Intel turns the desktop upside-down, reveals new platform

It's already been announced that Santa Rosa will initially comprise a Core 2-class CPU (with an upgrade to a Penryn-class 45nm CPU when the platform is refreshed next year), Intel's new Mobile 965 chipset, and 802.11n wireless. But Intel's Eric Kim announced that Intel will finally be doing what enthusiasts and niche products have been doing for years: bringing mobile-class processors to the desktop, with the Santa Rosa DT platform. ...more

PC maker fumes at Vista price hike

Leading PC manufacturer Acer has accused Microsoft of ratcheting up the cost of Windows by effectively forcing consumers to opt for the Premium version of Vista. Acer claims that the Vista Home Basic - the new entry-level Windows - is so poorly featured that consumers will simply reject it. "The new [Vista] experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel it at all," said Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president at Acer. ...more

IBM demos security app to monitor wireless links

With the IEEE 802.11b wireless protocol fast gaining ground in the US, IBM Research has come up with an auditing tool that allows network administrators to monitor wireless networks for security holes in real time. The Linux-based Wireless Security Auditor runs on a PDA with a colour-coded interface making it easy to identify potential hazards, along with detailed information such as station and network name, address, location and security state. ...more

Minute MuVo2 player boasts massive 1.5GB storage

Barely the size of a matchbox and weighing far less than a bag of sugar, Creative's new MuVo2 has a veritable double garage of 1.5GB, or 25 hours' worth, of room in which to store your music. Built around a 1. ...more

Bill Gates outlines delivery of Microsoft's security products

Microsoft's chief software architect Bill Gates has given his keynote speech at the RSA security conference in San Francisco and outlined plans to deliver the company's security products - some of them bundled for free with its Windows operating system. With its antispyware product, the result of the acquisition of GIANT late last year, Gates said that while the consumer products would be free, Microsoft would also make available a paid-for managed antispyware solution for businesses. On the antivirus front, Gates said that Redmond was planning to make a home-grown antivirus engine, based on the technologies and expertise of Romanian security company GeCAD, which it bought nearly two years ago. ...more