GeekExtreme - Tech News & Reviews

Sun is now staying the executioner's axe by another ten years for the 1.4 version of JavaSE. 1.4 is the now ancient version of Java from the era before Sun simply ditched the "1." from the beginning of the nomenclature. I can think of a couple of programs (SAS being the most notable) that still require 1.4.x and will install it if it doesn't find it in your system; so I suppose the support extension is important in that respect.

"This is for paying customers only. Others must upgrade to the latest edition of Java SE, with free support slashed from six to three years - or fend for themselves using Sun's OpenJDK."

Ballmer pushes Microsoft - Yahoo deal into hostile takeover territory

Written by t-readyroc

Monday, 07 April 2008

The Yahoo/Microsoft deal is getting interesting. It seems that MS is getting forceful with its "offer" to buy the search giant, and has threatened to bypass Yahoo's board in the process. Does this mean that an MS purchase of Yahoo is now inevitable? Would the Yahoo brand/services live on after such an acquisition? Crazy to imagine a web without it...

"But, in so many words, Balmer also smugly concluded that resistance was futile and that, not only would they end up taking over Yahoo, but that Yahoo shareholders might well be more than a little peeved at the fact the company had turned down a pretty good deal at the get go, resulting in months of unhelpful stalling."

geekE news: Reviews from the web edition

Written by t-readyroc

Monday, 07 April 2008

Notebooks

ASUS Eee 8G PC 8GB SSD @ BenchmarkReviews

Video Cards

ASUS GeForce 9600GT 512MB @ TweakTown

XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog @ Motherboards.org

Gainward 9800 GTX 512MB @ Madshrimps

Gigabyte 9600 GT 512MB @ TechGage

Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 512MB Toxic @ HotHardware

Motherboards

Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Socket 775 @ Pro-Clockers

Audio

Razer Piranha Gaming Headset @ Phoronix

Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator @ OCIA

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 @ DigitalTrends

Power

Corsair TX750 750W @ ThinkComputers Nesteq EECS 700W @ XSReviews

OCZ StealthXStream 600W @ HardwareSecrets

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610EPS12V @ Futurelooks

Games

Obscure II: The Aftermath Review (PC, Wii, PS2) @ OCModShop

MX vs ATX Untamed PSP @ Gamepyre

Frontlines: Fuel of War Xbox 360 @ TTGamer

Input

Razer Destructor Gaming Mat @ OCIA Logitech diNovo Mini @ TechGage

Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 @ Tweaknews

Etc.

Samsung CLP-610ND Printer @ OverclockersOnline

Tagan Icy Box NAS4220 Server @ 3DGameMan

Nexus HXR-5500 @ BurnOutPC

Vista SP1 performance levels examined at the TechReport

Written by t-readyroc

Friday, 04 April 2008

The TR crew have looked at performance levels on both pre- & post-SP1 Vista systems to see if there are any glaring differences.

"How does Service Pack 1 affect Windows Vista's day-to-day performance in common desktop applications and games? We've run a host of benchmarks in order to find out."

How about a little reality smack?

Written by t-readyroc

Friday, 04 April 2008

This interactive blood-squirter is a pretty crazy idea for a "sculpture." I doubt it'll make the teenagers who play the game stop & think, but it might get the wheels turning in some of the elder visitors. Creepy either way.

"Most of us kill a lot of people in digital worlds, and don't think much about the consequences of death."

How long has Vista SP1 been out now?

Written by t-readyroc

Friday, 04 April 2008

Patch Tuesday is next Tuesday, & guess what's on the list to get a critical patch already? Yep, you guessed it. Surprising? Nah.

"As usual, Microsoft revealed no details in the monthly preview of next week's 'Patch Tuesday,' but it did label each version of Windows -- including Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Vista SP1 and Server 2008 -- as critical."

geekE news: Reviews from the web edition

Written by t-readyroc

Friday, 04 April 2008

Video Cards

Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX @ THG

Motherboards

ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI @ HotHardware

ASUS P5K Pro Intel P35 @ ThinkComputers

Audio

Creative Aurvana Live @ DigitalTrends

Microsoft Zune 80GB @ Futurelooks

Storage