Toshiba To Roll Out New SD Cards

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., and its parent, Toshiba Corp., are set to launch two new series of SD cards that offer high-level data transfer rates and read-write performance. The 'high-speed series' will offer a maximum data transfer rate of 5MB per second, while the 'ultra high-speed series' will push transfer rates to as high as 20MB per second, double the rate of any other Toshiba-brand SD Cards.
Both the high-speed series Speed Class 4 SD Cards and ultra high-speed series Speed Class 6 SD Cards will be made available in 512MB(2), 1GB(3) and 2GB capacities. The SD Speed Class will be clearly stated on the card and its packaging, allowing users to select the card that makers specify for use with their digital products. Applications will include video recording with high performance digital cameras."The speed class is important to maximise performance for demanding applications and help the consumer choose the right card for their camera or camcorder," said Brian Kumagai, business development manager, NAND Flash, for TAEC.In May this year, the SD Card Association introduced the SD Speed Class, defining three minimum data transfer rates for next generation SD Cards: Class 2 supports a minimum data transfer rate of 2MB per second; Class 4 supports 4MB per second; and Class 6 6MB per second. Toshiba is first in the industry to announce the launch of Class 6 products.

BBC Planning MP3 Radio?

What Arnold Schwarzenegger has done to bodybuilding, iPod is doing to the MP3 players: making it a household name. Now, BBC is doing sometime on the lines of the two. BBC is buildng more muscles to go beyond the traditional media and enter a domain, hitherto unoccupied -- MP3 Radio.
BBC, inspired by the penetration of MP3 players, is planing to develop a device, plug-in gadget, that would convert any MP3 player into a digital radio. BBC has not disclosed if it has collaborate with certain companies for the development of the gadget, or that the service will be available on some particular devices like iPod or MP3 players of mobile phones.According to a BBC spokesman, “It's important for to us to make sure that people can listen to digital radio on their own terms."So, with BBC entering the domain, the market will sure see more players. Of coure, that puts a smile on Apple's face!

Yahoo! User ID, Password Could Be Stolen: Websense

Websense Security Labs has observed a change in the technique used in Yahoo! phishing attacks. These phishing attacks attempt to capture a user's Yahoo! ID and password by displaying a fake Yahoo! Sign In page. This variant of attack has been on-going for over a year. After the Yahoo! acquisition of Flickr, these attacks have started to shift from targeting Yahoo! Photos to targeting Yahoo! Flickr.
Attacker sends an email or instant message that claims to be from a friend wanting to show off photos that have been posted to Flickr. The message contains a link to a phishing site, which captures the user's Yahoo! ID and password.In September 2005, a similar Phishing attack on an alternate Yahoo Page- Yahoo Photos was detected by Websense Security Labs. Users received emails with a link to a Phishing Site which recorded the user's login details before forwarding the Yahoo! ID and password on to the real Yahoo! Photos site.

New Yahoo!Chess Ready

Zero G Games has announced that it has completed development of Yahoo!Chess, which is now available live on the Yahoo!Games portal.
Yahoo! Chess is a multiplayer, cross-platform, game, allowing players on either a PC or mobile phone to play together. Zero G Games developed the PC game in Flash - this is the first instance of the use of Flash in a multiplayer game on the Yahoo! network. Zero G is continuing development on an interactive TV offering of chess, which will be fully integrated with both the Web and the mobile versions."Zero G Games did a wonderful job with a complex product, and we are extremely pleased to offer flash Chess to our extensive game community,” said Cynthia Woll, executive producer, Yahoo! Games. “They are skilled at all aspects of multiplayer game technology, and they have the know-how to create compelling applications.

AMD Introduces AMD-Opteron

AMD has introduced its next-generation AMD Opteron processor family, featuring industry-leading performance-per-watt and outstanding virtualisation capabilities. The new AMD Opteron processors are designed to enable customers to increase computing capacity without altering data-centre infrastructure, and will be offered in record numbers from global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
In addition to launching its next-generation AMD Opteron processors, AMD also announced the completion of the design, of its native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. AMD plans to deliver its native Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors that incorporate four processor cores on a single die of silicon, to customers in mid-2007. Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors are expected to be electrical, thermal and socket compatible with the Next-Generation AMD Opteron processors. This long-term approach means AMD customers can benefit from a consistent and common architecture that scales to meet changing needs and escalating demands, and from the ability to select quad-core ready platforms today.