CompUSA

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

April Fools' Emails May Contain Not So Funny Virus

/PRNewswire / -- For the past two years, April Fools' Day has brought technology turmoil to millions of computer users across the globe. On April 1st, 2007, the ANI worm spread around the globe using an exploit found in Windows, while last year the Storm worm spread voraciously in email messages that were sent using an April Fools' theme. In a preemptive strike against any threats this April Fools' Day, network security provider Stonesoft advises computer users to be extra cautious when opening April Fools' messages.

April Fools' Day is known to be a time when new data security threats arise and old ones are reactivated. This year, there has been much discussion around the expected update of the Conficker network worm, which is said to be the worst in the virus history. However, it is yet to be seen what sort of damage an update would incur.

"The reason data security threats emerge around April Fools' Day is quite understandable," says Olli-Pekka Niemi, a vulnerability expert at Stonesoft. "The same thing happens around most public holidays or, for example, Valentine's Day. Even if people receive email messages from unknown addresses, they tend to open the greetings more easily in hope for a juicy April Fools' joke."

As it is impossible to forecast the timing or severity of network security threats, Niemi emphasizes the importance of prevention: "The most important thing is to remember the basics. Make sure all programs are up-to-date, especially your security programs. In addition, common sense takes you far. Avoid surfing unknown sites and opening messages or attachments from unknown addresses," Niemi reminds. "It may be common knowledge to most Internet users, but as we've seen over the years, people need to be reminded about the basics from time to time."

For more information on Stonesoft's network security solutions and insight into current computer security threats, please visit www.stonesoft.com.

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Friday, March 27, 2009

MyWireless.org Consumer Advisory - Beware of a New Form of an Old Scam: 'Missed Calls' from International Area Codes '649' and '809'

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the national consumer advocacy coalition MyWireless.org(R) warned wireless consumers across the country about the latest twist on a scam 'missed call' scheme. Wireless companies have detected a pattern of calls that ring their customers' number once or twice and then disconnect. When the number appears on the customer's cell phone as a missed call, it appears to be a typical domestic three-digit phone number starting with the "649" area code. If the customer decides to return the missed call, the call is returned to an Adult Entertainment chat line in the Turks and Caicos, outside the reach of U.S. regulators. While wireless companies are working to block suspicious numbers on their networks, some individuals may be victims of this and similar schemes involving international area codes and end up being billed for expensive international call and chat line charges.

Brian Johnston, MyWireless.org's Director of Communications and Federal Advocacy said, "Unfortunately, this type of scam has become a fairly common occurrence in recent years. Scamsters in the past have tricked consumers into making expensive calls to international chat lines by leaving a message on answering machines, e-mail accounts, and now cell phone call logs," he continued, "urging the customer to call a number in the "809," "284," "876" (or some other) international area code to collect a prize, find out about a sick relative, etc., by engaging in chat."

MyWireless.org urges wireless consumers to always check an area code first before returning a call to an unknown caller. Be skeptical about area codes you don't recognize, especially: "649" (Turks and Caicos); "809" (Dominican Republic); "284" (British Virgin Islands); "876" (Jamaica); "758" (St. Lucia); or "664" (Montserrat). There are dozens of area codes (mostly in the Caribbean islands) which connect callers to an international telephone number. In addition, if you do not make international calls, ask your wireless carrier to block outgoing international calls on your account.

For more information: The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have issued consumer advisories on this subject, and these scams have also been identified by the National Fraud Information Center (NFIC) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as potentially costing victims lots of money, since U.S. consumers are unaware at the time of the international number expense until they receive their monthly bill. If you suspect you have received a form of this 'spoofed call,' and would like to file a complaint, please see the FTC Fact Sheet on International Telephone Number Scams: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel05.pdf, and the similar FCC Consumer Advisory: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/809.html, for reporting contacts.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Ten Companies Team with Georgia Tech to Form 100G Consortium

Ten companies have joined forces with the Georgia Institute of Technology to establish the Georgia Tech 100G Optical Networking Consortium, which is believed to be the first academic-industrial consortium of its kind in the world. To date, more than $2.2 million in support has been designated for this facility by the consortium’s founding research members: ADVA Optical Networking, Ciena, OFS, and Verizon – and by supporting members Avanex, IBM, Narda Microwave East, Nistica, Picometrix, and RSoft Design Group.

The consortium and facility allow academic and industry personnel to perform multidisciplinary research in all aspects of 100-gigabit-per-second transmission, supported by the diverse and complementary strengths of the industrial partners and faculty members. Research topics range from fundamental studies of 100G optical transmission to assessment of optical and electronic technologies that will be used in such high-speed optical networks.

A variety of network architectures will be studied, including realistic impairments found in regional and ultra long haul links. These efforts also actively support the upcoming IEEE 100G standard for short reach, client-side transport in the local area network and future IEEE standards for short reach transmission over laser-optimized, multi-mode fiber in data centers.

Historically, networking infrastructure has migrated to systems with increased transmission capacity, thereby allowing increased efficiency and the delivery of content-rich services, noted Stephen E. Ralph, the consortium’s director and a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Critical to the success of these new technologies is the ability to deploy them over existing fiber infrastructure, which is equivalent to increasing the capacity of a highway 10-fold without changing the roadway, he said.

“Our industry-led effort creates a unique opportunity for students and industry to define and validate the enabling technologies necessary for 100G networks,” Ralph said. “The creation of this consortium at Georgia Tech enhances the competitiveness of our member companies, creating job growth in this critical area of communications and networking. The faculty of Georgia Tech is uniquely able to advance understanding in signal processing, high-speed circuits, and optical components and systems. This unique combination, together with the expertise of our industry researchers, will enable member companies to develop and demonstrate technical advantages and accelerate deployment of next generation systems and services while simultaneously influencing the next generation standards.”

Located in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square Research Building, the new 100G test bed and extensive supporting simulation capabilities enable rigorous and independent evaluation of optical and electronic signal processing strategies, new modulation formats and receiver technologies, high-speed silicon CMOS-based electronics, and classical/modern forward error correction, all in realistic optical fiber transport and electronic transceiver environments.

Co-director of the effort is Gee-Kung Chang, Byers Eminent Scholar Chair in optical networking. Joining Ralph and Chang in the quest for 100Gbps transport is Byers Professor John D. Cressler, whose research addresses high-speed electronics challenges, and Professor John Barry, whose work focuses on critical signal processing issues. Chang, Cressler and Barry are also based in ECE.

“Expertise in these three critical areas, in one place, cannot be found anywhere else, and lets the faculty team and their industry collaborators consider all of these factors at once,” added Ralph, who specializes in optics and photonics technologies. “Our corporate partners and our faculty members realize that performing these functions in a vacuum no longer works; everyone has to work together to achieve practical 100G performance.”

Construction on the Consortium’s 100G test bed started in July 2008 and was made possible with additional support from the Georgia Tech Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and the Georgia Research Alliance. The first test bed link, which will allow testing of new modulation concepts within a point-to-point link engineered for 10Gbps systems, became fully functional in November 2008. Two additional milestones, which will include the creation of a long-haul DWDM mesh network environment exceeding 1,000 kilometers, will be met by July 2009, when the facility will be fully functional.

Growth for Phase 2 is expected to bring in additional corporate support and faculty involvement in the areas of dynamic mesh networks and network security. This facility will enhance the current capabilities of the Georgia Electronic Design Center.

“The 100G effort makes Georgia Tech the place to be for those interested in pursuing 100G technologies,” said Mark Allen, senior vice provost for research and innovation and a Regents’ professor in ECE. “From an economic development perspective, the implications could be huge, as our faculty, students, and industry partners create technologies that support 100G transport and that could be commercialized in a number of ways.”

Graduate students involved with this new consortium are receiving valuable technical experience that will serve them well in internships, co-op assignments, and beyond.

“We are very happy that these companies have chosen to support the 100G consortium and ECE,” said Gary S. May, Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of ECE. “Our students are seeing best technical practices in action and having important technical concepts enhanced and reinforced that they are learning in our electronics, digital signal processing, and optics and photonics courses. Upon graduation, our students will be ready to actively contribute to their employers in academia and industry.”

The Consortium’s industry members see benefits from the strong collaborations with Georgia Tech faculty and students.

“A close collaboration between industry and academia is crucial for successful development of new technologies,” said Michael Frankel, transport technology director at Ciena. “In addition to financial support, Ciena will leverage its proven ability to take breakthrough technologies into commercial products.”

Christoph Glingener, chief technology officer for ADVA Optical Networking, said the consortium is essential to the company’s ability to evaluate and drive future technologies. “As a global innovation leader in the field of optical networks, we are proud to participate in this partnership in order to drive component, systems and network performance,” he explained. “We are also pleased to support the education process for the students of Georgia Tech, enabling focused research on areas of importance to the future of our industry.”

The diverse interests of the collaborators will help create a better understanding of issues in 100 Gbps transport.

“OFS is delighted to be working with a major global carrier, two systems companies, leading optoelectronic and RF designers, and both optical and signal processing faculty and students at Georgia Tech to develop a deeper understanding the science of 100 Gbps transport,” said Robert Lingle, Jr., director of fiber design and systems research at OFS. “We believe this research partnership will further enhance OFS’ position as industry leader in the development of next-generation solutions in the field of optical fibers, cables and photonic modules.”

“This consortium is an excellent example of the industry and university collaboration necessary to develop and test the next generation component technologies that will enable 100 Gbps optical transport on both the line side and client side,” stated Rob Risser, president and general manager of Picometrix. “Close collaboration with consortium members will help accelerate our development and deployment of advanced 100 Gbps optical receivers.”

Ralph and his colleagues from Ciena, OFS and ADVA Optical Networking presented their interests related to the 100G consortium, company goals, and their vision for the evolution of optical networks at the Fall 2008 Internet2 Member Meeting, held in New Orleans, La. October 13-16. They plan to present related materials at the Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exposition and The National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference to be held in San Diego, Calif. from March 22 to 26.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

iWebTrack™ Announces the iPhone™ Application Development Competition

(BUSINESS WIRE)--iWebTrack Holdings Inc., whose main analytics product iWebTrack™ www.iwebtrack.com, kicked off 2009 with a bang by becoming one of the first web analytics provider to offer mobile tracking applications. iWebTrack™ previously released improved mobile applications for both Blackberry™ and Windows Mobile™ platforms, and is now in search of the optimal mobile application for the iPhone™. iWebTrack™ will be holding the iPhone™ Application Development Competition made possible due to Open iWeb.

Open iWeb, www.openiweb.com, is a community created to help foster the development of unique applications around iWebTrack™’s open API. iWebTrack™ is one of the first web analytics provider to offer a public API for third party developers. Open iWeb increases iWebTrack™’s functionality by providing public access to iWebTrack™’s raw data therefore allowing third party developers to create customizable reports. Open iWeb also provides a platform for the development of new and unique software such as the iPhone™ Web Tracking Application.

The iPhone™ Application Development Competition is open to the public and runs from March 9-May 1, 2009. Contestants will develop an iPhone™ Web Tracking Application designed specifically for iWebTrack™. The winner will be announced on May 15th, 2009 and will be awarded a $5,000 grand prize. Submissions will be judged based on ease of use, features offered, GUI, ease of navigation, level of performance, and overall application speed. Visit www.openiweb.com for detailed contest information.

The iPhone™ Application Development Competition would not be possible without Open iWeb. iWebTrack™, www.iwebtrack.com, is one of the first among competitors such as ClickTracks™, IndexTools™, WebTrends™, and Google Analytics™ to offer an open API for their web analytics tool. For more information about Open iWeb and the iPhone™ Application Development Competition please visit www.openiweb.com.

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American Idol(R) Finalists Coming to Apple App Store

/PRNewswire/ -- FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and Zumobi, today introduced the first-ever official American Idol(R) application for Apple's revolutionary iPhone and iPod touch. "American Idol Season 8 Exclusive" follows this season's American Idol Top 13 finalists in their quest to be named the next American Idol and brings fans exclusive multimedia content and news updates.

Only days after the Top 13 finalists were announced live on FOX, the "American Idol Season 8 Exclusive" application provides fans with in-depth contestant bios, pictures, news and exclusive video from behind-the-scenes of the on-air show. In total, 78 original videos of the remaining contestants will be released weekly between now and the Finale, giving fans the opportunity to get know their favorite contestants better.

"We are excited to partner with 19 Entertainment and FOX to create a truly unique American Idol experience in the palm of your hand," said David Luner, senior vice president, Interactive & Consumer Products, FremantleMedia Enterprises, North America. "The new application puts iPhone and iPod touch users in the driver's seat and allows them to engage with the show anytime they want."

"American Idol Season 8 Exclusive" also features daily news updates on the Top 13 contestants in the "Buzz" and "Bio" sections, and the "My Rankings" feature allows users to test their talent-picking power by predicting, customizing, and tracking the order of who stays and who gets voted off each week. As users track their favorite contestants' progress, they are also one click away from the American Idol iTunes page where they can download music from recent performances.

"American Idol is one of the premiere entertainment brands around the world, with a television franchise that is unrivaled," said Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi. "Zumobi is thrilled to partner with FremantleMedia Enterprises, 19 Entertainment and FOX on the development of this exclusive app for iPhone and iPod touch and we're proud to make it available to millions of Idol fans through The Zumobi Network."

"American Idol Season 8 Exclusive" is available for $1.99 from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=306532181&mt =8. The Zumobi Network is a leader in designing, developing, distributing, and marketing sponsorable and full-branded applications for iPhones and iPod touch.

American Idol airs Tuesdays (8:00 - 10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) and Wednesdays (9:00 -10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. For more information about the application, please visit the American Idol web site, www.americanidol.com .

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Laser Atlanta Receives Patent for Bluetooth Laser Mapping

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Building on its commitment to provide innovative laser mapping solutions, Laser Atlanta™, the authentic original™, today announced that it received a U.S. patent for its new, breakthrough wireless mapping product technology.

U.S. 7,493,086 covers the wireless transmission of data in laser mapping applications used by engineers, defense, law enforcement and other government agencies. The technology covered in the patent greatly increases the efficiency of the mapping process by combining the laser range finding and mapping operations with wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth®.

“Laser technology has proven to be more accurate than GPS applications when it comes to local site and accident mapping,” said James Kelly, President and CEO of Laser Atlanta. Our new, patent-protected wireless mapping application automatically sends target location information to the data collector, greatly reducing the time necessary to communicate each shot. This product provides the precision of lasers with the ease of less accurate GPS products.”

The new technology allows the data collection device to be operated by the person who marks each target for entry. This new efficiency also provides for more accurate descriptions of targets because they are entered by the person closest to them. Such improvements in efficiency can prove especially beneficial at times when there is heavy traffic and the officers have to clear out the roads that have been blocked by an accident.

Further, there are significant advantages to this in the civil engineering, intelligent traffic systems, road construction, building demolition, land surveying and law enforcement fields. For example, considerable time savings would apply to the application of this technology to documenting various as-built projects, mapping debris fields and accident sites, and creating local site maps for various development projects.

For more information on the contact sales@laseratlanta.com

All SpeedLasers® and LiDAR are laser-based as opposed to RADAR, providing several advantages including the ability to target a single vehicle on busy roadways. SpeedLasers use Laser Atlanta’s superior, exclusive technology that records accuracy validated readings of the targeted vehicle’s true speed in just 0.3 seconds. The result of these unique processes is speeding motorists have no chance of detecting the SpeedLaser or slowing down before a speed reading is recorded up to 7000 feet away. Advantage™ product line is used for various GIS mapping and measuring applications.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Breaking: Facebook Launching New Real-Time Homepage

Facebook is making a host of product announcements today, the most significant of which is a renovation of the News Feed that users see when they login. Starting next week, the News Feed will be moving to a real-time format, versus the current updates that happen “every 10-15 minutes” according to the company......
http://mashable.com/2009/03/04/facebook-homepage-real-time/

By Adam Ostrow

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Hybrid Camera by JVC Shoots Full HD Video and 9-Megapixel Stills

/PRNewswire/ -- JVC yesterday announced a new dual-use camera that shoots high definition video and high resolution digital still images. The new hybrid Everio GZ-X900, or Everio X (http://everiox.jvc.com/), is a small, light, all-in-one camera that offers the powerful shooting combination of Full HD video and nine-megapixel still photos, plus creative shooting functions such as slow motion video and high speed "motor drive" still photography.

Highlights of the new JVC Everio X include:
-- The camera is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket and at just
0.66 pounds is one of the lightest cameras that can shoot 1920 x 1080
Full HD AVCHD video;
-- Shoots nine-megapixel (no interpolation) digital stills and Full HD
video with 1000 TV lines of horizontal resolution - close to the
theoretical maximum horizontal resolution for 1920 x 1080 high
definition video for no-compromise images;
-- 10x slow motion shooting plays back four seconds of recorded video
over 24 seconds;
-- Up to six nine-megapixel stills can be shot at 15 images per second -
faster than what digital SLRs can achieve;
-- Simultaneous five-megapixel digital still shooting while recording
Full HD video - photos can be shot at shutter speeds as fast as 1/4000
second without interrupting video recording;
-- Records video and stills to SDHC memory cards.


The new Everio X was designed for the consumer who wants to shoot high quality digital stills and HD video, but wants the convenience of a single camera. While most conventional video camcorders shoot digital stills and most digital still cameras shoot video, the secondary capabilities of these cameras don't offer sufficient quality for many users. Everio X solves that dilemma by providing high quality stills and top quality HD video.

Unique Design

The design of Everio X is a distinct departure from other camcorders, including other Everio models. About the size of a chunky smart phone, Everio X is a slab-sided rectangle without the handgrip, protrusions or indentations found on most camcorders. The design allows plenty of flexibility in how the camera is held - from below, above, or whatever suits the situation and the user's preference. There are top-mounted zoom and record buttons, and a second set next to the LCD screen for additional shooting flexibility. The camera is black with silver accents, with the right side featuring a textured carbon fiber-like finish to provide a secure grip and resist smudges.

Small enough to easily slip into a pocket or purse, Everio X weighs just 0.66 pounds (including the internal battery and a memory card) and measures 2.6 inches tall, 4.88 inches long and just 1.46 inches wide.

1000 TV Lines of Full HD and Nine-Megapixel Stills

A 10.3-megapixel CMOS sensor is at the heart of the camera's superior image quality. The high quality nine-megapixel digital still photos the camera shoots correlate directly to the un-interpolated performance of this 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor. For the first time ever, it is also the source of 1920 x 1080/60i Full HD AVCHD format video. The camera records at a stunning 1000 TV lines of horizontal resolution - close to the theoretical maximum of 1920 x 1080 Full HD.

JVC's new proprietary optical image stabilization (OIS) technology applies camera shake compensation optically at the Everio X lens entrance to ensure effectiveness throughout the zoom range and allow high quality shooting without a tripod. Everio X also uses a new KONICA MINOLTA HD LENS with a 5X optical zoom.

Further contributing to the camera's high image quality is JVC's HD Gigabrid Premium image processing engine. In addition, face detection technology assures accurate focus and exposure, and HDMI(TM) V.1.3 with x.v.Color(TM) provides increased color accuracy when connected to HDTV displays.

10x Slow Motion Shooting, High-Speed Motor Drive Stills

Slow motion video recording is a key Everio X feature. The camera's high-speed recording function shoots ultra-slow motion video. Any one of three speeds - 120 frames per second (fps), 300fps and 600fps - can be selected; the faster the recording speed, the slower the playback motion. With this function, approximately four-second bursts of video are recorded that are then played back over a period of up to 24 seconds, a maximum of 10 times longer than normal speed.

Recording speed Image size Recording time Playback time
600fps 640 x 72 pixels Approx. 2.4 sec. Approx. 24 sec. (10x)
300fps 480 x 116 pixels Approx. 4 sec. Approx. 20 sec. (5x)
120fps 480 x 270 pixels Approx. 8 sec. Approx. 16 sec. (2x)


In the still mode, Everio X offers high-speed shooting, similar to the motor drive function found in some mechanical still cameras. As many as six nine-megapixel photos can be shot at up to 15 images per second, a speed that surpasses what's offered by typical nine-megapixel DSLR cameras. Everio X also allows shooting of 1920 x 1080/60i Full HD video and fully 5.3 megapixel stills at the same time -- a unique advantage of this all-in-one camera. While recording video, photos can be shot at shutter speeds as fast as 1/4000 second without interrupting video recording.

5 Mega simultaneous Shooting speed Maximum limit
still mode
High speed 60 images / sec. 11 images
Medium speed 11 images / sec. 11 images
Low speed 4 images / sec. No limit

Global Sharing

With the worldwide explosion of interest in video sharing, Everio X offers easy solutions for distribution. A One Touch Export function provided by bundled software for Windows(R) makes it easy to export videos from the camera into iTunes(R) for playback on an iPod(R) or iPhone(R). And the One Touch Upload function, when used with the included software for Windows, simplifies uploading videos to YouTube(TM).

The DVD Creation function makes it easy to transfer video to a disc for archiving or sharing. Create a disc directly from the camera using the JVC Everio CU-VD50 burner/player or CU-VD3 burner SHARE STATION. Other direct storage solutions include third party external hard disk drives from LaCie and Seagate, and an external Blu-ray Disc Burner from LaCie.

The Everio GZ-X900 will be available in June at a nationally advertised value of $999.95.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Apple Introduces New Mac Pro

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today introduced the new Mac(R) Pro using Intel "Nehalem" Xeon processors and a next-generation system architecture to deliver up to twice the performance of the previous generation system.* The new Mac Pro starts at $2,499 and features the latest graphics technology and an updated interior that makes expansion even easier than before.

"The new Mac Pro is a significant upgrade and starts at $300 less than before," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The Mac Pro features an advanced system architecture, new faster processors and our best-ever graphics options to deliver a faster, more powerful system that our professional customers are going to love."

The new Mac Pro includes Intel Xeon processors running at speeds up to 2.93 GHz, each with an integrated memory controller with three channels of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory that delivers up to 2.4 times the memory bandwidth while cutting memory latency up to 40 percent.** Every Mac Pro comes standard with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, a high-performance graphics card with nearly three times greater performance when compared to the previous generation system.*** An optional ATI Radeon HD 4870 is available for even more performance. With both a Mini DisplayPort and DVI port, the new Mac Pro provides out-of-the-box support for the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display, the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, or other DVI based displays.

An updated interior provides easy access to all components within the Mac Pro for hassle free expansion. The Mac Pro includes four direct-attach cable-free hard drive carriers for installing up to 4TB of internal storage when using 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA drives. An optional cable-free Mac Pro RAID card delivers performance up to 550MB/s **** and allows the four internal drive bays to be set up in RAID 0, 1, 5, or 0+1 configurations for improved disk performance and redundant data protection.

Continuing Apple's commitment to the environment, the new Mac Pro exceeds Energy Star 4.0 requirements and is leading the industry as an early adopter of the more stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements which will become effective later this year. The Mac Pro enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and the interior is designed to be more material-efficient. The Mac Pro uses PVC-free internal cables and components and contains no brominated flame retardants. The new Mac Pro achieves EPEAT Gold status.*****

Every Mac includes Leopard(R), the world's most advanced operating system which features Time Machine(TM), an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; a redesigned Finder(TM) that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, the best way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces(R), an intuitive feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; Mail with easy setup and elegant, personalized stationery; and iChat(R), the most advanced video chat. Every Mac comes with Apple's innovative iLife(R) '09 suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. iLife '09 features iPhoto(R), which introduces Faces and Places as breakthrough new ways to easily organize and manage your photos; iMovie(R) with powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand(R) which introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar. Optional Apple professional applications include Aperture(TM), Final Cut(R) Express, Final Cut Studio(R), Logic(R) Express, Logic Studio(R) and Shake(R).

Pricing & Availability

The new Mac Pro will be available next week through the Apple Store(R) (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new quad-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

-- one 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 series processor with 8MB of L3
cache;
-- 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 8GB;
-- NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 512MB of GDDR3 memory;
-- 640GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
-- 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
-- Mini DisplayPort and DVI (dual-link) for video output (adapters sold
separately);
-- four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
-- five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire(R) 800 ports;
-- Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
-- ships with Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Mighty Mouse.



The new 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $3,299 (US), includes:

-- two 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors with 8MB of
shared L3 cache;
-- 6GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
-- NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics with 512MB of GDDR3 memory;
-- 640GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
-- 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
-- Mini DisplayPort and DVI (dual-link) for video output (adapters sold
separately);
-- four PCI Express 2.0 slots;
-- five USB 2.0 ports and four FireWire 800 ports;
-- Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; and
-- ships with Apple Keyboard with numerical keypad and Mighty Mouse.



Build to order options and accessories include: one 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor for the quad-core Mac Pro; two 2.66 GHz or two 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors for the 8-core Mac Pro; up to 8GB for the quad-core Mac Pro and up to 32GB for the 8-core Mac Pro of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM memory; up to four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm; Mac Pro RAID card; up to two 18x SuperDrives with double-layer support; ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics with 512MB of GDDR5 memory; AirPort Extreme(R) 802.11n; Apple Keyboard, Apple Wireless Keyboard; Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse; Mac OS(R) X Server Leopard. Complete build-to-order options and pricing are available at www.apple.com/macpro.

*Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93 GHz systems and previous generation Mac Pro 8-core 3.2 GHz systems. Based on estimate SPECfp_rate_base2006 results, SPEC is a registered trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see www.spec.org for more information.

**Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93 GHz systems with 6GB of RAM and shipping previous generation Mac Pro 8-core 3.2 GHz systems with 8GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.8 benchmark (http://www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. Memory latency data provided by Intel.

***Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93 GHz systems with 6GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, and shipping previous generation Mac Pro 8-core 3.2 GHz systems with 8GB of RAM and ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT. Results based on Call of Duty 4 v1.7.1, Timedemoambush, Timedemobog, Timedemopipeline, maximum graphics quality, 4x antialiasing, at 1680 x 1050.

****Testing by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93 GHz configured with Mac Pro RAID card. Testing conducted using Iometer 2006.07.27 with a 30-sec ramp-up, five-min run, 512KB request size, and four outstanding IOs. System configured with the OS and test volume on a single four-drive SAS RAID 0 volume. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro RAID Card.

*****EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net. Systems configured with multiple graphics cards, a Mac Pro RAID card, or a Fibre Channel card do not meet Energy Star or EPEAT Gold requirements.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

(C) 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Leopard, Time Machine, Finder, Spaces, iChat, iLife, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Aperture, Final Cut, Final Cut Studio, Logic, Logic Studio, Shake, Apple Store, FireWire and AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Will the Farter is "Blowing Up" on the iPhone and iPod Touch, the Ultimate Fart Machine is Now Available for Download in the Apple Store Worldwide

/24-7/ -- Flatulence is now cool, and "Will the Farter's Ultimate Fart Machine" takes it to another level "- an authentic fart machine with real farts and no imitations, has just launched for iPhone and iPod Touch in the Apple Store for $1.99. Known for his art for farting, creators NoNo Mobile and Ooh Wee Media chose the infamous "Will the Farter" who has appeared on the "Howard Stern Show," because he is recognized as the greatest farter in the world.

The new application goes above and beyond other mobile downloads on the market because these are authentic farts, pictures, fart songs and even "the making of a fart proof gallery" with video segments.

There May be Many Imitators, but there' s Only One Originator

Will, who is actually known as the greatest farter in the world, was flown into Los Angeles to create authentic, real farts in a soundproof studio simply to give those who enjoy farts something truly authentic.

Unlike other Fart Apps, "Will the Farter's Ultimate Fart Machine" does not reproduce fake fart sounds, as none of the sounds were made by mouth, armpit or computer. Each and every sound is an authentic fart and comes straight from the "insides" of World Famous "Will the Farter." Farting on queue, Will is credited with doing fart art on canvas; he also serenades his fans to some favorite classic songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Fart, Jingle Bell Fart and many more.

The download officially launched Feb. 21, to positive reviews, and "Will the Farter," will support the application with a National Farting Tour in cities throughout the U.S.

2009 is the Year of the Fart

With the popularity of the fart ever growing, and more comfortable in society, Will the Farter and Ooh Wee Media, have declared 2009 as the Year of the Fart. Farting and/or flatulence are becoming more and more socially acceptable, especially when there is no smell to accompany the sound. Today there are books, jokes, movie and television scripts, websites, more than 100 downloads, and many more insights into the world of the "fart."

Why people enjoy the world of farts so much is hard to know, but from little children with whoopee cushions to comedians poking fun at "gas," the jokes never seem to get stale and people just keep on laughing at the idea of farts. Farts have been noted in history and art throughout the ages from Horace to Dali to Mozart to Blake, and now "Will the Farter' s Ultimate Fart Machine" is allowing everyone to let out some air and have some fun.

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