Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC is now available through Windows Update.
Experience the WU based Vista SP1 installation by following 4 simple steps. Windows Vista SP1 RC distributed through Windows Update will be applicable to Windows Vista machines that are running on any of the 36 languages supported by Vista RTM.
Microsoft is giving away copies of Vista Ultimate and Office if you will let the Vole closely monitor how you use the software.
While the more cynical amongst us might think that Vole can’t sell its software and so is giving it away, the deal is part of Microsoft’s Feedback programme.
According to its website, the Feedback Program allows you to connect directly with the Windows product team using your computer.
Click for more on Microsoft Giving Away Vista Ultimate, With a Catch »
Tiffany, the world’s second-biggest luxury jeweler, said eBay is a “rat’s nest” for counterfeiting and urged a judge to rule that the biggest online auctioneer was liable for infringement.
Tiffany assailed eBay in a legal brief submitted Dec. 7 to U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan, as the companies await his ruling in a trademark infringement trial. EBay said in its brief that it’s a “model citizen” in the fight against counterfeiting.
At issue is whether eBay must pay damages for failing to make adequate efforts to block sales of counterfeit silver jewelry. New York-based Tiffany and other retailers claim online sales of counterfeit clothes, bags and jewelry cost them about $30 billion a year.
Click for more on Tiffany: eBay is Rat’s Nest for Counterfeiting »
Today sp1 ships. hurray. It’s not up there yet but should be later today.
Looking down the list of fixes, here are some that caught my eye (read the whitepaper for the full list):
Office Online Downloads (SP1 will be available here)
Dell’s first entry into the Tablet PC market will command big bucks
Nearly seven months after the Latitude XT was first shown to the world, Dell is finally making its first Tablet PC available to consumers. Dell says that its new 3.53-pound Latitude XT is a ground-breaking device and is among the thinnest and lightest in its class.
The 12.1″ Latitude XT has both pen and capacitive touch technology. Capacitive touch allows users to manipulate items on the screen without the need to apply pressure directly to the display.
Click for more on Dell Announces $2,499 Latitude XT Tablet PC »
The new Microsoft Download Center is going to be fully functional with Silverlight.
Silverlight is the next generation of .NET based media experiences. More information on Silverlight can be found over at it’s homepage.
When initially loading the website, you will be promt to install Silverlight. You have to have Silverlight installed to view the new download center. Apparently BETA participants are being invited randomly from the Microsoft Connect website. The design is very sleek, and sexy I should add. Other than that, the current download links on the BETA website forward you back to the current Download Center.
Hope to hear some official word on this BETA soon, in the mean time check it out!
AMD reached its lowest share price for more than four years last week and, as a result, its market value dropped to around US$5 billion – that’s $400 million less than it paid for ATI in July 2006.
Intel, AMD’s major competitor in the CPU business, has been on a roll for the past 18 months and is now worth around US$162 billion, which makes the chip giant more than 32 times the size of AMD in monetary terms.
Even worse for AMD is that its partner-cum-archrival, Nvidia, has a market cap of around $19 billion, which makes it almost four times as valuable as the struggling platform company.
Intel will release its first desktop dual-core Celeron series, E1000, on January 20, according to sources at motherboard makers.
The first dual-core Celeron processor, the E1200, will have core frequency of 1.6GHz, 800MHz FSB and 512KB L2 cache with a price of US$53 in thousand-unit quantities.
Two labs of America’s top scientists have fallen for the oldest trick in the hackers’ book
A report featured on ABC News concluded that two nuclear labs had been “hacked.” The true story is a bit more entertaining and the reveals that there is no threat to the country’s nuclear safety. Real threats such as concerted “hacks” conducted by the Chinese against the U.S. government are certainly a concern, but the only thing dangerous about the compromise at these labs is the stupidity of a few scientists and workers at the plants.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee and Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico have made a habit of collecting the social security numbers, names, and birth dates of scientists who visit the plants. The information is put into a database, which reads like a who’s who of America’s top scientists.
Click for more on The True Story: Two U.S. Nuclear Labs "Hacked" »
Cheaper than the X48, but still offering a 1,600MHz front side bus
P45 might be a redundant name to anyone in the UK, but that hasn’t stopped Intel from apparently using the name for its next mainstream motherboard chipset. According to a motherboard manufacturer that we’ve spoken to, Intel is planning to introduce the new chipset in 2008, possibly as early as January, and the rumor is that it will basically be the same as the P35, but with a 1,600MHz front side bus.
The timing of the launch sounds about right to us, as Intel is also planning to launch its first CPU with a 1,600MHz front side bus, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770, in January 2008. Intel also plans to announce its X48 chip for enthusiasts at this time, which supports the 1,600MHz front side bus as well.
