Eee Box B204 and B206 get HDMI out and discrete graphics

Filed under: Internet, Blogging

Edit: As Matt was kind enough to point out, WordPress.com will see the roll out of WordPress 2.7 sometime this evening. There is no official word on when WordPress.org will release the self-hosted version, though the first release candidate is available now. — CEW
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It’s a bit behind schedule, but WordPress 2.7 is due out tomorrow evening. Automattic, the company behind the popular blogging platform put out the first release candidate version of WordPress 2.7 just a few days ago, but a beta version has been available for the last few months.

WordPress 2.7 represents a huge shift away from earlier versions of WordPress – at least in the administration area. Most of the changes will be visible to bloggers, but not blog readers. But the changes in the admin area are huge. First, the navigation menus have all been moved to the left side of the screen, giving you more room at the top of the page. The submenus are all also collapsible, which allows you to navigate the administration interface without reloading the page as often.

You can also customize the admin area by dragging, dropping, adding, or deleting widgets like the Right Now screen which gives you an overview of your blog stats or the QuickPress widget which lets you create a post using a stripped down WYSIWYG editor right from the start page.

WordPress 2.7 also lets you search for and install plugins without leaving the admin area. And for the first time, an automatic upgrade tool is included in WordPress so you can upgrade to WordPress 2.7.1 or 2.8 or whatever new versions are on the horizon without having to fire up an FTP client.

The upgrade tool also means that if you just can’t wait until tomorrow to try out the new version of WordPress you can install the release candidate today and initiate an automatic upgrade tomorrow. For some reason WordPress still does not provide a simple way to backup your database before upgrading though, so you may want to install a third party plugin to backup your data before upgrading just in case something goes wrong.

WordPress 2.7 coming tomorrow originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Security

According to Macworld, Apple removed a Knowledge Base article about antivirus software compatible with Mac OS X.

The article received “a lot of attention” because it seemingly contradicted Apple’s marketing messages about malware for Mac. Our own Michael Rose tried to take the kettle off the stove, noting that the article had been around for years before the Washington Post noticed it this week.

Macworld’s Jim Dalrymple spoke with Apple spokesman Bill Evans, who said “We have removed the Knowledge Base article because it was old and inaccurate. The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box.”

Even so, Evans admitted, “Since no system can be 100% immune from every threat, running anti-virus software may offer additional protection.”

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

TUAWApple removes antivirus-related KB page originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD processors launching starting in January 2009 through June 2009 unveiled

AMD is placing its hopes of regaining market share lost to Intel on its new line of processors set for launch next year. AMD is planning to launch a lot of processors, 14 of them to be exact according to the latest roadmap uncovered.

HKEPC says that the different processors to be launched will use the Phenom II brand and some will bring back the Athlon name. The new parts will all be 45nm desktop processors and will start coming to market in January 2009, a few of them likely to be announced for CES 2009 in early January. New processor introductions are reported to last until June when all of the new parts will be official.

When AMD first announced its new processors, the naming convention was unanimously disliked with its Phenom branding along with a five-digit model number. The parts will now launch under the brand names previously mentioned and sport a three-digit product identifier.

45nm quad-core processors for the AM2+ and AM3+ sockets will be in the Phenom II X4 900 family and Phenom X4 905 family. A 4MB L3 cache version of the Deneb CPU will also be added in the Phenom II X4 800 family. The Phenom II X4 900 and 905 CPUs will have 2MB of L3 cache.

The launch date for the 45nm AM2+ quad-core Deneb is now reported to be January 8; the CPU was originally expected in mid-December. When February 2009 rolls around, AMD will unveil six socket AM3 45nm processors including the Phenom II X4 925 with 6MB of L3 cache and a Phenom II X4 910 with the same cache. A pair of 4MB L3 cache processors, the Phenom II X4 810 and Phenom II X3 710 will debut the same month. Also tipping up in February will be a pair of 6MB L3 cache CPUs including the Phenom X3 720 and the Phenom II X3 710.

CPUs to be released under the Athlon brand will be 45nm, but will lack the L3 cache of the higher end parts. The Athlon X2 200 family will feature two parts and will offer 2MB of L2 cache with a 65W TDP and is slated for release in June. DailyTech reported on an AMD roadmap in November that mentioned a few of these processor families by code name.

The breakdown of processors looks like this:

January 2009:

* Phenom II X4 940 at 3GHz, 8MB total cache using the AM2+ socket
* Phenom II X4 920 at 2.8GHz with 8MB of total cache on the AM2+ socket

February 2009:

* Phenom II X4 910 2.6GHz with 8MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Phenom II X4 810 Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz with 6MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Phenom II X4 805 Phenom II X4 805 2.5GHz with 6MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Phenom II X3 720 Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz with 7.5MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Phenom II X3 710 Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz with 7.5MB total cache on the AM3 socket

April 2009:

* Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz with 8MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Athlon X4 615 2.7GHz with 2MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Athlon X4 605 2.5GHz with 2MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Athlon X3 420 Athlon X3 420 2.8GHz with 1.5MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Athlon X3 410 Athlon X3 410 2.6GHz with 1.5MB total cache on the AM3 socket

June 2009:

* Athlon X2 240 2.8GHz with 2MB total cache on the AM3 socket
* Athlon X2 235 Athlon X2 235 2.7GHz with 2MB total cache on the AM3 socket

Laser and hologram method could also be useful for positioning molecules in labs-on-a-chip

Get the latest Vista update while its steaming hot

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Filed under: P2P, Browsers

If you’re looking to either make your Pirate Bay downloading a little more like traditional shopping or a way to avoid spending money at Amazon.com, a new Greasemonkey script is ready to answer the call.

Pirates of the Amazon works by inserting a direct download link below the title of the product you’re currently viewing. Of course it works with movies and albums, but it also does an admirable job finding software and books.

The download link points directly to the .torrent file, so you won’t even have to view the Pirate Bay page for a particular item. Their crew doesn’t mind a bit.

“We love scripts like that. Sharing is good, [and we] don’t really care if people end up on our download page or take the torrent itself directly. It’s easier for the people to get it directly, but they miss the meta data that is surrounding the torrent file (comments and so on can be helpful).”

This isn’t the first script of this kind, obviously. Others exist that perform the same function with IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, and a quick tag search at Userscripts.org for ‘torrent” reveals several others.

It’s an interesting script, but I’ll keep searching NowTorrents for now.

Greasemonkey script adds Pirate Bay links to Amazon pages originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iTS, iTunes

Apple has created a “Best of 2008″ [iTunes link] section in the iTunes Store. On this page, Apple lets everyone know what the top-downloaded TV Shows, Music, Movies, Apps, Podcasts, and Audiobooks are.

Among the top paid iPhone applications are Koi Pond, Texas Hold’em, and Moto Chaser. Among the top free iPhone applications are Pandora, Facebook, and Tap Tap Revenge. There’s also a top downloaded podcast list. We didn’t quite make the top downloaded podcasts list, but hey, there’s always next year.

So, if you’re looking to find some of the best online content for 2008, look no further than iTunes. You can click here to visit the iTunes Best of 2008 section.

TUAWiTunes shows off the best of 2008 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone, App Store

If you are environmentally conscious and only want to buy products that are safe and “Green,” then look no further than your iPhone. That’s because Good Guide [iTunes link] for iPhone allows you to search for these eco-friendly products. As a matter of fact, GoodGuide indexes over 65,000 products in several different categories.

When you search through a category and find a specific product that you would like to learn more about, GoodGuide gives you details that can better help you make your purchase. You can find things like: Overall rating, health rating, environmental rating, and social rating.

You can also create a shopping list with the products that you like; however, this feature requires you to create an account with GoodGuide. The application is available for free from the iTunes App Store.

TUAWGoodGuide gives you the low-down on Green Products originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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