Tech up date

IBM's Power7 Chip has 8 Cores, 4.0GHz Speed - IBM is working on a new chip that will have 8 cores clocked at 4.0GHz and will support 4 threads per core.

Seagate 1.5TB Desktop Hard Drive Announced - The company claims that it is able to greatly increase the areal density of its drive substrates by utilizing perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology. Seagate says its new 1.5TB baby uses only four platters, implying platter density of at least 375GB - just like in the new 1TB drive Hitachi launched a couple days ago.

Samsung SyncMaster 245T 24inch LCD Tested - There's a lot to like about the 245T including its static image quality, viewing angles and contrast performance. But at this price point, something close to perfection is to be excepted. At £600+ any major flaws are simply unacceptable and the fact that the 245T actually has two - moderate input lag and occasionally serious inverse ghosting - might seem pretty shocking.

Nvidia GeForce GTX280 Tech Demo Trailer - Here a short clip from medusa tech demo.

DirectX 11 to be Unveiled at XNA Gamefest - Microsoft's XNA Gamefest is scheduled on 7/22-23 in Seattle and will feature the debut of DirectX 11. Heh, I would say DX9 is still just fine :-)

Vista Codec x64 Components 1.5.0 Final - Compiles the best x64 codecs - download

iPhone 3G Torture Tested - PC World ran Apple's new iPhone 3G through a series of torture-tests to see how durable it is. It's a tough little bugger, I’ll give it that!

Toshiba Protege G910 Smartphone Disappoints (video) - The performance is "laggy", the USB 2.0 support is missing, and the keyboard doesn't keep pace with your fingers. It also sucks that it's only running on WM6 when everyone else is doing Windows Mobile 6.1.

How Not To Use The Drive Through ATM (video) - Either ATM fees have gone way up or this guy doesn't realize that his Dodge Ram is too tall for the drive through ATM Bank awning.

Firms 'miss' social site success - Businesses are not making the most of social networking sites, say researchers. Is anyone surprised?

Guy + Girl Alone on a Train. What Happens Next? - Trippy and surreal comic illustrating the painful feelings of a new attraction for someone you've only just met

Happy Tree Friends - The Way You Make Me Wheel - Lumpy's grooming habits lead to a heap of trouble!