Apple unveils tightened Mountain Lion requirements
Apple has released the System Requirements for its upcoming new version of OS X, Mountain Lion, and as is usually the case with any operating system release, not all Macs need apply – even some that qualified for the Mac's current operating system, Lion.
The basic System Requirements are rather straightforward, although as 512 Pixels notes, Apple provides a bit more detail than it has in the past:
- OS X version 10.6.8 (Leopard) or later
- 2GB of memory
- 8GB of available disk space Read more...
First release of Surface tablets to be Wi-Fi-only, sources say
The first release of Microsoft's Surface tablet computers will be Wi-Fi-only, two unnamed sources told the Washington Post.
When the tablets were launched Monday, Microsoft did not say whether the initial release of the Surface tablet on Windows RT or Windows 8 Pro would have cellular connectivity. Officials referred to a shortened spec sheet that left many details about the tablets unclear. The spec sheet lists both models of the Surface tablet as coming with various ports and a 2x2 MIMO antenna. Such antennas can be used in both Wi-Fi and cellular communications. Since the spec sheet was incomplete, it can't be assumed there will be no cellular connectivity, analysts said. Read more...
Use Internet Explorer 9? You need this update, stat
Just over 8.5% of TNW readers, which amounts to a whole pile of traffic, use Internet Explorer on their normal computers (non-mobile), so this post is for them. If you use Internet Explorer (and we presume that that means you are on version 9, the good one), you need to make sure that you have the April ‘Cumulative Security Update’ for the browser.
It patches some five previously reported issues, making it an essential grab if Internet Explorer is your daily drive. Depending on how you have your Windows Update settings tuned, you might be snagging it automatically, but if not, details can be found right here. Read more...
Clues about HP’s Gen8 servers leaked
Hewlett-Packard has let slip some details on its website about its upcoming Proliant Gen8 servers ahead of their official launch.
The pages list basic details of single- and dual-socket BL, ML and DL Gen8 servers, which will be based on Intel's upcoming Xeon E5 processors.
One system, the single-socket ProLiant BL460c, is a small-form-factor server based on Intel's E5-2650L processor.
Some servers will have HP's latest networking, I/O, storage and management capabilities, according to results that show up during a search of HP's website. The pages the results are supposed to lead to have been removed from the site. Read more...
Google planning its own Nexus tablet
You didn't really think Google was going to let Amazon hog all the Android tablet glory, did you? In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sea today, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said that the company planned to sell a tablet "in the next six months" that would be "of the highest quality." Schmidt did not provide any further details of what would set the tablet apart from other Android tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Google has experience releasing its own devices through its Nexus-branded series of smartphones. The latest such smartphone, Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, was the first to feature the Android 4.0 operating system, nicknamed "Ice Cream Sandwich." The Galaxy Nexus also features a 4.65-inch HD display screen with 720p resolution, a 5MP camera that can shoot video at 1080p, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, and 1GB of RAM. Read more...
Payment Provider Hands Over Name of Torrent Site Owner
After being threatened with a lawsuit by the Hollywood-funded anti-piracy outfit BREIN, a Dutch payment provider has handed over the personal details of a torrent site owner. The anti-piracy group is targeting payment providers in order to reveal the identity of site owners, as the information owners give to hosting companies is often false.
Hundreds of torrent sites, private BitTorrent trackers in particular, allow their users to donate money in exchange for extra features. In part, the site owners use this money to keep their sites afloat, but if it’s up to anti-piracy watchdog BREIN, this type of funding will become their downfall.
Earlier this month BREIN announced that it would query payment providers such as PayPal for the personal information of account holders connected to ‘illegal’ sites. BREIN threatened to take these payment providers to court if they refused to cooperate, and it now appears that they were serious. Read more...