BOSTON, June 10 (Reuters) Microsoft Corp is getting ready to unveil a long-anticipated free anti-virus service for PCs that will compete with products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc.
A Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that the world's biggest software maker is now testing an early version of the product with its own employees and that it will "soon" make a trial version available via its website.
Shares of Symantec and McAfee, the top two makers of security software, tumbled in November after Microsoft disclosed plans to launch the service as investors worried that they will lose sales to the free product.
Microsoft has said that it will only include basic features for fighting viruses, which would likely make it comparable to the least-expensive products sold by Symantec and McAfee.
Their top selling products are security suites that come with features include encryption, firewalls, password protection, parental controls and data backup. (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Microsoft Will Release Free Antivirus 'Soon'
Battlefield 3 Confirmed, Not Dated
John Pleasants, chief operating officer of Electronic Arts, confirmed today that Battlefield 3 is currently in development over at DICE, making it the next full installment in the Battlefield franchise. John disclosed the information during a presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference in Chicago. Battlefield 2, also published by Electronic Arts, was released back in June 2005 using the Swedish developer's Refractor 2 engine; Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam serves as the series' first two installments.
According to Pleasants, the game is shaping up. "I've had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product," he said during the presentation. "Of course, that's not in [this] fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good." And of course, he's not going to say anything negative about the game seeing that EA has invested millions into the project; his comment serves as the unofficial official pre-press announcement that the game does actual exist.
News of Battlefield 3 has surfaced many times before. Nearly two years ago, a features list surfaced, originally intended for EA investors but somehow "leaked" onto the Internet. Apparently the game was to be set in modern day times, taking place somewhere in the Middle East. The game was also to feature up to 40 players per team on eight different maps. In addition to in-game replay functionality, customizable characters, and unlockable equipment, both factions would have access to its own arsenal of 17 different weapons and 24 different vehicles. The game was even slated for a Q4 2008 release, however that obviously never happened.
Still, if the original plans hold true, Electronic Arts may release a public beta for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X before the game goes retail. Based on Pleasant's revelation, Battlefield 3 won't be a possibility until after March 2010, maybe even during the holiday season.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Asus Vows to Make Products Better Than Apple
In the world of computing, Apple has always been admired (or at the very least, noticed) for its design. No matter what a diehard PC may feel about Apple, there’s little argument that style is a big part of the company’s products’ luster.
Asus is now aiming directly at Apple. Instead of competing against rival PC OEMs, the Taiwanese computer maker is looking straight at making better products than Apple.
“Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple’s,” said Jonathan Tsang, the vice chairman of Asus, in an interview with the New York Times.
Tsang added that Asus spends a large portion of its funds on engineering, which leaves little left over for marketing campaigns. Instead, Asus hopes to win over consumer spending with more innovative designs.
While Asus’ products today are rarely compared to Apple’s, there’s no question that Asus is innovating with its Eee product line. Asus pioneered the netbook with its early Eee PCs. Now Asus is working on a whole new computer form factor by putting the hardware directly inside a keyboard paired with a built-in screen, set for a release late June.
Asus will soon also compete against Apple in the mobile phone arena with its partnership with Garmin.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Microsoft: Windows 7 Won't Save PC Recession
Despite Apple trying to rain on Microsoft’s parade during WWDC09, pointing out that Windows 7 is still built off of Vista roots, many are looking to the upcoming Windows release to be the one that gets it right, giving the sagging PC industry a much-needed shot in the arm. But Microsoft is cautious when it comes to suggestions that Windows 7 will be able to single-handedly turn around the recession in PC buying.
“History would tell us that generally as you ship a Windows release into the market... the bump is very modest," Microsoft senior vice president Bill Veghte said in a CNet story. "You will see a little bit, but it is modest."
While consumers are eagerly awaiting Windows 7--which is timed well with the holiday buying season--businesses aren’t so ready to spend IT dollars in upgrades. Microsoft doesn’t seem that worried, however, staying confident that the dollars will roll back in once the economy improves.
"It will get drowned by the macroeconomic environment," he said in the speech, which was Webcast on Microsoft's investor Web site. "As the macro environment comes back, people will have to buy new PCs. People aren't using PCs any less."
Dell hopes that Windows 7 will have a significant boosting effect on PC buying, as the computer-making giant saw its quarterly earnings fall by 63 percent. Michael Dell said that the company is preparing itself for a “powerful replacement cycle,” which could be referring to Windows 7 and new CPUs based off of Nehalem.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Left 4 Dead Fans Boycott Sequel
Over 21,000 members have joined a Steam group set out to boycott the upcoming Left 4 Dead sequel.
Last November, Valve Software blew away gamers once again with the release of its zombie-themed first-person shooter, Left 4 Dead. For the uninitiated, Valve is infamous for the Half-Life franchise, releasing the initial installment on the PC back in 1998. The game utilized a highly modified version of id Software's original Quake engine, and brought a new level of cinematic detail to the FPS genre. Half-Life 2, released in 2004, used the company's in-house Source engine, and re-affirmed that Valve Software was still a first-class developer after six years of remaining silent.
After spending most of its development years working on the Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Team Fortress titles, Valve thus acquired the new Left 4 Dead IP from Turtle Rock Studios in January 2008; it immediately became a huge success when released the following November. Valve took fans by surprise last week at E3 by announcing a sequel to the hit zombie FPS, Left 4 Dead 2, set to hit retail outlets in November 2009, just one year after the original title's release. Normally sequels bring joy and happiness to fans yearning for more, however this particular announcement left many fans thoroughly disgusted.
In fact, over 21,000 gamers have now joined the L4D2 Boycott (NO-L4D2) Steam group, a gathering of individuals who have pledged to do just what the title states: boycott the upcoming sequel. The biggest fear, it seems, is that Valve will discontinue L4D content updates that was originally promised to consumers, rendering L4D prematurely obsolete. The group clearly requests that Valve honor its commitment to periodic content, that the new "sequel" be released as free content instead, and that L4D owners be given discounts for L4D2 should it be released as premium content.
"The release of Left 4 Dead 2 as a stand-alone sequel will split the communities and decrease the quality of multiplayer gaming," the site states. "The announced content of Left 4 Dead 2 does not warrant a stand-alone, full-priced sequel and should instead become updates (free or otherwise) for Left 4 Dead." Of course, it's possible that Valve plans to address existing L4D copies by providing a premium pack that will add the improvements and content provided in the retail version of L4D2. In other words, Valve may supply consumers with two options: upgrade the existing version by purchasing a premium pack, or buy the new stand-alone game.
According to this screenshot, Valve's apparent answer to the L4D2 boycott is to distribute threats of banishment or to delete forum posts altogether. However, it's understandable why Valve would want to keep some form of "positive" order in its forums. On the other hand, fans have every right to be concerned in regards to L4D2 and how it will affect the original title. Keep in mind that development on L4D began in mid-2005, and hit retail shelves three years later. In the case of L4D2, only one "development year" has passed. Naturally, fans are going to question the overall quality.
"Left 4 Dead 2 is a larger game and will be supported with even more consumer and retail advertising programs than the original," said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve. We asked Doug about the overall development process in regards to the IP and expanding the L4D story across multiple sequels, however we have not received a response.
AMD: We're Launching an Atom Killer in 2010
Nvidia’s Ion made a huge splash at Computex 2009 and it looks like AMD is trying to get in on some of the action. According to a report, the company is preparing an Atom rival, which will launch in 2010.
Digitimes this week reports that AMD CEO, Dirk Meyer has revealed the company is currently developing a platform that features lower-power, smaller-sizes, more complete functionality, and a cheaper price than Intel's Atom for netbooks, with an expected delivery date for samples set for 2010.
Nvidia last week announced a list of 20 ‘Ion Partners’ who would be debuting products running on the chip at Computex. With Tegra taking care of MIDs for Nvidia and Intel’s plans to bring the Atom to handheld devices, we can’t help but feel AMD is a tad behind the times with this one. That said, according to Digitimes, Meyer emphasized that products based on the company's newest platform will be notebooks as opposed to netbooks. Meyer says he believes the term "netbook" will soon become obsolete as the quality of ultra portable, low-end computers improve.
At Computex, Intel was all about mobility and Atom products, particularly in NAS products and home theater products. It will be interesting to see what Intel has on hand for the 2010 year.
Check out the full story here.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Nvidia: GPU Failures Not Affecting Our Orders
In July of last year, Nvidia admitted in an SEC filing that some notebook chips were failing at “higher than normal rates.” According to the filing, Nvidia said it would incur a $150 to $200 million charge for the quarter, with the money covering warranty, repair and return and replacement.
A stock-bloodbath such as this is never good news for a company, however, vice president Ujesh Desai said at this year's Computex that, despite the effect on Nvidia’s reputation, computer builders are still choosing the company’s graphics cores and are actually increasing their usage this year. According to Electronista, Desai said that trying to fix the problem quickly helped preserve much of that business. "None of the OEMs held that against us or anything," Desai is cited as saying. "I think we stepped up and we did a good job with how we handled that."
That said, just because OEMs have all but forgotten, that doesn’t mean Nvidia’s problems are over. In May of this year, news got out that five people were suing Nvidia. The group feels that the measures undertaken by Nvidia are not enough and are seeking full replacement of the faulty chips along with unspecified damages.
Rather than recall faulty notebooks, manufacturers of laptops affected have gone through certain steps to help cover the problem. HP and Dell extended warranties and released new BIOS software that increased the fan speed to better cool the GPU – hopefully warding off any defects from showing up. Apple promised owners of the GeForce 8600M GT-equipped that it would repair for free any faulty GPUs within two years of purchase date, regardless of Apple Care coverage.
"This is a grossly inadequate 'remedy,' as it results in additional manifest defects, including, without limitation, further degraded battery life, system performance and increased noise in the Class Computers," the plaintiffs said in a legal filing.
"Worse, this 'remedy' fails to solve the actual problem. Instead, this measure only ensures that the Class Computers will fail after the OEM's express warranty period expires, potentially leaving consumers with a defective computer and no immediate recourse," the lawsuit continues. "Finally, even after this purported 'update,' video and system performance is still degraded due to unacceptably high heat and part failures.
We’ll keep you posted on how the suit turns out but it seems Nvidia thinks that it has done its part for the consumer, while its customers think differently. Do you think Nvidia’s effort to remedy the situation fell short? Let us know in the comments below.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
