Microsoft: Xbox One and Kinect 'are not separate systems'

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 22, 2013 12:35 AM CDT

Microsoft is committing to pushing Kinect down the throats, or living rooms, of every single Xbox One owner, where corporate VP Phil Harrison telling CVG during an interview that Microsoft's upcoming next-gen console will never be sold without Kinect.

Harrison went as far as stating that the Xbox One "is Kinect", adding that "they are not separate systems." Harrison said he currently owns the NSA spy box gaming console, saying that it's a "very magical experience" to power up the console through a voice command and load his profile. He added: "They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem."

He continued: "It makes you think about your relationship with technology in a slightly different way. It's personal. It makes you think, I wish more devices would do this."

Continue reading: Microsoft: Xbox One and Kinect 'are not separate systems' (full post)

LG ups ante on mobile displays, unveils new 5.5-inch 538 PPI panel

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Aug 21, 2013 11:35 PM CDT

Well, LG, where did this come from, eh? The South Korean giant has just announced that it's developed a new 5.5-inch display that crams in an insane 538 pixels per inch.

This sets a new record for pixel density in smartphones, with the closest panel in something like the HTC One having 'just' (we can say that now) 468 PPI, and the iPhone 5 having a now dismal 326 PPI. LG has also said that the new 5.5-inch high-pixel panel is "only 1.21 millimeters thin with a 1.2 millimeter bezel measured in LCD modules."

This achievement makes it thinner than any other display... in the world. 538 PPI on a 5.5-inch panel gives us a resolution of 2560x1440, on a mobile phone, which is the same resolution of the monitor I'm writing this news on. Crazy stuff. Life must be Good at LG right now.

Continue reading: LG ups ante on mobile displays, unveils new 5.5-inch 538 PPI panel (full post)

US-based League of Legends servers hacked, password reset implemented

Anthony Garreffa | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Aug 21, 2013 11:05 PM CDT

Something that just hit my inbox minutes ago is from Riot Games, announcing that they've had their US-based servers hacked. The attack didn't hit all of its servers, but just a 'portion' of its US servers.

The hackers were able to access usernames, e-mail addresses, salted password hashes, and some first and last names. Riot Games is also investigating that approximately 120,000 transaction records from 2011 that contained hashed and salted credit card numbers has been accessed. The League of Legends developer is contacting these players to alert them.

In order to hopefully escape more issues, Riot Games will require players in the US to change their passwords within the next 24 hours. Once this time hits, you'll be automatically prompted to change your password anyway.

Continue reading: US-based League of Legends servers hacked, password reset implemented (full post)

Mad Catz unleashes new force feedback racing wheel for Xbox One

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Aug 21, 2013 9:04 PM CDT

Today, Mad Catz announced the launch of its new Force Feedback Racing Wheel designed to work exclusively on Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One gaming console. Mad Catz says that the wheel has been specifically designed to offer the most authentic driving experience one can possibly have on an Xbox One.

The steering wheel has been CNC machined out of aluminum and then wrapped in genuine suede leather to provide a solid yet comfortable experience. Furthermore, the wheel is packed full of technology, including dual next-generation force feedback motors and high precision buttons, to ensure the highest performance possible. If that wasn't enough, the entire steering wheel is removable in the event the user wishes to upgrade in the future.

"As we approach the Holiday season, excitement continues to mount for Xbox One and we're pleased to announce our second premium product for the console" said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "We have previously commented on how the enhanced performance of Xbox One opens up additional scope for innovation and believe that the precision engineering and customization of the Force Feedback Racing Wheel will appeal to the passionate racing gamer."

Continue reading: Mad Catz unleashes new force feedback racing wheel for Xbox One (full post)

ROCCAT debuts Kave XTD, a new 5.1 surround digital gaming headset

Charles Gantt | Audio, Sound & Speakers | Aug 21, 2013 8:03 PM CDT

During the Gamescom event being held in Germany this week, ROCCAT Studios announced the addition of a new high-quality gaming headset to its lineup of gaming peripherals. The new ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 digital gaming headset is the successor to ROCCAT's Kave 5.1.

The company says that the new Kave XTD is based on community and customer feedback and that the new headset builds on foundations laid by the original headset by improving existing features and integrating completely new innovations of its own. The headset features a fully-equipped desktop remote that integrates a built-in premium 5.1 sound card. Additionally, ROCCAT Smart Link technology is built-in. This technology lets the user pair their smartphone to the remote via Bluetooth. This new feature allows users to make and receive calls through the headset while gaming.

The remote also features built-in 5.1 speaker ports, which allow users to hook up their existing sound systems and easily toggle between the headset and speaker output without having to change settings in the PC software controls. ROCCAT says that the Kave XTD 5.1 provides a true, rich 5.1 surround sound. The headset features three driver units per ear cup, which are aligned at a 12 degree angle. This allows the headset to deliver an immersive and crisp sound while weighing 25 percent less than its predecessor.

Continue reading: ROCCAT debuts Kave XTD, a new 5.1 surround digital gaming headset (full post)

Mark Zuckerberg launches Internet.org, wants entire world online

Charles Gantt | Current Affairs | Aug 21, 2013 6:12 PM CDT

This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the formation of a new initiative whose goal is to make the Internet available to every person on the planet. The announcement was kicked off with the launching of a new website, Internet.org, which also happens to be the name of the initiative.

Internet.org's aim is to conquer three specific challenges: affordability, data efficiency, and developing business models that will provide incentives for companies to help bring cheaper, more plentiful Internet access to emerging markets around the globe.

"Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect," Zuckerberg said. "There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy. Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford it."

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QNAP launches new Tower VS-2100 Pro+ series VioStor NVR for SMBs

Today, QNAP Security announced the launch of its latest Linux-based VioStor NVR product. The VioStor NVR VS-2100 Pro+ series is a two-bay tower form-factor NVR that is available in four, eight, and 12 channels and is designed with small to medium business and small office/home offices in mind.

The VioStor NVR VS-2100 Pro+ series features dual-core Intel 2.6GHz processors and 4GB of DDR3 memory to ensure high-performance and stable recording while providing smooth playback from multiple megapixel IP cameras. The series is able to accommodate up to 8TB of high-quality videos encoded in H.264, MPEG-4, M-JPEG, and MxPEG. Full HD 1080p at 180fps video playback is supported thanks to onboard video hardware.

"The global security market presents high demand for HD resolution applications, and QNAP VioStor products are well-positioned for this need," said Amily Fang, product manager of QNAP Security. "The VS-2100 Pro+ series are affordable surveillance solutions for small-scale surveillance deployment scenario such as childcare, elder care, home, parking lot, retail stores, and so on."

Continue reading: QNAP launches new Tower VS-2100 Pro+ series VioStor NVR for SMBs (full post)

Corsair unveils new Phison-powered Force LS Series SSD

Charles Gantt | Storage | Aug 21, 2013 4:04 PM CDT

Today, Corsair announced their newest addition in their SSD lineup. The new Force LS series of SSDs are powered by the Phison SATA 6Gbps controller, which makes this the first SSD series from Corsair to not be based on an LSI SandForce SF-2200 controller.

Corsair says that the Force LS series provides solid performance at a great value while maintaining reliable and efficient solid state storage for any PC or notebook with a 2.5-inch drive bay. Available in capacities ranging from 60GB to 240GB, each of the new SSDs maintain a 7mm thick footprint, which makes it an ideal solution for a replacement drive in a desktop PC or notebook.

The company says that the drives are able to attain read speeds of 555MB/s. Write speeds are a little lower at 535MB/s. Additionally, the drives are backwards compatible with SATA 1 and SATA 2 for maximum compatibility.

Continue reading: Corsair unveils new Phison-powered Force LS Series SSD (full post)

New BIOS update brings Ivy-E support to ASUS LGA2011 boards

Charles Gantt | Motherboards | Aug 21, 2013 3:03 PM CDT

Today, ASUS officially posted a BIOS update for its socket LGA2011 motherboards that ushers in support for Intel's Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E processors. To install the update, users need an old LGA2011 processor, or they can choose to use the ASUS USB BIOS Flashback utility which requires no CPU or RAM to flash the BIOS. Just a 24pin ATX connector.

The P9X79 series, ROG Rampage series, and TUF Sabertooth X79 series are all supported and Ivy Bridge-E support is denoted by the following BIOS Versions:

To download your corresponding BIOS update, head over to Source #1 below.

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Crowdsourcing campaign raises $10,000+ for Facebook hacker Shreateh

Charles Gantt | Current Affairs | Aug 21, 2013 2:06 PM CDT

Earlier this week, Facebook publicly denied a bounty that was claimed by a Palestinian researcher over a security flaw found in Facebook's code. Basically the flaw allowed Khalil Shreateh to post on any Facebook user's wall regardless of their security settings, whether he was their friend or not.

After reporting the bug to Facebook several times, the white hat hacker took matters into his own hands and managed to post on Mark Zuckerberg's wall. This obviously got the attention of Facebook's support staff, but they denied Shreateh's penalty claim saying that by hacking posts onto users walls, he actually violated Facebook's terms of service.

This is where Marc Maiffret, CTO of BeyondTrust comes into the picture. He feels that Shreateh's efforts to inform the social network of a serious security flaw should not go unnoticed and should be compensated accordingly. He has turned to crowdfunding site GoFundMe to raise $10,000 to compensate the hacker for his efforts. Maiffret put his money where his mouth is and started the campaign with $3000 out of his own pocket.

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