Mega Video Card Shootout
For those interested readers in seeing a comparison between a whole array of different video cards, Review Zone has the answer for you. Their "Mega Video Card Shootout" has just been updated to include some of the latest cards, and of course, they use Quake III Arena as a benchmark test. They also use MDK2 and 3D Winbench to show you which cards perform the best on both a Pentium and Athlon system. After 13 pages of charts and discussion, I hope you find what you are looking for. Check it out here.
Two New eBooks Coming Soon
RCA is reportedly set to launch its own version of an eBook device, the black and white version retailing for $299 USD, the full color version for $699 USD. Off the shelf the unit will come with 8MB of memory, enough for 8,000 pages of text or approximately 20 novels. It also comes with a 33.6K modem, a rechargeable Lithium ion battery, and a carrying case. The color version features a high-resolution VGA touch screen and an internal 56K modem with ethernet capabilities and a "nicer carrying case". The devices will also have access to periodicals and enhanced dictionaries, and will be sold at Best Buy, Circuit City, and OfficeMax.
SDMI....Don't Make Them Laugh
Apparently the results of the Hack SDMI contest are in, and the recording industry executives are left running for the hills. It seems that their much acclaimed and touted "protection scheme" has failed...miserably. Not only was one watermark broken, but none of the watermarks resisted. The core members of the SDMI Association know about the results, but a large majority are set to find out at a conference today. Of course the RIAA denied it, and Salon.com reports that sources close to the SDMI efforts say the RIAA will try to keep it quiet. It seems that is already too late. Keep checking back to hear the "official word" of the RIAA, one member of which who told Salon.com that the reports were "misguided rumors". Read the article at Salon.com for the full scoop.
Live!Ware for Windows Millennium Released
Creative Labs has finally completed the Live!Ware sound suite for users with Windows Millennium. Complete with new drivers and the rest of the Live!Ware package, 3.0 contains Creative AudioHQ, the Creative Launcher, the Surround Mixer, and the Creative Recorder. For more information about Live!Ware for Windows Me visit SoundBlaster.com, where you can download the full software package or just the drivers themselves.
.NET for Linux?
According to an article over at ZDNet, and recent SEC filings from Corel, the Redmond Giant has apparently left an opening for the possibility to port Microsoft's .NET framework and services to Linux. This comes shortly after Microsoft and Corel announced a partnership in which MS would buy 24.6 percent of Corel in stock, and Microsoft had threatened to sue its rival Corel over several technologies found in the Corel WordPerfect Suite they felt were copyright violations.
Microsoft originally stated that its investment in Corel was simply to gain the backing of a major company for its .Net movement everyone has been talking about recently. Corel was simply to make its existing applications compatible with .NET and support that movement and its products.
Toughest Codes Ever - Cracked!
A team of Swedish computer whizzes has cracked what have been called 10 of the toughest computer codes in the world. According to Reuters, it took the team the equivalent of 70 years of computer time to crack the series of codes, which were increasingly difficult with each new code. The codes were created by author Simon Singh in his internationally best-seller "The Code Book".
TheBurglar.com - Let the Negotiations Begin
Just when you think everything is horrible and you will never get your stuff back after a robbery because the local police department has "enough other problems" that your case seems insignificant, you may have a chance. A new site, TheBurglar.com, actually lets the perpetrator of your home contact you by e-mail and begin negotiating the price for the return of your valuables. Victims post descriptions of their missing pieces, and the burglar is free to check the site at any time to see if the items he jacked are those that you are missing. Unfortunately, it seems that the England-based company is finding that its services are illegal under the Theft Act in British government. Hey, seemed like a good idea at the time.
One Month Left in the WinMeSweeps
The guys over at MeetMeSweeps.com sent word to remind BetaNews visitors that there is only one month left in the contest, and the biggest prize of all has yet to be awarded. Three lucky winners will receive "trips for two to Hollywood, plus a cool Panasonic digital camcorder and one "Dream" PC from Compaq, HP, or IBM to capture and share all the fun!"
There will also be theme weeks in which you can win various other prizes such as a Microsoft Game Voice or Side-Winder Force Feedback Joystick.
End of DirectX Beta Sequence Nears
Microsoft sent word to testers yesterday that the end of the DirectX beta program is nearing, and feedback is needed now to help complete the process. Several new downloads have been added to BetaPlace for testers as part of the final process, including DirectX 8 Release Candidate 0, DirectMusic Producer, international versions of DirectX 8 runtimes, and extras that "contain all of the symbol files and modeling package
plug-ins for extracting skinning information for use with Direct3D." They've also included additional developer tools from nVidia and several other companies. Stay tuned as DirectX 8 continues through the development process.
Microsoft Launches Pair of Mac Products
Today, Microsoft Office 2001 for the Mac was officially launched in San Francisco. The new suite features updates to Word, Excel and the PowerPoint® 2001 presentation graphics program, as well as Entourage™ 2001, a new e-mail program, contact manager, and tightly integrated personal calendar developed for the Macintosh version of Office.
Other Mac specific functions include the Office Project Gallery and the PowerPoint Movie feature. This version of the office suite allows for quick and easy Palm synchronization for those "customers on the go".
QuickTime 5 Preview for Mac Users
Apple, Inc. has given its beloved followers a preview of the up-and-coming QuickTime 5 media program for Macintosh. Not all of the features are included in this preview, the final version coming later this year, around the same time a public preview of QuickTime 5 for Windows will be made available. New features include streaming MPEG-1 video, improvements to 3D QuickTime VR, along with added support for Macromedia Flash 4 and Nullsoft's Shoutcast. Along with QT5, Apple also announced a QuickTime Streaming Server 3 preview. For more information and to download the preview, visit Apple, Inc.
Gates Hacked NASA - Not Really!
In some humorous news, it seems that the Orange County Register was hacked on September 29th so that an article detailing Jason Diekman's hacks into NASA Web sites read that Bill Gates was responsible instead. Several other sentences in the article were changed to make it look more like Mr. Gates was responsible, as well as naming a source used by prosecution. The Register has since put a, as USA Today puts it, "so-called 'firewall' around the entire server". Read the article over at USA Today if you are interested.
Judge Jackson May be Removed
Due to his repeated appearances in the media expressing his opinion on the Microsoft anti-trust trial, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson may be removed from the case should portions be sent back to district court, which is highly probable. It is highly likely that Microsoft will ask that he be removed due to these circumstances. While no one feels Judge Jackson was necessarily biased in the case, many feel that his comments could allow for his removal. Keep checking back as the Redmond Giant goes back to the courtroom.
Microsoft Time Table Set
The United States District Court of Appeals has set the timetables for the great Microsoft anti-trust trial appeals. The proceedings begin with the two sides filing written briefs over the course of the next four months, and the verbal battle beginning at the very end of February. The first 150-page filing is due from Microsoft on November 27th, with the government due on its 125-page response, and the separate states 25-page response due on January29, 2001. Final briefs are due on February 9, 2001 with the verbal arguing beginning three weeks later.
Intel Delays PIII and Speeds PIV
Chip-making giant Intel has announced that its recalled PIII processors will not be made available to consumers until next year, while announcing that the upcoming P4 may be ready as early as next month, starting at speeds of 1.4GHz and higher. Executives noted the delay on the PIII on an increased demand and availability for the new Pentium 4 rather than the third generation chip. Other reasons for the delay include the desire for volume shipping and efforts to transform the PIII into the more modern FC-PGA packaging instead of the SECC2 packaging currently being used. For more information read what John Spooner wrote over at ZDNet.
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