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VESA have officially updated their DisplayPort Dual-Mode 1.1 standard which paves the way for better performance, higher resolutions and increased interoperability when using HDMI and DVI ports through a cable or an adapter.

When using Dual-Mode, DisplayPort will be capable of outputting an additional HDMI/DVI-compatible signal alongside its expected DisplayPort link. What this will allow is connectivity for HDMI and DVI-capable devices without the need for cables or converters featuring active electronics. Current DisplayPort Dual-Mode converters/adapters are limited by an output maximum of 1080p @ 60Hz with 24-bit color.

This update to DisplayPort Dual-Mode would allow HDMI 1.4 to be quite versatile, handling deep-color, 3D 1080p @ 60Hz and 4K UHD (2160p) @ 30Hz, all through a single cable. These improvements are thanks to a near doubling in the Transitional-Minimized Differential Signal (TMDS) rate, which has been ramped up from 165MHz to 300MHz.

Stickam, the live video streaming website that gained notoriety in the alternative teen culture took itself offline last night in what appears to be a permanent decision. This shocked many of its users who had no idea the service was closing.

Its service let users "stick" a live video stream on their website, or blog and could also be accessed from Stickam's website. It grew in popularity with the scene, emo and alternative youth demographics, but it also attracted more adult content related "performers" which Stickam quickly banned in an effort to keep things family friendly.

Stickam launched in 2005 and it quickly grew to 10 million registered users with about 6 million monthly unique visitors. With other services like YouTube, Google+ Hangouts and Ustream, gaining in popularity, the service just could not keep up.

With Google saying that their "Explorer Edition" of their augmented reality headset would arrive early in 2013, it looks like they're finally here as they're sliding through the FCC.

Now that they're hitting the FCC, we can see some specs - 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and the latest Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy technology. The charging method appears to be a USB charger, but another listing tells a story of a "barrel" connector.

Something else that has been spotted is that Glass looks to feature a "vibrating element" that would provide the wearer audio "via contact with the user's head". We don't know exactly what this is, but it does sound like bone conduction technology, which would suit Glass quite well.

Finnish smartphone maker Nokia have received a tidy $1.35 billion grant which will see them attempt to develop the strongest material ever constructed - how incredibly exciting! Currently, graphene is a class 2D structure measuring just a single atom thick.

This is an incredible feat, and it is currently the strongest material ever produced. Graphene is 300 times tougher than steel and is also one of the lightest conductors available. Nokia is leading the pack of the Graphene Flagship Consortium, which includes 73 other companies and academic institutions from a number of mediums.

Nokia's grant will see them research and develop graphene for practical applications, where the European Union for the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) the ones behind the $1.35 billion grant. Research Leader at Nokia Research Center, Jani Kivioja, says:

We've previous reported about entire 3D-printed buildings, but now we're looking at taking one small step for man, one giant leap for 3D printing with the idea of 3D-printed moon bases. Yes, that's not an error - 3D-printed moon bases.

The European Space Agency and partners from London-based architecture firm Foster + Partners are currently scribbling down some ideas on how they would get 3D-printed moon bases onto the surface of our moon. Lunar dust creates a difficult a problem in terms of building materials, which has forced those involved to think outside of the box, big time.

Simulated moon dust has been combined with magnesium oxide and a "binding salt", which helps to mixture stick together, with the entire process capable of working within the vacuum of space thanks to a new approach to extruding liquids on the moon. The first concept designs from Foster + Partners used a large weight-bearing dome with a "cellular structured wall" in order to keep the people who would be inside of these structures safe from ambient radiation and micrometeroid strikes.

ZOTAC have just launched a new GPU, named the GeForce GTX 660 Thunderbolt Edition. With 'Thunderbolt' in the name, most people would expect that ZOTAC have baked in some Thunderbolt interface support, but nope - it has nothing to do with the high-speed connectivity called Thunderbolt.

The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Thunderbolt Edition, does however, arrive with a high-grade non-reference design PCB, and a very cool new cooling solution. The cooling solution sports a massive aluminum heatsink with heat-transfer helps by three copper heat pipes. This gives us a hybrid-type device, somewhere between heatsinks and fin-stacks. The pictures below show off how a hybrid heatsink is better than fin-stacks.

ZOTAC calls the cooler features "EClean", which is a mechanism that allows owners of the GPU to easily detach the cooler shroud on which the fans are mounted by simply pressing a retention notch, and sliding out the shroud that's suspended on rails on the main heatsink. All of this provides the ability to clean the heatsink, very, very nice.

Microsoft is doing a rare deed by unlocking Xbox's Netflix app for all members of Xbox Live. Normally to use the Netflix app, you'd have to be an Xbox Live Gold member. However, Netflix is debuting their new original series House of Cards and they obviously want all the eyes on it they possibly can, so it appears Microsoft worked with them to allow anyone to use the Netflix app for this weekend only.

All the episodes of season one will be uploaded at the same time, so you should have just enough time this weekend to watch them all. Thankfully, you can do so on your Xbox, even if you aren't a Live Gold member. I've never understood why you should have to pay Microsoft to use the Netflix app, and apparently neither do commentors on the blog post:

Nintendo may have released their next-gen Wii U console, but that doesn't mean we won't be seeing some quality releases on their portable gaming systems in the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL. Coming later this month is Scribblenauts Unlimited, which should please puzzle fans and if you're after a new fishing game - Super Black Bass will... wet your appetite. If that wasn't enough, Viking Invasion 2 will also be released.

February will also see the releases of Crash City Mayhem, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Unlocked (wow, that's a mouthful). In March, we're also treated to multiple releases from Majesco Entertainment with paranormal investigation title The Hidden, undead fun will be had in Pet Zombies, Face Racers will give you some fast and frenetic racing and if you want some outer space weirdness, Nano Assault might tickle your fancy.

Of course, that's not all, but unfortunately no steak knives are involved, but what is involved is two more games for those of you who liked Professor Layton's last adventure. If so, you might enjoy Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper and Midnight Mysteries: The Devil of Mississippi. Filling out March will see the release of Luigi's Mansion 2 as well as a return of one of the bigger, but much older Nintendo franchises - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow- Mirror of Fate.

The Mac Pro will no longer be sold in Europe after March 1. The issue apparently stems from new regulatory standards that Apple's Mac Pro fails to meet. It's not clear which standard isn't met by the machine, but Apple apparently doesn't want to update it to meet the standards.

Resellers will be able to continue selling the Mac Pro beyond March 1, though stock will not be replenished. Final orders for Mac Pro units must be placed with Apple before February 18 so that they can be delivered before March 1. The following letter was sent to retailers:

Taipei Game Show 2013 - Yesterday during the Taipei Game Show we were given the opportunity to sit down with Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan and talk about the upcoming Edge gaming tablet.

Min has recently returned from the United States where his company saw the successful announcement of Razer Edge, (formerly codenamed Project Fiona, first unveiled at CES 2012) at CES in Las Vegas, a product which the Singaporean hopes will find a home in gamers houses in the US "in the next couple of weeks". Gamers in other countries around the world will need to wait a little longer as Razer staggers its launch for this product in order to keep up with demand.

The Razer Edge will sell as two models including the base model and the Pro model. The base model that will sell for $999 ships with Core i5 CPU, GEFORCE GT640 GPU, 4GB RAM and a 64GB SSD. The Pro model will sell for $1299 and it ships with a faster Core i7 CPU, GEFORCE 640MLE GPU, 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. It's a rather unique product in that it's not just a tablet, but with the add-ons it can become a portable console, a home console that can be connected to your TV for a larger gaming experience, and for productivity, it can be turned into a PC with the docking keyboard.

Taipei Game Show 2013 - Yesterday we hit the halls of the Nangang exhibition center for Taipei Game Show 2013. It was a little sad to see that the show was smaller than usual with big names such as Microsoft and Nintendo not in attendance.

Other big names such as Razer, Sony and Tt eSPORTS were at the show and were excited about the event. Talk around the show floor had some concerned about the smaller size of the event this year. Nevertheless, it's not a trade show that TweakTown attends without what I guess now is considered as the obligatory booth babe video.

So, for your viewing pleasure... check out the embedded video above. Even booth ladies were down this year. And for our female audience, we tried for you, but there were no male models at the show, at all. Next time!

Our UK readers have been able to get their hands on the new BlackBerry Z10 since this morning and we are super jealous over on this side of the pond. If you are one of the lucky ones to now own a BlackBerry 10 device, you're in luck! BlackBerry has just released BlackBerry Link.

By now you are most definitely asking yourself, "what is BlackBerry Link and why do I need it?" To keep it simple, BlackBerry link is the new name for BlackBerry desktop software, which makes backing up and syncing your BB10 device very easy. It makes quick work of moving over your content like pictures, audio and video.

Legacy BlackBerry handsets that are running version 7.1 or earlier will still need to use the previous desktop app, while PlayBook tablets running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 will be able to use the new version of the software. You can download the new software at Source #2 below.

Taipei Game Show 2013 - Today at the Taipei Game Show 2013 out in Nangang we got to experience something pretty cool at the Sony PlayStation booth.

What first caught our attention was the massive 84-inch 4K 3D TV - we're not sure what brand it is, it was not advertised - which was running a rather interesting demo of Gran Turismo 5. At first glance we thought we were merely looking at a 3D version of the GT5 racing game, but on closer inspection, we noticed something else much more impressive was happening.

Sony used what we decided to call "reserve 3D technology" at the show - you know, it's kind of like 3D, but not really at all. So, basically with the gamer wearing 3D glasses they are able to get their own driving experience without having to use traditional vertical or horizontal split screen display. We're not exactly sure how the technology works, but it's pretty cool nevertheless.

We are still four or five months away from the launch of Haswell, Intel's next generation CPU architecture, and that puts us at a minimum of three to four months from seeing reviews begin popping up, right? Russian overclocking site OCLab.ru has posted what appear to be the first benchmarking results from a Haswell part. The results are interesting.

An Intel Haswell B0 stepping that was clocked at 2.8GHz was used, and they compared it to an Ivy Bridge clocked at 2.8GHz. The Haswell finished a Super PI 32M run in 11:27, while the Ivy Bridge completed the run in 11:49. And a WPrime 1024M run was completed by Haswell in 07:11.181 and the Ivy Bridge finished in 07:11.8.

As with every "leaked" bit of information, we must be careful not to read much into it. If these really are genuine Haswell results then Haswell is looking pretty good so far. Our sources have told us that we should read very little into this as if this is true, it is a very early engineering sample and the results might not be indicative of true Intel Haswell performance, as things such as drivers may not yet be fully optimized. If you would like to see the rest of the results, visit source #2 below.

The Nintendo Wii U has just been struck another blow. Nintendo has had to delay both TiVo and Google Maps integration beyond their original January launch. Well, Google Maps was originally slated to launch in January 2013. TiVo, on the other hand, has already been delayed once before.

TiVo was originally supposed to launch with the TVii service, which was set to launch with the console. TVii didn't come until late December and, when it launched, it was missing Netflix and TiVo integration. TiVo integration has now been pushed back to "early 2013," which isn't a very solid time frame.

Google Maps integration was announced back in December with a January 2013 launch. It has also been pushed back, though it has the more solid time frame of "first quarter of 2013." The Wii U is already said to be having sales below expectations, and these delays are certainly not going to help sales, or Nintendo.

Apple has posted up a job listing for a Plastics Design Engineer, and that has, of course, sparked questions about whether or not Apple is planning to produce a budget iPhone using a plastic case. The job listing is looking for a Manufacturing Design Engineer with a focus in Advanced Plastic Tooling and Process.

Of course, an engineer hired at this late date would be unlikely to be working on a device rumored to launch later this year, though they could be working on future designs. Most of Apple's products have utilized aluminum, though plastic is still used in keyboards, Apple TV, Airport Extreme, and other accessories.

Facebook reported their fourth quarter financial results today. For the fourth quarter, Facebook saw increased revenues, yet experienced decreased profits. Part of the reason profits were down is the amount of investing that Facebook is doing to build an empire and plan for the long-run.

Revenue was up to $1.59 billion, a 40 percent increase from last year. Wall Street estimates had placed revenue at $1.52 billion, so Facebook performed better-than-expected. Revenue, however, was down 79 percent from last year as a result of increased investment spending.

"2012 was a big year for us," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO on Wednesday's earnings call with analysts and journalists. "There are now more people using Facebook on mobile every day than on desktop."

If you haven't picked up Windows 8 Pro quite yet, you should really consider doing it before the end of January. The upgrade is currently available for $39.99 online, but that price will soon be going up. Students won't be left completely in the woods, though, as starting February 1, they will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $69.99.

While that price isn't quite as good as the current $39.99, it will be better than the regular price of $199.99. If you can afford to buy the upgrade now, you should, even if you qualify for the student price. You don't have to install the update before February 1, you just have to have purchased it.

Older Lumia devices can now be updated to Windows Phone 7.8. Nokia announced the available update alongside the video seen below and is encouraging users to update their Lumia devices to the latest Windows Phone 7. While it isn't Windows Phone 8, it will be the best thing available to these older Lumia devices.

Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7.8 to try and keep users happy, or at least that's what it would appear to be. Users with older Windows Phone 7 devices are unable to update to the latest Windows Phone 8, so Microsoft promised Windows Phone 7.8, which features a Start Screen similar to that of Windows Phone 8.

Nokia says to update your phone through the Zune for PC app. If you're an owner of one of these older Lumia devices, it should soon be prompting you to update it. If you already have Windows Phone 7.8, let us know what you think of it!

Last summer Apple announced that it was working with car manufacturers on a new "Eyes Free" mode for Siri. The new feature would integrate with voice command buttons that are increasingly being found in new car models.

"Eyes Free" would allow users to interact with Siri without ever touching or looking at the device screen. At the time Apple said it was working with BMW, GM, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda on the initiative. Today it looks like Honda is the first to bring the new feature to market.

From Honda's press release: