SYDNEY, Australia, Dec. 8, 2008 – Intel researchers have made the next advance in the field of Silicon Photonics by achieving world-record performance using a silicon-based Avalanche Photodetector (APD) that could lower costs and improve performance as compared to commercially available optical devices. The research results were published today in Nature Photonics. 

Silicon Photonics is an emerging technology using standard silicon to send and receive optical information among computers and other electronic devices. The technology aims to address future bandwidth needs of data-intensive computing applications such as remote medicine and lifelike 3-D virtual worlds. 

Ultra-fast transfer of data will be essential for future computers powered by many processor cores. Silicon Photonics-based technology could deliver higher-speed mainstream computing at a lower cost. This advance builds upon previous Intel breakthroughs such as fast silicon modulators and hybrid silicon lasers. Combined, these technologies could lead to the creation of entirely new kinds of digital machines capable of far greater performance than today.
 
A team led by Intel researchers created the silicon-based APD, a light sensor that achieves superior sensitivity by detecting light and amplifying weak signals as light is directed onto silicon. This APD device used silicon and CMOS processing to achieve a “gain-bandwidth product” of 340 GHz — the best result ever measured for this key APD performance metric. This opens the door to lower the cost of optical links running at data rates of 40Gbps or higher and proves, for the first time, that a silicon photonics device can exceed the performance of a device made with traditional, more expensive optical materials such as indium phosphide. 

“This research result is another example of how silicon can be used to create very high-performing optical devices,” said Mario Paniccia, Ph.D., Intel Fellow and director of the company’s Photonics Technology Lab. “In addition to optical communication, these silicon-based APDs could also be applied to other areas such as sensing, imaging, quantum cryptography or biological applications. 

Intel worked with industry and academic collaborators, and the research was jointly funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Numonyx, a leading maker of NOR, NAND, RAM and phase change non-volatile memory technologies, provided manufacturing and process development. “This achievement is a good example of the effective collaboration between Intel and Numonyx,” said Yonathan Wand, Numonyx manufacturing vice president and Fab1 plant manager. “We are committed to enhancing this collaboration, to enable further research breakthroughs in the Silicon Photonics area.” 

Prof. Joe Campbell of the University of Virginia and Prof. John Bowers of the University of California, Santa Barbara, both APD experts, provided consultation and assisted with testing.  

“This APD utilises the inherently superior characteristics of silicon for high-speed amplification to create world-class optical technology,” Bowers said. “We were glad to help characterise these devices and will continue to work with Intel to realise the full potential of silicon photonics devices.”

One of Hollywood’s greatest screen legends returns in an intensely riveting thriller, packed with twists and turns, when 88 MINUTES launches on DVD from 4 February 2009!

Famed forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm (AL PACINO – The Godfather trilogy, Heat, Scarface, Scent of a Woman) has built a reputation for successfully profiling serial killers, including Jon Forster (NEAL MCDONOUGH), who was sentenced to death primarily on the strength of Gramm’s expert testimony. One night before Forster is scheduled to be executed, the city of Seattle is rocked by a killing that matches his crimes exactly — and the victim is one of Gramm’s students.

With the murder raising doubts about Forster’s guilt and casting suspicion on Gramm himself, the stakes are dramatically raised further when Gramm receives a cryptic phone call saying he has just 88 minutes to live.  This ignites a race against the clock; Gramm needs to identify the copycat killer from among a mass of possible suspects including the serial killer, a disgruntled student and a jilted former lover – all before his time runs out!

A paranoia-fuelled thrill ride that takes place virtually in real time, 88 MINUTES goes inside the brilliant mind of a man whose business it is to suspect the worst in people. This tense psychological thriller follows an FBI profiler down a rabbit hole of violence, deception and intrigue.  As the clock ticks away, tensions mount, suspicions rise and blood flows.

88 MINUTES marks the first collaboration between AL PACINO and director / producer JON AVNET, whose numerous credits include the Oscar® nominated Fried Green Tomatoes and the enduring comedy Risky Business.  Its powerful supporting cast includes ALICIA WITT (Vanilla Sky, The Upside of Anger), LEELEE SOBEIESKI (In The Name of the King, Deep Impact) and AMY BRENNEMAN (The Jane Austen Book Club, TV’s Judging Amy).

A strikingly original movie with a classic performance by one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actor, this is edge-of-your-seat filmmaking with an intriguing premise and packed with action at every turn!

UNDERBELLY and SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH scooped this year’s AFI awards taking home eight of a
possible ten awards in the Television category, with UNDERBELLY awarded a phenomenal six awards
including Best Television Drama Series. SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH’s Chris Lilley was also awarded the
prestigious Byron Kennedy Award and accepted awards for Best Television Comedy Series and Best
Performance in a Television Comedy.

These awards cement what has been an exceptional year for Australian television and these two series’
in particular. Since its release in August UNDERBELLY [UNCUT] has sold close to 350,000 units, becoming
the highest selling TV series on DVD in Australian history, with SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH following as a
close second.

And with only a few weeks left until the end of the year it looks like UNDERBELLY [UNCUT] will become
the highest selling DVD of 2008, beating Hollywood blockbusters such as Mamma Mia and Indiana Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, despite still being unavailable to residents of Victoria.
Also receiving an award was THE HOLLOWMEN for Best Screenplay in Television and THE CASTLE was
voted Australia’s Favourite Film, beating other classics including Priscilla Queen of the Desert and
Lantana.

Melbourne & Amersterdam, 8 December 2008 – AVG Technologies has announced that its anti-virus software was voted a winner in the 2008 Spicies™ Awards – a competition in which 500,000 IT small business professionals vote on their favorite technology products and services. Award winners were selected based on the most popular products within the Spiceworks community – one of the largest groups of small business technology professionals in the world. Spiceworks users voted on the best-of-the-best, and winners were announced at the inaugural SpiceWorld 2008 conference.
AVG’s small business anti-virus software won its category by a landslide, with the number of votes cast almost double that of the runner up, according to Spiceworks.

“The winners of the Spicies Awards represent the ‘people’s choice’ of small business IT products and services,” said Scott Abel, CEO of Spiceworks. “We congratulate them for their success in introducing new tools, services and platforms that are driving the next phase of innovation and creating real value for small businesses around the world.”

The Spicies Awards finalists were selected from hundreds of top products and services used by members of the Spiceworks network. Winners were chosen by the community of more than 500,000 Spiceworks small business IT professionals in 194 countries around the world. A full list of the winners can be found at http://community.spiceworks.com/group/show/299.

“AVG is honored to have been recognized with this award by the Spiceworks small business user community,” said Siobhan MacDermott, Head of Global Communications and Investor Relations, AVG. “It is extremely gratifying that our products have been cited as ‘best in class’ in the anti-virus category. And we are committed to continually upgrading and enhancing our software solutions to meet customers’ ever-changing needs and requirements.”
About Spiceworks
Founded by network and systems management software pioneers, Spiceworks develops the first free collaborative IT management application that incorporates crowdsourcing to help over 500,000 small businesses simplify everything IT. Spiceworks makes it easy for IT pros to manage their networks, collaborate to solve technology problems, and find the best practices, products and services they need day-to-day. Spiceworks is a privately held company headquartered in Austin, Texas with funding from Austin Ventures and Shasta Ventures. For more information visit www.spiceworks.com.

About AVG Technologies

AVG is a global security solutions leader protecting 85 million consumers and small business computer users in 167 countries from the ever-growing incidence of web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the world. Its free online, downloadable software model allows entry-level users to gain basic anti-virus protection and then to easily and inexpensively upgrade to greater levels of safety and defense in both single and multi-user environments. Nearly 6,000 resellers, partners and distributors team with AVG globally including Amazon.com, CNET, Cisco, Ingram Micro, Play.com, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo!. More information is available at www.avg.com.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Based on the upcoming DreamWorks Animation 3D feature film, the Monsters vs. Aliens video game puts the fate of the planet in players’ hands as they lead a dynamic team of five misfit monsters on a mission to save the world…as only they can.  The game allows fans to experience the movie’s action and humour while playing as The Missing Link, the macho half-ape, half-fish; the gelatinous, indestructible and always hungry B.O.B.; and Ginormica, the 49-foot-11-inch tall woman and Insectosaurus, the 350-foot tall grub.  Players utilise each character’s distinct strengths, sizes and abilities to battle giant alien robots that are wreaking havoc on earth.  Friends or family members can join in the excitement at anytime as the world’s most brilliant scientist, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., in the unique co-op multiplayer mode. 

KEY FEATURES:

Play as your favourite monsters from the film – The rag tag team of monsters are tough, funny and sometimes misguided, but all together are a force to be reckoned with, both in their alien battling abilities and wise cracking personalities.  Players relive their hilarious antics from the movie and create an all-new adventure in an epic battle to conquer mankind’s biggest threat, Gallaxhar and his giant alien robots.  

Experience unique gameplay as different monsters – Challenges stay fresh and lively through more than 12 distinct levels as players switch between characters, each with vastly different capabilities and sizes. 

• The Missing Link: Utilise his skilful acrobatics to cling to and scale various surfaces.  His agility and brut strength lets him take down enemies of all sizes.
• B.O.B.: The gelatinous B.O.B. can swallow and spit out enemies and objects, stretch, bounce, stick to walls and ceilings and seep through grates and cracks.
• Ginormica: Her enormous size allows players to race through the city using cars as rollerskates and her sheer strength comes in handy to lift heavy objects and brawl with the robot army.
• Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.: As the brainiest of the group and the mission giver, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. is playable at any time in co-op mode to assist with slowing down enemies, overcoming obstacles and grabbing collectibles.
• Insectosaurus: Command this enormous 350-foot tall monster in epic battle sequences against giant robots.  Insectosaurus shoots silk and has a piercing sonic scream that will have enemies running.

Explore cool locations from the movie and more – Visit cool locations from the film and beyond including the streets of San Francisco, Gallaxhar’s huge overcompensating mothership and the super secret government containment area.  Game exclusive levels, areas and locations include the inside of a 400-foot tall mining robot, a giant scorpion robot, a deeper look into the monster containment facility and Gallaxhar’s mothership. 

Work as a team in co-op mode – A second player can pick up a controller and drop in at anytime as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.  As the most brilliant scientist in the world, players can blast and beam away enemies with tricky gadgets, plus reach hard to access places that only the smartest of cockroaches can get to.

Publisher:                                         Activision, Inc.

Developer:                                        Beenox, Inc. (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Games for Windows/PC)

                                                            Amaze Entertainment (NDS)

Release Date:                                   April 2009    

Platforms:                                         PlayStationÒ2 computer entertainment system/PlayStationÒ3 computer entertainment system/Xbox 360™ video game system from Microsoft/WiiÔ/Nintendo DSÔ/Games for Windows ™ PC

Classification Board Rating:         “RP” (Rating Pending)

– 5 December 2008 – Driving over $7 million worth of top-spec racing cars down gamers’ download pipes, Codemasters® today announced the launch of the new downloadable “8 Ball” premium content pack for Race Driver: GRID™, the hit racing game of the summer, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The 8 Ball pack will be available today, Friday 5^th December, from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace (800 Microsoft Points) and from PLAYSTATION^®Network ($12.95 AUD/ $14.50 NZD).

True to the original game’s quality ethos, the 8 Ball pack delivers eight superb high performance new cars to drive in the game’s ‘Race Day’ mode and online races. New featured cars include the McLaren F1 GTR, TVR Cerbera Speed 12, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Honda S2000, Nissan GT-R (S-G2008), VW Nardo, Pontiac Firebird Trans AM and the Volvo C30 (full details in Notes).

In addition to the cars, there are two new multiplayer events to compete in set on existing circuits from across Race Driver: GRID’s three continents and designed to test drivers to their very limit online. On Xbox 360, the pack will also feature four new Achievements worth 25 points each to earn from four new competitive challenges including Jack Of All Trades, Drift Master, Gas Guzzler and Clean Passing.

Each downloadable pack will require players to have a full copy of Race Driver: GRID on the appropriate format in order to experience the additional content. Details of downloadable content for the Games for Windows^® edition of Race Driver: GRID will be announced shortly. For all the latest information and videos, be sure to visit www.racedrivergrid.com

NOTES:

THOSE “8 BALL” CARS IN FULL:

·        McLaren F1 GTR – The McLaren F1 GTR wrote itself into the history books as the only GT car to ever win Le Mans outright in the modern era and is considered one of the finest examples of automotive engineering in history.

• TVR Cerbera Speed 12 – The TVR 12 smashes past 60 MPH in just under 3 seconds. Production models were planned, but they were considered too powerful to sell to the general public.

• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X – For over a decade the Evo has been billed as a supercar slayer – now the Evo-X in GRID lets you unleash its sledgehammer aggression in the Pro-Tuned class.

• Honda S2000 – This roadster is heavily modified for drifting and has become a cult-favourite thanks to its award winning engine.

• Nissan GT-R (S-G2008) – One of the world’s hottest cars makes its debut in Race Driver: GRID in its  fully tuned racing spec.

• VW Nardo – This powerful concept car made real from VW uses its 600BHP engine to rocket to 60MPH in 3.1 seconds.

• Pontiac Firebird Trans AM – The 1971 racing edition of this true American legend is a worthy addition to GRID’s exclusive group of muscle cars.

• Volvo C30 – Adding to Race Driver: GRID’s touring car roster comes the C30, Volvo’s agile, cutting edge hot-hatch straight from the STCC grid.

ACHIEVEMENT CHALLENGES:

• Jack Of All Trades – Win an online race in each of the 8 Ball pack cars.
• Drift Master – Achieve a 99x combo in the Honda S2000.
• Gas Guzzler – Clock up over 250 miles in your favourite 8 Ball pack car.
• Clean Passing – Win a clean race in an 8 Ball Pack car from last position.

Atari Australia is the exclusive distributor for Codemasters, for more information about Atari’s entire product line up, visit www.atari.com.au and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers, and online screenshots.

Friday 5th December 2008 – SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today launched PlaySEGA™, a completely new SEGA experience for all types of gaming and social networking fans. PlaySEGA is based at www.PlaySEGA.com and is a mini web game portal with a selection of arcade, word, card, puzzle, quiz, Sonic and sports titles, which are available now and completely FREE to all PC and Mac users.

PlaySEGA has an impressive assortment of titles available on the site including Brain Assist™, which was originally released for the Nintendo DS™, and the successful mobile title, Sonic at the Olympic Games™. Brand new SEGA games that have been created exclusively for PlaySEGA are also available such as Ice Shuffle, Hollywood Adventure Quiz and Aquatic Word Burst. In addition, a selection of all-new Guest Games will soon be unveiled, all entirely FREE to each PlaySEGA user.

Every game has a unique integrated system to calculate players’ highest scores, giving player’s the ability to view leader board achievements, and PlaySEGA Rings earned during each gaming session. PlaySEGA Rings are the site’s currency; the more games you play and the longer you play, the more PlaySEGA Rings you win – it’s as simple as that!

Users can use Rings to customise their site and create an Escape Area, which is essentially their very own profile page. A wide range of Escape Areas are available to purchase and can be anything from a New York apartment, Swiss chalet or Caribbean villa, to a haunted house! Consumers can also purchase luxury items using their PlaySEGA Rings and decorate their Escape Areas with items including; furniture, TVs, lights, flooring and much more. Customers can invite friends to visit their decorated Escape Areas, as well as view their favourite PlaySEGA games, highest scores, and achievements earned.

SEGA is also proud to announce a PlaySEGA VIP (Very Important Player) area of the site. This new area is coming soon and for a small charge users will be able to access and play dozens more web games, including newly acquired titles specifically created for PlaySEGA, along with fan favorites from the respected SEGA Mega Drive™ years. These titles include the genuine SEGA classics we all know and love: Columns™, Puyo Pop™, Chu Chu Rocket™, Sonic The Hedgehog™ and Super Monkey Ball Tip n’ Tilt™ among others.

 “What started off as a small project within the SEGA Network Group has now caught the imagination of the entire company,” explains Nick Pili, Network Business Director, SEGA of Europe. “I have suggestions for new games filling up my in-box, from the CEO, to staff I’ve never even met over in our Japanese, European and US offices.”

 “SEGA fans and new gamers alike can now come together in one place and enjoy some of our most exciting vintage and new titles,” continues Pili. “There was a story out there recently that we have a locked vault full of retro SEGA classics in Japan. Well, it’s true – and we’ve been given full access to a lot of the properties in it.”

PlaySEGA launches today and is an evolving site that will continue to keep user’s interests piqued by the many new games, social network and community elements available in the near future. To sign up and enjoy everything PlaySEGA has to offer, go to www.PlaySEGA.com .

To celebrate the Winter season, a new unique offer has been tamed in the Cimmerian wilderness…

Purchase Age of Conan now and ride into battle in style on your free in-game
Snow Mammoth!

To further aid you through the barbaric lands of Hyboria, you also get the Bag of the Mammoth Rider to increases your inventory slots. These items are available to all the characters you create.

There has never been a better time than now to check out Age of Conan.

Along with the game itself, the Collectors Edition pack, which will be available for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, will include the following contents housed in a classic Street Fighter scene outer case –

• Limited edition figurines of all time favourite character Ryu and the all new character Crimson Viper, positioned within the familiar settings of the ‘crowded Chinese downtown’. 
• A bonus disc containing a feature length HD quality anime movie, created specially for the launch of Street Fighter IV and a selection of the best game trailers to date.  
• A mini strategy guide created in the style of a comic art book detailing the moves and biographies of four of the new characters to the series; Viper, Abel, El Fuerte and Rufus
• Exclusive downloadable game content

Street Fighter IV the Collectors Edition will be punching its way into fans hands on February 20 ^th 2009.

The Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage II Extreme motherboard from ASUS, has broken the Core i7 CPU world record at 5510.09MHz. (http://valid.x86-secret.com/show_oc.php?id=451336)

The release of the Intel® Core™ i7 has set the overclocking arena abuzz with excitement and enthusiasts have come all out to crack new world records. Armed with the ASUS ROG Rampage II Extreme motherboard that supports the newest Intel platform, Japanese overclocker ‘duck’ has soared to the top of the overclocking charts and scored a world record for Core i7 CPU frequencies. Duck managed to record an exceptional score of 5510.09MHz – setting the challenge for future contenders in a bid for the throne. A veteran of overclocking CPUs, duck still holds the world’s highest frequency for overclocking a Pentium 4 631 CPU to a staggering 8180.4MHz last year.

Overclocking-oriented features on the new ASUS Rampage II Extreme motherboard played a major part in the successful breaking of the world record. TweakIt, an easy-to-use joystick-like control on the motherboard enables overclockers to make real-time changes to their system’s core frequency, voltage and other parameters – even while the benchmark utility is running. At no point does software come into play, as the tweaking is completely hardware-based. With such hassle-free tweaking, coupled with system frequency information relayed to overclockers in real-time via the LCD Poster, changes can be on-the-fly during CPU tests resulting in extraordinary benchmark scores.