Computer & Technology news for enthusiasts and professionals

Hitachi Refines 3D Holographic Display Technology

2007-08-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hitachi refines the 3D holographic display technology announced in 2004

Many think the next big step forward in PC displays for gaming and design will be 3D holographic displays. Currently there are some 3D displays on the market, but they aren’t holographic.

Back in 2004 Hitachi announced it had devised a way to make a 3D display that operated by capturing 24 angles of an object and transmitting the images to the 3D display with the caveat that objects of 10cm or less could be imaged. Hitachi announced it had taken the technology to the point where a human could be imaged.

Now Hitachi is announcing a new version of the technology that uses mirrors to get the feel of a hologram as the image produces from a rapid spinning action of the mirrors around the object displayed. Hitachi claims the technology caters towards schools and museums, so we shouldn’t get our hopes up wishing for some holographic Halo 3, though the technology can output the image to a LCD screen. This technology could be huge in the engineering and manufacturing realm though where being able to see holographic designs could greatly help the design process.

Source from DailyTech

Asus 13.3" U3 Notebook

2007-08-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Asus launches a high-end leather-clad notebook

Dell isn't the only company these days with a sexy 13.3" notebook to brag about. Asus today announced its sleek new 13.3" U3 (LED backlit, WXGA) which is based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform.

The U3 piano-black LCD cover, while the rest of the notebook is constructed of magnesium aluminum alloy. Asus even throws in a genuine leather palm rest for good measure.

When it comes to the guts of the machine, the U3 can accept Core 2 Duo processors up to T7500, Intel Turbo Memory and up to 2.5GB of DDR2 memory. An NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G GPU is provided (128MB of dedicated memory). Up to a 160GB HDD is supported by the U3, but it does not have an integrated optical drive. Users will have to go with either an external USB 2.0 or Firewire drive in order to read CDs or DVDs.

Connectivity options are plentiful on the U3. Asus provides Intel's 4965AGN wireless network adapter, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, GPS and a built-in 3G module for mobile broadband. Potential customers will also be happy to note that Asus has also included an HDMI port and eSATA on the U3.

Asus' U3 weighs in at 3.86 pounds with its standard 3-cell battery.

Asus has not released pricing for the U3 yet, but expect for it to retail in the neighborhood of $2,000 USD.

Source from DailyTech

Logitech Announces Updated G15 Keyboard and New G9 Mouse

2007-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Logitech updates its G15 gaming keyboard and announces G9 gaming mouse

Logitech showed off an update to the G15 gaming keyboard and a new laser gaming mouse called the G9 behind closed doors at E3 last month. As of today, these new designs are now officially part of Logitech's public portfolio.

Logitech representatives states that feedback from G15 indicated that users didn’t use all the macros the G15 was capable of in its original iteration. Logitech claims the largest complaint on the original G15 was that the keyboard was just too big.

The G15 has changed significantly, most notably by shrinking in size. The shrink was accomplished by losing some of the programmable macro keys on each side of the original G15 keyboard. The six keys on the new version have three shift states so the new G15 can save a total 18 total macros.

The other big change to the new G15 is moving from a flip up LCD display to one that is permanently fixed in place. The backlighting has also changed from a weak blue on the original to a brighter orange on the new G15. The LCD on the new G15 also uses the orange on black for much improved readability while gaming.

The really slick item that Logitech announced that I was able to get hands on time with at Quakecon is the G9 Laser Mouse. This mouse will be Logitech’s new top-of-the-line gaming mouse when it is available in September.

The G9 ships with two interchangeable grips, one called the Wide Load and the other called the Precision grip. The Wide Load grip is flatter and ideal for those who palm a mouse; the precision grip is textured and has raised areas more like the shape of the ergonomic mice we are used to seeing from Logitech.

The biggest feature of the G9 for gamers is likely to be the on-the-fly adjustable sensitivity that can be set to a low of 200 dpi up to a high of 3200 dpi. I am a big fan of high sensitivity for playing FPS games, and the 3200 dpi was great on the Quake Wars: EnemyTerritory demo Logitech was running.

The G9 also is weight adjustable like the G5 and allows the user to choose the color for the LED lights. If you have ever used the Revolution line of mice from Logitech you are familiar with the hyper-fast scroll wheel. The G9 uses the same scroll wheel as the Revolution series. The G9 set up is much the same as the Logitech VX Revolution notebook mouse.

Internal memory on the G9 allows you to save your profiles to the mouse and then use the mouse on computers without the need for drivers. Logitech representatives indicated the company would offer additional, different grips at some point and possible even grips customized for specific game titles, like the special edition G5 for Battlefield 2142.

Source from DailyTech

ASUS P5K3 Premium Black Pearl Edition (Intel P35)

2007-08-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mention 'black pearl' these days and you'll probably conjure up an image of a dilapidated pirate ship and a half-crazy Johnny Depp. However, a natural black pearl (as in real pearls - the jewelry kind) is incredibly rare and often used as a term to describe something that is highly limited and valued. In the motherboard world, ASUS on rare occasions, tend to release a special edition of a motherboard that has been engineered to the brim with features and special high-quality components that sets it apart from their regular boards. These are known as the ASUS Black Pearl Edition motherboards.

Now, if there's one thing in PC marketing that is constant, it is the over saturation of a certain branding till it becomes somewhat trivial. However, the ASUS Black Pearl Edition is truly a rarity. The last Black Pearl motherboard from ASUS was the P4PE back in 2003 based on the Intel 845PE chipset (which we've reviewed here too if you're interested to take a peek). Now, after a four year hiatus and five chipset generations later, ASUS commemorates their 18th anniversary with brand new third generation series of Black Pearl Edition motherboards. Presently, ASUS has taken their current two flagship P35 motherboards, the P5K Deluxe and P5K3 Deluxe and transformed them into the P5K Premium and P5K3 Premium Black Pearl Edition boards respectively.

As it can get a little confusing separating ASUS' large family of boards, we'll go through a short background on the two boards. The ASUS P5K Deluxe and P5K3 Deluxe are really two versions of the same motherboard, the former exclusively supporting DDR2 and the latter, DDR3. Both these boards have appeared in our various past articles (ASUS P35 "Bearlake" Preview , ASUS P5K Deluxe and A DDR3 Story ), so www.hardwarezone.com readers should be very familiar with the original ASUS P5K Deluxe and P5K3 Deluxe by now. Since we've directly reviewed the DDR2 based P5K Deluxe before, we've decided that it would be much more interesting to have an in depth look at the DDR3 variant instead. In this article, we will pick apart the ASUS P5K3 Premium to see if ASUS still has what it takes to deliver a real Black Pearl.

More......

Source from HardwareZone

AENEON XTUNE AXT760UD00-19D 2GB Kit (DDR2-1066)

2007-08-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Today, the enthusiast angle is still a strong driver for DDR2 development, but manufacturers are basically trying to achieve better performance through radical cooling designs (such as OCZ's Flex-XLC hybrid cooling memory) and hand picking chips to ensure overclocking capacity. You can find enthusiast DDR2 memory in the speeds of 1200MHz, but the last real DDR2 specification to meet the JEDEC standards was DDR2-800. Every other high-speed DDR2 memory you see today above DDR2-800 can be considered custom factory-overclocked memory. Their speeds, timings and voltage requirements can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, the JEDEC standard for DDR2 specifies operating voltage of 1.8V. However, all DDR2-1000 and above memory modules run outside of the specifications anywhere between 2.1V to 2.35V in order to function properly.

Then in May this year, Micron announced sampling and production of the first DDR2-1066 chips that are actually able to run at a stock voltage of 1.8V through their 78nm fabrication process. This is the first big announcement for DDR2 memory as it could possibly see the setting of a new official JEDEC standard for DDR2 memory and running into favor with AMD, which will not be moving to DDR3 till 2008 at the very earliest. Micron's new DDR2-1066 chips operate with a CAS Latency of 7.0 however, which may very well cripple its performance advantage seeing that standard DDR2-800 memory have dropped to CAS 4.0 and even 3.0, while regular enthusiast DDR2-1066 in the market run at CAS 5.0.

This is where Micron's German rival Qimonda AG comes into play. Through their AENEON brand, Qimonda has essentially beat everyone to the punch by launching their new AENEON XTUNE DDR2-1066 memory into the retail channels. The XTUNE is the performance model of AENEON's memory lineup and this DDR2-1066 memory is not only guaranteed to operate at a stock 1.8V at 1066MHz, it also runs at CAS 5.0 latency and carries NVIDIA's Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP) timings. That's a triple bonus in a single stick of RAM and we intend to put the AENEON XTUNE DDR2-1066 through its paces to find out just how well Qimonda's newest DDR2 wonder-RAM will fare. In this review, we will be testing the AENEON XTUNE DDR2-1066 2GB dual channel kit (AXT760UD00-19D).

More....

Source from HardwareZone

AMD "Black Edition" Athlon 64 X2 6400+

2007-08-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

AMD today silently resuscitated its 90nm Windsor core with a bump in clock speed in the form of the Athlon 64 X2 6400+. The latest Athlon 64 X2 runs at 3.2 GHz – higher than any available Core 2 Duo offering. Each core has access to its own 1MB of L2 cache.

AMD labels the new Athlon 64 X2 6400+ as the Black Edition, in matching black packaging. The new model does not have the lower 89 watt TDP as the upcoming Windsor refresh. Instead, the processor carries a 125 watt TDP rating, nearly three times higher than the Athlon X2 BE-series.

Since AMD is aiming for a silent launch with the Athlon 64 X2 6400+, it will not make it into reviewer’s hands. AMD will not offer the processor to PC manufacturers either, according to Scott Wasson, Tech Report. The only way to get a hold of the Athlon 64 X2 6400+ is through the channel.

AMD prices the Athlon 64 X2 6400+ at $239, per unit, in 1,000 unit quantities. At that price point, the processor will have to take on Intel’s Core 2 Duo E6750.

Source from DailyTech

ASUS X38 Express Motherboard

2007-08-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

ASUS is finalizing its X38 Express based motherboard for shipping early next month. The upcoming P5E3 Deluxe supports all LGA775 socket processors, including the upcoming Penryns. The board only accepts DDR3 memory.

ASUS opted to implement two PCIe x16 slots for ATI CrossFire multi-GPU support. Unlike some other X38 Express based boards with three PCIe x16 slots, the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe is unable to take advantage of three-way or even four-way ATI CrossFire configurations. However, in exchange for less PCIe x16 slots, the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe has three standard PCI slots. The P5E3 Deluxe also has two PCIe x1 slots.

Although Intel removed IDE support from the ICH9R, ASUS opted to equip the P5E3 Deluxe with an Agere controller for a single IDE port. Other notable features of the P5E3 Deluxe include onboard high-definition audio, Gigabit Ethernet and six SATA 3.0 Gbps.

ASUS also employs a heat pipe cooling solution to cool the X38 Express. However, the final design of the heat pipe is undecided.

Expect the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe to show up in retail next month.

Source from DailyTech

Toshiba's 320GB 2.5-inch hard drive

2007-08-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

A world's first 320GB 2.5-inch drive, in fact. The MK3252GSX drive spins a pair of 160GB platters at 5,600rpm with an 8MB buffer and 12ms average seek time over a 3Gbps SATA interface. So yeah, it's just 20GB more data that the Fujitsu 300GB disk but that HDD spins at just 4,200rpm. Better yet, The Tosh drive stands just 9.5-mm tall -- a full 3-mm less than Fujitsu's 300 gigger; that's about as thin as it gets in these 2.5-inch laptop drives. Look for the 320GB disk as a factory shipped option around November when Toshiba starts turning 'em out for mass production.

Fujitsu 12.1" LifeBook T2010 Tablet PC

2007-08-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of the LifeBook U810 UMPC announcement is Fujitsu's new LifeBook T2010 Tablet PC. Fujitsu’s latest offering will be available with Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.

The 12.1" LED-backlit WXGA device weighs just 3.5 pounds and features a slim 1.3" magnesium-alloy chassis design. The LCD features a bi-directional hinge design which allows the T2010 to be used in a traditional notebook configuration or as a "slate" tablet.

The T2010 can be equipped with either a Core 2 Duo ULV U7600 (1.2GHz) or U7500 (1.06GHz) processor while graphics duties are handled by the integrated Intel X3100 GPU. A maximum of 4GB of DDR2 memory is supported and 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory is optional.

Wireless connectivity is handled by the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN or an Atheros Super AG Wireless LAN adapter while a Bluetooth 2.0+EDR adapter is optional.

Fujitsu lists the battery life of the T2010 at nine hours with its standard 6-cell 5800mAh battery. That figure jumps to 11 hours with the optional 9-cell 8700mAh extended battery.

The Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 is available today at a starting price of $1,599.

Source from DailyTech

VIA Introduces New pc3500 Mainboard

2007-08-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

New micro-ATX board consumes less than 24 watts during idle

VIA today announced its latest energy-efficient motherboard – the pc3500. The new VIA pc3500 consumes a mere 1.09 watts in sleep and 0.68 watts in standby modes. VIA claims that OEMs and system integrators can build systems running Windows Vista that consume less than 24 watts of power during idle with the pc3500 which helps meet Energy Star 4.0 Category A requirements. VIA pc3500-based systems can draw less than 35 watts of power during DVD playback.

“With the launch of VIA pc3500 mainboard we are leading the way in developing innovative low power platforms that enable our OEM and SI customers to meet the growing worldwide demand for energy-efficient PCs,” commented Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Consumers and business users who purchase PCs based on the VIA pc3500 mainboard will not only be able to significantly reduce their energy costs but also minimize their environmental impact while running all the latest software applications.”

VIA’s pc3500 motherboard features the CN896 chipset with integrated Chrome9 HC integrated graphics. The integrated VIA Chrome9 HC IGP delivers DirectX 9 compatibility with the Chromotion 3.0 video processing engine. VIA pairs the CN896 with an embedded, nanoBGA2 VIA C7-D processor. Two speed grades of the pc3500 are available – 1.5 GHz and 1.8 GHz.

Additionally, the board features two DDR2 DIMM slots for up to 2GB of DDR2 400/533/667 MHz memory, four USB 2.0, two SATA 3.0 Gbps, two PATA 10/100 Ethernet and onboard eight-channel high-definition audio. Gigabit Ethernet, S-Video and S/PDIF outputs are optional. PCIe x16 and PCI slots are also available for additional expansion.

Source from DailyTech

Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Retail

2007-08-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

Auzentech is prepared to unleash its X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week. The company has already shipped the cards to distributors and retailers for a Monday or Tuesday launch, but the shipments need to clear customs before they are available for purchase.

Consumers can purchase the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week from Auzentech’s online store, according to Auzentech president Stephane Bae,. The card will also be available from Newegg in the US and NCIX in Canada, he added.

Auzentech’s X-Fi Prelude 7.1 is the first third-party sound card based on Creative Labs X-Fi CA20K audio processor. Auzentech one-ups Creative’s official offerings with AKM digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital convertors. The Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 achieves a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio with 24-bit resolution and 192 KHz sampling rates. Additionally, the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 features a user-replaceable OPAMP for the front-channel audio output.

Unlike other Creative Labs X-Fi offerings, the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 will support Dolby Digital Live, DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC algorithms. However, Dolby Digital Live encoding support will not arrive until Q4 2007 with a driver update. DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC support will not arrive until Q1 2008. The X-Fi Prelude 7.1 also supports Creative audio technologies such as EAX Advanced HD 5.0, CMSS-3D, X-Fi Crystallizer and SoundFonts.
Expect to pay $199.99 when the card is available next week.

Source from DailyTech

Microsoft Introduces SideWinder Mouse for Gamers

2007-08-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Several years ago Microsoft had a line of several gaming peripherals that all were sold under the SideWinder name. From gamepads to joysticks the gear was typically pretty good and worked well for most gamers -- until Microsoft cut the entire line.

Microsoft has pulled the derelict SideWinder name from the shadows and shined it up for a new gaming peripheral called the SideWinder Mouse. This is the first Microsoft gaming peripheral to be built from the ground up at Microsoft.

Gamers familiar with the Microsoft Habu gaming mouse and the Microsoft Reclusa keyboard will know that those two products are little more than re-branded Razer gear. This new mouse has some interesting features, one of the most notable being a Quick Turn macro button that turns your character 180 degrees at the touch of a button. A rapid about face has saved more than one geek in a hectic death match.

Microsoft has also integrated the first ever LCD screen into a production mouse. The screen doesn’t show you game details like the Logitech G15 LCD does, but is used to show the sensitivity the mouse is running at and allows you to see the macros bound to mouse buttons.

Internally the SideWinder Mouse is your standard 2000 dpi gaming mouse fare. This means it will give up some of its luster to the Logitech G9’s 3200 dpi sensitivity for gamers looking for raw speed. Microsoft did give the mouse on-the-fly adjustable sensitivity control via three buttons behind the scroll wheel. All five of the mouse buttons are customizable via included software.

Taking a page out of Logitech’s book, the SideWinder Mouse has weights that allow you to vary the feel of the mouse by adding up to 30g of weight. Microsoft also ships the mouse with three sets of feet, made from different materials, to allow you to further customize the feel to your mousing surface and preferences.

Any gamer who plays for a long period of time runs into issues with too much cable lying on the desk at some point. Microsoft addressed this problem with a built-in cable management system. The system is basically a place to coil up the excess USB cable and stuff it inside the mouse. The compartment can also double as a place to store the extra mouse feet and weights. The Microsoft SideWinder Mouse will be available in October for $79.95.

Source from DailyTech

Toshiba Announces Huge 32GB and 16GB SDHC Cards

2007-08-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Any DSLR camera owner can tell you that when it comes to shooting 10-to-12 megapixels or larger RAW format images, you need a giant memory card. Most of us might think the 8GB SDHC cards are still pretty big, but not Toshiba.

Toshiba (requires registration) announced they will have humongous 32GB and 16GB SDHC memory cards in the market soon. The Toshiba 32GB SDHC card, model SD-M32G, is set to be available in January 2008 and will be a class 4 speed card.

The 16GB SDHC card, model SD-M16G, will be available much sooner in October of 2007. The 16GB SDHC card will sell for about $350 when it hits market in October.

If you think that’s a lot of coin for a memory card wait untill you hear this, the 32GB SDHC card will retail for a cool $700. These SDHC cards will also be good choices for those with expandable PMP devices and phones using SDHC cards with the bank account balance to afford the high price. Toshiba also announced they intend to sell a 8GB microSDHC card starting in January 2008. Samsung also announced recently they are planning to market a 8GB microSDHC card.

Toshiba says the 32GB SDHC, 16GB SDHC and the 8GB microSDHC cards will all have the same 6MB/s maximum write speed and require 2.7-3.6V to operate. The class 4 specifications say these cards must each sustain a minimum 4MB/s write speed.

Source from DailyTech

Razer Announces 4000 dpi Gaming Mouse

2007-08-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Most gamers understand the value of a good mouse when it comes to optimizing their game play. Certainly, a good mouse won’t make a bad player better, but a good mouse can help a decent player have more fun.

This week Microsoft revived the SideWinder name with a new SideWinder Mouse that had a paltry 2000 dpi. Paltry compared to the new Razer Lachesis, which is equipped with the new Razer 3G Laser engine good for a whopping 4000 dpi non-interpolated sensitivity setting. In addition to the high-sensitivity, the Lachesis also has a tracking speed of 60-100 IPS and can withstand acceleration of up to 25G during play.

Razer also uses the familiar on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment with one notable improvement, rather than using software to adjust the sensitivity levels, all adjustments on the Lachesis are done with hardware. That means you get true sensitivity settings, not settings resulting from interpolation.

The Lachesis uses an ambidextrous design that Razer optimized for a “claw” grip. Razer’s Synapse software handles the mouse programming and the Lachesis also has 32kb of onboard memory to store game profiles.

Ultrapolling at 1000 Hz provides a 1ms response time and the mouse has nine independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons. The data path on the mouse is 16-bit ultra-wide and uses the always-on mode to reduce lag.

The Lachesis only comes with a black body and is available with two lighting colors, Phantom White and Banshee Blue. The Lachesis will be available in October 2007 globally for $79.99.

Source from DailyTech

VIA Announces 1-Watt x86 CPU

2007-08-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

VIA today announced the world’s most power efficient x86 processor, in a mere 1-Watt envelope, the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV processor. The new 1-watt processor operates at 500 MHz and optimized for fan-less operation. At idle, the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV processor only requires 0.1-watt of power.

VIA targets the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV processor for industrial, commercial and ultra mobile applications. The 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV is a small processor, measuring in at 21 mm x 21 mm and packaged in a NanoBGA2 package.

The processor operates on VIA’s V4 bus clocked at 400 MHz. It has 16-stage pipeline with 128KB of full-speed L2 cache. VIA also integrates the PadLock Security Engine for hardware encryption algorithms such as AES, SHA-1, SHA-256 and Montgomery Multiplier.

“Giving our customers the building blocks to create innovative systems and driving PC technology into new markets defines our ‘Small is Beautiful’ strategy,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “With its performance, energy efficiency and compact size, our new VIA Eden ULV processor provides a way for embedded developers to add real value to their systems and push the market forward.”

VIA recommends pairing the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV with the CX700/M chipset for a system that only draws 3.5 Watts, at a maximum, storage devices not included. VIA expects a system powered by the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV and CX700/M with storage and connectivity options to consume no more than 10-watts of power.

Expect the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV processor to show up in embedded systems.

Source from DailyTech

Xbox 360 "Falcon" to Feature 65nm CPU, 90nm GPU

2007-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Mercury News’ Dean Takahashi reports that the first Xbox 360 CPUs manufactured on the 65nm process are now on ships in the Pacific bound for North America. Should the consoles, which are made in China, arrive soon, then they could be on retail shelves sometime this fall.

Last month, Takahashi reported that the 65nm Xbox 360 chips would come in a revised hardware version that Microsoft has coded “Falcon.” The new chips are not only smaller and roughly 50 percent cheaper to produce than their 90nm counterpart, but they are also cooler – and presumably less prone to the Red Ring of Death defect.

Those expecting the 65nm die shrink to affect the two main chips inside the Xbox 360 will be disappointed to learn that only the console’s main processor will be the manufactured on the new process.

“Falcon is the name for the board that houses the 65-nanometer microprocessor from IBM,” wrote Takahashi. “The board does not include a 65-nanometer version of the ATI graphics chip for the Xbox 360. That version of the graphics chip is coming later.”

The new 65nm chip from IBM will work with both the current 90nm and the future 65nm iteration of the 65nm ATI GPU, according to Takahashi.

Oddly enough, it appears as though the main culprit behind the Xbox 360 reliability woes may be linked to the ATI GPU rather than the IBM CPU. As part of a recent fix to all 90nm-based consoles, Microsoft has been adding additional cooling measures into the Xbox 360. Found first in a repaired European Xbox 360 was a new heatsink with a heatpipe that leads to a secondary “daughter” heatsink helps to further cool the GPU.

The latest Xbox 360 Premium consoles with the HDMI-enabled “Zephyr” motherboard also features the extra heatsinks, providing further evidence that an overheating GPU is the main cause behind the Red Ring of Death.

Source from DailyTech

MSI Brings Turbo Button to GeForce 8600GT

2007-08-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

MSI this week announced its new NX8600GT Twin Turbo with a slight twist. The new NX8600GT Twin Turbo features dual video BIOSes, each containing different core and memory clock settings. Users can switch between the two clock speed profiles with the press of a turbo button.

With the stock speed profile, the NX8600GT Twin Turbo operates at 540 MHz core and 1400 MHz memory. The shader clock also operates at 1450 MHz with the stock profile. MSI places the turbo button on the metal expansion bracket above the DVI ports.

A press of the turbo button raises the clock speeds up to 580 MHz core and 1600 MHz memory. The shader clock receives a boost to 1508 MHz as well. MSI claims a 20 percent performance boost in 3DMark06 with a press of the turbo button.

Other notable features of the NX8600GT Twin Turbo include dual dual-link DVI, HDCP compliance, HDMI output capable and component video output. The card also comes with 256MB of GDDR3 memory.

Source from DailyTech

Creative Prepares New Slim PMP

2007-08-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Creative Labs today launched its latest portable media player: the ZEN. The new Creative ZEN drops all suffixes from previous models such as the Zen V Plus, Zen Vision and such. Creative plans to offer the ZEN in three different sizes: 4GB, 8GB and 16GB.

Creative’s ZEN features a 2.5-inch display with 320x240 pixels. It features a 2.17 inch x 3.27 inch x 0.4 inch form factor and weighs in at 2.29 ounces. Creative claims battery life up to 25 hours of audio and 5 hours of video with the ZEN.

It supports audio and video playback of MP3, WMA, AAC, WMV, DivX, Xvid, MJPEG and TiVo to go formats. Other notable features include integrated FM tuner and voice recorder.

Expect the Creative ZEN to release into retail channels next month with a $149 cost of entry.

Source from DailyTech

Nokia Resurrects N-Gage

2007-08-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Phones are the one device that most everyone tends to have on their person at all times. The ability to whip out a phone and play games while sitting on the bus or waiting on an appointment is appealing to many people.

Market intelligence firm iSuppli says that the mobile gaming market is set to reach a whopping 184 million users per month by 2010 up from 38 million users in 2005. iSuppli also says that mobile gaming revenues increased by a full 80 percent in 2005 so game developers and publishers are flocking to mobile phone game development to capture some of the lucrative market.

The original Nokia N-Gage didn’t exactly take off; however, Nokia is coming back with games and devices looking to grab a portion of the swiftly growing mobile gaming market. The new N-Gage mobile gaming service allows everyone with a compatible Nokia handset to try all N-Gage games for free.

If customers like the games they try, full versions can be downloaded on a Nokia handset or on a PC. Multiplayer gaming is also supported via the N-Gage Arena.

Nokia says the N-Gage service will be available globally in November and when the service launches users will be able to download the free N-Gage application. The N-Gage application will be embedded in future devices such as the Nokia N81 and the Nokia N95 8GB. N-Gage games sold through the N-Gage Store will retail for between EUR 6.00 and EUR 10.00, or $8 USD to about $14 USD.

A few of the game publishers that will be selling N-Gage games are EA SPORTS, Capcom and Vivendi. Nokia Publishing will also be making games for the N-Gage platform.

The Nokia N81 slider will be one of the first N-Gage devices and will support HSDPA, though Engadgetsays the N81 HSDPA won’t work in America. Other features include integrated speakers, a headphone jack and the phone has 8GB of storage that can be expanded with a microSD card. The N81 also supports video and music files as you would expect. The N81 will retail for about $585 USD.

Source from DailyTech

White PlayStation 2 Console

2007-08-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

Although the PlayStation 2 is clearly a last-generation gaming system, it is still capturing the playtime and dollars of present day gamers. Sony knows that the PS2 is still hot item, and is bringing out a limited edition console that is ceramic white in color.

Coming this November will be a special white PS2 bundled with SingStar Pop and two USB microphones. SingStar Pop, the American take of the immensely popular SCEE franchise, features tracks from Alicia Keys, U2, Rihanna, Ashlee Simpson, The All-American Rejects, The Clash and more.

The bundle will will be available in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $149.99. The package will also be offered in Canada for $159.99.

"With our expansive library of titles for PlayStation, led by social gaming experiences such as SingStar, and Buzz!, we have an incredible offering for first-time gaming families," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "At $149, the limited edition Ceramic White PlayStation 2, bundled with the family-friendly social gaming title, SingStar Pop, is an unbeatable value that will provide fun for everyone this holiday."

The latest sales data from NPD Group show that the PS2 is still considerably outselling the newer PlayStation 3 by a considerable margin, even after the recent PS3 $100 price drop. During July, the PS2 sold 222,000 units while the PS3 sold 159,000 for the month.

A report from Nielsen GamePlay Metrics finds that as much as 42 percent of all console use was on the PS2, showing that console’s continued relevance.

According to Sony, the PS2 has an installed base of more than 117 million worldwide with 44 million in North America alone. A further 10 million PlayStation 2 units are expected to be sold worldwide by the end of March 2008.

Source from DailyTech

Foxconn New Enthusiast Motherboard

2007-09-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

Foxconn today announced its first motherboard catered towards the enthusiast and overclocking crowd – the MARS. The Foxconn MARS features Intel’s P35 Express chipset and is the first of the company’s new Quantum Force model lineup. Foxconn claims to tune the MARS specifically for overclocking with posted front-side bus speeds of 575 MHz, or 2300 MHz effectively.

Foxconn names the overclocking tuned BIOS the Gladiator BIOS, a unique feature to the company’s Quantum Force series. The Gladiator BIOS allows CPU voltage adjustments in 0.0125-volts up to 1.6-volts, DRAM voltage, north bridge voltage, south bridge voltage and a couple other fine tuning voltage settings.

The Foxconn MARS supports all Intel LGA775 processors with front-side bus speeds up to 1333 MHz, officially. The board supports DDR2 memory with speeds up to 1066 MHz.

Foxconn equips the board with two physical PCIe x16 slots for compatibility with ATI CrossFire multi-GPU technology. However, one of the physical PCIe x16 slots feature four lanes, due to chipset limitations. Additionally, the Foxconn MARS features two PCIe x1 and three PCI slots.

Other notable features of the Foxconn MARS include one e.SATA, six SATA 3.0 Gbps, Firewire, 12 USB 2.0, one PATA, 7.1-channel high definition audio and Gigabit LAN.

Expect the Foxconn MARS to hit retail next month. Pricing information is unavailable, but expect to pay a premium, as with most enthusiast and overclocking catered products.

Source from DailyTech

Sony A810 Series Video Walkmans

2007-09-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone who was young in the 80’s will immediately think of the big, square cassette tape players when they hear the words Sony Walkman. The younger geeks will be glad to know that no longer is 80’s tech alone associated with the Walkman moniker.

Sony today announced its new NWZ-A810 Walkman video player. The A810 series features three different size capacities – 2GB, 4GB and 8GB allowing it to store a goodly bit of music. Sony equips the A810 series with a 2-inch QVGA display sporting 320x240 pixels.

Everything seems to be going pink these days, with self-defense weapons taking on the feminine hue, the female readers will be glad to hear that Sony offers the A810 series in pink as well as black, blue, silver and white.

Looking at the images of the A810 it is not going to win any awards for style, but it packs in some decent specifications. Audio formats supported are MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, and Linear PCM10. MP3 should make it compatible with the Wal-Mart DRM-free store and LimeWire’s upcoming store.

Also included is a five band equalizer and playback of MPEG4 and M4V video playback along with JPEG image support. The device charges via USB and needs three hours for a full charge and 1.5 hours for 80% charge. Playback time is around 33 hours for music and 8 hours for video.

Source from DailyTech

SanDisk Launches uSSD 5000 For Low-Cost PCs

2007-09-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Solid state drives (SSDs) are clearly the wave of the future for mobile devices. The drives are faster, lighter, cooler-running and more power efficient than their traditional hard disk drive (HDD) counterparts. The two dings in SSD's armor currently are the comparatively low storage capacities and high cost of entry.

In the case of Samsung's 32GB SSDs, the 1.8" variety will cost you $434 while the 2.5" version will rings up at $699. Stepping up to Samsung's 2.5" 64GB SSD will set you back a whopping $1,299.

SanDisk is looking to drop the price of SSDs for the entry-level market with its new uSSD 5000 SSD series. The USB-based drives will be used in sub-$250 PCs and will be embedded directly onto motherboards.

"The low-cost educational PC category is an emerging market for flash storage where low cost, ruggedness and low power consumption will be the primary factors for broad-based adoption," said SanDisk general manager Greg Rhine. "At 2GB, the uSSD 5000 solid state drive delivers the necessary storage capacity for low-cost PCs at significantly less cost than conventional hard drives, while meeting performance and reliability requirements for this market."

The uSSD 5000 packaging measures just 27mm x 38mm and is roughly one-fourth the size of a traditional 1.8" HDDs used in mobile applications.

SanDisk will begin sampling the uSSD 5000 within the next month and it will be available in sizes ranging from 1GB to 8GB.

Source from DailyTech

HP Prepares New 24-inch Display

2007-09-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

If you are a gamer, graphic designer or just like to work from a large screen monitor, 24-inch displays are coming down in price and going up in features. HP is set to unveil its latest 24-inch LCD display on Wednesday.

The new HP w2408 24-inch LCD display features BrightView anti-reflective technology for a wide viewing angle – 160 degrees vertical and horizontal. The monitor is HDCP compliant for viewing protected HD content such as HD DVD or Blu-ray, when paired with an HDCP compliant graphics card.

The display has a 92% wide color gamut making it appropriate for graphic designers and others wanting the most accurate color display. Under the display is a keyboard parking area. HP also integrates a four-port USB hub, speakers and a headphone jack. The integrated speakers are rear facing and output 2-watts per channel.

HP equips the w2408 with rotational capabilities and includes software that automatically adjusts the screen orientation as the display is rotated. The display also features a detachable base and a standard VESA100 4-hole mounting pattern.

Like all 24-inch displays the HP v2408 features a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1920x1200 native resolution at 60Hz. The display features a 400 nits brightness rating with a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The panel has a typical response time of 5ms, on-off. The display features traditional CCFL backlighting and not LED.

HP integrates the power adapter is internally into the display, removing the need of an external power brick. The w2408 is Energy Star compliant as well.

Expect the display to show up in retail this month with included VGA and DVI cables.

Source from DailyTech

Mtron Rolls Out Ultra-Fast SSDs

2007-09-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

Solid-state disks (SSDs) are still a long way from entering the regular mainstream market, but that isn't stopping companies from releasing larger and faster products on a continual basis.

SanDisk and Samsung are currently sitting at 64GB with their SSDs. SanDisk's offering features read speeds of 67MB/sec (write speeds are unknown) while Samsung quotes 65MB/sec reads and 45MB/sec writes. Adtron's 160GB SSD trumps both with a maximum read speed of 70MB/sec and maximum write speed of 55MB/sec.

Mtron is leaving all three manufacturers in the dust with its new range of SSDs. The South Korean manufacturer boasts that its new 2.5" and 3.5" drives feature read speeds of 120MB/sec and write speeds of 90MB/sec.

According to Mtron, the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB drives will be available in September. During the fourth quarter, the company is expected to launch a 128GB SSD in a 1.8" form factor.

Mtron has not released pricing for the drives, but expect to pay a pretty penny considering the read/write speeds of the memory chips being used. For those looking for a more cost-effective solution, there's always SanDisk's new uSSD 5000 lineup.

Source from DailyTech