inVoid

Apple deletes Mac antivirus suggestion

Apple late on Tuesday removed an old item from its support site that urged Mac customers to use multiple antivirus utilities and now says the Mac is safe "out of the box."

"We have removed the KnowledgeBase article because it was old and inaccurate," Apple spokesperson Bill Evans said.

Call of Duty: World at War–ATI vs. Nvidia

Jason Cross writes:

"This time, the game on tap is the latest in the increasingly popular Call of Duty series, World at War. Sometimes referred to as Call of Duty 5, this entry in the series is developed by Treyarch (rather than series inventors Infinity Ward) and uses a slightly updated version of the engine Infinity Ward created for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Once again, players are thrust into World War II, this time focusing on the Pacific Theatre and Eastern Front."

Windows Vista SP2 Features and Fixes Unveiled, Beta Announced

The complete list of features:

Emerging Hardware Support

•SP2 contains Blue tooth 2.1 feature pack supporting the most recent specification for Blue tooth technology
•Ability to record data on Blu-Ray media,
•Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) Wi-Fi Configuration to Windows Vista SP2,
•exFAT file system now supports UTC timestamps, which enables correct file synchronization across time zones.
•SP2 provides support for new form factors, such as ICCD/CCID. new form factor support –example USB form factor as opposed to PCMCIA).
•Support for the new VIA 64-bit CPU
Security

•SP2 includes all previously released security updates, and builds on the proven security benefits of Windows Vista
•Secure Development Lifecycle process updates, where we identify the root cause of each security bulletin and improve our internal tools to eliminate code patterns that could lead to future vulnerabilities
•Reliability
•SP2 addresses previously released reliability updates, as well as addressing crashes, caused by Microsoft code, discovered since the launch of SP1
Performance

•Resume performance when Wi-Fi connection is no longer available after resume from sleep
•Inclusion of Windows Search 4 for improved indexing performance, improved relevancy in search, broader indexing scenario inclusion, as well as new Group Policy integration for Windows Search,
•Improvements to the RSS feeds sidebar gadget to improve update performance and responsiveness
Application Compatibility

•It is our goal that applications that run on the Windows Vista Operating System today and are written using public APIs will continue to work as designed on Windows Vista SP2.
•Previously released Application Compatibility updates are included in Windows Vista SP2.
•Spysweeper and ZoneAlarm now working with POP3 email accounts
Administration and Support Improvements

•Customers installing .net framework 3.5 service pack 1 will notice shorter download and installation times with Vista service pack 2 or Windows 2008 service pack 2 already installed,
•Service Pack Clean up tool (Compcln.exe): This tool helps restore the hard disk space by permanently deleting the previous versions of the files (RTM & SP1) that are being serviced by Service Pack 2.
•Single installer for both Vista & Server 2008
•Ability to detect an incompatible driver and block service pack installation or warn users of any loss of functionality
•Better error handling and providing more descriptive error messages where possible
•Better manageability through logging in system event log
•Componentization for Serviceability of the installer
Some Specific Fixes/Additions Include:

•Inclusion of Hyper-V
•Event logging support in SPC
•DNS Server now listens over ISATAP address
•Fixes DRM issues from WMP upgrades
•Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless
•Reduction of resources required for sidebar gadgets
•Improved power settings for WS08

The Gadget Show- BluRay vs DVD Upscale

FiveFWD: Suzi and Jason discuss if Blu-ray palyers are all they are cracked up to be, or are upscale DVD players just as good?

Reflections of a Random Gamer on a New Xbox 360

PriestBeast writes, "If you have followed our blog for at least a month now, you may remember that a while back I wrote that the itch was growing ever stronger for an Xbox 360 to be included in my life. Black Friday brought about that possibility. Target had the holiday bundle on sale for $299.99 with a $60.00 gift card included. AKA: Xbox 360 Pro, Two games: Kung Fu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones, and then used the gift card to get a second wireless controller. On top of that, I decided to also begin with Gears of War 2, which many of you are probably already familiar with..."

Gun Nut Makes Real GoW Lancer Rifle

"What I always loved about the Lancer rifle, the assault rifle with a mounted chainsaw from Gears of War, was how over-the-top and ridiculous it was. It turns out it's completely possible to create your own working Lancer rifle, though, as one man who really loves his Second Amendment rights has proven."

Stereoscopic 3D games for PS3 and Xbox 360

Blitz Games unveils 3D HD tech...

3D games on the way, according to Blitz Games' Andrew Oliver

Blitz Games Studios unveils its proprietary technology for developing 'stereoscopic 3D games' for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at this week's 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles.

The studio claims that the technology will give games developers the opportunity to recreate a full 3D HD experience, much like that seen in 3D IMAX movie theatres, "with the 3D images 'popping' out of3DTV screens and into living rooms for the first time."

That's some claim! Let's just hope they can back it up.

Virgin’s 50Mb broadband arriving Dec 15?

Mystery event looks certain to be launch conference

Virgin Media looks set to launch its 50Mb broadband on December 15 after inviting journalists to a mystery event.

Although the company has thus far declined to give a firm date for the launch of its 50Mb service, it has always maintained that it would be before the end of the year.

Now, journalists have been told to 'hold the date' on December 15 – where the company will almost certainly show off the fastest broadband in the UK.

FCC to vote on free broadband Internet across USA

Free broadband for America has inched closer to reality: The plan, after two years of debate, is finally on the calendar for a full vote by the Federal Communications Commission.

With Vista SP2, Microsoft is back on track

From the other side of the world comes a report that Windows Vista Service Pack 2 will be released to manufacturing in April 2009, roughly a year after SP1. The Malaysian website TechARP has a pretty good track record with this sort of prediction, and my sources tell me that schedule sounds about right.

Meanwhile, here in the U.S.A., some people are inferring more Vista doom and gloom from this schedule. My buddy Dwight Silverman at the Houston Chronicle says "SP2 is being rushed out the door" to keep up Vista's momentum. Eweek's Channel Insider calls SP2 a "last-ditch attempt to drum up sales for [the] beleaguered [Vista] operating system." The Register says "Microsoft seems to be in a hurry with this release."