Elitegroup launched its new AM2-based integrated graphics motherboard, targeting lower- and mid-range home theater system builders today. The board - microATX GeForce 6100SM-M , built around the nVidia nForce 405 chipset, marks the inaugural appearance of an integrated graphics motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 AM2 processors.

According to Top Tech News, the new AMD/Dell partnership , with Dell using AMD's Opteron processors, could make a big winner out of AMD, from both a financial and a PR standpoint. Dell's two AMD-powered PowerEdge servers could spell trouble for Intel. "The new partnership between Dell and AMD, announced at the Oracle OpenWorld Conference in San Francisco, will be just one more in a series of headaches for AMD-rival Intel, which has seen AMD come on strong over the past few years. The new partnership could make a big winner out of AMD, from both financial and PR standpoints. The company has been waiting a long time for this day, and now no longer has the stigma of its processors not being available on servers from one of the largest computer companies. AMD expects to sell an additional 14 million processors between now and 2008, and to have 30 percent of the PC and server market by then, largely because of its new relationship with Dell."

An anonymous reader writes, "NewScientistTech has an interesting story about a river sensor network that not only measures water depth and flow, but also forms a wireless computing grid to calculate possible flooding scenarios." From the article: "If the river's behavior starts to change, the network uses the data collected to run models and predict what will happen next. If a flood seems likely — because it is rapidly rising and moving quickly — the network can send a wireless warning containing the details... [A researcher said:] 'One end goal would be that people living in areas that flood can install these themselves. They are simple and robust enough to make that possible.'"

AMD's CEO, Hector Ruiz recently spoke at Oracle's OpenWorld conference. He had a few predictions to report - including a 'seismic shift in the balance of power in both the chip industry and the world of IT as a whole, with influence shifting from vendors to users.' CHOICE seems to be the buzz word. "We're entering a new era in microprocessor technology where the new phenomenon is choice," said Ruiz. "It'll be the single greatest transfer of power the industry has ever seen from vendor to customer." "Of course, increased customer choice comes at a price. Users will have to make more technology decisions and will have "more confusing advertising claims to sort through," Ruiz said. One of his responsibilities as head of AMD will be to ensure that customers have "an honest choice," he added." One of the highlights of his address? "A spoof on the movie "The Matrix," always a favorite of technology companies, Ruiz showed a video clip featuring himself playing the role of the film's teacher Morpheus who educates the Neo character, or in this case, a customer called "ITo" on what's really going on in the world."

ryanskev writes with news from RSA Europe, where a Microsoft VP spoke bluntly about the lock-down that will apply to 64-bit Vista. From the article: "Microsoft will operate 64-bit versions of Windows Vista as a tabernacle, with the kernel as the holy of holies, where only its own high priests of security may venture." While Microsoft has seemed to be making some concessions to the likes of Symantec and McAfee, considerable doubt remains as to their ultimate future.

Hector Ruiz spent this morning at his (AMD's) fab to celebrate 10 years of chip making in Germany. This was after spending the previous day hanging out with Michael Dell at the Oracle bash kicking off the Dell/Opteron server pairing. By the end of 2008 Fab 30 will be a distant memory as Fab 38 makes its debut, and AMD pumps out as many 300mm wafers as it can.

ContractualObligatio asks: "The Register asks the question of whether businesses are at risk of having no budget to develop code, from maintaining too many 'pure play' applications. What has the experience been among Slashdot readers? Are people spending too much time maintaining code and integrations because the business is adopting too many applications? Do IT teams have the time and money to actually improve and innovate the way their companies do business?"

An anonymous reader writes, "According to an article in the New York Times, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives is asking the U.S. government for more detailed guidelines on when and why a laptop gets confiscated at the U.S. border, which, anecdotally, is happening more often. The story includes a report from a business traveler who had her laptop confiscated over a year ago and has yet to have it returned." According to the article, a knowledgeable lawyer said: "[Border guards] don't need probable cause to perform... searches under the current law. They can do it without suspicion or without really revealing their motivations." And an ACTE exective is quoted, "Potentially, this is going to have a real effect on how international business is conducted."

Many readers wrote in to make sure we all knew that Firefox 2.0 has officially been released on Mozilla.com, unlike yesterday's early preview. Here are builds for all languages and Win/Linux/Mac, and the release notes.

Next Generation is carrying an interview with Epic Designer Cliffy Bleszinksi, where he discusses shooters in the next-gen era, what it's like to work with Microsoft, and how it feels to wrap up Gears of War. From the article: "As a designer I don't know if it's ever possible to be fully satisfied but my gut tells me, 'yes'. I sit down and I play the game and I have a blast with it, whether it be single player versus or co-op. I mean, co-op's especially bad. I feel like I'm seeing the whole experience completely new. It's like, if you ever see a cool movie and you bring a friend to see it who hadn't seen the movie yet, right? It's that shared experience, that makes co-op so great."

Scott Adams lost his voice 18 months ago to a disorder called Spasmodic Dysphonia. One day, it returned. He is apparently the first person in history to recover from this malady. Read his account. It is inspirational. I can't find any other word for it.

Buertio writes, "A week with IE takes a look at IE7 from the perspective of a long-time Firefox user. The verdict? Microsoft has come a long way but still has some way to go before taking on Firefox and Opera."

Itninja writes, "Having used RAC several times in the past (as a buyer), I was shocked by a recent experience. I did a bit of looking around to see if I was the only one having problems with Rent-A-Coder. Apparently, I'm not." From the article: "This unfairness of RAC fees motivates the majority of coders to negotiate payment outside the scope of RAC which amounts to you and coder getting a better deal. For example, I have several coders that I fully trust willing to work on projects on a monthly basis because it is easier for him to deal with established clients than to have to bid for projects all the time. It saves me time and trouble because I can work with a person that I trust and he knows what is expected." A comment to this posting links a discussion of RAC at Google Groups, and there the service has its defenders. What has your experience of RAC been, either as a buyer or as a coder?

As big a part of the industry has sequels have become, they don't all turn out for the best. 1up takes a look at anticipated or promising sequels that just failed to deliver the goodness a second time around. From the article: "By the next Christmas season, Ubisoft released Prince of Persia: Warrior Within - except things had changed drastically. The biggest diversion was with the Prince himself, whose clean-cut looks were altered into a rugged, rock star style. Taking with that same theme, the soundtrack featured a sizable amount of death metal, including an anachronistic appearance by a Godsmack song. The fighting engine was improved over the original, but with it came tons of cheesy dialogue spewed out during combat."

spazimodo writes to point out a Network World report on the growing problem of counterfeit networking equipment. The article surveys the whole grey-market phenomenon, which is by no means limited to Cisco gear — they just happen to be its biggest target. From the article: "Thirty cards turned out to be counterfeit... Despite repeated calls and e-mails to his supplier, Atec Group, the issue was not resolved... How did a registered Cisco reseller (also a platinum Network Appliance partner and gold partner to Microsoft and Symantec) acquire the counterfeit [WAN interface cards] in the first place?... Phony network equipment [has] been quietly creeping into sales and distribution channels since early 2004... Counterfeit gear has become a big problem that could put networks — and health and safety — at risk. 'Nobody wants to say they've got counterfeit gear inside their enterprises that can all of a sudden stop working. But it's all over the place, just like pirated software is everywhere,' says Sharon Mills, director of IT procurement organization Caucus."