AGP Platform Analysis, Part 1: New Cards, Old System

If you've ever paid any attention to a forum where graphics cards are discussed, you'll notice that inevitably there will be a number of threads where people will argue about whether or not it's worthwhile it to stick a new AGP card into an older PC. Some argue that the CPU of the older system will hold the newer card back from reaching its potential. Others will claim that the video card is more of a bottleneck than the CPU when it comes to gaming, so large gains will be seen if the video card is upgraded even though the platform is aging. Still others will say that even though you might see a performance increase with a new AGP video card, it's probably more cost effective to scrap the old AGP motherboard in favor of a new PCI Express (PCIe) motherboard.



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Vista Upgrade Is a Long Way Off, Say IT Pros

It might be the most publicized and monitored technology release this year, but it will be awhile before Microsoft's Windows Vista makes an enterprise mark, according to a monthly report on the state of the tech job market published Jan. 10 by New York-based Dice, an IT careers site.

When asked how quickly they expected their companies to upgrade to Vista, 63 percent of tech professionals responding to the report's topic poll said it would be quite awhile, as Vista needs to prove itself before they feel good about upgrading.

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Acer 'preloads vulns' onto notebooks

Acer has been called out for pre-loading a vulnerability on its notebooks.

A library file, called LunchApp.ocx, on the devices is set up to turn on the "safe for scripting" feature that means users are more vulnerable to ActiveX exploits. The "feature," designed to make it easier to browser Acer's site means systems can download potentially malicious Active X controls, without warning, if they happen to stray onto websites controlled by hackers.

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Sony Stock Plummets on News of PS3 Sales less than 50% of Prediction

Sony sold 466,716 PlayStation 3 units in Japan from its Nov. 11 domestic launch date to the end of December. The figures fall short of the 1 million consoles Sony predicted it would sell domestically by year's end which helped send Sony shares plummeting Wednesday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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How Apple Kept the iPhone Secret

An anonymous reader writes

"Bogus prototypes, bullying the press, stifling pillow talk — all to keep iPhone under wraps. Fortune's Peter Lewis goes inside one of the year's biggest tech launches. One of the most astonishing things about the new Apple iPhone, introduced yesterday by Steve Jobs at the annual Macworld trade show, is how Apple managed to keep it a secret for nearly two-and-a-half years of development while working with partners like Cingular, Yahoo and Google."

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Office 2008 for Mac to come this year

Putting lingering questions about update timing to rest, Microsoft has announced that the new version of Office for Mac will arrive in the second half of this year.

Office 2008 for Mac, as the product is being dubbed, is a universal binary, the company said Tuesday. That means the software runs both on Macs with Intel chips and on those with PowerPC chips. In addition, it is compatible with the new XML file formats used by Office 2007 for Windows, which hits retail shelves this month.

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Thanks for the Mac memories

SAN FRANCISCO--For fans of Macintosh computers, Tuesday brought a chance to hear some of the inside stories behind the history of the iconic machines.

At Macworld here, Andy Hertzfeld, a member of the team that built the original Mac, spoke to a crowd of about 50 people about the early days of the project.

Hertzfeld was on hand to promote his book, Revolution in the Valley: The insanely great story of how the Mac was made, at publisher O'Reilly's booth.

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Sirius hands Stern $83 million stock bonus

Sirius Satellite Radio paid shock jock Howard Stern a bonus worth nearly $83 million on Tuesday for surpassing subscriber goals set in a 2004 contract that had already turned heads with its $500 million compensation package.

The freewheeling and ribald Stern joined Sirius one year ago, jumping from the FM dial where he rose to become one of radio's biggest stars but frequently bridled at government indecency regulations and ties with his corporate bosses.

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Finally, Apple answers call for iPhone

In one of the most anticipated gadget announcements in recent years, Apple Computer at Macworld on Tuesday introduced the "iPhone," a mobile device that CEO Steve Jobs promised will reinvent the phone.

The Mac OS X-based iPhone is most akin to an iPod in design, but allows users to listen to music, make phone calls, send text messages and e-mail, surf the Web, and take and upload photos, all using a wide touch screen and a single button. Apple plans to make the device available in the United States in June, with a 4GB model going for $499 with a two-year service contract, and an 8GB model with the same contract for $599.

The iPhone was announced during a two-hour keynote in which Jobs also announced the expected Apple TV, previously known by its code name "iTV," as well as a name change for the company.
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Dell woos gamers and greens

LAS VEGAS--Dell wants us all to breathe a little easier about the power consumption of its PCs.

In his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show here Tuesday, Chairman Michael Dell introduced a number of new gaming systems and components--as well as a program to plant trees that will suck up the carbon dioxide indirectly generated by the fast PCs.

Although someone dressed as Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies came on stage to help demonstrate a new backup service called Dell DataSafe, the speech was generally low-key. One of Dell's other guests on stage was Naomi Halas, a professor at Rice University who has come up with a nanoparticle that may be used one day to fight cancer cells.

The "Plant a Tree for Me" program essentially encourages consumers to donate money--$2 for notebooks and $6 for desktops--when they buy new PCs from Dell. The audience clapped often, but only got responsibly excited.

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