Tech Olive

Microsoft has officially announced the Zune HD, confirming all rumors that were previously mentioned. It’s definitely going to compete with the iPod Touch, but will it win?

First off, the touchscreen is a 3.3″ 16:9 widescreen OLED with multitouch, with a resolution of 480×272. The “HD” comes from the inclusion of HD radio (first PMP to have this feature) and HD (720p) video-out, which is only available with an optional docking station.

The Zune HD will also include an accelerometer, WiFi, and a portable browser based off of Internet Explorer.

We’ll definitely hear more about the Zune HD come E3. Availability is noted as “early fall” and no pricing or storage capacities have been announced yet.

With the recent release of the Modern Warfare 2 trailer, we would like to take a step back and try to guess what could potentially be seen in the upcoming game. Then, when we finally get to play it, we’ll get to look back and say, “Oh, I knew that would happen!” These are, of course, just our estimates and are by no means official reports.

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Just yesterday, I posted telling you guys about a large number of jobs that had either opened up or had been created and needed to be filled at Rockstar North, the studio most known for the GTA series. Well, it seems that we now know what they where staffing up for. Rockstar just announced their next piece of DLC for GTA IV, The Ballad Of Gay Tony. They are also compiling a pack that will include the game and the two pieces of DLC. Read a piece from the press release after the break.

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As it comes with no surprise, it’s now official that spam now accounts for 90.4 percent of all e-mail sent, so if you think your spam folder seems to always be jam packed, you’re not the only one.

In a report by Symantec, they state that 1 out of every 1.1 emails is junk, and spam went up 5.1 percent from April to May.

“Spammers using better-known and thus more widely trusted Web sites to host malware is reminiscent of the spammers who rely on well-known Web mail and social networking environments to host spam content. The trustworthy older domains can be compromised through SQL injection attacks while newer sites are more likely to be flagged as suspicious–a temporary site set up with the sole purpose of distributing spam and malware–and thus faster to get shut down.” –Paul Wood, Symantec’s MessageLabs Intelligence Senior Analyst

Image Credit: MessageLabs

A while back, we told you guys that Volvo was funding a racing sim and that it was soon to be released. Well, it released today featuring 2 tracks and 6 cars. To accompany this announcement, I decided to write a smallish mini-review. So, start the 588MB download and read the review after the break as you wait.

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Remember a little while back when we told you about the next Tony Hawk game? Well, GameStop has just announced that they will be selling the game with the new skateboard peripheral this October 13th for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. The bundle will sell for $119.99. That seems a bit excessive to me and I still can’t imagine this new peripheral making the game better than the classic THPS series.

Listen up all you worthless Vista users. A while ago we mentioned that Microsoft completed Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista, but weren’t sure when it would be available to the public. Well, Microsoft finally released SP2 and it’s available in both 32- and 64-bit flavors. It also includes SP2 for Server 2008 if you have it. Hit up the links below and start downloading.

32-bit: HERE
64-bit: HERE

One of the most poular GPU makers has announced that they will start dabbling with power supplies. I must say they’re starting off quite strong, not only providing lots of power on their first go around, but also giving the average PSU a complete makeover. Here are some quick specs of XFX’s 850 Black Edition PSU:

• 850 watts rated at 50C degrees
• Single 12V rail rated up to 70A
• Detachable modular cables
• Up to 88% efficiency (80 Plus Silver rated)
• Voltage regulation to within +/-3%

Very respectable indeed, wouldn’t you say? More images after the break.

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From a recent job posting, it is clear that Rockstar North (the studio responsible for the GTA series) is loading up their ranks with fresh blood. It’s a large possibility that they are gearing up for their next project. Maybe GTA V? Maybe something completely new? It’s hard to say. This is merely speculation at this point, but they are sure to be up to something. If you think you’re Rockstar Games material, see if you fit any of the positions.

This might be useful for the users that are already aboard the Windows 7 train and maybe even those that have their ticket. Gizmodo was nice enough to make a “complete guide” for Windows 7. It has all the useful stuff you should know about the new OS. We’re not sure if it’s really complete, but it looks mighty handy and useful.

Check it out here.