Albatron recently announced two VGA cards, each with an unprecedented 512 MBs of on-board memory and both offering prices similar to equivalent 256 MB cards. The 6600 512 and 6600LE 512 are memory-loaded mainstream cards targeting a larger market of consumers hungry for powerful 3D graphics capability with a strong cost/performance value.

The 6600 512 and 6600LE 512 are PCI-Express (x16) cards, both with a 350 MHz core clock. The 512 MB of memory is DDR2 with a memory clock of 533 MHz and a 128-bit memory bus. At the time of this writing, these cards were boasting more on-board memory (512 MB) for a VGA card than any other card currently on the market.

These cards use NVIDIA's popular GeForce 6600 series of GPUs which provide complete support for DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 3.0 optimizing compatibility with the most popular 3D gaming software.

These cards will both have D-Sub and DVI connectors. The 6600 512 will bundle an HDTV cable which also contains S-Video and AV connectors.

With the amount of 3D graphics data increasing with every new game , the 6600 512 and 6600LE 512 are giving the mainstream user access to affordable graphics equipment armed with enough memory support to tackle even the most demanding of graphics applications.

Skype has released the beta of Skype version 2.0, including support for video telephony.

An 8MB download, it installs itself as simply as any previous version of Skype and interrogates for a webcam. If one is present, it allows the option of video on any call to another Skype 2.0 user - in which case a 4x4 inch video image appears within the tabbed Skype window for that conversation. The video can be blown up to the full screen, if the user has a good enough quality web-cam.

The overall Skype interface is slightly simplified but much as before - and the Skype icon on screen changes colour to blue.

The company has set up with Logitech and Crative to certify headsets and webcams for use with Skype 2.0, and also has partnerships with Weblog software and services company Six Apart.

"At Skype we want to make talking over the Internet the most natural, simple thing for people to do all over the world," said Niklas Zennstrom, chief executive of Skype, now a senior executive at eBay since that company bought Skype in September.

The new features in Skype - including video - are mostly commonplace in instant messaging systems such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN Messenger, which have had video for some time. Skype is banking on their inclusion adding to the attraction of a product that majors on telephony, not chat.

Among the other tweaks well known to IM users, are avatars and a better set of presence functions, that let the user tell other Skypers his mood - or his time zone, to avoid being woken in the middle of the night.

Users can now group contacts, and start conference calls to a whole group with one click.

Skype is also capitalising on its 67 million users, by improving the ability to search for contacts by name and email address in the Skype database. An update of the beta Google Toolbar for Microsoft Outlook is also included, to let users dial from e-mails, and the company is promoting the ability to put Skype dialling buttons on blogs and web pages.

Although the software is still beta, Logitech will be selling Skype-certified webcams immediately through the Skype web store and Creative will sell them in the shops. Logitech has two certified 1.3 megapixel webcams, which include a headset and face tracking technology.

Microsoft has launched Windows One Care Live Security beta, an anti-virus and anti-spyware service for consumers only.

The service offers anti-virus, firewall, backup and recovery, as well as personal computer maintenance. Initially free, it will eventually be available for a subscription fee.

The service is part of the company's Windows Live strategy announced last month, which sees Microsoft compete more directly with the likes of Google, Yahoo and Salesforce.com by using the web to deliver new products and services to customers.

Windows Live is a web-based service whereby users can sign up for a 'live' home page that pulls in constantly updating content from a range of information sources including web searches, email, syndicated headlines from other sites and photos and audio from across the web.

Microsoft has already introduced its Windows Live Safety Centre service allowing a one-time fix requiring consumers to go back to the web site. OneCare Live provides constant and more comprehensive protection against viruses and other security threats.

Microsoft says its target market for OneCare Live is the estimated 70 per cent of consumers who do not have anti-virus software or do not keep it updated.

The move follows the firm's acquisition of anti-virus firm GeCad Software, and anti-spyware firms Giant and Sybari to bolster its anti-spyware offering.

An enterprise desktop version, to be called Microsoft Client Protection, is expected to be available next year.

Graham Titterington, an analyst at Ovum, said: "This is very important news for the IT security industry, and hence for all IT users. Microsoft will have a major effect on the market, even if it tries to restrain itself in order to avoid anti-monopoly investigation. It will inevitably become the default choice of supplier on Windows platforms, both on the desktop and in the consumer space.

"The issue for the other security vendors is how to adjust their costs to reflect a lower volume of sales without compromising the quality of their offering. Mergers and rationalisation in the industry are inevitable."

Microsoft said 15,000 customers are already using the service.

Iomega unveiled the new MiniMax Desktop Hard Drive designed to complement your Mac Mini. The drive is stackable and closely resembles the Mac Mini itself. Featuring USB 2.0 and FireWire ports, the drive is available in two capacities, 160GB and 250GB capacities.

The MiniMax, at 6.5" x 6.5" x 2", can easily be stacked on top of a Mac Mini which measures the same. Users starved for disk space due to the limited 40/80GB capacities of the original mini can easily upgrade to this drive, which offers 3-port USB 2.0 hub and 3-port Firewire hub.

Thanks to the smart power switch, the drive is powered on/off along with the Mac Mini, while a combination of active and passive cooling inhibits noise from the drive. Bundled with the drive is Dantz Retrospect, a backup software for Mac users. Of course, Iomega's IAB Pro is included for Windows users as well. With the number of Mini clones out there running Windows, it's just as well.

The 250GB MiniMax Desktop Hard Drive is priced at US $249.95, while the 160GB model is available for US $199.95. You can order them online from Iomega's website.