We will be back, better than ever..

ausTech news will be back... more info to come.

ausTech news Episode 99.5: NANO-CHROME-ATIC!

Episode 99.5: Nano-chrome-atic!

On this weeks show I go indepth about why Google Chrome isn't just a rip off browser, but a innovative browser that really has a market for people. Funny terms and conditions in those EULA's and T&C's you ignore, as well as Quake live information. Oh, and sony messed up again - suprise!
Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (48:28, 27.7mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Gamestealing passwords on the space station!
technewsworld.com - source

A cool video game wedding
ironrealms.com - source photos and geekery

The Gamers bill of rights
edge-online.com - source

Google Chrome: Why its a good idea
I talk about what makes Google chrome good, and see what future it has.

Quake live details
tgdaily.com - Full story

Sony recalls 73,000 laptops to burn worry
slashdot.org - source

Quake live details
gamesradar.com - source

Other tidbits:

Amd have a leaked road map, showing nothing drastic on the horizon

Tip(s!) of the week:
A youtube alternative
http://www.vimeo.com
A higher quality version of youtube, with the added bonus of being able to download the source material - a good other way to give people an option to be able to keep your movie, in an age where people can't be bothered to use a direct download link alone

Webcam enhancer
masternewmedia.org
No, its not dodgy, its just a overlay that can be used to place things such as live data and scrolling rss feeds in a webcam or live video feed - clever!

Video of the week:

Microsoft's Vista campaign - oh my
Part of the mega big 300 million dollar campaign, the results have been...
interesting. Awkward and geeky in this second video.
Go watch on youtube

Video of the week:

Left for dead short film
Made as a year 11 media project, this is inspiration for anyone studying
that some well made material can come out. Nice channel 10 support!
Go watch on youtube

Video of the week:

Large hadron collider rap
Find out about what the often talked about LHC machine is in this funny
as well as informative video!

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 99: GADGETITIS

Episode 99: GADGETITIS

This week we talk about the ongoing learning process I am going through for the OCZ NIA, as well as the two new console updates that Sony have bought out for their new consoles. Good news for those waiting for more value from their HAL inspired device!
I also talk a lot about upcoming phone hardware - no, not the iPhone, real devices such as the nokia n96, and phones beyond.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (37:08, 21.2mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Sony unveils updated PSP - 3000 console
http://www.pspfanboy.com/tag/psp-3000/ -source

OCZ NIA - my thoughts!
Video coming soon

Microsofts blue track mouse
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/27/microsofts-new-blue-track-mouse-spotted/

Videos!
A lot this week, so starting off:
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/20929
Mirrors Edge, Heavy Rain, Prince of persia, Wipeout HD, all excellent trailers.

Killzone 2
http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k7AT4zmTTta4GWJI3v

Video of the week:

Pure Pwnage- Episodes 17 and 18!
I'll link to the main website. Follow through and watch, excellent laughs!
Go watch on their site

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 98: OLYMPIC BRAIN CONTROL

Episode 98: Olympic brain control!

I finally get my hands on the OCZ Nia, which is billed as a brain input device to control your gaming controls with it - if its true as they say, it's a revolution in how you control your games! I sit down and ponder about this, as I try it out. In the first week, I give my impressions so far as well as videos of using it.

Nvidia may have a problem with faulty laptop graphics cards brewing up, and more are covered in this weeks episode of ausTech news. dive in!


Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (32:12, 18.4mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

GTA IV for PC Announced!
joystiq.com - source

Nvidia admits - we have a problem
engadget.com - source

Nvidia begins the price wars
overclock3d.net - source

John Carmack nothankyou.jp's wii development
kotaku.com - worth it for the funny internet meme!

Microsoft talks about plans for new OS - Midouri
overclock3d.net - source

Internode unleashes new plan updates
internode.on.net - source

OCZ Nia Discussion
See below for more information. The Day three video is below in last post, as well!


Tip of the week:
Colourize it
A great way to easily upload photos and tweak their colour.
A more powerful feature however, i to be able to modify the entire css and
html /images of a forum layout, and alter its colours.
A quick and easy way to personalize your website!
http://beta.colorizeit.com/

Video of the week:

OCZ Nia - Day 7
Watch me try out the OCZ Nia device, as I continue to learn to make
use of it. I use the mouse only to aim, and keyboard to change the weapon
in some parts.
Go watch on youtube or...

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

Next Episode - Sunday! ocz Nia review

Next Episode - Late Sunday!

This episode will be a big one, and I won't mess around much to say why, but I think this video will help describe why...



As part of this very special piece of hardware arriving, with me being one of the first in australia to receive one, I quickly unpacked it and jumped in head first. the video above has show you what day three of this is like. A lot of other users have reported that they see best results after 2 weeks of training and more. So, I have decided to put out frquent video updates of me playing various games. If there are any questions, games you'd like to see me playing with it etc... don't forget to fire off an email to me and ask me.

So until then, enjoy the weekend! More OCZ Nia news as it happens.

ausTech news Episode 97: NOT AN EXPANSION!

Episode 97: NOT AN EXPANSION

Google look to be launching ads on video games - look out! Also, Crysis Warhead peeks, and a lot of videos and tips this week!

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (47:43, 27.2mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Samsung unveils mini projector
cepro.com - source

Lolcats to steal your identity
slashdot.org - source

Crysis warhead: ITS NOT A EXPANSION ALRIGHT?
bit-tech.nl - source

Google brings Ads into Video Games
pspupdates.qj.net - nooooo!

The Video game crash of 1983
videosift.com - source

Goss:
A new section I'm trialling, as I see small note pieces worth talking about briefly, I put them in here, instead of just glossing over in the short stories.

Nokia phone goss: The nokia 5800 tube has more information. This phone is nokia's response to the iphone. It is going to use the symbian operating system which means nice free applications, but that looks like it won't mean much now - the interface has not been updated enough to take advantage of the touch platform.

Apple goss: more rumors stirring around of a ipod nano update, the current one is that it will be taller. Also rumors of a touchpad

Hardware goss: ATI 4850 Non reference graphic cards are starting to come in to australia, with more designs pictured:

The Asus 1gig Edition will apparantly (via secretnet) come out on the 1st of august here, followed by the very nice looking HIS branded one which also has dual slot cooling. In the next three months it's been strongly predicted that the Nvidia GTX 260 will have a update to be on a 45nm process, with the intention of it to make it smaller, cheaper, and run cooler. Just a thought for those still umming and arring about buying one of the current generation ones.

The OCZ nia or known by people hiding under a rock as the "brainmouse" appears to be turning into vaporware, with its release in australia being delayed yet again by two weeks. 14th August is their new launch date in to australia - but I'm not holding my breath.

The 901 Black EEEpc is available on Pc Case gear for $625 - not a bad price! This is the 6 cell version too, which now puts it ahead of the MSI Wind depending on if you prefer Solid state storage, or the MSI Wind's hard drive. Also on Pccasgear, the EEEbox has turned up on our shores early! This almost deserves a bit of a discussion itself.

eeeBox202:

• Atom 1.6ghz Diamondville cpu
• 1 gig of ram
• 80gig HDD
• Windows Home
• DVI output, 4 usbports, cardreaders (no cd drive)
• Wireless-n, ethernet

Cost: $419 on PcCaseGear

You are paying a bit for the form factor, but your getting an eeepc essentially without the screen, and slightly bumped up specs.

Video of the week #1:

Wii motion updates - light saber action!
One of the developers talks about the features of the upcoming Wii Motion Tech.
It looks perfect for lightsaber and sword action. Drool.
Go watch on youtube

Video of the week #2:

Watchmen - official trailer
Not knowing anything about this movie until this trailer, I was
suprised to find out it is based on one of the only comic books to receive a hugo award in
time magazine - this is a big movie release to come.
Go watch on youtube

Tip of the Week 1:

Navicat
Made by Premiumsoft, this is a web-geeks dream come true - it brings sql and search based languages into a realm of easy and gives you enough control to keep your websites under control as they get larger. I loved the use of being able to backup a database (these are used to store all a persons posts on a forum, or photo information on a gallery), and sync it with a local copy. This makes it ideal for keeping a backup that YOU can restore, easily.

It has code completion, which means when you start typing, it can suggest terms to speed up your typing. No need to spend minutes googling around to find that obscure SQL command!

It isn't freeware, but it does have a lite version which works for free. You can read about the features more here

Lastly, This is a much better way to jump in and learn SQL compared to the trial and error way. The console is always there, blinking away to dive in to, but I found for the most part, it was just as fast to click through just as if I was using a normal windows app - its a refreshing way to combine SQL with the Web.

Navicats website

Tip of the week #2

Combat Arms - Free game!
Still reading? why? I shouldn't need to point out why this is a good thing. Roots in Counterstrike, with varied game modes, newbie friendly gameplay, and lag resistant code makes this an excellent lan and online based game. Whats not to like? Oh, the client download is only approx 450 Meg as well.
http://combatarms.nexon.net/ - more information
And as a bonus: The very funny promotional movie


If you listened to the end, You might be wondering about what it was that happened...

Hopefully that explains all, give it a look!

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 96: WELCOME BACK BABY!

Episode 96: WELCOME BACK BABY!

So this week, you can look forward to a nice return! Great to be back, and I'll talk about the things that I've been up to. There has been a lot!

A cracker of a tip to make looking at videos and pictures more fun in your browser, and a video that.... may just be weird enough to make you laugh.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (51:29, 29.4mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:
Firefox 3 Rockzors the download record - 8million!
blog.mozilla.com - source

Commodore 64 Lan
I'm not kidding - source

Virtual drivers to take on real racers
slashdot.org - source

E3 Goss
I talk about what went down at E3 - includign things like Nintendos update to the Wii controller, Go d of War 3, and other things..

ESA Stats on gamers
tgdaily.com - source

Unreal Tournament 3 six months on
source

Hardware Goss
Whats interesting this week? Well, I've been eyeing graphics cards, and on this part, I talk about what I see as interesting..

China Introduces Game Fatigue System
games.internode.on.net - story

Aussie books for the lose
ttheage.com.au - a good read. HA. I get it.

Tip of the week:

Online Video Editor
Called eyespot, those with a decent upload speed will have a lot of fun with this tool.
It will let you edit your home movie or captured game footage, and cut it up, put titles in etc.
I chose this one over the others, because it lets you do more normal transitions, like Crossfade.
eyespot.com

Tip of the week #2:

Pic lens
Now this is a mega tool - You start up your webbrowser , point to google or youtube..
Press the button, and bam! A 3D representation of that search pops up. You can scroll through
thousands of results, it looks amazing...
piclens.com - 8 meg download

Video of the week

Who wants some? I'll tell you who does - duke does. Watch this trailer
from Duke 3D, and you'll come out knowing about as much as me about this
upcoming "trilogy"
Duke nukem Trilogy - gametrailers

Hope you enjoyed the return, send along some encouragement at our email address which is austechnews@gmail.com . If your feeling keyboard shy, you could leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

Episode 90: Coming tommorrow, July 24th

Episode 96 to come out tommorrow!

Its good to be back! I'd like to thank everyone sticking around, you can look forward to even more tech goss and hardware ramblings. I have recorded the episode, and look to upload it tommorrow.

And I was able to get through an entire show without talking about the iPhone near its launch - thats how jampacked full of info this one is!

ausTech news Episode 95: AUSSIE IPHONE

Episode 95: aussie iPhone

I don't think I could call it a tech show without mention of the iPhone, so there it is. Before I take a short break while moving house, I cover the newest tech goss, as well as impressions on the CoD4 Map pack and tips to give you a one up on your online buddies!

This show will be off the air for two weeks - while I move in to a new house! time to get packing!

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (36:06, 20.6mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:
Jack Thompson earns disbarment
kotaku.com - source

Apple iPhone 3G
apple.com - product information

Duke Nukem Forever footage out - lulwut?
shacknews.com - source and video

Age of Conan mammaries
kotaku.com - source

CoD4 Map pack Impressions
Well, the map pack for 1.6 Has been out for a week now - I give some impressions of it, and for the price (free!) they are excellent value and will add a lot of life to the game. Listen in to the episode for more information!

NZXT Khaos case
engadget.com - source

Asus brings out a eeeTv, eeeMonitor
engadget.com - source

Aussie books for the lose
ttheage.com.au - a good read. HA. I get it.

Video of the week:

Ultimate gaming machine
In 1998, this was the best PC you could buy.. have a look and laugh.
Pa-ting! (Go watch on youtube)

Video of the week #2:

Raytracing in modern games
A bit technical, but shows off the future of games, where raytracing
is used in a realtime rendering engine.
pcghx - streaming link

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

Wish me luck, and I hope to have working internet in two weeks, and be in a new house!

ausTech news Episode 94: COD MAPS A COMIN!

Episode 94: CoD4 Maps a comin!

Yes you heard that right - Call of Duty 4 and Infinity Ward are on the verge of releasing the mappack. Find out more in this episode and join in the wait!

Also inside are a variety of videos this week, from a retrospective on a popular game coming up, as well as touching on how I was briefly in the Gamearena Weekly Streettalk (May 23rd!).

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (48:19, 27.6mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Wii fit calls teen girl fat
nexus404.com - source

Asus design team PEGA brings the goods
designboom.com - source

COD four Map pack
iamfourzerotwo.com - source

Dlink brings out coax to ethernet networking
dailytech.com - source

Next gen nvidia specs
dailytech.com - source

Windows 7 Revealed
gizmodo.com - source

What have EA done?
gamearena.com.au - videos section trailer for er, Gina Carino

Tip of the week:
http://www.mibbit.com
An AJAX (Read: Fast and no download needed) IRC Client, perfect for getting on an
Internet Relay Chat-room, such as gamestahs! at irc.gamesurge.net , channel #gamestah

Video of the week:

Metal Gear Solid Retrospective (Part 1)
Hosted by Gametrailers.com, this special talks about the history of the Metal Gear Solid
series, catching up people with how the original NES version was! Nostalgia, but also
to get you ready for Metal Gear Solid 4 coming out next week!
Go watch on gametrailers.com (streaming)

House keeping from last week - I was on Gamearena Video!
gamearena video link
As part of the Get Into Games expo, I was shoutcasting there. There were some close up shots of me, but it looks like they got weeded out, so I am only in some short clips. At 1:34, and 2:00 in, Where I am underneath a projector - whee, thats me! So go have a laugh.

Again, Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 93: GOOD TO BE BACK

Episode 93: Good to be back

Besides a bit of eFame being on Gamearenas own weekly street talk (In brown, episode 23, at 1:31!), I casted the event with shoutcasting. In between getting ready to move house, I fill people in with tips on helping you take screenshots easier, and other tech news worth talking about.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (34:01, 19.4mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Creative launch new PCI-e based sound cards
press release from creative

MSI and Asus also going to war
engadget.com - source

Wii-ware hacked
dailytech.com - source

Wii-ware out, launch titles revealed
joystiq.com - source

EA announces new copy protection for Spore and Mass Effect
bioware's forums
*Update* - Since this announcement, a major backlash cause EA to rethink this idea, stepping back slightly on its copy protection.

ausTech news and Gamestah casting the WcG finals
writeup of the event here!

I was lucky enough to cast for the Get Into Games Expo, in its Call of Duty 4 Section. Listen in to the show here how I talk about how it was, and the results of the matches. It was a lot of fun, and can't wait to be there in the future, helping out local LAN cafe store Guf set-up a impressive array of gaming machines and equipment to make the event run smoothly.

Tip of the week:

The Snip tool (vista)
Want a easy to use and fast way of taking screenshots and putting them on the web?
try this out - it comes with your Machine! Click on start and type in "snip" if you want to
jump straight in to the program, otherwise read on in the link to find out more about it.
But basicly, the features you can look forward to is scribbling on the image (to add annotations), as well as resizing and cropping.
Go watch video tute on about.com

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

Ballarat GiG Games expo 16-17th May

Ballart Get into games Expo

16th - 17th May.

Part of the Ballarat GiG Expo or Innovations by the Council, this is an excellent way to learn more about the industry some people take for granted, and see if you are interested in pursuing a career in it with the Tafe and Uni people there (who will have lots of fun gadgets to try out).

As well as this, the World Cyber Games qualifiers are being held right here in Ballarat!
I'll be there, so if your around, have a look at the Ballarat GiG and Gaming website and see what is on for yourself.

Of note however, which hasn't been mentioned in the newspapers..... There will be 20 PC's for Gaming, as well as 20 Xboxes! Game-on!

ausTech news Episode 92: GTA IV

Episode 92: GTA IV

Live in the Gamestah studios, we cover about the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, with many little bits of info about it. As well as that, we talk about Intel and Nvidia going at odds with each other, but I think that pales compared to the trailer of Burnout coming to the PC. Listen in!

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting
this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (47:56, 27.4mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Microsoft Delays, then releases XP sp3
engadget.com - source

Intel and Nvidia go to war
engadget.com - source, and a great quote

Crysis and UT3 Developers get whooped by pirates
tgdaily.com - source

Burnout Paradise is coming to PC
criteriongames.com - developers website with video

Microsoft to provide voice recognition software for Hyundais
nytimes.com - source

GTA cost 100 Million USD to make
tgdaily.com - source

China Introduces Game Fatigue System
games.internode.on.net - story

Aussie books for the lose
ttheage.com.au - a good read. HA. I get it.

Video of the week:

Take it to the next level
Nike put out this years high budget ad. This time?
Its in the view of a soccer player. Gets the Adrenaline flowing
Go watch on youtube

Another Video of the week!:

Gears of War 2 gameplay
Very graphic, and cinematic, this just shows how far gaming has come to
be able to present worlds as vivid as this.
Go watch on gametrailers

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

Episode 92: Sunday, 9pm AEST

Sunday, Sunday Sunday!

A special on Grand Theft Auto IV, to be streamed live thanks to gamestah.com
Be there in the audience either on the irc channel at irc.gamesurge.net #gamestah , or in the Ventrillo server live as well.

Be there as we catch up with two weeks of news, and cover one of the largest game releases for this year!

Live Sunday 9pm +10GMT (melbourne time)

ausTech news Episode 91: HARD DISK DRIVE SPECIAL

Episode 91: Hard Drive Special

This episode I go through what Makes a Hard Disk Drive tick, and show you what to look for and some golden rules in looking for one both today and in the future. Take note!

Also, Zeptos plans for a power rig of a gaming laptop.

Besides the large special on Hard Drives, A free game (trackmania nations forever), and a Video that you just can't miss if you liked the Animatrix series.
Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (34:43, 19.8mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

A new raptor hard drive claws away
storagereview.com - review

Battlefield heroes trailer and info
gamespy.com -source
Beta: may 6th, Client download is 250meg! Customization wahoo

COD4 Map Pack: 10 Million in 10 days
au.xbox360.ign.com - source
Now out on Ps3

Zepto brings out the punches
A growing Laptop company, Zepto just unveiled the first of a few new additions to its laptop line. This one is called the Notus, and is a 12inch Laptop that boasts Spill and Drop resistance, as well as a solid 8 hour battery life. Woohoo!

Video of the week:

Batman: Gotham night Trailer
You have to see this to believe it - its like the Animatrix, albeit for the
Batman series. Excellent music score too!
Go watch on youtube

Tip of the Week:
Free game: Trackmania Nations forever
trackmania.com

Tip of the week:
Hard Disk Drive Special
Hard Disk Drives are still currently the most dangerous, volatile and fragile part of a pc (short of a cpu with no fan I guess) - but without it we wouldn't be where we are today, because it holds all of the information and data we get. It's given the computer a personal face, by allowing people to put much more redundant stuff on theirs, to customize their system.

Inside, a needle seeks across a platter which looks like a tough cd and is called a platter. The platter is what holds all your stuff, and the speed and capacity of your hard drive depends on it. To make the seek time lower, drive makers can up the rotational speed (a bit like how cd burners go at different speeds), Beginning at 5,400rpm, to the common desktop speed of 7,200, on to 10,000 and even 15,000rpm. To increase the amount of stuff you can hold, pack the magnetic data tighter (such as perpendicular recording where the bits are turned sideways), or have more platters. The Hitachi Deskstar out at the moment in 1 Terrabyte for example, has 5 Platters, each with 200gig. Note that a hard drive head must never touch the platter surface, or it can do some big damage the surface. On earlier models, drives that made physical contact would shatter in places and be pretty dramatic. The actual head itself must be extremely close to the surface to be able to correctly pick up the magnetic pattern, so its a delicate balance held up only by a thin pocket of air. To put it another way, if you were to scale up the inside bits of a hard drive, so that the platter was the size of the world - the seek head would be similar to the eiffel tower. Now imagine that tower, with the current technology we are using today, to be used in a hard drive would have to spin at a height of less than one inch from the ground. Or according to the IDEMA hdd industry back in 1999, flying a 747 plane .63mm height off the ground. so you can see why these parts are extremely fragile, but in todays world are for the most part able to last many years with good care.

So having said all that, it should be more obvious why people say to not move your case while its on, or especially not to bump it - you don't want a broken platter now!

Choosing a hard drive for your computer is fairly easy these days, and comes down to three major companies: Seagate, Western Digital and IBM. Maxtor was bought by Seagate, and Raptor drives, were bought up by western digital a long time back, and are regarded as one of the no holds barred fastest drives you can buy for the moment.

Although you can look up reviews for HDD's and I recommend it, when you are tightly pressed for time, most drives perform similar, but there are a few specs to keep an eye on.
Seek Time is how long it takes from the PC saying "hey get this", to the HDD spinning to that part of the platter. Common times are between 6 to 8milliseconds, Although really compared to the other factors its probably the last part you should be looking at.

Next up is the cache size. This is a small ram buffer on the disk, to help get recent files much quicker. Naturally a bigger one helps, but you can obviously only buffer stuff you've already asked for, so the benefits are more for getting the same file again and again. 8meg is common and good, 16meg is a sweet spot. This isn't to be confused with Hybrid Hard Disks, which tend to have upwards of 256meg as a cache - these are a bit of a hybrid (duh) between solid state disks and traditional ones.

Most important though, and I can't stress this enough, is the cost to size ratio. This is how much the drive costs, compared to what you are getting. Taking a recent look at the MSY Price list, a 500 Gig Western Digital Hard Drive is worth $102. If you take the price, and divide it by the capacity, you can work out how much you are paying per gigabyte. In this example, you pay about 20cents per gig. A 1 Terrabyte (1000gig in HDD world) Western Digital is worth $256 or 25cents, making it a good buy for the value and large amount of space you get. On the not so good side, a Seagate 160gig Drive, is $62. That makes it over 38cents per gigabyte. So although you save in the short run $40, you get burned by a higher cost per gig, and the worry of needing to purchase an extra disk in the future if you fill that one up (and possibly moving everything to it). Personally, the sweet spot for HDD's and what I recommend are 500 and 750gig drives, although I love the headroom terrabyte drives are.

Oh and almost forgot - if you get a choice between IDE and SATA as a connection type, always go for SATA. This is because the cables are much smaller and easier to route through your case, and they also allow for more headroom for your hard drive to go faster (will be taken advantage of in the future)
The future looks to eventually replace HDD's as we know it, with Solid State Disks that essentially use flash memory and no moving parts to get rid of most of the downfalls of a mechanical medium. This also means seek times don't exisist anymore, and battery life will increase due to the lower power drain. Currently though, their extreme price ($15 a gig) and small capacities (again, a top of 64gigabytes vs terrabyte for a HDD) make them not practical.

Having talked all about this storage space, an important issue is backup. In short, the bigger a hard drive, the more you can lose. One thing I've learned is to never trust one too much, as they can fail anytime, without much warning. So, in a future episode I'll go through how you can effectively back up, and avoid the potential for some major heartache.

Hope you enjoyed my write up :)

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 90: CAPTCHA GOTCHA

Episode 90: Captch-a gotcha!

As grand theft auto IV comes closer and closer to being released, a review pops up on the internet... we have a look behind it. As well as that, a bit of a special on using your Asus EEE pc to its potential, and two gaming videos that will make you laugh.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (34:46, 19.8mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Microsoft Surface tech seen in wild
gizmodo.com - source

GTA IV Review scanned on the net
gtagaming.com - scans

Captcha now gotcha'd
Discussion: Security wise, how can you tell if im a bot?
slashdot.org - source
arstechnica.com - source
thepcspy.com - the kitten authentication method

Tip of the week
eeexUbuntu for your Asus eeePC
A lot of people grab their little eeePC, and the first thing they do is to try and make themselves familar, and install Windows. Well, for a screen with a low vertical resolution, making dialogs too large, I recommend a operating system that works better with it. That system is eexUbuntu.

Download it here: wiki.eeeuser.com
You'll find it extremely easy to install, and even a hardened windows user will have plenty of fun with how easy it is to install a program or game, and take advantage of it. For example, the EEE runs Compiz very well ( youtube video showing it in action here ).

Games mentioned on the podcast:
Tremulous - link
A 3D Shooter based on Enemy Territory
To install using eeeXubuntu for your eeePC:
sudo apt-get install tremulous
(use the terminal, in Accessories)

Warzone 2100 - link
A 3D Shooter based on Enemy Territory
To install using eeeXubuntu for your eeePC:
Click on this link to download the .deb file. It will give you the option to install it :)
Once installed, these games will appear in the games menu
This game was also Tip of the week in Episode 74 of ausTech news

Video of the week:

Meet the Scout
Valve deliver the goods with another cartoony,
funny Team Fortress 2 Charecter video.
Go watch on shacknews

Video of the week two!:

Battlefield Heroes Parody
A jab at EA's employment mixed with the recent Battlefield Heroes video.
Go watch on Planetbattlefield

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

If you have time, be sure to visit back and see what time we will be going live for next episode this Sunday, thanks to gamestah.com

Episode 90: Live tonight!

Just a reminder that ausTech news will be live like the last few weeks, thanks to Gamestah.com tonight. Expect a starting time approximately 9pm AEST/Melbourne time.

Jump on the irc channel at irc to do any shoutouts or give any feedback while the show is live. Although IRC may sound scary, its not. If you don't have mirc or xchat, Here is a web tool to help you get on.

http://www.mibbit.com/ - Web based IRC client
When you go there, the main information that you need is that we will be on irc.gamesurge.net (that is the server), and the channel will be #gamestah . You can choose any nickname you'd like, of course.

ausTech news Episode 89: LCD SCREEN SPECIAL

Episode 89: LCD SCREEN SPECIAL

Look forward to a large cast in the live room (thanks to http://gamestah.com ) tonight, and on the boiler we talk at length on what to look out for when getting a LCD Screen for your computer. Grand Theft Auto IV reveals its Multiplayer options and we talk about that as well.
And more!

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (1:16:08, 34.7mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Australian police refuse to be fined for piracy, claims problem is "too widespread"
techdirt.com - source

GTAIV's multiplayer
kotaku.com - source

Gears of War 2 information
gamecenteronline.net - source

Techcrunch - or how twitter is going to rock
techcrunch - source
As well as a big discussion by the crew on this episode.

Tip of the week:

Nokia Mosh
A social application built for mobile phones. You can find a lot of freeware and useful
phone applications on here, if you'd like to beef up your phone.
And no, its not just ringtones!
nokia mosh's website

Video of the week:

Grand Theft Auto IV
GTAIV looks like it has some funny Video versions of their funny radio ads...
Check out two of them here, including one about a singles Club with guns.
shacknews.com - streaming links

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 88: GTA IV - Kid Edition

Episode 88: GTA IV - Kid Edition

We have a lot more people in the live show thanks to Gamestah, and cover the very real issue of GTA IV being an edited version come launch day for us. Should we be worried? Also, Creative show their true colours in attempting to smack down a author that fixed problems with their drivers.


Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (50:12, 28.7mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Creative tried to smack down a guy trying to get drivers working for vista
Creatives original smackdown
And... Daniel's Reply

Breaking news: Q3 on the Ipod touch
engadget - source

N-Gage gaming service is now live
n-gage.com - official site

X-fire oddness
x-fire.com - competition page

GTAIV Has been watered down for Australia!
joystiq.com - source

Tip of the week:
Write caching on your HDD Is disabled by default on Vista. This is because it feels that
although you may have screwed your hard disk into place in your desktop, that you might still take it out. While it's on. And While your copying a file across. As a result, it will turn write caching off, slowing down file access, especially for often used files. Re-enable it easily with this short guide.
ocmodshop.com for the win

Video of the week:

Teamfortress 2 with your girlfriend
Ever wondered how your girlfriend might take jumping in to play your favourite FPS game?
This is a funny (and real!) take on it, and I think she done well :)
Internode forums link, with Youtube inside

Video of the week #2:

Top 10 Star Wars Videos
2 For the Price of 1! (?? - me), This is a recap of the funnies that have been
happening with Star Wars. A lot have been seen before, but are still very funny.
If you want to skip to the one that made me cry from laughing,
Try video #3: Darth Vader being a smartie.
dayofthejedi.com - video list

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

8bitNews - Episode 87.1: BBS Boards!!

NEW SHOW: 8Bit News

We've decided to target a more niche market now for our show, and have decided to go in the 8Bit console market. Tune in and listen to reviews of the greatest hardware, and this weeks exclusive review of Mayhem in Monsterland. MikeJ jumps in with me, and gives his opinion as well. We also answer a pen pal mail from a "uniquely named" charecter as well.


You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (16:44, 15.1mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

*UPDATE - EPISODE NOW OUT!*

Alternatively, Mail us eleven (11) 3.5 Floppy disks to our office in a self addressed envelope, and we will happily compress it onto them for you. We realise how long it may take to get files, so we offer this as a server to help you listen to our show.

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Words and Links to the Internets:

Review: Mayhem in Monsterland
This game is cutting edge for the best value console out there, the Commodore 64.
No bbs address :-( just a web address

got light?
Look this link you can click on! Hyperlinks are the way of the future!

Tip of the Episode:
Connection speed and Bandwidth checker, for when you need to see how
fast your modem has connected!
No bbs point :-( just a web address for netfor2.com

Picture of the week:

No picture this week, I'm sorry :( I couldn't wait for it to download.

Again, we are trying email instead of pen pal mail, and that email address is austechnews@gmail.com . We look forward to hearing from you soon!

ausTech news Episode 87: SOUNDCARD WARS

Episode 87: SOUNDCARD WARS

We have a few people in the live show thanks to gamestah, and discuss about if the newest updates to windows are worth it, and if you should hold back. Lots of shoutouts, and input from people listening to the show, and a tip for the social blogger or facebooker (gah!) in you.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (44:51, 25.6mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

Asus and Creative go to waaarrrrrr
tgdaily.com - source

Vista SP1 and XP sp3 - the aftermath
I talk in detail about the new updates, after the dust has settled.
Bit-tech : core SP1 Update Performance
Bit-tech : Vista SP1 Gaming Performance
Bit-tech: Windows XP SP3 Performance!

Mini PC news
dailytech.com - source
Asus EEE 900 To have Bluetooth, Maybe GPS, and a touchscreen!

Tip of the week:

twitter
Think Facebook is a load of hogwash? Twitter looks set to be a social site that doesn't suck.
You send short messages, which say what you are up to. People can comment, or your friends can follow. You can send updates via your phone, and subscribe to others and have their updates sent to your phone from/via SMS, seperating the explicit need for a PC. Privacy isn't as important, because you don't write your life story. Twitter itself is kept very simple, and is a dream to code with and for. In about an hour, I have a xml feed which shows it on any website I like. Great future!
Twitters website

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 86: NO DARK SECTOR FOR YOU

Episode 86: NO DARK SECTOR FOR YOU!

Joining a very small list, Dark Sector has become the latest game in Australia to be refused classification.

This episode has a large amount of live audience in here, Including Ripperlord, Hooti3, Bdad119, and Sgt.Smithy, as well as others present. As a result, this episode is more casual, but still covers a large range of topics.


Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (54:50, 31.1mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:
Valve gets all three fps founders in its steamroom
tgdaily.com - source

Solid State Fan kicks normal fans butt
dailytech.com - source

Dark Sector Banned in australia
1up.com - source


Sony bring the fail brigade - charge you to clean your laptop
engadget.com - reference

Bad Company beta on xbox360 reveals buyable weapons
shacknews.com - source

Tip of the week:

xepc.org - free up your Asus eee pc space!
With the current way that the eee works, It has two partitions. One hidden, one writeable, where all your files and updates go. This means that if you for example install skype 2.0, you now have two copies of skype on your mini laptop, wasting space. This update will commit updates to that hidden partition, freeing you up more space, and making you a happy little eee user again. Woot!
eeeuser.com - information link

Video of the week:

Dark Sector
Want to see the game you are missing on,
and see for yourself if it is too violent?
Gametrailers link

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!

ausTech news Episode 85: CANT STAND THE HEAT?

Episode 85: Can't stand the heat?

After coping with the boiling Victorian weather, and a awesome meetup with friends in Melbourne (images were blogged live here ), I pick the pieces up and talk about Asus's new mini device, as well as other things. A tip involving a multi touch capable wiimote for your pc, and a vieo about parking you won't expect.

Remember you can always subscribe by clicking the podcast icon in the top right, or by putting this link into your iTunes/podcast program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/AustechNews - Its easy and free to subscribe, and gives you the show as soon as we make them!



You can have a listen using the player here:

If you'd like, you can download this show straight away (28:19, 16.1mb), by clicking here (if you get a prompt, you want to save it to your computer)

Lastly, we are also on digg, if you would like to vote for us on there!:
http://digg.com/podcasts/ausTech_news


Shownotes:

OCZ Announce mega quick 32 and 64 gig Solid State discs
tgdaily.com - source

Mixed reality technology promises neo like whoa
dailytech.com - source

mp3 players celebrate their 10th Anniversary today
reghardware.co.uk - source

Play on linux
digg.com - referring source

Mini PC
www.dailytech.com - source

Tip of the week:
Use your wiimote as a Multitouch/tablet device
This clever guy uses a led device, and a mounted wiimote to be able to turn any screen or projector surface into something you can draw and interact with. Easier than you would think to do!
"Incredible wiimote hack"

Video of the week:

Extreme parking
You have to give it to him, the dedication this guy brings to
the "sport" of car parking is admirable...
Go watch on youtube

Our email address is austechnews@gmail.com . However feel free to leave a voice mail for feedback and comments on the show as well. Thanks for supporting the show and listening to it!