[H]ardNews

The LAN Party Map:

Mike "Captian Obvious" Isaacson sends along a link to The LAN Party Map. No matter where you live in the continental US you can find the closest LAN party to where you live with the click of a mouse. Is there a LAN party happening in your area? You can add a LAN Party location to the map as well. Give it a look.

The LAN Party Map is a new tool to find LAN parties near you. Based on Google Maps, it places a color coded marker on the map for each upcoming LAN. Most of the time, you either had to know the LAN you were looking for, do a Google search and hope something came up, or wade through long lists of LANs. Now, you can simply click on a marker that is near you! Hopefully this will help keep LAN gaming alive and vibrant by allowing people to find parties more easily. So far it is US only, but I'll be working on adding more countries in the near future.

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

ABIT NI8-SLI:

Motherboards.org says that the ABIT NI8-SLI LGA775 nForce4 SLI motherboard is a feature rich, solid performer that is certainly worth your consideration.

If you're buying a motherboard for performance, features and stability today, the SLI platform is the only way to go at the moment. ABIT's board brings to the table a lot with the features and performance that you would want from a new motherboard.

ATi CrossFire Dual Graphics:

Grab a translator and head on over to Overclockers.cl and check out their review of ATi CrossFire Dual Graphics. I translated a quote (below) to get you started:

ATI has responded and has numbers that endorse it. From the impressive sample of brute force in Half-Life 2, to amazing results in 3DMark, we have remained without adjectives to be able to describe the power of this platform.

PSP 2.0 Cracked:

Some guy has cracked the PSP’s 2.0 firmware so that you can run homebrew code on your PSP.

We have received an email from someone named 'foo bar' (now revealed as toc2rta) with a file made by unknown, which allows a buffer overflow to be run via the photos menu in Sony PSP firmware v2.0. Although it is not currently possible to run homebrew code with this exploit, the door is wide open for the future.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

No Love For The Nano?

Our weekend newsman Rich posted a bit of news about iPod nano screens scratching really easy, often with just normal everyday use (they do). Following up on that, there is a guy who is collecting information from other iPod nano owners to bolster his claims that the nano is flawed. Personally, I have a black nano here that has been flawless but the screen on it is no more vulnerable than a PSP or the likes. We’ll have to keep an eye on all of this.

As you will read here, if you choose, I believe this to be an Apple design flaw and the only way to prove it is if people share their story and go to Apple with our findings. Your email will be posted (sans your email address of course) to show others that they may not be the only one with the same problem. Thank you.

Nano Outburst Taken Wrong:

Motorola is saying that the “screw the nano” comment was taken out of context. Not sure how that was taken out of context, maybe he meant “I love the nano in a sexual way”…or “drill the nano”. The original outburst can be found here.

"'Screw the nano. What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?' Zander said. People are going to want devices that do more than just play music.

[H]ardNews 5th Edition - [H]ardForum [H]appenings

[H]ardForum [H]appenings:

Welcome to another “self help edition” of [H]ardForum [H]appenings! Tuesdays are all about self help in the forums. Are you upgrading your video card any time soon? See our recommended upgrade guide here. Got a new card but you have a few questions about it? Try out our handy video card FAQ. Need motherboard help? How about a list of motherboard manufacturer links? Maybe it is just memory you have a question about. I suggest our handy memory FAQ. Need help water cooling your PC? You guessed it, we have a water cooling self help thread too. Maybe you don’t have a hardware question but a software question. Problems with Spyware? We have an official anti-spyware info thread that should help. Are you a budding webmaster in need of hosting? Then you should look here. Are you a laptop user in need of help? The notebook FAQ is here for you. So you see, the forums really do have help for just about every topic you can think of…all you have to do is get in there and find the help you need or offer advice to those searching. As always, have fun and we’ll see you in the forums!

[H]ardNews 4th Edition

Steam Update:

There is a small Steam update available that corrects a Source engine DirectX configuration problem. While you are there, you can also get Day of Defeat: Source via Steam for $19.95.

A small update has just been released which will correct a Source engine DirectX configuration problem. The DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime from Microsoft is required. When launching a Source engine game on Steam, users who don't have this latest version of DirectX will be directed to this page to get the installer.

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition - Mods & Ends

Cooling:

Vantec Stingray Watercooling Kit @ MadShrimps

Etc.:

Ideazon Zboard Gaming Keyboard @ Overclocker Café - Grado SR125 Headphones Review @ CoolTechZone - OCZ Rally 2GB Flash Drive @ Phoronix - SanDisk Cruzer Mini Flash Drive @ CTZ - Plextor PX-740A @ Overclockers Online - Logitech Bluetooth Mobile Freedom @ Sudhian - Logitech Cordless Desktop S510 @ Hardware Pacers

Cases & Modding:

Codegen Group Briza-97 Mid Tower ATX Case @ BigBruin - Thermaltake Swing VB6000 SWS Case @ TechPowerUp

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

ClubIT Free Shipping Extended:

As a public service message to all of you looking to cash in on a great deal, ClubIT has extended its free shipping offer through the end of the month. With great deals on everything from LCDs to processors, you can save a bundle when with free shipping offered exclusively to [H]ard|OCP readers. Hit the link or click one of the ads on our review pages for more info, you’ll be glad you did. This ends [H]ard|OCP’s PSA of the Day.

Palm Treo Runs Windows Mobile 5.0:

Microsoft has announced an “ alliance you thought you'd never see”…Windows Mobile 5.0 on the Palm Treo. The folks at Designtechnica think it is a sign of the apocalypse. Thanks to JR Lanteri for the heads up.

Announcing an alliance you thought you'd never see—Palm and Windows Mobile 5.0. Now you don't have to choose—you can get the best from two pioneers in mobile devices, in addition to a high-speed network from Verizon. The new Treo, available in early 2006, offers Broadband Access, a QWERTY keyboard, and familiar Outlook Mobile applications for easy e-mail access.

Intel & MS Back HD-DVD:

Intel and Microsoft are hoping that their considerable influence will be enough to shift the balance in the HD-DVD / Blu-ray war by throwing their support behind HD-DVD.

There are several reasons the two companies went with HD DVD, said Richard Doherty, Microsoft's program manager for media entertainment convergence. Among them: HD DVD requires that movies may be copied to a consumer's hard drive, making it easier for people to send movies around home networks; HD DVD supports regular DVD recordings on the flip side of the disc, letting people sell hybrid discs to consumers who have DVD players today but fear their discs will be obsolete; and HD DVD offers more capacity.

[H]ardNews 1st Edition - Press Releases

AMD Powers Ahead With 3 New Models:

AMD today announced three new models in the Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processor family, delivering the world’s highest performance for one-way to eight-way x86 servers and workstations. The Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor Model 880 for up to eight-way, 16-core enterprise-class servers and Model 280 for high performance dual-processor workstations and servers are immediately available. Model 180 for one-processor, two-core servers and workstations is expected to be available within 30 days.

Corsair Launches World's Fastest ASUS-Ready DDR1:

In collaboration with ASUSTek, Corsair will release its first 'ASUS Ready' XMS-3500LL PRO 2GByte-kit to support the release of the first Corsair optimized x16 SLI motherboards engineered by ASUS. Available in a matched pair of two 1GByte modules, the new XMS-3500LL PRO is the industry's first high-density memory guaranteed to deliver blazing-fast performance of DDR437 (218MHz) at low latencies of 2-3-2-6-1T.

Intel Showcases New Centrino Ad Campaign:

In its fall advertising campaign breaking this week, Intel Corporation showcases the digital entertainment benefits of the Intel® Centrino® mobile technology platform for laptop PCs. The eight-country campaign consists of television, print, online, retail and outdoor elements. "As computing and communications converge, Intel technology innovation continues to reshape how people live, work and play," said Eric Kim, vice president and co-director of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group.

Radeon Xpress 200 Part Of AMD’s CSIP:

ATI Technologies Inc., today announced that its Radeon® Xpress 200 platform technology will be an integral part of AMD's Commercial Stable Image Platform (CSIP). The program will include three CSIP-qualified and ATI-tested systems at launch. Developed to help simplify commercial PC management, AMD's new program provides system stability by ensuring availability of select AMD desktop and mobile processors, ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipsets, motherboards and stable image drivers for a 15-month period.

[H]ardNews 9th Edition

Call Of Duty 2 Demo:

For all of you interested, Activision has released the Call Of Duty 2 demo and our friends over at ShackNews have it. All of you with broadband, head on over and grab it. Be forewarned you now, the demo is well over 650MB so all you dial-up types might wait for it to show up on demo CD from your favorite game magazine.

Soldier, get your ass in gear because Activision has just released the Call of Duty 2 demo. The 656mb download includes the El Daba, Egypt level which is part of the British campaign. Call of Duty 2 will be released on PC and Xbox 360 later this year.

Google Offers Prime-Time Video Streamcasts:

Remember last week when everyone was wondering what the hell Google TV was all about? Mystery solved. Google plans to offer a streamcast of Chris Rock’s new comedy TV show.

Search engine leader Google Inc. is delving deeper into an unconventional business, offering an Internet streamcast of last week's television premiere of Chris Rock's new comedy. Other online outlets have made network prime-time shows available before, but "Everybody Hates Chris" marks Google's most high-profile video offering so far.

[H]ardNews

ATi Tapping UMC:

It looks like ATi is turning to UMC to crank out its 90nm R521, RV531 and RV516 GPUs, this is addition to what is being pumped out by TSMC (R520, RR530 and R515):

ATI Technologies has placed orders with United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) to produce its R521, RV531 and RV516 graphics processing units (GPUs) using 90nm technology, according to industry sources. The GPUs have similar designs as the upcoming R520, RV530 and RV515 GPUs.

Biostar NF4SIE-A7 nForce4 SLI IE:

Bjorn3D says that the Biostar NF4SIE-A7 nForce4 SLI IE is an O.K. board but enthusiast will be put off by the lack of voltage options.

The N4SIE-A7 is another typical Biostar offering. I find it hard to get too excited about it (that's not necessarily a bad thing if you like simple and to-the-point hardware). The bundle is quite skinny, and Biostar didn't add much excitement to the already good nForce4 SLI Intel Edition feature set.

Bloggers = Rich?

Damn, according to this Wired magazine article, I am in the wrong business. It seems that bloggers are raking in the cash with salaries starting at $2,500 a month all the way to $8,000 a month.

"The most common number quoted has indeed been $2,500 per month," Denton continues, adding that it's wrong because some writers produce more than others and get paid accordingly -- "but it's not embarrassingly wrong." I run some numbers by him that I picked up about his pay structure. I say the two bloggers at Gawker earn about $5,000 a month. Defamer: Between $7,000 and $10,000 a month. Gizmodo: $7,000 to $8,000. And Fleshbot: $7,000 to $8,000 a month.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

[H]ardForum [H]appenings:

Welcome to another edition of [H]ardForum [H]appenings! I like to think of Mondays as Moddays, so let’s start things off with a few of the cool mods we currently have going in the Case Modding forum. The ever popular Project: Batman Begins has a fresh coat of paint, drop in and check out the progress on this one. Project: Storm’d is one of the best acrylic case mods I have seen in a long time. I like the idea of two systems in a single custom NeXT Cube case. If you aren’t modding, you should be…even chicks mod their computers. Moving on to the [H]ot Deals forum our Deal of the Day is definitely this 3GHz Lenovo (IBM) PC for $389 with free shipping. Runner up in the DotD department is this deal on Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 for $130 shipped. As always, have fun in the forums, we’ll see you in there!

[H]ardNews 5th Edition - Mods & Ends

Cooling:

Thermaltake Bigwater SE Water Cooling Kit @ Tweaknews - Swiftech MCX775-V Heatsink @ Club Overclocker - Danger Den RBXA64 & Maze4 Chipset Water Block @ Techniz - Zalman Reserator 1 Plus Water Cooling System (for SLI) @ BigBruin - Jetart Xcool NP6900 Foldable Notebook Cooler @ ARP - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler @ ThinkComputers

Etc.:

MGE Vigor 500W Power Supply @ ThinkComputers - Hiper Type-R 480 Watt Power Supply @ Club Overclocker - Altec Lansing AHS602i Gaming Headset @ Techgage - Game Boy Micro - SanDisk 1 GB Digital Audio MP3 Player @ Futurelooks - SilverStone Zeus 650w PSU @ A1-Electronics

Cases & Modding:

Modding 101: Switches @ CaseModGod