Using “the industry’s most advanced anti-ghosting technology,” Microsoft’s upcoming SideWinder X4 gaming keyboard “takes anti-ghosting to the next level by allowing gamers to press up to 26 keys at once.” And all for around $60!

This thing is PERFECT for playing an educational game where you have to type out the alphabet as quickly as possible. With this keyboard, you could just mash all the letters down at once and hope that they show up on the screen in order.

It also features macro recording, profile switching, media keys, and adjustable backlighting. I’ll go out on a short limb and guess that ghosting is a problem for some gamers where a few keys are pressed at the same time, but it hasn’t reached an epidemic level of having to press 26 keys at once yet. It’s always good to future-proof your technology, though, huh?

The SideWinder X4 will be available in March.

Press Release | Product Page

Ladies and gentlemen: we were worked. The other I mentioned DECAF, which was promoted as the anti Microsoft-COFEE. While I still don’t understand people’s fascination with the forensics tool, DECAF promised to protect users against whatever the hell COFEE does. Only it doesn’t: DECAF is a scam. Well, “scam” is a harsh word, more like “and let this be a lesson to you.” I believe those are called “teachable moments” in politics circles these days. (See: that beer summit from a few months back.)

Anyhow, here’s what’s up: the people behind DECAF created the software in order to raise awareness vis-a-vis security. The idea was to get DECAF out there, stir up some media hype (hi!), then WAM! you with the real deal.

Basically, the DECAF guys want you to help. They want want you to help bring awareness to the vast field of security and forensics.

DECAF was put together by two people, and yet the idea (an “anti-COFEE”) ricocheted around the Internet. If you can tap into the people who believed in DECAF and tun their energies into something constructive and positive, then all of this would have been worth it.

via Seattle P-I’s Mircosoft Blog

You sorta knew this was going to happen. Microsoft COFEE, a highly secretive forensics tool used by law enforcement, leaked onto the Internet several weeks ago. People far smarter than I got a hold of it, and have created what has been dubbed DECAF, an anti-COFEE set of tools that you can install to block the effects of COFEE.

DECAF, which obviously only runs on Windows, works upon the execution of COFEE. When COFEE is launched, DECAF kicks into high gear, and tries to counteract every one of COFEE’s utilities.

It’s sort of strange, but DECAF isn’t open source. Well, weird only in the spirit of the application; the source isn’t available because the creators don’t want their information reverse engineered.

via The Register

By Chris Scott Barr

Unless you’re running a Mac (yes, I went there), it’s almost a necessity to be running some sort of anti-virus on your machine. There are plenty to choose from, most of which cost a decent bit of money for a yearly subscription. Free ones also exist, but they always seem to be lacking a few important features. Well it seems that there will soon be another company tossing its hat into the ring of free anti-virus providers.

Microsoft is currently gearing up for a closed-beta of their new free anti-virus service, code-named Morro. It is described as a stripped-down version of their Live OneCare service. It’s hard to say a lot of bad things about a free anti-virus, so provided that Microsoft doesn’t find some way to royally screw things up, it should likely appeal to those that wouldn’t otherwise bother installing such software. No word on when they are planning to officially launch Morro.

[ Reuters ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

Microsoft is prepping a beta release of their free anti-virus software, Morro. There’s no fixed date as yet but with the full version set for launch by the end of the year The Soft has hinted that we’re looking at a matter of weeks/days. The move comes as one hell of a pain for the likes of McAfee, Symatnec et al who’ve responded with the usual scaremongery about their experience in the field and superior levels protection and blah, blah, blah but their share prices have dropped by a per cent or nonetheless. Morro appears to be a stripped down version of Microsoft’s failed $40-a-year Live OneCare suite, which was a commercial disaster, and is set to be pulled in November. Doubtless, it’ll have a significantly better uptake now that you don’t have to pay for it and I’ll be interested to see whether the likes of Dell still offer trials for subscription anti-virus. Looking forward to the waves.