Multitouch Dell Laptop Studio 17, Support Latest Intel Core i7. great!

Dell has introduced the first laptop with multitouch touch features, the type of Studio 17. Initially Dell only makes multitouch tablet, but the recent Studio 17 laptop comes with Intel Core processor configuration i7 720QM or 820QM. Dell ready to sell laptops multitouch in its website (configure.us.dell.com / dellstore /) with a $ 880 price range.


LED display has a size of 17.3-inch HD, Dell Studio 17 is equipped with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels, and multitouch gesture. Dell Studio 17 laptop can play HD content on the screen smoothly because of the support graphics and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB graphics to offer a horse-powered. This Dell laptop also multitouch support Intel processors starting from Pentium Dual Core i7 up. Bundle with 4GB of RAM DDR3, Dell offers a 500GB hard drive capacity in the laptop.

Dell Studio 17 laptop can also be configured with an external display full HD using HDMI out port or DisplayPort. For connectivity, Dell provides facilities Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, FireWire, VGA, 1 USB / eSATA, and USB 2 ports. Multitouch laptop comes with the installation of Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit). Even so, not yet known when the official date of launch of Studio 17 laptop is multitouch.

Jaguar: Fastest Super Computer in the World

XT5 supercomputer from Cray Inc., or better known as Jaguar, expressed as Fastest Super Computer in the World this year in the TOP500 Super Computer List.

Jaguar by using AMD Opteron processor x86_64 Six Core 2600 MHz (10.4 GFlops) can make the process of achieving 1.75 petaflop / s, or quadrillions of floating point operations per second. Whereas in the second position is occupied by the IBM Roadrunner using PowerXCell 8i processor 3200 MHz (12.8 GFlops) is only able to process 1.04 petaflop / s.

10 The magnitude of TOP500 List Super Komputer. List is as follows:



    * - Jaguar, Cray, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1.75 petaflop / s)
    * - Roadrunner, IBM, Los Alamos National Laboratory (1.04 petaflop / s)
    * - Kraken XT5, Cray, National Institute for Computational Sciences (832 teraflop / s)
    * - JUGENE, IBM, Forschungszentrum Juelich (825.5 teraflop / s)
    * - Tianhe-1, NUDT, National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin (563.1 teraflop / s)
    * - Pleiades, SGI, NASA Ames Research Center (544.3 teraflop / s)
    * - BlueGeneL, IBM, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (478.2 teraflop / s)
    * - BlueGene / P, IBM, Argonne National Laboratory (458.61 teraflop / s)
    * - Ranger, Fri, Texas Advanced Computing Center (433.20 teraflop / s)
    * - Red Sky, Sun, Sandia National Laboratories (423.9 teraflop / s)

TOP500 do ranking ranks the world's super computer using the basic:

    * - Nworld - Position in TOP500 ranking
    * - Manufacturer - Manufacturer or vendor
    * - Computer - Type indicated by manufacturer or vendor
    * - Installation Site - Customer
    * - Location - Location and country
    * - Year - Year of installation / last major update
    * - Field Application
    * - # Proc. - Number of processors
    * - Rmax - Maximal LINPACK performance achieved
    * - Rpeak - Theoretical peak performance
    * - Nmax - Problem size for achieving Rmax
    * - N1 / 2 - Problem size for achieving half of Rmax

Google Chrome OS may be launched next week

Google's announcement in July, yesterday about the launch of Google Chrome the OS will soon be available in the next week. At least for this first version can be downloaded. Previously Google plans to launch the first version in the fall.



Google's announcement of Google Chrome OS launched in last July has surprised many people, especially Microsoft and Apple who are old players in the industry operating system. Google's search engine starts and then extended to various sectors of IT sperti mail, share videos, browsers, and is now targeting operating systems sector.

But it seems the launch of Google Chrome OS flawless. A good operating system must support the existing hardwhare. This is all the pitfalls and the weak point of Google Chrome the OS. Reporting from TechCrunch, the technicians from Google has been working hard to make hardware driver hardware. But some rumors are saying that Google is pretty much in conflict with the hardware manufacturers that also make hardware drivers.

Hardware support is what determines the future success of Google Chrome this OS. Google previously announced support for Google Chrome the OS running on the EEE PC netbooks. But there are still many who doubted Google Chrome the OS can run on laptops and desktops for the first launch. In this project, Google had previously said they were working with Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba

Razer Abyssus, Mouse with Infrared Sensor 3.5G

Razer, gaming peripherals manufacturer, has announced a gaming mouse hardware Abyssus, Mouse game focuses on the fundamental core gaming. Razer Mouse 3500dpi tracking Abyssus offer and tracking on-the-fly with 1ms response time. Razer Razer mouse Abyssus offer this for $ 49, and can be purchased at the website Razerzone (razerzone.com / gaming-mice / RAZER-abyssus), and will be present at retailers starting next month.



Abyssus Razer mouse has three buttons design is agile and clever. Razer has also added an infrared sensor 3500dpi Razer Precision 3.5G points for better tracking and accurate. This mouse features a large tactile buttons, which can be palpated for action right or left-click quickly. Other features of Hyperesponse button that can be programmed independently.

Razer also offers 2 switcher to switch between settings 450/800/2500dpi. Gamers can also use this mouse in Razer Abyssus system Windows 7, Vista or XP.

Ultra-Slim Laptop by Dell XPS Adamo, with Unique Keyboard

Dell has officially released the ultra-slim laptop XPS Adamo in the UK, but there was still no details on price or laptop officially released. Dell also claims that even Adamo XPS laptops will also be the thinnest laptop in the world.

First announced in September, Adamo XPS has a thickness of only 9.99mm, and weighs 1.4 pounds, making it the laptop is very thin and light notebooks for a 13.4-inch size setting. Dell XPS Adamo complement this laptop with an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.4GHz with 4GB memory DDR3, and sold with 128GB flash drive, rather than using a standard hard drive to simplify its weight.

Adamo XPS laptops using the Windows operating system 7 64 bit, plus a folded keyboard features emerged from the laptop body, rather than other conventional laptop models. Dell says that the keyboard is not easy to 'lock' itself, and the user is easy to open the keyboard by pulling with the fingers. According to Dell's keyboard keycap made of aluminum, and the system has a motion sensor support for the touchpad it.

Another feature of the laptop Dell XPS Adamo is the availability of local map information in real time. System laptop using wireless Wi-Fi 802.11n, 2 USB ports, and an external output, but connected with an Ethernet LAN network using a separate dongle. Adamo XPS has a battery that can be replaced, with the ability to survive up to 5 hours 17 minutes, according to Dell. XPS Adamo is expected to be present before Christmas 2009.

Toshiba makes Tiny 1.8 inch Hard Disk 320GB

Toshiba will soon publish a capacity of 320GB of storage devices in the size of 1.8 inch drives. With the 2-platter products MK3233GSG the store 160GB per platter on a hard drive, the Toshiba increasingly confident to enter into the micro-drive platform. Toshina disk hardware has 5,400 rpm speed, real density 516Gbit/sq, impressive performance compared to the 2.5 inch capacity density and 3.5-inch 395Gbit/sq density 350Gbit/sq.


In addition to 1.8 inch hard drive, Toshiba also has a 2 platter 2.5 inch drive with 640GB capacity and density 528.5Gbit/sq. September month ago, Toshiba announced 160GB single platter with a density of 1.8 inch series 467Gbit/sq the MK1634GAL. The plan, Toshiba will apply these 1.8 inch drives for thin netbook, MID (Mobile Internet Devices), pocket hard drive, to compete with the 2.5 inch drives.

Toshiba also claims that the 1.8 inch hard disk appears smaller, resilient, and energy use 42 percent less without depending on the number of capacities, and possible far cheaper price.

ASUS Smartbook, Price Less Than Other yng Netbook

In an investor conference held Friday (30/10) yesterday held in Taipei, Asus boss Jerry Shen, has confirmed that a device will be launched in Smartbook first quarter of 2010, with a low enough price that is NTD6000 (USD184).

Shen said that Smartbook category has growth potential and high volume, and this is the reason for ASUS to make Smartbook as 'secret weapon', in addition to the Eee PC. Shen added while speaking at the conference, that it had not seen the Smartbook market.

Shen stressed that innovation, price and competitive speed from ASUS will be the key that will be accepted in many manufacturing world. Smartbook, eBooks, or tablet product innovation has become the subject of internal and brainstorming committee that will run from 6 months into the future with direction and purpose for the display device in the event Smartbook CeBIT and Computex 2010.

Smartbook ASUS is equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, operating system Android, and Internet browser. The basic idea of this by making Smartbook Shen, is to create a highly portable device with multiple connectivity and network bandrol cheaper prices than a netbook.

Acer as a leading hardware manufacturer, this month announced a new laptop products Acer Aspire 8940. This laptop uses Intel's 1.6 GHz processor i7 is faster than previous processors that use Intel Core 2 Quad.

Our launched from Electronista, this laptop also uses graphics support GeForce GTS 250M graphics to better encourage the 1080pixel screen.
Acer will leave for branded Windows Vista operating system on this laptop and use Windows 7. Also support Blu-ray Burner added luxury of this laptop.

Not only had 4GB of RAM and 500GB HD makes it look super lapotop for gameres and multimedia editor. So this laptop is worth if sold for $ 1350. Although the release date is uncertain, but this laptop is expected to enter the market before this Christmas holiday.

Intel's next-gen memory closer to reality

Researchers are two steps closer to creating a mass-market version of technology called phase-change memory that could change how computers of the future are put together.
Intel and Numonyx, the chipmaker's joint venture with STMicroelectonics that's focused on flash memory, announced Wednesday they've built a new type of phase-change memory chip they hope will help fulfill the technology's promise for small size and large capacity.
Its 64-megabit capacity isn't momentous on its own--Numonyx announced a 128Mb device in 2006 and Samsung said in September it's producing a 512Mb chip. But what is significant are two major advances in making the decades-old idea practical.
First, the researchers built a grid of wires into the chip so a computer can easily control the writing of a 1 or 0 in each of the 64 million memory cells. Second, they announced their manufacturing process lets them stack several layers atop each other so memory can be packed more densely in a given volume.

This image shows phase-change memory built atop a conventional CMOS microchip. Memory cells can be controlled using rows and columns of wires that lead through the chip.

(Credit: Intel)

Storing numbers in a computer hardly is new, so why could phase-change memory, which records ones and zeros by changing the molecular state of a particular type of glass, be a big deal?
In short, it could combine conventional computer memory's high speed with flash memory's low cost, low power demands, and high capacity. Having lots of fast memory on hand could simplify computer hardware and software that today must reckon with a hierarchy of storage technologies that trade off performance for capacity.
Operating systems today must constantly work to keep important information in memory while relegating the rest to "virtual memory" stored on hard drives--or, these days, an intermediate layer in the hierarchy, solid state disks made of flash memory. Deciding what goes where is complicated, and priorities change from one moment to the next.
"At Intel, we see this as an important milestone in enabling a future class of memory where you can combine attributes of memory semantics and storage semantics, potentially collapsing the technologies into one memory type," said Al Fazio, Intel's director of memory technology development, discussing the technology Wednesday. "The research is very promising in delivering that."
For another thing, phase-change memory could get around difficulties of shrinking current memory technologies to ever-smaller sizes. And for another, it could lower the power consumption, reducing waste heat and extending battery life.
A long history
But be sure to temper that promise with a long history.
Phase-change memory is a decades-old idea. Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, of Moore's Law fame, wrote a paper on the idea in 1970. It's made some headway since then: phase-change technology is used to store data on rewritable DVDs and CDs.
Intel and Numonyx aren't alone in trying to commercialize the technology. Start-up Ovonyx also is working on it, as are IBM, Samsung, and Philips Electronics. But as the years of labor show, it's been difficult bringing phase-change memory to market.
Fazio and Greg Atwood, senior technology fellow at Numonyx, took pains to say their companies' work on the technology began in earnest at the beginning of the decade.
"Significant new memory technologies are really quite rare," Atwood said. "There are many hurdles in introduction of new memory. Ten years is not an unreasonable time frame."
Arguably, Atwood said, there only are three forms of memory developed since the 1960s, he said: dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that's the mainstay of computer memory, the more expensive static dynamic random access memory (SRAM) that's often integrated on processors, and electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), of which flash is one variety.
Adding phase-change memory, sometimes called PCM, PRAM, or ovonics, therefore would be quite a departure in the history of computing.
How's it work?
Phase change memory stores 1s and 0s in a tiny patch of glass material that can be changed from one state to another--specifically, so its molecules are arranged either in a crystalline pattern or an amorphous jumble. It's conceptually similar to water being either a liquid or an ice.
In addition, Intel announced "multi-level" phase change memory in 2008 that adds two intermediate states, a move that means a single cell could hold two bits of data instead of one--the binary numbers of 00, 01, 10, or 11. That effectively doubled the 128Mbit capacity of the prototype chip to a 256Mbit chip, Intel said.
The stacking technique could increase memory density further, though there are limits, Atwood said.
"In principle, we can stack as high as we choose. In practice, every layer of memory has an additional cost," he said, requiring more processing and increasing the risks that defects will lower the yield of useful chips produced from a production batch. "There's no reason why we couldn't stack four layers for example, or potentially more."
Though the researchers are excited about stacking, the 64Mbit prototypes uses only a single layer of memory cells. "The first layer is the hardest layer," Fazio said. And today's flash memory is only one layer thick.
Like flash but unlike conventional computer memory, phase-change memory is nonvolatile, which means that once data is written, it stays put even if the power is switched off. That doesn't just preserve data when a device is off; it also means that unlike DRAM, power isn't required to keep the data in memory.
Ever smaller
Intel was cagey about just how closely packed its latest memory cells are. But the company expects to achieve the same density of memory cells as flash memory--then go beyond it eventually.
Flash memory today requires relatively high voltages--about 20 volts--to store its data, Fazio said. But high voltage and small distances are hard to put together, a fact that imposes limits on flash memory.
Today's flash memory features measure about 30 nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Because of the voltage issue and the fact that the difference between a 1 and a 0 is just "a handful of electrons," it's getting harder to shrink flash memory technology.
Phase-change memory, though, can get much smaller. "Research in the industry has shown that to be stable down to 5 nanometers and lower," Fazio said.
The new wiring grid helps keep up with the shrinking trend by providing a way to get at the data even as cells get smaller.
All this is important for the computer industry, which has struggled with the challenges of data storage.
Once upon a time, memory and processors worked at closer speeds, but they've diverged over the years, which means processors often must idle while the memory system fetches data the CPU has requested. System architects have responded by building a hierarchy of storage systems--different levels of SRAM cache memory on the chip or right next to it, DRAM that's one level removed, and hard drives a step beyond that.
Today's flash memory, which is faster than a hard drive and cheaper than conventional memory, is changing that arrangement. It's already revolutionized the portable device market with enough capacity for lots of songs, videos, and photos. Now it's begun arriving in high-end laptops with solid-state drives that offer longer battery life, higher performance, and greater ruggedness. And servers are on the cusp of major changes with the incorporation of flash memory.
But flash memory is sluggish compared to conventional memory. If phase-change memory meets its high-performance promise in coming years, expect more profound changes for computing systems.

Microsoft: No browserless Windows 7 after all

It looks like there won't be a browserless version of Windows 7, after all।

Microsoft said late Friday that it won't ship the Windows 7 "E" version of Windows even though Europe has yet to sign off on its revised plan. The plan calls for the company to ship Windows 7 with Internet Explorer, but present a ballot screen in which users in Europe can decide whether they want Internet Explorer or another browser.

The software maker had originally proposed shipping Windows 7 in Europe without a browser at all--the so-called "E" version of the operating system. However, European regulators indicated that might not satisfy its concerns.

Microsoft announced last week that it was open to the "ballot screen," but said that it would wait to can the browserless "E" version until European regulators approved its plan.

The software maker said late Friday that it decided to ship the same version of Windows 7 for Europe after PC makers complained that having to use the browserless version of Windows 7 for a short period of time would be a pain.

"In the wake of last week's developments, as well as continuing feedback on Windows 7 E that we have received from computer manufacturers and other business partners, I'm pleased to report that we will ship the same version of Windows 7 in Europe in October that we will ship in the rest of the world," deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a statement.

The commission had said it "welcomed" Microsoft's move, also giving the software maker some confidence that it could ship Windows 7 with the browser included. If the commission accepts Microsoft's proposal, it will fully implement that proposed ballot screen to Windows 7 buyers in Europe.

"One reason we decided not to ship Windows 7 'E' is concerns raised by computer manufacturers and partners," Heiner said. "Several worried about the complexity of changing the version of Windows that we ship in Europe if our ballot screen proposal is ultimately accepted by the Commission and we stop selling Windows 7 'E'. Computer manufacturers and our partners also warned that introducing Windows 7 'E', only to later replace it with a version of Windows 7 that includes IE, could confuse consumers about what version of Windows to buy with their PCs."

The move also solved a challenge for Vista users in Europe, who under the previous plan would have had to do a clean install to move to Windows 7. It also allows Microsoft to sell an "upgrade version" of Windows 7 in Europe. Microsoft had previously said it would only sell a full version of the OS, though it had said it would sell that at the upgrade price, at least for a time.

Those who pre-ordered Windows 7 "E" through a recent discount offer will get the full version, as Microsoft had promised. However, Microsoft plans to now sell Windows 7 upgrades in Europe and also offer a higher-priced full version (for those without an earlier copy of Windows)--similar to what it is doing in the rest of the world.

One of Lenovo's new netbooks, the IdeaPad S12, has a 12-inch screen, a full-size keyboard and starts at $449। Most netbooks top out at screen sizes of 10.1 inches, but Lenovo said this model will be for those who want a portable and affordable device with a "familiar computing experience."
When I saw Lenovo's recent announcement about its new, 12-inch netbook, the IdeaPad S12, I did a doubletake. Netbook? 12-inch screen? That's what my Mac PowerBook, circa 2004, had, and I remember carrying it everywhere.

It was called a "laptop," but that was virtually eons before netbooks launched, the economy crashed and the appetite for mobile computing gobbled up the landscape. If you don't have a BlackBerry or an iPhone now, maybe you've got an Acer Aspire One or Asus Eee.

No question, we like to take our e-mail and Internet with us everywhere we go। Helping to feed that appetite, despite a lousy economy, has been a slew of $200 (more or less) smartphones, as well as netbooks, little laptops of 2 to 3 pounds, that start in the mid-$200 price range.

And on their way: computing form factors in between the smartphone and netbook that will sate the need to be able to continuously connect. The 12-inch screen size seems to be a new sweet spot for netbooks, laptops or whatever name you want to give to these portable computers.

Most netbooks now have a maximum screen size of about 10 inches. One of the first to take off in late 2007 was the $299 Asus Eee PC which had a 7-inch screen — "toy-like," notes Phil McKinney, HP's vice president and chief technology officer for the personal systems group.

Toy-like, but clearly distinguishable from bigger brother and sister laptops, which started at 12 inches in screen size but typically did well in the 14- to 17-inch screen category.

Similar pricing
Lenovo's calls its 3-pound IdeaPad S12 with a 12.1-inch screen a netbook, and pricing will start at $449. Dell has its Mini 12, which it dubs "laptop/netbook" (giving users the choice of deciding what it is). The Mini 12 weighs under 3 pounds, with prices starting at $399.

Shown in a recent Best Buy advertising insert was a 15.4-inch widescreen Toshiba laptop with a 160-gigabyte hard drive for $349.99, and a Dell 15.6-inch widescreen laptop, also with a 160-gigabyte hard drive, for $449.99.

That's the kind pricing similarity that worries PC manufacturers, with PC shipments worldwide down 13 percent from the first quarter of 2008 compared to the first quarter of 2009. Netbooks have been a bright spot, but some question at what cost.

"There is concern about the cannibalization issue," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group research firm. "I don't want someone who was going to spend $499 to spend $349; I want people who wouldn't have bought anything to spend $329. That's a win."

As far as what defines a netbook versus any other type of laptop, "the lines are blurring," Baker said. "The lines were sort of artificial to begin with. The way we've put these products out into the market right now, it's still hard for the consumer to know what we're trying to offer them."

The netbook market has come a long way, he said, in offering consumers improved devices with bigger screens, keyboards and battery life. "You're hard-pressed now to find any of the original products that set up the netbook market," he said.

Dell Dell's Mini 12 laptop/netbook has a 12-inch screen, is about an inch thick and weighs less than 3 pounds. Prices start at $399.

Still, "they all look pretty similar: the 10-inch screen, a gigabyte of RAM, a 120-GB hard drive, two or three USB ports, Intel's Atom processor and Windows XP operating system." (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

"There's some color differences, and that helps a little bit, but from a feature perspective, the manufacturers are having difficulty separating from each other because of the platform and just the limits of what you can do in something that size," Baker said.

Hence, laptops in the 12-inch screen range. Lenovo boasts of a full-size keyboard in its IdeaPad S12. Most netbook keyboards are about 92 percent of the size of a full-size keyboard, and sometimes smaller. Toshiba just announced its "mini NB205," a 10.1-inch netbook with a "full-size QWERTY raised-tile keyboard and a generous laptop-sized touchpad." Pricing starts at $349.

Netbooks vs. thin-and-lights
What makes a netbook? The answer, most manufacturers say, is in the processor, most commonly the low-voltage, low-cost Intel Atom processor, with Intel's development of it having partly created netbooks. AMD has its Athlon Neo processor, and just announced its dual-core Athlon Neo to serve larger but lighter laptops.

HP HP's dv2, with a 12.1-inch screen, and prices starting at $699, is in the company's "ultrathin" category, about one inch thick and weighing about 4 pounds.

The Athlon Neo is used in HP's Dv2 which has a 12-inch screen, but is not considered a netbook by the company. The $699 computer, weighing just under 4 pounds, is described as an "ultrathin."

"The Dv2, in our thin and light category, has a full-powered AMD processor, full capabilities just as you would have with any traditional notebook, but it's in that 12- to 13-inch category, vs. our Mini Notes, which go up to a 10.2-inch screen," said McKinney.

"We see the Mini Note, in many cases, as being viewed as kind of a step up from the smartphone," he said.

"We find the 10.2-inch screen is that perfect tradeoff between getting to be too big, too heavy that I'm not going to carry it all the time, yet not too small to where the screen becomes hard to read and isn't usable."

Acer, which makes the popular Aspire One netbooks, this week unveiled its "Timeline thin and light notebook family." The smallest member of that family weighs 3.5 pounds and has a 13.3-inch display; the largest weighs 5.3 pounds and has a 15.6-inch screen. The laptop with the largest screen is the least expensive at $598; the smallest, the most expensive at $899.

David Daoud, research manager in IDC's personal computing, PC Tracker and Green IT programs, said netbook buyers are divided into a few different groups. Among them are, as would be expected, travelers, but travelers who are "used to using a product like the BlackBerry or iPhone, and therefore are somewhat comfortable with the screen size and the keyboard size limitations."

IDC also is finding that a "substantial number" of people are buying netbooks as a "primary device," he said. "The way they're designed, the price points, the small, light size of the product makes it pretty compelling for many people."

Laptop Has Rich Features and Price to Match

A recession leads some to live more modestly. Of course, the economical approach isn’t adopted by all.

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Take the new ThinkPad W700ds notebook from Lenovo. It comes with a 17-inch primary screen (1920-by-1200-pixel WUXGA resolution) and a second 10.6-inch retractable screen that can tilt up to 30 degrees.

The laptop’s options include an integrated color calibrator that adjusts the screen’s color, a built-in Wacom digitizer tablet, dual integrated hard drives, up to 960 gigabytes of total storage, a Blu-ray player, a seven-in-one multimedia reader and five U.S.B. ports.

The 700ds also features Wi-Fi as well as optional WiMax, dual fans for the central processing unit and the graphics processor, and an optional fingerprint reader.

The 11-pound ThinkPad W700ds is available now starting at $3,663. The company says it is aimed at oil and gas explorers, photographers, designers and other PC users who require high performance, but Lamborghini, Hummer and Harley-Davidson owners might also appreciate it.

Clock ticking on worm attack code

The worm can also spread via USB flash drives.

The worm is spreading through low security networks, memory sticks, and PCs without current security updates.

The malicious program - also known as Downadup or Kido - was first discovered in October 2008.

Although the spread of the worm appears to be levelling off, there are fears someone could easily take control of any and all of the 9.5m infected PCs.

Speaking to the BBC, F-Secure's chief research officer, Mikko Hypponen, said there was still a real risk to users.

"Total infections appear to be peaking. That said, a full count is hard, because we also don't know how many machines are being cleaned. But we estimate there are still more than 9m infected PCs world wide.

"It is scary thinking about how much control they [a hacker] could have over all these computers. They would have access to millions of machines with full administrator rights.

"But they haven't done that yet, maybe they're scared. That's good news. But there is also the scenario that someone else figures out how to activate this worm. That is a worrying prospect."

Experts say users should have up-to-date anti-virus software and install Microsoft's MS08-067 patch। The patch is known as KB958644.

Speaking to the BBC, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant with anti-virus firm Sophos, said the outbreak was of a scale they had not seen for some time.

"Microsoft did a good job of updating people's home computers, but the virus continues to infect business who have ignored the patch update.

"A shortage of IT staff during the holiday break didn't help and rolling out a patch over a large number of computers isn't easy.

"What's more, if your users are using weak passwords - 12345, QWERTY, etc - then the virus can crack them in short order," he added.

"But as the virus can be spread with USB memory sticks, even having the Windows patch won't keep you safe. You need anti-virus software for that."

Method

According to Microsoft, the worm works by searching for a Windows executable file called "services.exe" and then becomes part of that code.

It then copies itself into the Windows system folder as a random file of a type known as a "dll". It gives itself a 5-8 character name, such as piftoc.dll, and then modifies the Registry, which lists key Windows settings, to run the infected dll file as a service.

Once the worm is up and running, it creates an HTTP server, resets a machine's System Restore point (making it far harder to recover the infected system) and then downloads files from the hacker's web site.

Most malware uses one of a handful of sites to download files from, making them fairly easy to locate, target, and shut down.

But Conficker does things differently।

Anti-virus firm F-Secure says that the worm uses a complicated algorithm to generate hundreds of different domain names every day, such as mphtfrxs.net, imctaef.cc, and hcweu.org. Only one of these will actually be the site used to download the hackers' files. On the face of it, tracing this one site is almost impossible.

Variant

Speaking to the BBC, Kaspersky Lab's security analyst Eddy Willems said that a new strain of the worm was complicating matters.

"There was a new variant released less than two weeks ago and that's the one causing most of the problems," said Mr Willems

"The replication methods are quite good. It's using multiple mechanisms, including USB sticks, so if someone got an infection from one company and then takes his USB stick to another firm, it could infect that network too. It also downloads lots of content and creating new variants though this mechanism.

"Of course, the real problem is that people haven't patched their software," he added.

Microsoft says that the malware has infected computers in many different parts of the world, with machines in China, Brazil, Russia, and India having the highest number of victims.

'G' is for green with Dell's new line of monitors

Dell finally throws their hat into the whole green computer monitor trend and of course by green I mean eco-friendly.

Today, Dell announced their brand new, aptly named G series of displays, which includes the 22-inch G2210 and the 24-inch G2410. Each monitor includes Light Emitting Diode (LED) backlighting and are made from recycled material.

Each display has a purported contrast ratio of 1000:1. Now, Dell states that each display achieves a significantly higher dynamic contrast ratio, but If you know how vendors determine Dynamic Contrast Ratio numbers, then you know how meaningless they can be. So I won't even bother quoting the 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio...oh, too late.

Here are a few more quick specs:

• Maximum resolution: 1680 x 1050 (G2210) / 1920 x 1080 full HD (G2410)
• Typical power consumption: 18W (G2210) / 20W (G2410)
• Brightness: 250 cd/m2
• Response time: 5ms black-to-white
• VGA , DVI-D with HDCP connections

Each display also includes a number of features that should save it from expending extra power when not necessary. These include a light sensor that responds to ambient light, automatically adjusting its level when appropriate, and a dynamic dimming feature that decreases on screen brightness when the image onscreen consists primarily of white or bright areas.

Some of the eco-friendly features include displays being built free of PVC, BFR, CFR, arsenic and mercury.

Also according to Dell, the displays are up to 20 percent slimmer and up to 28 percent lighter than comparable models.

Both display will be available at Dell।com in late February, with prices starting at $279 for the G2210 and $359 for the G2410.

The first public trial, or beta, version of Windows 7 has been released.

Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer used his keynote speech at CES to announce that software developers would get at the trial version on 7 January.

On 9 January members of the public will get the chance to download the successor to Windows for themselves.

Mr Ballmer said Windows 7 would be the pivot of a broader Microsoft push to improve the way its separate software and service families work together.

In delivering the opening keynote, Mr Ballmer has taken over from Bill Gates - who in 2008 bowed out of day-to-day involvement with the company he founded.

In a nod to the chilly economic climate, Mr Ballmer said: "We face some really big challenges. We are all feeling it and its impact will likely be with us for some time."

But, he said, the global economic slowdown would not hobble the pace of technological change.

"I believe our digital lives will only continue to get richer," said Mr Ballmer. "There's no turning back from the connected world."

The newest version of the Windows operating system would, he said, be the "linchpin" of an effort to make it easier for customers to do more with the different Microsoft gadgets and services they use।

Although Windows 7 was a trial version it was, said Mr Ballmer, almost "feature complete" and would help to re-define the way people thought of the software.

Instead of it being an operating system mainly associated with a PC, he said, Windows was becoming a "connected platform and experience".

Microsoft is expected to cap the number of copies of the beta version of Windows 7 available to the public. The minimum requirements for running Windows 7 are a PC with a 1 Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16 GB of disk space, 128MB of video memory and support for DX9 graphics.

Connecting all these devices together is the last mile in creating a real breakthrough experience Steve Ballmer

Some of the Windows 7's features help it work with other devices. A "home group" system makes it straightforward to enrol PCs, Xbox consoles, media servers and other gadgets into a local network that can share media and content.

Demonstrations during Mr Ballmer's keynote also showed changes to Windows Live online services that let it act as a co-ordinating centre for many of the things people do on the web.

In connection with this Mr Ballmer announced a deal with Facebook which would mean any changes a member made to their page on the social networking site would be echoed on their Windows Live pages।

USB And Flash Memory Technology Offer Enormous Improvements In Gadgets

There are a lot of new technologies that have made gadgets incredibly more versatile in the past few years. One of the is the USB connection. USB technology allows gadgets to be connected to an increasing variety of devices for greater versatility and functionality. Essentially, USB technology started out as just a way to connect computers to their peripherals. Printers and scanners could suddenly be connected to computers using the USB connection that took up much less space than the older parallel port and cable technology. Then, as digital cameras became more common, USB cables served as a good way to connect them to computers in order to transfer over digital photos. Then the implementation of plug and play protocols with Windows XP and other similar operating systems eliminated the need to install drivers before taking advantage of most USB devices. This particular advancement opened up various electronic companies to the idea that more gadgets could take advantage of USB technology. There are a lot of new technologies that have made gadgets incredibly more versatile in the past few years. One of the is the USB connection. USB technology allows gadgets to be connected to an increasing variety of devices for greater versatility and functionality. Essentially, USB technology started out as just a way to connect computers to their peripherals. Printers and scanners could suddenly be connected to computers using the USB connection that took up much less space than the older parallel port and cable technology. Then, as digital cameras became more common, USB cables served as a good way to connect them to computers in order to transfer over digital photos. Then the implementation of plug and play protocols with Windows XP and other similar operating systems eliminated the need to install drivers before taking advantage of most USB devices. This particular advancement opened up various electronic companies to the idea that more gadgets could take advantage of USB technology.

Now we have a large choice of gadgets that take advantage of USB technology to connect with computers and even home entertainment devices. One example of this is the portable media device. Portable media devices can display video and digital still photos, play audio, and in many cases even be used to play video games. Most of them download video from computers that have in turn downloaded it from the Internet, but some of these gadgets can download video from digital video recorders. This is tremendously beneficial when it comes to getting a variety of video to play on these things!

Of course there are plenty of other gadgets that use USB technology. They include MP3 players, digital audio recorders, and video game controllers. Even more traditional things have made the move to USB connections. Like many mice are connected to computers using USB connections. These can be wireless mice that send their signals to the computer through a wireless receiver that plugs into the computer's USB port or a variety of wired mice. Plus, since power can be sent over a USB connection, there are more options for things like heated mice and mice that glow in a variety of colors. There are even some battery chargers that take advantage of USB technology.

Another handy new technology that goes into gadgets is flash memory. In fact, flash memory is often used along with USB connections in a variety of gadgets like digital cameras, thumb drives, MP3 players, and even some portable media devices. In addition to all of these types of gadgets, flash memory is even finding its way into laptop computers. Flash memory is especially attractive for use on laptop computers because of the fact that its more energy efficient that hard drives and more resistant to shock. Another advantage that flash memory has is that its faster than hard drive technology, and in some cases it's built into hard drives along with conventional technology to improve access speeds. It still has the disadvantages of being more expensive than hard drive technology and not quite as reliable.

One of the fascinating things about technologies like flash memory and USB connections is that they're still relatively new. Which means that we can expect to see more ingenious uses developed for them in the future.

4 tech predictions for 2009 The technology outlook for the new year looks pretty grim, but here are a few trends that could pay off.

Mini-computers like the Asus Eee are expected to be one of the few bright lights in an otherwise grim market for consumer electronics in 2009.

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7 affordable gadgets for the holidays

With consumers pinching pennies, prices of Blu-ray players, GPS devices and other tech toys are falling.

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- You can't really blame technology executives and pundits for not wanting to go too far out on a limb in making prognostications and predictions about 2009.

The world tech companies will operate in will be pretty awful, but no one knows just how bad things will get: The global nature of the recession - and the dollars, euros and yuan governments are pumping into their local markets - simply is without precedent.

And it isn't like Internet or even computing companies have a lot of experience with these sort of things: Economists argue that the world hasn't seen a financial crisis this severe since the Great Depression, and back then, the only "tech" companies were making tabulating machines or selling phone lines.

Of course, every company that hopes to survive the current meltdown has to make some forecasts about the future.

We've asked various tech veterans to tell us what to expect in 2009. Not surprisingly, almost everyone believes big-ticket luxury items will suffer, especially in the consumer electronics space. The exception will be so-called "smartphones," those high-end wireless devices such as Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone and RIM's (RIMM) line of Blackberry products.

Many consumers in 2009 will upgrade from plain-old cell phones to gadgets that do e-mail and offer Web access, and they'll increasingly buy special services or software especially designed for the mobile Web (think of the cool games and applications available on the iPhone App Store).

Beyond smartphones, the big sellers in tech will be products and services that help companies and consumers save money or work more efficiently. "Short term," said Shane Robison, chief strategy and technology officer of Hewlett-Packard. "Everybody is focused on how do I get the most bang for my buck."

With businesses and consumers adopting more cheapskate ways, here are four tech trends to count on in the new year.

Spiraling netbooks

The computer industry now ships more portable computers such as laptops than desktops, and an increasingly important part of the mix will be mini-notebook computers, known as netbooks. Industry sources say computer makers will sell more than 11 million netbooks worldwide in 2008, up from just around a million in 2007, and netbook sales could easily double in the new year.

The appeal of these stripped-down portables (no DVD drive, a lot less processing power) clearly is their equally stripped-down price. Market leaders ASUS and Acer, both based in Taiwan, offer sub-$300 netbooks, and U.S. manufacturers Dell (DELL, Fortune 500) and HP (HPQ, Fortune 500) have netbook offerings of their own.

The affordability of netbooks makes them an ideal solution in emerging markets, but analysts think the minis will also appeal to cost-conscious consumers in the United States.

Netbooks "are something to watch in a downturn," said Phil Asmundson, national managing partner of Deloitte's technology, media and telecom practice. "A lot of functionality of a computer goes unused, and netbooks are a good alternative."

Hey, you, get onto my cloud

Evangelists such as Salesforce.com (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff have been predicting for years a revolution in so-called cloud services and computing, in which software and other applications are delivered to end-users over networks, or "the cloud." This may be the year Benioff and the cloud crowd are proven right.

Corporate cloud computing is getting a big boost from consumers who already get a fair number of services via the Net. Photo-sharing sites are great examples of cloud services, as is just about any service that lets consumers store data or information anywhere but their computer or mobile phone. "In the consumer space it isn't hype," said HP's Robison. "It's actually quite far along."

Remember how consumers' adoption of Wi-Fi forced companies to figure out ways to let workers connect to their corporate networks wirelessly? Workers who use lots of cloud services in their personal lives, too, are going to start wondering why software and other applications have to be tied to a specific device, or housed on a database at the company.

The terrible economy will also help. Software-as-a-service companies have long promoted themselves as more capital-efficient alternatives to installed software solutions. Instead of financing a big software purchase and installation, companies can "pay as they go" under the cloud services model.

"The capital crunch of 2009 will put a spotlight on the advantages of cloud computing: less risk, no capital expenditure, predictable operating expenses and fast results," predicted Salesforce's Benioff. "I believe that will translate into greater adoption for both cloud computing applications and platforms."

Virtualization becomes reality

Like cloud computing, "virtualization" helps companies reduce the cost of operating machines such as servers. The technology basically allows a single piece of hardware to run systems or applications that previously had run on multiple machines - essentially allowing companies to squeeze more out of existing hardware and even defer new purchases.

Virtualization has only been around in earnest for about three years, says Dell senior vice president Paul Bell, but he thinks corporate customers are starting to embrace it. (Dell is in the process of virtualizing 9,000 of its own corporate servers, an undertaking that Bell estimates is one of the 10 largest virtualization projects going right now.)

Virtualization also benefits from corporations' efforts to be more environmentally friendly. Neither companies nor environmentalists are thrilled with the energy consumed by server farms, those sometimes sprawling data centers that house thousands of humming computers. By reducing the need to additional servers, corporations save money and gain some "green" cred, too.

Girls (and guys) just wanna have fun

Yes, the economy is terrible and money is tight, but consumers will spend in 2009 on a few fun games and gadgets, says Kumu Puri, a senior executive with Accenture's electronics and high-tech practice. New gaming systems such as Nintendo's Wii have invigorated the console space, but Puri thinks handheld gaming systems like Nintendo's DS will also do well in the new year.

And no matter how bad things get out there, American consumers are unlikely to part with their broadband connections, an Accenture study found. Indeed, they are more likely to get rid of cable television channels (once considered practically a utility) or their mobile phones than their high-speed Internet connections. "It is absolutely recession-proof," she said.

Let Your Boss Find Your Facebook Friends

Cloud computing, if you listen to Mark Benioff, is all grown up and ready for some action.

When I sat down recently with Mr. Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce.com, his theme was that it was time for the new generation of software that lives on big servers (colloquially “in the cloud”) to start mingling.

“The concept is called connecting the clouds,” said Mr. Benioff. “We are a little out there, as usual.” Salesforce, he said, is developing links to other big cloud-computing platforms, including Amazon and Google.

But what better place for hook up in the cloud than Facebook?

Mr. Benioff showed me a new application meant to help companies recruit new employees. A company’s workers would give permission to the company to run software that combs the profiles of all of their Facebook friends to find those who might fit open jobs. Why would they do that? One reason is that many companies give bonuses to employees who help recruit people to open positions.

“We are able to take the information on Facebook, and empower you, the Facebook user, to do something you have not been able to do before,” he explained. “We are taking one database, your company’s job listings, and another database, all your Facebook friends and their profiles, and creating a third, the matches for these jobs.”

I found this a bit creepy, a bit like a divorced dad combing through his teenage daughter’s cellphone to find girls to date.

The application is written with an honor system to protect information of Facebook users who haven’t agreed to share certain information with potential employers.

Let’s say you are an employee of a company that uses this system and you install the Facebook application. The application, which runs on Salesforce’s computers, will be able to read all of the information in your friends’ profiles that they choose to show you — not just the information your friends have chosen to make public. Salesforce will match those profiles against the company’s job listings. You then can choose to send a message to any friend it says may fit a job opening, inviting that friend to apply for the job.

The way the system is supposed to work, Salesforce does not store any of the information from the profile or pass it on to the company. That way the only information your company knows about your friend is what he or she chooses to put on an application. But Clara Shih, a product manager at Salesforce, told me later that it was technically possible for a company connecting to Facebook’s system to keep profile data, even though that would violate Facebook’s rules.

I have no reason to think Salesforce or its clients would do anything inappropriate. And I know Facebook does try to keep an eye on users of its platform. But we also know that sometimes people don’t follow rules.

Mr. Benioff’s main reaction to my concern was that Salesforce was following the procedures defined by Facebook. He added another thought that seemed, if cavalier, very apt — and not just for Facebook — in a world where clouds are hooking up in ever more frenzied combinations.

“You have to be cautious what you put on your Facebook page because it will build someone’s database,” he said.

Internet Technology Threatened By Download Quotas

Everyone knows that the Internet is growing at an enormous rate. New services are constantly being made available, more households are getting broad band Internet access, and everyone is becoming increasingly reliant on digital media. While this enormous growth in Internet services and access to the Internet provides enormous opportunities, there is one thing that could derail the entire process: the fact that there just isn't enough infrastructure in place to support the strains that are being put on the Internet. In other words, there is a threat that in the very near future the demand for Internet services will outstrip the ability of the Internet to transmit data!

Some Internet service providers are already trying to combat the problem by placing quotas on the amount of data that its subscribers can download within the space of a month. For example, Comcast has placed some unspecified limit on the amount of data that its subscribers can download. If a subscriber downloads excessively, that subscriber's service can be cut off. Of course, nothing in the company's literature (at least nothing that's easily accessible) states exactly what amount of downloading is considered excessive, but some subscribers have already lost their service because of this policy. Sprint also recently announced limits on the amount of data that can be transferred over the course of a month through its 3G mobile data service. This cap is five gigabytes per month, or three hundred megabytes when roaming. While this might not sound like much, Sprint reports that the vast majority (over 99 percent) of its mobile customers don't come close to downloading five gigs worth of data over the course of a month. If you're concerned about your Internet usage, there are some steps that you can take to avoid being cut off. The first step is obviously to determine if your Internet service provider has limits, and if so, what those limits are. If the Internet service provider's literature isn't specific about those limits, you may have to press them to be specific. The more subscribers that pressure an Internet service provider to make their policy available, the more likely the ISP is to be transparent.

If you discover that your Internet service provider does institute limits on the amount of data that you can download, you can take steps to limit your data transfer. The first thing to look at is video. Video consumes an enormous amount of bandwidth. This is especially true if you're downloading or streaming high def video! Opting for standard def video and picking and choosing what you download or stream will reduce the amount of data that is transferred over your Internet connection. Music and photos are the next biggest consumers of bandwidth. Streaming Internet radio might not be particularly data intensive, but it can really add up if you're listening to Internet radio stations for large portions of the day, day in and day out.

In addition to your conscious use of the Internet, you should also be aware of things that your computer may be doing without your knowledge. For example, software updates, virus definitions for your antivirus software, and the activity of malware can all contribute to your overall Internet use. Software updates are a good thing, but it might not hurt to set your computer to ask for your permission before downloading and installing them. That way you can be aware of how much of your download quota is being used for this process. You might also want to shut off your Internet connection when you aren't using it. This will minimize the chances of unauthorized data transfers due to malware and hackers.