Could Intel kill off the removable CPU?

At some point, a self-confessed computer geek will have built a computer for themselves, or a friend. They’ll have invested much time and love selecting the right components including motherboard, CPU and memory, to fit their computing and budgetary needs.


But if Intel’s rumoured shift to a ball grid array (BGA), where the CPU is soldered directly to the motherboard, turns out to be fact, it will take some of the magic and mysticism out of building a computer. Not to mention alienating the enthusiast market, where CPU choice is a key factor in spending a premium on a CPU that can be pushed to the limit through overclocking and voltage mods.

Windows Live Messenger closes March 15th (except in China)

While Microsoft gave all of us a heads up several months ago that Windows Live Messenger would soon be retired, we now have a definitive end date for the company's online messaging client. The company has now sent out emails to the remaining users of the program informing them that it will close up shop on March 15th.

Activation flaw gifts pirates legitimate Windows 8

Thanks to a flaw in Microsoft's various activation methods for Windows 8, pirates are able to receive a free, legitimately activated copy of Windows 8. Through a combination of an illegitimate KMS activation followed by a free Windows Media Center upgrade, anyone is able to receive a fully activated "legitimate" copy of Windows 8 with very little effort.

Google Fiber in Kansas City is live - and fast!

The world’s been talking about Google Fiber, the service that promises customers gigabit Ethernet, for quite a while. It was originally announced in March of 2011 but was delayed in January of 2012. Google announced some new hardware for the service this past July, and Hanover Heights was picked as the first location the service would be offered in.

132 websites seized for selling counterfeit goods

During the holiday season, presents are bought from stores or online. But one thing rings true; everyone is after a bargain.


A joint operation conducted by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the UK, and the European Police Office (Europol) has seized a total of 132 websites and made one arrest, cracking down on websites selling counterfeit goods.

Jesus makes an appearance in SplashData’s 25 worst passwords list

He may be considered a savior by many people around the world, but today SplashData is showing us that Jesus won’t do much when it comes to protecting you from having your online identities hijacked. The company has released its list of the 25 worst passwords for 2012, and aside from an appearance by one of the most important figures in the Christian religion, there are few new entries on the annual list. Of course, things like “password” and “123456″ rank at the top yet again, so if you’re still using those passwords to secure your online accounts, stop it already.

Back in August, Demonoid, the most popular private torrent community, was suddenly removed from the face of the Internet in the wake of a DDoS attack and a coincidentally-timed, but seemingly unrelated server raid. Now, just as suddenly as the beloved community was taken down, the tracker has been restored.

Internet Explorer 10 Preview Version for Windows 7 released

 As promised, Microsoft has released the "Preview Version" of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. This version of Microsoft's home grown web browser first made its debut with the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT in late October. Microsoft posted up a landing page with URLs for downloads of IE9 and IE10 for Windows 7 but the actual download link did not go live until later in the day.

Windows XP support from Microsoft ends in 500 days

Microsoft has made a point to send out reminders to large businesses that still use Windows XP that extended support for the OS will end soon. The company has also tried to offer advice to businesses who want to make the move to Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Microsoft: Outlook.com now has 25 million users

At the end of July, Microsoft launched the public beta of Outlook.com, its new online email service. Today, Microsoft announced that since the beta launch, there are now over 25 million active users on Outlook.com.


The official Outlook blog also claimed today that one third of the users of Outlook.com were also active subscribers to Gmail. Microsoft said they hired a research team to recruit hundreds of current Gmail users to show them the the features of Outlook.com. Microsoft claims, "The best part was, after spending just five days with it, 4 out of 5 of these Gmail users said they would switch to Outlook.com."