Posts from Iron news and software news.

VidaBox PicoPC turns a TV into a PC

The latest addition to VidaBox's catalog adds Internet access, email functionality, and other PC features to HDTV. This is not surprising, as the miniature device is essentially a computer with a solid-state drive.
Here are its technical specifications:

* Processor: AMD Geode LX800 (500 MHz clock speed);
* RAM: 256 MB DDR-333 MHz;
* Storage: 2 GB CF 233X (expandable to 16 GB);
* Ports: RS-232, 2x USB, microphone and headphone jacks, Ethernet Port 10/100, VGA connector;
* Wireless adapter: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g (optional);
* Power consumption: 18 W;
* Aluminum alloy case, size 17.5 x 11.3 x 3 cm;
* Weight: 370 g.



An important advantage of the product, considering its intended use, is the write protection of the memory area where the OS is located. According to the manufacturer, this prevents infection with viruses and other malicious programs. To restore the system, simply perform a full reset. Another useful feature is the use of passive cooling and flash memory instead of a hard drive, which eliminates noise. The package includes a wireless keyboard.

The only thing that raises concerns is the price of the PicoPC, which is $929.

Source: VidaBox

Added 3 minutes ago
NVIDIA comments on rumors of defective desktop GPUs

A couple of weeks ago, NVIDIA's stock took a hit when the company publicly acknowledged problems with mobile GPUs, resulting in significant losses.

The Inquirer, known for publishing unverified data and "rumors," published information on its website stating that the G84 and G86 desktop graphics processors are also defective, and that a massive failure of accelerators based on them is inevitable. Several online publications reprinted this information, which undoubtedly damaged NVIDIA's image and sales.

NVIDIA commented on the situation to Ars Technica, stating that while this failure rate due to constant GPU overheating was very rare for laptops, the problem does not exist at all for desktop graphics accelerators.

Given the lack of widespread reports of GeForce 8400/8600 failures, it seems that NVIDIA can be trusted, and Inquirer lied again…

Source: Ars Technica

The computer mouse will soon become obsolete

The analytical firm Gartner (USA) has made a prediction: the "mouse," which is now indispensable for every computer user, will disappear as a species due to its lack of necessity.
Hmm...)

The device that will replace the traditional mouse is called a "gestural" device. This will be a device that will "translate" a person's voice, gestures, and eye movements into computer language. Companies are currently actively developing this technology. And the first computer that does not require a mouse may appear as early as this fall.

Source: Clerk.Ru

New Internet Explorer from Rambler

Rambler makes life online more convenient.

From this page, you can download the new version of the most popular web browser, Internet Explorer 8.0, with convenient access to the best Rambler services already configured.
In the new version of Internet Explorer from Rambler, everything is at your fingertips:



* Search the internet, on the open page, by images, or news directly in the browser window
* Here you can also: search for products on Price.ru or websites in the Rambler TOP 100 directory
* The latest news, weather forecast for your city, currency exchange rates, and a fresh astrological forecast are just one click away thanks to special "informers" on the Rambler services panel
* Notifications about new emails, entries, and comments from your friends, and photos – are always in sight and update automatically

Working on the internet is faster and more convenient thanks to "accelerators": with one click, any selected text on the page can be


* Translated into Russian or, conversely, from Russian into foreign languages
* Sent by email
* Searched for on the internet
* Searched for on Price.ru (if you select the name of a product)
* Posted on a blog
* Checked for typos

Entertainment – included. You don't need to type an address in the browser or use bookmarks. The Rambler Internet Explorer build provides quick access to

* Fifty radio stations from the Rambler Audio project
* Trailers, clips, movies, and cartoons on Rambler Vision

The new version of IE is faster, more convenient, more stable, and safer.
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© 1996–2009, Rambler Internet Holding LLC

The infection of a computer's BIOS chip was previously considered something out of science fiction. The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is responsible for preserving the system configuration and executing basic input/output functions. However, two Argentinian specialists, Alfredo Ortega and Anibal Sacco from Core Security Technologies, demonstrated at the CanSecWest security conference the successful introduction of a special program for remote control, or rootkit, into the BIOS. In particular, they managed to infect computers with Windows and OpenBSD operating systems, as well as a virtual machine running OpenBSD on the VMware Player platform, in front of the audience. Although infecting the BIOS using Ortega and Sacco's method requires prior compromise of the machine or physical access to it, the consequences of such an infection are simply terrible – even after completely erasing the information on the hard drive, reflashing the BIOS, and reinstalling the operating system, the machine is re-infected upon the next reboot. More details about the BIOS attack can be found in the ThreatPost blog.