PreSwitcher.com is a website that gives you anything and everything about the Palm Pre smartphone.

“Pre Switcher intends to provide the latest news on the Palm Pre aggregated from the top Pre enthusiast sites and technology news sites. It also intends to focus on helping current mobile phone users transition to the Palm Pre.” [Pre Switcher]

Already have the Palm Pre, or still thinking of getting one? PreSwitcher.com is definitely a great resource. Technorati Tags: palm, pre, smartphone

Checkvist.com is an online service that provides you with a collaborative outliner and task list manager app.

“With Checkvist you can easily work with multiple outlines or hierarchical to-do lists. Extensive use of keyboard navigation and shortcuts allows you to create an outline exactly with your typing speed.” [Checkvist]

The service supports keyboard shortcuts, so you can enter your ideas fast and easy. Checklists can be shared with other users, allowing some collaboration. You can also import or export outlines using plain text, HTML, OPML, and other formats. Technorati: checkvist, outliner, task list, to do       

ATI recently released an update to its ATI Catalyst Software Suite. Version 8.12 promises to provide performance gains to the following:

Call of Duty: World at War DX9 – performance gains of up to 21% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD48xx. Crysis DX10 – performance gains of up to 25% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Crysis Warhead DX10 – performance gains of up to 13% for Single card mode and up to 16% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Devil May Cry 4 DX10– performance gains of up to 6% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Fallout 3 – performance gains of up to 15% for Single card mode. Far Cry 2 DX10 – performance gains of up to 10% for Single card mode and up to 57% in Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. FEAR DX9 – performance gains of up to 6% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on Radeon HD4870X2 and HD4870. Hellgate: London DX10 –  performance gains of up to 6% for Single card mode and up to 10% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Left 4 Dead DX9– performance gains of up to 10% for Single card mode and up to 5% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4870 series. Lost Planet Colonies DX10 – performance gains of up to 10% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Prey OGL – performance gains of up to 15% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on Radeon HD4870 1GB products, HD46xx, HD45xx. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky – performance gains of up to 10% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Unreal Tournament 3 DX9 – performance gains of up to 18% for Single card mode and up to 15% in Crossfire mode, especially in cases where AA is enabled. Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx.

If you are currently using an ATI graphics card in your Windows XP gaming rig, be sure to update it to the latest drivers: Download ATI Catalyst Drivers for Windows XP 8.12 >> IceRocket: ati catalyst graphics driver suite, call of duty, crysis, devil may cry, fallout 3, far cry 2, fear, hellgate london, left 4 dead, lost planet colonies, prey, stalker clear sky, unreal tournament 3

ATI recently released an update to its ATI Catalyst Software Suite. Version 8.12 promises to provide performance gains to the following:

Call of Duty: World at War DX9 – performance gains of up to 21% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD48xx. Crysis DX10 – performance gains of up to 25% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Crysis Warhead DX10 – performance gains of up to 13% for Single card mode and up to 16% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Devil May Cry 4 DX10– performance gains of up to 6% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Fallout 3 – performance gains of up to 15% for Single card mode. Far Cry 2 DX10 – performance gains of up to 10% for Single card mode and up to 57% in Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. FEAR DX9 – performance gains of up to 6% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on Radeon HD4870X2 and HD4870. Hellgate: London DX10 –  performance gains of up to 6% for Single card mode and up to 10% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx. Left 4 Dead DX9– performance gains of up to 10% for Single card mode and up to 5% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4870 series. Lost Planet Colonies DX10 – performance gains of up to 10% for Single and Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Prey OGL – performance gains of up to 15% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on Radeon HD4870 1GB products, HD46xx, HD45xx. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky – performance gains of up to 10% for Crossfire mode.  Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx. Unreal Tournament 3 DX9 – performance gains of up to 18% for Single card mode and up to 15% in Crossfire mode, especially in cases where AA is enabled. Performance gains were noticed on all Radeon HD4xxx and HD38xx.

If you are currently using an ATI graphics card in your Windows XP gaming rig, be sure to update it to the latest drivers: Download ATI Catalyst Drivers for Windows XP 8.12 >> IceRocket: ati catalyst graphics driver suite, call of duty, crysis, devil may cry, fallout 3, far cry 2, fear, hellgate london, left 4 dead, lost planet colonies, prey, stalker clear sky, unreal tournament 3

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Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-4 for the Sony PSP has been released. Changes:

Speed selected for UMD/ISO was not properly locked in some new games that used scePower_EBD177D6 instead of scePowerSetClockFrequency to change speed.
UMD/ISO speed settings now apply to PSN games too.
Fixed libupdown.prx connecting to dark-alex.org instead of Sony when npsignin_plugin checks for a new version and M33 update is enabled.
ISO file descriptor was not closed in driver deletion.
Added a shutdown command to vshmenu.

Download Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-4 at PSP-Hacks >> IceRocket: sony psp custom firmware Tags: console gaming software

Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-4 for the Sony PSP has been released. Changes:

Speed selected for UMD/ISO was not properly locked in some new games that used scePower_EBD177D6 instead of scePowerSetClockFrequency to change speed.
UMD/ISO speed settings now apply to PSN games too.
Fixed libupdown.prx connecting to dark-alex.org instead of Sony when npsignin_plugin checks for a new version and M33 update is enabled.
ISO file descriptor was not closed in driver deletion.
Added a shutdown command to vshmenu.

Download Custom Firmware 5.00 M33-4 at PSP-Hacks >> IceRocket: sony psp custom firmware Tags: console gaming software

Patch 1.0.2 for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC, MMO, RPG, Online) was recently released. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning  is the new fantasy MMORPG from Mythic Entertainment, the creators of Dark Age of Camelot. Patch Features:

The war against the gold spammers continues. We’ve added new code that will hinder the spammers as they seek to carry out their nefarious deeds. We have added a ‘Join All’ button to the scenario window which now allows players to join all scenario queues in their current tier at once. In order to promote realm and population balance, some realms on some servers will now award their players with a +20% bonus to renown and experience. In response to player feedback, we have made several improvements to the behavior and responsiveness of the siege weapon interface. In an ongoing effort to deter players from going AFK while in scenario starting areas, we have made the following changes:

First, players who join a scenario and remain in their realm’s spawn area for two minutes will be automatically removed from that scenario. Second, upon entering the spawn area of a scenario, players will receive a debuff that prevents them from earning renown and experience.

The level range at which players are able to receive the "Bolster" buff while in RvR has been expanded. In response to player feedback, we’ve added RvR and NPC chat tabs for new players. While in scenarios, players will no longer be able to select "Need" in their loot windows unless their career or race can use the item being offered. We have fixed an issue that was causing claimed keeps to forget that they had been claimed after a server restart. Improvements have been made to how pets follow and they should now return to their owners more quickly. We continue to work on the issues with the pet window. Fixed a bug that prevented players from creating an alliance with more than two guilds. Now that this issue is resolved, alliances can grow to great numbers to crush their enemies! The patch note regarding the chat window position changing was erroneously posted. As a result, the following note has been removed: Fixed an issue that was causing the chat window to reset to its default position at logout. Due to reports that text logging in RvR may have been affecting performance in some cases, we have set combat and chat logging to be turned off by default. Players who wish to turn their logging on once more can do so by changing their game settings. Please note that there is a certain risk to changing your game settings, and so this process is only recommended for advanced users.

Read more at the official WarHammer Online site >>

IceRocket: warhammer, online, age, reckoning, patch, 1.0.2

Paradox Interactive recently released a patch for Dark Horizon (PC, Action/Simulation). The patch aims to further improve the playing experience for the space action combat simulator. Game info: Dark Horizon is a space action game that takes place in a breathtaking atmospheric universe with an epic storyline about the fight for survival.

Download Dark Horizon Patch at the GameZone site >> IceRocket: dark, horizon, patch

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed the system requirements to its upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King (PC, Role-Playing Game).

For Windows PCs:

OS: Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) Processor:

Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory:

Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users) Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)

Video:

Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM, Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM, Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better

Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

For Mac PCs:

OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer Processor:

Minimum: PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor Recommended: Intel 1.8GHz processor or better

Memory:

Minimum: 1 GB RAM Recommended: 2 GB RAM

Video:

Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM, Such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM, Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better

For optimal gaming experience, it would be best to target for the recommended specs instead of just the minimum required. Technorati: world, warcraft, wrath, lich, king, rpg, online

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC, MMO, RPG, online) is the new fantasy MMORPG from Mythic Entertainment, the creators of Dark Age of Camelot™. It features next generation Realm vs. Realm gameplay that promises to immerse you in a world of perpetual conflict for years to come.

GameSpot gave it an 8.5 (“Great”) rating: “This isn’t the most well-rounded massively multiplayer online game, but Warhammer Online grabs the tuskgor by the horns, delivering the finest PVP content seen in a traditional persistent world RPG. Questers and explorers may not find what they’re looking for, and certain gameplay systems don’t mesh as well as they should. Nevertheless, there’s more than enough exciting PVP content here to keep newcomers and veterans alike immersed in the perpetually violent tug of war between the forces of Order and Destruction.” [GameSpot | Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Reviewed] Moreover, GameSpot liked the Public Quests, Standalone scenarios, and Open battles. Technorati: warhammer, online, age, reckoning, mmo, rpg

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC, Shooter), is the stand-alone prequel for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a first-person shooter computer game by Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. The game consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of new areas and old, remodeled areas from the previous game. The X-ray graphics engine has been updated to version 1.5 and includes DirectX 10 support. Additionally, the AI received an overhaul to accommodate the new faction wars feature.

Tom’s Hardware compared various graphics cards for playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky with these specs:

CPU: overclocked Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 @ 3.47 GHz (13×266 MHz) Motherboard: Asus P5E3 Deluxe, Intel X38 RAM: 2x 1 GB Ballistix (Crucial Technology) 1.5 V DDR3 1066 HDD 1: Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500 GB, S-ATA, 16 MB Cache HDD 2: Hitachi 120 GB, S-ATA, 8 MB Cache PSU: CoolerMaster RS-850-EMBA 850 W

The graphics cards that were tested were:

Radeon HD 3870 Radeon HD 4850 Radeon HD 4870 GeForce 8800 GTS 512 GeForce 9600 GT 1024 GeForce 9800 GTX GeForce GTX 260 GeForce GTX 280

These were the ideal settings:

GeForce 9600 GT and Radeon HD 3870 - switch to dynamic illumination (DirectX 9) as both graphics chips are too weak for DirectX 10 and maximum graphics quality. GeForce 9800 GTX / 8800 GTS 512 / GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4850 – can use DirectX 10 illumination, and are good for resolutions up to 1680×1050 pixels. GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon HD 4870 – can play at 1920×1200 with DirectX 10 illumination.

“… Stalker behaves a bit like Crysis in that, with DirectX 9, everything runs smoothly, but with DirectX 10, even the fast cards reach their limits at high resolutions. If you want to run at more than 1280×1024 pixels, don’t even think about activating anti-aliasing. The HD 3870 and 9600 GT are actually the second generation of DirectX 10 graphics cards, and already perform too poorly to display all the effects. The first DX10 generation Radeon 2000 and the old GeForce 8000-series cards will certainly have even more problems with the new illumination modes. What this shows is that the promised performance boost from optimized DirectX 10 drivers didn’t become a reality. If you want to see the sun rays with HDR in full high-def resolution and with DirectX 10, you need a high-end card like the HD 4870 or GTX 280. The old DX10 graphics chips were overextended with high resolutions and light effects, even before the gaming market switched to Windows Vista, thus proving the old maxim: never buy graphics performance for the future.” [Tom’s Hardware | Stalker: Clear Sky - Is Your System Ready?]

The 9600 GT and HD 3870 can be used to play Stalker: Clear Sky, but don’t expect DirectX 10 or maximum graphics quality. Technorati: stalker, clear, sky, graphics, compare, hardware, shooter

Dark Horizon (PC, Action/Simulation) is a space action game that takes place in a breathtaking atmospheric universe with an epic storyline about the fight for survival. Disaster has taken its harsh grip and the universe is slowly dying. Systems cease to exist and there seems to be no way of stopping the threat. But a rumour is slowly spreading through the galaxy of a weapon against this menace - "the Light Core".

Features:

Allows full customization of your spaceship on a detailed level. Gather resources and disassemble unused parts of your ship and use them to create weapons and improve your ship to create the ultimate space vessel Fight in team with other pilots trough fierce battles, give orders and use tactics to take out your enemies Choose between two different modes that will change your fighter’s performance according to your own demands: ‘shadow’ mode to stealth through enemy lines and ‘corter‘ mode that will level up the power of your weapons. 22 missions and extensive customization opportunities

IGN.com gave it an overall rating of 6.0 (“Passable”), although they gave it an 8.0 score for both Graphics and Gameplay: “There’s no doubt about it; Dark Horizon is flawed. From flat-out errors to those moments where you can’t help but wonder what, exactly, the developer was thinking, the game feels almost unfinished. Ultimately, we’d like to see what Quazar could do if it joined forces with a high-end publisher/financier to iron out the wrinkles. However, if arcade space-shooting in often-spectacular environments appeals to you, and if going wild in the most complete garage facility ever constructed in outer space sounds like fun, you’ll likely enjoy it despite its foibles.” [IGN | Dark Horizon Review]

Gamers who like space arcade shooting will probably be interested in Dark Horizon. Technorati: dark, horizon, pc, game, action, simulation, review

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos – Battle March (PC, Real Time Strategy) is an expansion for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

GameSpot gave it a 6.0 (“Fair”) rating: “Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March is for dedicated fans only. Its depiction of the sinister Warhammer Old World fantasy setting is remarkably true to the tabletop game, but the gameplay feels a little past its best-by date due to the continuing disappointment of the bland campaign structure and mission design.” [GameSpot | Warhammer: Mark of Chaos – Battle March]

GameZone gave it a 6.5 rating: “Battle March adds some new features here and there, but doesn’t really add much incentive for players to jump back in, and the dated feel will probably prevent newcomers from taking the plunge.” [GameZone | Warhammer: Mark of Chaos – Battle March]

Fans of Warhammer: Mark of Chaos will appreciate the new features, but new players might not be very impressed. Look at other real-time strategy games first, and decide if you’d still be interested in Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March.

Technorati: warhammer, mark, chaos, battle, march, rts, expansion

Maxis recently released the first patch for Spore (PC, Simulation). Initially, the patch is for PC users. A patch for Mac users will be available soon.

Patch Details:

Features

New Cheat: "evoadvantage". Enter this cheat when are starting a new Creature game to choose any creature from the Sporepedia. Start a new game with one of your more evolved creatures! Display part statistics when you are in Build mode. Rollover any part and hold down the ‘i’ key. New Cheat: "blocksmode". Turns creatures into their blocky representations. More style filters. Open the cheat window and type: "stylefilter -microscope" or "stylefilter -norainbows" or "stylefilter -nextgen" to see the new styles Added 70 new planet scripts with a low terraform score, especially of the "hot and high atmosphere" type

Graphics/Aesthetics

Animation improvements Improved the planets fogging, blooming and lighting Fixed animation issues with tool handling, hand walking and some of the more oddly shaped creatures

And much more

To get the patch, launch the EA Download Manager to download and install it. If you didn’t install the EADM when you installed Spore, you can get it from [this direct link].

Technorati: spore, patch, update, pc, game, simulation

Service Pack 2.11 is now available for Space Shuttle Mission 2007 (PC, Flight Simulation). Changes:

New free mission: STS-32
some performance improvements and fixes.

Download Service Pack 2.11 at the official site >>

Technorati: space, shuttle, mission, service, pack, flight, simulation, game, pc

Crysis Warhead (PC, First Person Shooter) is a companion game to Crysis, with a story that runs concurrently to that in the first game. An alien artifact has been discovered on a tropical island, and after the United States and North Korea race to seize it, an alien invasion erupts, flash freezing the island and putting the world at risk. The difference is in perspective; you now get to play as British Sergeant Michael Sykes, aka Psycho, the blowhard from the first game.

IGN.com gave it a 9.4 out of 10 (”Outstanding”) rating: “For $30, Crysis Warhead is an incredible value, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better shooter on the PC this year. The single- player campaign is tight and superb, and the multiplayer portion delivers something that you can have fun with. I love the intelligent gameplay of Warhead; this isn’t a game where you simply react to highly scripted events, but one where you have to think on your feet, and you’re rewarded for doing so. Crytek once again proves that its one of the premiere shooter developers in the industry, even if it does get an unfair rep as being “just” a technology company. Comments like that make it seem as if the Crytek had a chip on its shoulder, because it addressed almost every complaint about Crysis and then some. I found Warhead to be challenging, exciting, wild, and, yes, very much full of swagger and fury.” [IGN.com | Crysis Warhead] (Update 9/30/2008) GameZone gave it a 9.0 rating, as well as its Editor’s Choice award: “… it’s important to note here that CW is a relatively short game, clocking in at around 5-8 hours, even on higher difficulty settings, but it packs some serious punch during that span of time. Its shortness is further softened by its high replayability. … Go grab or download a copy. At 29.99 (USD), there’s no reason not pick this one up. Even if you haven’t played its predecessor, you can’t go wrong here if you are an FPS fan.” [GameZone | Crysis Warhead] First Person Shooter lovers will love the graphics and gameplay of this much-awaited sequel to Crysis. (Be sure to see the system requirements before buying your copy.) Technorati: crysis, warhead, fps, review, pc, game

Version 1.908 Update for Evochron Renegades (PC, Flight Action) was recently released. Changes:

New multiplayer clan linking option added, different clan groups can now adjust their threat levels with each other in-game.
Increased sensor and radio cover provided by nebulae for better shelter from hostile ships and their reinforcements.
Unified universe data file management system for server operated multiplayer games.
For TrackIR, HAT strafe control now functions with 3D head tracking active.
Multiplayer chat tracking and gamestate updates improved in shipyard.
Server status checking now available for password enabled games.
Mouse wheel can now be used to scroll through map log entries.
Three second delay added to looping ‘low altitude’ warning.

Download version 1.908 Update at the Official site >> Technorati: evochron, renegades, update, patch, pc, action, game

Sweetcron (beta) is an open source lifestream blog software that features the following:

Automatic imports Easily customisable Self Hosted 100% Free and Open Source

Sweetcron is kind of like FriendFeed or Ziki, but is self hosted (using your own server) and customizable. Requirements:

        A web server with at least PHP5 and MySQL4.1          
        A web server with mod_rewrite installed          

Some rss feeds of your activity across the web

Sweetcron is fun, and can help you display your Lifestream from online services such as Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, Digg, and Flickr. I’m still working on mine (cedled.site40.net). Technorati : free, lifestream, open source, software, sweetcron