Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Elcomsoft uses NVIDIA GPUs to crack WPA2

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/419586476/

Elcomsoft has been using NVIDIA's CUDA GPU computing architecture to accelerate its Distributed Password Recovery tool for a while now, but it looks like the latest version of the cracking utility takes it to the next level -- it can break a WPA2 password using two GeForce GTX 280-based boards 100 times faster than with just a CPU. It's still a brute-force crack, but only a few packets need be sniffed, and the GPU accelerates the algorithm used to generate keys significantly -- even laptop-grade 8800M and 9800M GPUs speed things up 10 to 15 times. We wouldn't worry too much about wardrivers with trunk-mounted bladeservers going nuts, however -- the base version of the software costs $599, and things ramp up to $5,000 pretty quickly.

[Via HotHardware]

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Yoggie intros mini security computers for Mac desktops, laptops

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/419690078/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Peripherals

Yoggie's mini "security computers" have been at the disposal of PC users for some time now, and it looks like the company has now finally decided to give Mac users a taste of the completely hardware-based security solution. That comes in the form of both Mac-friendly versions of Yoggie's Gatekeeper ExpressCard and its Gatekeeper Pico USB stick, each of which are "full-blown" Linux-based computers in the own right, and include a slew of applications that promise to both increase security and take some of the load off of your laptop or desktop. What's more, it looks like Yoggie is also giving Mac users a slight discount for their patience, as the Gatekeeper ExpressCard and Gatekeeper Pico are now available to pre-order fro $150 and $119, respectively, a 20% discount compared to their usual price, and their PC counterparts.

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Averatec debuts Atom-based, 18.4-inch All-in-One desktop PC

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/419818330/

Filed under: Desktops

Well, it looks like Averatec is now fully on board the Atom bandwagon, with it now pushing its Buddy netbook out the door, and also getting official about the US launch for its Atom-based, 18.4-inch All-in-One desktop PC, which was first announced in Europe last month. This one's apparently intended to complement the company's larger, equally unimaginatively-named 22-inch All-in-One PC, and comes loaded with some expectedly more netbook-like specs, including 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and, of course, that ever-present 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor. You won't find anything like the 1680 x 945, 18.4-inch display on a netbook, however, or on many other desktop PCs with a $550 price tag, for that matter.

[Image courtesy of Laptop]

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic just chills with the FCC for a little while

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/419878611/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

The 5800 XpressMusic may be delayed for some people, but apparently, the boys and girls at the FCC aren't included in that flatly unlucky group. Nokia has passed a version of its first touchscreen S60 handset by the Fed's watchful eyes, and all's looking good except for one critical detail: this isn't the HSDPA 850 / 1900 version. We're sure it's coming, don't get us wrong -- but for the time being, this does us just about as much good as a Nokia with a resistive touch... ah, wait.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Cranky Windows Guy: Apple Laptops Still Too Damned Expensive [Apple]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/420805956/cranky-windows-guy-apple-laptops-still-too-damned-expensive

As you may be aware, I'm a Windows guy. I'm not diehard about it, however. When the time comes for me to get a new laptop in the next year or so, I'll be open to switching, making me Apple's target market. But there's one big reason that is holding me back from making that switch: price. Apple's laptops are expensive as hell, and the prices aren't justified.

Let's just look at the 13-inch MacBook that was just announced, for example. For $1,300, it comes with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. Over at Dell, I can grab an Inspiron 13 laptop with a 13.3-inch screen, a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. For $750. For those of you keeping score at home, that's a $550 difference, and the specs are better on the cheaper Dell.

And it's not like Apple is offering anything great for my $550. You have a fancy new manufacturing process, awesome. Your trackpads are glass. OK. I'd rather have $550 and a plastic trackpad, thanks. I'm not sold on no physical buttons anyways.

Apple has always put a price premium on its products, and people pay it, which is great for them. But for people who aren't already on the Apple bandwagon and for people who aren't having their computers bought for them by rich parents, like the college kids! who sna p up these laptops every August, there's no incentive to switch.

Maybe Leopard is way better than Vista. I don't know, I haven't extensively used either. But when the time comes to buy a new computer that comes loaded with one or the other, one thing is going to make my decision for me, and it isn't shiny glass things or funny commercials. It's the price. And I don't think I'm alone on that one.