In Sam & Max: Beyond Time & Space the canine gumshoe and hyperkinetic “rabbity thing” explore the surreal and supernatural, venturing out of the confines of their New York City office to intriguing locales like Santa’s North Pole workshop and a bumping zombie dance party as they attempt to solve an epic mystery over the course of several bizarre misadventures. Along the way, the Freelance Police will get a little help from some familiar faces from the series’ first season, including Bosco, Flint Paper, and Stinky!

The game’s very accessible approach is ideal for living room play on the Wii with friends and family. Episodes are the perfect length for the discerning casual player who desires a satisfying gaming experience within a reasonable amount of time. Additionally, the game boasts an innovative, integrated hint system that detects when a player is stuck and provides adjustable levels of assistance, unobtrusively integrated within the game experience.

Sam & Max got their start in comics in 1987, courtesy of cartoonist Steve Purcell. They have appeared in several formats over the years, including a graphic adventure game, Sam & Max Hit the Road, in 1993; an award-winning animated series in 1998; and an online web comic in 2006, for which Purcell was awarded an Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic. Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space won IGN’s “Best Graphic Adventure Game” award in 2008, along with two “Editor’s Choice” accolades from PC Gamer.

Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space is rated “T” (for teen) by ESRB and will be available on Wii and PC beginning March 9 for a suggested retail price of $19.95 in North America.

  More information available at http://www.atari.com/samandmax.

  About Telltale, Inc.

Telltale is the first and only studio to release interactive episodic content on a monthly schedule. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for downloadable game seasons and releasing more than 30 games to date. Telltale’s titles have won numerous awards including “Adventure Game of the Year” accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times to Variety. Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on Mac, PC, Wii(TM), Xbox 360(TM) with plans to expand to additional platforms and channels in 2010.

About ATARI, SA

Atari group is a global creator, producer and publisher of interactive entertainment for interactive game platforms that include PC, online, consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony and advanced smart phones (i.e. iPhone). Divisions of Atari, SA include Cryptic Studios, Eden Studios, Atari Interactive, Inc. and Atari, Inc.

Atari benefits from its global brand and an extensive catalogue of popular games based on classic owned game franchises (Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Lunar Lander®), original owned franchises (Test Drive®, Backyard Sports(TM), Deer Hunter®), MMO games from Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online, Champions Online) and third party franchises (Ghostbusters®, Project Runway(TM), Dungeons and Dragons®).

Source: Atari, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.atari.com/

Millions of people around the world have experienced the revolution in home fitness since last spring with EA SPORTS Active™, the number one rated fitness program for the Wii™**. Today, EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced that EA SPORTS Active 2.0* (working title) is now in development and will be available this fall on PlayStation®3, Wii™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. The new EA SPORTS Active 2.0* fitness program will deliver true fitness results by featuring an innovative wireless control system, powered by new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor to capture intensity, and a new online hub to track and share workout data. EA SPORTS Active 2.0* will make working out simple, effective and will go with you wherever you are.

“The launch of EA SPORTS Active 2.0* will define a new era of interactive fitness with the use of innovative motion sensor peripherals and a heart rate monitor that provide users with a fitness experience delivering real, measurable results”

“The launch of EA SPORTS Active 2.0* will define a new era of interactive fitness with the use of innovative motion sensor peripherals and a heart rate monitor that provide users with a fitness experience delivering real, measurable results,” said Tarrnie Williams, Executive Producer, EA SPORTS Active. “As the number one rated fitness program for the Wii**, EA SPORTS Active proved itself as the industry leader and provided the foundation for our fitness franchise. The success stories we’ve received from our users show that EA SPORTS Active is changing lives and we’re so proud to be part of it.”

The new EA SPORTS Active 2.0* innovative wireless control system will give users complete freedom of motion, making it even easier to get a workout that delivers great results. Using innovative heart rate detection technology, the heart rate monitor will help users monitor intensity, providing constant on-screen monitoring throughout the workout and tracking user data over time to optimize performance.

The EA SPORTS Active 2.0* online hub will allow users to track and share all of their workout data, providing a centralized destination for all fitness, wellness and training needs. It will host a thriving online global community of EA SPORTS Active users who can share their fitness journeys, interact with workout groups and send messages to each other online to stay inspired and engaged. Users will also have the ability to download new workouts and exercises to their online connected PlayStation3 console to keep their workouts fresh and maintain motivation***.

EA SPORTS Active 2.0* provides total body conditioning using progressive exercise in new prescribed programs. A three-phase, nine-week program provides a fitness roadmap to help keep users motivated and on track of their fitness goals. Additional mini-programs will also be available to add on, keeping workouts fresh and inspiring. The EA SPORTS Active personal trainer will walk users through their workout and provide continued encouragement with feedback to ensure an optimal workout experience.

EA SPORTS Active 2.0* is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver. It has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI; visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.info for updated rating information. For more information please visit www.easportsactive.com.

* Working Title

** According to Metacritic.com, March 9^th, 2010

*** Internet connection and EA account required

About EA SPORTS

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA^TM, EA SPORTS^TM, EA Mobile^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, FIFA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii is trademark of Nintendo. iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

It’s time for the news!!  And we got a lot of it!

Quick Links:

NZXT LEXA S Crafted Series PC Case Review @DragonSteelMods

THERMALTAKE SILENT 1156 CPU HEATSINK @ APH NETWORKS

Noctua NH-D14 and C12P-SE14 Review  @ XSReviews

DimasTech Bench Table V2.5 @ techPowerUp

Thermaltake Contac 29 Direct Touch CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Battlefield Bad Company 2 (PC) Game Review on Technic3D.

Halo Legends HD Movie Review

The Informant Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

SilverStone TJ07 Case Review

SteelSeries 9HD Pro Gaming Surface

Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 Video Card in CrossFire

Hardware Canucks is pleased to present our NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 Roundup featuring cards from EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI & Sparkle.

Coolermaster USP100 Case Review @ High Tech Reviews

In Win Fanqua Mid Tower Chassis Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Gelid Solutions Tranquillo @ LanOC Reviews

Gigabyte H55M-USB3 – The Ultimate $100 H55 Board? @ Techgage

MSI H55-GD65 Gamer Series LGA1156 ATX Motherboard Review

ASUS Maximus III Formula motherboard review @ Elite Bastards

Gigabyte KM7580: Keyboard and Mouse Combo @ Bjorn3D

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 GPU Performance In-depth

iPhone 4G to Include Video Calls: Confirmed by New O2 Tariffs

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: NZXT Panzerbox

Thermaltake Element V Chassis Review

Steelseries Xai Review  @ XSReviews

UMLan Article Release: Ineo Technologies I-NA205Ue – Review

Razer Naga und Megasoma Review on Technic3D

Newegg Releases Statement Regarding Fake Processors

Cooler Master 690 II Advanced Review at Overclockers Online

Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review @ BayReviews.com

Steel Series Siberia v2 @ LanOC Reviews

Raidmax Skyline Windowed Mid-Tower Chassis

Cooler Master V8 Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com

Review: Greed Corp @ Xbox360Digest

Aluratek Cinecam HD DV Camcorder- Review

Storage Related:

Thecus N7700 Pro 7 Drive NAS Server
QUOTE: "Thecus has their own history of Tick Tock behavior with their NAS servers. In April 2009 we reviewed the Thecus N7700 and found it to be an exciting product that was a step above the more consumer focused N5200 Pro while also being worthy of our highest award, the TweakTown Editors Choice. Since that time we reviewed the QNAP TS-809 Pro TurboNAS and found it to be able to transfer data faster with its faster processor (Core 2 Duo compared to the N7700’s Celeron M) and more memory.
Thecus’ answer to the flagship QNAP unit is now here, the N8800 Pro and N7700 Pro. The new Pro model of the 7700 features a Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of memory. All of that pales in comparison to what came next. For the first time ever a product in this price category has an option to use a 10GbE data connection."

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Kingston SSDNow V-Series 30GB Solid State Boot Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/kingston-ssdnow-v-series-30gb-solid-state-boot-drive-review/

Quote: “Upgrading from a normal hard drive to a solid state drive can be quite expensive and for most people it really does not make that much sense. Solid state capacities are getting larger, but that just brings the price of the drives up even higher. Kingston wants to help people out who want to take advantage of the blazing speeds of solid state drives, but don’t want to break the bank. They have just released the SSDNow V-Series 30GB solid state boot drive. This drive will retail at around $100 and will allow you to load your operating system and applications on it for fast load times, and then you can just put all of your media on a normal SATA drive. This is a great upgrade option for people looking to get a solid state drive, but might not have that much extra money for one."

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WD SiliconEdge-Blue Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Western Digital has been the leading name in consumer storage technology since the early 1970’s. Just in time for their 40th anniversary, the WD SiliconEdge-Blue Solid State Drive debuts as the first consumer SSD they’ve ever offered. Based on the JMicron JMF612 SATA-3Gbps SSD processor, the SiliconEdge-Blue promises 250/170Mbps read and write transfers with 5000-4KB IOPS. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the WD SiliconEdge-Blue SSD, 256GB model SSC-D0256SC-2100, against a myriad of high-performance solid-state enthusiast storage devices.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=478

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Kingston SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive
Quote: Why would Kingston be coming out with a 30GB SSD boot drive if they already have a 40GB for sale? Without providing TRIM or garbage collection, Kingston scrapped the product and wanted to produce something the community was asking for. The 30GB boot drive was born with a new controller and slightly better specs.
Link: http://www.hardwarelogic.com/articles.php?id=6441

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Corsair Dominator GT PC3-12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Kit Review
DESCRIPTION:
"There are two things you should take into consideration when choosing what memory to upgrade to – the first is overall speed which is sometimes called data rate. Such as the kit we are going to look at today – 1600MHz. The faster this is the larger the bandwidth and thus better overall performance. The second is latency, which is often overlooked by consumers. You may well have fast rated memory modules but if the latency timings are high bandwidth could experience issues. Today we take a look at Corsair’s Dominator GT series, a DDR3 dual channel kit designed specifically for the AMD platform. This kit has some pretty tight timings and is reasonably rated and since Corsair are one of the main players in the high performance memory marketplace it will be interesting to see how these modules perform a little later on."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=142

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A-DATA N002 USB 3.0 and SATA II 128GB SSD Review

The interesting thing about the A-DATA N002 drive is it is one of the first USB 3.0 devices on the market, as well as a SATA drive. This opens possibilities for the end-user of using the N002 as an external USB 3.0 OR SATA to move files from one computer to another fast. The drive showed excellent performance across the spectrum of benchmarks that we use on both the USB and SATA interface, actually scoring higher than some of the other SSD drives we have tested. These are a good indication of sustained read and write performance across a wide variety of programs. A-DATA has taken the concept of the SSD drive and driven it with a new feature that allows it to be used on motherboards with USB 3.0 ports or an expansion card that adds it to the motherboard and does it well. The A-DATA N002 is not available online as of yet but gets a Hot Product award due to its excellent feature set and high performance. Look for it to sell in the $299.00 to $349.00 US price range.

Review Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/2023_1.html

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Kingston 128GB V Series Notebook Upgrade Kit Review

Kingston thought of everything when it comes to designing an SSD drive for the notebook market at large. The drive has adequate performance, but it is primary designed to slide into the enclosure and work as an external drive hooked up through the USB interface which allows up to 480Mb/s of bandwidth between the two devices. The SATA 2 interface is not necessary as the bundle includes an enclosure to work with notebook PCs that have limited expansion bays and may not fit an SSD drive internally .At the end of the day, the Kingston Notebook Replacement drive is a SSD drive with all of the positives you could want and is available online for under $300 making it a good fit for those wanting a SSD drive without paying the high price of some others on the market that may offer higher performance but cost more. The Kingston 128GB Notebook Upgrade Kit is available at most e-tailors and many PC DYI centers.

Review Link: http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/2022_1.html

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LaCie Network Space 2 Review
"Of all the tech appliances you might want to prominently display, a mundane network attached storage device probably falls about 78th on most people s lists, right after VoIP desk phones and before network switches. LaCie s Network Space 2 may change that. The attractive 1TB NAS sports an exterior design as clean and intuitive as the software that runs it. As we found out, it s also just as basic as its shape but entry-level consumers might not mind the lack of high-end features or Formula One performance."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/networking-and-wi-fi-reviews/media-streamers-reviews/lacie-network-space-2-review/

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Audio/ Video:

Samsung PN58B650 58 Inch Plasma TV Review @ Tweaknews

Article Snippet:"The Samsung PN58B650 is one of those products that can be a little confusing to sum up in a couple paragraphs. For one, this TV is quite a bit cheaper than the higher end 850 series model, but other than the dimensions, it has a better overall visual viewing experience."

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EOS wireless loudspeaker system @ TechwareLabs

Quote: More and more great music is being transmitted to you via the web, break out of your browser and together with the EOS loudspeaker system you can fill your house with sound.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/eos-wireless-loudspeaker-system/

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, ‘Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 ‘
An ultra-compact camera that delivers great performance.
http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/03/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fp8/

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Arctic Cooling E361-WM Headphones:
English link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/19847/introduction.aspx
Swedish link: http://www.rbmods.se/content/14141/test–sammanfattning.aspx
Quote:  Arctic Cooling is well known of their coolers. Their newest product isn’t a cooler, but headphones. We will take a look at their E361-WM headphones which are built to be portable gaming headphones. How will they perform against similarly priced Koss and Sennheiser headphones? Let’s have a look!

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ARCTIC COOLING Arctic Sound E352 Earphones Review
DESCRIPTION:
"It’s always interesting to see companies venture in other areas other than those that they have been specialising for awhile. Take ARCTIC COOLING for example. For years, this Swiss company has become synonymous with quality cooling devices, such as fans, CPU and VGA coolers, and computer cases. Recently, ARCTIC COOLING has expanded in various domains including game consoles, audio devices and, even, rechargeable batteries!
LINK:http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=126

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Laptops/Netbooks Etc:

MSI Wind Box Intel Atom 330 NetTops @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14648
Summary: "Through Phoromatic you can easily build a benchmarking test farm with minimal effort and combined with Phoromatic Tracker you can monitor the performance of a given software or hardware component over the course of time. We used our own tools to launch a Linux kernel tracker that monitors the performance of the very latest Linux kernel code on a daily basis at kernel-tracker.phoromatic.com. We are also announcing another new, important public tracker coming soon, but first off, we needed a few more low-powered Intel Atom systems. We ended up purchasing two MSI Wind Box NetTops (the 6667BB-003US and 6667BB-004US) that are both based around an Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor within a very low-profile enclosure. The MSI 6667BB-003US utilizes Intel GMA 950 graphics while the 6667BB-004US boasts an ATI Radeon HD 4330 graphics processor. Here is our Linux look at these two Intel nettop computers."

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ASUS EAH 5850 TOP DirectCU

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/EAH_5850_TOP_DirectCu

Brief:
ASUS has released what seems to be one of the best custom designed HD 5850s. The card which supports DirectX 11 and Eyefinity is extremely quiet, offers better price/performance than the AMD reference design, comes with an overclock out of the box and supports voltage control via SmartDoctor.

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Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904 Laptop Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Toshiba-Satellite-E205S1904-Laptop-Review/

If you could design your own laptop in an effort to have the perfect balance of performance, price, size, weight, and features, what would you include and what could you live without? As part of its Blue Label program, Best Buy asked that question of its customers–accepting as much feedback as its customers could give and then channeling that information back to the laptop manufacturers it partners with. The ensuing results of this feedback now manifest themselves in the three current Best Buy Blue Label exclusive laptop offerings: the Dell Studio s15Z-2249CPN, Sony Vaio VPCS11FM/S, and Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904.

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Everki Camber Laptop/Netbook Bag @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Looking for a carrying case for your netbook? Take a close look at EVERKI has to offer with their Camber 7” – 13” case. Sure, there are endless companies on the market today to choose from, but not too many have carrying bags for netbooks. The Camber from EVERKI is one that really stood out among others while attending CES 2010. Let’s take a closer look at the Camber to see why were excited to review it for you.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/everki-camber/

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Dell Inspiron Zino HD Desktop Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Dell-Inspiron-Zino-Desktop-Review/

For the last couple of years, Dell’s foray into the small-form-factor desktop market was its successful mini-tower (with the emphasis on "mini") Studio Hybrid. But with Dell’s latest small-form-factor entry, the Inspiron Zino HD, out goes the vertical mini-tower and in comes the horizontal square–7.8-inches wide by 7.8-inches deep to be exact, and a mere 3.4-inches tall. Like the Studio Hybrid (which Dell still sells), the Inspiron Zino HD (a.k.a. the Inspiron 400) is a solid little machine, with decent mainstream performance, and geared towards budget-minded consumers. Similar to how you could change the Studio Hybrid’s looks by swapping out different-colored sleeves, the Inspiron Zino HD can switch personality with the snap of new color or pattern lid. Of course, other than the default "Piano Black" lid, you’ll have to pay extra for any of the Inspiron Zino HD’s other color ($15 each) or pattern ($30) lids. And with a starting price of $249, the Inspiron Zino HD can give any number of nettop PCs a run for their money…

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‘HP dv6-1390ev Notebook review’
Good performance- but its big and heavy with a lower-than-average battery life.
The Full Article can be viewed at
http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/hp-dv6-1390ev-notebook-review/

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Asus G73J: The Ultimate Gaming Notebook @ InsideHW

The G73J is the ultimate gaming machine, with no performance bottlenecks whatsoever.
Article link: http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Notebooks/Asus-G73J-The-ultimate-gaming-notebook.html

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‘Alienware M11x Notebook Review’
Its a hallmark moment for the Alienware family with the arrival of their new baby.
The Full Article can be viewed at
http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/alienware-m11x-notebook-review/

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Everki Beacon Laptop/Notebook Backpack @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Everki sends us the largest bag in their lineup, the Beacon backpack. Join Will as he sees if this backpack is up to the "road warrior" lifestyle.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/everki-beacon-backpack/

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Assorted Stuffs:

March Giveaway Contest – Win a free XO Skin for your cell phone or MP3 player!
http://www.topreviewshop.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&p=1707
"The giveaway contest starts on March 5th and ends on March 21st.  We’ll be giving away 3 XO Skins for cell phones or MP3 players. In addition to skins for popular phones such as the iPhone, Nexus One, Blackberry Curve, Storm, Pearl and others, XO also offers a wide range of choices with skins for other cell phones and MP3 players."

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WinX DVD Ripper Platinum v5.9 Giveaway
Contest Entry Details URL : http://www.bayreviews.com/blog/1-general/3382-winx-dvd-ripper-platinum-giveaway
Quote : "You likes free stuff… right? Of course you do! So we are holding our very first contest. That’s right, we are giving away 10 licenses for WinX DVD Ripper Platinum v5.9. "WinX DVD Ripper Platinum can rip the content of DVDs to all popular video formats such as AVI, MOV, FLV, WMV, MPEG, MP4, 3GP, etc. What’s more, it also owns the ability of ripping different DVDs (including encrypted DVDs) to Sony PSP, Apple iPhone, iPod, iTouch, Apple TV, Zune, Mobile phone, etc." You can get more information about it here. We would like to thank our friends at Digiarty Software who were nice enough to give us 10 licenses to giveaway."

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Brother HL-3070CW LED Printer Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/brother-hl-3070cw-led-printer/
Quote: The HL-3070CW delivers a very high quality black and white or color print perfect for the small office or at home. The overall print speed of 17ppm is fast enough for regular use without breaking the bank. I would have really liked to see the printer bundled with automatic duplex printing. However, the HL-3070CW does feature wireless print capability allowing you to store this printer anywhere there is a power outlet.

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A Deep Dive Into Thecus NAS Software
QUOTE: "Testing NAS servers is a complicated and time consuming task. For the most part modern NAS products are computers in their own right with some using Intel Core2 Duo processors with 4GB of RAM. When writing a NAS review it is easy to focus on the hardware and capabilities, but often the software, applications and setup functionality take a back seat even though these functions are in many cases just as important as the hardware used.
To help ease the strain on both the reader and the writer, today we are going to cover the latest firmware / software release from Thecus. In a couple of days we will also publish a similar article covering the QNAP firmware / software since these are the two companies that send us a sample every other month and also have such extensive software. We plan to keep these available as living documents with updates published throughout the coming years."

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Batterygate II: Exposing Fakes @ MobilityDigest

In my war against crappy cell phone batteries I’ve been dying to dig into the whole Chinese bathtub battery world as doing so could yield more effective and actionable information to use to shake things up and blow off lids than just fighting on the eBay feedback front would offer. But that’s a dark place you may not find on Google (or Pamela) to get access to and information about, one thing I’m hoping HTC can give me if they take my little email seriously. I want them to help me help them help me help you patronize the right people, you dig? That could take a while so I want to hand some of this off to you in case you ever buy a battery on eBay, either a counterfeit OEM, a crappy battery or a crappy counterfeit battery, as one of you might be able, with the right footwork, to crack their Great Wall of Cell Phone Accessory Secrecy. By they I mean China obviously. And Hong Kong and Singapore too at least have some peripheral involvement but we’re dealing with, primarily and as usual, China.

http://www.mobilitydigest.com/batterygate-ii-exposing-fakes/

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CeBit 2010 Coverage:

CeBIT 2010 – CoolIT Vantage A.L.C @ Vortez.co.uk

CeBIT 2010 Coverage @ Madshrimps

CeBIT 2010 – CoolIT Omni A.L.C @ Vortez.co.uk

CeBIT 2010 – ASUS HD5970 ARES Preview @ Vortez.co.uk

CeBIT 2010 – Does Cooler Master have the X-Factor? The all new HAF X @ Vortez.co.uk

CeBIT 2010 – SteelSeries give an exclusive first look at the new 7H headset @ Vortez.co.uk

CeBIT 2010 – Thermaltake Armor A90, FRIO and a TOP SECRET preview @ Vortez.co.uk

Coverage from BCCHardware:

Day 4 – Patriot @ CeBIT 2010
Day 4 – Arctic Cooling @ CeBIT 2010
Day 4 – Loop @ CeBIT 2010

Day 3 – Silverstone @ CeBIT 2010
Day 3 – Spire @ CeBIT 2010
Day 3 – Scythe @ CeBIT 2010

Day 2 – Enermax @ CeBIT 2010
Day 2 – MSI @ CeBIT 2010

Time for some more news…

I do have a review of the new Resident Evil coming to you, and a skin for your wii as well..

Storage Related:

ASUS External Slim Blu-ray Disc Combo SBC-06D1S-U Review
"As reported in our News section on 15th February – ASUS have launched two new external optical drives. ASUS have very kindly provided us with the SBC-06D1S-U to review today. ASUS are a hugely successful company known for their innovative product design and industry leading quality in the world of 3C (Computers, Communications and Consumer Electronics). Let’s take a look at one of their latest external optical drives and see if it continues their excellent pedigree."
LINK: http://www.vortez.co.uk/review.php?id=122

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Kingston HyperX PC3-17066 (2133MHz) 4GB Kit
QUOTE: "Kingston has a reputation for creating some extremely high quality memory. What this means is that we tend not to see the company jump on the speed train as quick as some other makers do. They want to know when they release a module that it’s going to run 100% across many platforms.
Due to the nature of this, what tends to happen is we see only major step-ups in speed. To give you a better idea from Kingston, we see at the top of the table the 2133MHz DDR kit we have with us today. Moving downwards and we’ve got 2000MHz which was a major release, while below that there are 1800MHz DDR, 1600MHz DDR and 1333MHz DDR modules."

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Corsair Nova 64GB and Reactor 60GB SSD Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-1034,1-corsair-nova-64gb-und-reactor-60gb-ssds-im-test-klassentreffen.htm

Translation Link: http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3a%2F%2fwww.technic3d.com%2Farticle-1034%2C1-corsair-nova-64gb-und-reactor-60gb-ssds-im-test-klassentreffen.htm&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Quote: "The Corsair Nova 64GB and Reactor 60GB SSD arrived Technic3D. Available in 60GB, 64GB, 120GB and 128GB configurations. Results in extreme performance with up to 250MB/s sequential read and 130MB/s sequential write speeds? We will check this against the SSDs from OCZ and G.Skill."

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Corsair 8GB Padlock 2 USB Flash Drive Review  @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1229/1/

"The Corsair Padlock 2 USB Flash drive would make an excellent off-site backup drive for your critical data as it offers both the security and portability to make this task a breeze. Overall, the only nitpick I had was the lack of place to secure the cap when the drive is in use. If that’s the only complaint I can come up with, Corsair must be doing something right. I found the Padlock 2 to be simple to use, aesthetically pleasing and darn good at its core function of protecting data. It doesn’t hurt that the price tag is less than many other secure drives at only $55…"

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‘TwinMOS Mobile Disk Q7 64GB USB Drive Review’
This 64GB USB drive should let you carry plenty of data with you.
http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/02/twinmos-mobile-disk-q7-64gb-usb-drive-review/

==

Verbatim InSight Portable HDD 500GB:
English link: http://www.rbmods.com/content/20033/features.aspx
Swedish link:  http://www.rbmods.se/content/14105/funktioner.aspx

Quote:  We are taking a look at an external HDD from Verbatim today, they sent us a sample of their latest 500GB HDD that is equipped with a display on the front of the eclosure to show how much space is left on the HDD. Lets see how it will perform vs other removable drives.

==

ADAT

A S596 128GB SSD Video Review & Benchmarks

ADATA is a company that is new to us, but is a well established company in the east, making their way west. Watch in this video review as I actually beat this drive on a table a few times and then run it through a gauntlet of tests. This new S596 SSD is a very fast drive and can hold its own agains’t the competition. Check out the full review and I think you will like what you see, its pretty funny to watch just for the verbage and drive beating.

Review Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yjOL6PUt9I

==

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Silicon Power E10 and M10 SSDs.

Quote: Today we have a look at two Solid State Drives from the Taiwanese company Silicon Power. Do they cut the mustard?
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/storage/silicon_power_e10_and_m10_ssds/1

==

Audio/Video Related:

Some Fun With A 6-Screen ATI Eyefinity Configuration:
http://hothardware.com/News/Some-Fun-With-A-6Screem-ATI-Eyefinity-Configuration/

We’re just doing a bit of testing here in the lab today, and wanted give you all a glimpse of what was on the test bench. We have already given you glimpses of AMD’s ATI Eyefinity technology running on more than three screens on a few occasions in the past, but we haven’t had the ability to do any hands-on with the technology up to this point because the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition and the requisite software wasn’t quite ready yet. Well, it’s here now. And we’ll be able to give you the full scoop very soon. For now, here’s a fun preview…

==

Roku XR Review @ ASE Labs

Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=5623

Quote: Most people should have heard about the ease of use that the Netflix streaming service provides. One of the major components of this ease of use would be the set top boxes that provide the service on TVs. Roku was the original and is still the best way to get streaming Netflix to your TV, right now.

==

Gunnar Optiks Wi-FIVE Digital Performance Eyewear @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1224/1/

Quote: "People are spending an ever-increasing amount of time in front of computer screens as our lives become more intertwined with technology. This increase correlates to an increase in health hazards from repetitive motion injuries, neck and back problems, and eye strain. Gunnar has recognized this and has put together a diverse product line dedicated to mitigating the strain we are putting on our eyes with some of their special lens and optic technologies. They sent us over a sample pair of their Wi-FIVE digital performance eyewear from their Catalyst collection to see how effective we felt they were. For $99, if they work as advertised, they should be well worth the investment…"

==

iXBT Labs Review: i3DSpeed, February 2010
Excerpt:
"The i3DSpeed informs you about performance of popular graphics cards and the best price/performance deals in the market. In this issue we updated the test results to reflect the performance of the latest drivers (as of February 2010)."
Article: http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/i3dspeed/0210/i0210-video-p1.html

==

Mobile Related:

Beware of Counterfeit OEM Batteries @ MobilityDigest

Link: http://www.mobilitydigest.com/beware-of-counterfeit-oem-batteries/

As you can guess these guys fib quite a bit on their numbers (the question being by how much, which is what I’ve been after) and I’ve been holding off on telling you the specifics until I had tested another handful of batteries.

==

XO Skin for iPhone 3Gs
http://www.topreviewshop.com/xo_skin_iphone_3gs
"Need protection for your iPhone 3Gs that can withstand a Dremel drilling? Take a look at the XO Skin."

==

Palm Pixi Plus Review
"What the Honda Civic is to the Accord, the Pixi Plus is to the Pre Plus. While not entirely hobbled, the Pixi flutters in the shadow of the Pre with a smaller screen, a slower processor, and a lower-resolution camera, but balances the handicaps with a lightweight, easy-to-use form factor that finds fans in nearly everyone who handles it. It will have to be the body that sells it. Even with Wi-Fi added for the Plus variant, we find it hard to recommend the stripped down Pixi when the much more capable Pre stands only $70 away."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/cell-phone-reviews/cell-phone-smart-phone-reviews/palm-pixi-plus-review/

==

Review: PDAir Leather Case for Zune HD

The horizontal pouch case has a simple design, with cushioned leather on the front and back that is held together with elastic sides. The case has white stitching, which adds  a nice accent.  The only other adornment is the PDAir logo stamped on the front of the case.

http://www.geardiary.com/2010/03/04/review-pdair-leather-case-for-zune-hd/

==

‘HTC HD2 Smartphone’
We look at what is probably the most best Windows Mobile phone you can purchase today.
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/02/htc-hd2-smartphone/

==

Evercool FIT Notebook Cooler
http://www.topreviewshop.com/evercool_fit_notebook_cooler

"There are a multitude of laptop coolers available, but today we take a look today at a unique cooling product from Evercool – the FIT Notebook Cooler.  It is compatible with just about any notebook or netbook – from 9” to 18” sizes. It’s small enough to carry with you in your laptop bag, and it is also lightweight at only 60g total weight. But how well does it actually cool your laptop? Read on for our testing results."

==

NVIDIA NextGen ION Preview @ t-break

About a year after NVIDIA released the original ION, they are back with the Next Gen touting with a tag line of "10X Performance and 10 Hours of Battery Life."
http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/03/nvidia-nextgen-ion-preview/

==

ASUS G51J 3D 15.6" Gaming Notebook @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/asus_g51j_3d_156_gaming_notebook/
Quote: The term "3D" has been used quite a bit over the past couple of months, and as it stands today, there’s a fair bit of content available to those with capable hardware. But on the mobile side of things, support is just beginning to creep in. The first available option was from ASUS, with its G51J 3D, and we’re taking a look at it here.

==

Assorted Stuffs:

The WikiReader @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Love dedicated devices filling your pockets? Here’s a great one for you: The WikiReader. This little guy contains all of Wikipedia for all of your argument winning needs.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/wikireader/

==

PC Power Supply Protections: They Won’t Always Protect You
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/167
Here is a snippet:
"PC power supplies usually come with some protections. The savvy user will always try to pick one that provides the most protections possible. But having protections available doesn’t mean that the power supply will in fact protect your equipment in case of malfunction. Let’s see why."

==

Join us this week to hear our panel debate over the Apple iPad launch, discuss our latest system guide, and provide a sneak preview of the Radeon HD 5830, among other things.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18536

==

Techgage’s 5th Birthday Contest – Win a Gaming PC! @ Techgage
Link: http://techgage.com/article/techgages_5th_birthday_contest/
Quote: Techgage has just turned five, so what better reason to celebrate? To help kill two birds with one stone, we’re looking to YOU for input on what we’re doing right, and what you want to see more of (or improve). As a thanks for taking our site survey, you’ll be entered to have a chance at winning our custom-built gaming PC, valued at $4,200!

==

News: XPC maker Shuttle soldiers on, creates laptop ecosystem

Although its toaster-sized XPC barebones systems used to be a regular part of our review coverage, we haven’t heard the Shuttle name quite so much lately. Recently, we decided to check in with Shuttle and see what was new with this unlikely survivor of the consolidation trend in the motherboard business. Turns out Shuttle is still very much alive and kicking, and it’s working on new ways to promote its barebones systems, along with an unusual modular notebook initiative.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18469

==

An Interview with Dow2Live.com  @ alltern8

Quote: "Most strategy gamers out there are aware of the skill level they possess. You know there are certain players worse than you, and you’re certainly well aware that there are those that destroy you with no problems at all. However beyond playing your game of choice over and over, how’s a fella’ or lady supposed to improve their gaming ability? One way is to watch replays of the pros hacking away at each other.

==

2010 s Top Business Gadgets and Technology Trends
"Good news for modern professionals the future of high-tech is here, and it s rife with opportunities to enhance communications, maximize productivity, and revolutionize the way the way that business is done on nearly every front. As previewed earlier this year at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a wired wonderland where the hottest gadgets and technology trends of coming months are revealed, the future truly is now. From WiFi-ready, touchscreen-equipped cars to app-enabled home theater components and Skype-compatible TVs that let you videoconference right from your living room screen, there s no end to the commercial possibilities in sight. Imagine selling software programs direct to shoppers right on their 3D HDTV, marketing copies of your latest book for download via digital eReader or filling customers orders right from a shiny new tablet PC."
Link to the feature:http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/top-2010-business-gadgets-and-technology-trends/

==

Join us for this special edition of the TR Podcast in which Jordan and Scott discuss our latest CPU roundup extravaganza.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18503

==

Gigabyte Media Event At Castle Oudaen

The Dutch media was kindly invited at the lovely city of Utrecht for a pre CeBIT presentation of Gigabyte and Intel Company. Rendez-vous took place at the castle of Oudaen. The major websites and magazines were present. Shrimps was represented by yours truly and [M] reviewer Danny Terwindt. Too bad we heard Intel canceled their presentation at last call, for till now unknown reasons. Without further ado let us quickly guide you through the presentation and show the new toys present.
http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=992

==

Four Tech Movies Every IT Pro Should See
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/166
"It doesn’t matter if you are a newcomer to the IT industry or a veteran with over 30 years of expertise: there are some movies that I love and think that all people working on the computer industry should watch. They are entertaining and educative at the same time."

==

Run XP Mode in VirtualBox Instead of Virtual PC

Windows 7 only: If you’ve been itching to use the new XP Mode feature in Windows 7, but you aren’t too keen on using Virtual PC or just prefer VirtualBox, here’s how to use XP Mode in VirtualBox.

http://lifehacker.com/5485879/run-xp-mode-in-virtualbox-instead-of-virtual-pc

==

10 Star Wars Products With Force Power

http://nerdapproved.com/approved-products/10-products-that-impart-the-force/

Was “The Force” simply a figment of George Lucas’ imagination, or is it a real power that is all around us? My guess is that the real Force exists with Star Wars-themed merchandise, and it is constantly beckoning us to open up our wallets. The following 10 Star Wars products have definitely harnessed that power.

==

Hands on: Opera 10.50 makes impressive performance gains

http://arstechnica.com/software/reviews/2010/03/hands-on-opera-1050-makes-impressive-performance-gains.ars

The Opera Web browser has taken a big step forward with the release of version 10.50, a significant update that brings some nice new features and a number of radical improvements under the hood. Opera Software contends that it has taken the lead in performance, leap-frogging its competitors. We conducted benchmarking and some hands-on tests to determine if the new Opera lives up to the hype.

==

Quick Links:

NZXT Tempest @ LanOC Reviews

ASUS X58 Rampage III Extreme Motherboard Preview @ Legit Reviews

AMD’s Radeon HD 5830 graphics card @ T-Break

HIS Digital HD5570 Review @ High Tech Reviews

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

AMD’s 890GX Chipset: Low-End Price, High-End Features @ Hardware Canucks

Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 Motherboard Review: AMD’s 890GX Chipset Makes Its Debut

Jetway NC94-510-LF Mini-ITX Atom Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

TITAN, Skalli – Universal CPU cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Biostar TH55XE H55

Supreme Commander 2 Details @ [OC]ModShop

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Evercool Ever Green 40mm Fans @ PCShopTalk

ASUS M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 (AMD 890GX) Motherboard

NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Chassis

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Secrets

OCZ Gladiator Max CPU Cooler Review at Overclockers Online

Star Trek Online Expansion Details @ [OC]ModShop

Noctua NF-S12B FLX Cooling Fan Review @ [OC]ModShop

A Look at AMD’s 890GX Chipset @ Techgage

AMD 890GX SB850 Chipset Debut: Phenom II X6 Ready @ HotHardware.com

Thermaltake Silent 1156 Heatsink Review @ Ninjalane

Roccat Arvo Gaming Keyboard @ Rbmods

Zalman Z7 Plus Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews

Thermaltake SpinQ VT Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com

Scythe Grand Kama Cross SCKC-2000 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com

Corsair Obsidian 800D @ Bjorn3D

XFX RADEON HD 5830 Video Card Review

Arctic Cooling ARCTIC F12 Pro TC Case Fan Review @ Verdis Reviews

iXBT Labs Review: Gigabyte 790XTA-UD4 Motherboard

Thermaltake Element V Full Tower Chassis

OCZ Z Series 1000 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

AMD Phenom II X2 555 BE @ Rbmods

Gigabyte GV-567OC-1GI Radeon HD 5670 Videocard Review @ PCSTATS.com

iXBT Labs Review: AMD 785G Motherboard Roundup

Whip It Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Intel 980x Gulftown

XtremeGear HP-1216B HSF Review at Overclockers Online

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 890GX Motherboard Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Intel D510MO Mini-ITX Motherboard Review @ Bigbruin.com

Thermalright Venomous X CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Athlon II X4 635: Quad-Cores Are In @ InsideHW

Thermaltake ISGC-300 CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews

ASUS TUF SaberTooth 55i @ Bjorn3D

Noctua NH-D14 @ Bjorn3D

AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

SilverStone Fortress FT02 @ Phoronix

Enermax MODU87+ 700W Power Supply Review @ HardOCP

==

Quick Links:

Logitech MX-620 Cordless Laser Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

Jache 2.1 iPowerSpeaker J6 Review @ GadgetReview

Nexus RX-5300 530W PSU Review @ XtremeComputing

Intel’s Core i3-530 – The Budget Powerhouse? @ Techgage

Thermaltake TR2 RX 750Watt Power Supply Review @ Ninjalane

ASUS RoG Maximus III Extreme LGA 1156 Motherboard Preview @ Hardware Canucks

LUXA2 LM100 Mini HTPC Case @ PCShopTalk

Amacrox Free Earth 85PLUS 650 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

SteelSeries Kinzu Optical Mouse Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk

Coolermaster Hyper 101 Review  @ XSReviews

ASUS P6X58D Premium Motherboard Review

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AMD 890GX Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3: A Fast Inheritor @ InsideHW

NZXT – Hades Crafted Series Computer Case @ TechwareLabs

Cooler Master 750 Watt GX PSU @ Bjorn3D

Indilinx Barefoot Firmware Testing with the RunCore Pro IV SSD

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Ozone Gaming Roundup

ECS A890GXM-A Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Top 5 Best Heatsink on Frostytech – UPDATED! @ Frostytech.com

AMD 890GX @ Bjorn3D

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H Motherboard Review – AMD 890GX Chipset @ Legit Reviews

Overclockers.com – MSI 890GXM-G65 Review

Thermaltake V3 Black ATX Mid Tower Case Review @ BayReviews.com

CeBIT Coverage – Day 1 Bundle – BCCHardware

Day 1 – CoolIT @ CeBIT 2010
Day 1 – Reeven @ CeBIT 2010
Day 1 – Matrox @ CeBIT 2010
Day 1 – Gigabyte @ CeBIT 2010
Day 1 – Synology and QNAP NAS at CeBIT 2010
Day 1 – ASRock at CeBIT 2010

Audio / Video Related:

Masscool MP-1370S ‘Media Mate’ Media Player Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1227/1/

"Today we take a look at Masscool’s MP-1370S “Media Mate” high-definition media player. For us, Masscool is not exactly the first name you think of when you look to buy a HD media server, but the company has been in the business of designing and building HDD enclosures and media players since 2000. The Masscool MP-1370S is designed to not only be a media player that can access your favorite multimedia on your local or remote hard, but users are able to use the player to record to an attached USB device or an installed HDD. Priced at a very economical $100, it supports playing of video up to 1080i resolutions through an HDMI port and includes room for an 3.5” internal SATA hard drive so that you can load up all your favorite multimedia. Even if you don’t install an internal hard drive, the MP-1370S can connect to your local internet via the 10/100 Ethernet connection…"

==

Atomic Floyd TwistJax Review
"UK-based Atomic Floyd has been around for a couple years and has garnered quite a bit of attention, both in Europe and here in the States. At the time of publication, Atomic Floyd offers five different earphones: AirJax, AirDrum, HiDefDrum, HiDefJax and the new TwistJax. With a price of £129 or roughly $200 USD at today s exchange rate, the TwistJax are among the priciest in the Atomic Floyd lineup."
Link to the review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/mp3-player-reviews/headphone-reviews/atomic-floyd-twistjax-review/

==

Storage Related:

NAS File System Tests by Thecus Explored
QUOTE: "A couple of weeks ago my curiosity turned a light working weekend into a full on charge in exploring the ins and outs of NAS server file systems. While testing the Crucial RealSSD C300, we moved away from the ASUS P6T7 WS SuperComputer motherboard that was used to test storage released products and started using the GIGABYTE X58A-UD7. This left me with a free system at a key time to start taking a deep dive into file systems on NAS servers.
At first it started out as a harmless test with a single drive on a different file system to see what would happen to performance. Forty-eight hours later has evolved into a nonstop Bawls fueled obsession to see how much improvement we could find just by setting our NAS up differently."

==

OCZ Vertex Limited Edition 100GB Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/250-ocz-vertex-limited-edition/
Roughly a month ago we brought you an early preview of the OCZ Vertex 2 Pro SSD. This uber-fast product was supposed to be part of a new series of drives based on controllers from start-up SandForce. However, as we recently learned OCZ decided to scrap the Vertex 2 Pro altogether due to the high cost of its SF-1500 controller, and instead shift focus to the originally announced Vertex 2 and Vertex 2 EX.

==

Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 SSD Controller Review @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Just over two years ago there were only five companies involved in Solid State Drive technology, and as of January 2010 there are nearly 140 names in the business. Without doubt, the SSD market has enjoyed a powerful growth period with relatively painless consumer acceptance. Benchmark Reviews has been on top of the SSD scene since retail products were first introduced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. Based on the Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 SSD processor, the Crucial RealSSD-C300 becomes the industry’s first SATA-6G consumer Solid State Drive. Likewise, the C300 is also the first SSD to use ONFI 2.1 synchronous NAND flash. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 SSD processor rated for 355/215 MBps read and write speeds.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=486&Itemid=60

==

Seagate BlackArmor NAS 220 – Review
Article Clip: Everyone is trying to save some money now a day and by everyone i mean regular joe and companies. It doesn’t matter if you own large or midrange or even small company, you must be concerned with the marketed being highly unstable and of course your assets and cash flow. Purchasing IT equipment is becoming more and more a science thing than anything else. Most small or medium size companies struggle to come up with some kind of budget whether it is renewal or upgrade of the equipment. I am IT Systems Engineer for a medium size company and i know first hand that it is not an easy to per sway my boss to purchase a 40k NAS for data storage. Most people in my positions either spend quite bit of money on equipment or use "bandaids and rubber bands" to prolong some of the IT assets.
Article Link: http://umlan.com/reviews/hardware/h111.html

==

MEGATech Previews – Patriot Memory Sector 5 2250MHz DDR3 Memory Kit Benchmarks

About three weeks ago, Patriot Memory announced their newest Sector 5 2250MHz DDR3 Memory Kits for the Intel Core i5/i7 Processors that utilize Dual Channel memory. That means it’s currently designed for motherboards  with the Intel P55/P55A Chipsets. This 2×2GB Dual Channel DDR3 kit only needs a cool 1.65 volts to maintain its insanely fast stock 2250MHz frequency along with 9-9-9-27 memory timings. Here’s a quick preview of what these modules can do for you!

Direct Link: http://www.megatechnews.com/megatech-previews-patriot-memory-sector-5-2250mhz-ddr3-memory-benchmarks/

==

Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 256GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1233/1/

"The new WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs are available in capacities of up to 256 gigabytes (GB) and feature a SATA 3.0 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface with sequential read speeds up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) and sequential write transfer rates up to 170 MB/s. Not bad performance for a mainstream consumer SSD that has is part of the ‘blue’ series of SSDs from WD. Those looking for a little more performance should keep their fingers crossed as we would guess that SiliconEdge Black SSDs are on the way in the future.Today, we have the WD SiliconEdge Blue 256 GB (SSC-D0256SC-2100) SSD and we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the drives features, internal components and the performance of the drive…"

==

WD SiliconEdge Blue 256GB SSD Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/WD-SiliconEdge-Blue-256GB-SSD-Review/

Storage is going solid state and the move to acquire Silicon Systems back in March of 2009, was a very deliberate course of action for WD that spoke clearly about their intentions.  We’ve heard rumblings of offerings forthcoming from WD’s primary competitor, Seagate, as well but today WD makes it real with their new SiliconEdge line of SSD products.  We’ve taken a 256GB SiliconEdge Blue drive out for a spin, or perhaps lack thereof, and have our impressions posted on the pages ahead of WD’s first foray into solid state drive technology…

==

Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 256GB Solid State Drive
QUOTE: "When it comes to solid state drives the controller is the heart of the drive. There are SSDs on the market that are using bottom of the barrel, slow as molasses NAND flash, but their controller is able to make it all come together. Most of the time we are able to find out what controller is in a product and have a very good idea about the drives performance.
As it sits right now I have no idea what controller is in the Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue. To further aid to the confusion the cache is larger than anything we have tested before. The good thing is that when we buy SSDs we are rarely buying a name or the laser etches found on the controller. Pricing, performance, overall value between the two, length of warranty and a company’s reputation on standing behind their products is what we are breaking our wallets out for."

==

G.Skill ECO Kit 4 GB PC3-12800U CL7-8-7

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/GSkill/F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO

Brief:G.Skill is offering a full range of P55 compatible memory kits, with the ECO being one of them. As the name implies, the memory aims to deliver the most performance while only requiring a mere 1.35V to run at 1600 MHz CL7-8-7.

==

Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 128GB SSD
Quote: It is always interesting when a new controller steps into the market for SSDs and today we are looking at the Kingston SSDNow V+ Series with the new Toshiba T6UG1XBG drive controller. Will this new controller be a step up or another JMicron disaster? Read on to find out.
Link: http://www.hardwarelogic.com/articles.php?id=5631

==

QNAP TS-259 Pro Turbo NAS Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/qnap-ts-259-pro-turbo-nas/
Quote: Good things come in small packages and the QNAP TS-259 Pro is exactly that. You shouldn’t be fooled by the small footprint. Packed inside this small chassis is a very powerful dual core Intel Atom processor with 1GB of memory. The result is a powerful server capable of RAID 1 performance with little overhead loss or a lightning quick RAID 0 configuration. If you’re strictly concerned about numbers, the TS-259 Pro will easily put up 100MB/s+!

==

OCZ Technology 60GB Agility Series SATAII SSD Review

When recently asked what SSD would be ideal for regular users, that doesn’t cost too much, but contains quality components, I found myself going back over my notes. I found myself considering what kind of controller is used inside an SSD rather than basing it off the name brand. The controller is a major component that can make or break performance. And, it doesn’t hurt if an SSD has a little extra cache to maintain transfer rates.

Direct Link:http://www.futurelooks.com/ocz-technology-60gb-agility-series-sataii-ssd-review/

==

Thecus N2200

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thecus/N2200

Brief:The N2200 is an entry level dual bay NAS. It has a fairly long list of features without making it overly complex to configure, plus it comes at a low price. Since Thecus seems confident about the N2200 we took a closer look at it to see if this is justified.

==

OCZ Vertex Limited Edition, Sandforce Powered SSD
http://hothardware.com/articles/OCZ-Vertex-LE-Sandforce-Powered-SSD-Review/

When we first took a look at OCZ’s Vertex 2 Pro series SSD back in February, we noted that our evaluation was a product "preview" due to the fact that the product was still being finalized in many ways and wasn’t yet available on the open market.  Little did we know that exact product would never see the light of day in retail.  In fact, the Vertex Limited Edition SSD that we’re taking a look at here today, will only be available in a limited 5K unit batch release from OCZ. That’s not to say that good things don’t come in limited quantities though. 

==

OCZ Technology’s Vertex 2 Pro 100GB Solid State Disk
QUOTE: "As time goes on we are seeing what was once enterprise-only technology being weaved into consumer products. Dual core processors have eliminated the need for dual processor systems used for A/V production. In the storage field we have the adaption of 10K platter speeds and technological advances like Native Command Queuing.
Today we are looking at the OCZ Technology Vertex 2 Pro. What makes the Vertex 2 Pro so special is that it uses one of the first true enterprise grade solid state controllers and pairs it with low cost consumer grade Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory."

==

Patriot Valkyrie 2-Bay NAS Review @ Tweaknews
Article Url: http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/patriot_valkyrie/
Article Snippet:
"Given the fairly large feature set wrapped up in a well constructed, attractive unit, the Valkyrie is a good buy for those in the market for a simple home NAS. It supports up to 4TB of storage and has all the most commonly used functions like an FTP server, print server, media server, and one touch backup to an external device."

Mobile Related:

nitroX X835 and X735 Bluetooth Headset @ Bjorn3D

nitroX has shipped us their X835, a Bluetooth handsfree kit, and X735, a Bluetooth stereo headset, for review. Let’s take a look at these Bluetooth devices for your portable player and cellphones.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1802

==

‘Nokia C5, the el cheapo smartphone’
No, not el cheapo as in cheap and crappy necessarily but el cheapo as in cheap and very affordable. The just unveiled Nokia C5 will be available in the second quarter of 2010 (including the MEA market)    at an expected retail price of just under AED 700.
That doesn’t seem like a dirt-cheap [...]
The Full Article can be viewed at http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/03/nokia-c5-the-el-cheapo-smartphone/

==

MSI to debut worlds first full HD 3D all-in-one PC

MSI are going to be showcasing their new range of all in one pcs at the forthcoming CeBIT expo in Hanover from March 2nd to March 6th 2010 and amongst them there’s one product that’s bound to attract a lot of attention. It is the world’s first large screen full high definition 3D all in one computer designed for the 3D home experience. The press release says it all.

==

Verbatim Nano Wireless Notebook Mouse
Quote: Add a dash of color and style to your day, with Verbatim’s Color Nano Wireless Mouse. In six new colors, this mouse travels well in tight spaces. With a receiver that’s small enough to plug into your laptop and leave, it offers 2.4 GHz wireless performance – that means no delays in cursor movements and fewer cords to pack. The receiver also slides right into the bottom of the mouse for safekeeping. Its sleek design offers a smooth, contoured comfort grip for right or left hand and a programmable roller button. Small enough to fit easily in work totes, backpacks or even handbags, Verbatim’s Color Nano Notebook Mouse offers cool colors to match your laptop, your bag or even your mood.
Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=5624

==

Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/cooler-master-notepal-ergostand-review/

Quote: “Lately these days many people are purchasing a notebook cooler when they purchase a new laptop. This is because many laptops still get very hot and many notebook coolers also act as a stand for their laptop. Today we will be taking a look at the NotePal ErgoStand from Cooler Master, which not only is a notebook cooler it acts as a notebook stand as well with 5 adjustable viewing angles. It also features a large 140mm fan, 4-port USB hub and a great ergonomic design. Let’s take a look…"

==

NVIDIA ION 2 Preview, Optimus Enabled:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/NVIDIA-NextGeneration-ION-2-Preview-Optimus-Enabled/

Ever since NVIDIA’s original ION chipset proved it was possible to pair Intel’s low-power Atom processor to a relatively powerful graphics core and attain acceptable multimedia performance, the market has been curious as to what NVIDIA’s Ion 2 Next-Generation Ion product might offer. This has also been a topic of some discussion between Intel, NVIDIA, and the FTC. Because Intel’s next-generation Atom platform is a system-on-chip (SoC), NVIDIA had to adjust its own plans for NG-Ion…

==

Second Generation NVIDIA ION Announced @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1234/1/

Quote: "The next generation of the NVIDIA ION architecture brings some much needed changes in order to bring forth the performance desired by low-power, low-performance mobile users. While we have heard the ION 2 name bounced around leading up to the launch, it seems NVIDIA is just referring to the platform changes as the next generation of NVIDIA ION. So for those researching which netbook to purchase, keep in mind that NVIDIA ION netbooks and nettops featuring an Intel Atom N2xx or N3xx processor have the previous generation of ION with shared graphics and system memory. NVIDIA ION systems with an Intel Atom N4xx, D4xx or D5xx processor would have the new generation of NVIDIA ION with dedicated graphics memory instead of sharing with the system memory…"

==

Hardware Canucks is pleased to present A Look at NVIDIA’s Next Generation ION.

Article URL: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/29377-look-nvidia-s-next-generation-ion.html

Quote: There is no denying that Intel’s Atom family of processors are extremely popular and that companies are clamoring to get products out which feature it.  NVIDIA’s original ION blazed the trail for better performing netbooks but with the release of the Pineview series of Atom processors, they needed to rethink their approach.  In this article, we take a look at the next generation ION and all it has to offer.

==

WildCharge Wireless Charging Pad and iPhone 3G Adapter Case
QUOTE: "I have always been a fan of new technology. I enjoy the implementation, creation and even the way it is marketed to the consumer (for good or bad). I am sure this is no surprise to you (given what I do for a living), but what might surprise you is that I am even more intrigued by the recent resurgence of old ideas that are finally coming to light as new technology.
Today we are looking at another resurrected technology; this time from WildCharge. WildCharge is another of the companies that is working very hard to make wireless charging a standard. They offer one of the least expensive options for wireless charging with the WildCharger Pad and iPhone/iPod Touch Skin bundle running only $80 or so. We have their WildCharger pad and a single iPhone case in the lab to see how well it works." 

==

An Insight to NVIDIAs Next-Gen ION Platform
QUOTE: "NVIDIA made many of us sit up and take notice of the hardware acceleration of HD video in netbooks and nettops back in 2009 at CES when the company showed off its first ION chip. The device took a while to come to market, but it eventually did and was welcomed by those looking for better HD video performance and graphics in small netbooks and nettops.
NVIDIA is now unveiling the successor to the original ION platform; this referred to as Next-Generation ION by NVIDIA, but often called ION 2 in the media. So far the only product to have been unveiled using the platform is the Acer Aspire One 532G. NVIDIA is betting big on the new platform and sees a huge market for netbooks moving forward, especially those that use quality graphics like ION."

==

Lenovo IdeaPad U150 Review
"Call it a netbook if you must, but Lenovo s U150 shines where many that share the category name crumble and fail. With an 11.6-inch high-resolution display, dual-core processor and a keyboard fit for the novelist, Lenovo s U150 stands as one of the most livable ultra-portables we ve tested."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/laptop-reviews/netbook-reviews/lenovo-ideapad-u150-review/
==

Speck CorePack Fly Laptop Messenger Bag Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/speck-corepack-fly-laptop-messenger-bag-review/

Quote: “One of the biggest pains of traveling is going through security. I hate having to always take my laptop out of my bag. Usually my bag is stuffed with gear so its always a struggle to get it out without something getting into the way. Lately we have seen many companies come out with “checkpoint safe” laptop bags that make it so you don’t have to take out your laptop when going through security. The thing about these bags is that they are noit attractive at all. This is where Speck comes in with the CorePack Fly bag, which is available in 2 very attractive colors."

Assorted Stuffs:

CyberPower AVRLCD UPS Battery Backup for PCs @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: It’s no secret that our cherished computers and personal electronic devices all depend on electricity. They can’t live without power, and we feel powerless without them. Conscious of our need for continuous productivity, CyberPower Systems has built an entire battery backup product line designed to supply uninterrupted power to our PCs and HDTVs. So when winter storms come or summer brown-outs occur, there’s no reason why your small business or home office should stop working. A sudden power-outage shouldn’t mean crashing your computer system in the middle of an exciting video game, and an enjoyable movie should not need to restart. In this article Benchmark Reviews demonstrates how important CyberPower UPS battery-backup devices are for sustained computing as their Intelligent LCD Series CP825AVRLCD, CP1000AVRLCD, and CP1500AVRLCD models are put to test.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=471&Itemid=71

==

Take Ownership of Windows 7 and Vista Files with a Shortcut
http://www.techspot.com/guides/253-take-ownership-windows-files/
While Windows 7 is a largely polished upgrade from Vista, a few headaches have carried over. Among them is a security feature that assigns ownership of many system and program files to an entity called "TrustedInstaller." Such a design is useful in the presence of inexperienced users, who might otherwise accidentally delete or modify important files. However, for the tech savvy, it can be an aggravating obstacle.

==

Windows PC-Fax Directly from Adobe Acrobat PDF @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: We here at Benchmark Reviews are probably just like you, when we hear "digital communication" we think e-mail, Facebook, twitter, or maybe a discussion forum. But there is a form of digital communication that predates all of these: the facimile. There are times when you just have to send a fax. Financial, legal, and medical matters often require that a signed form or letter be sent via fax. OK, but what if you don’t own a fax machine? It seems that fewer and fewer of us have fax machines these days, especially with the growth of e-mail and web-based fax services. But what if you don’t have one of these either? Well, luckily for us, Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 include a fax service. And Adobe Acrobat provides a perfect multiplatform application from which to fax. With Windows & an Acrobat PDF file, you can fax directly from your PC. We’re not only going to show you how to use the Windows fax service, we’re also going to review ! a simple USB fax modem hardware solution from Rosewill if your computer didn’t come with one.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=470&Itemid=38

==

Hey look it’s my birthday today! and here’s the news:

Storage Related:

Kingston SSDNow V+ 128GB (SNVP325-S2/128GB) @ Bjorn3D

Suitable applications include power users, system builders, system integrators and demanding corporate environments where efficiency and performance are important. With the results we’ve seen from the drives, they would boast a performance gain for any system not running a solid state drive.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1796

==

Toshiba HG2 43nm 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD) Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1230/1/

"The 256GB Toshiba HG2 Series drive that we benchmarked proved to be a solid performing mainstream SSD from our testing. The vast majority of file transfers in Windows are sequential read and write data moves and the HG2 had very respectable sequential speeds. For example in ATTO we were able to reach 241MB/s read and 177MB/s write. These are the types of speeds that we would expect for a mainstream SSD in 2010. The Toshiba HG2 Series of SSDs also supports TRIM, which is is critical in making sure your drive is performing at the top of its game…."

==

G.Skill ECO DDR3-1600 (PC3 12800) Memory at Modders-Inc
Summary: Everyone is talking about Triple Channel DDR3 as of lately but what about Dual Channel? Those of you that have taken the plunge into the new P55 platform know what I am talking about. Today we will be looking at a set of Dual Channel Memory Modules form G.Skill, the overclockers friend
Articles URL: http://www.modders-inc.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=314

==

WD 1TB Caviar Green Hard Drive w/ Advanced Format @ HotHardware

http://hothardware.com/Articles/WDs-1TB-Caviar-Green-w-Advanced-Format-Windows-XP-Users-Pay-Attention/

Western Digital recently began to ship a new series of Caviar hard drives that included the company’s Advanced Format technology. The new Caviar Green models are nearly identical to their standard brethren, but offer double the cache (64MB instead of 32MB at 1-2TB) and have a different model number. A WD10EARS is an Advanced Format drive; a WD10-EADS is a ‘normal’ drive. WD isn’t marketing Advanced Format much at the moment, but it’s important to understand what the technology is and how it works, particularly if you’re still running Windows XP…

==

ineo I-NA301Ue HD Enclosure Review @ TopReviewShop

http://www.topreviewshop.com/ineo_i_na301ue_hard_drive_enclosure
"There are a multitude external hard drive enclosures on the market, so we take a close look and test out the ineo I-NA301Ue can stand out above the competition."

==

RaidSonic Icy Box IB-318 and IB-250 USB 3.0 HDD Enclosures Video Review
QUOTE: "It’s been some weeks since I last checked out a USB 3.0 product and that was early on in the game. Fast forward a little and in that time many motherboards have hit the market complete with USB 3.0 and it’s easier to find USB 3.0 PCI Express controller cards on the market, too.
Our next USB 3.0 products to be put through the paces come by way of German company RaidSonic. They actually sent us their new Icy Box USB 3.0 products several weeks ago when USB 3.0 was first hitting the market, but with Christmas, New Year, CES, a holiday and Chinese New Year, things have been rather hectic. Today, though, we can tell you about these products for you folks who are interested in getting in touch with the speed advantage of USB 3.0 for your external storage needs."
 http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3156/raidsonic_icy_box_ib_318_and_ib_250_usb_3_0_hdd_enclosures_video_review/index.html

==

Corsair Flash Padlock 2 8GB USB Flash Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/corsair-flash-padlock-2-8gb-usb-flash-drive-review/

Quote: “Four years ago Corsair introduced the Flash Voyager USB drive, a USB drive that was practically indestructible. A Year after that they came out with the Flash Padlock, u USB drive that had a keypad on the front that allowed you to lock and unlock it to protect your data. It seems Corsair has put the two together and released the Flash Padlock 2, which is basically the Flash Voyager with the Padlock keypad on the front. So not only can you protect your data with a key code you get the awesome protection of the Flash Voyager design.

==

EXCLUSIVE: SilverStone HDDBoost Hybrid SSD / HDD Device Review @ Hardware Canucks

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/29176-silverstone-hddboost-review.html

Quote: Many people have shied away from SSDs due to their somewhat limited storage capacity and high price for the drives.  Spindle-based hard drives on the other hand have massive amounts of storage space but lack the performance of SSDs.  SilverStone’s $50 HDDBoost looks to marry the best of both worlds by allowing us to seamlessly link a budget SSD to a hard drive for increased performance.  However, does it work?

==

Sans Digital Towerraid TR5UT(-B) @ TechwareLabs

Join us with our review of the Sans Digital Towerraid TR5UT(-B) which could be the storage answer you need for your small business, home, laptop, and desktop. With a capacity of up to 10TB of space you won’t run out of storage anytime soon. We show you the TR5UT(-B) inside and out and test its performance
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/sans-digital-towerraid-tr5ut-b/

==

Kingston SSDNow V+ Series SNVP325-S2B 512GB Gen 2 Solid State Drive
QUOTE: "Kingston Technology was very quick to jump on the solid state bandwagon. Their first offerings were more or less rebadged Intel products, but at the time Kingston chose the fastest drive we had ever seen and that strategy worked out well. Later Kingston chose to take what they learned from the Intel offerings and went to work on their own configurations. Right at the start Kingston showed promise as they finally were able to tame the Jmicron controller allowing for shudder free operation and then moving onto Samsung controllers in the V and V+ Series.
At CES we had a chance to sit down with Kingston and learned about a new Toshiba controller that was set to power the new Second Generation V+ Series of products. Toshiba invented NAND Flash and they have the experience to not only make the controller, but also the flash that runs seamlessly with it. For over a year we heard about massive capacity solid state drives, but most of these have been concocted from two smaller drives sandwiched together with a low cost miniature RAID controller. This is not the case with the second gen V+ Series 512GB model we’re looking at today."
- http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3147/kingston_ssdnow_v_series_snvp325_s2b_512gb_gen_2_solid_state_drive/index.html

==

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: G.Skill Pi Series 17600 4GB Kit.
Quote: G.Skill have launched the Pi Series of RAM and today we have the 2200MHz P55 kit to test. Is such speed worth the investment?
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/memory/g_skill_pi_series_17600_4gb_kit/1

==

Audio/Video:

Boston Acoustics VS 344 Review
"Chances are you are familiar with Boston Acoustics. That s because the company has been producing quality speakers for the home audio market for over 30 years and, more recently, has led innovations in mobile audio as well."
Link to the review:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/home-audio-reviews/speakers-and-subwoofers-reviews/boston-acoustics-vs-344-review/

==

Zalman Trimon ZM-M220W 22" Stereoscopic Monitor Impressions @ [OC]ModShop

While visiting Zalman at a few trade shows, I was introduced to their new stereoscopic 3d monitor: the Zalman Trimon 22-inch monitor. nVidia has been showing off their own solutions that use any regular monitor, so what makes this monitor different, and why would you want to buy one?
I spoke with Richard Chung of Zalman, who gave me the lowdown on thi explained to me the differences between the Zalman monitor and nVidia’s 3d solution. For one, this 22-inch 3D LCD monitor
is optmized for gaming purposes, supporting 3D and 2D realizations.

Review URL :: http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1668

==

Mionix Keid 20 Gaming Headphones

In the past we have reviewed several gaming mice and gaming surfaces from a company called Mionix. They are based out of Sweden with a good reputation in Europe for their gaming products and accessories. Now they are trying to establish themselves as an elite gaming peripheral company in the States. Today we will be looking at their first entry into the gaming audio market – the Keid 20. This headset is named after a star system and Mionix hopes this headset will shine as brightly as its namesake. The Keid 20 is an ergonomically designed gaming headset which features passive noise reduction and sound optimized for gaming. The ear cups are made with special memory foam that conforms to the shape of the user’s ears.

So let’s take a closer look at Mionix’s first foray into the gaming headset market. Let’s get started…….

http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15839&Itemid=1

==

Asus Xonar D1 @ Bjorn3D

While most motherboards come with great onboard sound, some of us feel it just isn’t enough. This is especially apparent in the so called ‘audiophile’ type of people. If you crave the most realistic sound then you just might fall into this category. The audio that comes with any motherboard is generally far from the best, but recently the quality has been improving. Almost all onboard sound is 24 bit, which is considered high quality. The ASUS Xonar D1 that we are reviewing today is also 24 bit but what makes it any better than onboard audio?
The secret lies in the SNR (signal to noise ratio). Audio cards such as the Xonar D1 have a much better ratio when compared to onboard sound. According to Asus, the D1 has 35x cleaner audio quality than most motherboard audio. This of course does not apply to all motherboard audio, so you will find the occasional exception. Today we have a Asus P6X58D motherboard, which can be considered to have high end audio. Lets see if the D1 has enough to beat out the P6X58D’s onboard audio.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1792

==

Kodak EasyShare C713 7MP 3x Optical/5x Digital Zoom HD Camera Reviewed @ MobilityDigest

http://www.mobilitydigest.com/kodak-easyshare-c713-7mp-3x-optical5x-digital-zoom-hd-camera-reviewed/

I’m back with another review of a product from our friends at Geeks.com. It’s one of many Kodak digital  cameras on the market today, specifically it’s the EasyShare C713 7MP camera. The name Kodak is one that’s been around for a long time when it comes to camera, so one would think they know what they’re doing when it comes to photography right? This camera is your sort of basic point and shoot, it’s small and portable so you can take it with you easily. The pictures taken with it aren’t too bad for what it is. The 3x optical zoom works well but the digital zoom is lacking a bit though that’s normal for most any level of digital zooming. The C713 I got is a refurbished product, but it looks brand new, not a mark on it at all. So read on to learn a bit more about this camera…

==

Roku XR
Quote: Most people should have heard about the ease of use that the Netflix streaming service provides. One of the major components of this ease of use would be the set top boxes that provide the service on TVs. Roku was the original and is still the best way to get streaming Netflix to your TV, right now.
Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=5623

==

AirLive 802.11n Review

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AirLive/Wireless_N_Review

Brief:
With wireless N or 802.11n based networks becoming more and more popular these days, we take a look at what Airlive has to offer in this regard. In our review we take a close look at WN-300ARM-VPN ADSL modem & router, the WN-5000PCI – a 300 Mbit/s & MIMO equipped PCI card and the WN-200USB – an entry level 802.11n USB 2.0 device.

==

Soundgraph FingerVU 706

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Soundgraph/FingerVU_706

Brief:
Soundgraph is well known for their LCD and VFD products in the majority of HTPC enclosures from virtually all major brand names out there. The new FingerVU series takes the control of the PC to the next level with a 4" or 7" inch, high-res, USB powered LCD touch screen at your finger tips.

==

Mobile:

Laptop Buying Guide 2010
"When you have to jiggle the power connector just right to get your seven-year-old ThinkPad to wheeze to life, only to take 20 minutes to load a YouTube video, it s time to put the old beast out to pasture and start anew. But where do you begin in today s notebook market, which has expanded so much that portables now outsell desktops? With a buying guide, of course. Use this comprehensive buying guide to examine some of the key factors and specs to check when buying a new notebook computer."
Link to the guide:http://www.digitaltrends.com/buying-guides/laptop-buying-guide-2010/

==

Evercool FIT Laptop Cooler @ PCShopTalk

"High performance laptops and notebooks nowadays are hotter and hotter; they often need additional cooling. Evercool decided not to build another cooler which sits under the laptop; this way they developed a cooler which fits exactly at the exhaust ventilation holes. In the following review we will see if the product does bring any improvements compared to the stock cooling."

Link: http://www.pcshoptalk.com/content.php?272-Evercool-FIT-Laptop-Cooler

==

MEGATech Reviews – Be.ez LArobe Protection Tablet Artista WACOM Tablet Case

As luck would have it, I received my first Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet for Christmas, but I had no means to protect it. Well, that’s where the be.ez LA robe Tablet can come into play. You’ve got to protect that Wacom the same way you’d protect your laptop, right?

Direct Link:http://www.megatechnews.com/megatech-reviews-be-ez-larobe-protection-tablet-artista/

==

PowerA iPhone Universal Remote Case Just Announced

LINK: http://www.gadgetreview.com/2010/02/powera-iphone-universal-remote-control-case-released-control-all-your-ir-gear-with-your-phone.html#

STORY: PowerA just announced their latest iPhone accessory, the iPhone Universal Remote Case.  Much like the Red Eye and L5 you can control your IR based products just using the iPhone, that is assuming you’ve also downloaded the accompanying PowerA app.  What makes it different from the competition is the form factor, a case that can always be attached to the phone no matter the scenario.  The L5 on the other hand is rather impractical because it’s a small dongle that attached to the iPhone’s 30 pin connector and juts out, making it less than pocket friendly.  The Red Eye on the other hand is stricken to one room, unless of course you buy additional boxes.  But there is one downside to the PowerA iPhone Universal Remote Control; it’s a learning remote only, which means you’ll have to train or teach it each of your remote’s commands.  It should be available starting today at Apple’s website for $60, which ain’t half bad.

==

Jabra Stone Review @ t-break

Jabra’s most stylish Bluetooth headset yet.
http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/02/jabra-stone-review/

==

Assorted Stuffs:

What OS, Windows 7 or Ubuntu? Why not use both!  @ TechwareLabs

The ability to dual boot systems is nothing new but very rarely done anymore. You more than likely will never find a good enough reason or use for an average PC user to run two Operating Systems (OS). So then you might ask yourself, “Why am I showing you how to?” The answer is easy, to quote Sir Francis Bacon’s much used aphorism “knowledge is power “. I personally wasn’t very familiar with Ubuntu as an OS so I wanted to learn more. The cost of a second PC wasn’t justifiable, just to put a second OS on so that I could learn it for my own gain. So I went and researched how to install both of them on the same machine.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/dual-boot-windows7-ubuntu/

==

Why is Flash such a problem on the iPad?
QUOTE: "Not that long ago Steve Jobs made a statement during an interview with the Wall Street Journal that if he allowed Flash to run on the iPad it would reduce the battery life down to 1.5 hours. Now, this is an interesting comment, especially coming from someone that has attacked Adobe on more than one occasion saying that no one should even use it.
But what was Steve talking about? Is he saying that Flash is so inefficient that there is no way to get it working properly on a mobile device? Is he exposing (unintentionally) that the iPad’s hardware is not up to running Flash? Let’s take a look at some of the facts in the situation and see what we can find."
 http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3155/why_is_flash_such_a_problem_on_the_ipad/index.html

==

Another perspective on CPU value

In our grand Athlon II vs. Core i3 showdown article last week, we included performance-per-dollar graphs based on whole system prices. Those system prices were themselves derived from the rough cost of a middle-of-the-road PC—the kind your typical enthusiast might buy. What if you’re on a tight budget and really have to cut corners, though? We’ve whipped up another set of graphs, this time using prices from low-end components, in order to find out.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/18502

==

Top Budget to Mid-Range Graphics Cards

http://www.techspot.com/guides/248-top-budget-to-midrange-graphics-cards/

While the gaming landscape seems to have shifted toward consoles in recent years, many feel PCs are still where the action is. Naturally those looking to experience the hottest video games in all their glory will need the appropriate hardware powering their rigs. Besides adopting newer platforms, at some point, every gamer or hardware enthusiast worth their salt will upgrade or at least consider upgrading their graphics card.

Of course, going for the latest and greatest (read: fastest and most expensive) is not always an option. Having reviewed a wide variety of graphics cards as they were released in the past months, we’ve compiled a table with some of what we consider the best options at several price points between $90 and $200. Every product chosen can cope with the typical game on respectable settings.

==

PTS Desktop Live 2010.1 "Anzhofen" Released @ Phoronix
Direct Link: http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14620
Summary: "After releasing Phoronix Test Suite 2.4 earlier this month and delivering the subsequent 2.4.1 update, we have now released PTS Desktop Live 2010.1 "Anzhofen" to the public. PTS Desktop Live 2010.1 makes it extremely easy to benchmark your computer on a completely standardized software stack from a Live DVD/USB environment."

==

Quick Links:

Spire TherMax II Cooler Review @ Tweaknews

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Clarksdale Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Intel X58 LGA 1366 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Mass Effect 2 Mega-Guide and Walkthrough @ [OC]ModShop

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

MLB 2K10 Interview: The Devs Answer Our Questions! @ [OC]ModShop

OCZ Alchemy Series Elixir Gaming Keyboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

SteelSeries NP+ @ LanOC Reviews

A Futurelooks News Flash – Cool Technology at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games

Cooler Master GX750 750W PSU Review on Technic3D

Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 Toxic @ Techgage

Sapphire HD 5450 512 MB GDDR3 @ techPowerUp

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – New tech info about the DX11 game

Thermalright Venomous X CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

ATI Radeon HD 5670 Shootout – Mainstream Battle Royale

Samsung GT-M5650 Lindy

CM Storm Sentinel Advance 5600 DPI Mouse Review @ High Tech Reviews

AMD Llano – The First Accelerated Processing Unit @ InsideHW

Moneual MonCaso 600 Case Review @ Rbmods

InWin Maelstrom PC Case Enclosure Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk

A Serious Man Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

ASRock A330ION Mini-ITX Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

iXBT Labs Review: How CPU Features Affect CPU Performance, Part 7

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: ASUS Maximus III Extreme 1156 Motherboard

ASRock ION330HT-BD Blu Ray HTPC Review

Lite-On iHES208 Internal 8X Blu-ray Combo Drive

Zalman CNPS9900 NT @ techPowerUp

NZXT Tempest EVO @ Bjorn3D

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | 120-mm-Lüfter RoundUp V3.1

ableplanet-PS500MM @ TechwareLabs

AMD Athlon II X4 635 & Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition @ Techgage

Zotac Mag HTPC Review @ t-break

HIS Radeon HD 5670 IceQ+ 1GB Video Card

Lenovo Skylight Preview: Letting the Light In
MWC 2010 – Show Floor Coverage

MWC 2010 – Samsung Unpacked *Updated*

Zalman CNPS10X Quiet Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com

BioShock 2 Graphics Performance

OCZ Hydro Pulse 800 L/h Pump @ Bjorn3D

AZZA Spartan 102 computer case @ APH Networks

Cooler Master Excalibur 120mm Fan Review on Technic3D

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: MSI H55M ED55

Benchmarks Of Nouveau’s Gallium3D Driver For NVIDIA @ Phoronix

NZXT Hades Crafted Series Midtower

Corsair Hydro Series H50 Water Cooling System Review

Panasonic 54-inch VIERA TH-P54Z1N Plasma TV – Big on AV

3R System iCEAGE IA500HP80 500 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Silverstone Raven 2 @ LanOC Review

Quick Links:

Gorillapod SLR-Zoom and Ballhead SLR-Zoom @ DragonSteelMods

Razer Orochi Mobile Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

Intel Core i3 530 and i3 540 @ techPowerUp

AMD Athlon II X4 635 @ TechwareLabs

Arctic Sound E351 and E361 Earphones – Arctic Cooling Chills with Sound @BCCHardware

Sapphire Radeon HD5670 1GB Graphics Card Review @ Bigbruin.com

Thermalright VenomousX CPU Cooler Review on Technic3D

Enermax Tomahawk 500 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

HIS Radeon HD 5750 IceQ+ 1GB Video Card @ tweaktown

iXBT Labs Review: Pegatron IPX7A-ION/330 Motherboard

Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition Video Review @ Hardware Canucks

Thermaltake Element V Full Tower Case Review @ Tweaknews

Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler @BCCHardware

ATI Catalyst 10.2 and 10.3 feature preview – CrossFireX profiles and more @ Elite Bastards

Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

ASUS P6X58D-Premium SATA6G Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

Lancool Dragonlord PC-K56 @ LanOC Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 Toxic 1GB video card review @ Elite Bastards

Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Review at Overclockers Online

Dorcy 220-Lumen Rechargeable CREE XRE LED  41-4299 Flashlight Review @ Modsynergy.com

Cooler Master CM Storm Sentinal Advance Gaming Mouse Review @ Tweaknews

Thermaltake SpinQ VT CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

HIS Radeon HD6750 IceQ Video Card Review @ High Tech Reviews

Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo Pro Review @ BayReviews.com

Asus EAH5670 1GB @ Bjorn3D

Storage Related:

QNAP TS-459 Pro Turbo NAS with Intel Atom D510
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1226/1/

Quote: "When comparing the QNAP TS-459 Pro Turbo NAS to the older TS-419P, there is not much to compare.  They both look exactly the same.  They both have the same Ajax-based software included.  Basically, the main upgrade in the TS-459 Pro is in the processor and chipset that QNAP selected.  By upgrading the processor to Intel’s latest (and fastest) Atom D510, the TS-459 Pro picks up an incredible performance boost…"

==

Title: Plextor PX-B940SA 12x Blu-ray Disc Writer
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8287&Itemid=40
Quote:

As we move on to Blu-Ray media we take a look at both BD-R Single Layer and BD-R Dual Layer disks.  BD-R Single Layer disks are getting to be quite affordable at ~$3 / disk but Dual-Layer disks will set you back almost $30 per disk.  This is crazy and shows that Sony is controlling the Dual-Layer prices in order to prevent people from making straight copies of disks.  It works. . .

==

Addonics Pocket eSATA/USB DigiDrive

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Addonics/Pocket_eSata_USB_DigiDrive

Brief:The Addonics Pocket DigiDrive combines both the flexibility of a card reader and the speed of the eSATA interface into one functional package. We take the unit for a spin with a blazing fast Compact Flash card to see how it will keep up.

==

Seagate BlackArmor NAS 110 @ LanOC Reviews
DESCRIPTION: Storing and backing up your files on a USB or eSATA hard drive is an important part of computer use today. If you are like a good portion of computer users today, you have multiple computers. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to backup your files from all of your PCs and access them from any computer on your network? That is where NAS (network attached storage) comes in to the picture. Today we are looking at Seagate’s BlackArmor NAS 110. We have already been impressed with Seagate’s storage products in past and I am curious to see if they can uphold that standard with their NAS product line.

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/storage/2514-seagate-black-armor-nas-110

==

Synology Disk Station DS210j Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/synology-disk-station-ds210j/
Quote: When most people think of performance NAS units, we often think of them as being expensive. Thankfully, that is not necessarily the case; there are a number of NAS units on the market priced very affordably. The Synology DS210j is one such example. As a crossover breed, it marries high-end functionality, features and performance with an entry-level price.

==

Synology DS710+ NAS Review  @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/other-products/synology-ds710-nas/
Quote: "Here at XSReviews we previously took a look at another Synology product known as the DS-210j which showed a lot of promise as a home enthusiast, or business user’s NAS drive. Now though, we’re looking at the much bigger brother. Faster, better looking and definately more expensive, ladies and gentlemen I give you the DS710+."

==

Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB SATA3 Hard Drive Review @ FutureLooks

Now that motherboards with the Intel P55A Chipset are flooding the channels, it means USB 3.0 and SATA3 devices are going to become more popular. But, we’re just now starting to see these peripherals leaking in to the market albeit very slowly and in limited quantities. The first SATA3 hard drive to make it to the shelves was the Seagate Barracuda XT.

Direct Link:http://www.futurelooks.com/seagate-barracuda-xt-2tb-sata3-hard-drive-review/

==

Synology Disk Station DS410j NAS Review @ Techspot
http://www.techspot.com/review/237-synology-disk-station-ds410j/
There are a number of legitimate reasons why NAS devices are becoming so popular in work environments, but because of the costly setup investment, they have remained more of a luxury than a necessity for home users.

==

Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 – Review
Article Clip: Technology sure does changes quick. Just a few years ago we have gotten a USB connection. Can anyone remember what we used before USB connection? That’s right , serial. With invention of USB we have gotten so many applications and accessories that when looking back on the technology it puzzles us how we got our work done. With time USB 1.0 changed in to USB 2.0 and nearly quadrupled the speed of the connection. And now it is time for USB 3.0 version. USB 3.0 offers much faster transfer speed than USB 2.0. As manufacturers change and re invent their technologies, we as a consumers only benefit from the technological advances. Today we are going to take a look at Seagate’s external storage unit, BlackArmor PS 110.
Article Link: http://umlan.com/reviews/hardware/h110.html

==

Micron RealSSD C300 256GB SATA 6Gbps SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1221/1/

Quote: "The Micron RealSSD C300 256GB SSD is an amazing SSD that has the ability to take advantage of the SATA 6 Gbps interface. When we first looked at SATA 6 Gbps performance using the Seagate XT 2TB hard drive we found the burst speed to be impressive, but found that a hard drive was able to fully use the new interface since it wasn’t fast enough. We were seeing the Seagate XT 2TB hard drive have a maximum read transfer rate of 144MB/s, which is nothing to write home about these days. The Micron RealSSD C300 on the other hand was able to peak at 387MB/s in ATTO, which is insane for a single SSD. When it comes to read performance nothing on the market today can beat the Micron RealSSD C300 256GB SSD! This drive has spectacular read performance and the write performance is not too far behind other drives like the OCZ Vertex LE. "

==

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Synology DS710+ 2-bay All-in-1 NAS Server.
Quote: Synology have just released their latest NAS aimed at the SMB market. But can it hold its own against a fully fledged file server?
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/storage/synology_ds710_2-bay_all-in-1_nas_server/1

==

Mobile Related:

Sony VAIO Y Series Notebook Review @ HotHardware.com

The VAIO Y-Series that we’re testing today is one of Sony’s newest machines, and just as Lenovo ThinkPad machines wear their legacy on their sleeves, this one screams VAIO from end to end. The exact model number is VPCY115FX/BI, and it’s definitely one of the most stylish ultraportables out today…

Sony VAIO Y Series Notebook Review:http://hothardware.com/articles/Sony-VAIO-Y-Series-Notebook-Review/

==

Audio/Video Related:

Sandisk SlotRadio
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8288&Itemid=40
Quote:The variety on the "Rock" SlotRadio card was very good and while not all songs are #1 hits I found that the majority are very decent and for the most part I didn’t find myself skipping many songs. These SlotRadio cards offer a mix of very well-known artists as well as a mix of some "lesser-known" artists that you may have never heard of (or maybe totally forgot about). . .

==

ASUS MY-CINEMA PHC3-150 HDTV-Tuner Card @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: The recent switch from analog to digital television was mainly driven by the benefits of digital technology over its analog predecessor. Though digital television has become ubiquitous the conversion cannot be instantaneous, nor will analog technology simply vanish. During this transitional period of converting analog infrastructures into a digital foundation, hybrid devices like the My Cinema PHC3-150 Combo TV-Tuner Card will be essential. These hybrid devices work with both signal types allowing for a smoother transition. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of the PHC3-150. Even if you’ve already made the transition to digital systems you may want to check out some tricks to extract even more utility from the hybrid features of this card.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=459&Itemid=58

==

Samsung 55in. UN55B8000 LED HDTV
URL: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8275&Itemid=40
Quote:

Today we are looking at their flagship model from the "8" series – the UN55B8000 and this TV offers incredible contrast ratios, stunning blacks and a fast 240Hz Auto Motion Plus technology that guarantees that you’re sports will look crisp and clean.  Just for kicks and giggles, Samsung also includes Medi@2.0  and combined with some Yahoo Widgets, you’ll be able to do a lot more than watch TV on your TV. . .

==

Samsung ST550 Dual LCD Digital Camera Review

The digital camera market is constantly on the hunt for new and exciting features. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more consumer-level cameras implement such things as GPS geotagging, HD video recording, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Offering a refreshing take on the form factor is the Samsung ST550 digital camera.

Direct Link:http://www.futurelooks.com/samsung-st550-dual-lcd-digital-camera-review/

==

Assorted Stuffs:

Mean Time Between Failure: A Misleading Spec
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/165
Here is a snippet:"MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failures. It’s a term that IT professionals use this number to predict the reliability of hardware devices, especially hard disk drives. But this idea is usually flawed. Here’s why."

==

The War on Web Content @ TechwareLabs

Quote: As a network administrator, content filtering is one of the most difficult challenges I face. Whether you’re keeping your employees off time-consuming social networks, or protecting your family from the dangers of the web you need a strong solution to combat the threats the open internet contains
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/the-war-on-web-content/

==

How to Install Windows 7 From a USB Flash Drive @ [OC]ModShop

It took me about a day of messing around with Linux�s Easy Peasy OS, designed for the EEE netbook, to realize that I wanted anything but Easy Peasy. So I went on a Google search trying to figure out how to get Windows 7 on my netbook without springing for an external optical drive. The answer was obvious; I had to use a flash drive. Now, getting a computer to see a flash drive as a bootable source isn�t easy. You basically have to turn your flash drive into a hard drive with boot sectors, an exact replica of the original Windows CD or DVD. It sounds hard, and unless you know what you�re doing, it is. It took me hours of searching before I came across a forum that had instructions that worked. That�s what I�m sharing with you today.

Review URL ::
http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=1736

==

Remove and Prevent Spyware, Malware, and Viruses Fast and Easy! @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Malware, Spyware, and Viruses are a plague of computer users and the bane of the internet. Our guide is intended to help inform you about the true purpose behind these problems and what you can do to simply and easily avoid and or remove them from your PC. Knowledge is the key and we give you a helping in this guide.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/remove-and-prevent-spyware-malware/

==

That’s what I call security!
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/blog/164
Here is a snippet:"A very interesting way to hide valuables is to use a safe that doesn\’t look like a safe. If a burglar enters your house and you have a safe, it will be the bandit\’s primary target and we heard stories of people coarsed to open their safes at gun point when bandits entered their houses. If you Google "diversion safes" you will find all sort of "camouflage" safes, from Coca-Cola cans to surge protectors. You can see some examples here. But… Would you use this "safe" made out of a underwear with a skid mark?"

==

ATI 5830 Coverage:

ATI Radeon HD 5830 1GB Video Card @ tweaktown

Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 1GB GDDR5 Review @ Hardware Canucks

ASUS EAH 5830 DirectCu @ techPowerUp

ATI Radeon HD 5830 DirectX-11 Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews

ATI Radeon HD 5830 Review: Filling The Gap @ HotHardware.com

ATI Radeon HD 5830 Review @ techspot

Ati Radeon HD 5830 reviewed: New price performance king? @ PCGameshardware

ATI Radeon HD 5830 – AMD Completes its HD 5000 Line-up @ Techgage

ATI Radeon HD 5830 1GB DX11 Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

AMD HD5830 @ Bjord3d

-Nintendo of America issued a surge of new information today about what consumers can expect from the company in the coming months. Let’s get right to it:

“With Nintendo DSi XL, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M coming in the first six months of the year, we’re making sure all our fans have great game content to enjoy year-round.”

• The new Nintendo DSi XL^™ hand-held system launches March 28 at a suggested retail price of $189.99. The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS^™ Lite model, providing a more vivid and engaging play experience. The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL also feature a wider viewing angle, letting friends and family members join the fun. The new system launches in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with pre-installed premium software Brain Age^™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio^™. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with a larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that use the Nintendo DS touch screen. America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking and WarioWare^™: D.I.Y. will also launch for the Nintendo DS family of products on March 28, providing consumers with new content that can be enjoyed on any Nintendo DS system. Games like these demonstrate the enhanced experience available with the Nintendo DSi XL.
• Super Mario Galaxy^™ 2, the sequel to the smash-hit galaxy-hopping original game, launches May 23 for the Wii^™ console. The game includes the amazing gravity-defying, physics-based exploration from the first game, but is loaded with entirely new galaxies and features to challenge and delight players. On some stages, Mario^™ can pair up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi^™ and use his tongue to grab items and spit them back at enemies. Players can also have fun with new items such as a drill that lets our hero tunnel through solid rock.
• Metroid^™: Other M, the incredible new Metroid game developed for Wii through a collaboration by Nintendo and the world-renowned Team Ninja, launches June 27. The game looks at the classic franchise from a new perspective: While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a derelict space station and delve deep into a cinematic, never-before-told story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote^™ controller held sideways to battle enemies and navigate the expansive, gorgeous environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.
• In a unique partnership with Square-Enix, Nintendo of America will publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in the Americas when the game arrives in summer 2010. Dragon Quest IX has sold more than 4.15 million copies in the Japanese market. Nintendo and Square-Enix will now work together to bring this title to the Nintendo DS consumer base in the Americas.
• Capcom’s Monster Hunter^® Tri, an epic action game for Wii, launches in the United States on April 20. The game lets players customize their character, armor and weapons in order to protect a town from majestic monsters as that town rebuilds following a devastating earthquake. Online play will be available for all players with broadband Internet access at no additional cost. Online text chat is fully functional and online voice chat is enabled using the Wii Speak^™ microphone, which is sold separately. At a suggested retail price of $59.99, limited quantities of Monster Hunter Tri will include the new Black Classic Controller Pro^™, while both Black and White versions of the controller will be available separately at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The game will also be available without a controller at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
• Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, the breakthrough shooter game for Wii from legendary developer Treasure, will launch across North America on June 7. The game features nonstop action with two playable characters and international online leaderboards to track high scores. Using the Wii Remote pointer functionality, the game offers unprecedented precision in the shooter genre.
• FlingSmash^™ for Wii will test players’ Wii Remote skills as they bounce a ball-like hero through countless side-scrolling stages, combining the precision of racket sports with the unpredictable fun of pinball. Playable only with the Wii MotionPlus^™ accessory, the game will launch this summer.
• Picross 3D is poised to become a puzzle game phenomenon when it launches for the Nintendo DS family of products on May 3. In Picross 3D, players start with a cube and smash away smaller blocks to reveal an object, shape or symbol. Delivering more than 350 unique puzzles and more made available for download on a regular basis after launch via the Nintendo^® Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet access required), the game takes the mind-bending fun of Picross into the next dimension.
• 100 Classic Books transforms the Nintendo DS family of products into a library of timeless literature when it launches on June 14 at a suggested retail price of $19.99, highlighted by 100 works from authors such as William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and more. Readers can adjust the size of text, place bookmarks and even download new content via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet connection required).
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands^™ from Ubisoft will launch May 18 on both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. Boasting amazing graphics with fantastic action and puzzle-solving game play, the Wii version will be the first in franchise history to feature a two-player cooperative experience. As an added bonus, the Wii version of the game will exclusively include the 1992 Super NES^™ version of the original Prince of Persia game.
• Disney Guilty Party is the official title of the highly anticipated first collaboration between Disney Interactive Studios and its recently acquired studio, Wideload Games. The fun and hilarious mystery party game is set for release in the second half of 2010, exclusively for Wii.
• Majesco’s Nintendo DSi exclusive Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal uses incredible augmented reality technology through the Nintendo DSi Camera. Launching this October, the game lets players become a ghost hunter as they interact with the paranormal.

Nintendo also announced a variety of games available to download directly to the Wii console from the Wii Shop Channel via the WiiWare^™ service, and directly to the Nintendo DS via the DSi Shop and DSiWare^™ services.

For WiiWare:

• Launching on March 1, Capcom’s Mega Man^™ 10 builds upon the huge impact of Mega Man 9, a completely new adventure rendered in classic 8-bit style. This new game looks and sounds as awesomely retro as its predecessor.
• Launching on March 8, Max & the Magic Marker from Press Play turns the Wii Remote into an orange magic marker that’s literally magic. Players draw lines and objects to help Max reach objects and his ultimate goal.
• The long-awaited indie cult classic Cave Story comes to WiiWare with new game play, artwork and music enhancements on March 22. It’s classic gaming reborn for 2010.
• Launching on March 29, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase is a standalone product exclusive to the WiiWare service and available only from the Wii Shop Channel. The game contains more than 70 new microgames and features interoperability with the WarioWare: D.I.Y. game for the Nintendo DS family of products. Players that own both games can transfer content between the two via a local wireless connection, and can even play user-created microgames on their television using WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase.
• As the techno music pulses, Nintendo’s Art Style^™: light trax^™ puts players in charge of a white beam of light as it engages in a surreal race against other beams across a dark track. Players must keep away from obstacles, use items and look for power boosts if they want to finish first. Art Style: light trax launches this spring.
• Swim and spin through the primordial ooze in Nintendo’s Art Style: Rotozoa^™ as you absorb tiny organisms that match the colors of your tentacles. As you absorb more organisms, your tentacles grow. The challenge increases as additional tentacles are gained, but power-ups can help you survive and thrive. Art Style: Rotozoa launches this spring.
• Launching this spring, Rage of the Gladiator from Ghostfire Games is an intense fighting game that asks players to perfect their well-timed moves against an array of opponents. The game is compatible with the Wii MotionPlus accessory.
• Launching this spring, And Yet It Moves from Broken Rules requires players to rotate the world to help their line-drawn protagonist progress. Walls become floors and floors become ceilings in this surreal twist on the platformer genre.
• Launching this summer, Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Grand Prize Finalist Super Meat Boy from Team Meat sets a cube of meat off on an adventure to save Princess Bandage. This off-the-wall game is not for the faint of heart.

For Nintendo DSiWare:

• Nintendo’s Photo Dojo^™ is poised to be the cult hit of 2010 when it launches this spring. The game first asks players to pose for 13 pictures and input 10 sound effects. Once that’s done, the player becomes the main character in a hilarious side-scrolling fighting game. Create up to eight characters and do battle alone or against a friend on a single Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL system.
• Launching this spring, Nintendo’s Metal Torrent^™ delivers a frantic barrage of gunfire that fills the screen. Players try to convert opponents’ bullets into cubes that, when collected, increase their score and fill an energy meter that powers special weapons. Online Leaderboards record scores and movies of top games.
• Launching this spring, X-Scape^™ from Nintendo immerses players in an exploratory adventure involving more than 20 planets. Players will pilot their tank through 3-D tunnels, fire at enemies and even battle ancient weapons that resemble giant robots.

“Nintendo finished 2009 with a bang, and we’re continuing our momentum into 2010,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Nintendo DSi XL, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M coming in the first six months of the year, we’re making sure all our fans have great game content to enjoy year-round.”

Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit www.Nintendo.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii^™, Nintendo DS^™ and Nintendo DSi^™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.3 billion video games and more than 558 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi, as well as the Game Boy^™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES^™, Nintendo 64^™ and Nintendo GameCube^™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario^™, Donkey Kong^™, Metroid^™, Zelda^™ and Pokémon^™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.Nintendo.com.

And it’s time for the news once again…

Quick Links:

Title: KeySonic KSK-3200 RF Mini-HTPC Keyboard Review on Technic3D

Link: http://www.technic3d.com/article-1028,1-keysonic-ksk-3200-rf-super-mini-tastatur-im-kurztest.htm

Translation Link: http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3a%2F%2fwww.technic3d.com%2Farticle-1028%2C1-keysonic-ksk-3200-rf-super-mini-tastatur-im-kurztest.htm&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

==

UMLan Article Release: Cooler Master Sentinel Advance – Review

Sapphire Radeon HD5870 Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

Noctua NH-U9B SE2 CPU Cooler  @ DragonSteelMods

Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews

One Man Game Development – An Interview with Positech’s Cliffski  @ alltern8

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Lamptron FC5 Fan Controller @ PCShopTalk

Testbericht: Mass Effect 2

MSI H55M-ED55 (H55 Express) Motherboard @ TweakTown

Thermaltake Lanbox VF1000BWS Case Review @ Tweaknews

Coolink Corator DS CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez.co.uk

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Intel H55 mATX Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

iXBT Labs Review: ASRock M3A785GMH/128M Motherboard

Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler Review @ OCIA.net

Open-Source ATI R600/700 Mesa 3D Performance @ Phoronix

Nexus Edge Review  @ XSReviews

Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GTX Pro Graphics Card Cooler Review on Technic3D

MSI R5770 HAWK Video Card Review @ Motherboards.org

The Boys Are Back DVD Review @ Ascully.com

The Problems with BioShock 2 @ [OC]ModShop

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Cooler Master Xport 251

HIS HD 5670 IceQ 512MB Video Card Review at Overclockers Online

Seasonic X-Series 750W Power Supply @ Bjorn3D

NZXT Tempest Evo Review @ High Tech Reviews

Axle Geforce G210 Videocard @ Rbmods

GIGABYTE Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 OC Video Card @ TweakTown

Storage Related:

A-DATA 32 GB 633x Compact Flash

Link:http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AData/32GB_633x_Compact_Flash

Brief:The 633x Compact Flash from A-DATA is their fastest CF offering available today. With advertised read and write speeds of above 90 MB/s it should be an interesting performer. We take a close look and push it to the real world limits – for your reading pleasure.

==

Kingston MobileLite G2 FCR-MLG2+SD4/16GB
Quote: Most consumer electronic products that use flash memory have moved to SD/SDHC media and with the convergences comes products that can be smaller and portable. Kingston produced an update to the original MobileLite brand of portable card reader known as the MobileLite G2 and this is the focus of the review.
Link: http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=5617

==

Lite-On Slim USB 8x External DVD Writer @ TechwareLabs

Quote: Lite-On attempts to redefine portability with their newest USB-powered DVD writer. We’ll take it for a spin, and see if it’s up to snuff.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/liteon-etau308/

==

PC Games Hardware received a sample of Super Talents first USB 3.0 data stick. We checked the performance of the Super Talent Raid Drive USB 3.0 and compared it to USB 2.0 devices.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,705134/Super-Talent-Raid-Drive-USB-30-The-first-USB-stick-reviewed/Practice/

==

Micron RealSSD C300 SATA III SSD Review:
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Micron-RealSSD-C300-SATA-III-SSD-Review/

Initially, only a couple of companies laid the foundation for storage processors when solid state drives first arrived, now we have a broad range of options to choose from. Intel, Samsung, JMicron, Indilinx, and Sandforce, all make SSD controllers, just to name a few. Today we’re going to show you yet another new SSD based on a new controller from a long-time player in PC storage, Marvell.The Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 controller at the heart of the Micron RealSSD C300 we’re going to show you today affords the drive a feature not yet offered on any competing product–SATA III support.

==

Western Digital’s 6Gbps Caviar Black 1TB hard drive

Western Digital’s Caviar Black 1TB is the first two-platter, 7,200-RPM drive to use the company’s latest 500GB platters. The new Black is also WD’s first step into 6Gbps SATA territory, so let’s see how it performs in a battery of performance, noise, and power consumption tests.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/18467

==

Title: iStorage Disk Genie Review @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/drives/istorage-disk-genie/

Quote: "Portable storage security has been quite a hot topic in recent years, especially here in the UK with government officials being rather careless with sensitive materials. To help combat this iStorage have come up with a nice little product designed to keep your portable storage protected.

==

OCZ Vertex 2 Pro 100GB SandForce 1500 SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1208/1/

Quote: "The OCZ Vertex Series of Solid-State Drives (SSDs) has been without a doubt one of the most successful SSDs released by any manufacturer. When we reviewed the original Vertex 120GB drive in April 2009 we found it to be an amazing SSD that was one of the first on the market that had the ability to do garbage collection and TRIM. It was truly a drive that was better than much of the competition and even today it is a solid performing drive thanks to the Indilinx Barefoot controller. OCZ has been busy working on their next generation SSD products, and rather than using last year’s Indilinx Barefoot controller they found a new controller series that they liked from an upcoming SSD controller company called SandForce. OCZ has been testing the SandForce SF-1200 and SF-1500 controllers for months internally and last month during CES they made the formal announcement that OCZ would be bringing out the Vertex 2 series of SSDs using these two new controllers…"

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ASUS BC-08B1ST Blu-ray Combo Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/asus-bc-08b1st-blu-ray-combo-drive-review/

Quote: “When it comes to choosing an optical drive sometimes it can be hard. A lot of people just choose the cheapest drive, but that is not always the best route. Today we will be looking at a new combo drive from ASUS that allows for Blu-ray playback and DVD/CD burning. It also has some really cool features like being able to encrypt your burnt discs with 128-bit encryption, True Theater High Definition which boosts DVD playback quality and Optimal Tuning Strategy which will perform a test before really burning a disc to generate an optimal burning strategy for the best burning quality. Let’s see if t he BC-08B1ST Blu-ray Combo Drive is right for you."

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Kingston HyperX 12GB 1600MHz DDR3 Triple Channel Memory Kit Review

I often hear both consumers and industry professionals tell you that you can’t have enough memory. If you have deep pockets, then sure, why not max out those slots.  But if you’re on a budget, then there is a line where diminishing returns take place. Not to mention, if all you do on your computer is web browsing and emails, there isn’t a whole lot of benefit to maxing out the RAM. Even many games  don’t benefit from a ton of PC memory. So who’s gaining the most from lots of RAM?

Direct Link:http://www.futurelooks.com/kingston-hyperx-12gb-1600mhz-ddr3-triple-channel-memory-kit-review/

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OCZ Vertex LE (Limited Edition) 100GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1222/1/

"The OCZ Vertex LE is one of the fastest SSDS that we have ever seen here at Legit Reviews. It was able to give the Intel X25-M G2 160GB SSD and Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB drives a run for their money in many of the benchmarks. We were able to reach read speeds of up to 290MB/sec. and write speeds of up to 240MB/sec in ATTO on the Vertex LE and that was impressive. We were able to get much higher than the 270MB/s max read speed, but we were unable to reach the advertised max write of 250MB/s on our test system in any benchmark.  The Vertex Limited Edition SSD has just 5,000 pieces available and with performance results like these they shouldn’t be around for too long…"

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Audio/Video:

Thinksound Thunder Review
"Thinksound, a company composed of former Tivoli Audio, Infinity and V-MODA engineers, entered the headphone scene in December 2009 and so far has come out swinging. In a market that has more competition than any other CE product category, sound quality alone simply is not enough to propel you to the front of the pack. You have to rely a lot on brand, originality, price and niche."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/mp3-player-reviews/headphone-reviews/thinksound-thunder-review/

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Title: eStarling TouchConnect WiFi Digital Photo Frame
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/estarling_1
Quote:  Two of the best features on this frame are the Wireless-N connectivity and the auto-download of pictures from various social sites. With the auto-download of pictures, just give the email address out to people and let them send updates. Just be careful on who sends pictures so you don’t get inappropriate pictures sent to the frame at the Grandparents!

Mobile:

Nokia E72 Review
"Look at the E72 and you ll like it. Handle the E72 and you ll love it. Nokia s $419 (unlocked, no contract) E72 follows in the footsteps of the lovable E71 with a rock-solid steel chassis built for the businessman. It also hides a hideous and complex operating system in sore need of an update, but it s still worth a definite look for S60 devotees and those who don t demand iPhone-like ease of use."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/cell-phone-reviews/cell-phone-smart-phone-reviews/nokia-e72-review/

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Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700
We take a look at Samsung’s latest Android-based offering, the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700, a decent all-rounder that caters to both on-the-go working and networking.
URL : http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?cid=9&id=15766

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Speck Fitted iPhone Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/speck-fitted-iphone-case-review/

Quote: “There are sure a lot of choices when it comes to iPhone cases and believe me there are a lot of garbage cases out there, just go to your local mall to one of those stands and you will see what I mean. During CES this year I was introduced to Speck, a company who makes stylish cases and bags for many portable devices and laptops. The one case that really caught my eye at the show was the Fitted iPhone Case. Speck was nice enough to send one along for review, so let’s see if this Fitted case is a good mix of style and protection for your iPhone."

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Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: ASUS K50IN Series Notebook.
Quote: One of ASUS’s greatest success stories has to be the EEE PC netbook, but has this success rubbed off on their full fat Notebook range?
Link: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/notebooks/asus_k50in_series_notebook/1

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ASUS Eee PC 1201N Dual-Core ION Netbook Review
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1206/1/

"While the Eee PC 1201N was not designed to be the leader in battery life, we were still impressed to see it surpassed the battery life performance of the ASUS N10Jc with the NVIDIA 9300m graphics. We expected the 1201N to perform similarly, but the result was an extra coveted hour of battery life both in idle and DVD playback tests. The only benefit the N10Jc had over the Eee PC 1201N was the ability to turn off the NVIDIA 9300m and just use the Intel integrated graphics in order to conserve battery life. As many may recall, NVIDIA recently announced an answer to this issue for ION2 by incorporating their Optimus technology into the new platform in order to allow the longest battery life possible while still having the discrete graphics when you need them. We look forward to this technology entering the netbook arena!"

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Lenovo IdeaPad U550 Review
"Power when you need it, efficiency when you don t. So goes the premise behind Lenovo s new IdeaPad U550, a mid-size notebook with a CULV processor and switchable ATI graphics that could serve as both a desktop replacement, and a makeshift travel machine. Throw that together with a $799 price tag (as equipped) and the U550 makes an appealing pitch to computer buyers looking to make one purchase for all their computing needs. Can it follow through? We give Lenovo s perfect porridge a taste test."
Link to the review:http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-reviews/lenovo-ideapad-u550-review/

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Nokia N900: A Completely Different N Series @ InsideHW

Article link:http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Gadgets/Nokia-N900-A-Completely-Different-N-Series.html

Besides the fact that some of its solutions place it in the range of the most user-friendly phones, each portion of the phone contains a small flaw or two.

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Assorted Stuffs:

Psychology of Technology: In Praise of the Blog "Commentariat"

Teaser: Some time ago, I wrote a post titled The Blogosphere Jungle in which I described the truly uncivil nature of the blogosphere in which respect for opposing views and dispassionate discourse were out and ad hominem attacks and demonization were in. Yet, as I have followed and responded to many comments to my own blog posts and read many other blogs, I have come to see the "commentariat" in a very different light. Contrary to my earlier belief, it is not another indication of the end of civilization as we know it. Instead, I now see it as a vital force in our democracy that, though not exactly leveling the playing field altogether, it at least flattens it some so that it is not tilted so steeply in favor of the all-powerful ruling class. To paraphrase Bill Shakespeare, today I come to praise the commentariat, not to bury it.

Click here: http://bit.ly/dq170m

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Activision Publishing, Inc. and Corus Entertainment Inc.’s Nelvana Enterprises announced today the spring release of Bakugan Battle Trainer(TM) for Nintendo DS(TM), a brand new entry in the hit Bakugan video game franchise that lets fans interact with their Battle Brawlers like never before. The game introduces players to a different part of the Bakugan world by putting an emphasis on mastering the secrets of Bakugan training by improving their skills, leveling up G-Power and then ultimately going up against challengers in a familiar but innovative way.

"Bakugan Battle Brawlers(TM) was one of the best-selling Nintendo DS(TM) games of the holiday 2009 season, and the toy and TV show continue to climb in popularity," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "It’s thrilling to work with such a hot property and bring the Bakugan universe to life in another way with Bakugan Battle Trainer(TM)."

In Bakugan Battle Trainer(TM), Bakugan fans find out first hand what happens before and after the brawls. Players master the secrets of training their Bakugan while choosing how to improve their skills and abilities with an in-depth training mode that helps their Bakugan excel at all aspects of battling. Ultimately, players send their rigorously trained creatures into battle with a mission to free their imprisoned brethren from the enemy’s hold. Beyond this ingenious style of play, the classic elements of Bakugan are in place – collect up to 30 creatures, intense battle action, and the ability to improve your rank by defeating opponents.

"Activision has been the ideal partner in taking Bakugan to the video game space," said Doug Murphy, President, Nelvana and GM, Corus Kids. "The response from fans to last year’s Bakugan Battle Brawlers(TM) was incredibly enthusiastic, so we eagerly look forward to our next step with Bakugan Battle Trainer(TM)."

For more information on Bakugan Battle Trainer(TM), visit http://www.bakugan-videogame.com/. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers(TM) is a co-production from Nelvana Enterprises, Spin Master Ltd., Sega Toys Ltd., TMS Entertainment, Ltd., Japan Vistec Inc. and Sega Corporation, with animation by Japan Vistec Inc. and TMS Entertainment, Ltd.

About Corus Entertainment Inc.

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. The company’s multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com

About Spin Master

A multi-category children’s entertainment company since 1994, Spin Master® has been designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer products for children around the world and is recognized as a global growth leader within the toy industry. Spin Master is best known for such popular brands as 2008 Toy of the Year winner Air Hogs®, Aquadoodle(TM), Tech Deck(TM), Moon Sand(TM) and new boys action phenomena Bakugan Battle Brawlers(TM). Spin Master employs over 600 people with offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Hong Kong and China. For additional information please visit: www.spinmaster.com

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com