OCZ intros two 4GB DDR3 Black Edition memory kits

OCZ has released two new 4GB DDR3 dual-channel Black Edition memory kits that are specifically dialed in for AMD's Phenom II processors. Both kits clock in at 1600MHz and boast a low 1.65 voltage, with the only noteworthy difference being their timings. One kit is rated at 8-8-8-24, and the other is a touch tighter at 7-7-7-24.

OCZ designed its Black Edition RAM for use with AMD's OverDrive software utility, according to Eugene Chang, vice president of product management. He went on to explain that the new modules "not only interact with AMD OverDrive to overclock the memory, but also communicate with the BIOS to increase the frequency and performance of the memory controller."

Each module is equipped with an AMD-branded XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreader, and is backed by OCZ's lifetime warranty and technical support. There is no official word on price or availability yet.

Is Twitter worth $1 Billion?

Twitter's financial stability has been up in the air for some time. The service has faced all sorts of issues since its inception, from poor user retention to a series of failed buyouts, buyout rumors and more. This hasn't stopped the company from expanding, and with growth, the need for cash has risen. It's been demonstrated already that Tweets can be used by third parties to make money, so the question isn't whether or not Twitter can find investors -- but rather, how much the service is actually worth.

Twitter lined up a substantial amount of cash recently -- around $100 million -- and an estimate that the company itself is worth ten times that. This is despite the fact that Twitter, as a standalone company, has yet to generate a steady stream of revenue since it launched. With anywhere from 45 to 55 million users and more on their way, keeping operations alive is going to be difficult. As they raise funds, they'll need to justify their worth.

Is Twitter truly worth $1 billion? If so, who would actually put down a serious bid? Current rumors are that Google, Yahoo, AOL and even Cisco are all potential buyers, but all of those companies will have to evaluate whether or not the service can be used to make a buck. To date, Twitter hasn't proved they can.

Intel touts high-speed optical cable interface, Light Peak

USB 3.0 may have been grabbing some headlines in recent weeks, with 2010 expected to see a mass rollout of compatible products, but Intel is already working on an alternative technology that could eventually replace the plethora of interfaces currently used -- from USB itself to HDMI to DisplayPort, LAN and so on. Dubbed Light Peak, the new high-speed interconnect uses fiber optics instead of copper wires to transfer data, and consequently has much more bandwidth.

Even in its first generation it's expected to transfer at about 10 gigabits per second, or two times faster than USB 3.0. Intel added that Light Peak's throughput has "the potential ability" to increase to 100Gbps in the next ten years, but that even at 10Gbps, "a user could transfer a full-length Blu-ray movie in less than 30 seconds."

The optical nature also allows for smaller connectors and thinner, more flexible cables than currently possible that could span up to an impressive 100 meters. To put this into perspective, USB 2.0 is limited to just five meters of cable, without extenders, whilst USB 3.0 is restricted to three. Copper wires may still come bundled with the optical fiber so Light Peak can be used to power devices plugged into the PC.

The firm says compatible devices could be ready to ship as early as next year and that it is currently working with the industry to settle on a standard -- but of course that is easier said than done, even for Intel

Lenovo Ion-powered IdeaCenter Q110 nettop on sale now

The slow wave of NVIDIA Ion-based machines continues to wash in -- as expected, the Lenovo Q110 nettop is now on sale. We'd actually wait another couple weeks to score this rig with Windows 7 preloaded, but if you're into Vista you can grab it right now for $399 with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB drive and take a free upgrade disc when it's available.

Freecom announces world's first USB 3.0 hard drive, the XS 3.0

It might not look like much -- in fact, we're not sure what it's trying to look like -- but that there is what Freecom purports to be the world's first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drive. Dubbed the Hard Drive XS 3.0, the drive will be available mid-November in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB sizes, with a surprisingly accessible starting price of 119 Euro (about $175 US). Of course, it takes more than just a speedy cable to up hard drive speeds, but we'd say 130MB/s ain't a bad start. The drive can handle AES 256 bit encryption, is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, and the fanless, rubber-clad enclosure weighs in at 1.9 pounds.

PS3 3.0 / 3.01 firmware update making Blu-ray drive unusable?

What could possibly cause nearly 700 comments on an official Sony blog post announcing the relatively minor 3.01 firmware update for the PS3? Plaudits? A Kanye meme gone awry? No, it's the age old problem of an update that apparently breaks more than it fixes. In this case, a sizable number of users are reporting that the 3.0 and/or 3.01 update caused their PS3's Blu-ray drive to be all but unusable for both games and Blu-ray movies (although some folks report that DVDs still work). Other users are also reporting intermittent problems like no sound, and some problems with specific games, but it does seem like the complaints are pretty widespread and, as of yet, Sony isn't saying much about them