Grand Theft Auto for the NES

GTA on the classic NES platform

Access Mobile Linux

Feel the power of Linux on your phone now

HTC Touch Diamond

The upcoming offering by HTC

Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto IV tops $500M in 1st-week sales

NEW YORK – Video-game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. said Wednesday that sales of its popular and eagerly anticipated title “Grand Theft Auto IV” reached more than $500 million in its first week of availability.

The company said it has sold more than 6 million units globally since the game was released on April 29.

The New York-based company said it sold 3.6 million units on its opening day alone, worth a retail value of $310 million worldwide.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” follows the criminal exploits of protagonist Niko Bellic, an immigrant-turned-gangster who travels from Eastern Europe to Liberty City, the game’s fictional locale based on New York City. As Bellic, players can hijack cars, earn cash for criminal activities, shoot innocent bystanders and visit strip clubs.

Critics say the extreme violence in “Grand Theft Auto” video games could be harmful to children, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving has complained that the latest version includes the ability to drive while intoxicated.

MySQL will not be closed source

Earlier this year, Sun made many in the world angry and scared when they announced that portions of the MySQL code base would go closed source. After the inevitably stream of flak they received from the community regarding this, they did a very quick about face and said they’d consider rescinding those plans.

Now, just a few weeks later, the MySQL team has made an official announcement that confirms those hopeful rumors. MySQL will not close-source portions of their codebase, keeping the server completely open, including the encryption and compression mechanisms. They are still allowing for 3rd-party, closed-source commercial add-ons, along with the traditional community-driven add-ons. The change in tone comes as a welcome sign and a sigh of relief from many who feared MySQL would die a slow death, choked by Sun trying to squeeze money out of it.

Intel’s 4-series chipsets to be released at Computex 2008

Intel’s 4-series chipsets might be arriving very soon, with some sources claiming that the new units will be launched at Computex 2008. The new 4-series chipsets include the low-end P43 and P45 units, along with the G43 and G45, the latter of which feature IGP. The lineup also includes the Q43 and Q45 chipsets at the higher end. The Q and G series are potentially being delayed by several weeks due to instability concerns, but are set for a release this summer nonetheless.

Earlier this year, Intel announced the pricing details for their 4-series chipset lineup. Comparison differences between the P43/P45 and the existing P35 chipsets show relatively little improvement, such as with the X series chipsets, but the low price will ensure upgrades.