Designed to provide an unprecedented level of programmability and control, Logitech has announced the Logitech G15 keyboard the ultimate keyboard for serious PC gamers. The Logitech G15 features a built-in auxiliary LCD display, 18 programmable keys, and advanced software, making it easy to set up custom commands for every game. The adjustable-tilt, backlit LCD can be programmed to display vital in-game information, or data from other applications, without interrupting game play. Logitech's first-of-its-kind LCD display will be supported by several new games later this year, providing game information such as score, times, health status, and ammunition levels. A software development kit (SDK) will be included on the installation CD, allowing gamers to write their own programs for customized information to be displayed on the LCD screen.

The LCD and Logitech's gaming keyboard software also help make it easy for gamers to set up custom macro commands, which combine multiple keystrokes into one button press without leaving the game. On the left side of the Logitech G15 keyboard, gamers will find 18 fully programmable keys, called the G keys, and three mode keys: M1, M2, and M3. Within each mode, each G key can be programmed to represent a different keystroke or macro, meaning a total of 54 different commands that can be customized. For example, this means that World of Warcraft players can program the G keys to access their spells more efficiently. Different combinations of keys can be programmed for every game and the G15 will default to these game-specific settings when the title is launched.

By installing Logitech´s software drivers, the LCD will also display media information such as track names and times while music is playing on a PC. Below the LCD, the keyboard features convenient media controls that make it easy to control volume during game play or to control playlists and tracks while listening to music. The Logitech G15 keyboard also features backlit keys when backlighting is turned on, a light from underneath the key illuminates the character on top of the key. A button on the keyboard turns on the backlighting with two possible brightness levels, providing easy viewing in any lighting condition,  including late-night gaming marathons. The keyboard has two full-speed USB ports built in, making it easy to plug in a mouse, a headset or another peripheral, without filling up all the ports on the PC. The keyboard also features a gaming mode switch, which, when turned on, disables the Windows key so gamers won't get dropped out of a game if they accidentally press it.

Namco has released online gameplay details for Ridge Racer 6, the latest installment in the legendary drift racing series for the Xbox 360. Featuring trademark high-speed arcade racing and breathtaking high-definition visuals, the game lets players compete head to head in online races and download new content via Xbox Live for the first time in the history of the Ridge Racer franchise. Utilizing a Worldwide Player Matching system, players can match up against drivers from around the world in intense head-to-head drift racing match ups. Players can also upload their personal records from the game's Time Attack mode to see how they stack up against the rest of the world in a persistent Leader Board and download ghost data to virtually race against friends or test their skills against the best in the world. To complement the online Ridge Racer 6 community, new game content such as new cars will periodically be made available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

A new Internet virus targeting recently uncovered flaws in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system is circulating on the Internet, an anti-virus computer software maker said on Monday. The ZOTOB virus appeared shortly after the world's largest software maker warned of three newly found "critical" security flaws in its software last week, including one that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer. Trend Micro Inc. said that the worm exploits security holes in Microsoft's Windows 95, 98, ME, NE, 2000 and XP platforms and can give computer attackers remote access to affected systems. "Hundreds of infection reports were sighted in the United States and Germany," Tokyo-based Trend Micro said. But computer security engineers at Microsoft said that the worm is only targeting Windows 2000 and not the other versions of Windows. "It only affected Windows 2000," said Stephen Toulouse, a manager at Microsoft's Security Response Center. "So far its has shown a very limited impact -- we're not seeing any widespread impact to the Internet, but we remain vigilant." The latest virus drops a copy of itself into the Windows system folder as BOTZOR.EXE and modifies the system's host file in the infected user's computer to prevent the user from getting online assistance from anti-virus Web sites, Trend Micro added.

The worm can also connect to a specific Internet relay chat server and give hackers remote control over affected systems, which can be used to infect other unpatched machines in a network and slow down network performance. "Since most users may not be aware of this newly announced security hole so as to install the necessary patch during last weekend, we can foresee more infections from WORMtZOTOB," it said. Last Tuesday, Microsoft issued patches to fix its security flaws as part of its monthly security bulletin. The problems affect the Windows operating system and Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser. Microsoft has warned that an attacker could exploit a vulnerability in its Internet Explorer Web browser, lure users to malicious Web pages and could run a software code on the user's PC giving the attacker control of the affected computer. Computer users should update their anti-virus pattern files and apply the latest Microsoft patches to protect their computer systems, Trend Micro said. More than 90 percent of the world's PCs run on the Windows operating system and Microsoft has been working to improve the security and reliability of its software.