Featured Reviews
Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme CPU Cooler Review
Designed for low profile cases, the slim ZALMAN CNPS8900 Extreme offers high performance cooling at a low noise level. This CPU cooler uses an ultra quiet 110mm PWM fan with two Direct Touch heatpipes that attach to aluminum fins to dissipate heat effectively away from your CPU. Read on to see how this direct touch heatpipe cooler performs on our Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge processor!
Corsair Vengeance C70 Military Green Case Review
Today we are looking at the newest midtower chassis from Corsair, the Vengeance C70. The Vengeance line is made with gamers on the go in mind and the Vengeance C70 features handles, all steel construction, and military styling. Join us as we see what Corsair is bringing to the table with the Vengeance C70.
AMD Trinity A10-4600M Laptop APU Review - Piledriver Arrives
AMD has been talking about their 2nd-Generation A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), codenamed “Trinity”, for well over a year. This week it shouldn't come to a surprise to any of our faithful readers that AMD has finally launched this new APU! Read on to see how the AMD A10-4600M processor performs against notebooks powered by the Intel Ivy Bridge processor and AMD Llano APU!
Intel Core i7-3770K 'Ivy Bridge' Overclocked Benchmark & Temperature Performance
The Intel Core i7 3770K quad core processor from Intel is the latest and 'greatest'. Though, rumors are abound that despite the smaller manufacturing process the 'Ivy Bridge' 22nm processors run hotter than the previous 'Sandy Bridge' processors. Today we are going to look at the temperatures, power consumption, and an overclocked comparison between 'Sandy Bridge' and 'Ivy Bridge'!
Diablo III Gaming Benchmarks on Ivy Bridge & Trinity Laptops
Are you curious how Diablo III performs on the latest laptops with integrated graphics? We were very curious, so we figured we'd write up a piece on how Ivy Bridge compares against Trinity on this brand new game title. We will be using comparing the Intel Core i7-3920XM Ivy Bridge Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000 to the AMD A10-4600M Trinity APU with AMD Radeon HD 7660G graphics to see which comes out on top!
Thermaltake Frio Extreme CPU Cooler Review
Today we look at one of the largest CPU coolers Thermaltake has released to date, the Frio Extreme. The Frio Extreme is the company's most recent addition to the Frio cooler series. The Frio Extreme is a twin tower, twin 140mm fan cooler, that Thermaltake says can handle processors rated up to 250W TDP. The Frio Extreme also sports the industry's first 10-year warranty for a CPU cooler. Join us as we put the Thermaltake Frio Extreme to the test on our Intel LGA2011 test system.
How To Build a Water Cooled Mini-ITX SFF PC w/ Ivy Bridge & Kepler
We wanted to build an Intel Ivy Bridge powered Small Form Factor (SFF) PC that is water cooled and be able to run an NVIDIA GeForce Kepler video card, so we did it! We thought that you might be interested in what our dream mini-ITX system would be and wrote up a guide that shows you what hardware we used and how we put it together. We also include some benchmark along with power consumption and temperature testing results of the complete project!
Legit News
AsRock Starts Selling Intel Q77 Chipset-Based Q77M vPro Motherboard Before Chipset Is Released
Intel's Q77 chipset, aimed at "professional" business applications is due to be formally launched in a week or so. However, this hasn't stopped AsRock from starting to sell their Q77M vPro mATX motherboard that's based on it.
Looking at the feature set, the board is clearly oriented for business use, since it comes with things like vPro for remote control by an administrator, a TPM module and a DisplayPort connector instead of HDMI, although it does support SLI & CrossFireX, which is usually something that gamers would use. It also has a gigabit network port and a Realtek AC662 audio chip delivering 5.1 channel audio and a UEFI BIOS, as well as 100% all solid capacitors, which should help with reliability. It comes bundled with Intel's Small Business Advantage software, which is designed to reduce the amount of IT staff needed to manage the computer.
It has five main features, with three aimed at increasing security: a software monitor that helps keep critical security software running by monitoring it at the hardware level and alerting the business if there has been an attack; data backup and restore, which provides reliable after-hours backup of critical data using the local maintenance timer to remotely power on the PC and a USB blocker, which lets businesses control access to their infrastructure, preventing unauthorized USB devices or file imports or exports on company PCs.
It also has two productivity related features: PC health center, which can schedule and perform PC maintenance tasks after hours so as not to interrupt employees' work. It works even if the computer is powered down, as long as it is plugged in and an energy saver so that businesses can save energy by scheduling PCs to power-down at the end of the day and turn on before the work day begins―ready for employees as they arrive in the morning. The motherboard is already on sale at around US$125 (S$160) which is quite expensive for a product in this class, especially as boards with better features are priced rather lower.
- 100% All Solid Capacitor Design
- Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory, Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB
- 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 Slot
- Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX and CrossFireX
- Supports Intel® HD Graphics with Built-in Visuals
- Multi VGA Output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and DisplayPort
- Intel® PCIE Gigabit LAN
- 5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec), Supports THX TruStudio™
- Supports ASRock XFast RAM, XFast LAN, XFast USB, OMG, Internet Flash, UEFI System Browser
- Supports Intel® vPro Technology, Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Small Business Advantage, Intel® Smart Connect Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology
- Free Bundle : CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, ASRock MAGIX Multimedia Suite
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 06:09 PM | Comments
Samsung Galaxy S III Now On Sale - In Dubai Only
The much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone has now gone on sale - but only in Dubai for now. The customer who bought the one shown in the photos below, apparently in Dubai, paid AED2499 ($680 approx) for it. So, for those champing at the bit to get one, it goes on sale in Europe on May 29 and the USA on June 1.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 04:48 PM | Comments
Microsoft Revamps Multi-Monitor Support For Windows 8
It looks like Microsoft wants to revamp and improve multi-monitor support with their release of Windows 8. They decided on this course of action after seeing the data collected through the Windows Feedback Program showing 13% of desktop and 5% of laptop users utilizing two monitors. After seeing those numbers they started looking at their own setups at the office. With those numbers and their own experiences in mind they set out some goals they wanted to achieve when it comes to people making use of multiple monitors with Windows 8:
- Make the desktop a more personal experience. Perhaps the most personalized feature on the desktop is the ability to customize the desktop background. We set out to make this a great experience on multiple monitors too.
- Improve the efficiency of accessing apps across monitors. In Windows 7, the top request from people using multiple monitors was to improve the taskbar efficiency.
- Improve the efficiency of accessing system UI. In Windows 7, you could only access the Start menu on one monitor. With the introduction in Windows 8 of new UI that puts controls at the edges of the screen, we wanted to make sure that it’s still easy to access Start, the charms, the clock, and your recently used apps from every monitor.
- Allow side-by-side Metro style and desktop apps. You can launch or move a Metro style app to any monitor, side-by-side with desktop apps on another screen.
We recognize that a key value of using multiple monitors lies in the desire to increase multitasking. This is especially true of those of you who spend time arranging your desktop windows to maximize the available real estate across multiple displays. Speaking firsthand, most developers and testers at Microsoft have a multi-monitor setup in their offices, walking through the hallways one sees a wide range of monitor configurations from 2 to 4 or more monitors among the engineering team. This affords two important scenarios. First, developers can use a tool like Visual Studio on one screen and have the running/debugged program on another, or they can add an additional monitor and reserve it for side tasks such as email or web browsing.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 03:11 PM | Comments
Diablo 3 Accounts Hacked, Looted Like Demon Corpses
Seems Blizzard's Diablo 3 is the new game to hack and its only been out for one week. The issue is widespread enough that is has happened to a writer over at Eurogamer. Christian Donlan apparently had his account hacked, hilariously enough the conversation with the hacker was captured by review editor Oli Welsh also from Eurogamer. (shown below) This is but one case however, it seems a multitude of reports are popping up about Diablo 3 accounts being hacked. Blizzard's only option currently has been to roll back a user's characters to a time before they were hacked, the fix of course isn't perfect, as progress is still lost. Blizzard has even gone so far as to offer an authenticator which should have provided further security, but it seems to have failed as accounts with it enabled have still been compromised. Sad as it is, accounts are being hacked and stripped of all items, gold, etc and it's becoming a severe issue. Let's hope Blizzard can crack down on the problem before they release the real money auction house, as when that happens the problem could escalate to unprecedented proportions. Blizzard has yet to respond to reports on the issue.
One theory suggested by players on the Battle.net forum revolves around hijacking session identifiers, which would allow hackers to take over accounts without alerting Blizzard's authentication server. Again, this remains unconfirmed.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 02:36 PM | Comments
MSI Debutes Z77A-GD80 Motherboard With Thunderbolt
MSI today announced the Z77A-GD80 mainboard, which just happens to be the world's first mainboard with Thunderbolt support. The Z77A-GD80 is equipped with the newest Intel Z77 chipset with support for the new generation 22nm processors, and is equipped with the newest Thunderbolt transfer interface. With Thunderbolt, external device connectivity problems faced by high-end users are alleviated such as: poor data transfer rates, every device requiring an independent connection port, and transfer speed dropping low when sending and receiving files simultaneously due to lack of bandwidth, etc. The all new Thunderbolt transfer technology provides an extremely large bi-direction 10Gbps bandwidth, which allows simultaneous connection of high resolution monitors, storage devices and even a graphics card. 8-channel audio signal is also supported, allowing multiple devices to be connected via a single cable.
The MSI Z77A-GD80 features the newest and fastest external connection technology – Thunderbolt. It provides two-way bandwidth that reaches as high as 10Gbps and can also provide electric power for external devices. HD video content can be transferred within only a few seconds! The two-way and independent bandwidth design allows users to send and receive files simultaneously through the Thunderbolt interface and not reduce the respective transfer speed. Additionally, only one cable connection is required from the computer to other external peripherals such as high-resolution monitors and large capacity external storage devices. 8-channel audio signals are also supported. Compared to the traditional interface which requires one connection cable to connect each device or multiple external hubs, Thunderbolt can increase convenience and ease of connectivity, fully meeting the needs of professionals and high-end users.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 01:25 PM | Comments
Team Group Announces Team Vulcan Series Overclocking Memory - 8GB Modules
Team Group today announced a series of memory modules that have been designed for overclocking called Team Vulcan. Team Group says this memory series was named after the god of fire in Greek mythology and they offer Team Vulcan kits in speeds ranging from 1600MHz to 2400MHz. Team Group also announced they they are also now offering a single 8GB memory module for overclockers made from eight 512MB memory chips. This means on Intel X79 boards that have support for 8 memory modules that you can run 64GB of memory! Team Group is offering kits with 8GB modules in speeds of up to 2133MHz, which is really fast for that density!
Named after the god of fire in Greek mythology, the Team Vulcan is the combination of high-end craftsmanship and top-notch technology. The short version heat sink of Team Vulcan prevents difficulty in installation due to large and bulky heat dissipation device of motherboard. The arrow-shaped opening design helps increase heat dissipation. In addition, the explosively red color combined with diamond cut pattern not only shows great texture but also the crazy sensation of over-clocking speed. Made of chips from major manufacturers, Team Vulcan passes series of harsh testing and verification procedures which have proven its stability and durability. Currently, DDR3 2400 CL10, DDR3 2133 CL11, DDR3 1866 CL9/10/11 and DDR3 1600 CL9 are available to cover the mainstream Dual- and Quad-channel specifications that pretty much satisfy the demands of players of all levels.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 11:16 AM | Comments
Intel Previews 1Gbps DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Internet Gateway
Intel previewed its first DOCSIS 3.0 cable gateway solution that is capable of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) by bonding 24 DOCSIS 3.0 channels together (up from eight bonded channels in a typical deployment today). The Intel Puma 6 technology solution will help enable service providers to meet consumer demand and offer new services while extending their extensive network investments. A test program by South Korea’s SKbroadband is targeting production deployment of 1Gbps in 2013.
“We continue to lead in DOCSIS technology, and are now providing cable gateway solutions with 1Gbps capability,” said Alan Crouch, general manager of Intel’s Service Provider Division. “Service providers can now deliver on consumer demands for higher broadband speeds, supporting a proliferation of new devices, services and experiences.”
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 11:05 AM | Comments
Killer Wireless-N 1202 Wireless Cards Now Available in Alienware Laptops
Qualcomm Atheros today announced that Alienware will be the first to launch the Killer Wireless-N 1202 high-performance Wi-Fi module with Bluetooth on the Alienware line of high-performance gaming laptop computers. The high-performance 2x2 802.11n MIMO Wi-Fi module with Bluetooth is designed to provide improved performance and advanced control by automatically classifying and prioritizing gaming, video and audio network data to provide a superior, uninterrupted online entertainment experience.
“Alienware continues to be the leader in performance laptops and we appreciate that its customers are used to getting the best gaming experience possible,” said Mike Cubbage, director of business development, networking business unit, Qualcomm Atheros. “The Killer Wireless-N 1202 will continue the tradition of delivering a superior gaming and real-time communication experience for Alienware laptop users by providing the best in online application performance, intelligence and control to ensure that critical online applications get the bandwidth and priority they need, when they need it.”
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 10:50 AM | Comments
VIA Launches $49 Android PC w/ ARM 11 Processor - APC
VIA Technologies today unveiled the $49 APC Android PC system. Powered by a WonderMedia ARM 11 800MHz processor, APC integrates memory, storage, and a full set of consumer I/O features in a small footprint Neo-ITX motherboard that can be connected to a TV or monitor. The Neo-ITX form factor is new and the board measures just 17cm x 8.5cm and can be housed in any standard Mini-ITX or microATX chassis.
- Optimized Android OS
- HD TV support
- Hardware acceleration of the most demanding video formats
- VGA and HMDI display ports
- Four USB 2.0 ports
- One microSD slot
- One 10/100 Ethernet port
- Audio-out/ Mic-in
- VIA WonderMedia ARM 11 SoC
- 2GB NAND Flash
- 512 DDR3 SDRAM
- 15W power adaptor
"APC brings the familiarity and convenience of Android to the PC at a $49 price point that will open up exciting new markets and applications," said Richard Brown, VP of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Like a bicycle for your mind, APC will enable more people than ever before to explore the vast online universe."
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 08:15 AM | Comments
Alan Wake’s American Nightmare Now Available For PC Gamers
Remedy Entertainment has finally released Alan Wake's American Nightmare for PC gamers! Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is a stand alone spin-off adventure featuring a thrilling pulp action story mode and an all new “Fight till Dawn” arcade mode. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare has also been revamped for the PC with stunning high-resolution graphics and enhanced PC features.
Here is the official Alan Wake's American Nightmare Launch Trailer!
The single player campaign comes from the darkest corners of the ‘Night Springs’, a Twilight Zone inspired fiction. American Nightmare is an exaggerated and gritty rendering of that world – where the horrors of reality have the all too easy habit of coming true. When Wake becomes stuck in the alternate shadowed world of Night Springs, he must hunt down his evil double, Mr. Scratch, to find answers. A supernatural serial killer, Scratch is fixated on Wake’s wife, Alice, and even more horribly, Wake’s demise. To survive and thrive in the darkest of nights, Wake must learn to control reality itself and unravel the secrets of Night Springs with a trusty flashlight by his side and whatever weapon he can find.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 08:05 AM | Comments
PQI Announces Wi-Fi Memory Card - PQI Air Card
PQI launched the Air Card Wi-Fi Memory Card today. The PQI Air Card uses a is a traditional Class 10 microSD memory card that fits inside an SD adapter that has Wi-Fi built-in. The end result is a wireless memory card that allows for "instant sharing" anytime and anywhere without the need for annoying wires or a PC card reader. You can then wirelessly transfer images and movies to a device of your choice thanks to the PQI AirCard+ app that works on both Apple and Android devices.
When combining the PQI Air Card with the latest digital cameras (DSC/DSLR), you can instantly upload files to your preferred cloud storage service. The Air Card is the only product that features both Wi-Fi connectivity and a microSD card slot with up to a 32GB capacity and Class10 support. It supports the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n interface. Simply insert the PQI Air Card into a digital camera memory card slot to automatically turn on the Wi-Fi along with the camera. This simple technology can also automatically connect to the PQI "AirCard+" app (available in the iOS App Store and Android’s Google Play) on smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices for instant file sharing with up to three simultaneous connections.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 07:56 AM | Comments
Q1 Graphics Shipments Decline 3.38% Over Last Year
Jon Peddie Research today announced the companies findings when it comes to estimated graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for Q1'12. The research firm discovered that AMD was able to grow shipments over last quarter by 0.3%, in a down quarter. Intel slipped 1.3% and NVIDIA declined 4.5% from the last quarter. Although this did not shape up to be a great quarter for the suppliers, it actually wasn't as bad as it could have been. Jon Peddie Research found that shipments during the first quarter of 2012 behaved according to past years with regard to seasonality, declining from the previous quarter; however, this quarter's decline (of 0.8%) was less than the ten-year average of 3.1%. If we use graphics as an indicator, the industry seems to be recovering from the floods in Thailand. Jon Peddie Research uses both discrete and integrated graphics (CPU and chipset) for Desktops, Notebooks (and Netbooks), and PC-based commercial (i.e., POS) and industrial/scientific and embedded to come up with these figures.
The quarter in general:
- AMD had a gigantic increase in shipments of its desktop APUs of 84% and a modest 2.6% decline in notebook APUs.
- This quarter, Intel celebrated its ninth quarter of shipping its Embedded Processor Graphics CPU-EPG, a multi-function design that combines a graphics processor and an x86 CPU in the same package. These devices include the Core i series, and Atom processors in PCs. Intel's desktop EPG shipments had a very strong double digit growth of 18%, and Notebooks showed a more modest 2.1%. Combined with a decrease in overall IGP chipsets shipments, Intel came in for the quarter with a -1.3% drop from Q4.
- Nvidia shipments dropped 4.5% from last quarter, partially due to the phase out of IGPs. The company will no longer report IGP shipments.
- Year to year this quarter AMD shipments declined 1.2%, Intel shipped 4.67% more parts, Nvidia slipped -26.3% in the overall market as company withdraws from the integrated segments, and VIA saw their shipments increase by 51% over last year and 148% over last quarter.
- A little over 123 million graphics chips shipped, down from 124 million units last quarter, and down from 126 million units shipped this quarter a year ago.
- Discrete GPUs increased 2.7 % from the last quarter but were down 11% from last year for the same quarter.
- Ninety three percent of Intel's non server processors have graphics, and over 79% of AMD's non-server processors have integrated graphics
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 07:45 AM | Comments
NVIDIA GeForce 301.42 WHQL Drivers Released
This morning NVIDIA released GeForce 301.42 WHQL Drivers for both desktop and notebook users! The NVIDIA GeForce 301.42 WHQL drivers offer numerous performance enhancements over GeForce 296.10 WHQL drivers, so if you haven't updated your drivers recently you are in for a treat. These drivers support all the new GeForce GTX 600 'Kepler' series cards as well as older 400 and 500 series products. You can download the new drivers here.
Increases performance for GeForce 400 Series and 500 Series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 296.10 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:
GeForce GTX 570/580:
- Up to 23% in Just Cause 2 with SLI
- Up to 21% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Up to 17% in StarCraft II with SLI
- Up to 14% in Far Cry 2 with SLI
- Up to 9% in Bulletstorm
- Up to 7% in Civilization V
- Up to 6% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution with SLI
- Up to 6% in Dragon Age 2 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Metro 2033 with SLI
- Up to 5% in Total War: Shogun 2
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 07:34 AM | Comments
May 22, 2012 News from Around the Web
Icy Dock MB994SP-4SB-1 Full Metal Quad Bay 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Backplane Review @ eTeknix.com and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
Icy Dock and hot-swap bays go together like icing on a cake, so lets take a look to see what the MB994SP-4SB-1 has to offer.
Posted by | Tue, May 22, 2012 - 07:05 AM | Comments
Ubisoft Releases Burning Building Trailer For Far Cry 3
Ubisoft have released another teaser video to tempt people to buy Far Cry 3 when it's released in September, just in time for the back to school season, guaranteeing that legions of students will be playing this at home instead of doing their homework...
This one shows our protagonist fighting his way through a huge building set completely ablaze in order to save a damsel in distress called Lisa, who is trapped inside. The three minute video is very good and we won't spoil it by describing what happens. Note how the flames are rendered, which look and move in a surprisingly realistic way, helping to give the impression of searing heat.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 07:48 PM | Comments
Overkill Has Cool Blend of PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead In The Works
Following various recent hints dropped into PAYDAY The Heist, Overkill Software's Game Director, Ulf Andersson, has announced that his company are currently collaborating with Valve to produce a game that's a blend of PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead, "We are working on a very cool blend of PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead. I am sure it is so exciting that it will have some players check into the hospital before we are done".
He hasn't said anything other than this tantalizing statement, so we'll just have to wait a little longer to see what Overkill come up with. One thing we know though: Valve have not put out a bad game yet, so this collaboration is likely to produce something wicked that lives up to the hype.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 06:15 PM | Comments
Ubisoft Launches Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Commander For Facebook
Today, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Commander, an isometric tactical combat game, is now available to play on Facebook. Head to Facebook if you'd like to try this game out.
“We are taking the popular Ghost Recon franchise and bringing it to platforms that allow players of all skill levels to enjoy at their leisure, on the platform of their choosing,” said Chris Early, vice president of digital publishing at Ubisoft. “This is the basis of our companion gaming strategy that Ghost Recon Commander exemplifies so well.”
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 05:14 PM | Comments
Leap Motion Releases Super Accurate Kinect-Style Motion Sensing Device
Microsoft's Kinect motion controller initially for the Xbox 360 and now also the PC, has been very successful and shows how computers can be controlled by gestures rather than just with the traditional keyboard and mouse. This success hasn't been lost on competitors, who are now starting to make similar products. Enter Leap Motion's Leap controller, an affordable $69.99 device that the company is starting to take pre-orders for. If you pre-order a unit, you'll be waiting a bit as they aren't going to ship until December 2012 or January 2013.
Unlike Microsoft's Kinect, the Leap tracks finger movements with precision down to a 100th of a millimeter, allowing precise interactions with the computer, on the same order as using a mouse. In fact, the company makes the bold claim that with this device, one can "say goodbye to your mouse and keyboard." That remains to be seen. The company's About/FAQ page is here. Note that as of this writing, Leap Motion haven't revealed the specifications of the device or gone into any significant detail into how it works. The video below demonstrates what the device can do and does look impressive. However, it would probably be wise to wait for a review or two before spending hard cash on a new, unproven product from a new company.
"It was this gap between what's easy in the real world but very complicated to do digitally, like molding a piece of clay or creating a 3-D model, that inspired us to create the Leap and fundamentally change how people work with their computers," said Leap Motion CEO and co-founder Michael Buckwald. "In addition to the Leap for computers, our core software is versatile enough to be embedded in a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, cars and refrigerators. One day 3-D motion control will be in just about every device we interact with, and thanks to the Leap, that day is coming sooner than anyone expected."
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 05:10 PM | Comments
iBUYPOWER Announces Dual-CPU Professional Series Workstations
iBUYPOWER announced two updates to their Professional Series workstations this afternoon. iBUYPOWER is launching the Professional Series P900DX, the most powerful update to their Professional Series workstations. In addition, iBUYPOWER is also announcing the availability of the new Intel Xeon E3-1200-V2 CPUs on Professional Series P500X Workstation PCs.
The new P900DX features two of the latest Intel E5 Xeon processors with up to 8 cores per CPU. High memory capacity and 3rd Generation PCI-E combine with increased processing power in the new P900DX workstations to deliver performance for the most intensive CAD simulation tasks. Professional Series P900DX workstations start from $3,699. The updated P500DX workstations feature Intel Xeon E3-1200-V2 CPUs, which features increased performance at lower power consumption for a more efficient workflow. Professional Series P500X Workstations start from $1,229.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 04:39 PM | Comments
Rumor: NVIDIA To Recall All Kepler 600-Series Cards Due To Fatal Hardware Flaw?
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported this situation. We would like to apologize to NVIDIA and any of our readers that were mislead or misinformed. Below is the updated news post.Is there a fatal hardware flaw in all NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670/680/690 'Kepler' graphics cards? There have been rumors coming from various sites today that something might be going on. A site called pnosker.com says they have have information from from TSMC that says the "chips may be suffering from serious performance degradation over long periods of heavy load", therefore, NVIDIA may be recalling all of their Kepler cards due to this issue.
We have never heard of Patrick Nosker or pnosker.com before and this story sounds a bit off as how would he be getting inside information before larger publications? The site later reports that this is their first time ever citing a source and that they don't even have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics card. It doesn't sound like this source has any merit. We have NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, GTX 680 and GTX 670 video cards here running on our test machines 24/7 for longer than a month and have had no failures.
NVIDIA was asked if they were having any Kepler issues and they denied that they will be recalling any cards over a hardware issue. NVIDIA's Bryan Del Rizzo stated that "There is no truth to this". Case closed
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 04:18 PM | Comments
Google Chrome Beats Out Internet Explorer To Become World's #1 Browser
It's been a while coming, but it would appear Google Chrome has secured its place as the number one web browser in the world. According to StatCounter, Chrome overtook Internet Explorer during the week of May 14th to May 20th, where it rose to 32.76% against Microsoft's 31.94%. Granted Chrome slipped a bit this week, dropping to 31.88%, however it still retained a greater market share then Internet Explorer, which has dropped even further to 31.47%. It seems this time Google's web browser will retain the crown, unlike our previous report where it only managed to last a day at the top. That said, Chrome has a long way to go when it comes to catching Microsoft's Internet Explorer in the United States, where Google's has 23.83% of the market versus Microsoft's 37.81%. Only time will tell if Chrome will retain the title of number one browser in the world, but from the way things appear this time it might just stay that way.
Despite its worldwide success, Chrome still has a ways to go to catch Internet Explorer in the U.S. In fact, StatCounter's data shows that the week Chrome overtook Internet Explorer, Google's browser held just 23.83 percent market share, compared to Microsoft's 37.81 percent. Chrome's success appears to have come in large part from Europe, where the browser outpaced Internet Explorer by more than 1 percentage point.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 03:08 PM | Comments
Nexus Release Thrio 310 Mid Tower Case
Nexus has released their Thrio 310 mid tower case, which aims for a high end look and features at a budget price of around $59 / 46 Euro. It features noise absorption material made of dense foam, toolless drive installation clamps and the bottom mounting for the PSU has soft foam bumpers to absorb vibration and noise. The side panels are easily removed with thumbscrews and the case comes with a 120mm fan, plus space for three additional fans. It has a black interior, three external 5.25 inch bays, 8 internal 3.5 inch bays, 7 expansion slots and front ports 3 x USB2.0, 1 x USB3.0, 1 x mic, 1 x audio. It's compatible with ATX and mATX motherboards. Size: 468x180x430mm (DxWxH). The technical data sheets can be downloaded here (1.27MB PDF).
We already preinstalled one of our excellent silent case fan, a 120mm fan is fitted as air outtake. Some isolating padding where the PSU is placed prevents resonance. And there are ventilation holes to mount the PSU upside down, so the hot air of the PSU will not get inside the case at all. The rubber feet keep the case elevated from the floor to make smooth airflow possible and to eliminate resonance.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 02:58 PM | Comments
Warren East CEO, ARM Expects To Gain 20% Of Notebook PC Market By 2015
Warren East, CEO of ARM, has brazenly stated that he expects his company's processors to eventually take 10-20% of the notebook PC market by 2015. He also expects that the impact ARM will have on the PC market will be far greater than competitor Intel when it pushes into the smartphone market. East, while forecasting 10-20% market share for ARM, expects Intel to only gain 5-10% of the smartphone market. Still, this isn't the biggest prediction East has made, apparently last month he went so far as to predict that the embedded processor market would dwarf that of mobile device chips, with billions of chips shipped per year by ARM in just a couple more years.
While East forecasts 10 to 20 percent market share for ARM notebooks by 2014 or 2015, he believes Intel-powered smartphones will only capture about five to 10 percent of the smartphone market. Intel-powered handsets have only recently begun to enter the market, but more are expected to emerge in the coming months.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 02:20 PM | Comments
Facebook Shares Fall Below $38 IPO Price
Facebook (FB) shares sank on Monday without the full support of the company's underwriters, leaving some investors down 25 percent from where they were Friday afternoon. Facebook's market debut Friday suffered some hiccups, with trading on the Nasdaq delayed for a half hour and issues with traders' orders. The stock closed Friday just a few cents above where it priced Thursday night, when many investors had hoped for a big first-day pop. The shares opened Friday at $42.05, and fluctuated throughout the day before closing at $38.23. Facebook is currently trading at $34.72. It looks like the insiders made a ton of cash, but the investors who are probably Facebook users lost a lot of money so far on this IPO.
"At the moment it's not living up to the hype," Frank Lesh, a futures analyst and broker at FuturePath Trading LLC in Chicago said, adding that some people may have decided to hang back and buy the stock on the declines.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 12:28 PM | Comments
Thermaltake Makes Gaming Mouse With Detachable Fan
Tt eSPORTS has laucnhed world’s first gaming mouse with detachable fan! The Thermaltake BLACK Element Cyclone gaming mouse is the real deal. It is a true gaming mouse that eliminates the issue of having a wet gaming palm. The BLACK Element Cyclone edition gaming mouse and its detachable fan-device allows gamers to attach the fan to gaming mouse when gaming. The little fan spins at 6,000 RPM and is rated to push 2.7 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) of air across your hand. With the fan spinning that fast you'd expect it to be loud, but Thermaltake said the noise level is just 21.7 dBA.
The BLACK Element gaming mouse was then created to overwhelm e-Sports community with its two additional features: muscle power and visual effects. Its unbeatable 6500 DPI laser sensor engine and 5 amazing vibrant color choices to match gamer’s preferences, are still exciting the e-Sports community and highly praised by media. In 2012, Tt eSPORTS proudly presents the BLACK Element Cyclone gaming mouse, an innovative gaming product that re-invents the mouse design. The Cyclone edition allows gamers to enjoy the same strength, same comfort, and same visual characters from its predecessor BLACK Element, but with extra cool when gaming. A true manifestation of dedicating the best gaming product development for the e-Sports community, Tt eSPORTS BLACK Element Cyclone edition is comfortable to grip and allows you to grip it while gentle breeze flowing from your fingertips to your heated palm, slowly cool down the temperature.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 11:42 AM | Comments
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
AMD today launched the AMD Embedded R-Series accelerated processing unit (APU) platform. Designed for mid- to high-end graphics-intensive applications such as digital signage, casino gaming, point-of-sale systems and kiosks, as well as parallel-processing-intensive applications spanning medical imaging and security/surveillance, the AMD Embedded R-Series APU combines the new “Piledriver” CPU architecture, an evolution of the “Bulldozer” architecture, with discrete-class, DirectX 11-capable AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics in a heterogeneous multicore embedded processing platform.
“AMD pioneered the embedded APU to offer our customers a high-performance, power-efficient, small form-factor embedded processor,” said Buddy Broeker, director, AMD Embedded Solutions. “With the AMD Embedded R-Series, we are taking our APU technology to the next level. By leveraging its seamlessly integrated heterogeneous system architecture, developers can tap into a high-performance and efficient parallel processing engine to accelerate their graphics- and compute-intensive applications, all while using industry-standard libraries such as OpenCL and DirectCompute.”
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 11:33 AM | Comments
Intel LGA1155 mATX Motherboard for $14.99 Shipped - ECS H61H2-M2
We normally don't post up hot deals on the front page of LR, but some deals are just too good to pass up. We ran across a micro-ATX Intel LGA1155 motherboard this morning that costs just $14.99 shipped after rebate! The board is the ECS H62H2-M2 and Newegg is practically giving it away. Newegg has ECS H61H2-Motherboard for $54.99 - $10 off w/ promo code ECS521 - $30 rebate = $14.99 with free shipping. The board is in-stock right now and the rebate is valid until 5/30/2012. Not a bad deal at all for a board that has some pretty decent features and would make for a great budget build. This board doesn't feature USB 3.0 or SATA III, but at $15 who cares!
High performance ECS Motherboard H61H2-M2 supporting latest socket LGA 1155 Intel 2nd Generation Core i7 / i5 / i3 Processors. It Features Intel H61 Express chipset with SATA 3Gb/s and digital output delivers smooth blu-ray and HD video playback for the best visual experience.H61H2-M2 is the best choice for family and commercial use.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 10:24 AM | Comments
New Teaser Trailer Released For Skyfall - James Bond '007' is Back!
The first teaser trailer for Sam Mendes’s “Skyfall,” the upcoming James Bond film featuring 007 is here! Returning as Bond, James Bond, Daniel Craig plays a word association game with a bearded psychologist at the beginning of the trailer. To “country,” he replies “England.” To “murder,” “employment.” And to “Skyfall,” Bond answers “done.” Check out a glimpse of the 23rd James Bond adventure below.
Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film, produced by Eon Productions for MGM, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Directed by Sam Mendes, it features Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's villain. The film is due to be released in the UK on 26 October 2012, which includes IMAX venues.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 10:16 AM | Comments
KINGMAX Launches ED-07 USB 3.0 Flash Drive
KINGMAX recently launched the Elite Series USB 3.0 Flash Drive, ED-07. The KINGMAX ED-07 is a very fast USB Flash drive with sequential read speeds reaching up to 170MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 40MB/s. The KINGMAX ED-07 measures in at 37 x 12.4 x 4.26mm (LxWxH) and is available in a number of capacities ranging from 16GB to 128GB. KINGMAX believes that since Intel Ivy Bridge processors are now available in the market, that USB 3.0 peripherals will become more and more popular. Could 2012 be the year for USB 3.0 flash drives?
ED-07 USB3.0 Flash drive is light and portable, with housing of two colors: slivery grey and water blue. It includes capacity of 16GB/ 32GB/ 64GB and 128GB, providing a variety of choice for consumers. Elite series highlight its style of sophistication and calmness, and the appearance of simplicity is particularly suitable for people who value most of high quality. The housing of ED-07 is made of aluminum alloy case with anodized coating, giving ED-07 shining surface and properties of corrosion resistant. ED-07 also has cap design with tail-attached function to avoid the loss; attaching a string to the niche at ED-07’s tail makes it an easy-to-carry accessory.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 10:02 AM | Comments
TP-LINK’S New AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter
TP-LINK today announced its new AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter, providing industry-leading performance, hassle-free set-up, for an instant, secure high-speed network for the home or office. The AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter provides high-speed streams at up to 500Mbps on a line length of up to 300 meters, creating an incredibly fast, robust network. At these speeds, the AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter delivers the performance required for fast, whole home or office solutions to connect all network compatible devices from HD video streaming, online gaming, VolP or any other bandwidth intensive applications. The AV500 Gigabit Powerline Adapter is being sold under part number TL-PA511KIT for $89.99.
- HomePlug AV standard compliant, high-speed data transfer rates of up to 500Mbps
- One Gigabit Ethernet Port; built-in QoS provides networking flexibility and stable HD video streaming, online gaming capabilities
- Plug-and-play setup; no configuration required
- Patented Power-Saving Mode automatically reduces power consumption by up to 85%
- Up to 300 meter (984 feet) range over the household power circuit
“Our flagship Gigabit Powerline Adapter transforms your home or office power outlets into a high-performance network with no need for new wires or drilling,” said Howard He, Product Engineer of TP-LINK USA. “With our convenient network at 500Mbps, the Gigabit Powerline Adapter will transmit multiple HD video streams to every room or office, making it an exceptional choice for an easy-to-build multimedia network.”
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 09:55 AM | Comments
ARCTIC Releases Accelero Xtreme III Video Card GPU Cooler
ARCTIC just moments ago released its new graphics card cooler, the Accelero Xtreme III. It is capable of cooling the world's fastest single GPU powered video card along with dozens of other models. With three 92mm ultra-quiet PWM fans (0.5 Sone) and five heatpipes with an 83-fin heatsink, the Accelero Xtreme III provides an optimal cooling capacity of up to 300 Watts in total silence. The Accelero Xtreme III is available now and comes with a six-year limited warranty and a MSRP at $119.95 or 90.41 EUR, excluding VAT.
- Max. Cooling Capacity 300 Watts
- Heatpipe Ø 6 mm x 5
- Heatsink Material Aluminum fins x 84, thickness 0.3 mm
- Fan 92 mm, 900 - 2,000 RPM (controlled by PWM) x 3 fans
- Bearing Fluid Dynamic Bearing
- Noise Level 0.5 Sone
- Current (per fan) / Voltage (per fan) 0.12A / 12V
- Power Consumption 4.32W
- Dimensions 288 (L) x 104 (W) x 54 (H) mm
- Net Weight 653 g
Accelero Xtreme III offers the best cooling solution for the fastest single GPU graphics cards in the market, and it is extraordinarily quiet too. Its up-to-date mounting mechanism and heatsink design makes it compatible with a wide range of graphic cards. It comes with a comprehensive set of 31 RAM and VR heatsinks to cool all the components surrounding the GPU. The package also provides you with our award-winning MX-4 thermal compound to enhance the GPU’s thermal conductivity.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 05:50 AM | Comments
ASUS Launches First Intel Thunderbolt Certified Motherboards
ASUS announced the launch of its P8Z77-V PREMIUM motherboard this morning — the flagship of the P8Z77 Series and the first Intel certified motherboard in the market to offer the latest Thunderbolt connection interface. The PREMIUM designation has been reserved for only the best motherboards with the latest technologies, and the P8Z77-V PREMIUM maintains this standard. In addition to the onboard Thunderbolt connection on the P8Z77-V PREMIUM, ASUS also offers the same technology on the P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT motherboard.
The P8Z77-V PREMIUM motherboard boasts several new features pushing pass the limitations of the Z77 chipset, such as true 4-way NVIDIA SLI and 4-way AMD CrossFireX on the latest PCIe Gen 3.0 slots for maximum graphics performance. Also introduced is advanced SSD Caching II, allowing users to cache additional frequently used programs and files using multiple SSDs to instantly upgrade system performance. A 32GB mSATA based SSD is also onboard, enabling Intel Smart Response and Rapid Start Technology for super-fast boot up and resume times. Network traffic is handled by a pair of Gigabit Intel LAN ports, ensuring high speed transfers for outstanding network performance. In addition in conjunction with ASUS’ exclusive Network iControl users can customize their network performance to their specific usage. Rounding our connectivity the premium also features the fastest USB 3.0 implementation via USB 3.0 Boost support extending performance for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices.
Posted by | Mon, May 21, 2012 - 05:26 AM | Comments
Windows 8 To Take Desktop GUI Design In a New Direction
In a rather long blog entry in the Building Windows 8 blog, Microsoft goes through the history of Windows Graphical User Interfaces (GUI), going all the way back to Windows 1 in 1985 and ending with the upcoming Windows 8 GUI. They explain the new direction that they're going with Windows 8, calling Vista's Aero Glass look "dated and cheesy", with Windows 7 toning all this down significantly, along with the use of flat icons as opposed to Vista's 3D ones.
For Windows 8, they're getting rid of the rounded window look and going for a smart, square-edged look instead - this will be better for windows screenshots if nothing else, which will be free of the corner "ears" that Aero Glass screenshots have. They will also be getting rid of the transparancies still visible in Windows 7, the glows and gradients found on buttons etc, with a default look of an overall white to create an airy and premium look.
Personally, the one thing I really liked about the much maligned Vista was its Aero Glass GUI, with its smart-looking black shine, transparent glass effects and stylish 3D icons, all combining to give it a serious wow factor. It still has it for me to this day, in fact. Had Vista been a better product overall, perhaps Microsoft would not have felt so compelled to move away from its impressive GUI? We'll never know.
We applied the principles of “clean and crisp” when updating window and taskbar chrome. Gone are the glass and reflections. We squared off the edges of windows and the taskbar. We removed all the glows and gradients found on buttons within the chrome. We made the appearance of windows crisper by removing unnecessary shadows and transparency. The default window chrome is white, creating an airy and premium look. The taskbar continues to blend into the desktop wallpaper, but appears less complicated overall.
To complete the story, we updated the appearance of most common controls, such as buttons, check boxes, sliders, and the Ribbon. We squared off the rounded edges, cleaned away gradients, and flattened the control backgrounds to align with our chrome changes. We also tweaked the colors to make them feel more modern and neutral.
Posted by | Sun, May 20, 2012 - 06:51 PM | Comments
NVIDIA's GTX 680 Intermittent VSYNC Stuttering Issue To Be Fixed In Next Driver
If you have a new NVIDIA GTX 680 graphics card and you appear to have been experiencing intermittent stuttering issues in your games while vertical sync (vsync) was turned on, you're not imagining it.
There's a very long thread over at Tom's Hardware where users have been complaining of this problem. The TH editors were unable to reproduce the problem over several games, but asked NVIDIA about it. They explained that they've found the root cause of the problem, but that it will take extensive testing before it's released, so will therefore be rolled into the next driver release, slated for June. So, if this is driving you mad, then simply sit tight or turn off vsync for now. This problem doesn't appear to affect previous generation cards. NVIDIA's official response is quoted below.
We have received reports of an intermittent v-sync stuttering issue from some of our customers. We’ve root caused the issue to a driver bug and identified a fix for it. The fix requires extensive testing though, and will not be available until our next major driver release targeted for June (post-R300). For users experiencing this issue, the interim workaround is to disable v-sync via the Nvidia Control Panel or in-game graphics settings menu.
Posted by | Sun, May 20, 2012 - 06:22 PM | Comments
Nokia's Lumia 900 Glass So Tough, It Can Easily Withstand Having a Nail Hammered Into It!
When choosing a mobile phone, there are many things that have to be considered, with features such as operating system, phone company and costs all having to be taken into account. Another is just how tough the phone is to resisting life's knocks, bumps, scrapes and falls. Well, if this video from Nokia's hardware validation lab is anything to go by, the Nokia Lumia 900 is very tough indeed. The video below shows one being torture tested by having a nail hammered into its glass face and then the phone itself being used to hammer a nail into a piece of wood! Incredibly, it survives this without a scratch and is still fully functional at the end of it. Of course, it must be remembered that the shocks go right through the phone, so the circuit board, battery and case must all be made to be very tough as well. Note that trying such a harsh test on your own phone is not recommended.
Now, one of the world's most popular smartphones is of course the Apple iPhone, which is unfortunately well known for not taking knocks and falls too well, often resulting in cracked and broken glass fronts. Perhaps Apple should note when designing their next expensive iPhone, that this level of toughness is perfectly possible in a smartphone and doesn't cost the earth to implement?
Posted by | Sun, May 20, 2012 - 10:31 AM | Comments
Homemade Transformer Has To Be Seen To Be Believed!
Ok, here's something a little different for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Fans of the Transformers series of sci-fi movies will love this: a Japanese enthusiast has built a homemade real-life Autobot! The size of a model radio-controlled car and using 22 servo motors for the joints, it can literally change from a car into a warrior bot and back in a matter of seconds, looking very cool while transforming. It can also do some funky moves while in "humanoid" form, too.
This is a version 8 model and a version 9 is in the works, which will be very interesting to see. The number plate has the name "Kenji Ishida", which is presumably the name of the enthusiast who made it.
Posted by | Sun, May 20, 2012 - 10:04 AM | Comments
Microsoft: Delivering Reliable and Trustworthy Metro Style Apps
In a bid to maintain quality (and copy Apple?) Microsoft is laying down some ground rules for developers wanting to code apps for the Metro interface that's new to Windows 8, due for release in a few months.
Apps will only be available through the Windows Store, which allows one-click installs, user feedback and crash monitoring - all handled by the operating system, reducing development time and providing a consistent user experience. To help ensure this seamless experience, Microsoft is also requiring developers not to use APIs which aren't included in the development kit. All apps submissions must go through an Apple App Store style vetting process before they will appear, along with a cut of all sales of course. Finally, apps can't just grab access to certain features of mobile devices, such as GPS and cameras. Instead, they will be forced to request access from the user. This is good, as these functions allow personal data about a user to be obtained, such as location and their picture. This should help to keep potential malware and intrusive apps at bay. But what about the screening process you say? Nothing is perfect and a few dodgy apps sneak past Apple's screening process occasionally, which are subsequently pulled. Having a safety net like this is highly recommended.
Windows Store – For customers, it starts with the Store, their one-stop-shop for Metro style apps. To get into the Store your app is reviewed for both technical and policy compliance, including security checks. After it’s published to the Store, your app will be rated and reviewed by the community. Together, the onboarding process and community reviews help create an environment in which customers can try apps with confidence.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 07:04 PM | Comments
Big Content's Piracy Myth Busted: BitTorrent 'Piracy' Does Actually Boost Sales!
Big Content routinely cries foul over 'piracy' of their precious content and on that basis, uses its formidable wealth to continue persecuting file sharers - that's ordinary people like you and me - by trying to force extortionate financial settlements or taking them to court and lobbying governments around the world to get draconian anti-consumer laws passed such as three strikes and you're off the internet. Note that Big Content never shows in court or anywhere else, independently verified evidence of the supposed "harm" dealt by file sharing. They always rely on statutory damages and claim that it's impossible to quantify it. So, how do they know how much "damage" is being done, then? Interestingly, looking at their financials, they're always in rude health, even during these rough economic times around the world. This includes, music, movies and especially video games - witness the astounding sales of the latest Call of Duty series breaking all sales records recently. Something doesn't smell right, does it?
Most file sharing studies have shown that file sharing has a neglible effect on sales, good or bad and the ones that show damage to sales tend to be funded by Big Content. However, this latest independent study, entitled "Profit Leak? Pre-Release File Sharing and the Music Industry" by Robert Hammond, Assistant Professor of Economics at North Carolina State University, claims that piracy actually increases sales of music albums. Moreover, Hammond claims that the study is much more accurate than previous ones made, since the sample size is so much larger: 1095 albums from 1075 artists on the largest private BitTorrent tracker dedicated to music. The research focused on albums that were leaked before release and found that on average resulted in 59.6 additional sales, a small, but clearly measurable benefit. Interestingly, the artists to gain the most were the widely known ones, with the little known ones not affected by file sharing at all.
The study can be downloaded here (681KB PDF) or viewed online courtesy of scribd here and the professor's website is here.
"I isolate the causal effect of file sharing of an album on its sales by exploiting exogenous variation in how widely available the album was prior to its official release date. The findings suggest that file sharing of an album benefits its sales. I don’t find any evidence of a negative effect in any specification, using any instrument," Hammond concludes in his paper.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 06:25 PM | Comments
Borderlands 2 Special Editions Revealed & Detailed
Looks like 2K games and Gearbox have been busy detailing their two special editions of Borderlands 2. First up is the "Deluxe Vault Hunter's Collector's Edition" which comes stacked with a Marcus bobblehead, map of Pandora, hardcover art book, digital comic download code and of course bonus DLC content. For those who would rather go big or go home, there's the "Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition" which includes the above items along with a replica red loot chest scaled down of course, steel book case, lithograph postcard set, field notes from Hammerlock, cloth map of Pandora, creatures ID chart, and a numbered certificate of authenticity. You can get the "Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition" for $149.99 and the "Deluxe Vault Hunter's Collector's Edition" for $99.99. Pre-orders of either version will give users access to "Borderlands 2 Premiere Club" which gives users access to the Gearbox Gun Pack, a Golden Key which opens a rare item located in the Golden Sanctuary. Furthermore the Vault Hunter's Relic which boosts abilities will be included as well alongside the Mechromancer class. Those pre-ordering the regular edition will get Mechromancer as well, however it will remain post-launch DLC content.
Borderlands 2 is a big fall release for both 2K Games and Gearbox, timed to hit just when you might be getting sick of grabbing loot from a certain other game. And as a big fall release, it's getting a few special editions, because of course it is. Today 2K and Gearbox detailed the two special editions of the game and the goodies stashed within.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 02:16 PM | Comments
EA Promotes Crowd Funded Games With Free 90-Day Distribution On Origin
It looks like alternative business models are alive and well in the world of PC video games. The crowd funding model, where the developer asks fans to pay money for the development of the game, rather than just the final product, has caught the eye of gaming giant Electronic Arts.
For anyone that can present to them a fully developed crowd funded game, they will offer the Origin distribution service free for 90 days to help the game reach a wide audience. Origin SVP David DeMartini had this to say about the initiative, "The public support for crowd-funding creative game ideas coming from small developers today is nothing short of phenomenal. It's also incredibly healthy for the gaming industry. Gamers around the world deserve a chance to play every great new game, and by waiving distribution fees on Origin we can help make that a reality for successfully crowd-funded developers." Sounds good. The daddy of online game distribution, Valve, are sure to counter with something of their own with their Steam platform and it will be interesting to see what they come up with. Budding developers can sign up for this offer here.
Origin is offering to waive its distribution fees for any developers that have a successfully crowd-funded, ready-to-publish downloadable PC game. Origin will provide distribution services for 90 days after the game's launch, giving new crowd-funded games a chance to reach the growing worldwide audience on Origin.
If you have a game development project that has been successfully funded via a crowd-funding service, you are eligible to submit your final game for distribution on Origin.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 01:40 PM | Comments
Microsoft Promotes PC Sales With Free Xbox 360 From Today
Starting May today, Microsoft is to start promoting Windows PC sales, by giving away a free 4GB Xbox 360 with qualifying PCs. The promotion will be marketed at "hard working" students, who need to unwind after a day full of studies and classes. In the USA, the promotion starts May 20, where a qualifying Windows PC costing at least $699 bought from a participating retailer will include a free 4GB Xbox 360. The deal is also available in Canada, but is slightly different. Here, the promotion starts today and the PC has to cost just $599 or more from participating retailers, with the same 4GB Xbox 360 being given away. Participating retailers in the US include Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect.com, Microsoft Stores, and NewEgg.com. In Canada, they include Best Buy, Dell.ca, Future Shop, Staples and The Source.
With all the hard work students put in for their classes in college, they need some downtime, right? That’s where the Xbox 360 comes in! To blow off some steam, you can just hop on Xbox LIVE and play some Halo with friends and family far away or just down the hall. Could be a great way to blow off steam and relax after a long day full of studying and classes.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 01:10 PM | Comments
Next Apple iPhone to feature larger screen
Sources report that tech giant Apple Computer has placed orders for a new larger sized screen with its Asian suppliers of iPhone displays. The displays are reported to be 'considerably' larger than the 3.5" screens that are being used on current Apple iPhone models. The screen is said to be at least 4-inches wide, corner-to-corner and will be the focal point of the newest generation of iPhone coming in October. This looks to be a direct response to arch-enemy Samsung whose smartphones have screens of us to 4.8-inches.
The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple keeps other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007. It is likely all three of the screen suppliers will get production orders from Apple, which could begin as soon as June. That would allow the new iPhone to go into production as soon as August, if the company follows its own precedent in moving from orders for prototypes for key components to launch.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 01:19 AM | Comments
HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE Banned From the US
The anticipated rollout of two of HTC's newest mobile phones, the One X and EVO 4G LTE have been delayed due to Apple Computer's litigation against the Taiwan company HTC. This is yet another round in the global battle for mobile handset superiority which sees the latest battle being waged literally at the doorsteps of the US. The two HTC devices have been held up at US Customs as a result of an exclusion order by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) from late last year. Because of this action - prompted by Apple - HTC and its partners AT&T and Sprint are currently unable to sell the handsets in the US. Both AT&T and Sprint are Apple partners as well and are reportedly working on brokering a deal between HTC and the iPhone parent, Apple.
The patent in question has to do with when you click on a phone number or email address inside of a text or email. Before, when you tapped on a phone number in a text or email, a menu would pop up giving you a list of options. Now, it just goes straight to the phone’s dialer. That menu is apparently a patented idea by Apple. The international versions of both phones still have the functionality. We still do not know if US Customs agrees. As far as we know, the devices are still detained.
Posted by | Fri, May 18, 2012 - 12:53 AM | Comments
Intel Going Green, Aims To Have Conflict-Free CPUs By End of 2013
Like many companies and organizations around the world, Intel has a Green agenda. Therefore, it has set itself quite a few goals that it wants to achieve by 2020, such as the usual reductions in things like use of energy and water, eliminate chemical waste sent to landfill by 2020, plus use renewable power wherever possible. Interestingly, it wants to become conflict-free across four key minerals: gold, tantalum, tin and tungsten by the end of 2013. To achieve this, it will make supplier audits more stringent. It looks like Ivy Bridge's successor, Haswell, might be the first conflict-free (and hence guilt free?) processor ever made.
"At Intel, corporate responsibility is a crucial component to the overall growth of our business," said Michael Jacobson, Intel's director of corporate responsibility. "From product to customer to employee to environment, corporate responsibility allows Intel to have a greater and more influential impact on industries, communities and the global economy."
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 07:30 PM | Comments
Sony Introduces PlayStation Network Store Pre-Orders
Valve's Steam platform is very successful, so it isn't surprising to see others copy some of Steam's features. Certain Games bought from the Sony PlayStation Network store for the PlayStation 3 can now be preloaded before the game's official release date, which is similar to what Steam offers. On the day of release, an unlock code will be sent to the console, which allows the game to be played. Unlike Steam however, payment isn't taken immediately the order is placed, but instead will be charged two days before the release date, in most cases. Preorders can be cancelled by the customer, however, they will be cancelled by Sony if payment cannot be taken on the payment date. The first game to be made available this way is Sorcery, currently available from the European store.
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 06:52 PM | Comments
SAPPHIRE Introduces Overclocked HD 7770 Vapor-X Graphics Card
SAPPHIRE's Vapor-X cooling technology, first intruduced in 2007 with the HD 3870 ATOMIC Edition graphics card, is known for excellent cooling along with quiet running. SAPPHIRE have now introduced it to their 7000-series in the form of the HD 7770 Vapor-X graphics card, which features two large fans and the Vapor-X heatpipe cooling system. The card is factory overclocked to 1.1GHz GPU and 5.2GHz effective for the 1GB GDDR5. Connectivity has been upgraded too, hence the card has two DVI ports (DVI-I and DVI-D), HDMI and a single DisplayPort output, supporting up to four monitors. The card also supports HDMI 1.4a, which supports stereoscopic 3D of 60Hz per eye (120Hz total). It is also ready for the next generation of 4K displays that can be driven from a single high speed input of 3GHz HDMI 1.4a or DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2.
Vapor-X cooling has been widely available on a number of highly successful TOXIC Edition and Vapor-X models in the HD 5000 and HD 6000 series for the global market. Now this extreme and exclusive cooling technology has also been introduced on new products in the HD 7000 series.
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 05:48 PM | Comments
Diablotek Introduces the TITAN XT Mid Tower PC Case
Diablotek recently announced the companies latest PC enclosure, the Titan XT. Diablotek is known for budget friendly cases for under $50, so this might be of interest to many of our readers that need to stuck to a budget. You won't find SuperSpeed USB 3.0 headers or a window, but the case doesn't look half bad. The Titan XT is covered by Diablotek 1-year Limited Warranty on parts and labor.
- Top Mounted Power Supply.
- One Pre-installed Rear 120MM Fan and Optional one Front/two Side 120MM Fan.
- Top Mounted IO Ports with two USB 2.0 and HD Audio In/out.
- Tool-less Assembly for 5.35” Devices and 3.5” HDDs.
- Model No: CPA-8821
“I am pleased to announce our latest model the TitanXT, designed for System integrators, resellers, or even enthusiast this case features full length VGA Support, Tool-less Assembly and much more all at a price point that can’t be beat. So make sure to check it out when it hits retail and etail stores this week”, said Susan Wang, VP Operations at Diablotek International Inc., North America.
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 04:03 PM | Comments
UE4 Development Being Assisted By Pitbull Studio
Epic Games is a major games studio that's been around what seems like forever and they are also the people bringing the amazing Unreal Engine 4 to the world. So, you wouldn't expect them to need any help from a small studio that no one's heard of would you? Enter three year old Pitbull Studio from Sunderland, England. These guys headed up by Ex-Midway Newcastle's Robert Troughton, specialise in work for hire and it looks like they bring in a lot of engineering talent to Epic by helping them to develop UE4 and the first game based on it. Epic's director of engineering, Daniel Vogel, confirmed the collaboration, "Epic has a great history working with Pitbull Studio. We can count on them to provide reliable engineering resources, and they're helping us prepare for the next generation of games."
Pitbull Studio currently have several vacancies for talented programmers to work on various aspects of UE4 development from environment artists to engine programmers. Do you feel up to the challenge?
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 03:28 PM | Comments
Unreal Engine 4 Amazing Demo Screenshots Released
In a Wired article about the state of gaming, consoles and Unreal Engine 4, Epic released some, well, epic, screenshots of a demo showing off what UE4 is capable of. It's so good in fact, that it looks almost photoreal in places. The two minute demo was shown at GDC behind closed doors to around 30 people, who's jaws dropped at the visuals and is due to be officially shown to the public in June, when UE4 is released.
One of the many benefits of the new engine, besides creating fantastic-looking video, are dramatic efficiency improvements when developing games. Typically, when certain rendering aspects are altered, such as lighting effects, there is a "baking time" of around 30 minutes where the computer has to go away and precompute lots of data. UE4 eliminates this entirely, allowing developers to see their changes instantly, thus helping speed up and improve game development by orders of magnitude - a massive benefit to developers and gamers alike, who will benefit from a better product.
In June, UE4 will be revealed to the gaming public. The reactions will likely be as spontaneous as staged lighting effects used to be. It’s all pre-scripted at this point: Fanboys will wet their pants, contrarian analysts will wring their hands, message boards will explode in either fury or collective orgasm. In all of the clamor and fanfare, though, the simple truth will be lost. Epic has redefined gaming before, and with Unreal 4 the company is doing it again.
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 03:00 PM | Comments
BitFenix Launches Recon and Hydra Pro Fan Controllers
BitFenix is proud to introduce two brand new fan controllers designed to put the user in the driver's seat – Recon and Hydra Pro.
"Users have been clamoring for these two devices for a while now, and I'm proud to report that the wait is finally over," says BitFenix Product Manager David Jarlestedt. "With Recon and Hydra Pro, BitFenix once again takes our disruptive ideas and brings them into a new design space – fan controllers. Offering never-before-seen functionality at competitive price points, Recon and Hydra Pro are set to become the go-to thermal control devices for enthusiasts the world over."
Posted by | Thu, May 17, 2012 - 12:16 PM | Comments
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