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DSG International Axes Dividend: Currys and PC World owner

DSG International, who are the owners of Currys and PC World have announced that they are to axe their dividend. The news is a direct result of DSG falling into the red for the first 6 months of 2008; they warned that trading had remained “tough and volatile”. Read more

Review: Single HD 4870 X2 vs. Two HD 4870s on P45

What do you get when you put a pair of Sapphire HD 4870s into a P45 board with many tests? Well read on to find out.

So, what we’re going to do today is chuck a pair of Sapphire HD 4870s into a P45 board and do a bunch of tests. We’re then going to pull those two cards out and stick in a single HD 4870 X2. We will run the same tests and proceed to compare. Since we’ve already looked at the cards themselves, we’re just going to get stuck straight into the benchmarking side of things. Let’s begin by taking a quick look at our testbed we’re using today, before getting stuck straight into the benchmarks.

A single HD 4870 X2 thrown into a heavily over-clocked P45 board is going to run like an absolute dream. 3.5GHz + isn’t really all that uncommon these days and here we really get to see the HD 4870 X2 shine, even more so than before.

Compared against the HD 4870 Crossfire solution on the P45 board, we see the HD 4870 X2 either performing similar, like we saw in our older P45 vs. X48 testing, or it manages to get a good 10% jump on the setup.

You would really have to be a bit on the side of crazy to purchase a pair of HD 4870s over a single HD 4870 X2 when looking for some real GPU power. We can see under intensive load situations, the lack of bandwidth going to the Crossfire configuration does have an impact on performance.

Before we finish off, though, let’s have a quick look at some of the results we obtained out of the Smooth Creation 3.9GHz system against our 3GHz testbed.

With the HD 4870 X2, we saw our Vantage performance score move up from 12496 to 14996.

Talking real world, World in Conflict performance is way up. 2560 x 1600 yields a minimum of 24 FPS and an average of 46 FPS on our 3.0GHz testbed. On the heavily overclocked Smooth Creations system, we saw the minimum move to a very important 32 FPS and the average sky rocket to an impressive 62 FPS.

This gives you a real idea of just how CPU bottle necked these cards are. All I can say is, “Bring on i7!”

Read the full 9-page hands-on review over on TweakTown

Microsoft COFEE (Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor) for law enforcement

Microsoft have always aimed to help computer users do tasks better with their software, while Windows XP and Vista have been loved and hated by some, I am sure investigators and law enforcement will love the new plug-in device called “Microsoft COFEE”. It does not contain caffeine, but it does contain 150 commands that will help investigators work faster when gathering digital evidence.

The quicker they can extract forensic data from computers, the faster crimes can be solved and maybe it could save more lives. We have pointed out it’s not Coffee, but what COFEE really stands for is “Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor”. This plug-in device (basically a small USB hard drive) can analyze data stored on a computer, analyze Internet activity and decrypt passwords.

Last June the Microsoft COFEE device was distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies, but today we hear that over 15 countries and 2,000 officers are using this gadget. While we do not know how much this will help stop crime, you can count on it helping a lot…well done Microsoft.

So what do you think of Microsoft making the COFEE device free to law enforcement agencies and how much do you think this will help in real world crime?

Source: Read | Via

IVO Software has launched a new version of IVONA Telecom TTS

We have received a press release today from IVO Software about the new version of IVONA Telecom TTS they have launched, this new version supports the international MRCP protocol. You can read the details in the press release below.

MRCP Press Release:
Media Resource Control Protocol is a communication protocol allowing to provide voice services in the client/server architecture. As it has been incorporated into IVONA Telecom this Text-To-Speech system has become one of the few systems of this type that may be easily implemented in the largest call/contact center solutions.

“IVONA TTS’s implmentation in telecommunication systems such as Call Center or IVR substantially lowers their operating costs. A professional-sounding radio-like voice reads out information prepared for a particular customer - hundreds or thousands of calls at the same time… Until recently this required huge telephone support departments. Now Ivona TTS offers great savings to companies” - said Lukasz Osowski, the President of Ivo Software.

IVONA Telecom TTS is already very commonly used in IVR systems and telephone exchanges of many renowned companies. The system is used by enterprises from the banking and energy sectors, telecommunications companies and others. Many of these companies delayed the implementation of IVONA TTS until it supported MRCP. “For some time we have been witnessing great interest in IVONA Telecom TTS - both from companies which have not yet ever used a TTS in their systems and from those wishing to replace the previously installed products with a TTS offering a better voice quality. That is why we decided to expand IVONA Telecom by adding the MRCP support. This way our product may be used equally easily to support a hundred or ten thousand or more simultaneous telephone conversations” - added Mr. Osowski.

IVONA Telecom TTS is available with one American voice - Jennifer, one Romanian - Carmen two Polish voices - Jacek and Ewa. In the nearest future IVO plans to introduce new English voices (with a British and an American accent) and a German one. The speech generation technology developed by IVO Software is regarded as one of the best in the world. This is confirmed by the numerous honors and awards it has won. IVONA’s voice quality was also recognized at the prestigious international Blizzard Challenge. Two times in a row, in 2006 and 2007, it was considered one of the closest to a natural voice. IVO Software was established in 2001 and since then it has been involved only in creation and development of speech synthesis products. To find out more about IVO Software visit: ivosoftware.com.

Hands-on with the Cyber Acoustics CA-5001 5.1 Speaker Kit

This is the budget CA-5001 5.1 Speaker Kit from Cyber Acoustics and they are pretty good value for money, although it’s a crowded market place at this price point (around $59.99) and there’s nothing that makes the CA-5001 really stand out.

Tweak Town gave the speakers a hand-on review and said “When taking into consideration the relatively low street price of these speakers, their use can become more widespread. It would have been nice if the lab systems at university had snapped up a few systems like these; I could even see them as good office speakers as they have a very small footprint. Laptop users should also look out for these, as they would be great lightweight speakers to take on business trips for after hour’s entertainment.

So, it’s time to offer a summary. These speakers are not fantastic with the high-end, and they’re not room shakers with the low-end, but they’re pretty damn cheap for what you get and they don’t take up space. They’re light and easy to setup, and would be great to travel with too.

As the buyer, you weigh up what you need the most. Whether it be value, size, portability or performance, choose the best for your needs”.

View the 5 page hands-on on Tweak Town.

Google takes down HuddleChat

Google had launched HuddleChat, this is a real-time application which was designed to show off their Google App Engine platform. However a few bloggers have noticed that the app is in fact a rip off of Camfire, this is a product made by 37Signals.

Many believe that this reaction from bloggers is stupid, however Google have said that it is a fight that they do not wish to get involved in, so decided to take HudleChat down.

However, it seems as if Michael Arrington from Tech Crunch is outraged by this and would like for Google to bring back HuddleChat.

3rd Space FPS Vest: PC only, Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 owners need as well

Want your PC game playing to be even more realistic? This is the ultimate accessory for you. This flak jacket simulates every shot, punch and explosion, using eight pneumatic cells. While the 3rd Space FPS Vest is just for PC’s, Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 gamers are going to want this. Could you imagine playing COD4 with this impact vest on, the times when I am playing and just feel like running out and end up dying 5 times in row will not be happening with this vest on, unless I have a hunger for pain.

Would you want to feel the force of every shot you take in FPS games?

The product includes a copy of Activision’s Call of Duty 2 and 3rd Space Incursion game disc, a power supply, USB cable, air compressor and the FPS Gaming Vest for just under £150 (about $295). You will also need Microsoft Windows XP or higher.

Buy via Firebox

USB 2.0 DVR Guardian: convert any notebook into a digital video recording surveillance system

Swann Communications, the global leader in security monitoring solutions, is proud to announce their latest innovation in DIY security: USB 2.0 DVR Guardian™. This compact, portable system turns any notebook computer into an advanced surveillance system capable of monitoring any home, office or retail space.

The Swann USB 2.0 DVR Guardian™ is easily installed by simply plugging it directly into any computer’s USB port. The DVR supports up to four channels, so the user can choose to display and record live video from one to four cameras. With an easy to use graphical interface, the USB 2.0 DVR Guardian™ can be programmed for recording at a specified time, set for motion detection or set up to auto e-mail a notification to the user’s e-mail account upon motion activation. Furthermore, the entire security system can be viewed and controlled remotely via the internet. Swann’s latest DIY security solution offers flexibility in terms of viewing options; users are able to view their security system through their PC and remotely via the internet and mobile phone Read more

How Companies Fight US Recession: Dell buys $70 billion of computer parts from China

Much of the world is in fear of not only a US recession, but also a global recession. Like many companies, Dell is looking down the road and plans on spending $70 billion on computer parts from China between 2007-2009. That’s a lot of cash, but this could also save the company in a recession when people do not have much money and want much cheaper computers.

Cisco Systems has said that it will double it’s spend on computer components in China, so what does this mean for the Public? If or when the recession hits, Google will want money from online advertising and companies will want to sell products.

Google and other companies could give free broadband so people go online and visit the ads, Dell and Cisco Systems could make cheaper products thanks to buying in China so that they can sell products when money is tight. It does look like a U.S. and maybe Global recession is coming, one where China will grow massively and brands that survive will already be putting plans in place.

Source

Crysis Ladder Glitch: something to do with the 3rd person view

Crysis is a serious game; however one guy managed to make the game look a little stupid. Just take a look at the video it shows that there is a ladder glitch. Judging by what many people are saying, it seems as if there is something wrong with the 3rd person view.

Could you imagine trying to play the game with the guy always in the climbing the ladder position, Oh well that will teach him to try and play in that view again.

Apple flagship Sydney store soon to open: new stores in Australia coming

Apple are planning to open three new retail stores in Australia, all will be opening this year. Two will open in Sydney and the other on Victoria. The opening of these stores is part of a massive expansion for Apple on an international scale. These stores will form part of Apple’s 200 stores worldwide.

Apple has been aggressive of late trying to get more stores around the globe, and this new flagship store just being finished is the newest. The new store located on the corner of George Street and King Street in Sydney is on three floors. From this picture you can see that the transparent glass façade is just being installed. Then comes that big Apple logo.

We know how Apple likes to keep things to their chest, so it comes as no surprise that they are not saying where the other two stores will be going. For people who mange to get a job at these new stores, will have the chance to fly to Apple’s headquarters located in California.

Source - The Sydney Morning Herald

Belkin USB hub: fill your computer desks grommet hole

I have just found the perfect gadget to fit in the grommet hole of your computer desk, the Belkin USB hub. I have often stared at my hole and thought what I can do with it, now I have the answer.

This Belkin Grommet USB hub is 3-inches and has four USB ports, however if you have a hole that is smaller then there is a 2-inch version. There is an opening on each side; this is so you can hide your cables.

Source – Everything USB

Get the PhoneShield Gadget for mobile phones and reduce radiation

Many people in this world worry about the side affects that mobile phones have on us like for example radiation from daily usage from phones and even computers.

Well maybe PhoneShield can help you to stop worrying about such things; many anxieties include worries over mobile phone radiation where side affects can include fatigue and headaches.

Radiation from mobile phones may cause –
• fatigue
• reduced concentration
• tiredness
• headaches
• disturbed vision
• memory loss
• muscle weakness
• reduced immunity to illness

Well why not get yourself the PhoneShield Gadget for only £9.99 and stop worrying.

Source – Phones Review

French Maid Skirt PC Case

Now, it may not be my cup of tea but for some of you boys out there you may love this PC mod! If you fancy a bit of french, why not get this Maid Skirt PC case?

With just a Mini-ITX motherboard, the Maid Skirt PC case comes with no hardware included. The PC comes in two versions - Original Version and the Maid Station Version with ‘Maid Station’ logo branding.

The French Maid Skirt PC Case Mod can be yours for around $499. I personally think it looks tacky but there must be someone, somewhere who digs it!?

Source

New Version Of bbc.co.uk For Mobiles Offered by BBC

There has been a new version of bbc.co.uk launched by the BBC, which will have the appearance of the recently refreshed online site.

The BBC have said that the new design “offers a consistent and intuitive user experience with easier navigation“.

The mobile browser from the BBC attracts 2.7 million unique users per month, which makes it the number one mobile site in the UK

“The refresh of our mobile browser service comes at a critical moment in the development of mobile in the UK“, the BBC controller of mobile, Matthew Postgate said.

Source

Microsoft has built a Surface PC with a Spherical Display

The Microsoft Surface tabletop computer is very impressive with its cool technology, but how about a Surface PC with a Spherical Display. This is what’s rumored to be in development from Microsoft according to ZDNet.

We are hearing that Microsoft’s Surface multi-touch technology will be adapted to be included in walls, kitchen counters, desks, cellphones, of next-generation PCs and other gadgets over the next five to ten years.

USB Mouse Typing Speedometer

Just what we need more novelty USB gadgets; it’s a mouse on a bike! You just simply plug him into the USB port and he will pedal the bike to how fast you are typing. He’s not very stylish, but I’m sure someone would appreciate it.

It could be a good gift for the secret Santa presents at Christmas. Not sure whether I would want this staring at me all day, I think he would end up in the bin!

Source

Mood Lighting 4 Port USB Hub with Alarm

There are a lot of usb port hubs on the market, so here’s another we need to tell you about and there’s something different about this one. Read more

USB Owl: Add a bit of wisdom to your desktop

You can now bring some extra wisdom to your desktop with the USB Owl.

Long regarded as a symbol of wisdom, owls are a lot of people’s favourite bird, and here’s a cute and friendly-looking wise little owl that’ll bring a touch of magic and wisdom to any workspace. Read more

What’s The Worst To Spill On Your Computer?

What would you think to be the worst things that you could spill on your computer.

As yet I have not spilt anything but, I would imagine it to be a milkshake, once there is a Read more

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