New ASUS Xonar DX offers more than the competition for less money

ASUS announced its new ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card earlier this year. The company claims that the new sound card delivers 35 times cleaner audio compared to onboard audio built into your mainboard.

The new Xonar DX card is tuned for audio quality with 116dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and features other sound enhancing technologies like Dolby Home Theater and DS3D GX. To compare ASUS says that the typical on-board audio solution has 85dB SNR.

The Xonar DX uses the CirrusLogics CS4398 audio DAC that is typically used in Hi-Fi devices. The card is also able to take advantage of the latest DirectSound and EAX 5.0 sound effects in PC games for Windows Vista. ASUS also integrates its VocalFX technology that allows for users voices to be integrated into games via VoiceEX and to emulate background scenes in online chats (ChatEX).

Other features include support for Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker, and Dolby Pro Logix IIx. The audio processor used for the card is the ASUS AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor. The analog playback sample rate and resolution s 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz at 16/24 bits. The analog recording sample rate and resolution is the same. A digital S/PDIF Digital Output is featured as well with Dolby Digital and DTS.

The best news for PC users that like the specifications of the Xonar DX is that the card will retail for only $89. The new Xonar DX will fit into the ASUS line alongside the previously announced Xonar sound cards including the Xonar U1 external audio processor, Xonar D2 and the Xonar D2K.

Source From DailyTech

Everex shows off next-generation CloudBook notebook

When Everex first announced its $399 CloudBook in during CES 2008, we thought it had a winner on its hands. The device rocked a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, 30GB HDD, 7" 800x480 display, and a 4-cell battery.

The CloudBook promised all of the functionality of the Eee PC and added to it DVI-out support and a relatively spacious 30GB HDD. Unfortunately, what looked good on paper didn't turn out to be such a great idea in practice. Reviews from around the web panned the device.

An evaluation from Notebook Review noted that despite the larger 30GB HDD, the drive's 4,200 spindle speed made it woefully slow in comparison to the Eee PC's built-in 4GB solid-state disk (SSD). In addition, its touchpad interface was seen as overly complex and useless, the gOS operating system was lambasted, overall system performance was poor, and the machine had serious problems with overheating.

Everex is looking to tackle those problems head-on with the new CloudBook Max. The CloudBook Max, like the new Eee PC 900, makes use of an 8.9" display running at a generous 1024x600 resolution. The poor system performance will hopefully be resolved with the faster 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor and VIA VX800 digital media IGP chipset (2GB of memory is now standard). The HDD has been boosted to 80GB, but it's likely that the drive still spins at a leisurely 4,200 RPM.



In addition to the already standard 802.11a/b/g WiFi, the CloudBook Max adds integrated GPS, Bluetooth and WiMAX. Everex also wisely added a traditional trackpad to the CloudBook Max to replace the torturous input mechanism of its predecessor.

Everex promises four-hour run times with the new CloudBook Max.

"Consumers and mobile workers want to experience the real Internet and all their favorite applications with the same high speed and full functionality whether at their desk or on the go," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing for VIA Technologies. "With its ground-breaking design and embedded Mobile WiMAX connectivity, the new Everex CloudBook Max paves the way for truly seamless computing whatever your location."

Pricing is currently not available for the CloudBook Max and the device is expected to launch in the second half of 2008.

Source from DailyTech