GPU-Z 0.3.7 Available

Category: Software
Posted: November 22, 2009 01:10AM
Author: Daryn Govender

The latest version of GPU-Z, 0.3.7 is now available. Updates in this version include full support for the ATI Radeon HD 5970 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 video cards, the option to show if a card is compatible with CUDA, PhysX, OpenCL and DirectX Compute, and enhanced accuracy of ATI GPU load monitoring. This new release also has the ability to show the amount of video memory in use for NVIDIA graphics card users, along with other various fixes and updates. GPU-Z 0.3.7 can be downloaded for free here.

Auslogics Disk Defrag 3 Released

Category: Software
Posted: November 20, 2009 12:16PM
Author: Brentt Moore

With other programs available such as Defraggler , MyDefrag, along with the Windows built-in defragging program, it is hard to choose what application to use to speed up a traditional hard drive. Auslogics also has a product out however for free, called Auslogics Disk Defrag, which has just been updated to version three. In the new version, Windows 7’s superbar progress indicator is fully supported, as well as the ability to free p space before a defrag begins. The program comes in both an installable package and a portable one, and can be installed on basically any storage medium that is large enough. Target files can also be defragged by themselves or a full system optimization can be done if chosen, with intelligent system file placement being an option. Included in the Auslogics Disk Defrag program is a new optimization feature that the company recommends to run around once a week, and though it takes longer than a normal defrag would, it supposedly helps drives health and performance even more. The updated version of the program can be found and downloaded from many internet websites, including here.

NVIDIA GeForce 195.55 WHQL-candidate Drivers Unveiled

Category: Software
Posted: November 19, 2009 12:10AM
Author: Daryn Govender

NVIDIA has unveiled its newest driver, GeForce 195.55. This new driver is NVIDIA's first driver to support the GT 240 video card and GPU acceleration of HD videos in Adobe Flash 10.1 Beta, in line with the recently released ATI Catalyst 9.11. SLI support for new games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands and FIFA Soccer 10 is also included in conjunction with many minor fixes. You may download the NVIDIA GeForce 195.55 WHQL-candidate drivers for Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP here.

ATI Catalyst 9.11 Drivers Available

Category: Software
Posted: November 18, 2009 11:46PM
Author: Daryn Govender

ATI has released the latest version of Catalyst drivers, version 9.11. The new release is compatible with the ATI Radeon HD 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 series of video cards. Catalyst 9.11 brings support for hardware acceleration of H.246 videos in Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Beta and enhanced conversion of high quality content to a lower resolution (by ATI Video Converter), along with numerous fixes in Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. The release notes for ATI Catalyst 9.11 are available here and you can download the driver from AMD's website here.

New Microsoft Office Shows Up

Category: Software
Posted: November 16, 2009 07:44PM
Author: Brentt Moore

Besides the copies of the new Office that were found on a few torrent sites that were rumored to be loaded with viruses, Microsoft has officially put up Office 2010 on Technet in beta form of course. This means that the first beta will soon become available to some users, and the product will be worked on consistently until release. The product will hopefully take to consumers better than the 2007 version did, though the ribbon is a key component to blame on that release when it made its debut. Not much information is known on any fixes, changes, improvements, or additions that have been made to the suite, but soon Technet users will be able to plunge in and take the new Office software for a personal spin and critic it along the way.

Google Announces Free GPS Service

Category: Software
Posted: October 28, 2009 07:24AM
Author: Nick Harezga

Google is throwing its hat into yet another industry, announcing that it will soon be offering a free GPS service for mobile phones. The free service could boost the popularity of its Android operating system, which will include it with Google Maps for Mobile. The popularity of GPS systems has grown over the years, with the market being dominated by companies like Garmin and Tom-Tom. Google hopes to offer the device on non-Android phones, but with the opposition that was seen to Google Voice apps, this seems unlikely. GPS maker Tom-Tom recently released a similar app for the iPhone, with a price tag of $100.

ATI Catalyst 9.10 Driver Released

Category: Video Cards, Software
Posted: October 25, 2009 01:36AM
Author: Daryn Govender

ATI has released the newest version of its Catalyst video card drivers: ATI Catalyst 9.10. The Catalyst 9.10 driver supports the ATI Radeon HD 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5800 series cards. It is the first ATI Catalyst driver which is WHQL certified for the newly released ATI Radeon HD 5800 series of graphics cards. This new driver also supports "super sample anti-aliasing" which aims to bring high image quality whilst maintaining good performance. To see the full list of fixes and updates you can read the release notes here. ATI Catalyst 9.10 is available to download over at AMD's website here.

Premier DirectX 11 Benchmark Unveiled

Category: Software
Posted: October 25, 2009 01:13AM
Author: Daryn Govender

The premier (first) DirectX 11 benchmark has surfaced from Unigine Corp. The new "Heaven" benchmark features native support of OpenGL, DirectX 9, DirectX 10 and most importantly: DirectX 11. It also incorporates tessellation, advanced SSAO (screen-space ambient occlusion), algorithm-generated volumetric clouds , dynamic time-of-day simulation, interactive fly/walk-through modes and ATI Eyefinity support for multiple-monitor configurations. The Heaven benchmark is based on Unigine's proprietary Unigine™ engine. The Heaven benchmark is available to download for free here and a video of the benchmark in action can be viewed on YouTube here. I've personally witnessed the Heaven benchmark in action and I can truly say it's visually stunning. I can't wait to see what's next from Unigine!

Kindle Coming to the PC

Category: Software
Posted: October 22, 2009 02:28PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Amazon announced that it will be releasing a free Kindle app for Windows. The app will be available next month, but was demoed at the Windows 7 launch event. The new app for Windows will allow users to purchase books from the Kindle store and read them on their PC. Users who have an iPhone or a Kindle will be able to read books on all three platforms. Although the app was introduced for Windows 7, it will work just fine for users with older PCs, as it is compatible with both XP and Vista. However, some features will only be available on Windows 7, due to the inclusion of the new Windows Touch technology.

IBM Teams with Ubuntu, Tries to Take on Microsoft

Category: Software
Posted: October 21, 2009 06:44AM
Author: Nick Harezga

IBM is teaming with Ubuntu developer Canonical to create a software package to compete with Windows 7 and Microsoft Office. The package includes Smart Work for Linux from IBM installed on the Ubuntu operating system. Ubuntu runs very well on older hardware, which could prove a great selling point for companies looking to upgrade to Windows 7. By going with this new solution instead, current hardware could be reused while upgrading to newer and better software. However, IBM feels that while this solution will be the cost effective method, it will also prove to be the better method for productivity. Contrary to statements from IBM, Softchoice has found that most business computers can already run Windows 7 with the minimum requirements.

NVIDIA SLI Profile Update 3 Released

Category: Video Cards, Software
Posted: October 15, 2009 12:25AM
Author: Daryn Govender

NVIDIA has launched its third SLI Profile update. The new update bring SLI support to the following games:

• Borderlands
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• G-Force
• FIFA Soccer 2010
• League of Legends: Clash of Fates
• NHL 2009
• Order of War
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
• Race On
• Star Trek: D-A-C

The update also increases performance in two games which are already compatible with SLI: Champions Online and Dragon-Age: Origins. NVIDIA recommends that the SLI Profile Update 3 is used in conjunction with the v191.07 WHQL display driver. You can download the new SLI profile update here.

ATI Radeon HD 5900 Sighted in AMD OpenCL Driver

Category: Video Cards, Software
Posted: October 15, 2009 12:11AM
Author: Daryn Govender

TechConnect Magazine has spotted some interesting information in AMD's latest group of OpenCL graphics drivers for Windows and Linux. The OpenCL drivers list the unannounced "ATI Radon HD 5900 Series" as part of the supported cards list under the Evergreen family of GPUs. What you make of this revelation is up to you, but I think that ATI is working on a high-end rival (most likely X2) to NVIDIA's Fermi GPUs. It's always good to see some competition between manufacturers as it helps products improve and stimulates lower prices for the end consumer, you and me!

Firefox 3.6 to get Accelerometer Support

Category: Software
Posted: October 14, 2009 02:18PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Support for recognising a devices orientation when the hardware is there to signal it is generally something you associate with mobile platforms. Mozilla therefore developed an API with this in mind (so it could be included in upcoming mobile browser releases), but it has also decided to make this available in the full desktop version of Firefox starting with 3.6. Some laptops happen to come with built in accelerometers (we're looking at you, Macbooks) that will be able to make use of the functionality, however waving a regular laptop around while browsing isn't something we'll all suddenly start wanting to do. I imagine the API will be more useful for any tablet PC hardware, where orientation changes are far more likely. It looks like early days yet, but if a decent amount of hardware can be supported it could prove to be a handy feature to have for some.

AVG 9.0 Brings Along Speed Improvements

Category: Software
Posted: October 6, 2009 06:43PM
Author: Brentt Moore

The AVG security suite, both the free version as well as the paid version, is very popular among most PC users. AVG still today remains in the top downloaded programs list for various websites touting security software downloads and trials. There is a new version that is now released however, known as version 9.0, which with it brings many improvements in speed along with performance. This new edition will bring speeds that are up to fifty percent faster the previous models due to smarter memory usage and caching. Boot times have also seen a reduction in time anywhere from ten to fifteen percent, while the installation process has half as many windows as it did before to simplify the overall process. The paid versions are known as AVG Internet Security 9 and AVG Anti-Virus, though the free version has not yet been debuted. Both paid versions will sell for $49.99 and $34.99 respectively, with the free version not being introduced into the market until the middle of October.

MSI Launches "Afterburner" Graphics Card Tweaking Utility

Category: Software
Posted: October 1, 2009 10:32PM
Author: Daryn Govender

MSI has announced the launch of its new "Afterburner" graphics card tweaking utility. Afterburner was co-developed by MSI and Rivatuner to provide an interface for overclocking, tweaking and monitoring of graphics cards. Some features of the Afterburner software include up to an 85% overclocking capability (MSI managed an 85% overclock with the MSI N275GTX), advanced fan speed control, over-voltage technology, real-time hardware monitoring and up to 5 overclocking profiles according to MSI. The Afterburner utility is compatible with both ATI and NVIDIA video cards and is available to download for free from the MSI Afterburner website. Our affiliate, Bjorn3D has evaluated the MSI Afterburner software for those who are thinking of trying out MSI's new utility as detailed in yesterday's Hardware Roundup. I think it's good to see a new overclocking utility with open support for both the red and green factions.

Microsoft Escapes $388 million Patent Verdict

Category: Software
Posted: September 30, 2009 01:22PM
Author: Ben Grantham

A $388 million patent-infringement verdict has been overturned by a US district court, in a case that has been going on for six years. The patent in question, held by software maker Uniloc, relates to antipiracy tools requiring user registration, meaning software can not be used on more than one machine. The company claim that the original patent holder showed his program to Microsoft under the understanding that it would not duplicate it, but then went on to do so. Microsoft states that it did not use the method for registering software described in the patent, opting for a different implementation instead. The Rhode Island court had ordered Microsoft to pay Uniloc $388 million back in April, which came as a result of Uniloc appealing a decision that had been given in Microsoft's favor in 2007. After the latest appeal, this has been reversed, leaving Microsoft in the clear again.

When the case was first filed in 2003, Uniloc had been looking for $560 million in damages.

There Is An App For That, And That, And That, And That...

Category: Mobile, Gaming, Music / Video Players, Software, Gadgets
Posted: September 29, 2009 05:43PM
Author: d3bruts1d

If you've seen any of Apple's commercials for the iPhone or iPod Touch, you've probably heard Apple's key phrases "there is an app for that" and "there is an app for just about anything". Now that Apple's App Store has passed two billion app downloads, they are out to prove that there really is an app for anything with the new "Apps for Everything" section on their website.

The new website is broken down into "Apps for..." categories, such as Cooks, Music, Fun and Games, managing money and more. Each section is then broken down into more specific areas, and a few apps are listed. Also available are the top 10 free and paid apps for the category.

While Apple says there is an app for just about everything, we know that there are certain things that there are not apps available for. Porn, downloading or managing torrents, Google Voice, Adobe Flash, wallpapers on the home screen or quickly switching system setting.

Microsoft Releases Free Security Suite

Category: Software
Posted: September 29, 2009 10:06AM
Author: d3bruts1d

Microsoft has released the final version of Security Essentials, a basic suite of tools to detect and prevent viruses, spyware, and other forms of malware. A public beta was offered back in June to the first 75,000 people to download the software. The free suite is now available to anyone running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, provided that your system can pass the Windows Genuine Advantage check.

I'm sure the suits at McAfee, Symantac, AVG, and others are not too happy about Microsoft's latest venture into their territory.

Google Docs Add New Features Aimed at Students

Category: Software
Posted: September 29, 2009 09:03AM
Author: Nick Harezga

New features added to Google Docs today bring new functionality and broaden the uses of the web based productivity software. The most interesting feature to me is the equations editor. Most of the documents I create have some sort of equations in them, so I'm definitely eager to try this out. I've had difficulties in the past with Open Office and compatibility issues with Microsoft Word, so this could prove very useful. The ability to add subscripts and superscripts has also been added, making it easier for users to add in various chemical compounds. Users can also use the Google translation tool to translate to any of the 42 languages available.

Updated GPU-Z Gets Released

Category: Software
Posted: September 25, 2009 07:53PM
Author: Brentt Moore

TechPowerUp has released many helpful utilities over the years, and one popular one to enthusiasts across the board is GPU-Z. Just recently, the company has put out an updated version of this program meant to identify specifications of various graphics cards, bringing it to version 0.3.5. Changes in the build are minimal, but include BIOS parsing on new ATI Radeon HD 4870 cards, added support for DDR3 detection of G9x, added monitoring support for RV7xx based mobile chips, along with added clock reading for Intel i910, i915, i945, and 946. A few other fixes have also been brought into the new build, though they are not noticeable for the most part, besides voltage controller slaves now being called phases.

New ATI Catalyst Drivers Get Released

Category: Software
Posted: September 14, 2009 05:30PM
Author: Brentt Moore

AMD has yet again released its new version of the ATI Catalyst drivers to the public, offering many bug fixes instead of performance enhancements as per usual. This go around, the processor company decided to focus more on fixing previous bugs than it did increasing speeds in certain game titles. The new ATI Catalyst 9.9 drivers offer fixes in Windows XP, Windows Vista, as well as Windows 7, and relate heavily to what most users have been complaining about the most. The release notes signify many fixes, including a few related to HDMI use and the Catalyst Control Center. Users can grab the drivers, if they have not done so by now in the past couple of days, through the AMD website or another mirror. The next round of updates will follow through hopefully with performance increases and improvements though.

Motion DSP vReveal Software Updated

Category: Software, Digital Photography/Video
Posted: September 9, 2009 05:59PM
Author: Dale Shuck

When OCC reviewed the vReveal video enhancement software earlier this year, our reviewer found a lot to like about the package including the results along with its ease of use and the fact that it is CUDA-enabled in order to take advantage of the additional processing power offered by NVIDIA GPUs. Motion DSP has recently upgraded the software to include support for NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series (G80) graphics cards as well as other additional features:

• NVIDIA "G80" models now supported for GPU acceleration (GeForce 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 640, 8800 GTS 320; Quadro 4600 and 5600)
• Even more powerful video stabilization, plus auto-cropping of black bars from around stabilized videos
• New output formats including DivX and MJPEG AVI (joins the previous output options of WMV and uncompressed AVI)
• Japanese localization (full set is now English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese)
• Integrated Facebook video uploader

 

Firefox to Begin Plug-in Checks

Category: Software
Posted: September 7, 2009 04:33PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Updates to both Firefox 3.0 and 3.5 due this week (currently scheduled for the 9th) will see the introduction of a check for outdated versions of Adobe's Flash Player in a bid to improve security for web users. Flash Player has become a frequent target for hackers looking to undermine the security of web browsers, and with many users not staying up to date, a large number of machines can still be vulnerable even after a fix is released.

Upon updating Firefox to the latest version (3.5.3 or 3.0.14) users will be presented with a message urging them to install the latest version of Flash should it be found the plug-in is not up date. With a similar goal in mind, Mozilla will be publishing a page on its site later in the month that will allow users to check the whether other plug-ins are currently up to date. It will also be working with other companies with the goal of having Firefox 3.6 detect the status of a range of popular plug-ins, such as Apple's Quicktime and Sun's Java.

Microsoft Allowed to Continue Selling Word, For Now

Category: Software
Posted: September 4, 2009 01:47PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Back in August, Microsoft faced the prospect of only being able to sell certain versions of Word (2003 and 2007) for another 60 days. In addition to that, the company was slapped with a large fine. It was all due to the way Word implements the use of XML, a method that Canadian company i4i claimed infringed on one of its patents. Microsoft has now been granted a stay on the injunction that would see sales of affected versions of Word banned. The date of the appeal hearing, in which Microsoft will attempt to have the original ruling overturned has also been brought forward and will now take place later this month.

So Microsoft will be allowed to continue selling word for now, with a more definite decision being made on the case sometime in the near future.

Dell and HP Take Microsoft's Side in Word Battle

Category: Software
Posted: August 29, 2009 05:57AM
Author: Nick Harezga

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Microsoft was no longer allowed to sell the popular Word office software. The judge ruled that Microsoft was infringing on patents held by Toronto based i4i. Microsoft immediately announced plans to file an appeal, and now Dell and HP have joined in the fight. Citing that this ruling has far reaching effects outside of Microsoft, the two companies are hoping for at least a 120 day extension for Word sales. In documents filed by Dell, it claims that it has many system images that ship with Microsoft Word. Images that would become useless if Word was no longer allowed to be sold. Dell would need to create new images and thoroughly test them before release.

Opera 10 Release Candidate Available; Final Coming September 1

Category: Internet, Software
Posted: August 26, 2009 02:41AM
Author: d3bruts1d

Opera 10 is coming September 1, 2009, but for those of you that cannot wait a "feature complete" release candidate is available for download from opera.com/browser/next/.

Keeping to its commitment to be the fastest web browser, Opera claims that v10 loads resource intensive sites like Facebook and Gmail more than 40% faster than Opera 9.6. Additionally, Opera 10 includes a new feature called Opera Turbo which is a compression technology designed to improve speeds over limited-bandwidth connections such as a crowded WiFi in a cafe. In addition to speed and performance, Opera's revamped Presto rendering engine includes support for web standards such as web fonts, SVG, and passes the Acid3 test at 100%.

Opera has also made significant improvements to the browser's web development tools, built-in email client, spell checking, and the UI and tabbed interface.

"The release candidate pushes us closer to the final launch of Opera 10," said Jan Standal, Vice President of Desktop Products, Opera. "We paid special attention to the mail client, which is one of our most enduring and popular features. Now, we are very close to releasing the best browser in Opera's long history. We hope everyone who has helped us test our browser thus far will put the release candidate through its paces. With everyone's help, Opera 10 will surprise a lot of people with its speed, stability and powerful features."

Chromium Now Has 64-bit Support

Category: Software
Posted: August 24, 2009 02:32PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Chromium, the Open Source version of Google's Chrome web browser, has recently gained native 64-bit support. The project is still in the early stages of development, so this is great news. As the browser is still in the early stages, it still has some bugs to work out, but those users wishing to take a look can get access to it. A recent survey by the Ubuntu Popularity Contest shows that at least 10,000 users are currently using the browser. The browser is nowhere near widespread, but the number of early adopters is a good sign. When I get some time I plan to install it on my machine and wait anxiously for the day that it becomes my primary browser.

RockMelt May Possibly Contend In Browser Market

Category: Internet, Software
Posted: August 17, 2009 06:30PM
Author: Brentt Moore

Developers seem to constantly improve current browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome, and even Internet Explorer with security fixes along with various speed updates and feature additions. The market for browsers seems crowded just with the popular browsers, let alone those that do not get many users in the general market. The founder of Netscape is supposedly backing up a team of developers on a new browser known as RockMelt, which will feature heavy Facebook integration, and possibly be great for any social networking site. With Marc Andreessen being on the board of Facebook, the rumor does not seem that far off from what RockMelt could be as a browser. If it ever comes out into the market, it will be a while before it gains much popularity however, especially with other browsers dominating the market very heavily. Much information about the browser is not yet known, though it is hoped that more facts and news should be available shortly.

Microsoft Word Only Available for Sixty More Days

Category: Software
Posted: August 12, 2009 02:53PM
Author: Nick Harezga

A federal judge in Eastern Texas has told Microsoft it has only sixty days before it can no longer sell Microsoft Word in the United States. This ruling comes in relation to a patent infringement case filed by i4i Inc in 2007. In addition to the ban on sales, Judge Leonard Davis ordered Microsoft to pay $240 million in damages. Word 2003 and Word 2007 are the versions affected by this ruling, as they contain the ability to handle documents that contain custom XML. Microsoft doesn't seem to be worried by this and plans to appeal the ruling.

Rumors Swirl Around Apple iTunes 9

Category: Music / Video Players, Software
Posted: August 10, 2009 11:04AM
Author: d3bruts1d

Thanks to a "pretty reliable" informant for The Boy Genius Report we have some rumors as to what features may be included in the next major release of iTunes, Apple's digital media player and storefront.

First on the list is the possible support for Blu-ray Disc. Even though Apple, Inc. pay's $50,000 per year to maintain a seat on the Blu-ray Association's board, Apple CEO Steve Job's referred to the disk format as a "bag of hurt" late last year. This rumor lines up nicely with another rumor from AppleInsider which says a refresh of the iMac desktop may include Blu-ray. If this rumor does hold true, I for one hope that it include exporting / backup of the iTunes library to BD-R. With over 100 GB of music, movies, apps, and more in iTunes those DVD backups just don't cut it anymore.

Next up on the rumor list is a method to visually arrange apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch. This should be a welcome feature to anyone with an iTouch device, and has long been a feature requested by frustrated users.

The last rumor on the list is possible integration with social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Last.FM. We can only assume that this type of integration is going to be a broadcast type service similar to the third party apps often installed with IRC and instant messenger clients (i.e. d3bruts1d is now playing Use Somebody by Kings of Leon). If true, this would be the second Apple product to include support with Facebook. Apple's iPhoto '09 (part of the iLife '09 suite) allows uploading of pictures directly to Facebook.

We could see a new version of iTunes as early as September, which is usually when the program gets a major update. The release could also be accompanied by updated iPods, most likely iPod Touch and iPod Nano models with a built in camera.