AMD overtakes Nvidia in second quarter GPU shipments

AMD has managed to pull ahead of rival Nvidia in GPU shipments for the second quarter of 2010, according to a new report by Mercury Research. The company was able to grab 24.5% of the total graphics market versus 19.8% for Nvidia. And while Intel remains the undisputable champion, with its integrated graphics chips capturing 54.3% of the market, this is a huge turnaround for AMD compared to the same quarter in 2009, when it held just 18.2% against Nvidia's 29.6%.

Referring specifically to the discrete graphics cards market, the researcher said AMD commanded 51% of shipments during the quarter while Nvidia grabbed a 49% share. Again, just last year they were at 41% and 59% respectively. There are a number of reasons for this role-reversal, starting with the fact that AMD released its first DirectX 11 cards several months before Nvidia. Also, it probably didn't help that the GeForce GTX 480 and 470 cards were heavily criticized for their noise and heat output, while their performance wasn't a great deal better than AMD's offerings.

It should be interesting to see if the trend maintains next quarter with both manufacturers expected to have a fair range of DirectX 11 cards on the market. The GeForce GTX 460 was certainly a step in the right direction for Nvidia.

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Apple intros Magic Trackpad, updates iMac and Mac Pro

Putting an end to weeks of speculation, Apple today released an update to the iMac line while also introducing what it calls the Magic Trackpad, a wireless multi-touch surface that brings MacBook-like gestures to the desktop.

The new iMac all-in-ones sport the same cosmetic design as their predecessors, but they now support Intel's latest dual-core i3 and i5 processors, as well as quad-core i5 and i7s. They also come with discrete ATI Radeon HD for graphics, and if you buy the higher end 27-inch model, there's the option of including a 256GB SSD as your primary or secondary drive. Base prices for the new models -- including a Core i3 or Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI Radeon HD 4000 or 5000 graphics and either a 500GB or 1TB hard drive -- range from $1199 to $1999.


As for the Magic Trackpad, the device is an external surface featuring a smooth glass and aluminum design that basically looks like a bigger version of the trackpad on the MacBook. It connects to a Mac using Bluetooth and enables things like pinch to zoom, two-finger scrolls, rotating an image with fingertips, three-finger swiping back and forth between web pages, and four-finger Expos? triggers. The Magic Trackpad can be configured for single or two button commands and supports tap-to-click as well as a physical click. The mouse replacement (or companion) costs $69 and is shipping now.

Last but not least, Apple also unveiled a new 27-inch LED Cinema Display which will be available in September at a suggested retail price of $999, updated Mac Pro desktops with support for up to twelve cores using a pair of hexa-core Xeons, and introduced a AA battery charger for $29 -- yes, you read that right.

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Motorola's Droid X debuts, includes self-bricking 'protection'?

The greatly anticipated Motorola Droid X has officially launched today on the Verizon network -- and it seems the timing couldn't be better for both the manufacturer and the carrier. With so much controversy revolving around iPhone's reception problems and talk of a possible recall, some current or potential AT&T customers may instead turn to this high-end Android smartphone.

The device sports a huge 4.3-inch touch display, a fast 1GHz OMAP processor, 8-megapixel camera with 720p video recording, HDMI output, GPS navigation with full turn-by-turn directions, FM radio, 24GB of storage capacity out of the box (8GB on-board plus a 16GB microSD card), and Swype support which lets you "type" faster by sliding a finger from letter to letter.

The Droid X ships with Android 2.1, the second most recent version of Google's mobile platform. But, like many Android phones, it comes with a modified version of the operating system that's exclusive to the manufacturer. There has been some talk that Motorola is using a chip called 'eFuse' to verify that your Droid X is running approved software at bootup or else it could be deactivated.

While the chip is indeed under the hood, there's no evidence that it will be used to brick your handset should you want to root your phone and load Android 2.2 "Froyo" before a Motorola-sanctioned version is out. In fact, the same 'eFuse' chip can reportedly be found on a number of previous Motorola handsets. In any case, the Droid X is available now for $199 after rebate with a two-year contract, and it seems plenty of units will be available to avoid any shortages.

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Apple releases fix for iPhone 4's miscalculated bars

Apple has released an update for its mobile operating system that fixes a buggy algorithm which supposedly causes the iPhone 4 to miscalculate the number of bars it has. The company maintains that iOS 4.0.1 will resolve a problem users have dubbed the "death grip," whereby holding the new smartphone with your finger on a certain spot can degrade, and ultimately drop calls. This has caused quite a stir, even prompting an open letter from US Senator Charles Schumer telling Apple to fess up and provide a real, free solution for the call quality issues.


Despite countless user testaments and a video by Consumer Reports' engineers confirming some form of hardware-based design flaw, Apple insists that you're just imagining things and the new patch will solve your troubles � at least until tomorrow, when the company plans to hold a press conference to further address the matter. In the meantime, you can download the update through iTunes and be sure to share your findings in the comments.

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Συνεργασία Kaspersky-M86 Security

Η M86 Security, με εξειδίκευση στη real-time ασφάλεια και προστασία email, προχώρησε στην επέκταση της συνεργασίας της με την Kaspersky Lab.

Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η M86 θα μπορεί να προσφέρει τις δυνατότητες antivirus ελέγχου της Kaspersky Lab στους χρήστες των λύσεων Μ86 MailMarshal SMTP, M86 MailMarshal Exchange και M86 WebMarshal products.

«Η συνεργασία με την M86 είναι πολύτιμη για εμάς, καθώς επεκτείνεται η απήχηση της καινοτόμου τεχνολογίας antivirus ελέγχου της Kaspersky Lab. Η τεχνολογία αυτή ήταν ήδη διαθέσιμη στους χρήστες της λύσης M86 Secure Web Gateway και προσφέρεται πλέον σε ολόκληρη τη γκάμα λύσεων ασφάλειας της εταιρείας», δήλωσε ο Peter Merkulov, Vice-President of the Technology Alliances Business Division της Kaspersky Lab. «Η κοινή προσπάθεια των δυο εταιρειών προσφέρει στους χρήστες των λύσεων της M86 ένα προηγμένο και αξιόπιστο εργαλείο για την εξουδετέρωση απειλών όπως ιοί, worms, rootkits, spyware και άλλα είδη κακόβουλου λογισμικού», συμπλήρωσε.

Η Kaspersky Lab προσφέρει τεχνολογίες antivirus ελέγχου στην Μ86 από το 2006. Η πρώτη λύση της Μ86 που αξιοποίησε τις τεχνολογίες αυτές ήταν η M86 Secure Web Gateway.

«Η συνεργασία μας με την Kaspersky Lab αποτελεί μέρος της δέσμευσης μας για την ανάπτυξη συμμαχιών και την αναζήτηση τρόπων για την παροχή ακόμη πιο ολοκληρωμένων λύσεων στους πελάτες μας», δήλωσε ο Werner Thalmeier, Vice-President of Product Management της M86 Security. «Έχοντας προσθέσει αυτή την κορυφαία τεχνολογία στο «οπλοστάσιο» της M86, είμαστε σε θέση να προσφέρουμε μεγαλύτερη ποικιλία επιλογών στους πελάτες που ενδιαφέρονται να αξιοποιήσουν τις λύσεις ασφάλειας και ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου που διαθέτουμε», συμπλήρωσε.

AMD Socket AM3 Budget Motherboard Shootout

The AMD AM3 platform appears to be the way to go for budget-minded users, and best of all there's a huge range of affordable motherboards to choose from. Because of the way AMD has been forced into playing their cards, it is easy to find and purchase an AM3 motherboard capable of supporting even the latest Phenom II X6 processor for less than $100. Many of these motherboards also boast newly released technologies such as SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0, making them even more attractive.

Today we are putting together a few of these affordable AM3 motherboards to see just how much bang for your buck they offer. The contenders include the Asrock 880GMH/USB3 ($85), Gigabyte 870A-UD3 ($95) and MSI 870A-G54 ($90).


Also as part of our evaluation, we will attempt to unlock the Phenom II X2 555 processor ($100) on each board, essentially obtaining the performance of a $160 part without shelling out the extra cash for it.

Read the complete review.

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Increase 40% profit Nokia

Nokia made its profits rise by 40% compared to a ’ quarter of 2009, reaching in 322 million. euro.

Sales were made at 9,52 billion. the euro, while analysts estimate that it will reach the 9,69 billion. euro.In free fall, the share of Nokia, with losses of 12%, due notice lower earnings estimates but erode forecasts by the group.

The company announced that it expects sales gains 6,7 and 7.2 billion.for the second quarter, while ’ stated that there will be an important limitation of profit margins in manufacturing mobile unit, and lower prices.The profit margin for this unit placed between 11% and 13% from 12% to 14% in the previous estimate.

Study names Avast Free the most popular antivirus

A new study by OPSWAT suggests that free antivirus applications outrank paid versions in popularity among users. While not shocking, it's an interesting discovery considering the fact that most large system builders ship their machines with Symantec or McAfee preinstalled, leaving smaller companies to rely on after-market installs. It's unclear what percentage of the usage is consumers and how much is enterprise-based.

Avast Free is supposedly the most popular software, taking 11.45% of the pie. Avira AntiVir Personal follows with 9.19%, AVG Free has 8.6%, and Microsoft Security Essentials has carved out a handsome 7.48% since debuting late last year. Below the freebies is Avast (paid) with 5.4%, Kaspersky had 4.48%, Norton at 4.24%, and ESET NOD32 claimed 3.84%.


OPSWAT combined different version numbers for each application, but most vendors have a few separate products, which makes the antivirus software chart a bit confusing. That said, things don't change much when you look at vendors. Avast leads with 19.14%, Avira has 11.39%, Symantec takes 10.06%, Microsoft claims 9.29%, while AVG is just below that with 9%.

The research firm also graphed the location of antivirus vendors. Apparently, 52% of those in the study are European, including Avast, Avira, AVG, ESET, Panda, BitDefender, G Data and Sophos. Meanwhile, 31% are located in the US, including Symantec, Microsoft, McAfee, PC Tools and Sunbelt. Numbers aside, what's your preferred antivirus and why?

In addition to using a free antivirus software which is a good starting point in terms of security, another popular option among users includes free or paid vpn tools. These products allow the user to connect to the internet via a vpn server or a proxy server (for HTTP traffic) and thus hide your actual IP address from the websites that you visit.

There are quality VPN products that provide strong encryption and no-logging policy in order to ensure that your privacy remains strong throughout your browsing activities.

The differences between VPN and proxy services is that VPN will encrypt and protect the whole communication from your computer towards the Internet with AES256 encryption (including HTTP, email, ftp access etc). On the other hand, proxy products hide only your browsing activity (HTTP).  

Pentax Optio I-10

Mία καλαίσθητη ρετρό έκδοση της ψηφιακής μηχανής compact PENTAX Optio I-10 δημιουργήθηκε σε μαύρο-ασημί χρώμα.

Μέσα στο εργονομικό μικρό της σώμα ενσωματώνονται προηγμένα τεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά που προσδίδουν ποιότητα στη ψηφιακή φωτογράφιση. Ο αισθητήρας των 12 Megapixels, η μεγάλη φωτεινή οθόνη των 2,7″ και ο ισχυρός φακός zoom 5x που καλύπτει ένα εύρος από 28mm ως και 140mm συνθέτουν τη βασική τεχνολογική δομή της PENTAX Optio I-10.

Επιπλέον, διαθέτει ισχυρή αντικραδασμική προστασία με κύριο χαρακτηριστικό το σταθεροποιητή με μηχανισμό μετακίνησης του αισθητήρα, λήψη Video High Definition 720p, λειτουργία επέκτασης του δυναμικού εύρους για πρόληψη υπερ- και υπο- εκφωτισμένων περιοχών στην εικόνα, δυνατότητα τηλεχειρισμού και Super-Macro. Η μοναδική λειτουργία Auto Picture της Pentax, αναγνωρίζει το είδος της σκηνής (τοπίο, κίνηση, πορτρέτο κλπ.) και φροντίζει αυτόματα τη σωστή ρύθμιση των λειτουργιών της μηχανής για τα βέλτιστα φωτογραφικά αποτελέσματα.

Δοκιμή δικτύου LΤE στα 1800 Mhz

Για πρώτη φορά στην Αυστραλία, η Telstra μαζί με την Huawei παρουσίασαν με επιτυχία το Long Term Evolution Technology στα 1800 MHz.

Τα 1800 MHz χρησιμοποιούνται για τις υπηρεσίες 2G GSM παγκοσμίως και αποτελούν αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι της τεχνολογίας LTE. Καθώς οι πάροχοι προσπαθούν να αναπτύξουν δίκτυα LTE, είναι αναμενόμενο ότι αυτό το φάσμα των 1800 MHz θα συμπληρωθεί από το φάσμα των 2600 MHz και των 700 MHz όπου αναμένεται να γίνει διαθέσιμα μέσω του ψηφιακού μερίσματος.

Ο Michael Rocca, Chief Operations Officer της Telstra, δήλωσε: “η έρευνα των επιδόσεων της τεχνολογίας LTE σε μία ποικιλία από ζώνες συχνοτήτων, παίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο για τη δημιουργία επιλογών ανάπτυξης που θα φέρουν τα καλύτερα αποτελέσματα για παρόχους καθώς και για τον τελικό πελάτη”.

Η Telstra και η Huawei συνεχίζουν να δοκιμάζουν την τεχνολογία LTE προκειμένου να κατανοήσουν τα χαρακτηριστικά και τις εφαρμογές που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθούν στην εξέλιξη δικτύων «Next G».

Η αξιολόγηση στα 1800 MHz θα περιλαμβάνει δοκιμαστικά στα οποία θα χρησιμοποιούνται κεραίες MIMO καθώς και πολλές κορυφαίες προηγμένες τηλεπικοινωνιακές λύσεις, όπως Inter Cell Interference Coordination για την μείωση των παράσιτων των δικτύων και τη βελτίωση της απόδοσης, και Self Organising Networks, όπου η τεχνολογία LTE βελτιστοποιεί αυτόματα την απόδοση μειώνοντας σημαντικά τα λειτουργικά έξοδα, ενώ παράλληλα βελτιώνει την εξυπηρέτηση πελατών.

Seagate adds BlackArmor NAS 400, ships sans storage

Seagate has added the NAS 400 to its line of BlackArmor servers, which is already home to the NAS 110, 220, 420 and 440. The 400 is identical to the 420 and 440, except it ships without storage, giving you full control over what drives are installed. It supports up to 8TB of storage, Windows, Mac and Linux systems as well as RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and JBOD configurations.

The BlackArmor NAS 4xx products have dual gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, four HDD bays, hardware-based encryption, remote access via any popular web browser, and various business-minded features. For instance, they ship with 10 licenses for backup software along with support for Active Directory 2003/2008 and up to 50 workstations.

Seagate is charging $400 for the NAS 400 and you should save a bit of cash by purchasing hard drives separately. The company tacks on between $200 and $300 for every 2TB HDD, which is far more than you'll pay for something like the Seagate Barracuda LP, Western Digital Caviar Green or similar "eco-class" drives.

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