Invisible QR codes developed to combat counterfeit money and goods

Researchers have created invisible Quick Response (QR) codes that could help fight a growing battle with counterfeit money and goods.

The University of South Dakota and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology found that the codes, which have become popular as a means to download apps or access product information, could be utilised to help fight counterfeiters, with the complexity of the codes making them difficult to fake.They can be printed on paper, glass and a wide range of other materials in a mixture of nanoparticles and blue and green fluorescent ink, which makes it invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen under an infrared light.QR codes are becoming the standard in the industry, thanks to the fact that they can hold up to 100 times more information than normal barcodes. They have particularly become synonymous with smartphones, where they are widely used, but they could be as much a tool of security as marketing.The technique could be extended to be even more secure, with the potential for a microscopic message or symbol to be hidden in the QR code, potentially in different colours, which means even the infrared light wont show it without the use of a microscope.One setback to the idea is the fact that the initial process takes around 90 minutes, which is a long time to design and print a single code. However, once the original code is made it can be mass printed in just 15 minutes.Source: BBC

Leica Camera Asia Pacific offers new rental program for Leica S2

The Leica S2 features a 37.5-megapixel sensor and coupled with Leica’s lenses that claims to deliver great detail rendition with high-speed and accurate autofocus in a compact form factor. Its weather-sealed body also lets photographers shoot even in extreme conditions. Leica Camera Asia Pacific has announced its new rental program for the professional system, the Leica S2 and its accompanying lenses, which are available for rent at Camera Rental Centre from today. Photographers who want to try or loan the Leica S2 can use the camera and two lenses at S$588 at the Camera Rental Centre. The available lenses are the Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8, Summarit-S 35mm f/2.5, Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 and the APO-Macro Summarit-S f/2.5. Upon request, Leica lens adapters for the Mamiya 645, Pentax 67 and Hasselblad V system are available too. The Leica Camera Rental Centre offers the rental of Leica S2 on a first-come-first-served basis. For more information on the rental rates,you can email your queries to info@camerarental.biz or call +65 9650 4158.

AMD Turion 64 Strategy

With the introduction of its 64-bit enabled Turion 64 processor, AMD is looking to push its market share in the notebook-CPU segment to 12-15% in 2005, compared to the 5-8% share it had previously. AMD, together with a number of leading vendors, including HP, Acer, ASUS and PC distributors, will wage a promotional campaign worldwide on April 18 to promote the Turion 64-based notebooks. Vendors participating in the campaign will unveil new notebooks built using AMD Turion 64 2800+ and 3000+ CPUs, with power consumption averaging 25W or 35W, depending on models. Although AMD has set the prices of its Turion 64 CPUs about 13% cheaper, on average, than Intel’s Pentium M processors, some vendors have suggested that AMD needs to aggressively lower Turion 64 CPU prices to around 25% lower than P4 M CPUs, in order to gain market share from Intel. HP might raise the proportion of AMD-based notebooks to 50% of its total sales in 2005, from about 20-30% in 2004. Asustek plans to launch five or six AMD-based notebooks this year, compared to just one or two models launched a year previously.

Arctic Freezer 7 LP Cooler For HTPC Users

Most small chassis users find it difficult to buy a suitable coolerreplacement that fits the size of their PC case. As a leader in innovative, lownoise and high performance PC coolers, ARCTIC COOLING today unveiled the Freezer7 LP, a cutting edge Intel CPU cooler especially designed for media centre usersto fulfill their needs.

Slim Beauty
The revolutionary heatsink design of the Freezer 7 LP reduces the size of thecooler dramatically, leaving it only 42mm slim (to the air intake level) / 53mm(with fan holder) and 263g light, almost half the size of usual CPU coolers.With this ultra thin dimension, the Freezer 7 LP easily fits into any smallchassis with limited space.

Freeze and Breeze
Apart from its lightweight and low profile design, the Freezer 7 LP alsoperforms excellent cooling execution. Two heatpipes, 40 fins and an 80mm PWM fandissipate heat from the CPU core efficiently and rapidly. Together with thehighly thermal conductive pre-applied MX-2 thermal paste and voltage regulatorcooling, the Freezer 7 LP is 15% cooler than the generic low profile cooler,giving media centre users an unexpected cooling experience.

The Art of Silence
Like other ARCTIC COOLING products, low noise impellers and patented fan holderare used to minimize the noise level. Even though spinning at full load, theFreezer 7 LP generates only 0.3 Sone of noise – 66% quieter than the Intel lowprofile cooler.

The Freezer 7 LP is widely compatible with Intel Socket LGA775. It offers a6-year limited warranty and will be available by mid-May 2008. The MSRP is US$27.95 / 17,95 € (excl VAT).

Assassin's Creed III launch trailer is here!

Assassins Creed III, one of the hottest games to hit shelves this holiday season, is but days from launch. The PS3 and Xbox360 versions hit stores tomorrow in North America and the day after in Europe, with the PC and WiiU versions following in about a month. As such, Ubisoft has released the games launch trailer.

Check out the video above, and youll find out a lot about the protagonist, Connor, and his origins; what he fights for, and youll even catch a glimpse of George Washington shaking hands with him. It is slightly odd to see a Native American fighting with the colonists; but I guess the British are the greater evil in this case.

At the very least, the trailer has me bubbly with anticipation, and I dont seem to be alone. Ubisoft stated on October 25th, that ACIII is the most preordered game in the history of the company.

Apple To Migrate To Light Peak For Single Port Solution

㱢爠⼾奯甠浩杨琠桡癥⁨敡牤映䥮瑥氧猠䱩杨琠健慫⁴散桮潬潧礬⁡敷⁨楧栭獰敥摯灴楣慬⁣慢汥⁴散桮潬潧礠摥獩杮敤⁴漠捯湮散琠祯畲⁥汥捴牯湩挠摥癩捥猠瑯敡捨瑨敲⸼扲 㸼扲 㹁ⁱ畩捫潯欠慴⁌楧桴⁐敡欼扲 㸠㱢爠⼾䱩杨琠健慫⁡汳漠桡猠瑨攠慢楬楴礠瑯⁲畮畬瑩灬攠灲潴潣潬猠獩浵汴慮敯畳汹潶敲⁡⁳楮杬攠捡扬攬⁳瑡牴楮朠慴‱ぇ戯猠睩瑨⁴桥⁰潴敮瑩慬⁡扩汩瑹⁴漠獣慬攠瑯‱〰䝢⽳癥爠瑨攠湥硴⁤散慤攬⁡捣潲摩湧⁴漠䥮瑥氮㱢爠⼾㱢爠⼾䱩杨琠健慫⁷楬氠桡癥⁡⁣潮瑲潬汥爠捨楰⁡湤⁡渠潰瑩捡氠浯摵汥⁴桡瑷潵汤⁢攠楮捬畤敤⁩渠灬慴景牭猠獵灰潲瑩湧⁴桩猠瑥捨湯汯杹⸠周攠潰瑩捡汭潤畬攠睩汬⁢攠灥牦潲浩湧⁴桥⁣潮癥牳楯渠晲潭⁥汥捴物捩瑹⁴漠汩杨琠慮搠癩捥⁶敲獡⸼扲 㸼扲 㹗桡琠慢潵琠䅰灬攠㼼扲 㹁捣潲摩湧⁴漠獯畲捥Ⱐ䅰灬攠睩汬⁩湴牯摵捥⁴桥敷⁳瑡湤慲搠景爠楴猠獹獴敭猠慲潵湤⁆慬氠㈰㄰Ⱐ楮瑲潤畣楮朠䱩杨琠健慫⁴漠慬氠楴猠灲潤畣瑳
晲潭⁡渠楐桯湥⁴漠愠䵡挩⸠䥮⁳桯牴Ⱐ䅰灬攠灲潤畣瑳⁣潵汤⁣潭攠敱畩灰敤⁷楴栠潮汹⁡⁌楧桴⁐敡欠灯牴
潲畳琠灯牴猿⤠瑯桡湤汥⁹潵爠湥瑷潲歩湧Ⱐ摩獰污礠摲楶楮本⁡湤⁧敮敲慬⁣潮湥捴楶楴礮㱢爠⼾㱢爠⼾周敲攠慲攠灬慮猠瑯⁲潬氠潵琠愠汯眭灯睥爠癡物慴楯渠楮′〱ㄬ⁳畧来獴楮朠瑨慴⁨慮摨敬摳楫攠楐潤⽩偨潮攠睩汬⁨慶攠瑨攠捡灡扩汩瑹⁴漠灥牦潲洠桩杨⁤慴愠瑲慮獦敲猠慮搠愠扲潡搠捯湮散瑩癩瑹⁴漠潴桥爠摥癩捥献㱢爠⼾㱢爠⼾䅲攠祯甠獵灰潲瑩湧⁴桩猠慬氭楮ⵯ湥⁳楮杬攠灯牴⁳潬畴楯渠潲⁡牥⁹潵⁡条楮獴⁩琠㼠坥⁷潵汤潶攠瑯⁨敡爠祯畲灩湩潮猼扲 㸼扲 㸼扲 㸼扲 㸼扲 �

AMD to launch new fastest Phenom II X3

It's been a long time coming, but AMD is finally going to add to thetri-core line-up (which is nothing but Phenom II X4 with one coredisabled).

The new product in question is Phenom II X3 740 -running at 3.0 GHz, with a total of 1.5 MB L2 + 6MB L3 cache.

It is unknown whether this will be a Black Edition CPU like it'spredecessor (the 2.8 GHz 720BE).

The 720BE has been a hot seller thanks to it's affordability (US$119),overclockability and if you are lucky - unlocking the disabled core to the BIOS.

It is expected to launch some time in September.

Reference: Fudzilla