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[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]

There will be an early termination fee of $250 that decreases after 3 months

The Microsoft Store officially posted an offer for a $99 Xbox 360/Kinect bundle on its website.

Last week, rumors circulated that Microsoft was planning on selling a 4GB Xbox 360 bundle with a Kinect sensor and two-year Xbox Live Gold service subscription. The only catch was that there'd be a $14.99 monthly service fee for the service, but gamers would receive the regular online gameplay features of an Xbox Live Gold subscription along with extra content from cable providers.

The total cost of the two-year bundle is $459, which is a bit of an increase from the current $418 4GB Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle with two years of Xbox Live Gold.

The Microsoft Store online published a redeemable coupon for the $99 bundle today, where offer code 885370366266 can be brought to a local Microsoft store in exchange for the latest deal.

Last week's report also noted that there may be an early termination fee (ETF), but the amount had not been specified at the time. Microsoft has now confirmed that there will, in fact, be an ETF that is set based on the number of months passed after the start of the two-year subscription. If the service is terminated within the first three months, the ETF will be $250. At the fourth month, the ETF is $240. From there, the ETF decreases by $12 each month until it hits $0 at 24 months.

Source: Microsoft Store


[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]



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New DDR4 is faster and more power efficient

Micron has announced the development of its first fully functional DDR4 DRAM module. The company is currently sampling the modules and getting feedback from major customers to support the implementation of applications starting in 2013. Currently the majority of computers and other devices are using DDR3 DRAM.

The adoption of DDR4 memory will bring improvements to the high performance computing and consumer electronics markets. Micron expects enterprise and micro server markets to take full advantage of the new specification early. The modules are also appropriate for ultrathin client and tablet markets. The new DDR4 modules offer power savings and performance enhancements that are important for mobile devices, such as tablets.

"With the JEDEC definition for DDR4 very near finalization, we've put significant effort into ensuring that our first DDR4 product is as JEDEC-compatible as it can be at this final stage of its development," said Brian Shirley, vice president for Micron's DRAM Solutions Group. "We've provided samples to key partners in the market place with confidence that the die we give them now is the same die we will take into mass production."

Micron's DDR4 technology was codeveloped with Nanya and is based on Micron's 30 nm technology. The modules developed are 4 Gb x 8 units and will be used in RDIMM, LRDIMM, 3DS, SODIMM, and UDIMM applications. The product will also be offered for soldered down spaces in x8, x16, and x32 with initial speeds up to 2400 megatransfers per second. Micron plans volume production the kickoff in Q4 2012 and has been sampling the key partners since the beginning of 2012.

The U.S. DRAM maker's South Korean rival Samsung has also been samping DDR4 memory.

It's been a sad year for Micron after seeing its long-time CEO Steven Appleton perish in a February plane crash. Appleton was replaced by Mark Durcan.

Source: Micron

Micron is among the pioneers in DDR4 memory. [Image Source: TweakTown]


[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]



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Anonymous won't be deterred, and continues attacks

Shortly after learning Anonymous-affiliated LulzSec members were betrayed by their leader, Hector Xavier Monsegur, a.k.a. 'Sabu,' Anonymous retaliated by launching several fresh attacks.

The Antisec group attacked Panda Security's PandaLabs website, defacing the page and publicly mocking Sabu:

"Pandasecurity.com... has earned money working with law enforcement to lurk and snitch on Anonymous activists. They helped to jail 25 Anonymous in different countries and they were actively participating in our IRC channels trying to dox [obtain personal information about] many others."

Panda Lab officials said customer information wasn't compromised during the attack, which was directed towards an external Panda Labs server. Company technical director Luis Corrons believes his firm was targeted because of a supportive blog applauding action against Anonymous.

In a separate attack, hackers reportedly connected with Anonymous also attacked the Vatican's official website (http://vatican.va), crippling the site for a large portion of Wednesday. The targeted attack was justified for reasons ranging from actions against heretics, Inquisition book burning, and widespread child abuse by priests.

Hackers reportedly connected with Anonymous posted statements of support for their busted comrades, while also confirming attacks wouldn't stop.

Sabu's betrayal lead to a shakeup of the group, as it was the first major blow to the global hacker collective.

Sabu was originally arrested last June by federal authorities, and turned into a snitch to help bring down several others within the group. Despite global crackdowns against the group, it's unlikely Anonymous and any affiliate hacker groups are going to suddenly stop attacking high-profile targets.

Despite Sabu being seen as a leader of the group -- who turned on his own group in exchange for leniency -- the group will reorganize and select new senior leadership. In the past month, Anonymous posted an audio clip from a phone conversation between the FBI and Scotland Yard, while showing they can successfully plague authorities.

Source: BBC



[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]



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Benchmarks or GTFO!

Yesterday when Apple unveiled the new iPad, the crew from Cupertino took some time to brag about its new A5X processor in comparison to NVIDIA’s Tegra 3. Apple certainly isn't widely known for offering up benchmarks on its own, so we'll likely have to wait until iPads land in the hands of reviewers and geeks around the web.

Apple used the iPad unveiling to boast that the A5X chip inside the new iPad is two times faster than A5, and four times more powerful in graphics performance than the Tegra 3.

NVIDIA isn't buying those claims without proof. The graphics company wants to know how Apple came by that number. Ken Brown, a spokesman for NVIDIA, stated, "[It was] certainly flattering " for Apple to compare its newest chip to their part.

Brown continued, “We don’t have the benchmark information. We have to understand what the application was that was used. Was it one or a variety of applications? What drivers were used? There are so many issues to get into with benchmark.”

Anyone that follows tech knows benchmarks are often handpicked to favor one particular brand over another when it comes to claims such as these. So it should be interesting to see if the new iPad’s performance lives up to the claims.

Source: ZDNet



[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]



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