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How would you like to buy an Intel Core i5 processor and find out there is a Core i7 2700K in the box? At first we thought it was simply a matter of the wrong sticker on the box but, we confirmed with the owner of this processor that it did indeed contain an i7 2700K. Thanks to Josh M. for the photo.
If you are looking for a bargain on computer hardware, we have some pretty good deals for you in today's [H]ot Deals forum thread. The best part? All of these deals come with free shipping! The coupon codes for the items listed below won't last forever and are limited to stock on hand so you'd better get in on these deals while the getting is good.
HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 = $129.99 with free shippingPatriot Wildfire 120GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD = $169.99 with free shipping
Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB GDDR5 = $219.99 with free shipping
AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz APU w/ Radeon HD 6550D = $125.99 with free shipping
Kingston HyperX 12GB DDR3 1600 XMP Desktop Memory = $72.99 with free Egg Saver shipping
Whether or not you are against the recent trend of game companies requiring online passes for multiplayer, I think you'll find this editorial rather interesting.
And while I'm here, allow me to challenge the notion that publishers pass-lock content for anything other than commercial gain, as opposed to guarding against financial loss. EA now typically online pass-protects multiplayer modes in projected hits (Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3), so don't think they opened up Syndicate in an altruistic display of heroism. No, they're re-launching a dormant franchise from the '90s, and they don't want to hobble its chances by selling half a game. Same goes for SSX...its online pass doesn't block an entire mode, but will affect how fast you unlock gear.
I am always leery of people that are only sorry after being busted. I'm not saying that I don't believe this guy, I've just never heard of "helping users find their friends" by taking their entire address book without permission. It stands to reason that I don't need help finding the people in my address book. And what about all the friends and family members in those address books had their personal info used by a company they've never even heard of?
"We don’t want to connect you with just anyone on Path," Morin says. "Without the contact list information, some of these features just don’t work." The address book data, Morin says, is used in only three ways. "We give you a list of suggested friends to connect with who are already on Path. We notify you when other friends of yours join Path." And the third reason speaks to the very uniqueness of Path itself — its "Friend Rank" algorithm. "We used the data for the sake of simplicity," Morin tells me. "Any time you build a network, you have to help users find their friends. And that entire experience is designed to suggest people who you’re close to." In other words, it’s the whole point of the app itself.
Holy cow, this guy can play "the victim" with the best of them. I damn near started crying as I read this. Well, laughing until I cried but that is close enough. 
Since when is it censorship to shut down an operation that an American court, upon a thorough review of evidence, has determined to be illegal? When the police close down a store fencing stolen goods, it isn’t censorship, but when those stolen goods are fenced online, it is? Wikipedia, Google and others manufactured controversy by unfairly equating SOPA with censorship.
Thousands of iPhone owners are expected to march on Apple's headquarters tomorrow to protest the reports of abuse and conditions at Foxconn. No word on how many are mad enough to actually give up their iPhones though.
"I use an iPhone myself," said Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, executive director of SumOfUs in a press release sent to Business Insider. "I love it, but I don't love having to support sweatshops, and neither do millions of other Apple consumers. The hip, educated market that Apple aspires to corner is largely composed of responsible consumers who don’t want to be complicit in sweatshop labor."
If you are in the market for a full tower PC case, check out PC Perspectives video overview of the NZXT Switch 810. Here's a quote to get you started:
The Switch 810 pretty much exceeded every one of my expections when it comes to full-tower PC cases. Each feature and improvement to the Switch 810 addressed key issues that many PC builders face when they are putting together new systems. This case's hybrid features were also put to the test as I installed a Corsair H100 with dual radiators, but the Switch 810 didn't have any problems supporting this self-contained liquid cooling unit. I even had plenty of room to add two more fans above the radiator. If I have any criticism at all of this case, I would have liked to have another removable filter between the top vent and radiator because the vent holes are very large and big dust particles will easily access the case here."
Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components, announces the One, the latest addition to their Gaming Series. The One is an excellent option for mainstream gamers, new PC builders and seasoned system integrators alike, as it provides user-friendly cooling and convenient features at an affordable price.
The epic fan made Skyrim video of the day / week / month award goes to this guy.
Inside a Chinese Hacking Den @ Kotaku
Killzone PSN Release Delayed Indefinitely @ Shacknews
Sleeping Dogs Won\'t Let True Crime Die @ Blue\'s News
Planning on upgrading your video card soon? Do you want something with a massive custom cooling solution and plenty of overclocking headroom? Well then, I suggest you give our evaluation of the GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7970 OC a read. Trust us, you won't be disappointed.
GIGABYTE has a custom cooled and overclocked version of the Radeon HD 7970. We examine how well GIGABYTE's Windforce 3X cooling technology allows us to overclock this next generation video card. Find out how this GIGABYTE GV-R797OC-3GD monster compares to a GeForce GTX 580, a Radeon HD 6970, and reference HD 7970.
Cooling: Alpenföhn K2 CPU Cooler @ Vortez
Motherboards: Gigabyte X79-UD3 Motherboard @ FunkyKit
Video: Sapphire VID-2X @ Overclockers Club
Wait just a damn minute here, I thought this was a joke. Are you honestly telling me this guy could actually win this lawsuit!?!? 
The mother of all patent troll trials unfolds in Texas where Google, Amazon and Adobe are fighting a patent claiming ownership over online video, image rotation and search auto-complete. We explain and start a series.
Normally video game demos aren't a big deal around here but, at least in this case, the new Darkness II demo is just that because it doesn't require installation (or download) of the game in order to play. I simply clicked the demo link and, after a quick Java update, the game was ready to play in my browser in less than a minute (on a 25Mbps connection).
Surprisingly, the game uses very little CPU, GPU or bandwidth and ran extremely well. Could this be the next big thing when it comes to game demos? Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.
Gaikai Inc., the innovative cloud gaming service, announced today that a free playable demo of 2K Games' highly anticipated first-person shooter, The Darkness(TM) II, is now available for instant trial at www.embracethedarkness.com and selected affiliate and retail websites across North America. It features gamepad support and does not require any download or installation, allowing gamers to instantly stream the first ever cloud demo of the game to their browser. The release of the demo will help to usher in the multiplatform North American release of The Darkness II. The Darkness II will launch internationally on February 10, 2012.
NVIDIA and Rambus have settled the long-running patent dispute between the two companies.
"This is an important license agreement as it settles our differences and allows us to move forward with Nvidia, the leader in visual and parallel computing," said Harold Hughes, president and CEO of Rambus, in a statement. Nvidia said in a statement it is "pleased to settle these matters on terms that are fair and logical to us."
Need a new case for your next computer build? OCIA says the Azza Fusion 3000 is a full tower case worthy of your consideration.
In reading up on their history, I discovered that at one time Azza offered mainboards in addition to their PSU line. They aren’t in the mainboard market anymore but have a variety of chassis and PSU offerings such as the Fusion 3000 that we will be taking a look at here today.
Who needs laws to track down internet trolls? I think the news camera crew exposing the scumbag did more than law enforcement could accomplish. 
The New York Times claims that people are starting to use more than one monitor on their computers. This hard hitting news story is not from 1999, in fact, this astonishing "multi-monitor" discovery was made just yesterday.
There is a growing new tactic for countering the data assault: the addition of a second computer screen. Or a third. This proliferation of displays is the latest workplace upgrade, and it is responsible for the new look at companies and home offices — they are starting to resemble mission control.
Microsoft Corp. is delighted to announce the results of its 2011 employee giving campaign: our U.S. Microsoft employees raised $100.5 million (inclusive of the company match) for more than 18,000 U.S.-based community organizations doing work in the U.S. and around the world last year. With this milestone, Microsoft employees have now raised more than $946 million for nonprofits and community organizations since the company’s giving program started in 1983.
AMD was today named by Corporate Knights to its inaugural list of the S&P 500 Clean Capitalism Ranking, placing among the top twenty companies to be recognized. Corporate Knights, which defines "clean capitalism" as "responsible, resource-productive and socially just", employs a transparent, quantitative methodology to compile its ranking, evaluating factors such as energy and carbon productivity, leadership diversity and employee turnover.
AMD today announced the departure of Emilio Ghilardi as senior vice president and chief sales officer, effective immediately. Rory Read, AMD president and chief executive officer, will serve as interim chief sales officer while the company actively seeks a replacement.
Ryan and the gang at PC Perspective have put the NZXT HALE82 850W PSU to the test and, from the looks of it, it passed with flying colors. You can see our evaluation here for comparison purposes.
The HALE82 850W PSU is quiet at low to mid power levels and includes a good assortment of both fixed and modular cables/connectors. Overall the HALE82 850W PSU performed very well as we would expect based on previous experiences with this platform. NZXT is offering a new "Less Than Three Service", which can get you back up in running within three business days if you ever have a problem with your HALE82 PSU. And if you want virtual silence (at low power levels) and even better efficiency, NZXT's HALE90 Series may have just what you are looking for.
SSD: Intel 520 SSD Review (Round Two) @ SSD Review
Intel 520 Series 240GB SSD @ eTeknix
Video: HIS Radeon HD7970 3GB @ Vortez
What do you mean this app uploads my entire address book to its servers without my permission? Is that a feature or am I just holding it wrong?
I’m not insinuating that Path is doing something nefarious with my address book but I feel quite violated that my address book is being held remotely on a third-party service. I love Path as an iOS app and I think there are some brilliant people working on it, but this seems a little creepy. I wonder how many other iOS apps actually do the same.
If you are looking for a bargain on computer hardware, we have some good deals for you today in this [H]ot Deals forum thread. The added bonus is all of today's deals come with free shipping on all ECONOSHIP orders over $50! The coupon codes for the items listed below won't last forever and are limited to stock on hand so you'd better hurry!
PATRIOT PYRO 60GB 2.5 SATA SSD = $64.99 + Free ShippingAMD FX-8158 X8 3600MHZ 16MB 125W AM3+ = $249.99 + Free Shipping
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750M 750W Modular PSU = $89.99 + Free Shipping
Legit Reviews has just published its review of the NZXT Switch 810 white case today for those of you interested. Here's a quote from the full review:
We were very impressed with several of the innovative features that NZXT put on the Switch 810, especially the consideration for pretty extreme water cooling setup with that 85mm of top clearance. The ability to drop a 420mm rad in the top and another 280mm rad in the bottom should be enough cooling for even a quad GPU setup. Placing easy to access filters on the intake fans is a real plus and should keep the dust bunnies to a minimum
There was some debate as to whether or not you could see a difference with the new Skyrim High-Res Texture Pack so I made this quick video. Obviously you'll want to watch it in 1080p. 
You know you are pissed when you leave and take the chair with you. At least they left the ice trays.
Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and three longtime board members are leaving the troubled Internet company. The shake-up announced Tuesday continues a drastic makeover of Yahoo's leadership during the past month as the company tries to win back investors frustrated with years of broken turnaround promises.
Can't ban violent video games? Well then, let's put a tax on them (even teen rated games)! Yes folks, that is our tax dollars at work. What will our illustrious elected officials think of next? 
The bill, introduced by State Representative William Fourkiller (D., Okl.), proposes a 1% tax "upon sales of all violent video games based on gross receipts or gross proceeds of each sale." By "violent," the bill means "a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature or Adult Only."
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review @ Kotaku
Sega Studios Australia Lays Off 37 Workers @ Joystiq
Uncharted 3 Co-Op DLC Today @ Shacknews
