VR-Zone Tech News for the Geeks Jun 2011 Issue

1
Published by VR-Zone
June 20th, 2011 VR-Zone.com Stuff for the
Geeks! VR-Zone Stuff for the Geeks is a
bi-weekly publication covering the latest
gadgets and stuff for the geeks. HP's TouchPad
priced, coming July 1st Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/hp-s-touchpad-priced-c
oming- july-1st/12703.html June 20th, 2011
Other features include 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR (which is a bit surprising
considering the Snapdragon SoC supports both
Bluetooth 3.0 HS and Bluetooth 4.0),
a microUSB2.0port,aheadphonesocket,BeatsAudiobrand
ed speakers and a front facing camera for video
calls, but oddly enough not one around the back.
Of course there are features like light sensors,
an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a
digital compass built in as well, but the
non 3G versions of the TouchPad lacks a built
in GPS. The battery is rated at a healthy
6,300mAh which is about the same as Apple's iPad.
At 740g the TouchPad isn't light in fact it's
one of the heaviest ARM tablets out there, albeit
only just. HP's webOS main strength is
multitasking, something it does better than most
other hand held device operating systems, but
this alone isn't going to make it a
winner. The biggest problemforHPisgoingtobethela
ckofappsfortheTouchPad at launch, although most
standard apps come pre-installed. At US499.99
for the 16GB, HP wants 99 cents more than Apple
charges for an iPad and the 32GB follows
the same route with a price tag of US599.99. At
least it's also roughly the same you'd expect to
have to pay for a Motorola Xoom, but you can pick
up Asus' 32GB Eee Pad Transformer for the same
price as HP's 16GB TouchPad. The proof will be in
the puddingastheysayandHPisreallygoingtohaveatough
time convincing both consumers and business users
that its webOS is the way forward. Intel adds
new ULV mobile CPUs to its line up Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/intel-adds-new-ulv-mob
ile-cpus-to-its- line-up/12702.html 1
HP has finally unveiled the official
pricing for its first two TouchPad tablet
SKUs and we're looking at 16 and 32GB with Wi-Fi
for now, although 3G models are set to
follow suit. The question that remains
unanswered is if HP's webOS will have enough pull
to win over consumers and business users alike
from Apple and the vast array of Android tablets
already available in the market. HP has
finally unveiled the official pricing for
its first two TouchPad tablet SKUs and we're
looking at 16 and 32GB with Wi-Fi for now,
although 3G models are set to follow
suit. The question that remains unanswered is if
HP's webOS will have enough pull to win over
consumers and business users alike from Apple and
the vast array of Android tablets
already available in the market. What's on offer
is a 9.7-inch screen with 1024x768 resolution, a
screen size and resolution that many an iPad user
should be familiar with. On the inside HP
hasn't skimped on the hardware though with
a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 SoC
clocked at 1.2GHz (3G models would have
and equivalent MSM model) paired with a healthy
1GB of RAM.
2
June 20th, 2011 June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone EVGA outs GeForce GT 545
for retail market
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/evga-outs-gef
orce-gt-545-for-retail- market/12701.html June
20th, 2011 This one nearly slipped us by, but
Intel launched no less than four new ULV mobile
CPUs on Sunday, ranging from a mere 1.1GHz all
the way to 1.8GHz. These are of course all
Sandy BridgebasedCPUsandwe'relookingattwoCorei7's,
aCorei5 and last, but not least, Intel's first
ULV Sandy Bridge Celeron.
Details of three of the models leaked a month
ago, but now we know how much they'll cost as
well. This one nearly slipped us by, but Intel
launched no less than four new ULV mobile CPUs on
Sunday, ranging from a mere 1.1GHz all the way to
1.8GHz. These are of course all
Sandy BridgebasedCPUsandwe'relookingattwoCorei7's,
aCorei5 and last, but not least, Intel's first
ULV Sandy Bridge Celeron. Details of three of the
models leaked a month ago, but now we know how
much they'll cost as well. Starting at the bottom
we have the dual core Mobile Celeron 847 which
unsurprisingly is Intel's slowest ULV Sandy
Bridge processor at a mere 1.1GHz. Oddly enough
it's still a 17W TDP CPUdespitehavingamere2MBL3cac
he,noHyperThreading and no Turbo boost and of
course that very low clock speed. It's also worth
remembering that Intel's Celeron and
Pentium SandyBridgeCPUshaveinferiorgraphicstotheCo
reimodels. NextupwehavetheCorei5-2557Mwhichisastep
upfromthe current and so far only ULV Core i5,
the 2537M. Here we're looking at a dual core CPU
with Hyper Threading clocked at 1.7GHzwhichisa300M
Hzjumpinspeedoverthe2537M.The top Turbo frequency
has also been boosted from 2.3GHz for the 2537M
to 2.7GHz for the 2557M, although the L3
cache remains the same at 3MB. The first ULV i7
is the 2637M which end up faster than the 2657M,
as this is yet another dual core 1.7GHz
part. The 2637Malsobeatsthe2657MwhenitcomestoTurb
ofrequency astheoldertopoftherangeULVpartstopsat2.
7GHzwhereas the 2637 goes all the way to
2.8GHz. The final CPU is the Core i7-2677M which
is a 1.8GHz part with a Turbo frequency of 2.9GHz
and at full Turbo speed it gets quite close to
Intel's entry level 25W LV Core i7-2629M in terms
of single core performance, although with a
slower graphics clock. Pricing is as follows
in quantities of 1,000 units, Mobile Celeron
847 US134, Core i5-2557M US250 (the same as
the Corei5-2537M),Corei7-2637MUS289(thesameastheC
ore i7-2617M) and finally the Core i7-2677 is
US317 (the same as the Core i7-2657M). Pretty
impressive stuff for 17W TDP CPU's,nowlet'sseesome
nice11.6to12.5-inchnotebooksthat take advantage
of the new CPUs.
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 545, originally an OEM
card, has hit the retail market thanks to EVGA.
The EVGA GeForce GT 545 is based on the GF116 GPU
and has been paired with 1.5GB of GDDR3 memory
running on a 192-bit bus. 2-way NVIDIA SLI is
supported and the card does not require
additional power. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 545,
originally an OEM card, has hit the retail market
thanks to EVGA. The EVGA GeForce GT 545 is based
on the GF116 GPU, which is also the chip
powering the faster GeForce GTX 550 Ti. A
fully-enabled GF116 has 192 CUDA cores, 32
texture units and 24 ROPs. For the GeForce
GT 545, some portions of the GPU have been
disabled, leaving it with 144 CUDA cores and 24
texture units. The number of ROPs and memory
bus depends on the memory type used on the GT
545. There are 24ROPsanda192-bitmemorybusifGDDR3me
moryisused, and 16 ROPs and a 128-bit memory bus
if GDDR5 memory is used.
As for the EVGA card, the company has decided
to go with 1.5GB of GDDR3 memory, hence its
GeForce GT 545 has 24 ROPs and a 192-bit memory
bus. The graphics core clock and memoryclockare720
MHzand1800MHzrespectively,similar to reference
operating frequencies for the GDDR3-equipped 2
3
June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
variant. 2-way NVIDIA SLI is supported and the
card does not require additional power
(connectors). Patriot introduces G2 Series AMD
Edition memory kits Source http//vr-zone.com/art
icles/patriot-introduces-g2-series-amd- edition-me
mory-kits/12699.html June 20th,
2011 PatriothasintroducedthenewG2Series,AMDSe
riesMemory kits which are designed for AMD
9-series platforms. More details
inside. Gregory Wade, managing director of
Research in Motion, Southeast Asia, said that
the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 will make its
Asia debut at CommunicAsia 2011, whereby
this year, the event is held at Marina Bay
Sands.Convention. "The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is
our flagship device in the Bold franchise. It is
the ultimate communication, performance and
The Patriot G2 Series, AMD Edition modules have
low profile heatsinkswhichaidheatdissipation,andye
tnotobstructlarge CPU coolers. The G2 Series, AMD
Edition memory kits will be available in two
speed flavors of 1333MHz and 1600MHz. There will
be two different capacities, 4GB (2 x 2GB) and
8GB (2 x 4GB) in low and enhanced CAS latencies
to suit the needs of various users. Patriot will
provide standard lifetime warranty as well and
the kits are expected some time late
June. Research in Motion unveils BlackBerry
Bold 9900 in Singapore Source http//vr-zone.com/
articles/research-in-motion-unveils-blackberry- bo
ld-9900-in-singapore/12700.html June 20th,
2011 This evening, Research
in Motion unveiled the latest
BlackBerry Bold 9900 in Singapore. The Bold
9900 claims to be the thinnest and most
powerful BlackBerry smartphones yet with the
renowned Blackberry keyboard, brilliant
touchscreen display and the new BlackBerry 7 OS.
productivity device and (I sincerely
believed) it is the best BlackBerry built
ever. With its premium design and high- end
functionality, the BlackBerry Bold 9900
combines the QWERTY keyboard plus a vivid
touchscreen is sleek and the most powerful
BlackBerry smartphone yet, featuring the
new BlackBerry 7 OS," Wade said. BlackBerry
Bold 9900 quick hands on The
BlackBerry Bold 9900 sports a brushed
stainless steel frame and besides the QWERTY
keyboard, you can also navigate and type
messages on the touchscreen
display. Overall user experience is quite good,
and the device is pretty responsive.
VR-Zone brings you the coverage. 3
4
June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
Pricing and availability information has
yet to be released though. But we will let
you know once we got the details. The Daily
VR-Zone News Summary - 20 June 2011 Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/the-daily-vr-zone-news
-summary--20- june-2011/12698.html June 20th,
2011 On the right, we spotted the 3.5mm
audio jack and the
microUSB connector for charging the phone's
battery and connecting to the PC for file
transfer.
Here we see the power button on the top of the
BlackBerry Bold 9900. The rear holds the
battery compartment and the 5-megapixel
camera that can capture 720p
videos. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 also
supports Near-Field Communication (NFC)
and comes with Orientation Sensor (Acceleromet
er), Digital Compass (Magnetometer),
Proximity Sensor.
Intoday'snewsroundupAnalystsarepredictingthatdema
nd for USB 3.0 is set to experience a huge spike
as a result of AMD's introductions of new
chipsets that integrate support for it into the
core logic chipset, and that Intel's upcoming
Ivy Bridge platform, when released in 2012, will
see support for the standard reach even higher
levels Word has it that Apple is planning
something major for the Thunderbolt
interface which will not only change the
way users work with their Macs, but will also
help stimulate demand for the interface as well
HP has released a new wireless computer
mouse which is reportedly capable of connecting
to PCs through a WiFi connection, as opposed to
most existing wireless mice whichrequiretheuseofad
ditionalhardwaresuchasbluetooth dongles
Engineers from Google's Chrome team have
claimed that future versions of the Chrome
browser will be capable of predicting a user's
next link and automatically pre-rendering pages
to further reduce loading times Sony
unveils a new variant of its PlayStation 3
console, the CECH-3000B, which is said to be
both slimmer and less power hungry than
its predecessor, in Japan, and DICE has
confirmed that the console ports of Battlefield
3 will have their framerates locked to 30fps in
order to "allow a greater degree of graphical
detail whilst enabling the consoles to cope
better with vehicles and multiplayer". Hardware
news 80 Million 3.0 Devices Set to Be Shipped in
2011 Description 2011 should be a much
bigger year for the technology, especially
in mobile PCs, driven by the first chipsets
from AMD that integrate SuperSpeed into the
core logic chipset. Intel is expected to follow
with its Ivy Bridge chipset in 2012. This all
will lead to sales of USB 3.0-capable devices to
80 million units. Is this summer the real
debutante ball for Thunderbolt? DescriptionThunde
rbolt,Intelsnewhighspeeddatatransfer tech, has
arrived, but its been on the market now
since February, and weve heard a lot of noise,
but have yet to see it really do much in the way
of changing how we use our Macs. Signs indicate
that this summer could be the time we do see that
happen. OCZ Vertex 3 240GB Max IOPS Edition SSD
Review _at_ Legit Reviews Description We've done
quite a few SSD reviews this year and frankly,
some of the drives we test seem like carbon
copies of the one before save for different
branding. Performance tends 4
5
June 20th, 2011 to be relatively equal, at least
within the standard deviation of the benchmarks
used and it's rare for a drive to really
stand out. The Vertex 3 MI is one of those rare
drives that, in a sea of virtual SSD homogeny,
distinguishes itself with all around performance
perceptively better than any other single
SATA III interfaced drive we've tested to date -
except maybe the... GIGABYTE X58A-OC (Intel X58
Express) Motherboard Review Description Back
at CES (during the G1-Killer launch)
we wereshownsomethingprettyspecialbesidestheG1wem
ean. While Tim Handley was telling us about
the virtues of the G1-Killer line-up, he
flashed us a picture of a new board that was
still under development. This was an early image
of the X58A-OC. The concept was a streamlined
product intended just for overclocking and
performance. You still get audio and LAN on the
board, but for the most part the extras that
are on many boards are gone. Of course, with the
items removed other pieces have been dropped in
to handle the extra voltage and current load from
pushing the CPU and multiple GPUs to extremes.
Despite the lack of all of the "extra" features,
the price is still 380 from Newegg.com. Corsair
Vengeance 1866 MHz DDR3 Memory _at_
Benchmark Reviews Description Corsair is a
well-known name within the memory market and
although they have diversified in recent
years their main focuses is still memory. Their
most recent addition to their arsenal line is the
Vengeance which fits in-between their XMS and
Dominator lines of RAM. Benchmark Reviews will be
looking at the Corsair Vengeance 1866Mhz
9-10-9-28 CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9 kit which is perfect
for Sandy Bridge systems which require memory
speeds to be divisible by 266.66 MHz in order
to run at their rated speeds. Since prices have
for high performance DDR3 have plummeted in
the recent years this kit is priced at only
104.99 compared to the comparable Dominators
169.99 price. Benchmark Reviews will see if
corners were cut to reach this price or if
Vengeance is the frugal enthusiast best
friend. ASUS BC-12B1ST Internal 12X BD-Combo
Drive Review _at_Hi Tech Legion Description The
ASUS BC-12B1ST drive can read a Blu-Ray disc and
has the ability to burn data onto a DVD
media. The ASUS BC-12B1ST BD-Combo drive can
reach read speeds of 12X for BD-ROM discs and 16X
for DVD-ROM discs. As for data burning speed,
the ASUS BC-12B1ST BD-Combo drive can burn
a DVD/-R disc up to 16X and store
data on CD-R discs up to 48X. Using ASUS E-Green
technology, the BC-12B1ST BD-Combo drive
conserves energy by closing unused drive
applications while the Optical Tuning
Strategy employed by the BC-12B1ST drive
when burning results in excellenterror-freeburn
ing.UsingaSATAinterfaceandbeing compatible with
a Windows operating system, makes the ASUS
BC-12B1ST a great addition to your PC-based
home theater system. RaidSonic Icy Box
IB-NAS6220 HDD Network Mediaserver Review _at_ Real
World Labs Description The ICY BOX
IB-NAS6220 HDD Network Mediaserver by
RaidSonic is the ideal choice for
people looking for a cost-effective dual-bay
NAS solution without
Published by VR-Zone the advanced functions
and extra features found on more expensive
solutions. Consumer Electronics and Software
News HP Shipping a Mouse That Connects Using
Wi-Fi Description Wireless mice are pretty
handy, but not everyone can utilize them the same
way. Some run off Bluetooth, which requires for
the computer to have Bluetooth hardware not a
standard part. An alternative is for an external
USB dongle that adds a Bluetooth or RF
receiver. HP is now selling a third option
that uses a Wi-Fi connection, which these days
is standard on laptops, to add a wireless mouse
on a Windows 7 system without the requirement of
Bluetooth or use of any additional dongles. RAZER
Chimaera Wireless Gaming Headset Review
_at_ Madshrimps Description The RAZER Chimaera
Gaming Headset offers wireless connectivity
for maximum liberty of movement, features
large cups for confortable wear during long
gaming sessions, a uni-directional microphone
with a flexible mic boom and an easy to use
charging dock. Skype rolls out bespoke
low-bandwidth client for "hardship locations" Desc
ription A bespoke low-bandwidth version of Skype
has now been rolled out to 90 hardship
locations, providing UNHCR employees with
both free and low-cost voice and video calls
over the Internet even when connection quality
is poor. By the end of 2011, the aim is for Skype
to be in at least 80ofUNHCRhardshiplocationsandav
ailabletomorethan 3,000 staff members. Future
Versions of Chrome Will Predict Your Next Link
Pre- Render Pages Automatically Description
ChromeGoogle engineers are known for
doing whatever it takes to shave precious
milliseconds off of page loads, but its pretty
rare to see them steal a page from the
past inpursuitoftheirgoal.UpcomingreleasesofChrome
however willdojustthat,addinglinkpre-fetching/pre-
renderingtothe latest editions of the companys
flagship browser. Google's Father's Day Reminder
Sparks Backlash Description In Buzz-like
fashion, Google set off a backlash among some
U.S. Gmail users unhappy to see a "Call
dad" reminder automatically show up in their
inboxes on Sunday. ThesearchgiantmeanttouseFather'
sDayasachancetoshow off Gmail's built-in voice
calling feature that Google launched in 2010.
Instead it has sparked another embarrassing
episode for Google earning it another social
black eye. Canon brings multi-color Rebel T3 hues
to US Description After previously limiting the
production runs to a handful of countries like
Australia and Canada, Canon on Monday brought new
colors of the Rebel T3 to the US. The DSLR now
comes not just in conservative black but but
also thepreviouslyseenredhueaswellasbrownandmetall
icgray. The palette swap is the first in years
for the Rebel after the company stopped shipping
the camera in silver. Gaming news Sony unveils
greener, lighter PS3 slim in Japan Description
Sony's mystery new PS3 model was uncovered on
Monday with a new model in Japan. The
CECH-3000B, 5
6
Published by VR-Zone experience it can
support full high definition (HD)
1080p video playback as well as HD HDMI output"
Xu explained. Of course, that is not
discounting that the MediaPad is equipped
with Qualcomms dual-core 1.2GHz
processor and supports Huawei Devices Hi-Space
cloud solution and Google Android Market.
According to Huawei, the company will have the
Wi-Fi and 3G versions, though the
offering would differ from country to country. No
pricing information is available at press time,
though the MediaPad is said to be available in Q3
this year. Huawei MediaPad hands on
June 20th, 2011 a Japanese version of the
CECH-3001B, should be better- behaved than the
old model with a 200W power draw instead of 230W
on the current slim PS3. The newer design would
be lighter, too, at 5.7 pounds instead of the
usual 6.6. Battlefield 3 on Console Will Run At
Half PC Frame Rate Description Over the
weekend, DICE confirmed that Battlefield
3 will run at 30 frames per second on consoles,
half the framerate of the PC version. The
developer claims that this will allow a greater
degree of graphical detail whilst enabling the
consoles to cope better with vehicles and
multiplayer. Huawei launches MediaPad, world's
first 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb Dual-Core
Tablet
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/huawei-launche
s-mediapad-world-s- first-7-inch-android-3.2-honey
comb-dual-core-tablet/12697.html June 20th,
2011 It was just two weeks
ago when Chinese networking and
telecommunications equipment company,
Huawei, introduced their new range of
Android smartphones. This afternoon, Huawei
had a global launch of their
MediaPad, which touts to be the world's first
7-inch dual-core tablet to run Android 3.2
Honeycomb OS. The MediaPad
has a aluminium uni-body which feels very
Victor Xu, chief marketing officer of Huawei,
talked about the company'spositionandgoal,whichist
obethetopfiveleading vendor in the handset space
worldwide by 2015, and leader in mobile broadband
device and home device (connected
home solution). "This year, we are proud to
launch the the first Android 3.2 operating system
for a 7-inch tablet. One important feature is
sturdy, and at 7-inch, it doesn't really feel
very heavy. While the tablet claims to
incorporate Android 3.2 Honeycomb
OS, theonewehands-onwassaidtobeaprototypemodelrunn
ing Android 3.1. From what we gathered from
Huawei, Android 3.2 is said to be optimized
for 7-inch tablet devices with improvement
including graphics performance and
Google Maps functionality.
the high definition display of this device the
MediaPad has a rated 217 PPI (pixels per inch)
compared to the competitors in the market to
give you a better visual experience.
The tablet can also provide you with the very
best entertainment 6
7
Published by VR-Zone
June 20th, 2011 At the top of the
MediaPad holds the power button and the volume
controls. On the upper left hand corner of the
display is the 1.3-megapixel front camera,
designed for video calls. Op
ening the rear compartment revealed the SIM
card and microSD memory card slots. On the
right side (close to the rearcompartment) are the
power, mini HDMI and microUSB connectors.
BIOSTAR TA75M
BIOSTAR to release AMD APU motherboards
BI OSTAR TA75M
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/biostar-to-rel
ease-amd-apu- motherboards/12696.html June 20th,
2011 BIOSTAR will be releasing new AMD
motherboards based on the A75 chipset in July to
coincide with the official worldwide launch of
the Llano APU. More details inside. BIOSTAR
TA75A 7
8
Published by VR-Zone It is often
said that the rumour mill is not the most
credible source to go mining for information, but
there are always rare instances where data
obtained from such sources can turn out to be
right on the money, and this particular
case appears to be a shining example of
one of those "rare instances". Apparently,ther
umourthatHP'supcomingPre3smartphone will be
powered by version 2.2 of the webOS operating
and that Skype will be fully integrated
into the aforementioned operating system has
been proven to be true, and a German blog known
as webOS Blog claims to have in its possession a
bunch of screenshot that should be enough to put
all other claims to the contrary to
rest. According to the webOS blog, the
integration of Skype into webOS 2.2 has been done
in such a way that users are able to set the
Pre 3 to allow the routing of all
international calls through Skype and its
VoIP protocol, which would be extremely
convenient if they intend to make use of Skype
as their main means of making phone calls.
Alternatively, the Pre 3 also allows users to
configure webOS in such a way that the operating
system will automatically prompt them to
select between Skype and the carrier's telephony
services for every phone call, as shown in the
screenshot below
June 20th, 2011 BIOSTAR
will be releasing three motherboards based on
the AMD A75 chipset, namely the TA75A, TA75M and
TA75M. The BIOSTAR TA75A is basically an
ATX motherboard whereas the TA75M and
TA75M are microATX form factor
motherboards. The BIOSTAR TA75A will feature
the upcoming FM1 processor socket, four DDR3
memory slots, two PCI Express x16 expansion slots
allowing CrossFire, and six SATA3 ports. It also
has USB 3.0, 7.1-channel surround sound and
Blu-ray audio output. See the full press
release here. HP Pre 3 shows off
Skype integration
Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/hp-pre-3-shows
-off-skype- integration/12695.html June 20th,
2011 Sometimeback,rumourhaditthatHPwasplann
ingtolaunch its Pre 3, webOS-powered smartphone
with version 2.2 of the operating system instead
of the newer 2.3.1, and that support for Skype
will be fully integrated into said operating
system, thus negating the need to install a
separate, standalone app if a user wanted to
engage in some VoIP telephony. As it turns out,
those rumours were right on the money this time.
Read on for more information. 8
9
June 20th, 2011
In addition, webOS Blog also claims that
users do not have to import their contact
lists over from Skype, as the HP Pre 3
supports the making of Skype calls directly
from the smartphone's contact list. This
essentially eliminates any remaining need to
have a discreet Skpye app installed on the Pre 3.
Published by VR-Zone
Unfortunately, webOS Blog was not
able to provide any specificdatesfortheHPPre3'
srelease,althoughmostsources claim that HP is
still sticking to its plans for a mid to late
July release for Germany and the US. Here's
hoping that it will not taketoolongbeforethePre3st
artsshowingupforsaleaspart of a bundle from one
of our own local telcos. More hidden features
in Windows 8 revealed Source http//vr-zone.com/a
rticles/more-hidden-features-in-windows-8- reveale
d/12694.html June 20th, 2011 We may still
be months away from the RTM release
of Windows 8, but that has not stopped developers
and curious hackers from getting their hands
dirty with the various leaked builds of
Microsoft's upcoming operating system in the
hopes of turning up new, unheard-of features that
might eventually debut in its final release. And
from the looks of it, it seems that Microsoft has
indeed hidden quite a few surprises in Windows 8
which may very well challenge most people's
perception of what an operating system should
be. 9
10
June 20th, 2011 There may still
be a long time before the finalized build
of Windows 8 will ever see the light of day
outside of Microsoft's labs, but as it is
always the case with unreleased
software, one can always count on the large
number of curious users and enterprising hackers
to start pouring over leaked builds of
Microsoft's upcoming operating system in a
bid to find out more about various features
which Microsoft has yet to announcepublicly.Aftera
ll,whenonehasanoperatingsystem as ubiquitous as
that of Windows, it really goes without
saying that any major release will be the subject
of intense scrutiny and interest, especially when
it has the potential to completely change the way
things are usually done in Windows. As it turns
out, some enthuasiasts have managed to get
hold of a leaked copy of a new Windows 8 build,
Build 7989, and has since proceeded to
reverse-engineer certain system files in leaked
build this has resulted in some rather
interesting results that seemingly hint at a
variety of unannounced featureswhichMicrosoftma
yhaveinstoreforWindows8.For example, one
particular code dump suggests that Microsoft may
be looking to follow in Apple's footsteps by
offering its own App Store for Windows 8,
ostensibly to make it easier foruserstodownloadpop
ularsoftwareapplications.However, the code also
seems to suggest that Microsoft has got
bigger plans in mind for the App Store, as
there are references to what appears to be the
capability to license and 'unlock' various
features in the operating system through it, as
shown in the image below. This discovery
has led to speculation that Microsoft may
decide to do away with the various
SKUs introduced for Vista and Windows 7, opting
instead to ship a single, bare-bones image with
most of the features disabled by default, thus
allowing users to purchase and unlock
the features of their choice as and when
needed. Additional code dumps have also
unearthed information of two unannounced
features that appear to be in line
with Microsoft's aims of putting Windows 8 on a
wider variety of devices instead of limiting
itself to desktop and notebook PCs. Thefirstsuchfe
atureconcernsgeo-location,whichsupposedly allows
Microsoft to track a Windows 8-powered
machine's
Published by VR-Zone location, although how
Microsoft intends to implement it without
running afoul of privacy issues remains to be
seen. Last but definitely not least,
the code dumps also seems to suggest that
Windows 8 may come with built-in
SMS capabilities. Once again, this makes perfect
sense, considering how Microsoft has been
attempting to pitch its Windows operating
system as being suitable for use on non-PC
devices, such as tablets. And with most
tablets already being 3G- capable (and are
thus able to accept SIM cards), it might
not betoomuchofastretchtospeculatethatWindows8maye
ven feature built-in calling capabilities to
complement its SMS functionality. Of
course, there are bound to be more
surprises in store for consumers as Windows
8 passes through each stage of the
development process, and suffice to say the
features we have described today are probably
nothing more than the proverbialiceberg'stip.S
till,consideringhowmuchMicrosoft has managed to
achieve at this point of time, we cannot help but
feel that the company might just be able to outdo
itself when Windows 8 is finally released for
retail. Mitsubishi releases new 23- inch, 120Hz
widescreen IPS monitor Source http//vr-zone.com/
articles/mitsubishi-releases-new-23- inch-120hz-wi
descreen-ips-monitor/12693.html June 20th,
2011 Need a new monitor with an
extremely high refresh rate? If so, look no
further than Mitsubishi for such needs
the Japanese company has just announced the
release of a new 23-inch monitor in Japan
that boasts an IPS display panel capable of
supporting full HD resolutions and a refresh rate
of 120Hz, among other features. Read on to find
out more about Mitsubishi's new monitor... IPS
panels? Who needs them, considering how they
usually tend to suffer from much slower pixel
response times which 10
11
June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
usually results in ghosting when used for various
tasks such as gaming or video playback? Well,
tell that to people who require near-perfect
colour accuracy, image quality and
an extremely wide viewing angle on their
displays, which have been widely accepted as some
of the needs that can only be solved by IPS
monitors. And leave it to Mitsubishi to
provide consumers with yet another choice in the
market for high-end IPS monitors with the
introduction of its new RDT233WX-Z widescreen
monitor, as shown below. Quick Look Kingston
HyperX Plug n Play DDR3-1866 SODIMM Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/quick-look-kingston-hy
perx-plug-n- play-ddr3-1866-sodimm/12623.html Ju
ne 20th, 2011 Wereceivedaninterestingsetofn
otebookmemoryinthemail recently. Kingston claims
these HyperX Plug n Play modules will run at
DDR3-1866 speed right out the box, so we decided
At first glance, the RDT233WX-Z looks just
like any other typical LCD monitor available
for sale on the market today, except that its
hardware specifications are anything
but typical. According to Mitsubishi, the
matte IPS panel used in the assembly of the
23-inch RDT233WX-Z monitor is not onlycapableofdis
playingcontentatfullHDresolutions(1920 x 1080),
but also delivering extremely high refresh rates
of up to 120Hz. Mitsubishi also claims that the
RDT233WX-Z also comes built-in support for
what it calls its Giga Clear Engine II
technology, which is supposedly capable
enhancing video playback by delivering crisp and
high quality images. In addition, Mitsubishi has
also confirmed that the RDT233WX- Z supports PinP
or Picture in Picture technology, and boasts
a variety of video input ports such as having two
HDMI ports, a DVI port, a VGA port and even the
old Japan-only D5 port. Unfortunately, it would
seem that Mitsubishi has no plans release
the RDT233WX-Z for sale outside of its
domestic market, so chances of having the monitor
appearing for sale in a country that is not
explicitly spelt "Japan" are next to zero.
Still, if you happen to have a wad of cash to
burn and a Japanese friend who is willing to help
you ship the monitor over to your residence,
the RDT233WX-Z can be yours for 54,800 yen
(approx US683) once it is officially
introduced into the Japanese market on June 29
this year.
to take them for a quick test drive... Kingston
recently sent us a pair of HyperX
notebook memory modules rated for a whopping
DDR3-1866. What's more, Kingston says these
"Plug n Play" memory modules should
automatically run at DDR3-1866 when installed in
a compatible platform. How is this possible, you
ask. At the start of this year, JEDEC
updated the DDR3 specification to
officially support DDR3-1866 and
DDR3-2133 speeds. This raises the speed ceiling
for SPD profiles (Serial Presence Detect), which
are used by a system to automatically determine
and select the maximum speed supported by
both the memory modules and the platform. As
enthusiasts would know, when using modules rated
above JEDEC's official speeds, memory speed and
timings have to be set manually to fully
exploit the module's capabilities. Alternativel
y, XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) can also
be used if both the motherboard and memory
support it. But changingmemorysettingsisusuallyi
mpossibleonnotebooks, which renders the
updated JEDEC specification of
greater significance there than on the
desktop. This is where Kingston's HyperX
Plug n Play DDR3-1866 SODIMM comes in to take
advantage of the new speed ceiling.
11
12
June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
We first installed these modules in a
ASUS N82JV, which uses a previous-generation
(Arrandale) Intel Core i7-620M processor
and a Intel HM55 chipset. Disappointingly,
the notebook decided to run the HyperX
modules at the same DDR3-1333 speed as the
default modules, albeit at much tigher
timings. NextstopwasaFujitsuLifebookNH751usingthe
latestmobile SandyBridgeplatform.Atthispointwewer
efeelingsomewhat pessimistic since both Intel
and Fujitsu list support for only DDR3-1333. To
our surprise, the modules worked exactly
as advertised. Kingston sells the HyperX
Plug n Play SODIMM modules in 4GB and 8GB kits.
DDR3-1866 as well as slower DDR3-1600 parts are
available.In thetable below you'llsee that the
slower parts are actually rated for tighter
timings at DDR3-1600.
Part Number
Capacity 8GB (2 x 4GB)
Rated Timings DDR3-1866
CL11-11-11 _at_1.5V DDR3-1600 CL10-10-10
_at_1.5V DDR3-1333 CL8-8-8 _at_1.5V 4GB (2 x 2GB)
8GB (2 x 4GB)
DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9 _at_1.5V
DDR3-1333 CL8-8-8 _at_1.5V
There'sevenaDDR3-2133SPDprofile,butthetimingsforth
at are so loose there's really no point.
DDR3-1066 CL6-6-6 _at_1.5V 4GB (2 x 2GB) Click
on a part number to view its datasheet. We
received the DDR3-1866 8GB kit. In typical
HyperX fashion, Kingston has decided to
prettify the modules with heatspreaders.
Being very thin, they shouldn't cause any
compatibility issues unlike the
notoriously oversized heatspreaders found on
some HyperX desktop modules. Let's
find out how much of a performance advantage
these modules will give us over standard
DDR3-1333 modules of the same
capacity. Benchmarks
The Fujitsu Lifebook NH751 has the following
specifications 12
Installation
13
Published by VR-Zone
June 20th, 2011 Processor Chipset
Intel Core i7-2630QM Intel HM65
Memory
Samsung DDR3-1333
Kingston HyperX Plug n Play
2 x 4GB (9-9-9-24) DDR3-1866 2 x 4GB
(11-11-11-32)
Graphics Storage
Intel HD Graphics 3000 / Nvidia GeForce GT
525M 1GB (Optimus) 500GB 7200rpm
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
The performance increase so far is marginal,
which is hardly surprising since we've
encountered the same results on desktop
Sandy Bridge.
13
14
June 20th, 2011 Likewise,
gaming performance shows hardly any gains
when using the faster DDR3-1866 modules. We had
been hoping for a bigger increase when using
Intel HD Graphics since it shares system
memory. Conclusion Kingston's HyperX Plug n
Play notebook modules don't provide any
noticeable performance advantages in return
for their considerable asking price. There
are far more cost- effective ways to improve
your notebook's performance, such as replacing
that slow 5400rpm drive with a speedy solid
state drive. Furthermore, these modules only
worked for us on a recent Sandy Bridge
notebook, and even then we can't
guarantee that they work on all Sandy
Bridge notebooks since Intel doesn't appear to
support such high memory speeds
officially. IfKingstonweretoprovideanotebookcompat
ibilitylist(atall order, we know) or even a
CPU/chipset compatibility list, we would at least
feel somewhat safer when spending this much on
memory. Kingston HyperX Plug n Play DDR3-1866
SODIMM
Published by VR-Zone
Price based on an average of online stores.
We were unable to find this item on sale in
Singapore. LulzSec promises "retribution" against
hackers responsible for attacking SEGA Source
http//vr-zone.com/articles/lulzsec-promises-retri
bution-against- hackers-responsible-for-attacking-
sega/12692.html June 20th, 2011 Now this has
got to be an interesting twist to SEGA's
recent woes of having the personal
information of its subscribers compromised
after a successful attack by hackers on
its database. Apparently, the well-known hacker
group known as LulzSec has not only made an
announcement to distance itself from the attack
the group has even put up a notice claiming that
it wants to help SEGA by threatening to retaliate
against those who were responsible for forcing
the company's service offline. Looks like
vigilantism is still alive and well in
the virtual world after all. So you have read
the news about SEGA being the latest
victim in a string of cyber attacks that have
seen many huge corporations being forced to take
their servers offline in a bid to perform damage
control and prevent hackers from
further compromising any more personal
information. However, in this case, SEGA can
probably thank its lucky stars that it did not
suffer the same kind of damage and data loss that
some of its fellow victims have faced while the
company did not deny thatitdidloseahugechunkofpers
onalinformationasaresult ofasuccessfulattackononeo
fitsdatabases,ithasalsoassured users that the
most important piece of information, which is 14
Cons Minimal performance gains
Pros Plug and play in compatible notebooks Twice
the price of the cheapest memory Not be
compatible with some notebooks, especially
older ones Retail Price US148
15
June 20th, 2011 the credit card details of its
subscriber base, was still safely secure in its
servers. According to a report posted by ZDnet,
SEGA has confirmed that the attack has
resulted in its SEGA Pass service
being forced offline, and that the information
that had been stolen as a result of the attack
consists of personal information such as names,
dates of birth, email addresses and passwords
that that subscribers typically use to access the
service, although it was quick to point out that
the damage is not as severe as most people may
have imagined it to be. For example,
the company has revealed that the stolen
passwords stored in its database were encrypted
and not stored in plain text as such, hackers or
individuals in possession of those passwords will
Published by VR-Zone June 20th,
2011 Singapore telco operator, M1, has
announced the launch of theirLongTermEvolution(LTE
)basednetwork,whichclaims tobethefirstinSouthEastA
siaregion.However,thecoverage at launch will
only be limited within the financial
district though the company said that it will be
expanded nationwide by Q1 next year.
have their work cut out of them in the
form of decrypting the information in order
to obtain a subscriber's original passphrase.
And even then, SEGA is clearly taking no
chances, having taken additional measures to
prevent unauthorised access by resetting the
passwords for all its subscribers, so the
possibility of having someone successfully
gaining access to SEGA Pass with a stolen
password is decidedly slim. More importantly,
SEGA also revealed that the server used to
store its subscribers' credit card
information is in the custody of an external
service provider, and was therefore safe from
the attack. However, it would seem at least one
prominent hacker group does not condone such
actions, and has gone out of its way
to offerSEGAitsassistanceinfindingandexactingvenge
anceon thosehackerswhoperpetuatedtheattack.Indeed,
aquicklook at LulzSec's twitter page reveals that
the hacker group does mean business this time
round Today, M1 has announced the launch
of its Long Term Evolution(LTE)basedNextGenera
tionMobileNetworkon21 June2011-whichclaimstobethe
firstinSouthEastAsia.M1s dualbandLTEnetwork,oper
atingonboththe1.8GHzand2.6 GHzfrequencybands,will
haveaninitialtheoreticaldownlink speedof75Mbpsand
uplinkspeedof37.5Mbps.Byend2012, the theoretical
downlink and uplink speeds will be upgraded to
150 Mbps and 75 Mbps respectively. At launch,
the LTE network covers areas within the
financial district which include Marina Bay,
Suntec, Shenton Way and other areas (shown in
above pic). Coverage is progressively expanding
and is scheduled to be nationwide by the
first quarter of 2012. The launch will
involve customers from M1s enterprise
By the way, just for the record, a total of 1.3
million accounts were compromised in the
recent attack against SEGA's database. Now
that is definitely food for thought. M1 claims
to be first to launch South East Asia's LTE
network Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/m1-cla
ims-to-be-first-to-launch-south- east-asia-s-lte-n
etwork/12691.html
sector. These customers will be able to
access M1s Next Generation Mobile Network
service via USB modems on existing mobile
broadband plans at S59.40 (with GST) per month.
An expanded range of LTE devices, including
tablets and smartphones, are expected to be
available later this year. BlackBerry
PlayBook officially available in Singapore on 23
June Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/blackberr
y-playbook-officially- available-in-singapore-on-2
3-june/12690.html 15
16
June 20th, 2011
Published by VR-Zone
June 20th, 2011 - 1080p HDMI output - Dual
1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and
video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
It was only slightly over a
week when Research in Motion announced
the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook in
Singapore, though pricing and
availability details weren't made known then.
Today, the company said that the BlackBerry
PlayBook tablet will be availabile in
Singapore from 23 June. Research
In Motion (RIM) today announced that
the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will be available
in Singaporeon 23 June 2011 from SingTel, M1, and
Starhub, as well as some nation-wide retail
stores. The BlackBerry PlayBook will come in
three Wi-Fi models, featuring 16GB, 32 GB
or 64 GB of memory storage. Starting today,
customers can place orders for the BlackBerry
PlayBook. Customers can preorder online at
http//sg.blackberry.com/playbook/wheretobuy
. The BlackBerry PlayBook features an
ultra-portable design and claims to deliver
superb performance, uncompromised web browsing
with support for Adobe Flash Player,
true multitasking, high definition (HD)
multimedia, advanced security features,
out-of-the-box enterprise support and
a robust development environment. Three versions
of the PlayBook will be available in Singapore at
the recommended retail price (RRP) of 16GB
S668 (incl. GST) 32GB S798 (incl. GST) 64GB
S928 (incl. GST) BlackBerry PlayBook
specifications - 7-inch 1024x600 WSVGA
capacitive LCD touch screen - Ultra-portable
at 425g and measures 130mm x 194mm
x 10mm - 1GHz dual-core processor -
BlackBerry Tablet OS with support
for symmetric multiprocessing - MP3, AAC and
WMA audio playback
- 1GB RAM memory - Up to 64 GB internal storage
(16, 32 and 64 GB models) - GPS, Orientation
Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor
(Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer) -
Stereo speakers and stereo microphones - Wi-Fi
(802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity - Bluetooth
2.1EDR support LG finally rolls out
Optimus 3D with world's first Tri-Dual architectur
e Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/lg-finally-r
olls-out-optimus-3d-with- world-s-first-tri-dual-a
rchitecture/12689.html June 20th,
2011 Korean manufacturer LG has
finally launched their highly- anticipated
Optimus 3D smaartphone which features
glass- free3Ddisplayandclaimstoincorporateworld'sf
irstTri-Dual architecture. It will be available
in Europe first and later other parts of the
world in the next several weeks. L
G has recently launched the
long-awaited LG Optimus 3D, a smartphone
that features second generation
dual core technology and advanced Tri-Dual
architecture. The Optimus 3D was first
unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in
Barcelona in February, and claims to offer a full
3D experience -- recording, viewing, sharing.
- Support for high resolution video playback
(H.264, MPEG4, WMV) 16
17
June 20th, 2011 With its Tri-Dual configuration
dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory it
offers improved performance when
multi- tasking,enjoyingamovieorplayinggraphics-int
ensivegames. Users can also record and
immediately view content in 3D without the
need for special glasses. PeakEfficiencyandPerform
ancePoweredbyUniqueTri-Dual Configuration Unlikeot
hersmartphones,theOptimus3Dhasadual-channel config
uration, data transfers take place
simultaneously between the dual-core and
dual-memory, resulting in noticeably
faster performance. As a result, the LG
Optimus 3D maximizes run-time efficiency
leading to noticeably smoother, faster, and
longer multi-tasking, browsing, gaming and
multimedia enjoyment than ever before. Full 3D
Experience 3D Recording-Viewing-Sharing 3D
recording, viewing and sharing is
faster and more convenient in the Optimus
3D and can be enjoyed without cumbersome
glasses. LGs latest smartphone enables owners to
capture high quality 3D content with 3D video
stabilization technology and real-time
misalignment correction algorithm which
automatically corrects for shake during
recording. The smartphone also offers
wide viewing angle which makes watching
videos and movies more convenient
and comfortable. The 4.3-inch WVGA display
offers bright and flicker-free images in HD,
up to 1080p in 2D and up to 720p in
3D. Special software allows for real-time
conversion of 2D photo and video content into 3D.
Free software for converting 2D games will be
available for download during the third
quarter this year, letting users enjoy a variety
of multimedia content in 3D. Captured 3D
content can be shared to 3D TVs via a
HDMI connection and the phone can also
send content to any DLNA certified device. In
addition, users can upload and stream 3D content
on YouTubes dedicated 3D channel (www.youtube.com
/3D). The LG Optimus 3D also incorporates
the worlds first 3D augmented reality (AR)
browser in collaboration with AR pioneer
Wikitude. The browser will be available through
an app downloadable from LGWorld
(www.lgworld.com). The Optimus 3D will be
available in Europe first, and then in
more than60marketsaroundtheworldoverthenextseveral
weeks. Sony Ericsson Android smartphones to use
NXP's NFC solutions Source http//vr-zone.com/art
icles/sony-ericsson-android-smartphones- to-use-nx
p-s-nfc-solutions/12688.html
Published by VR-Zone June 20th,
2011 Sony Ericsson has announced
that it has selected NXP Semiconductors
N.V.'s Near Field Communication
(NFC) technology to be incorporated in their
Android smartphones, offering users enhanced
mobile entertainment experiences. Details
inside. Today, NXP
Semiconductors N.V. announced
that its near field communication
(NFC) technology has been selected
by Sony Ericsson for inclusion
in its Android-based smartphones.
Sony Ericsson will use NFC to
enhance consumers mobile
experiences, creating a portfolio of
smartphones that enable mobile transactions.
Using simple touch gestures, users can
make purchases or connect to a point of
sale (POS) terminal, ticketing terminal or
location-based promotional tag simply and
securely with their NFC-enabled smartphones. NXP
provides complete embedded, secure NFC solutions
and recently announced that its NFC software
is open source on the Android platform and
enables the Google Wallet application. Sony
Ericsson intends to use the NXP PN65 NFC
solution in their Android-based smartphones,
which includes the NFC radio controller, the
embedded secure element and NFC software.
The embedded secure element enablesNFCtobeusedf
ormobiletransactions.ThePN65uses advanced
cryptography to offer the highest level of
security fortransactions,withthetechnologyalreadyb
eingextensively used in contactless banking
cards, e-passports, e-ID cards and secure access
systems. PC SHOW 2011 Lucky Draw Results
Released - Winners Not So Random After
All? Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/pc-show-2
011-lucky-draw-results- released--winners-not-so-r
andom-after-all-/12687.html 17
18
Published by VR-Zone
June 20th, 2011 June 20th, 2011 During the
recent PC SHOW 2011, every 50 spent entitled the
shopper to a lucky draw ticket. A few of our
sharped eyed VRForum members spotted a few
anomalies in the Lucky Draw Results released
yesterday - some of the winning ticket numbers
chosen were in series, the implication
being that some"winners"couldhavegotmultipleprize
s.Isthisacaseof a careless drawing process,
divine intervention, or something more
sinister? Lucky Draw Results with the anomalies
highlighted in yellow
The Prizes
As most productive shoppers in the PC SHOW would
spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on their
IT gadgets, they will
Prizes on display
be holding on to multiple tickets numbered in
series. A look again at the Lucky Draw Prizes and
Processes 18
19
June 20th, 2011 Redemption of Tickets
Published by VR-Zone Very high efficiency
(80PLUS Bronze) Very reliable and stable
operation by 3x12V rails
Continuous power (W) Peak power 500 ms (W) Form
factor ATX 12V Form factor EPS 12V Modular cable
management Special technology Voltage
(Vac) Frequency (Hz) Input current (A) PFC,
active PF Power factor at 100 load Compliant to
Intel C6 mode Power consumption in
400 450 ATX12V Version 2.3 DC/DC 100 - 240 50
- 60 8-4 Yes 0.99 Yes lt0.3
standby (W) Average life time (h /
25C) Operating temperature (C)
Coupon Drop-off VR-Zone won't be drawing any
conclusions without first getting the
organizer's side of the story. Tell us what you
think in the comments section below or this
100.000 0-40C
forum thread! Be Quiet Straight Power E8 400W
PSU review Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/be-
quiet-straight-power-e8-400w-psu-
Sony Ericsson going dual core with Xperia
duo Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/sony-erics
son-going-dual-core-with- xperia-duo/12685.html Ju
ne 20th, 2011
review/12686.html June 20th, 2011 Dual core
smartphones are starting to gain more and more
traction and so far we've seen devices from
pretty much all of Google's Android partners with
one major exception being Sony Ericsson. Well, it
seems like the company is getting close to
announcing the Xperia duo which is expected
to be the company's first dual core smartphone
and a picture of what is believed to be the
upcoming handset has now made an appearance
on the web. Dual core smartphones are starting to
gain more and more traction and so far we've seen
devices from pretty much all of Google's Android
partners with one major exception being Sony
Ericsson. Well, it seems like the company is
getting close to announcing the Xperia duo
which is expected to be the company's first
dual core smartphone and a picture of what is
believed to be the upcoming handset has
now made an appearance on the
web. BeyondhavingaasyetunknowndualcoreCPUtheXperia
duo is expected to sport a larger screen, a
4.5-inch unit has been suggested and judging by
the picture it reaches almost from
Be-Quiet is a company based in Germany which for
the past few years has been creating
computer related products for enthusiasts. It
was only a few weeks ago that we
reviewed one of their high performance, modular
power supplies, the Straight Power E8-CM 680W
unit. Today we are going to put to the test the
weakest and simplest product of the
Straight Power line, the Straight Power E8 400W
unit. Be-Quiet is a company based in Germany
which for the past few years has been
creating computer related products
for enthusiasts. It was only a few weeks
ago that we reviewed one of their high
performance, modular power supplies, the Straight
Power E8-CM 680W unit. Today we are going to
put to the test the weakest and simplest product
of the Straight Power line, the Straight Power E8
400W unit. Manufacturer features and
specifications
edge to edge of the handset. Can we hope for a
qHD 960x540 display, or is this trying to push
our luck too far? Extremely quiet
running 19
20
June 20th, 2011
The processor is likely to once again be
from Qualcomm and it's very possible that it'll
be the MSM8260, but once again, thisispurelybasedo
nspeculationandSonyEricsson'scurrent models. That
said, we would go out on a limb here and say that
Sony Ericsson might be eyeing ST-Ericsson's
Novathor U9500, but the problem here would be the
different graphics solutionused,somethingwe'renots
ureifSonyEricssonwould take a chance on. If the
picture of the handset is the real deal,
then we can expect a front facing camera on the
Xperia duo (if that really is the name of the
final handset), something the Xperia arc is
missing. Otherwise the design of the handset is
similar to the Xperia arc, albeit a lot less
angular as all the corners are nowrounded.Hopefull
yitwon'ttaketoolonguntilwefindout whatSonyEricsson
isupto,asthecompanydesperatelyneeds a dual core
handset to keep up with the competition, at
least as far as headline features are
concerned. The Daily VR-Zone News Summary - 17
June 2011 Source http//vr-zone.com/articles/the-
daily-vr-zone-news-summary--17- june-2011/12684.ht
ml
Published by VR-Zone June 20th, 2011 In
today's news roundup Rambus has
announced the development of a fast
power-on, low-power clocking technology
that boasts 5Gb/s data transfer speeds
with minimal power consumption AMD
Graphics CTO Eric Demers has revealed
some interesting facts about
the company's next graphics processor
architecture, claiming that it will serve as the
foundation for all future AMD GPUs over the next
few years Acer has given its Predator line of
gaming PCs a makeover with the new Predator G5910
series, which trades in the funky orange case for
a matte black body that is supposedly meant to
"evoke power and performance" and "a high-tech
futuristic mood" Word has it that Google is keen
on bringing out a "Nexus 3" smartphone to the
market, and that the device will feature a
dual-core processor and is expected to be bundled
with version 4.0 of the Android operating
system, aka Ice Cream Sandwich John Carmack
has outlined the direction he'd like to take
the Quake series in the future, and that is a
remote possibility of id Software abandoning
the Strogg-based storyline of Quake 2 and Quake
4, and The first console-based action from
Battlefield 3 appeared last evening on Jimmy
Fallon's late night show. Hardware news ASUS
P8H67-I Deluxe mITX Motherboard _at_
Benchmark Reviews DescriptionBynowwehaveallheardo
fthemediacapabilities of the Intel H67 Chipset.
With so much going for it in this aspect, it
seems like an H67 motherboard would be
great as a starting point for the perfect Home
Theatre PC. ASUS has decided to take this
idea to the next level with the ASUS
P8H67-I Deluxe mini-ITX motherboard. In this
article, Benchmark Reviews will break down all
the special features ASUS has included in the
P8H67-I Deluxe motherboard to see if it is ready
to provide a comprehensive solution for the
HTPC enthusiast. Mushkin Enhanced Joule 700 Watt
Power Supply Review Description This time around
we have another power supply from Mushkin ready
to go through our load tests. Last month we took
a look at the Mushkin Enhanced Joule 800W
power supply. Now we have the Joule 700W on the
bench for testing. Being that the unit is from
the same series and manufacturer, you would
expect almost identical builds and results.
Right off the delivery truck we could tell a big
difference in design between the 700W and 800W
models. It was quite apparent thattheJoule700Wdidn
'thavenearlyasextensivecoolingon the inside. We
also noticed that while the 800W model
holds an80PlusSilverrating,thesmaller700Wmodelonly
manages to hold an 80Plus Bronze rating. Sapphire
Radeon HD 6670 Ultimate Edition 1GB DDR5 DX
11 Video Card Review _at_Hi Tech Legion Description
One of those products is the Sapphire Radeon HD
6670 Ultimate Edition. The 6670 Ultimate includes
two special features that differ from a
traditional 6670. Those being the "Ultimate"
passive cooling, and a key to Dirt 3. 20
21
June 20th, 2011 Under the hood the