The Gadgetier

An update on the DNS flaw we reported on a few weeks back. If you’ve got no idea what this is about, we recommend reading up on these first, it affects everyone on the internet. If you have read the other 2 articles, you’ll know that some attacks had been reported, but the first ‘big’ attack has taken on Google. Users visiting Google were directed to a website copying Google almost exactly, but taking advantage of affiliate style links.

Now, the important part - you can check your ISP at DoxPara Research by clicking the ‘Check my DNS’ button. If your unsecure, we recommend you get in contact with your ISP and ask them what’s happening, and also leave a comment here to name and shame whoever it is.

Now, the second important part of the article, Apple. Apple have been very reluctant to patch, and have been reported to be ‘dragging their heals’. However, they finally released a patch for OS X.

Facebook has announced a deal with Intel to use their Xeon 5400 processors in thousands of new servers. The new servers will help with the massive growth Facebook is experiencing, and is said to improve the Web2.0 world as a whole. Intel is hoping to increase software performance on their servers, as well as increased infrastructure efficiency.

This deal is more good news for Intel, and their luck isn’t showing any sign of changing.

Another bad day for NVidia. Shortly after they announced that there were laptop chips prone to failure, they’re high end 790i chipset is being axed by some motherboard manufacturers. The board will be dropped from the websites of top motherboard manufacturers, such as Foxconn. Foxconn say that they are dropping the board because the 790i “chip is not of the quality standard that we needed for the Quantum Force range”. Other sources blame compatibility issues for the removal of the boards.

For Intel however, it’s been a great few weeks. They’re X48 is looking like the new top of the range chip, and the X58 is just around the corner. The news also comes shortly after Intel announced that they had sold 500,000 of their new Classmate to Portugal, and that Facebook were to use Intel processors in their servers.

The Eee product range is ever expanding, and at a rapid rate too. Its hardly been a month since the launch of the 901 and Asus is already putting together a new model for September. These new models will feature dual core Atoms, and 32GB SSDs or 120GB HDDs. The new device will feature the new 10.1inch screens, and have a battery life of 4-5 hours.

However, the new Eees will be priced at between $700 to $900 - that’s around £400 to £500 by the time it hits the UK. Asus seem to have lost sight of the original idea of a low cost laptop, and they’re even calling one of the models ‘Ultimate’. Maybe they should add an extra ‘E’ - Expensive.

Intel may have been lacking behind One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) for some time now, but this deal with the Portuguese government means that half a million Classmates will be sent to schools around the country. This puts Intel’s laptop just 100,000 sales behind OLPC. The Portuguese government say that ”by equipping our schools with state-of-the-art computing technology and Internet connectivity, we hope to hasten the transition to economic models that benefit our citizens.”

During the last 3 months, Microsoft claim that the adoption of Windows Vista 64-bit has almost doubled worldwide. In the US, adoption has trebled. They have also added that the new growth of Vista appears to be on the 64-bit side, not the 32-bit everyone was using about 5 years ago. We’re guessing that this is mainly because of the widespread availability for 64-bit drivers, and 32-bit emulation mode for programs. Vista 64 will run 32-bit programs using a program called WOW64.

On their blog, they state that consumers are now realising the benefits of 4GB (or more) of memory. He then plays it safe, by saying “if you only use your PC for a few tasks, and rarely do them at the same time, then you’re unlikely to realise a measurable performance benefit today.” So, there you have it, 64-bit is now more popular than 32-bit.

Dell, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of computers, seem to be launching new (and I dare say, exciting) products to the market. Yesterday, we heard about their new Studio Hybrid (pictured below).

The Dell Studio Hybrid range promises eco-friendly computing, with a little bit of style. However, these new computers won’t come cheap - starting at £399 for a basic setup. Look into a Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM and you’ll soon be creeping over the £800 mark. Dell plan to add blu-ray and TV card options later this year, which will no doubt push the price up further. Add to that £70 if you’ll be wanting the Bamboo shell, and you’ll soon have a small debt building up. However, even we have to admit that the new systems look excellent, certainly something to compete with Apples range.

Now, Dell has released sketchy details about a new MP3 player. This would make sense, as Dell owns the ZING service, which promises to bring Internet Radio, subscriptions services and your friends to your MP3 player, as of yet, there’s no products actively using the service. However, if Dell can launch a new MP3 player that looks as good as their new desktops, we think it could be a real winner.

The nominations for the British Technology Awards have been short-listed, and it’s turned out to be a very fierce competition. Deciding who to vote for will be tough, but it’s worth doing. The British Technology Awards are designed for everyone, not just the geeks of the world.

So, have your say today, and vote in the British Technology Awards.

Yes, not even a month after the new 3G iPhone’s went on sale, reports are coming in that the plastic is starting to crack. The problem seems most common on the white iPhone’s, where the tiny cracks are clearly visible. Here at The Gadgetier, we’ve always said Apple’s build quality was poor, and this just goes to prove it. We’ve heard numerous reports of iPod’s being sent back to the factory for weeks on end, some people even getting through three of the tiny devices before giving up - now it seems to be spreading to the new iPhone. Thinking about getting one?

There are lots of myths surrounding Windows Vista floating around the net, most of which have come from people who haven’t actually used the operating system. When news of this reached Microsoft, they setup the ‘Mojave Experiment’. The idea was to disguise Vista with different looks and then let people who had a ‘low perception’ of Vista use it. They had all been told that this was the next version of Windows.

The contestants had given Windows Vista an average rating of 4.4 out of 10, before actually using it. After they had used the disguised Vista, they gave an average rating of 8.5 out of 10. You can view the results for yourself, at The ‘Mojave Experiment’.