Samsung announced, today, they developed the world’s fastest and largest capacity 2.5’’ SSD MLC-Based with SATA II interface. This deice offers 256GB of capacity with a reading speed of 200MBps, and a writing speed of 160MBps. This new drive is very thin, and is only 9.5mm thick. It measures 100.3x69.85mm.Taipei, Taiwan, May 26, 2008 - Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has developed the world’s fastest, 2.5-inch, 256 Gigabyte (GB)

via akihabaranews.com

Looking forward to adding an eSATA slot to your notebook? Well look no further, here's the GH-EXC-ESA2! It has two eSATA slots (3.0Gbps), a JBOD external drive, and supports RAID 0/1. A PCI Express version is also available. Both devices are Windows XP and Vista compatible ONLY... Nothing so far for OSX... LAME !

via akihabaranews.com

Man, these kind of statements regarding the release of Windows 7 is really confusing me. First it was going to release in 2010, then according to some leaked info it was going to come in 2009. Then again a Microsoft rep said it will be unveiled in 2010 only. But now none other than Bill Gates said that it'll probably come in 2009. Reportedly, Gates is "super-enthused about what it will do in lots of ways."

Cnet reports, "Unclear is whether Gates was referring to early testing of Windows 7 coming within the year, as opposed to a widespread release or debut. An early test geared toward developers would be conceivable. The company has repeatedly said that it will accelerate the development of new Windows versions, largely as a response to Vista's roughly five year gestation period."

via pclaunches.com

The government has today published its recommendations to help protect children as they surf the Internet.

The Telegraph leaked one of the recommendations recently - that the 999 emergency details be displayed on all networking sites, but the report by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith actually takes this a step further.

The Government wants networking sites, such as Facebook, to add links to agencies including the NSPCC and the Samaritans.

However, the focus of the report is on how to prevent sex offenders getting any access to childrens' details or a way of contacting them in the first place.

The report urges the industry, including social networking sites and ISPs, to work together with law enforcement agencies, headed up by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

The Government proposes that the email addresses of registered child sex offenders will be passed by police to social networking websites, enabling these websites to block offenders from using their sites.

via pocket-lint.co.uk

The iPhone's Mobile Safari browser may have caused a sensation when it was launched, but one year on and Opera's free offering now looks set to surpass it.

Opera Mini 4.1 beta launches this week with a number of major improvements that belie its incremental version change. Key most among these is a huge performance jump with Opera now claiming the browser loads fully formatted desktop-style web pages up to 50 per cent faster than v4.0. A stunning boost considered 4.0 was already quick on both GPRS and 3G.

Features take a major step forward too with the ability to now download and upload files meaning the otherwise awful Internet Explorer Mobile loses its one big advantage. On top of this Mini 4.1 will automatically suggest URL completions to save input time, save pages for offline browsing and provides a 'Find' function to quickly locate text on a page. Opera has also posted a guided video tour for your perusal.

via trustedreviews.com

Any of you that use PCs everyday should be all too familiar with the constant battle to keep at bay all the latest viruses, Trojans, and all the other nasty bits of software - collectively known as malware - that attack our workhorses. The daily deluge of updates and security warnings combined with the all conquering knowledge that the battle to rid your PC of these threats will never truly be won is enough to depress even the most chipper among us.

Of course, it didn't always use to be like this. Back in the day, as long as you kept your computer protected from wayward floppy disks, you were sitting pretty. The real problems came with the arrival of the Internet and since then attacks on our PCs have simple skyrocketed. From the lowly "click on me" virus attachments in emails, to the most aggressive of Trojans that sneak in through an unpatched hole in your operating system, they come at you from all angles and, to keep them all at bay, the list of programs you need to protect everything has also mushroomed.

Nowadays it's not uncommon to have anti-virus and anti-spyware software, a decent firewall (either hardware or software), spam filters, and a browser that detects phishing websites. So, bearing in mind the already considerable space and processing power of all these programs, there's probably two ways you will view the arrival of Trustware's Bufferzone software.

via trustedreviews.com

Version 2.0 of the MapCapt just recently got released. If you’ve never heard of MapCapt before don’t worry. Here’s the scoup:

MapCapt automatically scrolls, captures, assembles and saves maps from a web page to a bitmap file, even if scrolling is controlled by custom controls. You can use it with maps.google.com, maps.yahoo.com, and more and then use these ‘downloaded’ maps with your GPS navigation device.

There’s a free version which is quite limited - you can only do two steps of horizontal scrolls on no vertical scrolls. What good is that?

The full version - which you can purchase for $9 or 6 € - has no such limitations and provides two additional features such as the ability to follow a road with the manual scrolling function and autocorrect some small misalignments problems.

Interesting piece of software this MapCapt.

via navigadget.com

Spying programs for mobile phones are likely to grow in sophistication according to a leading mobile analyst.

Many of the spy programs on the market are powerful, but aren't very sophisticated code, said Jarno Niemela, a senior anti-virus researchers for Finnish security vendor F-Secure, speaking at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

But there is increasing evidence that money from selling the tools will create a stronger incentive for more accomplished programmers to get into the game, which could make the programs harder to detect, Niemela said.

Niemela said his prediction follows what has happened with the malware writers in the PC market. Many hackers are now in the business of selling easy-to-use tools to less technical hackers rather than hacking into PCs themselves.

One of the latest tools on the market is Mobile SpySuite, which Niemela believes is the first spy tool generator for mobiles. It sells for US$12,500 (£6,220) and would let a hacker custom-build a spy tool aimed at several models of Nokia phones, Niemela said.

via computerworlduk.com

Microsoft will soon be releasing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. How soon is soon? Reports have it coming as early as April and will be released in two groups. Service Pack 3 (SP3) will come first for those users with the Simplified English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Korean versions with any remaining versions to follow about 3-weeks later.

Microsoft has also confirmed that SP3 for Windows XP Media Center and Windows XP Tablet Edition will not be available as an integrated version, meaning those users will only be available to update to SP3 using Windows Update. Its also safe to say that this will be that last major update Microsoft will push out before they stop selling XP this June. Which hopefully becomes a point where users will finally feel comfortable enough to make the move to Vista.

via gadgetell.com

Adobe announced its intention to create a free, online photo editing application in the fall of last year. Today, Photoshop Express launches for public consumption. It's not much like the computer application of the program, so if you're used to using Photoshop, or even a free software imitation like Seashore with precise number-based controls, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, Photoshop Express offers a lot of options and some freedom— it's easy to use and completely free without requiring a download. The program also teams up with Facebook, MySpace, and Picasa, pulling and letting you edit all the pictures from your online albums there. Go ahead, crop out your exes without taking a single picture off-line.

Right now Photoshop Express offers 2GB of storage, but don't try to upload all your pictures at once: it could be first day jitters, but right now uploading speeds on the site are quite slow. While it's no Photoshop, we expect Photoshop Express will be useful to millions of on-the-go photo posters who want to to upload, crop, straighten, sharpen or distort their photos from public places or without relying on a hard drive.

via dvice.com

Communicating with your family and friends over an instant messaging program is one of the cheaper (or even free) ways to keep in touch across a few thousand miles. Unfortunately, technology hasn’t exactly caught up with the high definition craze that is sweeping across living rooms in Europe and the US - until now, at least. Quanta and ooVoo have teamed up to offer high-quality, real-time video communication over the Internet, as long as you have a HDTV or notebook . Guess girlfriends who are talking to their boyfriends over this new technology will have to put even more foundation on their faces in order to hide the zits that seem to sprout up like nobody’s business.

CC Leung, vice chairman and president at Quanta Computer said, “The world is just beginning to realize the promise of high definition video as more and more HDTV sets are sold and more HD programming and content becomes available. Quanta is delivering the highest-performing computer hardware platforms since 1988. We are now looking to the day when the benefits of high definition will move from a passive, entertainment-driven technology to one where connecting with friends and collaborating with colleagues is possible in HD. Whether at home, work or on the go, the promise of high definition video opens new possibilities when it is put in a social context. HD video chat is just the first step.”

via coolest-gadgets.com

The PDF file format is ubiquitous in many areas of computing life. It's the format of preference for most documents published on the web and is used in business wherever documents require a fixed layout that can be annotated, but not easily changed.

The two main ways to create and edit PDF files are through Adobe's own Acrobat application or using Nuance's PDF Converter. There are other PDF creating tools, but these two programs hold the lion's share of the market. PDF Converter has just been updated to version 5 and includes a raft of new features, some of which are not matched by Acrobat, even though it's over twice the price.

Additionally, PDF Converter 5 supports Microsoft's XPS document format, a more recent rival to PDF, which may be an advantage in an organisation that supports both types of electronic paper files.

via trustedreviews.com

Apple introduced Safari 3.1, the world’s fastest web browser for Mac® and Windows PCs. Safari loads web pages 1.9 times faster than IE 7 and 1.7 times faster than Firefox 2. Safari also runs JavaScript up to six times faster than other browsers, and is the first browser to support the latest innovative web standards needed to deliver the next generation of highly interactive Web 2.0 experiences.

via coolgadgetszone.com

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium software is the designer’s dream toolkit for print, web and interactive, and mobile publishing. It combines all-new versions of essential tools for professional page layout, image editing, illustration, and Adobe PDF workflows with new tools for designing engaging websites, interactive experiences, and mobile content. Design Premium offers a productive, intuitive, and tightly integrated environment with everything you need to design content for tomorrow as well as today. Experience the ultimate creative toolset with Adobe InDesign CS3 for page layout, Photoshop CS3 Extended for specialized image editing, Illustrator CS3 for vector graphics creation, Flash CS3 Professional for interactive design, Dreamweaver CS3 for web design and development, and Acrobat 8 Professional for Adobe PDF workflows.

via pcconnection.com

Great news for those of you enrolled in Microsoft's Windows Feedback Program. In exchange for giving Microsoft access to your computing habits for the last 3 months, your free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate '07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips (depending upon your enrollment selection) should be delivered in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Oh sure, the price for the most popular choice -- Vista Ultimate -- has dropped $80 since you flittered away your privacy. It's not like the MyFaceSpaceBook types have anything left to hide anyway.

via engadget.com