Tech Olive

Interplay (original Fallout developer) has announced that they’re aiming for a 2012 release for their upcoming public beta of Project V13, which is a Fallout-based MMORPG. Very few details have been released, so there is little to show you what to expect, but because Interplay is working on it rather than Bethesda (developer of Fallout 3 and its DLC), there have been some legal disputes as to who really has the rights to continue developing with the Fallout name. So, pending the outcome of those legal matters, this MMO could never see the light of day. Then again, the world is ending in 2012 so we probably won’t get to play it anyway.

via [Cinema Blend]

What would you do if you were Steve Ballmer and someone came up to you and asked if you could sign their MacBook Pro from Apple? Turns out the man himself just chuckled and wasted no time to write his John Hancock on the lid. The MacBook Pro owner said it was running Windows, so it’s all okay. Watch the video after the break.

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EXOR Studios, developer of Zombie Driver, has released details of their first DLC add-on for the game. Adding a survival game mode, the DLC will come free to owners of the game, but unfortunately, there are no details of the DLC’s release date other than “soon.”

“EXOR Studios has announced its continued support for the game by revealing the first details of a new Survival game mode that will soon be released as free DLC. Players’ skills will be tested against waves of bloodthirsty undead on a new set of specially crafted arenas. The new game mode will be accompanied with Steam online leaderboards and achievements. Further game play details will be revealed soon.”

If that’s not enough to convince you to buy the game, they have also released a demo that lets you play through the first three levels of the campaign. Head over to their site to grab the free demo for yourself.

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has recently mentioned that they are planning to make video games based on “key brands.” What exactly does that imply, you ask? Well, the BBC is specifically talking about their Doctor Who and Top Gear TV programs. As a fan of Top Gear, here’s hoping that they aren’t just milking pennies out of their franchises, and instead actually are dedicated to making good games. Currently, there are no solid plans for a developer of the games, but the BBC are “open to conversations with anybody in games about all kinds of business models to see how we can extract more value.”

via [Shack News]

While Gearbox doesn’t yet want to release specifics of  their third Borderlands DLC installment, we did get a few details of what to expect on their community forums.

“After finalizing Zombies DLC, the team and I began reading the DLC feedback around the forums on the wants and desires. Guess what, level cap increase anyone? Got it and it’s awesome. Hopefully we can get a full announcement out to you guys soon but, man is this the biggest DLC we have made. So don’t worry, we are working really hard right now on both the update (that solves a bunch of issues) and the DLC. More to come guys!!”

So, hopefully we’ll have more details to report in the coming days.

via [Cinema Blend]

We’re not sure how anyone at Microsoft missed this, but a bug in the Windows Virtual DOS Machine (VDM), which handles legacy 16-bit programs, was found and has apparently gone unnoticed for 17 years. VDM was first implemented in a July 1993 update of Windows NT and has since been included with all 32-bit Windows operating systems, including Windows 7. Microsoft says that if a hacker exploited this vulnerability, they “could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”

Microsoft hasn’t released any kind of fix yet and we don’t know when they will, but one Google engineer who found the bug, Tavis Ormandy, said there’s a quick workaround: edit group policies to block 16-bit applications from running.

via [ComputerWorld]

Going into a Del Taco and ordering one of their “macho-sized”  drinks will get you a Star Trek Online limited edition collector’s cup with a peel-off code that you can redeem on Atari’s website. That code will grant you an early access, 48-hour free trial of Star Trek Online.

[Press Release]

Developer Rebellion has announced the minimum and recommended specs for their upcoming game Aliens vs. Predator. Check them out below.

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows 7/ XP/Vista
• 1 GB System RAM (XP)/2 GB System RAM (Vista)
• 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4/Athlon 64 3000+ or equivalent processor
• DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better, ATI X1600 or better)

Recommended Requirements:

• Windows 7/ XP/Vista
• Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or equivalent processor
• 2 GB System RAM
• DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI HD2900 PRO or better)

via [AVP Galaxy]

Well folks, it’s finally here after many delays. It’s been a long journey, so get your dose of the new Firefox here.

Now that that’s all taken care of, where’s 4.0? Come on Mozilla, hurry it up!

Also, join us after the break for a short video about all the new things you’ll find it Firefox 3.6

UPDATE: Firefox 3.6 Portable is now available. Get it here.

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Remember just a couple of days ago when Acer said that US PC manufacturers would become extinct in 20 years? It seems like the same company making that claim is looking to be the number one PC maker in the world by 2012. HP, currently the number one, has a 19.3-percent market share at the moment and Acer has a 13-percent market share. If notebook trends continue to increase, there’s a great chance that Acer will surpass HP to take the spot away as the world’s largest PC manufacturer. Acer said it shipped roughly 33.5 million laptops in 2009 and they expect to ship at least 40 million this year.

The competition between all of these PC makers is just getting started, ladies and gents. Grab a pale of popcorn and have a seat.

via [MaximumPC]