HardwareLogic - Featured Reviews

The ASE Publishing sites will have something special coming next week. In addition to the special thing, we'll be having a contest that will involve the forum, Twitter, and Facebook. If you use these sites, be prepared to spread the word soon.

You'll see it soon enough.

As if it wasn't bad enough already, Schumer (the schmuck from NY-D) and Graham (the moron from SC-R) want to add in a national ID card to an immigration bill. This is how it starts, people! We have never, ever, been a nation of "let me see your papers" and this just flies in the face of that.

Schumer and Graham are both progressives, regardless of the party you see them in. Instead of fixing the problem (like not having wide open borders so illegal aliens come in), they try to put a bandage on it by throwing more government at the problem.

Do you honestly think that this ID card will stop at workers? There aren't many times I agree with the ACLU, but this is one of them. It is completely un-American and I hope the voters in NY and SC get rid of these two losers.

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A person familiar with the legislative planning said the biometric data would likely be either fingerprints or a scan of the veins in the top of the hand. It would be required of all workers, including teenagers, but would be phased in, with current workers needing to obtain the card only when they next changed jobs, the person said.

The card requirement also would be phased in among employers, beginning with industries that typically rely on illegal-immigrant labor.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't have a position on the proposal, but it is concerned that employers would find it expensive and complicated to properly check the biometrics.

Mr. Schumer said employers would be able to buy a scanner to check the IDs for as much as $800. Small employers, he said, could take their applicants to a government office to like the Department of Motor Vehicles and have their hands scanned there.

See. Now the government is in control of all the jobs in the private economy. That doesn't sound like a free market to me. Don't get me wrong, I don't want American jobs going to illegal aliens, period. Fix the problem, not the symptom.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954904575110124037066854.html

A simple reason why DRM doesn't work; you screw your own customers. Let's take a look at Ubisoft's new game, Assassin's Creed 2. The game REQUIRES you to be logged into to their activation server the entire time. This means activation AND play time are tied to their own servers. If they go down, the product you paid for is now useless.

And that just happened. Their servers are down and the people that paid for the game can't play it. A huge thread on Ubisoft's forum is erupting. http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4721051016/m/7481010838/p/1

Response: http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4721051016/m/7481010838?r=6531081838#6531081838

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I don't have any clear information on what the issue is since I'm not in the office, but clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I've been told these servers are constantly monitored.

I'll do what I can to get more information on what the issue is here first thing tomorrow and push for a resolution and assurance this won't happen in the future. I realise that's not ideal but there's only so much I can do on a weekend as I'm not directly involved with the server side of this system.

Since you already bought the game, we don't care about fixing the issue ASAP. We can wait till tomorrow. How many gamers purchased this game and found this? Don't support companies that put this type of lunacy on their products! DRM is just wrong and takes away consumer rights.

Apple users rejoice! You can buy the iPad starting on the 3rd of April, if you live in the USA. Initially, the WiFi only model will be released. The 3G version will be debuting later in the month.

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iPad will be available in Wi-Fi models on April 3 in the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

The international release is scheduled to be in late April. If you don't live in the USA, be prepared to wait a few weeks while all the Apple people torment you with how great the device is... We at ASE Labs don't think it will be, great, that is...

Press Release: »http://www.aselabs.com/news.php?id=6416

Corsair has just announced a new line up of SSDs. They will be using the SandForce SF-1200 SSD controller at the heart to provide 280MB/s read and 260MB/s write speeds. They support TRIM and will be available in capacities of 100GB and 200GB. This means that there will be a large chunk of extra storage for block relocation and wear leveling.

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Features

• Maximum sequential read speed 285MB/second
• Maximum sequential write speed 275 MB/second
• Latest generation Sandforce controller and MLC NAND flash for fast performance
• Internal SATA II connectivity
• TRIM support (O/S support required)
• No moving parts for increased durability and reliability and quieter operations over standard hard disk drives
• Decreased power usage for increased notebook or netbook battery life
• 2.5" form factor for your portable computer needs
• Included 2.5" to 3.5" bracket for installation on your desktop computer
• Two year warranty

Press Release: »http://www.aselabs.com/news.php?id=6353

Product Page: http://www.corsair.com/products/ssd_force/

I've longed talked to Western Digital about their thoughts on the SSD market. The story has changed from something like "we are committed to magnetic storage" to "we're timing the market," after the purchase of SiliconSystems. SiliconSystems made SSDs in the form of Compact Flash for the industrial and business market. They didn't make true consumer SSD products, but they weren't traditional CF disks that you would find in a high end DSLR.

Today, Western Digital has announced the SiliconEdge Blue line of SSDs. They range in size from 64GB to 256GB and, based on reports, is using the newer JMicron controller. We like when companies break out of their niche when a newer (and better) technology comes around so we're glad to see WD step up to provide SSDs to the consumer market.

WD set some crazy pricing on these drives. The 128GB is suggested to be $529. We highly doubt that you will purchase this drive for that price. Expect it to be in-line with something like the V Series from Kingston, which uses similar parts.

Product Page: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=789

Apple is targeting the maker of the Google Nexus One, HTC, in a lawsuit over 20 patents.

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Apple today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Steve Jobs thinks competition is healthy when no one has a product that can compete with Apple. Suddenly, the Nexus One comes out (which isn't even that great), and Apple gets in a bind. What say you about this?

Press release: »http://www.aselabs.com/news.php?id=6107

I don't hide the fact that I'm a libertarian and one of the tenets of that is to uphold personal freedoms and have a limited federal government. The Federal Government wants to intrude on one of the most basic rights that we are given when we are created, the ability to speak freely and openly; I mean, on the internet. The government wants power to oversee areas of the internet and wants to be able to control certain aspects.

Let's look at their comments.

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In the physical world, I associate the dynamics of a natural ecosystem with two important concepts: first, the presence of some set of biological laws such as natural selection, that second, leads to a balance or equilibrium state so that even when there is a disturbance these natural operations and laws bring the ecosystem back to a equilibrium state (maybe different than before, but an equilibrium).

Applying this concept to the online ecosystem could lead us to accept the idea that the Internet is self-regulating and there is some natural order that will always emerge no matter how the system may be disturbed. From this concept some argue that policymakers should just leave the Internet alone.

In fact, "leaving the Internet alone" has been the nation’s Internet policy since the Internet was first commercialized in the mid-1990s. The primary government imperative then was just to get out of the way to encourage its growth. And the policy set forth in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was: "to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet and other interactive computer services, unfettered by Federal or State regulation."

This was the right policy for the United States in the early stages of the Internet, and the right message to send to the rest of the world. But that was then and this is now.

That was then and this is now? What changed? You don't think that the internet has become a medium to allow political views to be disseminated to large audiences of like minded people would be the cause? No... Couldn't be. My question to you, why is it when something works does the Federal Government want to regulate it?

What's the purpose of the Federal Government regulating the internet? This is what the document says are problems.

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• If users do not trust that their credit card numbers and private information are safe on the Internet, they won’t use it.
• If content providers do not trust that their content will be protected, they will threaten to stop putting it online.
• If large enterprises don’t have confidence that their network will not be breached over the Internet, they will disconnect their network and limit access to business partners and customers.
• If foreign governments do not trust the Internet governance systems, they will threaten to balkanize the Domain Name System which will jeopardize the worldwide reach of the Internet.

People won't buy stuff on the internet? Please, what are the Feds looking at? The next three are FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) trying to evoke a emotional knee-jerk reaction. All the points are unfounded and even if they were, government needs to stay out and let the internet manage itself as it has done for a long time.

What are the goals of this new policy?

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• Privacy policy. Here’s the question: How can we enable the development of innovative new services and applications that will make intensive use of personal information but at same time protect users against harm and unwanted intrusion into their privacy? We are launching a series of listening sessions this spring with industry, advocates and academics in the field, and will follow up with a notice of inquiry and public outreach events.
• Child protection and Freedom of Expression: As more children go online, how do we ensure proper targeting of law enforcement resources against serious crime while remembering that most important line of defense against harmful content is the well- informed and engaged parent or teacher? Later this year, the Online Safety Technology Working Group, created by Congress and convened by NTIA, will issue a report on the state of the art in child protection strategies online.
• Cybersecurity: How do we meet the security challenge posed by the global Internet which will require increased law enforcement and private sector technology innovation yet respect citizen privacy and protect civil liberties. We’re participating in a Commerce Department cybersecurity initiative that will address these issues, particularly as they relate to improving the preparedness of industry for cyber attacks.
• Copyright protection: How do we protect against illegal piracy of copyrighted works and intellectual property on the Internet while preserving the rights of users to access lawful content? NTIA and our sister agency at the Department of Commerce, the US Patent and Trademark Office, are beginning a comprehensive consultation process that will help the Administration develop a forward-looking set of policies to address online copyright infringement in a balanced, Internet-savvy manner.
• Internet Governance: In our role administering the Federal government’s relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), how do we ensure that ICANN serves the public interest and conducts its activities with the openness and transparency that the global Internet community demands? Last fall, NTIA and ICANN set forth a framework for technical coordination of the naming and numbering system and I am looking forward to soon participating in the first of the administrative reviews to ensure that these commitments are carried out in full.

Slippery slope? No, it is a avalanche and we're in the face of it. If you let the Federal Government do this, it will be the end of the internet as you and I know it. What happens when the Feds find something they don't approve of on the internet? You think that child porn is the only thing? No political views would ever be suppressed? Hmm...

Read it for yourself: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/presentations/2010/MediaInstitute_02242010.html

Atari is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Missile Command by giving it a free version for play on the internet. The new version has been updated and reimagined by OMGPOP, operator of the omgpop.com website. Housed in a mini-site dedicated to the game, the remixed Missile Command captures the original iconic DNA of the 1980's phenomenon, and adds compelling new dimensions and attitude - highlighted by the entirely online multiplayer gameplay, a first for the franchise. Missile Command is free to play and available at http://www.missilecommand.com, http://www.atari.com/missilecommand and http://www.omgpop.com/games/missilecommand.

The year was 1980 and all across the planet people had the very real fear that one day the world's super powers would finally use their nuclear arsenals. Missile Command was in many ways a reaction to those fears. The premise of the game was simple: the player must protect six cities from an ever increasing swarm of ballistic missiles. Control was taken care of by a fast and accurate trackball that was notorious for pinching the skin of players' fingers. That didn't seem to affect the public appeal of the game which became an immediate arcade smash hit and one of the biggest sellers of the Atari 2600 system.

Now Atari and OMGPOP have built upon that legacy with this exciting online version. With enhanced features such as power-ups, new enemies, upgrades, and an entirely online multiplayer co-operative gameplay option, the new Missile Command has all the makings of a modern classic.

"Missile Command is a pop culture phenomenon that millions upon millions of fans have enjoyed throughout the years," says Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. "The new Missile Command maintains the appeal of the original while bringing it to today's casual and social game players. It is an example of how Atari's games portfolio is well positioned for today's growing online games market."

"Working with Atari was terrific," says OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter. "To be able to work on a classic that many of us grew up playing and add the social and multiplayer features was a great way to bring the game to the millions of teens on omgpop.com."

Do you remember when Missile Command came out? Get some nostalgic gameplay by checking out those websites. It is pretty fun and still the same pick up and play gameplay.

Source: Atari

A New York man pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement for selling counterfeit goods over the internet. The man, Robert Cimino, 59, of Syracuse, NY, was charged with selling more than $250,000 worth of counterfeit goods over the internet. According to court documents, buyers would contact Cimino by email and then pay for the goods using Paypal.

Cimino would then mail infringing copies of Adobe, Autodesk, Intuit and Quark programs that he had burned to CD or DVD to the customers, including customers in the Eastern District of Virginia. Cimino admitted that from February 2006 to September 2009, he received at least $270,035 from his sales of infringing software products.

Don't get us wrong, we strongly support lowering copyright terms and a basic reform of the copyright system to strip out software from the mix. He was a criminal selling counterfeit goods. The people that purchased the software were mislead into believing that the software was legitimate.

Cimino is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga on May 28, 2010. Cimino faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, restitution and forfeiture.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice (http://www.justice.gov)

Panasonic is the latest company to bow to Microsoft's exFAT filesystem for use in its products. exFAT (or FAT64) does bring a few evolutionary things to the FAT filesystem. The partition limitation is now 64ZB (64x2^70 bytes) and file size has been increased to the same limit. Older FAT32 partitions are limited to 4GB per file which is really unacceptable in today's computing world.

The problem with exFAT is that it is patent encumbered so any use of it requires a license to Microsoft. This should stifle industry adoption of the filesystem, but Microsoft is keen on pushing its technology into the market to lock out competing standards (like the patent free EXT4 filesystem or others). Microsoft has long learned to get its technology at the heart of products to force the market to adopt only its technology. exFAT is available on Windows, of course. Mac and Linux, not so much.

The new SDXC format for SecureDigital cards will be standardized on the exFAT filesystem. We have no doubt that open source support will move out of the experimental area soon enough, but standards should be open and not be patent encumbered.

In addition to licensing the exFAT filesystem, Panasonic also received a license for long file name support for FAT32. The full press release is on the next page.

Have a merry Christmas for all that celebrate it. Be happy, safe, and remember that Christmas is a time for giving, not being greedy.

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah! Wish your Jewish friends a happy one. The first day is tomorrow. Did you get anything good yet?

Be safe, eat until you're stuffed, and remember those that don't have. That's what giving thanks is all about.

Fountain Valley, CA -- November 16, 2009 -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is adding 12GB triple-channel HyperX® memory kits in support of Intel’s LGA1366 Core i7™ systems. The DDR3 XMP-ready kit consists of six 2GB modules running at 1600MHz and 1.65 volts.

The 12GB memory kit helps increase overall system performance in 64-bit operating systems. System builders and ultra enthusiasts who deploy 12GB of Kingston® triple-channel memory will find performance increases in such tasks as video encoding, processing large photo files, graphical rendering and extreme PC games.

The memory kit has been tested with great success on motherboards with six sockets such as the Gigabyte GA-X58-UD6 and Asus P6T Deluxe motherboards. Kingston HyperX memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free 24/7 technical support. For detailed information please visit the Kingston Web site at http://www.kingston.com.