Vista Hacked Again, This Time Even More Effectively

This is not the first time DIGG mentioned a Windows Vista crack, and it won't be the last, but now a hacker group known as NoPE somehow managed to create a cracked Windows Vista DVD that works immediately, out of the box, with no serial number or activation keys required. Just like some of those corporate versions of Windows XP that worked for years, the hacked Vista product appears to be already activated and it even automatically updates itself with the latest patches.
The cat and mouse game continues, where Microsoft will counter this, and then the hackers will respond, and so on, and so on. Of course, activation schemes, digital rights management and security measures only affect the honest people, inconveniencing them and sometimes even stopping them in their tracks, while the h4ck3rz rise to the challenge every time with their formidable sk1llz. Sigh

Gamer Shot While Saving Woman

Amidst all the stories of school shootings, "rampages," and generally how evil games and gamer are, you rarely hear about the good things gamers do, or the peaceful lives most lead...until one gets shot.

Adam Mapleson is a gamer. Adam Mapleson is a hero. The 24-year old U.K. man was shot yesterday as he came to the rescue of a woman who was being robbed in the subway. Currently, he is in serous but stable condition.

According to Adam's Myspace page, he is an avid gamer, as well as listening to the heaviest of metal. Here's a snippet from his "interests" section:

Computer Games (Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike Source, Neverwinter Nights, FEAR, Vampire Bloodlines, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, GTA: San Andreas, Prince Of Persia, Pro Evo Soccer 6, Madden 2007, UT2004, Dawn of War, Mark of Chaos)

So much for the "evils" of the modern day.

GameWad wishes you a speedy recovery, Adam, and would love to rock some CS: Source with you someday.

Screenshots of YouTube's New Player

YouTube tests a new version of its player that will improve the way you interact with videos and will create a cinematic experience.

The will add a feature that was already available in Google Video: jump to any part of the video even if the video isn't fully downloaded.

For each video, you'll be able to see around ten related videos. You don't have to wait until the video ends to play a new one because they're available as thumbnails if you hover over the video. The effect is similar to the dock from Mac OS X. You can also click on the two arrows to go to the previous / next video.

The "menu" button gives you access to the embedding code or to the URL of the YouTube page that shows the video. If you click on the button, the video is smoothly minimized in the left corner and it continues to play.

Ubuntu Plans Mobile Linux Version

Ubuntu Linux developers plan to extend its open-source software development to handheld Internet-enabled devices.
Developers meeting at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, which runs through the end of this week in Seville, Spain, will discuss details of the new Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project, announced on Saturday.
Ubuntu programmers will develop a mobile version of their Debian-based Linux operating system in collaboration with Intel Corp., which plans a new low-power processor and chipset architecture designed to allow full Internet capability on mobile devices, according to a statement published on the Ubuntu Web site.
The move to offer a mobile and embedded version comes on the heels of a similar project that Intel is supporting: the Gnome Mobile & Embedded Initiative (GMAE), announced April 19 at the Embedded Linux Conference in Santa Clara, California. The initiative is open to developers, manufacturers and others interested in developing mobile device applications based on Gnome-based open-source components.
The summit is being organized by Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu. South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth initiated the project to create Ubuntu, based on Debian GNU/Linux, and founded Canonical in 2004. Canonical offers usage and basic support of the operating system for free, and additional services on commercial terms.
Overall, Ubuntu Linux appears to be gaining traction among users. Last week, Dell Inc. announced plans to preload Ubuntu Linux on its upcoming Linux desktop PCs and laptops. The company said the decision came in response to a customer feedback program that registered high interest in Ubuntu Linux.
Canonical will provide Dell with support services.
The free, open-source operating system runs on notebook and desktop computers as well as thin clients and servers.
Challenges facing developers of the mobile edition include the design of innovative graphic interfaces and power management capabilities, according to the posting on the Ubuntu Web site.
The mobile edition is slated for release in October, together with the new Ubuntu 7.10 version.
Although the use of Linux in smartphones is still comparatively low, accounting for only around 6 percent of the market for smartphone operating systems in 2006, demand for open source will increase as more handset makers move away from older proprietary phone operating systems, Nick Spencer, an analyst with Canalys.com Ltd., said in an earlier interview. Spencer expects demand to be strong in Asia, particularly in China.

NOKIA N95 a CNET Review 7/10

The good: The Nokia N95 cell phone boasts a 5-megapixel camera that produces good-quality photos and videos. It comes with advanced multimedia capabilities and has a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Symbian smart phone also features integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and an innovative two-way slider design.
The bad: The N95 lacks support for U.S. 3G networks; standby battery life is poor; and performance is somewhat sluggish. The hardware feels a bit cheap, and the sliding mechanism could be more secure. It's also very expensive.
The bottom line: With a 5-megapixel camera, advanced multimedia capabilities, and GPS, there's no doubt that the Nokia N95 is one of the most feature-packed smart phones to date, but poor battery life and sluggish performance makes it hard to justify the high price tag.

AMD reports $611 million loss

Sunnyvale (CA) - Declining microprocessor sales as well as dropping average selling prices for its microprocessors have pushed AMD deeper into the red. The company reported a net loss of $611 million on revenues of $1.233 billion, which is more than 20% below the guidance the company expected at the end of Q4 2006.

The loss includes charges related to the ATI acquisition in the amount of $113 million, but is mainly a result of the increasing competition with Intel in the microprocessor market. The company said that its Q1 margins were 31%, down from 40% in Q4 2006 and down from 59% in Q1 2006. "The decrease from the prior quarter was largely due to significantly lower microprocessor unit shipments, lower microprocessor average selling prices (ASPs), and the inclusion of the former ATI operations, which generally have lower-margin products, for the entire quarter, AMD said.

AMD had revenues of $1.332 billion and a profit of $259 million in Q1 of 2006; in Q4 2006, the company reported revenues of $1.773 billion and an operating loss of $529 million.

"After more than three years of successfully executing our customer expansion strategy and significantly growing our unit and revenue base, our first quarter performance is disappointing and unacceptable," said Robert J. Rivet, AMD's chief financial officer, in a prepared statement. "We are aggressively addressing the issues that led to our significant revenue decline. We are aligning our business model, capital expenditures and cost structure with the goal of accelerating our return to profitability."

In a press release, AMD said that computing solutions group sales were $918 million, down 38% sequentially. "Year-over-year server and desktop processor unit shipments and revenues declined significantly, while mobile processor unit shipments and revenue increased significantly," the firm said.

Last week, AMD warned the financial community that the company would report significantly lower revenues. The company also announced that it plans to restructure its business model to increase operational efficiencies and lower its operating cost structure.

AMD's stock dropped about 2% in after hour trading late Thursday.

Xbox 360 Elite Prone to Same Problems as Others

A Known Companies Hardware Department has numerous reports coming in from users getting 3 red lights on their brand new Elite consoles this week. While this is a daily occurrence with 360 Premium and Core systems, we thought Microsoft would have had a better handle on the situation with the Elite.We’ve all seen the pictures of the motherboard changes. We assumed that these would protect the console better from heat and such to make sure less consoles would die. But alas, no. Microsoft has introduced another new product that is failing at a higher than normal rate.To top it all off, the disc scratching issue is back. Seriously Microsoft, what the hell? Did you completely get rid of your QA department?