On Wednesday, Google unveiled what it called “interest-based” advertising. In reality, what they really unveiled was behaviorally targeted ads. And that has some privacy advocates crying foul. The “interest-based” ads will initially appear on YouTube and other Google partner sites. Here’s the reason behind the initiative; it’s all about the dollar, naturally: Our advertisers and publisher partners have been asking us for a long time to offer interest-based advertising. Advertisers need an efficient way to reach

Motherboards and Chipsets:Asus M4A78T-E (AM3) Motherboard @ CPU3DASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+ Motherboard @ Benchmark ReviewsAsus P6T Review @ OCCProcessors:Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S Processor Review @ Legit ReviewsMemory and Storage:aWestern Digital 2TB Caviar Green Review @ PC PerspectiveSuper Talent Godfather 8GB Rubber Flash Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.orgPower:Tagan SuperRock TG880-U33II 880 Watt Power Supply @ TweaktownSystems:Asus Eee 1002HA Review @ Digital TrendsCases, Cooling & Misc.:Thermaltake

We’ve known for a little while that Microsoft was working on its own application store for Windows Mobile-powered devices. However, details surrounding the store have been pretty vague until now. Thanks to some new information from Microsoft, we now know more about its application store, which will be called the Windows Marketplace. For starters, the company plans to charge developers an annual fee of $99 to become part of the Windows Marketplace ecosystem. There will be an additional $99 fee for every application

Tide and their Loads of Hope campaign have reached out to us for help.  We, in turn, are reaching out to you, our readers.  Loads of Hope provides relief for disaster victims.  Here’s the deal, it’s a really short campaign.  In reality, Loads of Hope is a long-term relief effort, but this is a short, focused campaign to get as much “hope” washed over victims as we all can.  And yes, it is very short: it needs to be done before 9PM EDT.  That’s not much time!Despite that, we know

Frankly, it’s getting difficult to even keep track of all the new notebooks coming from the assembly lines at MSI. After introducing a new crop at CeBIT last week, the company has issued today the VX600, a bargain-minded machine that aims to provide decent everyday performance and enough power to handle the occasional multimedia duty. In order to keep the battery humming along as long as possible, the VX600 is also equipped with MSI’s exclusive ECO Engine, a power saving management function that looks to extend

The other day, we told you about some research from Informa Telecoms & Media that claimed Android-powered devices would surpass iPhone devices by 2012. Thanks to a sale at Amazon.com on the T-Mobile G1 (the only Android device currently on the market) that statistic is one step closer to becoming reality. Amazon.com is currently offering the T-Mobile G1 for $97.99—just over half what this Android-based handset normally sells for. The regular price for the G1 is $180 with a two-year contract directly from

Could it be?  PhoneDog.com has posted a rumor that Sprint may be getting HTC’s new Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 Windows Mobile smartphones months earlier than expected – possibly as soon as May.

Earlier announcements had set June as the release month for these devices in Europe, with a U.S. release to follow.  If this new rumor is true – and we stress IF –  the hot new devices could be available in the U.S. in a couple of months.  

We’ll keep you posted.

The downturn faced by memory-chip suppliers is no longer driven by oversupply, since overall transaction volumes in the DRAM spot market have remained poor. Even if DRAM chip supply continues to shrink further, spot prices will still be below levels before the financial crisis began to grip the US and the global economies, memory makers have commented. Lack of market demand appears to be more crucial than estimates of when DRAM prices will hit bottom. The price of mainstream DDR2 1Gb eTT continued its downward trend on March 10, falling to the lowest level so far this year at US$0.78, according to quotes gathered by DRAMeXchange.

The makers noted that DRAM chipmakers including Elpida Memory, Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), Micron Technology and Nanya Technology have contributed to the overall supply cut, showing their commitment to stabilizing DRAM prices. In addition, the makers pointed out that Samsung Electronics is lifting its prices, attempting to put the breaks on cooperation between Taiwan Memory and the entity's potential technology partners Elpida and Micron. However, strategies to tackle an ongoing downturn in the memory-chip business have failed to activate the spot market in a sustained manner, since improving oversupply contributes little to economic recovery.

The downturn faced by memory-chip suppliers is no longer driven by oversupply, since overall transaction volumes in the DRAM spot market have remained poor. Even if DRAM chip supply continues to shrink further, spot prices will still be below levels before the financial crisis began to grip the US and the global economies, memory makers have commented. Lack of market demand appears to be more crucial than estimates of when DRAM prices will hit bottom. The price of mainstream DDR2 1Gb eTT continued its downward trend on March 10, falling to the lowest level so far this year at US$0.78, according to quotes gathered by DRAMeXchange.

The makers noted that DRAM chipmakers including Elpida Memory, Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC), Micron Technology and Nanya Technology have contributed to the overall supply cut, showing their commitment to stabilizing DRAM prices. In addition, the makers pointed out that Samsung Electronics is lifting its prices, attempting to put the breaks on cooperation between Taiwan Memory and the entity's potential technology partners Elpida and Micron. However, strategies to tackle an ongoing downturn in the memory-chip business have failed to activate the spot market in a sustained manner, since improving oversupply contributes little to economic recovery.

Today Apple announced its 3rd Generation iPod shuffle. The new shuffle has been redesigned and now lacks hardware playback control on the main device body, although there is a single switch for shuffle, repeat and off.  The clip is still there, too, so you can easily wear your iPod shuffle while you’re on the go.

Control of the 3G iPod shuffle is relegated to the earbud cord, which has a new control node for play, pause, skip, playlist selection and volume.  The new VoiceOver feature, which speaks track, artist and playlist information, is also activated by using this control.  The node’s single button performs multiple actions depending on the number and duration of presses.  Fortunately, there are dedicated up and down volume control buttons.

We’re happy to see that the new shuffle includes playlist support, but the single-button with the voice prompt control system seems like a lot of hoops to jump through to take the place of a simple display.  But, if you’re the type of person who just wants music and doesn’t much care about listening to a particular track at a particular time, the new shuffle should fit you just fine.

The 3G iPod shuffle is available today at the Apple Store in either silver or black and comes in one capacity, 4GB, which holds about 1000 songs.  The MSRP is $79.