Gearfuse

Dell, HP, Apple and plenty of other computer manufacturers are flipping a shit today. Know why? It’s because China is nothing but a pro-censorship, communist country that shelters its people from truth. Starting next month, all computers going into the country will have to contain software that filters websites that China deems “unhealthy.” News, video and plenty of other websites will now be censored, leaving the Chinese population in the dark about what’s really happening in the world.

The New York Times has an in-depth look at what’s going to happen as a result of this. Be sure to check it out, especially if you’re heading over there anytime soon.

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The University of Utah has quite the headache right now.

You see, that annoying April 1st worm known affectionately as “Conficker” has infected over 700 computers at U of U. The worst part is that the virus has infiltrated the school’s medical computers and thus, can steal patient’s medical data. This is a huge issue for privacy advocates, IT security professionals and students. Spokesperson Chris Nelson sez:

“…the outbreak of the Conficker worm, which can slow computers and steal personal information, was first detected Thursday. By Friday, the virus had infiltrated computers at the hospitals, medical school, and colleges of nursing, pharmacy and health.”

Looks like Conficker is turning out to be quite the pain in the ass as of lately. Hopefully it doesn’t have any more tricks up its sleeve.

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Coming up with a new, viable idea in gaming is a tough challenge. After all, look what happened to the Phantom console after years of promises. A new service from entrepreneur Steve Perlman called OnLive is looking to challenge the home console as we know it.

The basic concept of OnLive is that it takes the powerful game computations that require serious hardware and computes them on a server far from the user’s home. The game is then fed through the Internet into the user’s home to a console of some sort. This will allow gamers to play games in real-time without the need for an install or game disc. Just think about how that would affect services like PSN and Xbox Live. Scary, right? VentureBeat got a preview of the service in action with Crysis and the results are apparently very impressive. Here’s to hoping that OnLive launches with success and a low cost to the consumer.

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Black Friday is only two days away and unless you started camping last night, don’t expect to scoop up any of those doorbuster items. Luckily, every hipster’s favorite computer company will be offering rare discounts on hardware and the like. Apple will offer deep discounts ranging from $100 to $250 on Macbooks, Macbook Pros, iMacs and other computers. The more expensive, the better the discount. It looks like our good friends Best Buy will also be offering the discounts, but I wouldn’t go anywhere near a place like that on Black Friday. Best of luck on your deal-hunting.

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The CAPTCHA process is famous for preventing spam and helping translate books. So, Jeffrey Augustine went back to third grade arts and crafts to create the Dream Captcha. It’s inspired by Native American dream catchers and the “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” used by many online sites to inhibit automated software from posing as you or I. Say goodbye to CAPTCHA nightmares and hello to sweet dreams.

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Here’s a “Pro Gaming Table” that is supposed to be awesome for people who never leave the house. It can hold your thousands of dollars worth of equipment with ease, ensuring that you’re never going to have “issues” whilst raiding in World of Warcraft come the release of that new expansion pack. And by “issues,” I mean running out of Lean Pockets.

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Keep in mind that the IEEE 802.11n wireless spec hasn’t even been solidified and is still in the draft phase. Draft, people. And now, rumors of Gigabit WiFi are popping up at a time where WiMAX is still having a ton of problems and we’re still on 802.11g as a standard. The new technology, dubbed 802.11 VHT (Very High Throughput), could one day be the new standard for WiFi. The performance increase would be astonishing, but right now, no computer could take advantage of it:

f approved, the increase in data rates would be dramatic, at least by today’s standards. The 802.11n standard calls for bandwidth on the order of 600 Mbits/s; today, so-called “pre-n” devices offer roughly 300 Mbits/s. But actual throughput can be much less, or only about 100 Mbits/s, after overhead and other traffic. The 802.11 VHT proposals call for throughput of at least a gigabit per second, which could place actual data rates many times higher. Interestingly, none of the PAR documents mention the estimated range for the wireless link.

As you can see, that’s nearly twice the speed of 802.11n. Maybe adding VHT into the mix isn’t such a bad idea after all…

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This time next year, when you’re buying Apple’s newly updated Macbook Pro or Mac Pro, you’ll likely see Intel’s latest line of CPUs in your machine. It’s called “Core” and the first CPU due out under the new moniker is the Intel Core i7 and i7 Extreme Edition. Not the most exciting thing, I know, but just think back to that old 486 DX and you’ll be smiling in no time. Just don’t expect Psystar to make the upgrade.

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Physicists at the University of Sydney in Australia have created an optical chip that has the potential make the internet up to 100 times faster. These “chalcogenide glass photonic chips” can operate at data rates of almost 640 GB/s, meaning they’ll allow users to transmit the equivalent of seventeen whole DVD’s each second. Wow. Imagine what the bootleggers will be able to do with the new crystal chips.

Chalcogenide glass photonic chips are cheap to produce since they can be made from plain glass crystals. The chips increase internet speed by preventing networks from being bogged down by old fashioned electronic components when transmitting information at the speed of light. Scientists say this technology could be commercially available in as early as five years. Get ready for blazing fast downloads and supercomputers that will blow your mind.

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Eco-friendly Uruguayan leathermaker Begoodesigns has found a use for old car seats. They’re making swank laptop cases using recycled auto upholstery. Begood’s bags don’t just protect the environment, they also guard your precious computer. Inside the bags, there’s a soft lining made from padded car seat fabric.

With it’s classic leather luggage styling, this recycled laptop bag is a major step up from those DIY velcro and duct tape laptop bags. Begoodesign’s car seat leather computer case sells for $250 on their web site. Buy one of these and you might be able to feel a little bit better about driving a big ol’ gas-guzzling SUV. If you’re looking for even more recycled leather gear Begoodesigns also makes sandals and necklaces.

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