VR-Zone Reviews Rosewill's RK-9100 Mechanical Keyboard

November 30th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone
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VR-Zone.com | Tech News for the Geeks!
VR-Zone | Stuff for the Geeks is a bi-weekly
publication covering the latest gadgets and stuff for the
geeks.
Scientists take first
hyperspectral photos of
Earth's auroras
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/scientists-take-first-hyperspectral-
photos-of-earth-s-auroras/18138.html
November 30th, 2012
The first ever hyperspectral images of Earth's auroras,
bizarre and beautiful lights in the sky, have been captured
with a new purpose-built camera.
The first ever hyperspectral images of Earth's auroras,
bizarre and beautiful lights in the sky, have been captured
with a new purpose-built camera.
Researchers at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS),
Norway developed the NORUSCA II camera, which can
simultaneously image multiple spectral bands of light,
allowing for some new discoveries when it comes to the so-
called “Northern Lights.”
Tests at the Kjell Henriksen Observatory in Svalbard
produced the first hyperspectral images, which pick up and
separate light over different bands.
“A standard filter wheel camera that typically uses six
interference filters will not be able to spin the wheel
fast enough compared to the NORUSCA II camera,” said
Fred Sigernes of UNIS. “This makes the new hyperspectral
capability particularly useful for spectroscopy, because it
can detect specific atmospheric constituents by their unique
fingerprint, or wavelengths, in the light they emit.”
An aurora appearing in the night sky at the Kjell Henriksen
Observatory in Svalbard, Norway. Taken November 2010.
Credit: Njaal Gulbarndsen.
The technology also helped the scientists uncover a
previously unknown atmospheric phenomenon and could
pave the way for even more discoveries in the future.
On 24 January a major solar flare called a Coronal Mass
Ejection (CME) hit the Earth and caused widespread
auroras, and tests conducted then found a faint wave pattern
of unknown origin in the lower atmosphere. It resembled the
natural emission of light by the Earth's atmosphere called
“airglow,” but this has never previously been associated with
auroras, making it an entirely new phenomenon.
“Our new all-sky camera opens up new frontiers of
discovery and will help in the detection of auroras and
the understanding of how our Sun impacts the atmosphere
here on Earth,” said Sigernes. “Additional development and
commissioning will also hopefully verify our intriguing first
results.”
The findings were published today in a paper in Volume 20,
Issue 25 of the Optical Society's journal Optics Express.

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The aurora as seen as a color composite image from the
NORUSCA II camera. Three bands were combined to make
the image. Each band was assigned a different color –
red, green, and blue – to enhance the features of the aurora
for analysis. Credit: Optics Express.
The red arrow points to the unidentified low-intensity
wave pattern, which the researchers suspect is an auroral-
generated wave interaction with airglow. For contrast, the
blue arrow points to the faint emission of the Milky Way.
Credit: Optics Express.
Students perform measurements of the aurora in front
of the Kjell Henriksen Observatory. Svalbard, Norway,
November 2010. Credit: Njaal Gulbarndsen.
Piracy charges against 9-
year-old girl dropped
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/piracy-charges-against-9-year-old-
girl-dropped/18137.html
November 30th, 2012
Police in Finland have dropped a piracy case against a 9-
year-old girl after she attempted to download songs from
Finnish pop star Chisu.
Police in Finland have dropped a piracy case against a 9-
year-old girl after she attempted to download songs from
Finnish pop star Chisu.
Once the illegal download was detected the Copyright
Information and Control Centre (CIAPC) issued a letter
to the girl's father, who was the internet account holder,
demanding a payment of €600 in compensation, as well as
requiring the signing of a non-disclosure agreement.
The father refused to pay, claiming that neither he nor his
daughter really knew what she was doing, and that the songs
ended up not even playing. The CIAPC responded by filing
a complaint to the police, who raided the girl's home and
confiscated her laptop.

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Tools of the trade for digital criminals
News of the raid spread online, earning the CIAPC much
condemnation, but now the charges have been dropped.
“We have decided to end the criminal investigation, because
CIAPC has waived the penalty claims,” police officer Markku
Nisula told Finnish news outlet MTV3.
It appears that CIAPC and the girl's father reached a
settlement for the payment of €300, half the original
amount.
Presumably the infamous flagship of piracy worldwide, the
girl's Winnie the Pooh laptop, will now be returned to her.
US and EU oppose Russian
proposal to tax the internet
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/us-and-eu-oppose-russian-proposal-
to-tax-the-internet/18135.html
November 30th, 2012
The United States and European Union have revealed that
they will oppose a proposal by Russia to tax the internet and
make it easier to track people online.
The United States and European Union have revealed that
they will oppose a proposal by Russia to tax the internet and
make it easier to track people online.
A major internet conference will be held from 3-14
December in Dubai, with all 193 countries that are members
of the International Telecommunications Union meeting to
debate new internet regulations.
Russia has proposed a tax on companies like Google and
Yahoo if they deliver content abroad, while also suggesting
the implementation of more sophisticated methods to trace
what people do online. The proposals have received the
backing of China and a number of countries in Africa and the
Middle East.
On the opposite side of the fence is the US and EU, backed by
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and a number of
other countries, all of whom believe the proposals will limit
innovation and damage commerce.
There are also fears over free speech. Russia claims its
suggestions are designed to tackle cybercrime, but the
European Union thinks this is an excuse to control freedom
of expression online.
Google has already voiced its opposition to the conference,
calling on internet users to sign an online petition against
the proposals. It was particularly against the idea of having
to pay a fee every time someone in another country accesses
some of its content, as this would likely lead to what many
activists call an “information black out” in poorer countries.
“The European Union's firm view is that the Internet works,”
said Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Internet
Policy. “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”
Image Credit: Google
Rosewill RK-9100 Illuminated
Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Review
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/rosewill-rk-9100-illuminated-
mechanical-gaming-keyboard-review/18134.html
November 30th, 2012
Rosewill has been on fire lately, releasing product after
product after product. Even though the company started as
an in-house brand of Newegg, they slowly fledged into a
fully stand-alone manufacturer and exporter with myriads
of technology-related products, including high performance
products for gamers and enthusiasts. Today we will be

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having a look at such a product, the RK-9100 illuminated
mechanical keyboard, an upgraded version of the RK-9000
mechanical keyboard which we reviewed a few months ago.
Rosewill has been on fire lately, releasing product after
product after product. Even though the company started as
an in-house brand of Newegg, they slowly fledged into a
fully stand-alone manufacturer and exporter with myriads
of technology-related products, including high performance
products for gamers and enthusiasts. Today we will be
having a look at such a product, the RK-9100 illuminated
mechanical keyboard, an upgraded version of the RK-9000
mechanical keyboard which we reviewed a few months ago.
Rosewill offers the RK-9100 keyboard with two different key
switches, Cherry MX Brown or Cherry MX Blue; sorry guys,
no black or red switches with this version. We received and
tested the version with the Cherry MX Brown switches to
bring you this review. Although the name suggests that the
RK-9100 would be just an upgrade of the RK-9000 with
lighting, it actually is an entirely different product, with
different features and functionality. We will explore those
differences in detail in this review.
Manufacturer features and specifications
• Individually backlit keys with 3 illuminated modes and
4 brightness levels
• Equipped with 8 multimedia shortcut keys
• 2-Port USB 2.0 hub
• 6-Key rollover: 6 Key could press at the same time
• Cherry MX brown switches with soft tactile feeling
• Gold plated USB connector to ensure low latency
• High quality braided cable
Model No. RK-9100
Color Black
Type Mechanical Keyboard
Interface USB and PS/2
Normal Keys 104
Key Switch Cherry MX Blue Switch
Key Pitch 19.05mm
Key Stroke 4.0mm±0.5mm
Total Travel 4.0mm-0.5mm
Operating Force 1.8±0.5 oz
Switch Life 50 x 10^6 Times
Cable Length 5.9 feet
Dimensions 446(L) X 140(W) X 36(H)
mm / 17.56"(L) X 5.51"(W) X
1.42"(H)
Operating System Supported Windows XP/ Vista/ 7
Package Contents 1 x RK-9100 Keyboard
1 x User Manual
Parts 3 Year limited
Labor 1 Year limited
Creator of original X-Com
praises new game
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/creator-of-original-x-com-praises-
new-game/18133.html
November 30th, 2012
When Firaxis Games set out to create a new game in the
classic Microprose series X-Com, the biggest worry was
likely to whether they'd end up disappointing fans of the
original. Jake Solomon, lead designer of the new game,
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is one of those fans, and even he
isn't certain whether he and his dev team have managed to
capture the feel and appeal of the original game.
This is the new game...
...and the original
However, it seems a bit of official word on the subject is in, as
X-Com's original creator Julian Gollop, has praised the new
game in a recent Eurogamer article: "I think Firaxis has done
a great job… The game is addictive and absorbing, not to
mention quite challenging on the classic difficulty setting."
Solomon responded with praise for Gallop too: "That's good,
man. The guy's a legend. It's a weird situation. You know he's

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still out there, you know he's going to end up playing it - and
you just admire the guy so much."
Scientists take photo of DNA
for first time
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/scientists-take-photo-of-dna-for-
first-time/18132.html
November 30th, 2012
Scientists have known about the shape of DNA molecules for
several decades, but for the first time, a photograph of the
molecule has been taken, spiral and all.
Watson and Crick first modeled the composition of the
DNA molecule in 1953, identifying it as a double helix
structure composed of guanine, adenine, thymine and
cytosine. Previously, a technique X-ray crystallography has
been used to convert dots into an overarching image of the
molecule. However, it isn't until not that it has been directly
photographed. Using an electron microscope, a picture was
snapped of a DNA strand which had been stretched out and
suspended between two nanoscopic silicon pillars.
The DNA, strung up between the pillars
The photographer of the image is Enzo di Fabrizio from the
University of Genoa, Italy. He separated a single DNA string
in a solution by introducing the aforementioned pillars,
which absorbed the water in the solution, leaving the DNA
molecule left behind, strung up like a clothes line. By drilling
holes in the base plate for the pillars, he could fire beams of
electrons at the DNA, illuminating it, in a sense.
The double helix, finally on a photo.
In the future, Fabrizio's technique will allow scientists to
study DNA in more detail, including how it reacts to RNA
and proteins
North Korean archaeologists
find... a unicorn lair
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/north-korean-archaeologists-find...-
a-unicorn-lair/18131.html
November 30th, 2012
North Korea's central news agency has reported that
archaeologists have found a mythical unicorn lair belonging
to an ancient King.
North Korea is one of the most entertaining countries in the
world. When it isn't busy threatening people with a hornet's
nest of a military, starving it's citizens, flooding it's farmland
or building massive hotels that are never quite finished (not
like there's much tourism anyway), it seems as if the country
spends most of it's days trying to be as ridiculous as possible.
Think this stuff is fiction? THINK AGAIN.
North Korean "archeologists" from the History Institute
of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences have announced
the finding of a unicorn lair. Yes, you read it correctly.
The Unicorn lair was apparently the property of King
Tongmyong, founder of the ancient Korean kingdom
Koguryo. Tongmyong, who lived between BCE 277 and CE
668, was mythically known to ride a unicorn, as Jo Hui Sung,
director of the History Institute explains: "Korea's history
books deal with the unicorn, considered to be ridden by King
Tongmyong, and its lair."
They found the lair 200 meters from a temple in North
Korea's capitol city Pyongyang. The discovery of the lair
apparently proves Pyongyang was the capitol of Koguryo,
as well as the modern day North Korea.The question on
everyone's mind though, is undoubtedly how they found this
"lair", and how they could tell that it was real? Did they find

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Unicorn bones? No, they found a rectangular rock with the
words "Unicorn Lair" carved into it. I'm not even kidding...
Gigapixel image lets you
take close look at difference
engine
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/gigapixel-image-lets-you-take-close-
look-at-difference-engine/18129.html
November 30th, 2012
Charles Babbage's difference engine is the forefather of
today's modern computers, and now, there's a Gigapixel
photo of it for you to check out every detail of.
Charles Babbage was the creator of one of the ancestors
of the computer, the Babbage Difference engine. The
device was created in the 1820's to perform calculations
mechanically, as opposed to the by-hand method used by
scientists of the time. Back then, a calculator was a person
who calculated professionally, but humans make mistakes,
and Babbage wanted to find a way to do the same work,
without human error. After the difference engine, he sought
to improve his design, and came up with plans for the
Difference engine #2. Unfortunately, the prohibitive cost
meant Babbage never saw his improved machine become a
reality.
Shiny
However, in the years since, replicas have been
manufactured, and one of them is stored in the Computer
History Museum in Mountain View, California. This
difference engine now has four Gigapixel images of it, which
you can check out right here. The images are a composite,
containing a total of 1,350 images each, and up to 28 images
per focus stack.
There have been quite a few Gigapixel images lately, most of
them of landscapes such as this 26 Gigapixel Paris, or this
16 Gigapixel Machu Picchu. What sets the Babbage picture
apart is that it is a close-up, and that has required some
complex computer controlled focus and tracking control.
Kid explains Wii U to Michelle
Obama
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kid-explains-wii-u-to-michelle-
obama/18128.html
November 30th, 2012
In a lighthearted piece of news, here's a cute video of a kid
explaining what the Wii U is to the First Lady of the United
States, Michelle Obama.
Being the First Lady of the USA is a tough job, and it doesn't
leave much room for learning about new releases in the video
games industry. During an event where Michelle Obama
spoke to a group of children and asked them what they
wanted for Christmas, a boy answered "a Wii U", to which
Mrs. Obama replied "What's a Wii U?"
At this point, a girl took over the conversation and provided a
very competent, on the fly explanation of the console. Charlie
Spiering, who works at the Washington Examiner, provided
a video of the happening which was uploaded to YouTube. It
may not be the most news worthy thing ever to come out of
the Examiner, but it's pretty heartwarming.
DayZ to receive engine
overhaul
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dayz-to-receive-engine-
overhaul/18113.html
November 30th, 2012
DayZ's standalone was slated for a 2012 release, but that
date might not be set in stone anymore, as the Arma II mod
undergoes an engine change.
Dean "Rocket" Hall's Arma II mod, DayZ, has been a work
in progress for a while now, but it was meant to have a
standalone release before the end of the year. This may not
happen, explains the developer. Accoirding to Hall, though
they are still aiming for a 2012 release, the developers of the
mod would not be entirely opposed to pushing the release
back, if it meant giving the game a more solid foundation.
Hall has stated that short term goals such as meeting a
deadline, should not compromise long term goals, such as
the overall quality of the game.

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One of the reasons there may be a delay, is the extensive
overhaul of the game being implemented, most interesting
of which is a new engine. Though the engine may not look
drastically different from the previous engine, it implements
a lot of functionality changes at it's core, making weapons
customizable, as well as clothes and changes in controls and
the map. The game, when it is released, will launch on Steam.
Nothing to see here, Mars
rover discovery is unfounded
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nothing-to-see-here-mars-rover-
discovery-is-unfounded/18127.html
November 30th, 2012
It is now confirmed that NASA scientist John Grotzinger’s
previous announcement of a find in the soil sample taken
onboard the Mars rover Curiosity, turned out to be nothing
more than speculation. A recent press announcement from
NASA stated, "Rumors and speculation that there are
major new findings from the mission at this early stage are
incorrect… At this point in the mission, the instruments
on the rover have not detected any definitive evidence of
Martian organics."
(NASA's Curiosity Mars rover being tested in Death Valley)
One of the main missions that the rover is to complete on
Mars is to find signs of organic molecules left behind when
the planet had a presumed shallow sea. Everywhere on earth
that liquid water is found, there is always some form of life.
The rover has been on the planet now for approximately 4
months, and it is the most technologically advance rover to
date. It has a large array of arms and cameras that will be
taking samples of air, rock and soil for the next 2 years. One
very important mission for the rover will be to study the Gale
Crater where NASA believes some form of microbial life may
be present.
This latest announcement may have upset a lot of hopeful
folks on Earth, but NASA also released new data that the
Mercury orbiter, 'Messenger', has found frozen water at the
planet's North pole. Messenger was said to have found a very
large amount of frozen water there and found what the space
agency is calling possible “organic material” as well. The
planet Mercury, which is closest to the sun, has an average
surface temperature of 427C (800F), so finding any type of
frozen water on the planet’s north pole will be a bit of a shock
if there is indeed water on Mercury. NASA also feels that its
south pole may contain frozen water as well.
Neuroscientist creates
a large scale model of a
functioning brain
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/neuroscientist-creates-a-large-scale-
model-of-a-functioning-brain/18126.html
November 30th, 2012
The device is called “Spaun”, which stands for Semantic
Pointer Architecture Unified Network, and its design is
based on the human brain. The model has connections that
work together like the prefrontal lobe.
An article in the November 30, 2012 issue of Science titled,
"BUILDING THE HUMAN BRAIN”, by Eliasmith, et. al.,
goes over the brain model and how it functioned.
“In this work, we present a 2.5-million-neuron model
of the brain (called “Spaun”) that bridges this gap by
exhibiting many different behaviors, “ writes Eliasmith.
“Although simplified, the model captures many aspects
of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and psychological
behavior, which we demonstrate via eight diverse tasks.”
The brain model took Eliasmith and his team with the
University of Waterloo over a year to build, and it is capable
of performing a few basic tasks. The team made clear
that while it does have a very limited capability to learn
new things on its own, it does demonstrate how the brain’s
neurons work, which includes biological signals that are
being transmitted. Currently the model brain can recognize
a few things, has memory, and it is able to write down
numbers.
The scientists that created Spaun are reaching out to other
scientists in the U.K and the U.S. in an effort to help expand
its capabilities. Eliasmith says that in time this model may
be scaled up, and it might lead the way to increase the
machine’s intelligence. Currently machines that simulate
human interaction only operate by certain pre-programmed
responses and only give the appearance they are thinking.
Eliasmith said that this design might also lead to a future of
machines with more realistic human-like responses, or even
a bona fide machine with real artificial intelligence that is
self aware.
Fujitsu transforms
smartphones into skin care
gadgets
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/fujitsu-transforms-smartphones-
into-skin-care-gadgets/18124.html
November 30th, 2012
Fujitsu launches its Skin Memory service, a cloud-based
service that provides a relatively comprehensive skin
analysis using a smartphone's camera.
Ever thought of using your smartphone for skin care? If you
have, then this new service from Fujitsu might pique your
interest. They have just recently unveiled their new cloud-
based "Skin Memory" service. Using your smartphone's

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camera as a scanning device, the service's system is capable
of collecting different kinds of information about your skin.
It is essentially an analysis tool that assesses the status of
your skin by looking at certain elements such as skin tone,
dimples, spots, and other things.
There are three basic things required to use the service:
the specialized app, a 4MP (at minimum) camera, and the
special "Color Frame" card. The Color Frame card has a
special hole that would be used to target the skin area that
you want to be scanned. Using the special card would enable
the app to maintain an accurate analysis despite varying
changes in the surrounding lighting. The app was primarily
designed for the Android OS, although an iOS version is in
the works.
After getting a clear snapshot of the target skin area inside
the Color Frame card, the picture will then be sent to their
system, where it would be studied by an image analyzer.
Users may be able to compare data from previous scans,
as well as data from skin scans made by other people.
The service will allow for upgraded functions as the system
accumulates more data.
Though it seems that way, the Skin Memory service isn't
really designed to be used individually though. Fujitsu plans
to have the actual service catered to other skin care-related
business entities (health, beauty, cosmetics, etc.) as a B2B
service. For example, businesses who have signed contracts
with them may combine the Skin Memory service with other
services that they might have.
Fujitsu started the service on November 29, 2012.
Source: Tech-On (JP)
Microsoft Core i5 Surface
Pro tablet available January,
2013 starting at $899
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/microsoft-core-i5-surface-pro-tablet-
available-january-2013-starting-at-899/18125.html
November 30th, 2012
Early Windows 8 adopters who have been waiting it out for
the Surface Pro will have to shell out a bit more for the Intel-
based tablets—as expected.
Microsoft announced on its blog recently that its Intel Core
i5 Surface Pro tablets will start at $899 with the 64GB model
and $999 for the 128GB model. All Surface Pro models will
come with Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Pen stylus, 4GB
of RAM, dual 2x2 MIMO antennas, built-in kickstand, Dark
Titanium VaporMg casing, one USB 3.0 port, and Windows
8 Pro OS to boot.
Weighing in at less than two pounds and measuring less
than 14mm thick, the Surface Pro has a full 1080p 10.6-inch
HD screen, and is capable of 2560x1440 output via a Mini
DisplayPort. The Surface Pro has the ability to use a Touch
Cover or a Type Cover, but in the interest of Microsoft the
tablet will be sold as a 'standalone' (meaning, no Touch/Type
Cover add-on will be included).
Many are saying that the Surface RT is Microsoft’s answer
to high-end tablets such as the Asus Transformer Prime,
and Apple’s new iPad. The Surface Pro on other hand
is meant to compete with Ultrabooks, or ‘superslim’ and
‘ultraportable’ laptops. Whatever the case may be, Microsoft
is still trying to gain notoriety in the portable market its
Surface devices. Many users have griped about Windows 8’s
lack of a ‘desktop’ feel, and the barren app store.
Microsoft projected that 4 million Surface RT tablet were
going to be shipped in 2012, but that number had been
cut by about half a million to a million. Nevertheless, the
Redmond-based software giant has its mind set on taking on
the tablet world with its in-house hardware.
ARM-based Windows 8 tablets are cheaper, but users will
not be able to run legacy software designed for prior versions
of Windows.
Here's a quick comparison of the Surface RT and Pro:
Features Surface RT Surface Pro
OS Windows RT Windows 8 Pro
Weight 676g 903g
Thickness 9.3mm 13.5mm
Battery 31.5W-h 42W-h
Connectivity microSD, USB
2.0, Micro HD
video, 2x2 MIMO
antennae
microSDXC,
USB 3.0, Mini
DisplayPort
video, 2x2 MIMO
antennae
Software bundle Office Home &
Student 2013 RT
N/A
Storage 32 or 64GB 64 or 128GB
NASA: 100 billion to 1 trillion
tons of ice exist on Mercury
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/nasa-100-billion-to-1-trillion-tons-
of-ice-exist-on-mercury/18123.html
November 30th, 2012

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There is between 100 billion to 1 trillion tons of ice on
Mercury according to some recent data beamed back to
Earth from the Messenger spacecraft.
It has been theorized since the 1970’s that there’s water on
Mercury, but it is not until recently that NASA has become
even more confident about the idea of there being water on
the planet closest to the Sun.
Adding to the almost non-existent atmosphere, Mercury’s
average surface temperature is 800 °F (427 °C), so it’s hard
to imagine the planet being able to retain the nectar of life.
However, Mercury has an axial tilt of near zero, meaning
the north and south poles never get any direct sunlight.
Mercury’s axial tilt, along with craters that exist near the
poles are strong proofs that water may be in abundance in
those craters close to the poles.
Using Earth-based radar, optical cameras, and an
instrument called a neutron probe on the Messenger; NASA
is predicting that Mercury does indeed have water on its
surface. The water itself may not be directly above the
surface, but rather it’s buried under a layer or two of surface
materials.
A theory, as to where the water came from, is that asteroids
bombarding the planet carried along with it ice, and without
direct sunlight at the poles (temperature may reach a
chilly -370 °F (-223 °C)), which—along with the protective
geographical structures created by the asteroids—may have
contributed to the preservation of the water at Mercury’s
poles.
Improving game graphics is
behind the newest NVIDIA
Beta Drivers
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/improving-game-graphics-is-behind-
the-newest-nvidia-beta-drivers/18118.html
November 30th, 2012
NVIDIA today announced the availablity of its beta video
card drivers which sees the version number change from
310.54 to 310.64 beta and said the update is aimed at
improving the framerates by up to 38%.
When it comes to gaming nothing can get gamers more in
a lather, and excited, than the framerates for their favorite
games and video card manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD
are continually trying to improve their video card drivers to
make their most passionate customers happy.
So it should come as no surprise that NVIDIA announced the
availability of some new beta drivers for their GeForce 600-
series video cards that are directly targeted to some specific
games.
You can grab your copy of the beta drivers here or if you have
the NVIDIA Update app running make sure it is set to also
check for beta drivers and click on Check for Update.

December 2nd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone
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geeks.
Mugen Power wows Samsung
Galaxy Note II users with
6400mAh battery
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/mugen-power-wows-samsung-
galaxy-note-ii-users-with-6400mah-battery/18153.html
December 2nd, 2012
Mugen Power has long been known as a leader in extended
batteries for many mobile devices. With the Note 2 being so
new the fact that it [already] has an extended battery is a bit
of a shock by itself, the fact that it's 6400mAh is downright
impressive!
The people at Mugen Power never cease to amaze me. A few
years ago I had a BlackBerry 9300 and got a Mugen extended
battery which almost tripled the life of the phone. When I
installed it I wanted to put it to the test so I kept the phone
on vibrate, display as bright as it could go and disabled WiFi
to get the battery a run for its money. It was a long 17 hours
before the battery finally died.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has an impressive 3100mAh
OEM battery that gives an advertised talk time of 17hrs. Take
that and add an additional 3300mAh and you have a phone
or a tablet that might last twice as long! The downside to the
extended battery is the size of the door you have to put on
it, however, the door for the Mugen Power does have a cool
kickstand to it. I guess it is a 'give and take.'
Nikolai Lebedovsky, marketing manager at Mugen Power
Batteries claims that the company worked hard on trying to
cram as much juice as possible into the aftermarket battery,
and their main goal was to maintain useability without the
trouble of needing to constantly charge the device.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is an amazing device with
great set of functions and brilliant screen. Users are
happy to enjoy all the functions of this phone, but the
battery life is a real limitation if you want to get it
all. We worked hard on this project and managed
to fit additional 3300mAh capacity into that new
battery. Our solution gives customers added battery
life to stay connected longer without recharges and
make more with the smartphone than ever before.
The pricing is at just under $100 until December 2nd when
it will go up to $106.99 and can be gotten directly from the
Mugen Power website here.
Mexican court fines Yahoo!
2.7 billion dollars
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/mexican-court-fines-yahoo-2.7-
billion-dollars/18156.html
December 2nd, 2012
A court in Mexico has recently fined Yahoo Incorporated 2.7
billion U.S. dollars over a breach of contract and because of
losses from other advertising mediums.
Worldwide directories and Ideas Interactivas, which
manages the yellow pages listings in the Mexico has been
awarded a judgment against Yahoo! Incorporated and Yahoo
de Mexico, A.A. de C.V. by the 49th
Civil Court of the Federal
District of Mexico City. Worldwide Directories S.A. de C.V.
along with Ideas Interactivas, S.A. de C.V, filed the lawsuit.
Worldwide Directories and Ideas Interactivas claims that
Yahoo! Inc. breached contractual agreements that caused
losses in profit from the local yellow pages listing business.
Yahoo has denied the claims and is currently seeking an
appeal. If Yahoo is unable to appeal this lawsuit, it will be a
mighty blow to the once powerful company.
In an official statement on Yahoo!’s investor page, Sarah
Gorgman, a Yahoo! official, says that the claims against
Yahoo! are without 'merit' and that the company will
'vigorously' find ways to appeal the court's decision.
“Yahoo! believes the plaintiffs' claims are without merit
and will vigorously pursue all appeals. The plaintiffs alleged
claims of breach of contract, breach of promise, and lost
profits arising from contracts related to a yellow pages
listings service," says Gorgman.
This latest news against Yahoo! came a few weeks
after the company grabbed former Google executive and
spokeperson, Marissa Mayer. Mayer is Yahoo!'s 5th CEO,

2
and the company has been fighting agressively to maintain
their position in a highly competitive search, advertising and
mobile market.
Toy-inspired helicopter
capable of carrying a person
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/toy-inspired-helicopter-capable-of-
carrying-a-person/18150.html
December 2nd, 2012
Hirobo, a popular Japanese based model maker for remote
controlled planes and helicopters, recently unveiled a full
size version of their line. This latest helicopter is designed
for one person and will be battery powered.
The new, battery-powered, helicopter from Hirobo will be
called the “HX-1”, and will have contra-rotating rotors that
incorporates a ‘fly by wire’ control system. Its flight time
will be approximately 30 minutes and has the capability to
be flown either by the person riding it or with a remote
control unit. Currently, the helicopters have only been tested
hovering, but the company stated that human flight tests will
begin in early 2013.
While the popular remote control helicopters normally made
by Hirobo are known to be of great quality, this is the first
full size endeavor created by them. This scaled up single-seat
helicopter is made in the same way as their smaller units, and
uses a very similar style of flight control with flight speeds
up to 60MPH. The company stated that since it can be flown
using the fly-by-wire or remote, that it might be useful in
helping with search and rescue or what most people would
use it for - entertainment purposes.
If you would like one of these toys it’s not going to be cheap.
The base price for one helicopter will run you about 375,000
U.S. dollars, and may be ready sometime later in 2013.
ZTE Grand X LTE T82
Smartphone Review
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/zte-grand-x-lte-t82-smartphone-
review/18065.html
December 2nd, 2012
ZTE's affordable dual core LTE entry, the Grand X T82,
combines decent performance and display with somewhat
plain design. How does it feel in everyday use?
ZTE, the close second on the Chinese phone vendors' throne
after Huawei, has increasingly re-focused on the consumer
market, including Asia-Pacific, after quite a few of its
enterprise hardware efforts got curtailed by the Western
governments questionable protection measures on one side,
and increased competition within China, on the other side.
Their new smartphone range aims to be on a par with the
best that, at very least, Huawei can do, and competitive with
what the overseas brands create.
We have a quick look here at their "Grand X" T82 Android
ICS-based LTE Band3&7 smartphone, enabling up to 100
Mbps 4G-speed comms if your provider and area of coverage
allow so. It's quite a large unit at 130.9×65×11.1mm. First of
all, the plain designed white plastic back casing with black
front is dominated by the 4.3 inch qHD - nicer name for
the 960x540 moviescreen 16:9 - glossy screen. Now, I'm
resolutely against 16:9 on any PCs or tablets, but on the
smartphone, this format may actually make some sense, as it
makes the phone longer and easier to grasp, especially if one
doesn't have a very large hand. If watching the 1920x1080
FullHD content, then this phone's resolution will nicely
display that without blurring as there'd be simple halving
of the resolution on each axis. The display itself had decent
colour range and can handle being in the outdoor lighting
except very strong sunshine, where the glare becomes a bit
too much.
Even though this isn't the top end model - the Grand Era
would be the one - it still has a reasonably powerful dual
core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 CPU with
integrated Adreno 225 GPU, a new 28 nm process iteration
of Qualcomm's ARM smartphone processors. There's 768
GB usable RAM out of 1 GB total, as well as s 4 GB
flash capacity plus a microSD memory slot, where we had
another 32 GB card inserted. The dual camera config has
a rear 8MP camera with flashlight and 1080p recording
support, as well as a front end 1 Mpix 720p HD camera for
videoconferencing.

3
In the daily use, the 1900 mAh LiIon battery could last good
two days on idle, not bad for a reasonably high end device.
What was more interesting was to see the performance
of the phone's underlying hardware using the brand new
Sandra Mobile and Passmark Mobile benchmarks, and set
a reference against the other models. The Android phone
bench applets, especially comprehensive tests like Sandra or
Passmark, are still rare, so running two of those suites, and
checking the experiences, was quite a temptation.
Here are our first Sandra Mobile and Passmark results:
Passmark CPU Tests 5508
Passmark Disk Tests 1889
Passmark Memory Tests 2661
Passmark 2D Graphics Tests 2192
Passmark 3D Graphics Tests 645
Sandra Aggregate Native
Arithmetic Performance
610MOPS
Sandra Aggregate Native
Multi-Media Performance
5025kPix/s
Sandra Aggregate Crypto
Bandwidth
54MB/s
Sandra Aggregate Memory
Performance
3424MB/s
Futuremark Peacekeeper
HTML5 Benchmark
395 marks
When playing 3-D games like the AE 3D motorbike, the
phone was fully responsive, except a few glitches which
could be driver-related. The display resolution seems to be
sufficient for decent web browsing, including standard PC-
sized web pages, when using the horizontal mode. If you
want higher resolution here, it may actually make sense
to go with a larger 5-inch class 'phablet' configuration like
what Samsung Galaxy Note has, or the upcoming ZTE's own
1080p model in this class.
In summary, this is a pretty good LTE starter phone, with
sufficient hardware strength to support lots of stuff to
be downloaded and ran from a high speed LTE network.
The minus points are likely need for more integrated flash
memory (I'd start with 8 GB there) and the design which
could be somewhat thinner and overall more impressive -
even Intel's first Atom phone, the Xolo 900, looks more
physically attractive.
Adult industry seeks profit in
3D printing
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/adult-industry-seeks-profit-in-3d-
printing/18149.html
December 2nd, 2012
In the I knew this was bound to happen department it
seems that the growing popularity of 3D printing has made
it into the adult sex toys business thanks to Tom Nardone
of MakerLove in an effort to be in the highly coveted first to
market percentile.
I have been a proponent of 3D printing since its first mention
in tech blogs and have said on more than one occasion
that the popularization of 3D printing will bring about a
fundamental change in our society, but when I said that
I definitely wasn't thinking in the same direction as Tom
Nardone of MakerLove.
The engineer turned sex toy salesman is just about making
any old type of sex toys either. For him his 3D printed sex
toys is a combination art and science along with technology
and pleasure.
As anyone who has been involved with technology for a
long time will tell you, sex has been a major influence
in the popularization of technology most notably with the
popularity of VCRs (and online porn), so it should come as
no surprise that someone would see what a 3D printer can
do and immediately start thing about things like sex toys.
However Nardone will be the first to tell you that it is still
early days with things like 3D printed sex toys, mostly due
to the materials currently used in the process of printing
something out as well as the difficulty in getting a smooth
finished product.
There are technical hurdles, too. Right, now most 3D
printers print objects at resolutions far too rough to be used
comfortably in intimate areas. “There’s a bit of a texture to
them,” MakerLove’s Nardone confesses.
Also, sex toys printed from material known as polyvinyl
alcohol are water-soluble, which automatically rules them

4
out for use with any water-based lubricant. While the
solution to that is simply to print other materials that still
doesn’t solve the whole texture issue.
Nardone, however, is largely unconcerned. “The resolution
will improve with time. 3D printing is just like any other
technology,” he said.
Some of the more popular and affordable 3D printers are
the MakerBot line of 3D printers. In its second revision, the
MakerBot Replicator 2 boasts not only a default layer height
of 100 microns, but also ease of use. The Replicator 2 is
driven by a desktop application called MakerWare, and third
party extensions such as CAD files may also be used as an
input. Affordable as it may be, the Replicator 2 runs for a
cool $2,199.00.
Shogun Bros. dual
functionality mouse
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/shogun-bros.-dual-functionality-
mouse/18147.html
December 2nd, 2012
This unique mouse that combines a wireless mouse and
gamepad; will you buy one if it gets to mass production?
The majority of us who prefer playing games with a
controller over a keyboard will be interested in this new
device from Shogun Bros. It's a mouse that turn into a
gamepad just by flipping it over.
There are dozens of controllers out there that let you play
games on your computer as comfortably as you would on a
console. They look like everything from regular controllers
to super futuristic mice with adjustable buttons, to retro
SNES controllers. There's still something novel about this
one though. Having the buttons on the bottom makes it
feel like you're trying to be sneaky about it. It lets you
imagine someone hard at work at his desk who then just
snatches his mouse up, flips it over and starts playing Fifa or
Battlefield 3. It's like how James Bond would play games on
his computer. Or maybe the bottom was just the only place
where everything would fit.

5
The Chameleon X-1 is a regular 2.4GHz wireless mouse
with 1600 DPI resolution. As a gamepad it has the full
complement of buttons - 14, plus the L and R buttons. It even
supports force feedback. They have really packed a lot into
this small device and I'm sure a lot of people would love to
see it for sale soon. Toei have suggested 5700 Yen ($69) as a
hypothetical price. Unfortunately it is not yet clear whether
they will move to sell the device or whether it will just remain
a nifty idea.
Staples to launch 3D printing
in Europe
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/staples-to-launch-3d-printing-in-
europe/18145.html
December 2nd, 2012
Staples, a popular office supply chain of retail stores, will
soon begin offering 3D printing services for their customers
in parts of Europe. The 3D models will be made with paper
and will be available in full color.
Staples will soon be offering what they are calling “Staples
Easy 3D” for their customers. The service will be just
like their current printing services ordered from home and
available for pickup or by mail. This new 3D printing service
will be available first for customers in Belgium and The
Netherlands in early 2013, and the services will later be
expanded to other parts of Europe and abroad.
The new service from the company was announced at
the Euromold 2012 by Mcor Technologies, which will be
working with the office supply chain. Mcor Technologies
new ‘iris’ line of 3D printers will use standard printer paper
instead of plastic in constructing 3D images. This different
approach uses glued bits of paper in exact dimensions
prescribed by the printer program and it can provide the
customer with a high-resolution layer thickness of 100
microns.
Something even more spectacular about this printing service
is that you can get your 3D model with realistic coloring
and shading. For those leery of believing that paper models
could be a strong as 3D plastic models, the company
claims the models made on the machine are very similar to
composite wood with the ability to be tapped or drilled.
3D printing is quickly gaining in popularity and will
have future applications in all manner of devices and
uses. Researchers with Washington State University
experimented with simulated moon rocks in an effort to melt
them down to be used in a 3D printer. They proved that
tools or other things could be created, in theory, for future
colonists on the moon using only the materials present.
Other research into 3D printing is finding uses for human
organ implants by fashioning cartilage cells in mesh molds
or other needs such as artificial arteries.
Top secret X-37B space plane
to launch soon?
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/top-secret-x-37b-space-plane-to-
launch-soon-/18146.html
December 2nd, 2012
The top-secret aerospace project being called the “X-37B”
will be launching again soon but still no word on its intended
use.
The Boeing-developed X-37B test space plane is quite
different from the recently retired NASA space shuttles, and
many are curious why the U.S. is developing an unmanned
space plane in the first place. While answers about the
vehicles specific purpose is for now, the United States Air
Force simply stated that it will be a more reliable and
reusable unmanned space vehicle.
The X-37B space plane is the latest model based on the X-37
test plan, but on a larger scale. It measures over 29 feet in
length and is launched by an Atlas V class rocket and can
return to earth like a regular plane. Past statement from
NASA have suggested that the plane would be an aid in
the development and design of NASA’s Orbital Space Plane
program.
The X37-B’s next launch is set for December 11, 2012. NASA
nor the Air Force will confirm nor deny any current theories
on what it will be used for, but some are saying it may be a
more cost effective way of launching or retrieving satellites.
Some feel that the vehicle itself could be a future satellite
technology that can be retrieved at any time. One thing
for certain about the vehicle is that it is a highly developed
unmanned plane that is well out of the reaches of any ground
radar. If the vehicle’s future intent is scientific in nature it

6
will mean that it can be set in orbit for extended periods and
then returned to earth for retrieval of any data it may have
collected without the need of human occupants.
HTC releases Droid DNA
source code
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/htc-releases-droid-dna-source-
code/18143.html
December 2nd, 2012
In the Android community there are few things that can
get a developer motivated than fresh code. Developers
everywhere have anxiously waited for this and an equal
number of Android owners have as well. It's time to see what
the community can make this phone really do.
Having source code released means a couple different
things. It means new ROMs, new kernels and the ability to
get rid of the pesky bloatware that comes with the phone
from the factory and carrier. Any and all of which are
something HTC Droid DNA owners are all celebrating. It's
all about customization when it comes to the Android super
user. With this code, developers can take a standard, Jelly
Bean powered phone and turn it into something that they
and the user can really enjoy.
Now to add on to that, Verizon has never been known
to make this easy. The Droid DNA does have a locked
bootloader. Be that as it may, the Android community of
developers didn't see this as a problem and found an exploit
to take care of the issue. With the bootloader unlocked it
takes down the main wall for the phone to be touched by the
pending developers. HTC itself is, however, very much in
touch and in tune with the wants of the developers and such
released the code for enthusiasts to play with. While the code
is still fresh, you can expect to see ROM's and kernels coming
out, being tested, revamped and tested again. It shouldn't
take too long for the community to have a main base such as
CyanogenMod to play with and mod out.
Next-gen military uniforms
could change into chemical
suits automatically
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/next-gen-military-uniforms-could-
change-into-chemical-suits-automatically/18141.html
December 2nd, 2012
The military is looking into a new next-gen technology that
could see a soldier's fatigues be able to automatically turn
into a protective shell if chemical or biological weapons are
detected.
Military technology is constantly evolving and agencies like
DARPA is helping to shape some of the future technology
that we, as regular consumers, will end up using in the
future. Where we generally are always looking for the new
and the coolest of toys and gadgets the military is looking at
future technology to do two things: eliminate threats more
efficiently and to keep soldiers as safe as possible from the
dangers of war.
One of the primary concerns of the military is the increasing
possibility of enemies using more and more sophisticated
chemical and biological weapons against soldiers in the field.
Well thanks to researchers at UMass Amherst soldiers may
soon get a rather unique, and very cool, second skin due to
some recently developed nanotube-based fabrics.
This fabric is intended for use in the uniforms worn by
soldiers and to provide protection from certain biological
and chemical weapons used against them. While the
military already has chemical warfare suits they are both
cumbersome, really hot to wear, and require time to get in
and out of. These new nanotube-based fatigues on the other
hand would be able to switch from a highly breathable state
(like the current uniforms) into a protective one once it is
triggered by the presence of a chemical or biological attack;
all this happening before the soldier may even recognize the
threat.
It is a mix of breathable membranes imbued with pores
made of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes that allows for
a multi-state material designed to respond to various types
of biological and chemical triggers.
The technology is still in the lab but the researchers believe
that we could see practical applications in the field within
the next decade.
via PopSci / image courtesy of the US Army
Stem cells successfully made
from endothelial cells in
blood vessel lining
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/stem-cells-successfully-made-from-
endothelial-cells-in-blood-vessel-lining/18142.html

7
December 2nd, 2012
The study of stem cells has been making incredible leaps
when doctors realized that other cells could be manipulated
into becoming stem cells. Now scientists have found another
way to turn a patient’s own blood vessel lining-derived cells
into usable, personalized stem cells.
A new study on stem cell research published in the on-
line journal, Stem Cells: Translational Medicine, titled,
“A Practical and Efficient Cellular Substrate for the
Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Adults:
Blood-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells” by Imbisaat
Geti, Mark L. Ormiston, et. al., states that stem cells can
now be made into other human cells by tricking them into
becoming stem cells. The submission reads in part,
We have developed a protocol that allows the reliable
isolation of L-EPCs from peripheral blood mononuclear
cell preparations, including frozen samples. As a proof-
of-principle for clinical applications we generated EPC-
iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) from both healthy
individuals and patients with heritable and idiopathic forms
of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Stem cells are cells found in the body of any multicellular
organisms and have been a focus of scientists for many years
since they can be transformed into any other type of cell in
the body. What separates these cells from other types of
cells is that they are not predetermined to what they will be.
In humans, we have adult stem cells and embryonic stem
cells. The adult cells are for healing or to make more of a
certain cells where there is damage or growth needed. With
embryonic cells, they are for the development of the fetus.
With this newly discovered process, the University of
Cambridge team says they can reprogram 'late-outgrowth
endothelial progenitor cells' (L-EPCs) and turn them into
stem cells, which is much easier than using adult tissue
samples. Furthermore, stem cells taken from other donors
can and are often rejected by the body. By using cells
derived from the patient’s own blood, it'll help to mitigate
the rejection involved.
Another part of the research that could prove to be beneficial
is that the blood derived cells do not have to be converted
immediately. Those working on the project stated that
they could freeze and store the regular blood cells for later
use, and then convert them over to the iPSC the patient
might need later on. Dr. Amer Rhana who is part of the
project stated, “Tissue biopsies are undesirable, particularly
for children and the elderly – whereas taking blood samples
is routine for all patients.”
Hitting the 'Like Button' could
suggest you are a terrorist
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/hitting-the-like-button-could-
suggest-you-are-a-terrorist/18139.html
December 2nd, 2012
The FBI seems to think that clicking on the Facebook Like
button is a sign that you could have terrorist tendancies, or
at least this is what they are saying in a released indictment
against three people.
Facebook has always reminded me of that drunk uncle that
we never want to invite to family functions because, well, he
gets drunk and does stupid things. Add onto that the fact
that Facebook is becoming increasingly used in the courts
for things like divorces and of course the police using it to
track down stupid crooks so it really shouldn't be a surprise
that the FBI is trolling Facebook for "dangerous" people.
However some of their claims seem tenuous at best, which
can attest to a recent indictment used to arrest and charge
three men based on the men's Like button-clicking habits.
From the indictment; which you can read in full here,
I have reviewed several of the social media web
sites for KABIR, SANTANA, DELEON, each of whom
has posted radical prom jihad content on their
respective pages. Additionally, portions of the social
media show that DELEON and SANTANA "liked"
postings on KABIR's Facebook page as early as May
2011.
[...]
On September 17, 2012 SANTANA "liked" KABIR's
post of an article entitled "A Public Talk by Ustadz
Abu M Jibriel AR: The Truth of The 9/11 Jihad
Operation, The Plots Of The Enemies and The Zionist
Conspiracy.
Of course there is other information that helped lead
the FBI to arrest them but the idea that liking and
sharing questionable stuff on Facebook could lead you to
being arrested to the degree that seems apparent in these
documents is a little disturbing.
Turn your tablet into a big-
boy computer with Sanwa's
tablet-storing display stand
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/turn-your-tablet-into-a-big-boy-
computer-with-sanwa-s-tablet-storing-display-stand/18130.html
December 2nd, 2012
Sanwa Supply Inc. must have used Windows 8 before, as
they have realized that traditional PCs have started to merge
with the up and coming barrage of tablet technology. To aid
you in making the transition from box-to-pad, Sanwa have
released a new handy gadget.

8
Sanwa’s latest display stand, dubbed the “100-MR066”
features a convenient sliding draw which, when exposed,
allows you to place a tablet at a comfortable typing angle.
While typing on a touch screen is far from ideal, users who
wish to free themselves from the convenience of a full-sized
Qwerty keyboard can go ahead and use a tablet as their input
device, as well as their computing device.
Of course, this isn’t the only option, and by sliding the
draw (which actually has enough space to store two tablets
simultaneously!) back into the stand it is possible to have all
the convenience of a mobile computing device, coupled with
the functionality of a fully fledged desktop computer, as it
frees up desk space allowing you to use an external keyboard
and mouse.
The underbelly of the tablet-storing stand is left open, and
this allows you to store your keyboard and mouse under the
stand too when not in use. This form factor allows for super
neat-freaks and Zen practitioners to relish in the comfort of
an empty desk whenever you aren’t using your computer.
Design wise, this seemingly-innocuous stand is top-notch.
The sliding drawer can be used in any number of ways, and in
addition to the aforementioned “tablet stand” configuration,
pulling out the drawer just a tiny amount lets you stand a
smartphone or tablet vertically too, giving you the full screen
space of an external display coupled with the convenient
touch-panel interface of a tablet.
The stand also contains a space in the back to hold a power
unit, allowing you to store charger cables inside the drawer
too.
The stand has dimensions of 702x300x100mm, with
internal drawer dimensions of 659x217x19mm. It can
reportedly take a weight of 7kg on the top of the stand, and
1.5kg on the drawer.
The 100-MR066 is available via mail order here for 5,480
Yen (US$66).

December 3rd, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone
1
geeks.
Samsung Galaxy S III most
popular smartphone in UK
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-most-popular-
smartphone-in-uk/18175.html
December 3rd, 2012
Samsung's Galaxy S III smartphone looks set to continue
its reign as the most popular mobile phone in the UK, after
seven months in the number one slot.
Samsung's Galaxy S III smartphone looks set to continue
its reign as the most popular mobile phone in the UK, after
seven months in the number one slot.
The Korean electronics giant's flagship model kept its crown
for November, but the previous model, the S II, fell from
second place to fourth place, replaced by two models of
Apple's iPhone. The iPhone 5 stayed in third place, while the
iPhone 4S jumped two places into second position, showing
that newer is not always better for Apple supporters.
Samsung is the top mobile and smartphone maker in the
world and has seen its devices skyrocket in popularity,
despite tough competition and numerous lawsuits from
Apple, but the Christmas season could see a shift in sales, as
Apple still has a strong brand to sell, and the holiday good
will is likely to overcome the high price range.
Samsung's brand is enjoying unparallelled popularity,
however, with five of its Galaxy models in the top ten in the
UK, including the Ace at number six, the Note II at number
seven, and the Ace II at number ten. Android is the overall
winner, ruling eight of the ten slots.
The race is not just between Samsung and Apple, however.
LG's recently released Nexus 4 shot to number five, the HTC
One X+ came in at number nine, and the Sony Xperia U
fell three places to number eight. None of these have the
same kind of brand awareness as the big two contenders,
however, making it difficult for them to steal the limelight
this Christmas.
“The affordable price point has kept the Samsung Galaxy S3
at the top of the tree, but whether it will be at the top of the
Christmas tree remains to be seen, as price drops for both
the 4S and 5 have seen the iPhone quickly gaining ground,”
said Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com.
“As for the Christmas number one, the Apple brand could
well reign supreme and see the iPhone 4S take over in the
final straight as the gift of choice for consumers, especially
at these reduced price points. Eight months may well be just
that month too long for the S3 to wear the mobile crown.”
Heat can repair flash memory
chips
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/heat-can-repair-flash-memory-
chips/18172.html
December 3rd, 2012
Researchers have discovered that a short exposure to intense
heat can repair flash memory chips, which traditionally
suffer from reliability issues over time.

2
Researchers have discovered that a short exposure to intense
heat can repair flash memory chips, which traditionally
suffer from reliability issues over time.
Staff at Macronix in Taiwan managed to increase the lifespan
of flash memory from just 10,000 write and read cycles
to a whopping 100 million cycles through the use of heat
“healing.”
The chips were redesigned to include a built-in heater, which
would periodically jolt the material with a few milliseconds
of heat at 800 degrees Celsius, many times the temperature
of an oven. This brief exposure fully restores damage
portions of the memory chip.
Tests have shown that the new chips can last at least 100
million write and read cycles, but there is potential that they
could last much longer than this, possibly even into billions
of cycles, but this would take months to test.
For those concerned about the possible fire risk, the
researchers said that the device is perfectly safe, since the
heat is only applied for a short duration. It will also only use
a small amount of power, so it should not adversely affect
battery life.
Macronix, which makes flash memory, said it plans to send
the technology to market, but it is not clear how long it
will take before we have self-healing memory chips in our
devices.
SMS text messages 20 years
old today
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/sms-text-messages-20-years-old-
today/18171.html
December 3rd, 2012
The first SMS message was sent from a computer to a mobile
phone 20 years ago today.
On 3 December 1992 Neil Papworth, a test engineer for Sema
Group, sent the first text message, with the words “Merry
Christmas” to Vodafone employee Richard Jarvis, but since
mobile phones did not have the capability enabled yet, Jarvis
was unable to respond.
Since then texting has boomed, with the first commercial
service launched by Telia in Sweden in 1993, followed by
several other companies in 1994, including Vodafone itself
in the UK.
SMS messages were also a bit more like Twitter in that
they were strictly limited to 160 characters, with no way
to combine multiple texts for a longer message. This led to
the infamous “txt speak,” where words were replaced with
numbers or otherwise shortened, like “c u” for “see you” and
“b4” for “before.”
Predictive text systems like T9 were not invented until
1995, making those initial years more cumbersome for
many texters. It was not until 1999 that full cross-network
compatibility, between Vodafone, Cellnet, One-2-One and
Orange, became a reality.
Text messages have since become the norm for
communication for many people and companies, with
parents texting their children to ask how they are and
companies texting customers to tell them about offers, their
latest bill, or confirm a delivery date.
“When texting was first conceived many saw it as nothing
more than a niche service,” said James Thickett, Director
of Research at UK regulator Ofcom. “But texts have now
surpassed traditional phone calls and meeting face to face
as the most frequent way of keeping in touch for UK adults,
revolutionising the way we socialise, work and network.”
He also said that text volumes have, for the first time in
history, shown “signs of decline.” This is largely due to
the availability of other forms of text communication, such
as instant messaging services and social media, which are
widely used on internet-enabled smartphones.
Slender sequel to be made in
collaboaration with Marble
Hornets creators
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/slender-sequel-to-be-made-in-
collaboaration-with-marble-hornets-creators/18169.html
December 3rd, 2012
The sequel to the short, but terrifying game Slender is
receiving a sequel, and the creators of Marble Hornets are
crafting the story for it.

3
The slenderman mythos originated in the Something Awful
forums, and spread throughout the internet, eventually
inspiring, among others, a popular free downloadable game
called Slender: The Eight Pages, and a successful YouTube
series called Marble Hornets. Now the creators of Marble
Hornets have signed up to craft the story for Slender's
sequel, "The Arrival". This will most likely mean a very good
sequel. Mark Hadley, the creator of Slender, stated he's
"confident that together we can produce a mind blowing
horror experience in The Arrival."
An encounter with the slenderman during Slender: The
Eight Pages
The slenderman was created as part of a contest in 2009
on Something Awful's forums, in which users were to
doctor real images to include a supernatural entity and then
spread the image on paranormal communities online. One
contestant, Victor Surge, spread a series of photos from the
late 19th century depicting children and a tall figure with
tentacles in the background, stating that the children later
vanished. Since then, the character has evolved and today,
is generally defined as a tall faceless (literally) man wearing
a suit and tie, often associated with trees and forests... and
indeed, with the disappearance of children.
The first encounter with the slenderman in Marble Hornets
Slender popularized the Slenderman myth to a large
audience, though it drew much of it's inspiration from the
earlier YouTube series, Marble Hornets. Gameplay elements
such as the pages which must be collected were designed
after similar pages in MH, and several locations, such as a
large drain pipe and abandoned house, were inspired from
MH as well. Marble Hornets is an ongoing YouTube series
filmed in the found-footage style, depicting interactions
between the slenderman and a character named Jay who is
attempting to find a missing friend. The series is presented
as an alternate reality game, and allows viewers to interact
with the content and tries to convince the viewer that the
events in the series are unfolding in the real world.
Slender: The Arrival is due to be released in early 2013.
Crysis 3 PC requirements
released
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/crysis-3-pc-requirements-
released/18167.html
December 3rd, 2012
Crysis 3 is due to be released in February of 2013 for Xbox
360, Playstation 4 and PC, and now, the requirements for
the PC version have been released. The game will support
Windows versions Vista and above, and will require a
minimum of 2GB of RAM and a DirectX 11 compatible
graphics card with 1 GB of memory.
Crytek has posted the minimum, recommended and high-
spec requirements for the game, which are below:
Minimum:
Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
DirectX 11 graphics card with 1Gb Video RAM
Dual core CPU
2GB Memory (3GB on Vista)
Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
Nvidia GTS 450
Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz (E6600)
Example 2 (AMD):
AMD Radeon HD5770
AMD Athlon64 X2 2.7 Ghz (5200+)
Recommended
DirectX 11 graphics card with 1GB Video RAM
Quad core GPU

4
4GB Memory
Nvidia GTX 560
Intel Core i3-530
Example 2 (AMD):
AMD Radeon HD5870
AMD Phenom II X2 565
High-performance
Latest DirectX 11 graphics card
Latest quad core CPU
8GB Memory
NVidia GTX 680
Intel Core i7-2600k
Example 2 (AMD):
AMD Radeon HD7970
AMD Bulldozer FX4150
Star Wars Battlefront III was
99% done upon cancellation
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/star-wars-battlefront-iii-was-99-
done-upon-cancellation/18166.html
December 3rd, 2012
Co-founder of Free Radical, the developer behind the
canceled Star Wars Battlefront III, revealed recently that the
game was 99% finished when funding was cut.
Free Radical Design, who developed Haze and were working
on Star Wars Battlefront III, recently had some leaked
footage of the latter hit YouTube. Nearly an hour of leaked
footage hit the web earlier this year, and was met with
positive feedback. Now, Free Radicals' co-founder, Steve
Ellis, has commented on the game. He explained that during
the development of Haze, the developers had tech problems
and were generally in a slump, but that they had climbed out
of that slump. Battlefront III was very ambitious and in Ellis'
mind, would have been their most successful game:
Screenshot from the game
"We were making a game with very high ambition. You could
start a battle on the ground, jump into a ship and fly into
space, continuing on to dock in a capital ship and continue
the battle there. We'd had to build all kinds of new tech and
overcome numerous technical challenges and limitations
but we had done it." he explained. In fact, Ellis claims they
had done it to 99%; that all which remained in the game's
development was bug fixes and patching, and that the game
was essentially finished.
However, when LucasArts had a change in management, it
seems that for whatever reason, it was decided not worth
investing in the game anymore, and Battlefront III was
canceled. As the game was due out for current gen consoles,
perhaps we can hope for a digital release at some point.
Canadian Samsung Galaxy
S III Jelly Bean update now
available
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/canadian-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jelly-
bean-update-now-available/18160.html
December 3rd, 2012
It looks like the Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE version is getting
updates pushed to it. The new 4.1 update has been a long
time coming for the GS3. The new update is just over 324MB
so make sure you are connected to power and have WiFi
enabled if possible!
Other Canadian carriers like Wind aren't showing any
updates quite yet, and this isn't really a big surprise as
Wind isn't really known for pushing out updates as fast as
mainstream carriers. The Galaxy S3 came with Android 4.0
from the factory but that soon changed when it got root and
Jelly Bean ROM's came out for "The Next Big Thing".
It is being reported that the Samsung servers are getting
increasingly slower but with the amount of GS3's that are
being updated it's to be expected. If you haven't gotten the
update pushed to your device yet you can try and manually
force it by the following steps:

5
Intel's NUC in Interactive
Displays
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-s-nuc-in-interactive-
displays/18161.html
December 3rd, 2012
Nobody has cracked teleportation or world peace yet
but advertising-oriented digital signages and interactive
displays have certainly invaded every facet of our lives. With
its small and versatile form factor, the NUC is the perfect
choice to be the brains behind the screen.
For denizens living in the civilized world of 2012, it is
virtually impossible now to step out into the urban concrete
jungle without being bombarded by some kind of digital
signage, which have taken over static billboard displays as
the medium of mass public messaging. These screens have
gradually improved over the years in pixel densities and
clarity, attracting and overloading your senses with useful
information and other advertising messages. From the MRT
train arrival notice board to the interactive point of sales
interface on soft drink can machines, there is a computer,
usually embedded, controlling what is displayed to the user
and running the software routines programmed on it.
When building such interactive displays, the underlying
hardware plays an important role in the decision making
process. As with our previous usage examples of the Intel
NUC, its small but versatile 4" x 4" form factor comes
into play, especially if you want to build a sleek and
attractive structure to house the screen and machine. Also
its sub-20W TDP means hardly any cooling is required in the
storage compartment/cabinet, and is therefore eco friendly
compared to the usual offerings. Its dual-core mobile Ivy
Bridge processor augmented by a speedy SSD and up to
16GB of DDR3 ram entails that you can run a few foreground
and background processes simultaneously without hiccups,
such as a stock ticker at the side with a Full HD video playing
and background webcam recording for crowd analytics and
nanny-state surveillance.

6
In places where Ethernet LAN connectivity is not possible,
the (optional) WIFI module of the NUC should allow the
maintenance people to push and retrieve updates wirelessly
from a central location.
For custom displays such an array of video walls and other
unconventional screen sizes, system integrators can define
custom resolutions and orientations/rotations from the HD
4000 graphics control panel to suit their needs.
Plastic light bulb might
replace fluorescent bulbs in
the future
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/plastic-light-bulb-might-replace-
fluorescent-bulbs-in-the-future/18165.html
December 3rd, 2012
Fluorescent bulbs seem to be the theme in energy
conservation these days, but proponents of fluorescent bulb
may want to keep an eye out for field-induced polymer
electroluminescent (Fipel) bulbs once they hit the market.
Developed by a physics professor, Dr. David Carroll, at
Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Fipel technology
utilizes three layers of white-emitting polymer that contains
minute amount of nano-materials which glow when electric
current passes through.
Carroll claims that fluorescent bulbs produce a harsh blue
tint that can aggravate the human eye, but his Fipel-based
bulb on the other hand can produce more natural tints that
are more accommodating.

7
“I’m saying we are brighter than one of these curly cubes and
I can give you any tint to that white light you want,” Caroll
says.
Furthermore, the new lighting technology is made of
plastic, so therefore it could be made into shapes that are
constrictive to bulbs utilizing technologies derived from
other materials. Supposedly, Carroll has been running a
Fibel-based bulb in his lab for the past decade or so, which
is a testament to the technology’s longevity.
Although fluorescent bulbs are the predominant popular
‘energy saving’ consumer products, LED and OLED
technology is creeping into people’s mind. Many LED lamps
have quoted life expectancies of somewhere between 25,000
to 50,000 hours. LED bulbs have also gone down in prices
in recent years, making it much more affordable now as they
did in the past. Even so, Carroll claims that his plastic-
derived Fipel bulb is ‘cheap’ to make and that he already has
a ‘corporate partner’ interested in mass producing the new
light source. The first round of production could possibly
start in as early as 2013.
Intel's NUC as a Home Server
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-s-nuc-as-a-home-
server/18162.html
December 3rd, 2012
Intel's Next Unit of Computing, with its power sipping
17W mobile Ivy Bridge processor housed inside a small 4"
x 4" form factor, is quite the ideal candidate as a 24/7
small server to take advantage of your unmetered home
broadband connection.
After years of stop-start progress, we are finally living
in a glorious age where home broadband, especially of
the fibre variety, is becoming more prevalent with decent
download and upload throughput speeds. Implication being
more ambitious network activity can now be carried out,
including proper HD media streaming, speedy remote
access to your work/play file repositories and low latency
communications/gaming, all happening at the same time.
Therefore it is not uncommon nowadays to find homeowners
runnning servers at home huming along in one corner next
to their networking equipment, in one form or another,
as an extension of their digital lifestyle for automation
and monitoring of pre-assigned tasks. No longer are
servers found only inside expensive datacentres under the
watchful eyes of security guards in an sterile, arctic winter
environment.
Two of the main pre-requisites for any household appliances
are low power consumption and heat/noise level emissions,
both of which the sub-20W NUC will excel in, other than the
most important fact that it is basically an x86 PC that can run
Windows/Linux/OSX natively without compromise. After
all, we all need a comfortable amount of compute power for
applications to be responsive, without putting a glaring hole
in the monthly energy bills or spoiling the tranquility of the
home environment. With four-usable CPU threads and up
to 16GB of DDR3-1600 memory augmented by an SSD, the
NUC is fully capable of running file/web/game servers to
serve dozens if not hundreds of concurrent users, better than
some of the aging, power hungry machines in the traditional
datacentres even. I dare say that if we cluster a handful of
NUCs together in a properly configured Linux/Nginx/PHP/
MySQL/Memcached setup, they can run a high traffic site
like VR-Zone.com.
In Singapore, the three main residential ISPs (SingTel,
StarHub and M1) are joined by a host of other smaller
players like MyRepublic, ViewQuest and Super Internet, all
of which offer a plethora of unlimited service plans and

8
packages for the different usage tiers. Some of these services
have port filtering (blocks) turned on for common TCP
applications like HTTP, FTP and SMTP, rendering them
impractical if you are doing that sort of hosting. Static IP (as
opposed to the usual dynamic IP) options are also available
from some of these providers, so you can have a somewhat
permanent presence on the internet and access your home
network without the need for Dynamic DNS.
Some of the other essential items in such a setup include
a capable home gateway router, such as the Asus RT-
AC66U which can provide near wire-speed WAN-LAN
routing and handle an abusive amount of simultaneous
connections, and a Gigabit/Thunderbolt NAS for dedicated
storage of files.
Samsung Galaxy
Stratosphere II 4G
Android phone for $0.01 at
Amazon.com
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/samsung-galaxy-stratosphere-ii-4g-
android-phone-for-0.01-at-amazon.com/18154.html
December 3rd, 2012
The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II isn't what you would
call a superphone in today's standard but it is still a good
deal. Amazon Wireless has this Verizon phone on sale for
just a shiny penny with free shipping.
It's Christmas time again and without fail the phone prices
are dropping like crazy. If you are in the market for a new
phone, you may want to take a look at this one. Powered by
Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich is boasts a 1.2GHz dual-
core CPU, 4" Super AMOLED screen, 4G with LTE and NFC.
The full retail price of the phone is $449.99 but still $129.99
with a two-year term on the Verizon Wireless website.
You can take a gander at this phone on the Amazon.com
website by going here. If you are in fact interested in getting
this phone we'll give you a quick rundown of the specs to it,
even at a penny it's still good to see what you'll be locked into
for the next couple of years.
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960
• Dual core, 1200 MHz
• Adreno 225 - Graphics Processor
• 1024 MB RAM
• 8GB Internal storage
• Up to 32GB expandable SD Card
• 5 MP rear / 1.3 front camera
• 4" Super AMOLED @ 480 x 800
• 1800 mAh battery
A great starter phone for sure but probably not the one you
want to buy if you are Galaxy S3 material!
New trailer released for Halo
4's Spartan Ops episode 5
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/new-trailer-released-for-halo-4-s-
spartan-ops-episode-5/18158.html
December 3rd, 2012
The newly released trailer for Spartan Ops Episode 5
"Memento Mori" gives players a brief glimpse into the events
that take place in the new episode. Jump in to check it out!
Episode 5 "Memento Mori" of Halo 4's newest Spartan Ops
addition delves deeper into the expanding story arc put into
place by the series, expounding upon the canon of the Halo
universe along with the events that take place within the
game's campaign.

9
The newly released trailer from Halo Waypoint shows off
an impressive glimpse into episode 5's cinematics, showing
players what they can expect from the newest chapter.
Continuing in the tradition in keeping gameplay fresh,
Memento Mori adds in five new missions to Spartan Ops,
offering new branching objectives and goals to complete.
The trailer reveals that Dr. Halsey has made some terrific
finds in her investigations of the Forerunner artifact: she
has figured out that the artifact actually contains human
memories, unlocking some of the cryptic secrets behind the
mysterious Prometheans.
Meanwhile, the Spartan IV's of Crimson Team are busy
battling the Elite hierarch Jul M'dama who vies for
dominance with a nefarious scheme. What will become of
Crimson this time around, and will they be able to stop
M'dama and his bloodthirsty warriors?
Episode 5 of Spartan Ops will be available for free on Dec.
3, 2012. For more information please visit Halo Waypoint's
official website.
Prolimatech Genesis CPU
Cooler Review
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/prolimatech-genesis-cpu-cooler-
review/18159.html
December 3rd, 2012
It is well known that nowadays CPU coolers come in all
shapes and sizes but today we are going to present you one
of the largest and weirdest designs ever to hit the retail
market. This CPU cooler is no other than the Prolimatech
Genesis, a hybrid design of massive proportions combining
a C-type with a tower-type cooler. How well this behemoth
can perform? We will find out in this review.
It is well known that nowadays CPU coolers come in all
shapes and sizes but today we are going to present you one
of the largest and weirdest designs ever to hit the retail
market. This CPU cooler is no other than the Prolimatech
Genesis, a hybrid design of massive proportions combining
a C-type with a tower-type cooler. How well this behemoth
can perform? We will find out in this review.
The Prolimatech Genesis is not a new design, with the
company presenting the first version nearly two years
ago. Prolimatech kept the design up to date with minor
modifications, mostly in the form of installation kits for
the newer CPU sockets, suggesting that the performance of
the Genesis is sufficient to counter the competition even so
many months after its initial release. We will explore all the
strengths and weaknesses of this strange design in our latest
review.
Manufacturer features and specifications
• High clearance for better motherboard compatibility.
• Massive cooling range; cools not only CPU but also
MOSFET and RAM.
• Cooler surrounding temperature allowing more stable
environment for higher overclock.
• Takes both 12 and 14cm fans for a maximum
installation of 3 fans.
• Six high quality heatpipes for effective heat transfer.
• Light weight at 800 g (without fans) in the high end
class.
• Intel and AMD platform supported. All mounting
hardware are included.
Heatsink Dimension (L)146mm X (W)216.5mm X
(H)160mm
Heatsink Weight 800 g(without fan)
Suggest Fan 120mm X 120mm X
25mm,140mm X 140mm X
25mm
Heatpipe Ø 6mm X 6pcs
Suggest Fan Speed 800~1600 rpm
CPU Platform Intel Socket LGA
775/1366/1156/1155/2011 ,
AMD Socket
AM2/2+/3/3+(FM2)
Net statistics back up
Microsoft's claim of quick
Windows 8 adoption rate
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/net-statistics-back-up-microsoft-s-
claim-of-quick-windows-8-adoption-rate/18155.html

10
December 3rd, 2012
While Windows 7 only just passed the popular classic
Windows XP in terms of market share three months ago,
new data corroborates Microsoft’s statement that Windows
8 is shipping at a much higher pace than its previous
versions.
Data from Net Applications shows what a success the month
of November was for the new OS. While Windows 7 gained
a mere 0.02%, (bringing it to 44.71%), Windows 8’s share
increased a hefty 0.68%, bringing it to a total of 1.09%
market share in the short time since its release.
Windows Vista and XP, on the other hand, fell 0.10% and
0.84% respectively, marking an end of an era for the dated
systems.
This doesn’t tell the full story of the OS wars, however, as
it’s important to note that Windows as a whole lost 0.22%
market share (dropping to 91.45%) between the months
of October and November, giving up part of its reign to
OS X and Linux, who now enjoy 7.30% and 1.25% shares
respectively.
While Windows 8’s adoption rate isn’t particularly
surprising, it is somewhat a relief for Microsoft that people
are finally abandoning the XP ship, which stubborn users
have clung onto for years.
The attachment to Windows XP of less than savvy computer
users was to the chagrin of many a web designer, who was
forced to accept the hard cold truth that many of these users
still used XP’s default internet browser – the dreaded IE6.
For the past two years, Microsoft have ran a more or less
successful strategy to get people off the web-standards-
ignoring, security-hole-ridden browser and onto something
more modern, with an ultimate objective of “less than 1%
IE6 market share worldwide”. The score currently hangs at
6%, which is a hefty 5.3% less than it was last year, but as
Microsoft’s market share map shows that the main culprits
are in China, Japan and Korea.
The reasons behind Asia’s obsession to the browser differ
with each country. It is well known that China has vast
hordes of Windows XP pirate copies, and these come without
any Service Packs, which is why users end up using the
terribly outdated Internet Explorer 6.
Korea’s problem lies in banking websites, which force
users to install Active X plugins and refuse to work
on other browsers such as Chrome or Firefox (this is
reportedly thanks to a deal Microsoft made with the Korean
government several years ago).
Japan’s Internet also has a similar reliance on Internet
Explorer, and while their websites are not as “broken” to
the same extent of Korea’s, the larger population of Japan
ensures them double the IE6 market share of Korea by
default.
Thankfully though, most of the western world has dropped
into “green” status, meaning that web developers can rest
easy with the knowledge they no longer have to create
multiple CSS files and design configurations to support the
IE6 dinosaur. Unless they want to target Asian clients -- then
they’re boned.

December 4th, 2012 Published by: VR-Zone
1
geeks.
Swiss spy agency warns of
major data leak
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/swiss-spy-agency-warns-of-major-
data-leak/18204.html
December 4th, 2012
Switzerland's intelligence agency, the NDB, has warned of a
massive data theft by one of its technicians, which has put
top secret information on counter-terrorism from multiple
world governments at risk.
Switzerland's intelligence agency, the NDB, has warned of a
massive data theft by one of its technicians, which has put
top secret information on counter-terrorism from multiple
world governments at risk.
An anonymous source reported to Reuters that Swiss
authorities have alerted intelligence agencies in the US and
UK, including the CIA and MI6, that they were among a
number of countries whose sensitive security information
may have been exposed.
The disgruntled employee, who allegedly felt he was not
being taken seriously at work, was arrested during the
Summer after acting suspiciously, but was released pending
further investigation. It is believed he intended to sell the
data to foreign governments or other commercial buyers.
Reports suggest that the man, whose name has not
been released, downloaded terabytes of data, numbering
potentially millions of pages, onto portable hard drives and
simply walked out of government buildings with them in a
backpack, highlighting the obvious lack of security in place.
The man worked for the NDB for eight years and was
described as being very talented. He was a senior technician
with administrator rights, which gave him unrestricted
access to the spy agency's servers. He apparently did not
show up for work on a number of occasions, but alarm
bells were only rung when a bank copped onto a suspicious
attempt to set up a new bank account.
The hard drives were seized in the arrest, and the NDB
believes it managed to step in before any sale of the data was
arranged. However, one source said that the agency could
not be certain that any of the information was not handed
on to another party. National spy agencies around the world
have thus been notified as a precaution.
Image Credit: Setreset
Motorola fails to secure Xbox
360 ban
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/motorola-fails-to-secure-xbox-360-
ban/18202.html
December 4th, 2012
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, has failed to secure a
sales ban on Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console over the
alleged infringement of its patents.
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, has failed to secure a
sales ban on Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console over the
alleged infringement of its patents.
The mobile firm was hoping to prohibit sales of the console
in the US and Germany, but US Judge James Robart denied
its request, citing the fact that the disputed patents operate
under FRAND rules, which means they must be offered
under “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” terms.
Motorola also wants Microsoft to pay fees of up to $4 billion
a year to use the patents, which cover Wi-Fi connectivity
and H.264 video-coding technology. A sales ban would have
given the company considerable leverage over Microsoft.

2
However, Microsoft is not contesting Motorola's request for
a fee, but wants the figure to be reduced. Motorola suggested
negotiations with a starting point of a 2.25 percent royalty,
which a jury will decide on in the near future.
Although a sales ban may not have been in place in time,
Microsoft will likely be considerably relieved, given the
importance of the Christmas shopping season for console
sales. Lack of supply for Nintendo's next-generation Wii U
console has helped with sales of rival gaming systems.
While Microsoft might enjoy some relief over the holidays, it
will still end up paying a pretty penny to Motorola to keep the
Xbox 360 on the market, as it cannot afford to axe features
like the ability to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi.
Student group to sue
Facebook in Ireland over
privacy issues
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/student-group-to-sue-facebook-in-
ireland-over-privacy-issues/18199.html
December 4th, 2012
An Austrian student group is preparing to sue Facebook in
Ireland over what it claims is poor handling of the privacy
of users.
An Austrian student group is preparing to sue Facebook in
Ireland over what it claims is poor handling of the privacy
of users.
The group, called Europe-v-Facebook, has been
campaigning for over a year, securing a number of changes
to the popular social networking website, such as the facial
recognition feature being switched off in Europe.
However, it does not believe Facebook has made enough
changes, and it has also expressed disappointment at
the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, which it said
was “miles away from other European data protection
authorities in its understanding of the law, and failed to
investigate many things.”
It said it is hoping for a “legally compliant solution” from
the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, but added that it is
“highly doubtful,” suggesting that Facebook has been giving
the data protection authority “the runaround.” The student
group is now preparing a lawsuit to bring the issue to the
next level.
Facebook is also in trouble in the US, where a class action
lawsuit over the privacy of user's “likes.” A settlement of $10
per user is being negotiated at the moment, and if successful
then a similar proposal may be made in Ireland.
Facebook's international headquarters is in Ireland, thanks
mostly to the country's low corporate tax rate and highly
educated workforce. Many other top technology companies
also have bases in the Emerald Isle, including Google, Apple,
Amazon, eBay, and most recently Dropbox. They will likely
all be watching this case closely, especially Google, since its
own social network could come under scrutiny for privacy
concerns.
Image Credit: Lawyers.com
Americans spent 121 billion
minutes on social media in
one month
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/americans-spent-121-billion-
minutes-on-social-media-in-one-month/18197.html
December 4th, 2012
Information and measurement company Nielsen has
announced it's annual social media report, and the results
say that Americans alone, spent 121 billion minutes engaged
in social media this July.
Social media is, unsurprisingly, on the rise. Nielsen, which
is a company specializing in assessing and gathering
information, has put out it's annual social media report, in
which it presents data on the habits of social media users.

3
This July alone, Americans spent 121,13 billion minutes of
time engaged in social media. This is a rise from 88 billion
minutes the year before. Nielsen reports that one reason for
the rise is due to the extensive use of social media and apps
for mobile devices, which has seen a collective 63% rise from
last year.
Social media usage for July of 2012 (blue) and July of 2011
(grey)
However, before drawing any conclusions from the
numbers, which do seem staggering, one must put them
into perspective. The United States has a population of
about 310 million. A simple check with a calculator reveals
that the numbers actually only amount to 6.5 hours per
person during that month, or 13 minutes per person per
day. Of course, not everyone in the United States uses social
media. There's probably more than a few who spend hour on
Facebook every day to make up for those who don't.
Portal is now available on
calculator!
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/portal-is-now-available-on-
calculator-/18196.html
December 4th, 2012
Bored of math class? Love Valve's puzzle game Portal? Well,
you can kill two birds in one stone now, with the new Portal
game for Texas Instruments calculators.
If you own a Texas Instruments graphing calculator, chances
are, like me, that you have some games on it. TI calculators
have a surprisingly robust programming language available
to them, and games (many, many games) have been made for
them over the years. Super Mario clones and even a version
of Doom have been released by homebrew programmers
who wanted to make math class more entertaining.
The latest game to hit the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus
calculators, is Portal, the puzzle game by Valve. Before you
get your hopes too high, this isn't a port of the original game,
but rather a remake akin to the flash based Portal game you
can find here. Still, for a game on a calculator, it's really
impressive. The game was created by a programmer named
Builderboy and is available on Omnimaga. Check out a video
of it below:
Steam launches Big Picture
Mode
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/steam-launches-big-picture-
mode/18195.html
December 4th, 2012
Steam has launched Big Picture Mode, a full screen user
interface especially intended for users who enjoy playing
their games on a TV
Big Picture Mode is a new full screen UI accessible via a
button in the upper right corner of your Steam window. It's
intended mainly for people who enjoy playing their games on
a TV, as opposed to a computer, and has an easily navigated
and sleek interface with increased gamepad support.
The main window in Big Picture Mode
The new interface reminds somewhat of other full screen
UIs, such as the windows media center, but is far better
organized and less cluttered. The main window cycles
between the Steam store, community and library, and are
explored via mouse, keyboard or gamepad. Games are
organized in nice, high resolution icons in a grid that's
easy to navigate. The same can be said for the store and
community features as well
To celebrate the new UI, Steam is having a sale until
December 10, where they're offering some of their more
controller friendly games for very reasonable prices, some of
which are on as much as 75% sale.
"Father" of SMS speaks
on 20th anniversary of
technology
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/-father-of-sms-speaks-on-20th-
anniversary-of-technology/18194.html

4
December 4th, 2012
20 years after the first SMS, the "reluctant father" of the
technology sat down with the BBC to reflect upon it's
development.
20 Years ago, on 3 December 1992, the first text message was
sent from a PC to a mobile phone on Vodafone's UK network,
stating simply "Merry Christmas". Matti Makkonen, the
Finnish engineer who conceived of the technology, first came
up with the idea for the SMS, or Short Message Service, in
1984 during a telecommunications conference, but it took
eight years before his vision became a reality.
Matti Makkonen
The technology didn't truly find a foothold though, until
it was incorporated into the GSM standard. Makkonen
considers the "true" birthday of the SMS to be 1994, when
Nokia released the 2010, the first mobile phone which easily
facilitated texting.
Makkonen calls himself the reluctant father of the
technology. Though he may have come up with the idea,
he pointed out to the BBC that the SMS technology was
developed through a team effort, and that he does not hold
any claim to creating it himself. He also never made any
money on the technology, as he felt it couldn't be patented.
Makkonen stated that he loves texting, but he never uses
shorthand when he texts. He is currently the CEO of Anvia
Oy, a Finnish telecommunications service provider.
Kickstarter project misses
goal by $28
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/kickstarter-project-misses-goal-
by-28/18193.html
December 4th, 2012
A Kickstarter project for a game called Alpha Colony just
missed its deadline by $28. Kickstarter says tough luck, but
it won't bend the rules.
Alpha Colony, an "Exploration, Building and Trading
simulator" game, fell short of its Kickstarter goal over the
weekend. The dev team was looking for $50,000 worth
of pledges and it missed this goal by a measly $28. This
means the game won't get any of it's funding: Kickstarter
works through "pledges"; a supporter's credit card is only
billed if the goal is reached. Kickstarter has stated that it
won't bend the rules, despite how close the project got. A
spokesperson explained to Kotaku yesterday: "That's really,
really uncommon. It was a tough finish, but unfortunately
we wouldn't bend the rules. Of course, creators can always
relaunch a project that was initially unsuccessful."
Screenshot from Alpha Colony
The game's website however, has announced that this will
most likely have to wait. The developers have invested
$60,000 into the project and they need to focus on projects
with a more immediate financial payoff. However, the game
has been in development for 14 years and so likely won't stop
because of this. The website states that "I believe there is still
a way to build Alpha Colony in all of it’s glory".
Dropbox places first non US-
based office in Dublin, Ireland
Source: http://vr-zone.com/articles/dropbox-places-first-non-us-based-
office-in-dublin-ireland/18192.html
December 4th, 2012
Dropbox is the latest of many large companies who are
placing offices in Ireland. Dropbox claims the location they
chose has nothing to do with the country's low taxes.
Dropbox is a cloud based storage system which launch
in 2007. Since then, it has grown dramatically, and after

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