Archivi giornalieri: 24/06/2011
Annunciato Black Death con un video
Darkworks, la stessa software house di “I Am Alive” e “Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare”, ha annunciato attraverso un video teaser, Black Death, un nuovo FPS horror per PC, Playstation 3 ed Xbox 360.
Firefox 5 Debuts With Better Security, HTML 5 Support Faster Startup
Mozilla promised a new version of Firefox three months post Firefox 4’s release and rolled out a whole rapid release development cycle to ensure they met the deadline and true to their word Firefox 5 is now available for download. As per Mozilla, the new version has some 1000 changes though the more notable ones are better support for HTML 5, faster start-up and the Do Not Track feature that lets you stop sites from tracking your web history.
To enable the Do Not Track feature, access the Options window from the Tools menu. A new option has been added in the Privacy tab under Tracking. Check Tell web sites I do not want to be tracked to enable the feature.
Apart from that, the browser now offers better support for HTML 5 and for CSS animation standards. It also looks like the era of no restart add-ons is dawning for Firefox; according to the official blog posting, it should now be easier for developers to build no restart add-ons for all platforms.
Automatically Restart Firefox When Memory Usage Exceeds A Limit
Firefox eats RAM, we all know it and accept it as one of those things we can overlook because the browser and its library of extensions is incredible enough in itself. RAM poaching tolerance is one thing but when it gets to a point where it starts to effect your browsing you have to do something about it. Memory Restart is a Firefox extension that monitors the memory usage by the browser, it lets you set a limit to the memory usage and tells you when the limit has been exceeded. You can restart the browser using the extension to bring memory usage back to normal.
The extension gives a fairly accurate view of how much memory is being used and is useful if you often leave your browser running idle and memory usage increases drastically because of the memory leaks. You can specify how much memory is reasonable for the browser to use from the extension’s options. Memory usage appears in the add-on bar, when the limit is exceeded, it starts showing usage in red.
Firefox 5 Portable – Now Take Your Favorite Browser Anywhere
How loyal are you to your browser? Does it bother you if you have to use any other browser or an old version of your favorite browser when you’re working on someone else’s system? For the Firefox fan, there is a simple solution; Firefox 5 portable. Install it in a USB (it can extract to any selected destination) and you will never miss your browser again.
Download the EXE file and install it wherever you want; it can be extracted to a USB or any other external hard drive. You can also upload it to Dropbox to access it from anywhere. The browser works just like the desktop version; you can install extensions, add themes and set up sync. A portable version is ideal if you find it difficult to work on any other browser, you frequently find yourself working on different systems or because you favor this browser for its wide range of extensions and no other browser can really match your needs with its features.
Firefox 5 portable is an unofficial release from the famous folks at Portable Apps.
Samsung Sending Galaxy S II Into Space (Video)
Some of our readers will remember a while back when Google sent the Nexus S into space with a balloon, now it longs like Samsung has decided to send their new Samsung Galaxy S II into space as well.
Samsung will also be using a balloon to send the new Samsung Galaxy S II into space, and their latest smartphone will be taking off on the 15th of July, have a look at the video below.
Samsung will be live streaming the event on Ustream, along with messages and tweets sent in by readers, no doubt Samsung are looking to generate some publicity for the new Samsung Galaxy S II.
Source Samsung Hub
Google Launches New DOM Snitch Chrome Extension To Keep You Safe From Malicious JavaScript
Google has this week announced via its security blog a new tool its created called the DOM Snitch which is an experimental Chrome extension that enables developers to identify insecure practices commonly found in client-side code.
The new tool is a passive in-browser tool and once a JavaScript call has been detected within the client-side code, DOM Snitch records the document URL and a complete stack trace that will help assess if the intercepted call can lead to cross-site scripting, mixed content, insecure modifications to the same-origin policy for DOM access, or other client-side issues.
One of the great features on the DOM Snitch is the ability for the developer to see the DOM modifications as they happen inside the browser without the need to trawl through JavaScript code using a debugger or pause the execution of their application.
For more information on the DOM Snitch Chrome extension jump over to the Google Security Blog.
Source : Google : Ars Technica
Call of Duty Black Ops Annihilation Trailer (video)
If you are looking forward to the launch of the third DLC for Call of Duty Black Ops, Annihilation, you might enjoy this quick peak at what the maps have to offer in the official trailer launched this week.
The new Call of Duty Black Ops Annihilation DLC content will be arriving first on the Xbox 360 next week on June 28th. Followed shortly after on the PS3 and PC and will include 5 new maps : Hangar 18, Drive-In, Hazard, and Zombie map called “Shangri-La.”.
The maps include a number of different locations for multiplayer fighting : “Hangar 18,” located in the highly classified military base of Area 51, ”Drive-In,” close quarters combat through a 60′s American Drive-In theater, ”Silo,” infiltrate a massive secret Soviet nuclear missile site in this multilevel battleground, ”Hazard”, play through this coastal golf course on the cliff sides of Cuba, ”Shangri-La,” a legendary shrine lost in an exotic jungle.
Crysis 2 DirectX 11 Update Arriving 27th June
Back in April Crytek announced that they were currently developing Crysis 2 DirectX 11 support and it now looks like they have now completed the task. Crytek has today announced that a new update to their Crysis 2 game will now indeed bring with it support for DirectX 11 support within the game which will improve the graphics for many players.
It was thought that the Crysis 2 game would launch with DirectX 11 support but now a few months later the update will bring much improved visuals to systems that will support DirectX 11 and also smaller improvements to other systems.
Some players have already been able to benefit from the DirectX 11 improvements by downloading the new update directly from the Crysis 2 test environment where high resolution texture packages have been available supporting DirectX 11 for sometime.
Crytek explained in their announcement:
“The DX11 Ultra Upgrade is a free visual improvement add-on introducing DirectX 11 support as well as a wealth of graphical improvements and performance optimization for both DX11 and DX9 APIs,”
Source : Joystiq
Card.io SDK takes swipe at competition with camera-enabled mobile payments (video)
In an attempt to edge its way into the crowded mobile payments market, a new credit card scanning system is saying “ah, hell no!” to typing and swiping. Card.io is billed as an SDK that takes advantage of smartphone cameras to let devs accept credit, because, as its creators point out, “typing on mobile phones is slow, and most consumers don’t have a separate hardware attachment.” When it’s time to pull out the plastic, Card.io gets your phone’s camera going, and up pops a little green rectangle, in which you frame your card and snap a pic. Your credit card info is then processed by a third-party merchant, and the details are subsequently deleted from your phone. Can you hear that? That’s the sound of our chubby thumbs breathing a sigh of relief. The Card.io SDK for iOS is now available at the source link below, and an Android version should be close behind. For now, hop on past the break for a video demo.
Oracle v. Google update: USPTO rejects several patent claims, leaves chinks in Oracle's IP armor?
Much ink has been spilled about Oracle’s lawsuit against Google for Android’s allegedly unlawful use of Java, and rightfully so, considering Team Ellison’s seeking to take more than a billion dollar chunk out of Google’s bottom line. Just because Oracle’s damage calculations add up to ten figures doesn’t mean that the court will agree with them, however. And, there’s a long legal road to be tread before the court can assign a dollar value to the case — namely it must determine if the patent claims and copyrights are valid and whether Android actually infringes them.
That’s why Google requested the USPTO re-examine the patents asserted by Oracle, as the process gives Google a shot at invalidating them outside the courtroom. It looks like the strategy is paying off, as one of those re-exams recently resulted in a rejection of 17 of the patent’s 21 claims — which reduces the number of claims Oracle can assert in court accordingly. Of course, those four remaining claims plus the 118 contained in the other six asserted patents (should they survive the re-examination process) could still spell doom for the little green bots, but it is a victory, albeit a modest one, for the team in Mountain View. So, Oracle may have a few less IP bullets to fire Google’s way, but it’s still got plenty of other legal ammo left. We’ll keep you posted when next shot’s fired.
Voltaic Spark Tablet Case powers your pad with the Sun's rays
Voltaic makes tons of solar-charging gear, from laptop bags to backpacks, but what are those living in a post-PC world to do? Well, the company just unveiled its Spark Tablet Case — a thin, padded tote designed for your iPad or other slate that can generate 8-watts of power in sunlight. In addition to directly charging your iPad in about 10 hours, it can also bank the Sun’s rays in a universal battery pack, for use when those fluffy things in the sky don’t cooperate with your outdoor computing schedule. Optionally, the included V39 USB Battery can be charged (as you may have guessed) via USB, for extra insurance. The Spark is available now for $299 and extra battery packs can be had for $99. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.
Visidon Applock sees your pretty face, grants you Android access (video)
In the event you got lulled into a groovy seat dance by that most excellent muzak above, let us repeat – this app does not protect your lockscreen. That said, Visidon’s Applock will prevent the privacy-adverse from messing with your personally curated app collection. Have a nosy significant lover? No sweat — snap a pick with your front-facing cam, enable the face-lock in your settings, and those sexts are as good as blocked. It’s far from foolproof, however, as some comments indicate an extended bit of facial-wriggling tricks the app into unlock mode. Oh well, you’re so vain, you’ll probably think this Android market link is for you — don’t you?
Microsoft details the new Games Hub for Windows Phone Mango
Still not clear on what your gaming options will be like with Windows Phone Mango? Then Microsoft’s now got you covered with a fairly extensive overview of its new Games Hub, which has actually been tweaked a bit further from earlier previews it’s offered. One of the biggest changes is that the Hub now includes features previously relegated to the separate Xbox Live Extras app, including improved Xbox Live messaging, integrated achievements (complete with comparison views with your friends), and the ability to edit your Xbox Live profile — not to mention fully animated 3D avatars. The Hub also boasts a new Collection view that promises to let you more easily manage your installed Windows Phone games, and it’s literally been brightened up a bit across the board. Check out the gallery below for a closer look, and hit the source link for some more details.
