NVIDIA preparing GeForce GTX 980 Ti for September with full GM200 core

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Apr 11, 2015 12:42 AM CDT

We know it's coming, but it's just a matter of when. NVIDIA is preparing the GeForce GTX 980 Ti that should better counter the upcoming Radeon R9 390X from AMD, with a full GM200 core.

The GM200-powered GeForce GTX 980 Ti should be released in September, a couple of months after AMD's launch of the Radeon R9 390X which is expected to happen during Computex in June. There are some suggestions that NVIDIA would spoil AMD's fun during the R9 390X launch, so we could see a big announcement before, during or after Computex from NVIDIA.

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 980 Ti should be close to identical to the behemoth that is the GeForce GTX Titan X, but knock down its VRAM from 12GB to 6GB. We should also see AIB partners free to slap on aftermarket coolers, which didn't happen with the Titan X, which is going to open up a can of whoop ass on the market.

Continue reading: NVIDIA preparing GeForce GTX 980 Ti for September with full GM200 core (full post)

Samsung rumored to splash 4K display on the Galaxy Note 5

Just as the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge have launched, rumors are flying that the forthcoming Galaxy Note 5 from Samsung would feature a 4K display - providing a record-breaking number of pixels on a smartphone.

According to new reports, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 5 later this year with a 3840x2160 resolution. We should expect an official unveiling in August, which is about the time IFA kicks off for the year. If the Galaxy Note 5 arrives with its rumored 5.89-inch screen and 4K display, we can expect an insane 748 pixels per inch (PPI).

We're also hearing that a dual edge variant will be unveiled, which will arrive with a 5.78-inch curved panel that would rock 762 PPI. Now we just have to play the waiting game.

Continue reading: Samsung rumored to splash 4K display on the Galaxy Note 5 (full post)

Cyber Caliphate hacks French TV network TV5Monde

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 9, 2015 6:44 PM CDT

TV5Monde in France suffered a major cyberattack that led to hijacked websites and social media accounts, along with causing a three-hour broadcast blackout. The Cyber Caliphate, a pro-ISIS hacker group, didn't take public responsibility for the attack - but pro-ISIS images and "hacked by an Islamist group" markings were left on compromised accounts.

"We are no longer able to broadcast any of our channels. Our websites and social media sites are no longer under our control and are all displaying claims of responsibility by Islamic State," said Yves Bigot, TV5Monde director general, told the AFP.

France's culture minister will host an emergency meeting with major French media groups so they are able to study their cybersecurity protocols. A terrorism investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office following the cyberattack, which is the most sophisticated shown by the Islamic State.

Continue reading: Cyber Caliphate hacks French TV network TV5Monde (full post)

Creator of Bioshock says his next game is powered by Unreal Engine 4

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 9, 2015 5:13 AM CDT

The original Bioshock was created by Ken Levine, who teased that he was working on a new first-person shooter back in January, has just said that his upcoming project is using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 technology.

Levine has been quiet on his next project, with random tweets mentioning that his new protect will be "smaller, more entrepreneurial". The news came from Levine revealing that his titel would be using Unreal Engine 4 when a fan tweeted him asking which graphics engine he would be using for his new game.

Considering the entire Bioshock series was powered by Unreal Engine, Levine is most likely very familiar with it, and wants to continue to use Epic Games' proven technology. We should hear more about Levine's mystery project at E3 2015, hopefully.

Continue reading: Creator of Bioshock says his next game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 (full post)

Shots of the purported XFX Radeon R9 390 Double Dissipation surface

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Apr 9, 2015 4:02 AM CDT

The first shots of the purported XFX Radeon R9 390 Double Dissipation have arrived, featuring a dual-slot cooler with two 100mm spinners, and a large aluminum fin-stack heat sink.

The card rocks a 6-pin + 8-pin PCIe power configuration, and a bridgeless Crossfire system, just like the Radeon R9 290 series. We should see this card, if it's real, positioned below the R9 390X with its "Fiji XT" core, with the R9 390 featuring the "Fiji" GPU. We don't know what the GPU itself will be, but we should see 4096 stream processors, a 4096-bit HBM memory interface with between 4GB and 8GB of RAM that provides a huge 640GB/sec of memory bandwidth.

Continue reading: Shots of the purported XFX Radeon R9 390 Double Dissipation surface (full post)

Businesses struggle to fight against ransomware cyberattacks

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 9, 2015 3:50 AM CDT

Ransomware infections tend to be a frightening scenario for businesses often caught off-guard when an employee mistakenly compromises a workplace machine.

Cybersecurity experts are increasingly worried about ransomware, one of the fastest rising hacker-related crimes, which demands a ransom payment in exchange for files held hostage. The traditional method of infection is a malicious file attached to an email, but criminals are finding ways to point victims to hijacked websites.

Unless home users or companies have data backed up, and are careful of emails opened and websites visited, ransomware can prove especially catastrophic. Even though US government and private sector cybersecurity experts warn against paying ransoms, many companies choose to pay the ransom and move on.

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Apple Watch reviews are in, with mostly iPositive things to say

A few technology journalists have gotten some wrist-on time with the Apple Watch, throwing out their reviews on Apple's first wearable: Watch. It looks like most say it's the best smartwatch out there, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows for Watch.

The New York Times has said "unlike previous breakthrough Apple products, the Watch's software requires a learning curve that may deter some people. There's a good chance it will not work perfectly for most consumers right out of the box, because it is best after you fiddle with various software settings to personalize use. Indeed, to a degree unusual for a new Apple device, the Watch is not suited for tech novices".

The Verge was more than happy with Apple Watch, with a snippet of their review teasing: "There's no question that the Apple Watch is the most capable smartwatch available today. It is one of the most ambitious products I've ever seen; it wants to do and change so much about how we interact with technology. But that ambition robs it of focus: it can do tiny bits of everything, instead of a few things extraordinarily well. For all of its technological marvel, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch, and it's not clear that anyone's yet figured out what smartwatches are actually for".

Continue reading: Apple Watch reviews are in, with mostly iPositive things to say (full post)

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will support DX12, and AMD's TressFX 3.0

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 9, 2015 2:35 AM CDT

Eidos-Montreal has shown off the official CGI trailer of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, something you can watch below, but the studio has also teased that the sequel to Human Revolution will have some nice tricks up its sleeve in the graphics department.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided uses the latest version of the impressive Dawn Engine, which was specificially built for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. AMD has been working closely with the studio under its Gaming Evolved program, which means we'll see full support for Windows 10 and DirectX 12, as well as TressFX 3.0.

Continue reading: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will support DX12, and AMD's TressFX 3.0 (full post)

Google reportedly planning monthly subscription service for YouTube

Anthony Garreffa | Internet & Websites | Apr 8, 2015 11:27 PM CDT

According to an e-mail sent out to Google partners today, the Mountain View-based search giant will soon be offering a monthly subscription service to YouTube, which would offer an ad-free experience.

The e-mail says: "Your fans want choices. Not only do they want to watch what they want, whenever they want, anywhere, and on any device they choose, they want YouTube features built specifically with their needs in mind. Over the past several months, we've taken bold new steps to bring these experiences to life. Since inviting hundreds of thousands of fans into our YouTube Music Key Beta, we've seen tremendous engagement. And we've seen an equally enthusiastic response for our new YouTube Kids app, designed to give families a simpler and safer video-viewing experience- it's already crossed 2 million installations in less than one month.

We're excited to build on this momentum by taking another big step in favor of choice: offering fans an ads-free version of YouTube for a monthly fee. By creating a new paid offering, we'll generate a new source of revenue that will supplement your fast growing advertising revenue".

Continue reading: Google reportedly planning monthly subscription service for YouTube (full post)

Frostbite Technical Director wants DX12 and Windows 10 for next-gen

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 8, 2015 10:49 PM CDT

The Technical Director on Frostbite, EA and DICE's incredible engine that powers Battlefield and Dragon's Age: Inquisition to name a few games, has taken to Twitter to tease the next-gen Frostbite engine.

Johan Andersson has said that he wants to see the minimum specification for Frostbite-powered games in 2016 to be Windows 10, DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0. He said that this would "a bit aggressive" but we would see "major benefits". He said in a reply to EVGA's Product Manager, Jacob Freeman, "get rid of the Windows legacy and reap the benefits of a modern graphics API & memory management (WDDM 2.0)".

With Microsoft offering some users an upgrade to Windows 10 for free, next-gen gaming is going to be in for a big surprise on PC. But, the big question is: will EA see the install base significant enough to make DX12 and thus, Windows 10, the minimum spec for games? I would say definitely not, but we could see things shift as we move into 2016 with DX12, Windows 10, the big push into VR, and so much more.

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