charges - accessing a protected computer to commit fraud and obtaining information from a protected computer:

He also used the professor's password to the University's math department computer to access that system and a file on that system and to change one or more of his grades in the professor's class to better grades, including changing at least one grade from failing to passing. Li also wrote and installed, the indictment alleges, a program in the professor's math department computer account that would run when the professor logged in, falsely notifying the professor onscreen that the professor needed to enter his user ID and password for the University's administrative computer system.
The file that Li allegedly changed was actually a backup file and the professor kept track of student grades in a primary file on a laptop computer.

This news article was written on March 4, 2006.

==Blizzard To Release Spanish Localized World Of Warcraft==

Blizzard Entertainment, the company that created the very popular World of Warcraft MMORPG, has announced that it will release [http://www.blizzard.com/press/060228.shtml a localized Spanish version] of the game soon. The Spanish version will be released and hosted by the Blizzard Europe team.

"We look forward to offering Spanish-speaking players in Europe a version of World of Warcraft tailored specifically for them," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

"The enthusiasm for the game here has been overwhelming, and we're pleased that this new localised version will make World of Warcraft accessible to an even wider audience."

The company also confirmed that there are now over six million WoW players around the world. Blizzard gained a million players over the past eight weeks, which is an astounding feat.

This news article was written on March 2, 2006.

==Intel And Micron To Invest 3.8 Billion Dollars In Flash Technology==

Intel and Micron have [http://www.eetuk.com/bus/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181400036 entered a deal] where both have agreed to contribute over $1.2B each to create a company called IM Flash Technologies LLC. In the deal, Micron also agreed to sell its NAND flash and chip division along with associated intellectual properties to Intel for $270 million.

In the deal, Micron will hold 51% control over the joint venture with Intel on the balance. The new company will develop and produce flash memory technologies based on designs by Intel. The two companies said that each have agreed to also invest a combined total of $1.4B over the next three years. With consumer electronics sky rocketing in sales and mainstream acceptance, flash memory continues to be a strong cash cow for many companies.

So far Intel has paid over $1.96B in cash to the project, which will be located at Micron's own production and development facilities in Boise, Idaho, Manassas, Va. and Lehi, Utah.

This news article was written on February 28, 2006.

==MPAA Goes After Torrent Sites, eDonkey and Newsgroups==

The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) has expanded its crackdown on online movie piracy by [http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_23.pdf filing seven new lawsuits] against online sites. Websites targeted include Isohunt.com, BTHub.com, TorrentBox.com, TorrentSpy.com, NiteShadow.com, Ed2k-it.com, NZB-Zone.com, BinNews.com and DVDRs.net.

"Website operators who abuse technology to facilitate infringements of copyrighted works by millions of people are not anonymous they can and will be stopped. Disabling these powerful networks of illegal file distribution is a significant step in stemming the tide of piracy on the Internet", said John G. Malcolm, Executive Vice President and Director of Worldwide Anti-Piracy Operations for the MPAA.

This news article was written on February 24, 2006.

==Tangent Files Antitrust Suit Against Microsoft==

Tangent, an OEM based in Burlingame, Calif., filed a complain Feb. 14 in U.S. District Court for Northern California, seeking an unnamed amount from the software giant, claiming the software maker [http://www.thechannelinsider.com/article2/0,1895,1929307,00.asp has been able to overcharge for its operating system] as result of Microsoft's "artificial" market dominance.

"Because Microsoft, through its exclusionary practices, eliminated its competitors from the market and has blocked entry of new competitors and expansion of existing rivals, it has been able to increase, maintain or stabilize prices at anticompetitive levels" since the late 1980s, the complaint said.
"Microsoft's supra-competitive prices are not the result of superior products or competition on the merits. Rather, Microsoft has been able, at the financial expense of purchasers to artificially inflate its profitsâ€¦."

Tangent alleged further that Microsoft entered into restrictive agreements with OEMs and system builders, limiting or eliminating their ability to feature non-Microsoft products.

This news article was written on February 22, 2006.

==US Legislature Suggests China Web Crackdown==

Nearly every US company with a Web site located in China will have to move it elsewhere or its executives would face prison terms of up to a year, according to proposed legislation expected to be introduced this week in the US Congress.

The highly anticipated proposal, created by Christopher Smith, a New Jersey Republican from the House of Representatives, in response to recent reports about censorship in China by Google, Yahoo and others, also makes it unlawful to filter search results or turn over information about users to certain governments unless the US Justice Department approves. It would also impose new export restrictions to those nations.

"For the sake of market share and profits, leading US companies like Google, Yahoo, Cisco and Microsoft have compromised both the integrity of their product and their duties as responsible corporate citizens", Smith said at a related hearing in the House on Wednesday. Smith, chairman of a human rights subcommittee, likened that cooperation to companies that aided the Nazis in World War II.

Besides the relocation requirement, Smith's proposal says that:

* A US corporation that offers a search service "may not" alter its results in response to the request of an "Internet-restricting country".

That would permit ongoing censorship by Western nations such as Germany, which requires Google to filter Nazi-related sites from search results, or the United States, which imposes a similar requirement on search engines as a result of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

* Search engine companies must provide the Office of Global Internet Freedom - a new federal bureaucracy that would be created - with a list of verboten search terms" provided by any foreign official of an Internet-restricting country".

* Any Web site with operations in the US must regularly provide the Office of Global Internet Freedom with a list of content deleted or blocked at the request of an Internet-restricting country.

*A new set of federal regulations - apparently aimed at Cisco's routers and software used by the other companies - would be erected to criminalise certain exports to China, Iran, Vietnam and other Internet-restricting nations. Current law permits the export of "publicly available technology and software" to those nations. Those exports would no longer be permitted if software or hardware is exported for the purpose of "facilitating Internet censorship."

Infractions can be punished, depending on the exact prohibition violated, by fines of up to 2 million dollars and criminal penalties of up to five years of prison time.

This news article was written on February 22, 2006.

==Bank Accounts Raided By New Trojans==

In response to the increased adoption of stronger authentication, cybercriminals are [http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39253433,00.htm changing their tactics], according to Alex Shipp, a senior antivirus technologist at MessageLabs. "We have recently seen a move away from stealing user name and passwords," Shipp said during a panel discussion at the 2006 RSA Conference in San Jose on Thursday. The new "bank-stealing Trojans" wait until the victim has actually logged in to their bank. "It then just transfers the money out."

"All of the authentication, little keys you have to have in your hand, biometrical things, it doesn't matter. The bad guy just waits until you're there and then takes the money out," Shipp said.

This new type of Trojan is on the rise and is currently number three on the list of most common threats, according to Shipp. The most-seen threat today is remote control code used to maintain networks of zombie PCs, or botnets, he said. Second are phishing scams, which seek to dupe computer users into giving up personal information, Shipp said.

This news article was written on February 21, 2006.

==Google Rejects US Government Demands To Hand Over Data==

Google Inc. formally [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-02-18T051521Z_01_N17192366_RTRUKOC_0_UK-GOOGLE-PRIVACY.xml rejected the U.S. Justice Department's subpoena] of data from the Web search leader, arguing the demand violated the privacy of users' Web searches and its own trade secrets.

Although Google is willing to censor material in China, the company is not yet ready to violate the privacy of users in the United States. In a filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Google also claimed that the government's demand to turn over search information is simply impractical because it won't aid the government in its current crusade.

Unfortunately, competitors like Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed to turn over data.
The Mountain View, California-based company said that complying with the U.S. government's request for "untold millions of search queries" would put an undue burden on the company, including a "week of engineer time to complete."

Complying with the Justice Department request would also force Google to reveal how its Web search technology works -- something it jealously guards as a trade secret, the company argued. It refuses to disclose even the total number of searches conducted each day.

This news article was written on February 21, 2006.

==NBC TV Channel Has Less Viewers than Olympics Website==

Although TV ratings for the Olympics have not been overly impressive, NBC's Olympics web site has drawn 167 million page views, which is more than 145 million page views for the entire duration of the Olympics in 2002. NBC is thankful that people are watching the Olympics somewhere, especially after shows like "American Idol," "Grey's Anatomy," "House," and "Desperate Housewives" all beat NBC last week. The site offers medal counts, athlete profiles, schedules, results, photos and video recaps.

"Our strategy has evolved over time from one where we would use the Internet and these digital platforms to promote television," Zenkel said. "It has evolved into a strategy in which we use these digital platforms to make more content available."

This news article was written on February 20, 2006.

==Chicago Plans Citywide Wi-Fi==

Chicago is the latest major U.S. city that [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060217wifi,1,1607221.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true plans to make wireless broadband citywide]. The city already has hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspots in typical places that are familiar for people: libraries, coffee shops, and bookstores. The city is now asking any interested technology companies to submit official proposals for the project. City officials have not yet announced any projected costs that users would have to pay for access to the Wi-Fi network after it has been completed. More details will be revealed when the city determines which companies will be involved with the development of the system.

Assuming everything falls into place as planned, the Chicago citywide Wi-Fi network could be running as soon as 2007, city officials said.

This news article was written on February 18, 2006.

==Adaptive Armor for Better Ski Protection==

Spyder, [http://www.spyder.com/about.news.111705.asp a popular skiwear company], has developed an impact suit that is designed to help protect U.S. and Canadian skiers. Spyder worked exclusively with d3o Labs to produce the suit that flows normally but will harden in a fall.

The new material is called d3o, a mixture of viscous liquid and a polymer. The exact chemical contents of d3o are currently a secret, but many researchers believe that the suit truly is revolutionary. After the material was synthesized, it is poured into a mould for the specific body part it will protect. The molecules are normally free flowing, but will lock if an object attempts to move through the liquid too quickly. In practice, whenever a high speed object collides with the liquid, a hard armor-like pad forms.

This news article was written on February 17, 2006.

==Microsoft Office 2007 Prices And Applications Announced==

Microsoft has announced that the beta program currently known as Office 12 will become Office 2007 when it is released later this year.

Office 2007 has been completely redesigned compared to its Office 2003 predecessor and features a new "Ribbon" menu system in many Office applications to make editing and navigation easier.

Here's a list of the different Office packages complete with pricing (full/upgrade):

* Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 (Available only through volume licensing; price N/A)
* Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 (Available only through volume licensing; price N/A)
* Microsoft Office Professional 2007 ($499/$329)
* Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 ($449/$279)
* Microsoft Office Standard 2007 ($399/$239)
* Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 ($149/NA)
* Microsoft Office Basic 2007 (Available only through OEMs; price not quoted)

You can read more about it on [http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/2/9/c2935f83-1a10-4e4a-a137-c1db829637f5/OfficePackagingFS.doc Microsoft's site] (.doc file)

This news article was written on February 16, 2006.

==Dell Announces 8ms LCDs for Europe==

Dell took an unusual step backwards today by announcing the 8ms UltraSharp 17" 1707FP and UltraSharp 19" 1907FP LCD displays. The displays both use 6-bit LCD panels capable of 262,000 colors per pixel with an 8ms gray to gray response time.

Dell has been a large proponent of 8-bit Super IPS LCD panels in the past, but the move to 6-bit panels for the 1707FP and the 1907FP is not completely unusual. Typically, Dell will use different components for different regions - so the UltraSharp 1907FP in Europe may be completely different than the UltraSharp 1907FP in the US.

Both displays come with a native resolution of 1280x1024 and 500:1 contrast ratios. Representatives from Dell Europe claim the price of the 1707FP and 1907FP will be Â£199 and Â£299, respectively.

This news article was written on February 15, 2006.

==Xbox 360 DRM Soon To Be History==

A new utility from 360gamesaves.com gives you access to the Xbox 360's HDD and memory cards

Xbox 360 users can rejoice in the release of Xplorer360 v0.9. Brave users can now hook up a 360 HDD to your PC with a SATA adapter and even more adventurous users can read/write data to the 360's memory cards via your PC's USB port. Here's a list of the features supported with the initial release of this application:

* FULL Read/Write to 360 HDDs.
* FULL Read/Write to 360 Memory Units.
* Physical and Logical drive access.
* Support for opening of dumps of both devices.
* Backup/Restore dump options.

With this newfound power, users can now share savegame data with others over the Internet and it opens up a new can of worms. The utility even gives you the ability to transfer old Xbox savegame data over to your Xbox 360.

This news article was written on February 14, 2006.

== Blind student Sues Target.com For Lack Of Accessibility==

The California Association of Blind Students [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/09/BAGQHH5H7D1.DTL&www.dailytech.com set its sights] on Target.com as part of the first salvo against websites that do not support software capable of interpreting text on the screen for blind readers. The lawsuit claims "Target thus excludes the blind from full and equal participation in the growing Internet economy that is increasingly a fundamental part of daily life".

Blind Advocacy groups believe the lawsuit against Target is valid on the premise that eCommerce websites must uphold the same disability standards as the brick and mortar counterparts. When websites use image maps and lack alt-text for images on the site, reader software developed for blind people stops functioning correctly. Federal laws governing disabled patron access to eCommerce websites do not exist in the US yet.

"What I hope is that Target and other online merchants will realize how important it is to reach 1.3 million people in this nation and the growing Baby Boomer population who will also be losing vision," said Bruce Sexton Jr., 24, the blind third-year Cal student who filed the suit.

This news article was written on February 12, 2006.

==All US Analog Broadcasting To Terminate By 2009==

President Bush signed legislation earlier this week that will officially end analog broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009, which is the date that all U.S. broadcasters must stop transmitting analog television signals.

Viewers who have analog TVs will have to purchase a converter after the transition is complete. Along with the legislation, $1.5B USD in funding will be offered to provide two $40 USD vouchers for every household to be used to purchase converter boxes. The bill will free up 60 MHz of spectrum that will be given to the highest bidders of wireless-broadband and cell phone providers.

This news article was written on February 12, 2006.

==Bungie Says Halo 2 Will Not Run On Windows XP==

It seems that Halo 2, the sequel to the very popular Halo video game, will only be playable on the upcoming Microsoft Vista operating system for the PC platform. Bungie Studios, developer of the Halo video games, claims that the move to make the game Vista-only isn't to force people to purchase the new operating system, though the official Bungie explanation as to why is not so clear:

"As Bungie Studios and Microsoft are dedicated to delivering a top quality translation of Halo 2 for the PC, their efforts require the use of the best available technological platform for Windows games. Windows Vista will help bring clarity to our customers and help them get more out of their personal computing experience, allowing them to focus on what matters most to them."

This news article was written on February 10, 2006.

==ATI Releases Catalyst 6.2 Drivers==

ATI's newest Catalyst drivers resolve many issues with games, Catalyst Control Center and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Here are some of the game issues resolved with the Catalyst 6.2 driver release:

* BattleField 2 Special Forces: A blooming or ghosting effect is no longer noticed when playing the game in night vision mode. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21648
* City of Heroes: Running Shadertest 7 no longer results in slow performance being noticed. Further details can be found in topic number 737-21463
* Half-Life2: Enabling Catalyst AI no longer results in the outer edges of the water appear dark or black in color. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number. 737-21649
* World of Warcraft: Pixel corruption is no longer noticed when playing the game on systems containing an ATI Radeon X1600 series. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21652

You can [https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=640 download the drivers] from ATI Support's site.

This news article was written on February 9, 2006.

==GE, Toshiba Venture To Build Silicone Plant==

General Electric and Toshiba have announced that its joint-venture will [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/23/content_4088092.htm setup a 4th plant in China] to produce silicone based products. The facility will produce such things as molds, lubricants, elastomers, and speciality silicone-based fluids. The joint company, called GE Toshiba Silicones will be building the new facility in the city of Nantong, Jaingsu province. In fact, this is GE Toshiba's 4th and largest silicone plant in China.

Costing roughly $78 million USD, the plant is set to be completed and operational by the tail end of 2007 and will be cranking out more than 20,000 metric tons of products per year. GE alone already sells more than $2 billion USD of silicone products per year and says that China is rising rapidly as a major buyer of silicone based products.

GE Toshiba Silicones Co. will be competing with 34 other silicone manufacturers around the world. Most of the competitors are based largely in Brazil, Norway and the US. While the company's production output is large, the total output from all of GE Toshiba Silicones' competitors amount to over 65% of the entire world's silicone products.

This news article was written on January 23, 2006.

==Philips To Reduce CD-R Royalties, Cheaper Discs For Everyone==

It seems Philips has decided to [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/19/content_4070862.htm cut CD-R royalties] by almost half. Currently, $0.045 USD from every (sanctioned) CD-R manufactured is paid to research giant Royal Philips Electronics. Under a new licensing plan, media manufacturers will only pay $0.025 USD per disc. For the average 100 CD-R pack, that translates to a $2.00 USD savings.

The move to reduce licensing costs is an effort by Philips to reduce the amount of unlicensed media being produced in South East Asia. Two of the largest CD-R producers, Ritek and CMC Magnetics, produce licensed media for Philips. Whether or not the royalty reduction will actually translate to cheaper discs to the end user seems unclear - but Ritek and CMC will now have the ability to compete with rogue media with the new lower licensing plan.

This news article was written on January 20, 2006.

==AMD Signs $150M Wafer Contract with Soitec==

CPU manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices just [http://www.eet.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=177100550 renewed its silicon-on-insulator contract] with Soitec for the 2006 calendar year. AMD uses Soitec's wafers for its 90nm Athlon 64, Opteron, Turion and Sempron processors. The contract, for $150 million USD, is triple the size of AMD's 2005 contract.

A threefold increase in SOI demand for AMD bodes well about the company's expectations for 2006. However, Soitec has been under legal pressure lately from rival wafer companies on charges of patent infrigement. Additional legal problems for Soitec could give AMD serious supply problems as AMD is now heavily reliant on Soitec's wafers.

This news article was written on January 17, 2006.

==Toshiba Scientists Find Practical Technology For Entangled Light==

Researchers from Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. and the University of Cambridge have announced a [http://www.advancedimagingpro.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=7&id=2273 quantum device that can create entangled light].

The process starts with a silicon-based device that uses quantum dots inside a block of indium arsenide. Quantum dots are essentially nanocrystals small enough to exist in the quantum confinement regime. When the quantum dot is excited by a laser pulse, two electrons in the indium arsenide are excited. The energy will then be converted into two entangled protons that can be split outside the device.

This news article was written on January 15, 2006.

==Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 1.5==
Mozilla today released Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5, the latest version of the free e-mail client.

Updates include an integrated spell checker, a better spam filter, automated updates and better RSS support. The program debuted in December 2004 and has supposedly been downloaded over 18 million times. Version 1.5 marks a major milestone release for the software, and all current users are advised to update.

If you wish to download Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5, simply click [http://www.getthunderbird.com/ here].

This news article was written on January 13, 2006.

==Fujitsu Expands With A New $1 Billion Plant==

Fujitsu is spending over US $1.05 billion on a new chip manufacturing plant to keep up with rising worldwide demand. The global market for microchips is expected to swell 8% this year and by nearly 11% in 2007.

The company's new Japanese plant will begin volume operation in July of 2007 and will initially produce 300mm wafers on a 65 nanometer manufacturing process. This would be Fujitsu's second plant to produce 300mm wafers. The first plant will will have its capacity boosted to 15,000 unit a month by March of next year.

Fujitsu already has a facility in the Mei prefacture; it is currently responsible for much of S3's core logic. The additional fab will be Fujitsu's first 65nm capable facility.

This news article was written on January 12, 2006.

==Apple Starts Shipping Intel Core Duo iMacs==

MacWorld - Apple has shown the next generation of iMacs which are based on Intel's Core Duo processor. Apple says that the new iMac is more powerful than any PC in its class with benchmarks showing that the new Duo Core iMac is 2 to 3 times faster than current G5 iMacs.

Apple also says that the new iMac will come with OS X 10.4.4 and all applications and utilities included have been recompiled to run natively on the new platform. Professioanl applications such as Aperture and Final Cut will be available sometime in March. For now, any application not yet recompiled for the x86 architecture will still be supported by the new system using Rosetta -- OS X's real-time x86 binary code translation layer. Microsoft's Office for Mac is also currently undergoing transisition to universal binaries but currently will also run on Rosetta.

This news article was written on January 11, 2006.

==Viagra Packages To Include Anti-Counterfeit Tags==

In a move to thwart counterfeit Viagra, on Friday said it has included special radio frequency identification tags on all packages of its anti-impotence pill to verify they are the authentic Pfizer product.

Pfizer has previously also opposed illegal imports of authentic Viagra into the United States, where they can be sold at steeply discounted rates, but said the new technology is not designed to block such imports.

Pfizer spokesman Bryant Haskins said the tiny tags are small computer chips that have been affixed to the underside of labels on each bottle of Viagra, as well as on cases and pallets of the drug. The invisible tags relay an electronic code that verifies the product is bona fide and authorized Viagra.

This news article was written on January 8, 2006.

==Google Expands: The Video Store==

The Google Video Store, a new service introduced by Google during CES, will allow users to search for videos from programs played on CBS and basketball games presented by the National Basketball Association.Viewers will have to wait 24 hours for new CBS episodes, and NBA games will be available via tape delay. Google will charge $1.99 per episode for CBS shows and NBA games will be available for $3.75 per game.

This news article was written on January 7, 2006.

==Seagate considers making more aquisitions==

Seagate made a blockbuster move when it announced plans to purchase rival hard drive manufacturer Maxtor for $1.9 billion. CEO Bill Watkins announced that Seagate will [http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=mergersNews&storyID=2006-01-05T224211Z_01_N05298648_RTRIDST_0_TECH-ELECTRONICS-SEAGATE.XML continue to search] for more companies to acquire in the future. On the top of the list of potential targets are software companies and companies that integrate different software and chip technologies into hardware systems.

Seagate, with its acquistion of Maxtor, now owns more than 40 percent of the hard drive market.

This news article was written on January 6, 2006.

[[Category:News]]

News Archive 2006

2013-07-01T23:45:17Z

Mariush: Created page with "This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2005. For newer news items, please check the dedicated news page. ==Siemens break..."

This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2005.

For newer news items, please check the dedicated [[:Category:News|news]] page.

==Siemens breaks network speed record==

German Technology outfit Siemens claims to have set a new speed record for electrical processing of data through a fibre-optic cable.

Siemens has managed to process data using exclusively electrical means at 107 gigabits per second on a 100 mile-long US network.

The 107 gigabit speed is 2.5 times faster than a previous maximum transmission performance record.

Siemens told Reuters that the technique used electrical processing only and removed the need to split signals into multiple, lower data-rate signals to avoid bottlenecks which makes transmission slower and more expensive.

This news article was written on December 21, 2006.

==P2P Uploader jailed for piracy==
A Hong Kong Court of Appeal has upheld the landmark conviction of P2P uploader Chan Nai-ming, a person convicted for uploading files using the BitTorrent protocol.

He would be the first person convicted for beeing a P2P uploader, the people before him were convited for other reasons. He will be jailed for three months.

He was arrested last year for using BitTorrent to upload Miss Congeniality, Red Planet and Daredevil. He advertised the movies on an online chatroom.

The original case ruled that there was not much of a difference between Chan's uploading the movies and someone manufacturing and distributing illegal DVDs.

Chan's case was that he had never actively distributed any copies of the movies online, he had just made them available for others. The argument was rejected by both courts.

This news article was written on December 16, 2006.

==Sony PlayStation 3 shipments are lower than expected==
According to research done by American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy, Sony's launch weekend had between 125,000 to 175,000 units available for the North American market, well below the expected shipment volume. Sony originally planned on having around 400,000 PS3 units shipped for the initial release and 1 million units before the end of the year.

After thousands of gamers across the country spent up to several days camping out in front of stores, the Sony PlayStation 3 sold out quickly and game stores and retailers are not sure when they will receive more shipments.

Nintendo, Sony's major competitor in the console market, has also recently released its latest console, and The Nintendo Wii game console also quickly sold out the first day it was introduced to the market however Nintendo is promising to replenish suppliers at a rate of 250,000 per week. They also hope to have up to 4 million consoles available to consumers by the end of the year.

This news article was written on November 27, 2006.

==China Lifts Ban on Wikipedia==
Wikipedia has been unblocked in China after being banned more than a year. The subdomain zh.wikipedia.org that contains the Chinese language version of Wikipedia is again fully accessible to users.

Before beeing banned in late 2005, Wikipedia was gaining popularity in China, a nation which has strict laws in place on Internet use. The Chinese government gave users access to the English version of Wikipedia almost a month ago. Even with the site once again being allowed, keyword filters blocking specific events such as the Falun Gong movement and Tinanmen Square massacre will remain in place on Wikipedia.

This news article was written on November 17, 2006.

==Microsoft to release six critical updates on Tuesday==
Microsoft is expected to release six new security updates for Windows next week. According to the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification, all six patches are critical.
One of the critical security updates addresses the exploits currently found in Microsoftâ€™s XML Core Services. There isnâ€™t much detail on the other five security updates but Microsoft has marked all six patches with its maximum severity rating.

This news article was written on November 12, 2006.

==MIT researchers develope ethanol direct injection engine==
MIT researchers are developing an automotive power plant that promises up to 30% greater fuel economy than traditional gasoline engines. The new engine, which would be powered by ethanol, would be production ready within five years.

MIT says that it can boost fuel efficiency by directly injecting ethanol into the cylinder. Direct injection technology is already being used on a number of gasoline engine vehicles including the Lexus IS350 and Pontiac Solstice GXP.

The use of direct injection combined with ethanol is what allows for the 30% increase in fuel economy. MIT goes so far as to say that if every vehicle in the United States were equipped with such an engine, yearly automotive fuel consumption would drop from 140 billion gallons to 110 billion gallons.

This news article was written on October 29, 2006.

==ATI Shareholders Approve Acquisition by AMD==
ATI Technologies Inc. shareholders voted today to approve the proposed acquisition of all outstanding common shares of ATI by an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD). More than 99 per cent of the votes cast by shareholders were in favor of the transaction.

AMD and ATI announced plans to merge back in July, which was pending government and shareholder approval. The Canadian Goverment gave the merger a passing grade through its anti-trust laws and regulations early September.

ATI will seek final court approval for the arrangement at a hearing on October 17, 2006. The transaction is expected to be completed during the week of October 23, 2006.

This news article was written on October 15, 2006.

==Microsoft to offer upgrade coupons for Windows Vista==

According to Information Week,Microsoft is planning an upgrade program for the people who purchase new PCs this holiday season. The upgrade coupons will either be free or provide discounted pricing:

Customers who buy systems running Windows XP Home Edition can upgrade to Vista Home Basic Edition for a flat $49 fee and to the higher-end Windows Vista Home Premium Edition for a cost of $79.
The Windows Vista Technology Upgrade Program runs from Oct. 26, 2006, through March 15, 2007. Distributors are expected to have the new SKUs in house for system builders by Oct. 15.

Microsoft has not officially announced the coupon program, but mentioned that it is currently working with its partners on a plan for such an offer.

This news article was written on October 5, 2006.

==Seagate Delivers 750GB HDDs for DVD Recorders==
Seagate Technology has announced that its highest storage capacity DB35 Series hard drives are shipping to DVR and digital entertainment device manufacturers for the next generation of DVRs. Seagate now offers 750, 500, 400, 320, 250 GB HDDs.

"Seagate is thrilled to be providing technology that is the basic enabler to products driving such intense levels of customer satisfaction. Access to more and higher quality digital entertainment content is exploding," said Rob Pait, director of Global Consumer Electronics Marketing at Seagate. "The ability to store high definition content will continue to be at the heart of enabling simple and satisfying digital entertainment systems."

The drives would allow recording up to 750 hours of standard TV, 125 hours of high-definition TV recording and will support ten simultaneous standard TV streams.

This news article was written on September 25, 2006.

==Google.org founded, a for-profit philanthropy==
According to Slashdot, Google has set up a subsidiary called Google.org, a for-profit philanthropy with initial capital of a billion dollars.Unlike most charities, Google.org will be a for-profit one, allowing it to fund start-up companies, form partnerships with venture capitalists and even lobby Congress. It will also pay taxes.One of Google.org's first projects is the development of a plug-in hybrid vehicle that achieves a mileage rating equivalent to 100 MPG.

This news article was written on September 20, 2006.

==Toshiba Announces New 1.8" HDD Family==
Toshiba has announced its new family of 1.8" hard drives which are 10% smaller than its first generation perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) HDD's.
The two new models introduced - the 40GB MK4009GAL and 80GB MK8009GAH - are both 4200RPM units which feature an areal density of 134 gigabits per square inch. Given their reduced footprint, the 40GB and 80GB drives now measure 54x71x5mm and 54x71x8mm respectively and weigh in at 48 grams and 59 grams respectively. The cache size was also increased to 8MB.

This news article was written on September 13, 2006.

==Vista may slow down the Internet==

Paul Mockapetris, one of the principal inventors of DNS is warning that Windows Vista might grind net traffic to a halt if left unchecked.Because Vista supports two different versions of TCP/IP (v4 and v6), Mockapetris believes that the introduction of the new operating system will cause a significant increase in DNS traffic and may bring DNS servers already running near capacity to their knees. This would have a significant impact on the Internetâ€™s ability to function as DNS requests could become unanswered by the swamped servers.

Some experts disagree with Mockapetris and believe this might be a FUD campaign to stir up support for Nomium, a vendor of DNS products were Mockapetris works as chief scientist.

This news article was written on September 7, 2006.

==FairUse4WM Cracks Windows Media DRM, Again==

The makers of Fairuse4WM have modified their application in order to remove the restrictions on protected WMA and WMV files once again. This happens just days after Microsoft has issued a patch that prevented Fairuse4WM from removing DRM data from files.
Fairuse4WM works by stripping the DRM information from protected windows media files allowing users to freely manipulate the files and play them back as they see fit.
The apparently failed update from Microsoft changed the IBX in PlaysForSure rendering v.1.1 useless to users who were forced to update through their content provider. FairUse4WM v.1.2 is backwards compatible with files that have yet to be updated.Although it only took Microsoft 3 days to issue its first fix it appears that the FairUse4WM creators are still one step ahead of the software giant.

This news article was written on September 3, 2006.

==Chaintech Phases Out Motherboard Business==

According to Digitimes, Chaintech will exit the motherboard market and will focus on NAND flash memory business. Chaintechâ€™s current memory business accounts for half of its sales and is expected to rise as Chaintech expands its memory business.

Chaintech waits for flash memory prices to stabilize before it enters the memory business. Walton Chaintech representatives were quoted saying:"Walton Chaintech will wait until the NAND flash prices become stable before it enters the NAND flash market, with future testing, packaging and module assembly to be done by its parent company Walton Advanced Engineering, the company was quoted as saying."

This news article was written on August 28, 2006.

==Memorex ships HD DVD media==

Memorex, now a division of Imation Corp. , has launched and shipped their first HD DVD-R media.

The HD DVD-R discs can hold 15 GB of data or video and should already be on shelves.

Memorex states that with a single 15GB HD DVD-R can record up to 75 minutes of high-definition audio and video or up to 7 hours of standard DVD-quality video. Additionally, the HD-DVD standard allows recording of 7.1-channel audio along with the high-definition video.

The launch price is $19.99 for a 15GB HD DVD-R disc compared to about $19.99 for 25GB blu-ray media. Blu-ray has won the optical format war in pricing as far as Memorex is concerned. Memorex also plans to launch HD DVD-RW media by the end of the year.

This news article was written on August 23, 2006.

==Dell Orderes 2 Million AMD Based Desktops And Laptops==

According to a report by Bank of America, Dell has ordered 2 million systems with AMD processors from their suppliers - 1.2 million desktops and 800,000 notebooks.The estimations are that the machines will be arriving in late Q3 or early Q4 of this year and that the number of systems is roughly 16 percent of all Dell's desktop volume and roughly 19 percent of its notebook volume.

This news article was written on August 18, 2006.

==Intel Releases Open Source Drivers For GMA 3000 Video Cards==
Intel has released drivers for the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s G965 express family of chipsets under a tri-open source license to the OSS community. The open source drivers have been released under the X.org MIT License, the Mesa MIT License and the GPL v2 license. The drivers have full support for 2D and 3D features of IntelÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s GMA X3000 and GMA 3000 integrated graphics cores.
This is the first release of the 965 chipset code and the release still needs a significant amount of testing and fine tuning before production use. However this is a major step forward for Intel in the open source community.

This news article was written on August 12, 2006.

==RIAA Sues LimeWire Over Copyright Infringement==
RIAA has filed another lawsuit in its crusade against peer-to-peer file sharing networks, this time targeting the popular LimeWire network.

In the complaint the RIAA alleges that Lime Group LLC and its associates "actively facilitating, encouraging and enticing" its users to steal music and that the company is doing nothing to block access to copyrighted works. The RIAA further alleges that Lime Group LLC has built a business model that allows them to directly profit from piracy.

LimeWire began operating in 2000 and has since become the program of choice among P2P users as other P2P companies have shut down or changed their business models to allow legal file trading. Last year the US Supreme Court ruled that P2P companies could be sued for copyright infringement if they were found to encourage piracy when the court ruled in the Gorkster case. The RIAA is seeking damages including at least $150,000 for each illegally downloaded song.

This news article was written on August 6, 2006.

==European Commision Launches Antitrust Probe Against Toshiba And Sony==
According to some reports, the European Commision believes that the companies backing the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats may have some licensing terms that breach European competition rules. An unnoficial antitrust probe was already launched this month.
Toshiba, the leading company behind HD DVD and Sony the leading company behind Blu-ray both received letters from the European Commission earlier this month. According to a European Commission representative: "we sent a letter earlier this month to the makers of HD DVD and Blu-ray to request information about licensing." Toshiba did not respond to inquiries but Sony confirmed that it did receive a letter from the European Commission.
Sony will be shipping its first Blu-ray player will be shipping only slightly ahead of its PlayStation 3 console - currently scheduled for November 17th. On the HD DVD side, Toshiba announced earlier that it would be shipping its HD DVD players at a loss to gain a head start.

This news article was written on July 30, 2006.

==Toshiba Employee Awarded 87 Million Yen For Flash Invention==

Fuijo Masuoka, a Toshiba employee, was awarded Â¥87 million ($749,225) by a Tokyo court as a result of winning a patent case.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said that while Masuoka had wanted 1.1 billion for inventing flash memory, the award is nevertheless the third biggest ever awarded in employee patent cases.

Masuoka, now a professor at Tohoku University, had registered 500 patents when he worked at Toshiba. Toshiba paid six million yen to him while he was working there to transfer the patents.

The flash patents represent a mere 41 out of the 500 he transferred.

This news article was written on July 27, 2006.

==High PS3 Price is Pushing Away Developers==

It seems the recent events and problems that surround PS3, such as issues with Blue-Ray support or the fallout from the $499-599 price structure, no longer turn away only customers but also developers.
According to GameDaily Biz, the support from 3rd party game developers may be questionable:
"In the PS3's native Japan, the reaction has been less than pleasant, with more than 90 percent of developers in a recent survey stating that the price of the console is just too high. And indeed it seems that this high price is affecting whether or not certain developers decide to develop for the PS3. Sony's PlayStation business has always been backed by incredibly strong third-party support, but now for the first time that could be in jeopardy."

This news article was written on July 23, 2006.

==Microsoft Buys Winternals and Sysinternals==

Microsoft announced this week that it has acquired Windows utility and recovery company Winternals.
The Microsoft team was also interested in Mark Russinovich, widely regarded as one of the industry's top kernel experts. Microsoft co-president of platforms and services Jim Allchin said "I've had my eye on Mark for some time. The work he and Bryce have completed in system recovery and data protection illustrates the depth of thinking and skill they will bring to future versions of Windows."
Microsoft also announced that Russinovich will be appointed as a Microsoft Technical Fellow, a title "awarded to someone whose technical vision, expertise, and world-class leadership is widely recognized."

This news article was written on July 19, 2006.

==Microsoft Fined $365.4 Million In Antitrust Law Suit==
The European Commission fined Microsoft $375.4 million for failure to comply with antitrust rulings. The European Union had previously fined Microsoft approximately $634.7 million in 2004 for taking advantage of its monopolistic position in the market. The amount of the fine comes from the number of days the EU waited for Microsoft to comply.
The EU had previously told Microsoft to open up its code as well as open up its Windows operating system to competitors.
Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told reporters that "Microsoft has still not put an end to its illegal conduct. I have no alternative but to levy penalty payments for this continued noncompliance." If Microsoft still does not comply by July 31st of 2006, it will be fined approximately $3.83 million per day.

This news article was written on July 12, 2006.

==Lexar Flash Drives To Be Recalled For Fire Hazard==

It seems that flash drives company Lexar will have to recall some of its models from the market because of fire hazard. The drives affected are the JumpDrive FireFly and JumpDrive Secure II:
JumpDrive FireFly

256 MB (red) : JDFF256-431RU, JDFF256-264, JDFF256-445RU
512MB (lime green) : JDFF512-431EM
1GB (blue) : JDFF1GB-431TO
2GB (black) : JDFF2GB-431BK

JumpDrive Secure II

1GB : JDSE1GB-00-500 Rev H, 3052-1GBA-2006, 3052-1GBA-2106
      3052-1GBA-1906, 3052-1GBA-1806

The reason for the recall is overheating which could lead to burns and property damage.The recall affects around 66,000 units that were sold between April and May of 2006. Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the devices and contact Lexar (via the web or by phone, (800) 248-2798) for replacement products.

This news article was written on July 8, 2006.

==NEC Opens Second Factory In Vietnam==
NEC announced this week that it has opened its second manufacturing facility in the Loteco Industrial Park in Vietnam. The company says that the new facility will hold roughly 1,000 staff members and produce such products as transformers, integrated electronics, fiber optics and anti-magnetized parts for electronic use. Also, the new facility will help increase the company's overall capacity of parts from 14.7 million units to 20 million units annually.

This news article was written on July 2, 2006.

==Dell To Offer Free Computer Recycling Program==

Dell announced a new program to recycle Dell-branded computer components for returning and non-returning Dell customers free of charge. Dell already has a policy that the company will recycle any brand of computer or printer if you purchase a new Dell PC, with free pick-up.

The new policy will also extend Dell's recycling initiative to any Dell-brand computer, anytime. In essence, the new policy no longer just encourages users to purchase Dell as a value-add to remove the old PC. In most cities in the US it is illegal to throw away PC components and other devices -- and many recycling companies charge a premium on older computer components that contain lead.

"We have a responsibility to our customers to recycle the products we make and sell," claimed Michael Dell. "Our direct relationships with consumers allow us to offer this easy and free service and we encourage others in our industry to do so as well."

This news article was written on June 29, 2006.

==Intel Opens 300mm Wafer Factory In Ireland==

Intel announced the opening of its newest 300mm wafer facility in Leixlip, Ireland. The new fab is called Fab 24-2, as the facility is essentially an expansion on the existing Fab 24 facility that was built in 2004..

Intel's Fab 12 in Chandler, Arizona and D1C/D1D fabs in Hillsboro, Oregon already compose of the majority of Intel's 300mm wafer production. Late last year, Intel representatives claimed a plan was on the table for a 300mm D1E facility in Hillsboro as well.

Intel also has plans to open another fab in Chandler, dubbed Fab 32, expected to produce 300mm wafers for 45nm CPUs. Fab 28 in Qiryat Gat, Israel is also expected to product 300mm wafers for 45nm processors when it is completed in 2008. Intel also has plans to build a massive facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that will even eclipse Fab 24-2 in size.

This news article was written on June 25, 2006.

== Frozen Chip from IBM reaches 350 Ghz==

According to an article at EETimes, IBM and Georiga Tech have demonstrated a 500 GHz Silicon-germanium (SiGe) chip, operating at 4.5 Kelvins. The 'frozen chip' was fabricated by IBM on 200mm wafers, and, at room temperature, the circuits operated at approximately 350 GHz.

By comparison, 500 GHz is more than 250 times faster than today's cell phones, which typically operate at approximately 2 GHz, according to the organizations.

The experiments, conducted jointly by IBM and Georgia Tech, are part of a project to explore the ultimate speed limits of silicon germanium (SiGe) devices, which are said to operate faster at cold temperatures.

This news article was written on June 20, 2006.

==Jack Thompson's Violent Game Bill Signed Into Law==
Louisiana Democratic Representative Roy Burrell's HB1381 bill, covering violent videogames, has been signed into law by Governor Kathleen Blanco.The law takes effect immediately, the latest in a very long line of video game-related bills specific to one U.S. State. The measure proposed by HB 1381, which was drafted with the help of controversial Florida attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson, allows a judge to rule on whether or not a videogame meets established criteria for being inappropriate for minors and be subsequently pulled from store shelves. A person found guilty of selling such a game to a minor would face fines ranging from $100 to $2,000, plus a prison term of up to one year. Needless to say, the ESA will likely be mounting a legal challenge to this bill in the very near future.

This news article was written on June 16, 2006.

==Verbatim Announces HD DVD-R, 2X BD-R==

Verbatim Corporation, a Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) brand, announced July availability of HD DVD-R media in Japanese markets. The company then announced that it will be the first to offer 2X (72Mbps) single-layer 25GB Blu-Ray Recordable and Rewriteable media this July as well. Verbatim has not announced an estimated shp date for the US.

The 15GB HD DVD-R media will be thrown into production in the early part of July, however the press release says production of 30GB dual layer HD DVD-R media will begin this month.

Like its DVD-R counterparts, HD DVD-R media will feature the Metal AZO recording dye which Verbatim claims to be highly resistant to ultraviolet light and heat which can wear away at the media.

This news article was written on June 12, 2006.

==FBI Raids Over 20 Underground Servers==

According to WiredFire, over 20 underground servers were seized in a raid at two hosting companies, Layer Tech and Server Matrix.
In total, boxes with hundreds of terabytes of data stored in total were taken away, 4 topsites were shut down directly because of the actions of the FBI, and the number of other sites that were slowed down, or shut down on their own, is not known.In response to the busts, several people in the scene are urging people to abandon using Layered Tech and Server Matrix to use as seedboxes, fearing it is only a matter of time until they are noticed taken down.
The release groups and affils most affected by this raid are : FLAMES, SAGA, DiAMOND, NBP, F4GC and TBE.

This news article was written on June 9, 2006.

==HP Cameras May Pose Fire Risk==

According to The Inquirer, THE US Consumer Product Safety Commission said HP has warned 700,000 Photosmart R707 digicams pose a fire risk when theyâ€™re connected to an AC adaptor or docking station.
There is a report of one camera catching fire but there are no injuries reported. The cameras were sold between August 2004 and April 2006 and sold for between $250 and $400.

This news article was written on June 7, 2006.

==A-Data Will Announce DDR3 Modules At Computex==

A-Data will be announcing DDR3 modules at Computex 2006 on June 6, 2006, after only two weeks from the moment AMD launched its DDR2 supporting socket AM2 processors.
DDR3 is the DDR2 successor and promises greater bandwidth and lower power. DDR3-1066 MHz modules will be shown at Computex at the A-Data booth. DDR3 is not limited at 1066 MHz, it has a lot more headroom available. Modules are expected to ramp up to 1600 MHz in the future.
DDR3 Memory modules will have 240 pins , 120 on each side and one notch at the 48th pin from the left of the module. This way, the memory module will not be inserted by mistake in a DDR or DDR2 slot.

This news article was written on June 4, 2006.

==DVD Forum Approves HD-DVD Format For China==

The DVD Forum delegates, during the May 24th steering committee for the DVD, elected to pursue a physical HD-DVD format standard specifically for China.
The most pressing issue for all optical storage camps is piracy. With rampant piracy of DVD and VCD titles in China, the push to create an HD-DVD standard that only exists in China would force Chinese residents to buy players that conform to the new specification. The logical progression is that Chinese residents would not be able to play HD-DVDs from the US and that newly pirated content would stay in the Chinese HD-DVD format rather than make its way into the US.

This news article was written on May 29, 2006.

==Chicken and Egg Problem Solved==

Scientists and philosophers now agree which came first: The Egg. From the CNN article: "Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life. Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg. Professor John Brookfield, a specialist in evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, told the UK Press Association the pecking order was clear".

This news article was written on May 27, 2006.

==.MOBI Domain Launched==
The new TLD will serve the purpose of guiding mobile users to made-for-mobile content formatted especially for mobile devices. As of right now, trademark holders in the mobile industry are allowed to register. General trademark holders can begin registering their trademarks on June 12 and the domain doors will be opened to the public for registration on August 28.

Despite the widespread adoption of mobile devices, the constantly changing data capabilities of these devices and standards can slow down its acceptance and make developing generalized services for mobile users a difficult proposition. However, ICANN has no stipulations on the .MOBI TLD, meaning the purchaser does not require WAP or light CSS support.

ICANN just approved the .TEL top level domain a few days ago, and the .EU TLD had its general availability launch last month. However, even in this spree of additional TLDs, ICANN continues to reject the .XXX TLD proposals.

This news article was written on May 24, 2006.

==Zero Day Microsoft Word Exploit On The Loose==
SANS Internet Storm Center today received reports that a new zero-day exploit in Microsoft Word is being used to compromise usersâ€™ computers. The flaw in Word allows attackers to execute malicious code when the infected word document is opened.

"Michael," who reported the vulnerability, states:

"The exploit functioned as a dropper, extracting a Trojan byte-for-byte from the host file when executed. After extracting and launching the Trojan, the exploit then overwrote the original Word document with a "clean" (not infected) copy from payload in the original infected document. As a result of the exploit, Word crashes, informs the user of a problem, and offers to attempt to re-open the file. If the user agrees, the new "clean" file is opened without incident."

This news article was written on May 21, 2006.

==Samsung Launches First HSPDA Phone==

Samsung launched the first High-Speed Packet Downlink Access (HSPDA) based phone in Korea today modeled the SCH-W200.

The SCH-W200 is the first retail phone to support HSPDA which is a new mobile broadband standard capable of transmitting data at up to 1.8Mbpsec. The high-speed transfers will pave the way for high-quality audio and video streaming services aside from internet access from anywhere as long as cellular reception is available.

The SCH-W200 is a CDMA 2000 1X EVDO/HSPDA handset with a 2.12-inch 262K color TFT LCD screen at 240x320 resolution. It has a built-in 2-megapixel camera which is able to take pictures as well as record video in the MPEG4/H.263/H.264 formats and also support video conferencing and streaming as well as the ability to play MP3/AAC/AAC+ files.

Interfaces will include a USB port for connectivity with PCs for data transfers as well as an output to TV for viewing documents and possibly video. The SCH-W200 will also accept microSD flash media for storage which is currently available in capacities from 256MB to 1GB.

This news article was written on May 16, 2006.

==Cell Phones Explode In Brazil==

Cell phone users in San Paulo, Brazil are having problems with their phones exploding. There have been at least five cases in the past two monthsâ€”all Motorola phones. This is only a problem among a small number of users among the 89 million cellular phones in Brazil.

"In the most recent incident on April 30, the 34-year-old victim in Formosa, Goias state, had surgery for burns on her thighs and arms. She was driving with the phone in her lap when it exploded."

Motorola states the cause is from the use of low quality knock offs. Motorola officials claim the issue is centralized only to Brazil and that existing customers should not be concerned if they have not already been contacted by the company.

This news article was written on May 13, 2006.

==NASA And Indian Space Agency Working Together==

The United States and India have been partners in space ever since the Indian space program began in 1972. Unfortunately, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have temporarily ended plans to train an Indian astronaut that hoped to be on board a manned shuttle launch later this year.The reason for this was that NASA manned missions currently are being sent into space to either work on the International Space Station (ISS) or to do general repairs on the Hubble space telescope.
NASA and the ISRO have agreed to put two US built science instruments on board the Chandrayaan, which will be India's first unmanned moon explorer. The spacecraft may launch as early as 2008. One instrument will look for polar ice while the other will study the surface mineral composition on the moon.

This news article was written on May 9, 2006.

==Chinese Create Artificial Rain Over Beijing==

Chinese scientists from the Beijing Weather Modification Office successfully created artificially generated rainfall, in order to help wash a layer of sand and dust off Beijing due to drought.
The artificial rainfall brought a total of 9-11.2 mm (about four-tenths of an inch) of rain to Beijing.Earlier in the year, scientists also made another rainstorm which helped clear the air after massive dust storms. People are still very skeptical about the success and effectiveness of the artificial rainfall in China.
A total of 163 pieces of cigarette-like sticks containing silver iodide were burnt and seven rocket shells were launched in 6 districts and counties Thursday afternoon, which resulted in the heaviest rainfall in Beijing this spring.

This news article was written on May 7, 2006.

==Real Cloaking Device Material Invented==
Two mathematicians, Graeme Milton from Utah University and Nicolae-Alexandru Nicorovici from Sydney University of Technology have proposed calculations for a real cloaking device.

The calculations require a new material they refer to as a "superlens". Objects that are placed close to the superlens appear invisible. The superlens is composed of newly found materials that cause light to behave abnormally. Instead of making light bend as it passes through, the superlens causes light to effectively travel backward.

Currently the proposal is simply mathematical calculations and no actual prototype has yet been developed.

This news article was written on May 4, 2006.

==MS's Steve Balmer Memo To Staff Revealed==

As Microsoft's shares plummeted last week, CEO Steve Ballmer issued a memo to employees to provide "some context" for the increased spending forecast that caused the negative response on Wall Street. At one point, he called it "a lesson that the entire leadership team at Microsoft will learn from."

Here's the original memo, as initially reported by Bloomberg News:

Throughout our history, Microsoft has won by making big, bold bets. We've always taken a long-term approach, striving to solve the hardest problems in computing and working to realize huge new opportunities in vast new markets through investments in innovation across the broad spectrum of human endeavor.

I believe that now is not the time to scale back the scope of our ambition or the scale of our investment. While our opportunities are greater than ever, we also face new competitors, faster-moving markets and new customer demands.

So what accounts for the negative reaction that we've seen from analysts and investors?

To ensure that we win where we see opportunities and can respond with speed when the marketplace changes, we made the decision to ramp up investments during Q3 in a number of key areas. In addition, the cost of producing Xbox 360 consoles was higher than expected, while at the same time we decided to manufacture and sell as many consoles as possible to build on our lead in the race to be number one in the video game business.

These investments will continue. As a result, we also provided guidance for Q4 of this fiscal year and for FY07 that indicates our willingness to be aggressive when making investments where they are strategic for future growth.

The bottom-line result of these investments created a shift in our near-term profitability that was a surprise. The change in our stock price reflects this.

But I've never been more confident that we are making the right investments. In addition to adding a third manufacturing facility to enable us to meet market demand for Xbox 360, we are investing heavily in our services strategy; in our readiness programs for the launch of Windows Vista, Office 2007 and other products in the pipeline; and in a number of other areas where we see opportunities for rapid growth. We've accelerated the pace of our hiring and increased spending to ensure that we continue to bring the world's brightest minds to Microsoft.

When you look across the array of businesses we are building, it is clear that we are in a position that no other company can match. We have made and we continue to make the investments needed to ensure strong growth for our core businesses, while delivering the innovation that is essential to establishing a leadership position where we see opportunities in businesses such as entertainment, mobile devices, search and software-based Internet services.

This news article was written on May 2, 2006.

==AMD Recalls 'Inconsistent' Opterons==

According to The Inquirer, AMD has decided to recall a few thousand Opteron x52s and x54s processors because the units may have a temperature induced FP bug.

When the chips get hot, and you are running FP heavy code, you get 'inconsistent' results.

AMD declared that there are a small number of chips - about 3000 - and it has a test that can identify the chips. If you are affected, it will replace the chips for free.

This news article was written on April 29, 2006.

==HRRC and EFF Oppose the PERFORM Act==

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Dianne Feinstein yesterday introduced the PERFORM Act (Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act of 2006), which would ensure that all streaming media services used protected formats. Because users can save songs on radio receivers without paying to download the content, this act would be a roadblock to prevent downloading in the future.
Ars Technica reports:

Under the rules set forth in the Act, you would be able to make automated sound recordings, but only based on "specific programs, time periods, or channels as selected by or for the user," but not on "specific sound recordings, albums, or artists." Once recorded, it would be illegal to process the recorded data in order to extract separate songs for later use.

The Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are preparing to battle the legislation. The HRRC and EFF both believe that consumers would no longer be able to enjoy the flexibility of digital technology because the legislation will destroy Internet radio.

This news article was written on April 28, 2006.

==IO-Data Japan Launches Blu-Ray Recorders==

The drives are manufactured by Matsushita (Panasonic). Pansonic has just announced that its own brand of Blu-ray PC recorders will be available within six weeks or so. Both Panasonic and IO-Data will ship retail production shipments in early June.

The two IO-Data PC drives consist of an internal PATA BRD-AM2B and an external USB 2.0 BRD-UM2. Both drives have a maximum write speed of 2x and can read/record to dual layer DVD+R, dual layer DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CDR and dual layer Blu-ray recordable media.

Panasonic has suggested a price of $850 for its Blu-ray recorders.

This news article was written on April 24, 2006.

==Person Fined For Fake Spyware Scam==

Zhijian Chen was fined $84.000 for running a bogus anti-spyware scam, after a court has decided in favour of Microsoft.

He would send bogus security alerts to users and encourage them to download an phony anti-spyware program. Then, he would then claim a share of the profits from Secure Computer, which makes the software.

Microsoft filed a charge against Chen's Secure Computer outfit in January. Two others were also involved in the scam Seth Traub, and Manoj Kumar, from Maharashtra, India. Chen admitted the charges.

Chen used the Windows' "Net send" command to put pop-ups on users' machines that mimicked official warnings. A user then clicked on an embedded link and were directed first to Chen's page, then to Secure Computer's own site.

They were offered a free scan which always detected spyware even if there was none there and were offered Spyware Cleaner for $49.99.

Chen collected a commission of 75 percent of the purchase price, or $37.46, for each copy of Spyware Cleaner he sold.

This news article was written on April 20, 2006.

==Apple Sued By Burst.com For Patent Infringement==

Apple is sued by a company called Burst.com that claims it owns patents in regards to content delivery technology used in iTunes.

The delivery mechanism used in iTunes is often found in other general purpose applications and do not exploit any special techniques.

Burst.com does not agree with this and mentions that in a previous trial, it has managed to receive a payment of about $60 million from Microsoft.

This news article was written on April 18, 2006.

==Microsoft Subpoenaed By AMD In Anti-trust Case==
Microsoft is the latest in the long list of companies subpoenaed by AMD in it's anti-trust case against Intel. AMD hopes to explore "Microsoft's decision to develop software for AMD's 64-bit CPUs, and the timing and schedule for development of that software". Information Week reports:

A Microsoft spokeswoman said the Redmond, Wash., software maker is not a party to the lawsuit. "We anticipate that both sides will be seeking documents and other evidence from Microsoft and many other participants in the PC industry," the spokeswoman said. "We will work with the parties in this case to respond to reasonable requests for documents and information."

This news article was written on April 16, 2006.

==Firefox 1.5.0.2==

Firefox 1.5.0.2 was released yesterday, 13th of April, solving several bugs and vulnerabilities.
"We're identifying this as a critical release, and we're strongly recommending that everyone update as soon as possible," Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering at Mozilla, said in a statement. "This is one of the most stable releases we have ever delivered. It proactively addresses a wide range of security, performance and stability issues we have identified, using the very latest tools and techniques," he said.
The latest version of Firefox is available here.

This news article was written on April 14, 2006.

==10GBaseT Standard Almost Complete==

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is set to ratify the 10GbaseT standard by July of this year. While the standard promises 10Gbit/second signal speeds, companies will need to upgrade their existing cabling to handle the additional bandwidth.

Existing Cat5e is not officially supported by the 10GbaseT standard while Cat6 cabling is limited to 37m - even that is not guaranteed and is down from the 55m target. Cabling specialist Systimax is confident that signals will be able to travel as far as 100 meter with augmented copper.
Cat7, Category 7, cabling is still slated to handle 10GbaseT speeds up to 100 meters (600MHz spectral bandwidth). However, Cat7 does not use the standard RJ45 interface -- the proposed IEEE specification relies on the Nexans GG45 cable jack. GG45 is backwards compatible with Cat6 RJ45 interfaces, but when in Cat7 mode the four pairs along the corners of the input are used opposed to the four along the top of the cable.

While 10GbaseT standard is almost complete, 100GbaseT is prepared:

Systimax hopes its involvement with the Ethernet Alliance can create a forum for the discussion of new technologies like 100 gigabit Ethernet, which has yet to make it to the project stage with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and is probably five to seven years away from commercial deployment.

This news article was written on April 13, 2006.

==Afghans Sell Flash Drives With Stolen Military Information==
Afghan cleaners, garbage collectors and other workers are able to walk off a U.S. military base carrying sensitive information about military operations, which later end up on sale at Afghan bazaars. Deployment rosters with service member Social Security numbers, assessment of enemy targets, names of corrupt Afghan officials and base defenses are examples of some of the information that is being sold several hundred yards away from the base.Along with the sensitive information stored on USB flash memory drives, the workers are also able to steal knives, watches, packets of Viagra and refrigerators. The Los Angeles Times reports:

Workers are supposed to be frisked as they leave the base, but they have various ways of deceiving guards, such as hiding computer drives behind photo IDs that they wear in holders around their necks, shop owners said. Others claim that U.S. soldiers illegally sell military property and help move it off the base, saying they need the money to pay bills back home.

This news article was written on April 11, 2006.

==Russian Developers Conference Profitable For Ageia==

Ageia has recently announced that it has managed to sign deals with several russian game developers, at the Russian Developers Conference.
The developers will support in their games support the Ageia PhysX chips.
Akella, Abyss Lights Studio and Buka Entertainment are just a few of the studios that have licence to use the chips.

This news article was written on April 9, 2006.

==Samsung Blu-ray Player Launch Delayed==

Samsung Electronics is following Japan's Toshiba Corporation in delaying its set top products which will be capable of playing next-generation optical media formats.

In an announcement by Samsung Electronics of South Korea the company states they will be rescheduling the launch date of its first Blu-ray disc player, the BD-P1000, from the original date of May 23rd to June 25th of this year.

This news article was written on April 6, 2006.

==Judge Rules: Banning Violent Games Is Unconstitutional==

Six states have tried to or are currently trying to place some sort of restriction or ban on video games with violence and sexually explicit material. Michigan is the latest state to have a judge claim that trying to criminalize the sale of violent video games is unconstitutional. US District Judge George Caram Steeh ruled that denying minors access to video games is against the constitution because they are protected by the First Amendment. The Associated Press reports:

"Video games contain creative, expressive free speech, inseparable from their interactive functional elements, and are therefore protected by the First Amendment," he said in his ruling.

This news article was written on April 4, 2006.

==Toshiba Announces First Commercially Available HD-DVD==
Toshiba has announced that it has launched the world's first commercially available HD-DVD player, the HD-XA1 model. The company has mentioned that the demand for high-definition content is growing with each day and thus consumers are demanding HD players now more than ever. This is debatable though, because just a week ago, Toshiba has announced it will delay the launch of new players because they felt the market was not ready for them.

Movies on HD-DVD discs will be available to consumers by mid-April, this year.

The new players are immediately available for purchase in Japan. The HD-XA1 will launch with a price tag of $799 USD.

This news article was written on April 2, 2006.

==Soundstorm 2 May Appear in PSP 3==

NVIDIA's original SoundStorm released with the nForce2 chipset was considered a savior for PC audio. Delivering what it called Dolby Digital Live, NVIDIA's SoundStorm was able to encode a Dolby Digital 5.1 stream in real time from any source, and output it to your favorite multi-channel audio equipment.

Sony may have revealed the source of the PlayStation 3's audio processing capabilities. According to slides that Sony showed off at the Game Developer's Conference that just past, NVIDIA's RSX processor designed to accelerate graphics for the PS3 is also providing hardware accelerated audio.

According to an article on The Tech Report, NVIDIA indicated to it that its next evolution after SoundStorm would be delivered in an untraditional manner. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA's CEO indicated that his company was looking at ways to evolve the graphics processing unit (GPU) to provide non-traditional features - he did not allude to the possibility of sound processing however.

Today, there are several sound products that offer Dolby Digital Live. Recent codecs from RealTek and C-Media all offer the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 support. Unfortunately, these products rely on the host processor and so use a lot more system resources than dedicated audio processors such as Creative Labs' Audigy 2, or X-Fi.

This news article was written on March 31, 2006.

==ASUS To Sell Ageia PhysX Card In May==

Asustek has announced that it will be the first company that will sell the high-end version of the Ageia PhysX board.
The add-on card will have 256 MB RAM and, as a totally new "cool thing", it will probably cost a lot.

This news article was written on March 29, 2006.

==Internet Explorer 7 Will Not Be Included In Windows Vista==

According to BusinessWeek, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 will not be integrated into Windows Vista.
Breaking nearly ten years of tradition, Internet Explorer was always very tightly integrated into Windows, allowing users to do such things as launch a website directly from any Windows Explorer window, or save a live web page as the desktop wallpaper.

Windows itself has been under much scrutiny over recent years by the security industry as well as the hacking and virus communities. Exploits that were found to exist in current versions of Internet Explorer, were used to attack the core operating system because of the tight integration.
Despite ongoing security updates by Microsoft, analysts believe that removing Internet Explorer from the core of Windows will improve the overall security of the OS more so than many of its small patches combined. Despite the move to improve OS security by Microsoft, Internet Explorer will still ship with Windows Vista.

This news article was written on March 26, 2006.

==Alienware Bought By Dell==

Alienware and Dell have announced an agreement to merge, with Dell buying the Miami company.Alienware has long been a very independent company with a strong focus on highly tuned customer support and customization. Alienware pioneered the custom PC business by doing such things as: customizing the manual in the customer's name; including benchmarks of the system, installing and tweaking drivers, and installing whatever games the customer wanted. Long story short, Alienware gave great individualized attention to its patrons.

We believe that this acquisition will offer our customers the best of both worlds â€” an Alienware that takes advantage of the world-class business practices and operational efficiencies that have made Dell one of the most respected companies in the world, while preserving the DNA of the Alienware brand and product strategy portfolio.

Alienware says that Dell executives have agreed to let Alienware operate independently, with its own marketing and product strategies. In the above statement however, it's clear that Alienware expects to embrace some of Dell's own strengths, which sit squarely in the realm of low cost, mass production, and offshore support. All of these traits give Dell its strength -- besides its sell direct approach, which Alienware already does.

This news article was written on March 23, 2006.

==Phishers Will Have Hard Time From Microsoft==

Microsoft will start more than 100 legal proceedings against alleged phishers in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
The Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative is designed to target international phishers, who are usually sending misleading URLs to users to try and get them to enter personal information such as bank account information, passwords and credit card details into a fake website.Some of the most popular sites that are hurt by phishers are Paypal, MSN, Amazon and Ebay.
The campaign will target phishing groups that flood inboxes with unsolicited e-mails requesting bank account details, passwords, credit card details or other personal details that can be used for identity theft and fraud.

This news article was written on March 21, 2006.

==Two US Senators Wish To Revive .XXX Domains==
Max Baucus of Montana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, two senate democrats, officially introduced the "Cyber Safety for Kids Act of 2006".The new bill would push for the Bush administration to create an ".xxx" domain, which would be reserved specifically for pornographic web sites. The two senators believe that this way parents will be able to easily filter and eliminate what kids can and cannot view on the Internet.
"While the Internet is an exceptional learning tool, it allows children the same easy access to websites about space shuttles as it does for pornography," said Senator Baucus, adding that violators would be subject to a hefty fine.

The two senators hope that the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, can work together to make sure that minors are shielded from adult content. The legislation will have a hard road, especially with many public interest groups ready to rally against the creation of the virtual red-light district. During last summer, ICANN initially went along with an .xxx domain, but was met with heavy criticism that forced the organization to hold off any decisions since last December.

This news article was written on March 18, 2006.

==Windows XP On An Intel Mac Contest Won==
A programmer named Blanka was able to get past all of the EFI issues and has provided a working solution to natively run Windows XP on an a Mac. The programmer can now claim the $13,854 prize thanks to his video of the installation and booting of Microsoft's ubiquitous OS on an Intel-based iMac.Winxponmac.com posted this on its site:

Contest has been won - updates to follow shortly. All further donations will go into an account to sustain the open source project that will be launched with the initial solution.

You can head on over to Engadget to see a 7.7 MB video of Windows XP on a Mac.

This news article was written on March 17, 2006.

==Justice Department Will Receive Some Google Information==
Google will have to open some of its Internet files for the U.S Justice Department, after beeing order by a californian judge.
The judge is extremely cautious about forcing Google to turn over what users enter into the search engine. The government scaled back its request of information, which led to U.S. District Judge James Ware agreeing to open some of the files for the DOJ.
Google's strong protests have forced the government to scale back its request to a random samping of 50,000 web site addresses and the text of 5,000 random search requests. Only 10,000 of the web sites and 1,000 of the search requests will be analyzed by the government.

The judge said he didn't want to do anything to create the perception that Internet search engines and other large online databases could become tools for government surveillance. He seemed less concerned about requiring Google to supply the government with a random list of Web sites indexed by the company.

This news article was written on March 16, 2006.

==VIA Launches Powerful EPIA Mini-ITX Motherboard with Onboard C7 Processor==
VIA has announced its new EPIA EN-Series Mini-ITX motherboard which features a built-in 1.5GHz VIA C7 or 1.2GHz VIA Eden processor. Both processors are built on 90 nanometer technology and do not require fans. Both also feature average power consumption of less than 1 watt.

As for the VIA EPIA EN motherboard, it features a VIA CN700 IGP chipset which supports full hardware HDTV encoding up to 1080i, 720p output, hardware MPEG-2 acceleration, VIA Vinyl Audio, support for up to 1GB of DDR2 400/533MHz memory, SATA II RAID, an LVDS connector and Gigabit LAN.

"The VIA EPIA EN mainboard presents a tremendous opportunity for our customers to take a powerful yet highly efficient all-in-one platform and create their next generation systems quickly and easily,â€ said Jerry Yeh, Associate Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. â€œEasy-to-use small form factors are driving the proliferation and diversity of the x86 platform into new and exciting markets, and our VIA EPIA mainboards continue to be an integral part of this evolution."

This news article was written on March 13, 2006.

==Supermicro May Ship AMD Motherboards To Google==

According to The Register, Supermicro has gotten into the AMD business and is already making friends in high places, such as Google.

The company officially launched its quad socket Opteron server board, capable of fitting into a 1U rackmount. The board sells for $1,300 to OEMs and requirers a 1,000W power supply for a standard system. Four HE dual core Opterons can fit in Supermicro's 1U server, meaning your standard 42U rack could hold 336 Opteron cores at once. The motherboard uses an nForce4 Pro 2200 Northbridge and the AMD 8132 PCI-X controller.

This news article was written on March 12, 2006.

==Microsoft Unveils The "Origami" Project==

Microsoft has officially announced its "Origami" project today.

The new Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) feature 7" screens, weigh less than two pounds, get around three hours of use on a charge and run on variant of Windows XP TabletPC Edition. Models from Asus, Founder and Samsung are due to hit the market within the next few months.

"We believe that (ultra-mobile PCs) will eventually become as indispensable and ubiquitous as the mobile phone today," said Microsoft VP Bill Mitchell.

With a price tag of between $599 to $999, our guess is only the true gadget geeks will go for these.

This news article was written on March 10, 2006.

==iPods Detected In Vending Machines==
It looks like the popular music player is now being sold in some vending machines. A vending machine that provides consumers with iPods was found in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA. After a person puts in a credit card, a Video iPod, Shuffle, Nano, or a variety of accessories are available.

Although it is arguable whether or not this particular vending machine will sell a lot of iPods for Apple, it will certainly garner lots of attention. iPod vending machines have been in Macy's for approximately three months, but now that they are starting to crop up in airports and grocery stores, the iPod really has started to get its stride.

This news article was written on March 9, 2006.

==AMD Announces Three New Opteron CPUs==
AMD announced today three new 2.6GHz dual-core AMD Opteron processors.
The Opteron 185 is geared towards one-way/two-core servers and workstations, the Opteron 285 targets two-way/four-core servers and workstations while the Opteron 885 handles eight-way/16-core enterprise server duties.
"AMD integrates two AMD Opteron processor cores onto a single die, allowing them to communicate at full processor speed," said Randy Allen, corporate vice president, Server and Workstation Division, AMD. "That means Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors are the only native dual-core x86 systems available today for customers who want efficient solutions for their datacenters. Datacenter managers can fill racks with dual-core platforms without worrying about increased electricity and cooling costs."

AMD has already lined up top-tier system manufacturers for its new processors including:

BladeCenter LS20, e36m and Intellistation A Pro product lines from IBM
Galaxy Sun Fire X4100/X4200 servers and Sun Ultra 40 workstations from Sun Microsystems
ProLiant D 585, DL385, DL145 G2, BL45p, BL35p, BL25p servers and xw9300 workstations from HP

Pricing for the Opteron 885 and 285 is listed at $2,149 and $1,051 respectively in 1,000-unit quantities and the processors are immediately available. Opteron 185 processors on the other hand are expected to be available within the next 30 days - pricing will be revealed closer to the launch date.

This news article was written on March 6, 2006.

==Student Removed From University After An Attempt To Hack His Grades==
21-year old You Li, a former undergraduate at the University of Utah, has been indicted by a federal grand jury and kicked out of school for hacking into the University's network to change his math grades.
The Chinese national was indicted on two charges - accessing a protected computer to commit fraud and obtaining information from a protected computer:

He also used the professor's password to the University's math department computer to access that system and a file on that system and to change one or more of his grades in the professor's class to better grades, including changing at least one grade from failing to passing. Li also wrote and installed, the indictment alleges, a program in the professor's math department computer account that would run when the professor logged in, falsely notifying the professor onscreen that the professor needed to enter his user ID and password for the University's administrative computer system.
The file that Li allegedly changed was actually a backup file and the professor kept track of student grades in a primary file on a laptop computer.

This news article was written on March 4, 2006.

==Blizzard To Release Spanish Localized World Of Warcraft==
Blizzard Entertainment, the company that created the very popular World of Warcraft MMORPG, has announced that it will release a localized Spanish version of the game soon. The Spanish version will be released and hosted by the Blizzard Europe team.

"We look forward to offering Spanish-speaking players in Europe a version of World of Warcraft tailored specifically for them," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard EntertainmentÂ®. "The enthusiasm for the game here has been overwhelming, and we're pleased that this new localised version will make World of Warcraft accessible to an even wider audience."

The company also confirmed that there are now over six million WoW players around the world. Blizzard gained a million players over the past eight weeks, which is an astounding feat.

This news article was written on March 2, 2006.

==Intel And Micron To Invest 3.8 Billion Dollars In Flash Technology==

Intel and Micron have entered a deal where both have agreed to contribute over $1.2B each to create a company called IM Flash Technologies LLC. In the deal, Micron also agreed to sell its NAND flash and chip division along with associated intellectual properties to Intel for $270 million.

In the deal, Micron will hold 51% control over the joint venture with Intel on the balance. The new company will develop and produce flash memory technologies based on designs by Intel. The two companies said that each have agreed to also invest a combined total of $1.4B over the next three years. With consumer electronics sky rocketing in sales and mainstream acceptance, flash memory continues to be a strong cash cow for many companies.

So far Intel has paid over $1.96B in cash to the project, which will be located at Micron's own production and development facilities in Boise, Idaho, Manassas, Va. and Lehi, Utah.

This news article was written on February 28, 2006.

==MPAA Goes After Torrent Sites, eDonkey and Newsgroups==

The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) has expanded its crackdown on online movie piracy by [http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_23.pdf filing seven new lawsuits] against online sites. Websites targeted include Isohunt.com, BTHub.com, TorrentBox.com, TorrentSpy.com, NiteShadow.com, Ed2k-it.com, NZB-Zone.com, BinNews.com and DVDRs.net.

"Website operators who abuse technology to facilitate infringements of copyrighted works by millions of people are not anonymous they can and will be stopped. Disabling these powerful networks of illegal file distribution is a significant step in stemming the tide of piracy on the Internet", said John G. Malcolm, Executive Vice President and Director of Worldwide Anti-Piracy Operations for the MPAA.

This news article was written on February 24, 2006.

==Tangent Files Antitrust Suit Against Microsoft==

Tangent, an OEM based in Burlingame, Calif., filed a complain Feb. 14 in U.S. District Court for Northern California, seeking an unnamed amount from the software giant, claiming the software maker [http://www.thechannelinsider.com/article2/0,1895,1929307,00.asp has been able to overcharge for its operating system] as result of Microsoft's "artificial" market dominance.

"Because Microsoft, through its exclusionary practices, eliminated its competitors from the market and has blocked entry of new competitors and expansion of existing rivals, it has been able to increase, maintain or stabilize prices at anticompetitive levels" since the late 1980s, the complaint said.
"Microsoft's supra-competitive prices are not the result of superior products or competition on the merits. Rather, Microsoft has been able, at the financial expense of purchasers to artificially inflate its profitsâ€¦."

Tangent alleged further that Microsoft entered into restrictive agreements with OEMs and system builders, limiting or eliminating their ability to feature non-Microsoft products.

This news article was written on February 22, 2006.

==US Legislature Suggests China Web Crackdown==

Nearly every US company with a Web site located in China will have to move it elsewhere or its executives would face prison terms of up to a year, according to proposed legislation expected to be introduced this week in the US Congress.

The highly anticipated proposal, created by Christopher Smith, a New Jersey Republican from the House of Representatives, in response to recent reports about censorship in China by Google, Yahoo and others, also makes it unlawful to filter search results or turn over information about users to certain governments unless the US Justice Department approves. It would also impose new export restrictions to those nations.

"For the sake of market share and profits, leading US companies like Google, Yahoo, Cisco and Microsoft have compromised both the integrity of their product and their duties as responsible corporate citizens", Smith said at a related hearing in the House on Wednesday. Smith, chairman of a human rights subcommittee, likened that cooperation to companies that aided the Nazis in World War II.

Besides the relocation requirement, Smith's proposal says that:

* A US corporation that offers a search service "may not" alter its results in response to the request of an "Internet-restricting country".

That would permit ongoing censorship by Western nations such as Germany, which requires Google to filter Nazi-related sites from search results, or the United States, which imposes a similar requirement on search engines as a result of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

* Search engine companies must provide the Office of Global Internet Freedom - a new federal bureaucracy that would be created - with a list of verboten search terms" provided by any foreign official of an Internet-restricting country".

* Any Web site with operations in the US must regularly provide the Office of Global Internet Freedom with a list of content deleted or blocked at the request of an Internet-restricting country.

*A new set of federal regulations - apparently aimed at Cisco's routers and software used by the other companies - would be erected to criminalise certain exports to China, Iran, Vietnam and other Internet-restricting nations. Current law permits the export of "publicly available technology and software" to those nations. Those exports would no longer be permitted if software or hardware is exported for the purpose of "facilitating Internet censorship."

Infractions can be punished, depending on the exact prohibition violated, by fines of up to 2 million dollars and criminal penalties of up to five years of prison time.

This news article was written on February 22, 2006.

==Bank Accounts Raided By New Trojans==

In response to the increased adoption of stronger authentication, cybercriminals are [http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39253433,00.htm changing their tactics], according to Alex Shipp, a senior antivirus technologist at MessageLabs. "We have recently seen a move away from stealing user name and passwords," Shipp said during a panel discussion at the 2006 RSA Conference in San Jose on Thursday. The new "bank-stealing Trojans" wait until the victim has actually logged in to their bank. "It then just transfers the money out."

"All of the authentication, little keys you have to have in your hand, biometrical things, it doesn't matter. The bad guy just waits until you're there and then takes the money out," Shipp said.

This new type of Trojan is on the rise and is currently number three on the list of most common threats, according to Shipp. The most-seen threat today is remote control code used to maintain networks of zombie PCs, or botnets, he said. Second are phishing scams, which seek to dupe computer users into giving up personal information, Shipp said.

This news article was written on February 21, 2006.

==Google Rejects US Government Demands To Hand Over Data==

Google Inc. formally [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-02-18T051521Z_01_N17192366_RTRUKOC_0_UK-GOOGLE-PRIVACY.xml rejected the U.S. Justice Department's subpoena] of data from the Web search leader, arguing the demand violated the privacy of users' Web searches and its own trade secrets.

Although Google is willing to censor material in China, the company is not yet ready to violate the privacy of users in the United States. In a filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Google also claimed that the government's demand to turn over search information is simply impractical because it won't aid the government in its current crusade.

Unfortunately, competitors like Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed to turn over data.
The Mountain View, California-based company said that complying with the U.S. government's request for "untold millions of search queries" would put an undue burden on the company, including a "week of engineer time to complete."

Complying with the Justice Department request would also force Google to reveal how its Web search technology works -- something it jealously guards as a trade secret, the company argued. It refuses to disclose even the total number of searches conducted each day.

This news article was written on February 21, 2006.

==NBC TV Channel Has Less Viewers than Olympics Website==

Although TV ratings for the Olympics have not been overly impressive, NBC's Olympics web site has drawn 167 million page views, which is more than 145 million page views for the entire duration of the Olympics in 2002. NBC is thankful that people are watching the Olympics somewhere, especially after shows like "American Idol," "Grey's Anatomy," "House," and "Desperate Housewives" all beat NBC last week. The site offers medal counts, athlete profiles, schedules, results, photos and video recaps.

"Our strategy has evolved over time from one where we would use the Internet and these digital platforms to promote television," Zenkel said. "It has evolved into a strategy in which we use these digital platforms to make more content available."

This news article was written on February 20, 2006.

==Chicago Plans Citywide Wi-Fi==

Chicago is the latest major U.S. city that [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060217wifi,1,1607221.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true plans to make wireless broadband citywide]. The city already has hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspots in typical places that are familiar for people: libraries, coffee shops, and bookstores. The city is now asking any interested technology companies to submit official proposals for the project. City officials have not yet announced any projected costs that users would have to pay for access to the Wi-Fi network after it has been completed. More details will be revealed when the city determines which companies will be involved with the development of the system.

Assuming everything falls into place as planned, the Chicago citywide Wi-Fi network could be running as soon as 2007, city officials said.

This news article was written on February 18, 2006.

==Adaptive Armor for Better Ski Protection==

Spyder, [http://www.spyder.com/about.news.111705.asp a popular skiwear company], has developed an impact suit that is designed to help protect U.S. and Canadian skiers. Spyder worked exclusively with d3o Labs to produce the suit that flows normally but will harden in a fall.

The new material is called d3o, a mixture of viscous liquid and a polymer. The exact chemical contents of d3o are currently a secret, but many researchers believe that the suit truly is revolutionary. After the material was synthesized, it is poured into a mould for the specific body part it will protect. The molecules are normally free flowing, but will lock if an object attempts to move through the liquid too quickly. In practice, whenever a high speed object collides with the liquid, a hard armor-like pad forms.

This news article was written on February 17, 2006.

==Microsoft Office 2007 Prices And Applications Announced==

Microsoft has announced that the beta program currently known as Office 12 will become Office 2007 when it is released later this year.

Office 2007 has been completely redesigned compared to its Office 2003 predecessor and features a new "Ribbon" menu system in many Office applications to make editing and navigation easier.

Here's a list of the different Office packages complete with pricing (full/upgrade):

* Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 (Available only through volume licensing; price N/A)
* Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 (Available only through volume licensing; price N/A)
* Microsoft Office Professional 2007 ($499/$329)
* Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 ($449/$279)
* Microsoft Office Standard 2007 ($399/$239)
* Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 ($149/NA)
* Microsoft Office Basic 2007 (Available only through OEMs; price not quoted)

You can read more about it on [http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/2/9/c2935f83-1a10-4e4a-a137-c1db829637f5/OfficePackagingFS.doc Microsoft's site] (.doc file)

This news article was written on February 16, 2006.

==Dell Announces 8ms LCDs for Europe==

Dell took an unusual step backwards today by announcing the 8ms UltraSharp 17" 1707FP and UltraSharp 19" 1907FP LCD displays. The displays both use 6-bit LCD panels capable of 262,000 colors per pixel with an 8ms gray to gray response time.

Dell has been a large proponent of 8-bit Super IPS LCD panels in the past, but the move to 6-bit panels for the 1707FP and the 1907FP is not completely unusual. Typically, Dell will use different components for different regions - so the UltraSharp 1907FP in Europe may be completely different than the UltraSharp 1907FP in the US.

Both displays come with a native resolution of 1280x1024 and 500:1 contrast ratios. Representatives from Dell Europe claim the price of the 1707FP and 1907FP will be Â£199 and Â£299, respectively.

This news article was written on February 15, 2006.

==Xbox 360 DRM Soon To Be History==

A new utility from 360gamesaves.com gives you access to the Xbox 360's HDD and memory cards

Xbox 360 users can rejoice in the release of Xplorer360 v0.9. Brave users can now hook up a 360 HDD to your PC with a SATA adapter and even more adventurous users can read/write data to the 360's memory cards via your PC's USB port. Here's a list of the features supported with the initial release of this application:

* FULL Read/Write to 360 HDDs.
* FULL Read/Write to 360 Memory Units.
* Physical and Logical drive access.
* Support for opening of dumps of both devices.
* Backup/Restore dump options.

With this newfound power, users can now share savegame data with others over the Internet and it opens up a new can of worms. The utility even gives you the ability to transfer old Xbox savegame data over to your Xbox 360.

This news article was written on February 14, 2006.

== Blind student Sues Target.com For Lack Of Accessibility==

The California Association of Blind Students [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/09/BAGQHH5H7D1.DTL&www.dailytech.com set its sights] on Target.com as part of the first salvo against websites that do not support software capable of interpreting text on the screen for blind readers. The lawsuit claims "Target thus excludes the blind from full and equal participation in the growing Internet economy that is increasingly a fundamental part of daily life".

Blind Advocacy groups believe the lawsuit against Target is valid on the premise that eCommerce websites must uphold the same disability standards as the brick and mortar counterparts. When websites use image maps and lack alt-text for images on the site, reader software developed for blind people stops functioning correctly. Federal laws governing disabled patron access to eCommerce websites do not exist in the US yet.

"What I hope is that Target and other online merchants will realize how important it is to reach 1.3 million people in this nation and the growing Baby Boomer population who will also be losing vision," said Bruce Sexton Jr., 24, the blind third-year Cal student who filed the suit.

This news article was written on February 12, 2006.

==All US Analog Broadcasting To Terminate By 2009==

President Bush signed legislation earlier this week that will officially end analog broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009, which is the date that all U.S. broadcasters must stop transmitting analog television signals.

Viewers who have analog TVs will have to purchase a converter after the transition is complete. Along with the legislation, $1.5B USD in funding will be offered to provide two $40 USD vouchers for every household to be used to purchase converter boxes. The bill will free up 60 MHz of spectrum that will be given to the highest bidders of wireless-broadband and cell phone providers.

This news article was written on February 12, 2006.

==Bungie Says Halo 2 Will Not Run On Windows XP==

It seems that Halo 2, the sequel to the very popular Halo video game, will only be playable on the upcoming Microsoft Vista operating system for the PC platform. Bungie Studios, developer of the Halo video games, claims that the move to make the game Vista-only isn't to force people to purchase the new operating system, though the official Bungie explanation as to why is not so clear:

"As Bungie Studios and Microsoft are dedicated to delivering a top quality translation of Halo 2 for the PC, their efforts require the use of the best available technological platform for Windows games. Windows Vista will help bring clarity to our customers and help them get more out of their personal computing experience, allowing them to focus on what matters most to them."

This news article was written on February 10, 2006.

==ATI Releases Catalyst 6.2 Drivers==

ATI's newest Catalyst drivers resolve many issues with games, Catalyst Control Center and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Here are some of the game issues resolved with the Catalyst 6.2 driver release:

* BattleField 2 Special Forces: A blooming or ghosting effect is no longer noticed when playing the game in night vision mode. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21648
* City of Heroes: Running Shadertest 7 no longer results in slow performance being noticed. Further details can be found in topic number 737-21463
* Half-Life2: Enabling Catalyst AI no longer results in the outer edges of the water appear dark or black in color. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number. 737-21649
* World of Warcraft: Pixel corruption is no longer noticed when playing the game on systems containing an ATI Radeon X1600 series. Further details on this resolved issue can be found in topic number 737-21652

You can [https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=640 download the drivers] from ATI Support's site.

This news article was written on February 9, 2006.

==GE, Toshiba Venture To Build Silicone Plant==

General Electric and Toshiba have announced that its joint-venture will [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/23/content_4088092.htm setup a 4th plant in China] to produce silicone based products. The facility will produce such things as molds, lubricants, elastomers, and speciality silicone-based fluids. The joint company, called GE Toshiba Silicones will be building the new facility in the city of Nantong, Jaingsu province. In fact, this is GE Toshiba's 4th and largest silicone plant in China.

Costing roughly $78 million USD, the plant is set to be completed and operational by the tail end of 2007 and will be cranking out more than 20,000 metric tons of products per year. GE alone already sells more than $2 billion USD of silicone products per year and says that China is rising rapidly as a major buyer of silicone based products.

GE Toshiba Silicones Co. will be competing with 34 other silicone manufacturers around the world. Most of the competitors are based largely in Brazil, Norway and the US. While the company's production output is large, the total output from all of GE Toshiba Silicones' competitors amount to over 65% of the entire world's silicone products.

This news article was written on January 23, 2006.

==Philips To Reduce CD-R Royalties, Cheaper Discs For Everyone==

It seems Philips has decided to [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/19/content_4070862.htm cut CD-R royalties] by almost half. Currently, $0.045 USD from every (sanctioned) CD-R manufactured is paid to research giant Royal Philips Electronics. Under a new licensing plan, media manufacturers will only pay $0.025 USD per disc. For the average 100 CD-R pack, that translates to a $2.00 USD savings.

The move to reduce licensing costs is an effort by Philips to reduce the amount of unlicensed media being produced in South East Asia. Two of the largest CD-R producers, Ritek and CMC Magnetics, produce licensed media for Philips. Whether or not the royalty reduction will actually translate to cheaper discs to the end user seems unclear - but Ritek and CMC will now have the ability to compete with rogue media with the new lower licensing plan.

This news article was written on January 20, 2006.

==AMD Signs $150M Wafer Contract with Soitec==

CPU manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices just [http://www.eet.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=177100550 renewed its silicon-on-insulator contract] with Soitec for the 2006 calendar year. AMD uses Soitec's wafers for its 90nm Athlon 64, Opteron, Turion and Sempron processors. The contract, for $150 million USD, is triple the size of AMD's 2005 contract.

A threefold increase in SOI demand for AMD bodes well about the company's expectations for 2006. However, Soitec has been under legal pressure lately from rival wafer companies on charges of patent infrigement. Additional legal problems for Soitec could give AMD serious supply problems as AMD is now heavily reliant on Soitec's wafers.

This news article was written on January 17, 2006.

==Toshiba Scientists Find Practical Technology For Entangled Light==

Researchers from Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. and the University of Cambridge have announced a [http://www.advancedimagingpro.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=7&id=2273 quantum device that can create entangled light].

The process starts with a silicon-based device that uses quantum dots inside a block of indium arsenide. Quantum dots are essentially nanocrystals small enough to exist in the quantum confinement regime. When the quantum dot is excited by a laser pulse, two electrons in the indium arsenide are excited. The energy will then be converted into two entangled protons that can be split outside the device.

This news article was written on January 15, 2006.

==Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 1.5==
Mozilla today released Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5, the latest version of the free e-mail client.

Updates include an integrated spell checker, a better spam filter, automated updates and better RSS support. The program debuted in December 2004 and has supposedly been downloaded over 18 million times. Version 1.5 marks a major milestone release for the software, and all current users are advised to update.

If you wish to download Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5, simply click [http://www.getthunderbird.com/ here].

This news article was written on January 13, 2006.

==Fujitsu Expands With A New $1 Billion Plant==

Fujitsu is spending over US $1.05 billion on a new chip manufacturing plant to keep up with rising worldwide demand. The global market for microchips is expected to swell 8% this year and by nearly 11% in 2007.

The company's new Japanese plant will begin volume operation in July of 2007 and will initially produce 300mm wafers on a 65 nanometer manufacturing process. This would be Fujitsu's second plant to produce 300mm wafers. The first plant will will have its capacity boosted to 15,000 unit a month by March of next year.

Fujitsu already has a facility in the Mei prefacture; it is currently responsible for much of S3's core logic. The additional fab will be Fujitsu's first 65nm capable facility.

This news article was written on January 12, 2006.

==Apple Starts Shipping Intel Core Duo iMacs==

MacWorld - Apple has shown the next generation of iMacs which are based on Intel's Core Duo processor. Apple says that the new iMac is more powerful than any PC in its class with benchmarks showing that the new Duo Core iMac is 2 to 3 times faster than current G5 iMacs.

Apple also says that the new iMac will come with OS X 10.4.4 and all applications and utilities included have been recompiled to run natively on the new platform. Professioanl applications such as Aperture and Final Cut will be available sometime in March. For now, any application not yet recompiled for the x86 architecture will still be supported by the new system using Rosetta -- OS X's real-time x86 binary code translation layer. Microsoft's Office for Mac is also currently undergoing transisition to universal binaries but currently will also run on Rosetta.

This news article was written on January 11, 2006.

==Viagra Packages To Include Anti-Counterfeit Tags==

In a move to thwart counterfeit Viagra, on Friday said it has included special radio frequency identification tags on all packages of its anti-impotence pill to verify they are the authentic Pfizer product.

Pfizer has previously also opposed illegal imports of authentic Viagra into the United States, where they can be sold at steeply discounted rates, but said the new technology is not designed to block such imports.

Pfizer spokesman Bryant Haskins said the tiny tags are small computer chips that have been affixed to the underside of labels on each bottle of Viagra, as well as on cases and pallets of the drug. The invisible tags relay an electronic code that verifies the product is bona fide and authorized Viagra.

This news article was written on January 8, 2006.

==Google Expands: The Video Store==

The Google Video Store, a new service introduced by Google during CES, will allow users to search for videos from programs played on CBS and basketball games presented by the National Basketball Association.Viewers will have to wait 24 hours for new CBS episodes, and NBA games will be available via tape delay. Google will charge $1.99 per episode for CBS shows and NBA games will be available for $3.75 per game.

This news article was written on January 7, 2006.

==Seagate considers making more aquisitions==

Seagate made a blockbuster move when it announced plans to purchase rival hard drive manufacturer Maxtor for $1.9 billion. CEO Bill Watkins announced that Seagate will [http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=mergersNews&storyID=2006-01-05T224211Z_01_N05298648_RTRIDST_0_TECH-ELECTRONICS-SEAGATE.XML continue to search] for more companies to acquire in the future. On the top of the list of potential targets are software companies and companies that integrate different software and chip technologies into hardware systems.

Seagate, with its acquistion of Maxtor, now owns more than 40 percent of the hard drive market.

This news article was written on January 6, 2006.

[[Category:News]]

News Archive 2005

2013-07-01T23:28:43Z

Mariush:

This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2005.

For newer news items, please check the dedicated [[:Category:News|news]] page.

==Seagate To Buy Maxtor for $2 Billion==

CNN Money reports that Seagate will buy Maxtor for nearly $2 billion in stock. Even with Dell as its top purchaser, it wasn't enough to stop the blood loss at Maxtor. The deal is expected to be completed by the latter half of 2006.

The deal comes as Maxtor, whose biggest customer is No. 1 personal computer maker Dell Inc., has been restructuring and battling increasingly stiff competition.

Analysts have said Maxtor has been losing market share to competitors like Seagate and Western Digital Corp. in consumer electronics, one of the fastest-growing businesses for computer storage companies.

This news article was written on December 22, 2005.

==Startup Company Readies Long-Lasting Fuel Cell==

A new startup company plans to [http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123939,00.asp unveil a fuel cell device] at CES 2006 that could power mobile devices for days...and possibly even weeks based on usage:

The power pack is made up of two parts: a disposable fuel cell component and connector cable. The fuel cell, which measures 3.2 by 2 by 1.4 inches, will provide the raw power while the connector cable will interface between it and the gadget being charged. Cables for different gadgets, fitted with the correct charging connector and voltage regulator, will be available, said Michelle Rush, a spokesperson for the company.

This news article was written on December 18, 2005.

==AMD Says Court Ruling Gives It Another Victory Over Intel==

The Sunnyvale company is happy to note that a recent ruling in the Tokyo District Court will give it more ammuniation in its ongoing court case against Intel.

Materials confiscated in searches by the Fair Trade Commission of Japan (JFTC) during raids at Intel and third-party hardware manufacturer offices in Japan can be used by AMD in its ongoing lawsuit against the chip giant. Intel took the opportunity to discredit the actual usefulness of the materials obtained by AMD:
"Once again AMD has mischaracterized and exaggerated the impact of a procedural ruling which does not in any way address the merits of AMD's claim," says Chuck Molloy, a corporate spokesman for legal affairs at Intel. "Our only interest in respect to the documents is to ensure that Intel and our customers' confidential information and trade secrets are protected ... AMD's claims of [Intel] hiding materials are absurd."

This news article was written on December 18, 2005.

==Quanta Selected to Build $100 Laptop==

The $100 laptop has a builder. Quanta has been [http://www.betanews.com/article/Quanta_Selected_to_Build_100_Laptop/1134573472 chosen to produce the laptops] which will be used in developing nations. Intel recently balked at the notion of the $100 laptop, but program chair Nicholas Negroponte thinks otherwise:

The initial launch of the product will involve five to 15 million units, the OLPC said. Projects will launch in seven countries, including China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria and Thailand with each receiving one million laptops. Smaller numbers of the devices will be shipped to various projects in other countries as well.

This news article was written on December 15, 2005.

==Xbox 360 Gets Cool Reception In Japan==

BusinessWeek reports that Japanese customers bought less than half of the available Xbox 360 units available during the consoles debut. Considering that Japan is home to Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft still [http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8EF9BDG0.htm?campaign_id=apn_tech_down&chan=tc has an uphill battle] with the 360:

Microsoft, which started selling the Xbox 360 in Japan on Saturday, sold 62,135 machines over the weekend, or just 39 percent of the 159,000 consoles it is estimated to have shipped to stores, according to data from market researcher Enterbrain Inc.

The figures indicate a slower start than the original Xbox, which failed miserably in Japan. The first Xbox sold about 123,000 units in the first three days of its launch in 2002, according to Tokyo-based Enterbrain.

This news article was written on December 13, 2005.

==Microsoft Tightening Security Defaults In IE 7==

Microsoft is doing all it can to ensure that the next version of Internet Explorer is a secure as possible out of the box. The company is making some changes to its security zones to ensure that a user's computer is protected from attacks:

The current version, IE 6, has four classifications for Web sites - Internet, local intranet, trusted and restricted - which allow users to apply different security rules for how the browser interacts with groups of Web sites. The browser uses the settings to determine, for example, whether it will run ActiveX controls without first alerting the user.

The company has been working on improvements to prevent the browser from running malicious code in less restrictive security zones, wrote Microsoft engineers Vishu Gupta, Rob Franco and Venkat Kudulur in Microsoft's IE weblog.

This news article was written on December 13, 2005.

==Microsoft Loses South Korea Antitrust Case==

The company is [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2005-12-07T141145Z_01_KNE716608_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-MICROSOFT.xml forced to pay a fine] of $32 million and must also remove its Windows Messenger IM program from Windows operating sytems in S. Korea:

Microsoft Corp. was ordered to separate its instant messaging service from its Windows software and allow rival products on its system in South Korea after losing an antitrust case on Wednesday.

The U.S. software firm, which was also fined about $32 million, said it would appeal the decision by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) but did not plan to make good on a threat to withdraw its Windows operating system from the country.

This news article was written on December 9, 2005.

==AIM Worm Mimics Talking IM Bots==

A new virus is floating through the AIM network and actual carries on a conversation with its potential victim. The virus, [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1897381,00.asp IM.Myspace04.AIM], actually converses in a way similar to IM bots like MovieFone or ShoppingBuddy:

"This sophisticated bot attack is programmed such that infected users cannot see the messages the worm is sending on their behalf. When recipients of the malicious message reply to the infected user, the bot running on the infected machine sends follow-up messages," IMlogic said in an advisory.

This news article was written on December 9, 2005.

==Search Terms Are a Witness for the Prosecution==

Robert James Petrick, 51, didn't exactly point a Web browser to the Internet search engine Google and type in "how do you kill your wife?"

But [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1895935,00.asp he came pretty close], say prosecutors in Durham County, North Carolina.

Petrick used Google to search the Internet for references to "body decomposition", "rigor mortis," "neck" and "break" in the days before and after he murdered his wife, Janine Sutphen, then dumped her body in a lake, said Durham County assistant prosecutor Mitchell Garrell.

By "Googling" his wife's murder, Petrick was inadvertently supporting the prosecutor's time line of events.

For instance, the jury learned that Petrick searched for and downloaded a topical map of a lake bed in the days before he dumped the woman's remains in the same body of water.

"We were prepared to go forward with prosecution anyway, and would have succeeded, but no doubt this stuff helped," Garrell said. "We were able to tell the jury things like, 'Here's when she's last seen, and here he's downloading a map of the lake she's found in.'"

The Petrick case goes beyond serving as a textbook example of how police and prosecutors incorporate someone's Internet habits into their investigations and prosecutions.

This news article was written on December 5, 2005.

==Feds Allow Adobe And Macromedia To Merge==

Federal regulators have given their OK to Adobe and Macromedia to merge. Both companies expect the deal to be finalized on December 3, 2005. Macromedia stock owners will exchange one Macromedia common stock share for 1.38 shares of Adobe common stock.

Adobe had announced their plans to acquire Macromedia back in April 18, 2005. Macromedia is most well known for their Dreamweaver web development software, while Adobe has several famous products such as Acrobat, Photoshop and Illustrator.

This news article was written on December 3, 2005.

==Intel To Build A Second 45nm 300mm Wafer Factory==

Intel has announced plans to [http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20051201corp.htm build a new 45nm chip] plant in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The $3.5 billion Fab 28 will be Intel's seventh 300mm facility (five are currently operational):

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 1, 2005 - Intel Corporation today announced plans to build a new 300-millimeter (mm) wafer fabrication facility at its site in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The new factory, designated Fab 28, will extend Intel's manufacturing leadership by producing leading-edge microprocessors in the second half of 2008 on 45 nanometer (nm) process technology. Construction on the $3.5 billion project, Intel's second 45nm factory, is set to begin immediately.

"Intel is committed to widening its lead in advanced semiconductor manufacturing," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "Our manufacturing network is a strategic asset of unmatched scope and scale that gives Intel the ability to provide customers with leading-edge products in high volume. Today's announcement of a second 45nm high volume factory reaffirms that Intel platforms will contain the most advanced and innovative technology in the world for years to come."

This news article was written on December 2, 2005.

==Adware Maker Sues Over 'High Risk' Designation==

180solutions isn't too happy with Zone Labs these days. The company is suing over the fact that Zone Labs considers products like Zango and 180search Assistant to be [http://news.com.com/Adware+maker+sues+over+high+risk+designation/2100-1024_3-5979179.html?tag=nefd.top "high risk" security threats]:

"In my opinion, 180solutions is a perfectly legitimate target for anti-spyware companies," said Eric Howes, a spyware researcher at the University of Illinois. "The bottom line is that we continue to find unethical and illegal installations of 180's software."

This news article was written on December 2, 2005.

==Google Lets Users Talk To Advertisers==

Google is testing out a new service that would allow users to get into closer contact with advertisers brought up by their search results. As long as you have a phone number and feel confident that Google will treat it with respect, you can [http://news.com.com/Hello%2C+this+is+Google%2C+your+operator%2C+speaking/2100-1032_3-5974318.html?tag=nefd.top talk with an advertiser] by simply making a few clicks:

A Web surfer can click a phone icon adjacent to an ad, enter his or her own phone number and then click a "connect for free" button. Google's service calls the advertisers's phone number and when the Web surfer picks up the receiver on his phone, he or she hears ringing as the call to the advertiser is connected, according to a Google Click-to-Call frequently-asked-questions page.

This news article was written on November 29, 2005.

==Kazaa Ordered To Block 3000 Keywords==

Eminem, Kylie Minogue and Madonna are just some of the popular artists whose songs are [http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39154560,00.htm to be blocked] from being illegally distributed on the peer-to-peer network Kazaa following Federal Court orders yesterday.

Justice Murray Wilcox has ordered the owner of Kazaa, Sharman Networks, to modify the file-sharing software to block a list of search terms - primarily artist and song names - to be supplied by the record companies. Justice Wilcox's order follows the record companies' court victory in September against individuals and organisations associated with Kazaa.

The court has ordered Sharman to release a new version of Kazaa by 5 December that includes a non-optional keyword filter, restricting users' ability to illegally access and swap copyright music.

The record companies may also update the list of search terms every two weeks. Once Sharman receives the updated list, it has 48 hours to act on the changes.

This news article was written on November 28, 2005.

==Cray Chief Scientist Leaves for Microsoft==

Supercomputer maker Cray Inc. on Friday said that cofounder and chief scientist Burton Smith will [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1893086,00.asp leave the company] to take a job at software maker Microsoft Corp.

Smith will leave the company on December 7, Cray said. He also resigned from his post on Cray's board of directors. The company did not say what Smith's position will be at Microsoft.Microsoft officials were not immediately available for comment.

Cray shares were down 10 cents, or almost 7 percent, to $1.40 in pre-market INET trade.

This news article was written on November 28, 2005.

==Texas Sues Sony Over CD Rootkit==

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced Monday that he has [http://www.betanews.com/article/Texas_Sues_Sony_BMG_Over_CD_Rootkit/1132596035 filed suit against Sony BMG] over the use of illegal spyware in its copy-protection mechanism that gained national attention earlier this month.

Abbott also disputed Sony's claims that it had recalled all affected CDs, saying investigators were able to purchase "numerous titles at Austin retail stores as recently as Sunday evening."

The [http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2005/112105sony_pop.pdf lawsuit] notes that Sony's software uses a rootkit "cloaking" technique to hide itself from users and prevent its removal. Abbott says the DRM remains active at all times, even when Sony's media player is not active, which has led to concerns about its true purpose.

"Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Attorney General Abbott said in a statement. He also highlighted the security concerns brought about by the rootkit.

"Consumers who purchased a Sony CD thought they were buying music. Instead, they received spyware that can damage a computer, subject it to viruses and expose the consumer to possible identity crime."

This news article was written on November 22, 2005.

==World's First Working $100 Laptop==

A [http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/16/technology/laptop_fortune/ working version] of the much talked about $100 laptop was unveiled today. The lime green, hand crank powered unit (one minute of cranking = 10 minutes of run time) was displayed at the World Summit on the Information Society. The laptop features a 500MHz AMD processor, 7" color screen, WiFi connectivity, uses flash memory for storage and runs on Linux.

Even Hector Ruiz, CEO of AMD, which gave $2 million to OLPC, says success will require "developing larger ecosystems around ... tech support, application development, training and business models for the Internet service providers." Those elements aren't close to being in place, and Ruiz thinks the laptop's price won't drop to $100 for two to three years. Yet even skeptics are loath to pooh-pooh Negroponte's activism: "If he can pull it off," Hammond says, "my hat's off to him."

This news article was written on November 17, 2005.

==AMD aims for four-core Opterons by 2007==

AMD continues to gain momentum with its popular Opteron server processors and it plans to have [http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardware/story/0,10801,106249,00.html quad-core versions of the processor] in service by 2007.

The new processor will incorporate four cores connected together by a new version of the Hypertransport interconnect technology, and will support double data rate 3 (DDR3) memory, he said at the event, which provides financial analysts and media with a "State of AMD" address that covers the company's technology, customers and financial health.

The server version of this chip will add a third level of cache memory to AMD's processors, allowing server designers to build systems with 16 and 32 processors, Hester said.

This news article was written on November 17, 2005.

==Quake 3 Arena Shown On Mobile Phones==

Up until now, games on cellular phones have resembled the first Atari 2600 VCS games. But Imagination Technologies has [http://www.powervr.com/News/Release/index.asp?ID=109%20 ported Quake 3 Arena] for deployment on cell phones, and is showing it off at the Korean Games Conference. Quake 3 Arena was released to the public under GPL licensing and the company has ported the game to Windows CE devices such as the Dell Axim x50/x51 and Windows Mobile phones.

Imagination says that the game achieves 25 frames per second on a Dell Axim x50v, but other devices will probably be slower. The Axim is an actual PDA with a decent processor, the 624 MHz Intel XScale PXA270, which is more powerful than CPUs found in the typical Windows Mobile phone.

This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==Sun announces new T1 chip==

Sun is ready to unleash a fireball onto the server market. The company claims (just like car makers whenever they revamp a product line) that the [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-11-14T055557Z_01_KWA421232_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-SUNMICROSYSTEMS.XML new 1.2GHz UltraSparc T1 (codename Niagara)] is more powerful, faster and more efficient than its predecessor. "Niagara" has 8 cores, but there will also be [http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9584_22-5946639.html four and six core versions] of the processor available (these being Niagra with defective cores).

The UltraSparc T1, code-named Niagara, uses about 70 watts of electricity, closer to that of standard household light bulbs, and less than the 150 watts to 200 watts that most microprocessors in servers consume.

The T1, which has eight processing "cores" on a single piece of silicon to give it more computing power, will be the brains of a line of forthcoming Sun Fire servers due by year's end and that run Sun's Solaris version of the Unix operating system.

This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==ATI Backs Up CrossFire Quality==

ATI's CrossFire is still a ways behind NVIDIA SLI when it comes to maturity, widespread support and implementation, but the company is fully [http://www.hardocp.com/article/2005/11/11/ati_backs_up_crossfire_quality committed to platform]. [H]|ard|OCP reports that the "Certified by ATI" program will help to ensure that every CrossFire motherboard lives up to the expectations of the enthusiast community (and hopefully not mirror the results of the DFI RDX200 CF-DR).

One thing I have come to know in the last few weeks is just how committed ATI is to their motherboard chipset in the enthusiast marketplace. They certainly want to penetrate that end of the market and are making some solid claims as to moving forward. I think now that many of the motherboard companies will be looking at them to see how they react. Will ATI be there to nurture CrossFire to market if they have to? I hope that this will not be needed, but it is good to see that ATI is being proactive with their "Certified by ATI" program.

This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==Trojan Attacks Microsoft Image Rendering Flaw==
Anti-virus vendor Trend Micro Inc. has [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1885053,00.asp spotted a Trojan] in the wild attacking Windows users via the image rendering flaws patched by Microsoft Corp. two days ago.

The Trojan, identified as TROJ_EMFSPLOIT.A, causes the "explorer.exe" file to crash, causing the taskbar on unpatched Windows machines to disappear.

The "explorer.exe" process is a required file used to manage the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start menu, taskbar, desktop and File Manager. A malicious attack that disrupts those essential services is considered very disruptive.

Trend Micro described the exploit as a "proof-of-concept Trojan" that exploits the Graphics Rendering Engine vulnerability patched by Microsoft earlier this week.

Microsoft rated the flaw as "critical" and warned that a successful exploit could let an attack take "complete control" of unpatched Windows 2000, Windows XP (including SP2) and Windows Server 2003, but the Trojan identified by Trend Micro simply causes a denial-of-service condition.

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==OpenDocument Format Gathers Steam==

With the backing of heavy-hitters in the industry like IBM and Sun Microsystems, the [http://news.com.com/OpenDocument+format+gathers+steam/2100-7344_3-5942913.html?tag=nefd.lede OpenDocument format] is gaining momentum as an alternative to Microsoft's dominance in the office suite sector:

"It's more grassroots, starting small and working its way through individual states and agencies," Gallt said, but did not specify which governments were looking into it.

Those state customers are seeking alternatives to Microsoft Office, while the technology providers are looking to loosen Microsoft's grip on the desktop marketplace, said Stephen O'Grady, an analyst at RedMonk. Those factors are what are fueling the growing momentum for OpenDocument, he said.

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==Leaked Microsoft Memos Highlight Perceived Threat From Google==

Information Week has obtained leaked [http://www.scripting.com/disruption/ozzie/TheInternetServicesDisruptio.htm internal Microsoft memos] which details the concerns the company has about its competition including Apple, Skype, Adobe and of course Google. Here's a portion of Ray Ozzie's memo to the troops:

"Google is obviously the most visible here, although given the hype level it is difficult to ascertain which of their myriad initiatives are simply adjuncts intended to drive scale for their advertising business, or which might ultimately grow to substantively challenge our offerings," he continued. "We knew search would be important, but through Google's focus they've gained a tremendously strong position."

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==Qualcomm sues Nokia over patents==

Qualcomm has [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2005-11-07T143246Z_01_DIT740309_RTRUKOC_0_US-QUALCOMM-NOKIA.xml filed suit against Nokia] for infringing upon its patents on CDMA technology:

Qualcomm said on Monday it wanted Nokia, the world's No. 1 mobile phone maker, to stop selling or producing products in the United States designed for GSM mobile phone networks and that it was demanding financial damages from the Finnish mobile firm.

This news article was written on November 8, 2005.

==California Man Charged with Botnet Offenses==

Botnets are big business, at least according to authorities who announced the first U.S. case against an alleged computer hacker, who authorities believe netted $60,000 in cash and a BMW from a personal army of zombie computers.

Federal authorities arrested a 20 year old California man Thursday and charged him with running a network of 400,000 compromised computers called a "botnet", including computers used by the U.S. government for national defense.

Jeanson James Ancheta, of Downey, Calif., was arrested by FBI agents Thursday morning and charged with spreading a Trojan horse program, called "rxbot," and using it to build a network of around 400,000 infected computers.

He is also charged with illegally uploading advertising software ("adware") onto compromised systems.

Huge networks of compromised computers, known as "bots," have become a pressing problem in recent months. Security company Symantec Corp. said that its researchers identified an average of 10,352 bots a day in the first half of 2005, compared to around 5,000 a day in December 2004, according to the company's most recent Internet Threat Report.

This news article was written on November 4, 2005.

==Microsoft Ready For Windows Live==

Micrsoft is aiming to bring online versions of some of its core software applications to market in the near future. [http://news.com.com/Gates+Were+entering+live+era+of+software/2100-1016_3-5926237.html?tag=nl Office Live and Windows Live] are two that have been recently announced with more to come:

Gates said that Windows Live is a set of Internet-based personal services, such as e-mail, blogging and instant messaging. It will be primarily supported by advertising and be separate from the operating system itself. Office Live will come in both ad-based and subscription versions that augment the popular desktop productivity suite.

This news article was written on November 3, 2005.

==Home Use of Internet Growing, But Divide Still Exists==

According to the [http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47038.html 2003 census data], over one-third of American households did not own a computer. Of the households that did own a computer, a little more than 50% had Internet access:

Wealthier, more educated households with school-age children were most likely to have Internet access. While only 45 percent of African-American and Hispanic homes had Web access, 67 percent of Asian homes and about 65 percent of white families had access. People over 65 were least likely to have a computer or Internet access.

This news article was written on October 31, 2005.

==Blue Gene/L Breaks Its Own Supercomputer Record==

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and IBM unveiled the Blue Gene/L supercomputer Thursday and announced [http://news.com.com/Blue+GeneL+tops+its+own+supercomputer+record/2100-1006_3-5918025.html?tag=nefd.lede it's broken its own record] again for the world's fastest supercomputer:

The 65,536-processor machine can sustain 280.6 trillion calculations per second, called 280.6 teraflops, IBM said Thursday. That's the top end of the range IBM forecast and more than twice the previous Blue Gene/L record of 136.8 teraflops, set when only half the machine was installed.

In addition, the lab unveiled a lesser known but also powerful machine with a speed up to 100 teraflops. The ASC Purple is built from more conventional IBM server products. Together, ASC Purple and Blue Gene/L cost $290 million. Both will be used for nuclear weapons simulations and other computationally demanding tasks.

This news article was written on October 28, 2005.

==Canon Working On Fuel Cells For Cameras And Printers==

Canon is developing [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=164864+25-Oct-2005+RTRS&srch=canon fuel cell technology] for use in printers and digital cameras. Fuel cells are generally more efficient than traditional batteries, but the size/performance ratio isn't quite where it should be:

Canon, the world's top maker of copiers and cameras, is aggressively investing in the development of new products, keen to cultivate new growth drivers as the digital camera market slows and competition in the printer and copier markets heats up.

This news article was written on October 25, 2005.

==Google Revenue Nearly Doubles==

Google's good fortune continues as it has reported revenue that is [http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=O4JJQSOVXVTEUQSNDBCCKHSCJUMEKJVN?articleID=172302900 up nearly 100%] versus this time last year. The company has also added over 800 new employess since July:

The Internet search company saw revenues of $1.578 billion for the quarter that ended September 30, 2005, up 96% from the third quarter of 2004, and up 14% compared to the company's second quarter.

Google's third quarter net income was $381.2 million - $1.32 per diluted share - over six times more than its Q3 earnings a year ago of $52.0 million. Financial analysts predicted Google's quarterly EPS would fall in the $1.26 to $1.44 range.

This news article was written on October 21, 2005.

==Information Revealed About Intel Merom==

The boys over at DigiTimes have some information on [http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20051018PR201.html Intel's Merom processor]. The chip will be pin-compatible with Yonah and feature an L2 cache of up to 4MB. Merom will also feature a 14-stage pipeline and is built on a 65 nanometer manufacturing process:

First mentioned by sources in 2004, Merom was announced by Intel in August this year at IDF Fall in San Francisco. The processor will be manufactured utilizing 65nm technology. Compared to Yonah, it will have a larger level-two cache (presumably up to 4MB) and will contain some micro-architecture innovations, according to Eden. One of these innovations will be a higher performance 4-issue out-of-order engine with deeper buffers and a pipeline extended to 14 stages.

This news article was written on October 20, 2005.

==HP recalls 135,000 battery packs==

Hewlett-Packard has recalled 135,000 notebook batteries because of possible [http://news.com.com/HP+recalls+135%2C000+battery+packs/2100-1041_3-5895482.html?tag=nefd.top overheating issues]:

The recalled product was imported from China and Taiwan and used with Pavilion, HP Compaq, Presario and Evo notebooks manufactured from March through September of last year. These machines have a bar code label starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. The battery packs were sold separately for between $100 and $130.

This news article was written on October 17, 2005.

==Maxtor External Drives Up To 1 TB==

Maxtor today unveiled its new OneTouch III "Turbo Edition" external drives at the Digital Life Expo in New York. The device comes with with RAID 0/1 and file synchronization capability and extends the consumer OneTouch line of drives into high-end consumer and professional markets.

The OneTouch III will be offered in 600 GByte and 1 TByte capacity versions and will actually contain two individual Maxtor harddrives in one case. The devices support USB2.0, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 connections and enable the user to protect data by using either RAID 0 striping or RAID 1 mirroring. Striping allows for faster read and write access by splitting up the reads and writes to both drives, while mirroring puts an exact copy on the drives. With mirroring, no data is lost if one drive fails, but the downside is that effective storage capacity is cut in half.

This news article was written on October 16, 2005.

==Samsung To Pay $300 Million For Price Fixing==

The US Justice Department reports that Samsung has [http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2005-10-13T193634Z_01_MAR362020_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-SAMSUNG-ANTITRUST-DC.XML admitted to price fixing] in the memory market and will pay a $300 million fine (the second largest criminial antitrust fine in US history):

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty to a charge that it conspired to fix the price of memory chips and will pay a $300 million fine, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

This news article was written on October 14, 2005.

==A Modern-Day Tale Of David And Goliath==

There's an [http://voodoopc.blogspot.com/2005/10/modern-day-tale-of-david-goliath.html editorial] over at VoodooPC which takes a look at the relationship that both Intel and AMD have with vendors along with some thoughts on AMD's anti-trust lawsuit.

AMD has always had this awesome grassroots approach to the industry, and their relationship building is on a completely different planet from Intel's. AMD has never tried to apply pressure on us to change the "ratio" of AMD/Intel on our systems. AMD has always called on us in good times and in bad, and they've always addressed any issues we've had within minutes of blurting out an email.
This news article was written on October 13, 2005.

==Yahoo! Releases Podcasting Service==

Yahoo! has just released a test version of its new podcasting service. From the (short) article: "Yahoo's new service will allow users to download shows from National Public Radio, the weekly presidential address, and independent shows with subjects ranging from sports to knitting." Additionally Yahoo! Podcast users have the ability to rate shows.

This news article was written on October 10, 2005.

==Why Microsoft Hates Blu-Ray==

The private feud just became public.

Apparently, Gates yelled at Sony's CEO because the new copy protection Blu-ray has adopted would prevent players from streaming content to the Xbox 360.

Since the PS3 will have Blu-ray support but the Xbox 360 only has a plain DVD drive, this means PS3 will be the only console that can play HD movies. Also, Paramount just announced support for Blu-ray and Warner Brothers may also jump ship. Will VHS vs. Betamax turn out differently this time?

This news article was written on October 8, 2005.

==Huge JPEG patent infringement suit against Microsoft, Apple, IBM & others==

In a filing in United States District Court on Monday, Forgent Networks, whose subsidiary, Compression Labs, Inc. is the current patent holder for JPEG image compression technology, filed suit principally against Microsoft, plus what appears to be, by the company's count, "approximately 40" technology companies, representing just about everybody that anyone recognizes.

The claim is apparently patent infringement, though details were not provided.

The complete list of parties named in the suit:
* Acer America Corporation,
* Agfa Corporation,
* Apple Computer, Incorporated,
* BancTec, Inc.,
* BenQ America Corporation,
* Canon, USA,
* Concord Camera Corporation,
* Color Dreams, Inc.,
* Creative Labs, Incorporated,
* Creo, Inc.,
* Creo Americas, Inc.,
* Dell Incorporated,
* Eastman Kodak Company ,
* Fuji Photo Film Co U.S.A,
* Fujitsu Computer Products of America,
* Gateway, Inc.,
* Google Inc.,
* Hewlett-Packard Company,
* International Business Machines Corp.,
* JASC Software,
* JVC Americas Corporation,
* Kyocera Wireless Corporation,
* Matsushita Electric Corporation of America,
* Microsoft Corporation,
* Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Incorporated,
* Oce' North America, Incorporated,
* Onkyo Corporation,
* PalmOne, Inc.,
* Panasonic Communications Corporation of America,
* Panasonic Mobile Communications Development Corporation of USA,
* Ricoh Corporation,
* Riverdeep, Incorporated (d.b.a. Broderbund),
* Savin Corporation,
* ScanSoft, Inc.,
* Sun Microsystems Inc,
* Thomson S.A.,
* TiVo Inc.,
* Toshiba Corporation,
* Veo Inc.,
* Xerox Corporation, and
* Yahoo! Inc.

This news article was written on October 7, 2005.

==AMD - Intel Trial Updates==

AMD has [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1868058,00.asp issued a subpoena to Intel] in regards to the anti-trust trial which isn't expected to begin until 2007:

The procedural move targets more than 15 computer makers and a dozen distributors and retailers that AMD believes may possess information related to its claims against Intel.

An AMD spokesman underscored that his company is not suing the companies. "AMD views these third parties as victims of Intel's misconduct and therefore hopes to obtain these documents in the manner least burdensome to them," he said.

This news article was written on October 7, 2005.

==Apple to roll out video iPod==

On Tuesday, Apple fanned the flames of interest by sending out and e-mailing invitations to an Oct. 12 event at the California Theater in San Jose, Calif., enticing invitees with the text "One More Thing ..." accompanied by a picture of a closed red curtain.

Speculation has immediately centered around another change to Apple's line of iPod music players, and the company has precedent on its side. It was almost exactly a year ago that Apple used the same venue to debut the iPod Photo and U2 iPods at an event that featured Bono and The Edge of the band U2.

This news article was written on October 6, 2005.

==SpreadFireFox.com hacked again==

SpreadFireFox.com got spread eagle yesterday as [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1866908,00.asp hackers broke] into the site and opened up user accounts to prying eyes:

"We have scanned SpreadFirefox servers and at this time do not believe any sensitive data was taken, but as a precautionary measure we have shutdown the site and will be rebuilding the Web site from scratch," the open-source group said in an e-mail sent to members.

This news article was written on October 5, 2005.

==ATI decreases warranty to 1 year==

Legit Reviews has a response from the company on their new warranty policy. For those that didn't already know, ATI [http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=253 has reduced the warranty] on their video cards from 3 years (and in some cases 5 years) to 1 year:

When we spoke to ATI about the warranty changes they explained that it was done for a number of reasons. After studying the average "return rate over time" charts it was discovered that nearly 90% of all video card returns were done in the first 60 days. This means that consumers very seldom used their warranty on the second and third years per the old warranty plan. Since ATI's warranty plan covers production cards for three years a large inventory of cards has to be kept on hand for warranty work. This inventory is nothing more than a money pit for ATI, as the cards lose value each and every day.

This news article was written on October 5, 2005.

==South Korea Introduces Robotic Teachers==

The Korean Advanced Intelligent Robot Association (KAIRA) will have [http://service.joins.com/asp/print_article_english.asp?aid=2624902&esectcode=e_tech&title=Ministry+promotes+robot+to+teach+students+English 64 educational robots] deployed by the end of 2005.

Able to read out English stories and correct pronunciation of English words to children, these robots are going to be supplied to apartment complexes in Seoul, Bucheon and Bundang in Gyeonggi province for testing purposes.

After testing is complete, the Ministry of Information and Communication and KAIRA plan to commercialize the robots as early as 2006. If there exists sufficient demand, education robots will sport other subjects (as mathematics, etc.) apart from English, as well as also target older students.

This news article was written on October 4, 2005.

==Forged Maxtor Corp. MaXLine II HDDs appear in Japan==

Forged Maxtor Corp. MaXLine II hard disk drives (HDDs) have emerged on the Japanese market, according to local press. Alleged swindlers supply 320GB flavours of the HDDs, whereas Maxtor officially produces only 250GB and 300GB versions of the products for retail channel.

Instead of Maxtor MaXLine II hard disk drives, some unnamed suppliers shipped hard drives that mimic products intended for Maxtor's OEM clients to several stores in Japan. The products do not seem to be genuine, though. The products identify themselves with model number 5A320J0 and come with 320GB capacity, which is not in the MaXLine II lineup intended for retail customers. Such products are not supported by Maxtor, according to Akiba PC Hotline web-site, who quoted Japanese representatives of the HDD maker as saying.

The counterfeit hard drives can be distinguished by incorrect font on the label as well as usage of lower-case 'X' letter in the brand-name: on forged HDDs it is writer MaxLine II, whereas the company calls the drives as MaXLine II.

The original Maxtor MaXLine II hard disk drives with 250GB and 300GB capacities have model numbers 5A250J0 and 5A300J0 respectively. There are 320GB hard disk drives in the Maxtor MaxLine II lineup with model number 5A320J0 designed primarily for OEMs and available across the world, according to Google's search results. The products are listed at Maxtor's web-site, but their specs could not be obtained at press time due to problems with the company's web page.

The HDDs that were, according to the company, either mislabeled or made from unqualified components, or components that did not pass quality assurance procedures, are intended for systems with Parallel ATA-133 interconnection. The hard drives are equipped with 5400rpm motors and 2MB cache.

It is unclear whether the issue is widespread. Maxtor's representatives did not immediately return email seeking for comment.

This news article was written on October 1, 2005.

==Laptop for 100$==

Who's up for a $100 laptop? MIT researchers have developed [http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4491&Page=1&pagePos=11&inkc=0 a prototype for a $100 laptop] which runs the Linux operating system and will be targeted at developing countries...and Massachusetts :-)

The laptop can be powered either with an AC adapter or via a wind-up crank, which is stored in the housing of the laptop where the hinge is located. The laptops will have a 10 to 1 crank rate, so that a child will crank the handle for one minute to get 10 minutes of power and use. When closed, the hinge forms a handle and the AC cord can function as a carrying strap, according to Negroponte. The laptops will be ruggedized and probably made of rubber, he said. They will have four USB ports, be Wi-Fi- and cell phone enabled and come with 1GB of memory.

You can view [http://laptop.media.mit.edu/ images of the laptop].

This news article was written on October 1, 2005.

==Robotic Sentry Gun==

Aaron Rasmussen and his brother Ezra built this [http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000427059760/ awesome robotic sentry gun].

The gun is an airsoft replica of an FN P90 and fires 6mm BBs. Pan and tilt are controlled by two hobby servos using a simple controller. Aaron wrote custom software to watch the usb webcam and track targets. There is a video showing it being tested on Ezra.

This news article was written on September 23, 2005.

==Top 10 Best/Worst Tech Products of the Past 10 Years==
CNET has two top 10 lists of the [http://www.cnet.com/4520-11136_1-6312246-1.html?tag=txt Best] and [http://www.cnet.com/4520-11136_1-6313439-1.html?tag=bottom Worst] products of the past 10 years.

Here's the #1 from the worst list:

I want to say that it was a good idea in the beginning. Bob was born out of Microsoft's goal to improve the Program Manager interface for Windows 3.1. But it was a replacement that just didn't catch on. It also suffered the ignominy of spawning the awful Clippy--the helpful paper clip. Maybe Bob wasn't universally bad, but I've never heard anyone say they miss it. On a side note, according to Wikipedia, "Microsoft Bob was a project managed by Melinda French, Bill Gates's girlfriend at the time. The two later married. Bob was the last project she ever worked on for Microsoft

This news article was written on September 20, 2005.

==Sun offers to trade Dell Xeons for Sun Opterons==

Aggressive firm Sun Microsystems told AMD resellers that it would give a 20% trade up allowance on qualified Dell systems, so piling the pressure on the Round Rock'n'Rollers.

The deal, presented to AMD's channel partners, said that resellers could save up to $1,900 on servers that Sun claims perform 1.5 times better than the Xeon machines Dell sells.

The firm also reckons that the Sun Fire X4100 and X4200 servers also offer up to 56 per cent savings in power and cooling costs per year.

The offer ends on March 24th next year, and Xeon users are invited to trade in on this web site.

This news article was written on September 14, 2005.

==eBay buys Skype==

London - Ebay today announced that it will purchase VoIP company Skype in a deal valued between $2.6 and $4.1 billion.

The acquisition will allow the online auction leader to access Skype's 54 million users and further diversify its revenue streams with Skype's VoIP services - while free PC-to-PC-based calls will continue to be offered.

Skype, barely two years old, did not come cheap for Ebay. The online auction house pays $2.6 billion in cash and stock - roughly 371 times the revenue Skype achieved in 2004 - plus a performance-based bonus, which could amount to $1.5 billion and will be due in 2008 to 2009 time frame.

Despite the substantial investment, analysts believe that Skype will pay off for Ebay and create the dominating global VoIP provider on the Internet.

"The foremost benefit for Ebay clearly is to add a voice client to its services and diversify its revenue with an excellent and strong product," said William Stofega, an analyst with IDC. "Ebay purchased an enormous worldwide brand that comes with a wonderful ecosystem already built. Besides that, the company receives a proprietary technology that does not rely on SIP, but on its own signaling protocols."

This news article was written on September 13, 2005.

==Google hires the father of the Internet==

Google continues its pursuit of nabbing key figures in the tech industy with the hiring of Vint Cerf:

Cerf, who co-designed TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), will help Google develop architectures, systems and standards for next-generation applications, the company said.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==Dell keeps e-mails and data for AMD==

Dell has agreed to cooperate with AMD's subpoena in regards to the antitrust case against Intel. Dell is seen as a key witness in AMD's case against the chip giant:

Dell, the largest PC maker, buys microprocessors exclusively from Intel. The Texas-based PC maker agreed to preserve relevant information and copy hard drives of employees identified as "custodians" - those who were involved in negotiating microprocessor purchases.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==eBay considers buying Skype==

eBay, the lumbering 500 lb gorilla, is in talks now to purchase Skype. This would mark the latest in a long list of aquisitions by the company in the past year:

EBay Inc. is in talks to acquire Internet-telephone company Skype Technologies SA for between $2 billion and $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==Hardware requirements for Windows Vista==

Do you think that your system has what it takes to handle Windows Vista? Your hopes and dreams may be shattered when you find out [http://www.apcstart.com/teched/pivot/entry.php?id=6 what kind or rig that Microsoft recommends] in order to ideally run Vista:

"If you move from 32 to 64 bit, you basically need to at least double your memory. 2 gigs in 64 bit is the equivalent of a gig of RAM on a 32bit machine. That's because you're dealing with chunks that are twice the size... if you try to make do with what you've got you'll see less performance. But RAM is now so cheap, it's hardly an issue.

"In terms of disks, you're really going to want S-ATA 2hard drives with NCQ capability because it gives the OS the ability to get on with stuff while disk tasks complete. All the tier 1 and tier 2 vendors can provide this capability today.

"Thirdly, the graphics card and system bus is essential. PCI x16 is going to be very important. Any of today's 3D GPUs will be fine... we're not waiting for some mystical monster that may or may not come out. But they need to have 128MB of RAM on it. If they've only got 64 don't panic.

This news article was written on September 7, 2005.

==Dothan vs Turion Tests==

Laptop Logic has posted a fresh article [http://www.laptoplogic.com/resources/articles/42/1/1/ comparing Intel's much loved Dothan processor to AMD's Turion 64]. There are plenty of performance numbers and battery life tests to keep you busy for a while:

This article fully covers the architecture of both the Pentium M and Turion CPU, along with a brief history outlining the various tweaks and optimizations that were performed during their development. To appeal to a broader audience, this article will first discuss the effect of the respective designs rather than delving into any engineering details. Then, the pros and cons of each CPU architecture are discussed, followed by a brief evaluation of price. Finally, the bulk of the article compares the Turion ML-37 against the Pentium M 760 in a myriad of benchmarks, starting from simple synthetic benchmarks to the four main categories of computing: office/business, multimedia, gaming, and scientific use. Battery life is also compared, and the conclusion will provide a brief summary.

This news article was written on August 30, 2005.

==Pioneer's BRD-101A white-label Blu-ray burner==

Pioneer is showing off their new BRD-101A Blu-ray/DL DVD+-RW drive. One thing it won't read though is regular old CDs.

This news article was written on August 30, 2005.

==Three indicted in U.S. spam crackdown==

Three low-life spammers have been [http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/groupware/story/0,10801,104189,00.html indicted by an Arizona grand jury] and are considered to be in the top 200 as far as spammers go:

Three people accused of sending massive amounts of spam face possible prison sentences after being indicted by a grand jury in Arizona and accused of violating the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and other charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Named in the indictment are Jennifer R. Clason, Jeffrey A. Kilbride and James R. Schaffer. The three are accused of sending spam that advertised pornographic Web sites, the DOJ said in a statement. They made money from commissions that the Web sites paid in return for directing traffic to their sites, the statement said.

This news article was written on August 28, 2005.

==Google Opens Gmail Service to Public==

Google's GMail service has been [http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Opens_Gmail_Service_to_Public/1124983238 opened up to the public] after being invitation-only since its inception. The only catch is that you must have a cell phone. Considering that everyone and a grandma has a cell phone these days, that shouldn't be too much of a problem:

The mobile phone requirement was designed to prevent Gmail accounts from being created by robots and stop spammers from signing up multiple times. Google will send an invitation code via SMS, which can then be used to register with Gmail. Only one account may be created per phone number.

This news article was written on August 28, 2005.

==GoogleTalk Released==

Google has released their GoogleTalk IM application. You can download it [http://www.google.com/talk/ here].

This news article was written on August 24, 2005.

==Urine-Powered Batteries Developed for Cell Phones==

A research team at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have [http://www.mobiledia.com/news/34588.html developed a battery that is powered by urine].

Physicists in Singapore have succeeded in creating the first paper battery that generates electricity from urine. This new battery will be the perfect power source for cheap, disposable healthcare test-kits for diseases such as diabetes, and could even be used in emergency situations to power a cell phone.

This news article was written on August 16, 2005.

==Sanyo develops chip for HD DVD, DVD, CD's==

Sanyo Electric Co said Thursday that it had developed a signal processing large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) for HD DVDs. Sanyo's chip allows playback and recording of HD DVDs, current DVDs and CDs. By utilizing the product, it is possible to lower costs and reduce the size of the HD DVD drive and HD DVD player hardware.

SANYO plans to release this chip to the market in the second quarter of 2006. With the expected rapid proliferation of products in the consumer electronics field, HD DVD players and recorders that utilize this LSI will quickly appear in the market, according to the company.

"HD DVD is advantageous because of its superior compatibility with current generation DVDs and low cost production for ROM disks. This will prove to be a big edge in popularizing HD DVD ROM contents", Mr. Yodoshi added.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==Intel recalls batch of Intel P4 EE processors==

Intel is [http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20050810225319.html recalling a batch] of 3.73GHz P4 EE processors because an improper heatsink was included in the packaging. Only about a hundred or so of the chips were affected by the error:

The batch number is 3502A770, for stock control unit (SKU) Intel Pentium 4 3.73GHz with 2MB cache and 1066MHz processor system bus. Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition product that runs at 3.73GHz is designed for extremely fast PCs used by enthusiasts and hobbyists.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==Dead After 49 Hours Of Starcraft==

A South Korean man who died after [http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-skorea-game-death,0,5845845.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines playing Starcraft for 49 hours] straight:

A 28-year-old South Korean man died of exhaustion in an Internet cafe after playing computer games non-stop for 49 hours, South Korean police said Wednesday.

Lee, a resident in the southern city of Taegu who was identified only by his last name, collapsed Friday after having eaten minimally and not sleeping, refusing to leave his keyboard while he played the battle simulation game Starcraft.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==IBM to Release Search Engine as Open Source==

IBM plans to release as open-source a [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1844710,00.asp sophisticated new search and text analysis technology] that is able to find relationships, trends and facts buried in a wide range of unstructured data, including e-mails, Web pages, text documents, images, audio and video.

Called the UIMA (Unstructured Information Management Architecture), the technology is able is able to go beyond the keyword analysis typically used by most search engines to discern the semantic meanings within text and other unstructured data, said Nelson Mattos, vice president of information integration with IBM in San Jose, Calif.

This news article was written on August 8, 2005.

==Japan iTunes Hits 1 Million Downloaded Songs==

In just four days, 1 million songs have been downloaded at Apple's new iTunes Music Store in Japan, the fastest pace for the service's launch in any of the 20 nations it's now available, including the U.S., a senior executive said Monday.

"We're extremely happy with the results," Eddy Cue, Apple Computer Inc. vice president of applications, said in a telephone interview from Cupertino, Calif., where Apple is based. "We think we've got a huge success."

Apple has not signed a deal with Sony Corp.'s music division, which has some of the most popular Japanese singers and bands under its label. Cue refused to comment on how talks with Sony Music Entertainment are going but said he hoped Sony will join soon.

The popularity of iTunes in Japan has dealt another blow to Sony because it has already surpassed the number of downloads Sony's affiliated online music store gets in a month about 450,000.
This news article was written on August 8, 2005.

==MS Patch Day: Six Bulletins on Deck==

On August 9th, Microsoft is set to [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1843878,00.asp release six patches] to fix possible serious security holes in its Windows operating systems:

Some of the vulnerabilities carry a maximum severity rating of "critical," meaning they could put Windows machines at risk of an Internet worm, even without any user action.

This news article was written on August 7, 2005.

==Razer Copperhead 2000 DPI Laser Mouse==

Laptop Logic has the scoop on the new [http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/08/06/2005/407/0/ Razor Copperhead laser gaming mouse]. Everyone always raves about the Logitech MX510/MX518 for gaming, but this one looks to kick serious butt:

Razer has just released Copperhead, the industry's first laser gaming mouse. The Copperhead offers tracking precision at up to 2000 dpi and the first mouse to utilize Full Speed (12MBps) USB. The 2000 dpi laser sensor uses a 16-bit data path and samples at 1000Hz, compared to other mice that poll at 125Hz. It also has 32 KB built-in RAM memory.

This news article was written on August 7, 2005.

==Budget dual-core Athlon from AMD==

In order to better do battle with Intel at the low-end of the dual-core market, AMD is launching an [http://news.com.com/AMD+releases+budget+dual-core+Athlon/2100-1006_3-5812788.html?tag=nefd.top entry-level Athlon 64 X2 3800] which runs at 2GHz:

The Athlon 64 X2 3800+ will run at 2GHz and each core will have a 512KB secondary cache for rapid data retrieval. The chip costs $354 in quantities of 1,000. That's less than existing dual-core Athlons, but the chip also doesn't provide the same performance levels as the chips released earlier. The Athlon 64 X2 4200+, for instance, has the same size cache but runs at 2.2GHz.

This news article was written on August 1, 2005.

==Apple, HP Call it Quits on iPod Deal==

I never quite understood the partnership in the first place, but both companies have [http://www.betanews.com/article/Apple_HP_Call_it_Quits_on_iPod_Deal/1122669991 severed their deal] in which Apple provided Hewlett-Packard with co-branded iPods:

"HP has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy. As a result, HP plans to stop reselling iPods by the end of this September," Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris confirmed to BetaNews.

This news article was written on July 30, 2005.

==CATALYST Beta Driver 1 for Windows Vista beta 1 (code name Longhorn)==

For those of you out there testing Windows Vista Beta 1, here's a [https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=19933 Catalyst beta driver] from ATI for you to try out.

This news article was written on July 29, 2005.

==Intel to borrow from laptops for server chips==

Intel's Pentium M architecture has won acclaim from both reviewers and the buying public for its high performance and efficient architecture. Intel is taking some of the [http://news.com.com/Intel+to+borrow+from+laptops+for+server+chips/2100-1006_3-5807723.html?tag=nefd.top techniques] used to make its mobile processors great and is applying them to its server chips.

A Xeon chip for blade servers due in the first half of 2006 derives from the Pentium M family, the company's notebook chip family, said Stephen Thorne, marketing manager of the server platform group at Intel. Code-named Sossaman, the chip puts out a maximum of 31 watts, fairly low for server chips, which can boast thermal ceilings of 110 watts.

This news article was written on July 28, 2005.

==Beta Testers Get First Look at Windows Vista==

The Windows Vista beta is out in the open and over 20,000 testers are now pawing all over it.

The long-awaited first beta for the Windows Vista client release, which was formerly known as Longhorn, officially goes live Wednesday, hitting some 20,000 technical beta testers.

Microsoft also Wednesday released the first beta of the as-yet un-renamed Windows "Longhorn" Server to a limited number of participants in the technical beta program, including hardware manufacturers, OEMs, independent hardware vendors, system builders, independent software vendors and developers.

This news article was written on July 27, 2005.

==House backs federal investigation of Rockstar Games==
Rockstar is going to need more than [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/gta4/news_6129723.html a cup of hot coffee] to shake off the Feds on this one. It's interesting though that sex provokes such a response from politicians, but drive-bys, cop killing, and drug dealing don't really phase them. Hmmm.......

Just after 7 pm on Capitol Hill today, the House of Representatives voted 355 to 21 to support a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The purpose of the probe will be to determine if take-Two Interactive and its publishing subsidiary Rockstar Games deceived the voluntary Entertainment Software Ratings Board when it submitted Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

This news article was written on July 27, 2005.

==Server Milestone hit by AMD==

AMD has punched through the [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1840619,00.asp 10% marketshare level] with shipments of its Opteron processors. It still has a ways to go to match the dominance of Intel server chips in sales, but there's always that lawsuit to possibly help matters out in the future...

The Sunnyvale, Calif., chip maker, citing fresh figures from Mercury Research Inc. in Cave Creek, Ariz., said it garnered just over 11 percent of x86 server shipments in the second quarter, versus about 7 percent in the first quarter.

This news article was written on July 26, 2005.

[[Category:News]]

News Archive 2005

2013-07-01T22:54:14Z

Mariush: Created page with "This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2005. For newer news items, please check the dedicated news page. ==Seagate To B..."

This page contains all the news articles posted on Helpedia during year 2005.

For newer news items, please check the dedicated [[:Category:News|news]] page.

==Seagate To Buy Maxtor for $2 Billion==
CNN Money reports that Seagate will buy Maxtor for nearly $2 billion in stock. Even with Dell as its top purchaser, it wasn't enough to stop the blood loss at Maxtor. The deal is expected to be completed by the latter half of 2006.

The deal comes as Maxtor, whose biggest customer is No. 1 personal computer maker Dell Inc., has been restructuring and battling increasingly stiff competition.

Analysts have said Maxtor has been losing market share to competitors like Seagate and Western Digital Corp. in consumer electronics, one of the fastest-growing businesses for computer storage companies.

This news article was written on December 22, 2005.

==Startup Company Readies Long-Lasting Fuel Cell==
A new startup company plans to unveil a fuel cell device at CES 2006 that could power mobile devices for days...and possibly even weeks based on usage:

The power pack is made up of two parts: a disposable fuel cell component and connector cable. The fuel cell, which measures 3.2 by 2 by 1.4 inches, will provide the raw power while the connector cable will interface between it and the gadget being charged. Cables for different gadgets, fitted with the correct charging connector and voltage regulator, will be available, said Michelle Rush, a spokesperson for the company.

This news article was written on December 18, 2005.

==AMD Says Court Ruling Gives It Another Victory Over Intel==
The Sunnyvale company is happy to note that a recent ruling in the Tokyo District Court will give it more ammuniation in its ongoing court case against Intel. Materials confiscated in searches by the Fair Trade Commission of Japan (JFTC) during raids at Intel and third-party hardware manufacturer offices in Japan can be used by AMD in its ongoing lawsuit against the chip giant. Intel took the opportunity to discredit the actual usefulness of the materials obtained by AMD:
"Once again AMD has mischaracterized and exaggerated the impact of a procedural ruling which does not in any way address the merits of AMD's claim," says Chuck Molloy, a corporate spokesman for legal affairs at Intel. "Our only interest in respect to the documents is to ensure that Intel and our customers' confidential information and trade secrets are protected ... AMD's claims of [Intel] hiding materials are absurd."

This news article was written on December 18, 2005.

==Quanta Selected to Build $100 Laptop==
The $100 laptop has a builder. Quanta has been chosen to produce the laptops which will be used in developing nations. Intel recently balked at the notion of the $100 laptop, but program chair Nicholas Negroponte thinks otherwise:
The initial launch of the product will involve five to 15 million units, the OLPC said. Projects will launch in seven countries, including China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria and Thailand with each receiving one million laptops. Smaller numbers of the devices will be shipped to various projects in other countries as well.

This news article was written on December 15, 2005.

==Xbox 360 Gets Cool Reception In Japan==
BusinessWeek reports that Japanese customers bought less than half of the available Xbox 360 units available during the consoles debut. Considering that Japan is home to Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft still has an uphill battle with the 360:

Microsoft, which started selling the Xbox 360 in Japan on Saturday, sold 62,135 machines over the weekend, or just 39 percent of the 159,000 consoles it is estimated to have shipped to stores, according to data from market researcher Enterbrain Inc.

The figures indicate a slower start than the original Xbox, which failed miserably in Japan. The first Xbox sold about 123,000 units in the first three days of its launch in 2002, according to Tokyo-based Enterbrain.

This news article was written on December 13, 2005.

==Microsoft Tightening Security Defaults In IE 7==
Microsoft is doing all it can to ensure that the next version of Internet Explorer is a secure as possible out of the box. The company is making some changes to its security zones to ensure that a user's computer is protected from attacks:

The current version, IE 6, has four classifications for Web sites -- Internet, local intranet, trusted and restricted -- which allow users to apply different security rules for how the browser interacts with groups of Web sites. The browser uses the settings to determine, for example, whether it will run ActiveX controls without first alerting the user.

The company has been working on improvements to prevent the browser from running malicious code in less restrictive security zones, wrote Microsoft engineers Vishu Gupta, Rob Franco and Venkat Kudulur in Microsoft's IE weblog.

This news article was written on December 13, 2005.

==Microsoft Loses South Korea Antitrust Case==
The company is forced to pay a fine of $32 million and must also remove its Windows Messenger IM program from Windows operating sytems in S. Korea:

Microsoft Corp. was ordered to separate its instant messaging service from its Windows software and allow rival products on its system in South Korea after losing an antitrust case on Wednesday.

The U.S. software firm, which was also fined about $32 million, said it would appeal the decision by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) but did not plan to make good on a threat to withdraw its Windows operating system from the country.

This news article was written on December 9, 2005.

==AIM Worm Mimics Talking IM Bots==
A new virus is floating through the AIM network and actual carries on a conversation with its potential victim. The virus, IM.Myspace04.AIM, actually converses in a way similar to IM bots like MovieFone or ShoppingBuddy:

"This sophisticated bot attack is programmed such that infected users cannot see the messages the worm is sending on their behalf. When recipients of the malicious message reply to the infected user, the bot running on the infected machine sends follow-up messages," IMlogic said in an advisory.

This news article was written on December 9, 2005.

==Search Terms Are a Witness for the Prosecution==
Robert James Petrick, 51, didn't exactly point a Web browser to the Internet search engine Google and type in "how do you kill your wife?"

But he came pretty close, say prosecutors in Durham County, North Carolina.

Petrick used Google to search the Internet for references to "body decomposition", "rigor mortis," "neck" and "break" in the days before and after he murdered his wife, Janine Sutphen, then dumped her body in a lake, said Durham County assistant prosecutor Mitchell Garrell.

By "Googling" his wife's murder, Petrick was inadvertently supporting the prosecutor's time line of events.

For instance, the jury learned that Petrick searched for and downloaded a topical map of a lake bed in the days before he dumped the woman's remains in the same body of water.

"We were prepared to go forward with prosecution anyway, and would have succeeded, but no doubt this stuff helped," Garrell said. "We were able to tell the jury things like, 'Here's when she's last seen, and here he's downloading a map of the lake she's found in.'"

The Petrick case goes beyond serving as a textbook example of how police and prosecutors incorporate someone's Internet habits into their investigations and prosecutions.

This news article was written on December 5, 2005.

==Feds Allow Adobe And Macromedia To Merge==
Federal regulators have given their OK to Adobe and Macromedia to merge. Both companies expect the deal to be finalized on December 3, 2005. Macromedia stock owners will exchange one Macromedia common stock share for 1.38 shares of Adobe common stock.

Adobe had announced their plans to acquire Macromedia back in April 18, 2005. Macromedia is most well known for their Dreamweaver web development software, while Adobe has several famous products such as Acrobat, Photoshop and Illustrator.

This news article was written on December 3, 2005.

==Intel To Build A Second 45nm 300mm Wafer Factory==
Intel has announced plans to build a new 45nm chip plant in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The $3.5 billion Fab 28 will be Intel's seventh 300mm facility (five are currently operational):

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 1, 2005 - Intel Corporation today announced plans to build a new 300-millimeter (mm) wafer fabrication facility at its site in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The new factory, designated Fab 28, will extend Intel's manufacturing leadership by producing leading-edge microprocessors in the second half of 2008 on 45 nanometer (nm) process technology. Construction on the $3.5 billion project, Intel's second 45nm factory, is set to begin immediately.

"Intel is committed to widening its lead in advanced semiconductor manufacturing," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "Our manufacturing network is a strategic asset of unmatched scope and scale that gives Intel the ability to provide customers with leading-edge products in high volume. Today's announcement of a second 45nm high volume factory reaffirms that Intel platforms will contain the most advanced and innovative technology in the world for years to come."

This news article was written on December 2, 2005.

==Adware Maker Sues Over 'High Risk' Designation==
180solutions isn't too happy with Zone Labs these days. The company is suing over the fact that Zone Labs considers products like Zango and 180search Assistant to be "high risk" security threats:

"In my opinion, 180solutions is a perfectly legitimate target for anti-spyware companies," said Eric Howes, a spyware researcher at the University of Illinois. "The bottom line is that we continue to find unethical and illegal installations of 180's software."

This news article was written on December 2, 2005.

==Google Lets Users Talk To Advertisers==
Google is testing out a new service that would allow users to get into closer contact with advertisers brought up by their search results. As long as you have a phone number and feel confident that Google will treat it with respect, you can talk with an advertiser by simply making a few clicks:

A Web surfer can click a phone icon adjacent to an ad, enter his or her own phone number and then click a "connect for free" button. Google's service calls the advertisers's phone number and when the Web surfer picks up the receiver on his phone, he or she hears ringing as the call to the advertiser is connected, according to a Google Click-to-Call frequently-asked-questions page.

This news article was written on November 29, 2005.

==Kazaa Ordered To Block 3000 Keywords==
Eminem, Kylie Minogue and Madonna are just some of the popular artists whose songs are to be blocked from being illegally distributed on the peer-to-peer network Kazaa following Federal Court orders yesterday.

Justice Murray Wilcox has ordered the owner of Kazaa, Sharman Networks, to modify the file-sharing software to block a list of search terms - primarily artist and song names - to be supplied by the record companies. Justice Wilcox's order follows the record companies' court victory in September against individuals and organisations associated with Kazaa.

The court has ordered Sharman to release a new version of Kazaa by 5 December that includes a non-optional keyword filter, restricting users' ability to illegally access and swap copyright music.

The record companies may also update the list of search terms every two weeks. Once Sharman receives the updated list, it has 48 hours to act on the changes.

This news article was written on November 28, 2005.

==Cray Chief Scientist Leaves for Microsoft==
NEW YORK (Reuters)â€”Supercomputer maker Cray Inc. on Friday said that cofounder and chief scientist Burton Smith will leave the company to take a job at software maker Microsoft Corp.

Smith will leave the company on December 7, Cray said. He also resigned from his post on Cray's board of directors.

The company did not say what Smith's position will be at Microsoft.Microsoft officials were not immediately available for comment.

Cray shares were down 10 cents, or almost 7 percent, to $1.40 in pre-market INET trade.

This news article was written on November 28, 2005.

==Texas Sues Sony Over CD Rootkit==
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced Monday that he has filed suit against Sony BMG over the use of illegal spyware in its copy-protection mechanism that gained national attention earlier this month.

Abbott also disputed Sony's claims that it had recalled all affected CDs, saying investigators were able to purchase "numerous titles at Austin retail stores as recently as Sunday evening."

The lawsuit notes that Sony's software uses a rootkit "cloaking" technique to hide itself from users and prevent its removal. Abbott says the DRM remains active at all times, even when Sony's media player is not active, which has led to concerns about its true purpose.

"Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Attorney General Abbott said in a statement. He also highlighted the security concerns brought about by the rootkit.

"Consumers who purchased a Sony CD thought they were buying music. Instead, they received spyware that can damage a computer, subject it to viruses and expose the consumer to possible identity crime."

This news article was written on November 22, 2005.

==World's First Working $100 Laptop==
A working version of the much talked about $100 laptop was unveiled today. The lime green, hand crank powered unit (one minute of cranking = 10 minutes of run time) was displayed at the World Summit on the Information Society. The laptop features a 500MHz AMD processor, 7" color screen, WiFi connectivity, uses flash memory for storage and runs on Linux.

Even Hector Ruiz, CEO of AMD, which gave $2 million to OLPC, says success will require "developing larger ecosystems around ... tech support, application development, training and business models for the Internet service providers." Those elements aren't close to being in place, and Ruiz thinks the laptop's price won't drop to $100 for two to three years. Yet even skeptics are loath to pooh-pooh Negroponte's activism: "If he can pull it off," Hammond says, "my hat's off to him."

This news article was written on November 17, 2005.

==AMD aims for four-core Opterons by 2007==
AMD continues to gain momentum with its popular Opteron server processors and it plans to have quad-core versions of the processor in service by 2007.

The new processor will incorporate four cores connected together by a new version of the Hypertransport interconnect technology, and will support double data rate 3 (DDR3) memory, he said at the event, which provides financial analysts and media with a "State of AMD" address that covers the company's technology, customers and financial health.

The server version of this chip will add a third level of cache memory to AMD's processors, allowing server designers to build systems with 16 and 32 processors, Hester said.

This news article was written on November 17, 2005.

==Quake 3 Arena Shown On Mobile Phones==
Up until now, games on cellular phones have resembled the first Atari 2600 VCS games. But Imagination Technologies
This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==Sun announces new T1 chip==
Sun is ready to unleash a fireball onto the server market. The company claims (just like car makers whenever they revamp a product line) that the new 1.2GHz UltraSparc T1 (codename Niagara) is more powerful, faster and more efficient than its predecessor. "Niagara" has 8 cores, but there will also be four and six core versions of the processor available (these being Niagra with defective cores).

The UltraSparc T1, code-named Niagara, uses about 70 watts of electricity, closer to that of standard household light bulbs, and less than the 150 watts to 200 watts that most microprocessors in servers consume.

The T1, which has eight processing "cores" on a single piece of silicon to give it more computing power, will be the brains of a line of forthcoming Sun Fire servers due by year's end and that run Sun's Solaris version of the Unix operating system.

This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==ATI Backs Up CrossFire Quality==
ATI's CrossFire is still a ways behind NVIDIA SLI when it comes to maturity, widespread support and implementation, but the company is fully committed to platform. [H]|ard|OCP reports that the "Certified by ATI" program will help to ensure that every CrossFire motherboard lives up to the expectations of the enthusiast community (and hopefully not mirror the results of the DFI RDX200 CF-DR).

One thing I have come to know in the last few weeks is just how committed ATI is to their motherboard chipset in the enthusiast marketplace. They certainly want to penetrate that end of the market and are making some solid claims as to moving forward. I think now that many of the motherboard companies will be looking at them to see how they react. Will ATI be there to nurture CrossFire to market if they have to? I hope that this will not be needed, but it is good to see that ATI is being proactive with their "Certified by ATI" program.

This news article was written on November 15, 2005.

==Trojan Attacks Microsoft Image Rendering Flaw==
Anti-virus vendor Trend Micro Inc. has spotted a Trojan in the wild attacking Windows users via the image rendering flaws patched by Microsoft Corp. two days ago.

The Trojan, identified as TROJ_EMFSPLOIT.A, causes the "explorer.exe" file to crash, causing the taskbar on unpatched Windows machines to disappear.

The "explorer.exe" process is a required file used to manage the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start menu, taskbar, desktop and File Manager. A malicious attack that disrupts those essential services is considered very disruptive.

Trend Micro described the exploit as a "proof-of-concept Trojan" that exploits the Graphics Rendering Engine vulnerability patched by Microsoft earlier this week.

Microsoft rated the flaw as "critical" and warned that a successful exploit could let an attack take "complete control" of unpatched Windows 2000, Windows XP (including SP2) and Windows Server 2003, but the Trojan identified by Trend Micro simply causes a denial-of-service condition.

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==OpenDocument Format Gathers Steam==
With the backing of heavy-hitters in the industry like IBM and Sun Microsystems, the OpenDocument format is gaining momentum as an alternative to Microsoft's dominance in the office suite sector:

"It's more grassroots, starting small and working its way through individual states and agencies," Gallt said, but did not specify which governments were looking into it.

Those state customers are seeking alternatives to Microsoft Office, while the technology providers are looking to loosen Microsoft's grip on the desktop marketplace, said Stephen O'Grady, an analyst at RedMonk. Those factors are what are fueling the growing momentum for OpenDocument, he said.

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==Leaked Microsoft Memos Highlight Perceived Threat From Google==
Information Week has obtained leaked internal Microsoft memos which details the concerns the company has about its competition including Apple, Skype, Adobe and of course Google. Here's a portion of Ray Ozzie's memo to the troops:

"Google is obviously the most visible here, although given the hype level it is difficult to ascertain which of their myriad initiatives are simply adjuncts intended to drive scale for their advertising business, or which might ultimately grow to substantively challenge our offerings," he continued. "We knew search would be important, but through Google's focus they've gained a tremendously strong position."

This news article was written on November 11, 2005.

==Qualcomm sues Nokia over patents==
Qualcomm has filed suit against Nokia for infringing upon its patents on CDMA technology:

Qualcomm said on Monday it wanted Nokia, the world's No. 1 mobile phone maker, to stop selling or producing products in the United States designed for GSM mobile phone networks and that it was demanding financial damages from the Finnish mobile firm.

This news article was written on November 8, 2005.

==California Man Charged with Botnet Offenses==
Botnets are big businessâ€”at least according to authorities who announced the first U.S. case against an alleged computer hacker, who authorities believe netted $60,000 in cash and a BMW from a personal army of zombie computers.

Federal authorities arrested a 20-year-old California man Thursday and charged him with running a network of 400,000 compromised computers called a "botnet," including computers used by the U.S. government for national defense.
Jeanson James Ancheta, of Downey, Calif., was arrested by FBI agents Thursday morning and charged with spreading a Trojan horse program, called "rxbot," and using it to build a network of around 400,000 infected computers.
He is also charged with illegally uploading advertising software ("adware") onto compromised systems.

Huge networks of compromised computers, known as "bots," have become a pressing problem in recent months.

Security company Symantec Corp. said that its researchers identified an average of 10,352 bots a day in the first half of 2005, compared to around 5,000 a day in December 2004, according to the company's most recent Internet Threat Report.

This news article was written on November 4, 2005.

==Microsoft Ready For Windows Live==
Micrsoft is aiming to bring online versions of some of its core software applications to market in the near future. Office Live and Windows Live are two that have been recently announced with more to come:

Gates said that Windows Live is a set of Internet-based personal services, such as e-mail, blogging and instant messaging. It will be primarily supported by advertising and be separate from the operating system itself. Office Live will come in both ad-based and subscription versions that augment the popular desktop productivity suite.

This news article was written on November 3, 2005.

==Home Use of Internet Growing, But Divide Still Exists==
According to 2003 census data, over one-third of American households did not own a computer. Of the households that did own a computer, a little more than 50% had Internet access:

Wealthier, more educated households with school-age children were most likely to have Internet access. While only 45 percent of African-American and Hispanic homes had Web access, 67 percent of Asian homes and about 65 percent of white families had access. People over 65 were least likely to have a computer or Internet access.

This news article was written on October 31, 2005.

==Blue Gene/L Breaks Its Own Supercomputer Record==

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and IBM unveiled the Blue Gene/L supercomputer Thursday and announced it's broken its own record again for the world's fastest supercomputer:

The 65,536-processor machine can sustain 280.6 trillion calculations per second, called 280.6 teraflops, IBM said Thursday. That's the top end of the range IBM forecast and more than twice the previous Blue Gene/L record of 136.8 teraflops, set when only half the machine was installed.

In addition, the lab unveiled a lesser known but also powerful machine with a speed up to 100 teraflops. The ASC Purple is built from more conventional IBM server products. Together, ASC Purple and Blue Gene/L cost $290 million. Both will be used for nuclear weapons simulations and other computationally demanding tasks.

This news article was written on October 28, 2005.

==Canon Working On Fuel Cells For Cameras And Printers==
Canon is developing fuel cell technology for use in printers and digital cameras. Fuel cells are generally more efficient than traditional batteries, but the size/performance ratio isn't quite where it should be:

Canon, the world's top maker of copiers and cameras, is aggressively investing in the development of new products, keen to cultivate new growth drivers as the digital camera market slows and competition in the printer and copier markets heats up.

This news article was written on October 25, 2005.

==Google Revenue Nearly Doubles==
Google's good fortune continues as it has reported revenue that is up nearly 100% versus this time last year. The company has also added over 800 new employess since July:

The Internet search company saw revenues of $1.578 billion for the quarter that ended September 30, 2005, up 96% from the third quarter of 2004, and up 14% compared to the company's second quarter.

Google's third quarter net income was $381.2 million -- $1.32 per diluted share -- over six times more than its Q3 earnings a year ago of $52.0 million. Financial analysts predicted Google's quarterly EPS would fall in the $1.26 to $1.44 range.

This news article was written on October 21, 2005.

==Information Revealed About Intel Merom==
The boys over at DigiTimes have some information on Intel's Merom processor. The chip will be pin-compatible with Yonah and feature an L2 cache of up to 4MB. Merom will also feature a 14-stage pipeline and is built on a 65 nanometer manufacturing process:

First mentioned by sources in 2004, Merom was announced by Intel in August this year at IDF Fall in San Francisco. The processor will be manufactured utilizing 65nm technology. Compared to Yonah, it will have a larger level-two cache (presumably up to 4MB) and will contain some micro-architecture innovations, according to Eden. One of these innovations will be a higher performance 4-issue out-of-order engine with deeper buffers and a pipeline extended to 14 stages.

This news article was written on October 20, 2005.

==HP recalls 135,000 battery packs==
Hewlett-Packard has recalled 135,000 notebook batteries because of possible overheating issues:

The recalled product was imported from China and Taiwan and used with Pavilion, HP Compaq, Presario and Evo notebooks manufactured from March through September of last year. These machines have a bar code label starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. The battery packs were sold separately for between $100 and $130.

This news article was written on October 17, 2005.

==Maxtor External Drives Up To 1 TB==
Maxtor today unveiled its new OneTouch III "Turbo Edition" external drives at the Digital Life Expo in New York. The device comes with with RAID 0/1 and file synchronization capability and extends the consumer OneTouch line of drives into high-end consumer and professional markets.

The OneTouch III will be offered in 600 GByte and 1 TByte capacity versions and will actually contain two individual Maxtor harddrives in one case. The devices support USB2.0, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 connections and enable the user to protect data by using either RAID 0 striping or RAID 1 mirroring. Striping allows for faster read and write access by splitting up the reads and writes to both drives, while mirroring puts an exact copy on the drives. With mirroring, no data is lost if one drive fails, but the downside is that effective storage capacity is cut in half.

This news article was written on October 16, 2005.

==Samsung To Pay $300 Million For Price Fixing==
The US Justice Department reports that Samsung has admitted to price fixing in the memory market and will pay a $300 million fine (the second largest criminial antitrust fine in US history):

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty to a charge that it conspired to fix the price of memory chips and will pay a $300 million fine, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

This news article was written on October 14, 2005.

==A Modern-Day Tale Of David And Goliath==
There's an editorial over at VoodooPC which takes a look at the relationship that both Intel and AMD have with vendors along with some thoughts on AMD's anti-trust lawsuit.

AMD has always had this awesome grassroots approach to the industry, and their relationship building is on a completely different planet from Intel's. AMD has never tried to apply pressure on us to change the "ratio" of AMD/Intel on our systems. AMD has always called on us in good times and in bad, and they've always addressed any issues we've had within minutes of blurting out an email.
This news article was written on October 13, 2005.

==Yahoo! Releases Podcasting Service==
Yahoo! has just released a test version of its new podcasting service. From the (short) article: "Yahoo's new service will allow users to download shows from National Public Radio, the weekly presidential address, and independent shows with subjects ranging from sports to knitting." Additionally Yahoo! Podcast users have the ability to rate shows.

This news article was written on October 10, 2005.

==Why Microsoft Hates Blu-Ray==
The private feud just became public.
Apparently, Gates yelled at Sony's CEO because the new copy protection Blu-ray has adopted would prevent players from streaming content to the Xbox 360. Since the PS3 will have Blu-ray support but the Xbox 360 only has a plain DVD drive, this means PS3 will be the only console that can play HD movies. Also, Paramount just announced support for Blu-ray and Warner Brothers may also jump ship. Will VHS vs. Betamax turn out differently this time?
This news article was written on October 8, 2005.

==Huge JPEG patent infringement suit against Microsoft, Apple, IBM & others==
In a filing in United States District Court on Monday, Forgent Networks, whose subsidiary, Compression Labs, Inc. is the current patent holder for JPEG image compression technology, filed suit principally against Microsoft, plus what appears to be, by the company's count, "approximately 40" technology companies, representing just about everybody that anyone recognizes. The claim is apparently patent infringement, though details were not provided.

The complete list of parties named in the suit:
Acer America Corporation, Agfa Corporation, Apple Computer, Incorporated, BancTec, Inc., BenQ America Corporation, Canon, USA, Concord Camera Corporation, Color Dreams, Inc., Creative Labs, Incorporated, Creo, Inc., Creo Americas, Inc., Dell Incorporated, Eastman Kodak Company , Fuji Photo Film Co U.S.A, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Gateway, Inc., Google Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, International Business Machines Corp., JASC Software, JVC Americas Corporation, Kyocera Wireless Corporation, Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, Microsoft Corporation, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Incorporated, Oce' North America, Incorporated, Onkyo Corporation, PalmOne, Inc., Panasonic Communications Corporation of America, Panasonic Mobile Communications Development Corporation of USA, Ricoh Corporation, Riverdeep, Incorporated (d.b.a. Broderbund), Savin Corporation, ScanSoft, Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc, Thomson S.A., TiVo Inc., Toshiba Corporation, Veo Inc., Xerox Corporation, and Yahoo! Inc.

This news article was written on October 7, 2005.

==AMD - Intel Trial Updates==
AMD has issued a subpoena to Intel in regards to the anti-trust trial which isn't expected to begin until 2007:

The procedural move targets more than 15 computer makers and a dozen distributors and retailers that AMD believes may possess information related to its claims against Intel.

An AMD spokesman underscored that his company is not suing the companies. "AMD views these third parties as victims of Intel's misconduct and therefore hopes to obtain these documents in the manner least burdensome to them," he said.

This news article was written on October 7, 2005.

==Apple to roll out video iPod==
On Tuesday, Apple fanned the flames of interest by sending out and e-mailing invitations to an Oct. 12 event at the California Theater in San Jose, Calif., enticing invitees with the text "One More Thing ..." accompanied by a picture of a closed red curtain.

Speculation has immediately centered around another change to Apple's line of iPod music players, and the company has precedent on its side. It was almost exactly a year ago that Apple used the same venue to debut the iPod Photo and U2 iPods at an event that featured Bono and The Edge of the band U2.

This news article was written on October 6, 2005.

==SpreadFireFox.com hacked again==
SpreadFireFox.com got spread eagle yesterday as hackers broke into the site and opened up user accounts to prying eyes:

"We have scanned SpreadFirefox servers and at this time do not believe any sensitive data was taken, but as a precautionary measure we have shutdown the site and will be rebuilding the Web site from scratch," the open-source group said in an e-mail sent to members.

This news article was written on October 5, 2005.

==ATI decreases warranty to 1 year==
In other ATI news today, Legit Reviews has a response from the company on their new warranty policy. For those that didn't already know, ATI has reduced the warranty on their video cards from 3 years (and in some cases 5 years) to 1 year:

When we spoke to ATI about the warranty changes they explained that it was done for a number of reasons. After studying the average "return rate over time" charts it was discovered that nearly 90% of all video card returns were done in the first 60 days. This means that consumers very seldom used their warranty on the second and third years per the old warranty plan. Since ATI's warranty plan covers production cards for three years a large inventory of cards has to be kept on hand for warranty work. This inventory is nothing more than a money pit for ATI, as the cards lose value each and every day.

This news article was written on October 5, 2005.

==South Korea Introduces Robotic Teachers==
The Korean Advanced Intelligent Robot Association (KAIRA) will have 64 educational robots deployed by the end of 2005.

Able to read out English stories and correct pronunciation of English words to children, these robots are going to be supplied to apartment complexes in Seoul, Bucheon and Bundang in Gyeonggi province for testing purposes.

After testing is complete, the Ministry of Information and Communication and KAIRA plan to commercialize the robots as early as 2006. If there exists sufficient demand, education robots will sport other subjects (as mathematics, etc.) apart from English, as well as also target older students.

This news article was written on October 4, 2005.

==Forged Maxtor Corp.â€™s MaXLine II HDDs appear in Japan==
Forged Maxtor Corp.â€™s MaXLine II hard disk drives (HDDs) have emerged on the Japanese market, according to local press. Alleged swindlers supply 320GB flavours of the HDDs, whereas Maxtor officially produces only 250GB and 300GB versions of the products for retail channel.

Instead of Maxtor MaXLine II hard disk drives, some unnamed suppliers shipped hard drives that mimic products intended for Maxtorâ€™s OEM clients to several stores in Japan. The products do not seem to be genuine, though. The products identify themselves with model number 5A320J0 and come with 320GB capacity, which is not in the MaXLine II lineup intended for retail customers. Such products are not supported by Maxtor, according to Akiba PC Hotline web-site, who quoted Japanese representatives of the HDD maker as saying.

The counterfeit hard drives can be distinguished by incorrect font on the label as well as usage of lower-case 'X' letter in the brand-name: on forged HDDs it is writer MaxLine II, whereas the company calls the drives as MaXLine II.
The original Maxtor MaXLine II hard disk drives with 250GB and 300GB capacities have model numbers 5A250J0 and 5A300J0 respectively. There are 320GB hard disk drives in the Maxtor MaxLine II lineup with model number 5A320J0 designed primarily for OEMs and available across the world, according to Googleâ€™s search results. The products are listed at Maxtorâ€™s web-site, but their specs could not be obtained at press time due to problems with the companyâ€™s web page.
The HDDs that were, according to the company, either mislabeled or made from unqualified components, or components that did not pass quality assurance procedures, are intended for systems with Parallel ATA-133 interconnection. The hard drives are equipped with 5400rpm motors and 2MB cache.

It is unclear whether the issue is widespread. Maxtorâ€™s representatives did not immediately return email seeking for comment.

This news article was written on October 1, 2005.

==Laptop for 100$==
Who's up for a $100 laptop? MIT researchers have developed a prototype for a $100 laptop which runs the Linux operating system and will be targeted at developing countries...and Massachusetts :-)

The laptop can be powered either with an AC adapter or via a wind-up crank, which is stored in the housing of the laptop where the hinge is located. The laptops will have a 10 to 1 crank rate, so that a child will crank the handle for one minute to get 10 minutes of power and use. When closed, the hinge forms a handle and the AC cord can function as a carrying strap, according to Negroponte. The laptops will be ruggedized and probably made of rubber, he said. They will have four USB ports, be Wi-Fi- and cell phone enabled and come with 1GB of memory.

You can view images of the laptop here.

This news article was written on October 1, 2005.

==Robotic Sentry Gun==
Aaron Rasmussen and his brother Ezra built this awesome robotic sentry gun. The gun is an airsoft replica of an FN P90 and fires 6mm BBs. Pan and tilt are controlled by two hobby servos using a simple controller. Aaron wrote custom software to watch the usb webcam and track targets. There is a video on the site of it being testedâ€¦ on Ezra.
This news article was written on September 23, 2005.

==Top 10 Best/Worst Tech Products of the Past 10 Years==
CNET has two top 10 lists of the Best and Worst products of the past 10 years. Here's the #1 from the worst list:

I want to say that it was a good idea in the beginning. Bob was born out of Microsoft's goal to improve the Program Manager interface for Windows 3.1. But it was a replacement that just didn't catch on. It also suffered the ignominy of spawning the awful Clippy--the helpful paper clip. Maybe Bob wasn't universally bad, but I've never heard anyone say they miss it. On a side note, according to Wikipedia, "Microsoft Bob was a project managed by Melinda French, Bill Gates's girlfriend at the time. The two later married. Bob was the last project she ever worked on for Microsoft

This news article was written on September 20, 2005.

==Sun offers to trade Dell Xeons for Sun Opterons==
Aggressive firm Sun Microsystems told AMD resellers that it would give a 20% trade up allowance on qualified Dell systems, so piling the pressure on the Round Rock'n'Rollers.

The deal, presented to AMD's channel partners, said that resellers could save up to $1,900 on servers that Sun claims perform 1.5 times better than the Xeon machines Dell sells.

The firm also reckons that the Sun Fire X4100 and X4200 servers also offer up to 56 per cent savings in power and cooling costs per year.

The offer ends on March 24th next year, and Xeon users are invited to trade in on this web site.

This news article was written on September 14, 2005.

==eBay buys Skype==
London - Ebay today announced that it will purchase VoIP company Skype in a deal valued between $2.6 and $4.1 billion. The acquisition will allow the online auction leader to access Skype's 54 million users and further diversify its revenue streams with Skype's VoIP services - while free PC-to-PC-based calls will continue to be offered.
Skype, barely two years old, did not come cheap for Ebay. The online auction house pays $2.6 billion in cash and stock - roughly 371 times the revenue Skype achieved in 2004 - plus a performance-based bonus, which could amount to $1.5 billion and will be due in 2008 to 2009 time frame.

Despite the substantial investment, analysts believe that Skype will pay off for Ebay and create the dominating global VoIP provider on the Internet. "The foremost benefit for Ebay clearly is to add a voice client to its services and diversify its revenue with an excellent and strong product," said William Stofega, an analyst with IDC. "Ebay purchased an enormous worldwide brand that comes with a wonderful ecosystem already built. Besides that, the company receives a proprietary technology that does not rely on SIP, but on its own signaling protocols."

This news article was written on September 13, 2005.

==Google hires the father of the Internet==
Google continues its pursuit of nabbing key figures in the tech industy with the hiring of Vint Cerf:

Cerf, who co-designed TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), will help Google develop architectures, systems and standards for next-generation applications, the company said.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==Dell keeps e-mails and data for AMD==
Dell has agreed to cooperate with AMD's subpoena in regards to the antitrust case against Intel. Dell is seen as a key witness in AMD's case against the chip giant:

Dell, the largest PC maker, buys microprocessors exclusively from Intel. The Texas-based PC maker agreed to preserve relevant information and copy hard drives of employees identified as "custodians" -- those who were involved in negotiating microprocessor purchases.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==eBay considers buying Skype==
eBay, the lumbering 500 lb gorilla, is in talks now to purchase Skype. This would mark the latest in a long list of aquisitions by the company in the past year:

EBay Inc. is in talks to acquire Internet-telephone company Skype Technologies SA for between $2 billion and $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

This news article was written on September 10, 2005.

==Hardware requirements for Windows Vista==
Do you think that your system has what it takes to handle Windows Vista? Your hopes and dreams may be shattered when you find out what kind or rig that Microsoft recommends that you have to ideally run Vista:

"If you move from 32 to 64 bit, you basically need to at least double your memory. 2 gigs in 64 bit is the equivalent of a gig of RAM on a 32bit machine. That's because you're dealing with chunks that are twice the size... if you try to make do with what you've got you'll see less performance. But RAM is now so cheap, it's hardly an issue.

"In terms of disks, you're really going to want S-ATA 2hard drives with NCQ capability because it gives the OS the ability to get on with stuff while disk tasks complete. All the tier 1 and tier 2 vendors can provide this capability today.

"Thirdly, the graphics card and system bus is essential. PCI x16 is going to be very important. Any of today's 3D GPUs will be fine... we're not waiting for some mystical monster that may or may not come out. But they need to have 128MB of RAM on it. If they've only got 64 don't panic.

This news article was written on September 7, 2005.

==Dothan vs Turion Tests==
Laptop Logic has posted a fresh article comparing Intel's much loved Dothan processor to AMD's Turion 64. There are plenty of performance numbers and battery life tests to keep you busy for a while:

This article fully covers the architecture of both the Pentium M and Turion CPU, along with a brief history outlining the various tweaks and optimizations that were performed during their development. To appeal to a broader audience, this article will first discuss the effect of the respective designs rather than delving into any engineering details. Then, the pros and cons of each CPU architecture are discussed, followed by a brief evaluation of price. Finally, the bulk of the article compares the Turion ML-37 against the Pentium M 760 in a myriad of benchmarks, starting from simple synthetic benchmarks to the four main categories of computing: office/business, multimedia, gaming, and scientific use. Battery life is also compared, and the conclusion will provide a brief summary.

This news article was written on August 30, 2005.

==Pioneer's BRD-101A white-label Blu-ray burner==
Pioneer is showing off their new BRD-101A Blu-ray/DL DVD+-RW drive. One thing it won't read though is regular old CDs.

This news article was written on August 30, 2005.

==Three indicted in U.S. spam crackdown==

Three low-life spammers have been [http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/groupware/story/0,10801,104189,00.html indicted by an Arizona grand jury] and are considered to be in the top 200 as far as spammers go:

Three people accused of sending massive amounts of spam face possible prison sentences after being indicted by a grand jury in Arizona and accused of violating the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and other charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Named in the indictment are Jennifer R. Clason, Jeffrey A. Kilbride and James R. Schaffer. The three are accused of sending spam that advertised pornographic Web sites, the DOJ said in a statement. They made money from commissions that the Web sites paid in return for directing traffic to their sites, the statement said.

This news article was written on August 28, 2005.

==Google Opens Gmail Service to Public==
Google's GMail service has been [http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Opens_Gmail_Service_to_Public/1124983238 opened up to the public] after being invitation-only since its inception. The only catch is that you must have a cell phone. Considering that everyone and a grandma has a cell phone these days, that shouldn't be too much of a problem:

The mobile phone requirement was designed to prevent Gmail accounts from being created by robots and stop spammers from signing up multiple times. Google will send an invitation code via SMS, which can then be used to register with Gmail. Only one account may be created per phone number.

This news article was written on August 28, 2005.

==GoogleTalk Released==

Google has released their GoogleTalk IM application. You can download it [http://www.google.com/talk/ here].

This news article was written on August 24, 2005.

==Urine-Powered Batteries Developed for Cell Phones==

A research team at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have [http://www.mobiledia.com/news/34588.html developed a battery that is powered by urine].

Physicists in Singapore have succeeded in creating the first paper battery that generates electricity from urine. This new battery will be the perfect power source for cheap, disposable healthcare test-kits for diseases such as diabetes, and could even be used in emergency situations to power a cell phone.

This news article was written on August 16, 2005.

==Sanyo develops chip for HD DVD, DVD, CD's==

Sanyo Electric Co said Thursday that it had developed a signal processing large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) for HD DVDs. Sanyo's chip allows playback and recording of HD DVDs, current DVDs and CDs. By utilizing the product, it is possible to lower costs and reduce the size of the HD DVD drive and HD DVD player hardware.

SANYO plans to release this chip to the market in the second quarter of 2006. With the expected rapid proliferation of products in the consumer electronics field, HD DVD players and recorders that utilize this LSI will quickly appear in the market, according to the company.

"HD DVD is advantageous because of its superior compatibility with current generation DVDs and low cost production for ROM disks. This will prove to be a big edge in popularizing HD DVD ROM contents", Mr. Yodoshi added.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==Intel recalls batch of Intel P4 EE processors==

Intel is [http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20050810225319.html recalling a batch] of 3.73GHz P4 EE processors because an improper heatsink was included in the packaging. Only about a hundred or so of the chips were affected by the error:

The batch number is 3502A770, for stock control unit (SKU) Intel Pentium 4 3.73GHz with 2MB cache and 1066MHz processor system bus. Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition product that runs at 3.73GHz is designed for extremely fast PCs used by enthusiasts and hobbyists.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==Dead After 49 Hours Of Starcraft==

A South Korean man who died after [http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-skorea-game-death,0,5845845.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines playing Starcraft for 49 hours] straight:

A 28-year-old South Korean man died of exhaustion in an Internet cafe after playing computer games non-stop for 49 hours, South Korean police said Wednesday.

Lee, a resident in the southern city of Taegu who was identified only by his last name, collapsed Friday after having eaten minimally and not sleeping, refusing to leave his keyboard while he played the battle simulation game Starcraft.

This news article was written on August 12, 2005.

==IBM to Release Search Engine as Open Source==

IBM plans to release as open-source a [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1844710,00.asp sophisticated new search and text analysis technology] that is able to find relationships, trends and facts buried in a wide range of unstructured data, including e-mails, Web pages, text documents, images, audio and video.

Called the UIMA (Unstructured Information Management Architecture), the technology is able is able to go beyond the keyword analysis typically used by most search engines to discern the semantic meanings within text and other unstructured data, said Nelson Mattos, vice president of information integration with IBM in San Jose, Calif.

This news article was written on August 8, 2005.

==Japan iTunes Hits 1 Million Downloaded Songs==

In just four days, 1 million songs have been downloaded at Apple's new iTunes Music Store in Japan, the fastest pace for the service's launch in any of the 20 nations it's now available, including the U.S., a senior executive said Monday.

"We're extremely happy with the results," Eddy Cue, Apple Computer Inc. vice president of applications, said in a telephone interview from Cupertino, Calif., where Apple is based. "We think we've got a huge success."

Apple has not signed a deal with Sony Corp.'s music division, which has some of the most popular Japanese singers and bands under its label. Cue refused to comment on how talks with Sony Music Entertainment are going but said he hoped Sony will join soon.

The popularity of iTunes in Japan has dealt another blow to Sony because it has already surpassed the number of downloads Sony's affiliated online music store gets in a month about 450,000.
This news article was written on August 8, 2005.

==MS Patch Day: Six Bulletins on Deck==

On August 9th, Microsoft is set to [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1843878,00.asp release six patches] to fix possible serious security holes in its Windows operating systems:

Some of the vulnerabilities carry a maximum severity rating of "critical," meaning they could put Windows machines at risk of an Internet worm, even without any user action.

This news article was written on August 7, 2005.

==Razer Copperhead 2000 DPI Laser Mouse==

Laptop Logic has the scoop on the new [http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/08/06/2005/407/0/ Razor Copperhead laser gaming mouse]. Everyone always raves about the Logitech MX510/MX518 for gaming, but this one looks to kick serious butt:

Razer has just released Copperhead, the industry's first laser gaming mouse. The Copperhead offers tracking precision at up to 2000 dpi and the first mouse to utilize Full Speed (12MBps) USB. The 2000 dpi laser sensor uses a 16-bit data path and samples at 1000Hz, compared to other mice that poll at 125Hz. It also has 32 KB built-in RAM memory.

This news article was written on August 7, 2005.

==Budget dual-core Athlon from AMD==

In order to better do battle with Intel at the low-end of the dual-core market, AMD is launching an [http://news.com.com/AMD+releases+budget+dual-core+Athlon/2100-1006_3-5812788.html?tag=nefd.top entry-level Athlon 64 X2 3800] which runs at 2GHz:

The Athlon 64 X2 3800+ will run at 2GHz and each core will have a 512KB secondary cache for rapid data retrieval. The chip costs $354 in quantities of 1,000. That's less than existing dual-core Athlons, but the chip also doesn't provide the same performance levels as the chips released earlier. The Athlon 64 X2 4200+, for instance, has the same size cache but runs at 2.2GHz.

This news article was written on August 1, 2005.

==Apple, HP Call it Quits on iPod Deal==

I never quite understood the partnership in the first place, but both companies have [http://www.betanews.com/article/Apple_HP_Call_it_Quits_on_iPod_Deal/1122669991 severed their deal] in which Apple provided Hewlett-Packard with co-branded iPods:

"HP has decided that reselling iPods does not fit within the company's current digital entertainment strategy. As a result, HP plans to stop reselling iPods by the end of this September," Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris confirmed to BetaNews.

This news article was written on July 30, 2005.

==CATALYST Beta Driver 1 for Windows Vista beta 1 (code name Longhorn)==

For those of you out there testing Windows Vista Beta 1, here's a [https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=19933 Catalyst beta driver] from ATI for you to try out.

This news article was written on July 29, 2005.

==Intel to borrow from laptops for server chips==

Intel's Pentium M architecture has won acclaim from both reviewers and the buying public for its high performance and efficient architecture. Intel is taking some of the [http://news.com.com/Intel+to+borrow+from+laptops+for+server+chips/2100-1006_3-5807723.html?tag=nefd.top techniques] used to make its mobile processors great and is applying them to its server chips.

A Xeon chip for blade servers due in the first half of 2006 derives from the Pentium M family, the company's notebook chip family, said Stephen Thorne, marketing manager of the server platform group at Intel. Code-named Sossaman, the chip puts out a maximum of 31 watts, fairly low for server chips, which can boast thermal ceilings of 110 watts.

This news article was written on July 28, 2005.

==Beta Testers Get First Look at Windows Vista==

The Windows Vista beta is out in the open and over 20,000 testers are now pawing all over it.

The long-awaited first beta for the Windows Vista client release, which was formerly known as Longhorn, officially goes live Wednesday, hitting some 20,000 technical beta testers.

Microsoft also Wednesday released the first beta of the as-yet un-renamed Windows "Longhorn" Server to a limited number of participants in the technical beta program, including hardware manufacturers, OEMs, independent hardware vendors, system builders, independent software vendors and developers.

This news article was written on July 27, 2005.

==House backs federal investigation of Rockstar Games==
Rockstar is going to need more than [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/gta4/news_6129723.html a cup of hot coffee] to shake off the Feds on this one. It's interesting though that sex provokes such a response from politicians, but drive-bys, cop killing, and drug dealing don't really phase them. Hmmm.......

Just after 7 pm on Capitol Hill today, the House of Representatives voted 355 to 21 to support a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The purpose of the probe will be to determine if take-Two Interactive and its publishing subsidiary Rockstar Games deceived the voluntary Entertainment Software Ratings Board when it submitted Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

This news article was written on July 27, 2005.

==Server Milestone hit by AMD==

AMD has punched through the [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1840619,00.asp 10% marketshare level] with shipments of its Opteron processors. It still has a ways to go to match the dominance of Intel server chips in sales, but there's always that lawsuit to possibly help matters out in the future...

The Sunnyvale, Calif., chip maker, citing fresh figures from Mercury Research Inc. in Cave Creek, Ariz., said it garnered just over 11 percent of x86 server shipments in the second quarter, versus about 7 percent in the first quarter.

This news article was written on July 26, 2005.

[[Category:News]]

PHP Search Plugin

2013-07-01T09:36:53Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Description== This page contains a search definition in [http://www.opensearch.org/Home OpenSearch] XML format which, if installed, allows you to search for a PHP function o..."

==Description==
This page contains a search definition in [http://www.opensearch.org/Home OpenSearch] XML format which, if installed, allows you to search for a PHP function or definition directly from the search box of your browser.

The search plugin has been tested in both Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Other browser may work, provided they support the OpenSearch definition.

==Installation==

* In Mozilla Firefox, go to the search box, click on the arrow by the search logo and click on PHP (Function List).
* In Internet Explorer, go to the search box, click on the arrow and select Add search provider, then click on the PHP (Function List) option.

If you see the Helpedia logo, don't worry, the PHP logo will appear in the search box after you click on the option.

==Download==
There is no need to download anything, but if you wish to do so, you can view the XML definition file by clicking on [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/php_search.xml this link].

[[Category:Projects]]

NFO to PNG

2013-07-01T09:30:23Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Description== This PHP script converts a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.nfo NFO file] into a monochrome PNG image and outputs it to the browser. Everything is hardcoded, i..."

==Description==

This PHP script converts a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.nfo NFO file] into a monochrome PNG image and outputs it to the browser.

Everything is hardcoded, it does not rely on any image libraries to create the image.

The script is easy to configure and allows you to change the background and foreground colors and limit the image width.

==See also==
# [[NFO to BMP]]

==Download==

You can download the PHP source code and sample NFO packaged in a single ZIP file, 5.50 KB, from [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/nfo2png.zip this link].

==Online demo==

Click on [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/nfo2png/nfo2png.php this link] to view the script in action.

[[Category:Projects]]

NFO to BMP

2013-07-01T09:24:26Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Description== This PHP script converts a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.nfo NFO file] into a monochrome bitmap and outputs it to the browser. Everything is hardcoded, it d..."

==Description==

This PHP script converts a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.nfo NFO file] into a monochrome bitmap and outputs it to the browser.

Everything is hardcoded, it does not rely on any image libraries to create the image.

Please note that -at the moment this project was created - Internet Explorer does not seem to load BMP images directly in the browser, though the bitmap exported by the script is binary correct and loads fine in other browsers like Mozilla Firefox.

The script is easy to configure and allows you to change the background and foreground colors and limit the image width.

==See also==
# [[NFO to PNG]]

==Download==

You can download the PHP source code and sample NFO packaged in a single ZIP file, 5.50 KB, from [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/nfo2bmp.zip this link].

==Online demo==

Click on [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/nfo2bmp/nfo2bmp.php this link] to view the script in action.

[[Category:Projects]]

FLV Extract

2013-07-01T09:19:11Z

Mariush: Created page with "==Description== The application opens FLV (Flash Video) files and allows users to extract video, audio or timestamp information from them. FLV Extract can currently extract M..."

==Description==
The application opens FLV (Flash Video) files and allows users to extract video, audio or timestamp information from them.

FLV Extract can currently extract MP3 audio stream and video encoded in Sorenson h263 (FLV1) format or On2 VP6 / On2 VP6 with Alpha Channel (FLV4).

The video is exported in the classic AVI format, allowing you to edit or view it with any player, if you have the correct video codecs installed on your computer.

[[File:Flv extract.png]]

FLV Extract was inspired by another application written in C# available on [http://www.moitah.net/#FLVExtract Moitah.net] which - at the moment this application was created - did the same thing but had a simpler interface and offered less feedback to the user. The author of the C# (original) version deserves credit for it, without that version I wouldn't have been motivated to port his version to Visual Basic 6 programming language and improve the user interface.

The application was written in the Visual Basic 6 programming language, which means that, on very old operating systems like Windows 95 or Windows 98, you will have to install [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7B9BA261-7A9C-43E7-9117-F673077FFB3C&displaylang=en the Visual Basic 6 runtime] from Microsoft, in order to run it.
It also means it will not run on other operating system except the ones from the Windows family, unless emulated.

The application is open source, the source code is included in the download file, along with the GPL License text.

As with almost any free application, there is no guarantee it works without messing up your computer. It was tested extensively and found to be safe to use. Also, there is no official help support.

If you are impressed with the application and you wish to donate to support the development of this application, or if you need a customized version or features, contact us at one of the addresses mentioned in the About page for more details.

==See also==

# [http://www.moitah.net/#FLVExtract FLV Extract] - the original C# based application was ported from

==Download==
You can download the application and the source code (in a single ZIP file, 53.7 KB) by clicking on [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/flv_extract.zip this link].

[[Category:Projects]]

File:Flv extract.png

2013-07-01T09:18:01Z

Mariush:

File Merger

2013-07-01T09:16:13Z

Mariush:

==Description==

The application recreates an original file that was previously split by File Splitter.

[[File:File merger.png]]

File Merger is very easy to use and to understand, as you can see from the image above.

The application was written in the Visual Basic 6 programming language, which means that, on very old operating systems like Windows 95 or Windows 98, you will have to install [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7B9BA261-7A9C-43E7-9117-F673077FFB3C&displaylang=en the Visual Basic 6 runtime] from Microsoft, in order to run the application.
It also means it will not run on other operating system except the ones from the Windows family, unless emulated.

The application is open source, the source code is included in the download file.
You can do whatever you please with it, you can use the source code in other projects but you must make it obvious that the modified version is not identical to the one you have downloaded from this site. You should also mention the original authors of this project and a link to this page, but it's not required.

As with almost any free application, there is no guarantee it works without messing up your computer. It was tested extensively and found to be safe to use. Also, there is no official help support.

If you are impressed with the application and you wish to donate to support the development of this application, or if you need a customized version or features, contact us at one of the addresses mentioned in the About page for more details.

==Download==
You can download the application and the source code (in a single ZIP file, 21.8 KB) by clicking on [http://www.helpedia.com/downloads/programming/projects/file_merger.zip this link].

[[Category:Projects]]