Brandon Dimmel

Without a doubt, the one tech peripheral that has crossed cultural boundaries is the Apple iPod. But, the most recent rival to the iPod might be the strongest yet. This summer Microsoft announced it would be releasing the "Zune", a machine with ... gaming and music-playing capabilities with the hardware to trump Apple's wonder-gadget. As of today, images of the Zune are first being (unofficially) released to the public. On a recent trip to Mexico I noticed that many cab drivers -- those who charged just 5 U.S. dollars for a 15 minute ride -- owned and operated the iPod. It has become the must- ... (view more)

Scams are nothing new for the Internet and its 'netizens. Whether it be the infuriating advertising brought on by Spyware, bundled adware commonly found in peer-to-peer downloading, or good old fashioned credit card number theft, the worldwide web ... has been a beacon of crime and mischief for some time. However, one interesting little scam, "click fraud", is now being targeted by some of the industry's biggest names, and the movement has both the American court and government system involved. "Click fraud" is defined as the exploitation of pay-by-click advertisements for the purpose of profit. ... (view more)

Own an Xbox or a Playstation 2? According to one research firm, your answer to that question could reveal a number of things about your personality, including gullibility, confidence, and distrust. It's a pretty remarkable study of the things we've ... ALL used at one time or another -- toys. By combining radically new text mining software with the work of personality psychologists, research consultants Anderson Analytics believe they have found a legitimate way to interpret the subconscious thoughts of children (and in the case of many video game players like myself: immature young men). As you ... (view more)

For those not already aware, the Blackberry is the definitive palm pilot. Developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion, the Blackberry features a mini keyboard and the ability to send and receive both calls and emails as well as store ... important dates. It essentially has the power to ruin any vacation -- no matter where you are -- for any businessman (or woman). ;-) However, recent discoveries might make the Blackberry a hacker's dream, too. Developed by Praetorian Global consultant Jesse D'Aguanno, the hacking program BBProxy has the power to exploit the link between an average ... (view more)

For the hardcore programmers out there, be warned that the anticipated Windows Powershell scripting technology has already been targeted by a group of European virus writers. A mischievous Austrian group has developed a malware code with the ... potential to shut down Microsoft's Powershell program, a major part of the upcoming Exhange Server 2007 (set for release in late 2006 or early 2007). (Source: microsoft-watch.com ) Windows Powershell is the newest command-line shell from Microsoft, an engine that serves as the controller of system administrative tasks. Its main draw is that it allows ... (view more)

It seems major industry acquisitions are becoming pretty common this summer. Popular MP3 player producer SanDisk recently announced that it has purchased Israeli-based Msystems for a reported $1.55 billion, a move that could expand SanDisk's ... interest in storage beyond the lower-end digital market. Although it hardly has the name power of Apple, SanDisk is the dominant maker of removable flash storage cartridges. The California-based company is perhaps the strongest producer in the (almost) iPod-free 1GB player and under range. Msystems -- which was once awkwardly named M-Systems Flash Disk ... (view more)

In a recent address of tech industry executives in Orlando, Florida, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer encouraged his listeners to get behind a plan that would see PCs become drastically more affordable for the world's less affluent users. The magic price ... tag? Just $100 -- a number that for most North Americans has proved hardly enough cold hard cash to purchase basic software (usually from Microsoft itself), let alone an entire system. For Ballmer, lowering PC costs to just $100 could in turn curtail rising piracy rates, which Microsoft has recently becoming increasingly determined to root out. ... (view more)

As Microsoft hurries to release the next version of Windows before its (rather tentative) January 2007 release date, a recent announcement by the company has an "upgrade breakdown" for each of its six versions of Vista. The most important part of ... this development is the XP upgrade, which allows certain editions of XP to be supplemented instead of completely replaced by Vista's technology. In short: the five versions of Windows XP, including Windows XP Professional, XP Home, XP Media Center, XP Tablet PC, XP Professional x64, and additionally, Windows 2000, all require *different* installation ... (view more)

And now for the biggest surprise of the day: Malware goons are using spicy pictures to install Trojan horses on the computers of excited users. Online security firm Sophos recently reported that the picture slideshow of an exotic young Russian named ... "Victoria Stasova" is installing a vicious Trojan that nabs information from an aroused user's system. Presenting the scantily-clad Russian through a three-frame slideshow, the Troj/Keylog-HD Trojan steals keystrokes and personal data from the infected PC. Graham Cluely, a tech consultant for Sophos, believes that many excited users will be duped ... (view more)

Despite the massive media attention brought to the gaming world by the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) every May, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to greatly downsize the exhibition. The late spring Expo, which typically ... draws in 60-70,000 attendees and nearly 400 vendors, has been deemed too extravagant for its return profit, leading the ESA to ponder its future dynamics. (Source: news.com ) GameSpot.com reports that the 2007 expo will be renamed, rescheduled (now in July), and will have only around 5,000 attendees -- a significant drop in numbers. (Source: ... (view more)